Chapter 108: Twenty-Seventh Floor, Rotace’s Hospital (2)

Ha Hee-Jeong was right—I had dropped the lockpick. Awkwardly reaching through the iron-barred window made it tough to keep a steady grip. I had lost grasp of the pick while trying to hold the tensioner in my other hand.

Momentarily speechless, she quickly regained her composure and reassured me calmly, “It’s fine. I can manipulate my mana to retrieve it. And if we really can’t lockpick the door, we can always break it down with the crowbar. We can deal with the test subjects if necessary.”

She was probably trying to ease my nerves, thinking I was panicking, but I had already figured out a solution.

“No need for that.”

“

Huh?

”

“I’ve got Master of Shadows, remember?”

A shadowy arm extended from my back and reached down to retrieve the fallen lockpick. Keeping the arm summoned, I realized I could keep the lock in place while adjusting the picks with both hands.

It was much easier than before, and stubbornly insisting on solving the room the “normal” way had only made things harder. I had wanted to prove my ability after struggling so much in escape rooms on Earth. That awkward angle was more trouble than it was worth, though.

“Geez, you gave me a heart attack! I thought we’d have to bash down the door!”

“What’s the big deal? You said the test subjects weren’t that strong. If they come, we’ll just handle it, right?”

“Well... the theme here is horror...”

She trailed off, and I remembered Ha Hee-Jeong’s legendary fear of anything spooky. Horror was her ultimate weakness.

“Yeah, I picked up on that.”

One time during a horror movie we were watching together, she nearly passed out and made us leave not even halfway through. She seemed to recall that memory too, and a brief silence fell between us.

Click.

The latch finally slid open, breaking the tension.

“Shall we head out?”

“Yeah.”

I cautiously eased the door open, and the rusty hinges let out a sharp, piercing creak that reverberated down the silent hallway. The corridor beyond lay shrouded in shadows, and even the crystal’s faint glow was sufficient to pierce the gloom. The only exceptions were weak, ghostly patches along the floor cast from nearby cells’ barred windows.

We paused and gave our eyes a moment to adjust to the murky darkness.

As we took our first step, Ha Hee-Jeong suddenly clutched my left arm tightly. She turned her face away, looking a bit flustered. “Let’s stick together.”

“All right.”

Thud!

A loud, heavy sound echoed down the hallway, and Ha Hee-Jeong’s grip on my arm tightened further.

She whispered, her voice sounding a little shaky, “Wh-what was that?”

“

Shh.

”

I pulled her behind me while keeping my eyes fixed on the darkened corridor ahead, though I couldn’t see anything. A heavy silence filled the air.

Tap... Tap... Tap-tap-tap.

Something was rolling quickly along the floor toward us, only visible for short moments when it crossed through the dim patches of light spilling from the barred windows. With the stat restriction, I couldn’t make out what it was.

What is it? Is it something a test subject knocked over?

I pulled Ha Hee-Jeong toward a shaded spot along the wall, thinking we could avoid detection by staying out of sight.

Tap-tap-tap.

The object came closer, moving in and out of the sparse light. Finally, I recognized it: a rolling, disembodied eye.

Ha Hee-Jeong gasped softly before quickly covering her mouth.

The eye rolled to a stop just outside the room we had been trapped in, swiveling around as it attempted to peer inside. Thankfully, we had closed the door behind us, preventing it from completing its inspection.

That didn’t solve our issue, however. The eye couldn’t return on its own, which meant a test subject was probably heading our way.

There was another corridor behind us, but moving toward it meant we would risk stepping into one of the patches of light.

“Do we have to fight it?”

Gripping my arm so tightly it hurt, she stuttered out a single word, “P-probably.”

I placed a reassuring hand over hers. Even after regressing, some things hadn’t changed. Although Ha Hee-Jeong was a fearsome warrior, capable leader, and talented mage, suspenseful horror remained her kryptonite. It was strangely reassuring that she was still the same Ha Hee-Jeong I remembered.

Suddenly, a heavy, shuffling step echoed down the corridor. I quickly ran through my options as the test subject’s footsteps grew closer.

I probably can’t use Shadow Veil, but will Flash Strike work?

Activating Flash Strike, I was quickly disappointed as nothing changed, with time refusing to slow as usual.

I had half-expected this; Flash Strike would have made escaping the floor far too easy.

Looks like I will have to rely on my combat-related skills like Lightning Essence and Master of Shadows. Not that it matters since I haven’t depended solely on my auxiliary skills and have trained both.

I tightened my grip on the base of the crowbar. It felt strange in my hand, a far cry from my usual double-headed axe, but it would get the job done.

Just aim and smash, right?

It reminded me of an old game where a crowbar-wielding protagonist fought off aliens.

What was his name again... Gordon?

A low, drawn-out moan suddenly echoed down the corridor and sent a chill up my spine.

“Grooooo...”

The test subject finally emerged into a lit area, allowing me to catch a glimpse of its appearance. Standing well over two meters tall, it was hulking and grotesque. The eye sockets on its face were hollow, instead replaced by dozens of eyes scattered across its pale, grayish skin, each one intensely and unsettlingly darting around.

It was disturbingly hideous.

If I make too much noise, more test subjects will swarm us.

Thankfully, we now had the perfect chance to strike quickly and silently inside the shadows.

I gently released Ha Hee-Jeong’s hand before carefully stepping forward until I was within five meters of it. My plan was simple: close the distance and aim straight for its head.

Now that I was closer, a notification popped up.

[Rotace’s Test Subject No.3]

- The third chimera created by the mad doctor.

- Features dozens of eyes that track its opponent's movements.

- Possesses exceptional physical and magic resistance at the cost of having defined weak points.

The massive creature let out a ghastly moan as it turned toward our door.

“Groooo...”

It pressed its head against the small barred window, only to realize too late that it had no eyes in its sockets. It raised its hand and slid it through the iron bars, scanning the room with an eye on its palm.

This was my chance. I quickly stepped forward, swinging the crowbar back before bringing it down powerfully.

Since I didn’t know its specific weak point, aiming for the head was my best target.

As I stepped into a narrow patch of light, every one of the creature’s eyes locked onto me. It spun toward me—surprisingly quick for its size—but I was faster.

The crowbar drove into the side of the creature’s skull.

Thud!

The force of the blow slammed its head against the metal door. A surge of lightning crackled down the length of the crowbar and flooded the creature with a fierce current.

“Kieeek!”

Damn it.

It still hadn’t died, even after a direct hit to the skull and a blast of lightning.

Maybe Lightning Essence isn’t a high enough level?

The test subject swung its arm at me in a wild arc. I barely managed to duck in time, and its massive fist tore through the air above me. I tried to pull the crowbar free for another strike, but it was stuck fast.

Its next attack came straight at my waist, forcing me to abandon the crowbar and retreat.

“Su-Hyeok!”

A surge of fiery wind flew by me, engulfing the test subject in flames. Unfortunately, the monster didn’t seem to take much damage, likely due to its formidable magic resistance.

Pop, pop-pop!

A series of small bursts resounded from within the flames. As the fire gradually died down, I realized that its eyes had burst from the heat.

Good. At least it lost its sight—

The fist flying toward my head cut off my thoughts. I quickly leaned back, but the heavy punch still grazed my nose. Not giving me a moment of recovery, another fist shot directly toward me in rapid succession.

Still leaning back, I twisted to the side and dropped into a roll, successfully dodging the strike. Ha Hee-Jeong fired another spell that slammed into the creature’s torso, but it didn’t even stumble.

How is it still tracking me?

Somehow, even with all its eyes burned away, it was tracking me.

Can it sense my presence?

If that were the case, it wouldn't have been so vulnerable to my first strike.

The creature didn’t give me any more time to think, closing the distance with surprising speed.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Focus.

I was unarmed, and taking the scalpel from Ha Hee-Jeong would be pointless. This was my first time fighting a monster like this barehanded, but muscle memory kicked in as I recalled the boxing techniques I had learned back on Earth. Falling naturally into a comfortable stance, I felt prepared to respond to whatever the beast had in store for me.

The creature swung its fist at me again. I dodged left, weaving under its fist, and used the opening to drive a punch straight into its lower jaw.

“Kaagh!”

It was still unfazed. It bent its knee to aim a kick my way. I dodged right and grabbed the crowbar stuck in its skull, twisting with all my strength. Frustratingly, it refused to come loose.

“Kieeek!”

The creature thrashed wildly, forcing me to retreat again. Striking its head was useless, and its physical and magical resistances were off the charts.

The notification message had mentioned a weak point, but I still had no clue what it was. At first, I had thought the eyes were its vulnerability, but even with all of them burned away, the creature remained as strong as ever.

Then the answer hit me. The single eyeball that had rolled down the hallway earlier.

Not all of them were burned away.

I turned and spotted it at the end of the corridor, staring at me unblinking. This had to be it. It was the real weak point.

“Hee-Jeong, in the hallway—!”

Mid-shout, I realized I could reach it faster, although my silence left Ha Hee-Jeong confused.

“What?”

Dodging the creature’s next punch, I rolled forward and positioned myself in front of the lone eyeball. Not hesitating for a second, I brought my palm down on it. With a wet pop, the eye burst under my hand, and thick fluid oozed between my fingers.

“Kuh?”

The creature collapsed instantly, its massive corpse shaking the floor thunderously on impact with the ground.

***

[Escape Rotace’s Hospital. Time remaining: 7 hours 45 minutes.]

It seemed like each floor in the hospital had its own designated test subjects. Fortunately, the recent commotion hadn’t drawn any more of them our way. The whole situation felt more like a horror game than reality.

Does this mean we just cleared the first stage?

Now that the monster was defeated, Ha Hee-Jeong was unleashing her frustration. “Fuck, I knew the eyeballs would be its weak point, but I completely forgot about the one that rolled toward us earlier.”

“No, don’t blame yourself, I forgot about it too. It was hard to think about anything else when that thing looked so disgusting.”

I wiped the creature’s sticky fluid onto my patient gown, then grabbed the key hanging from its neck. Judging by the jagged edge, unfortunately, it was only half a key.

As I yanked the crowbar out of the creature’s skull, Ha Hee-Jeong turned away, her face twisting nauseously.

Seeing that, I couldn’t bet but to tease her. “You handled the fight just fine, so what’s with the weak stomach now?”

“This is different. You know I can’t stand this kind of stuff.”

“After climbing this far up the tower, I thought you would have toughened up a bit.”

She didn’t respond to that, seemingly lost in thought. Maybe memories from her past life were resurfacing.

Sensing the sudden shift in mood, I changed the subject deliberately. “Let’s check out the second-floor bathroom.”

The other half of the key was probably there. Before that, though, we had to figure out which floor we were on.