A Survival Guide for a Counselor in the Apocalypse Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 

“That’s right.”

The door was locked. It hadn’t been used in a long time.

That didn’t mean there was no solution. There was still one method left, one that people simply hadn’t used because common sense still applied.

“…We break it.”

Even if they weren’t enough to deal with the mutants, there were plenty of chairs around… more than sufficient for smashing a glass door.

If they threw a few, it would break eventually.

“There are chairs. If we keep throwing them, it’ll shatter.”

“What about those monsters?”

“We figure that out now.”

Before any incredulous looks could land on me, I turned my gaze back outside.

“You said you’re in the broadcasting club, right?”

“Y-yes?”

Sniffling, Kim Woohyun wiped his nose once and nodded.

“Isn’t this room used by the broadcasting club too?”

Even under my hand, there were unfamiliar pieces of equipment connected.

At my question, Woohyun quickly spilled everything he knew.

“This room can only control the speakers inside the auditorium… the outside speakers are controlled from the central room on the first floor.”

In short, from here, they could only control the auditorium speakers… but they could still play pre-recorded audio files.

I snapped my fingers a few times, thinking.

The mutants’ characteristics…

‘During the day, they react more to visual stimuli…’

At night, they react more to sound.

During the day, they chase bleeding people over screaming ones. At night, they chase screams over blood.

That didn’t mean they were deaf during the day, but…

‘Right now, there’s too much inside the auditorium stimulating them already.’

Blood splattered everywhere. Corpses. The way they clawed uselessly at them proved it.

Which meant…

‘We wait for night.’

It increased the risk, but this was the only way to escape without running into the mutants stationed inside.

Make noise. Lure them away.

‘Is this really the only method?’

No.

There was one more.

Send someone out, drenched in blood, and have them sprint outside.

‘…No one’s volunteering for that.’

And there was no reason to bring it up and start unnecessary conflict.

“There are too many right now. We should wait until they spread out.”

As I vaguely deflected, Shin Giyeon stepped beside me.

“…Will they?”

“They’re already wandering around. The ones outside that door look like they might leave.”

She nodded slowly, somewhat convinced. The others didn’t object either.

Still, just in case…

“Anyone else have a different idea?”

I asked.

No one answered.

In the silence, I pulled the curtain closed again. There was too much out there that would wreck their mental state.

 

—

[You have subdued opposition…]

[It seems a perfect lull has been reached.]

[You have earned a temporary trait through perfect execution.]

 

[Calmness (03:59:59)]

Take a slow, deep breath in and out.

Yes, that’s what it means to be ‘calm’.

Reduces the chance of Mental Strength decreasing by 5%.

—

 

‘A buff?’

Normally, when events occurred, there was a 50% chance of mental strength dropping.

Reducing that by 5% meant 45%.

It didn’t sound like much, but four hours wasn’t short.

That was enough time to completely erase a [Panic] state.

‘We can manage… somehow.’

A silver lining in a terrible situation.

 

***

 

Even in a space filled with negativity, Shin Giyeon kept trying to lighten the mood.

It didn’t work very well.

Still, maybe thanks to the buff, no one completely collapsed.

‘At least we have enough water.’

Even if they stayed here for days, they wouldn’t die.

…Not dying was about the best they could hope for.

Lee Hoin, who had been staring outside the whole time, spoke irritably.

“Spread out, my ass. It’s the same as before.”

His sharp gaze turned toward me.

“What now?”

I met his eyes calmly.

“I said it was a possibility. I never said it would definitely happen.”

A completely reasonable statement.

After all, how would normal people know mutant behavior at this stage?

 

—

[Hmm, is that so?]

—

 

Ignoring the narrator, I checked the time.

[11:18 PM.]

My gaze slid toward Sa Jaehyeon.

‘About 42 minutes.’

Until he regressed.

I lightly tapped my fingers.

Sa Jaehyeon’s regression point was always the same.

Because pre-regression, Sa Jaehyeon never changed.

‘The convenience store he runs into right after escaping the school.’

That exact moment mattered.

Even a slight discrepancy, and he’d notice.

‘I don’t want to give him that opening.’

“2.5%…”

That was my chance of successfully persuading him.

Better to be cautious.

“Gather up.”

Everyone tensed and moved closer.

I pulled the curtain aside… and slammed my hand against the wall.

BANG!

Everyone flinched.

A sound echoed…

“Kiieeeek”

A rusted-hinge-like screech spread through the auditorium.

“What are you doing?!”

“Are you fucking insane?!”

Ignoring them, I spoke again.

“Earlier, when we were screaming… did the monsters react?”

Lee Hoin froze.

They hadn’t reacted at all.

 

—

[You show signs of a skilled speaker! A righteous orator, how interesting.]

—

 

I ignored the window and continued.

“They’re reacting now. And I didn’t even hit that hard.”

That was the key.

“They’re more sensitive to sound now.”

“Th-then what do we do?! We’ll make noise when we move!”

Shin Giyeon trembled.

“We drown it out with something louder.”

I looked at Woohyun.

He raised his head.

“B-broadcasting…?”

“Ah!”

Giyeon’s eyes widened.

“B-but we can only control the auditorium speakers…”

That was the problem.

“There are four speakers. Two near the stage, one near us, and one near the entrance.”

“If we control them separately, we can guide them. Can you do it?”

Woohyun hesitated, then nodded hard.

“I-I think so!”

Before relief could settle, Lee Hoin cut in.

“If we use the stage speakers, how do we get out? Someone’s going to get left behind.”

His pointed glance made Woohyun inhale sharply.

“Not the stage speakers. The entrance speaker.”

“…Then how do we get out?”

I answered simply.

“The middle door.”

The one I’d planned from the start.

“The main entrance will be blocked anyway. You don’t think what we saw is all there is, right?”

They went silent.

“Use the entrance speaker to draw them. Break the central door. Then go down.”

That was it.

One more problem… the stairs had been removed.

They’d have to jump from the second floor.

I glanced at my worn-out sneakers.

‘Should’ve worn the better ones.’

Doesn’t matter now.

“Ready?”

 

***

 

Fear eventually unified them.

They couldn’t stay here forever.

[11:30]

Cutting it close.

I didn’t remember how long it took to reach the convenience store.

“Right in front of the school,” the novel said.

But…

‘Is this the novel’s world, or mine?’

I exhaled.

Didn’t matter.

“Should we… start?”

Woohyun asked.

I nodded.

Click.

Silence.

Then…

♪♬…

♪♬…

A familiar chime rang out.

“Kiieeek!”

“Kiiee!!”

The mutants shrieked.

I steadied Woohyun’s trembling shoulder.

They began moving toward the entrance speaker.

[The 42nd Seonggwang High School graduation ceremony…]

The announcement blared.

“…Too loud.”

“Turn it down.”

“Yes!”

The volume dropped.

Good.

I signaled Lee Hoin.

He opened the door slowly, arms wrapped in tape.

‘That won’t help…’

Better not say it.

 

—

[Some things are better left unsaid.]

—

 

Everyone grabbed a chair.

We moved out.

The smell of blood.

Bodies.

People they knew.

We stepped over them in silence.

 

—

[Before the proud Taegeukgi…]

—

 

At the center… the sound grew louder.

Lee Hoin swung–

BANG!

CLANG!

The lock shook.

But didn’t break.

“Fuck!”

He swung again.

BANG!

Still nothing.

I turned…

In the darkness…

Pale eyes met mine.

It tilted its head.

Then… Locked onto me.

 

—

[We pledge our loyalty for eternal glory.]

—

 

It recognized me.