• Death Game part 2

Min-seo studied the woman, a flicker of something akin to pity crossing her features. "Another one for the trial, I see." She muttered, her voice rough and edged with a weariness that belied her sudden appearance.

The woman scrambled back, fear painting her face. "Stay back! I don't want any trouble!"

Min-seo narrowed her eyes. "The trial doesn't care about trouble. It just wants results." Her voice was a low growl, a warning laced with a strange desperation.

Before the woman could react further, Min-seo surged forward. With a swift movement, she snapped the woman's neck, taking her life. The air hung heavy with the weight of the situation.

Exhaustion threatened to pull her under, but the trial clock ticked relentlessly. Only one person remained - her former boss. A fat, chubby man who had made her life a living hell during the old world, his face now a mask of abject terror.

"Min-seo, please," he stammered, his voice cracking. "We can talk about this! This is all a misunderstanding!"

He scrambled backwards, his eyes darting around the room for an escape. In a desperate attempt at defense, he snatched a cable from a nearby desk and began swinging it wildly.

Min-seo stared at him, her eyes cold and distant. Revenge wasn't what drove her anymore. This was about survival, about understanding the messed-up rules of this situation. All she craved was to be back with Ji-Hoon. With a clear purpose in mind, she took a slow step forward.

The air felt tense, almost buzzing, louder than the flickering fluorescent lights. Min-Seo didn't blink, her gaze a predator locking onto its prey. The cable her former boss, Kim, swung around was a pathetic attempt at defense. It reminded her of a cornered spider, all bluster and useless threat.

Min-Seo, honed by years of surviving the apocalypse's harshness, moved with the grace of a predator. The cable whipped past her ear as she ducked to the side. Years of struggle had made her instincts sharp and her movement effortless. She lunged, not at Kim directly, but at the desk between them.

Kim, momentarily thrown off balance, stumbled back. Min-Seo landed her feet on the desk with a dull thud on the cluttered surface. It wasn't elegant, but it was effective. The crash sent a storm of papers flying, blocking Kim's vision for a second.

Frustration turned Kim's roar into a muffled growl as the debris whipped around him. Min-Seo seized her chance. In a smooth motion, she flicked her blood-stained pen through the air. It wasn't aimed for a vital spot, but just to get a reaction. The pen slammed into Kim's shoulder, drawing a surprised yelp and a splatter of blood.

He clutched at the wound, momentarily letting go of the cable. Min-Seo used that precious moment to her advantage. With a powerful push, she propelled herself off the desk, launching at Kim like a missile.

Her knee connected with his chest with a sickening crack, the air whooshing out of his lungs in a surprised gasp.

Kim crumpled to the floor, the cable clattering away. He looked up at her, his eyes wide with a terror that looked like the face of countless others who had fallen prey to her ruthlessness.

Min-Seo felt a flicker of something, a cold echo of satisfaction, but it was fleeting. This wasn't about vengeance, not anymore. It was about the rules, the twisted logic of this trial.

She stood over him, her breathing ragged but steady. Kim scrambled back on his hands and knees, his face frowned in pain and fear. "Min-Seo, please," he wheezed, his voice imbued with desperation. "We can talk about this! I can give you a good promotion, a raise..."

His pathetic pleas held no weight with her. The world before the apocalypse, the world of promotions and raises, was as dead as the man before her. All that remained was survival and the chilling purpose that drove her – reuniting with Ji-Hoon.

Min-Seo dropped to her knees beside him, her face emotionless as a statue. "You were always a terrible boss, Kim," she said, her voice devoid of emotion. It wasn't a statement, it was a fact, as cold and unfeeling as the metal desk beneath her hand.

He opened his mouth to speak, but before any words could escape, she grabbed him by the hair, yanking his head back with a sickening snap. His eyes bulged, his face turning a shade of purple. A scream welled up in his throat, cut short as Min-Seo slammed his head repeatedly against the metal desk leg.

The metallic clang echoed in the sterile silence of the office, punctuated by Kim's wet gurgles. The violence was quick, brutal, a horrifying display of efficiency. Min-Seo wasn't interested in prolonging his suffering. She just needed to complete the trial.

With a final sickening thud, Kim's body went limp. Min-Seo released his hair, letting it fall back onto the blood-soaked office floor. She stood up, her body shaking from the exertion, but her gaze remained emotionless. The metallic smell of blood filled her nostrils, a familiar scent that no longer fazed her.

The translucent blue window with the trial timer pulsed. [Congratulations, Min-Seo! You have emerged victorious as the sole survivor of the trial.]

[It is now time to claim your reward. Please select your desired class from the available options.]

Min-Seo looked at the carnage around her, the office transformed into a scene from a nightmare. The fluorescent lights seemed to cast an even harsher glow on the bodies sprawled across the floor. A wave of nausea washed over her, but she pushed it down. There was no time for weakness.

Glancing at the office door, she walked towards it calmly. Every kill had brought her closer to the trial's end, closer to Ji-Hoon. She grasped the doorknob, the cold metal biting into her palm. With a deep breath, she threw open the door, ready to face whatever awaited her on the other side.

Min-Seo smiled as she stepped out saying, "I'm coming for you~ darling!"