Chapter 184 – Side Story 4

“Ah, is that name for real?”

Cho-i Hyeon collapsed, holding his stomach. Taeyang Kang casually retorted from beside him, and the others stared into the distance for a moment.

“Ahahaha! Let’s go. Let’s do it.”

“Can seven people even do this in the first place?”

“It’s a room that takes up an entire floor, so it won’t be cramped!”

Why would an R-rated escape room take up an entire floor? The guidebook said it could accommodate up to eight people. What’s the point of an R-rated escape room for up to eight people? What exactly happens inside?

“Alright, the three of you will go in first~.”

The part-timer smiled broadly. Cho-i Hyeon and Ganansu immediately declared themselves as the odd ones out.

“I’ll go in later~. He needs to film too, so he’ll come in with me.”

“Ah, filming inside will be difficult!”

“Uh, even if the boss allows it?”

“Uh… If the boss allows it, then it’s fine.”

At Cho-i Hyeon’s call, Yeonwoo Han gave the part-timer the go-ahead for filming. The remaining five people fairly played rock-paper-scissors to decide who would go in first. Neither S-Rank nor SS-Rank could use future foresight, but the one who could more sensitively detect the subtle movements of hand muscles won.

…Damn it.”

“See you later.”

Gihyeon Park, Suui Kim, Dongju Kim. These three entered first, blindfolded. Taehyeok Sa, Taeyang Kang, Cho-i Hyeon, and Ganansu, who remained outside, saw the three off. It was funny that the Hunters, who knew exactly where they were going even with their eyes covered, went in like that. Looking at it this way, isn’t Yeonwoo Han crazy? I came because he said he opened a cafe, but it’s an escape room cafe.

“Alright, now the remaining four of you will go in~.”

The part-timer said cheerfully. As they entered the room, blindfolded, though it hardly mattered, the part-timer spoke without further explanation.

“We’ll start when you hear the door close~.”

Click, thud. The sound of the door closing was heard, and the four people removed their blindfolds. And as soon as they removed their blindfolds, they heard…

-Ah…! -Oh…!

Sensual… Moans… Sounds…

Cho-i Hyeon collapsed laughing, and Ganansu was in a state of confusion. Taehyeok Sa briefly held his head. And Taeyang Kang, who was right next to him, immediately looked around. Inside the entirely red room, a cheap audio system was playing. It was so cheap that every sound echoed, making their heads throb. On one side, there was a bed that would typically be found in a motel, and on the opposite side, there were a sofa, cabinets, and other items. In front of them was a locked door leading to the next room. Excluding the collapsed Cho-i Hyeon, the remaining people began to explore their surroundings. There were indescribably shaped decorations and mannequins dressed in sparsely covered clothes standing around.

“Uh, I don’t know where to start…!”

“Just focus your mind for now.”

“What should I focus on…!”

Ganansu screamed. Taeyang Kang clasped his hands behind his back and looked at the ceiling for a moment.

“Damn it….”

The ceiling was adorned with paintings of naked men and women. Taeyang Kang felt a momentary dizziness and covered his eyes. Around that time, Cho-i Hyeon, who had collapsed in laughter, stood up.

“Hey, what’s here?”

“What, where?”

The three hunters, disoriented by the overwhelming sight, gathered at Cho-i’s voice. Handprints were drawn on the bed and the headboard respectively.

“Are we supposed to put our palms here…?”

Ganansu and Cho-i Hyeon each stretched out their arms and placed their palms, but there was no particular change. Taeyang Kang tilted his head, and Taehyeok Sa glanced at the Entities for a moment before looking into the distance.

“It’s not just putting your palms…”

Taehyeok Sa held his breath for a moment, then exhaled.

“It seems like you have to strike a certain pose…”

“Ah.”

“Oh.”

“Hmm.”

At those words, the three stared at the four handprints. The pose the Entity demanded was very clear, and…

“Why is this happening?”

“Get away. Don’t touch me. Damn it.”

“Ahaha!”

That role fell to Taehyeok Sa and Taeyang Kang. Their ambiguously joined lower bodies were unpleasant.

“How long will this…”

“Damn it. Get lost.”

“Do you think I’m doing this because I like you?”

Taeyang Kang, who was like a barking dog to anyone other than Cho-i Hyeon, cursed repeatedly, and Taehyeok Sa endured it anyway. As the two got on the bed, the cheap moans that had been sounding all around grew louder. The three endured the situation, growing increasingly uncomfortable, until… Click. Something opened, and they burst out with a thud. Cho-i Hyeon looked around and saw that the prepared cabinet was open. Creak. Cho-i opened the door and pulled out a cheap costume from inside, something that looked like it would appear if you searched for ‘sexy cosplay’ on Google. The basic base was like a maid outfit, but calling it a maid outfit was a stretch; it was almost a bikini.

“……”

“No. Absolutely not.”

Taehyeok Sa’s expression hardened, and even Taeyang Kang refused. Cho-i Hyeon, with a regretful expression, put it on over her clothes. Once she even put on the headband, it looked more plausible than expected. The saying ‘clothes look better on a good hanger’ wasn’t for nothing. The two men looked at Cho-i Hyeon with ambiguous expressions.

“What are you looking at, you perverts?”

“……”

“……”

Taeyang Kang and Taehyeok Sa briefly turned their gazes in opposite directions. If they kept staring, they truly felt like they would become undeniable perverts. Cho-i Hyeon stretched and started walking to find the next problem to move to the next room. But then something popped up in front of her.

[!!Caution!!]

A red warning window appeared.

“Huh?”

Not only Ganansu, but also Taehyeok Sa and Taeyang Kang reacted. This warning window, then.

[A dungeon is being generated!]

It was a dungeon generation warning window. Wait, now. Here? Cho-i Hyeon blinked. Soon, the surroundings began to shake with a rattling sound. Due to the nature of escape rooms, which have poor soundproofing, people’s screams could be heard from beyond the walls.

“Hold your ground!” “Kyaak!”

Cho-i Hyeon grabbed Ganansu as he was about to fall and held him. It was usually best not to move while a dungeon was being generated. Especially those within the dungeon generation radius, if they weren’t careful, could become one with the dungeon.

“Is it over?”

How many minutes had passed like that? The earthquake-like shaking subsided. But there was something a little puzzling.

“…This room, hasn’t it changed at all?” “…There’s a possibility that the building wasn’t destroyed but swallowed by a dungeon.” “Hmm.”

Since things had turned out this way, the escape room game was out of the question. Cho-i Hyeon kicked the door, which seemed to lead to the next room. Bang—!! With a loud noise, the door flew open, revealing the next room. But from here on, something was strange. The walls and floor had changed to look like red rock. Like the inside of a cave, perhaps. Coral-like structures sprouted from the floor like deer antlers, and the door to the next room was on the left. And straight ahead…

“…Ahaha!” “…Don’t laugh.” “Ahahaha!”

There was Suui Kim, his hands bound to the wall and his eyes covered with a blindfold.

“Ahahahahahaha!”

As Cho-i Hyeon collapsed, Taehyeok Sa caught him this time. Ganansu looked at Suui Kim for a moment. Wearing a tattered shirt—it looked like an escape room prop—and kneeling on the floor with his hands tied above him, he looked like a pathetic hostage.

“……Get up.” “No, that is…”

Suui Kim said in a tone that suggested he wanted to die.

“It won’t come off…” “Why?” “Huh?” “Why?” “I don’t know…”

Suui Kim gritted his teeth. It certainly wasn’t like this when he was first tied up. Since it was a rule, he remained obediently bound. It was torture to pretend to be tied to something that would break with just a little force, but he endured it for now. But when the earthquake started, Suui Kim sensed something unusual and tried to tear off what bound his wrists. But then.

“…Hmm, it seems the building itself has become a dungeon as dungeonification occurred.” “So that’s it…”

The problem was that as the building underwent dungeonification, the handcuffs became strong enough to restrain an S-Rank.

“What’s the dungeon rank?” “If it’s strong enough to bind Suui hunter, who became S-Rank with Constellation, it must be at least S+ Rank.” “An S+ Rank dungeon in the middle of a temperate zone, outside must be in chaos.”

Taehyeok Sa clicked his tongue. Around that time, Cho-i Hyeon, who had collapsed from laughter, straightened up and stood.

“Ah… that was funny.”

“If you’re done laughing, can you loosen this?”

“Sure.”

Cho-i Hyeon replied and looked around. Come to think of it, besides the walls turning into rock faces, there was another strange thing. The props needed for the escape room were still on display.

“Is it a maze-type dungeon?”

“Could be?”

A maze-type dungeon. It was a newly emerged dungeon type after the Constellation appeared. There were almost no monsters, but it was a bothersome dungeon because you had to wander through its complex, maze-like interior to find the exit. Cho-i approached Suui Kim and tried to tear off the handcuffs binding his wrists. However, as she reached out to tear off the handcuffs, a warning window popped up again.

[!!Caution!!]

“What is it?”

As Cho-i looked bewildered, Taehyeok Sa watched the situation with a strange look, then tilted his head as if he understood. He had a troubled expression.

“It seems there’s a specific rule to undo this.”