5. Still

Jiho intentionally set off a bit earlier than in the previous round. It was because she considered Park Hyojeong’s running speed, which was likely slower than hers. And within a manageable limit, she wanted to try saving the Dustpan Girl.

Because of how she had used the girl from Room 804 without hesitation, Jiho didn’t feel particularly attached to the Dustpan Girl. Still, she was human, and there was still a chance to save her.

‘But I can’t get too close. The girl with the broom will use me as a scapegoat instead of her friend…’

The two girls from Room 818, running side by side at the front, were startled by sudden footsteps behind them and looked back. When they saw Shin Jiho and Park Hyojeong, their expressions soured.

Meanwhile, Marbas had grabbed hold of the girl from Room 804.

“Ah!”

Hyojeong cried out in surprise.

The girl from 804 thrashed and let out a harrowing scream.

“No! Let go! Aagh! Aaaah, uaaaaaaaagh!”

With a sickening crack, her body twisted grotesquely. From a split in her crown, a leopard burst out. Her human skin peeled off like a shed husk and then completely melted away.

“Ugh…!”

One of the girls from 818 gasped and let out a short scream.

Marbas turned around in a slow circle and began walking toward Jiho’s group again. His pace was unhurried, but the distance between him and the four of them rapidly shrank.

It was then that Jiho realized her mistake. Hyojeong had run faster than she expected, and matching her speed had brought Jiho too close to the girls from 818. If the broom was swung, it could just barely reach her.

Just as Jiho tried to slow down a bit, the two girls from 818 came face to face with Marbas a step ahead of her.

The Broom Girl, glancing around, locked eyes with Jiho. Jiho gripped her badminton racket, ready to defend.

The Broom Girl swung her broom. There was a loud smack. The broom struck the Dustpan Girl squarely. The Dustpan Girl staggered.

‘Why…? She could’ve hit me easily, so why hit her own friend instead of a complete stranger?’

The question was fleeting, and Jiho quickly realized the answer.

‘The target needed to be as close to me as possible, it’d be best if they were off guard, and ideally someone who wouldn’t even suspect I’d attack.’

By those conditions, the Dustpan Girl was a much better fit than Shin Jiho.

Jiho looked at the Broom Girl with fearful eyes. Up until the last round, Shin Jiho had despised her. But just a few minutes ago, while thinking of Go Pyeonghwa, Jiho had thought in exactly the same way as the Broom Girl.

The fear that she was becoming more like her made Jiho tremble.

The Broom Girl clenched her teeth, her face pale as a sheet. Then she shoved the Dustpan Girl toward Marbas.

“No!”

At that moment, Shin Jiho came to her senses and thrust her badminton racket forward. The racket caught the body of the Dustpan Girl as she fell to the side. The impact nearly caused Jiho to stumble, but she quickly sprinted forward and supported the Dustpan Girl with her own body. Thankfully, the girl regained her balance.

Marbas reached out toward Jiho and the Dustpan Girl, seizing the brief moment of hesitation. Jiho managed to block his hand with the badminton racket. But she couldn’t withstand Marbas’s strength and lost her grip—the racket slipped from her hands.

The Broom Girl was already sprinting far ahead.

Shin Jiho didn’t slow down and kept running forward. She had her own survival to worry about—there wasn’t room to help further. She could hear the Dustpan Girl’s footsteps close behind.

‘At least we avoided the worst…’

Just then, Park Hyojeong’s scream rang out.

“Jiho unni!”

Jiho turned her head. Park Hyojeong was caught in Marbas’s hand.

“…!”

It was an obvious mistake. When Marbas missed the Dustpan Girl, he’d gone for the closer target—Hyojeong. Jiho should’ve paid more attention to where Hyojeong was.

“Uaaaaaaaagh!”

Park Hyojeong writhed, letting out a horrific scream.

With a pained expression, Shin Jiho forced herself to ignore Hyojeong’s cries. There was no time. She could only keep running forward… A sharp chill stung somewhere deep inside her chest.

She ran and ran, until she caught up to the Broom Girl. The Broom Girl tried to move closer to Jiho, inching into her space. Just like last time, she seemed intent on using Jiho as a sacrifice.

Jiho, who had been about to swing her badminton racket like before, suddenly froze.

‘I don’t have the racket…!’

She had lost it earlier while saving the Dustpan Girl—her hands were empty now.

Shin Jiho had no choice but to widen the gap between them as she ran. But the Broom Girl kept closing the distance.

Suddenly, a burning rage surged inside Jiho.

‘Should I just shove her back?’

If she went all in, it wasn’t like she couldn’t win.

Besides, if she used the Broom Girl, she could confirm whether the black note was real. If Jiho offered up the Broom Girl and Marbas didn’t turn her into a beast, then the note’s contents were true.

It was then—

“Let go! I said let go!”

It was the voice of the Dustpan Girl. Jiho and the Broom Girl both glanced back at the same time.

Not far away, Marbas was gripping the Dustpan Girl’s head with one hand, violently. She dangled in the air, flailing her arms and legs.

“S-Save… me…. Aaaaagh!”

With a sickening crack, the Dustpan Girl’s body began to twist grotesquely.

Shin Jiho snapped back to her senses.

‘No matter how angry I was, I actually thought about doing that to someone…’

She was terrified by her own thoughts.

The Broom Girl turned her head first. Clenching her teeth, she bolted forward. The lobby stairs were only a few steps away.

Shin Jiho, her face pale as a ghost, forced herself to look away. She ran mechanically, thinking:

‘Again. The same result, again.’

There had definitely been variables. And yet, the outcome was the same—only the Broom Girl and Shin Jiho survived.

The Broom Girl reached the lobby stairs first and hurried down. Jiho arrived a moment later. With one foot on the lobby stairs, Jiho looked back.

Marbas stood still, just three steps away. Their eyes met, and Marbas gave her a slight smile.

Jiho stared at Marbas for a few seconds, as if daring him to grab her. But Marbas didn’t come any closer. Instead, he started to turn back toward the center of the hallway.

Jiho had a gut feeling—this was her last chance.

“Marbas.”

She quietly called his name, her voice trembling.

Marbas stopped in place and looked straight at her. He twitched his nose slightly and tilted his head.

If only his face were human, it would’ve been easier to read. But Marbas’s head was that of a lion. Jiho couldn’t tell if the expression on his lion face was friendly or hostile.

Jiho braced herself. If anything happened, she was ready to dash down the stairs.

“I want to know the location of Room 721 in the men’s dorm.”

She swallowed dryly.

Up close, Marbas looked massive. Easily over two meters tall, with a solid frame and wild, animal-like muscles that radiated menace. Facing him felt like standing before a solid, towering wall.

Marbas let out a low growl.

“Fifth room to the left when viewed from the 7th floor elevator lobby in the men’s dorm.”

Contrary to his savage appearance, Marbas’s voice was calm and dignified. He didn’t lunge at Jiho or try to turn her into a beast.

Even though her guess had been right, there was no thrill of success—just numbness. With three people dead, she couldn’t bring herself to feel any relief.

In that moment, Jiho remembered what she truly wanted. In truth, she didn’t care much about where Room 721 was. What she truly, desperately wanted to know was something else.

“The exit… Where’s the exit from the dormitory?”

Marbas stared at her intently.

“You may only ask one question. And that question was the wrong one.”

Marbas declined politely but firmly, then sealed his lips shut. He twitched his nose once, and like a gentleman greeting a lady, gave Jiho a graceful bow. Then he walked past her and headed back toward the center of the hallway.

Shin Jiho watched Marbas’s back as he moved away.

‘What does he mean?’

The fact that her question was “wrong” meant that the premise of her question itself was flawed.

‘Does that mean… there’s no exit at all?’

With a pale face, Jiho frowned and placed a hand on her chest, bowing her upper body slightly. The moment she considered the possibility that no exit existed, her chest tightened.

“Ah, shit, what now?!”

The Broom Girl’s shrill shout echoed from the lobby stairs. At the sound, Jiho straightened her body again.

The 8th floor would be sealed off soon. Either way, she had to move now.

Jiho shook her head to clear away distracting thoughts.

‘There’s nothing I can rely on. I can’t depend on Marbas’s words either. I shouldn’t overthink it right now.’

She deliberately took a deep breath in, then let it out.

‘Besides, I didn’t even get a proper answer about the exit…’

Shin Jiho began striding down the stairs.

On the 7th floor stairwell, the Broom Girl was there, panting and kicking at the metal bars. When she spotted Jiho, her eyebrows twitched irritably.

“Thought you were dead.”

The Broom Girl said it without hesitation.

“……”

Shin Jiho clasped her left hand with her right. As warmth returned to her cold left hand, it felt like the tension in her body and mind eased slightly. Jiho simply stared at the Broom Girl without a word.

After a moment, Jiho let out a sigh.

‘Right, if she can act this bold…’

Betray Go Pyeonghwa. Abandon Park Hyojeong. Use the Broom Girl to test the black note.

All of those were just thoughts in her head. Jiho hadn’t actually done any of it.

Even the Broom Girl, who had sacrificed her friend, was this shameless and bold—Jiho, who hadn’t done anything, didn’t need to feel so intimidated.

‘I still have things to do.’

Jiho wanted to find out the Broom Girl’s major. But, like with Park Hyojeong earlier, it was hard to naturally bring it up now—their relationship was too hostile.

Jiho thought for a moment, then spoke.

“Doesn’t this place seem weird to you? It feels different from this morning.”

She pointed to the metal bars blocking the stairwell. The Broom Girl crossed her arms, frowning.

“So my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me.”

“And the fire shutter—it’s way too close to the stairs.”

“Yeah. It was at least two steps away before.”

Perhaps thinking Jiho was someone she could reason with, the Broom Girl answered smoothly.

Their relationship had been tense in the last round too. But back then, it was the Broom Girl who first spoke to Jiho and discussed the situation. It meant that, deep down, she was confused and desperate for someone to talk things through with.

“Let’s share what we know. If we want to escape from here, we need to understand what’s going on—even a little.”

“Alright.”

At Jiho’s suggestion, the Broom Girl nodded without hesitation. Shin Jiho smiled coolly, pretending to be confident.

“I’m Shin Jiho, Computer Science, Class of ‘19.”

“Baek Yeoul, Mechanical Engineering, Class of ‘20.”

As expected, opening with an exchange of information was the right move.

‘Mechanical Engineering, huh…’

Just as Jiho thought, Baek Yeoul was the type Marbas liked. That explained why Marbas hadn’t actively chased after Yeoul or Shin Jiho. It made the black note seem even more credible.

“The announcement definitely said they were demons, right? Do you know anything about them?”

Baek Yeoul asked first, eager.

“No. First time seeing them here. What about you? Know anything at all?”

Having already gotten the information she wanted from Baek Yeoul, Jiho half-listened to her response, replying lazily. She was curious about the Dustpan Girl’s major too, but didn’t ask—she didn’t want to raise suspicion.

“Of course not. If I did, would I be asking?”

Baek Yeoul shot Jiho a displeased look, clearly annoyed that Jiho didn’t know anything. She seemed dissatisfied.

Jiho tuned her out and focused on other thoughts.

‘How do I get past the lounge?’

Even though she’d gotten a clue about Room 721’s location, if she couldn’t get through the lounge, it was meaningless. Jiho narrowed her eyes, trying to gauge where Amon was beyond the fire shutter. Amon wasn’t the real issue—a fire extinguisher was enough to deal with him.

The real problem came after that. Getting through Amon and into the lounge was doable, but there was no plan beyond that.

‘Wait. Could there be more than just two black notes?’

One might’ve been a coincidence, but two couldn’t be. And if there were two, there was likely a third. Plus, the edges of the black notes were torn. That meant there were missing pieces.

Amon’s note had two torn edges, while Marbas’s had three. Even if you matched the two together, there’d still be a torn edge left over. In other words, two notes weren’t the end.

Jiho covered her mouth.

‘Each note had information about one demon. That means… somewhere in the dorm, there might be another note with info about the armored demon in the lounge…’

Amon’s black note had Amon’s weakness, and Marbas’s note explained how to use Marbas.

‘There has to be a hint on the black note about the armored demon. A clue to get through the lounge!’

It was only a possibility for now, but hope flickered.

Baek Yeoul wandered around, glancing here and there, then looked down at the next floor’s staircase with a regretful expression.

“There’s no way to go straight down to the floor below, right? Do we have to pass through the 7th floor?”

“Humans aren’t liquid, you know? If you think you can ooze through the bars, go ahead.”

Jiho replied flatly to Yeoul’s comment—then froze.

‘…Wait. Why do I have to stay on the 7th floor?’

Right now, floor-to-floor movement hadn’t been restricted yet.

If she entered the 7th floor, there was an emergency door right nearby that led to the 6th floor. She could slip out through it and quickly leave the 7th floor behind.

‘I should’ve grabbed a fire extinguisher on the 8th floor…!’

Just like the extinguisher by the 7th floor’s emergency stairwell, there had also been one on the 8th floor near her room. But she’d been too distracted by other concerns at the time to think of it.

Still, looking back, it was disappointing—but not a deal breaker.

Amon took 3 seconds to prepare before he breathed fire. In the last round, Yeoul’s interference and Jiho’s inexperience had caused unnecessary delays. But if she moved efficiently, she could cross to the 6th floor within those 3 seconds.

The only issue was that she wasn’t sure if there was any benefit to going downstairs.

Originally, she’d planned to escape the building entirely. But after what Marbas said, her confidence had been shaken. She wasn’t even sure anymore if the exit was really on the first floor.

Besides, it was unclear if the lower floors were any safer than the 7th.

‘Still, there’s no way it’s worse than the bloodbath in the lounge…’

Recalling what had happened in the lounge pushed her decision hard in one direction.

But she kept thinking about Go Pyeonghwa.

If Jiho ran straight down to the 6th floor, Pyeonghwa would be left alone on the 7th. Just like last time, Hwang Siwoon would be killed by Gremory, and Pyeonghwa might be taken out as well. Either that, or he’d be killed by Amon, or get completely trapped on the 7th floor. Even if he made it past Amon, in the lounge…

‘No… Pyeonghwa handled himself well in the lounge. I was the dead weight.’

Jiho calculated the time. The inter-floor lockdown announcement would come any moment now. She didn’t have time to dwell on it.

Growing anxious, Jiho clenched and unclenched her right hand, biting her lip. She paced briefly on the stairs, then took a deep breath—and made her decision.

Coldly, logically, the best move was to go down. She couldn’t stop thinking about Hwang Siwoon and Go Pyeonghwa. But dying with them didn’t feel like the right answer either.

Jiho glanced sideways at Baek Yeoul. She was worried Yeoul would interfere. Honestly, to Jiho, Baek Yeoul was a wild card—totally unpredictable. Selfish and far too bold.

‘If I had more time, I could shake her off somehow…’

After a brief debate, she made up her mind. Jiho glanced at Yeoul again. Yeoul was grumbling and rattling the metal bars.

This was it.

Jiho dashed toward the fire shutter like lightning. She threw her shoulder against the emergency door.

“What the hell?!”

Baek Yeoul shouted in confusion, her face dumbfounded.

‘Just stay still for three seconds. Please.’

Jiho had nothing prepared, and no time for tricks or clever talk. The only option was a surprise move—get a head start before Yeoul could react.

As soon as Jiho opened the emergency door, she saw Amon sitting on a white rug spread out over the elevator lobby floor. The moment she set foot into the 7th-floor hallway, an announcement began playing from the speaker.

『To the newcomer on the 7th floor of the women’s dormitory.』

Amon lifted his head and looked at Jiho, then rose to his feet.

Jiho moved quickly, just as she had rehearsed in her mind. The moment she stepped through the emergency door, she sprinted toward the emergency door beside it. Amon opened his mouth. Jiho counted the time in her head.

‘One.’

『We have an announcement.』

In just three strides, she reached the fire shutter emergency door leading to the 6th floor. Jiho pressed her shoulder against the door.

‘Two.’

『The demon on the 7th floor of the women’s dormitory is—』

Jiho shoved the door with her shoulder.

At that moment, something grabbed her arm with force. It was Baek Yeoul.

Jiho tried to shake her off and push the door open, but Yeoul’s strength was unexpectedly powerful—she couldn’t break free.

Jiho was shocked. She had never been overpowered by a girl with an ordinary build like Yeoul before. There was a desperate energy in her grip. Jiho and Yeoul were locked in a tense standoff.

‘Three.’

『Amon. Thank you.』

There wasn’t enough time. Jiho had no choice—she gave up and threw herself in the direction Yeoul was pulling. Only then did Baek Yeoul let her go. Jiho rolled a few times across the floor and barely escaped the elevator lobby in time.

Amon breathed fire. Pressed against the emergency door, Baek Yeoul couldn’t dodge the attack. Flames engulfed her completely in an instant.

Jiho sat on the floor of the hallway, staring blankly at Baek Yeoul being consumed by fire. The flickering crimson light washed over Jiho’s face.

Even though this was the second time, watching someone burn alive was still horrifying—and Jiho couldn’t understand Yeoul’s actions at all.

‘Why…? Did she think she had to pass through the fire shutter first?’

Amon licked his lips and stared at Jiho with quiet interest.

“Shin Jiho!”

Someone grabbed her shoulder and arm. Jiho turned—Go Pyeonghwa.

Pyeonghwa pulled Jiho to her feet and dragged her away from Amon. Jiho stumbled along, following him.

The moment she saw the startled look on Pyeonghwa’s face, Jiho snapped out of her daze. The realization that now wasn’t the time hit her like a jolt of electricity, waking every nerve in her body.

Jiho roughly shook off Pyeonghwa’s hands from her shoulder and forearm.

“…!”

Pyeonghwa flinched but obediently let go.

For a brief moment, the two stared into each other’s eyes. Jiho’s expression was hard and cold as lead, but her eyes trembled with anxiety. Go Pyeonghwa peered into them—like he was trying to decipher the universe itself.

Before Pyeonghwa could offer any interpretation, Shin Jiho turned her head sharply and sprinted past him toward the end of the hallway—running in the opposite direction of the elevator lobby.

“Where are you going?”

Pyeonghwa shouted, but Jiho had no time to respond.

She needed the fire extinguisher stationed at the emergency stairs at the end of the hall. As fast as possible—before the floor lockdown announcement started!

Her mouth was dry from nerves. She felt like she could run faster, but her body wasn’t keeping up.

Footsteps echoed behind her. Jiho didn’t bother to look back—she already knew who it was.

『We have an announcement.』

She wasn’t even halfway down the hall when the speaker crackled to life again. Her heart sank, thinking this might be the end.

But Jiho immediately crushed that thought.

‘No, there’s still time! The floor lockdown announcement comes after this!’

She pushed herself to run harder. All her focus zeroed in on the red fire extinguisher at the end of the corridor. It felt close enough to touch—and yet impossibly distant, like it belonged to another dimension.

『We are now sealing off the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of the women’s dormitory and the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of the men’s dormitory.』

The moment the announcement ended, the ground shook violently. The hallway, like a long tunnel, trembled in every direction. Jiho kept moving toward the fire extinguisher, but after just a few steps, she collapsed to her knees.

She couldn’t keep her balance.

With no choice, Jiho crawled on the ground, hands scraping the floor. Her pace was painfully slow. Gritting her teeth, she pressed forward. The flickering fluorescent lights above her finally blinked out.

“Hey, Shin Jiho!”

Pyeonghwa’s voice came from beside her—he had caught up. His voice was raised to be heard over the roar of the quake. Jiho didn’t look at him and replied:

“Why’d you follow me?”

“Because you went this way! Where are you even going?”

Even though she hadn’t spoken loudly, Pyeonghwa somehow picked up on her words and answered immediately, firing off his own question.

“I need the fire extinguisher.”

“Why?”

Jiho turned her head slightly, casting a glance at Pyeonghwa. He was looking at her with a puzzled expression.

In that moment, the Pyeonghwa from the last round overlapped with the one before her now.

The first time they’d met on the 7th floor, Jiho and Pyeonghwa had been strangers. He’d saved her despite not knowing her, but even after exchanging names, their relationship remained awkward.

But now, Pyeonghwa had called her name first—and spoke to her with familiarity. His expression was warm, as if they had known each other for a long time. Like they were old friends, classmates from back when they’d started college together…

Judging by how Go Pyeonghwa asked why she needed the fire extinguisher, it seemed he didn’t remember the last round. If he did, he’d know exactly what it was for.

‘Is he trying to trick me? Or… is he testing me?’

For a moment, Jiho felt suspicious.

But logically, it didn’t add up. Pyeonghwa had arrived on the 7th floor before her. If he remembered the previous round, the first thing he would’ve done was secure the extinguisher.

The shaking suddenly stopped. Some of the ceiling lights flickered back on. There was no time to talk now. Jiho jumped up and took off running. Pyeonghwa ran alongside her.

Right on cue, the announcement blared through the speaker.