"Overweight?!"

Ivy and Darren’s eyes widened in shock as they quickly scanned everyone inside the elevator. The cramped space was packed with people. It included themselves, the six Illusion Dogs—which could only be seen by those with abilities but still carried physical weight along with twelve members of Erick’s team and an unfamiliar man whom neither Ivy nor Darren recognized.

"Master," Darren greeted respectfully, giving a slight bow toward Erick.

Erick simply nodded in response.

Outside, the monster’s long tongue continued slamming violently against the elevator doors.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Each impact caused the metal walls to tremble, making several survivors flinch nervously.

"Fuck!" An unknown man cursed, his voice filled with panic and anger. "There’s no fucking way this elevator is going to move if it keeps displaying ’Overweight’! Just discard the dogs!"

Suddenly, the banging stopped.

The silence that followed was somehow even more terrifying.

Nobody believed the monster had left. If anything, it was probably waiting patiently outside for an opportunity to strike.

"Discard the dogs?" one of Erickk’s team members asked with a confused frown. "Which dogs?"

He looked around the elevator but saw nothing unusual.

The stranger clicked his tongue impatiently.

"Just watch her. She knows exactly what I’m talking about," he snapped while pointing toward Ivy. "Once she gets rid of those dogs you all can’t see, the elevator will move."

Ivy’s expression darkened.

Discard the dogs?

That wasn’t possible.

The Illusion Dogs weren’t just summons anymore.

They were connected to Sunny.

If even one of them died, then Sunny would die as well.

And Sunny wasn’t just a dog.

She was family.

The stranger mistook her silence for hesitation.

"Just fucking discard them, bitch!" he screamed, his face twisting with rage. "Do you want all of us to get killed?! This is exactly why I hate bitches!"

The atmosphere inside the elevator instantly became tense.

Several people frowned.

Even Erick’s expression became unpleasant.

Ivy slowly turned her head toward the man.

"Bitch?" she repeated inwardly, anger flashing across her face. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Before the stranger could continue his tirade, Ivy moved.

The elevator doors slid open.

The action happened so quickly that nobody had time to react.

"What the..."

The man barely managed to utter a sound before Ivy grabbed him by the shirt and hurled him out of the elevator.

His eyes widened in horror.

"No! Wait...!"

The doors immediately slammed shut again.

A second later...

"ARRRGHHHHHH!"

His terrified scream echoed through the hallway.

Then came the monsters.

Ferocious growls filled the air.

The sickening sounds of flesh being torn apart followed shortly after.

Some members of Erick’s team immediately covered their ears.

Others turned pale.

The man’s screams lasted only a few seconds before they abruptly stopped.

Silence returned.

Nobody wanted to imagine what remained of him outside.

"How dare you push him out like that?!" Nathan suddenly roared.

His face was red with fury as he stepped forward.

"That’s my new friend!"

Nathan charged toward Ivy, raising his fist as though he intended to attack her.

Unfortunately for him, Darren moved first.

THUD!

Darren struck the side of Nathan’s neck with perfect precision.

Nathan’s eyes rolled backward.

His body collapsed onto the floor.

Unconscious.

Darren calmly withdrew his hand as though nothing had happened.

The remaining survivors wisely chose not to comment.

"We have to do something," Erick finally said, his tone serious as he looked around the elevator. "Otherwise, we’ll all end up dead."

Everyone’s attention shifted toward him.

"The monsters outside are going to multiply," Erick continued. "The one feeding out there will attract more of them. They see us as meat."

He pointed toward the elevator doors.

"Meat trapped inside a metal box."

Nobody argued.

Everyone knew he was right.

"If more monsters gather outside, breaking down these elevator doors will become much easier. Yes, we’re strong. Yes, many of us can fight."

His expression darkened.

"But not everyone will make it out alive."

The survivors lowered their heads.

Fear appeared on several faces.

"Our goal isn’t simply survival," Erick said firmly. "Our goal is making sure everyone survives."

He rubbed his forehead in frustration before continuing.

"So we need a solution. Fast."

The elevator fell silent once again.

Everyone began thinking.

After several seconds, Erick suddenly looked around the elevator.

Then his eyes landed on the large collection of weapons everyone was carrying.

A realization flashed through his mind.

"We have to discard all our weapons."

The declaration shocked everyone.

"What?!"

Several voices sounded simultaneously.

Even Darren raised an eyebrow.

"I know it sounds crazy," Erick admitted. "Trust me, I understand the risks. There are more monsters ahead, and throwing away our weapons means we’ll have less firepower."

He pointed toward the flashing overweight warning.

"But right now, surviving this elevator comes first."

Nobody could argue with the logic.

A weapon was useless if they never made it out of the elevator alive.

Meanwhile, Ivy maintained a calm expression.

Good.

A satisfied smile almost appeared on her face.

There’ll definitely be more weapons later. I can provide those.

After hearing Erick’s explanation, the members of his team reluctantly complied.

One by one, weapons were placed onto the floor.

Rifles.

Shotguns.

Handguns.

Ammunition.

Even spare equipment.

The pile quickly grew.

Ivy and Darren also placed their weapons down without complaint.

Once enough weight had been removed, Erick quickly gathered several weapons and tossed them outside through the partially opened elevator doors.

The moment they landed outside, distant monster growls echoed through the hallway as the creatures rushed toward the discarded items.

Erick immediately shut the doors again.

Then he pressed one of the floor buttons.

Everyone held their breath.

The overweight warning flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then...

It disappeared.

A mechanical hum filled the elevator.

The elevator finally began moving.

Relief spread across the survivors’ faces.

However, the relief didn’t last long because nobody knew what awaited them on the next floor.