《Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work》 Chapter 1.1 Chapter 1.1 Have you ever had an experience where you became totally engrossed in something? I¡¯m not just talking about thinking, ¡®Oh, this is fun,¡¯ but being so deeply impressed that you ended up spending extra time and money on it. There must be something like that, right? If it¡¯s a movie, watching the director¡¯s cut. If it¡¯s a game, buying the artbook. If it¡¯s a webtoon, paying for early ess. If it¡¯s a singer, going to their concert¡­ Going a bit further, buying rted merchandise could be another example. Yes, I¡¯m talking about what they call merch. Figures, banners, badges, dolls¡­ I can confidently say that I¡¯ve never spent money on such things in my life. Until now. Here I am at a department store. A popup store that opened to a great turnout, and by 10 AM, the moment the department store opened, all the waiting tickets had already been distributed. And yes, I got one of those tickets. ¡°The 2:30 PM time slot is now open for entry!¡± ¡°Finally!¡± ¡°Hey, let¡¯s go!¡± The cheerful teenagers standing next to me ran excitedly toward the staff. ¡®2:30 PM¡­ that¡¯s right.¡¯ I pulled my hat down as far as it would go and stood in line. But then, I overheard whispers behind me. ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°A reseller?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he a dealer?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I felt so wronged, but honestly, it made sense. I was the only adult male who looked like an office worker in this line! ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ I sighed as I nced at the entrance of the popup store. [Wee, explorer of the darkness.] ¡®This is ridiculous.¡¯ A theme with ck and red backgrounds, caricatures of various monsters, ult elements, and symbols of corporations, religions, and governments all intertwined. It¡¯s exactly the kind of universe that would captivate a teenager¡¯s heart. Even the title is a masterpiece. [Prophecy of the Apocalypse: Dark Exploration Records] Ugh¡­ I barely resisted the urge to cover my eyes with my hand. ¡®Why did I have to see this at work¡­¡¯ . It¡¯s the world of a ghost story universe that¡¯s been super popr recently. You know, the kind of open-source collective intelligence universe where people can participate and create their own stories? At first, it seemed like it stemmed from a famous creepypasta and started spreading modestly among students, but then it hit the YouTube algorithm and started getting viral like crazy. The concept of ¡®records of exploring various paranormal phenomena called ¡¯. Eventually, it grew into an independent wiki with hundreds and thousands of creepypastas, and that¡¯s how it caught my eye. ¡®¡­It was so easy to read at work because it¡¯s just text.¡¯ And isn¡¯t it said that anything other than actual work is fun when you¡¯re at the office? I got so hooked on this universe that I even ended up creating and posting my own creepypasta¡­ How did thingse to this? Is it because my office life is so devoid of dopamine? And this itself¡­ ¡®Who knew it would get this big?¡¯ It¡¯s now a massive IP that practically dominates YouTube as a major sensation for teenagers. Naturally,panies jumped on board to make a profit. This popup store is part of that. ¡®Bute on, this thing had a 15+ age rmendation pped on the wiki!¡¯ Why are there so many kids here? Hearing whispers behind me again, I couldn¡¯t help but feel increasingly self-conscious. ¡°He¡¯s definitely a dealer¡­¡± ¡°Hey, maybe he¡¯s just buying something for his nephew or a cousin¡­ don¡¯t be too harsh.¡± No, I¡¯m buying this for myself. ¡­The truth is, I came herest week too, but the merch I wanted sold out just before I got to it, so here I am again¡­ I even took a day off work. ¡®Last week, at least there were women around my age.¡¯ Unfortunately, it was a weekday afternoon, and the only adults here were parents who hade with their kids, so I felt like I might die of embarrassment, but I held on. ¡®I don¡¯t even know why I¡¯m trying to endure this¡­¡¯ Anyway, I followed the staff¡¯s guidance and entered the store. The fact that the staff didn¡¯t seem fazed was my onlyfort. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Hey, it really looks just like it!¡± I could hear the middle schoolers eximing in awe as I took in the intricately designed interior of the popup store, which felt almost like a theme park. And the exhibit themes were thoughtfully organized: [Daydream Inc.] [Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau] [Church of the Luminous Unknown] In this horror universe, there are three major forces: corporations, governments, and religions, all trying to observe and secure the paranormal phenomena¡­ that¡¯s the setup. ¡®At first, it was just stories about the government¡¯s disaster management bureau, but as more people joined in and got excited, it turned into this.¡¯ Anyway, it seemed like this popup store had picked out the most popr parts of the universe and gathered them here. It was clear that they were targeting fans¡¯ wallets by focusing only on popr characters and horror items, but the quality wasn¡¯t bad. ¡®Well, when would I evere to a ce like this again¡­¡¯ Ignoring the stares, I quickly grabbed the items I wanted. It was a relief that most of the popr items were already sold out, so there was less suspicion that I was reselling. ¡°Would you like to purchase an L-sized eco-bag to carry your items? It¡¯s 5,000 won.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± I sessfullypleted my purchase, but instead of leaving the popup store right away, I hesitated. I turned my head to see a line of people gathering near the cashier. [Roulette Event] : Create your own character. That. I saw itst week too, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to join the line and participate¡­ ¡®They said this popup ends tomorrow.¡¯ It was a moment of intense inner conflict, wondering if it was really worth exchanging my social dignity for this. Just then, the cashier who had just started her shift smiled at me and spoke. ¡°The roulette event ends today! Would you like to participate?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Thank you. Really, thank you, dear staff member¡­ ¡°Great! Pleasee this way! Oh, just stand here¡­¡± The staff member swiftly guided me to the line in front of a giant ck roulette, and I naturally found myself at the end of the line. The line moved faster than I expected. Soon, I was at the front and handed a button that looked like a walkie-talkie. ¡°Now, we¡¯ll spin the lucky roulette! Please press the button to stop it whenever you¡¯re ready.¡± Beep. With an artificial sound effect, the roulette started spinning. Each section disyed a prize and rank. There were merch I had already bought, merch that weren¡¯t for sale, and even some random Bluetooth earphones. Of course, thergest section¡ª7th ce¡ªwas just a small memo pad. That¡¯s probably what I¡¯d get. But it didn¡¯t bother me. After all, I almost left without participating at all. ¡°Let¡¯s not expect much.¡± I thought as I pressed the button the staff gave me, carefully. Rrrrr¡­ click. But then, the ck roulette slowed down¡­ and surprisingly stopped right there. A thin, golden sliver.
Trantor¡¯s note: sorry for having to cut the chapters into parts! the original chapters are he long ?? Btw, i might switch between ¡®ghost story¡¯, ¡®horror story¡¯ and ¡®creepypasta¡¯ sometimes depending on which term fits best in the english context, but basically what Soleum (our MC) got hooked on are creepypastas in a huge wiki that grew and grew after so many people started adding their own stories there Chapter 1.2 Chapter 1.2 [1st ce] : Dark Exploration Records Real Merch Box ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Oh my gosh! Congrattions!¡± Is this¡­ for real? ¡°Wow, no way!¡± ¡°So lucky, I¡¯m so jealous.¡± Voices of astonishment, screams, and envy rose behind me. ¡°Wow, finally, on the second-tost day of the popup, someone hit first ce!¡± The staff, even more excited than me, ran behind the roulette and came back with arge, stic-wrapped box. The ck box, with a huge silver symbol embossed on it, looked like it had been carefully crafted. I barely managed to keep my hands from trembling as I epted the box. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± I needed to leave immediately and p my face to make sure this was real. As I was about to leave the popup store, the staff stopped me. ¡°Oh! We¡¯re giving out custom-made merch here, so all I need is your name!¡± My name? My personal information has long since be public property, leaked all over portal sites. The only thing that matters is getting this safely home¡­! ¡°It¡¯s Kim Soleum.¡± ¡°Got it! Mr. Soleum, just a moment.¡± The staff started operating a ck machine next to the roulette, which looked like a 3D printer. There was even an exnatory note above it, made for the popup store. [Dark Exploration Records Character Maker] Ah, so that¡¯s the thing they mentioned during the roulette event. The ¡®Create Your Own Dark Exploration Records Character¡¯ event. How perfectly tailored to a teenager¡¯s tastes¡­ ¡°Please input your name here.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Holding the merch box tightly with one hand, I quickly entered my name on the machine¡¯s pad. The ck machine made a loud, eerie music box sound, putting on a show as gears turned. And then, it spat out a small object. nk. I picked up the familiar-looking item. It was¡­ an employee ID card. [Daydream Inc.] Employee Kim Soleum Field Exploration Team ¡°Wow! Daydream Inc. It¡¯s one of the most famous factions in our universe!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yes, I know. To sum it up, it¡¯s the clich¨¦ of a big corporation that profits from paranormal phenomena. And the Field Exploration Team¡­ ¡°That¡¯s the department where everyone dies, like the redshirts in that one sci-fi show.¡± It¡¯s the team that always gets sent to investigate the paranormal, only to meet their end. Because of that, a lot of the named characters seemed to belong to the Field Exploration Team. ¡°Wow! An employee ID from the Field Exploration Team! I¡¯m really looking forward to seeing what kind of adventures Employee Kim Soleum will have in the universe!¡± ¡°Yes, thank you¡­¡± I was about to cringe hard but managed to hold it in. ¡®At least it¡¯s not an ID from a government agency or a shady religious cult.¡¯ Thank goodness it was a corporate employee ID. Although it was a little embarrassing, the staff had clearly said this so many times that they had built up immunity to it, handling it all with professional poise. With that, the roulette event seemed to be over after I received the employee ID card. ¡°Thank you.¡± I looked down at the employee ID card with my name printed on it and sighed inwardly. ¡®This¡­ this needs to be hidden somewhere no one will ever find it.¡¯ No matter what, my tolerance for embarrassment couldn¡¯t handle this any longer. Meanwhile, the staff cheerfully asked again. ¡°Do you like it? You¡¯ll treasure it, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Liar.¡± ¡­? I looked up, thinking I misheard. Smirk. The staff was suddenly smiling at me with an unnaturally wide grin. Their mouth stretched upward unnaturally, almost reaching their ears¡­ ¡°¡­¡­?¡± In that instant. A wave of dizziness overwhelmed me. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The noise of the popup store vanished. Everything in front of me blurred as if covered by ck paint, flickering in red and blue. And by the time the dizziness passed. I had no idea the world would havepletely changed¡­ not even in my wildest dreams. [Wee to Daydream Inc., everyone!] ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± Before I knew it, I was standing in a corner of arge auditorium, looking at the central podium. And. Boom! With a burst of apuse, fireworks exploded from the PPT projected onto the screen at the podium. [New Employee Orientation] As the apuse and cheers echoed, a person who seemed to be the host smiled brightly and advanced the PPT. It was clearly a new employee orientation event for a major corporation. The new recruits, dressed in suits, pped and cheered with both excitement and nervous pride. They looked thrilled, having finally secured employment. [Our new employees, who have sessfully passed a 145:1petition, should be proud of themselves! Haha! Now, let¡¯s begin the new employee orientation!] ¡°¡­¡­¡± What is this? I tried to step back in hesitation. But I realized I was sitting in a chair. I was dressed in a suit. I had worn it because I had to meet with a client in the evening, but coincidentally, I looked simr to the ¡®new employees¡¯ filling this auditorium. Meanwhile, the merch box I received from the roulette event was quietly resting on myp. ¡°Excuse me, did you get that somewhere? Is thepany giving those out?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t respond to the question from the new employee sitting next to me. [You are the chosen candidates!] [In fact, only a select few of those who applied through this job posting have been gathered in Orientation Room A for this special session!] [Congrattions! You have passed the aptitude test and have been assigned to the special team, the .] ¡°They¡¯ve already made the assignments?¡± ¡°Field Exploration Team? Does Daydream Inc. have a department like that?¡± ¡°Field exploration¡­ for a pharmaceuticalpany?¡± ¡°Uh, it sounds like we¡¯re being exiled somewhere? Not the headquarters but a branch office? Are they trying to lure us in with fancy words¡­?¡± I could hear the murmured conversations of the new employees around me, but I didn¡¯t have time to focus on them. I recognized thepany¡¯s name and the team¡¯s name. Daydream Inc. Field Exploration Team. ¡­Like a bolt of lightning, a page from the wiki shed in my mind. -------------------- [Field Exploration Team] (Daydream Inc.) : One of the five teams under the Development Department of the massive organization, Daydream Inc., as featured in . Commonly referred to as the ¡®death squad¡¯. A tragic team, but one that is fun for ghost story writers. -------------------- ¡®Wait a sec.¡¯ ¡­This is the ghost story from the popup store event I just participated in. So, what happens next is¡­ -------------------- At the very new employee orientation, they¡¯re thrown into a deadly survival game to determine who gets full-time employment. It¡¯s a consistently popr topic for wiki entries because it shows what happens when ordinary people try to explore the dark. -------------------- ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Uh, wh-what are you doing¡­?¡± I immediately stood up from the chair. I didn¡¯t care about understanding the situation¡ªmy only thought was to run outside. But it was already toote. [Before official employment, there will be a brief probationary period, but don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t be long! We will assess your practical abilities through an absolute evaluation.] [Of course, full participation is necessary for a proper evaluation! Freeloading will not be tolerated!] Chapter 1.3 Chapter 1.3 Bang, bang, bang! The doors to the auditorium shut one by one. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ While I was panicking, the naive new employees, who still thought Daydream Inc. was just a regr pharmaceuticalpany, hadn¡¯t realized what was happening. And so, as about a hundred new employees listened attentively to the host, the host cheerfully shouted out, [Now, let¡¯s get started!] With that lively voice. The lights in the auditorium went out. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The new employees, still confused, seemed to think it was a video or something being prepared, showing only mild curiosity. That would be expected. Who would expect such a crazy thing to happen just because they got a job? For example. The surrounding scenery suddenly transformed into the inside of a deste subway train. [Passengers, thank you for using Abyss Transpo today¡­ Our train will not halt.] [Please pay attention to the announcements for a pleasant journey to your destination.] An unfamiliar announcement, with strange station names, started ying. ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± ¡°W-What is this!?¡± The new employees, still in their suits and seated neatly on subway chairs as if the auditorium had been transported as is, all shot to their feet. It was understandable that they were startled. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Is this some kind of VR? Did we really move?¡± Many of the people who were in the auditorium seemed to be there still, which offered somefort, leading tocent reactions. They wandered around the subway, looking for any sign of thepany or someone from the event, or searched for doors that might open. Soon, they began to get a better sense of the situation. ¡°There are people in the next car! But¡­ uh, the doors won¡¯t open? Is this some new technology?¡± With a feeling of cold sweat creeping up on me, I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again. I already knew which ghost story this was. -------------------- [Wee to Abyss Transpo] : A ghost story featured in . D-ss Darkness that boasts a ridiculously high difficulty for escaping and one of the most infamous stories. The Field Exploration Team suffers endlessly. Exploration Records indicate a total of ¡ö¡ö entries. -------------------- . As you can probably guess, it¡¯s a ghost story based on the Korean subway system. ¨C You fall asleep and wake up on a subway train. It feels like your usualmute home, but strange station names start appearing¡­ That¡¯s how it begins. The target of this ghost story is anyone who has evermuted by subway, making it all the more chilling for most working people who read it. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®And this ghost story¡­ it¡¯s under Daydream Inc.¡¯s jurisdiction, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ It seemed like Daydream Inc. was nning to ¡®filter out¡¯ their new hires through this ghost story. ¡­Damn it! ¡°Is this something like an escape room?¡± ¡°Why would a pharmaceuticalpany that makes hair loss treatment bother with escape rooms for new sales recruits¡­?¡± That¡¯s when it happened. [This stop is Sorrow, Sorrow Station.] ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°S-Sorrow?¡± The first announcement came over the speaker. I held my breath and turned my head. [The doors are on your right¡­] Click. The train stopped. [The doors are opening.] The doors opened. It seemed like any other ordinary day, but¡ª [The doors will close in 30 seconds. Once closed, they will never open again.] [Passengers whose destination is Sorrow Station should disembark ording to the announcement.] The familiar voice calmly mixed strange words and phrases into the announcement. But people always try to rationalize things to find some form of reassurance. ¡°Look outside! It¡¯s just a subway station!¡± And indeed, they were right. Outside the train, the tform was clearly visible. It looked a bit dark and damp, but otherwise, it seemed like an ordinary subway station. Relieved by this, two or three people moved toward the door. Oh, no. ¡°I think it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t get off.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± This is bad. I sighed and spoke quickly. ¡°You heard them say ¡®Sorrow Station¡¯. There¡¯s no station like that in Korea. Anyone would think it¡¯s strange.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I think this guy¡¯s right. Maybe we should wait and see how things y out¡­¡± One of the quicker-witted people backed me up. It was the new hire who had been sitting next to me. Because of that, the people who had been about to step off hesitated further. ¡°But still¡­¡± ¡°Hey, the doors are closing!¡± But the sound of the doors closing caused a few panicked individuals to impulsively jump out¡­ It was a disaster. [The doors are closing.] ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°I missed it. Shit.¡± The people who didn¡¯t get off sighed, watching the ones who did wave back at us from the tform. Some even nced at me and muttered curses under their breath. I understood. In such a strange, unsettling situation, their instinct would be to flee without thinking. But still. ¡°What the¡­?¡± ¡°Look at that¡­¡± A grotesque sight unfolded. As soon as the people who got off turned around to move¡­ Silver droplets suddenly poured from the ceiling and pirs of the tform, cascading down on them. Drip, drip, drip. It looked like giant teardrops. But the countless silver droplets fell onto their bodies like molten metal, producing horrifying tearing sounds. Screams. Convulsions. Silence. Blood mixed with the silver liquid sttered against the windows. [The train is now departing from Sorrow Station.] Thest thing we saw outside the window. ¡°¡­¡­¡± In front of the sliding doors, now soaked in filth and blood, only the crushed remains of the new employees were left behind, twitching slightly. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± ¡°Ahhh!¡± It was the fate of those who chose wrong. [Please pay attention to the announcements for a pleasant journey to your destination.] Finally, fear began to spread among the people as screams and shouts echoed around. ¡®It¡¯s started.¡¯ I squeezed my eyes shut. I¡¯m inside a ghost story? I don¡¯t know how this happened, but I definitely seem to have be a new employee in apany from a ghost story. And one in a department with an insanely high death rate. ¡®Is this for real?¡¯ Sure, if I¡¯m being honest, I¡¯m probably in a more advantageous position than the other new hires. I¡¯ve read through all the on the wiki. -------------------- 3.2 Exploration Records (up to ¡ö¡ö entries) -------------------- I can remember things pretty clearly up to about this level. From this point on, it sounds like the ssic overpowered protagonist trope. Maybe you¡¯re thinking I could escape this situation and look cool by using my superior knowledge of this world? Maybe you¡¯re even imagining that I could monopolize the hidden treasures and items toe? That might be true. But there¡¯s one problem. A very critical problem. ¡®¡­I¡¯m fucking terrified of anything remotely horror!¡¯ That¡¯s right. I¡­ am a coward. Text is fine. I can enjoy reading that. But the moment it¡¯s visualized, I can¡¯t handle it. And not just a regr coward¡ªa coward to the point where my friends would constantly tease me for it! ¨C kim soleum¡¯s crush asked him to watch a horror movie but he turned her down bc he¡¯s too scared? is this for real? ¨C lolololololol ¨C dude your name is literally the sfx for goosebumps but you can¡¯t even watch a horror movie lolololol ¨C shiieet no wonder your crush ran away lmao lol ¨C wanna die? ¨C ¨C sorry. ¨C sry. I¡¯m the kind of coward who, when reading horror stories at work in broad daylight, will turn off the background images and BGM just to focus on the text! I was so scared, I didn¡¯t even include an image in the ghost story I posted! A long-term resident of the Shelter for Scaredy-Cats, that¡¯s me! ¡°¡­¡­¡± I covered my face with both hands. I¡¯m screwed, big time¡­ Chapter 2.1 Chapter 2.1 [This stop is Resentment, Resentment Station.] [The doors are on your right¡­] A suffocating silence flows through the ghost-story subway. I¡¯m contributing to this silence as well. Even though I already know this ghost story, I¡¯m the type of person who gets startled just by the thumbnail when a rted YouTube video pops up and immediately clicks ¡®Not Interested¡¯. And now I have to survive in this ghost story? ¡®Just kill me already¡­¡¯ That would be a mercy. I don¡¯t even have the energy to figure out what¡¯s going on. I pressed my face into my hands, wanting to deny everything. Then, it happened. Blink. [1st ce : Dark Exploration Records Real Merch Box] ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± I lifted my head. Something like a notepad was flying around in my field of vision. I could see it whether my eyes were open or closed. It looked like a piece of paper, torn from a notepad and folded, fluttering around. ¡°This¡­¡± Wait. No one else seems to be seeing it. I quickly shut my mouth. Drawing attention to myself in this situation would be foolish. Instead, I discreetly pressed the notepad in front of me with my hand, trying not to look too awkward. p. Amazingly, the notepad moved as if it were unfolding, spitting out something small. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I quickly covered it with my hand, as if to hide it. It was¡­ a popsocket. A very simple ck popsocket with nothing remarkable about it except for a golden ¡®X¡¯ symbol in the center. But with that design alone, I realized what this popsocket was. ¡®It¡¯s merch.¡¯ One of the merch sold at the popup store, which I had visited right before waking up in this bizarre situation! It was one of the items I had purchased today. With trembling hands, I picked up the popsocket. In the story, what function did this item have again¡­ -------------------- [Memorial Popsocket] : C-ss item featured in . When attached to a smartphone, it disys the text you remember in a clear, organized page format. A standard issue item for ninth-level employees at the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau under the Ministry of Environment. -------------------- ¡®Disys memories as text¡­¡¯ Then, perhaps? With trembling hands, I peeled off the adhesive backing of the popsocket and immediately attached it to my smartphone. The moment I did, the scattered text I vaguely remembered from materialized clearly on my phone screen in the form of pages. -------------------- Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story [Wee to Abyss Transpo] : A ghost story featured in : Daydream Inc. identification code ¨C Qterw-D-16 An early-stage D-ss Darkness with overwhelmingly difficult escape requirements. A notoriously insane ghost story. Depicts the endlessly suffering Field Exploration Team. Exploration Records indicate a total of up to 56 entries. -------------------- ¡°¡­¡­!¡± So this means¡­ ¡®Did the merch I bought actually work?¡¯ Come to think of it, the ck merch box that had been resting on myp had disappeared without a trace. ¡®So that merch box¡­ turned into this notepad and spat out the merch I bought?¡¯ What kind of crazy situation is this? Still, it¡¯s certainly advantageous for me. The ghost-story universe I¡¯ve entered, ¡­ Do you know how many inte veterans have unleashed their creativity based on this? There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of ghost stories. Of course, it¡¯s hard to recall all of them like flipping through a book in my mind. Plus, these ghost stories don¡¯t directly tell you how to survive. You have to infer the correct answers from the stories, which makes it even harder to figure things out in new situations. ¡®But if I can check the text of what I¡¯ve read all at once¡­¡¯ If that¡¯s possible, the first thing I need to look at is¡­ ¡®Previous escape cases!¡¯ I immediately scrolled down the wiki page. I quickly read through section ¡®3.2 Exploration Records¡¯, and then¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± I came to a conclusion. ¡®I got it.¡¯ I found my answer for which station I need to get off at. But there¡¯s a problem. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I turned to look at the others in the subway car with me. There were eight young new hires in total, including myself. The people who had panicked after witnessing two live dismemberments were starting to regain theirposure and talk. ¡°That station name, Resentment¡­ it sounds like the kind of resentment people feel when they¡¯re angry, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Ha, no cell service, no data¡­ seriously, what is going on¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yeah. How am I supposed to convince these unfamiliar, untrustworthy people to get off at the right station with me? ¡®Somehow, I need to make as many people as possible get off with me.¡¯ I clenched my fist. Did I suddenly develop a noble sense of duty, feeling that these extras who are destined to die in this ghost-story world are real people whose lives I need to save? Well, sure, I might feel that way as a human being, but that¡¯s not my top priority. The real reason I¡¯m so desperate is¡­ ¡®I can¡¯t get off alone¡­!¡¯ That¡¯s right. A lot of these stations are just insane. Walk alone through (a) a station filled with eyeballs, (b) a station shrouded in Darkness, or (c) a station that¡¯s upside-down? Just imagining it makes me break out in a cold sweat¡ªand I¡¯d probably end up crawling on all fours in terror. ¡®Chances of me passing out before making it to safety? Over 90%¡­!¡¯ No way. Please, save me. ¡®I have to convince them, somehow!¡¯ I opened my mouth to speak, but then quickly shut it. ¡®Still, blurting out things like ¡®supernatural phenomena¡¯ or ¡®darkness¡¯ would be idiotic.¡¯ Who would want to believe they¡¯re trapped in a situation straight out of a ghost story? They¡¯d either refuse to believe it and mock me, or believe it and panic even more. ¡®Slowly¡­ I need to build trust first.¡¯ At least one person. If I can just convince one or two people, the herd mentality will make it easier for others to follow. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­ someone who seems like they need help, or a clue to build a connection with¡­¡¯ ¡°Ha¡­ this is like some YouTube ghost story.¡± Found one! ¡°You mentioned a ghost story?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± A woman with short hair and a calm demeanor nodded slightly, looking a bit flustered. ¡°Yes. I, um, watch ghost stories on YouTube sometimes, and this reminds me of one.¡± ¡°Could you tell me more? This doesn¡¯t seem like a normal situation, so it¡¯s probably best to share any information we have.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not really information¡­ it just feels like everything is straight out of a ghost story. The lecture hall suddenly turned into a subway, and people¡­ died like that.¡± Her face turned slightly pale, likely remembering the insane dismemberment that happened just moments before. I understand. I want to throw up too. Let¡¯s both try to erase it from our minds as quickly as possible. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to suddenly¡ª¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s the same for me. It¡¯s hard to think straight with everything that¡¯s happening.¡± The woman gave a weakugh. ¡°You seem to be handling it more rationally than anyone else here.¡± That¡¯s only because you haven¡¯t seen me fainting in panic yet. ¡°Huh?¡± And surprisingly, around this time, someone else approached me. For a very good reason. ¡°Um, you were sitting next to me earlier, right?¡± It was a man with curly hair who looked fairly innocent. ¡®Now that I think about it, he was sitting next to me in the lecture hall earlier.¡¯ It seemed like this new hire wasn¡¯t part of any of the other conversations happening around us. He rubbed the back of his neck and nced between the woman I was talking to and me before extending his hand like he wanted to shake mine. ¡°My name is Baek Saheon.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Chapter 2.2 Chapter 2.2 I nearly forgot to shake his hand for a moment. Baek Saheon? ¡®He¡¯s a named character.¡¯ ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Daydream Inc. / Characters Baek Saheon : An employee of Daydream Inc. in <Dark Exploration Records> Final rank ¨C Section ChiefTotal number of Exploration Records ¨C 106 Of these, 17 are special cases recorded in the wiki. Nickname : Viper. ======================== He was an employee who had appeared multiple times in . I looked up and stared at the man with the somewhat timid-looking curly hair, letting out a small sigh. ¡®This guy¡­ is Baek Saheon?¡¯ He doesn¡¯t really match the image in my head. Still, it felt strange to meet someone in real life who I had only seen as a text-based character in a ghost story universe. Meanwhile, the short-haired woman who had first mentioned ghost stories extended her hand as well. ¡°Given the situation, we might as well introduce ourselves. I¡¯m Go Yeongeun.¡± It was a name I¡¯d never heard before. And if I don¡¯t know a character¡¯s real name, it means one of two things: Either she left early after handling the ghost stories rtively easily¡­ Or she died right away. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ Sometimes, named employees only appear with nicknames or code names, but in those cases, their personalities are so distinct that you can identify them immediately. This feels unsettling. I quickly pushed those thoughts aside and hid my difort. ¡°I¡¯m Kim Soleum.¡± The handshakes were brief, and we naturally sat down in the subway seats to continue our conversation. In the meantime, it felt like the people around us had started to split into groups. ¡°Ah, those people¡­ it looks like they¡¯re trying tomunicate with the front car somehow?¡± ¡°Seems so.¡± In this ghost story, moving between subway cars is prohibited. As expected, they soon gave up trying tomunicate and returned, using hand gestures to signal their failure. ¡°What should we do? We can¡¯tmunicate with the front car at all. And it looks like there¡¯s a fight breaking out up there¡­¡± As the tension and anxiety among the passengers grew, another station announcement yed. But this time, the atmosphere of the keyword was different. [This stop is Euphoria, Euphoria Station.] ¡°Huh?¡± The murmuring crowd suddenly fell silent. ¡°Euphoria?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t ¡®euphoria¡¯ sound kind of¡­ positive? Maybe¡­¡± No. ¡®You can¡¯t make such a simple judgment here¡­!¡¯ I gritted my teeth as I recalled the Exploration Records I had just read. In this ghost story, the station names change every time it appears. That¡¯s why it¡¯s impossible to find a specific phrase or station like ¡®get off at this station¡¯ or ¡®this station is the answer¡¯ in the previous cases to guarantee an escape. ¡®But you can identify trends.¡¯ Like this. ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story / Wee to Abyss Transpo 3.2 Exploration Records (up to 56 entries) 1- Stations named after colors like red, yellow, blue. : Two-person escape sess (Attempt : Blue Station) 2- Stations named after body parts like left arm, cornea, heart. : No recorded escape sess (Attempt : Cochlea Station) 3- Stations named after serial killers like ¡ö¡ö, ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö, ¡ö¡ö¡ö. : Twelve-person escape sess (Attempt : ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö Station) 4- Stations named after years like 2008, 2012, 2016. : No recorded escape sess (Attempt : 2024 Station) 5- Stations named after illnesses like asthma, stroke, a. : Three-person escape sess (Attempt : Cold Station) [Read More] ======================== See? Even after 56 cases, there¡¯s no connection between the station¡¯s positive name and the likelihood of escape. But people were about to get off en masse at Euphoria Station. [The doors are on your left¡­] The scenery of the tform that greeted us was bright and pleasant, adding to the problem. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ The tform looked clean and bright, like a brand-new station in a newly developed city. I could feel the mood of the people shifting in that direction. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± ¡°Sh-should we get off and look for help? This ce actually looks fine¡­¡± The excited crowd started to gather near the doors, peeking out. No way! ¡®The number of people in my group!¡¯ And my mental state after witnessing this! ¡®Damn it.¡¯ In the end, I ran and blocked the doors again. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°W-what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Please wait.¡± [The doors are opening.] ¡°Are you certain?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes. I mean, are you sure this ce is safe? Or at least have a solid theory?¡± I deliberately averted my gaze. ¡°I think most of us can agree that this situation feels like a ghost story.¡± Go Yeongeun, who had caught everyone¡¯s attention with my words, looked startled but didn¡¯t retract her statement. [The doors will close in 30 seconds. Once closed, they will never open again.] ¡°But whether in ghost stories or horror movies, have you ever seen good things happen when you rely solely on luck or a hunch?¡± ¡°¡­Well, no, but¡ª¡± ¡°Can you really risk your life without a solid deduction or theory?¡± The anxious people paused for a moment, then someone shouted in frustration. ¡°Well, do you have some amazing deductions?¡± ¡°This guy¡¯s been spouting nonsense since the start¡­¡± ¡°Oh, just move already! What deduction? What is this, some kind of quiz show? Did someone give you a hint or something?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°I am giving you a hint.¡± I took a breath. Then I raised my hand, pointing upward. At the subway¡¯s electronic disy, where the speaker was located. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the announcements.¡± ¨C Please pay attention to the announcements for a pleasant journey to your destination. From the beginning, the subway announcements had kindly informed us of this. ¡°Haven¡¯t they been telling us to listen to and follow the announcements all along? They¡¯re being very obvious.¡± With that in mind, I added as I heard the next announcement. [Passengers whose destination is Euphoria Station should disembark ording to the announcement.] ¡°Is there anyone here whose destination is Euphoria Station?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The people froze. ¡°Well, it sounds like a good thing, right?¡± ¡°Euphoria, like, living life to the fullest, that¡¯s the goal of life, right¡­¡± ¡°So, is your destination Euphoria Station?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± It seemed like most of them sensed something was off. But a few people started to get angry with me. ¡°Hey, do we have any real ¡®destination¡¯ right now? Why are you butting in like you know everything, when you don¡¯t either?¡± ¡°If we can¡¯t get off and escape because of you, are you going to take responsibility? Will you take responsibility?¡± Take responsibility? ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± ¡°I will take responsibility.¡± That¡¯s an easy question. ¡®I was nning to escape together with them anyway.¡¯ If they get off here, it¡¯s a guaranteed wrong answer, after all. So, there¡¯s no way my answer could be worse than that. But since they didn¡¯t expect my response, they stood there with their mouths open, frozen in their ces. Chapter 2.3 Chapter 2.3 ¡°¡­¡­¡± Seeing me take such a firm stance seemed to shake them. I could see their internal struggle. [The doors are closing¡­] Meanwhile, the doors shut. ¡°Ah¡­¡± I stepped aside. A few people who had been staring at the closed doors in disbelief clung to them. But no one was yelling at me for blocking them anymore. ¡®Is this enough¡­?¡¯ I was feeling somewhat satisfied when I suddenly heard a panicked shout. ¡°Hey, everyone in the front car got off!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± They all got off? I immediately looked beyond the train window. Not everyone, but about five or six people seemed to have gotten off at once. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Sigh. Honestly, I didn¡¯t want to watch what was going to happen next. But I needed to see it to make a coherent argumentter. Damn it¡­ Holding back a curse, I squinted through the window, my vision blurring slightly. ¡°Huh? They¡¯re running!¡± The people who had gotten off seemed to have quickly decided to move. I saw five or six figures running toward the tform¡¯s exit, heading for the stairs. But they were toote. ¡°Agh!¡± The tform floor began to boil with a yellow hue, and the runners¡¯ feet started sinking into the ground as if melting. ¡°G-Gold¡­?¡± It was a bizarre sight, as if their lower bodies were turning into gold and fusing with the floor. They screamed and struggled to run, but their movements grew slower and slower¡­ Until finally, their bodies copsed, leaving only their upper halves, which tumbled forward at the base of the stairs. Even those were turning into shining gold. The easiest way to experience happiness. ¡°Heuuuk¡ª¡± ¡°Mmph¡ª¡± [The train is now departing from Euphoria Station.] Inside the departing train car, only the sounds of people gasping in shock and sobbing filled the air. One of the people who had been about to get off grabbed me in desperation and asked, ¡°Y-You said you¡¯d take responsibility. Can you really guarantee we¡¯ll find a safe ce? Huh?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I answered firmly. It was ridiculous how the conversation had jumped to me guaranteeing the correct answer, but honestly, that was the only answer I could give. ¡®This is crazy, really.¡¯ My legs were shaking so badly I thought I¡¯d copse. The image of their lower bodies disintegrating kept reying in low resolution in my mind, making me nauseous. One thing was certain. Even if I were to survive this, I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep tonight. During all this, Baek Saheon spoke to me in admiration. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Teacher.¡± ¡°¡­Teacher?¡± ¡°Oh, I tend to call people ¡®teacher¡¯ when I meet them.¡± He awkwardly smiled and added, ¡°There aren¡¯t many people like you these days. You know, who can firmly say what¡¯s right or wrong, instead of speaking in vague terms like ¡®I think it might be¡­¡¯¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I hope the oue matches your confidence.¡± Uh¡­ thanks for the encouragement, but this isn¡¯t the kind of situation where vague words or detached speech will help. ¡®If we don¡¯t get a good result here, you¡¯re dead too, you know¡­¡¯ Wait. No, that¡¯s not right. I had missed something while whining about how scared I was. ¡®If there¡¯s a record of Baek Saheon working as an employee in , that means he passed this entrance exam, right?¡¯ If that¡¯s the case, couldn¡¯t I just follow Baek Saheon when he gets off at a station? If I convince myself and Go Yeongeun, that makes three of us. When someone actively supports getting off, there¡¯s a higher chance others will follow as well. ¡®Is it really this simple?¡¯ ¡°Baek Saheon.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Is there a particr station you want to get off at? I mean¡­ is there a word or name that, when it appears, makes you think, ¡®I should get off here¡¯?¡± ¡°¡­Huh, suddenly?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to hear everyone¡¯s thoughts.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Baek Saheon seemed to ponder for a moment before shrugging. ¡°Not really. I¡¯m not very knowledgeable about this stuff.¡± ¡°I see.¡± So, he hasn¡¯t gotten a clear idea yet. I nodded casually. In any case, this seemed like a decent idea, so I was going to keep an eye on it¡­ Ding, ding. [Attention passengers, this is an announcement from Abyss Transpo to ensure a pleasant journey. Please pay attention.] ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The announcement started again. Everyone stopped talking and immediately looked up. [The train is about to pass through a curved section, which may cause noise and shaking.] [Please be seated to prevent idents.] Ah, fucking hell. ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s sit down.¡± Without any objections, everyone quickly took their seats. It was as if my earlier remarks about the announcements had sunk in. Even the person who had been adamant about getting off earlier sat down quietly and was one of the first to find a seat. But not everyone seemed to follow the same logic. ¡°Oh no! The people in the front car!¡± ¡°Those people¡­¡± The passengers in the front car were still standing, seemingly too caught up in a heated argument. Although I couldn¡¯t hear exactly what they were saying, their raised voices must have drowned out the announcement. It was clear just by looking at them. They were inplete panic after witnessing the unimaginable deaths of those who had gotten off earlier. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we say something to them?¡± ¡°Hey! Can you hear us?!¡± ¡°Sit down!¡± The new hires closest to the front car shouted, but the people there barely acknowledged them. One person who happened to make eye contact with us even walked over. ¡°Sit down!¡± ¡°No, don¡¯te over here, just sit¡­¡± It was toote. [Entering the curved section¡­] The lights went out. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± In the Darkness, the train began to shake violently with a loud rumble. And amidst the rumbling, a sharp noise rang out. Screams. ¨C Aaaaaah!! ¨C Agh, ah, ahhh¡­ The sound of something wet bursting. Like squeezing a ripe grape too hard. Then, a dull thud. ¡­As if it were happening just on the other side of a door. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The people in this car held their breath, trembling faintly, trying to stay silent. Then the lights came back on. ¨C ¡­¡­ Through the small window on the front door of the train, we could see into the front car. It was covered in blood and filth. It looked as if only living organisms had been thrown into a blender. There were no traces of people left. Everyone was dead. [You may now stand up safely. Thank you for your cooperation.] In stark contrast to the calm announcement, the train was filled with the sound of people panicking. ¡°Let me out! Let me out!¡± ¡°Gaaasp, gaaaasp¡­ what the hell is this? What is this¡­ Mom¡­¡± Even in that state, the new hires tried to cover their mouths and listen closely to the announcement, desperately trying to stay quiet. After all, it had been proven to be their lifeline! ¡®Damn.¡¯ While the situation was clearly favorable for my survival, the reality was so horrific that cold sweat formed on my forehead. I wiped it away with my trembling hand and clenched my teeth. I mustn¡¯t look at the front car anymore. ¡®Just focus on convincing them¡­¡¯ A few stopster, when the right stationes up, I¡¯m sure people will get off together¡­ [Attention passengers, this is an announcement from Abyss Transpo to ensure a pleasant journey. Please pay attention.] Another announcement. ¡°Again?!¡± ¡°Hiic, hiiiic¡­¡± Cutting through the sobs of the exhausted passengers, the crisp, mechanical voice continued with its strange message. [There is a lost item.] Wait a second. I looked up sharply. [If you¡¯ve found the lost item, please disembark at the next station and hand it over to the station staff.] I knew this scenario. ¡®¡­A rare escape case!¡¯ ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story / / Wee to Abyss Transpo 3.4 Misceneous Records (Escape) A document recording irregr survival cases where the individual sessfully escaped by getting off at a station. Several methods were repeatedly observed. (The most frequent cases involved ¡®temporary stops for train intervals¡¯ and ¡®lost item announcements¡¯.) ======================== A guaranteed escape ticket. As long as you had the announced lost item, you could safely get out! But¡­ ¡®Only one person can escape.¡¯ For someone like me, who can¡¯t go alone, it¡¯s a survival ticket that¡¯s useless from the start. I clenched my fists tightly. ¡®So, who should I send out?¡¯ No, is sending someone out even the right answer? And then¡­ [The lost item is the left eye of a type-A male in his twenties.] The lost item was something I couldn¡¯t have imagined. Chapter 3: Chapter 3: In the midst of the chaos of a ghost story where people were dying, a survival ticket appeared. Just like in a movie. And it wasn¡¯t an illusion. ¡®If you take the lost item mentioned in the announcement, you¡¯ll be guided out of the station as soon as you meet the station staff¡­¡¯ It was indeed a glimmer of hope. The problem was that the lost item mentioned in the announcement was absurdly grotesque. ¡°What did it just say? A male in his twenties¡­?¡± ¡°The left eye of a type-A male in his twenties.¡± Go Yeongeun dropped her head, her face hollow. ¡°Type-A must be referring to¡­ blood type, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± A heavy silence fell. Everyone seemed frightened already. ¡®¡­Should I just let this go?¡¯ If we get off at the right station, everyone can survive. If one person escapes early, the mood might get weird and cause unnecessary conflict. But things didn¡¯t unfold that easily. ¡°Still, wouldn¡¯t it be better to find it?¡± ¡°Yeah, you never know what might happen¡­¡± These new hires were so focused on the announcement that they couldn¡¯t just let it go. ¡®¡­Let¡¯s see how this ys out.¡¯ ¡°By the way, how old are you¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m in my 30s.¡± ¡°You look young for your age. Oh, and I¡¯m blood type B, so I don¡¯t count.¡± ¡°Same here¡­¡± Everyone started checking to see if they fit the description of a ¡®20-something male with blood type A¡¯. But no one matched the conditions exactly, and soon the question turned to me. ¡°Kim Soleum-ssi, by any chance¡­?¡± I answered simply. ¡°I¡¯m type AB.¡± It was actually a lie. I¡¯m blood type A. ¡®But there¡¯s no reason to reveal that I¡¯m the target.¡¯ If people thought I was trying to gain an advantage, they might misunderstand and refuse to listen to meter. ¡°I see. Then, what about you, Baek Saheon-ssi¡­?¡± ¡°Wait a second.¡± Suddenly, the person sitting across from me raised his hand with a serious expression. ¡°Actually¡­ I fit the criteria exactly!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± He spoke in a rather grave tone, probably because he was worried he might die if things went wrong. ¡®He doesn¡¯t need to worry about that, though.¡¯ And the reason he suddenly confessed became clear. [This stop is Anger, Anger Station.] The announcement for the next station had just been made. The station where the station staff would be waiting to collect the lost item. The new hire who had stepped forward looked tense. ¡°Is there no one else?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ it seems that way.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± Baek Saheon, who had been listening to the conversation next to me, sighed and then asked him¡ª [The doors are on your right.] ¡°You said you¡¯re blood type A?¡± ¡°Y-Yes.¡± ¡°Too bad.¡± And then a fist flew. ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± A brutal, sickening sound echoed as Baek Saheon¡¯s fist mercilessly struck the left eye of the new hire who had confessed to being an A-type 20-something male. Baek Saheon had struck him with his smartphone, using the corner to hit his eye, as if he didn¡¯t care if it burst. ¡°Ugh¡ª!¡± And just as the person copsed without even managing to scream¡ª [The doors are opening.] Baek Saheon leapt over the fallen man and exited the train. ¡°Wh-what¡­ just¡­¡± ¡°AAAGH!!¡± ¡°Who the hell are you?!¡± The others, toote to react, screamed in shock. Baek Saheon chuckled softly. ¡°You morons. If one eye is all it takes to escape, just do it already!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°It said we could get off the train!¡± It seemed Baek Saheon had urately understood the nuances of the announcement. ¨C If you¡¯ve found the lost item, please disembark at the next station and hand it over to the station staff. Even though there had been a hint to pay attention to the announcements, it was an incredibly bold move. ¡°Well, it¡¯s hard to expect that kind of reasoning from someone who expects others to take responsibility for their own survival.¡± ¡°What?!¡± On top of that, Baek Saheon calmly continued his blunt remarks. It was as if he was certain no one would dare follow him off the train. And he was right. Everyone had already seen what happened when you got off at the wrong station. ¡°That, that guy¡­¡± Go Yeongeun was so enraged that her face turned red, but for the first time, I felt a sense of rity. It made sense! His nickname was ¡®Viper¡¯. The portrayal of Baek Saheon in ¡ªit now made sense that it came from a personality like this. I thought he might be okay since he was a new hire and hadn¡¯t yet been corrupted by society, but it seemed this was just his natural personality. [The doors are closing.] Meanwhile, Baek Saheon waved towards the train with a smug smile, clearly pleased with his sessful escape. Even if it meant giving up someone¡¯s left eye. ¡®That guy¡­¡¯ But¡­ the thing is¡­ ¡®It wasn¡¯t necessary.¡¯ While everyone was focused on Baek Saheon, I quietly reached my hand up to the luggagepartment. ¡®I definitely saw it earlier.¡¯ And as I reached deeper, I grabbed something hidden in a blind spot, like magic. I pulled it down to check. Inside a strange, portable lens case was¡­ an eyeball. And abel. [Type A / Female / 27 / R] This was¡­ another lost item candidate. ¡®A lost item isn¡¯t something you lose yourself¡ªit¡¯s something someone else loses, right?¡¯ In fact, this announcement was more of a treasure hunt, where you had to disembark with the lost item that perfectly matched the description from among a few candidates in the luggagepartment. There were even cases where people had randomly handed over what they had and managed to escape. ¡®So now Baek Saheon is part of that statistic.¡¯ But what if he found out he didn¡¯t actually have to sacrifice that guy¡¯s left eye? The screen door had already closed. As the train was about to depart, I briefly made eye contact with Baek Saheon, who was turning toward the tform. I raised the lens case with the eyeball in it, making sure he could see it clearly through the window. I had covered thebel, so only one thing would be visible. The eyeball. -¡­!! Through the ss door, Baek Saheon¡¯s expression changed as he realized what it was. But by then, it was toote. [The train is now departing from Anger Station.] The train began to move. I looked back at the new hire Baek Saheon had attacked. Judging by the wound on his left eye, Baek Saheon had tried to eliminate another ¡®correct lost item¡¯ besides his own. ¡®He must have thought only one lost item would be acknowledged.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t me him for trying to survive by escaping on his own, but¡­ he had crossed a line. I turned my head back toward the door. From far behind, I heard the sound of someone furiously pounding on the sliding doors. And faintly, in the distance of the departing tform, I thought I could hear the agonized screams of someone enduring a strange kind of pain. [The lost item has been sessfully handed over to the station staff.]
Trantor¡¯s note: i won¡¯t cut the chapters if the original¡¯s not super long! Chapter 4: Chapter 4: One person had escaped the ghost story. But, they did so with an eye gouged out. ¡°Huu¡­¡± ¡°Did you hear that?¡± However, unlike the previous times, the passengers didn¡¯t show much pity, even though they were terrified and disgusted. ¡®Is this the result of violence without persuasion?¡¯ The train became briefly chaotic as people checked on the condition of the person attacked by Baek Saheon. [This stop is Hatred, Hatred Station.] ¡°Hatred, huh¡­¡± ¡°Haah.¡± The announcement only deepened the gloomy atmosphere. Go Yeongeun, who had been looking after the new hire holding his injured left eye, stood up. Her face was dark. ¡°I¡¯m almost certain his cornea is damaged. It¡¯s worrying¡­¡± ¡°Are you in the medical field by chance?¡± ¡°No. I studied it briefly in college but changed majors, so I never took the national exam. I¡¯m not a professional.¡± Go Yeongeun sighed and sat down on the floor, cross-legged. [The doors are opening.] The train doors opened, but people only nced outside, not making any moves. They simply looked out cautiously. At the same time, they also nced at me. It seemed they were waiting to see if I would suggest we get off here. ¡®At least they¡¯re paying attention.¡¯ I had worried that Baek Saheon¡¯s actions would make people more suspicious of each other, but instead, having amon enemy seemed to have calmed everyone down. It also felt like, given the madness of the situation, they were waiting for the next statement from the person who had spoken confidently earlier. In other words¡­ me. It even felt like they might leave the decision of which station to disembark at to me. ¡°You must feel a bit pressured.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Go Yeongeun spoke with aplex expression. ¡°People keep leaning on you.¡± Uh, thanks¡­? ¡°They¡¯re scared and anxious, so I hope you don¡¯t find it too exhausting or distasteful¡­ ugh. Sorry.¡± I¡¯m scared and anxious too, which is why I¡¯m trying to lead everyone¡­ ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to think things through in my own way too¡­¡± Oh, I see. The floor is open to opinions. In fact, I wee them. ¡°What have you been thinking about?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been pondering what you said earlier about the ¡®final destination¡¯.¡± Go Yeongeun lowered her voice. ¡°If it¡¯s the final destination for a person¡­ could it be death?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that what marks the end of human life? The more I think about it, it feels like that¡¯s what it means. So, I was wondering if we should get off when we see a word like that.¡± Oh. ¡°But then I thought¡­ would that just mean we¡¯re going to die peacefully? So I couldn¡¯t say it for sure.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s a very convincing thought.¡± ¡°Is it really?¡± ¡°Yes. However¡­¡± I trailed off, and before I knew it, I smiled slightly. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± It was because I had just seen the name of the next station on the disy. ¡°What does the term ¡®destination¡¯ really mean?¡± ¡°Huh, what?¡± ¡°If you look it up in the dictionary, a destination is defined as the ce or goal someone is trying to reach.¡± And the theme of this train is very straightforward. Sit down. Find the lost item. The instructions are given clearly and without twists, and if you follow them, you stay safe. Even those who got off at the wrong station died in a very straightforward manner. So, I¡¯m approaching the term ¡®destination¡¯ in the same way. ¡°I believe that the ¡®destination¡¯ mentioned by this train refers to a ce or goal that we, in our current state, haven¡¯t yet achieved or reached.¡± If you think about it that way, the criteria for choosing the right station be very simple. ¨C Something I don¡¯t have. If we apply this logic, we can reinterpret the previous escape cases as well. ======================== 1- Stations named after colors like red, yellow, blue. : Two-person escape sess (Attempt : Blue Station) 2- Stations named after body parts like left arm, cornea, heart. : No recorded escape sess (Attempt : Cochlea Station) 3- Stations named after serial killers like ¡ö¡ö, ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö, ¡ö¡ö¡ö. : Twelve-person escape sess (Attempt : ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö Station) 4- Stations named after years like 2008, 2012, 2016. : No recorded escape sess (Attempt : 2024 Station) 5- Stations named after illnesses like asthma, stroke, a. : Three-person escape sess (Attempt : Cold Station) ======================== At Blue Station, the people who escaped were likely those who had nothing blue on their bodies or belongings. And it makes sense that the station named after serial killers had many escapees. No one in the train would have been one of those serial killers, so almost every station would have been the correct choice for them. ¡®On the other hand, stations named after body parts¡­ the likelihood of someone missing a body part is lower, which is why they failed to escape.¡¯ It¡¯s the same with stations named after years. Everyone had experienced the year 2024, which is why they failed to escape that time. If we apply this logic, it bes clear which station we should get off at now. ¨C An emotion I don¡¯t have. ¡°¡­So, we need to choose an emotion we would never feel in this situation.¡± ¡°What?¡± This is where it gets tricky. ¡®Most people have experienced all basic emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.¡¯ Unless you¡¯re someone whocks a particr emotion, it bes very difficult to choose the right station. Even if the intensity of emotions varies, most people have felt them at some point. Therefore¡­ We need to choose an emotion that isn¡¯t expressed in degrees but exists as a more neutral state. ¡®An emotion that conceptually exists but is extremely difficult to fully experience.¡¯ That¡¯s what we need to choose. [This stop is Serenity, Serenity Station.] The announcement yed. It¡¯s easy to think that this is just another ordinary emotion as a station name. After all, we often say things like, That person looks so serene. But¡­ ¡®It¡¯s a phrase we often use when describing others.¡¯ It¡¯s rare for someone to describe themselves as serene. And it makes sense. The dictionary definition of serenity is ¡®to be without any worries or concerns¡¯. But can a person truly be serene, without any worries or anxieties? ¡®The chances of that¡­¡¯ Are almost nonexistent. Especially in an extreme situation like this. ¡°This is the correct station.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°We¡¯re getting off here.¡± I spoke confidently and without hesitation. I stood up immediately. The others, startled, stood up as well, watching me. ¡°W-we¡¯re getting off here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I then approached the injured new hire, who was clutching his eye, and helped him to his feet. ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°Ah, th-thank you¡­¡± As I led the injured person toward the door, the others instinctively followed. No one could back out now. We¡¯re all getting off together. ¡®Good.¡¯ If we all escape together like this¡­ [The doors are opening.] But outside the open door, there was a sea of blood. ¡°¡­¡­¡± No way¡­ this is over the line, I mean, what the hell¡­? ¡®Dear fuck almighty. Save me.¡¯ ¡°Kim Soleum-ssi?¡± I almost hid behind Go Yeongeun. But myst shred of dignity as an adult stopped me. Instead, I awkwardly turned my head and looked at the others. ¡°Are you sure¡­ this is the right station?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It definitely is. But I couldn¡¯t think of any fancy words to convince them to get off. Actually, I didn¡¯t want to get off myself. I wished someone would convince me that we didn¡¯t have to get off. Please, someone. ¡°¡­Excuse me! I still think we should get off.¡± Huh? Go Yeongeun? ¡°You¡¯re the only one who¡¯s been certain of your decisions. Everyone else is scared, but you¡¯ve stayed calm this whole time.¡± Me? ¡°That guy earlier tried to get off on his own, causing all that chaos¡­ At least I¡¯d rather listen to someone kind. I¡¯m getting off.¡± And with that, Go Yeongeun bravely stepped out of the train first. On the rusted tform, the eerie lights flickered, and liquid dripped from the exposed pipes above. Blood dripped onto Go Yeongeun¡¯s shoulder. Ha, ha¡­ ¡°Kim Soleum-ssi?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I believe in you too! Let¡¯s go!¡± The injured person I was helping urged me forward. Maybe they thought I was hesitating out of concern for them. Honestly, I was starting to get confused myself about whether I was grateful or resentful. In any case, I naturally followed Go Yeongeun off the train. The others, still hesitating, eventually followed as well. At least I wasn¡¯t thest one off, which was a relief. It¡¯s easy to overlook, but being thest one is the scariest position. ¡®¡­Ha.¡¯ At this point, I just want to abandon myself. ¡°Should we head up the stairs?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Even in this situation, Go Yeongeun yelled toward the other train cars. ¡°Hey! Get off! This is the right station!¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how effective it would be. Some might have been too wary to get off, but¡­ ¡®Still, if even one more person gets off because of that, we¡¯re saving them.¡¯ I have to admire her. No, I¡¯m really trying to focus all my attention on admiring her right now¡­ Helping the injured person was definitely a good decision. Whenever my focus started to waver, I instinctively stopped myself from panicking. I rmend it to all cowards. Though, I doubt many cowards would ever be in such a ridiculous situation! ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s keep walking.¡± I tried my best to avoid looking at my surroundings as I walked with the group. I saw the stairs ahead. ¡®Talisman-like symbols are stered all over them¡­¡¯ Realizing that even the stairs looked far from normal sent chills down my spine, but¡­ ¡®I¡¯ll just focus on the feeling of going up.¡¯ One step. Another step. I walked quietly. Soon, I felt my vision blur slightly, and then¡­ [Congrattions, new employees!] Suddenly, we were back in the lecture hall. ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± Bright lights. A modern,fortable, spacious room. Reality came rushing back as I looked at therge screen in front of me, where bold text had appeared. : Congrattions. You have been officially hired to the Field Exploration Team of Daydream Inc. ¡°Ha¡­¡± ¡°Ah!!¡± The people who had escaped with me copsed into chairs, their legs giving out. I turned my head and counted. One, two¡­ three¡­ seven. Everyone who had been in our car survived. ¡®We made it.¡¯ From the ghost story , seven out of the ten people in our car escaped. [Now, it¡¯s time for the gift awarding ceremony!] Chapter 5.1 Chapter 5.1 What happens when a new hire sessfullypletes their probation period, you ask? Usually, there¡¯s a lighthearted celebration with a gift-giving ceremony. I didn¡¯t expect a major corporation inside a ghost story to be the same. [Let¡¯s see¡­ oh my! We have 22 sessful candidates this time, everyone! Wow, I wonder what the HR department thinks of this?] No one is curious about that. And I¡¯m sure the other new hires sitting next to me feel the same. [This is truly an amazing record. If this wasn¡¯t a case of miscalcted difficulty, you all are an elite group. Elites.] The room fell into silence. The host cheerfully continued, unfazed. [Shall we pick out the top elite among our elite employees?] [The top of this cohort from the Field Exploration Team! One of the fastest toplete the evaluation and escape, and the highest scorer in the overall assessment.] The host raised his hand. [Congrattions, Kim Soleum-ssi!] Me? [Kim Soleum-ssi, are you there?] [The event won¡¯t end until the gift is presented~ Come up and ept it!] For real? ¡®Why though¡­¡¯ I stood up, since it would be foolish to stay seated after being given instructions. After all, we had just been stuck in a ghost story where failing to listen to announcements meant death. [Ah, you¡¯re quick to get up. That quickprehension will serve you well in our department. What a shame, such a shame.] Was this a superior from another department? Somehow, that made him even more irritating. I stepped up onto the stage and stood in front of the host. [Come on, take your gift!] What the host handed me was a sharp-edged paper bag. Inside the silver shopping bag, stamped with the Daydream Inc. logo, I could glimpse a que, presumably an official certificate, along with some other items. [Don¡¯t feel too bad that there¡¯s nothing extra special for being the top scorer.] I wasn¡¯t happy at all. I epted the bag, nodding slightly to avoid ring at the host, and began to head back down when¡­ ¡°Take a good look inside.¡± What? ¡°What¡¯s in¡ª¡± [Now, let¡¯s call the next new hire!] The host was already calling out the next person¡¯s name on the mic, as if we hadn¡¯t just exchanged a few words. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hmph. I didn¡¯t waste any more time and quickly left the stage. After that, Go Yeongeun and the others who had been in our train car also went up to receive their gifts. It didn¡¯t mean much, but Baek Saheon was called right after me. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± He remained seated next to me afterward, not saying a word. He didn¡¯t even make eye contact. Judging by how he was holding his left eye, it was clear he had ¡®returned¡¯ the lost item. ¡®He¡¯ll figure out how to get to a hospital.¡¯ [Next up, Kim Jiwon-ssi!] As more names were called, some of the people receiving their gifts looked strangely disheveled, with odd gaits or unfocused eyes. ¡®¡­Maybe they were stuck in the ghost story for too long.¡¯ Even though we all seemed to regain consciousness at the same time in the lecture hall, there had clearly been a time difference between our escape from ghost story and now. The thought of how long some others might still be trapped made a chill run down my spine. At least I made it out, which is more than can be said for the other 78 people. [Did everyone receive their gifts?] Finally, the gift awarding ceremony ended. There was no audible response, but a strange tension and sense of expectation hung over the room. Perhaps we might finally be allowed to leave. To be honest, even I was hoping for that. It seemed like things should be wrapping up soon. But. [However¡­ thispany doesn¡¯t hire all of the candidates who pass the probation period.] ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± [Sometimes, there are people who make it through purely by luck.] No way. [But Daydream Inc. is apany that never forgets the social value of fairness.] [Such probationary employees are penalized heavily in the final evaluation.] The host didn¡¯t do anything overt. No dramatic snap of the fingers, no ominous nce, not even the lights in the hall dimmed. And yet¡­ [As I mentioned, freeloaders are always identified.] People started melting. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± All around, several people began to dissolve, their bodies copsing as if they were being smeared away. There were no screams or movements. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ The person in front of me pressed their hands over their mouth to suppress a scream. I hurriedly turned my head away. But I had already seen it. ¡®They¡¯re gone.¡¯ Of the ten people from our train car, only half remained. Me, Go Yeongeun, Baek Saheon, and the new hire who had been attacked by Baek Saheon. Everyone else was gone. ¡°¡­¡­¡± [To the remaining 13 new employees, congrattions! You have sessfully be full-time employees with excellent results!] Not a single person pped out of joy. In the chilling silence, one person, overwhelmed with panic, fumbled and stuttered. ¡°I resign, I¡¯ll resign¡­ I want to quit.¡± But the host remained calm. [Oh? Leaving such a great work opportunity? Come on, at least hear about the benefits before deciding.] Behind me, Go Yeongeun shouted desperately. ¡°So, can we quit after hearing about the benefits? Without any penalties?¡± [Yes, absolutely. You can quit without a single scratch on you~] The host¡¯s words were smooth and confident. That¡¯s when I realized. ¡®It¡¯s here.¡¯ The stick had passed. Nowes the carrot. ¡­The ¡®benefit¡¯ I was expecting. [Let me introduce ourpany¡¯s top employee benefit!] The reason why, after going through such a crazy experience right upon joining, employees still stay with the Field Exploration Team. [Employee Benefit] Wish Ticket Something appeared on therge screen in the lecture hall. A beautifully sleek crystal bottle. Plop. Inside the bottle, a strange liquid shimmered with multicolored ripples. It moved like waves. The colors, textures, and rippling patterns were so beautiful and strange that they gave off an uncanny feeling. Silence filled the room. [Let¡¯s take a closer look, shall we?] The host pressed a button, and the screen lifted, revealing a table that had been hidden behind it. On the ck table was the same dazzling bottle from the screen. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The liquid inside the bottle shimmered on its own, reflecting the light in the room so brilliantly that it seemed otherworldly. It made you question whether such a thing could even exist in reality. [You all know Daydream Inc. is famous for being a highly sessful pharmaceuticalpany, yes? I mean, how advanced must our technology be if we even developed a cure for baldness?] [But in truth, our main product is something else¡­ It¡¯s this.] The host steadied his trembling hand and put on white gloves. Then, carefully picking up the crystal bottle from the table, he held it up for the employees to see. [The name of this medicine is the ¡®Wish Ticket¡¯.] [And its effect is¡­ just as it sounds. When you drink it, any wish wille true.] Chapter 5.2 Chapter 5.2 ¡°¡­¡­!¡± [Don¡¯t believe me? But we have a whole truckload of your seniors and superiors who¡¯ve taken this and had their wishes fulfilled.] [Allow me to demonstrate.] The host tore open the packaging of the bottle and downed it in one gulp! [Today¡¯s the day I was scheduled to receive my Wish Ticket. Haha!] And in that moment, everyone in the lecture hall immediately knew what the host¡¯s ¡®wish¡¯ had been. The instant he drank the Wish Ticket. The face of the host, who appeared to be in his mid-tote 40s, rapidly tightened and gained a youthful, rosyplexion. His body became fit, and his hair grew back, shiny and thick. He had returned. He looked exactly like a young man in his prime, full of energy and growth! [Yahoo!] The host, who now looked like a high school student, raised his fist in excitement. [How about that? To put it simply¡ªrejuvenation!] Even his voice had grown young and youthful. A stunned silence fell over the room for an entirely new reason. It was a silence filled with disbelief. The host pointed at the new hires in the lecture hall. [The Field Exploration Team, your team, always gets great performance reviews. On average, they receive the Wish Ticket in half the time it takes other teams¡­] [In fact, the ten employees who got the Wish Ticket the fastest were all from the Field Exploration Team!] Gulp. Someone swallowed nervously from somewhere in the hall. Of course, it was all wordy. In reality, it was no different from hazard pay. ¡®Before those ten, dozens, maybe hundreds of people must have died.¡¯ So, it was more like bait¡ªa shiny, but deceptive promise. But still¡­ ¡®There are people who¡¯ve taken it.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a scam. [Now, let¡¯s take some questions¡ªoh, you there!] One of the new hires quietly raised a hand and asked in a rough voice, ¡°Can it bring the dead back to life?¡± It was a tall man with brown hair. [Ah. You always hear that question in these kinds of stories, don¡¯t you? ¡®The one thing that can¡¯t be wished for¡¯¡­] [¡­But!] The host raised his hand dramatically. [The Wish Ticket will grant a-n-y wish the drinker desires.] ¡°¡­¡­!¡± [Of course, as long as you use it correctly. For detailed instructions, please refer to the employee portal.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± The questioner fell silent again, but the unease among the new hires grew even stronger. The host didn¡¯t miss the moment. [For other benefits, please check the screen or the pamphlet included in your gift bag¡­ So, shall we make a decision?] With a swift motion, the back doors of the lecture hall swung open. [If you want to resign, please go to the desk outside and collect your paperwork.] [But if you¡¯ve decided to stay with thepany¡­] The host gestured. [Put on the mask that¡¯s inside your gift bag.] A mask? Oh. ¡®So, this is when they hand those out.¡¯ [You know how ¡®customization¡¯ is all the rage these days, right? The mask is designed to express your unique personality.] [Well¡­ this one doesn¡¯t have any special functions, though. That¡¯s all there is to it.] I clutched my smartphone. There were too many eyes watching to check properly, but if I could ess the page of reconstructed by the ¡®Memorial Popsocket¡¯, it would probably show something like this: ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Daydream Inc. / Departments Misceneous Employees in the Field Exploration Team wear masks while on field duty, which are distributed after the new hire orientation. ording to Employee D, the design of the mask is determined by the year of hire. For example, agents with ant masks and agents with mantis masks are likely to have joined in the same year. ======================== In short, it¡¯s a symbol of the ¡®Daydream Inc.¡¯ Field Exploration Team. ¡®I can¡¯t believe the day hase for me to receive this.¡¯ It felt strange in many ways. Of course, 90% of me wanted to run out of here and throw the mask aside, screaming that I was quitting. Please, just let me go. ¡®But¡­ even if I quit, this whole universe is a mess.¡¯ The ¡®dark paranormal phenomena¡¯ are already scattered everywhere. It¡¯s far too easy to end up as a background extra in a ghost story and have your life end in a rare and horrific way. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ It might be safer to work as an employee, collecting my paycheck,pany gear, and ultimate reward while aiming for a department transfer. My survival chances might improve that way. ¡®Besides, if I want to return to my original world, that ¡®Wish Ticket¡¯ seems to be my best bet.¡¯ Anyway, there¡¯s no way a coward like me will survive long in this universe. Escaping this world entirely is the only real option. So logically, as painful as it is, if I choose the most reasonable answer¡­ ¡®I have to join.¡¯ As much as it kills me to admit it, there¡¯s no other choice. Damn. In the end, I swallowed my tears and opened the envelope. I reached in to pull out the mask. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Something else came out with it. ©¤©¤©¤ If needed 010-0153-24865 ©¤©¤©¤ A business card? The space where a name and title should be had been whited out, reced with scribbled text. ¡®¡­Did the host put this in here?¡¯ I looked around, but no one else seemed to have a business card stuck to their mask. ¡®I¡¯ll deal with itter.¡¯ I slipped the card back into the envelope and pulled out only the mask. It was smooth to the touch, covering only until my nose¡ªa basic mask in shape. The surprising part was that everyone around me was already attempting to put their masks on. Without a single exception. ¡®¡­Even after all that, no one¡¯s running away?¡¯ There was only one wildcard. The Wish Ticket. ¡®Did they filter out only those who would risk their lives for the Wish Ticket?¡¯ As I looked around the lecture hall at the silent employees epting their masks, I felt aplicated mix of emotions. We¡¯re all about to do the same thing, after all. ¡®No choice, I guess.¡¯ I brought the mask to my face. As soon as I did, the shape of the mask began to change. I could feel it stretching and bing more uneven across my cheeks and forehead¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± I reached up and touched it. A mask with antler-like horns and a bizarre wood-grain pattern had formed. Wait, antlers? ¡®¡­Reindeer? Deer?¡¯ It looked too strange to just be a deer. Reluctantly, I turned to look around. Go Yeongeun, who was wearing a sheep mask, made awkward eye contact with me. Around us, other new hires, wearing masks resembling animals like elephants and goats, sat stiffly in their suits. They looked just as unsettling as you¡¯d expect from employees working at apany that manages ghost stories. [Once again, congrattions on joining thepany!] p, p, p. The slide on the PPT changed, ying a recording of apuse. [Employment Confirmed] ¡®So, it¡¯se to this¡­¡¯ Just as I was starting to feel overwhelmed thinking about my future with thepany¡­ Flutter¡ª The notepad suddenly reappeared in midair. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The same notepad that had spit out the ¡®Memorial Popsocket¡¯ merch earlier. [Dark Exploration Records Real Merch Box] ¨C New merch unlocked! (!) Huh? Chapter 6.1 Chapter 6.1 ¡®New merch?¡¯ And if it¡¯s saying it¡¯s unlocked, that means I can use another one of the merch I bought. ¡®Based on what criteria, though?¡¯ I wanted to click on the floating notepad immediately, but then I remembered I was still sitting in the middle of the lecture hall. Not to mention, I could feel people ncing at me since the host had called me out as the top performer. ¡®Let¡¯s leave first and check it outter.¡¯ The event seemed to be wrapping up, so I could head home¡­ wait. I suddenly realized something critically important. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Do I even have a home here? I quickly pulled out my smartphone and started checking my records. Just like that, all traces of my previous job and work history had vanished. Even my family¡¯s contact information was wiped out. ¡®Please, no.¡¯ The only records left were from my college days, which at least matched my memories, giving me a moment of relief. But the problem is¡­ I lived in a dorm during college. ¡®And I had a tough time getting my own ce after graduation because of some schedule mix-ups.¡¯ As expected, the most recent record I could find was a text conversation about going to see rental apartments and a chat with a friendining about staying in a motel because his studio lease fell through. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I raised my head and nced at the screen still floating in the lecture hall. Or rather, I focused on one word at the bottom of the screen. [Employee Benefit ¨C Misceneous] Company Housing Benefit, huh¡­ I might as well take full advantage, right? * * * The pany housing benefit¡¯ was processed shockingly fast. ¡°Ah, hello!¡± ¡°Hello.¡± In less than an hour after inquiring at the front desk, I was assigned a room number, given a key, and even an address. The location wasn¡¯t bad, either. Of course, it wasn¡¯t out of the goodness of their hearts to make things convenient for employees. ¡®If they want to exploit me around the clock, it makes sense to keep the wage ves nearby¡­.¡¯ Still, the building looked like a decent officetel. It was clean, recently remodeled, and had solid security. Considering pany housing¡¯ is usually a perk for working in remote areas, this was absurdly generous. ¡®Thispany just made me go through a death survival game, so sure, why not move in.¡¯ But this cynical thought became reality soon enough. When I bumped into Go Yeongeun outside the officetel, she told me, ¡°Did you hear? Seven of us gotpany housing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± That¡¯s over half of us. It seemed like Go Yeongeun had alsoe here to move in. They gave me a sheepish look, noticing my stare. ¡°It¡¯s a bit scary, but since we¡¯re already hired¡­ turning down a free ce near the subway would be hard to justify¡­¡± ¡°¡­Right.¡± Exactly. In capitalism, money is the scariest thing. ¡®Saving 1.2 million won a month? Anyone would move in, pretending to be crazy.¡¯ (Approx. 900 USD) Of course, there was a more crucial reason behind this. ¡°It seems like those who came from outside the city got notified about the housing and signed up as soon as they were hired.¡± ¡°That makes sense.¡± Now I understand. The new hires had already celebrated and epted the housing, making it hard for them to back out. I had wondered how they arranged my room so quickly, but now it made sense. ¡®The room I¡¯m getting must have belonged to one of the new hires who didn¡¯t survive the death game¡­¡¯ The thought sent a chill down my spine, making me feel a little ashamed. Anyway, after exchanging a few more words with Go Yeongeun, I headed up to the 12th floor, where my room was located. So far, so good. The problem? The officetel unit had two rooms. And my roommate was Baek Saheon. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Baek Saheon was sitting in the living room. He had a medical eye patch over one eye, suggesting he¡¯d received some sort of treatment¡ªprobably from thepany, not a hospital, considering the timing. I quietly nodded to acknowledge him and started heading to my room when¡ª ¡°Hey.¡± What? ¡°¡¯Hey¡¯?¡± I stopped in my tracks. Baek Saheon flinched when I responded but, fueled by anger, he red at me and spoke. ¡°You must¡¯ve enjoyed watching while I had to gouge out a perfectly good eye because of that damn lost item, huh?¡± It seemed he thought I¡¯d known about the lost item and just stood by to watch him get his eye taken out. ¡®He¡¯s the one who ran off on his own, and now he¡¯s ming me?¡¯ He was perfectly fine punching someone else¡¯s eye out, but when it came to his own, I was supposed to help him? What a creative way to twist the situation. But at that moment, I realized something. If I responded apologetically, saying, ¡®Well, you suddenly ran out, so¡­¡¯ or ¡®Why are you speaking informally all of a sudden, Teacher?¡¯ it would only make him feel more justified and lead to more nonsense. There¡¯s a term I learned from dealing with difficult clients for people like Baek Saheon. We call them ¡®Creationist Cominers¡¯. They make up situations in their head and stubbornly cling to them. With people like this, exnations don¡¯t work. It¡¯s better to just¡­ ¡°Oh, I found it pretty amusing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Going on the offensive is the best strategy here. I walked right up to Baek Saheon and gripped his shoulder firmly. ¡°Thanks for that. I had a great time. Is this what they call a dopamine rush?¡± ¡°Wh¡­¡± ¡°Make sure to share more good news with me. Actually, I hope we work together.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Work¡¯s going to be a st.¡± That should do it. ¡®Now, he probably thinks I¡¯m crazy.¡¯ Given his behavior so far and his performance in ¡­ ¡®Baek Saheon seems like the type who, if he realized the other person was scared, would push them into a corner even more.¡¯ In that case, it¡¯s better to nt the impression of ¡®I should stay away from this guy.¡¯ ¡®Consider it a bit of bluffing, too.¡¯ I patted Baek Saheon¡¯s shoulder a couple of times, then stood up and walked toward my room without looking back. ¡®As long as he doesn¡¯t stab me in my sleep, I¡¯ll be fine.¡¯ Of course, I was bluffing a bit just now. The likelihood of working together with someone from the same squad is extremely low. Whatpany forms squads of only new hires? They split us up and assign us to different squads. It¡¯s like a bncing act, simr to that famous ninja manga¡ªassigning people based on their skills. And besides, I was called first, and Baek Saheon was called second. ¡®So, he probably did well in the evaluations too, which makes it even less likely we¡¯ll end up on the same squad.¡¯ We won¡¯t be working together for a while. Let¡¯s just act like we don¡¯t exist to each other. ck. I entered my assigned room with a sense of relief. ¡°Huu.¡± The clean room had fresh bedding, a desk, and even a private bathroom. There was a guidebook hanging on the door. ¡°If I apply, they¡¯ll change my bedding and clean the room every week for just 100,000 won a month?¡± Thispany¡¯s over-the-top benefits seem designed to dazzle the new hires, making them forget all about the death game they just went through. A lot of new hires will likely be confused by the sudden shift to this neat, friendly reality, as if the death survival ordeal had been a lie. Given what I know about thispany¡¯s motivations, it¡¯s all too obvious what they¡¯re trying to do¡­ ¡®Yeah, they¡¯re desperate to fill positions in the Field Exploration Team.¡¯ They want to make sure none of the new hires who¡¯ve been deemed capable of doing the ¡®work¡¯ decide to quit. ¡®Well, might as well take full advantage of what they¡¯re offering.¡¯ I¡¯ve already decided to stay, after all. Chapter 6.2 Chapter 6.2 On the desk was a small wee gift package¡ªexpensive snacks andpany-branded office supplies. There was even a diary tucked away in a half-open drawer. Judging by thepany logo on the cover, it was another standard-issue item. ¡®But it¡¯s fromst year.¡¯ Maybe it was left behind by the previous upant of this housing unit. I opened the diary. On the first page, in huge letters, it said: ¨C RUN. ¡®Aigoo.¡¯ I appreciated the wise words from my predecessor, but I was already too far gone. Not even scary at this point. ¡®Just another chapter in the horrors of corporate life, huh.¡¯ My sense of camaraderie with the author of this note swelled. I closed the diary and carefully put it back in the drawer. Now that I¡¯ve checked everything out, it¡¯s time to get down to business. [Dark Exploration Records Real Merch Box] ¨C New merch unlocked! (!) Now that I was alone, I could finally check it out! ¡®Huu.¡¯ With a bit of nervous excitement, I sat on the bed and reached toward the floating notepad in afortable position. Tak. Just like before, when it spit out the grip holder, the notepad opened, and something fell out. It was a clear OPP vinyl packet. Inside, I could see a stack of stickers, the kind usually used for fancy merch. ¡°This ¡­¡± I picked up the vinyl packet. Inside was a typical smiley-face sticker¡ªyellow, with a standard smiling emoji. A.k.a. the bribe item. ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Daydream Inc. / Items Smiley Sticker A salesperson¡¯s best friend! ?? When attached to a sentient being, it induces mild feelings of friendliness toward the user. Unlock Requirement : Must be a full-time employee or higher at Daydream Inc. (p.s. Misusing the item for personal reasons, like flirting, will result in disciplinary action.) ======================== ¡°Huh.¡± Despite its cheap packaging and rough finish, this sticker was an iconic item used in several parts of . It induces friendliness? That¡¯s basically a way to manipte favorability. ¡®It was used to convince other departments for coboration, wasn¡¯t it?¡¯ And I immediately understood why it was unlocked now. ¨C Unlock Requirement : Must be a full-time employee or higher at Daydream Inc. ¡°So I unlocked this because I became a full-time employee?¡± In the , most items created by organizations or specific groups had usage restrictions tied to ranks or affiliations. From a world-building perspective, it was to prevent rampant misuse. ¡®And from the perspective of those who create the ghost stories, it was to stop eager newbies from barging into every narrative and recklessly using all sorts of tools like some Mary Sue causing trouble.¡¯ Anyway, the fact that I now met those conditions means¡­ ¡®Does this mean that every time I get promoted or change departments, this will spit out new merch?¡¯ It definitely seemed like it could be helpful for survival. But really, I¡¯d prefer if they hadn¡¯t dragged me into this world in the first ce. When I think about it, even this feels like a ghost story in itself. ¡®Ugh.¡¯ I nced up at the glowing notepad a few more times, feeling uneasy, before finally shifting my thoughts. ¡°Well, at least I got something useful.¡± The Smiley Sticker. It would be a bit tricky since I¡¯d have to stick it directly on someone, but having the ability to earn favor in an emergency is certainly a useful condition. However, there¡¯s a catch. ¡®¡­This thing was discontinued after some drama.¡¯ Apparently, the creators fought fiercely over the power of the sticker, arguing like it was life or death. The item ended up being discarded entirely from the narrative. I¡¯m not sure when exactly it disappeared, but it¡¯s possible the set in my hand could be thest remaining one in this universe. I stared at the Smiley Sticker in its packaging. Hmm. Better make sure no one finds out about this. Just in case, I took five stickers and tucked them into my suit pocket. That way, I¡¯d have them ready for my first day of work. ¡®¡­First day of work, huh.¡¯ I was starting to feel a bit unsettled, but I knew I needed rest. After everything that had happened, my body and mind werepletely drained. ¡®I need to recover.¡¯ I changed into the provided robe, locked the door, and got into bed. It was my first proper rest since being plunged into this ghost story. To be honest, I didn¡¯t sleep well. The sight of people being torn apart and the grotesque images of that subway station reyed in my mind, like my brain had turned into a surround-sound home theater system. Still, after a couple of days, I was at least able to sleep through the nightmares. It was a smallfort. A few days passed like that. I checked my dwindling bank ount bnce and made sure to stretch it out as best as I could, buying clothes and daily necessities. Of course, I didn¡¯t forget the most important thing. ¡®I need to memorize everything.¡¯ Through the Memorial Popsocket, I continued reading all the wiki pages I had once nced at, memorizing them until they could roll off my tongue. This was my lifeline now. And soon enough, Monday arrived. It was my first day at Daydream Inc. * * * ¡°¡­¡­¡± Monday morning. I made my way to Daydream Inc.¡¯s headquarters with a less-than-pleasant expression. Go Yeongeun, who I bumped into as I left the officetel, seemed surprised. ¡°Oh, Soleum-ssi, are you okay? Did you, um, not sleep well?¡± ¡°¡­Kind of, yeah. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Oh dear¡­¡± The two of us, both new hires, exchanged a few short pleasantries as we walked the fifteen minutes to the headquarters. Along the way, we passed a few other new members of the Field Exploration Team, all of them looking just as tense, though we only exchanged nods. We scanned our employee IDs and boarded the elevator. ¡°I heard the Field Exploration Team uses floors 10 to 15¡­ Ah, I¡¯ll get off here. Soleum-ssi, let¡¯s give it our best shot, okay?¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do our best.¡± I waved as Go Yeongeun got off on the 10th floor, then nced at the button I had pressed for my floor. 13th floor. ¡®Even the floor number feels like a bad omen¡­¡¯ I could only hope it was just my imagination. I double-checked the assignment notice I¡¯d received two days ago. [New Employee(Field Exploration)_Assignment.pdf] ¨C Kim Soleum / D Squad Ding. The elevator doors opened on the 13th floor, revealing a hallway divided into sectionsbeled with letters. I made my way to the automatic doorbeled ¡®D¡¯ and pressed the button. At the same time, I greeted those inside. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± A few adults sitting in the spacious office lifted their heads and greeted me. One of the men stood up and extended his hand. ¡°Wee to D-squad of the 15th unit.¡± A woman with a nk expression and a bob haircut nodded and added, ¡°By the way, they call us the ¡®Death Squad¡¯ because all the newbies die.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Just kidding.¡± Should I just quit right here and now? Chapter 7.1 Chapter 7.1 What is the correct reaction for a new hire when their team says something like, ¡®Hey, newbie, you might drop dead soon! Haha, just kidding~!¡¯ on your first day? The truth is, there isn¡¯t one. No, really¡ªthere¡¯s no right answer. Fortunately, my colleagues didn¡¯t seem to expect much of a reaction from me as they quickly changed the subject. ¡°Anyway¡­ congrats on surviving the death survival test.¡± Are we seriously calling it that out in the open? ¡°But are you really the top of your batch? That¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s hear some bragging.¡± I¡¯m curious about that myself. ¡°I just did my best, really.¡± ¡°Oh, if that were enough, we¡¯d all be at Seoul University.¡± ¡°Either way, it¡¯s impressive. You¡¯re a great addition to our squad.¡± Being top of the batches with its perks. It seems like the department, despite its heavy workload, doesn¡¯t have the energy to haze new hires. ¡°The squad leader will be back soon. He¡¯s out on-site, so just rx for now!¡± ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± I followed my superior¡¯s directions and went to the partitioned-off area. Four desks clustered together. Next to them, a small sofa and a coffee table with an old-style radio on top¡ªstraight out of the 80s. The superiors returned to their desks and gestured toward the sofa. ¡°Go ahead and sit there.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± As soon as I sat down, the radio on the coffee table clicked on and emitted a scratchy sound. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Upbeat background music and a high-pitched announcer¡¯s voice filled the air. ¨C Hello! This is your live traffic update. The roads in Seoul are currently clear, just like today¡¯s sunny weather! However, starting this afternoon¡­ I turned my head to nce out the window. It was drizzling outside. A disconnect from reality. ¡®Ah.¡¯ This radio¡­ it¡¯s part of a ghost story. ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story [Hello Traffic Info] : A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records> : Daydream Inc. identification code ¨C Qterw-E-63 It¡¯s a peculiar radio that tells today¡¯s fortune through traffic reports. Sometimes it offers advice, but the advice can be so unsettling that it often leads to ghastly consequences. ======================== ¡°Did you catch that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Wow, this newbie is sharp. You picked up on the weirdness quickly.¡± A male superior who looked like a physical education major approached and turned off the radio. ¡°This thing gives your daily fortune through traffic reports. It¡¯s a rtively safe urban legend. Twilight-ss Darkness¡ªverified.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hold up, were you just thinking, ¡®What the heck is an urban legend or Darkness, you nerd?¡¯¡± No, not really. ¡°For newbies like you, we¡¯ve prepared this. Ta-da!¡± He ced a tablet PC on the table. After a few taps on the screen, he yed a video. ¡°Watch this through.¡± Retro vibes washed over me as cheerful, low-quality orchestral music yed. Two cartoon characters, resembling the mascots of the ¡®88 Olympics, appeared and bowed. ¨C New hires filled with dreams and passion! Wee to the Field Exploration Team of Daydream Inc.! ¨C Today, we¡¯ll exin the cool work that the Field Exploration Team does in detail! ¡®A fox and a dragon?¡¯ A red fox and a yellow dragon, dressed in traditional Korean hanboks, smiled brightly. ¨C But before we begin! An overtly old-fashioned font appeared above the two cute characters. [What kind ofpany is Daydream Inc.?] I already know. To the public, thispany is a highly sessful pharmaceuticalpany specializing in miracle hair loss treatments and skincare products. But in reality? ¨C You think all we make is hair loss treatments? Oh my gosh! Actually, Daydream Inc. can create any medicine you could ever need! ¨C A true magicpany that makes magical potions! From cures for drug addiction to elixirs for eternal life, thepany creates all sorts of fantastical potions and secretly trades them with the elite and political circles. That is the true nature of Daydream Inc. A secret organization producing supernatural potions. ¡®Which is impossible with existing science or reality¡­¡¯ The fox character winked and raised a finger. ¨C But! Magical potions need magical ingredients. ¨C That ingredient is¡­ ¡®Dream Essence¡¯! The word ¡®Dream Essence¡¯ appeared in bold, golden letters, and sparkling liquid began to flow majestically across the screen. Hearts and stars popped out as if it were some children¡¯s cartoon about magic potions, but¡­ Its true nature was something else entirely. ¨C Dream Essence is harvested from supernatural phenomena! The dragon held out its hand, and the screen transitioned. It showed a city alleyway in a cute illustration style. But red eyes appeared in the shadow of a streemp, turning into a monstrous figure threatening a passerby. Then, the animation exaggeratedly depicted a fan licking its des as it hovered over a sleeping person. ¨C Did you know supernatural urrences still happen in modern society? ¨C Fans running in a sealed room will kill you, or receiving lots of criticism will help you live longer¡­ these are all superstitions and urban legends! ¨C But sometimes, these urban legends be reality! ¡®So they¡¯re calling these urban legends¡­¡¯ Indeed, calling it an ¡®urban legend¡¯ does sound a bit less unsettling than ¡®creepypasta¡¯. And then came the key point. ¨C Daydream Inc. manages these urban legends, collects ¡®Dream Essence,¡¯ and makes wonderful magical potions that grant people¡¯s wishes! ¨C Isn¡¯t ¡®Dream Essence¡¯ the most important resource for thepany, Yonyong? ¨C Of course! We always need it¡­ But who¡¯s going to gather the ¡®Dream Essence¡¯ for us? The dragon character named Yonyong tilted his head. Who else, indeed. ¨C The brave Field Exploration Team, of course! An SD animation depicted office workers in suits giving a thumbs-up, bravely navigating spaces where all kinds of surreal events were taking ce. ¨C Thanks to the courageous and wise Field Exploration Team, the Dream Essence collectors are full once again! On the screen, a character with thick eyebrows proudly held up an object in one hand. A portable cylinder with measurement lines. It¡¯s the ¡®Dream Essence Collector¡¯. Chapter 7.2 Chapter 7.2 ======================== [Dream Essence Collector] : An item featured in . A portable liquid storage container created by Daydream Inc., which fills up as you explore the ¡®Darkness(urban legends/ghost stories)¡¯. Thepany refers to the liquid collected in the cylinder as ¡®Dream Essence¡¯. This essence is the main resource used by Daydream Inc. to produce the almost reality-altering potions that serve as thepany¡¯s primary revenue source. ======================== The two characters pped as they showcased the essential tool of the Field Exploration Team. ¨C Now, take your Dream Essence Collector and bravely and wisely step into the Darkness ¨C The future of ourpany rests on your shoulders! Good luck! The typical new employee gaslighting video ended with fireworks and the Daydream Inc. logo. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ impressive.¡± I chose my words carefully. ¡°Very¡­ memorable.¡± ¡°Well¡­ our department¡¯s work is kinda like that.¡± The friendly superior reached out for a handshake again. ¡°Ah, let me introduce myself properly. You¡¯re Employee Kim Soleum, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Pleased to meet you.¡± ¡°Great. Oh! Over there is Assistant Manager Eun Haje.¡± The short-haired woman at her desk gave a brief wave before going back to work. The guy who looked like a phys-ed major grinned and pointed to himself with his thumb. ¡°I¡¯m Park Minseong, contractual supervisor.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Supervisor Park.¡± ¡°Haha, no need to be so formal.¡± ¡°Um, okay?¡± ¡°In this department, after about a year, pretty much everyone gets to this position. You¡¯ll get here soon.¡± There¡¯s also a good chance I¡¯ll die before then, but let¡¯s not put that out there in the universe¡­ ¡°Yeah, or you might die before that.¡± Ah, guess he said it for me. ¡°Oh,e on!¡± ¡°Why? He should know the truth. As the video showed, it¡¯s dangerous work.¡± Assistant Manager Eun gestured casually, confirming the blunt reality. I see¡­ to reach her level in thispany, you¡¯d need nerves of steel. ¡°Quitting is always a valid option. There are plenty of other jobs out there.¡± Although in this world, any jobes with a risk of getting pulled into a ghost story anyway, so¡­ ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯ll stick it out for now.¡± ¡°Hmm, good choice.¡± ¡°Ooh, such enthusiasm!¡± Both of them nodded approvingly, and Assistant Manager Eun offered some reassuring words. ¡°Even though we deal with urban legends, ghost stories and the like, don¡¯t worry too much. We have response manuals for everything.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Supervisor Park leaned in conspiratorially. ¡°By the way, in thispany, we call them ¡®Darkness¡¯. If you don¡¯t want people thinking you¡¯re some kind of creepypasta-obsessed otaku, just call them that.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± So I won¡¯t bebeled an otaku? I stayed quiet and nodded, not wanting to push my luck by arguing with my superiors on my first day. ¡°Got it. Have you gone through the manual?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I had read through the ¡®Work Manual¡¯ that Supervisor Park handed me and nodded to show I understood. ¡°Good, good.¡± The two superiors exchanged nces and smiled before turning back to me. ¡°Shall we get to work, then?¡± Wait, what? * * * 14th floor¡ª My superiors led me to a different floor. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve got the basics down, it¡¯s time for some field experience.¡± We got off the elevator and stopped in front of a small storage room next to the emergency stairs. ¡°So, for this afternoon, you¡¯ll be doing¡­ just a light exploration of the Darkness.¡± Pardon me? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing serious.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t die, you won¡¯t die. Oh, think of it like the slimes you encounter in beginner towns in games!¡± ¡°¡­Right.¡± I mean, I was expecting work, but this is¡­ dizzying. They wouldn¡¯t send me somewhere lethal on my first day, would they? It¡¯d be tough for them to handle a panicked rookie anyway. I tried to calm myself and think rationally. Why are we standing in front of this storage room¡­? Ah, is this a location connected to a ghost story? ¡®Which ghost story starts in a storage room again?¡¯ As I searched through the wiki in my head, my superiors started giving me instructions. The first thing I received was an item. ¡°You saw this in the video earlier, right? It¡¯s the Dream Essence Collector.¡± I was handed a sturdy, dice-shaped stic-sealed cylinder that had clearly been used. ¡®They sold this as merch, didn¡¯t they¡­?¡¯ Still, holding the actual thing in my hand felt strangely surreal. ¡°Be careful not to lose it. Each one is numbered, and it¡¯ll be a real headache if you misce it.¡± ¡°Yes, Assistant Manager.¡± I understood¡ªit¡¯s like losing a bullet casing. ¡°And make a habit of wearing your mask before entering the Darkness. Don¡¯t ask why¡ªjust do it. Now, where¡¯s your ma¡ª umm.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± My superiors blinked at the sight of my mask, which looked like tree bark with two antlers sticking out. ¡°¡­A deer?¡± ¡°A roe deer?¡± I have no idea either. ¡°Nice antlers though. Yeah, let¡¯s go with roe. Sounds tougher than a regr deer.¡± Tougher? ¡°Anyway, put that on and look at this.¡± Supervisor Park handed me the tablet PC. Ah, so they¡¯re going to brief me with another video¡­ [Do this and get 20 million won VS just live your life] ¡°¡­¡­??¡± It was an inte post. ¨C ying tag with a ghost at a convenience store with no one else within 10km for three days and get 20 million won. VS just living your life. By the way, the ghost looks like this ¡ý ¡®Ugh!¡¯ I shuddered as I quickly scrolled past the photo, but the image was already burned into my mind. A blue ghost with bulging eyes and a swollen, grotesque forehead. ¡°What does it say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s asking if you¡¯d spend three days ying tag with a ghost at a convenience store for money¡­¡± I had no idea why they were showing me this. Surely, this wasn¡¯t some kind of workce hazing? We¡¯re about to go on a ¡®Dark Exploration¡¯, and yet they¡¯re showing me some random inte post¡­ Oh. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I scrolled back up to look at the post again. [Do this and get 20 million won VS just live your life] Wait, no way. Chapter 7.3 Chapter 7.3 ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story [Make a Choice] : A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records> : Daydream Inc. identification code ¨C Qterw-F-243. It originates from bnce game posts on the inte, like ¡®Would you do a scary challenge for money VS just live your life?¡¯ This Darkness appears sporadically when essing URLs with certain numbers. It often involves being chased by a murderer or ghost, and if you get caught, you must start over from the beginning. ========================What a nightmare. As the world around me warped, I heard Supervisor Park¡¯s voice clearly. ¡°Just take it easy, alright? Heave ho!¡± Take it easy? I was about to protest¡ªhow could they send a new hire on their first solo assignment into a ghost story!¡ªbut before I could scream¡­ The world twisted, and I was thrown into the Darkness. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I staggered to my feet. ¡®It¡¯s really dark.¡¯ The air was cold and damp. My visibility was incredibly poor. The only light came from the faint, flickering glow of the drinks fridge in the distance. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Holding my breath, I cautiously moved toward the light. The dim outlines of the convenience store flickered in and out of sight as I approached, disappearing into the shadows again¡­ Silence. Stillness. Each step echoed on the floor, sending shivers down my spine as cold sweat trickled down the back of my neck. There didn¡¯t seem to be anything around. At least, not yet. ¡®Huuu.¡¯ I swallowed my sigh. I stopped walking just outside the fridge¡¯s dim glow, where the light couldn¡¯t reach me. Leaning into the cold, hazy light, I surveyed my surroundings. The convenience store was quiterge, about the size of a franchise caf¨¦. The shelves were neatly stocked with everyday necessities and food items, meticulously arranged with not a speck of dust. ¡®At least survival essentials aren¡¯t an issue.¡¯ Right. This ghost story¡ªthis ¡®Darkness¡¯¡ªwasn¡¯t one that physically endangered you. It was designed to shock and scare you out of your wits. The safest course of action quickly became clear. ¡®Just grab some water and energy bars and hide until it¡¯s over.¡¯ Yes. I knew my limits. There was no way I¡¯d y tag with a ghost. I didn¡¯t even need the energy bars, really. Just grabbing something quiet to eat would be enough. Humans can survive a day or two without food. Better that than meeting a ghost. ¡®But I definitely need water.¡¯ There was no other choice. I spotted some water bottles in the drinks fridge. It was easy to spot because of the light, and thankfully, it was in the far corner, where I could keep a close eye on my surroundings¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± I cautiously stepped forward, avoiding the light and moving toward the far end of the fridge. ¡®Huu.¡¯ At the verystpartment, just as I had seen from afar, the top shelf was packed with water bottles, theirbels blurred out. However, standing this close, I could see something else besides the water. ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± That wiki page I saw earlier. I had scrolled past it so quickly, but the grotesque outline was unforgettable. A blue, bulbous face with bulging eyes. A ghost. ¡®Fuck¡­!¡¯ As soon as our eyes met, the ghost¡¯s face twisted into a sinister grin, its eyes swelling grotesquely. ¡®Why the hell is this ghost¡¯s face in the fridge?!¡¯ I instinctively pulled back, turning to run. But at that moment, I realized. The ghost wasn¡¯t inside the fridge. It was reflected in the fridge¡¯s ss door. ¡°Huu¡­ugh¡­¡± Thud. Something touched my back. A cold, hard, damp grip tightened around my neck. A drowning victim¡¯s hand. And then¡­ ¡ªGotcha. Pitch ck. Tag, you¡¯re it. * * * ¡°Huuhp!¡± I gasped and opened my eyes. Cold air. My vision was dim. The only light was the faint, flickering glow from the drink fridge in the distance. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I had returned to the starting point. When you¡¯re caught by the ghost or killer in this ¡®Darkness¡¯, you start all over again. ¡®This is insane.¡¯ I had to endure this for three days? I¡¯d rather die than keep going through this! ¡®No, no, calm down.¡¯ I quickly pieced together a more terrifying possibility. ¡®If I can¡¯t make it through, I¡¯ll keep resetting¡­ so who knows how long this could actuallyst.¡¯ It¡¯s an endless loop. People like me, who can¡¯t handle even the slightest bit of horror, might lose their minds before it¡¯s over. ¡®I can¡¯t let that happen.¡¯ I needed to find another way. This time, I avoided the drink fridge and headed toward the counter. There were plenty ofrge objects and structures around the counter to hide behind, so I figured I could take cover there and buy some time to think. ¡®I¡¯ll crouch under the chair inside the counter area¡­¡¯ But then I saw it. Between the legs of the chair and the counter, the silhouette of the ghost¡¯s lower half. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Tap. Tap, tap. Taptaptaptaptap. Pale, bare feet moved with an odd rhythm, their steps unnaturally spaced. The eerie, unsettling way it moved, so inhuman, sent shivers down my spine like an rm. Holding my breath, I crouched under the counter. I stayed still for as long as I could, even after the ghost¡¯s bizarre footsteps faded, pushing my limits of endurance. ¡®There are too many clich¨¦s where the monster shows up just when you think you¡¯re safe.¡¯ Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I slowly exhaled, straining to make no sound. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®This is driving me insane.¡¯ Cold sweat dripped from my chin. I couldn¡¯t do anything. Even using my phone was out of the question, since the screen light would give me away immediately. My only hope was my memory! ¡®I¡¯ve gone over the records of this ghost story many times¡­¡¯ F-ss ghost stories often involved multiple new hires in the exploration, so I¡¯d studied them like exam questions. Of course, I never imagined I¡¯d be thrown in alone from the start! ¡®Damn it.¡¯ I racked my brain, sweating as Ibed through the exploration records. ¡®Mountain lodge, basement, crosswalk, fast-food restaurant, abandoned school¡­¡¯ None of them matched. But there was one unusual case¡­ I was sure of it. ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story / Make a Choice Exploration Record #23 (Irregr) A night in an abandoned hospital, chased by a crazed doctor throughout the night (12 hours). ¡ù Note : Exploration ended after 16 hours and 11 minutes. ======================== ¡°¡­¡­!¡± That¡¯s it. I began piecing together the relevant details, forcing my memory to reconstruct the scenario. Chapter 8.1 Chapter 8.1 In , the creepypastas share amon feature. The more popr a story bes, the higher the likelihood of anomalies appearing in the records. ¡®It¡¯s because multiple creators are involved.¡¯ When a creepypasta¡¯s first posted, it adheres strictly to its established rules. However, as the story gains poprity and more people start writing exploration records about it, what happens? As the numbers of records grow, exceptions begin to ur to break the monotony and repetition¡ªwithin reason, of course. The example I desperately recalled was one such case. The exploration record of the J-squad from ¡¯s Field Exploration Team in which they had to endure 12 hours in an abandoned hospital at night. But¡­ ¡ù Note: Exploration ended after 16 hours and 11 minutes. For some reason, the exploration herested 16 hours and 11 minutes, longer than the intended 12 hours. This was the ¡®temporal anomaly¡¯ I was looking for. Still though¡­ ¡®They ended up spending even more time there.¡¯ Something must have gone wrong during the exploration, trapping them in the ghost story longer than the original 12-hour duration. ¡®So¡­ I remember now. It was because they missed an important signal.¡¯ It all came back to me. ======================== (03:12) Employee Lee Jaejin identally disconnected the phone line at the counter. ======================== This mistake prevented the iing call, which was supposed to trigger the end of the exploration. The call for the shift change. So the situation spiraled out of control, with the doctor who should have finished their night shift at the hospital continuing to work, creating chaos. ======================== (12:12) 7:12 a.m. passed, but the sun did not rise. ======================== Despite the passage of time, the night did not end. The employee who had set their wristwatch to 7 p.m. as soon as they entered the ghost story panicked when they realized the night wasn¡¯t ending. ¡®I remember there was an argument about whether to get caught and reset, and one person ended up being tied up.¡¯ Fortunately, after several hours, another squad member reconnected the phone line, allowing the exploration to proceed normally, and they finally escaped. ======================== (16:09) Phone line restored. The phone rings immediately. Waited 3 meters away from the desk. (16:11) The doctor answered the phone and disappeared. Sessful escape attempt. ======================== A ghost story that doesn¡¯t end when it¡¯s supposed to¡ªa chilling anomaly. ¡®But there¡¯s a clue here.¡¯ Despite the extended duration in that case, there was a mechanism at y. There was a trigger that signaled the end of the exploration. ¡®In that case, it was the shift change call.¡¯ And when that trigger failed, the ghost story wouldn¡¯t end. If I think about it in reverse¡­ ¡®If the trigger that signals the end of time works, the ghost story could end faster, right?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± What in the convenience store could indicate the passage of time? Thud. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Wait a second. I heard something above me. I instinctively looked up at the ceiling, which was blocked by the counter. Above me was¡­ the cash register. Beep. Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep bee- beep beep beep. The ghost was pressing buttons on the register. The odd rhythm echoed through the convenience store, apanied by a distorted, recorded voice. Calling for assistance¡­ calling for assi¨C stancecallingfora-a-a-ha-ha-assistancecallingforassistanceassistanceassistance¡­ ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± Ah, I get it. The ghost knew I was hiding under the counter. It wasn¡¯t catching me just yet. It was toying with me. ¡­Even though I knew this, cold sweat trickled down my back, and I felt a growing sense of dread rather than anger. Wow, this situation is seriously driving me insane, I¡¯m going crazy. ¡®I need to get out.¡¯ I had to run. But my feet wouldn¡¯t move as easily as I wanted them to. I felt like one of those extras in a horror movie who freezes at the sight of a ghost and dies. ¡®No, I can¡¯t.¡¯ Even if I ended up getting caught again, I couldn¡¯t let myself fall into this state of learned helplessness. I forced myself to crawl out from under the counter. The moment I did¡ª Calling for assistance. The next thing I knew, a blue, bloated face was right in front of me, grinning widely as if its mouth would tear apart. ¨C Gotcha. * * * Restart. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ I took a slow, deep breath. My heart was pounding so hard it made my head hurt, but I pushed through. ¡®Move on.¡¯ My whole body felt numb. ¡®Endure.¡¯ Instead of heading toward the register this time, I bolted in the opposite direction, toward the convenience store¡¯s entrance, illuminated by the faint glow of the drink fridge. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Outside the ss door was pitch-ck darkness. Still, I strained to see something beyond, and as I peered closer, I noticed something attached to the side of the ss door. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± It was an electronic clock. [ 12:00?04?04 ] April 4th, 12:00. That must be the current set date in this ghost story. My eyes, adjusted to the darkness, also caught sight of a bell attached to the door. If I touched that door, the ghost would surely hear the bell ande rushing over with its odd, heavy steps. ¡®And it probably won¡¯t even open¡­¡¯ Since the location for survival had been set as the convenience store, there were likely restrictions in ce. I tore my gaze away from the ss door and half-hid behind a nearby shelf. Leaning against the wall, I continued to scan the store while thinking. Cold sweat ran down my temples. ¡®I need to survive for three days.¡¯ So what could trigger thepletion of my time here? What typically happens after three days at a convenience store¡­? ¡®Deliveries?¡¯ I nced at the boxes stacked near the door. Could I somehow check the delivery time for new goods and use that to signal the passing of time? No, that¡¯s too indirect. Suchplicated and detailed conditions wouldn¡¯t work. The are inte-based ghost stories. ¡®And inte ghost stories are quite direct.¡¯ The more intricate and fiddly the conditions, the less impact they have, making them less popr. ¡®I need something simpler, more obvious.¡¯ So, in a convenience store, what could be the clearest sign of time passing? ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Of course. I turned to the shelf closest to the entrance. It wasn¡¯t the drink fridge, but a different refrigerated shelf emitting a cold breeze. Curiously, though, there were only a few items disyed there¡ªsome dairy drinks, coffee, and¡­ doshirak boxes and triangle kimbap. Quickly perishable food items. ¡®Expiration dates!¡¯ Chapter 8.2 Chapter 8.2 I hurried to the shelf, carefully picking up a doshirak and triangle kimbap to check their expiration dates. ¡®Most kimbap has a shelf life of 36 to 48 hours.¡¯ The doshirak would likely be the same. But strangely, many of the doshirak and kimbap had expiration dates that were either more than three days away or werepletely smudged and unreadable. I kept searching, patient and quiet, carefully turning the items over and checking both sides. And finally¡­ ¡®Found it.¡¯ The current time in this ghost story is April 4th at 12:00. I found an item with an expiration date of April 7th at 12:00. [Gravy Burger Steak Doshirak] I grabbed the doshirak and headed for the cash register at the counter. ¡®Ugh.¡¯ The image of the ghost madly pressing the buttons on the register shed in my mind, but it was just a memory. The ghost hadn¡¯t appeared here yet. ¡®Stay calm.¡¯ I navigated the register¡¯s settings, selecting ¡®Date and Time Adjustment¡¯¡­ and there it was! I let out a quiet sigh of relief. ¡®The set time is¡­¡¯ Exactly two days and 23 hours from the start time of April 4th, 12:00. [April 7th, 11:59 p.m.] ¡®Please let this work!¡¯ I pressed the change button and then confirmed¡­ [Time adjusted sessfully] ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± It worked! ¡®Thank goodness, it actually worked. Sometimes it doesn¡¯t let you change it, but thank heavens this time it did.¡¯ I steadied my trembling hands, a mix of joy and anxiety coursing through me. I was almost there. All I had to do now was register the food as an item close to its expiration date. Bee-bee-bee-beep¡ª! ¡°¡­¡­¡± [Expiration Alert] [Items approaching expiration date!] The cash register announced cheerfully. The recorded voice echoed through the dark convenience store. Bee-bee-bee-beep¡ª! Bee-bee-bee-beep¡ª! ¡°¡­¡­¡± I froze and turned my head slowly. In the distance, I saw it. Our eyes met. It wasing. ¡°Shi¡ª!¡± I forced myself to focus on the screen. Just look at the screen! Please, please, hurry! My shaking hand missed the barcode scanner three times before I finally got it. [Would you like to register this item?] I spammed [Yes] with all my might, and¡­ The strange, erratic footsteps grew closer, almost upon me. I kept myposure as much as I could, moving my hands as fast as possible¡­ [Item registered for expiration.] At the exact moment the ghost¡¯s distorted steps brought it to the counter¡­ [Processplete] It disappeared. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Click. The lights turned on. The bright convenience store flooded with light, and the now unremarkable POS screen disyed a simple message. [Registrationplete] The sound of a receipt printing broke the silence. In that white noise, I realized. ¡®I did it.¡¯ I had seeded. ¡°Huu.¡± I leaned against the counter, my legs trembling. ¡®I can finally breathe¡­¡¯ It¡¯s amazing how much we humans rely on light! Still, the brightness alone was enough to bring my mind some peace. ¡®Now I just have to head for the door and¡ª¡¯ ng! The cash drawer beneath the cash register popped open. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Inside was a thick, brown envelope. ¡°This is¡­¡± I grabbed the envelope and opened it. Inside were four thick bundles of crisp, golden bills. ¡°¡­¡­!?¡± Stacks of 50,000 won bills! ¡®Is it a hundred bills in each stack?¡¯ That meant a total of 20 million won. It was the first time I¡¯d ever handled so much cash. But why was this money in the convenience store¡¯s cash drawer¡­? Oh. ¡®The reward!¡¯ ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story / Make Your Choice Note If you clear it, you actually get the money. Maybe it¡¯s just a nice ghost who likes to scare people for fun. ======================== Oh. * * * ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take?¡± ¡°If he makes it through three days, he should be able toe out right away.¡± ¡°First try sess? Wow, that¡¯s pretty generous.¡± D-squad of ¡¯s Field Exploration Team. The two employees had just stepped out to the rooftop for a smoke after sending the new recruit into the ghost story. No matter how many times they did it, it never felt routine. Pushing new recruits into paranormal phenomena was still unsettling. But this particr ghost story, , was known to be harsher if the time limit was shorter and more lenient if it was longer. Since the rookie was assigned three days, it probably wouldn¡¯t be too difficult for him. ¡®It¡¯s like a three-day courage test at most.¡¯ Of course, it was still harsh. But there was a shared understanding between the two employees: ¨C If he can¡¯t handle this, he¡¯ll be dead soon anyway. Better to quit now than get killedter. Many recruits had quit after this initiation, which was why D-squad often got side-eyed from the HR department, but they managed to get by, joking around as usual. Watching a coworker, especially a new team member, die right next to you was terrible for one¡¯s mental health, after all¡­ But this time, something felt a little different. There was a strange sense of anticipation. ¡°This new guy, though.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°He¡¯s something else.¡± ¡°He sure is.¡± The rookie assigned to D-squad, Kim Soleum, had ranked top in his ss. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone act like that on their first day.¡± Most new hires freak out the moment they realize their ¡®job¡¯ involves repeatedly being thrown into life-threatening paranormal phenomena. It¡¯s only natural. But Kim Soleum¡­ he was eerily calm. ¡°He didn¡¯t even seem nervous.¡± ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t flinch at all. Even drank his coffee just fine.¡± Not once did he lose hisposure, break down in tears, or try to run away. Of course, Kim Soleum had already spoiled everything for himself and spent three days mentally preparing and resigning himself to the situation, but from an outsider¡¯s perspective, he seemed like a rookie with an insane level of mental fortitude! ¡°You like him already, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s solid.¡± Strong nerves were always wee in this department, where employees regrly encountered horrific, bizarre, and eerie urban legends. Cowards wouldn¡¯t survive. ¡®Well, it¡¯s not like any coward could pass the death survival test anyway¡­¡¯ But one did! Not that his superiors would ever know¡ªthey just kept nodding and praising the new recruit, thinking they had a gem on their hands. There was just one thing that bothered them. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem like the type to ck off, so why didn¡¯t he take any notes?¡± ¡°Maybe he¡¯s just new to all this. We¡¯ll teach him. He¡¯ll catch on.¡± In a job where life was on the line, information and manuals were crucial. The two nodded in agreement. ¡°He needs to write things down so he can review themter. That¡¯s how you learn.¡± ¡°Exactly. It¡¯s not like he knew all this in advance.¡± He knew it all in advance! Unaware, the two continued chatting, saying things typical of a team with a new recruit, before finally deciding to head back to the office. ¡°We still have to write the report.¡± ¡°Ugh, those reports no one even reads¡­¡± The rookie wouldn¡¯t being out for at least three days. Still, the ghost story had food and a ce to sleep, so even if it took a while, he¡¯d be fine. They nodded, picked up the tablet with the inte post that had sucked in the new recruit, and started heading back when¡­ Tick. The tablet spat out a person. The new recruit, who was supposed toe out three dayster. ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± Kim Soleum, the rookie, dusted off his perfectly intact suit and stood up as if nothing had happened. In his hand, he held something. Apletely filled ¡®Dream Essence Collector¡¯. ¡°I¡¯ve filled it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?!?!¡± [Clear time: 1 hour and 24 minutes.] The rookie, who had just achieved an unbelievable feat, looked at his stunned superiors with a calm,posed expression. ¡®I almost died of a heart attack.¡¯ Of course, this was just the result of a desperate coward who, if given the chance, would have crashed through the walls of the haunted house to escape! Chapter 9.1 Chapter 9.1 A rainy Monday afternoon. The members of Field Exploration Team¡¯s D-squad were furiously writing up the situation report, finishing it with record speed, even submitting it under the squad leader¡¯s ID for approval. The reason? A rookie who cleared a time-limited ghost story way too fast! ¡°Wasn¡¯t the time limit supposed to be three days?¡± ¡°It was.¡± Sitting across from the rookie on the sofa, Assistant Manager Eun and Supervisor Parkid out snacks they had scavenged from the break room. They exchanged nces and nodded. It was finally time to ask the question properly. ¡°So how did you get out so fast?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The rookie seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding as if he understood and calmly answered, ¡°I sped up the time.¡± ¡®He¡¯s saying that as casually as if he¡¯s talking about what he had for lunch¡­!¡¯ Before they could even react, the rookie slowly exined the method he used. ¡°Since there was a time limit, I thought there must be an event that signals the passing of time. I focused on that¡­¡± He exined how he used the expiration date to trigger a ¡®time rm¡¯. The superiors, who had been listening in silence, thought to themselves: ¡®He¡¯s a genius.¡¯ ¡®No way we¡¯re letting him quit.¡¯ The rookie¡¯s instinct and logic were sharp enough to instantly grasp the essence of the ghost story. His abilities were perfect for the Field Exploration Team. They absolutely had to make sure he couldn¡¯t esca¡­ no, that he could soon adapt well! ¡°I¡¯m not one to be saying this, but wee to the squad, Roe Deer-nim.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll probably outrank me soon and get promoted to assistant manager.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!?¡± This kind of rookie doesn¡¯te around often! ¡°When you seed, don¡¯t forget us¡­ and when you get that Wish Ticket, make sure toe brag about it¡­¡± The rookie looked a bit flustered. ¡°No, um¡­ actually¡ª¡± ¡°Hm?¡± The rookie added, as if confessing something serious, ¡°I just wanted to get out quickly because I was scared.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Since when could someone escape a scary urban legend by being scared? It felt like the kind of mind-altering thing you¡¯d only see in an escape room. ¡®Is this humility, or¡­!¡¯ But the rookie remained firm. ¡°I¡¯d appreciate a heads-up next time. I almost fainted from fear.¡± ¡°You cleared it in an hour, and that¡¯s what you say?¡± The rookie, now wearing a somewhat ambiguous expression, said, ¡°I really thought I was going to die.¡± ¡®Lies!¡¯ No one who genuinely feared for their life would attempt a speed-run, setting a record-breaking time like a veteran employee! That¡¯s something even the most seasoned workers wouldn¡¯t dare attempt. Still, they could understand his sense of betrayal. ¡®To be fair, it was harsh.¡¯ Even if it was considered ¡®safe¡¯, being thrown into a paranormal phenomenon alone wasn¡¯t something to take lightly. And they knew exactly how tofort someone in that situation. Workce therapy! Assistant Manager Eun sipped her coffee and asked, ¡°So, Roe, how much did you get?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The money. How much did you make from clearing it?¡± ¡°Oh, right. I got 10 million won.¡± That¡¯s right. Clearing this F-ss ghost story came with a cash prize. And thepany manual clearly stated: ¨C When clearing a graded Darkness (F-ss) ghost story with apleted manual, 50% of any additional ie generated will be awarded to the employee as a bonus. In other words, if you earn money in a ghost story using a fully documented manual, thepany takes 50%. However, rookies assigned their first ghost story were exempt from this rule! Since they¡¯re ced in ghost stories proven safe through countless attempts, thepany doesn¡¯t consider it hazardous enough to warrant hazard pay. The rookie had already read the manual, but then¡­ ¡°They¡¯re supposed to take it all, but¡­ just keep it for yourself.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± Once you¡¯ve been around long enough, you learn all the ways to bypass the system! Since he cleared it using a new method, they could im it wasn¡¯t covered by the manual. There were plenty of loopholes. Getting a huge bonus on your first day of work would make everything seem better! Assistant Manager Eun and the Supervisor Park shared a knowing smile, applying a time-honored trick they had both experienced firsthand. ¡°C¡¯mon, just keep it. We¡¯ve got ways to handle this.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®Actually, it was 20 million won.¡¯ Kim Soleum broke into a cold sweat, as he¡¯d been nning to pocket half of it himself. Suddenly, he found himself with an extra 10 million won that he couldn¡¯t exin, feeling both thrilled and a bit guilty. But he quickly got up to follow his superiors. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve sessfullypleted the dark exploration, it¡¯s time to umte the most important thing.¡± ¡°umte¡­ what?¡± ¡°Points.¡± Supervisor Park replied with a grin. ¡°Employee welfare mall points!¡± * * * ¡°Huuu.¡± It felt like pure bliss to be standing in the middle of a bustling city in broad daylight. Even though he knew I¡¯d struggle to sleep with the lights on tonight, that worry was far away for now. ¡®Maybe having 20 million won in cash in your pocket gives you some inner peace¡­¡¯ No matter how terrifying the ghost story was, this was still 21st-century South Korea, a capitalist society. I finally sat down at my assigned desk, turned on myputer, and essed thepany intr. Sitting under bright fluorescent lights in a spine-supporting office chair, the ghostly events I¡¯d just experienced felt like a bizarre lie. On my desk, there were some surprisingly cute stationery items and a lizard plushie with big eyes. ¡®¡­This desk seems used, doesn¡¯t it?¡¯ I could only hope that the previous owner had left abruptly due to winning the lottery. Since the welfare mall was already bookmarked, I quickly essed it. [Daydream Inc. Employee Welfare Mall] After entering my employee ID to register, I clicked on the ¡®Point Registration¡¯ tab, just as my superiors had told me. ¨C Select the ss grade of the ghost story you cleared, enter your name, and attach the PDF. I did exactly that. Five minutester, [Employee Kim Soleum / umted Points: 100P] ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Incredibly, the review process waspleted at lightning speed, and my points were credited. ¡®So clearing an F-ss solo gives you 100 points.¡¯ Well, despite the hellish experience, F-ss was still F-ss. I tried not to expect too much. Still, I had earned points, so I decided to check what I could buy with 100 points. And then, right on the first page, I was surprised. ¡°¡­A robot vacuum cleaner?¡± The items avable were better than I expected. Most of the special discounted products were around 100 points, while high-endrge appliances, like those you¡¯d buy for a new home, were around 500 points. Moreover, Daydream Inc.¡¯s undisclosed medicines were being sold for around 1,000 points, including advanced over-technology items like cornea regeneration potions. For context, their famous hair loss treatment, which cost around 500,000 won on the market, was avable here for just 100 points. ¡®This is actually pretty good.¡¯ Feeling hopeful, I scrolled through the products. Now it was time to check the most important item. I sorted the ¡®Company Products¡¯ tab by ¡®Highest Price¡¯ to see the glorious name at the top. ¡®Wish Ticket.¡¯ The miraculous potion that had been introduced as the ultimate employee benefit after surviving a death match. Its price was¡­ Wish Ticket : 500,000P ¡°¡­¡­¡± Is this a joke? ¡®Five hundred thousand?¡¯ I had just cleared a ghost story and earned 100 points¡­ 500,000 points? ¡®Theoretically¡­ even if I cleared F-sses every day by myself, it would take me 15 years.¡¯ But of course, it wouldn¡¯t be that simple. ¡®There¡¯s no way thepany would let that happen.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t realistic to think you could clear F-ss ghost stories every single day. There would certainly be anomalies. ¡®It¡¯s likely that I¡¯ll be forced into higher-ss ghost stories with squadmates.¡¯ Wait, do they split the points between squadmates in that case? I dug through the welfare mall¡¯s point registration tab to find the basic point system for each ghost story ss. F-ss : 100P D-ss : 1,000P C-ss : 2,500P B-ss : 10,000P A-ss : 100,000P S-ss : Special Review Required On top of that, there were additional bonuses based on internal assessments, which considered urgency,ck of prior information, or extra dangers. ¡®So if three people are in a squad, and three people clear a ghost story together¡­¡¯ ¡­You¡¯d have to clear a B-ss 150 times to earn enough points for the Wish Ticket? ¡®Are they out of their minds?¡¯ Chapter 9.2 Chapter 9.2 Even with a B-ss ghost story, the survival rate for a normal person drops to around 2%. At that level, no matter what choice you make, you¡¯re either going to die or end up worse off than dead. If someone enters that 150 times, it¡¯s pretty much a death sentence for a regr employee. In such an insane situation, you¡¯d have to beg on your knees not to be sent in. Speed-running higher ss ghost stories isn¡¯t a realistic option at all. ¡®So, to raise my survival rate even a little, I¡¯ll need to invest over 10 years.¡¯ This isn¡¯t some tale of a nobleman seeking revenge¡­ Yet, if the Field Exploration Team is the fastest department, people in other departments have an even lower chance of getting their hands on a Wish Ticket during their career. With so many other attractive products in the welfare mall, many employees in other departments have probably resigned themselves to that reality and settled for less. But not me. My goal is far more surreal and absolute. Returning to my original world. And they expect me to survive here for 15 years? I¡¯d die of a heart attack from the stress before then! ¡®No chance in hell!¡¯ I needed a n, a strategy. ¡®I need to figure out which ghost stories I should enter and which ones to avoid.¡¯ I had to bnce safety and speed perfectly to gather 500,000 points in the shortest time possible. Just as I was about to dive deep into serious contemtion, Supervisor Park gave me a friendly pat on the back. ¡°Hey, did you get everything registered? Is theputer working fine?¡± ¡°Yes. By the way, the personal items here¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the squad leader¡¯s desk.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± No wonder it looked used! ¡°Just don¡¯t break the monitor. Feel free to use it today, no worries.¡± Is thispany for real? Letting a new hire use the squad leader¡¯s desk for the day¡ªis that something a sanepany does? ¡®Come to think of it, nothing here seems normal.¡¯ This is apany that churns out potions by throwing people into ghost stories. Holding this ce to the standards of an ordinary 21st-century Korean workce was bound to lead to shock after shock. ¡­Maybe a little bending of the rules wouldn¡¯t hurt. ¡°Hey, do you smoke, Roe?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m good.¡± I didn¡¯t follow my superiors for their smoke break. Instead, I stared down at the desk I was sitting at, took a deep breath, and flipped the keyboard over. As expected, there was a post-it note stuck underneath. [Squad Leader Lee Jaheon / 105105301] ID: yongj1111 PW: dydajflgodks!111 It¡¯s hard to criticize theck of security awareness when I¡¯ve seen so much of this already at thepany. ¡®If he¡¯s the squad leader¡­ then that means he¡¯s probably a section chief.¡¯ And actually, there¡¯s a certain website essible only to section chiefs and above in thispany¡­ It could really help with clearing higher-ss ghost stories. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Now that I¡¯d seen the absurd goal of 500,000 points, it felt like something I couldn¡¯t afford to pass up. Alright. ¡®Let¡¯s do this.¡¯ I resolutely logged back into the welfare mall. But this time, I didn¡¯t use my own ID. ID: yongj1111 Password: dydajflgodks!111 I attempted to log in using the D Squad Leader¡¯s credentials. Incorrect password. ¡°Hm¡­¡± No problem. I expected this minor setback. Let¡¯s see¡­ Clicking the ¡®Register¡¯ button shows the password requirements. ¡®A capital letter is needed.¡¯ So, if I capitalize the first letter of the password written on the Post-it, making it ¡®Dydajflgodks!111¡¯, and log in¡­ Ding. [Wee, Section Chief Lee Jaheon] ¡®I¡¯m in!¡¯ I discreetly pumped my fists under the desk in triumph. A small celebration you can do in an office without drawing attention. Not that anyone was around right now anyway. Now, what I needed to find on this page was¡­ a kind of phishing link. The so-called ¡®Alien Shop¡¯. In , there were quite a few alien ghost stories, and some of them involved extraterrestrials trying to sell items to Earthlings through bizarre means ofmunication. ¡®They didn¡¯t mean any harm, but they sold things that were unsettling or dangerous from a human perspective.¡¯ Still, these ghost stories leaned more toward being quirky and even somewhat heartwarming. And apparently, those aliens had a bit of a business mindset. They wanted to target potential customers, so¡­ They even embedded something like ransomware into Daydream Inc.¡¯s intr. ¡®Only section chiefs and higher can see the shopping mall¡¯s ad phishing link.¡¯ I also remembered how to ess that phishing link. ¡®While randomly clicking around in the welfare mall, if you hit the back button five times in a row¡­.¡¯ Click, click, click¡­. Beep. Suddenly, a small green hand appeared in the corner of the welfare mall screen. A pixted left hand, waving as if to grab your attention. A speech bubble floated above it. First Anniversary Appreciation Discount! ~80% Is your job boring? >>Click Do you want to get stronger? >>Click Want cool items? >>Click ¡®This is trash.¡¯ It looked just like those old inte banner ads from back in the day. But, surprisingly, if you click this clumsy thing! You¡¯d be taken¡ªlike magic¡ªfrom the intr to an external inte site, abducted to an alien shop. I was tempted to click it immediately, but! ¡®Hold on.¡¯ Instead, I right-clicked and copied the link, then pasted it into an Excel sheet and took a picture of it with my phone. ¡®Company PCs record everything.¡¯ I didn¡¯t want any trace left showing I had clicked on the alien ransomware link¡ªespecially not on someone else¡¯s ount. After a while, as my superiors returned from their smoke break, I greeted them with a nod as if nothing had happened. ¡°Roe~ Let¡¯s have a wee dinner when the squad leader gets back from his field duty. It¡¯s on thepany card.¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you.¡± And then, I waited for quitting time. * * * That evening, after my monumental first day at work, my tasks still weren¡¯t over. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± After depositing 20 million won, I went home. Now, in my bedroom, I was copying the phishing link from the ¡®Alien Shop¡¯ I had photographed in my smartphone gallery through image analysis. After fixing a few unreadable parts, I opened a browser and pasted the link into the address bar. ¡°Huuuu.¡± Deep breath¡­ Enter. Click. The browser navigated through theplex link, and a page appeared that resembled theyout of Daydream Inc.¡¯s welfare mall¡­ only to shatter and disappear. And then, a new page opened. It looked like something from the early 2000s, with obvious underlines and outdated fonts. ¡ùAmazing items from outer space¡ù~!! >>I¡¯ll take a look at the items Boing Boing Boing. A little green spaceship rotated in the corner. ¡®This is some.¡¯ But I couldn¡¯t let the tackiness fool me. If you click ¡®items¡¯ here, you¡¯ll see bizarre, supernatural products for sale. ¡­Though the problem is, the prices are just as outrageous. The minimum started at one million won. ¡­A result of the over-inted imaginations of ghost story creators with massive egos who thought, ¡®I need to use even more expensive items!¡¯ That was me just yesterday. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to buy a single thing from this list. But now¡­ ¡®I¡¯ve got 20 million won.¡¯ My heart raced a little. The thought of being able to purchase items from a fictional world felt like a serious dopamine rush. ¡°Huu.¡± Finally, I clicked on the [Items] tab. The screen loaded. Items Bloodsucking Cutlery ¨C ?14,999,999 Wide-Range Walkie-Talkie ¨C ?4,999,999 Alice Pic Set ¨C ?11,999,999 We Can Help! ¨C ?66,666,666 ¡ùDiscount!¡ù Silver Serpent ¨C ?4,999,999 ?19,999,999 ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I recognized most of these items. Finally, my luck was turning! ¡®Hell yeah.¡¯ In my excitement, I quickly recalled the details. Bloodsucking Cutlery. A weapon set consisting of a small fork and knife, which grows bigger and sharper as it absorbs the blood of its victims. You could literally call it a ¡®growth weapon¡¯. Broader Walkie-Talkie. A toy walkie-talkie that allows remotemunication with others, even within ghost stories. It would be very useful when you havepanions. Alice Pic Set. As the name suggests, it¡¯s inspired by ¡®Alice in Wondend¡¯. It contains food items. It came with a drink that temporarily doubles the effect of items and cookies that halve them. That¡¯s where my knowledge of the items ended. I didn¡¯t know the other two, but ¡®We Can Help!¡¯ was way out of my budget, so I ignored it. ¡®The Silver Serpent is on sale.¡¯ Getting a discount always feels like a win. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I crossed my arms over my chest. A weapon, amunication device, a buff potion, and a discount item¡­? My budget was 20 million won. What should I buy to get the best value? ¡°Alright.¡± I made my decision and clicked. Chapter 10.1 Chapter 10.1 Click, click. The transaction wasplete. The alien shop disyed the items I had ced in my cart in an orderly fashion. What I decided to purchase were¡­ Alice Pic Set ¨C ?11,999,999 ¡ù Sale!¡ù Silver Serpent ¨C ?4,999,999 = ?16,999,998 That¡¯s right. I bought the effect-boosting potion and the discounted item. The reason was simple. ¡®I couldn¡¯t use the others¡­¡¯ The bloodsucking weapon? Sure, it sounds cool, but there¡¯s a catch. You¡¯d have to charge at a ghost with a knife¡­ ¡®If a coward like me tries something that dumb, I¡¯m dead¡­¡¯ Shaking hands, panicking, and dying as an extra in a horror movie isn¡¯t a clich¨¦ for no reason. Besides, the weapon would only work if the target had blood, so it wasn¡¯t very versatile. ¡®If it were armor, maybe, but in this situation, a weapon¡¯s out of the question.¡¯ Overestimating myself was a surefire way to shorten my lifespan. I¡¯ll leave it at that. Next, the wide-range walkie-talkie. Well¡­ ¡®Who could convince their boss to carry a toy walkie-talkie?¡¯ Anyone who could¡­ probably wouldn¡¯t need to work under someone in the first ce. Even if I exined that it was more than just a toy, it would still cause problems. The inevitable ¡®Where did you get this?¡¯ question would have no good answer. This was an item that could only be useful if you had a trustworthypanion. ¡®So, rejected.¡¯ In the end, the most sensible choices were the ¡®Alice Pic Set¡¯ and the ¡®Silver Serpent¡¯¡ªboth affordable within my budget. Both seemed useful. First, the ¡®Alice Pic Set¡¯ had versatile effects that doubled or halved the power of items, which could be useful in various situations. ¡®I could even use it defensively if needed.¡¯ Plus, it was easy to carry around without attracting attention from colleagues. So, I bought it. Lastly, the discounted item, ¡®Silver Serpent¡¯. ¡®It¡¯s originally priced at 20 million won?¡¯ That gave me a good feeling. This was an investment. ¡®Judging by the ¡®silver¡¯ in its name, it¡¯s probably currency.¡¯ In the universe, there were various forms of currency in different ghost stories, and some could even be exchanged for real cash through specific organizations. ¡®Buying something worth 20 million for just 5 million is definitely a win.¡¯ Sure, there¡¯s usually a reason when the alien shop offers such massive discounts, but the risk was worth it. ¡­No, this isn¡¯t like investing in cryptocurrency! It¡¯s a rational decision! And so, I prepared to transfer the 17 million won. ¡°Huu.¡± The only avable payment method was through direct bank transfer. The ount information was disyed with ¡®Alien¡¯ as the ount holder. ¡®I¡¯m not expecting any tax deductions on this¡­¡¯ Transferring this much in one go felt surreal, like the time I had to put down a deposit for an apartment. With trembling hands, I transferred exactly ?16,999,998 through my banking app, which I had already set to allow high-limit transfers. The moment I hit send: PURCHASE SUCCESSFUL! Your item is on a rocket! Arrival in 00:00:08 Wait. 00:00:07 00:00:06 Hold on. 00:00:03 00:00:02 00:00:01 Ding. A cheerful sound rang out. ARRIVED! Pop. ¡°Whoa!¡± The air in front of me seemed to ¡®open¡¯, and with a puff of smoke, the items tumbled out. It was a postal box, delivered by ¡®rocket¡¯. ¡°Wow.¡± It was literally rocket delivery. ¡®This crazy universe¡ªwho knew you could be fascinating instead of just terrifying!¡¯ I was even moved. After a moment of awe, I snapped out of it and opened the package. First, the ¡®Alice Pic Set¡¯ was a rusty tin case decorated with fairy-tale illustrations. When I opened it, I found a t can of soda and a paper-wrapped cookie, eachbeled ¡®Drink me¡¯ and ¡®Eat me¡¯. ¡°Dang.¡± I could carry just one or two of these around like the ¡®Smiley Stickers¡¯. I nodded in satisfaction. Then, as I pulled the tin case from the box, I noticed a round, silver object at the bottom. I picked it up. A shiny silver coin. ¡®It really is currency.¡¯ A surge of excitement ran through me. The coin had an engraving of a snake biting its own tail, and it was about the size of a 500-won coin. I flicked it, feeling its metallic weight. A few possibilities of where I could use this currency shed through my mind. ¡®Wherever I use it, I¡¯ll make sure it counts.¡¯ Even though the 17 million won had vanished like snow melting in the sun¡­ At the end of the day, it was money that would disappear when I returned to my original world, so there was no need to cling to material desires. I could calm down. ¡®Well then¡­ I guess I¡¯m pretty well-prepared now.¡¯ I took stock of the items I currently had. ¨C Memorial Popsocket ¨C Smiley Sticker :) ¨C Alice Pic Set ¨C Silver Serpent From now on, I needed to use these items to clear higher-ssed ¡°Darkness¡± as quickly as possible. ¡®Let¡¯s make use of everything.¡¯ Avoiding things out of fear could lead to something even scarier. Don¡¯t forget that, you coward. Resolving to use everything at my disposal, I tried to sleep. Instead of counting sheep, the convenience store ghost pranced around in my mind,pletely wrecking my quality of life. Haha. * * * And then, the next day. ¡°We have a few ghost stories we regrly manage, so today we¡¯ll be entering one of those.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± I barely slept for three hours. At this rate, I might actually die. However, my expression must have been mistaken for worry, because Assistant Manager Eun patted me on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. It¡¯s a D-ss.¡± ¡°Yeah! The level of difficulty is about the same as what you went through during your orientation, right?¡± Seriously, PTSD from a death survival test, and that¡¯s what you say to a new employee? But the Field Exploration Team¡¯s staff, whose sensitivity to normal human experiences had long since eroded, just chuckled and offered those words like a pep talk. ¡°You managed to clear it by going in blind, so there¡¯s no reason you can¡¯t do it now that you have a manual.¡± ¡°As long as you don¡¯t do anything crazy, you¡¯ll be fine. Got it?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Well¡­ sure. I got it. Whatever it was, it couldn¡¯t be worse than ying hide-and-seek with a ghost at a convenience store by myself. ¡®Please, let me get some sleep tonight.¡¯ I prayed for an artistic-style ghost story¡ªcreepy because of its atmosphere andck of information but not genuinely terrifying. ¡°Here are the materials.¡± Supervisor Park handed me a tablet. The ghost story I¡¯d be entering today was¡­ [Tuesday Quiz Show / Dusk (D) ss] ¡°¡­¡­¡± Huh? ¡°You see it, right, Roe? You¡¯re going to enter as a contestant on a quiz show.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If you get a question wrong, you face a penalty, and the penalties can be pretty horrifying¡­ it¡¯s that kind of ghost story.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t worry! We already have all the answers, so we¡¯re good! No need to be too tense!¡± Supervisor Park shed me a grin and gave a thumbs-up. Well, okay. ¡®I have a feeling this will be a lot less scary than seeing ghosts in person¡­¡¯ But there¡¯s a catch. ¡®I don¡¯t know this one.¡¯ Tuesday Quiz Show? There¡¯s no page for that D-ss ghost story in . I couldn¡¯t check my Memorial Popsocket because of my bosses, but I was sure it wasn¡¯t in the ghost stories I¡¯d read. Then again, even if I had read all of the ghost stories in , there could still be others in this universe. It was, after all, an inte yground where ghost stories were constantly being added in real time. I thought I¡¯d know more than most, but here I was about to enter a story I¡¯d never heard of. Chapter 10.2 Chapter 10.2 ¡®¡­Does thepany¡¯s list of ¡®Darkness¡¯ extend much further than I thought?¡¯ Cold sweat trickled down my neck. But my superiors were rxed. ¡°Our department just happens to get assigned a lot of TV-rted ghost stories.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, every team has its specialty.¡± Then, Assistant Manager Eun sent me a PDF file, iming it was the answer sheet for the ¡®Tuesday Quiz Show¡¯. ¡°For now, just memorize that answer sheet and skim through the exploration manual again. When the squad leader arrives in the afternoon, we¡¯ll head out.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± I obediently nodded. Supervisor Park kindly added more advice. ¡°Oh, should I give you a physical copy of the manual too, just in case? You¡¯ll need to take notes.¡± ¡°Oh, no need. I¡¯ve memorized it all.¡± With my Memorial Popsocket, having a physical copy would just be extra baggage. ¡°You memorized it all¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­So, notes!¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing.¡± Supervisor Park gave me a knowing look, then nodded his head. ¡°The squad leader is going to like you a lot.¡± ¡°¡­¡­??¡± Well, it seemed to be apliment, so I let it slide. For the record, the squad leader of Team D was still out on a field assignment but was expected to return this afternoon. ¡®I¡¯ll be meeting them soon enough.¡¯ But then, an hourter¡­ ¡°Hold on a sec. Our squad leader¡ªI mean, the section chief¡ªhe¡¯s still out on a field assignment¡­ what? No, that¡¯s ridiculous.¡± Assistant Manager Eun, who had been on the phone, frowned deeply as she hung up. ¡°Are these people out of their minds? Saying we have three people now, so we can make it a trio¡ªwhat a joke¡­¡± ¡°Really? Are you serious?¡± ¡°Yeah. Seems like it¡­¡± Assistant Manager Eun nced at me. Oh. ¡®Is it because of the convenience store ghost?¡¯ Because I cleared the F-ss Darkness by myself using an unusual method, higher-ups probably thought, ¡®Oh, so this one can handle a full load.¡¯ Looks like the consequence of pocketing that 20 million won solo is showing up here. Not because they¡¯re annoyed I took the money. ¡°It¡¯s the end of the month.¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± Watching my two superiors murmur to each other, I started to piece it together. ¡®There must be some issue with the department¡¯s performance numbers.¡¯ I wasn¡¯t sure, but it looked like they needed to meet some sort of ¡®quota¡¯ by lunchtime, and now they figured the new recruit could pull their weight. Assistant Manager Eun made a decision after a brief moment of consideration. ¡°Roe, did you memorize that?¡± Ah, the quiz show answers¡­ wait. ¡®If I say I memorized everything, does that mean I¡¯m going in?¡¯ Maybe I could feign ignorance¡­ ¡°Oh, he¡¯s already memorized it, I bet! He just said he¡¯s memorized the entire exploration manual, that thick thing!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Assistant Manager Eun nodded. ¡°Great. Then we¡¯ll handle this ourselves today.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± And there went my tiny, desperate hope that having more people would make things less scary¡­ ¡®The principle is to go in as a trio, but sometimes, if someone takes leave, two people go in. We do get backup support, but scheduling that is tricky, h h h,¡¯ they exined. Yes, I get it. Thispany is just full of surprises. ¡®¡­Anyway, I¡¯m ready for this.¡¯ I¡¯ve got my items prepared, and it¡¯s not one of those horrifying ghost stories, right? Actually,e to think of it, it¡¯s probably better to go now than to wait until the afternoon! Isn¡¯t it better to just get the beating over with? The longer I wait, the more my imagination will conjure up horrors. Right now, my courage is at its peak. It might be best to go in before it dwindles further¡­! ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡± As I was mentally hyping myself up, Assistant Manager Eun approached, having received something from another department. ¡®This must be the medium to enter the ghost story, right?¡¯ It was a postcard. However, the recipient field of the old postcard was already filled with strange scribbles. And in tiny print at the top, the word ¡®application¡¯ was repeatedly written, like a curse. ¨C One day, I discovered a strange postcard inside an old magazine. It contained a flyer recruiting participants for a quiz show, but when I searched for the show, there was no such program. It was probably just a vintage postcard with a quirky theme. Out of curiosity, I wrote my name under the ¡®sender¡¯ field as a joke¡­ And then, I was dragged into a truly bizarre quiz show. That¡¯s probably the gist of the ghost story. At a nce, it didn¡¯t seem like much, but the closer you looked, the eerier it got, sending a chill down my spine. ¡°All you need to do is sign here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°If it feels too weird, just put your animal mask name instead of your real name.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± I needed to gather points. As I watched the others write down ¡®Badger¡¯ and ¡®Falcon¡¯, I also filled in the ¡®Sender¡¯ field on the postcard. ¨C Roe Deer The moment I lifted the pen, my consciousness was sucked into the postcard as if it were being pulled out of my body. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± [Ah, finally, our contestants have arrived!] A blinding light from the stage overwhelmed my vision. A bright, cheerful voice echoed in my ears. A hand, dressed in a suit, was extended toward me for a handshake. [Wee, wee¡­ Now, the cameras will start rolling soon. Let¡¯s show them our best smiles!] Instinctively, I shook hands and looked up. Where a human head should be, there was an old-fashioned television set. ¡­With a floating emoji disyed on the screen. [ ] The TV-headed figure released my hand and joyfully spun around, spreading their arms wide. [Audience!] A roar of apuse filled the air, but the ring lights obscured the audience¡¯s figures, making them hard to see. Soon, I realized I was standing on a brightly colored podium. ¡®This must be the contestant¡¯s spot for the quiz show.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t terrifying enough to make me faint. Actually, if I just thought of it as a quirky quiz show hosted by someone wearing a TV mask, it gave me a surprising sense of calm. ¡®Compared to the horrors of the eye-plucking subway and the convenience store ghost, this feels almost pleasant.¡¯ Yes, I could handle this. I felt like I could calmly think things through. After adjusting my mask, I surveyed the situation. [Is it your first time at a talk show, folks? Oho, then don¡¯t forget to cheer! Your excitement is everything to this show!] The TV-headed host was busy hyping up the audience, trying to raise the energy in the room. They were likely the host of the show. ¡®So, this ¡®Tuesday Quiz Show¡¯ must be a segment of somerger talk show.¡¯ The set¡¯s vibe, the house band providing background music, the audience setup, and the host¡¯s energetic performance¡ªit all felt like a ssic American talk show. ¡®A bit old-fashioned, though.¡¯ ¡­¡­ Wait. ¡®Think again.¡¯ An old American talk show. A quiz segment. The contestant already knowing the answers. This¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ I recognized these keywords. ======================== ¡ù CAUTION ¡ù Disimer : By reading this document, you ept full responsibility for any fear, hallucinations, ¡ö¡ö, or ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö that may arise. Daydream Inc. (Ltd.) is not liable for any damages. Please proceed after signing. ======================== This isn¡¯t just D-ss. This¡­ this ghost story¡­ ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story [Chorus of the Sacrificial Lambs] : A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records> : Daydream Inc. identification code ¨C Qterw-A-104. : A-ss Darkness. The catalyst of the ressification disaster that led to countless casualties. Official record of survivors: None. ======================== ¡°¡­¡­¡± [3, 2, 1¡­ And now, the show begins!] No way. Chapter 11.1 Chapter 11.1 The circumstances match. ======================== The disaster began with a Dusk (D) ss Darkness in the style of a 1970s American talk show. ======================== [Good evening, viewers! The joy of Tuesday, the heat of Tuesday.] [You are now watching! The ¡®Tuesday Quiz Show!¡¯] The live broadcast had begun. With the lively music of a band, the host, dressed in a suit, waved to the cheering audience. It was a typical American-style talk show. Except for the fact that the staff¡¯s faces were all blurred, and instead of a face, the host had an old-fashioned TV set for a head. ======================== The host exined that this talk show had a different theme for each day of the week, but there were no known cases of entering any other day. Only the ¡öday talk show is essible. ======================== [Have you all been waiting for Tuesday? So have I! After all, it¡¯s the only day we get to see our lovely new quiz show contestants!] ¡°¡­¡­¡± It matches. ======================== The Field Exploration Team entered the ¡öday talk show from the 12th session, fully equipped with a list of answers for the main corner, ¡®Quiz¡¯. Over the course of 99 explorations, from session 12 to session 110, they sessfully escaped without casualties. (Prizes included) ======================== [Incredibly¡­ for the past several weeks, there hasn¡¯t been a single contestant who got an answer wrong! It¡¯s unbelievable, truly¡­] It matches. ======================== However, on the 111th session¡ª During the 100th exploration, an anomaly urred. ======================== [Will the contestants get the answers right this time as well?] Ba-bam-bam-ba-bam! With a sound effect, the lights shone down. On the seven podiums arranged in a semicircle. Three of them. Including mine, the podiums pinpointed by the lights belonged to me, the supervisor, and the assistant manager. [Mr. Badger, Ms. Falcon, and Mr. Roe Deer.] [Give them a big round of apuse!] Oooooh! Invisible audience members pped. I felt like I was about to pass out. Could it be¡­¡­ could it really be? [Breaking news!] ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The host made a fuss and received something from the staff. [It¡¯s been quite some time since all the contestants got the answers right, hasn¡¯t it? The total duration is¡­] A whopping¡­ [98 sessions!] ¡°¡­¡­!¡± [This will be the 99th. Haha!] I was saved. ¡®It¡¯s not the 100th¡­!¡¯ My heart almost leaped out of my chest. ¡®Yeah, the odds of itnding exactly on the 100th session are actually low.¡¯ I almost grabbed onto the podium in relief, but I held back. It was clearly stated in the PDF of the ¡®Tuesday Talk Show¡¯ answers I had received earlier. ¨C If you disrupt the broadcast, you will be incinerated. It wasn¡¯t just a penalty. It was ¡®incineration¡¯. And this was a live broadcast. In other words, if anything strange happens, you¡¯re dead. [Will the 99th contestants continue the winning streak and pass the baton to the 100th contestants? Or will this great recorde to an end?] [Stay tuned and watch!] I turned my head. Assistant Manager Eun and Supervisor Park, standing on the other podiums, gave me light nods or smiled faintly, showing no signs of major anxiety. 99 sessions, with nearly three years of umted safety and a well-established pattern to the ghost story. They were acting like people who were certain this time would be the same. ¡®Deep breath.¡¯ It¡¯s fine. ¡­It¡¯ll be fine. I took a deep breath in and then exhaled. [Now, Mr. Roe Deer!] ¡°Yes.¡± [Are you nervous?] ¡°Yes. It¡¯s my first time participating in a quiz show like this.¡± [Ah, good, very good¡­ Let¡¯s start with an easy question!] On the host¡¯s head, the old-fashioned TV disyed strange letters. It was an unfamiliar, ominous script I had never seen before, but I could read it. A surge of nausea and a headache hit me, then quickly passed. [Question : Choose the element that is not aponent of the human body.] 1- Water 2- Iron 3- Oil 4- Earth ¡°¡­Number 4, Earth.¡± [Correct!] The quiz show proceeded smoothly. ¡®The theme is a bit eerie, but the questions aren¡¯t so hard that they¡¯re unsolvable.¡¯ Plus, the list of past questions the Field Exploration Team had stolen from this ghost story was definitely helpful. The questions weren¡¯t identical, but they were simr enough to make answering them easy. ¡®In fact, since I have to use my brain, the chances of making a mistake are lower.¡¯ [Unbelievable! Correct answer!] [Again?] [Ah, ah¡­ he¡¯s hesitating. He¡¯s conflicted¡­ Yes, number 3! What will be the fate of Mr. Roe Deer, who chose strangtion? ¡­Correct! Hurrah!] The answers matched perfectly, and the show proceeded without any issues. I pretended to hesitate on purpose, sometimes stalling before answering, doing my best to match the atmosphere of the broadcast. ¡®I have to get through this broadcast somehow.¡¯ This obsessive thoughtpletely dominated my mind. During themercial break, when the host suggested I participate again, I inwardly screamed but outwardly yed along, pretending to be tempted. After the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th¡­ I made it to the 9th question. [Mr. Roe Deer! It¡¯s the final question.] Finally, the end of this insane situation was in sight. [The other contestants have incredibly answered all the questions correctly and continued the winning streak!] [Will Mr. Roe Deer be able to carry the final link?] From the other podiums, my superiors nced at me, some waving lightly or nodding their heads. If I got thisst one right, it would all be over. [Are you ready?] ¡°Yes.¡± [Good!] The question appeared. [Question : What percentage of blood loss causes death in humans?] 1- 40% 2- 45% 3- 50% 4- 55% ¡°¡­¡­¡± Was this a trap for the final question? I took a deep breath. ¡°The answer is¡­¡­ number 1,¡± [Ah, you chose number 1¡­] ¡°And number 2.¡± [¡­¡­!] ¡°And number 3, and number 4¡­¡­ all of them.¡± [¡­¡­] ¡°Humans typically face life-threatening danger when they lose about 30 to 40% of their blood.¡± [Oh.] ¡°So, of course, losing more would also result in death.¡± [No, no¡­ unbelievable!] The TV flickered. Even if I got it wrong, it didn¡¯t seem like I would die. But I didn¡¯t want to give this dangerous ghost story any room for mistakes, so I gritted my teeth to avoid the trap. [You¡¯re saying there¡¯s several answers?! Are you sure you don¡¯t want to change your answer?] ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Ooooh. Murmurs came from the audience. And then¡­ a faceless staff member suddenly rushed onto the stage¡­? [¡­Amazing! We have some surprising news for you.] [Actually, the answer prepared by our writers was number 1.] Wait, hold on. [But Mr. Roe Deer¡¯s answer is much more impressive! It¡¯s more logical, isn¡¯t it?] Yes!! I heard the audience shouting. The host spread his arms wide. [Then, of course, it¡¯s correct! We¡¯ll count it as a perfect answer! Wonderful!] ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Ha. ¡®I survived, somehow.¡¯ Why did I dig a trap for myself! I inwardly screamed in relief, closing my eyes tightly and then opening them. The host, seeming to take this as an emotional moment, came up and patted me on the back as if to hug me. The fact that he had body heat made it even more unsettling. [Incredible, truly incredible!] ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± [Now then¡­] The host grabbed the microphone and shouted in excitement. [Amazingly, all of our contestants have maintained their winning streaks! Fantastic!] Pop. Confetti burst, and cheers erupted. From each podium, my superiors had expressions like, ¡®It¡¯s finally wrapping up¡¯. It was almost visible through their masks. [But the MVP who will take home the grand prize is only one person. And that is¡­] A drum roll followed¡­ The host pointed at me. [It¡¯s Mr. Roe Deer!] Waaah! The band yed loud celebratory sound effects. [Congrattions! Please take your prize!] ¡°Thank you.¡± I epted the small gift box the host handed me. I was happy. Not because I got a gift. ¡®It¡¯s finally over.¡¯ As soon as the cameras shut off, I could leave. ¡®Please, let¡¯s go now.¡¯ As I began to calm down at the thought of soon returning to my office in a 21st-century Seoul building, I heard¡ª [Unfortunately, it¡¯s time to wrap up the Tuesday Quiz Show. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll have even more amazing guests for Wednesday¡­ Hmm?] Click. Out of nowhere. Suddenly, the lights came on over four empty podiums. ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± There, four figures were suddenly standing. The four people looked around in bewilderment. All were dressed in suits and wore masks. Chapter 11.2 Chapter 11.2 ¡®Company employees?¡¯ They were clearly from a different squad in the Field Exploration Team. I recognized one mask¡ªlikely a new hire, someone from my training group. That much I understood. But¡­ ¡®Why did they ovep?¡¯ Is it even possible to ovep and enter the ghost story like this? I mean, whether it¡¯s possible or not¡­ ¡®¡­This is a broadcast ident.¡¯ A tense silence filled the studio. 1 second. 2 seconds. 3 seconds. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Something¡¯s wrong. The employee wearing the zebra mask standing next to me seemed to sense it as well. ¡°Wh-why are the people who arrived first¡­¡± [Oh no.] The mes ignited. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The employee in the zebra mask was consumed in a silent ze, their mouth still open in shock, unable toprehend the situation, before copsing like a lie. All that remained were ashes, shaped like their shoes. The camera hurriedly panned away. [¡­Surprise!] [This was a special preview of next Tuesday¡¯s contestants!] The noisy band sound red, as if trying to cover up the incident. The camera now focused on me. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Damn it. Damn it, damn it! I desperately waved the gift box I was holding in the air, pretending to be excited! Pop. Confetti rained down again, and the drums roared loudly. The host encouraged the audience¡¯s cheers. [We¡¯ll see you tomorrow with an even more exciting show!] [So¡­ have a good night!] Bam! With the sound of a cheerful guitar riff, the camera lights turned off. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It¡¯s over. It¡­ is over, isn¡¯t it? Why are we still here? [Phew, that was a close one. Almost ruined the live broadcast. d everything was handled smoothly!] The cameras were definitely off. Faceless staff rushed onto the stage, and the lights in the audience seats went out. The band disappeared. Backstage, filled with noise and murmurs, was revealed like cold steel beams. But we didn¡¯t disappear. ¡­A chilling feeling crept up my spine. [Mr. Roe Deer! That was great thinking. Are you perhaps interested in bing a regr panelist?] ¡°¡­I already have a job.¡± [Oh no! Well, our talk show applications are always open, so feel free anytime!] Why is this ghost story continuing? The reason was simple. The thoughtful host was about to kindly exin to the contestants why this situation had urred. [Ah, and to the new participants!] [You must¡¯ve been shocked, thinking you almost ruined the broadcast. I trust it wasn¡¯t intentional. Don¡¯t be too hard on yourselves!] [And don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll give you another chance as well!] With a friendly and affable demeanor, the host addressed the employees who had suddenly entered¡ªour ¡®new contestants¡¯, as if they had always been part of the show. In the meantime, the staff swept up the ashes left behind by the incinerated person with a broom. I felt like I was losing my mind. [I¡¯d love to give you all a chance to participate right now, but unfortunately, our show is live. So, see you next week!] But we could leave now. Please, please let it end like this! End it here! [For now, you can all go home¡­ hm?] It was then. Someone holding a megaphone suddenly ran onto the stage. That person¡¯s face was indistinct in the lighting, but unlike the other staff, they were wearing sunsses. The figure with the megaphone whispered urgently to the host. [¡­¡­! Ah, I see.] The host turned to look at us. [You see, it¡¯s hard for me to say this, but¡­ uh.] The emoticon on the TV monitor showed a sad face. [Our show¡­ was just canceled.] ¡°¡­¡­!¡± [To be precise, it¡¯s the Tuesday Quiz Show that¡¯s ended. Technically, my show isn¡¯t over, yes.] [The quiz segment has been reced.] What? [We won¡¯t be able to have you as the 100th winning contestants. I sincerely want to apologize from the bottom of my heart.] The host bent forward, even lowering the antenna on the TV head as if truly apologetic. ¡°So¡­ is it¡­ cleared?¡± ¡°Hu. Huu¡­¡± I could faintly hear the voices of the other members of my squad, filled with confusion, fear, panic, and yet, hope. But a cold sweat trickled down the back of my neck. ¡®No.¡¯ This development¡­ ======================== Exploration Record #100 The show began in the same studio as previous sessions. However, the program name had changed. The host exined to the confused employees that the ¡®Tuesday Quiz Show¡¯ had been canceled. Since the contestants had answered correctly 99 times in a row, the penalty had be meaningless, and the segment was no longer appealing to the viewers, leading to its discontinuation. The new segment was chosen to be more engaging was¡­ ======================== [Ah! Hold on a moment!] The host¡¯s TV antenna suddenly sprang up after receiving a signal from the staff. [Good news! You¡¯ve all been selected as contestants for the new segment!] ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± [And since it¡¯s pre-recorded this time, it¡¯ll be even easier than before! Haha!] [Let¡¯s start filming right away! Although I¡¯ll only be ying a supporting role, I¡¯ll do my best to ensure it¡¯s a great show¡­] ¡°Wait.¡± The assistant manager from our squad raised her hand with a grim expression. ¡°We¡¯ve already participated in the show, so we¡¯d like to go back¡­¡± [You want to leave before the filming is finished?] ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The TV screen buzzed as it got close to Assistant Manager Eun¡¯s face. [Oh dear¡­ it was all written on the application postcard. But if you truly can¡¯t participate¡­ well, there¡¯s no helping it.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± [So, tell me. Can¡¯t you do it?] Assistant Manager Eun slowly moved her eyes, meeting mine from across the way. I shook my head ever so slightly. She must have realized it too. ¡®No helping it¡¯ didn¡¯t mean they would let us leave. It meant they would incinerate us. [You can do it, right! Good.] An ominous silence. The studio was filled with the sound of the shallow breaths of pale, terrified employees. I was surely one of them. Was I even breathing? [Oh! The tension is palpable. That¡¯s how it always is with new programs.] [Let¡¯s stay strong! Mr. Roe Deer, you performed wonderfully in the live broadcast! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do great again this time¡­] Was there no excuse I could give? No usible way out? ¡°Yes. But I didn¡¯t expect to appear on the show consecutively.¡± [Hoh.] ¡°I could make a mistake, couldn¡¯t I?¡± I gripped the podium so tightly my knuckles turned white. ¡°I should prepare a bit more ande back next Tuesday¡­¡± [Aah! Look at that, the lights areing on! 3, 2, 1¡­] The host mumbled in an excited voice. It was no use. Completely absorbed in the broadcast, the host dashed toward the camera. [Good evening, viewers! The joy of Tuesday, the heat of Tuesday.] [You¡¯re now watching the new segment of our talk show!] I¡¯m going crazy. [Are you sad that the quiz show is gone? No need to be! Because this is an even more advanced form of quiz show!] [Something has been added to the quiz! What could it be?] The host waved both hands as he read the teleprompter. [What pulls at the heartstrings more than anything is melody.] [Especially voices! Choirs, ah, such a beautiful sound!] ¡­¡­ [Haha, no need for our band to feel left out. We¡¯ve invited a true master of an entirely different genre!] [A new guest is about to appear!] The set opened up to reveal a new figure. The stench of rusted iron and filth filled the air, apanied by a massive, dark pig¡¯s head. [The conductor of the Choir of Purgatory, the filthy, the vile, the master of great melodies, the Butcher!] [That¡¯s right. The new segment is¡­ the Tuesday Choir!] Hell has arrived. Chapter 12.1 Chapter 12.1 A terrible stench spread through the studio. Walking into the spotlight was something with the head of a pig, walking on two legs. Its body was emaciated, and from itsrge, dead pig¡¯s eyes, blood dripped down. [Hold on a moment. He¡¯s a silent artist¡­ Ah! His equipment ising in now!] Thirteen silver trays descended from the air, suspended by wires. Therge, round silver trays were intricately and boldly decorated. Screaming faces. Countless of them hung like clusters of grapes. [Shall we meet the passionate contestants who have volunteered to join the choir?] The lights on each podium came on. The six podiums revealed the pale, terrified faces of the humans standing on them. [You recognize some faces fromst week, don¡¯t you? Haha, will our contestants who defended the 99th win record set a new record with this new segment?] [Stay tuned! We¡¯ll reveal the results soon!] Waaaah! The audience seats were empty. But a canned apuse filled the space mechanically. [But the first glory must go to the first contestant!] The host stood in front of an employee I didn¡¯t know. The employee wearing the mole mask hunched her shoulders. [Here¡¯s the question.] sh. [Question : Which of the following creatures has the longest lifespan?] 1- Pig 2- Human 3- Rabbit 4- Flea ¡°H-Human. Number 2, human¡­!¡± [Correct!] A sigh of relief crossed the mole mask¡¯s eyes. Yes. In the original Tuesday Talk Show, the segment would have moved on with cheers. But the new segment had a new phase added. [Congrattions on passing, Ms. Mole!] The conductor with the bleeding pig¡¯s head raised his skeletal arms and swung a silver baton. The mole mask¡¯s head was ripped off. [Such a beautiful harmony!] Thud. The headless contestant¡¯s body copsed beneath the podium like a broken puppet. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The employee¡¯s remaining head floated into the air and was disyed on the silver tray. It was still mouthing words. [Each contestant¡¯s unique talent will be awakened. Oh, it¡¯s incredible. Truly incredible¡­!] When the pig raised its arms, the gaping mouth of the head suddenly began emitting a clear, piercing scream in tune. ¡°H-Humans. It¡¯s human, humannnnnn!¡± It was as if someone had forcibly squeezed the vocal cords, producing a sound like a woodwind instrument. [The first choir member has taken their ce!] The choir practice had begun. They endlessly repeated thest words they spoke before losing their heads. ======================== The ¡®Chorus of the Sacrificial Lambs¡¯ consists of one conductor and 13 silver trays that are summoned. The heads of talk show contestants are ced on the silver trays, and their selection process is determined by that day¡¯s broadcast corner. Each head fused to a tray produces different phrases and instrument-like sounds, forming an acape. The highest number of heads recorded is 7. One (1) head : Causes mild headaches, anxiety, and sudden mood swings. ======================== If you were justfortably reading this ghost story. You might think, ¡®Only one head? For such a terrifying situation, it¡¯s manageable.¡¯ But if you found yourself in this insane scenario, that thought wouldn¡¯te to you. Not like the employee who was directly affected. ¡°Aaaaaagh!! S-Siyeon, Si¡­!¡± Incineration. Another podium¡¯s light went out. The charred body stuck to the floor. The head that remained continued its eerie melody. ¡°H-Human. Number 2. Humaaaan!¡± [Next up¡­ Ah, we have another new face. Hello, Mr. Jellyfish! Let¡¯s see if you can create a beautiful harmony with the sessful contestant!] [Now, the question is¡­] ¡°I don¡¯t know! I don¡¯t know the answer!¡± The employee wearing the jellyfish mask screamed before the question was even asked. His instincts seemed to tell him that getting the question wrong and facing punishment would be better. [How surprising!] It was a remarkable judgment. ¡­A meaningless one, though. [Failure.] His head exploded. Like a firecracker, sparkles from the studio¡¯s mirror ball and a shower of confetti filled the air. The recorded audience¡¯s reaction mixed with both disappointed sighs and cheers filled the studio. [Oh no, disqualified! How unfortunate¡­] [He didn¡¯t make it into the great choir!] ¡°¡­¡­¡± Right. ¡®There are no punishments anymore. If you get the quiz wrong, you¡¯re simply disqualified.¡¯ I blinked. It didn¡¯t feel real. Half the people died in just five minutes after the recording began. And there was no escape. Three of us remained. D-squad¡¯s assistant manager and supervisor. And me. [Let¡¯s meet our next contestant! Oh, familiar faces!] ¡°¡­¡­¡± I recalled one fact I had been avoiding. ¡­These superiors¡¯ names were also not mentioned anywhere in the . It¡¯s the same as with Go Yeongeun, my fellow new recruit. I remembered what I thought when I first heard Go Yeongeun¡¯s name. ¨C Either she left early after handling the ghost stories rtively easily¡­ ¨C Or she died right away. [Mr. Badger!] Supervisor Park was called next. Park Minseong. While standing at the farthest podium from me, he had turnedpletely pale. It was a death sentence, and it would soon be mine too¡­ [It¡¯s your turn to answer!] No. ¡®Get a grip!¡¯ I punched my stomach, hidden by the podium. The pain cleared my head slightly. ¡®Being scared doesn¡¯t justify an excuse.¡¯ This wasn¡¯t a situation ruled by that kind of fear. ¡®It¡¯s a disaster.¡¯ It was like witnessing a natural disaster up close¡ªthe overwhelming force of it. I had been swept into an unexpected catastrophe. That¡¯s right¡­ If I panic here, it¡¯s all over. I won¡¯t even have a chance to survive. I can¡¯t forget. Of all the people here, you have the best chance of survival! I have to think. ¡®Right.¡¯ I have information and items. [Mr. Badger, are you ready?] Could I use this moment when the host and staff¡¯s attention wasn¡¯t on me? Was there really nothing I could try? I desperately recalled the items I had. I frantically reviewed the characteristics of this ghost story. ¡®I don¡¯t expect much, but.¡¯ If I could just get out of here. I wasn¡¯t hoping for something as grand as this insane talk show getting canceled. Just stop for a second¡­ just for a moment¡­ Ah. I raised my head. The host¡¯s back was right in front of me. Chapter 12.2 Chapter 12.2 He was about to ask Supervisor Park a quiz question. [You¡¯re ready! Great¡­] He¡¯s close. ¡®¡­In that case!¡¯ I hid my trembling hand beneath the podium. Then, I slightly lowered my body and pulled out two items from the inside pocket of my suit jacket. A cheap sticker with a smiling emoticon and a canbeled ¡®Drink me¡¯. ¡®Hurryyy.¡¯ I opened the can-bottle. Then, I stuck the Smiley Sticker onto the can-bottle. Hurry up, hurry the fuck up. ¡°¡­Ah. May I say something to the viewers before I answer?¡± [Oh, of course!] Supervisor Park nced toward the camera, pretending to address it but actually looking toward me and Assistant Manager Eun. He was looking at the podiums where we stood. ¡°¡­I have a family member in the hospital. I hope someone could check in on her after this filming. If possible.¡± [Wow, how touching!] [So, what¡¯s your answer?] Supervisor Park gave a nervous smile, sweating profusely. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± I raised my left hand. ¡°Mr. Host.¡± At the same time as I drew his attention¡­ I stretched out my right hand and quickly pped several wet smiley stickers under the spherical TV that was the host¡¯s head. ¡°¡­¡­¡± St. A drop of water hit the ground. Did the cameras catch it? Did anyone notice? No, if they had, my head would have already exploded. [Oh, Mr. Roe Deer! Do you have something to say?] They didn¡¯t notice. I swallowed hard. When I looked over, Supervisor Park was staring at me in shock. He seemed surprised that I hadn¡¯t been incinerated after interrupting the flow and speaking out of turn. It was definitely a gamble. ¡®But I have a reason.¡¯ Didn¡¯t the host say it earlier? ¨C It¡¯s pre-recorded this time, so it¡¯ll be even easier than before! Haha! In other words, this was not a live broadcast. ¡®So as long as I don¡¯t outright ruin the flow or act uncooperative, it might not count as disrupting the broadcast.¡¯ Simply raising my hand and making a personalment wouldn¡¯t be a problem! [Mr. Roe Deer?] They let it pass. ¡°Yes.¡± I nced at the area beneath the host¡¯s TV where the water had dripped. Then, lowering my voice just enough for only the host to hear, I said, ¡°My head feels very dizzy. Could I¡­ rest for a moment?¡± [¡­¡­] What I had just done was¡­ The ¡®Smiley Sticker¡¯¡ªan item that induces mild feelings of friendliness when attached to a sentient being. And, the ¡®Alice Pic Set / canned drink¡¯¡ªan item that doubles the effect. I soaked the sticker into the can and stuck it to the host. ¡­Of course, this was still debatable. ¨C Can we consider the host a sentient being? The host was clearly not human. But it must have some kind of intelligence, right? No, it has to. I¡¯m betting my life on this. And now, there¡¯s no turning back. What if I¡¯m incinerated for disrupting the broadcast? Well, if I¡¯m going to die anyway, I might as well go out a little more peacefully. The shirt clinging to my back was soaked with cold sweat. The host made a noise¡­ [Goodness!] ¡°¡­¡­¡± [Was the passion for the broadcast a bit too much? Yes, I understand that¡­ Hmm. Mr. Roe Deer, you did work hard.] [In that case¡­] The monitor of the host¡¯s head turned ck. He raised his right hand¡­ [Cut! Let¡¯s take a short break!] The band¡¯s sound stopped. The staff began murmuring. [Haha, I¡¯m sorry. My screen went blurry. Makeup!] The camera lights were quickly turned off. [Carefully clean it, please. Oh, excellent!] A faceless staff member carrying makeup tools rushed up and vigorously cleaned the old TV screen. And as the host finished his task, he grabbed the makeup artist by the arm and pointed at me. [Ah, on your way, could you guide this contestant to the waiting room? They were supposed to bring me water.] Then, the host winked the TV-screen emoticon eye at me, briefly disying and then erasing text. [Take a break and have some water!] ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± I had seeded. ¡®At least for now.¡¯ I staggered off the podium, following the makeup artist as I walked. Even though the filming had been paused, the ominous, grotesque pig-headed conductor was still standing at the center of the stage, swinging its baton without moving. The horrifying silver trays continued to emit eerie songs from the human heads. ¡®Hold it together.¡¯ Don¡¯t look. With stiff legs, I crossed the center of the stage¡­ [Filming will resume in 30 minutes!] As I passed the podium on the opposite side, Assistant Manager Eun slipped something into my hand. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I quickly looked at her. I could read her lips. ¨C Check it. Alone. What is it? * * * I was guided to the door behind the stage. Inside was a typical old Hollywood-style waiting room. Aside from the unsettling number of ck-and-white broadcast posters stered all over like talismans. ¡°Thank you.¡± The makeup artist gave a silent nod and disappeared in a sh. Click. ¡°Huu.¡± ¡­I¡¯m alive. Only for 30 minutes, but I had at least dyed my scheduled death. ¡®I need to do something during this time.¡¯ And I had a new clue. I immediately opened my hand to check what Assistant Manager Eun had slipped me. The item they had somehow managed to give me in this dire situation was¡­ ¡°¡­A button?¡± It was a button, the kind you¡¯d attach to a suit. But it was also a button in the sense of something you could press. It seemed like it had a mechanism inside that would trigger something when pressed. ¡°¡­¡­¡± There was only one way to find out, and I didn¡¯t have much time. ¡®They gave this to me thinking it would help.¡¯ I pressed the button immediately. Beep beep beep¡­ ¡­¡­ Click. [This is Lee Jaheon.] ¡°¡­¡­!¡± [Who¡¯s this? This is Assistant Manager Eun Haje¡¯s call button though.] Section Chief Lee Jaheon. The squad leader of the Field Exploration Team¡¯s D-squad, who was supposed to be on a field assignment, had answered through the button. Chapter 13.1 Chapter 13.1 In , when entering a ghost story, data transmission andmunication usually be impossible, isting the participants. ¡®This is the typical structure of a ghost story.¡¯ But stories be more interesting when there is interaction and conflict. I vaguely remember reading in a ghost story that some teams in have a disposable item that allows for emergencymunication. ¡®Is this button one of those?¡¯ While my mind raced to deduce the situation, my mouth started talking immediately. Time was of the essence! ¡°Are you the leader of D-squad?¡± [Yes.] ¡°I¡¯m Kim Soleum, the new recruit in D-squad. I have something urgent to report.¡± I decided toy it all out! ¡°In 30 minutes, all of D-squad will be dead.¡± Even if the other person was startled, it couldn¡¯t be helped. This was the most efficient way. I needed to calm him down and exin¡­ [I see.] [I¡¯ll take a five-minute briefing.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± Why is he so calm? Sure, mass deaths are a routine urrence in the Field Exploration Team, but this is a bit¡­ ¡®Is there something wrong with his humanity¡­?¡¯ I almost got confused, but the situation was urgent, so I let it go. I quickly summarized everything that had happened so far. ¡°There was an anomaly during the D-ss Darkness, Tuesday Talk Show.¡± I exined about the members of another squad who had intruded mid-show, the quiz show¡¯s sudden cancetion, and the insane choir segment that had just begun. [How many employees are left?] ¡°Three out of seven remain. All of D-squad is still alive, but once the break ends, we¡¯ll all be dead.¡± The D-squad leader responded concisely. [I see.] [Buy yourself another 30 minutes.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± Is that even possible? ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s feasible.¡± [In that case, there¡¯s nothing we can do.] He has a knack for enraging people who are about to die in less than 30 seconds. ¡®I don¡¯t have time to waste on this nonsense.¡¯ It¡¯s true that the higher you go in the Field Exploration Team, the more some employees seem tock basic morality ormon sense, but experiencing it firsthand is truly infuriating. ¡®Does he think his team members¡¯ lives are a joke?¡¯ I was about to hang up and figure things out on my own when¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± Wait a second. ¡°What would change if we had 30 more minutes?¡± Why did he ask for more time? [Right.] [If you could hold off until 55 minutes from now, I could get approval from the security team and rent the strongest weapons and entry devices.] His low voice exined calmly. [The entire process, even if handled retroactively, would take about 40 minutes, and it would take an additional 15 to 20 minutes to enter the Darkness.] ¡°¡­If that process ispleted, could D-squad be rescued?¡± [Probably, yes.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± A Field Exploration Team member capable of entering an A-ss Darkness alone and suppressing the supernatural phenomenon using special equipment? The only people capable of that would be¡­ ¡®A named character.¡¯ The person I was talking to had to be one of the employees I¡¯d read about in the ! ¡®Someone with a significant or memorable role¡­¡¯ Chills ran down my spine. Several candidates shed through my mind. My brain was spinning. ¡°Stealing equipment from the security team¡­ yeah, that¡¯s impossible.¡± [¡­¡­? Correct.] The security team¡¯s operations are heavily restricted to maintain narrative coherence in the ghost stories, and their security is airtight. It¡¯s true that such an act would be impossible based on the rules. ¡®But if this person really is one of the employees I think he is¡­¡¯ There might be a way! I swallowed nervously and asked, ¡°¡­May I ask what mask you wear, sir?¡± If he said the nickname I was thinking of¡­ [Lizard.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ah. It¡¯s you. ¡°Section Chief.¡± We had 20 minutes left. ¡°Based on what you¡¯ve told me, I¡¯vee up with a n.¡± Let¡¯s go with this. * * * [Ah, Mr. Roe Deer!] Break time was almost over. Holding a water bottle from the waiting room, I returned to the talk show set. Human. Number 2. Human, human! Against the backdrop of two employees who had been exposed to ¡®choir practice¡¯ for several minutes and whoseplexions had drastically worsened, the host with the old TV for a head extended his hand toward me. [Are you feeling better? Ready to create the best broadcast ever?] ¡°Yes. Thank you for your consideration.¡± [Haha, a contestant¡¯s condition is key to delivering the best moments on the show!] His tone was surprisingly friendly, considering the host¡¯s previous behavior. It seemed the Smiley Sticker¡¯s effect was still active. ¡®So far, things are going as expected.¡¯ I carefully chose my next words. ¡°¡­You really put a lot of passion and energy into this show, Mr. Host. I think that¡¯s why you always make such captivating broadcasts.¡± Perhaps it was the most extreme situation, but ttery wasing out of my mouth effortlessly, without a trace of shame. [Such high praise! But a broadcast is something everyone creates together. Mr. Roe Deer, you are a part of that too!] No, that¡¯s not the direction I was going for¡­ ¡°I appreciate your kind words, but there¡¯s noparing me to you, the one who leads this great talk show.¡± This was the direction I needed. ¡°But I was surprised that the format of the show changed without notice to someone as important as you¡­¡± [¡­¡­] ¡°There¡¯s no live audience, we¡¯re using recorded apuse, the punishments are gone¡­ even the band has fewer members.¡± I recalled the ck-and-white broadcast posters in the waiting room. They were all talk shows with live audiences, where real-timemunication was part of the experience. If that waiting room was the host¡¯s personal space¡­ ¡®There¡¯s a good chance the host doesn¡¯t like this new format¡­!¡¯ ¡°It feels like the changes were made to cut costs across the board.¡± There was a risk of being beheaded if the host misinterpreted myment as an insult to the talk show. But staying silent would lead to death anyway. I had to do this. I nced back, pretending to look at the stage, and managed to continue speaking. The conductor with the dead pig¡¯s head. ¡°¡­Could the reason for this revamp be that it cost a lot to book that guest over there?¡± [!] The emoticon on the host¡¯s TV screen disappeared. But it soon returned with a smiling emoticon. [That¡¯s none of the contestant¡¯s concern.] ¡°I apologize.¡± Please, spare me. Honestly, I¡¯m so scared I haven¡¯t even properly looked at that pig-headed creature. ¡°I was just such a huge fan of the Tuesday Quiz Show and was really looking forward to participating. I must have said something rude because I was disappointed by its cancetion¡­¡± [Ah, what a kind thing to say! But¡­ show business is ruthless.] The host¡¯s TV screen quietly turned ck. [If the viewers prefer this format, then as an entertainer, it¡¯s my job to adapt quickly to what they want¡­] ¡°I see.¡± I swallowed hard. ¡°But isn¡¯t it still uncertain how the viewers feel? ¡­At least for me, I preferred the old format. The real-time interaction with the audience and the excitement of the live Tuesday Quiz Show.¡± [¡­¡­] ¡°To change the show so abruptly, without even discussing it with the host¡­ ah, never mind. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve spoken out of turn.¡± I pretended to hesitate, then added, ¡°I just¡­ I had a lot of fun earlier during the live broadcast. My heart was racing, and it was quite exciting.¡± [ ¨C ] The host stood silently. The TV screen made a faint static noise¡­ Chapter 13.2 Chapter 13.2 Beep-beep-beep! [¡­Ah! There are only 60 seconds left before filming resumes!] At the sound of the alert filling the set, the emoticon returned. [Alright, everyone, let¡¯s give it our all until the end!] [Mr. Roe Deer, you should get back to your podium.] ¡°¡­Yes.¡± [We¡¯re starting! 10, 9, 8¡­] The host resumed the countdown, looking into the camera as usual. But it seemed like my conversation had left an impression, as he didn¡¯t seem as entranced by the camera as before. ¡®Good.¡¯ The groundwork had beenid. I nodded to the host and headed back to my podium. And momentster. [Now! Mr. Badger!] [It¡¯s finally time to give your answer!] The show had resumed. [Will Mr. Badger be a proud member of the choir?] Supervisor Park Minseong seemed to havee to terms with his fate, his expression bitter but resigned. I saw him mouthing something quickly at me. ¨C Thank you. What was he saying? ¡®Thanks for helping me get prepared¡­¡¯ No, wait. Let me talk too! I mouthed the words back. ¨C Give the correct answer. ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± Supervisor Park looked at me as if I were insane. I understand. ¡®Being incinerated is probably better than bing a living instrument that repeats thest thing you said before your head was cut off¡­¡¯ But this was necessary. Supervisor Park, still confused, shook his head and nced at Assistant Manager Eun. She nodded too. [Mr. Badger? You have 3 seconds.] ¡°Ah! Umm, yes. I¡¯ll give my answer¡­¡± Supervisor Park squeezed his eyes shut and shouted, ¡°Number 4, burns!¡± [Oooooh!] As the recorded audience murmured, I finally saw it. Flutter¡ª In the corner of the stage where the lights had gone out, something appeared. A postcard. The strange postcard we used to enter this ce. I remembered the conversation I had with Section Chief Lee Jaheon just before. ¨C So, Section Chief, you¡¯re saying we can use that equipment to ess the ghost story through an object? ¨C Yes. However, the equipment I have is for emergency supply drops, only for delivering small items into the Darkness. ¨C That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s use it¡­ I looked at the postcard. It quietly fell to the floor from the shadows where the light didn¡¯t reach¡­ And then, with terrifying speed, a small AAA battery shot out from it. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The battery shot toward the ominous conductor with tremendous force, closing the distance in an instant. It struck one of the silver trays. ¨C Throw it with all your might, sir. The thick tray crumpled as if pierced by the battery. The sheer physical force was unbelievable. ¡®As expected.¡¯ I recalled the description of Section Chief Lee Jaheon from . ======================== Employee D Nickname : Lizard Final position : Team Leader One of the fewbat specialists in the Field Exploration Team. Known for solving ghost stories, which usually require wit and strategy, by brute force. ??? : ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it normally be that the brain has to work harder if the body¡¯s terrible?¡± Conversely, when his brute force doesn¡¯t work, it signifies that true doom is upon you. ======================== If we had tried to attack the pig-head conductor directly, I might have experienced that ¡®doom¡¯ firsthand. But a silver tray? ¡®He¡¯s a staff member with a ¡®physical exorcism works in ghost stories¡¯ gimmick, so I thought it might work¡­¡¯ And I was right. The tray was almost punctured, leaving a deep dent. ¡®In that case.¡¯ Despite sweating profusely, I couldn¡¯t help but smile in satisfaction. [Wow! Mr. Badger, that¡¯s the correct answer!] Normally, this would be the point where the correct contestant¡¯s head would be ripped off and added to the choir on another silver tray. But the conductor¡¯s reaction to his precious ¡®instrument¡¯ being damaged¡­ [¡­Mr. Conductor?] The dead pig opened its mouth wide. Its decaying flesh tore apart, and its jaw dislocated unnaturally. The canned apuse abruptly cut off, leaving the atmosphere confused and disjointed. [¡­It seems our guest is thinking of a new way to perform! I wonder what brilliant method they¡¯reing up with? My heart is racing!] The pig began to scream. The split mouth emitted a horrific sound¡­ [¡­The contestant is waiting. Mr. Conductor, please wee him into the choir!] A terrifying scream rose in my throat. What did I just do? What kind of horrific mistake have I made? Did you see the worm that spawned from the ground? How I want to sing, how I made the wrong choice, judgment, indeed¡ª Praise to the silver throne, death¡ª The band¡¯s sound drowned out the scream. ¡°Hah!¡± This is insane. Drip. Drip. Red spots appeared on the podium. It was my nosebleed. But I had to cover my ears. I had to block out the sound¡­ but the band¡¯s sound was fading away. [You¡ª] Drip. [Do not respect the show.] I lifted my head. Amidst the silence. Whoosh. The grand and ominous guest at the center of the stage burst into ck mes and turned to ash. It was a scene I had seen many times before. ¡®Incineration.¡¯ A punishment the host carried out autonomously. In the D-ss Darkness known as the ¡®Tuesday Quiz Show¡¯, this was the fate of any contestant who disrupted the broadcast. But now¡­ ¡®Did a D-ss Darkness¡­ incinerate an A-ss Darkness entirely?¡¯ Something¡¯s wrong¡­ something¡¯s very wrong. All I intended was for the host to lose his temper at the guest¡¯s ipetence, causing today¡¯s broadcast to be cut short. [As expected, the essence of a show isn¡¯t in shy guests, but in staying true to its core.] I looked around. The staff, the lights, the band, the recording equipment, the cameras. All of them were burning and turning to ash. Only the host¡¯s old TV screen flickered with color, glowing brightly. [The joy of witnessing, the thrill ofmunication, the excitement of unpredictable developments, anticipation¡­] [You ¡ö¡ö¡ö creators don¡¯t understand that. You don¡¯t deserve to make shows.] [But I do! I can make them!] The host raised his arms majestically, like a liberator. He turned to me. [Mr. Roe Deer!] [Thank you! You¡¯ve given me a new vision!] [My mind feels so clear. Ah¡­ yes! From now on, I¡¯ll ept participants for the show on different days of the week.] The host stared directly at me. [I can tell. You have the talent of a show creator.] [I hope you join the crew of my new talk show as well, Mr. Roe Deer, Mr. Roe Deer!] This is bad. [New participants, a new set, new music, a new season¡­ I¡¯ll invite you when the filming is ready!] But. [It¡¯s such a pity today¡¯s broadcast had to end this way¡­ but your passionate participation was very impressive.] [Let¡¯s meet again in the next show!] It worked. I blinked. Beyond my blurring vision, I saw the suited figure with a TV for a head wave as he disappeared¡­ In the next moment¡ª ¡°¡­¡­¡± I realized I was sitting on a brightly lit, quiet office sofa. I turned my head. Supervisor Park and the Assistant Manager Eun, both bleeding from their noses and ears, were staring at me with dumbfounded expressions. And I realized. I¡¯m alive. ¡°Waaaaah!!¡± ¡°You amazing bastard! You crazy idiot!¡± Amid the shower of cheers and hugs, I slid down onto the sofa. I¡¯m alive. I escaped¡­! ¡°¡­¡­! The collector!¡± But that wasn¡¯t the end. Supervisor Park, still hugging me, quickly pulled something out of my suit pocket. It was the ¡®Dream Essence Collector¡¯. It was filled with golden liquid. Unlike the time when I cleared the F-ss ghost story, this time, the color was¡­ ¡°A-ss.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Roe, you cleared an A-ss Darkness after just two days on the job¡­!¡± Chapter 14.1 Chapter 14.1 A new employee on their third day at ¡°Huuu.¡± Go Yeongeun cautiously sat down at her desk just as lunch break was ending. This self-taught medical professional who hadn¡¯t even taken the state exam believed she was adjusting well to the situation¡­ Her superiors in the R-squad weren¡¯t particrly warm, but they weren¡¯t overly territorial, nor did they push her into life-threatening situations. Most importantly, she had sessfully cleared two F-ss ghost stories so far¡­! ¡®Didn¡¯t they say the average for new recruits was one or two per week?¡¯ Clearing two in three days, even if they were low-level Darkness, wasn¡¯t bad for a rookie! She was doing her absolute best to adapt to this insanepany¡­ Though she had nearly fainted when she saw the points for the Wish Ticket. ¡®After clearing two, I only got 66 points. How in the world will I ever get to 500,000¡­?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± But giving up wasn¡¯t an option. ¡®I¡¯m going to do it.¡¯ Go Yeongeun steeled her resolve. ¡®¡­Are the other rookies feeling the same?¡¯ She absentmindedly looked at her phone. At the top of her Kakaotalk messenger, there was a pinned group chat. [Daydream Inc. New Hires Group Chat] It was a chat room for all the new recruits. However, one person had yet to be invited. It wasn¡¯t because he was being excluded¡ªno one had his contact information. That person was none other than the top recruit, Kim Soleum. ¡®We should invite him, too.¡¯ Even Baek Saheon, the well-known figure, was already in the chat room, but strangely, none of them had ever run into Kim Soleum in thepany, so they hadn¡¯t had a chance to inform him. It made sense to be curious about what kind of intense first two days he had gone through! ¡®Should I try contacting him through thepany messenger?¡¯ She connected to the intr and began searching for Kim Soleum to send him a message¡­ That¡¯s when it happened. Ka-talk, Ka-talk, Ka-ka-ka-talk! Suddenly, the group chat exploded with notifications. ¨C Did you see the announcement just now? ¨C Does anyone know Kim Soleum personally¡­? ¨C He¡¯s the top recruit, right? ¨C Did he seriously clear an A-ss ghost story as a major contributor¡­? ¨C Was Kim Soleum the one wearing that weird horned mask¡­? ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± * * * ¡°Wow, Roe, someone from upper management is saying you should be promoted to supervisor right away.¡± ¡°Cough¡ª¡± I nearly choked on my medicine. ¡°But apparently it got immediately blocked because some people from other departments are foaming at the mouth in opposition, saying it¡¯s unprecedented.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, I see.¡± Should I have said I was disappointed? But I wasn¡¯t disappointed at all, so that was the limit of my response. I set the empty medicine bottle down and rubbed my chest. We had narrowly escaped from the ¡®Tuesday Quiz Show¡¯ that had transformed into an A-ss ghost story, and we were now being treated in the infirmary, taking emergency medication. After all, we¡¯d been bleeding from our facial orifices. ¡°Feeling better?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It seemed the medicine was effective. Though the medicine from always seemed suspicious, the regr first aid meds were just exceptionally good at what they did. ¨C Darkness¡­ you know, those bizarre creatures from urban legends. This is the kind of recovery medicine you take when you suffer supernatural damage from them. In other words, it was like a health potion in these ghost stories. ¡®It was probably sold as cherry-ade vor at the coboration caf¨¦ near the pop-up store¡­¡¯ But the actual taste was just like cold syrup. ¡®Anyway, it feels unreal that I¡¯m alive and drinking a potion.¡¯ Everything felt great now that we had escaped. Living in the bright daylight¡ªit¡¯s really such a good thing¡­ But it seemed like my superiors were more concerned about something other than our sense of relief. How had this situation been reported and handled by the higher-ups? They were busily tapping into everywork they had to figure it out. ¡°Honestly, this was an unprecedented special situation. I wish the Squad Leader had been more assertive in pushing the issue, but he¡¯s really not that kind of person¡­¡± ¡°Please do it when you get promotedter, Assistant Manager.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll quit before then.¡± ¡°Honestly, me too.¡± I really want to say that as well. Amidst a strange sense of camaraderie, we each copsed onto the infirmary beds. Supervisor Park Minseong stretched and let out a sigh. It was a long sigh of relief. ¡°¡­I really thought I was going to die, but living is definitely better! Hey Roe, thank you.¡± ¡°No, I just did my best.¡± Honestly, the wiki did all the work for me. If I tried to exin any further, the conversation would shift toward something ufortable, like ¡®We were all about to die, but you were smart and did well,¡¯ so I just stayed silent. ¡°We¡¯re not that ipetent as seniors, but we let our guard down because it was categorized as D-ss.¡± ¡°Assistant Manager, that excuse sounds a bit pathetic.¡± ¡°Well, then we¡¯ll prove ourselves in the next Darkness.¡± ¡®I just hope there won¡¯t be a next Darkness¡­¡¯ The peaceful, paid rest time didn¡¯tst long. ¡°The Section Chief said the meeting is over.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°He¡¯sing to the infirmary.¡± Assistant Manager Eun, holding her smartphone, shot up. Supervisor Park quickly stood up as well, so I instinctively followed suit. ¡®Am I finally going to see him in person?¡¯ Section Chief Lee Jaheon. Employee D, nickname Lizard! One of the most famous employees of in the . There were even rumors that, due to his poprity, thepany was working on a character design for him. Honestly, I was a bit curious. What kind of person could he be? ¡®Judging by the conversation we had when I pressed the call button, he didn¡¯t seem like an ordinary person¡­¡¯ But considering his super y with the AAA battery shot, everything about him seemed almost glorified. Knock, knock, knock. ¡°The door is open. Come in, Squad Leader!¡± The infirmary door opened. Standing there was a tall figure. Dressed in a perfectly fitted ck suit and even wearing an employee ID, he looked every bit the ssic, polished office worker. Finally, the appearance of Section Chief Lee Jaheon, the ¡®named¡¯ Employee D from the ¡­ ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!? ¡­¡­!!¡± It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s a lizard. No, not a mask, but literally¡­ ¡®He literally has a lizard head.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± Wait a second. No¡­ that can¡¯t be right. I must be suffering from some kind of mental breakdown due to excessive stress, leaving an afterimage of that TV-headed host in my mind. That¡¯s it, right? My brain is mistaking someone wearing a mask for a real lizard head¡­ ¡®Now that I look closer, there¡¯s a mask hanging at his waist.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± Oh, I¡¯m going to lose it. ¡°It¡¯s really so great to see you that I¡¯m about to cry.¡± ¡°Please,e in, Squad Leader!¡± Why is everyone so calm? If a lizard in a suit is going to appear, shouldn¡¯t there at least be a warning to the new recruits, like ¡®Don¡¯t be shocked¡¯? Why is everyone acting like this is a normal meet-and-greet! ¡°Ah, this over here is Roe Deer, sir. And Roe, this is Section Chief Lee Jaheon. Go ahead and introduce yourself.¡± ¡°Wow, Roe looks like he¡¯s shocked by how handsome the Section Chief is! Haha! Like he doesn¡¯t even look like he¡¯s the same species as us!¡± Can you please rify if this is just office banter or a hint for social survival¡­? The white lizard head turned toward me expressionlessly. Its red, reptilian vertical pupils glinted. ¡°Mr. Roe Deer.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Can you see?¡± Shit, oh shit fuck¡­ Chapter 14.2 Chapter 14.2 ¡°What do you mean¡­? Oh, no, I didn¡¯t hurt my eyes. My vision is fine.¡± I was impressed by my own quick thinking. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Um, hello? ¡°Hmm, alright.¡± The white reptilian head turned away with a faint hiss. I nearly passed out. ¡®Please stop this, for real.¡¯ This world is too unfair if you have to suffer even after escaping a ghost story¡­ ¡®What the hell is going on?¡¯ But I wasn¡¯t about to say a word. Judging by the atmosphere, it was clear I wasn¡¯t supposed to see the lizard head! ¡®Everyone else must be seeing a normal human face.¡¯ Blend in. Don¡¯t stand out. I would never show any suspicious reaction toward this walking human¡­ no, lizard excavator. I sessfully maintained myposure, and fortunately, thanks to the other squad members, the conversation flowed smoothly. Then, we got to the main point. ¡°Section Chief, did the higher-ups give any exnation about why this happened?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The white lizard¡ªno, Section Chief Lee Jaheon¡ªnodded. First, the cause of the incident. The employees who barged in¡­ ¡°They said it was a human error, with the ¡®Tuesday Talk Show¡¯ being assigned to both D-squad and L-squad at the same time.¡± ¡°Oh, seriously.¡± ¡°Good grief¡­¡± It made sense that the assignment had felt rushed; it seems there was a mistake. The Section Chief continued his briefing. ¨C L-squad began writing the medium (postcard) to enter the ¡®Tuesday Quiz Show¡¯ at a simr time to D-squad, but a 50-minute dy urred as they left thepany building during the process. ¡°¡­Did they go out to buy coffee for the rookie?¡± ¡°L-squad did have members who were particrly good at taking care of their teammates.¡± The two employees briefly looked bitter as they recalled the now-deceased L-squad, but quickly concealed their expressions. ¡°Anyway, it seems it was transmitted at an odd time, and our squad happened to go in first.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lee Jaheon answered briefly and continued the briefing. The next part, however, was the bombshell. ¡°And the ressification of the ¡®Tuesday Quiz Show¡¯ to A-ss has not been acknowledged.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± ¡°W-What?¡± ¨C The absence of another group to cross-verify the situation, and the rtively high initial survival rate (43%), leaves it unproven whether the Darkness was truly suitable for A-ss ssification. ¡°What the hell are they talking about, when L-squad was wiped out?¡± ¡°The collector! The Dream Essence Collector¡¯s liquid was gold! I¡¯ve heard many times that gold signifies A-ss¡­¡± ¨C While the liquid in the Dream Essence Collector does have a concentrationparable to A-ss, the possibility of extracting higher-ss liquid from lower-ss Darkness in special circumstances cannot be ruled out. ¡°So, since the officialpany ssification was D-ss, no exception has been granted for the ¡®Tuesday Quiz Show¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± In other words, thepany¡¯s stance is¡­ ¡®Let¡¯s not escte a situation caused by an error, let¡¯s just quietly resolve it.¡¯ Typical corporate behavior. They drive their employees mad, that¡¯s for sure. ¡°This is uneptable. We should go and talk to them directly¡­¡± ¡°Assistant Manager, wait¡ª wait just a sec.¡± Supervisor Park asked, in disbelief. ¡°The higher-ups took all the A-ss liquid, didn¡¯t they? And yet, it¡¯s still ending as a D-ss result?¡± ¡°No, that didn¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Separatepensation has been arranged.¡± Honestly, I¡¯m not surprised. ¡®They¡¯re basically trying to keep us quiet by offering something in return¡­¡¯ It¡¯s normal for apany to prepare some kind of hush money, unless they¡¯re utterly clueless. The only question was how much thatpensation would be. I tried to avoid making eye contact with the lizard as I focused on Section Chief Lee Jaheon¡¯s¡­ not snout, but mouth. ¡°Given the uniqueness of the situation and the verification of the Dream Essence Collector¡¯s liquid color, they¡¯ve agreed to acknowledge that it was an exploration to A-ss.¡± ¡°So¡­?¡± ¡°Additional points will be awarded.¡± ¨C For the sessful clearance of the ¡®Tuesday Quiz Show,¡¯ a one-time bonus of points equivalent to A-ss will be awarded. The amount is¡­ ¡°Thirty thousand points per person.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± Supervisor Park and Assistant Manager Eun froze as if struck by lightning. ¡°Thirty thousand??¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Waaaah!¡± The basic point reward for A-ss is 100,000 points. Assuming the points are divided among the number of people entering the Darkness, with only two squads surviving, the estimate would have been under 17,000 points per person. ¡®But we just got nearly double that.¡¯ And it didn¡¯t stop there. ¡°And a separate incentive has been awarded to the employee who yed a decisive role in clearing the Darkness.¡± The lizard¡¯s head turned toward me. ¡°Kim Soleum-ssi.¡± ¨C An additional 10,000 points awarded to the top contributor. ¡°A total of 40,000 points will be granted to you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I just filled 8% of the Wish Ticket in one go. ¡®Wow.¡¯ I was almost in a daze. Am I disappointed that the A-ss clearance didn¡¯t officially get recorded? No, it¡¯s actually better this way! ¡®There¡¯s no benefit in standing out and getting a super-fast promotion in this world.¡¯ What happens if expectations rise beyond reason? I¡¯d surely be forced into even more difficult ghost stories, and the more I stand out, the harder it bes to use the ¡®merch¡¯. Of course, there are special spaces and items that be essible with a promotion, but priorities must not be mistaken. This is a world where one wrong move means death! ¡®And considering I was at death¡¯s door¡­ I definitely don¡¯t want to go near A-ss again.¡¯ Looking at the points, it didn¡¯t feel like my efforts were wasted. Apparently, the others felt the same. ¡°¡­I think I just heard my resignatione three years earlier.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± But soon theyposed themselves and said to me, ¡°Points aren¡¯t transferable, so¡­ this feels a bit awkward.¡± ¡°Right? Roe practically earned them all.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± Honestly, even if transferring was possible, I don¡¯t think they would have given them to me for any reason. This isn¡¯t about character. ¡®These are people who got jobs in death zones to collect points for a Wish Ticket.¡¯ For most members of the Field Exploration Team, their points are something they would never give up. Hmm. I¡¯ll make sure to keep this firmly in mind. ¡°Woo-hoo!¡± ¡°They really came through.¡± We immediately returned to the office and registered the points. [Kim Soleum / umted Points: 40,100P] ¡®Whoa.¡¯ I looked at the monitor. A five-figure number. Honestly, it hit me differently. ¡°Whew, I survived, and I scored big points¡­¡± Assistant Manager Eun grinned. ¡°We should use thepany card for a team dinner!¡± ¡°Ooooh!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Roe!¡± Without hesitation, I replied cheerfully. ¡°Yes!¡± * * * And now. I¡¯m watching the rare sight of a lizard eating premium beef¡­ Sizzle. I¡¯m trying my best to look natural as I watch the perfectly cooked beef disappear into the lizard¡¯s mouth. ¡°The Squad Leader¡¯s personality is a bit unique, but his skills are solid.¡± ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re really lucky to be in our squad.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± It¡¯s almost certain I¡¯m the only one seeing a lizard face. Having read about Section Chief Lee Jaheon physically destroying ghost stories a few times, I could understand why the team members were so favorable toward him. Anyway, ghost stories or not, the beef was delicious, and I found myself enjoying the dinner more than I expected. ¡®At least it¡¯s not ufortable.¡¯ I also realized that having a little alcohol really helps ease the fear. ¡®Once I get home, I¡¯m going to watch ten episodes of kids¡¯ cartoons and sleep with all the lights on.¡¯ While I was nning this extreme bedtime routine, Section Chief Lee Jaheon, who had been eating green onion sd, suddenly asked, ¡°Are you going to save the 40,000 points?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± It was a natural question. ¡°Oh, um, yes. I need to buy a Wish Ticket.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Wait a minute. This conversation pattern feels familiar. I retraced our previous conversation. So¡­ ¡°Is there perhaps another useful way to spend points?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ah. So this is how I should have approached it¡­ Now I think I¡¯m starting to understand how to deal with the Lizard Squad Leader. I felt a bit of relief as I asked in a more rxed tone, ¡°What would that be?¡± ¡°Custom equipment.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I didn¡¯t expect this toe up here¡­ ¡®It finally came.¡¯ One of the main perks of being an employee at ¡®Personalized equipment!¡¯ Chapter 15.1 Chapter 15.1 is a creepypany that throws Field Exploration Team employees into terrifying ghost stories to extract potion concentrate. This raises a question. ¨C If you recklessly throw employees into high-level, extremely dangerous ghost stories, won¡¯t they all die and fail to extract the concentrate? To address this concern and make the progression of ghost stories more convenient, there¡¯s a setting where ¡®employees can obtain custom equipment that bes more powerful as they are promoted¡¯. However, this isn¡¯t overly detailed. If they started breaking down the equipment into specific tiers and ssifications, it would no longer be an inte ghost story but a massive game setting. To make it easier for anyone to participate in the storytelling, a more convenient system was added. ¨C Customized personal equipment. Employees who have proven their usefulness can receive supernatural equipment supported by thepany. Of course, this doesn¡¯t mean that ordinary employees wield cartoonish superpowers¡ªjust a slight boost in special abilities. It¡¯s more about creating convenient situations. ¡®Still, it¡¯s great that it even exists.¡¯ I unintentionally looked at Squad Leader Lee Jaheon with hopeful eyes, but when I made eye contact with the lizard, I quickly lowered my gaze. I¡¯m really not getting used to this. ¡°Oh, can I make custom equipment?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Could you exin it to me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After asking three times, I finally got a detailed exnation. Still, it was fascinating. ¡®This is something I only knew bits and pieces about.¡¯ The scattered mentions from were now being organized and exined by the section chief. ¡°Custom equipment can be made using specific ghost stories owned by thepany.¡± Right. They¡¯d use the ghost stories, of course. [Toy Maker of the Cheerful Lab / Qterw-E-07] [Kind Seed Kit / Qterw-E-99] [The Offering of the Ritual / Qterw-E-404] In my memory, these were the three ghost stories mentioned in connection with equipment creation by employees. Among them, the one most used by the Field Exploration Team is¡­ ¡°¡­That.¡± Oh! * * * ¡°It just so happens this is a ghost story that can only be used during moonlit nights!¡± While my squad members dly apanied me for the experience, I headed with the section chief to the annex next to thepany building. Seizing the moment while the iron was hot, my superiors urged me to go now. ¡°Oh¡­ this ce is where rtively safe and useful ghost stories are kept in istion.¡± Assistant Manager Eun exined. ¡°Thepany usually calls these ¡®Twilight-ss¡¯.¡± I already knew that. Officially, these ghost stories are ssified as E-ss. However, simply calling them E-ss doesn¡¯t quite fit the ssification system. ¡®They¡¯re carefully selected useful ones.¡¯ Some are far stronger than D-ss or less dangerous than F-ss, which is why most people refer to them by their unique name, ¡®Twilight¡¯. ¡°Roe, you saw that radio on your first day, right? It¡¯s useful because it tells you your fortune for the day. It¡¯s simr to that.¡± After Assistant Manager Eun scanned her employee ID, the first-floor entrance to the annex revealed a staircase leading down. And as we descended the stairs¡­ we found a dimly lit reception desk with a figure sitting behind it. The figure was peculiar, dressed entirely in ck with a mask, sunsses, and even a hat. Was this an employee? Supervisor Park immediately rushed forward. ¡°Hello! We¡¯re Field Exploration Team¡¯s D-squad, visiting for new recruit training.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re requesting ess to Twilight-ss ghost story number 99.¡± The dark figure gave Supervisor Park a brief, scrutinizing look before nodding. With a nod, they pressed a button on the desk, and one of the emergency doors behind them opened. Creak. Beyond that door was a corridor lined with countless other doors. ¡°Don¡¯t open any other doors by mistake. Actually, they¡¯re probably locked, but let¡¯s not even touch the handles.¡± That¡¯s sound advice. I nodded silently and began walking. Soon, we stopped in front of the doorbeled ¡®99,¡¯ and Assistant Manager Eun ced her employee ID on the reader. Click. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± I lifted my head. Moonlight was pouring into a greenhouse overgrown with weeds. And in the center, a rusty machine stood bathed in moonlight. ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story [Kind Seed Kit] : A ghost story featured in : Daydream Inc. identification code ¨C Qterw-E-99. It treats objects as nts, extracting gic information to crossbreed and sow them. Operates using moonlight as an energy source. ======================== That¡¯s right. ¡®If you put two objects in, it mixes their traits to create a new item.¡¯ This was the ghost story primarily used by the Field Exploration Team for making custom equipment, and it certainly had the atmosphere of a ghost story. ¡°This is the Darkness our department almost exclusively uses!¡± I stood in front of the rusty machine and asked. ¡°Does it cost points to use this?¡± ¡°Yes. For the Twilight-ss Darkness stored in the annex, you have to pay a usage fee to activate them.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°By the way, this one costs 1,000 points per use.¡± Wait a minute. Isn¡¯t that a bit odd? ¡°If it¡¯s equipment necessary for exploring ghost stories, shouldn¡¯t thepany be subsidizing it instead of charging fees?¡± As hopeless as thispany is, they should at least cover that¡­ right? ¡°Oh, once you be a supervisor, you can use it for free twice a year.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Maybe I should¡¯ve gotten promoted after all. Chapter 15.2 Chapter 15.2 ¡°So most people wait until they¡¯re supervisors before using it. Usually, you only have to hold out for a year at most.¡± Hmm. I thought it over. ¡®There¡¯s definitely a reason Section Chief Lee Jaheon considered this useful, even though it costs points.¡¯ Even though he¡¯s known for relying mostly on brute force, I figured his instincts are sharp, too. If a high-survival-rate employee gave special advice¡­ ¡®It¡¯s probably the right decision to follow it.¡¯ If investing 1,000 points could increase my survival rate early on, that would be the right call. ¡­Though my hands are shaking a bit! ¡°I¡¯d like to try using it now.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Supervisor Park gave a cheerful response, but then seemed to realize something and whispered. ¡°¡­But first, you know you need existing equipment to put in, right? Something with useful abilities to use as a gic marker.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ right.¡± I¡¯d already confirmed that in this ghost story¡¯s exploration records. ======================== Exploration Record #05 Employee N inserted a tumbler* and a backpack. The tumbler* was a special item (liquid poured after sunrise doesn¡¯t empty until sunset, owned by Section Chief Choi ¡ö¡ö), while the backpack had no special attributes. Seed result : Backpack (Special attribute : Simr abilities to the tumbler, but empties after dispensing more than 87 liters of liquid.) ======================== ¡°Don¡¯t worry! When a squad member is creating their first custom equipment, there¡¯s a tradition where someone from the squad lends them their equipment for free once.¡± ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s just one item, not both. For the other one, you have to either use your own stuff or pay to borrow it.¡± Assistant Manager Eun nced at the Squad Leader Lee. ¡°And, well¡­ the Squad Leader¡¯s equipment is the best among us.¡± As expected, he¡¯s the boss here. ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind, could I see your equipment, Squad Leader?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The lizard pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small, ash-colored knife. ¡°This is a butter knife. If you cut the medium for entering the Darkness, it tears the space, allowing the transfer of small items.¡± Oh. ¡°This is the equipment you used when you threw the AAA battery, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Right.¡± I looked at the butter knife with newfound appreciation. ¡®I was hoping for some defense-rted equipment¡­ but I guess that¡¯s not easily found.¡¯ Though a bit disappointed, none of the higher-ups¡¯ equipment seemed to be defense-rted either. There was one for tricks, one formunication, and that¡¯s about it. ¡®If pushes to shove, I can probably get something with a simr effect from the alien shop¡­¡¯ I made up my mind. ¡°So, you¡¯ll put the Squad Leader¡¯s equipment in?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Out of courtesy, I bowed my head. ¡°Thank you, Squad Leader.¡± Section Chief Lee Jaheon gave a slight nod and approached the machine. On the old LCD screen, some archaic-looking text appeared. [Give me nts 0/2] I watched as the Squad Leader ced his equipment into the machine to scan its ¡®gic information¡¯. [nt information stored] [Give me nts 1/2] ¡°Now you just need to put in the other item you want. ¡­Oh, wait a second.¡± Assistant Manager Eun quickly spoke up. ¡°If this machine isn¡¯tpletely weird, most things will work. But there¡¯s just one thing that doesn¡¯t.¡± He tapped the sign attached to the machine. ¡ù Do not insert actual nts. ¡°Whatever you do, don¡¯t literally give it nts, even though it¡¯s asking for them.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°The sensor at the door filters out all nts anyway, but I¡¯m just telling you to be safe.¡± Now that my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, I could see the nature of the overgrown weeds around us. They were all fake. Artificial nts. ¡­One exploration record came to mind. ======================== Exploration Record #14 (Irregr) Employee R picked weeds (presumably dandelions) growing near the Darkness and inserted them into the machine twice. As a result, [redacted] burst out with a scream of [redacted], and then [redacted]. ¨C It took 7 days for the Security Team to subdue the situation. All three employees present, including Employee R, were confirmed dead. All nts were removed. ¡ù Notice: Repetition of this action will result in disciplinary action and termination. ======================== Yeah. I definitely need to remember that. ¡°Yes, thank you for letting me know.¡± ¡°No need to thank me.¡± Meanwhile, the section chief finished registering the equipment and retrieved the knife, cing it back into his suit pocket. ¡°Generally, in the other slot, you¡¯d insert ordinary items, but in that case, the supernatural characteristics may be weakly inherited, or, in rare cases, not inherited at all.¡± I nodded seriously, even though I already knew this. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll ept the result, no matter what.¡± I reached into my pocket and pulled something out. ¡°Oh~ So you did stop by the dorm earlier. Looks like you found something you want to use?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± In my hand was a silver coin. ¨C Silver Serpent Coin. An item I had bought at a huge discount from the alien shop. ¡°I n to use this.¡± I¡¯ll just put an item in the other slot. I had quite a few supernatural items on hand! That¡¯s why I was so pleased when I found out the ghost story the Field Exploration Team used was the ¡®Kind Seed Kit¡¯. ¡®I have more sources for items than most people.¡¯ From the ck notepad that gave out merch from the void to the alien shop. As soon as I stepped into this room, I had been mentally running through my lineup of items. ¡®And the one with the highest grade is¡­¡¯ This one, of course. I rolled the round coin with the snake engraving in my hand. Chapter 15.3 Chapter 15.3 ¡®It¡¯s the most expensive when you consider the original price.¡¯ Besides, considering that Section Chief Lee Jaheon¡¯s butter knife was for ¡®resource supply¡¯, I hoped that this ¡®currency¡¯ would create some interesting synergy. I brought the coin close to the machine. The lizard¡¯s pupils widened as they saw the silver glint. ¡°That?¡± ¡°Amemorative coin. I bought it as a souvenir during a trip¡­ but it just felt right.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡­Did he realize it was an ¡®item¡¯? It didn¡¯t matter. This is a world where encountering ghost stories ismonce. It¡¯s not too far-fetched for someone to unknowingly carry a supernatural object¡­ ¡®And it¡¯s just a coin, so it doesn¡¯t look suspicious.¡¯ It¡¯s a small, everyday item. ¡°It looks easy to carry. Seems like a good fit.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I listened to my superiors¡¯ words of encouragement as Ipleted the scan. [nt information stored] [Give me nts 2/2] ¡°Oh, now we¡¯re at the final step.¡± [Please provide the gardener¡¯s information] That¡¯s why it¡¯s called ¡®custom equipment¡¯. I don¡¯t know what effect it has, but apparently, it requires the gic information of the ¡®gardener¡¯ who will tend to the nt. ¡®This step seems to have different effects depending on various factors.¡¯ Though conflicted, Ipleted the scan. [Information confirmed] Here ites. [Combining gic information] [Kit in progress¡­] Colored smoke billowed from the machine, apanied by the creaking sound of gears turning. [Sowingplete] Hiss. The front drawer of the machine opened, revealing a small object. A gray coin. It looked like a toy coin you¡¯d use in an arcade. Its shiny surface bore the engraving of a glove on the front. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s out.¡± ¡°Congrats, Roe.¡± I carefully reached out and picked up the item. It was my first piece of custom equipment. * * * I headed straight back to thepany dormitory afterward. My superiors also left, saying, ¡°Get some rest, and we¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± It seemed they didn¡¯t want to make me do something stupid like test the equipment¡¯s abilities while still recovering from entering the Darkness. ¡°¡­Alright.¡± I sat on my bed and took out both coins. One was the Silver Serpent Coin I had used as the ¡°parent nt¡±. The other was the gray coin that had been created bybining the Silver Serpent and the Section Chief¡¯s butter knife. Everything was great. But then¡­ ¡°¡­How do I activate this?¡± It wasn¡¯t moving at all. ¡®Now that I think about it, the Silver Serpent Coin wasn¡¯t exactly an item with explicitly stated supernatural powers either.¡¯ Could this toy coin, which looks like it should be used as currency, really be the equipment I got? Sweat began to form on my forehead. Fortunately, my worries were soon dispelled. ¡°So it does work like this.¡± I tried a ssic action. I flicked the coin with my thumb. At that moment, the glove engraved on the front of the coin popped out, bing real. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± A translucent silver glove appeared in midair. The glove moved as if miming, writing something in the air. [Insert coin] ¡­It¡¯s asking for a coin? I rummaged through my wallet and pulled out a 100-won coin, offering it to the glove. But the glove rejected it. ¡°What?¡± Is it asking for a different currency? Or perhaps¡­ ¡°How about this?¡± I offered a 500-won coin. The hand happily epted the coin, slipped it between its fingers, and vanished with a magical gesture. ¡®Was it about the amount?¡¯ This equipment operates strictly on capitalist logic. As I stared in disbelief, the translucent glove floated toward my hand and merged with it, as if it were being worn. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± A strange sensation washed over me. ¡®A third¡­ hand?¡¯ In front of me, a shadow-like projection of my hand appeared. It moved ording to my will. I could push against walls, open bathroom doors, even write with it. ¡®Its strength and precision are¡­ about the same as mine.¡¯ In summary, if I feed it a coin, it bes a telekic third hand that can move for a few seconds. The range is roughly¡­ about 3 meters. ¡°If 500 won gets me 5 seconds, that¡¯s not bad.¡± Soon after, the shadow hand disappeared, and the translucent glove smoothly detached itself from my hand. With a wave, as if bidding me farewell, it re-engraved itself onto the front of the coin. ¡°Hmm.¡± Not bad at all. This isn¡¯t a tool that ovees spatial limitations between ghost stories and reality, like the Section Chief¡¯s butter knife. But in exchange, it feels like I have a wider operational range within a ghost story itself, making it seem quite versatile. Of course, there¡¯s the limitation of how many 500-won coins I can carry in my suit while running around¡­ ¡®But this is a sessful pull.¡¯ It¡¯s great that the coin didn¡¯t reveal itself as a supernatural item and just blended in. ¡°Work hard for the 1,000 points I invested.¡± I pocketed the coin alongside my other items. While I was at it, I restocked my used-up ¡®Smiley Sticker¡¯ and grabbed another ¡®Can¡¯. ¡®Humans really are creatures of adaptation.¡¯ Iy down on the bed. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good. Even though closing my eyes brought back vivid images of that terrifying talk show, I could sleep decently as long as the lights were on. Maybe it¡¯s because the situation ended well. ¡®¡­I did have some decent luck.¡¯ My squad assignment worked out well, too. ¡®Maybe because I earned so many points at once, things feel a bit hopeful¡­¡¯ Sleepiness started to wash over me, and I blinked slowly. But then again, I still had a mountain of points to earn for that Wish Ticket, and I had no idea how many more ghost stories I¡¯d need to clear. Still, for the first time, I felt like I might be able to survive through it. ¡®Maybe I can quietly endure this.¡¯ * * * ¡­That naive optimismsted until only the next day, when I arrived at work and saw apany notice. [Wow! A new recruit on their second day clears an A-ss crisis!] ¡°Roe, have a seat. It looks like we¡­ well, your position is about to change.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± I¡¯ve only been working here for three days though? Chapter 16.1 Chapter 16.1 Change of position. In other words, a change in the tasks or department where someone primarily works. This typically happens when you¡¯ve been with apany for several years. So, it¡¯s definitely not something you say to someone who¡¯s only been here for three days! ¡°¡­A position change? Does that mean I¡¯ll be transferred to a different department?¡± I was desperately holding back from saying, ¡®What are you talking about right after lunch?¡¯ and instead asked politely. ¡°Well, actually¡­ yeah. Did you see the notice? It just went up.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± With a sinking feeling, I immediately checked thepany intr. [Notice of Employee Rewards for Resolving Special Incident Qterw-D-43] ¡­Qterw-D-43 is the ¡®Tuesday Quiz Show¡¯. And to summarize the contents¡­ ¨C Wow! A team solved a special incident in a D-ss ghost story and extracted A-ss essence? Now that¡¯s impressive! We¡¯ll be awarding a total of 100,000 points to the team! ¨C You saw that, right? You can do it too! Forget work-life bnce, work like a beast and earn those points! Be like D-squad! ¡­And right there, clearly listed as the key contributor receiving 40,000 points, was my name: Kim Soleum. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I wish this were a dream. And the worst part? If this notice was what caused my position to change, then¡­ I felt a chill seeing the assistant manager¡¯s hollow expression. ¡°Finish reading it?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Yeah. D-squad, well¡­ we achieved something unusual this time.¡± No way. ¡°Does that mean the entire squad is being reassigned?¡± ¡°Not exactly. It just means the type of work we¡¯ll be doing is changing.¡± Assistant Manager Eun downed her coffee in one gulp. ¡°Up until now, we¡¯ve mostly been assigned to manage ghost stories withpleted manuals.¡± Wait a second. ¡°Now they want us to handle ghost stories withoutpleted manuals!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± In other words, they¡¯re going to throw us into ghost stories with no data! ¡°Seriously, just because we did well this one time, they¡¯re shoving us into even harder situations¡­¡± Supervisor Park was already slumped over his desk, seemingly aware of the news. Even the caffeine seemed ineffective. ¡°Hello.¡± And right on cue, the squad leader with the lizard head walked into the office. Assistant Manager Eun immediately snapped. ¡°Squad Leader! They want us to go into ghost stories without manuals! Are they trying to get us all killed?¡± ¡°¡­¡­? No, not at all.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Perhaps there was a loophole, as a faint glimmer of hope appeared on the assistant manager¡¯s face¡­ ¡°Even if the manual isplete, there¡¯s no guarantee of safety.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Oh, that¡¯s what he meant¡­ ¡®What a pragmatic lizard this guy is¡­¡¯ I barely managed to speak up. ¡°But isn¡¯t it more dangerous without a manual? There¡¯s no data to rely on.¡± The lizard tilted his head slightly to the side. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I haven¡¯t noticed much of a difference.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ah, right. He¡¯s the guy who exorcises things with brute force¡­ ¡®So, you¡¯ve been bulldozing through everything up until now¡­¡¯ I decided to ask directly. ¡°Is there any advantage to the current situation?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What kind of advantage?¡± ¡°Additional points are awarded.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Supervisor Park suddenly lifted his head. Typical of people obsessed with points. ¡°H-How much more, Squad Leader?¡± ¡°A lot.¡± ¡°How much exactly?¡± ¡°On average, two to three times morepared to ghost stories of simr grades.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the highest multiplier you¡¯ve seen, Squad Leader?¡± ¡°Fifteen times.¡± Suddenly, the assistant manager and the supervisor¡¯s eyes changed. ¡®That¡¯s the look of stock traders.¡¯ It was the same expression people have right before they buy into a spective biotech stock based on rumors. It seems the allure of 30,000 points was too sweet to resist¡­ Normally, someone withmon sense would try to stop this, but¡­ well, to be honest, for me¡­ ¡®It¡¯s basically guaranteed returns¡­¡¯ There¡¯s not much difference whether there¡¯s a manual or not. I already know more detailed information from the exploration records than any manual could provide! So then. ¡®It¡¯s like a triple points event¡­ right?¡¯ . . And so, a short whileter. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Without any resistance, D-squad epted the new assignment and set off. ¡®Let¡¯s earn those points.¡¯ Our destination was the 17th floor. ¡°From the 20th to the 17th floor, it¡¯s mostly used by the development headquarters.¡± Assistant Manager Eun frowned as she pressed the buttons. ¡°And the 17th floor¡­ is where the researchers who scout for new Darkness work.¡± Ding. As the elevator doors opened, a white, artificial-looking office space typical of abinedboratory and office came into view. Standing there, already waiting for us, was someone who extended their hand. ¡°Wow~ Is this the friend I¡¯ve been hearing about? Awesome, just awesome~¡± Definitely someone above my rank. I reflexively shook the outstretched hand. ¡°I¡¯m Kim Soleum. Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve got good manners too.¡± The man in a whiteb coat and sses looked fairly young, but considering the strange nature of this world, I decided not to jump to conclusions based on appearances. After greeting the rest of D-squad, the man turned back to me. ¡°I¡¯m Kwak Jaekang from Research Team 1. Nice to meet you. Looking forward to working with you~¡± ¡°¡­¡­! I look forward to working with you too.¡± Our squad¡¯s assistant manager whispered to me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s just a section chief.¡± Aren¡¯t you just an assistant manager¡­? But that wasn¡¯t what surprised me. I recognized this person. ======================== Researcher Kwak Jaekang : An employee from Research Team 1 in the Raw Materials Development Department of Daydream Inc., featured in . Frequently mentioned in the early records of explorations into newly registered Darkness. ======================== Another named character appeared. ¡®His personality, though¡­ um.¡¯ ======================== One of the few employees described as ¡®cheerful and sociable¡¯. But¡­ ======================== Hmm. I quietly followed the squad without revealing my thoughts. ¡°We¡¯ll be seeing each other often from now on, right, Section Chief Lee Jaheon?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡­¡­ Aiyah. ¡°May I ask why?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Finally, the lizard exined. ¡°Research Team 1 studies and standardizes methods for entering new Darkness. So, you¡¯ll frequently meet D-squad, as you¡¯ll be the ones exploring the new Darkness that hasn¡¯t yet been documented.¡± In short, they¡¯re the team that assigns us our work. ¡®They find new Darkness here and pass it onto the Field Exploration Team¡¯s advance unit¡­¡¯ ¡°Oh,e on, you always exin things in such a difficult way, Section Chief Lee. And you¡¯re not even a researcher!¡± The Research Team¡¯s section chief patted the lizard section chief on the back. The lizard¡¯s unblinking pupils shifted toward him, as if confused. It kind of felt like watching a thriller movie¡­ ¡°Anyway, today¡¯s Darkness is ready for you to enter. Don¡¯t forget your Dream Essence Collector, alright?¡± Assistant Manager Eun¡¯s face briefly shed an expression like, ¡®Why is this guy from another department telling us the obvious?¡¯ but Supervisor Park¡¯s frantic hand gestures stopped her from speaking out loud. ¡°Check the records of ordinary people who went in and came out, as well as the team that previously entered.¡± Section Chief Lee Jaheon took the documents from the Research Team. Meanwhile, someone tapped me on the shoulder. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± I turned to find a grinning researcher talking to me. ¡°Hey, do you want to bet on whether it¡¯s D-ss or F-ss?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°We like to ce small bets among ourselves. You should try it¡ªit¡¯s fun.¡± ¡°No, thank you.¡± I answered immediately. ¡®Is this guy out of his mind?¡¯ What if they get audited¡­? And this guy¡¯s talking gambling right in front of his boss. I nced at the Research Team¡¯s section chief reflexively. But this researcher shrugged. ¡°Eh, it¡¯s no big deal. It¡¯s not like someone¡¯s going to die because of a little bet.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Haha. Oh, look at that¡ªyour expression didn¡¯t even change. You¡¯ve got guts, Soleum-ssi.¡± I was too dumbfounded to control my facial muscles. ¡®Isn¡¯t this crossing the line for a workce?¡¯ It¡¯s certainly fitting behavior for a researcher in a world based on creepypastas. Chapter 16.2 Chapter 16.2 ¡°Just kidding. The Darkness we¡¯re dealing with today isn¡¯t life-or-death serious. A lot of regr people escaped from it¡­ though the nning Team did have a hard time covering up all the fuss the Disaster Management Bureau made about it~¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± When none of D-squad¡¯s members responded, the Research Team 1 section chief just smiled and organized the remaining documents. ¡°Hoh.¡± The researcher who had been talking about bets looked over at us with a sneer, crossed his arms, and took on a casual, spectator-like stance. ¡®Is it really okay to act like that at work¡­?¡¯ I wasn¡¯t feeling great about it, but it¡¯s not like work in thispany is ever exactly pleasant. What mattered now was the Darkness we¡¯d been assigned. What kind of ghost story was it? ¡°Oh, Roe, you should take a look too.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I took the documents my superior handed me. ¡®I bet it¡¯s something I¡¯m familiar with.¡¯ And considering many civilians had escaped, it seemed like it wouldn¡¯t be too bad. At worst, maybe a D-ss story? I should be able to handle it without too much trouble. So, no need to panic¡­ ¡°Roe, did you read this? Something about portraits of clowns¡­ oh, if you see a clown ad, you get pulled in?¡± Clown ad¡­?! No way, it couldn¡¯t be¡­ ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story [The Clown Hates You] : A ghost story featured in : Daydream Inc. identification code ¨C Qterw-D-210. It involves an endless hallway lined with various clown portraits, where people are doomed to wander forever. Upon closer inspection, the portraits aren¡¯t of actual clowns but grotesquely twisted people forced into clown-like appearances, with distorted grins. ======================== ¡°¡­¡­¡± No way. ======================== The longer you stay, the more distorted and bizarre the portraits be. Those who go missing in this ghost story be new clown portraits. This is a rare, full-blown horror movie-style ghost story in terms of exploration records. ======================== Wow. I scanned the exploration record with trembling eyes. ¡­¡­ It¡¯s really that. ¡®Wow, it¡¯s here.¡¯ A full-on horror theme, way scarier than the convenience store ghost. ¡°Haha, well, let¡¯s head in then!¡± Excuse me! Forget the triple points event¡ªjust cancel it! I don¡¯t want to go in! * * * But of course, in society, words like that don¡¯t really fly¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± I opened my eyes. Before me was a dark, pitch-ck hallway¡ªno, more like a corridor, just as gloomy as my future. The walls were stered with grotesque clown portraits, each bearing twisted, unsettling expressions. ¡®F-Fuck.¡¯ The method for entering this ce was terrifying from the start: 1- Watch a YouTube ad featuring a clown with a red noseughing maniacally while staring directly at the viewer. 2- In any enclosed indoor hallway, a clown¡¯s hand suddenly appears from around a corner. 3- If you get too close, it grabs your wrist and pulls you into this hallway. I nearly passed out just from that part. ¡®This is insane.¡¯ I looked around nervously. The exploration records yed vividly in my mind, warning me of all the terrifying things that would happen no matter which wall I approached. Cold sweat trickled down my back. ¡®Honestly, anyone would be scared of this ce, not just me¡­¡¯ ¡°Hm. It¡¯s not that dark. We probably don¡¯t need to turn on our shlights.¡± ¡°Section Chief! Shouldn¡¯t we wait until our eyes adjust to the dark?¡± ¡°Right. Close your eyes for 60 seconds.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± responded Supervisor Park in a clear, confident voice. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Are they serious? To calmly suggest closing our eyes for a full minute in a dark hallway filled with unsettling clown portraits? ¡°Roe, close your eyes too.¡± I guess that¡¯s the n. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± I pretended to close my eyes but instead stared at the floor, sweat pouring down my face. I just realized something. These people. They¡¯re basically immune to fear. Unless it¡¯s a life-threatening situation, their threshold for fear is absurdly high! They¡¯re the kind of people who would say things like, ¡®The scariest thing in life is people,¡¯ and find horror movies boring! ¡®Well, that¡¯s probably why they work here!¡¯ But no matter how brave they are, surely they wouldn¡¯t be able to stay so calm if those grotesque portraits started moving¡­ ¡°Hmm¡­ If you get too close to the portraits or stab them, sometimes they crawl out and chase after you.¡± ¡°Oh, right. When that happens, the painting bes empty, and a few people have used that as a way to escape back to reality.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Section Chief Lee¡¯s voice remained calm andposed. ¡°Stab every portrait you see.¡± I nearly yelped. ¡°Yes, sir! If anythinges to life, I¡¯ll signal and run immediately!¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll repeat the attempt every hour.¡± ¡°Oh, did it say they crawl? That¡¯s good, less mobility.¡± ¡°Exactly. Oh, Roe! I noticed earlier¡ªthere¡¯s a clown with strange eyes over there on the left. Looks just like a movie poster, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It resembles the description of a missing civilian. I guess when you go missing here, you end up like that.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but look up. In the eerie darkness, there was a portrait of a clown, with a button for one eye, smeared in colorful clown makeup, baring a forced, toothy grin. ¡®¡­It moved.¡¯ I was sure of it¡ªthe pupil of its remaining eye just shifted. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Roe, want to try touching that one first?¡± Ah, no!! Please, just stop! ¡°¡­Uh, yes.¡± Why did I say yes? I can¡¯t even go near it! A strong sense of foreboding hit the back of my neck. If I keep matching the tempo of these lunatics, I won¡¯t survive here. ¡°So, Roe will start with the upper-left portrait¡­¡± ¡°Wait a second.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± This is my chance! ¡°I think I¡¯ve figured out the right way to escape.¡± ¡°W-What?¡± It¡¯s been less than a minute since we got here, but anyway, I¡¯ve figured it out! Just trust me! ¡°I deduced it from reading the records of civilian escapees.¡± Has my brain ever worked this fast before? ¡®I can¡¯t let these fearless maniacs take the lead!¡¯ ¡°First, we must not touch the other portraits.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± Because I¡¯m terrified, that¡¯s why. But my mouth said something different. ¡°¡­There must be a specific correct answer.¡± Is this what survival instinct feels like? I immediately pulled out the toy coin from my equipment and summoned the translucent glove into the air. Then, I handed over twenty 500-won coins to the glove as if I were dumping them on a big-time YouTuber. (T/N: Approx. 8 USD total) The glove froze for a second, like it was in shock from the generous donation, then happily spun around in the air before merging with my hand. ¡°Wait, is that your equipment, Roe?¡± ¡°Yes. It allows me to remotely touch objects.¡± ¡°Whoa.¡± At least now I didn¡¯t have to approach the clown portraits and touch them myself. But I pretended I had a different n, nodding seriously as if deep in thought. ¡°From now on¡­ I want to run and see as many portraits as possible. We need to find the correct one.¡± I looked at Section Chief Lee Jaheon. ¡°And starting now, the portrait I describe will be the correct one.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°If you spot it, please tell me immediately. Is that okay?¡± If this works, I won¡¯t have to examine each and every clown portrait myself! ¡®Of course, if he responds with Who¡¯s this rookie to boss us around?, it¡¯s all over¡­¡¯ But Section Chief Lee didn¡¯t seem like the type to be obsessed with authority. Even though he had a lizard¡¯s head! And maybe even thinks like a lizard! ¡°Sure.¡± It worked! Relief coursed down my spine, almost making my legs give out, but I held on, nodding as if everything was still under control. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll start running.¡± I acted as if I were testing out some brilliant new hypothesis, one that required running to test properly¡­ ¡®Though it¡¯s actually not necessary at all¡­¡¯ Escaping from here is surprisingly simple. ¡®You can touch any portrait you want, and it won¡¯t affect finding the correct one¡­¡¯ If you¡¯re brave enough, you could just stroll around casually and figure it out. But I had already learned my lesson. I learned the hard way during that game of tag with the ghost at the convenience store. What¡¯s the key to survival for a coward? ¡®Speedrun!¡¯ Haunted house midway escape. Let¡¯s go! Chapter 17.1 Chapter 17.1 Around the time Field Exploration Team¡¯s D-squad entered the ghost story, ¡°Section Chief, what do you think the grade will be this time? D-ss again, most likely?¡± ¡°Hey, Supervisor Lee. You should be more tactful about these things, yeah?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fun and all, but let¡¯s keep it within the Development Department. Don¡¯t bring it up when other teams are around. Got it?¡± ¡°¡­Ah, yes.¡± The Research Team supervisor, who had been grinning as he talked about betting with Kim Soleum, finally shut his mouth. How annoying. He had underestimated Section Chief Kwak Jaekang, thinking he was young and easygoing, so it was unpleasant to be scolded over something like this. And this irritation reminded him of someone else who had seemed even more irritating¡ªan easy target. That rookie from the Field Exploration Team! ¡®The nerve of him, staring down at his superiors.¡¯ He had tried to include the rookie in the bet, but the new hire had outright refused, lookingpletely unimpressed. Kim Soleum, wasn¡¯t it? ¡®You¡¯re just ab rat for human experiments, so where¡¯s your attitudeing from?¡¯ If you¡¯re a rookie in the Field Exploration Team, half of your life is already forfeit. But seeing him act all stiff-necked just because he made some achievement? It wasughable. He had heard stories of clueless rookies like this every year, and now, he was seeing one for himself. ¡®Will he die? It¡¯d be hrious if he did.¡¯ His morally numb brain anticipated a rush of dopamine, making him salivate a bit at the thought. He quickly sent a message in thepany¡¯s anonymous betting group chat. ¨C am betting 10 on d-ss ¨C kk It was more than a bet¡ªit was his hope. The chances of them dying would be much higher if it were D-ss! Then, a superior interrupted his thoughts. ¡°Supervisor Lee, make sure the preliminary report is ready by the end of the day.¡± ¡°¡­Yeees.¡± ¡®Not like theb rats will make it out of the Darkness before my shift ends anyway.¡¯ His boss was making him handle the kind of tasks he¡¯d normally pass on to his junior during a shift change. Why did he have such bad luck with supervisors? Grumbling internally, the Research Team assistant supervisor continued writing the preliminary experiment report. 3.2 Test Subjects Adults over the age of 18 who have seen the five-second video ad titled ¡®The Clown Hates You¡¯, yed as a promotion on a certain video tform 4. ¡®After watching that, they approached the clown¡¯s hand, which then dragged them in, right?¡¯ Isn¡¯t approaching something like that just stupid? If you see something suspicious, you should run away. From that point, it¡¯s already natural selection at work. ¡®But then, there are the lucky civilians who manage to escape.¡¯ ording to the testimonies of surviving civilians, they managed to return to reality by jumping into the empty portrait after a clown left. ¡®The test subjects know that going in.¡¯ However, there wasn¡¯t any clear indication of which portrait was the right one. The hallway types, the sizes of the portraits, the frame designs, even the timing¡ªit all varied. It seemed that most people who escaped had simply jumped into the empty portraits by chance and got lucky. ¡®Finding the correct portrait is going to be a real grind.¡¯ The Darkness required a lot of stamina, with people having to wake up clowns, evade them, and sometimes even fight them off. At the same time, not knowing which portrait was the right one must have been nerve-wracking! At least one or two deaths were practically guaranteed in this scenario. They¡¯d probably make sacrifices as they tested out different portraits. ¡®For someone to escape, it¡¯ll take at least half a day, maybe even a few days¡­¡¯ ¡°Waaaaah!¡± ¡°Clear!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Wait, what? The researcher turned his head. From the corner of theb, a group of people suddenly poured in. ¡­It was the entire Field Exploration Team D-squad! ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± ¡°Is the Dream Essence Collector full?¡± ¡°Yes! Oh, it¡¯s D-ss!¡± He reflexively checked his watch. It was 2:41 PM. ¡®They entered at 2:15 PM¡­¡¯ Only 26 minutes had passed since they entered. Wait. ¡®¡­26 minutes?!¡¯ Seeing the four members of D-squad emerge from the ghost story in less time than it would take for a quick coffee break, a heavy silence settled over Research Team 1¡¯s office. ¡®Am I dreaming?¡¯ No. ¡®Are we the ones trapped in a ghost story?¡¯ Not that either. ¡°¡­My goodness! How did you all get out so quickly? Section Chief, did you smash your way through again?¡± Kwak Jaekang¡¯s admiration was met with an immediate response. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°He did it.¡± Kwak Jaekang¡¯s gaze shifted to the D-squad superiors speaking in unison. ¡°¡­Nice to see you again.¡± The rookie who had quietly been standing at the back bowed his head. It was Kim Soleum. ¡°¡­This friend did it?¡± The unspoken question, ¡®Isn¡¯t he just a rookie?¡¯ was met with a casual reply. ¡°What¡¯s new?¡± ¡°Roe was like this on his first day, too.¡± ¡°¡­¡­??¡± The assistant manager and supervisor of D-squad didn¡¯t say anything more and began organizing their equipment. Section Chief Lee Jaheon nodded. ¡°That¡¯s how it is.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°This ghost story is D-ss.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, of course.¡± Section Chief Lee Jaheon promptly started his report. Kwak Jaekang, ustomed to his efficiency-driven, stream-of-consciousness style, responded right away. ¡°So, what¡¯s the clear mechanism?¡± ¡°? I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Oh. May I exin?¡± The rookie raised his hand from the back. Chapter 17.2 Chapter 17.2 ¡°Uhh, sure¡­ go ahead.¡± ¡°First, to enter this Darkness, you must have seen the pre-entry ad, ¡®The Clown Hates You,¡¯ right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°But, the clown is not actually a clown.¡± ¡°¡­¡­??¡± ¡°Clowns wear colorful makeup, smile cheerfully, and perform tricks. They¡¯re a type of traditional entertainer.¡± And? ¡°But this clown wears monochromatic makeup and has a frowning face.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°There¡¯s a clear distinction.¡± A faint smile flickered on Kim Soleum¡¯s pale face before disappearing. ¡°And since the ad says, ¡®The Clown Hates You,¡¯ I assumed it wouldn¡¯t chase us.¡± After all, entertainers don¡¯t chase people they dislike. ¡°So I looked for the portrait with monochromatic makeup and only red lips, and I avoided all the other portraits.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°To be cautious, I kept a safe distance of 3 meters and remotely touched the portrait.¡± He considered all that while clearing a ghost story in just half an hour? And based on the oue¡­ ¡°The clown didn¡¯te out of the portrait.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Instead, it quietly disappeared from the painting.¡± This rookie had identified the correct solution. While previous civilians had been chased by clowns falling out of various portraits, D-squad, interacting only with one from a safe distance, had figured out the situation perfectly. The researcher felt chills running down his spine. The rookie even factored in other variables. ¡°There was a record stating that shining light on the portraits would cause all the clowns to jump out, so we didn¡¯t use any light sources.¡± ¡°Huh? Then how did you manage to identify the portraits from 3 meters away in such Darkness?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Kim Soleum blinked. ¡°The Section Chief could see them just fine.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ah. Kwak Jaekang tried not to turn and look at D-squad¡¯s section chief, who seemed like the embodiment of ¡®strength in human form¡¯. ¡°From now on, I believe future entrants should bring night vision goggles, and they should have no problems.¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­ that makes sense.¡± ¡°That concludes my report.¡± Another heavy silence followed. Kwak Jaekang muttered quietly to himself. ¡°He figured all this out just from reviewing the pre-entry information?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The rookie added, as if he¡¯d just realized something. ¡°Maybe none of the people who entered before were familiar with American pop culture.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Could it really be exined that simply¡­? ¡°Uh, Soleum-ssi, did you study abroad or something?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± Kim Soleum answered immediately. ¡°I just happen to know a lot of random stuff.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The researchers witnessed the rare sight of Kwak Jaekang, usually a smooth talker, at a loss for words! ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve also written a temporary manual based on this theory. Supervisor Park Minseong was kind enough to lend me a notebook¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t do anything~ Roe, you did it all~¡± As Park¡¯s words echoed in the background, the researchers watched as Kwak Jaekang received the notebook from him. They craned their necks to peek inside. Sure enough, the hypothesis Kim Soleum had exined earlier was neatly organized in the notebook. ¡®¡­¡­!¡¯ Kwak Jaekang quickly skimmed through it, then closed it with a smile. ¡°¡­Interesting. Let¡¯s test it.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Thus, the prototype manual waspleted, all thanks to a single person¡ªa rookie, no less. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The researcher who had made the bet earlier briefly wondered if he was dreaming. Even if Soleum had known about clowns by chance¡­ how could someonee up with a theory and escape in just thirty minutes, even in a life-threatening situation? No. Does that even make sense? ¡®Could he be some kind of monster pretending to be human?¡¯ But then again, there¡¯s no way something like that would get hired by the Field Exploration Team. And besides, the Dream Essence Collector only reacts to humans, right? ¡°Squad Leader, the Research Team wants that piece you brought back from the Darkness.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Meanwhile, Section Chief Lee Jaheon handed over a piece of cloth he had been holding. ¡°What is that¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, Squad Leader Lee grabbed it when the portrait clown tried to escape¡­¡± It was a torn piece of fabric from when Squad Leader Lee had sprinted 3 meters to grab the clown by the cor, preventing its escape. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®Are they birds of a feather?¡¯ Were the two somehow rted? Now that he thought about it, they did resemble each other a bit. Both had a slick, sharp appearance. The researcher nearly let his imagination run wild with absurd thoughts. And, back to the rookie who had caused such shock and rm¡­ ¡®I, I¡¯m alive.¡¯ His heart was still racing from acting impulsively, not thinking of the consequences. ¡®Why did the clown have teeth?! Why was it peeling off people¡¯s skin?! Why was it sucking people into the sewer like balloons?!¡¯ Having witnessed all sorts of terrifying, animated clown portraits, he¡¯d probably developed a fear of clowns for life. ¡®Another reason for insomnia added to the list¡­¡¯ What amazed him was how he had managed to bluff his way through the situation, talking his way out of it. ¡®Wait, did I really pull it off?¡¯ Wasn¡¯t I acting too suspicious? I hope they don¡¯t think I had a cheat sheet and end up dragging me to some secretb in the basement of Daydream Inc.! Just as Kim Soleum was about to let his anxiety take over, Kwak Jaekang, who had quietly been holding the notebook, finally spoke. ¡°¡­New Hire Kim Soleum. Haven¡¯t you gotten your business card printed yet?¡± Kim Soleum, snapping back to reality, responded promptly. ¡°No, new hires don¡¯t receive business cards yet¡­¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t y dumb. You know what I mean.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Suddenly, something came to mind. The business card the host had handed him at the wee party. ©¤©¤©¤ If needed 010-0153-24865 ©¤©¤©¤ The Research Team 1¡¯s section chief smirked. ¡°If you want to earn points faster, contact that number.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I have a feeling you¡¯ll be calling soon.¡± It sounded like a tempting offer. However. ¡°No, thank you.¡± Kim Soleum responded without hesitation. ¡°¡­Hmm. If that¡¯s your decision.¡± Kwak Jaekang shrugged and let it go lightly. ¡°Is there any particr reason not to? Haha.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The reason was simple. ¡®More terrifying events? No, thank you.¡¯ His heart, still shaken by the recent ordeal, couldn¡¯t take it. Kim Soleum had already decided to settle for the current ¡®triple points event¡¯ and leave it at that! Chapter 18.1 Chapter 18.1 I¡¯ll be honest. Now, it¡¯s been a month since I joined. Surprisingly, working at a ghost story corporation¡­ it¡¯s actually bearable! ¡°Wow, crazy, another clear in 30 minutes!¡± ¡°Are they actually doing better than C-squad?¡± Hearing lines that sound like they belong in some YouTube web drama, spoken in real life, is surreal. ¡°Hey, enjoy it. All of this is your achievement.¡± It was lunchtime. Assistant Manager Eun, proudly carrying both the A and B menu options from the cafeteria, spoke coolly. By the way, we¡¯d already cleared one case this morning. ¡°Thanks to Roe, I¡¯m doing the crazy thing of clearing twelve new ghost stories in a month.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s all thanks to your excellent leadership.¡± ¡°Leadership, my foot. I¡¯m just enjoying the ride.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ll buy beef today, Soleum-sunbaenim.¡± ¡°Minseong-ah, that¡¯s a bit¡­¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong with that? Roe¡¯s definitely more of a sunbae than me.¡± When a superior makes jokes like this, it can be surprisingly hard to react without feeling awkward¡­ But, whether it was a joke or genuine, Supervisor Park didn¡¯t wait for my reaction. Instead, he showed off his excitement, proudly disying a screenshot of his monthly point umtion. ¡°Already 5,000 points!¡± Yeah. [Supervisor Park Minseong / umted Points: 5,200P] That¡¯s also how many points I earned in a month. ¡®Speedruns do work¡­¡¯ I never imagined my survival tactics would end up like this. Most of the ghost stories were F-ss or D-ss, so it was manageable. ¡®It seems like high-level ones don¡¯te around often.¡¯ If they did, the world would have ended already with a ¡®And so, the world perished¡¯ finale for this universe. Anyway, my superiors were more excited than I was. They seemed to find it more amusing since it wasn¡¯t their work. ¡°Probably the fastest record for a new hire in thepany¡¯s history, right?¡± ¡°Oooh!¡± Ah, now that I think about it, I¡¯ve barely seen any of the other new recruits. Since I¡¯ve been going in and out of the Research Team¡¯s office at the 17th floor daily, I haven¡¯t had many opportunities to meet the other squads of the Field Exploration Team. ¡®And Baek Saheon and I are still pretending the other doesn¡¯t exist.¡¯ To maintain the crazy persona I adopted, I¡¯d sometimes throw in over-the-top work-rted jokes. ¨C You¡¯re going on a ghost investigation today, right? Wanna bet on how many civilians die? ¨C ¡­¡­ The researcher who liked to gamble gave me some inspiration. Thanks, buddy. Anyway, seeing Baek Saheon gritting his teeth and ignoring me showed that my approach was effective. ¡®Smooth sailing.¡¯ I finished thest sip of my galbi-tang (short ribs soup) and set the bowl down. Clocking out on time, and getting bonuses. ¡®The cafeteria food¡¯s not bad either.¡¯ In terms of benefits, thispany would probably get a 3.5 rating or higher on sites like ¡®Employment Korea¡¯. Of course, there¡¯s the massive stress thates with essentially spending every day in haunted houses where ghosts appear¡­ ¡®Things I would¡¯ve refused to do no matter what before¡­ Well, that¡¯s just typical corporate life now, I guess.¡¯ And just like any other job, the sense of aplishment from getting results somehow makes you think it¡¯s not so bad. ¡°Roe.¡± Assistant Manager Eun spoke softly and quietly. ¡°At this rate, higher-ups are bound to take notice.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± ¡°Your performance, I mean.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°You can chalk it up to luck once or twice, but not ten times in a row.¡± Assistant Manager Eun squinted and grinned. ¡°Someone higher up will definitely want to take a closer look at you. When that happens, make sure to let us know. Tell the squad leader too.¡± Hmm. If this were a normalpany, I¡¯d be worrying about credit being stolen and might¡¯ve considered keeping quiet. But here? This is the world of horror stories, and my superiors had already experienced me saving their lives before. I nodded obediently. ¡°Yes, I will.¡± ¡°See, even though he may not look like it¡­ or rather, just by looking at him, you can tell our squad leader is quite exceptional, right?¡± Our eyes followed Section Chief Lee Jaheon, who was finishing his meal quickly and leaving the cafeteria. ¡°If you ever get an absurd request, just ask for his help once. He¡¯ll cover for you.¡± That lizard? ¡°¡­Understood.¡± ¡°Okay. Roe, you¡¯re good at understanding things.¡± To be honest, I wasn¡¯t fully convinced, but I just nodded. That¡¯s something I¡¯ll have to keep secret for the future. Anyway¡­ So, they might start talking about me in the higher-ups, huh? I stood up, clearing my tray, while thinking. ¡®At this point, it¡¯s inevitable that I¡¯ll stand out.¡¯ I¡¯ve pretty much epted that. After all, if I¡¯d seen a clown crawling out of a portrait with only its upper body, I probably would¡¯ve passed out on the spot¡­ But there¡¯s one thing I can rely on. ¡®They can¡¯t give a newbie anything harder than this, right?¡¯ If they do, it wouldn¡¯t be a simple job dump but actual core tasks for the department. Making a new recruit, who¡¯s only been here a month and isn¡¯t even experienced, handle the department¡¯s core responsibilities? That¡¯s something you¡¯d only see in a crazy YouTube skit. Plus, it would go against the unwritten rules of any big corporation. I¡¯ll just chalk this up to my work evolving into ¡®unhandled ghost stories¡¯ and consider myself lucky. If this bes a regr thing, they¡¯ll just think, ¡®Oh, this guy¡¯s specialized in that area,¡¯ and get used to it. ¡°Shall we head back?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± I made my decision and returned my dishes. However, at that moment, as I was getting used to this strange world and work life, I forgot one universal truth about society. The one about¡­ The nail that sticks out gets hammered down! Chapter 18.2 Chapter 18.2 At the same time, in the office of Research Team 1. ¡®They cleared it again in just over an hour¡­¡¯ One researcher, who had been cking off while reviewing Team D¡¯s records, gritted his teeth. ¡®How many points have they earned so far? 5,000P?¡¯ At this rate, within a few years, they might break the record for fastest Wish Ticket acquisition¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Lucky you, huh?¡± The researcher muttered bitterly. ¡°Some of us are stuck in theb, facing all sorts of horrors, and we can barely scrape together 500 points a month without hazard pay.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Meanwhile, a newbie racks up 50,000 points in a month¡­¡± ¡°Hey, cut it out.¡± The researcher mmed up. The fact that he couldn¡¯t evenin about the situation made him even more frustrated inside. Something wasn¡¯t right. ¡®Some people get lucky and pick the best equipment, making points easily.¡¯ Meanwhile, others don¡¯t even have ess to those kinds of points or privileges, not even in their wildest dreams. ¡®The Field Exploration Team should be below research positions. We¡¯re the elite, and we should be treated better¡ªthis isn¡¯t fair.¡¯ It was truly unfair. That thought was genuine. Of course, he conveniently forgot that he had often mocked the Field Exploration Team employees, calling them b rats¡¯. ¡°Well, sometimes things just fall into ce during ghost explorations. That¡¯s how it goes.¡± Section Chief Kwak Jaekangmented with a smile, throwing a casual remark toward the researcher. ¡°Though, I admit, this case is something else.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ignoring the researcher¡¯s sour expression, Kwak Jaekang flicked through the documents. ¡°Oh, and I hear this ghost story requires more than 10 people to enter?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Supervisor Lee?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. That¡¯s correct. You need ten people to enter the ghost story.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± With a smile, Kwak Jaekang picked up a pen. ¡°Looks like this will be a team effort, then.¡± ¨C Assigned : Squads A, D & Y ¡°¡­¡­¡± The researcher watched as Kwak Jaekang pulled out the roster and marked the squads. And then it happened. ¡°Supervisor Lee.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Do you know what the alphabetical order of the Field Exploration Teams means?¡± He did not. Since he was just doing his job on autopilot and keeping his head down, there was no way he would be well-versed in the organizational structure of other departments. Kwak Jaekangughed and casually tapped the documents. It was a strange kind ofughter. ¡°In a word, it¡¯s ranked by performance.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°You know how schools have honors sses, regr sses, and remedial sses?¡± The researcher suddenly realized something. ¡°Then¡­ is D-squad an honors ss?¡± ¡°No.¡± A firm denial came back. ¡°A to C. Those are the elites.¡± Kwak Jaekang tapped his pen on the corresponding teams. ¡°The rest are just expendables.¡± ¡°¡­Ah.¡± For a brief moment, the researcher felt a little better. ¡°But you know, just between us¡­ D-squad¡¯s performance has been so goodtely that there¡¯s some talk about a big promotion during the next assignment cycle. Haha.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± As with any corporate gossip, such overly bold statements were usually not reliable rumors. Still, the researcher felt a bit anxious. ¡®Is there any bad news?¡¯ As if on cue, Kwak Jaekang mumbled something in a seemingly regretful tone. ¡°But man, what bad timing. They¡¯re entering together with A-squad¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­! Is it bad to go in with the elite team?¡± ¡°Well, of course. You know why, right?¡± Kwak Jaekang stroked his chin. ¡°There are times when a sacrifice is needed to open an escape route in certain ghost stories.¡± Especially¡­ In those that requirerge teams. Kwak Jaekang shrugged. ¡°This exploration is going to give us plenty to talk about.¡± * * * A few dayster. Just like the past month, D-squad received a call and headed up to the 17th floor. There, they were met with an unexpected sight. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± There were other visitors in Research Team 1¡¯s office. People wearing various masks. ¡®Are they from another squad in the Field Exploration Team?¡¯ I quickly counted the heads. There were about seven of them. Among them was someone I recognized. ¨C Can it bring the dead back to life? It was the same new hire who had asked about the Wish Ticket at the orientation. That one wearing a cow mask was quietly standing with his head bowed, leaning against a desk. There was a slightly gloomy aura around him. His hair was long, especially for a man, to the point where you might expect thepany to give him a hard time about it. Of course, it didn¡¯t seem like anyone in this room cared about such things. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°This¡­ Ahem¡­¡± As D-squad¡¯s seniors reacted to the people filling the office space, with some mixture of admiration and sighs¡­ ¡°Oh, D-squad is finally here! Come in,e in~ Let¡¯s start the briefing.¡± Kwak Jaekang appeared and began leading everyone into the attached meeting room. As we walked, I overheard Assistant Manager Eun asking a question. ¡°Are we going in together with the other teams?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Assistant Manager Eun nced around, then quietly walked over to me and whispered low enough that others couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°See those employees with the gold-marked masks?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the A-squad.¡± I knew. ¡®They¡¯re the elite team.¡¯ In Daydream Inc., thepany could only function if someone cleared the ghost stories and extracted the resources. ¡®To avoid a plot hole where thepany copses, there has to be a group of people inhumanly good at their job¡­¡¯ That¡¯s why A-squad was known for having so many notable figures in the . I gave a small nod. Chapter 18.3 Chapter 18.3 A-squad consisted of three people wearing a butterfly, praying mantis, and teal duck mask. Then, the person wearing the teal duck mask from A-squad spoke up. It was the voice of an energetic, older woman. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re that famous Employee Kim Soleum?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± I instinctively bowed my head, but cold sweat started to form. ¡®That¡¯ Kim Soleum? What kind of rumors are circting about me? ¡°Right, right. If we get the chance, let¡¯s meet sometime. You¡¯ve got a bright future ahead, kid.¡± The woman passed by me and took her seat. ¡­That must be the leader of A-squad. Assistant Manager Eun continued exining. ¡°And¡­ the ones without the gold marks on their masks are the Y-squad.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Three people wearing masks without gold marks, plus the new employee with the cow mask that I recognized. There was a somewhat gloomy atmosphere surrounding them. ¡°The leader of Y-squad isn¡¯t a manager, just a regr employee, but don¡¯t worry about it. Just stay quiet.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± I already knew that, too. Supervisor Park whispered to me. ¡°Um¡­ Roe. The people you met today from the other squads, especially the Y-squad, just keep things light with them, okay? I¡¯ll tell you whyter.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± I nodded without question. I already had a rough idea of what that ter exnation¡¯ might be. But suddenly, Supervisor Park sitting next to me seemed touched. ¡°Huh. Honestly¡­ I love that you¡¯re like a more tactful version of the section chief.¡± ¡°I think so too.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Was that¡­ apliment? ¡°Alright, if everyone could take their seats, let¡¯s get started with the briefing.¡± Kwak Jaekang stood in front of the board without even turning on the prompter. ¡°I was going to exin the ghost story you¡¯ll be entering today, but¡­!¡± Kwak Jaekang let out a chuckle. ¡°The truth is, we don¡¯t know much.¡± ¡°¡­¡­??¡± ¡°What do you mean by that, Section Chief Kwak?¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one piece of information from a civilian escape!¡± ¡°¡­Hoh.¡± In the silence, a few documents were handed out. I looked over the brief page, which was more like a memo. While ying a board game during a club retreat at Hanmaeum-gadeuk Pension in Gangwon-do, all 12 university students went missing. The board game in question is presumed to be a creation of Cheerful Research Institute* under the trademark ¡®Cheerful Theme Park! ~Joyful Fantasnd Adventure~¡¯. The survivors stated that the board game was ¡®already ced inside the pension¡¯. The pension owner denies this. Result : After 17 hours, some members returned. They testified to ¡®living inside a theme park within the board game¡¯. Various symptoms such as delusions, PTSD, and mild to severe neuroses were reported. Survivors : 4 Missing : 1 Deceased : 7 The next page contained brief statements from each survivor about their time in the ¡®board game theme park¡¯. The descriptions were fragmented, likely due to their severe psychological trauma. But even that was enough for me to recognize it. I swallowed hard. ¡®It¡¯s about time for this one.¡¯ It finally arrived. A ghost story requiring arge group to participate! ¡°The yer limit for this board game must exceed 10 people? That¡¯s why the group size is sorge?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, we tried to recreate the conditions as closely as possible.¡± Kwak Jaekang winked. ¡°But! Despite the harsh circumstances, my team has figured out the best way to enter.¡± ¡°You just brought the board game, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Haha! Don¡¯t be so harsh, Assistant Manager Jin. We even got the game rules.¡± The A-squad employee in the butterfly mask didn¡¯t respond, but Kwak Jaekang didn¡¯t mind as he ced the board game on the table. ¡°Here it is.¡± [Cheerful Theme Park!] ~Joyful Fantasnd Adventure~ : Be the first team to ride all three fantasy attractions with your teammates and win spectacr prizes! The front of the nearly brand-new box was adorned with a colorful depiction of Fantasnd. When the box was opened, it revealed a map of the theme park divided into zones and brightly colored coins. ¡°Now, let¡¯s split into teams and start the board game.¡± He says it so cheerfully, urging us to enter a ghost story where more than half the people died. ¡°Should we just form teams based on our squads?¡± ¡°Oh, actually¡­ you¡¯ll draw game pieces from these capsules, and your team will be based on the color you draw!¡± Kwak Jaekang pulled out a small capsule from one side of the box and showed it to everyone. ¡°If you shake it, the piece will drop from this hole.¡± ¡°It¡¯s random, then.¡± With sighs, people began shaking the capsules and drawing game pieces one by one. ¡®Blue, yellow, red¡­ huh.¡¯ As expected, this kind of thing usually goes in order of seniority, so my turn was almostst. The piece I drew was¡­ ¡°Employee Kim, you¡¯ve got red.¡± Of course, I got the red piece. In the world of ghost stories, red isn¡¯t exactly a lucky color, and I wasn¡¯t feeling great about it. ¡®Well, the color doesn¡¯t really matter in this ghost story.¡¯ Even if people draw the same color, different things happen, after all. I swallowed hard, feeling nervous. Anyway. Are we entering now? ¡°Once the game board is set up, we¡¯ll begin the entry!¡± However, even after Squad Leader Lee Jaheon unfolded the game board, nothing happened. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Um? A sudden thought crossed my mind, and I counted the number of people. Four with yellow, four with blue. And those who drew red, like me¡­ Assistant Manager Jin from A-squad, the new employee from Y-squad that I recognized¡­ and me. Three people in total. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ah. ¡®The red team doesn¡¯t have enough yers.¡¯ ¡°We¡¯re missing one person,¡± Lee Jaheon said, turning his vertical pupils toward Kwak Jaekang. ¡°It seems we can¡¯t enter with just 11 people. We need all 12 to try again.¡± ¡°Oh, that?¡± Kwak Jaekang casually responded and tossed the capsule containing the game pieces. ¡°Supervisor Lee, catch!¡± He threw it to the gambling-addicted researcher standing nearby. ¡°Wh, what?!¡± The researcher caught the capsule reflexively. Thud. Inside, the remaining red piece fell out. ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± ¡°I¡­I drew it?!¡± Wait a second. ¨C Departing for Fantasnd~! The game board shot up into the air, swirling before swallowing our surroundings. ¡°Uwaaahhh!¡± ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± I heard the researcher¡¯s scream echoing in my ears, followed by Kwak Jaekang¡¯sughter. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I recalled the back pages of Kwak Jaekang¡¯s entry on the wiki. ======================== Ghost story-obsessed psycho. Mad scientist. When exploring ghost stories with little information, he often maniptes the situation by suggesting dangerousbinations or actions, leading to obvious deaths in order to gather peculiar data. He is a major contributor to expanding exploration records. For details on Kwak Jaekang¡¯s disciplinary records, see the #ExplorationRecords(Supplementary) page. ======================== ¡­I had always been wary that a day like this mighte. ¡°What the¡ª What is this?!¡± I had a suspicion when we were grouped with arge number of people, including both A-squad and Y-squad¡­ ¡®He intentionally messed up our survival chances.¡¯ This wasn¡¯t about trying to clear the ghost story with the highest survival rate. The setup was for everyone except A-squad to die. Chapter 19.1 Chapter 19.1 The psychopathic doctor pushed his researcher into the ghost story exploration as a sacrificialmb. He was probably trying to observe how the people from the Field Exploration Team would die in even stranger ways by creating synergy with that researcher. The problem is that I¡¯m on the same team as that researcher. ¡®Phew¡­¡¯ I pulled myself together. My ears, rather than my eyes, were the first to sense the ghost story. ¨C ????~???~??? The cheerful sound of a melodica and orchestra. It was the typical BGM of a theme park. ¡°Hah¡­¡± When I opened my eyes, we found ourselves in the middle of an old-fashioned, colorfully painted theme park. ¨C Hahahaha! Theughter of children echoed around. However, there were no bare human faces to be seen anywhere. The only things wandering about were the mascots. In the distance, I thought I saw visitors in mascot costumes, but if you tried to approach, they would disappear like a lie. ¡®That¡¯s the kind of ce this is.¡¯ I immediately checked my wrist. [(Cheerful) Fantasnd Admission Ticket ¡õ¡õ¡õ] Three nk spaces. ¡®As expected.¡¯ It¡¯s that insane amusement park inside a board game, where you can only escape by riding three attractions. ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story [Cheerful Theme Park!] : A ghost story featured in : Daydream Inc. identification code ¨C Qterw-B-11 An amusement park within a board game themed around various fantasynds. If you use three major attractions after entering this ghost story, you can return home. This ghost story became more famous because of the supplemental booklet titled ¡®Cheerful Theme Park User Guide¡¯, written by people who yed the game while in a state of delirium. If you¡¯re looking for a game based on this ghost story, click this link. ======================== There are many theme park ghost stories. But among them, this one is particrly famous in the due to its bizarre, peculiar nature and relentless horror. ¡®They even had goods inspired by this theme park at the pop-up store.¡¯ It also gained a cult following through the supplement, . They call it a so-called ¡®Neapolitan ghost story¡¯. ¡®And it¡¯s a B-ss.¡¯ Gloom-ss Darkness. Civilian survival rate¡­ 2%. The four civilian survivors must have been extremely lucky to make it out alive. If wepared the list of missing persons who disappeared without a trace before, we¡¯d probably find quite a few cases where they all died in this ghost story. Cold sweat trickled down. ¡®¡­The people in D-squad are probably in danger.¡¯ But for now, I had my own crisis to deal with. Because I was the one stuck with the variable called ¡®the researcher got dragged into it¡¯! ¡°Uwaah, huff¡­ huff¡­ Let me out, this is wrong, wrong¡­!¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± I covered the researcher¡¯s mouth, who was having a fit, and made him crouch down. At that moment. Clunk. All the mascots in the theme park turned to look at the researcher who had been wailing. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ======================== Cheerful Theme Park User Guide (Applicable up to Exploration Record #64) 3- Please refrain from expressing negative and intense emotions such as crying, wailing, or screaming! They do not suit the atmosphere of the cheerful theme park. ======================== It was nothing short of a nightmare. I fought hard not to close my eyes. 3¡­ 2.. 1. The noise returned. ¨C Hahahaha! ¨C ????~???~??? The stares disappeared. As the lively atmosphere of the theme park returned, I slowly let go of the researcher. An employee from A-squad struck the researcher on the jaw. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Thud. After the short, dull sound, the A-squad employee, wearing a butterfly mask, gripped the researcher¡¯s jaw and leaned in close, speaking in a low, eerie voice. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°If you whine like that one more time, I¡¯ll start by killing you.¡± ¡°Hiie, hiiieek¡ª¡± The researcher, with a terrified expression, stumbled backward and copsed to the ground, clutching his head. He seemed to be muttering things like, ¡®This is a dream,¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s a lie,¡¯ mixed with curses, clearly in a state of panic. ¡°¡­Wasn¡¯t that a bit excessive?¡± A new employee from Y-squad spoke cautiously, but the A-squad employee ignored him. Instead, she turned to me and asked. ¡°Hey, newbie. I heard you were the top recruit? Your judgment¡¯s pretty good.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± ¡°Did you get your specialized equipment?¡± Hmm. So, she¡¯s treating me as a fellow employee, at least. ¡®Not part of the elite team, but still the top recruit?¡¯ I thought it was a ridiculously one-dimensional standard, but I answered politely without showing it. Yes, I had specialized equipment. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°A finger that can remotely touch things. It has limitations on time and usage.¡± That was all I said. And I had a question of my own to ask. ¡°What kind of weapon do you use, Assistant Manager?¡± ¡°Not that it¡¯s your business¡­ Hmm, fine.¡± The A-squad employee pulled at her index fingernail. It was a fake nail, the kind used for nail art. A sticky substance stretched out from the underside of the detached nail. It was a translucent thread. ¡°It can stretch endlessly, and it¡¯s pretty strong.¡± ¡°¡­That sounds extremely useful for various purposes.¡± ¡°Hmm. Yeah, I guess so.¡± She seemed to be in a better mood. I immediately nodded and asked. ¡°May I ask your name?¡± ¡°Just call me Assistant Manager Jin. What¡¯s with the awkward introductions?¡± Isn¡¯t it just basic courtesy when people meet for the first time¡­? Anyway, her surname¡¯s unique enough to identify her right away. ¡®Maybe¡­ it¡¯s this employee.¡¯ ¨C Assistant Manager Jin Nasol sneaks into the murderer¡¯s bedroom, sets the clock to 4:44. ¨C When asked, ¡°Do you have any particr grudge against carrots?¡± Jin Nasol answers seriously. No special remarks. ¨C Cuts off the limbs of a teddy bear (Executor: Employee Jin Nasol). And so on. There weren¡¯t enough descriptions to deduce her personality in detail, but she seemed to be portrayed as apetent and rather cold employee. At that moment, the new recruit from Y-squad quietly asked me. ¡°¡­What exactly do you mean by specialized equipment?¡± Ah, right. It made sense that he wouldn¡¯t fully understand yet. ¡°Oh, you can customize equipment using Darkness from thepany¡ª¡± ¡°Hey. Let¡¯s move quickly. Observationes first inrge-scale Darkness like this.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°What are you waiting for, top recruit? I said, let¡¯s move!¡± She cut me off without hesitation. Without waiting any longer, I followed Assistant Manager Jin from A-squad, who had already started walking, and responded. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll exin the situation to my colleague as we move.¡± ¡°What? Why bother with that¡­ oh.¡± The mouth beneath the butterfly mask curled into a strange smile. ¡°What, you really don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Well, do as you please.¡± I didn¡¯t argue back. Instead, I roughly exined to the new recruit from Y-squad what ¡®specialized equipment¡¯ was. I added this to ease any tension within the team. ¡°I thought long and hard about it and ended up using quite a lot of points to get mine. Things can be scary from now on.¡± ¡°I¡­ see.¡± Chapter 19.2 Chapter 19.2 I nodded and continued speaking. ¡°By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. I¡¯m Kim Soleum.¡± ¡°¡­I know.¡± A slightly gloomy voice slipped out from beneath the cow mask. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Jang Heo-un.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± I tried to speak to the researcher who had copsed to the ground, but all I got was a whimpering close to panic. ¡°No, no, I can¡¯t walk. Someone save me!¡± ¡°I could help you walk¡­ but your mobility would bepromised, Supervisor.¡± I added, as if concerned, ¡°In that case, it would increase your chance of dying.¡± He got up like magic. ¡®Just as I thought.¡¯ Assistant Manager Jin from A-squad nced at me with a look of disapproval but didn¡¯t interfere and just scanned the surroundings as she walked. I, too, quickened my pace and shifted my gaze. It was a shy yet somehow dizzying, stifling theme park, like something out of a dream. ¡®Is red the theme here?¡¯ There wasn¡¯t a single ce in this park¡ªgs, buildings, tents¡ªthat didn¡¯t feature a red symbol. ¡®We must¡¯ve drawn the red piece and ended up in this zone.¡¯ On the g, a cute rabbit was raising one hand and smiling. [Magic Bunny Arcade Zone] In other words, it¡¯s a magical rabbit adventure zone¡­ ¡®It¡¯s really got that theme park vibe.¡¯ That¡¯s when it happened. The rabbit mascot blocked Assistant Manager Jin¡¯s path. ¡°Ah, a roadblock¡­¡± ¡°Please hold on a moment.¡± I stopped Assistant Manager Jin, who was about to walk around the mascot. Because¡­ ¡°¡­It looks like a parade.¡± A line was drawn behind the rabbit mascot, and from afar, cheerful music and various colorful rabbits began to appear. But not a single thing about it was exciting. I tried my damnedest not to cover my face with my hands. ¡®It¡¯s starting¡­¡¯ ======================== Cheerful Theme Park User Guide (Applicable up to Exploration Record #64) 7- Cheer for the parade with a joyful expression! Everything that happens during the parade at the cheerful theme park is pleasant and never negative. Absolutely, absolutely not negative. ======================== The parade drew closer. The rabbit mascot in a dress waved its hand from atop a pce and then¡­ Bang! It struck nearby carrots with a colorful wand. And then all sorts of red, sparkling things began to pour down on the mascots. ¨C Uwaaahhh! Candy, jewels, flower petals, fireworks! But that wasn¡¯t all. Bang! The next one burst open, spilling out new red objects. Blood, entrails, organs! ¨C Hahahahahahaha! They came tumbling down. Tumble, tumble. The mascots danced, wading through the entrails. The cobblestone right in front of me turned red¡­ Wow, this is insane. ¡®This is the problem.¡¯ This crazy theme park spits out things that no human could ever smile at as if they were glitches, but if you scream or cry, you¡¯ll get [redacted]! ¨C Wo! Stter. The area in front of my shoe was soaked in blood. Something that had rolled over bumped into the tip of my shoe. An eyeball. ¡®!@#$!@%!%¡¯ Ack!! ACK!!! A silent scream burst from within me, running down my spine. ¡®I feel like I¡¯m going to throw up.¡¯ I squinted my eyes as much as I could, trying not to look directly at what was in front of me, pretending to be calm¡­ ¡°Ugh.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Wait a second. That wasn¡¯t my voice, was it? When I nced to the side, I saw the cow mask with its mouth covered. ¡®Could it be?¡¯ ¡°¡­Do you have trouble seeing violent things?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The cow mask slowly nodded. The lower part of the face, which wasn¡¯t hidden by the mask, had already turned pale. ¡®Arade¡­!¡¯ I almost felt my heart warm up. Finally, someone who was sharing the madness and terror of this insane situation with me! ¡®Hey, you¡¯re doing a great job holding it in!¡¯ I was about to suggest that we find a way to navigate this nightmare together when¡­ ¡°Ah, seriously¡­ what the hell are you saying?¡± It was a voice full of irritation. ¡­It was Assistant Manager Jin from A-squad. ¡°Can¡¯t handle seeing gore? How can you not understand that a wimp like that is just dead weight, not a backup life?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Hey, top recruit. I¡¯m telling you this because you have potential. That.¡± The tip of Assistant Manager Jin¡¯s index finger pointed at the new employee from Y-squad. The Y-squad employee flinched. ¡°Don¡¯t bother making friends with those X, Y, Z-tagged guys.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I¡¯d heard something simr from my direct superior earlier. ¨C Roe. The people you met today from the other squads, just keep things light with them, okay? ¡­I already knew the reason. ¡®The Field Exploration Team assigns an alphabet to each squad.¡¯ And there¡¯s a meaning to that order. Elite teams, A, B, C. Regr teams from D to W. And then X, Y, Z are¡­ ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Daydream Inc. / Field Exploration Team Round-Off Team A part of the Field Exploration Team that consists of individuals who passed the entry test but have some defect that makes them unfit for normal exploration tasks. They are mainly used for experimenting in special situations. Usually referred to by thest three letters of the alphabet (X, Y, Z). ======================== ¡°Thest three letters of the alphabet are where they put people like that. They¡¯re just meat shields. They¡¯re like extra lives given to employees who know how to do their jobs, so don¡¯t pay attention to them.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°They talk about variable elimination or whatever, and they don¡¯t properly exin it to the newbies, but since they¡¯re going to die here anyway, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± The employee in the cow mask stiffened. ¡°W-What are you¡­¡± ¡°Round-Off Team, cow mask. Raise your left hand.¡± ¡°?!¡± Like a lie. Jang Heo-un raised his left hand into the air. ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± The lower part of his face, not covered by the mask, had turned deathly pale with shock. ¡°W-What¡­!¡± The A-squad employee lifted her chin. ¡°That¡¯s how you use a meat shield.¡± ======================== When an employee of a certain rank or higher enters the Darkness with a Round-Off Team member, they can issue absolute orders to them. The Round-Off Team member must obey themand. ======================== Right. ¡®¡­It¡¯s a system to extract more brutal and dramatic exploration records.¡¯ In short, they¡¯re like ves or suicide squads. But seeing it in reality was more grotesque than I¡¯d imagined, especially since it seemed like the cow mask employee was trying to resist. Chapter 19.3 Chapter 19.3 ¡®This is insane.¡¯ The gold mark near the chin of the A-squad employee¡¯s butterfly mask glinted. ¡°If there¡¯s something dangerous that you want to try, just make those guys do it first. But sometimes they misunderstand the orders and end up dying. That just drives me nuts.¡± ¡°Ugh, uuugh¡­¡± ¡°Well, if they had enough sense to understand properly, they wouldn¡¯t have been assigned to a team like that, would they?¡± The insults continued casually, ending with the tired voice of someone suppressing their irritation, like a weary office worker. ¡°Why do they even bother applying to jobs like this and being a burden? Every time it¡¯s just¡­ lunatics, cultists, criminals¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± No doubt, they deliberately ced individuals with personality defects in the Round-Off Team. It was a plot device to lower the psychological barrier for people reading the ghost stories. ¡®It¡¯s like it feels better when someone evil or wed dies as a tool rather than a kind and normal person¡­¡¯ Seeing it in reality, though, left a bitter and disgusting feeling. What did the employee in the cow mask do wrong to deserve being treated like a suicide squad member? ¡°Even that pathetic coward¡­¡± Yeah, a coward¡­ ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± ¡­W-Wait just a second. Hold on, Assistant Manager! I feel like I just heard something huge¡­ ¡°¡­Did you just say ¡®coward¡¯?¡± ¡°Yeah. Can you believe there¡¯s a coward who passed the entry exam and still whines like that? Like that newbie from Y-squad.¡± ¡­¡­ ¡®That¡¯s it?¡¯ Seriously? That newbie in the cow mask got assigned to the Round-Off Team because he¡¯s a coward? Being scared was considered that big of a w? Then¡­ ¡®What about me?¡¯ ¡­Aren¡¯t I a coward too! Suddenly, memories from my first day at work shed like a panorama. The things I said to my superiors after running away from the ghost at the convenience store. ¨C Uh, actually¡­ I ran out quickly because I was scared. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Now I realize. I was so lucky they didn¡¯t believe me. ¡®So cowards get marked as trash and ostracized in thepany¡­!¡¯ Not just shunned discreetly, but officially pushed into death traps! ¡®I just thought I needed to hide my weakness¡­ but it¡¯s worse than that!¡¯ I could almost hear my survival rate plummeting in surround sound. No way! ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s nothing specific to order him to do right now. He¡¯ll just be in the way, so let¡¯s move, just you and me. Got it?¡± Hell no! If I go alone with you, I feel like I¡¯ll be exposed as a coward in five minutes! I can already see my future, where Employee Kim Soleum ends up exiled to the Round-Off Team after Assistant Manager Jin from A-squad testifies, ¡®What, this guy was a coward too!¡¯ ¡°In that case, please go ahead first.¡± ¡°W-What?¡± For the first time in my month here, I broke the rookie¡¯s tenmandments. I defied my superior. And my reasoning was pretty solid. ¡°I¡¯ll bring my teammate along.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Assistant Manager Jin from A-squad paused. For a moment, I worried that this superior might use the Y-squad newbie to get rid of me. ¡°This moron¡­¡± The butterfly mask assistant manager seemed to choose to cut ties with me and disappear instead. But¡­ well, here¡¯s the thing. ¡®You won¡¯t be able to go alone anyway.¡¯ ======================== Cheerful Theme Park User Guide (Applicable up to Exploration Record #64) 2- Make sure to stay together with teammates of the same color inside the theme park! If you are more than 5 meters apart while not riding an attraction, you will be executed. You will be strangled. It hurts, so don¡¯t move further apart. Don¡¯t do it. ======================== ¡®There¡¯s no way they¡¯d just let someone with your nerves wander off with their eyes open¡­¡¯ You need to be our tank. The butterfly mask assistant manager made a choking sound and stopped, as if grabbed by the nape of her neck. ¡°You damn¡­ ah!¡± A red cord. Like a leash, the line connecting us stretched taut above our heads, but when the assistant manager smartly backtracked and closed the distance, it disappeared again. ¡°You¡­!¡± ¡°Assistant Manager Jin.¡± I made a gesture, cing my index finger to my lips. And I rolled my eyes. The mascots around the parade were all staring directly at Assistant Manager Jin. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The A-squad assistant manager quickly calmed down. It¡¯s really convenient when someonepetent gets a grip fast¡­ ¡°Could it be that the teams were split like this¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Didn¡¯t we draw the red pieces together? We were grouped as a team, and it seems there are physical restrictions as well.¡± ¡°¡­No way.¡± Assistant Manager Jin looked at me, then asked meaningfully. ¡°Did you¡­ anticipate this?¡± ¡­¡­? I mean, I just read this ghost story in advance¡­ But I decided to roll with it. I assumed a serious tone and began to speak. ¡°As you may recall¡­ there were four civilian survivors.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t they probably on the same team?¡± I spoke earnestly. ¡°Since we were also assigned as a team of four, I thought it was likely the same for them. It seems most probable that a whole team survived together.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°So, for now, I suggest that we look out for each other, assuming this is how we¡¯ll get out of this Darkness safely.¡± After a brief silence. ¡°¡­Makes sense. Fine.¡± Luckily, the A-squad superior seemed to ept the logic. ¡°Kim Soleum-ssi, thank, thank you¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s work together and do our best.¡± The cow mask colleague also seemed moved, but this is no time for sentimentality, my fellow coward. ¡®Let¡¯s see.¡¯ I took an objective look at this team. A superior drenched in a sense of elitism. Cowardly Dumb and Dumber. And an extra employee from another department tagged along. ¡®Haha, what a mess.¡¯ If this were an actual story from the , everyone would be dead at the start of the record, and the POV would switch to Section Chief Lizard. But there¡¯s still a way to survive with this team¡­ ¡®There is.¡¯ If we follow the rules carefully and aim for an escape route! ¡°¡­Do you remember, by any chance?¡± ¡°Remember what?¡± ¡°The phrase written on the board game box.¡± ¨C Be the first team to ride all three fantasy attractions with your teammates and win spectacr prizes! The eyes beneath the butterfly mask narrowed. ¡°Three attractions¡­ I see. There are exactly three slots on this wristband, too.¡± ¡°Right.¡± I nodded. ¡°For now, I believe we should proceed as it is. Following the demands hinted at by the Darkness is the standard method for clearing.¡± ¡°¡­A newbie who¡¯s been here a month talks like an expert, more than someone like me who¡¯s been at thispany for three years?¡± Oops. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been sent into Darknesses without manuals for the past month, so¡­ um, I guess I¡¯ve developed a habit of making these kinds of guesses.¡± ¡°Sure, whatever.¡± Fortunately, the A-squad superior casually nodded. It seemed she hadn¡¯t said it out of spite. ¡°Your hypothesis is persuasive.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She appeared to ept it reasonably enough. I raised my hand and politely made a suggestion. ¡°So, I think we should go ahead and ride the attractions.¡± Luckily, one of the signs nearby had the attraction I had been aiming for. [Fantasy Train] Literally, a magic train. ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t this the attraction the civilians talked about?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I nodded calmly, and the panicked researcher shouted hysterically. ¡°They said everyone who rode it died!!¡± Yes. This is the hellish train of doom with a 3% survival rate! ¡®But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ve lost my mind.¡¯ For veterans of , there¡¯s always a way! ¡­A less scary way to clear it. Chapter 20.1 Chapter 20.1 Any well-known amusement park usually invests in three types of attractions. One is a roller coaster, another is a carousel. And thest, which costs the most due to the heavy use of special effects and animatronics, is¡­ ¡®The dark ride.¡¯ An indoor ride where you can explore a meticulously crafted and enormous set that introduces the theme of the park itself. In Korea, rides like ¡®Sinbad¡¯s Adventure¡¯ or ¡®It¡¯s a Small World¡¯ are well-known examples. And in this ¡®Cheerful Theme Park¡¯ ghost story, that role belongs to this attraction. ¡°Fantasy Train!¡± the researcher spat out in exmation, frantic. ¡°This is the one where everyone died! I¡¯m not getting on! I won¡¯t ride it!¡± Testimony #4 (Survivor : Park Yae-in) ¨C All four who boarded the ¡®Fantasy Train¡¯ went missing. Later, their clothes and bones were found repurposed into plush dolls at a souvenir shop. (Presumed deceased) Yes, that¡¯s what it said. And in the I read, this attraction had indeed caused numerous casualties¡­ But that¡¯s not the whole story. ¡®The fact that there were so many casualties means this attraction appears quite frequently!¡¯ Like any board game with random elements, the ¡®Cheerful Theme Park¡¯ ghost story changes its zones and mascotbinations each time you enter. However, the ¡®Fantasy Train¡¯ attraction would likely always appear as amon feature. Because¡­ its theme was so clear-cut. ¡°Please look at the description under the sign.¡± I pointed to the words beneath the sign. ¨C Meet the residents and stories of each area in Fantasnd! A delightful train ride! ¡°It seems like it¡¯s the attraction that introduces this theme park.¡± This was also the most crucial element for escaping this ghost story. ¡®How are the zones in this theme park divided, and what colors are used?¡¯ Let¡¯s not forget. This all originates from a board game. What does it mean to choose a faction in a game? It means you¡¯re selecting your traits. ¡®And the fact that the teams were divided by color suggests that advantages or disadvantages arise based on those colors.¡¯ So, understanding that was the most important thing here¡­ What color team you belong to, which zone your color represents, and what unique traits it has. ======================== Cheerful Theme Park User Guide (Applicable up to Exploration Record #64) 4- Each zone in the theme park is colored ording to its theme! The ce where you first open your eyes is the zone your team belongs to! Respect the zone. The zone is more important than anything. Look at the colors, don¡¯t upset the mascots, the mascots are everything in the zone. ======================== However, to persuade those who don¡¯t yet understand this, I needed a different kind of logic. ¡®Work, brain, work.¡¯ The first target¡­ as expected, was the top superior. ¡°Hmm. But everyone who got on it died, didn¡¯t they?¡± Assistant Manager Jin from A-squad, wearing the butterfly mask. To win over this elitist, self-important person¡­ right, ttery would do the trick. ¡°They were civilians, weren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± I deliberately adjusted my tone to sound slightly confused. ¡°They approached it without any awareness, riding it like any other amusement park ride. The chances they properly responded to a supernatural situation were low.¡± ¡°And so?¡± ¡°Comparing them to the professional Field Exploration Team, who clears Darkness with a purpose¡­ well.¡± I furrowed my brow slightly. ¡°It seems a bit harsh on the civilians.¡± ¡°¡­Hah.¡± The A-squad superior snorted. ¡°Smooth talker, aren¡¯t you? ¡­Well, you¡¯re not wrong.¡± ¡°N-No, we can¡¯t, absolutely not¡­!¡± ¡°Hey.¡± The A-squad superior grabbed the researcher by the head. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Sharp fingernails pressed against his temple. ¡°Do you think you have the right to speak?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Do you want to die here and be trash that doesn¡¯t even make it as a souvenir, or do you want to get on that thing?¡± The researcher went silent again. No need for a bully here¡­ ¡°Move.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The researcher, looking like death, started dragging his feet toward the Fantasy Train. ¡®Two birds with one stone¡­¡¯ It was a sess. Now, there was only one person left. The Y-squad newbie, Jang Heo-un. As I followed the sign to the ¡®Fantasy Train,¡¯ I subtly slowed my pace to walk alongside the new employee and whispered to him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± ¡°What I said just now was just to convince that person¡­ actually, I¡¯m going because I thought of a different trick.¡± ¡°A trick¡­?¡± ¡°Consider it insider knowledge.¡± I smiled slightly. ¡°I used to work part-time at a theme park.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Sorry, that¡¯s a lie¡­ But in this harsh environment that¡¯s so unfriendly to cowards, isn¡¯t it fine as long as we survive, no matter what it takes? Trust me, you¡¯ll end up saying, ¡®Wow! Thanks for lying, colleague!¡¯ too. ¡°I-I see. In that case¡­¡± ¡°Yes. It should be rtively safe.¡± Just take my word for it. Anyway, as we followed the sign, the boarding entrance for the ¡®Fantasy Train¡¯ soon appeared. It was a model station with an elegant sign, decorated with intricate, realistic steam engine parts and brick patterns¡­ but. ¡°No one¡¯s here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Inside, it was eerily empty. No one was there. ¨C Haha, enjoy a wonderful train ride! Haha, enjoy a wonderful train ride! Haha, enjoy a wonderful train ride¡­ The cheerful amusement park music mingled with an odd sense of unease. What I could see was a train waiting beyond the queue. And in front of it, a rabbit mascot dressed as a conductor. ¡°Another mascot, huh.¡± ¡°Is that the staff for this attraction?¡± That was correct. As we quickly passed through the empty queue, the conductor mascot with hollow eyes reached out a gloved hand and stamped our wristbands. [(Cheerful) Fantasnd Admission Ticket ¡ö¡õ¡õ] So that¡¯s one. Next, we were guided to board a small train that looked like a colorful, fairytale steam lotive. The mascot then returned to its position and began waving both hands. It seemed to mean something like, ¡°Have a pleasant ride!¡± Since nothing unusual had happened so far, the researcher and the Y-squad newbie seemed somewhat relieved without realizing it. Unfortunately, I was about to do the unusual thing now. ¡®The only ce it could be¡­ hmm. It must be over there.¡¯ After checking my surroundings, I fixed my gaze on the mascot. Then I spoke. ¡°Assistant Manager Jin.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°See where that mascot is standing, ying the staff role? You can see the tform there.¡± I pointed to a sort of mock ticket booth table right in front of the conductor rabbit. ¡°Could you, with your specialized equipment, quietly turn that tform slightly toward us? Without damaging it, and quietly.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something behind it.¡± The A-squad assistant manager gave me a somewhat puzzled look, but soon pulled out her fake fingernail. Quickly and quietly. Tick. Scrape, scrape¡­ The retro teal tform shifted, the fake fingernail thrown onto the edge making a faint scraping sound as it turned. As it rotated halfway, instead of the expected wooden finish, there were buttons and circuits visible. An emergency control panel for the attraction. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Found it. The control panel! ¡®I definitely read about this in the .¡¯ There was a scene describing how these theme park rides had control devices implemented as if they were real! ======================== Right after boarding an attraction named ¡®Tomato Express¡¯, shaped like a basket, abel was found inside saying . Immediate search for the emergency stop button. Found sessfully at the attraction¡¯s starting point. However, all attempts to press the button failed. (Executor : Assistant Manager Lee Jiwon / Number of Attempts : 6) All participants perished. ======================== Even though it failed that time. ¡®I can do it this time.¡¯ Chapter 20.2 Chapter 20.2 I quickly flipped a coin, summoning a translucent glove, tossed a 500-won coin, and gestured to merge them. ¡®Five seconds will be enough.¡¯ My hand floating in mid-air moved toward the back of the partially exposed tform. The target¡­ a lever. MIN MAX ¡Î ----------------- ¡Î ¡ø . ¡°Hold on a moment, Soleum-ssi. What is that? Thatbel¡­¡± ¡°Hold on tight.¡± ¡°Excuse me? Hold¡­ what?¡± ¡°Grab onto the train seat handle¡ª¡± My hand pulled the lever all the way down. ¡°And hold on tight.¡± MIN MAX ¡Î ----------------- ¡Î . ¡ø At that moment, the train shot forward at a crazy speed. Screeeeech!! ¨C The Fantasy Train is departing! ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°What the hell?!¡± Clutching the train seat handle tightly, I shouted back. ¡°I pulled the speed lever! To maximum speed!¡± ¡°Why the hell would you do that, you crazy idiot!¡± Because I have a n. ¡°If we rush through, it won¡¯t have time to mess with the train!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± It¡¯s all about skipping the events. ¡®A dark ride usually moves slowly, letting you see and experience the decorated interior.¡¯ But if you speed through it like a maniac? ¡®You¡¯ll skip over everything!¡¯ The interior decorations, the effects¡­ And even the life-threatening dangers thate with them! In the I read, there was a case where they used it to slow down a roller coaster, but the key point was the ability to control speed! I figured there was a high chance it would work here, too. ¡®Good!¡¯ It¡¯s a sess! However¡­ the next step is the problem. I nced outside. Screeeeech! I could feel the wind pressure. It was almost as fast as a roller coaster. This was clearly a speed meant only for safety checks. ¡­Meaning, it wasn¡¯t designed for actual operation. ¡®¡­If someone gets scared and faints, they might get thrown off the train.¡¯ In that case, it would mean certain death. You could call that the side effect of this runaway train ride. For a coward like me, it was a fatal w¡­ ¡®But there¡¯s a backup n!¡¯ Afraid you might faint? Just don¡¯t look! [Dear passengers, wee to beautiful Fantasnd!] As the narration began, I shouted, ¡°I¡¯m closing my eyes!¡± ¡°What?!¡± I shut my eyes tightly, acting crazy. ¡°This narration seems important, so I¡¯m going to focus on it as much as I can!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°If you feel like you¡¯re about to die let me know!¡± ¡°This guy is totally insane, huh?! Haha, fine!¡± Just as the A-squad assistant manager¡¯sughter was trailing off, the narration whizzed past my ears. [How did this Fantasnde to be?] [A long, long time ago, 403930291928494 hours ago, a yellow flower, a blue dragon, and a red rabbit lived together on thisnd.] [This wonderful ce, right here!] ¡°T-That strange flower¡­ the flower is calling to me¡­¡± ¡°Duck down!¡± [But they were too different!] [¡®You¡¯re too noisy!¡¯] [¡®You¡¯re too dirty!¡¯] [¡®You¡¯re too boring!¡¯] [In the end, they couldn¡¯t ept each other and began to fight. This is mynd!] ¡°Ahh! Snake, snake monsters, there are monsters slithering on the ground! Eek! They tried to cling to the train¡­ but got left behind¡­¡± ¡°Gaah¡ª!¡± [The yellow flower said,] [¡®I hate you! Get out of here!¡¯] The attraction passed by in an instant. The train sped through, and the ride time was fast-forwarded as if on double speed. [The blue dragon spoke.] [¡®I hate you! Get lost!¡¯] ¡®Looks like it¡¯s near the end of the fight¡­¡¯ Now, for the final part. ¡®This was described a few times before, too.¡¯ Those mascots ultimately just want to live their lives as they wish. So, they each divided Fantasnd into zones based on their colors and peacefully lived how they wanted to¡­ [The red rabbit spoke.] [Die.] ¡­¡­ Well. [The red rabbit decided to eliminate his friends by any means necessary. No, they weren¡¯t friends anymore. Enemies! Enemies! Enemies!] [One by one, one by one, one by one! Dropping them into pits, drowning them in water, pushing them off cliffs!] [Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!] Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die The narration cut off. And then it suddenly started again. A strangely cheerful voice. [The red rabbit won!] The voice crackled. [The one who rules thisnd is only the red rabbit, Magic Bunny.] [Magic Bunny is the dream, the fantasy, the rule, and only his ideology is worth enjoying.] Silence. The passengers, who had been making a racket as if they had seen all sorts of horrors, now only let out heavy, ragged breaths. The sound of terrified panting. And then. ¡­The train was slowing down. I swallowed hard. ¡®¡­It¡¯s the end of the line.¡¯ No matter how fast a ride is, it always slows down when it ends. [Magic Bunny¡¯s Fantasnd] The back of my neck was wet with cold sweat. A sense of foreboding was creeping in. I finally lifted my head. [The Great Magic Bunny!] A giant rabbit mascot¡¯s head appeared right in front of us. Its bright red eyes spun wildly, and its mouth opened wide, revealing rows of jagged, hideous teeth that jutted forward. [Be a part of the Great Magic Bunny!] A scenario I¡¯d never seen before. [Die] The air was filled with a disorienting noise. Red rabbits were pressing their heads against the windows from all directions, looking like their mascot suits were about to burst, staring at us intensely. [Die] I almost fainted. ¡°Haaaah¡­ haaaaaah¡­!!¡± ¡°D-D-Die¡­¡± The giggling narration went berserk. Red lights shed, blinking throughout the train, and panicked mutterings filled the air, making it hard to think clearly. The voice pierced through. ¡°Ah. I get it now.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like an initiation ceremony for new employees, huh? Making them kill each other¡­ ssic.¡± What is she even talking about? ¡°You saw it just now, right? The rabbit killed all its friends. Oh, you had your eyes closed, so you missed it. But you heard the narration, didn¡¯t you?¡± It was the calm voice of the A-squad employee. When I turned my head, I saw the butterfly-masked employee looking at the rabbits on the windows, as if this was an everyday urrence. ¡°So, who should we kill?¡± ¡°What¡­¡± ¡°Shh.¡± The eyes beneath the butterfly mask turned sinister. A gaze that assessed value. ¡°Hmm.¡± Y-squad. The researcher. Me. Y-squad. The researcher. Y-squad. The researcher. The researcher. Y-squad¡­ ¡°You.¡± Singled out. The Y-squad newbie¡¯s jaw turned pale blue for a moment. The A-squad assistant manager¡¯s finger pointed. ¡°Grab that guy in the white coat.¡± The researcher. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± A death sentence. ¡°Uh, uh¡­¡± Snap. The Y-squad newbie, with a stiff, unnatural motion, grabbed the researcher¡¯s limbs and restrained him. ¡°W-What are you, what¡­ wait, wait a second.¡± ¡°Cover his mouth. Oh, and keep yours shut, too.¡± ¡°Mmmph!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ do we have to kill one each, directly? Hey, top recruit.¡± I reflexively looked at her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you kill this one? I¡¯d like to observe.¡± ¡°Mmm! Mmmmmm! Mmm!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t use your specialized equipment, do it yourself¡­ Ah, right. Earlier, that rabbit threw the dragon off the cliff, right? Try tossing him out of the train. Let¡¯s see if that counts, too.¡± Me? ¡°Go on.¡± I slowly turned my head and nced out the window, then quickly snapped it back. ¡®The mascots are crying blood¡­!¡¯ Look at them, stuck all over the windows. There¡¯s no way in hell I¡¯m opening that train window. If I did, I¡¯d copse and be a screaming mess. Besides, what¡­ you want me to kill someone as casually as eating instant noodles? No, no. Putting that aside¡­ ¡®¡­This is a death route!¡¯ I realized it now, after another irregr event threw everything into chaos and scared the wits out of us, but it was clear. ¡®If weply with the mascot, we¡¯re all dead!¡¯ This¡­ if we go down that path, we¡¯ll all be killed! But how do I convince her? If I say, ¡®I¡¯ve seen over 70 exploration records from the future,¡¯ she¡¯d probably decapitate me on the spot. ¡®So, so¡­¡¯ To hell with it! ¡°Wait a moment!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°This is a trap.¡± I decided to lie my way out. I started spouting a lie without even a drop of hesitation! Chapter 21.1 Chapter 21.1 In the desperate situation where the blood-teared mascots with eyeless stares demanded, ¡°Come on, start killing someone yourself,¡± lies flowed effortlessly from my mouth. ¡°A trap, you say?¡± ¡°Yes. Think about it.¡± I struggled to avoid looking at the crazed mascots on the window while maintaining an expression that said, ¡®I just had a brilliant thought.¡¯ ¡°This Darkness bound us as a team. But is it really okay to kill a team member carelessly?¡± Actually, it is okay. ¡°This Darkness chokes us just for putting distance between teammates. But what if we kill someone?¡± You could just carry around the corpse, honestly. But doing something like that¡­ My cowardly heart might not hold up, and I¡¯d end up getting reassigned as the ¡®official torture maniac¡¯, in the perfect spot to die¡­ ¡°¡­I believe there would be a massive penalty.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The eyes under the butterfly mask narrowed. ¡°Isn¡¯t there also a penalty if we don¡¯t kill someone?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying we might all be wiped out if we do kill someone.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°If both possibilities exist, I thought it more rational to choose the option of preserving our numbers.¡± The other person seemed slightly swayed. I swallowed hard and added, ¡°Of course, the final decision is up to you, Assistant Manager¡­¡± ¡°Right! If you kill me, huh? You¡¯ll die too, huh? You don¡¯t want to die either, do you, you crazy bastard? Stop¡­¡± Thud. I firmly struck the back of the researcher¡¯s neck. Knocked him out cold. ¡®Why are you so bent on pushing for your own death when the game¡¯s already rigged?¡¯ No wonder he¡¯s been gambling at the office with thatck of sense! Apparently, Y-squad¡¯s newbie, face pale as ever, released the researcher¡¯s limbs now that the restrictions were lifted. After watching the entire scene, the A-squad superior finally spoke, slowly. I waited anxiously. ¡°You.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t regret this decision.¡± Saved. ¡°Yes, of course.¡± The A-squad superior didn¡¯t respond further. It seemed my reputation had taken quite a hit. But that didn¡¯t matter right now. What mattered was that we got through this timing safely. [Die¡­] The relentless ¡°Die¡± narration subsided once we stopped attacking each other. Blink. And as the lights on the train flickered, ¡°They¡­ they¡¯re gone¡­!¡± The mascots that had surrounded the windows had vanished. Only the bloodstains remained. ¡°¡­¡­¡± But that wasn¡¯t the only thing missing. ¡®Gone.¡¯ The conductor mascot. The cheerful theme park music. The lively disembarkation announcement. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ng. Manually pushing the train out, we faced an interior strangely devoid of sound and light. ¡°¡­It¡¯s like we¡¯ve stepped on andmine.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± True. I recalled an entry from . ======================== Cheerful Theme Park User Guide (Applicable up to Exploration Record #64) 4- Each zone in the theme park is colored ording to its theme! The ce where you first open your eyes is the zone your team belongs to! Respect the zone. The zone is more important than anything. Look at the colors, don¡¯t upset the mascots, the mascots are everything in the zone. ======================== This rule existed for a reason¡­ If you anger the mascot in a colored zone of the theme park, you¡¯re no longer respected as a ¡®guest¡¯ in that zone. You may end up bing a yer in one deadly game of hide-and-seek. But stepping on andmine is better than hitting the nuke button. ¡®The mascots¡¯ demands escte like an esctor ride.¡¯ Usually, they start by asking for something simple. Like eating something, carrying something, or giving them a warm hug. ¡®But asking us tomit murder right from the start?¡¯ Then by the time we get to the next attraction, we¡¯d be better off dead. One example in the records even showed mascots ordering something insane like, ¡°Make a balloon with your own dder.¡± By that point, the mascots¡¯ influence would be too strong to resist. At that point, death might be preferable. In this horror story world, such fates worse than death happen regrly. And even now, there¡¯s an escape route. I swallowed hard. ¡®Just run.¡¯ If we escape the red rabbit, Magic Bunny¡¯s zone, and enter another mascot¡¯s zone, this aggro state will dissipate. For that¡­ let¡¯s see. ¡®Found it!¡¯ I finally spotted what I¡¯d been looking for, off to the side of the dark exit path. ¡°There¡¯s something over there.¡± ¡°What?¡± This was the reason I wanted to ride this attraction in the first ce. ¡®The color map of the theme park!¡¯ [~Fantasnd Color Map~] Afterpleting this attraction, there¡¯s a map near the final exit that shows the zones belonging to each mascot. I quickly approached, muttering to myself, ¡°A map. This might be useful to us.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± At first nce, it looks like mere interior decoration. It visually represents Fantasnd, just as the attraction introduced. But the information it contains is invaluable. ¡°Do you remember the theme of this attraction?¡± ¡°Well, um¡­ it was about the mascots fighting over territory in this theme park¡­¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± I nodded. ¡°This map should indicate the zones belonging to the other mascots.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± This way, we could see the shortest route to reach another color zone. ¡°Running away from a monster that seems upset with us? Taking that with us?¡± The A-squad assistant manager nodded toward the researcher I was carrying. Before she could suggest killing him, I responded quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll wake up Reasearch Team 1¡¯s Assistant Manager as soon as we confirm the map so he can walk on his own.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Please, just don¡¯t dismantle him right in front of me¡­ Any hope of a n brought a glimmer of hope to the Y-squad newbie¡¯s face. I probably looked the same. ¡®Please, let it be nearby.¡¯ I took a deep breath and quickly approached the map, confirming it¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s¡­ nothing.¡± What? I looked at the map again. But the image remained unchanged. [~Fantasnd Color Map~] The entire illustrated view of the park. All in red. [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] Every sign had Magic Bunny¡¯s face engraved on it. ¡°Oh.¡± [Magic Bunny¡¯s Fantasnd] A ce to escape to¡­ There¡¯s none. Chapter 21.2 Chapter 21.2 ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t¡­ isn¡¯t there something wrong here, Soleum-ssi? There were clearly other mascots before¡­¡± ¡°Seems like they were all driven out.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The narration we¡¯d heard during the attraction came to mind automatically. ¨C One by one, one by one, one by one! Dropping them into pits, drowning them in water, pushing them off cliffs! So then¡­ ¡°The yellow and blue ones were killed, and this red mascot took over everything.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Then¡­ what about the other employees who drew pieces of different colors?¡± ¡°Who knows.¡± The A-squad assistant manager shrugged. ¡°All missing?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Does that even matter right now? What matters is¡­¡± The eyes beneath the butterfly mask turned sinister again. ¡°You seem to have made the wrong choice.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll die first.¡± Which could only mean one thing. There was someone else who would die first. ¡°It¡¯s already toote anyway.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Reflexively, I nced at the unconscious researcher slung over my shoulder like a deadweight. B o r i n g ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°Wha¡­ what¡­?¡± B o r i n g The voice echoed in my head. B o r i n g Haven¡¯t I heard this somewhere before? Ah, that talk show, that Tuesday talk show. In that revamped version, like the Choir of Purgatory shriekinglikethescreamofadeadpiganimalsthe mascot!MagicBunny,boredtodeath ¡°Urgh.¡± I mped my hands over my ears. B o r i n g I looked down. The admission band on my wrist was vibrating. [(Cheerful) Fantasnd Admission Ticket ¡ö¡õ¡õ] [(Cheerful) Fantasnd Admission Ticket ¡ö¡õ¡õ] The sound¡­ wasing from there. N o t f u n Screeeech. The vibration grew, tearing at the wristband. ======================== Cheerful Theme Park User Guide (Applicable up to Exploration Record #64) 1- Keep your admission wristband clean! If lost or damaged, you are no longer a guest. If not a guest, you are an intruder. Thief! Lawbreaker! Horrible punishment awaits. Or would you¡­ ¡­prefer to be an employee? ======================== No. I frantically tried to think of a solution. But there was none. Nowhere to escape. There was nowhere to run! If I wanted to preserve my dignity as a human being, it would be better to end things before it was too¡­ ¨C Kim Soleum-ssi Now I was hearing hallucinations too. ¨C Kim Soleum-ssi. Can you hear me? ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ A hallucination, no. I lifted my head. Nothing was visible in the empty space, but a voice as clear as day echoed in my ears, unmistakably real. The owner of that voice is¡­ ¡°¡­Squad Leader?¡± ¨C Yes. Section Chief Lizard¡ª or rather, Squad Leader Lee Jaheon. This situation felt like d¨¦j¨¤ vu, though the roles were reversed this time! ¡°How did you reach us?!¡± ¨C I¡¯m using Supervisor Park Minseong¡¯s specialized equipment. B o r i n g The voices ovepped, and the sound of ¡®Great Red Magic Bunny¡¯ grew faint. I barely realized I was on the verge of hyperventting. No, that wasn¡¯t what mattered here¡­ ¨C Are you okay, Roe? Are you alive? ¨C We¡¯re fine! We justpleted all three attractions! The rest of D-squad¡¯s members were all together. How was that possible? ¡°The three of you aren¡¯t on the same color team, are you?¡± I was certain of it. ¡®Only Squad Leader Lee Jaheon was on the blue team, while the others were on yellow!¡¯ ¨C Roe, that¡¯s not the point right now¡­ ¡°It is important! The three of you wound up in the same ce in the theme park, despite being on different teams?¡± After a short pause, ¨C No. Section Chief Lizard¡¯s calm voice replied. ¨C I found the other two and then moved. Several questions popped up simultaneously in my mind, but the most pressing was this: ¡°¡­Where did you find them?¡± ¨C On the outskirts of the blue zone. ¡°¡­Then, are you currently in the blue mascot¡¯s zone?¡± N o t f u n ¨C Yes. A shiver ran down my spine. ¡°The map doesn¡¯t show it, but do you happen to know which point is the blue zone?¡± ¨C I don¡¯t. Damn it. ¡°You don¡¯t need exact coordinates. Just tell me any nearby attractions, or even which direction!¡± ¨C Understood. After a short silence: ¨C The west¡­ He got cut off. ¡°Squad Leader?¡± There was no response. It was likely the time limit on the equipment had expired. And more crucially than that¡­ ¡°W-West?¡± The face of the Y-squad newbie, who had been listening intently beside me, turned nk. A-squad¡¯s superior looked equally unsettled. The reason was simple. ¡°We¡¯re already in the west, aren¡¯t we?¡± Exactly. The ¡®Fantasy Train¡¯ was located near the western edge of the Fantasnd map¡­ The opposite of the rugged forest on the eastern side, bordered smoothly by castle walls on the west, was this very attraction. Further westward in Fantasnd than this was¡­ nothing! B o r i n g ¡°It seems we might be in separate theme parks? Like a timeline where the blue mascot won. The Darkness always has these kinds of variations.¡± In separate ces? Are we really talking about different parallel dimensions? N o t f u n ¡°No.¡± That can¡¯t be. ¡°This is a Darkness derived from a board game. If we¡¯re ying the same game, there¡¯s no reason for separate boards.¡± ¡°Hey. Shut up.¡± The A-squad superior replied coldly. ¡°No matter how much sense you try to make, if it doesn¡¯t match reality, just drop it.¡± This isn¡¯t spection¡ªit¡¯s deduction. I wanted to convey that there were numerous cases like this, but I knew they wouldn¡¯t believe me. Right now, all I needed to do was¡­ find the answer. Where exactly is ¡®west¡¯? ¡®Quickly, quickly.¡¯ Think. There has to be an answer. I looked at the Fantasnd color map again. Every visible area was still painted red. Ferris wheel, carousel, roller coaster, Viking ride, magic pce. Every single ride was marked with Magic Bunny¡¯s red face. Every attraction¡­ wait. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± B o r i n g Hold on. I looked over the map again. And I realized¡ª ¡°¡­I found it!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°A different color zone.¡± It was here. With certainty, I moved forward. Whether they sensed hope or werepelled by my determination, my teammates followed. N o t f u n We had to move quickly before the mascot noticed us. There was no time to waste¡ªwe needed to get out of this attraction immediately. I g n o r i n g m e ? Toote.
T/N: Sorry for disappearing for a bit! I went on a trip and I underestimated how exhausting and time-consuming it would be, I thought I¡¯d still be able to scrounge up some chapters somehow Anyway, more chapters ahead again! I¡¯ll update the other two novels soon too Chapter 22.1 Chapter 22.1 The four of us bolted out of the exit of the ¡®Fantasy Train¡¯ and ran. ¡°Haah¡­ haah!¡± The sounds of desperate panting came from both sides, the kind of breathlessness only achieved when running for your life. It couldn¡¯t be helped. The mascots were pouring out. D i e ¡°Aaaaaah!¡± ¡°Huu, huuuuk¡­¡± From every attraction entrance, store, and sign, strange, unsettling bubbles of ooze burst, spewing forth grotesque mascots. They chased after us, mouths peeled back to reveal rows of teeth embedded deep in their innards, giving them a horrifying appearance. asionally, their bodies would lurch, and gooey, tentacle-like things would protrude from their drooping ears and arms. ¨C ????~???~???????~???~???????~???~???????~???~???????~???~??? ¨C Hahaha! Hahaha! Hahaha! Hahaha! Hahaha! Hahaha! The noise was deafening. The theme park music andughter swirled together, creating a disturbing cacophony all around. It was chaotic, frightening, disorienting, and utterly terrifying!! The overwhelming sounds were disorienting, making it hard to think straight. But¡­ ¡°Here! This way!¡± I gritted my teeth, turning in the direction I¡¯d memorized with determination. At that moment¡ª Flick. Squish. The slimy end of a tentacle just barely grazed my head. Hiss. ¡°¡­Huuk.¡± The hair where the slime touched started to melt, and I caught a whiff of something burning. ¡®This is insane.¡¯ Cold sweat dripped down my back. But my feet didn¡¯t stop moving. They couldn¡¯t. ¡®Stopping would mean the end.¡¯ I¡¯d die. Or worse, I had a gut feeling I¡¯d end up in an even more horrifying state. The only relief was that the destination was close! Even the researcher, instead of whining, was drooling as he ran in desperation. B o r i n g ¡°Get away! Get awayyyyy!¡± ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± The butterfly mask shouted. She looked like she wanted to throw the researcher to buy time but couldn¡¯t bring herself to do it. It was understandable. ¡®They¡¯re too close.¡¯ The mascots swarming toward us were multiplying like crazy, and now, some of them were getting rmingly close. And they were fast. Faster than humans! ¡®Damn, damn, damn!!¡¯ In the moment that terror gripped me¡ª ¡°Urgh!¡± Someone got caught. ¡°Aaack¡­ ugh¡­¡± The guy in the cow mask went down. ¡®Fuck.¡¯ Without even looking back, I managed to flip a coin in my pocket to summon the glove. Then I tossed a few 500-won coins to create a semi-transparent shadow hand in mid-air. Whoosh. The shadow hand flew forward and shoved the head of a grotesque mascot. ¡°Run!¡± The Y-squad newbie, who¡¯d barely escaped, staggered up and scrambled to run. ¡°Huff¡­ ha¡­ th-thanks¡­¡± ¡°Later!¡± There was no time to stop the bleeding. My special equipment wouldn¡¯t be of any help at this point! ¡®The shadow hand will disappear once it goes beyond the three-meter range¡­¡¯ A searing pain shot through my left hand. ¡°¡ª!!!¡± I almost dropped to the ground, clutching my hand and screaming in pain. It felt like my hand was being crushed and dissolved in a spiked press. ¡®Specialized equipment!¡¯ I realized instantly. The shadow hand I¡¯d summoned in mid-air must have suffered some horrible fate in the mascot¡¯s maw or tentacles. In that moment, I discovered the w in my specialized equipment: if the hand created by the glove was destroyed, my own hand would feel the exact same pain! But there was no time to scream. I sprinted like mad. ¡°There!¡± The target point came into view. A giant gate. Painted in bright colors, following the style of a typical theme park¡­ [FANTASYLAND (WESTSIDE GATE)] A decoration. An ornamental gate attached to the castle wall encircling the western side of the theme park. ¡°It¡¯s blocked!!¡± ¡°Get underneath it!¡± I quickly stepped under the ornamental gate and looked back. Almost immediately, two others tried to step in: the A-squad assistant manager and the Y-squad newbie. The researcher, being behind, was in a more dangerous spot¡­ ¡°Fuck, move already!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Thud. The researcher shoved the A-squad assistant manager aside, using the momentum to propel himself forward. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The slender body of the assistant manager, caught off guard, collided with a mascot. D i e The ck-red ooze from the partially melted mascot dripped onto her right then. ¡°AAAHHHHH!¡± Hiss. The sound of sizzling flesh echoed in my ears. ¡°Assistant Manager!¡± The A-squad employee was pinned beneath a grotesquely distorted mascot, her limbs shaking uncontrobly. Her face, partly visible beyond the butterfly mask, was already blistered and ruined. In her eyes was resignation¡ªthe look of someone who knew they couldn¡¯t be saved. The moment our eyes met¡ª ¡°Nail!¡± I shouted. ¡°Assistant Manager, your nail¡ªhere!¡± At the same time, I stretched my left hand forward. The A-squad assistant manager¡¯s eyes widened, and she reached out, extending her index finger. Ping! The nail shot out, embedding itself in the center of my palm. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± But I didn¡¯t flinch. ¡®It already hurt like hell before!¡¯ Ignoring the pain, I gripped the nail tightly, pulling her towards me. Whoosh. With a short, abrupt noise, the butterfly-masked body was yanked forward, barely missing the snapping jaws and oozing slime from the mascots. ¡°Haah¡­ haaaah¡­¡± ¡°Huff¡­ huff¡­¡± We copsed under the archway, gasping for breath. Right in front of us, countless rabbit mascots, oozing like they were crying blood, stared nkly with empty eyes, frozen in ce as if held back by an invisible barrier. ¡°Gah!¡± It looked as if an invisible wall had stopped them in their tracks. ======================== Cheerful Theme Park User Guide (Applicable up to Exploration Record #64) 5- Enjoy the various zones! Has the appearance of the mascot or the attraction color changed? You¡¯re in a new zone now. Unfortunately, mascots from other zones can¡¯t exist in the new zone. Say goodbye warmly! ======================== Chapter 22.2 Chapter 22.2 I looked down at the ground. ¡®¡­The bricks are a different color.¡¯ As if by magic, two white brick lines were under the decorative archway. The mascots couldn¡¯t cross from the red brick floor beyond. B o r i n g I nced down at my admission ticket. [(Cheerful) Fantasnd Admission Ticket ¡ö¡õ¡õ] [(Cheerful) Fantasnd Admission Ticket ¡ö¡õ¡õ] Not fun The voice faded away. The mascots clustered in front of us stood perfectly still, and then, in a blink¡­ Vanished. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The sound of our gasping breaths filled the now-silent air. I swallowed hard. ¡°¡­It seems this is the end of Magic Bunny¡¯s Fantasnd.¡± We survived. ¡°We made it. We escaped.¡± ¡°Aah¡­!¡± ¡°Huuuuh¡­¡± The Y-squad newbie copsed to the ground, clutching his shoulder in relief and pain. I leaned my head back against the wall, gazing up at the sky, catching my breath. ¡®I thought I was done for¡­¡¯ My heart was pounding out of my chest. I¡¯m alive, huh. The A-squad assistant manager red icily at the researcher who had pushed her, but then, ncing at the nail-shaped wound in my hand, regained herposure. It seemed she¡¯d decided there was no need to get worked up over killing the researcher right now. It was impressive how calm she remained, despite the intense pain she must have felt from the acidic liquid sshed over her head. ¡°Anyway.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± The A-squad assistant manager took a deep breath. ¡°Thanks. I owe you my life.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I hadn¡¯t expected that. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. You survived thanks to your specialized equipment¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no point being modest here. Just say, ¡®Got it.¡¯ You¡¯vended yourself on the right side here.¡± Ah, yes. ¡°Unlike some idiot.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The researcher desperately avoided her gaze. The A-squad assistant manager gave him a brief look before returning to business. ¡°This ce seems like a sort of buffer zone. Was that your n? But it¡¯s too cramped to just stand here¡­ what¡¯s the next step?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the destination.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± After catching my breath, I turnedpletely to face the decorative gate. ¡°Did you know thatrge theme parks sometimes have more than just the amusement park itself?¡± ¡°¡­Something else?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Technically, this area under the archway wasn¡¯t in Magic Bunny¡¯s territory or any other mascot¡¯s. It was a nk zone in the theme park, so they wouldn¡¯te after us for damaging property here. I rapped my knuckles on the wall that was made to look like a door. Thunk. It sounded hollow. ¡°Assistant Manager, can you use your special equipment to pry this open?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The assistant manager silently raised her hand and extended her fingernail again, wedging it into a crack in the wall and yanking it hard. ¡°Gah!¡± Thump, thump. One of the brick panels cracked open, and a gust of fresh air flowed in, carrying¡­ the scent of water. ¨C Ahahahaha! ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± The sound of refreshing sshes, a boat horn, and seagulls filled the air, along with a lively marching tune. Through the crack in the bricks, I glimpsed open space and sunlight streaming down. Enormous, swirling water slides descended into a pool below, shimmering in different shades of blue as water and inner tubes streamed down. [Blue Dream Watend] ¡°This ce¡­!¡± A water park, the summer zone of thisrge-scale theme park. ¡°It¡¯s the Blue Zone.¡± The Y-squad newbie whipped his head around to look at me, eyes wide with shock. ¡°H-How?!¡± ¡°When I looked at the Fantasnd color map earlier, there wasn¡¯t a single water-themed attraction.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°So I just guessed that there must be arge water section located separately elsewhere.¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°And I also figured it wouldn¡¯t be essible through regr routes. They typically sell separate tickets for water parks, after all.¡± ¡°¡­So that¡¯s why you pried open the wall?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I recalled my earlier conversation with Squad Leader Lee Jaheon. ¨C ¡­the west. The west. Of course, the squad leader had probably meant the west side within Watend itself. But since we were at the far western edge of Magic Bunny¡¯s Fantasnd, it allowed me to deduce the existence of a separate Blue Zone. ¡®The east side was blocked by the forest, the north led to the entrance, and the south was a cliff¡­¡¯ Really, the only usible ce for more space beyond Magic Bunny¡¯s Fantasnd was the west. My guess was right. ¡°It seems the blue mascot, exiled from Fantasnd, created a new zone here.¡± ¡°Aha¡­¡± ¡°For now, let¡¯s get through as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°Y-Yes, let¡¯s!¡± Hands busily pried away the remaining bricks. Even the Y-squad newbie, injured as he was, used his one good hand to help. Meanwhile, the researcher lingered in the corner, looking sly, as if he¡¯d finally noticed things were going in his favor. And within a few moments¡ª ¡°It¡¯s open!¡± One by one, we began crawling through the now-exposed gap. I was thest to emerge, standing on both feet in Watend, gazing at the blue pools and bright sky above. A breeze, heavy with moisture, brushed by. ¡®This sunlight¡­¡¯ It felt so unbelievably good. And as I stood, momentarily feeling a strange sense of liberation, I spotted people waving and running toward us from afar. ¡°Roe!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The members of D-squad. ¡°Are you alright?!¡± ¡°Assistant Manager!¡± The D-squad members bustled over, each carrying some bulky load, likely inner tubes or other gear. Relief surged through me, perhaps from the familiarity of seeing the people I¡¯d been working with for the past month. ¡°How have you all been!¡± I greeted them happily and stepped forward, wondering if I should help take some of the load off the squad leader¡¯s shoulder, as any proactive newbie would¡­ Wait. ¡®That¡¯s a person.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t equipment. Hanging limply off the lizard squad leader¡¯s shoulder was a human body. ¡®¡­A casualty?¡¯ Looking closer, I realized the person wore a teal duck mask. It was the A-squad leader. ¡°¡­¡­¡± No. Nooo!! Chapter 23.1 Chapter 23.1 After barely escaping the deranged red mascot zone, we finally made it to the blue zone. That¡¯s where D-squad was waiting for us¡­ with A-squad¡¯s leader hanging limply over Section Chief Lee¡¯s shoulder. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I managed to ask, ¡°Uh, Section Chief, Is that a corpse on your shoulder¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, she¡¯s just unconscious.¡± Ah, he was moving her somewhere safe. Just as I started to feel relieved and the sense of familiarity returned, D-squad¡¯s assistant manager pointed her thumb at arge inner tube they¡¯d been dragging with the supervisor. ¡°The corpse is over there.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Seeing them haul a body shoved into a tube¡­ really added a new level of horror. ¡°We wrapped it up well, but some parts were broken off.¡± Please, spare me the details. ¡°No, seriously, it was horrific. Ugh¡­¡± Supervisor Park shuddered. ¡°Roe, you better be careful. The mascots here act like some kind of righteous enforcers,¡± Assistant Manager Eun quipped. ¡°Huh?¡± Here¡¯s how it was exined: the mascots in this zone absolutely despise violence between team members. ¡°So, in typical A-squad fashion, the assistant manager with the praying mantis mask decided to run a little experiment.¡± While riding the first attraction, he kept forcing the Y-squad employees into dangerous positions forughs: telling them to unbuckle their seat belts, stand up, sing along, or even do a handstand on the track. ¡°Three Y-squad members died that way. Thest one begged for mercy through tears, but he didn¡¯t even blink¡­ It was revolting.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± It seemed that feeling was shared by more than just the survivors. Assistant Manager Eun scowled. ¡°When we got off the ride, the mascot was waiting for him, just standing there and calling him a ¡®naughty child¡¯. And then¡­¡± She spared me the details, thank heavens. ¡°I thought I was going to vomit.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Well, I mean, honestly, he had iting! ¡­Even if the chief disagreed with those methods,¡± Supervisor Park said, ncing over at the limp body of A-squad¡¯s leader on the section chief¡¯s shoulder. ¡°By the way, why exactly did she pass out?¡± I asked, still a bit puzzled. ¡°Well¡­ our squad leader here, um¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Wait a minute. No way. ¡°See, she pushed us a bit hard, trying to save her subordinate somehow. And it got a little excessive, so¡­¡± ¡°The chief just knocked her out.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hey. We¡¯re all going to agree she passed out from high blood pressure, so keep your mouth shut, Roe.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll take it to the grave.¡± ¡°Oh, and if you¡¯re wondering why Y-squad got treated that way¡­¡± ¡°I already heard. From that person over there.¡± I discreetly nodded toward the assistant manager in the butterfly mask. Seeing that I already knew, Supervisor Park seemed a bit more at ease, as if d to skip such a dark topic. ¡°Anyway, how are your team members doing?¡± Ah. I quickly checked on the cow mask with the injured shoulder and the butterfly mask with the blistered face. ¡°Some of them need first aid. Could we get some help?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Suddenly, Section Chief Lee unceremoniously dropped the unconscious A-squad leader from his shoulder onto the ground. Then, he started shaking her shoulder. ¡°W-wait, Chief!¡± ¡°Ahh!¡± ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± After shaking A-squad¡¯s leader awake, the section chief said with a calm face, ¡°Section Chief Seo, there are employees here in need of treatment.¡± ¡°W-What¡­¡± Looking dazed at first, the A-squad¡¯s leader pointed a shaky finger at Section Chief Lee as realization hit her. ¡°You!! You¡ª¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°How could you do that to Assistant Manager Lee! The one with the praying mantis mask¡­!¡± ¡°He¡¯s deceased.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°And while he was dying, what were you doing?¡± ¡°We waited until he passed, then retrieved the body and moved on to the next attraction.¡± Oh, dear lord. A-squad¡¯s leader was at a loss for words, her expression one of disbelief, before finally managing to stammer out a response. ¡°Y-You watched A-squad die? Are you insane, Lee Jaheon? How are you going to take responsibility for this loss?!¡± ¡°? I¡¯m D-squad¡¯s leader. A-squad is not my responsibility.¡± With a slight squint, the section chief looked at her, almost perplexed. ¡°The responsibility for the loss of A-squad Assistant Manager Lee Seok-jong rests with you, A-squad¡¯s leader.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Witnessing someone say something like that to a superior in a work setting was¡­ something else. Even if they hold the same title, an elite squad leader should technically outrank him. A chill went down my spine in an entirely new way. ¡°¡­¡­¡± A-squad¡¯s leader red at Section Chief Lee, her eyes bloodshot. ¡°You fainted, yet we stillpleted the three attractions together to meet the clearance conditions. Now, take responsibility and treat your¡ª¡± ¡°Chief.¡± The butterfly-masked assistant manager interrupted, not in an attempt to dissuade Section Chief Lee, but rather addressing the A-squad¡¯s leader, who was on the verge of a mental breakdown. ¡°Perhaps it would be better to continue this conversation outside? Let¡¯splete the clearance before anything elsees up. Plus, you still have that deranged researcher from Research Team 1 to deal with.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, of course.¡± The eyes under the teal duck mask blinked, then gradually calmed down. It seemed she¡¯d found a new focus for her anger. But she still left onestment hanging in the air. ¡°Squad Leader Jaheon, shall we take this outside?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Supervisor Park leaned in and whispered to me, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Apparently, our squad leader hears lines like that as an annual event.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Is that, uhh¡­ really okay? Well, one thing¡¯s certain. I¡¯m definitely not at the level to get involved here. Better to keep my mouth shut and keep my head down. Chapter 23.2 Chapter 23.2 In any case, the A-squad¡¯s leader used her special equipment to heal the butterfly-masked assistant manager. The sight of the skin on her jaw and head area regenerating, almost like it was rewinding, was amazing. ¡°Employees with equipment like that are almost nonexistent. So envious.¡± Same here. I wondered if there was any way to acquire something simr. Having equipment like that would definitely improve survival rates. I watched A-squad¡¯s leader¡¯s specialized equipment¡ªa healing ring¡ªvery closely. ¡®Healing¡­ huh.¡¯ After ensuring the butterfly-masked employee was fully healed, A-squad¡¯s leader was about to walk right past the Y-squad member with the shoulder injuries, barely sparing a nce. ¡°Could you possibly heal this one too? We need to stay together, and his mobility might be an issue.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Surprisingly, the A-squad assistant manager subtly nudged the squad leader to heal both me and the Y-squad rookie. Thanks to that, the Y-squad rookie, whose shoulder was now miraculously healed, blinked beneath his cow mask. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± The assistant manager nodded slightly. ¡®Does she really only consider efficiency?¡¯ Once she¡¯d understood the mechanics of this ghost story and secured an escape n, she immediately switched to decisions that minimized risks. A logical approach¡­ maybe that¡¯s what makes her elite here. I made a mental note to remember A-squad¡¯s equipment and specialties. ¡­And maybe to try and forget about the bodies stuffed into that tube. ¡°Right then, let¡¯s ride the two remaining attractions and head out quickly.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± As soon as the healing wasplete, the red team moved toward the attractions to fill the empty spots on our admission wristbands. The others followed, not exiting just yet. ¡°It¡¯ll only take about 30 minutes, don¡¯t worry,¡± they reassured us, likely staying close to keep an eye on the situation and help out us rookies. Although grateful, part of me thought it would be less terrifying if they just left, considering that tube full of corpses following us¡­ ¡°As I mentioned before, the mascots here are surprisingly moral for monsters.¡± That much I¡¯d guessed from our earliermunication. ¡®If they cleared three attractions so quickly, there must be a reason.¡¯ This team must¡¯ve been lucky enough to encounter a benevolent zone where the mascot¡¯s demands were reasonable. They¡¯d beaten some crazy odds for sure. ¡°They even answered questions about what was in each attraction. And since we were the first to clear three, they gave us a souvenir.¡± How nice for them, taking it easy. Meanwhile, we¡¯ve been scrambling for survival in that insane Magic Bunny zone¡­ Strangely enough, while the red team had lower odds for survival, we managed to keep everyone alive up to this point. Soon, we reached the entrance of an attraction adorned with¡­ a blue dragon head drawn to exaggerate its cuteness, its body wearing a life jacket. [Hello] The mascot stationed there waved a greeting sign. I bowed slightly in response, and the mascot returned the gesture. ¡°Hm.¡± We boarded a flume ride called ¡®Blue Mountain¡¯. It was a typical water attraction where we sat on a boat and enjoyed the stream. The other two field team members boarded without issue. Only thest person had a problem. ¡°Fuck.¡± The researcher sneered, cursing at the mascot. It seemed like he couldn¡¯t help but let out his disgust and fear after dealing with Magic Bunny and facing a slightly less terrifying mascot. ¡°These disgusting little fuckers¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up and get on.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± He stole a nce at the mascot before boarding the attraction. The blue dragon mascot¡¯s button eyes watched silently. ¡°¡­¡­¡± With everyone on board, we finished the remaining attractions smoothly. [(Cheerful) Fantasnd Admission Ticket ¡ö¡ö¡ö ] ¡°Finally¡­!¡± ¡°Huu.¡± Atst, we¡¯d filled every slot on the wristband. ¡°The exit is to the north. Let¡¯s move.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Soaked from the water but not caring at all, we were finally on our way out of this cursed theme park. ¡®I won¡¯t be going anywhere near an amusement park for a long time¡­¡¯ [Have A Safe Journey Back] The farewell sign above the northern exit gates sparkled with the words. Next to it, a blue mascot stood, dressed formally. ¡°Looks like we just need to scan yourpleted wristbands here to exit.¡± The blue mascot gestured politely toward the gate scanner. ¡°Alright, alright, Squad Leaders, you first. Off you go.¡± D-squad¡¯s assistant manager made the smart move to organize the situation and get the superiors out first. People began to exit one by one, and as it came time for the assistants and other staff to leave¡­ ¡°Alright then, Assistant Manager Jin, after you¡ª¡± ¡°M-Move!¡± The researcher pushed past everyone, sprinting to the gate. ¡°Seriously¡­?¡± Though Supervisor Park and Assistant Manager Eun looked momentarily taken aback, they quickly let it slide, likely thinking, ¡®Civilians, right?¡¯ A few seconds¡¯ dy was no big deal. Oblivious to their expressions, the researcher rushed to the gate to scan his admission wristband. ¡®It¡¯s like he¡¯s made a habit of it.¡¯ Honestly, I found myself frowning. B a d c h i l d ¡°¡­Huh?¡± The researcher turned his head. A blue dragon mascot held his wristband with one w, crumpling it. Y o u Snap. a r e a b a d c h i l d Riiiip¡ª a r e n ¡¯ t y o u ? The band broke. Snap! He stared nkly at the torn wristband pieces on the floor, seeming not toprehend. Then¡ª ¡°AAAAAHHHH! AAAGGGHHHHH!¡± The blue dragon¡¯s mouth opened wide. ¡°Save me! Save me!¡± It began to pull him in. Beside me, Cow Mask muttered feverishly. ¡°Ohhtheseagod¡¯swrathhasawakened.Thewickedarebeingswallowedbythetide¡­¡± The rookie and I averted our eyes. ¡°AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!¡± So this is how it ends¡­ When moving to another zone, the previous zone¡¯s aggro mascot stops pursuing you. But the consequences of one¡¯s actions follow. ======================== Cheerful Theme Park User Guide (applicable up to Exploration Record #64) 6- Remember, the theme park is a shared space! Please follow proper etiquette and manners when using public facilities. Countless eyes are watching you, and no one forgets anything. Hey, there¡¯s a mascot right behind you. ======================== All mascots in the Cheerful Theme Park know what you¡¯ve done. That includes everything the researcher did. ¨C Fuck, move already! Pushing A-squad¡¯s assistant manager into the line of attack to escape the red mascot earlier¡­ ¡®Maybe they were willing to overlook it, considering the extreme situation¡­¡¯ The problem was, he did the same thing twice. ¡®It¡¯s karma.¡¯ The researcher¡¯s screams turned into wails. ¡°That bastard tried to kill me too! Why just me, why just me! You trash, you¡ª¡± That¡¯s right. But A-squad¡¯s assistant manager never went through with it. She listened to reason. ¡®But you didn¡¯t.¡¯ Even I, as someone who¡¯s practically a member of the Cowards¡¯ Club, thought he had thising. ¨C Save me! Aaaaaah! The researcher¡¯s voice stretched like taffy, leaving behind a chilling sense of dread. ¡®Ugh.¡¯ My cowardly heart reacted instinctively, making me flinch, but¡ª ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± A-squad¡¯s employee grabbed my arm, holding it down. ¡°You can¡¯t save him.¡± Not that I¡¯d even considered trying. So I remained quiet. Soon the screams faded, and the unsettling atmosphere around us dissipated. When I looked up, the blue dragon mascot stood there, as polite andposed as before. You¡¯d never believe it had just killed someone. Somehow, that made it all the more disturbing. ¡®The standards are stricter than I thought.¡¯ As expected from a ghost story setting, this mascot seemed to have its own code, beyond just refusing to harm teammates. ¡®I¡¯ll tread carefully from here on out.¡¯ ¡°¡­Let¡¯s try exiting again.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± One by one, the remaining people filed out. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look outside.¡± I gave up and let the superiors go first. After seeing my fellow coward through the gate, I stood by the exit next to the blue dragon mascot. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The dragon, cutely stylized with round eyes, looked directly at me. Could you, um, not stare? This is terrifying enough. It¡¯s nerve-wracking being thest one here, and I¡¯m trying my best to keep my nerves in check. Then¡ª G o o d c h i l d ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Was it trying to reassure me? Unlike before, the mascot¡¯s voice didn¡¯t sound eerie. ¡®Maybe they¡¯re willing to overlook the damaged property¡­¡¯ Thank goodness. ¡°Thank you.¡± I nodded and tried to walk past. But the mascot moved to block my path. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± G o o d k i d s g e t a g i f t The blue dragon reached out, gently touching my wristband. [(Cheerful) Fantasnd Admission Ticket ¡ö¡ö¡ö ] The wristband warmed slightly, and as the mascot released it¡­ [¡ò (Cheerful) Fantasnd Membership ¡ò ] The text had changed. L e t ¡¯ s p l a y f o r e v e r ¡­Umm? Chapter 24.1 Chapter 24.1 I broke out in a cold sweat as I stared at the wristband. [¡ò (Cheerful) Fantasnd Membership ¡ò ] But the words that had changed from ¡®Admission Ticket¡¯ to ¡®Membership¡¯ didn¡¯t revert, and the material that had be oddly luxurious and ornate remained the same. O-Okay¡­ It¡¯s an unexpected situation, but what I have to do hasn¡¯t changed. Scan the wristband at the gate and leave. ¡®Membership or whatever, I just won¡¯te back.¡¯ ¡°Thank you.¡± I swallowed hard. ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯d like to go home now.¡± The blue mascot tilted its head slightly to the side. I stepped toward the gate scanner to scan my wristband. But the mascot blocked my way. ¡®Please.¡¯ Why are you doing this? I felt like crying. ¡°I¡¯m not as much of a good kid as you think¡­¡± G o o d k i d C o r r e c t The blue mascot¡¯s w gently, ever so softly, covered my wristband. And a voice resonated. To one who knows honor, you are worthy. ¡­¡­!! ¡°Urgh.¡± A cough burst from my mouth. It was blood. ¡®W-What¡­ just happened¡­¡¯ Could it be¡­ because the ticket changed to a membership? The blue dragon mascot seemed flustered as I spat out blood, fidgeting anxiously, and then pulled something out from its pocket and offered it to me. [Blue Soda Churros] It seemed to be a snack sold inside the theme park. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Yeah. I¡¯m definitely not eating that. ¡°But, I¡¯d like to take it home and eat it.¡± P l a y M o r e The mascot was insistent. To the point that it turned off the gate machine. ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± Click. The lights went out at the north exit, and the shutter came down. I stared nkly at the scene. Going this far? I couldn¡¯t grasp what was happening at all. But I didn¡¯t make the foolish move of arguing. ¡®I might end up like the researcher.¡¯ I definitely wanted to avoid that. For now, for now¡­ I¡¯m not in immediate mortal danger here. Let¡¯s find an alternative. I stepped back from the gate. As I ran off, the blue mascot kept watching me¡­ * * * ¡°Driving me crazy.¡± I went into the water park¡¯s locker room and copsed onto a bench. I¡¯m scared to death. ¡°What is going on?¡± To sum up, the mascot suddenly called me a ¡®good kid¡¯, handed me a membership, and closed the gate shutter. In other words, I¡¯m trapped here. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Trapped. Wait, but what¡¯s with this ¡®good kid¡¯ thing anyway? The researcher was a bad kid, and I¡¯m a good kid¡­ Ah. ¡®¡­Is it because I saved my teammates a few times?¡¯ Yeah. That¡¯s the most usible reason. By chance, I did help people in dangerous situations a few times¡­ So as a reward, they¡¯re letting me y in the theme park forever? ¡®This is driving me nuts¡­¡¯ This is inside a B-ss creepypasta. No matter how friendly and seemingly safe that mascot appears, it means I don¡¯t know when or where some dangerous and bizarre, crazy thing might happen. Besides. ¡®¡­There¡¯s no exploration record of anyone staying more than 24 hours.¡¯ Once it goes over 24 hours, it means everyone dies or disappears. Even if I interpret it optimistically and think that since the admission ticket is a one-day pass, and I¡¯m a member now so I might be okay, the most crucial thing here is that I have no information. ¡®Shit.¡¯ I racked my brain, feeling like I wanted to bite my tongue. Maybe due to the fatigue of the past few hours, my thinking was sluggish¡­ ¡®What can I do?¡¯ I can¡¯t win against the mascot in a fight. I can¡¯t sneak in and turn on the gate machine. ¡®And I used up all my coins earlier.¡¯ In a hurry, seeing Y-squad rookie Jang Heo-un fall, I threw whatever I could grab, which was a blunder. I pressed my fingers against my eyelids. I don¡¯t have a button tomunicate with the people outside, so I can¡¯t expect help from D-squad. ¡®The items I have are¡­¡¯ The Smiley Sticker? It¡¯s not something to use when the problem is that their favorability is already too high. It¡¯s the same with the 2x Potion or 0.5x Cookie. They only have meaning if there¡¯s an effect to synergize with. ¡®Do I really have nothing?¡¯ The more I worried, the deeper I seemed to sink. As I was sinking into gloom, a light flickered above my head. [Dark Exploration Records Real Merch Box] ¨C New merch unlocked! (!) ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± It¡¯s the ck notepad¡ªthe merch box. ¡®Please!¡¯ Without even taking a breath, I pressed it immediately. Is this a lifeline? No, anything would do. I needed even the smallest hint, anything¡­ Thud. Merch dropped out. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I picked up the item wrapped transparently in stic. It was small enough to fit in my palm and fluffy. A plush doll. ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Daydream Inc. / ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö Good Friend It¡¯s your cute animal doll. It will always be with you and protect you. Always. ¡ªProduct description on the packaging from the ¡®Cheerful Theme Park Gift Shop¡¯ ======================== Ah. I recalled the phrase on the board game box. ¨C Be the first team to ride all three fantasy attractions with your teammates and win spectacr prizes! In the ¡®Cheerful Theme Park¡¯, the team that rode all three attractions the fastest could take one of various items from the gift shop as a prize. ¡®Come to think of it, the Supervisor Park mentioned earlier that they received a prize.¡¯ And of course, the theme park gift shop in the ghost story often had bizarre items mixed in. ¡®There was even an exploration record that sorted the list of prizes people had taken¡­¡¯ And this was one of the most famous items among them. Good Friend In the original story, it was a plush doll small enough to fit into a child¡¯s arms, but as merch, it was reborn as a small keychain-sized doll that fit into my hand. ¡®So the unlock requirement for this merch was to be a participant in the ¡®Cheerful Theme Park¡¯.¡¯ Unless you were someone who had visited the theme park, it was just a plush doll with no function, but since I had used up all my admission tickets, it seems I unlocked the requirement. And the ability of this plush doll is¡­ ======================== A strange item that invites someone from the Otherworld, allowing a part of their spirit to dwell in the doll and be your friend. It rarely appears in the gift shop of the . For detailed invitation records, refer below. ======================== Chapter 24.2 Chapter 24.2 This is it. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Under normal circumstances, I would have thought it through carefully and set up safety measures before attempting. ¡®Inviting someone from the Otherworld¡¯¡ªit¡¯s the perfect description for the start of a creepypasta. But I don¡¯t have the time or leisure for that now. ¡®Let¡¯s try it.¡¯ Because I desperately need the advice of someone who understands the workings of creepypastas. I took out my smartphone, equipped with the memorial grip, and opened the ¡®Good Friend¡¯ tab in the app. The required items are as follows. ======================== ¡¤ Materials for the Invitation ¨C Matches (or a lighter) ¨C 100mL of water ¨C One tablespoon of salt ¨C A coin (clean) ¨C An item rted to a friend ======================== And a quiet ce. ¡®This locker room is perfect.¡¯ Outside is noisy with water sounds and music, so this is the best ce. I can somehow get a lighter, water, and salt inside this theme park¡ªwhether by stealing or requesting from a shop. The problem is the next two items. A coin (clean) An item rted to a friend I have no coins left. I used them all. And the item rted to a friend¡­ Actually, it¡¯s included to enhance the fun of the creepypasta. If you put in a fairy tale book, a monster from that story motif woulde. ¡®What should I do to make it as safe as possible?¡¯ No, I was reluctant to offer something from this theme park as an item rted to a friend. Isn¡¯t this ce itself already a creepypasta? ¡°¡­¡­¡± In the end, after much deliberation, I settled on two items. Hoping that this substitution would work. And after a while. ¡°Huu.¡± I ced the torch and the salt I had obtained on the floor in the corner of the locker room. ¡®So creepy.¡¯ I got them all from a snack truck. I saw they were selling a menu item called ¡®Roasted Marshmallows¡¯, so I thought maybe, and they had both. ¡®¡­They gave them to me for free when they saw my membership.¡¯ Rather than making me happy, it felt even more ominous. I wiped my mouth and reopened my smartphone. I had to start quickly. ======================== ¡¤ Invitation Ritual 1- On a smooth floor, dip your finger in water and draw a hexagram using the enclosed design. 2- ce the ¡®Good Friend¡¯ in the exact center of the hexagram. 3- ce the coin on the belly of the ¡®Good Friend¡¯. At this time, your fingers should not have any remaining water. 4- Hold a tablespoon of salt in your mouth and burn the item rted to a friend using fire. 5- When the ¡®Good Friend¡¯ starts to speak, swallow the salt and return the greeting kindly! If the coin has disappeared, the ritual was sessful! You have met a reliable friend. Always keep them close and cherish them! ¡ù If you cannot swallow the salt, tastes strange, turns to ash, or if bloodes out, run away. ======================== ¡°Huu.¡± First, I drew a hexagram on the marble floor of the locker room, exactly like the image. It was a bitplex but not too difficult. ¡®¡­It¡¯s shining strangely.¡¯ However, thepleted hexagram was excessively smooth, its surface gleaming without any smudges. After thoroughly wiping the moisture off my fingers on the hem of my clothes, I picked up the ¡®Good Friend¡¯ keychain with trembling hands and ced it in the exact center of the hexagram. ¡®Of all things, it¡¯s a rabbit doll.¡¯ I felt uneasy, but remembering that I bought it thinking it was cute at the pop-up store made me feel a bit better. And for the coin¡­ ¡®This one.¡¯ I ced the item I had¡ªthe Silver Serpent Coin¡ªon top of it. ¡®This is technically a coin¡­ right?¡¯ I thought that rather than obtaining one from this ghost story, it might be safer to use an item from the Alien Shop from the ne of ¡®reality¡¯. Considering its price, it seemed to be a fairly valuable item, so I was convincing myself that it might even have a better effect. Then, after putting the salt in my mouth, finally. ¡®An item rted to a friend.¡¯ This also had to be something that didn¡¯t belong to this ghost story. That is¡­ myself. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I loosened my necktie. ¡®If it¡¯s my own item, it certainly doesn¡¯t belong here.¡¯ A friend rted to a necktie? I don¡¯t know who it might be, but it¡¯s better than something like a kitchen knife. I lit the torch. And brought it to the end of the necktie. Whoosh. Like magic, the me red up fiercely, casting a shadow over the plush doll on the hexagram. The shadow wavered. It wavered more. And more. Before I knew it, the surroundings had grown dark. All I could see was the me consuming my necktie, the hexagram reflecting that light, and the plush doll at its center. Flicker. Flicker¡­ My hazy mind didn¡¯t melt away. Instead, the salt in my mouth melted with its salty taste, numbing my tongue. Amidst that. Flicker. Flicker¡­ The mouth of the ¡®Good Friend¡¯ hugging the coin opened. ¨C BEHOLD! ¨C I AM THE OWNER OF A MILLION MASKS, THE LORD OF CHAOS, THE PINNACLE OF MADNESS, THE DREAM OF PLEASURE AND PLAY, THE INSTIGATOR OF WAR, THE FATHER OF SCIENCE, THE LOW-LYING QUADRUPED BEAST¡ª ¡­¡­!! It¡¯s too¡­ loud. It feels like my head is being shaken violently. I want to cover my ears, but I have no free hands. I¡¯m holding the necktie and the torch! What is this? ¨C THE DESIRE OF THE CRAWLING ONES, THE LORD OF STARS, THE ABYSS OF ILLUSION, THE MOUTH OF WISDOM, THE ROAR OF IMPULSE, THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON¡­ The plush doll in the center of the hexagram is convulsing. In the middle, a silvery round object is burning away. ¡®The Silver Serpent Coin.¡¯ Did I use the wrong coin? ¨C I AM¡­ My head hurts so much, so much¡­ ¨C Friend. ¨C Are you in pain, friend? I lifted my head. ¨C This won¡¯t do¡­ A gentle and soft voice flowed through the ¡®Good Friend¡¯. ¨C You must not be in pain¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± The flickering subsided. As the necktie burned away, the fire extinguished. The coin that had been on top of the convulsing rabbit doll had disappeared at some point. So had the moisture used to draw the hexagram. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Silence. I swallowed the salt, looking at the ¡®Good Friend¡¯ lying motionless. But no sound could be heard. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me.¡¯ ¡°Did it fail¡­?¡± ¨C Mr. Roe Deer? ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± A cheerful and pleasant voice echoed. But¡­ ¨C Mr. Roe Deer? It¡¯s a familiar voice. Before I knew it, I responded. ¡°Mr. Host?¡± ¡°Ah, so it is you, Mr. Roe Deer!¡± Tuesday Quiz Show. The voice of the TV-headed host who conducted the live broadcast in that ghost story wasing from the doll. ¨C Nice to meet you, my friend! Chapter 25.1 Chapter 25.1 ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± In a corner of the locker room within the theme park¡¯s creepypasta, a small plush doll moved its limbs and spoke. At first nce, it would be a life-threatening situation. Except that I created this situation. ¨C Friend? The plush doll convulsed atop the now-vanished hexagram. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± It was then that I realized. That I had seeded in inviting the ¡®Good Friend¡¯ into the doll! The problem was that the one invited was someone I knew, no, a known monster. ¡®Mr. Host¡­!¡¯ The monster with a TV head who was conducting the in the creepypasta. ¨C I hope you join the crew of my new talk show as well, Mr. Roe Deer! I swallowed hard, recalling thest scene of escaping from that crazy creepypasta. ¡°¡­Nice to meet you, Mr. Host. Have you been well?¡± ¨C Haha, nice to meet you too! I remember you shining in the quiz show, Mr. Roe Deer. Have you been well? I¡­ ¨C I. Silence. ¨C Well¡­ I don¡¯t really remember. Mm¡­ right. I¡¯ve been well. I¡¯ve been conducting the talk show, yes. The voiceing from the plush doll faded somewhat, then regained strength and friendliness. ¨C The important thing is that we have met again! ¡°¡­Yes.¡± It felt as though the overwhelming supernatural pressure and fear were being pressed down softly before erupting. ¡®¡­Because it¡¯s a good friend?¡¯ It seems that the plush doll and the ritual are ying some sort of controlling role. Still, I have to be careful. ¡°Um, Mr. Host. I have a question.¡± ¨C Feel free to speak, friend. Oh, by the way, that kind of title between friends is a bit awkward! ¨C Just call me Braun, Mr. Roe Deer! Let¡¯s drop the stiff formalities! ¡°¡­Right. Yes. Braun.¡± Yeah. Even a TV-headed monster living in a creepypasta has a name¡­ Anyway, the main point was urgent now. I spoke as politely as possible. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m trying to leave the theme park now, but I can¡¯t find the way out.¡± ¨C Goodness! Theme parks are famous for theirplicated structures and confusing paths. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m very good at finding my way! ¡°¡­I¡¯m not lost, but the mascots are blocking the exit gate.¡± The plush doll was silent for a moment, as if speechless. ¨C Huh, hmm. It¡¯s a unique situation, isn¡¯t it? A pretty human-like reaction. I briefly summarized the structure of this theme park and what had happened. Including the teams and zones divided by color, and the out-of-control mascots. The plush doll lying on the floor folded its arms. ¨C Hmm. These mascots are really diva-like! Such conspicuously rambunctious beings exist in the broadcasting industry too. ¨C But one that hasn¡¯t appeared is bothering me. A mascot that hasn¡¯t appeared? I reflexively thought. ¡°¡­Are you talking about the yellow mascot?¡± Thest mascot, only mentioned in attractions, with no trace. ¨C Exactly! The yellow flower, isn¡¯t it? Do you know where he is? ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Right. ¡®Since I found the blue mascot¡¯s zone, the yellow mascot¡¯s zone must be somewhere¡­!¡¯ If I find that ce and go to that gate¡­ ¨C He must already be dead, though. ¡­¡­ ¡°Pardon?¡± The yellow mascot? ¡°Isn¡¯t there a space like a botanical garden or greenhouse garden? Because it¡¯s a flower¡­¡± ¨C Oh, Mr. Roe Deer, you probably already know. The kind voice whispered, ¨C Didn¡¯t you say it clearly yourself? You said the yellow team also woke up on the outskirts of the blue zone. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¨C If there was a yellow zone, the yellow team would have woken up there. Wasn¡¯t that the promise? ¡°¡­That¡¯s right.¡± The rule is that you wake up in the zone of the color you get. But the yellow team didn¡¯t. Because¡­ maybe there really is no yellow zone? I mulled it over. And after a moment, I opened my mouth. ¡°¡­I realized what I need to do.¡± I need to check. ¨C Oh, what is it? Together¡­ The plush doll struggled as if trying to get up, but couldn¡¯t bnce and fell t. ¨C Ahem, Mr. Roe Deer, could you help me get up? I cautiously approached and gently lifted the ¡®Good Friend¡¯ keychain with one hand. It felt a warmth like body heat. ¨C It¡¯s hard to maintain your bnce. It might take a little time to adjust¡­ but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m a very capable being! How dignified. After pondering, I put the plush doll into the front pocket of my suit. The plush doll exaggeratedly raised one hand. ¨C Alright, let¡¯s go! ¡­But, where are we going? It¡¯s a ce that can guide the way. A ce that¡¯s definitely in arge public facility, one of those essential spots. ¡°It¡¯s the information booth.¡± * * * Of course, there were exploration records noting that the ¡®Cheerful Theme Park¡¯ also had information booths. Most typical amusement parks are fully equipped with them. ¡®The problem is that they weren¡¯t functioning properly¡­¡¯ They did inform us of the locations of some nearby attractions. But when the requests were a bitplicated or required physical items, this happened. The information mascot raised a ¡®Members Only¡¯ sign. ¡®It means that having just an admission ticket isn¡¯t enough.¡¯ Although they treated us as customers, it was meant to create a spooky atmosphere by implying that this ce wasn¡¯t originally meant for us¡­ ¡®Fortunately, I have a membership band on my wrist.¡¯ In fact, as soon as the admission ticket was changed to a membership, I recalled several exploration records rted to ¡®Members Only¡¯. Special souvenir shops, restaurants, and separate attraction entrances that allow entry without waiting in line. But there was a clear reason why I tried to avoid them as much as possible. ¡®Because I have to interact with the mascots.¡¯ Because if I interacted with the crazy mascot who closed the gate without any information, I could trigger some horrific oue¡­ ¡®Just thinking about it makes me dizzy.¡¯ But now that I had a monster friend who would act as a crisis rm, I decided to give it a try. Chapter 25.2 Chapter 25.2 ¡°Braun. If the person I¡¯m talking to seems upset or might harm me, could you let me know?¡± ¨C Of course. It¡¯s not a difficult task! The plush doll cheerfully replied, then quickly came up with a few hand signals we could use. It was indeed a quick response befitting someone in mass media. And after a short while. ¨C Over there. Oh, it looks pretty convincing¡­ I approached the information booth, hearing the ¡®Good Friend¡¯ talking. The booth was made of opaque blue ss and a white screen. As I got closer, the screen opened, revealing the face of a blue mascot. It was the blue dragon in uniform. ¡°Hello. I¡¯d like to see a map of this ce.¡± The blue mascot, waving its hand as if pleased, quickly moved its hand and handed me a high-quality catalog. It was a convenient map showing various attractions, restaurants, and facilities of ¡®Blue Dream Waterpark¡¯. At the top of the catalog, it was marked ¡®Members Only.¡¯ I looked up at the blue mascot. ¡°Thank you.¡± There was a somewhat proud expression. ¡°By the way, is there one that shows the entire area as well?¡± Clunk. The movement of the blue mascot stopped. D-Don¡¯t be scared. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know, but I came over here from the red zone without any procedures. I want to avoid going closer there again to prevent any mistakes¡­¡± I asked in the calmest and most polite voice possible. ¡°What exactly is the boundary between the red zone and this area?¡± A short silence. The mascot reached out its hand. From here to here Riiiiiip. The catalog map I was holding was torn by the blue mascot¡¯s w. Along the eastern end, it tore down. ¡®As expected, the eastern part of the blue zone and the western part of the red zone were directly connected¡­¡¯ But¡­ it¡¯s so scary. My hands holding the torn catalog were shaking as if vibrating¡­! ¡®Please save me.¡¯ Isn¡¯t it going to split me in half with its ws and kill me? At the moment the mascot lifted its ws off the map, I hurriedly nodded and expressed my gratitude. Then, onto the next topic! ¡°Thank you. If that¡¯s the case¡­¡± Thud thud. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¨C Shh. From the front pocket, the plush doll tapped its chest twice softly. ¡­This is what it means. ¡®It seems the other party is not in a good mood.¡¯ ¡­So, this is it! I immediately shifted my demeanor and only greeted politely. ¡°Yes. I won¡¯t go near the red zone.¡± The blue dragon stayed still for a moment, then nodded its head. Then, rummaging through its chest, it took out another polite ¡®Blue Soda Churros¡¯ bag and handed it to me. ¡°Thank you.¡± G o o d c h i l d The blue dragon tapped my wristband gently and then let go of its arm. Drip. Eventually, the screen of the information booth closed smoothly. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®Huu.¡¯ It was done. I bowed my head, clutching my pounding heart. I felt like I was going to die of fear¡­ ¨C You¡¯re smiling, my friend! Are you feeling good? Did you find what you wanted? I figured it out. ¡°Yes.¡± I lifted my head and started running. ¡°Now, I just need to move.¡± If I had asked the mascot more questions, I might have saved some time, but safetyes first, so from now on, I would use the most reliable means. My own feet. ¡®Let¡¯s hurry.¡¯ There were only a few hours left. I looked up at the sky of the theme park, which was starting to darken. * * * A few hourster. The sun had set. ¡°Huuuff.¡± I kept running. My legs were trembling from sprinting thoroughly around the gigantic water theme park, covering half ap. ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, you seem terribly exhausted? ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± The plush doll asked with a pitiful tone. ¨C It seems like the time hase to ask this question. Exactly where are you trying to go? I wiped the sweat dripping from my chin and replied. ¡°The yellow zone.¡± ¨C Hooh! ¨C We both seemed to agree with the statement ¡®there is no yellow zone¡¯, but why did you change your judgment? ¡°It¡¯s not that I changed my mind. I still believe there is no yellow zone.¡± But¡­ ¡°There must have been one in the past.¡± I lowered the map and looked ahead. First of all. ¡°At that time, it probably wasn¡¯t directly adjacent to the red zone.¡± To the east was a forest, to the north was the entrance, to the south was a cliff, and to the west was the blue zone. ¡®The terrain fits perfectly without any gaps.¡¯ Then¡­ ¡°It must have been connected to some part of the blue zone. There must have been a connecting passage.¡± Excluding the north, which was also an entrance, and the east, which was adjacent to the red zone. What remains is¡­ ¨C So you¡¯re thoroughly searching the west and south? Haha! That¡¯s correct. Unlike the red zone, there were no mascots chasing me to kill me here, so I could use thisborious method. And finally, I found it in a corner of the northwest, behind the restroom¡¯s flower bed. A rough dirt path leading up the mountain, like a closed hiking trail. ¨C Hmm. It must have been opened as a passage before. The problem is, crossing this almost certainly vites the theme park¡¯s rules. [No Entry Except for Staff] After checking that sign, I slightly stepped out from behind the restroom and looked around. I made eye contact with a mascot standing in front of a children¡¯s attraction far away. ¨C Hmm, are you bothered by that mascot? ¡°Yes. If I cross into the no-entry zone, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll notice¡­¡± ¨C Then just don¡¯t get caught! ¡°¡­¡­¡± But that¡¯s not as easy as it sounds¡­ ¨C Oh, cheer up. It¡¯s not difficult! ¨C Isn¡¯t it me? Your friend. Chapter 25.3 Chapter 25.3 The voice of the ¡®Good Friend¡¯ became somewhat crafty. Its unique confidence, slyness, and friendliness came to the forefront. ¨C I will help you. First¡­ it would be good to take me out of your front pocket for a moment! I did as it said. Then, the plush doll sitting on my palm raised its hand and pointed at me. I flinched instantly, remembering how it burned people during the Tuesday Quiz Show. But this time was different. Ta-dak! A small thudding sound echoed as the doll without fingers snapped its hand. At that moment. A strange shadow-like thing heavily covered me. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I was now faint and sinking¡­ ¨C Now¡­ they won¡¯t be able to notice you. Come on, let¡¯s go. The voice of Braun, the ¡®Good Friend¡¯, sounded slightly weary and faint. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¨C I turned off your lighting, Mr. Roe Deer. ¨C We promised not to worry about people who aren¡¯t illuminated during the show, didn¡¯t we? Apparently, ¡®incineration¡¯ wasn¡¯t the only ability of the host. ¡®Was he managing the entire filming location by himself¡­?¡¯ I felt an eerie chill and looked down at the plush doll, but soon realized that wasn¡¯t my priority. First, escape! ¡°Then, I¡¯ll move.¡± ¨C Very good! I turned back to the restroom and stood in front of the closed narrow path. Then, I crossed the no-entry sign. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Nothing happened. ¡°Thank¡­¡± ¨C Let¡¯s set aside the praise and move first! I was almost moved to tears by how grateful I was. I sprinted up the steep hiking trail at my maximum speed, almost sprinting away. Fragments of broken stic and decorative items shed beneath my hands and feet amidst the dirt. ¨C It seems like the ce where something was is definitely here. I pushed my speed even more. Upward, further upward¡­ And finally, the end of the path appeared. Tak. I stepped forward and stood. From the top of the hill, I looked down below. It¡¯s¡­ ¨C It¡¯s a resort. Arge-scale resort building was spread out next to the dark seaside. ¡­Did all famous franchise theme parks also operate such massive lodging facilities? It was sorge it was overwhelming just to look at it¡­ [Flower Golden Resort] It was already apletely abandoned facility. The golden-lit resort must have looked like quite a dream ce once. But now it was old, paint peeling, and deste. I looked at the sign with a yellow flower brightly smiling, which had a crack. And below that, even the familiar but older machinery. ¨C There¡¯s a gate at the entrance to the resort too! ¡°Yes.¡± That was expected. The way back to the resort from the theme park was also a kind of exit. ¡®Found it¡­!¡¯ I ran again, forgetting my exhaustion. The shadow that had been covering my body snapped away, and my steps quickened. ¨C Hmm. But the gate here is off too, can I use it? ¡°Of course.¡± I looked around the old gate mechanism and opened the emergency control panel. Just like I did at the attraction. And I activated the emergency power. Ziiing. Creaking, sporadic lights came on in the gate machine. ¡®Because the mascot had its eyes wide open, I couldn¡¯t do it earlier.¡¯ This level of operation was manageable on my own. I stood in front of the gate where the lights wereing on mostpletely. I took a deep breath. Until the final confirmation. ¡°Braun. If I enter that resort with my membership, do you think I have to use those facilities?¡± ¨C Haha! Those rundown ces? Their business seems to have ended long ago, and it¡¯s already an ownerless property. It¡¯s not a theme park, justnd! Thank you for the sharp and urate assessment, friend. I immediately brought my membership to the gate. Click. The old gate machine read my membership. Ding. The device¡¯s lights flickered. [¡ò Goodbye ¡ò] Done. Feeling a shiver, as I moved my feet¡­ ¨C Goodness, they followed. I turned around. Far away, I saw a blue figure crawling up the narrow path. ¡®¡­Mascot!¡¯ It was the blue dragon! The mascot in uniform that I saw at the gate was approaching at a terrifying speed¡­ then stopped. It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s¡­ Staggering. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¨C Tsk tsk. That mascot thinks it¡¯s the protagonist of a drama. Let¡¯s get out quickly! I felt uneasy. ¡®This ispletely a foreshadowing of revenge.¡¯ There¡¯s nothing good about being hated by a being from a creepypasta, right? I thought and rummaged through my pocket, finding something that was still left. [Alice¡¯s Pic Set ¨C Cookie] It was this t cookie item that I had never used before. I lightly threw the paper-wrapped cookie at the mascot. ¡­¡­ ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, you are excessively kind¡­ No. ¡®Anyway, I gave it to you, Dragon.¡¯ As I confirmed that the mascot received the cookie in its hand, I crossed the gate. G o o d c h i l d I escaped from the creepypasta. Amidst the world swirling around, I heard the faint voice of the ¡®Good Friend¡¯. ¨C Hmm, now I¡¯m getting strength! I feel like I can move¡­ * * * I opened my eyes. I realized I was sitting in the conference room of Research Team 1 on the 17th floor, empty and dark, right in the middle of Seoul. ¡®¡­I survived.¡¯ I seeded in escaping! ¡°Ha!!¡± Feeling an overwhelming sense of liberation stretching to the tips of my hair, I immediately stood up from my seat. ¡®Is no one here?¡¯ A few hours had passed, so it seemed everyone had moved from the conference room. I thought of calling to let them know I had escaped¡­ Huh? I looked at my wrist. [¡ò (Cheerful) Fantasnd Membership ¡ò ] The band was still there. ¡°What is this¡ª¡± And then it began to burn. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± In an instant, the form of the admission ticket disappeared. But something remained. Exactly where the admission ticket had been, there was a ck inscription engraved on my wrist. : Socius : What the heck. Chapter 26.1 Chapter 26.1 After I finally escaped from that crazy theme park¡ª ¨C Roe! ¨C Whoa crazy, Roe¡¯s back!! I was met with a warm wee from my teammates who I ran into in the elevator. Turns out, the team had been in a panic and was even thinking of reaching out to one of the civilian survivors to find out what could have happened inside the ghost story. ¡°We were just trying to get some insight from them. Anyway, it¡¯s a relief you made it out safely.¡± D-squad¡¯s assistant manager spoke with a much brighter expression. ¡°What happened exactly? Why were youte?¡± Hmm. Before answering, I deliberately raised my hand so my wrist faced outward, massaging the back of my neck so they could clearly see the burn mark left by the membership. : Socius : ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Roe?¡± ¡°Oh, sorry. Just¡­ really tired for a moment.¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± Both Assistant Manager Eun and Supervisor Park just nodded, acknowledging that after all that hellish ordeal, it made sense. That¡¯s when I realized. ¡®They can¡¯t see it.¡¯ No reaction. That tattoo isn¡¯t visible to them. Not a great sign. After a short pause, I decided to speak. ¡°The reason I waste¡­ well, actually, the power to the exit gate went out right in front of me. I waited, but when it didn¡¯te back on, I had to find another way out.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± I deliberately left out the part where the regr admission band turned into a membership band. In this bizarre ghost storypany, it wouldn¡¯t be wise to mention that something weird has attached itself to me. ¡®Let¡¯s also leave out the part about the talking plush doll.¡¯ But aside from that, I exined everything in detail, so there shouldn¡¯t be any issues with recording the exploration logs and creating the manual. ¡°¡­Wait a minute. So¡­ you went to the yellow zone, but the gate there was off too, so you manually turned it back on? By rewiring the circuit box?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What are you¡­¡± ¡°Ehh, I¡¯m just an ordinary roe deer.¡± ¡°Umm¡­ Right, I guess.¡± ¡°¡­¡­??¡± In any case, the atmosphere lightened significantly. ¡°Your points will be credited tomorrow. Don¡¯t be surprised¡ªI heard the total might be close to ten thousand points this time.¡± ¡°Awesome, right?!¡± Actually, the points they¡¯d get would be lower since I made it out alive. The two superiors who seemed so busy worrying about my survival that they hadn¡¯t even had time to wash yet looked at me and grinned. Honestly, I felt kind of grateful. It was even a bit touching¡ªa warmth too good for thispany. But someone was missing. ¡°Come to think of it, where¡¯s the Squad Leader?¡± Assistant Manager Eun averted her gaze. ¡°¡­He got called by the Team Leader.¡± Urk. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. He¡¯ll just get scolded a bit. Honestly, if we¡¯re talking about the A-squad¡¯s mantis mask, isn¡¯t it like he practically did that to himself?¡± Well, it did seem like Squad Leader Lee got on the wrong side of the A-squad¡¯s leader. I remembered the teal duck mask ring daggers at him. Even Supervisor Park was whispering now. ¡°Assistant Manager, is that actually true?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That our squad leader has enough qualifications for the elite team but keeps getting held back in D-squad because of his personality¡­!¡± ¡°Oh. It¡¯s probably true.¡± Assistant Manager Eun crossed her arms. ¡°But he¡¯s been like that his whole life, so people just let him be.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It does seem like God is fair, considering that face with that personality¡­¡± ¡°Shhh. He¡¯s a good superior.¡± A lizard face with a lizard personality? Well, I could now somewhat understand and agree that he was indeed a decent superior. Especially since I¡¯d just seen the worst kind of boss up close. ¡°Ah, and about Research Team 1¡¯s section chief.¡± The head of Research Team 1, Kwak Jaekang, who had impulsively thrown his squad member into a ghost story and eventually got him killed. ¡°He really crossed the line.¡± Apparently, he¡¯s now arguing that he was ¡®so startled himself that he identally sacrificed the researcher as a pawn¡¯. ¡®Even though anyone could tell it was intentional¡­¡¯ Everyone from the exploration team present at that scene would remember it wasn¡¯t the case. The problem is, there isn¡¯t anyone willing to testify strongly for the deceased, gambling-addicted researcher. Just look at the state of our outspoken superiors. ¡°The A-squad¡¯s leader is totally fixated on our D-squad¡¯s leader, so much that she doesn¡¯t even care about Research Team 1¡¯s section chief.¡± The expectation was that things would just get swept under the rug, with maybe a slight pay cut as the only consequence. Since this is apany where employees¡¯ lives are valued based on their performance, it didn¡¯t look like a department head would face serious disciplinary action over the idental death of an expendable employee. ¡®Is this why Kwak Jaekang, the researcher, kept showing up in the Dark Exploration Records¡­!¡¯ One wrong move and he¡¯d be in deep trouble, but he seemed to be crafty enough to avoid it each time, slithering away like a snake. The Team D superiors clicked their tongues, saying that some of the creepy rumors about Kwak Jaekang must have been true. ¡°I hate the thought of having to keep working with that guy, but since he threw a fit this time, he might calm down a bit until the next quarter.¡± ¡°Right? If he hadn¡¯t, he would¡¯ve been fired by now.¡± It was exactly the kind ofcency expected in apany where employees risked their lives for ghost stories. ¡®I agree to some extent, but¡­ honestly, it felt like Kwak Jaekang wasn¡¯t just trying to kill his own researcher but all of us.¡¯ The researcher was just a pawn in his chaos. But thanks to everyone¡¯s safe escape, that part got blurred, leaving things a bit murky. ¡®I¡¯ll have to keep an eye on him going forward.¡¯ I resolved to thoroughly check the wiki page where Kwak Jaekang was mentioned. ¡°Phew, what a long day.¡± ¡°Seriously.¡± The conversation died down. Since Squad Leader Lee Jaheon¡¯s return was uncertain, we got permission to go home for the day. Assistant Manager Eun grinned. ¡°There¡¯s nothing more to do. You haven¡¯t been reported as missing yet. We thought we might find you. ¡­Good thing we did.¡± ¡°Yeah! We all believed you¡¯d turn up!¡± ¡°Go home and get some rest.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± ¡°Oh,e on, no need for that.¡± With their parting words, ¡°Look forward to those points tomorrow,¡± I said goodbye to my superiors. I returned to Research Team 1¡¯s office to gather my things and started heading home. And along the way, I met a familiar face. ¡°Jang Heo-eun.¡± ¡°¡­¡­! Soleum-ssi!¡± A new recruit from the Y-squad. Since all his squadmates had died, he¡¯d somehow been relegated to the background, sitting idly in the Research Team 1¡¯s office. And although his shoulder had healed, he was still wearing his blood-stained clothes. ¡°You made it out safely! I¡¯m relieved¡­¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± I sat across from him for a moment and made some small talk. Jang Heo-eun looked a bit pale, probably from blood loss, but his gloomy expression seemed somewhat lighter. Though it feels odd to call him lucky, given what happened to his squadmates¡­ I recalled what the superiors had hinted at earlier. ¨C Ah, that new recruit from Y-squad. Looks like management is considering him favorably after his performance this time. If he maintains it, he¡¯s likely to be promoted to a regr employee within three months. ¨C If he can make it through three months without incident, there¡¯s a high chance he¡¯ll be transferred to a standard position! That all sounds great. The problem is, can he survive those three months¡­! ¡°So, have you ever thought about quitting? Your situation is too dangerous right now¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± A firm answer returned. Jang Heo-eun, the new recruit from Y-squad, still wearing his cow mask, clenched both fists tightly. ¡°I need that wish ticket. I can¡¯t quit.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Seems he has his own reasons. ¡°In that case, I wish you the best of luck.¡± After hesitating, I added a few words. ¡°Three months.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°If you can endure for just three months, there¡¯s a high chance you¡¯ll be reassigned.¡± There¡¯s a big difference between enduring indefinitely and having a set period to push through. From a motivational standpoint as well. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± A glimmer appeared in Jang Heo-eun¡¯s eyes. ¡°Y-Yes¡­ I¡¯ll try my best to make it¡­!¡± He took a deep breath, looking at the ceiling, then lowered his head respectfully. ¡°You¡¯ve helped me a lot today. In three months, I¡¯ll work hard to return the favor.¡± ¡°No need. Thanks to you, I made it out safely as well. Thank you.¡± We shook hands. And, with a mix of sympathy and understanding, I found myself saying it almost automatically. ¡°Thank you for all your hard work. It must have been frightening for you.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± A look of puzzlement passed over Jang Heo-eun¡¯s face. Uhh¡­! ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve nearly died a few times before¡­¡± ¡°¡­Not just that. You must have seen some very disturbing scenes as well.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true.¡± Jang Heo-eun gave an embarrassed smile. ¡°I¡¯m not great with blood or organs¡­ I keep fainting or my legs give out.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Hold on. The definition of ¡®disturbing scenes¡¯ seems to have narrowed down quite a bit just now¡­ ¡®No way.¡¯ ¡°¡­Heo-eun-ssi, does that mean that supernatural phenomena or ghosts don¡¯t bother you?¡± ¡°A-Ah, yes! Those things don¡¯t bother me at all!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that I tend to think, ¡®Oh, so that¡¯s what it is,¡¯ um, yes. Unless someone gets severely injured, I don¡¯t feel much about it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± So he¡¯s¡­ not a coward? ¡°Thank you for your concern¡­ Oh, that¡¯s right! Soleum-ssi, did you happen to talk to that person in the new recruit group chat¡­ oh. Y-You¡¯re not in there¡­¡± There¡¯s¡­ a new recruit group chat? Chapter 26.2 Chapter 26.2 * * * So he wasn¡¯t a fellow member of the Cowards¡¯ Club. ¡­And there was a rookie group chat that I wasn¡¯t a part of?! ¡°Hah.¡± I returned home to thepany dorm in a troubled state, showered, and came back out. Two shocking truths left a lingering sting at the back of my mind. ¡®What a long day¡­¡¯ I¡¯d received the new recruit chat link from that traitor¡­ no, I mean Jang Heo-eun-ssi, so I¡¯d need to check that outter. But there was something of higher priority to look into first. ¡°I should check the tattoo on my wrist.¡± Several possibilities crossed my mind, but fortunately, there was someone I could casually ask about it. ¡®Good Friend.¡¯ I sat on the bed and pulled the plush doll keychain from the front pocket of my suit. Then I called out. ¡°Braun?¡± But there was no answer. ¡®Just as expected.¡¯ It was said that once back in reality, the doll would appear as a regr plush toy. ======================== The Good Friend will apany you in daily life, but it will be like a shy doll. Treat it properly. It remembers everything. ======================== So, it wasn¡¯t just keeping quiet and blending in at thepany¡ªit actually couldn¡¯t speak in this state. But there was still a way to talk to the ¡®Good Friend¡¯ outside of ghost stories. ¡®¡­I just need to turn reality into a ghost story.¡¯ I recalled a method from the . ======================== Talking with the ¡®Good Friend¡¯ #1 Use darkness, a lighter, and shadows. ======================== Honestly, it was a bit creepy, but here goes. I leaned down beneath the bed. Then, I propped the ¡®Good Friend¡¯ against the inside of the right bed leg. ¡®Next, the light.¡¯ I¡¯d quit smoking ages ago, so I didn¡¯t have a lighter, but I substituted with my phone shlight. cing it on the floor to cast a narrow beam on the bed leg, I turned off the room light. Click. I sat on the bed in the pitch dark. ¡®¡­This is kind of creepy.¡¯ A chill ran down my spine, so I pulled the nket over myself. There¡¯s no need to feel embarrassed. I¡¯m alone, after all. ¡®¡­Though I might not be alone much longer.¡¯ I looked up, and the shlight under the bed cast a massive shadow of the plush doll on the wall. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soon, the shadow of the plush doll leaning against the bed leg began to sway along with the light. As if it were stirring awake. If I watched carefully, holding my breath, a voice would soon follow. A voice that sounded almost like an illusion. ¨C Friend. ¡°¡­Braun.¡± The host had awoken. ¨C Ah, I see you made it out safely from that strange theme park! Congrattions. ¡°Thank you.¡± Braun seemed to be recalling, almost like reying a tape, the rough outline of what had happened to me since I left the ghost story. ¡®So this is what it means to remember everything.¡¯ ¨C Right, you¡¯ve clocked out, friend. Are you home to rest now? Oh, it¡¯s quite a cozy ce! ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Though, technically, this wasn¡¯t my home but apany dorm. ¨C Hmm, now that I think about it, Mr. Roe Deer, you¡¯re speaking to me very formally! Friends don¡¯t need to speak like that, you know. ¡°¡­Braun, you¡¯re speaking quite formally yourself.¡± ¨C Haha, I can¡¯t help it. It¡¯s an upational hazard! I swallowed back the words, ¡®I, too, am a rookie at this crazy ghost storypany with an upational hazard¡¯. The friendlier this plush doll became, the safer and more powerful it would be. ¡°¡­Alright. Then I¡¯ll speak more casually from now on. Since we¡¯re friends.¡± ¨C Oh, that¡¯s great! [1] The shadow of the doll shook, as if nodding cheerfully. Good¡­ now, to the main point. ¡°I actually have something to ask my friend.¡± ¨C Oh! Then how about we take turns asking each other questions? But we must answer each question. ¨C It¡¯ll be like a game. Ah, that sounds so fun¡­ Stop making it sound like a ghost story! ¡°Sure. That sounds fun.¡± But I forced myself to respond agreeably. Feels like I¡¯m working overtime¡­ Gotta stay strong. ¡°What I wanted to ask is this.¡± I immediately raised my left hand and lowered it under the bed, making sure the ck letters, like a tattoo on my wrist, were clearly visible to the plush doll in front of me. ¡°When the membership wristband burned up, this mark was left behind.¡± A moment of silence. And then¡­ ¨C This¡­ is Latin. Hmm. An odd mix of fascination and absorption was evident in his tone. The voice dropped lower. ¨C Socius. ¨C It meanspanion, member, or kin. The versatility of Latin! ¡°I know that much.¡± I¡¯d looked it up on a dictionary app on the way back. The fact that the ¡®membership¡¯ wristband had burned up, leaving behind a word meaning ¡®member¡¯, seemed fairly connected, but what mattered more was this. ¡°But other people don¡¯t seem to be able to see it. What do you think the reason is?¡± ¨C Oh dear, it seems they all have poor eyesight! I can see it quite well. So creatures within ghost stories can see this? ¡°d you can see it.¡± I rephrased my question. ¡°Then, what role do you think this mark serves?¡± ¨C It¡¯s a mark granting you certain qualifications. Without hesitation, Braun responded in a cheerful tone. ¨C You know how VIPs sometimes attend talk shows as special guests? They¡¯re often given distinctive marks that set them apart from the other audience members, like a name tag or badge! ¨C Such a ¡®distinguished mark¡¯ grants privileges like special seating, rehearsal viewing, or backstage ess! I instinctively raised my arm to look at the mark. ¡°¡­So, this is like a ¡®special qualification¡¯?¡± ¨C Well, at least to the theme park mascots, yes. Braun¡¯s voice turned dismissive. ¨C Those overly emotional mascots seem to be a bit too friendly with you, Mr. Roe Deer. Next time you visit, perhaps you¡¯ll get a wee drink with it!¡± I¡¯d rather never visit again. But I nodded in agreement to appear cooperative. ¨C Good, good! ¡®Being social is so exhausting¡­¡¯ Anyway, though the ¡®qualification¡¯ it grants is vague, it doesn¡¯t seem to be entirely negative. ¡®If I enter another ghost story, I¡¯ll have to see if there¡¯s any use for it.¡¯ The plush doll¡¯s shadow swayed a few times, as if in excitement, then whispered softly. ¨C Did you know? Know what? ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, you¡¯ve just asked two questions. ¨C That¡¯s a rule vition. A chill ran down my spine. ¨C Haha, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s often the charm of being close to someone to bend the rules asionally, isn¡¯t it?¡± Phew. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± ¨C No need to thank me! ¨C Now, it¡¯s my turn to ask a question. I swallowed nervously, looking at therge shadow of the doll cast on the wall. ¡°What do you want to know?¡± Braun whispered. ¨C Who lives in the room next to yours? It was an unexpected question. And, of course, in the next room here in the dorm¡­ ¡°¡­A colleague.¡± Baek Saheon. ¨C Are you close? Not at all. ¡°Just a work colleague.¡± ¨C Ah, I see. Very well¡­ Braun¡¯s voice became cheerful again. ¨C Friend, it¡¯s probably best if you don¡¯t pay attention to that ¡®work colleague¡¯ living next door! ¡°Why?¡± ¨C Because he¡¯ll drop dead soon!
Note/s: [1] Braun still continues to speak to Seolum formally with the -??? speech level, while Seolum dropped formalities and is speaking to Braun without honorifics. It¡¯s a bit difficult to include this in English since there¡¯s no speech levels here, so just keep this in mind for now until it (maybe) changes in the future. ? Chapter 27.1 Chapter 27.1 Baek Saheon. ¨C You morons. If one eye is all it takes to escape, just do it already! My coworker, the one who caused thatmotion on the subway. He¡¯s also a notable figure in the and will probably keep leaving his mark on his way up to assistant manager¡­ ¡°What? He¡¯ll die?¡± Suddenly, a keychain plushie from a creepypasta just sentenced Baek Saheon to death. Reflexively, I couldn¡¯t help but ask this question. ¡°Why?¡± But I know a future where he¡¯s promoted up to assistant manager¡­? ¨C Ah, it¡¯s a ssic. Really ssic¡­ Mr. Roe Deer, have you ever seen movies like that? ¡°¡­Movies?¡± ¨C Yes. The kind with a serial killer in them.¡± Ah, please. ¨C In popr media, there are certain typical targets who end up as victims. Blondes, college students, hitchhikers, or those wearing something like red shoes¡ªthese kinds of noticeable symbols. ¨C And do you know what the most ssic and foolproof victim selection is? The shadow of the plush doll whispered. ¨C It¡¯s picking up something that belongs to the killer. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Therge ck shadow cast on the wall pointed beyond it. ¨C Your ¡®work colleague¡¯ picked up an item, and now he¡¯s going to die in a brutal way! ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hah, seriously¡­ ¡°Anyway, thanks for the warning.¡± ¨C You¡¯re most wee! As politely as possible, I told him that I needed to sleep for work tomorrow, and thankfully, my ¡®Good Friend¡¯ dly understood my situation. ¨C Goodness, it must have been a tiring day. May you sleep soundly and have sweet dreams! That seems unlikely. ¡®And you contributed to that disaster¡­¡¯ ¨C Adios! The shlight on my phone switched off on its own, and therge shadow on the wall disappeared. After a moment¡¯s thought, I grabbed a clean towel, made a soft little spot on the desk, and ced the plush doll on it. ¡®Hopefully, with this much courtesy, he won¡¯te after me in a nightmare with a cleaver.¡¯ Of course, I probably need to worry about whether I can even fall asleep and dream at this point. ¡°Hm.¡± I turned the night light to its brightest setting andy down in bed. Baek Saheon. He¡¯s probably asleep next door by now¡­ ¡®What exactly did he pick up?¡¯ What sort of horrendous ghost story artifact did he grab for the plush doll next door to sense it through the wall? Is it the butterfly effect? Or was it something that was already bound to happen? I thought back to what Baek Saheon had done in the , but even after searching through the wiki, I couldn¡¯t find any relevant information. Maybe that¡¯s not surprising. If it happened outside of work, it might not have been documented. Huu. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®If I go knocking on his door in the middle of the night, he¡¯ll probably have a heart attack, won¡¯t he?¡¯ Besides, I¡¯m not exactly eager to voluntarily approach something scary enough to put me on a serial killer¡¯s target list¡­ Honestly, he¡¯s not even the type of roommate I¡¯d risk my life to warn. ¡®But now that I know, giving him at least a warning is the right thing to do.¡¯ An indirect way to reach out¡­ ¡®Got it.¡¯ It also ties into what I was going to do next. Iy in bed and checked my phone messenger. [Jang Heo-un : This is the rookie group chat. Please join using this link. Thank you! (Link)] A colleague from Y-squad had sent it. With a sigh, I clicked the link. [Field Exploration Team Batch 17 Chatroom] It was an open KakaoTalk chat. The reason for this setup probably had something to do with reducing the emotional impact when news of a death came through, as it wasn¡¯t linked to personal contacts. In any case, everyone used their names for their profile names, so identifying people wouldn¡¯t be a problem. ¡®I¡¯d better set mine to my name and enter.¡¯ [Kim Soleum has joined.] And as I began to type a greeting¡­ [whoa] [dang] [Is it really you, Kim Soleum-ssi?] [wee ^^] [It¡¯s really you? May I ask who gave the invite?] ¡°¡­¡­??¡± Even before I could write a greeting, intense reactions poured in. ¡®Surely, they¡¯re not wondering who cluelessly invited that person, right?¡¯ On the positive side, maybe my recent performance had been good enough to spark some curiosity or rumors. I simply posted a short greeting. [Nice to meet you all. I¡¯ll be in your care.] As if waiting for it, someone immediately asked. [Kang Yihak : Is it true you received 40,000 points? haha] Hmm. [Yes.] [Kang Yihak : So jealous! I¡¯m curious about how you managed to get that, haha] [I just did my best.] I didn¡¯t respond further and simply sent a bowing emoticon. ¡®This ce is just like a jungle.¡¯ I wondered if this might be a warm group chat where colleagues share tips, support each other, and enjoy hobbies together, but that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case. ¡®It¡¯s more like an intern group chat where only 10% will make it to full-time positions.¡¯ In other words, everyone is subtly trying to gain any advantage they can. ¡®Well, with people constantly dying and the wish ticket feeling so far out of reach, I guess it¡¯s understandable.¡¯ Getting too attached to this chat could make the news of someone¡¯s death all the more depressing. It left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth, but I could understand it. [Go Yeongeun : (hwaiting emoji)] [Go Yeongeun : (pping emoji)] Still, there seemed to be some genuinely nice colleagues here. ¡®She seems to be doing well¡­¡¯ I nodded, seeing the clean, supportive emoticons from my med-school-dropout colleague who¡¯d backed me up that time on the death-ridden subway. ¡®Alright, let¡¯s do what I came here to do.¡¯ Time to follow the voice of my conscience. I found Baek Saheon¡¯s profile in the group chat and initiated a one-on-one open chat with him. And I wrote: watch out for serial killers ¨C The number 1 serving as an ¡®unread¡¯ mark disappeared in a second. But no reply came. Hmm, maybe he feels a bit guilty himself? ¡®If he feels guilty, he¡¯ll be careful.¡¯ This should be enough as a warning. ¡°I¡¯ll send it every morning from now on.¡± If I keep this up for about a week, the message¡¯s impact should hold until it wears off. Satisfied with my efforts, I turned off my phone. ¡®¡­Time to sleep.¡¯ Whether I¡¯ll actually manage to sleep is uncertain, but I should at least try. I have work tomorrow¡­ sob. ¡®If only thepany would explode.¡¯ Iy there, feeling the weight of the sad reality that, given thepany¡¯s nature, I¡¯d still have to show up for work. I ended up staying awake all night¡­ When I finally dozed off in the early hours, I dreamed of being chased by theme park mascots wielding intestines, then offering churros to the plushie. ¡®Save me.¡¯ Just another night of trauma for a regr office worker. The news I heard the next day, however, was anything but ordinary. T/N: Seolum slowly and methodically driving Saheon insane with his antics is just so hrious to me lmaoo Chapter 27.2 Chapter 27.2 * * * ¡°Roe, you hit the jackpot.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°You¡­ earned 20,000 points.¡± Pardon? I looked up and checked this morning¡¯s point total. [Employee Kim Soleum / Earned Points : 20000P] It¡¯s for real. ¡®They definitely told me yesterday it¡¯d only be 10,000 points¡­?¡¯ Supervisor Park pped my shoulder repeatedly. ¡°Assistant Manager Jin from A-squad reported that you absolutely deserved the extra points!¡± Assistant Manager Jin¡­! Thank you, Assistant Manager Jin, for recognizing my desperate efforts to get us all out, even to the point that you had to drill a hole in my palm. In my mind, I raised my evaluation of the butterfly-mask-wearing assistant manager from a cold, work-driven psycho to a quick-witted and fair superior. ¡°Originally, our squad leader was also supposed to be named a primary contributor for the mission, but the A-squad leader threw a fit¡­¡± Ah. Well¡­ honestly, I could see why she would react that way from her perspective¡­ ¡®Did I benefit unintentionally from the fallout?¡¯ Not sure if I should feel pleased, but I¡¯ll ept it gratefully. ¡°Anyway, Roe, it¡¯s a big win for you. You¡¯ve already broken the fastest point-earning record since joining! Insane.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Though I may have to give up on staying unnoticed in thispany soon¡­ ¡®Still, points are sweet.¡¯ And that wasn¡¯t even the end of it. Before the morning was over, I got a call. ¡°¡­Assistant Manager Jin?¡± ¨C Yeah. I had just been expecting to rx a bit after finishing a B-level ghost story exploration yesterday and working on some paperwork. A call came in over the internalwork from the A-squad Assistant Manager. Naturally, I began with gratitude. ¡°Thank you. I heard you rmended me as a primary contributor for clearing the theme park Darkness¡­¡± ¨C Things work best when the person who does well gets more points. No need to thank me for that. Ah, yes. ¨C Anyway, get up here. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¨C My team¡¯s going into a Darkness mission today, but we¡¯re short-staffed. So, you¡¯reing to help. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¨C Don¡¯t want to? Yes, I don¡¯t want to! I¡¯m a poor rookie who nearly kicked the bucket yesterday¡ªwould it hurt to give me a break today?! ¡°Please hold on a moment¡­ Assistant Manager Eun, there¡¯s a call for you.¡± ¡°Oh, what¡¯s up?¡± Help me out here, dear superior! I tried passing the call over to my superiors in hopes of dodging it, but it didn¡¯t work. ¡°A-squad is short-staffed? Is this an A-squad backup call?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Uh-oh. Even Supervisor Park, who had been slumped over his desk, sprang up with his chair and started whispering with interest. ¡°Wait a second, did A-squad really ask for Roe to fill the spot?¡± I don¡¯t know, supervisor. My shoulders hurt. Please stop shaking me. ¡°Got it, yes.¡± In the meantime, Assistant Manager Eun ended the call, then shook her fist at me with a gleam in her eye. ¡°Hey. Go.¡± ¡­Pardon? ¡°That¡¯s right! With A-squad as it is right now, it¡¯s a golden opportunity! Safer conditions and more money¡ªdon¡¯t let this slip by!¡± ¡°All those points, Roe. Points.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡­So, basically. ¡®The elite A-squad gets extra points for each assignment.¡¯ That¡¯s a pretty sweet deal. And since there¡¯s no call for Y-squad or the other round-off squads, it doesn¡¯t sound like a sacrificial type of Darkness either. On top of that, they even called a rookie like me as a stand-in, so it likely isn¡¯t a tough mission. In short, it¡¯s overtime work with good pay and an easy win! ¡°With the vacancy, they needed to bring someone along. They must¡¯ve liked what they saw in you yesterday and thought they¡¯d give you a chance. Go for it!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I have no excuse left¡­ Saying something like ¡®I was so scared that I couldn¡¯t even sleep, so now I just want to rest¡¯ would soundpletely ridiculous now. ¡®If an employee from the Field Exploration Team talks about being scared when a rtively safe situation with substantial points is on the line¡­ they¡¯d look suspicious¡­!¡¯ If I didn¡¯t want to be branded a coward and sent to the Round-Off Team, I¡¯d have to keep my mouth shut. So, with reluctant steps, I dragged myself toward the 15th floor¡­ ¡°That¡¯s right, rookie spirit!¡± It feels more like defeat than spirit, honestly. I trudged to the elevator, trying not to look too miserable. When I reached the top floor of the Field Exploration Team, the 15th floor, and the doors opened, I was in for a surprise. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± There were no cramped desks or partitions typical of an office. Instead, it looked like a luxurious lounge you¡¯d find in a hotel, with separate, private ss-walled spaces beyond, each marked with a staff member¡¯s name. ¡®My god.¡¯ A personal office for each person. It was the kind of benefit you¡¯d expect for executives. ¡®Is this some kind of motivation?¡¯ Apparently, bing an elite team member in the Field Exploration Team granted ess to private space like this. ¡®It¡¯s every office worker¡¯s dream¡­¡¯ Just then, a familiar face stepped out from the ss door next to me. It was my superior, already wearing her butterfly mask. ¡°Hello, Assistant Manager Jin.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Assistant Manager Jin from A-squad looked more human than she had in the ghost story. ¡°The Squad Leader said she¡¯d like to see you again.¡± Then, from therger office opposite, A-squad¡¯s leader emerged, holding a cup of joe. ¡°Mr. Roe Deer.¡± ¡°Good morning, Section Chief.¡± The middle-aged A-squad leader smiled warmly and patted me on the shoulder as if she hadn¡¯t been ring at Squad Leader Lee Jaheon like she was about to kill him back at the theme park. ¡°Assistant Manager Jin isn¡¯t the type to praise others, but she seems to think very highly of you, Mr. Roe Deer. I¡¯ve heard great things.¡± Is it really that much¡­? ¡°So, I thought I¡¯d call you over today. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen Assistant Manager Jinpliment someone like that.¡± Reflexively, I nced over at A-squad¡¯s Assistant Manager. Wearing her butterfly mask, she smirked with a slight scoff. ¡°I was simply reporting the facts.¡± ¡°Oh, there you go again.¡± The butterfly-masked superior frowned as she made eye contact with me, but her tone softened. ¡°What? You did a good job, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± ¡°Yeah. Do well today too.¡± ¡°Ah, youngsters, learn to get along.¡± With a chuckle, the A-squad leader, who was wearing a teal duck mask, watched the scene unfold. ¡°Wee to A-squad, Kim Soleum.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s get to work.¡± * * * Honestly, I was a bit curious. ¡®Do elite teams have a different approach?¡¯ There was a sense of anticipation that perhaps A-squad¡¯s process would be different from the regr team¡¯s, who get thrown into Darkness with only a quick briefing and the manual to read on the day of the mission. And it is different, alright. ¡°Collector confirmed, data recorder confirmed, mask confirmed, equipment confirmed, basic supplies confirmed. With 31 minutes remaining until entry time of ¡®Identification Code Qterw-C-402¡¯ at 1100H, preparation checkpleted.¡± Umm¡­ this is intense. The atmosphere here was entirely different from D-squad, where we¡¯d sit around a couch, exchange jokes, and head off into the Darkness, often with the squad leader not understanding half the humor. Despite being down a member and with only two people left, A-squad maintained a strict hierarchy and protocol. Right as I arrived, they immediately had me run through the equipment check briefing. ¡°¡­All done.¡± ¡°Good. Let¡¯s head in.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Temporary or not, it was clear that the lowest-ranking member would do the grunt work here. ¡®Come to think of it, Assistant Manager Jin isn¡¯t the easiest person to get along with, yet she was formally respectful to the squad leader¡­¡¯ Well, at some point, I¡¯d have to experience a team like this. It might be good to go through this kind of experience at least once. ¡®As long as they don¡¯t find out I¡¯m a scaredy-cat¡­¡¯ If only I knew what kind of ghost story we¡¯d be entering today, I could mentally prepare. Just then, A-squad¡¯s leader, holding the manual, addressed me. ¡°Oh, Soleum-ssi, you haven¡¯t read the manual, have you?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t, ma¡¯am.¡± Trying to stay positive, I reached out politely to receive it from the squad leader. But just as the manual for this Darkness exploration was about to be handed to me, she paused. ¡­¡­? ¡°Actually, Soleum-ssi, why don¡¯t you try going in without one this time?¡± Pardon? ¡°I heard your specialty is figuring things out without a manual.¡± I looked up in shock. Underneath the teal duck mask, I could see A-squad¡¯s leader smiling. ¡°If it seems dangerous, I¡¯ll give it to you immediately. Got it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± So, what she¡¯s saying is¡­ she¡¯ll decide if it¡¯s dangerous, not me. Meaning she might never hand it over until the end. ¡°¡­¡­¡± They both know what¡¯s in the manual, yet I¡¯m supposed to go in blind? ¡°Alright, shall we go? Ah, it¡¯s been a while since work has felt this fun~¡± Wait. Is this¡­ ¡®Bullying in the workce?¡¯ It¡¯s so stereotypical it feels like a joke. I feel light-headed. But why would a squad leader from another squad that I just met yesterday go out of her way to do this¡­ oh. ¡®¡­Lee Jaheon!!¡¯ Could it be that our D-squad¡¯s Lizard Chief really rubbed her the wrong way, and now she¡¯s taking it out on me, his rookie? Why must I be dragged into this mess as well?! Chapter 28.1 Chapter 28.1 ¡­As I prepare to enter a creepypasta with A-squad, let¡¯s go over what I need to keep in mind. Stiptions 1- I must not let them find out that I¡¯m a coward. 2- I must not reveal that I already know the correct strategy to use. 3- I must survive this uncooperative squad leader¡¯s corporate bullying. ¡®Just kill me already.¡¯ I think I¡¯ve said this to myself more times since joining thispany than I can count. But there¡¯s no helping it. It¡¯s my first time entering a creepypasta with a superior who actually wants to see me fail! ¡®Every day feels like a new kind of hell¡­¡¯ And then there¡¯s the workaholic superior who would throw me straight into the cleanup team the second they find out I¡¯m a coward¡­ In other words, I¡¯m entering a creepypasta alongside people who would rather hinder my survival than help it. ¡®Maybe the only way out is to scrape together enough points and use a wish ticket to escape from here.¡¯ And the creepypasta we¡¯re entering this time is just as anxiety-inducing, filled with misleading clues. ¡°How does the ce look to you?¡± ¡°¡­It seems like¡­ an abandoned factory, ma¡¯am.¡± A dark, oil-smelling abandoned factory. Do you know how many creepypastas in the involve abandoned factories?? At least dozens. And even more if you consider ghost stories where locations change randomly, including abandoned factories! I was hoping to quickly enter the identification code into the search bar as soon as I could get a moment to myself away from the two A-squad members, but they didn¡¯t give me a single chance to be alone. ¡®T-They¡¯re watching me like hawks.¡¯ It was as if they were waiting for me to make a mistake, with both A-squad superiors casting sidelong nces at me as they strolled slowly. I was breaking into a cold sweat. ¡®There isn¡¯t a singlepanion here to rely on¡­¡¯ ¨C Friend? ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¨C Oh! Another setting, I see. Hmm, not the most suitable for a filming location, I must say! Such filthy conditions, like a bedraggled donkey! Don¡¯t you agree? I quickly looked down. The voice wasing from the keychain plushie, ¡®Good Friend¡¯, in my pocket. Braun! ¡®I do have a cooperativepanion!¡¯ W-Wait, we¡¯re standing right next to my two A-squad superiors, and if you just start talking openly like that¡­ ¨C Oh dear, are you worried our precious friendship might be disturbed? Fret not! Those who are not friends have no right to hear my voice! Huuu. So, no one else can hear him talking. ¡®Now that I think of it, there were records of the ¡®Good Friend¡¯ only speaking to its owner.¡¯ And it¡¯s also said to be able to pick up on the mood or surface thoughts of itspanion. I felt somewhat reassured and tapped my pocket a few times. ¨C Haha, that tickles a little! I¡¯m seriously gonna cry. This situation, where a creepypasta monster is my only source offort¡­ ¡°Squad Leader. There¡¯s a door over there.¡± ¡°Ah, right. Soleum-ssi, why don¡¯t you go ahead and open it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Soleum-ssi?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Swallowing a scream, I walked up to the rusty door. They don¡¯t even bother hiding the fact that they¡¯re out to make things hard for me, designating me specifically without even giving me the manual! ¨C Goodness¡­ Mr. Roe Deer, you look as though you¡¯re struggling. Is it an issue of stamina? Shake, shake. I shook my head slightly, hoping it would go unnoticed. ¨C Then is it the filthy environment that¡¯s troubling you? Shake, shake. Another small shake. ¨C Ah, I see. Then it must be that yourpanions are not quite suited to your preferences! Bingo. This is tough. Both this horrid creepypasta setting and this workce harassment¡­ ¨C Are these bad people tormenting my dear friend? Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake. ¨C Oh, I see. Sometimes, there are those who sh with us, like two poles of a ma! Let¡¯s keep going, cheerfully, friend! Now my stomach hurts. ¡®On top of everything, I have to bnce things so the plush doesn¡¯t go berserk.¡¯ Is this normal? Caught between terror and stomach cramps, I somehow managed to steady myself and grab the rusty door handle. Creeeeak. As the rusty door opened, it revealed¡­ the factory¡¯s main work area. It was filled with dust-covered cans and boxes, as though production had halted long ago. Spoiled contents seeped out of broken canned beef scattered around. But something stood out more strongly than the smell. The sharp, metallic stench of blood. And¡­ a body lying on the floor. ¡°¡­¡­¡± W-Wait a sec. ¡°Do you see it? There¡¯s a corpse over there.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Soleum-ssi, go ahead and search it.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± AAAAAAACKKK! The only thing stopping me from copsing in tears was theforting warmth of the keychain plush in my pocket. ¡®Abandoned factory¡­ corpse, abandoned factory, corpse¡­¡¯ Ibed through the wiki in my mind, holding back an unbridled scream as I approached the body. The corpse was sprawled face-down on the tracks, wearing a suit. A man in a suit, bleeding from the back of his head. He looked familiar, perhaps because he was around my age and wearing a suit. ¡®I¡¯m going crazy.¡¯ There was no way I could touch him directly¡­! Without taking a single breath, I quickly summoned my special equipment, hovering my hands in the air to examine the corpse from various angles. Thank god it transmitted only pain and not touch¡ªtruly, truly a relief. ¡°¡­Male, height estimated between the high 170s and low 180s, wearing a suit, with bleeding localized to the back of the head. It appears he was struck by something with a diameter over 10 cm.¡± ¡°Hmm. Not bad. Now, flip him over.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Kim Soleum will remember this moment¡­ I red at A-squad¡¯s leader with all the strength I could muster, holding back a retch as I forced myself to flip the corpse over in one swift motion. The facey exposed, eyes closed. It was¡­ My face, bleeding on the floor. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Holy sh¡ª Holy fucking shit¡ª!! These damn ghost stories, seriously!! Chapter 28.2 Chapter 28.2 ¡°Oh, it looks exactly like Soleum-ssi, doesn¡¯t it? Could it be a trap?¡± ¡°Squad Leader, maybe it¡¯s time to at least give him the basic manual¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, sure. I suppose you¡¯re right?¡± A-squad¡¯s leader looked at me, seemingly weighing the idea, then finally spoke slowly, as if granting a rare favor. ¡°Soleum-ssi, you¡¯re inside a story.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Think of it as entering a novel or a movie.¡± Yeah I mean, I already figured that out myself. The moment I saw my own corpse, I realized which Darkness this was. ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story [The Day I Died] : A ghost story featured in : Daydream Inc. identification code ¨C Qterw-C-406 A ghost story that pulls the victim into an unsessful thriller-mystery, making them the sacrificed character. The first witness is always faced with the discovery of their own sacrificial corpse. Exploration Records indicate a total of up to 25 entries. ======================== It¡¯s a creepypasta tailor-made to drive someone to the edge of a mental breakdown. ¡®This is¡­ a potato¡ªa potato.¡¯ I tried to brainwash myself as best as I could, looking away from the corpse-shaped thing in front of me¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t use your special equipment. Check it directly. Look carefully and examine every detail¡­¡± Are you kidding me? ¡°No, I can¡¯t.¡± I replied without even taking a breath. The eyes behind the teal duck mask narrowed. ¡°¡­Hm?¡± Oh no. I just talked back to a superior who¡¯s already prone to workce harassment? ¡®I need to fix this, pronto!¡¯ Instinctively, I added more, smoothly following a well-tested routine I¡¯d already used once. ¡°There¡¯s a faster way to escape.¡± Not again. Why does it always go this way¡­? * * * My work conditions just expanded. Stiptions 1- I must not let them find out that I¡¯m a coward. 2- I must not reveal that I already know the correct strategy to use. 3- I must survive this uncooperative squad leader¡¯s corporate bullying. 4- I must pull off a timed escape. (NEW!) ¡­Still, the one good thing is that seeing my own corpse allowed me to confirm exactly which creepypasta this is. ¡®And the standard strategy for this creepypasta is¡­ this.¡¯ ======================== To seed, restructure the story so that the victim does not die. ======================== In this creepypasta, the more you explore, the further back in time you go. So, typically, you¡¯d have to investigate the entire factory, figuring out why ¡®my corpse¡¯ ended up dead and piecing together the story step by step. ======================== Failure to alter the story within the time limit will result in the victim¡¯s confirmed death. ======================== Normally, you¡¯d spend half a day in tense, desperate pursuit, racing against time to avoid the fixed fate of one guaranteed kill¡­ ¡®Um. At this rate, my stomach will give out first.¡¯ My digestive system won¡¯t survive this. If there¡¯s no shortcut, I¡¯ll have to make one. Help me out, ! With a total of 25 documented exploration attempts, surely there¡¯s a record of someone breaking the pattern with some creative or unconventional approach. Something that might serve as a hint! I quickly scanned through records in my mind. ¡®Let¡¯s see, any unique experiences I can reference¡­¡¯ ======================== Exploration Record #21 Entered by Assistant Manager Han So-eun and two others. As soon as they entered the ghost story in the form of an abandoned lodge, the squad immediately recognized which story they were in. It was a widely mocked, failed thriller that became a meme online. Responses included ridicule, meme reenactments, bursts ofughter, and spoiler-filled derision. Result : The setting suddenly copsed, transporting them to a different story (continued in Exploration Record #22). Testimonies indicate that crying, whimpering sounds were heard. Aigoo, is this a failed director¡¯s poltergeist or something? Even the fragile mentality is spot on. ¨C Researcher Kwak Jaekang ======================== Oh. ¡°Squad Leader, Assistant Manager, could you give me just ten minutes?¡± ¡°Hmm, alright.¡± First things first, I decided not to leave any room for interference from my superiors. If I wanted to avoid workce harassment disrupting this, I¡¯d have to handle everything myself, no matter how frustrating or unfair it felt¡­ ¡®¡­I just need to do it quickly before I throw up or scream.¡¯ I swiftly used my special equipment to recheck the indentation on the sticky back of the corpse¡¯s head (uuuuugh!). Then I checked the footprints around the body, as well as the surrounding bloodstains¡­ ¡°Why are you using your special equipment when you could just use your hands?¡± ¡°Because handling it directly could damage the evidence. I thought this was the best approach to preserve the scene.¡± I hadn¡¯t realized I had a talent for rapid-fire responses. ¡°Evidence? You sound like you¡¯re in a detective novel.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not quite deduction¡ªjust a simple guess. And¡­¡± I stood up. ¡°I found it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The answer.¡± Immediately, I surveyed the area. Naturally, I used my special equipment to do this remotely. Let¡¯s see here. In a shadowy corner, partially hidden but not entirely, in a ce that would be easy to overlook if you weren¡¯t paying attention¡­ ¡®There it is.¡¯ I pulled out a cylindrical object from a musty corner under the shelf. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a can of food?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm, there are cans all over the ce here, though.¡± Yes. After all, this ce does seem like an abandoned canning factory. But this one was different. The can I picked up had a slightly dented edge with bloodstains on it. It was a ssic clich¨¦¡ªthe ¡®hidden in in sight¡¯ trope. ¨C Hooh, Mr. Roe Deer! If this were a mystery story, this would be the decisive evidence. The shape matches perfectly with the wound on the head. Exactly. ¡°This matches the indentation left by the blunt-force trauma on the back of the head.¡± ¨C Ah, ssic. The weapon was just an everyday object in the background that no one noticed! This is the structure of a typical work of fiction¡­ Right, right. Anyway, A-squad¡¯s assistant manager seemed to ept this, nodding. ¡°So that¡¯s the weapon, then¡­?¡± Tuk. I let the potential ¡®weapon¡¯¡ªthe can¡ªdrop to the ground. Then, I stomped on it with full force, crushing it hard. ¡°¡­¡­??¡± ¡°¡­¡­????¡± ¨C ?!??! ¡°Ah.¡± I tilted my head to the side. ¡°There¡¯s no way a human skull would be damaged by something with this level of force¡­ Hmm. It doesn¡¯t add up.¡± Tremble, tremble. At that moment, the space around us shook slightly. Chapter 28.3 Chapter 28.3 ¨C But no matter how you look at it, it seems like they were struck with a can! That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. I nodded, as if just realizing something. ¡°Oh¡­ This can is aluminum.¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°Typically, cans are made of steel.¡± A frown. ¡°Why would canned goods be made from aluminum, like a drink can¡­? Hmm, could it be¡­?¡± ¨C Intriguing¡­ I intentionally paused for dramatic effect. ¡°A plot hole?¡± Rattle. At that moment, the cans around me began to tremble slightly. But I ignored it and continued muttering to myself. ¡°That¡¯s certainly possible. After all, we encounter drink cans more often than canned food, so it wouldn¡¯t be too surprising if someone identally used the wrong material andbeled it as aluminum¡­¡± ¨C Hoooh¡­ But then. I stopped talking and gave a small, mockingugh. ¡°But, heyyy. No way.¡± ¡°¡­Soleum-ssi?¡± ¡°Anyone could look it up with a quick search¡ªno one would make such a basic mistake. Tricks are the most crucial part of any work of the mystery genre. They shouldn¡¯t be so sloppy.¡± ¨C Hahaha! ¡°When you think about it, a murder happening in a canning factory with a can as the weapon is way too predictable, don¡¯t you think?¡± I actually meant this. ¡°Itcks freshness and surprise¡­ A writer with any sense wouldn¡¯t try to pass this off as their big plot twist.¡± ¨C Oh, I agree! The space began to shake more violently. ¡°Honestly, this is so poorly done¡­¡± I finished with a bored tone. ¡°Even an amateur wouldn¡¯t write something this sloppy these days.¡± Boom! After a brief pause¡ª Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Cans exploded all around us. ¡°What¡¯s happening?!¡± The space seemed to weep as it melted away, dripping like tears from all the ruptured cans. And then, everything vanished. Just before thest remnants disappeared, there was the sound of someone sobbing, their cry filled with agony¡­ The next moment¡ª We found ourselves back in the familiar, luxurious lounge on thepany¡¯s 15th floor. Covered in exploded canned meat. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°We¡­ got out.¡± For the first time, A-squad¡¯s leader faltered, visibly shaken. ¡°The Darkness let us out¡­ but why?¡± Wiping chunks of burst canned beef from my face, I answered quietly. ¡°It had a mental breakdown.¡± * * * After escaping from the creepypasta featuring my own corpse, I cleaned off all the canned beef remains in the shower attached to the office. Then we gathered in the lounge once again. ¡°Wow¡­ The rumors were true. You¡¯re really known for clearing fast without a manual.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to be modest, Soleum-ssi.¡± The A-squad¡¯s leader, having checked that the Dream Essence Collector was filling with yellow liquid as expected, turned to look at me with admiration in her eyes. ¡°How did you reach this result?¡± Yes, I knew she¡¯d ask this. I sped my hands behind my back and took a formal stance, ready to present as if in a lecture. It was my defensive stance, to avoid getting nitpicked for any signs of fear or ipetence in case my supervisor¡¯s workce harassment tendencies decided to re up again. ¡°I followed a standard deductive process.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°First¡­ Since I was repeatedly told to examine the corpse and survey the surroundings, I deduced that the corpse was likely central to our escape.¡± Of course, it was probably just an excuse to make things harder on me, but the method with which you present your facts is everything. ¡°And since you mentioned this was a ¡®story¡¯, I figured it was a narrative where someone ends up as a corpse¡­ meaning it had to be a murder mystery, either a film or a novel. So, I guessed that preventing my own death would be the standard method to clear it.¡± I shrugged. ¡°But that would take too long.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± ¡°Since you called me up for this, I wanted to finish it, preferably by this morning.¡± A-squad¡¯s leader looked at me with a face that practically said, ¡®What on earth are you talking about, rookie?¡¯ But honestly, a bit of entricity is better than fear, isn¡¯t it, Section Chief! ¡°So, I looked for a shortcut.¡± ¡°And how did you do that?¡± ¡°There were hints.¡± I looked at the two of them. ¡°In the way both of you acted.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°You¡¯d read the manual, hadn¡¯t you? I noticed that your actions were giving me clues.¡± Like how you kept pushing me to observe the corpse. ¡®If those hints were intentional, then there were probably even more subtle hints you weren¡¯t aware of.¡¯ I recalled the most crucial clue. ¨C Right. Soleum-ssi, why don¡¯t you go ahead? ¨C Soleum-ssi? ¡°When we entered the Darkness, you called me by my real name.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Normally, in creepypastas, it¡¯s a strict rmendation not to use real names but to stick with nicknames derived from the masks. There¡¯s a risk that real names can be exploited in harmful ways. Yet, A-squad¡¯s leader called me ¡®Soleum¡¯ instead of ¡®Roe Deer¡¯. If someone as experienced and elite as her did that, there could only be one reason. She already knew it would be safe. ¡°That meant there was no sentient entity in this Darkness that could harm me upon hearing my real name.¡± It also implied that, aside from the death that had already urred, there was no other supernatural interference at y. I added this exnation before continuing. ¡°So, realizing I had more freedom¡­ I thought, why not be a bit more aggressive? I decided to attack the story itself and destabilize it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­??¡± ¡°You¡­ thought that?¡± ¡°Yes. A story loses its meaning if its foundation crumbles.¡± I nodded. ¡°So I undermined its usibility, causing the story to copse and freeing us. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Their faces were nk, as if processing what I¡¯d just said. ¡°You inferred all that not just from the surroundings, but also from our conversation and behavior¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Not really. The truth is, I benchmarked off the exploration logs. ¨C The setting suddenly copsed, transporting them to a different story (continued in Exploration Record #22). Testimonies indicate that crying, whimpering sounds were heard. Apparently, just mocking the failed story had shattered its mental stability enough for it to reassemble itself into a different story. I figured that if I just steadily dismantled its logic and insulted its creator¡¯s self-esteem, the whole thing would unravel, new story and all. ¡®And it worked.¡¯ Yay. Just then, A-squad¡¯s leader looked at me and slowly spoke. ¡°You exin this¡­ very casually, Soleum-ssi.¡± Whoops. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not exactly the standard method. You could call it a shortcut, if you¡¯d like.¡± Did I step on her toes? I quickly added, dropping my head apologetically to show remorse. Hopefully, it would look genuine enough. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m prepared to ept any reprimands.¡± Yes, please, just let it be a scolding. I waited quietly, ready for the next wave of workce harassment. But instead¡­ p, p, p¡­ Apuse? I looked up to see A-squad¡¯s leader, her teal duck mask now removed, gazing at me with a mix of surprise and satisfaction. ¡°You follow rules and orders. But you don¡¯t shy away from unconventional means.¡± Excuse me? ¡°Very good. That¡¯s exactly the type of person we¡¯re looking for.¡± Me? ¡°Soleum-ssi. You pass.¡± ¡°What¡ª¡± ¡°There¡¯s a vacancy on A-squad. You know that, right?¡± At that moment, I understood. ¡®Oh.¡¯ This wasn¡¯t workce harassment. It was a test. ¡°How about you fill that position officially?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± My god. This was a recruitment test for A-squad! Chapter 29.1 Chapter 29.1 A new hire scouted to the elite team after only a month on the job. Sounds like the title of some self-help book designed to get attention. But this is actually happening for real. ¡®What is even going on here?¡¯ Me, in A-squad? ¡°Let¡¯s see. Soleum-ssi, you joined D-squadst month, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s get in touch with HR and handle it as a temporary assignment, then make it official in five months.¡± ¡°Right. Then, Assistant Manager Jin¡­¡± A-squad¡¯s leader turned to me with a satisfied smile. ¡°For starters, Soleum-ssi should be promoted to supervisor right away.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°The official announcement should be out by next week.¡± Oh, my god. ¡°Thispany may not care much about seniority, but there¡¯s still a minimum requirement, you know. This is insanely fast-tracked.¡± Of course it is! They¡¯re even offering a promotion? This level of pull in thepany? No, that¡¯s not it exactly. Typically, a potential elite team member would have to go through a couple of promotions, proving themselves in each role before officially getting into the team. The usual practice would be that you need to be at least a supervisor to even start in the elite team. Since they want me in A-squad, I need to be promoted, so management is just fast-tracking it. ¡®A-squad used to start at the assistant manager level¡­¡¯ This is genuinely an extraordinary deal. But I mean, why? Why would they suddenly make this offer to me¡­ Ah. The realization hit me like a bolt of lightning when I looked at the supremely pleased expression on the squad leader¡¯s face. ¡®I picked all the ¡°right¡± answers today!¡¯ I¡¯d tried so hard, mistaking it for workce harassment! Noints with unjust tasks, working within their framework, and eagerly generating ideas to produce results¡ªbehaving like the ideal employee. A newbie with no ego. A yes-man while trying to show creativity! Exactly the type of subordinate any boss dreams of¡­ ¡°Soleum-ssi? Go ahead and clock out. Be prepared for the official announcement, which coulde as soon as next week.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± No way. ¡®This is a disaster.¡¯ I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m thest person who should be going to A-squad! ¡®Their procedures are so rigid here.¡¯ If I stay in this role, where I have to follow orders to the letter, there¡¯s a 90% chance my true cowardice will be exposed. ¡®Then the wish ticket will drift farther away, and my chances of survival will plunge.¡¯ I¡¯d really, actually die. My mouth went dry at the chilling thought. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hey, wait a sec.¡± Assistant Manager Jin looked at me with a doubtful expression. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ seriously thinking it over?¡± I lowered my head slightly. ¡°Why? Are you out of your mind? Are you worried about bing like the shield-bearers on the Round-Off Team? Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t be sending you there¡­¡± ¡°Assistant Manager Jin, hold on.¡± A-squad¡¯s leader held her back, then turned to me with a reassuring expression. ¡°You¡¯re only a month into the job, so it must be a lot to take in all of a sudden. It¡¯s natural to have some doubts.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°But a wise person knows how to seize a bold opportunity when ites. That¡¯s the key to sess in society.¡± It¡¯s a trap, not an opportunity! ¡®Oh, what do I do now?¡¯ How could I get out of this without offending this senior boss? Rejecting this poorly might end up putting me on their bad side, which could mean real workce harassment would start. ¡®I don¡¯t see a way out of this¡­¡¯ But then, at that moment. Ding. The elevator¡¯s chime. The doors opened, revealing a familiar face¡ªor rather, a familiar lizard. ¡®Squad Leader!¡¯ Section Chief Lee Jaheon, who¡¯d been called to see the Team Leader, stepped out. The slits of his lizard eyes met the gaze of A-squad¡¯s leader. ¡°¡­Section Chief Lee Jaheon.¡± ¡°Section Chief Baek Seokjoo.¡± Lee stared nkly at A-squad¡¯s leader. ¡°I was told to apologize to you. So, I apologize.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± A-squad¡¯s leader¡­ was clearly holding back from cursing. ¡°Hah¡­ no, forget it. I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s going to end up angry here. Just me.¡± ¡°?¡± ¡°I said, forget it. Anyway, I¡¯ve already scouted someone to fill the vacancy.¡± A-squad¡¯s leader shook her head and patted me on the shoulder. ¡°Look, here¡¯s the new recruit who¡¯s going to be our squad¡¯s rookie.¡± Quite a shocker of an announcement, but¡­ ¡°I see.¡± The lizard nodded. ¡°It¡¯s true that A-squad has better working conditions.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Could you, please, pretend like I might have other options to explore¡­? Fine. I¡¯ll handle this myself! I deliberately looked back and forth between the two squad leaders, pretending to be overwhelmed, then bowed my head slightly to A-squad¡¯s leader. ¡®First, let¡¯s think this through¡­¡¯ From what I¡¯ve observed of her personality so far¡­ ¡®She¡¯s a stickler for rules.¡¯ She divides tasks strictly by rank, doesn¡¯t tolerate insubordination, and values loyalty. Considering she¡¯s recruiting someone who¡¯s only been here a month, she¡¯s willing to take big risks when she decides, but only within her established guidelines. ¡®And she¡¯s the type who can¡¯t stand people going against her.¡¯ In other words, the quintessential elite middle manager of a traditional, hierarchical conglomerate. ¡®If that¡¯s the case¡­¡¯ I bowed my head. ¡°Section Chief Baek, thank you so much for offering me this generous position and seeing potential in a new hire like me.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°However¡­ I stillck experience. I believe, as a new employee, I need to focus on foundational skills and knowledge.¡± A-squad¡¯s leader, staring intently at me, finally spoke up. ¡°¡­Soleum-ssi, do you happen to know the starting base sry for the elite team?¡± Not really. ¡°It¡¯s 80 million won.¡± (Approx. 57,000 USD) ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°And once you add the hazard pay, the annual take-home usually starts around 150 million.¡± (Approx. 107,000 USD) Hot damn. ¡°We¡¯re also nning to designate you as a primary contributor for the C-ss Darkness you cleared. You managed to clear it so quickly using an innovative approach.¡± I, I guess? ¡°Moreover, you¡¯ve found a method that others might want to try, too. Do you know what that implies?¡± What does it mean? ¡°It means the manual might need aplete overhaul.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yes, not just an addition¡ªa full revision.¡± A-squad¡¯s leader smiled gently. ¡°And when a manual is revised, there¡¯s a bonus payout.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°The amount isn¡¯t small. Normally, management isn¡¯t keen on handling revisions¡­ but for the elite team, this is an exception.¡± Oh. ¡°If you join the A-squad, the process will be much smoother and quicker. You could say it¡¯s a matter of trustworthiness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ the C-ss manual revision fee¡­¡± With a deliberate pause, A-squad¡¯s leader finally revealed the amount. ¡°Fifty million won.¡± (Approx. 35,000 USD) ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°Today alone, Soleum-ssi, that¡¯s your additional pay.¡± Fifty million won. ¡°You sure you want to pass up a chance to keep earning this?¡± Chapter 29.2 Chapter 29.2 Wow. Of course not. ¡®But I can¡¯t die for money¡­¡¯ Tears welled up in my eyes. This is nuts. ¡®No, Seolum. Let¡¯s remember¡ªall the money in this world is just like game money for me¡­ game money, game money¡­!¡¯ Right! I made my eyes shine with a bit of mncholy and began talking nonsense. ¡°I believe, more important than immediate money, I first need to hone my skills and value.¡± This was insanity. ¡®The reason we hone skills and value is to earn more money, so why am I rejecting it?¡¯ But I kept rambling in a way that perfectly aligned with a 30-years-ago corporate manager¡¯s mentality. ¡°Our ancestors used to say that it¡¯s worth even buying hardship when you¡¯re young. While I don¡¯t fully agree, I think there¡¯s a reason that saying exists.¡± Assistant Manager Jin from A-squad looked at me as if I¡¯d lost my mind. But it seemed to resonate with the top boss. ¡°Hmm.¡± A-squad¡¯s leader looked thoughtful. She narrowed her eyes at me, then sighed and nodded. ¡°Fine. If that¡¯s really how you feel¡­ I suppose we can¡¯t push it.¡± Wahoo! ¡°I thought you were a smart guy, Soleum-ssi, but maybe you¡¯re a bit more naive than I¡¯d assumed. How are you going to make it in this harsh world?¡± Perfect. The tone was slightly chiding, but since it¡¯sing from her, it was practically apliment! ¡­Even though she just couldn¡¯t resist adding a bit more. ¡°It¡¯s good to work hard. But being too pure-hearted isn¡¯t great for corporate life.¡± Yes, yes. ¡°If I may give you some advice¡­ remember, you don¡¯t get through work by clinging to emotions. Especially don¡¯t get attached to people who don¡¯t understand you.¡± She nced pointedly at a particr someone, her expression darkening. ¡°Don¡¯t do it. It¡¯s not worth it.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Ah, she¡¯s talking about the ¡®stubborn psycho¡¯ Lizard Chief, isn¡¯t she? Got it. ¡°Did you hear that, Section Chief Lee Jaheon?¡± ¡°? Yes.¡± The lizard replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. ¡°I understand perfectly.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Please stop with the ¡®Is this guy for real?¡¯ look, A-squad leader¡­ ¡°Anyway.¡± With a deep breath, A-squad¡¯s leader brought the conversation to a close. ¡°Good work today. Head on home.¡± ¡°¡­¡­! Yes, ma¡¯am!!¡± Sweet, sweet freedom. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll head out now.¡± Finally, I can escape¡­! I eagerly pressed the elevator button. Assistant Manager Jin quickly came up and whispered to me. ¡°You idiot. You¡¯re going to regret this.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°D-squad¡¯s Section Chief hasn¡¯t even seen a wish ticket yet. Our Section Chief has already received one.¡± That¡¯s fine. I know that lizard guy will eventually make it to Team Leader. Of course, I couldn¡¯t say that, so I went with apliment. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get one soon too, Assistant Manager.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to ask you all about it when that timees.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Assistant Manager Jin looked momentarily startled, then scoffed. ¡°You do seem to have some sense.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll answer, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Though it was a verbal promise, from what I could tell of her personality¡ªgruff, yes, but not one to lie or go back on her word. ¡°Section Chief, Assistant Manager, thank you both very much for today.¡± ¡°Sure, head on home.¡± After expressing my thanks, I pressed the elevator button and quickly got inside before I could get dragged into anything further. But right on cue, Lizard Chief slipped in right behind me. So he really dide here just to deliver that soulless apology¡­ ¨C Going down¡­ As the elevator carried the two of us in silence, Lizard Chief unexpectedly started talking. ¡°Kim Soleum-ssi.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Is there something you want in D-squad?¡± Huh. ¡°¡­Are you implying, with that question, that you assume I stayed with D-squad despite having a chance to join A-squad because I want something specific?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Good grief. After ruffling the back of my head a bit, I sighed and replied. ¡°There¡¯s nothing like that, Section Chief.¡± ¡°?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t choose to stay for any advantage.¡± I stayed because I want to stay alive! Lizard Chief narrowed his slit pupils, looking puzzled. ¡°Staying in a regr team rather than an elite one results in a points loss. It¡¯ll take longer to get a wish ticket.¡± ¡°That may be true.¡± I shrugged. ¡°But even if I do want a wish ticket, I also want to stay alive long enough to use it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Until then, I¡¯d rather be somewhere I can work with a bit more peace of mind.¡± I¡¯d rather not live in constant fear of being outed as a coward, you know¡­ ¡°I see.¡± Lizard Chief fell silent. Finally, some quiet as we rode dow¡ª ¡°What is your wish, Kim Soleum-ssi?¡± More questions today than usual. ¡°¡­Are you asking what I¡¯d wish for if I got the ticket?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯d like to know yours first, Section Chief.¡± It was my polite way of saying, ¡®Why ask me such a one-sided question?¡¯ But the Lizard only blinked his vertical pupils and gazed into space, as if pondering. After a moment, he replied. ¡°It¡¯s not my wish.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I work here because I was assigned to, not by choice.¡± This was something I never expected. I turned, reflexively, to look at him. Light glinted off the scales of his distinctly non-human head¡­ ¡°¡­Can I ask whose will it is?¡± ¡°You may not.¡± Oh. Right. It didn¡¯t really hurt my feelings, knowing this lizard. ¡®Seems there¡¯s a story there.¡¯ Since he¡¯d answered, it felt like I should say something, too. After a moment¡¯s thought, I chose my words. ¡°I¡­ just want to go home.¡± In reality, Section Chief Lee could have followed up with countless questions. Where is ¡®home¡¯? Why is that your wish? Is it a ce or more of a metaphor? But instead, he simply said, ¡°I see.¡± And that was that. In the quiet, the elevator continued its peaceful descent. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I have to admit now that, in a certain way, Lizard Chief is quite an easy conversation partner. Oddly enough. * * * Back at my dorm unit¡ª watch out for serial killers ¨C After sending Baek Saheon another friendly disaster-warning text, Iy down to rest. ¡®Another day packed with twists and turns¡­¡¯ I seriously feel like this job¡¯s going to cut my lifespan in half. My heart can barely take it. Still, I can¡¯t deny there were some decent gains today. Extra points,working with elite team superiors. And a hefty bonus. ¡°¡­Five million won, huh.¡± (Approx. 3,500 USD) I wonder when it¡¯ll hit my ount. I¡¯ve said it¡¯s just ¡®game money¡¯, but to be fair, that just makes it all the more useful. I¡¯ll need it to increase my stats. ¡®I could really use more cash for the Alien Shop.¡¯ With all these surprise emergencies, I felt the need for more defensive equipment¡ªespecially something for mental protection. ¡®And the Alien Shop has exclusive VIP items if you reach that level¡­¡¯ Still thinking of today¡¯s earnings, I found myself speechless. Five million won. ¡°¡­Hoh.¡± Legit, that¡¯s the bonus they¡¯re putting in a corporate employee¡¯s ount. It¡¯s enough to mess with your sense of mary value. And yet it still didn¡¯t feel like quite enough to get all the items I needed. ¡°Any other way to make some cash¡ª¡± Bzzzt! My phone vibrated, a new popup shing on the screen. ¡®Baek Saheon?¡¯ No, not this time. Unexpectedly, I¡¯d been invited to a new open chatroom. ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± [K.LEE] The profile was set to a bright Hawaiian beach and disyed an English name. This feels suspicious¡­ ¨C K.LEE : Oh hello, Mr. Employee lolol ¨C K.LEE : Need some extra cash? ¡°¡­¡­??¡± Who? Chapter 30.1 Chapter 30.1 The moment I thought about needing some serious cash, a message from an unfamiliar profile asking if I needed money appeared. But this is in the realm of a creepypasta. ¨C K.LEE : Mr. employee? haha Blocking and leaving the chatroom immediately seemed like the smart choice¡­ but it also felt a bit too stereotypical. Since I¡¯m in a ghost story, I might as well get some ghostly advice. I set my ¡®Good Friend¡¯ plushie under the bed, turned off the lights, and summoned Braun using the shadow trick, this time with a small shlight I¡¯d bought on my way home. ¨C Oh, Friend! Braun snapped to attention with almost no dy this time. After recalling my escape from the previous creepypasta, he seemed rather pleased, quickly grasping the situation. An unfamiliar figure offering arge sum of money. ¨C How suspicious! But isn¡¯t a touch of curiosity beyond suspicion the very essence of a show? ¨C Especially if it¡¯s apanied by some sparkling gold! Despite the plushie sounding like a dopamine junkie, his reaction assured me that this wasn¡¯t a creepypasta-rted phenomenon. In that case¡­ I typed a quick question into the chat. Kim Soleum : May I ask who this is? ¨C The reply came instantly. Honestly, I was expecting something vague, like [lmao just a friend~] but instead, he gave a proper introduction. ¨C K.LEE : This is Assistant Manager Lee Kangheon from the C-squad haha ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± ¡®C-squad?¡¯ Another elite team. Why would they reach out to me¡­ and why would he reveal his identity and rank so openly? ¨C K.LEE : Heard you turned down A-squad¡¯s offer today!!! lolololol Crap. ¨C K.LEE : Wow, gutsy! I¡¯ve never seen such a capable rookie lolol ¨C K.LEE : Sure, you turned it down this time, but who knows, next year you might end up on another elite team? Moving up right after promotion to assistant manager! Could be you lol Is he using some sort of speed-typing device? Sentences poured in like bombs before I could type a single word in response. I quickly pulled myself together and managed to reply with one line. ¨C Kim Soleum : It¡¯s very nice to meet you, Assistant Manager Lee Kangheon. ¨C K.LEE : No need to be so formal. If we run into each other at work, let¡¯s grab a meal sometime. I know a great charcoal-grilled chicken ce nearby! haha ¨C K.LEE : Oops, too chatty, aren¡¯t I? Anyway, the reason I reached out! The mood shifted. ¨C K.LEE : You need cash, right? ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¨C K.LEE : It must be about time you¡¯re wishing for some extra funds¡­ Right before promotion, those with potential are often looking for ways to acquire personal items lol ¨C K.LEE : Heard you already have your own special equipment. Bet you¡¯re scoping out ways to get your hands on more gear, right? I don¡¯t need anything like that. ¡®Just checking out the alien marketce I already knew about¡­¡¯ ¨C K.LEE : It all costs money, doesn¡¯t it haha ¨C K.LEE : No need to waste time and money buying meals or drinks for seniors when you can hear it straight from me haha Hmm. Kim Soleum : I appreciate the offer, but may I ask why you¡¯re telling me this? ¨C ¨C K.LEE : Because I want to get closer? haha Could you at least try lying more convincingly¡­ ¨C K.LEE : Curious? haha I hesitated for a moment. ¨C Goodness! Mr. Roe Deer, I can smell a cheap salesman from these words. Hardly someone who¡¯d appear on a reputable channel. ¨C But¡­ cheap things have their own uses. If you y him right¡­ I typed out my response. Kim Soleum : No thanks. ¨C ¨C ¡­¡­?! ¨C K.LEE : ??????? ¨C K.LEE : Oh, wow, Mr. Employee! You¡¯ve got a sense of humor! That¡¯s fitting for someone breaking records for rapid point umtion haha Kim Soleum : I¡¯ll just ask my Section Chief instead. ¨C Kim Soleum : Have a good night, sir. ¨C ¨C K.LEE : wsit jyst ¨C K.LEE : hey wait just a minute ¨C K.LEE : ur not a cousin of section chief lee jaheon are you?;; uve got the same attitude¡­ You might as well just curse at me directly¡­ In any case, since he didn¡¯t know my personality well, my bluff seemed effective. He hastily fired off more messages. ¨C K.LEE : hey im not charging for this just hear me out. i swear i dont make these offers often!;; T-T Messages came pouring in with a steady stream of taps going dadada. ¨C K.LEE : (Link) Along with a link to some webpage. ¨C K.LEE : if u need seed money or items just go check this out. u can put me down as your referrer ¨C>hawaiib53<¨C just type that there n itll work ¨C K.LEE : u dont have to, of course, but since i referred u, itd be nice if u could jus,, follow ur conscience lolololol u get what im saying ryt? hahahaha ¨C K.LEE : and pls keep this between just us! (Shy emoji) ¡®¡­A temte?¡¯ It looked like a copy-paste job if I¡¯d ever seen one. ¨C K.LEE : anyway, remember who gave u the tip ok? [K.LEE has left the chatroom.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®If he was worried about getting in trouble, why reveal his identity¡­?¡¯ Maybe he wanted me to feel some sense of obligation. I started typing, [What kind of site did you send me, sir?] but then erased it. ¡®Based on what he said about shopping, it seems like some sort of emerce site.¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t hurt to explore alternatives to the alien shop. And his wording was intriguing. ¡®Seed money, huh.¡¯ It seemed like it might offer a way to earn some serious money. ¡®Is this some kind of exclusive gambling site?¡¯ Regardless, there was only one way to find out. After safely running a security check to verify the link, I cautiously clicked on it. The screen of my smartphone went pitch ck, and text slowly appeared: SALMON ¡°¡­¡­??¡± Like salmon swimming against the currents of a flowing river, We swim against this mad world. ¡®Cyworld¡­?¡¯ [1] With an effect that made it look like salmon were swimming across the screen, the words faded, and new text appeared¡ª Membership avable (requires referral) Hmm. This was (in more ways than one) suspicious, but I went ahead and entered the referral ID from the employee who had referred me, creating an ount just to check it out. The moment I logged in, I realized what this was. Salmon Market ¡°So it¡¯s a secondhand trading site.¡± This was a tform where people could buy and sell items directly to one another¡ªexcept the listings here involved mystical and ult items or information. [Dried Mermaid Meat for Sale (certified by Han Nuri Jade)] [Looking For: ¡®Bloodlust Tile¡¯ Pieces (Untainted)] [$$Rare locations of Misfortune Vending Machines! Verified info avable!$$] [Offering enchanted protective charms] As I clicked around, I quickly got a sense of the site¡¯s nature. So, basically¡­ ¡®It¡¯s full of scams.¡¯
Note/s: [1] Cyworld is a Koreanpany that provides microblogging services. It was very popr in the mid-tote 2000s) ? Chapter 30.2 Chapter 30.2 From the perspective of anyone who¡¯s read , this was nothing more than random trinkets, meaningless props, or outright misinformation. In short, it felt like a secondhand ult marketce with minimal professional credibility. I rubbed my forehead. ¡°Is this ce mostly run by non-professionals?¡± ¨C Ah, public tforms inevitably lose their credibility over time! To prevent that requires considerable effort, but¡­ this ce feels purposefully neglected. ¨C Amateurs often pay a high price for trivial items. Just like fans peeling off bits of the stage floor where their favorite celebrity performed! Well, at least that¡¯s genuine memorabilia, but here it¡¯s all fake. Yet I noticed quite a few expensive transactions had actually beenpleted. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®Right. The world atrge doesn¡¯t officially acknowledge supernatural phenomena.¡¯ Governments, worried about social disorder, and corporations, wanting to protect trade secrets, investigate paranormal urrences in secret. But even civilians are frequently affected by these incidents. There¡¯s no doubt urban legends and personal encounters circte within society, so it makes sense that a site like this exists. Judging from the sky-high prices for some items, it¡¯s a wild ce. ¡®One item for a million won¡­¡¯ Money¡¯s exchanging hands as if they¡¯re paying for security deposits. Maybe it¡¯s survival anxiety, or maybe the Veblen effect[1] applies to ult goods too¡­ ¡®Could I actually sell something here?¡¯ If that employee really was an assistant manager in the elite C-squad, then Daydream Inc. employees were likely using this site to sell odd trinkets and information. That, however, made me uneasy. ¡®If I cross the line, I¡¯ll definitely get gged for an audit¡­¡¯ I needed a secure setup. So, I logged out of my current ount and created a new one. As for a username¡­ [Blue Friend] ¨C ¡®Friend¡¯? Oh! Did you think of me? My, how touching! Well, I guess so¡ªI justbined whatever came to mind. For the referral ID, I used the ount I¡¯d created earlier. ¡°Done.¡± ¨C Hooh, so you¡¯re creating a new identity to avoid tracking! Exactly. I¡¯ll use this ount for items a Daydream Inc. employee shouldn¡¯t have or for things that might be gged during an audit. ¡®This way, any purchases can¡¯t be tracked back to me.¡¯ ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll still leave some transaction records on the first ount.¡± ¨C To avoid raising suspicion. Smart thinking. On that ount, I¡¯d trade items that might appear to be within reasonable bounds for a Daydream Inc. employee. With that settled, it was time to think about what I could actually sell. ¡®Reselling items from the Alien Shop is out of the question.¡¯ Seeing the amateur level of this site, that¡¯d cause absolute chaos. Anyway, I¡¯m busy enough buying things I actually need there to worry about reselling for profit. I scrolled through thetest posts on Salmon Market, looking for something low-key that I could still sell for a profit¡­ [Buying : Food from Paranormal Phenomena] Oh? -------------------- [Buying : Food from Paranormal Phenomena] For research purposes Strong preference for food originating from Fracture-sanctioned phenomena (ording to the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau¡¯s ssification) 40.0 -------------------- ¨C there he goes again, this punk ¨C aaah ¡®Looking for food for research purposes. Fracture-sanctioned phenomena only. (Pretentious sses push)¡¯ lolololololol ¨C Is this guy a bot? He posts every day. ¨C hey ult otaku, pls get out of your world. wtf even is the supernatural disaster management bureau¡¯s ssification huh Most of thements were mocking or teasing. However¡­ ¡®¡­It¡¯s real.¡¯ The . In , they¡¯re one of the three major forces along with Daydream Inc., a government agency dedicated to handling paranormal events. The phone essory I have, my ¡®Memorial Popsocket¡¯, is also issued by this agency to their officials. ¡®And the bureau ssifies creepypasta risks by ¡®sanction¡¯.¡® The ssification level mentioned in this post¡ªFracture-sanctioned¡ªis indeed a real ranking. In the Daydream Inc.¡¯s system, it¡¯s roughly a little above a C-ss creepypasta. This person clearly knows their stuff. I stared at the page. ¡®If this really is a legitimate contact, I probably won¡¯t get ripped off.¡¯ Using terms only insiders would understand, without exining them, lowered the chance that this was a scam. It boosted the post¡¯s credibility. And look at the price. 40.0? ¡®That¡¯s 40 million won.¡¯ (Approx. 28,500 USD) At that price, anyone unfamiliar with the specifics might still contact them out of sheer curiosity. Sure enough, after digging through past posts, I found discussions in thements. ¨C Wow, but it¡¯s 40 million won¡­ Has anyone actually contacted them? ©¸ i tried bc i thought they¡¯re legit, but after asking a few questions, they just ghosted me LOL ©¸ everyone¡¯s been left on read. just a poser. nah nahh im good No, that¡¯s not it. ¡®From what they¡¯re saying, it sounds like the food they offered didn¡¯t meet the necessary ¡®Fracture-sanctioned¡¯ level, so the person just ignored them.¡¯ Conveniently, I happened to have something on hand that would likely meet their requirements. A food item with a mysterious origin and unknown effects that I certainly didn¡¯t dare to consume myself. ¡®¡­Yep, I¡¯ve got it.¡¯ In fact, I even had two packs. A snack gifted by the blue dragon mascot at the theme park. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¨C Ah, that unsavory food! It wasn¡¯t that unsavory¡­ Well, either way. ¡®Even a good child sometimes needs a bit of funding.¡¯ The mascot would understand. Uh-huh. [BlueFriend : Hello there sir/ma¡¯am ^^ I have the paranormal-origin food item you¡¯re looking for!] Message sent! * * * The next day¡ª ¡®It¡¯s perfect that it¡¯s the weekend.¡¯ I was waiting near Gwanghwamun Station, holding a box containing one pack of the ¡®Blue Soda Churros¡¯ given to me by the mascot. ¡®I think I handled this well.¡¯ I thought back to the messages I¡¯d exchanged with the buyer yesterday. They¡¯d replied almost instantly. [T : What kind of food exactly?] This was a key moment. I had two options. I could show off my expertise, hinting that I knew what the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau and the ¡®Fracture-sanctioned¡¯ level were, to build trust with insider knowledge. Or¡­ [BlueFriend : It¡¯s kind of like churros? I¡¯m honestly not sure¡­ I got it under some strange circumstances, and honestly, keeping it feels a bit unsettling. I also really need the money. Could we maybe meet so you can check it out? If it fits your needs, you can take it from there.] I could y clueless and let the buyer make the call. Fortunately, the second approach worked. ¡®To be fair, that message was pretty much the truth.¡¯ I wasn¡¯t keen on letting on that I worked for Daydream Inc., either. So, here I was, waiting near Exit 5 of Gwanghwamun Station, seven minutes ahead of our meeting time. ¡®If anything feels off, I¡¯ll bail.¡¯ I stayed alert. Soon, someone approached from the direction of Cheonggye za, ncing around near Exit 5. ¡®There.¡¯ With the way they were scanning their surroundings, it was clear they were here for a transaction. Tall, dressed entirely in ck, and wearing a mask, the person walked over as soon as our eyes met. ¡°You must be the one from ¡®Salmon¡¯¡­¡± I nodded, opening the box to let them inspect the contents. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The person reached out a gloved hand. Their voice sounded young, but I didn¡¯t expect them to be this cautious with their identity. ¡®Not that I¡¯m one to talk.¡¯ I¡¯d also dressed in a hat, sunsses, and anything else I could think of to obscure my face. Hood pulled low, I kept my eyes on their movements. If they tried to take off with the item, I¡¯d move first. The buyer ran their gloved hand over the box and nodded before taking hold of it. Hmm? ¡°This is exactly what I was looking for.¡± Then, they handed me a small box that looked like a sippy cup. When they opened it just a bit, I caught a glimpse of 50,000-won bills inside before it quickly closed again. ¡°¡­¡­¡± They looked at me as if to ask why I wasn¡¯t taking it. I couldn¡¯t consult Braun, which was a shame, but¡­ ¡®First things first.¡¯ I set the box down on the ground. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± After nodding politely, I pulled out a notepad from my pocket. ¡°¡­¡­??¡± I showed the open page to the buyer. [I don¡¯t know the effects of this item.] [It wasn¡¯t dangerous to keep, but just in case, I¡¯d rmend not consuming it.] [I know you said it¡¯s for research, but I thought I¡¯d mention it anyway.] ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I couldn¡¯t see their expression, but they seemed a bit taken aback. ¡®Sure, this looks like some kind of random performance, but¡­¡¯ Apologies, I¡¯d rather not risk having my voice recognized. After a brief bow, I showed the final page, nodded respectfully, took the cash cup, and bolted. [Have a nice day^^] * * * ¡°Great.¡± Once home, I deposited the cash immediately. It was the weekend, so it looked like Baek Saheon wasn¡¯t around. Judging by hisings and goings, he probably went back to his family¡¯s home. Anyway. ¡°It¡¯s time to log into the Alien Shop.¡± I pulled up the link.
Note/s: [1] Veblen effect ¨C abnormal market behavior where consumers purchase the higher-priced goods whereas simr low-priced (but not identical) substitutes are avable. This behavior stems from the belief that the higher the price, the higher the quality. ? Chapter 31.1 Chapter 31.1 ¨C Alien Shop? What a unique name with a sense of style! Is it an online store, too? Ah, I¡¯d summoned Braun as well. He was thrilled that I¡¯d drawn the curtains in the middle of the day for him and couldn¡¯t get over how I¡¯d sold the mascot snack. ¡®This friend of mine sure has a low threshold for being touched¡­¡¯ To be fair, the mascot had given me two packs, and I¡¯d saved one, just in case. Anyway, to answer his question¡­ ¡°Yep, it¡¯s online. You browse products on a page that looks like a flyer.¡± ¨C Aha! Is that so? Braun¡¯s cheerful voice echoed. ¨C I¡¯m intrigued to see the shop that my friend frequents so often¡­ ¡ùAmazing items from outer space¡ù~!! >>I¡¯ll take a look at the items ¨C ¡­¡­ ¨C ¡­¡­?! ¨C What is this? This is just a hideous flyer,pletely devoid of any aesthetic appeal! Hmm¡­ ¡°Isn¡¯t usefulness more important than appearances?¡± ¨C My word! Mr. Roe Deer, appearances are just as important as the contents! Visual appeal is the first thing that draws in an audience! ¨C How could anyone be attracted to such an uninspiring and in, not to mention ugly, flyer? Sure, sure. With Braun¡¯smentary in the background, I clicked into the site. ¡­Alright, Mr. Roe Deer, I still have faith in you. Since you said it¡¯s worthwhile, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s more to see behind the flyer¡­ Items Bloodbathtub ¨C ?29,999,999 Mysterious Candle Kit ¨C ?19,999,999 Snow White¡¯s Apple ¨C ?11,999,999 We Can Help! ¨C ?66,666,666 ¡ùSale!¡ù Bloodsucking Cutlery ¨C ?7,999,999 ?14,999,999 ¨C ¡­¡­ ¡°Braun?¡± No response. I think he fainted. Looks like my ¡®Good Friend¡¯ here really understands the plight of designers¡­ or, well, monsters who feel that plight. ¡°You okay?¡± ¨C I¡­ need to rest. Be my guest. I turned my attention back to the items. Some listings immediately stood out as unchanged. The ¡®We Can Help!¡¯ item was still unavable, and the Bloodsucking Cutlery were now marked as a discounted item¡­ ¡®Still here, huh.¡¯ ¡ùSale!¡ù Bloodsucking Cutlery ¨C ?7,999,999 ?14,999,999 I thought someone would¡¯ve bought it by now, or that the algorithm would¡¯ve removed it from my rmendations, but here it was again. ¡®Do they think I¡¯ll buy it?¡¯ It felt a bit weird. But anyway, moving on. The most expensive item I could actually purchase was¡­ Bloodbathtub ¨C ?29,999,999 ¡®I saw someone looking for one of these on the Salmon Market earlier.¡¯ It was quite a well-known item¡ªI remembered the description. ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Delusion Home Shopping / Items Bloodbathtub Today, we present an extraordinary product! The amazing elixir of youth from our home shopping channel! Presenting¡­ the tub of youth¡­ ¨C July 7, 20XX, item description from ¡®Delusion Home Shopping¡¯ ======================== When filled with someone else¡¯s blood, this tub transforms the blood into a fragrant bath mix that heals wounds, relieves fatigue, treats arthritis, and enhances skin. ¡®Basically, a modern spin on the vampire legend, in item form.¡¯ The price actually seemed surprisingly reasonable, considering the item¡¯s reputation. Still, the idea of bathing in a tub filled with someone else¡¯s blood¡ªeven if it bes a ¡®fragrant bath mix¡¯¡ªis enough to make my head spin¡­ ¡®Let¡¯s check the next one.¡¯ Mysterious Candle Kit ¨C ?19,999,999 This one was unfamiliar to me. But a candle tends to evoke the idea of light, and light is often a symbol offort and protection in creepypastas. ¡®Still, I¡¯ll need to consider carefully before spending 20 million won on it.¡¯ Andstly¡­ Snow White¡¯s Apple ¨C ?11,999,999 Wow. Even if it¡¯s useless, maybe I could turn around and sell it for 40 million won and make a huge profit? ¡®I mean, who knows if it¡¯ll count as food from paranormal phenomena, but it¡¯s worth a shot.¡¯ The post seeking ¡®food from paranormal phenomena¡¯ was still up, and the buyer was looking for research purposes, so they¡¯d likely keep buying. Given all this, my choice was clear¡­ ¡°These ones, for sure.¡± Mysterious Candle Kit ¨C ?19,999,999 Snow White¡¯s Apple ¨C ?11,999,999 ¡ùSale!¡ù Bloodsucking Cutlery ¨C ?7,999,999 = ?39,999,997 As I mentioned, light is the antithesis to a creepypasta. And an item that produces candles? I had a feeling that candles from this kit might be rted to defense or protection. ¡®It¡¯s a worthwhile investment, even if it¡¯s expensive.¡¯ Snow White¡¯s Apple, too, was appealing for simr reasons. ¡®If it¡¯s called ¡°Snow White¡¯s Apple,¡± it probably has something to do with sleep.¡¯ I really need some quality sleep these days. If that apple can actually help me sleep deeply, it would be perfect for me. My efficiency would skyrocket, and my survival rate would soar¡­ ¡®Please, just let it work!¡¯ I hit the purchase button, desperately hopeful. ¡®And if it doesn¡¯t work, I can always sell it.¡¯ A fallback n is in ce, just in case. Now, for thest item¡ªBloodsucking Cutlery. ¡®With such a big discount, isn¡¯t it polite to buy it?¡¯ Thest discounted item I bought, the ¡®Silver Serpent¡¯, turned out to be quite useful, from custom gear to summoning Braun. For reference, if you press the plush keychain¡¯s belly, you can feel the round metal shape of the ¡®Silver Serpent¡¯ inside. I¡¯m not sure how useful the Bloodsucking Cutlery will be, but they mighte in handy for trade or for selling to other employees. And now I have a cover story if anyone asks where I got it¡ªI can just say I found it on the Salmon Market. So, these are my three chosen items. ¡°Alright.¡± They fit perfectly within my budget. Time to finalize the purchase¡­ ¨C Mr. Roe Deer. Hm? Out of nowhere, Braun called out to me. ¨C About that ¡®Bloodbathtub¡¯. What about it? ¨C I would like to have it. ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± W-What? ¨C Friend, would you consider giving a gift to this Braun here? Chapter 31.2 Chapter 31.2 Braun¡¯s voice was uncharacteristically eager, tinged with a hint of craftiness. ¨C I¡¯ve tried to help you with all my heart as your ¡®Good Friend¡¯, haven¡¯t I? Yet, I¡¯ve never asked for anything in return! So perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be too much to expect a small reward for my loyalty¡­ Ah. Silence. ¨C Apologies. I¡¯ve said something far too mercenary¡­ trying to put a price on our friendship. ¨C A ¡®Good Friend¡¯ would never do such a thing¡­ Braun¡¯s shadow slumped in a gesture of shame, and his voice fell to a sad murmur. ¨C Please, disregard this ¡®Good Friend¡¯s¡¯ words¡­ Umm. ¡°Sure.¡± ¨C Pardon¡­?! ¡°The Bloodbathtub. Let¡¯s buy it.¡± ¨C !! To be fair, he did help me escape the theme park. I owe him for that. After all, he saved my life, so the least I can do is return the favor. Besides, the money here feels like game currency, and I have a few promising ways to earn more in the future. Plus, keeping on Braun¡¯s good side is clearly the smart move, especially given the peculiar abilities he showed back at the park. ¡®And if I¡¯m going to get it, I should do it wholeheartedly, without holding back!¡¯ ¡°Just a bit more cash, and I¡¯ll buy it for you as soon as it¡¯s deposited.¡± ¨C Oh my goodness! ¨C Thank you! Thank you so much, Mr. Roe Deer, my friend¡­! ¡°Yeah. But remember, this isn¡¯t a reward or anything. It¡¯s just a gift because you¡¯re my friend, Braun.¡± ¨C I understand, Friend! ¡°I¡¯ll buy the Bloodbathtub as soon as the extra funds are deposited. It should be in just a few days.¡± ¨C Yes!! His voice trembled with excitement and joy, and he took a moment to steady himself. ¨C I¡¯m really looking forward to it¡­ haha! It was good to see him so happy. ¡­Just, please don¡¯t ask me to go find fresh blood. ¨C Oh! The items have arrived. That was quick! Once again, the ordered items arrived promptly, packed in a post office box, and I indulged in a satisfying unboxing session. On top was the discounted vampire cutlery. ¨C Hooh. Quite the refined cutlery set, isn¡¯t it? It looks suitable for an elegant setting! A small dessert fork and knife, exquisitely crafted and wrapped in leather. They gleamed delicately in the shlight¡¯s glow, elegant and polished. The downside, of course, is that they¡¯re meant to be blood-stained for use¡­ sigh. ¡®Still, I might as well keep them on hand.¡¯ They¡¯repact and easy to carry, and now that I have some custom gear and other items, it might be worth a try in a crisis. Underneath the cutlery was¡­ [Easy and Fast Candle Making Kit] It was the ¡®Mysterious Candle Kit¡¯ box. With its colorful, cute design, it looked like a children¡¯s kit. ¡®Actually, this might be a good thing.¡¯ If it¡¯s child-friendly, it¡¯ll be easy to make! I wanted to open it right away to check the instructions and materials, but the warningbel stered across the front caught my eye. [No refunds after opening. Ingredients will spoil 12 hours after exposure to air, so use quickly.] [Rmended users: 3 people] Um. Probably best to leave it unopened for now. ¡®I¡¯ll prep everything the night before my next assignment.¡¯ Still, I was curious about the candle¡¯s effects. For 20 million won, it had to be more than ordinary. ¨C Only one item left, then! ¡°Right.¡± I finally looked at thest item at the bottom of the box¡ªa small but hefty¡­ produce apple crate. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± No, seriously. Snow White Mountain Apples So delicious! Great for health and nutrition! ¡°¡­¡­¡± Could this be a mistake? Did I identally order real farm produce? Hmm. There was a letter attached on top of the box from the supplier. Let¡¯s see¡­ -------------------- To our valued customers who purchased Snow White Apples, we express our sincere gratitude. This produce is grown with care and nourished with ¡ö¡ö as fertilizer sourced from ¡ö¡ö, cultivated and harvested directly with the sweat of hard work. Its effects and taste are distinctively different from those of other orchards. ^^ Usage: Chew and swallow one applepletely. Effect: Immediately induces a death-like sleep where all biological activity ceases. This effectsts until sunrise the next day, after which you will awaken with renewed energy and greatly improved condition. ¡ù Note : This orchard is not liable for any changes to your body during the sleep state. -------------------- ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®Definitely paranormal.¡¯ So, it¡¯s like that potion in Romeo and Juliet, the one that makes you look dead. ¡®Got it.¡¯ I opened the apple crate. Inside were seven small, shiny, perfectly round apples, bright red and practically picture-perfect. ¨C Truly, they look healthy and beneficial! Really? But yes, this does seem quite useful. An item that induces a state of suspended animation and allows you to recover fully after a day? I could definitely find a use for it. So, my current inventory now includes: ¨C Good Friend ¨C Bloodsucking Cutlery ¨C Mysterious Candle Kit ¨C Snow White¡¯s Apples ¨C Memorial Popsocket ¨C Smiley Sticker :) ¨C Alice Pic Set Then, my special equipment, plus one pack of Blue Soda Churros. ¡®And soon, I¡¯ll add the Bloodbathtub¡­¡¯ Let¡¯s make the most of all these items and try to stay alive. ¨C Then, sweet dreams to you, Mr. Roe Deer! That night, I went to bed a bit earlier. I slept fairly well, asionally gued by nightmares, but mostly undisturbed. I had a feeling that the next few days would at least be peaceful, so that might be what made me feel at ease. ¡®Let¡¯s rest up, reorganize, and get ready until the paymentes in.¡¯ * * * But a few dayster, I faced a shocking reality. ¡®The additional allowance¡­ hasn¡¯t been deposited!¡¯ Even the manual revision that the A-squad leader mentioned hadn¡¯t beenpleted. I was supposed to receive a reward for that. ¡®W-What the heck.¡¯ Was it all just a bluff? Did they really swindle me out of fifty million won? I immediately started investigating and soon heard an unbelievable update. ¡°¡­The person in charge is missing?¡± ¡°Yeah. They haven¡¯t shown up for days.¡± Apparently, an administrative staff member who handles the manual revisions is currently missing. And it¡¯s already been a week. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Wait a damn minute. ¡°Then, the manual review¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s been postponed indefinitely. It¡¯s not urgent, and¡­ you know how long it takes thispany to reassign paperwork. Probably at least two months.¡± N-No way! I made a promise with a certain creepypasta monster! Chapter 32.1 Chapter 32.1 T/N: Important edit to our favorite creepypasta monster¡¯s name! I¡¯ll be spelling his name as BRAUN from now on! I couldn¡¯t find any official confirmation from the author on this spelling, but Braun makes more sense for a dapper gentleman with a TV for a head if you take these things into ount: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_set#Early_television & /29755/ So everyone, please adjust your mental image of our dear Braun~ He¡¯s got an old timey TV head that looks kinda like this: /29666/ Major thanks to kelet for pointing this out! Wouldn¡¯t have caught that if not for you! [ ]
The missing manual evaluator. The missing 50 million won. And the soon-to-be-missing gift, the Bloodbathtub (pending). ¡°¡­¡­¡± To make matters worse, Braun¡ªthe one who requested the gift¡ªis currently in my bag pocket. ¡®He¡¯s probably hearing all of this, shit¡­¡¯ I¡¯d been bringing him along just in case we entered another creepypasta scenario. Leaving him at home made me antsy, but now it seemed to be backfiring. This felt like promising a Christmas present to my niece only to find that the store shelves were empty when I got there. Except, in this case, my niece was Annabelle. ¡°Huu¡­¡± A deep sigh escaped me. ¡®An employee in this world taking unauthorized leave for a week without notice¡­¡¯ It¡¯s obvious. This means they¡¯re likely tangled up in a creepypasta and have gone missing. ¡®Just rx and wait. It¡¯s better for your sanity, they say.¡¯ But if I wait too long, someone else might grab the Bloodbathtub on the Alien Shop, and then I¡¯ll fail to keep my ¡®promise¡¯ to Braun. I really don¡¯t want to tick off the plush toy that once burned down an A-ss Darkness with a mere snap of his fingers¡­! ¡®I¡¯m gonna actually die.¡¯ Assistant Manager Eun Haje gave my shoulder a few encouraging taps before returning to her desk, while I sat there, silent and lost in thought. What should I do. Should I wait twiddle my thumbs anxiously for two whole months, and if the tub sells in the meantime, swallow my pride and apologize? Should I take out a loan? Or¡­ ¡®¡­First, maybe I should at least find out why the person went missing.¡¯ It¡¯s not just to save face with, ¡®I did my best.¡¯ Who knows, maybe I¡¯ll find the missing person without much risk. I still had the , both in my memory and on my phone. ¡®Let¡¯s at least scope things out.¡¯ Since the theme park incident, work had been rtively slow, and I¡¯d wrapped up the paperwork for a recent exploration just yesterday. Today, I had a bit of freedom to kill time as long as I didn¡¯t actually run off. ¡®Plus, my superiors are in and out of the office today.¡¯ Of course, as the lowest on thedder, I decided to wait until after lunch to briefly sneak out. The first ce to visit¡­ ¡®The manual evaluator¡¯s desk, of course.¡¯ * * * Ding. The elevator doors opened. Of course, I¡¯d prepared a cover story for this visit. ¨C Ah, you want to check out the evaluator¡¯s office? Huu¡­ Sure Roe, just take this and just drop it off! My squad¡¯s kind-hearted supervisor handed me a certificate ofpletion for a training session. It wasn¡¯t urgent, but it gave me an excuse to be there. ¡®My humblest thanks, Supervisor Park Minseong¡­¡¯ In a creepypasta world full of psychopaths, his kindness felt like a rare warm gesture. I entered the admin support office, looking for someone to give the document to. Luckily, there was an employee seated right next to the missing evaluator¡¯s desk. ¡°I¡¯m here to drop off some paperwork for D-squad Supervisor Park Minseong.¡± ¡°Huh? Just leave it there.¡± ¡°Yes. And also¡­¡± Without even ncing my way, the employee kept typing away at theirputer, looking rather bored. I politely handed over an envelope I¡¯d been holding. Inside were warm, sugar-dusted donuts filled with vani cream and an iced Americano. ¡®Bribes are essential for this sort of thing.¡¯ ¡°I picked these up while getting something for myself. Thought you might enjoy them.¡± ¡°¡­¡­! Ah, you didn¡¯t have to, really!¡± Still, their hand shot out to take the coffee and donuts. A true office worker. ¡°Supervisor Kang, pass these around.¡± ¡°Huh? Donuts?¡± ¡°They¡¯re from him.¡± ¡°Wow, thanks! You¡¯re from D-squad, right?¡± I watched as the office atmosphere subtly shifted toward a casual tea-time atmosphere, with the admin staff biting into the donuts and chatting. It was a friendly setting, perfect for gently prying information. And even better, since I was the one providing the snacks. I picked the right moment to bring up the missing manual evaluator, ncing over at the empty seat of ¡®Lee Byeongjin¡¯. ¡°Um, should I just leave this coffee on Section Chief Lee¡¯s desk? He doesn¡¯t seem to be in¡­¡± ¡°Oh, no need. Just take it with you¡ªhe hasn¡¯t been in at all.¡± ¡°Oh, he¡¯s on vacation?¡± ¡°Vacation? No, he¡¯s missing.¡± Gotcha. The employee sitting nearby replied nonchntly, barely ncing my way, and exchanged a look with the person across from him. ¡°Honestly, we kind of saw thising.¡± ¡°Hey, hey.¡± ¡°Oh,e on. Everyone¡¯s heard about it by now, haven¡¯t they? You¡¯re a D-squad rookie, right? What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Kim Soleum, sir.¡± ¡°¡­¡­! Oh, are you the one who nearly made it to A-squad?¡± ¡°Um, I suppose so, sir. They seem to have a good impression of me, which I¡¯m grateful for.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Some murmuring began to ripple through the room: ¡®So that¡¯s D-squad¡¯s rookie¡­¡¯ The employee at the adjacent desk looked me up and down, now with a bit more interest, subtly hiding their initial indifference. ¡°The thing is, you¡¯re probably going to find out about it sooner orter if you stick around here anyway.¡± The employee gave a slight smirk. ¡°See, we¡¯ve had cases of people who work here, clueless as ever, picking up strange stuff and then going missing.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± I asked, furrowing my brow as though I was thinking hard. ¡°Wait¡­ do you mean that¡¯s why he hasn¡¯t shown up?¡± ¡°Exactly. That¡­ What was it again?¡± ¡°The scroll, the scroll.¡± Another colleague chimed in, seemingly giving up on reminding him as he was snickering. ¡°Right, the scroll. He was boasting about buying one that supposedly boosted his luck, iming he hit second ce in the lottery after getting it.¡± Oh. So he bought some sketchy vertical scroll, bragged about his newfound luck, and then vanished? ¡®ssic haunted thrift store story¡­¡¯ A setup straight out of a clich¨¦. ¡®Alright, I know what to do.¡¯ I made a swift decision: Retreat. Let¡¯s not get caught up in this. Staying would be no different to saying, ¡®Me! Me next! I¡¯ll be the next missing person just because I want to get my money a bit faster!¡¯ Chapter 32.2 Chapter 32.2 I was about to make some excuse like, ¡®Wow, how eerie! Well, I¡¯ll be on my way¡­,¡¯ when¡ª ¡°Anyway, looks like this situation is a bit unfortunate for you, huh?¡± Me? ¡°Hey, hey, don¡¯t say that much!¡± ¡°Come on, it¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it? You¡¯re the one waiting for the evaluation on a manual revision, right?¡± Yes. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s that missing section chief¡¯s evaluation, it¡¯s going to be tough to get it approved without him.¡± ¡­¡­?! What do you mean¡­? ¡°That section chief was close with A-squad. You know, like¡­ ¡®on the same line¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± Line. The foundation of office politics: people¡¯s allegiances based on who they¡¯re close to higher up the chain! And here the missing manual evaluator had been especially close to A-squad, or to put it bluntly, was ¡®on the same side¡¯¡­? An epiphany hit me like a lightning strike. ¡®So that¡¯s why A-squad¡¯s leader was so confident!¡¯ No wonder she seemed so sure about how quickly the manual revision would be approved! ¡°The new person they bring in might be¡­ who knows, right? But it¡¯s unlikely it¡¯ll be another one of the same line. Probably someone from Director Cheong¡¯s side.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°And that line doesn¡¯t exactly get along with A-squad you know, so¡­ yeah.¡± Hear that? The sound of my 50 million won disappearing? Not just dyed¡ªbutpletely out of reach! ¡®No way!¡¯ Without even realizing it, I spoke up. ¡°Do you know where Section Chief Lee disappeared?¡± ¡°Oh, there¡¯s an interesting rumor about that.¡± The employee leaned in conspiratorially. ¡°People are saying he vanished inside the building.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Apparently, someone saw him in the lobby in the morning, but he never made it up to the office.¡± ¡°He¡­ vanished somewhere along the way?¡± ¡°Well, no one really knows. No one actually saw him disappear.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± No one saw it happen¡­ ¡®Even if there weren¡¯t people around, there could¡¯ve been something else.¡¯ I lifted my gaze toward the corner of the office, where a CCTV camera blinked with a red light. * * * CCTV. If he really did disappear inside thepany, there could still be a record of it. ¡®For apany of this size, they¡¯d likely store security footage for about two weeks.¡¯ That meant I still had a chance to check. Figuring out where he went was crucial if I wanted to secure my bonus on time. ¡­The issue was this. ¡®In thispany, CCTV records are managed by¡­ the Security Team.¡¯ And the Security Team was¡­ um. ======================== Authorized to use lethal force. (No discrimination against all employees) ======================== That¡¯s right. For multiple reasons, it was best to avoid them¡­ ¡®But since I¡¯ve joined thepany, I can¡¯t realistically avoid them forever.¡¯ Given how things had turned out, I might as well gather some intel while I¡¯m at it. With Braun subtly reminding me of his presence in my pocket, I headed to the first floor. Directly to the Security Team¡¯s office. ¡°So, down here to the basement?¡± A door marked ¡®Staff Only¡¯ led down a narrow set of stairs to a heavy metal door. [Safety Management Office] I lifted my hand and knocked. ¨C ¡­¡­ Knock, knock. ¨C Juste in already¡­ ¡°¡­¡­??¡± Cautiously, I opened the door. Inside was a cramped room that looked like a stereotypical facilities office, with an old sofa in the center. Sprawled out on it was a person. A security officer in a worn, dark blue uniform. ¡­¡­? ¡°Good afternoon¡­¡± I quickly nced at his name tag to make out his title. [Security Unit 3, Sergeant J3] ¡°Excuse me, Sergeant. Could I look at some footage from about a week ago? We have a missing person¡­¡± After a long pause, he finally responded. ¡°You want to see the CCTV¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The sergeant seemed exhausted, exuding a distinct air of reluctance. Still slouched on the sofa, he responded in a slow, dragging tone without even introducing himself. ¡°You¡¯re technically supposed to submit a request form to view the CCTV footage, but¡­¡± Oh. ¡°Like anyone here actually cares about that stuff¡­ just go ahead and watch it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Was this pure kindness, or just in negligence? Either way, I was in no position toin, so I offered the remaining snacks as a bribe. ¡°Maybe you¡¯d like some of these while you work¡­¡± ¡°Oh, donuts.¡± His previously weary expression brightened, and he promptly got up from the sofa, snatching the bag. ¡°I like donuts, but there¡¯s nowhere around here that delivers to the office¡­ and I can¡¯t go out during the day, so I hardly ever get to eat them¡­¡± Is that so. ¡®He doesn¡¯t actually seem all that intimidating.¡¯ But then again, in creepypasta fashion, the scariest characters often look the least threatening at first. Keeping my guard up, I asked with a mild-mannered voice, ¡°Then, sir, would it be alright if I moved to the CCTV room, then?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ but.¡± The security guard scratched the back of his head, looking at the donuts as though he was conflicted. He was quiet for quite a bit before he finally added, ¡°Only one guard is on shift now, so I¡¯ll go with you¡­ just in case, you know¡­ might be risky.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± I waited, expecting him to call another guard over on his radio. But he didn¡¯t make a move. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to send someone to escort me¡­¡± ¡°That would be¡­ me¡­¡± He pointed to himself. ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯d be me¡­¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°Ah¡­ Of course.¡± ¡®Better keep this short and get out.¡¯ ¡°So you want to look at footage from about a week ago, right¡­¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± With the security sergeant leading the way, we headed to the CCTV room to review the recordings. His handling of the equipment wasn¡¯t exactly smooth, which made me a little wary, but I tried to stay focused. ¡°Here.¡± I found the footage of the missing section chief. There he was, a middle-aged man entering the lobby and heading to the elevator. I could confirm this to be Section Chief Lee Byungjin, his face registered in thepany directory. And in his hand, a long, rolled-up item. ¡®That must be the scroll.¡¯ Certainly not the kind of thing you¡¯d typically bring to the office. There was something unsettling about it. ¡°You¡¯re pretty sharp, could make a good guard yourself¡­¡± Please don¡¯t joke about that, sir. ¡°Thank you. I guess I was just focused since I¡¯m trying to help find him.¡± ¡°¡­You mean he¡¯s missing?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The guard seemed taken aback. It¡¯s as if this was the first he¡¯d truly registered my words. He probably hadn¡¯t been paying attention earlier and was only now processing that someone had vanished right under the Security Team¡¯s watch. ¡°We missed this¡­¡± ¡°Is this going to be a problem for you?¡± ¡°Not really¡­ it wasn¡¯t during my shift, anyway.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Someone else¡¯s issue, I guess¡­¡± Uh-huh¡­ The ssic logic of shift work. Duly noted. At any rate, we continued watching the footage, and I was able to track the missing manager¡¯s movements. The surprising part? He didn¡¯t go up to the upper floors. ¡°¡­It seems he went down instead.¡± Further down than even the Safety Management Office. [B2] The CCTV showed him staggering as he got off on the second basement level. ¡­Creepy. ¡®What on earth happened?¡¯ Why did an administrative employee head down there as though in a trance? ¡®That¡¯s an area only the Security Team supposedly has ess to.¡¯ And even within the Security Team, they were only authorized to patrol, so what was he doing down there? Cold sweat broke out. I quickly looked away from the empty elevator on the screen. ¡®It¡¯s starting to feel risky even watching this footage.¡¯ So far, I¡¯d managed to skate by, but this might be too much. The underground levels of this pharmaceuticalpany were rumored to house the raw materials from creepypastas. A ce shrouded in mystery, where regr employees had no ess and no knowledge of what went on? ¡®Even in the , it was described like some haunted basement tale!¡¯ Nuh-uh. I should just nope out of this while I still can. Chapter 32.3 Chapter 32.3 I avoided looking directly at the CCTV screen and gave a polite nod to the sergeant. ¡°Thank you for allowing me to see this. Then, sir, I¡¯ll be on my w¡ª¡± ¡°¡­Restroom.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°The person you¡¯re looking for. He went into an old, unused men¡¯s restroom down there¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°And he hasn¡¯te out. Not in the whole week since.¡± I did my best not to peek at the CCTV screen. It seemed the security sergeant had already skimmed through the footage showing the abandoned restroom on B2 on his own. ¡°That restroom, want to check it out¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have clearance to enter the basement levels, sir.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going though¡­¡± Of course. Because it¡¯s your job, sir. Wouldn¡¯t it be great if you just went and found him on your own¡­ ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s just say you¡¯re a new hire in the Security Team.¡± Sir?! ¡°No, really, you don¡¯t have to¡ª¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡± Nooo!! * * * How did things get to this point, I wonder. ¡®He even got me a uniform and everything.¡¯ Now I was in the maintenance elevator, wearing the navy-blue Security Team jacket used by regr guards. The absurdity of the situation was making my head spin. ¡®I let myself get talked into it¡­¡¯ ¨C It¡¯s fine. People from the Field Exploration Team pitch in for support work sometimes too¡­ That¡¯s punishment duty, isn¡¯t it? Anyway, I somehow verified that entering the basement wouldn¡¯t cause any big issues, even if this got out. And I¡¯d even contacted D-squad to officially process this as support duty, so I shouldn¡¯t get in trouble¡­ Guess all that polite socializing paid off. ¡®Still, this is so disorienting.¡¯ All this just to get my hands on a Bloodbathtub. After going this far, even if I don¡¯t manage to pull the full fifty million, Braun had better recognize my efforts. Ding. The elevator door opens. Basement 2. It sounds like any other elevator ding, but for some reason, it has an ominous ring to it. And as the doors opened, what¡¯s revealed was¡­ A hallway lined with ordinary office doors. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Why¡­ were there offices down here? ¡®Shouldn¡¯t this floor have safety equipment or facilities¡­?¡¯ The hallway was dimly lit, eerily silent, with opaque ss doors all around. Officesbeled A, B, C¡­ nametes marking each door. The security sergeant whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t open any doors¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Even if he hadn¡¯t said so, there was no way in hell I¡¯d touch anything here. I just kept my eyes on the security sergeant¡¯s back, following him slowly. And then¡ª ¨C Mr. Roe Deer? ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¨C To think you¡¯d wear such a worn outfit just to bring this Braun a gift! I¡¯m deeply moved, but it pains me as well. Does my friend have to do such menial work? Touching words, really. But, hold on a second. ¡®¡­How are you even talking to me?¡¯ The ¡®Good Friend¡¯ could only talk and move within the boundaries of a creepypasta¡­ which meant only one thing. I was already inside a creepypasta. ¡°Ah, we¡¯re here.¡± The security sergeant stopped in front of a door with a faint, pale light seeping out from it. ¡°I¡¯m going to open it¡­¡± ¡°Wait¡ª¡± But before I could say anything, he opened the restroom door. Ka-chak¡ª With a burst, the flickering light inside revealed the room beyond¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®This, crazy¡ª¡¯ The restroom was smeared with dark red. It looked like an artery had been sliced open, spewing deep crimson all across the mirror like blood. I frozepletely, unable to even scream. Then, the smell hit me, and my mind jolted back to awareness. ¡®There¡¯s barely any metallic smell.¡¯ That¡¯s not all blood. And it doesn¡¯t smell like regr ink, either. This is¡­ ¡®¡­Traditional ink from an inkstick?¡¯ Tap, tap. Braun was tapping from my pocket. ¡®Warning.¡¯ My senses snapped back to attention. The security sergeant, scanning the restroom, reached out his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t touc¡ª¡± Poke. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Oh no. The moment his finger touched the ink, the dark red liquid began surging like a wave within the restroom. ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± I tried to turn and run immediately, but the thick, dark liquid shot out like countless hands, grabbing my legs and pulling me down. AAAAAAHHHHHHH!! ¡®Fuck fuck fuck¡­!¡¯ I barely managed to keep from falling,nding awkwardly as the ink sshed up to my jaw. Bile rose in my throat. I turned my head, desperately trying to grasp the situation, and caught sight of the source. ¡°The scroll!¡± A vertical scroll was stuck to the restroom mirror, its center shed open, with blood-like ink being sucked into the hollow center. In other words, my feet were being dragged toward it as well. As if something alive was pulling me¡­ Wait, alive? And blood-like? ¡®The Bloodsucking Cutlery¡­!¡¯ I pulled out a fork and jammed it into the floor. The gleaming silver fork trembled, then hungrily began absorbing the surrounding ink. ¡°Ah!¡± It¡¯s working! But, a small dessert fork couldn¡¯t hold back this much ink. Ting¡ª The utensil was flung away. ¡®Fuuuck!¡¯ And just like that, I was dragged into the scroll. * * * Gaaasp! I lifted my head. Through the darkness and blurred vision, I saw wallpaper with an old, cracked pattern. An unfamiliar ce. ¡®¡­An abandoned house?¡¯ My breath got caught in my throat, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the gloom. And¡­ and¡­ I realized something. What I was looking at wasn¡¯t wallpaper. Talismans. The walls, all made of rotting wood, were covered in crumbling, worn-out talismans. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The air was heavy, pressing down on my shoulders, with an eerie tension filling the dark, cold room. ¡­Something¡¯s wrong. I felt like a rat that had crawled into the wrong ce, in the wrong way. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I clenched my trembling hand. But there was nothing there. ¡®¡­It¡¯s gone.¡¯ The Bloodsucking Cutlery had vanished. Cold sweat broke out as I took slow, deep breaths to avoid hyperventting¡­ ¡°Excuse me¡­!¡± I nearly passed out. ¡°There, over there! Are you¡­ the police??¡± I lifted my head. I wasn¡¯t alone in this dark, abandoned house. Small figures huddled in a corner were staring at me. They were¡­ children. ¡®Middle school uniforms.¡¯ The trembling students called out, ¡°Please save us! W-We touched this weird drawing, and now we can¡¯t get out!¡±
T/N: With the recent change to Braun¡¯s name spelling, I was also thinking of making a minor change on Soleum¡¯s name. I thought about this early on, (like literally chapter 1) but I doubled down on it and now it¡¯s just bothering me. So basically, the Korean ? consonant is both R and L¡ªkind of in the middle¡ªbut our MC¡¯s name pronunciation is closer to R than it is to L. Is it okay with you guys if I change our MC¡¯s name spelling to Soreum? Or should we justmit to Soleum given that we¡¯re 30+ chapters in lol Let me know in thements! Chapter 33.1 Chapter 33.1 T/N: Thank you for all the feedback, everyone! I¡¯ve decided to continue using Soleum for our MC¡¯s name. As people have said, we¡¯ve established familiarity with this spelling and pronunciation in English, and at the end of the day, trantion isn¡¯t just transliteration but also localization. Most of all, while his name¡¯s technically closer to Soreum due to consonant assimtion, I like how the ¡®Sol¡¯ from the original Korean spelling (sol ¨C eum) is retained. I¡¯ve already been calling our ~bright ray of sunshine~ ¡®Sol-ah¡¯ in my head all this time lmao (well, still ¡®Sor-ah¡¯ but you get the gist) Thanks again, and if you have more suggestions/rifications about the story and my trantion, feel free to just send them down in thements! I¡¯m always open to and grateful for constructive criticism.
Let¡¯s break it down. I was trying to find a missing person, encountered some bizarre, terrifying phenomena, and got sucked in somewhere. In short: I¡¯m a missing person now, too. Swallowed up by a creepypasta. ¡°E-Excuse me, sir, are you a policeman¡­?¡± And maybe, these kids are as well. There were five or six of them in middle school uniforms, looking at me with a mixture of hope and fear. Seeing their faces somehow cleared away my initial shock, grounding me back in reality. ¡®First things first.¡¯ I need to figure out the situation¡­! ¡°I¡¯m not a policeman.¡± I showed them the logo sewn on the front of my security uniform. ¡°I¡¯m with a private securitypany.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± It seemed they¡¯d mistaken the security uniform for a police uniform. Their faces were starting to fill with resignation and fear, so I quickly added, ¡°I can still file a report and initiate security procedures. So, please calm down and exin what¡¯s going on, alright?¡± ¡°Umm, yes¡­!¡± The first student who spoke, a girl with short hair, swallowed nervously before beginning, her voice trembling. ¡°It¡¯s, um. We, we¡­ were on a school trip.¡± They¡¯re first-year students from a middle school in Seoul hade on a field trip to Gyeongju. The teachers had split the kids into groups to keep things manageable, and this group, Group 3, seemed to be especially cheerful and curious. ¡°B-Behind our lodging, there was this mountain¡­ and we saw something like a gazebo up there, so¡­ we decided to do a test of courage and check it out.¡± They had decided to sneak out at night and go up to that ¡®gazebo¡¯ by themselves. ¡®Huu¡­¡¯ Normally, they¡¯d have been caught by a teacher, scolded, and sent back, or they¡¯d have just looked around,ughed, and returned safely. But¡­ ¡°There was this painting hanging in that gazebo.¡± But this is the world of creepypastas. ¡°I-It was a painting of something that looked¡­ like a weird house¡­¡± The student gulped again. ¡°And someone was watching us from that house.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°So, we dared each other to get closer, and¡­¡± ¡°You touched it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The girl nodded, then started to sob. ¡°S-Suddenly, a voice from the painting said, ¡®Good job, good job,¡¯ughing, and then¡­ something strange came out of it¡ª¡± And when we came to, we¡¯re already in this creepy abandoned house. ¡°We can hear strange noises outside the window, and even when it¡¯s daytime, the fog is so thick we can¡¯t see¡­ we c-can¡¯t get out¡­¡± Even a boy in the back with a mischievous face was sniffling. They all seemed to be on the verge of panic. ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯ I kept my voice calm on purpose as I asked, ¡°Was that painting by any chance a scroll?¡± ¡°Hiic, sniffle, a scroll?¡± ¡°You know, something that rolls up¡ªa vertical scroll.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ uh, I don¡¯t think so¡­ It was more like, um, a traditional painting? O-One that¡¯s painted with that old brush thingie¡­¡± ¡°¡­An ink wash painting?¡± ¡°Yes!!¡± The student nodded vigorously. So¡­ could that be themon factor that draws people into this creepypasta? Scrolls are typically antique items. ¡®The scroll that Section Chief Lee had was probably also a traditional ink painting.¡¯ And that creepy, dark red liquid (uuugh) that was swirling around in the restroom¡­ it was probably ink too. In summary¡­ It¡¯s a creepypasta where a bizarre ink painting captures anyone who touches it, pulling them into a terrifying ce. ¡®¡­Seems like there could be five or six of them.¡¯ I¡¯m finally narrowing it down. But the problem is, none of the Darkness I could think of in this category are easy to deal with. ¡®This is a ssic, traditional creepypasta¡­¡¯ The kind of story rooted in superstitious fear that tightens around your throat. A frightening tale with a hint of a shamanistic undertone, something that chills you to the bone. ¡°¡­¡­¡± This is really bad. I¡¯m already weak against ghosts as it is¡­ ¡®This feels way more intense than that convenience store ghost¡­¡¯ In desperation, I started counting heads. Usually, having more people around makes things less scary! Is there anyone else here? Come to think of it, where did the security sergeant go? He should¡¯ve been caught up in this mess with me, but there¡¯s no sign of him anywhere. Having him here would be reassuring¡­ and I can¡¯t exactly rely on these kids, either. ¡®This is a nightmare.¡¯ I kept my tone steady and asked, ¡°That must have been really frightening. How long have you been here?¡± ¡°A-A day¡­? I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not hungry?¡± ¡°We brought snacks, kinda¡­ so we ate those.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡®These kids must be at their limit.¡¯ These kids, who¡¯ve barely graduated elementary school, have been trapped here on their own? They¡¯re likely still alert because they¡¯re terrified, which is keeping them from feeling tired, but it won¡¯t be long before they crash hard. ¡°We¡¯re s-so scared, and our phones don¡¯t work, so¡­¡± ¡°I get it. I¡¯ll look for a way out, so in the meantime, don¡¯t touch anything else¡­¡± Wait. ¡°So, is it just you here? No other adults around?¡± ¡°An adult! There¡¯s one! There¡¯s one, but¡­!¡± Then, at that moment. ¡­A scream rang out from far away. AAAAHHHH! ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s been screaming¡­ all by himself¡­ that ahjussi¡¯s scaring us.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± I¡¯m scared too¡­ ¡®But I can¡¯t just drag all of you along¡­¡¯ In times like this, having aforting (living) plush toy around definitelyes in handy. ¡®Braun.¡¯ I called out to the ¡®Good Friend¡¯ in my pocket. Come to think of it, he¡¯s been pretty quiet. ¨C Mr. Roe Deer. A slightly crestfallen voice answered. ¨C I¡¯m sorry. To think you went to such a filthy, unhygienic ce just to bring me a gift¡­ It seemed he was feeling rather guilty. I let out a faint chuckle. ¡®It¡¯s alright. We¡¯ll get out of here.¡¯ Actually, it¡¯s not alright at all. But getting angry here won¡¯t let me quit halfway, either¡­ That would only leave me with a resentful, murderous plush toy. ¨C You¡¯re truly bold! That¡¯s an admirable talent, even as an entertainer! No, I¡¯m just absolutely scared out of my wits. So I¡¯m counting on you for some serious help. ¡®Can you help me find a way out?¡¯ ¨C What do you need? Just say the word, and this Braun, will prepare it¡­ Mm. This is great¡ªat this rate, even if I don¡¯t manage to pull the full fifty million, our friendship won¡¯t be at risk. After giving Braun a few taps of gratitude on my pocket, I stepped deeper into the abandoned house. ¡­Toward the source of the scream. Chapter 33.2 Chapter 33.2 ¡°Wait here for just a moment. I¡¯ll go check it out.¡± ¡°O-Okay¡­!¡± Of course, I¡¯d already loaded a 500-won coin in case I needed to activate the remote hand at any moment. And I had a shlight ready too. ¡®Good thing it¡¯s attached to the uniform.¡¯ Relying on the thin beam of light, I moved forward. Aaaahhh¡­! No, stop¡­! ¡­Save me, save meeeeee! As I got closer, I could make out the words and phrases. The desperate screams echoed clearly from beyond the dark walls of the abandoned house. ¡®S-Stay calm.¡¯ I was so terrified that my spine tingled, but I forced myself to press on. As I rounded the corner¡ª ¡°This crazy fucking world! Crazy fuckingpany¡­!!¡± I recognized the face. ¡°¡­The manual evaluator?¡± In front of a wooden board stered with talismans, a middle-aged office worker was struggling. When he saw me, his eyes went wide. It was the missing section chief, Lee Byeongjin. ¡°S-Security Team¡­??¡± Ah, right. I¡¯m wearing a Security Team uniform. ¡°T-Thank the heavens! Are you from the Security Team, sir?!¡± The man¡¯s face lit up, and he began trembling as he approached me. ¡°You came to find me!!¡± No, I got dragged here, too. ¡®But why is he being so deferential?¡¯ Oh, right. He¡¯s mistaken me for a Security Team member. Since I ended up here, this was the first time I¡¯d seen apany employee act this submissively. I nced down at the borrowed security uniform I was wearing. ¡®¡­The administrative staff tend to look down on people from the Field Exploration Team¡­¡¯ More specifically, the ones at the bottom of the barrel. They didn¡¯t bother with us, treating us like we were disposable and likely to die on the job. I remembered the administrative staff who changed their attitude once they found out I nearly made it into the elite team. And now, standing before me, sweating and nervously trying to smile, was Section Chief Lee Byeongjin. Hmm. Might as well take advantage of this. I sped my hands behind my back and spoke like a Security Team member would. ¡°A missing person report was lodged from within thepany, so a search is being conducted.¡± ¡°R-Really? Haha! Ha, hahaha¡­! I knew it!! Thepany didn¡¯t abandon me¡­!!¡± Actually, yes they did. ¡°Sooo, um¡­ y-y-you¡¯re going to break down this Darkness? Right?? You¡¯re with the Security Team after all, so¡­¡± I deliberately responded with a detached tone. ¡°The Security Team isn¡¯t in the business of break down Darkness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°The team¡¯s role is to contain disturbances.¡± ¡°R¡­Right. Of course, haha¡­ I¡¯ve just, n-never had much experience with field exploration like this, you see, um.¡± Okay, the tone was set. ¡°Exin the situation.¡± ¡°Pardon??¡± ¡°Describe what happened since your disappearance in chronological order.¡± I needed topare this with what the kids had told me and figure out exactly what kind of creepypasta we were dealing with! ¡°Ah, yes! Yes, sir!¡± The man scrambled to his feet and quickly started babbling. ¡°Well, I¡­ I came across this very rare-looking scroll at a souvenir shop near Mount Jiri¡­¡± It was almost exactly what I¡¯d heard in the office. He¡¯d bought the suspicious scroll after the shop owner hinted that it ¡®grants wishes¡¯, and afterward, his luck with money noticeably improved. ¡°I was told to keep it close to water and not to touch the scroll¡­ and believe it or not, I struck big at the lottery! Second ce!!¡± But then¡­ ¡°I began to hear¡­ strange whispers¡­¡± Lee Byeongjin¡¯s eyes twitched as he dug his fingers into his palms, spitting out his words. ¡°I-It¡­ whispered that since my wish had been granted, it was, uh, only proper to repay the debt, that it was the way of a true schr¡­ those whispers, every night¡­ every night, the sound of water, and then¡­ cries¡­ animal cries creeping closer and closerrrr!!¡± Eeeek. ¡°It became¡­pletely unbearable! So¡­¡± ¡°¡­So¡ª¡± I recalled the scroll I¡¯d seen in the restroom, shredded and stained with what looked like blood. ¡°You tried to tear it up?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± So, during the middle of the day, he¡¯d gone to a ce other than his own home, where there would be no witnesses but where he could escape immediately after ripping it up. A ce like¡­ ¡®An unused restroom in thepany.¡¯ He¡¯d found a spot like that and tore up the scroll. ¡°That was the n, but¡­¡± ¡°And then you got dragged here.¡± ¡°¡­Huff! Yes¡­¡± Lee Byeongjin panted heavily. I rubbed the back of my neck. ¡®¡­What am I supposed to say to that?¡¯ He¡¯d done all the typical things people do to get themselves killed in a horror story¡­ And going so far as to pick a restroom in the basement of Daydream Inc.¡¯s building just to avoid witnesses? Honestly, that deserves some apuse. ¡®To be frank, at this point, if he dies, he can¡¯t reallyin.¡¯ Suppressing a sigh, I looked up. In front of where Lee Byeongjin had been rolling around was a wall stered with talismans. There were noticeably more torn talismans here than elsewhere. ¡®Why was he freaking out in front of this spot?¡¯ I shone my shlight on the wall. And then I realized why. ¡°¡­Is that a door?¡± Through the torn talisman, I could see a door handle. And judging by the lock on the handle¡­ ¡®A door that leads outside?¡¯ ¡°I-Ites here every day!¡± ¡°What does?¡± ¡°The ghost! Ites here every day!¡± Section Chief Lee Byeongjin, with bloodshot eyes, crawled over and grabbed onto my pant leg, mumbling. ¡°It¡­ ites to devour us. Ites to devour¡­! And the, the talismans! They¡¯re falling off every day!¡± ¡°That means¡­¡± ¡°I-It¡¯lle again today¡­¡± Knock, knock. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Knock, knock, knock. From the door¡ª There was a sound. Knockknockknockknock. ¡°It¡¯s here again¡­¡± I mped a hand over Lee Byeongjin¡¯s mouth. Excuse me, sir. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It¡¯s really cold out here, so could you open the door for me? ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ahjussi, don¡¯t you remember me? I¡¯m Na-eun, the seven-year-old girl who lived next door in Somang Apartments¡­ A young child¡¯s sniffling, sobbing voice drifted from beyond the door. Please help me. It¡¯s so cold, and I¡¯m so tired¡­ I don¡¯t know where I am. Please, just open the door¡­ The voice carried a strange, pitiful tone that made you forget your fear and feel genuine sympathy¡­ In a daze, a trembling voice spoke up beside me. ¡°N, Na-eun-ah.¡± [1] Ahjussi. The talisman on the door started to smolder. The sobbing voice mixed with a faintughter. You answered again? ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°N-No!! Ahh!! No, I didn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t answer!! Go away! Go away!!¡± The section chief, snapping back to his senses, started to scream in terror. But. I don¡¯t wanna though? Idon¡¯twannaIdon¡¯twannaIdon¡¯twannaIdon¡¯twannaIdon¡¯twannaIdon¡¯twannaIdon¡¯twannaIdon¡¯twannaIdon¡¯twannaIdon¡¯twannaIdon¡¯twannaIdon¡¯twannaIdon¡¯twannaIdon¡¯twannaIdon¡¯twannaIdon¡¯twannaIdon¡¯twannaIdon¡¯twannaIdon¡¯twannaIdon¡¯twanna ¡°Eeeek!¡± Thud. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang The door began to shake violently, as if it were about to break. The smoldering talismans fell off. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang The talismans were falling off in heaps. Bangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbang I barely managed to move my arm. Thud. I tossed a coin into the air and summoned the hand. Thud. Then, from among the scattered talismans on the floor, I gathered up as many of the intact ones as I could¡­ Bang. I ced those talismans over the doorknob. BANG. The talismans immediately started falling off again. ¡°Haaah¡­¡± But¡­ . The knocking stopped. Out of all the talismans I¡¯d pped onto the doorknob, only one remained. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Close one. A shiver ran down my spine. Hiic, sob¡­ sooob¡­ The sound of footsteps gradually faded away beyond the door¡­ ¡°Hah¡­ haaaaahh¡­¡± Section Chief Lee Byeongjin copsed onto the floor. I clenched and unclenched my sweaty fist. ¡®I¡¯m going nuts.¡¯ I almost fainted from fear with the door pounding like that. I hid my trembling hands behind my back. A creepypasta about trapping prey. Shamanistic atmosphere, talismans, devouring, luring, calling voices, horror¡­ ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ I know now. ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story [Sangun-nim] : A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records> : Daydream Inc. identification code ¨C Qterw-C-51 An ominous Darkness depicted in a traditional ink wash painting featuring changgwi spirits. Exploration Records indicate a total of up to 17 entries. ======================== This¡­ is a Jangsanbeom-type ghost story. [2]
Note/s: [1] Adding -ah (or -ya, -ee) to the end of a person¡¯s name indicates closeness between friends or family, or when one is talking to someone younger. In Japanese, the closest equivalents are -chan and -kun. ? [2] Sangun (ɽ¾ý), tranted literally as Lord of the Mountain, is a mountain spirit or deity often depicted as a tiger. Jangsanbeom (???), from folk tradition, is the tiger of Mt. Jang (in Busan) that has the ability to conjure hallucinations, imitate people¡¯s voices and possess their bodies. It is often depicted as a white-haired ghost or a tiger/cryptid with crimson skin and long, silvery fur. Read more about it here /wiki/Jangsan_beom or here https://en.namu.wiki/w/???#rfn-3/ Changgwi (??), from folk tradition, are spirits who have either drowned to death or have fallen prey to a tiger, bing resentful ghosts who further create more victims. Read more about it here: https://en.namu.wiki/w/?? ? Instead of trying to trante them to fit a more Western point of view, I¡¯ve decided to keep the terms as is given that we¡¯re dealing with a traditional Eastern folktale/ghost story this time. Tranting them as Mountain Lord, Jangsan Tiger and Vengeful Ghosts might be fine, but they don¡¯t exactly retain the original contexts of their respective folktales. Side note, if you¡¯re up for something spooky, here¡¯s a 2013 webtoon one-shot featuring the Jangsanbeom: /webtoon/detail?titleId=574303&no=6&week=finish I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s an English trantion out there, but do let me know if there is! Chapter 34.1 Chapter 34.1 Sangun-nim. One of the most eerie and unsettling stories from . ======================== It appears simr to the Korean inte urban legend about the Jangsanbeom, but this tale carries an even stronger shamanistic and eerie undertone. A ghost, presumably having perished from the tiger known as Sangun-nim, resides in a haunted painting that constantly changes its appearance, pursuing victims and attempting to lure them away. As one of the stories of the that went viral in the first half of 20XX, there were countless reports of readers feeling sick or unnerved just from reading it. ======================== It was exactly as described. Even as someone who¡¯s generally fine reading about horror tales, this story left an oddly disturbing, lingering feeling in me as well, making me pause multiple times while reading. The familiarity of this tale, simr to a known urban legend, added to its unnerving closeness. I¡¯m sure everyone has heard of it at least once. ¡®A person devoured by a tiger bes a ghost and returns to visit their loved ones¡­¡¯ Also known as the changgwi. This ghost must find another victim to pass on its role before its soul can move on to the afterlife¡ªa chilling tale, indeed. ¡®It¡¯s disturbing to even think about it.¡¯ However, if one thinks logically, there is a way to survive. ¡®At C-ss, it¡¯s still a grade with standard escape records.¡¯ While it¡¯s certainly challenging, it¡¯s not impossible to escape this Darkness. The issue is¡­ the method is bizarre and forces the victim to make unfair choices, causing mental suffering and overwhelming pressure, as though their breath were being squeezed out. It¡¯s the kind of tale that horror lovers immerse themselves in, enjoying the shivers it evokes. ======================== Exploration Record #03 A man in his fifties downloaded andscape painting from the inte, said to bring good fortune in one¡¯s career. He described it as an ink wash painting from thete Joseon Dynasty, depicting mountains and fog with an eerie vividness, even in low resolution. After downloading it, he began having asional dreams of wandering near the mountain in the painting, and each time, he felt oddly at peace, his focus sharpening. However, after a sudden promotion at work, the dreams changed. He began to hear a voice calling to him from within the fog enveloping the mountain. The voice whispered, ¡°It is only right to repay the help you¡¯ve received, as any true schr should.¡± Along with this, he heard sorrowful cries, the trudging of footsteps along the mountain path, and the distant calls of animals. Feeling strangely unnerved, he turned and tried to run. Then came the chilling words, ¡°You¡¯ve been found, you¡¯ve been found,¡± repeated over and over, followed by a mockingugh as it chased him. Each night, he was gued with dreams of desperately trying to run away. And each night, the voice calling his name drew closer as he tried to distance himself from the mountain in the painting. One night, he realized, in horror, that he hadn¡¯t been running through the mountains anymore. He was now at the front door of his own house. Terrified, he woke up and immediately left home, moving to a hotel. He said it was to avoid the voice pursuing him and to keep his family from being drawn into it. That night, however, the voice did not follow him in his dream. Instead, he saw someone¡ªa figure with a pale, ashen face, slipping in like a snake through his open front door, snickering as it entered. That¡¯s when he understood. The voices hadn¡¯t been following him at all. They had been finding their way into his home. Result : The man¡¯s entire family, except him, went missing. (Six monthster, the bodies of three unidentified bodies were found in a nearby dam.) Afterward, he was hospitalized for PTSD and eventually took his own life. ======================== ¡­And so it goes. The worst part of this story is how it forces you to imagine the mental anguish of those caught in it. There¡¯s also something more unsettling. ¡®¡­It¡¯s already toote.¡¯ Already lured in and dragged here by the changgwi. Several times that its calls were responded to. Talismans, nearly depleted. This was the kind of description you¡¯d find in the final, desperate moments at the end of a lengthy Exploration Record where everyone was already on the verge of death. Meaning, we¡¯re cornered at the very edge. ¡®This is driving me insane.¡¯ I raked my hand through my hair. ¨C Are you in a tough spot, Friend? It¡¯s more than just tough. I feel like I¡¯m drowning in cold sweat. ¨C Oh dear. Could it be because of that unwee guest who visited earlier? Uninvited guests are always unpleasant, especially in ces where they¡¯re not wanted. ¨C That¡¯s why I¡¯d like to offer you some advice. Would that be alright? What? I looked down at my pocket. ¨C Allow me to dim the light for you, Mr. Roe Deer! ¨C That way, you can quietly leave this ce without drawing anyone¡¯s attention. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I remembered the incredible ability that this plushie showed at the theme park¡ªthe strange power that erased my presence, allowing me to move without getting caught by the blue mascot. ¨C If you quietly exit through that door and head home, you¡¯ll avoid this tiring situation¡­ it doesn¡¯t get any better than that, does it? ¡°¡­¡­¡± I had a high probability of deducing the correct escape route based on the . So, if I could avoid being detected by the changgwi, I might actually get out of this creepypasta easily! ¡®But¡­¡¯ Isn¡¯t that a one-person-only solution? Chapter 34.2 Chapter 34.2 ¡®Would it be possible for you to do the same for someone else?¡¯ ¨C For someone who isn¡¯t a friend? Braun¡¯s voice twisted momentarily, as if I¡¯d made an unpleasant suggestion, but he responded in his usual cheerful tone, like a true entertainer. ¨C Well, maybe I could, but I wouldn¡¯t take that risk! ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, everything has its limits, and the more you share, the less you keep for yourself, don¡¯t you agree? It seemed that if Braun were to extend his power to someone else, its duration or strength would diminish. ¡®So, to stay safe, it¡¯s really just a one-person solution.¡¯ Still, leaving the kids behind gnawed at my conscience as a modern person who¡¯d received public education. Plus¡­ ¡®Braun, if we can¡¯t bring Section Chief Lee Byeongjin out with us, our budget will face serious issues.¡¯ ¨C ¡­Hm? ¡®We won¡¯t be able to buy the Bloodbathtub¡­¡¯ Capitalism was holding me back. ¨C Ahh¡­ that can¡¯t be! ¨C But if we dim two lights, any sensitive observer will notice easily! It¡¯ll ruin the scene¡¯s quality! Yeah. ¡®I¡¯ll look for another solution, then.¡¯ Of course, if things got urgent, I¡¯d hit Braun with an SOS and bolt out with at least one other person. ¡®I¡¯ll do what I can.¡¯ ¨C Regrettable! But, understood. I rummaged through my pocket. Thankfully, a few essentials I always brought to work were still there, even after changing into the security uniform. The Smiley Sticker, Alice¡¯s buff-debuff food items, and even some of Snow White¡¯s apples. I¡¯d lost the fork from my Bloodsucking Cutlery set, but¡­ ¡®It¡¯s originally a pair.¡¯ Right, I still had the knife. I pulled out the remaining piece of the Bloodsucking Cutlery from the opposite thigh pocket. And I was surprised. ¡®¡­It grew!¡¯ The knife was no longer the size of a dessert utensil. It now featured intricate craftsmanship on the handle, with a small, elegant red gemstone embedded as an ent. It had clearly leveled up. ¡®Maybe the blood that the fork absorbed have somehow transferred here?¡¯ After all, they were a pair. ¡°¡­¡­!! I-Is that the Security Team¡¯s suppression weapon?¡± I didn¡¯t respond, letting Section Chief Lee¡¯s misunderstanding stand. I carefully wiped the now-cutter-sized knife on my clothes and slipped it into the front pocket of my jacket, where I could reach it easily. Please, let me not need it. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll begin searching the house.¡± ¡°A¡­Alright!¡± When I moved, Section Chief Lee quickly stepped aside. I stared directly at him as he stood frozen. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like you to apany me.¡± ¡°W-What?! A-Ah, no. I, um, already looked everywhere¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already looked, so I¡¯m asking you to guide me.¡± ¡°U-Uh¡­ Yes, sir.¡± Section Chief Lee hesitated, but he obeyed, ncing nervously at me as he started walking. Good. I avoided the chance of having a panic attack or fainting alone out of fear. ¡°This ce, um¡­ is probably the kitchen, sir. There wasn¡¯t any food, though.¡± The old house, rusty and dust-covered with mold creeping in, was filled with nothing but talismans on every wall. It reminded me of those abandoned houses along mountain roads, halfway up a hill, neglected and no longer inhabited. ¡°You stayed here for a week. Did you not feel ufortable?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I never felt thirsty or hungry¡­¡± His face turned pale. ¡°Whenever the g-ghost came every night, it was strange¡ªI felt like my energy was drained each time¡­¡± ¡°Did you ever try to go outside during the day?¡± ¡°¡­I mean, I did, but¡­ no matter how far I walked, I just saw forest after forest¡­ I was terrified that the sun would set while I was out there, so I kepting back here.¡± His ount aligned with other exploration records. In that case¡­ ¡°W-Where are you going?¡± I headed to the end of the corridor, which had no doors, until I reached a dead end. ¡°There should be an upper floor.¡± ¡°Huh?? No, there¡¯s no staircase or anything leading up! I¡¯ve searched every inch of this ce over the past week, and there¡¯s not even a trace of stairs¡­¡± I summoned the remote hand, then ced the remaining Bloodsucking Knife in its grip and flung it into the air. More precisely, toward the ceiling. Gaaasp! There was a snap as something gave way, the knife lodged in a fine crack in the ceiling. With a loud noise, the ceiling opened up, and an olddder ttered down noisily. ¡®Found the attic.¡¯ ¡°G-Gracious! Truly the Security Team¡­ y-your eye for space is, is beyond that of an ordinary person!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Not at all. I just read a lot of exploration records¡­ Abandoned houses always have attics. ¡®It¡¯s only natural that someone who knows what to look for sees differently from someone who doesn¡¯t know anything¡­¡¯ Anyway, it definitely seemed like this led to the attic. ¡®Wow.¡¯ I seriously don¡¯t want to go. ¡®It feels like entering an ominous room that opened on its own in a haunted house.¡¯ But I was already acting like I was with the Security Team, so I had essentiallymitted myself to being the tank. I grabbed thedder and climbed up, pretending to stay calm. Screeeech. ¡®Please follow me!¡¯ Unsurprisingly, no one followed. ¡®I¡¯ll sear this Security Team act into my brain¡­¡¯ I forced my legs to stay steady, barely managed to reach the attic, and quickly finished my search beforeing back down in a hurry. It was as if I¡¯d wrapped up my investigation swiftly and efficiently. ¡®Phew.¡¯ That probably looked natural enough. ¡°H-How was it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just an old attic. There wasn¡¯t anything unusual¡­¡± I held up my only discovery. ¡°This was lying on an old tray.¡± It was a worn-out book bound in an ancient style. [»î·] ¡°P-Path to survival! Could it actually contain a way out?¡± Oh, he can read ssical Chinese. I carefully opened the brittle, ancient book. The entire book was in ssical Chinese. ¡®ssical Chinese¡­ the best I did was pass the Level 2 exam in high school¡­¡¯ ¨C Hoho. This is interesting content. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Could he actually understand ssical Chinese? ¨C Goodness, Mr. Roe Deer. A capable host like myself must be able tomunicate with all the people in the universe¡­ well, almost all. That sounded pretty unrealistic, but what mattered was this: ¡®¡­Can you read it aloud for me?¡¯ ¨C Of course! After a brief sound as if Braun were clearing his throat like a ssic announcer, his voice took on a more formal, deep tone. Chapter 34.3 Chapter 34.3 ¨C ¡®This is your sole means of escape.¡¯ Thump. ¨C ¡®You, foolish one, ensnared by the changgwi and led into Sangun-nim¡¯s tomb! Darkness looms before you, and a ghost clings upon your back.¡¯ I swallowed hard. ¨C ¡®Do not answer. Do not unbar the door. Purify your body and endure until the full moon rises, and go to the shrine to perform the ritual.¡¯ ¨C ¡®Then you shall live to see the sun rise. However¡­¡¯ I turned the page. ¨C ¡®The changgwi shall relentlessly pursue anyone it deems worthy prey. You, who has already been ensnared by the tiger, can never escape.¡¯ ¨C ¡®The ghost shall linger at your doorstep, at your bedside as you sleep.¡¯ ¨C ¡®So, you too must be a changgwi. To escape, you must find another to take your ce and offer them to the tiger.¡¯ ¡­¡­! ¨C ¡®The sacrifice must have reasoning, warm blood, and a voice. Only then can the changgwi be deceived.¡¯ ¨C ¡®Offer the sacrifice, and follow the moonlit path to a small pit of serpents.¡¯ ¨C ¡®This is your sole means of escape. There is no other way.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¨C That¡¯s the end. Fascinating, isn¡¯t it? I closed the book, my hands frozen. ¡®¡­So that¡¯s what it was.¡¯ In the exploration record, it was only described in a line or two: A sacrifice was chosen by drawing lots, and when the chosen one refused, they were tied to a post and dragged away. But looking at it directly¡­ the eerie, unsettling weight of the words pressed down on me. Flip. Just then, something tucked into the final page of the book slipped out. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was a small paper card. When I picked it up, I saw hurried handwriting scrawled on the back. ?? Leaving tomorrow. I flipped the card over. ©¤©¤©¤ Go Seonha Department of History, Joo Kang University ©¤©¤©¤ Could this be someone who had read the book before me? In the meantime, Section Chief Lee, who could read ssical Chinese, seemed to be stumbling through the text on his own. And then he froze in terror. ¡° ÞÉüÎï¡­ T-This! Doesn¡¯t this mean one person has to be sacrificed?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Right! If just one of us dies, the rest can survive!¡± I didn¡¯t respond. Section Chief Lee began rubbing his palms anxiously, his eyes darting around. ¡°Buuut, uh, if we d-don¡¯t do it, we¡¯ll all die anyway, so¡­¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°¡­Wouldn¡¯t it be enough if the right person died? Someone who likely wouldn¡¯t make it out anyway, right?¡± Is that a self-introduction? But as I nced down, I noticed the look on Section Chief Lee¡¯s face. ¡®That.¡¯ He meant the kids. ¡°To be honest! One of those kids¡­ if you hadn¡¯t arrived, they¡¯d probably all be dead anyway! We should focus on getting ourselves out of here!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°If just one of them dies and the rest of us get out alive, well, isn¡¯t that still a good thing?¡± I never thought I¡¯d hear this kind of talk in real life. Given that he¡¯s been trapped here for a week, consumed by the fear of death and panic, I could understand his desperation, but¡­ ¡®Still, I can¡¯t agree to that kind of talk.¡¯ I nced at the text in ssical Chinese. ¡°Sentient being.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°This book specifies a sentient being with intellect as the sacrifice.¡± I tilted my head slightly. ¡°Can a child who hasn¡¯t even reached adulthood be considered a fully sentient being?¡± ¡°U-Uh¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± I stared steadily at Section Chief Lee. ¡°It¡¯s adults who would qualify as sacrifices, don¡¯t you think? Which means¡­ there¡¯s only one option.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Section Chief Lee, sweating profusely, his pupils quivering, opened his mouth to speak. ¡°W-Wait, uh, um¡­¡± I spoke calmly. ¡°I mean myself.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the only eligible person here. Excluding the kids and you, Section Chief Lee, who¡¯ve been trapped here for a week and are mentally unstable.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want to die. I¡¯ll look for another way.¡± I resumed examining the book. After a long silence. ¡°That, um¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Talking about sacrificing the kids¡­ what kind of person am I to even say such a thing¡­ ha, hahaha¡­¡± Section Chief Lee sat down, looking utterly defeated. ¡°On the first night, it was my father¡­¡± He had passed away in his hospital bed from cancer, but I hadn¡¯t been able to be there when he died because of work. ¡°Then my father, crying, called out, ¡®Byeongjin-ah, let me see your face,¡¯ asking me to open the door.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I held my head and resisted, and then the ghost started hurling all sorts of insults and jeers at me¡­ all in my father¡¯s voice.¡± Section Chief Lee buried his face in his hands. ¡°Every single night, it¡¯s someone else¡ªa dead family member, friend, neighboring to visit, calling out in their voices!¡± His beloved uncle, his aunt, his cousin who died in an ident, his college friends, and even the neighbor¡¯s child who was kidnapped and went missing¡­ ¡°All of them, everyone I¡¯ve known, anyone who¡¯s died¡­ it¡¯s as if they¡¯re all pulled out from the depths. I can barely hold on to my sanity¡­ If hell exists, it¡¯s right here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hmm. Come to think of it, the middle schoolers hadn¡¯t even known there was a ghost knocking on the door. And they¡¯d been here for two days. ¡®Has he practically been standing guard by the door?¡¯ Whether it was intentional, idental, or due to some ghostly influence, his actions had, in a way, shielded the kids¡¯ mental state. It felt strangely poignant. I looked at Section Chief Lee for a moment before nodding. ¡°If this ce is hell, then all the more reason to escape it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll study this book more closely and¡­¡± Knock, knock, knock. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Both Section Chief Lee and I turned to face the door simultaneously. ¡°Was that just¡­¡± Knock, knock, knock. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Excuse me. The voice had returned. Chapter 35.1 Chapter 35.1 A haunted house, trapped by the changgwi¡¯s lure. Is anyone there¡­? A voice called out again from outside the front door of the abandoned house. This time, it was a low male voice. ¡°No, no¡­! W-Who is it this time¡­¡± The section chief mped his hands over his mouth, stifling a scream. Please open the door¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°A-A dead person? Who is it? Who¡¯s out there? Ahhh¡­ L-let¡¯s run! Let¡¯s get out of here!¡± It¡¯s so cold out here. Hmm. ¡°This time, I absolutely won¡¯t answ¡ªaaah??¡± I moved toward the door and pulled the handle. ¡°AAHHHH?!¡± When the door opened, what appeared was¡­ ¡°Whoa, I thought I was gonna die¡­ Thanks¡­¡± A human, in decent shape, with a slender build, light-colored hair, and wearing a faded navy-blue uniform. ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± ¡°Section Chief Lee Byeongjin, please greet him.¡± I gave a respectful nod. ¡°This is the Sergeant of Security Unit 3.¡± ¡°¡­¡­??? ¡­?!¡± Yes, it was him. The sergeant of Security Team¡¯s Unit 3, who had been pulled into this ghost story alongside me. ¡®His face looks about ready to burst.¡¯ Section Chief Lee alternated between pointing at me and the security sergeant, his face beet red, before he snapped his finger and let out a bizarre groan. ¡°H-How¡­ why¡­?!¡± Well, isn¡¯t it obvious? ¡®You¡¯re the one who exined it yourself¡­¡¯ ¨C Every single night, it¡¯s someone else¡ªa dead family member, friend, neighboring to visit, calling out in their voices¡­ And they onlye once a night. Incidentally, simr statements had been tantly recorded in the . When someone¡¯s dragged into an abandoned house by the changgwi, every night it appeared at the door, pleading in the voices of dead loved ones, subjecting its prey to mental torment and confusion. ¡®When they say every night, they mean it¡¯s a daily cycle.¡¯ But I couldn¡¯t exactly tell Section Chief Lee, ¡®There¡¯s a magical record supporting my theory,¡¯ now could I? ¡°Intuition.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The section chief looked strangely nk. In any case, since I was right, let¡¯s leave it at that. After verifying that the security sergeant had entered the abandoned house, I promptly closed the door and secured the handle. Just looking outside was enough to send chills down my spine. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± ¡°No problem, sir.¡± It was shocking enough that this guy had made it all the way to the door without being dragged away by the changgwi, but¡­ ¡®Well¡­ he¡¯s part of the Security Team, after all.¡¯ The real surprise was that he hadn¡¯te alone. He was supporting someone. ¡°¡­Who¡¯s that?¡± The sergeant answered with a bright smile. ¡°Look, I found the missing person!¡± ¡°¡­The missing person is this person, though.¡± ¡°Oh. Got confused¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± They¡¯re even different genders¡­ I checked the person that the sergeant had casually dropped onto the floor. It was a stranger. In a very disheveled state, she sank to the ground of the abandoned house and began to wail, seemingly oblivious to her surroundings. ¡°Uwahhhh! It¡¯s over. It¡¯s all over!¡± ¡°She just keeps saying that. Ah, this ce is better¡­ I woke up earlier in some ce that felt like a shaman¡¯s hut¡­ it was cold, dark, and damp, and I didn¡¯t like it there.¡± ¡°AAAACK!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®This is a disaster.¡¯ All I wanted was a sensiblepanion¡­ ¡®I miss my D-squad superiors¡­¡¯ Still, I took a closer look at the crying person. She was dressed in a now filthy white gown, with a name tag on the chest. [Go Seonha] ¡®Huh?¡¯ I immediately pulled out a small business card. It was the one tucked in the old bookbeled Path to Survival. ©¤©¤©¤ Go Seonha Department of History, Joo Kang University ©¤©¤©¤ On the back, it had the words, Leaving tomorrow. ¡°By any chance, if you¡¯re the person on this card, did you try out the instructions from the book?¡± ¡°Mm-hm¡­¡± The woman nodded, sniffling. ¡°Yes¡­ but it was all futile.¡± ¡°Huuh! Wait! What do you mean f-futile? Does that even make sen¡ª¡± ¡°Exactly what I said.¡± With a dark expression, she pulled something out of her coat. ¡°That¡ª¡± ¡°If you go about a hundred steps from here, as written in that book, there¡¯s a shrine. I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s the ¡®shrine¡¯ mentioned in the book.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°And this, I copied down from the woodblock there.¡± She nced at me with a tired expression. ¡°Looks like you read the book thoroughly, too¡­ do you study Korean history? This was written in a style from hundreds of years ago¡­¡± No. I just happen to have a monster friend¡­ ¡°Ah, anyway!! So if we just do exactly what¡¯s written on that wooden tablet, shouldn¡¯t it work?! Why do you keep saying it¡¯s impossible, and crying about it¡­¡± ¡°Because it is impossible!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Look, ahjussi, I¡¯m not an idiot. I tried to follow what was written on the woodblock. It said to gather three plums, crush them in a cup, and sprinkle it outside¡ªI did all of that! I did everything, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Go Seonha took a breath, staring into the air, then held up the back side of the paper she had pulled out, as if to show it to us. ¡°Please read this.¡± Braun, catching on, began to read aloud. ¨C ¡®Prepare a song to offer to Sangun-nim. The more it is known among people, the more effective it will be. Write the lyrics down and ce them in the incense holder, sing loudly, p every step, and bow every thirty steps.¡¯ ¡°A song for Sangun-nim¡­¡± ¡°Yes! That¡¯s it!¡± Go Seonha¡¯s eyes widened as she asked urgently, ¡°Sangun-nim is a tiger, right? Then what immediatelyes to mind? Any song rted to tigers, anything that praises a tiger, whether it¡¯s a children¡¯s song or a folk tune.¡± ¡°Uh, well¡­¡± Section Chief Lee stammered, then began, ¡°In the mountain¡­ the great hero¡­¡± ¡°Right, on the tiger¡¯s birthday¡ªyes, that one! I thought of it too, and that¡¯s what I tried to use¡­¡± (T/N: Here¡¯s the song: https://youtu.be/SxAjWRNZZgM?t=10) Go Seonha dropped her head. ¡°¡­But it says, once a song has been used, it can¡¯t be used again.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°The incense holder was already stuffed with used lyrics! Of course Mountain Hero was already there¡­!¡± Good grief. ¡°It says, ¡®Sangun-nim is fickle and enjoys songs, so he will not ept the same one twice.¡¯ Sure, in folktales, tigers smoke pipes and dance, but this¡­ this is¡­!¡± Seething, Go Seonha shouted into the air, then turned to us with a desperate look. ¡°Children¡¯s songs, folk songs, instrumental pieces¡­ is there anything else thates to mind besides Mountain Hero? Anything, just anything¡­¡± Nothing. ¡°There¡¯s nothing, right? Of course, there isn¡¯t!¡± Go Seonha clutched her head in frustration. ¡°I¡¯m not a Korean music major, and it¡¯s not like I can just look it up somewhere, oh, no¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know the songs couldn¡¯t be repeated, either. Even in the , there were two or three records of people performing rituals in ces they were lured to by the changgwi, each time using a different song. There were everything from folk games to instrumental pieces¡­ ¡®I thought the different songs were just something the collective wisdom on the wiki included for fun.¡¯ I didn¡¯t realize there was such a specific detail hidden there. And even if I wanted to use the songs listed on the wiki, only the titles were provided¡ªno lyrics, no melodies. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ The air in the abandoned house grew even colder. Chapter 35.2 Chapter 35.2 ¡°¡­¡­¡± Huu. I exhaled slowly, then carefully read the Chinese characters on the paper that was said to be copied from the shrine¡¯s woodblock, with Braun¡¯s help. Then, I asked, ¡°Go Seonha-ssi.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°I have a few questions for you, if that¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°How many days have you been here?¡± ¡°¡­Ten days.¡± Go Seonha¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°But after a few days, I started hearing the sound of some crazy man wandering around¡­ so I hid in the attic.¡± Said ¡®crazy man¡¯ looked at Go Seonha with a slightly offended expression. ¡°And a few dayster¡­ I started hearing children¡¯s voices too. I didn¡¯t know what else to do, so when the full moon came tonight, I slipped outside while this guy was dozing off.¡± ¡°And then you went to the shrine to try and perform the ritual.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded, then moved on to the next question. ¡°But something doesn¡¯t add up.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°The ritual explicitly states that a sacrifice is required. Why did you go alone?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to pretend I was sacrificing myself to save the kids or anything.¡± Go Seonha clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white. ¡°I just went to check how it was done¡­ to make a decision. But yes, while I was doing it, I realized what was going on. I read the writings of those who attempted it before.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Tonight is the full moon. Once tonight ends, that¡¯s it! I can¡¯t hold out for another fifteen days until the next full moon. I know¡­ I know the ghost will open the door.¡± ¡°Yes. So, the ritual needs to be performed before sunrise.¡± Thinking of the single talisman left on the door handle, I nodded to myself. ¡°But I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s impossible!¡± ¡°No.¡± I shook my head and stood up. ¡°I think it might be possible.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The ritual, I mean.¡± An alternative came to mind¡ªa feasible one. ¡°I¡¯ll start preparing.¡± ¡°W-Wait, hold on. No, I mean, uh, e-even if it¡¯s doable, we¡¯d have to gather all the necessary materials from outside again¡­ and I¡¯ve already used everything I found!¡± I looked again at the paper with the copied ritual instructions. Ingredients : Three plums, salt, ashes from a burned peach branch, one bucket of well water. So all of it needs to be gathered from outside¡­ In the middle of the night, with the changgwi lurking around. And a safe way to get around on my own¡­ ¡®Of course, there is a way.¡¯ One that only I can use. ¨C Would you like me to turn off the light for you, Mr. Roe Deer? ¡°¡­¡­¡± Wow. Do I really have to go out there alone? I nced back at the others instinctively. My terrified heart was screaming to go as a group, all together, while my brain held me back, firmly warning me not to do anything stupid. Ugh, this is driving me nuts! But in the end, reason won out. ¡°Please wait here.¡± Honestly, I¡¯d prefer if someone came with me. If anyone¡¯s willing to volunteer¡­ someone is, right? Surprisingly, Go Seonha raised one hand. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve done it before, so I could at least guide you to where everything is located¡ª¡± ¡°Oho! D-Don¡¯t interfere, sit down, student.¡± But Section Chief Lee, rmed, jumped up and quickly pulled her back. ¡°This isn¡¯t someone you should be thinking of as just another person like us! He¡¯s not your average guy!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Well, that¡¯s a bit much. ¡°Just mark down the locations and give them to him. Quickly!¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Go Seonha looked a bit reluctant but, after ncing at me, nodded with a resigned expression. ¡®¡­¡­?!¡¯ She then marked on the nk spaces of the ritual paper where she¡¯d found the materials and handed it to me. ¡°Oh! And¡­ be careful around water.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°The changgwi are ghosts cursed by tigers and bound to serve them, but¡­ historically, the term also referred to water ghosts¡­¡± Go Seonha swallowed nervously, her face pale. ¡°If you hear water¡ªrivers, streams, any water sounds¡ªjust avoid it. Don¡¯t even look, just keep walking.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I¡¯m seriously so fucking scared, what the fuck¡­ Anyway, with everything in ce, I stepped toward the door. The security sergeant spoke up. ¡°Oh¡­ you¡¯re going out alone?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I¡¯d rather not, but here we are. ¡°If anything happens, please look after everyone here.¡± The Security Team¡¯s role isn¡¯t to protect people, but they¡¯re still better than ordinary civilians¡ªespecially when ites to handling supernatural creatures. The security sergeant just looked at me intently. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t really seem like a regr employee¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± ¡°Fascinating¡­ Alright. I¡¯ll stay put, then. Don¡¯t exactly have equipment for this¡­¡± Then he plopped down near the door. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Anyway, it seems like we¡¯re ready to go. ¡®Let¡¯s go.¡¯ I took a deep, quiet breath, then gripped the door handle and pulled. Creeeeak. With a chilling creak of the hinges, the outside came into view. The darkness was thick with fog. Dead silent. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Creak, thud. The door closed behind me. Even though it was supposed to be a full moon, the fog was so dense itpletely blocked out the moonlight. Branches swayed in the breeze, their shadows stretching and blending into the pale hints of deep darkness. I managed to take my first step. Crunch, crunch. ¨C Friend, from now on, I¡¯ll dim your light. You¡¯ll disappear into the blind spots of cameras, fade into the shadows behind the stage¡­ With every step, a dark, shadowy heaviness seemed to press down on me. ¡®It¡¯s still such a strange feeling, no matter how often I experience it¡­¡¯ Slowly, I faded into the misty forest, dim and shadowy. ¨C Phew. Feels a little lighter here! Of course, the fear was still overwhelming. My heart felt like it was going to explode. [Walk straight up to the left from the abandoned house, and you¡¯ll see arge tree with a golden rope tied around it.] Go Seonha¡¯s rough map, with arrows and notes, lingered in my mind, guiding each step I took. I could barely tell front from back, so it was incredible how Go Seonha had managed to gather the ritual materials. ¡®Left and up.¡¯ After what felt like an hour, though only a few minutes had passed¡ª ¨C Ah, Mr. Roe Deer. I see something up ahead. Just as Braun said, something started to emerge through the fog. It was¡­ a giant tree, shrouded in mist. A faint, sweet scent drifted from it whenever its branches swayed. ¡­Peach. ¡®There aren¡¯t any fruits, so where¡¯s the scenting from?¡¯ It was sweet, yet somehow unsettling¡­ A golden rope hung from the tree, stretched between two thick branches. Beyond it, I could see a small field. ¨C Oh, is that farnd? A small garden in the mountains¡ªaesthetic, but not quite my taste! Braun¡¯s tone was cheerful, but my mind was far from light-hearted. The book I¡¯d read earlier had called this ce [Sangun-nim¡¯s Burial Ground], hadn¡¯t it? And it¡¯s also where the materials for the ritual are located? ¡®This must be a supernatural area.¡¯ I moved carefully, inching forward while gathering the materials around the area. ¡®Got the plums¡­¡¯ [Face the left with the big tree on your right, and you¡¯ll see smaller trees¡ªplum trees.] I picked up fallen fruit beneath the plum trees and some dried branches near the enormous peach tree. Of course, I didn¡¯t dare pick fruit directly or break off any branches. ¡®Not gonna risk that.¡¯ Standing alone in a forest at midnight is frightening enough, but imagine being trapped here, cursed by spirits. And to top it off, I had a mission toplete? You¡¯d naturally be as cautious as possible. ¡®¡­Alright.¡¯ Finally, I collected salt from a worn stone pagoda, where it seemed to have been scattered as a warding charm. ¡­Honestly, I nearly screamed earlier while drawing water from the well when I heard the bucket knocking against¡­ something¡­ inside. ¡®But I managed to get everything.¡¯ The surroundings were still quiet. I let out the tiniest sigh of relief. ¡®Now, if I return to the peach tree and retrace my steps, I should get back to the abandoned house¡­¡¯ As I started retracing my path, something I hadn¡¯t noticed before caught my eye. At the end of the golden rope on the peach tree, a piece of clean silk was tied. ¡®Huh?¡¯ There was writing on it. You whock the right, turn back. Wow. ¡®Yeah, definitely not touching that.¡¯ Maintaining a safe one-meter distance, I nodded cautiously. ¨C You look tense, Mr. Roe Deer. ¡®Ah. It seems like you need a ¡®right¡¯ to cross this line.¡¯ ¨C Hmm. ¡®Given that I¡¯m here because of a ghostly curse, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d have¡­¡¯ ¨C But you do have the right! ¡®¡­What?¡¯ ¨C Take a look at your wrist. I raised my hand to check the inside of my wrist. Where the theme park wristband had been. : Socius : The tattoo that had been left there from the burnt-out membership band now shimmered faintly. ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± ¡®Socius¡­ wasn¡¯t that the word?¡¯ The Latin term for panion¡¯, ¡®member¡¯, ¡®kinsman¡¯. ¨C Oh, it seems the mark has broader applications than expected! ¨C Whether the mascot¡¯s connections are wide or it has a part-time job elsewhere, who can say? ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¨C So, Friend, will you use your membership? I stepped up to the golden rope and slowly reached out my hand. The shimmering rope parted, passing gently around my arm as if it were nothing. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¨C As expected. Carefully, I stepped forward. Into the garden, where entry was now permitted. Chapter 36.1 Chapter 36.1 The moment I stepped over the golden rope, my foot touched the ground. It felt like I¡¯d entered a special field in a game or something. The fog vanished as if by magic, revealing the scenery around me. But¡­ ¡®¡­It¡¯s huge.¡¯ Under the full moon, the field in the mountain was farrger than I had expected. A massive field sprawling over the ridge. The dark, deep greens swayed quietly under the bluish moonlight. Yet, there was nothing peaceful or pleasant about it. It felt ominous, unsettling. ¨C A strange scent lingers here. He was right. And among those swaying green nts, I noticed clusters of small, red berries¡­ wait a minute. ¡®¡­Ginseng?¡¯ It was, wasn¡¯t it. Is this a field of ginseng? Wait, ginseng is typically cultivated by people, but this didn¡¯t seem to be human-grown¡­ ¡®¡­Wild ginseng?¡¯ All of this is wild ginseng? ¡®No way¡­¡¯ I quickly scanned the field and saw a sign posted at the edge. [ǧÄê] Millennium. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I immediately turned around, intending to cross back over the golden rope. ¨C Mr. Roe Deer? ¡®I¡¯m outta here.¡¯ Thousand-year-old wild ginseng? It¡¯s like opening a friend¡¯s pencil case to borrow a pen and finding it filled with gold bars instead. Just as I was about to cross back over the rope¡ª [Honored Guest!] ¡°¡­¡­!¡± [Ah, Honored Guest. Please, don¡¯t leave me¡­] A faint, trembling voice called out, with the sound of soft sobbing from behind me. Slowly, I turned my head halfway. [The ghost bound to the tiger ising to take me! A terrifying tiger will tear me limb from limb and spit me out upon the earth! Please save me, please¡­!] One of the berries in the field wobbled, as if waving at me. Then, realizing I was looking, its leaves drooped dejectedly. [Ah, my time hase. I will be shredded with nothing left but fragments of flesh¡­] ¡°¡­¡­¡± I turned fully to face the wild ginseng nt. The bundle of berries shook vigorously in response to my gaze. [Better to be consumed by you than to be taken by that wicked tiger! If you take me, boil me in arge iron pot, your illnesses will be cured, and even elderly parents will rise with newfound strength!] Come to think of it, in folklore, wild ginseng was often depicted as a benevolent, mystical being. A gift given to those of good character. I knelt down in front of the trembling wild ginseng. [Honored Gueeest!] I reached out my hand to the wild ginseng¡­ but then straightened up again. [¡­¡­?] ¡°Liar.¡± The berries froze. Then, as if the ground were quaking, an ominous, raspy voice erupted. [Hah, you saw through me! You worthless thing!] Yep. ¡®This ce is called Sangun-nim¡¯s Burial Ground.¡¯ Have you heard the tales that spirits do everything backward? And here I was, in a ce haunted by spirits and ominously named a burial site? ¡®There¡¯s no way that wild ginseng growing in a ce like this would be normal.¡¯ I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if its properties were entirely reversed. I expected this. [Heeheehee, hehehee!] The wild ginseng started to wriggle and rise from the ground. Its half-emerged form, glowing a sickly, bluish-purple, looked like something straight out of a zombie miniature. It even began coughing up something dark and reddish like blood! ¡®I prepared myself for this, but it¡¯s still terrifying!¡¯ [You will be buried too! You¡¯ll be buried here and be ginseng, your limbs chopped so you can rot! Feel the agony of living deeeeeeeeath!] The surrounding leaves twisted like tentacles, extending roots out of the soil, writhing and reaching toward me. Uwaaaahhh! Without hesitation, I immediately grabbed something from my waist. ¡®S-Snow White¡¯s Apple!¡¯ This item has the peculiar effect of inducing a sleep akin to death upon consumption. So, what was I supposed to do with this? ¡®I thought it would be hard to chew an apple in an emergency anyway¡­¡¯ I¡¯d ground it into juice in advance! St. I took out a sealed pack of juice made from the Snow White Apple and sshed it generously over the field in front of me. The wild ginseng¡­ [Heeheehee! That won¡¯t work! You fool! I shall rip your limbs asunder and¡ª] Thud. ¡­fell into a deep sleep. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Snow White¡¯s Apple¡­ its effect was as reliable as ever. Carefully, I stepped closer. The half-buried, grotesque ginsengy motionless on the ground,pletely knocked out. It was a strange sight, like a cockroach lying t after being hit by bug spray or a cat or dog dozing peacefully, belly up. ¨C Oh! Rude, but that was quite an amusing character! How about taking it as a souvenir? Normally, I would¡¯ve thought he was crazy. But I cautiously examined the ginseng. It had talked, shown emotions, tried to deceive me, and calcted its actions. Something like sap even seemed to be flowing through it. So, if that¡¯s the case¡­ ¡®Isn¡¯t it¡­ a sentient being?¡¯ I¡¯d found it¡ªa substitute sacrifice. * * * ¡°¡­So, you gathered all the materials, prepared the ritual, and for the sacrifice, you¡¯re nning to use this strange wild ginseng¡­ is that correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The people in the abandoned house looked utterly dumbfounded after hearing the abridged version of ¡®What Kim Soleum (currently posing as security) encountered outside~.¡¯ Maybe I summarized it too much. But there was no helping it. I couldn¡¯t exin exactly how I¡¯d managed everything, so it ended up as, ¡®Anyway, I got everything.¡¯ ¡®I still feel a bit uneasy about bringing back the wild ginseng, but¡­ it¡¯s easier on my conscience than randomly picking a person to die.¡¯ I had no idea whosend this belonged to, but if it was a real issue, Braun would¡¯ve raised an rm. Trying to keep a natural expression, I looked around at the others. They were still gawking at me, switching their gaze between the materials and the wild ginseng. But they seemed to buy it. ¡°Wow, as expected from the Security Team¡­ handling even things like this!¡± Not quite. Feeling a bit guilty, I nced over at the actual member of the Security Team. The security sergeanty among the middle schoolers, looking thoroughly bored. Somehow, the kids had started chatting with him as if they¡¯d already introduced themselves. ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t look that strong.¡± ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m super strong.¡± The kids wereughing, seeming a bit more at ease with more people around. Section Chief Lee Byeongjin, checking the materials, nced anxiously between Go Seonha and me, then gulped and said, ¡°S-So, we¡¯re all going to the shrine now? To perform the ritual¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­The shrine is nearby, so as long as we move carefully, it should be fine. Nothing happened when I was therest time¡­¡± Go Seonha, with a tense expression, looked back at me. ¡°By any chance, when you went out, did you visit the shrine too?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Taking advantage of Braun¡¯s ability to erase my presence, I¡¯d even burned the peach branches. I¡¯d nearly screamed a total of three (3) times from nerves. ¡°¡­Then that makes it easier. Just walk quietly, don¡¯t make a sound, and move quickly. As long as we don¡¯t make mistakes in the fog, we¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°¡­Alright, then. Let¡¯s go to the shrine together.¡± The time hase. Chapter 36.2 Chapter 36.2 After taking a moment to steady our breathing and prepare ourselves, we lined up in front of the closed door. ¡°Kids. You mustn¡¯t stop. Just keep walking.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± At Go Seonha¡¯s words, the kids, looking terrified, nodded. Then, reassured by the adults, they pressed their lips together tightly and fell into line. ¡°¡­¡­¡± But why am I the one standing at the very front¡­? Everyone, why are you naturally moving to the back? ¡®Did I simplify the story of gathering materials too much¡­?¡¯ It seems they think I¡¯m some kind of fearless, resourceful genius. Aahh, please¡­ ¡®No one would believe me if I said I¡¯m terrified right now, would they?¡¯ ¡­Well, I guess it¡¯s still better than being at the very back. With resignation, I opened the door once more. Creeeak. Once again, the mountainside, shrouded in darkness and fog, appeared before us. Inhale. ¡°Uh¡ª¡± ¡°Shh.¡± The kids, looking terrified, mped their mouths shut. We began moving slowly, as quietly as possible. Crunch, crunch. With each little sound, our footsteps quickened. I could feel the oppressive tension surrounding the group, as if at any moment, the changgwi might call out to us from behind and begin to chase us. ¨C Friend! There¡¯s no need to rush too much. Remember, in case of emergency, this Braun is always by your side¡­ And thankfully, that ¡®emergency¡¯ never came. Through the darkness and fog, the old, tiled roof became visible. A worn-down shrine, with red and blue tiles tilted at odd angles. We had arrived. Thud. ¡°Phew.¡± ¡°Everyone¡¯s here, right?¡± Those who had safely entered the shrine took a moment to catch their breath. Finally, the security sergeant, who had been lingering, closed the green paper door made of traditional hanji paper and locked it. Section Chief Lee Byeongjin hurriedly attempted to stick a talisman he¡¯d picked up from the floor of the abandoned house onto the door, but Go Seonha stopped him. ¡°That might interfere with the ritual. Let¡¯s just leave it as is. We just need to finish quickly and get out!¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re right.¡± Meanwhile, I took the opportunity to look around the shrine. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, the shadowy outlines became clearer. Inside, it was eerily clean yet very old. Between two rusty Maitreya statues without heads was a broken incense burner. Above it was a slightly worn woodblock. ¨C So, that must be the woodblock detailing the ritual. It¡¯s quite atmospheric¡­ Following Braun¡¯s whispered narration, I read aloud what was inscribed on the woodblock. ¡°¡­The human with the sturdiest mind and spirit should step forward to conduct the ritual.¡± Well, that¡¯s definitely not me. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hey, seriously, don¡¯t look at me. I turned my gaze naturally toward the security sergeant. The other two followed my gaze as well, but¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± ¡°I said I can¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t make me do it¡­¡± ¡°Oh, understood.¡± Section Chief Lee shrank back, then looked over at me. I stared back at him. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­Uh¡­¡± ¡°Please, go ahead.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± Even if he¡¯s traumatized, he¡¯s got more guts than I do¡­ Section Chief Lee stepped forward, his legs trembling, only to turn back with a look of rm, ncing between Go Seonha and me. ¡°W-Wait a minute! Mountain Hero!¡± Go Seonha¡¯s eyes widened as well. ¡°Right! The song for Sangun-nim!¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it! Even if we have all the materials, without that song¡ªwhether it¡¯s a children¡¯s song or a folk tune about tigers, we¡¯re stuck¡­¡± Ah. ¡°We have it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­??¡± ¡°One moment.¡± I called the middle schoolers over. Then, very politely, I asked, ¡°Kids, you mentioned you were on a school trip, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Did anyone keep listening to music on the bus? Or know a lot about celebrities?¡± The kids exchanged nces before motioning toward one student without bangs. I quickly turned to that student. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s Lee Nayeon.¡± ¡°Alright, Nayeon-ah. I need to ask you something.¡± I tried my best to put on a friendly, trustworthy expression. All the adults in the room had question marks on their faces. ¡°¡­¡­?? Um, what exactly are you doing right now¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a popr idol song that mentions a tiger in the lyrics, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± I looked at the adults. They all had bewildered expressions. ¡°B-But, are we even allowed to use, um, pop songs for this? Like, an idol song¡­?¡± ¡°We can.¡± I held up the ritual note Go Seonha had written down for me. ¡°If you look, it only specifies a ¡®song¡¯. It doesn¡¯t say it has to be a folk song or nursery rhyme.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± This isn¡¯t some kind of inte creepypasta where we have to choose songs that fit the eerie atmosphere. There¡¯s no reason or need to pick something that matches the tone of a ghost story. Human bias had limited the options. ¡°Oh¡­¡± I turned back to the student. ¡°So, Nayeon-ah. Do you remember any songs that mention ¡®Sangun-nim¡¯ or ¡®tiger¡¯? Something like that.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Nayeon¡¯s face immediately brightened as she answered. ¡°There is! Saint U¡¯s ¡®Peek-a-Boo¡¯!¡± Perfect. ¡°There¡¯s also a song by VTIC¡­¡± [1] ¡°Do you know the full lyrics to either of them? And is it a well-known one?¡± ¡°Yes! I know Saint U¡¯s ¡®Peek-a-Boo¡¯!¡± Okay. I turned back to the adults and made a firm deration. ¡°We¡¯ll use Saint U¡¯s ¡®Peek-a-Boo¡¯ as our song offering for Sangun-nim.¡± Take this idol song, oh mighty tiger! * * * In the quiet shrine. Section Chief Lee Byeongjin stepped forward from the shadows, his trembling hands dropping ashes into the incense burner. They were ashes from the burned peach branches. ¨C First. ¨C ¡®The one performing the ritual should step forward and ce the peach branch ashes into the incense burner, then inhale the fragrance.¡¯ ¨C ¡®Gently close the lid of the incense burner, and open it again once the scent has faded.¡¯ With shaking hands, the section chief closed the lid of the old, broken incense burner with its equally worn cover. After a few seconds, he lifted the lid. Amazingly, the ashes had vanished. In their ce, a single, intact incense stick was burning. A faint peach scent wafted from the small, twig-shaped incense stick. ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± ¨C ¡®If the incense is burning, it means Sangun-nim has acknowledged your devotion.¡¯ Oh, everything¡¯s proceeding as nned. Excellent! ¡°Ugh.¡± The smell was strong, so Go Seonha covered her nose and took a step back. The section chief hurried on to the next step. ¨C Second. ¨C ¡®Open the door made of hanji paper.¡¯ Sliiide. Through the opened door, the dark forest came into view. The kids huddled behind the adults. ¨C ¡®Crush three plums in a brass bowl and scatter them under the floorboards. Throw the remaining bowl to the east and never look back.¡¯ I handed three plums to Section Chief Lee. He crushed them with his fingers in the brass bowl and scattered them onto the dirt. The overpowering, sweet-sour scent rose up. Go Seonha, who had been standing back, stepped forward, sniffing and looking a bit relieved. Then she motioned to Section Chief Lee. It was time for the third step. ¨C Third. ¨C ¡®Prepare a song to offer to Sangun-nim. The more well-known, the more effective it will be.¡¯ Section Chief Lee carefully rolled up the prepared lyrics sheet and ced it in the drawer under the incense stand. ¨C ¡®Write the lyrics down, ce them under the incense stand, then sing loudly, pping with each step, and bow every thirty steps.¡¯ One by one, everyone stepped out through the open door. Section Chief Lee began singing the lyrics the student, Lee Nayeon, had shared with him. ¡°¡­Peek-a-boo, here Ie.¡± The middle schoolers joined in, singing in chorus. A song offered to Sangun-nim.
Note/s: [1] Saint U and VTIC are idol groups featured in the author¡¯s other hit series, Debut or Die! ? (Sorry in advance for butchering the lyrics of the song, I''ve got no talent for poetry or lyric writing¡­) Chapter 37.1 Chapter 37.1 Saint U¡¯s ¡®Peek-a-Boo¡¯. ording to the middle schoolers, this was the final album by a famous girl idol group that made a grandeback a few years ago after a long hiatus. The song was upbeat, addictive, and cheerful, lingering on the music charts for a long time. Now, that very song echoed through the dark, fog-filled forest, apanied by pping hands in rhythm. p. ¡°My sharp gaze catches you in an instant, but I don¡¯t n to make the first move¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait patiently, pretending I¡¯m not interested until you approach.¡± ¡°Cuz predators never move first¡­¡± Even the adults clumsily joined in, trying their best to sing along. p. ¡°Alright, get ready. I¡¯m the elegant tiger waiting for you toe closer¡ª Peek-a-boo!¡± The lively, energetic melody continued. Maybe because everyone was singing together, the kids¡¯ expressions began to rx, and their voices grew stronger. ¡°Peek-a-boo! Here Ie, so get ready! I¡¯m the tiger. My eyes sparkle even in the dark!¡± ¨C ¡®Walk along the path while offering the song, with the sacrifice at the back of the line.¡¯ But at the end of the line, instead of a person, a tiny purple wild ginseng dangled like a little bundle, swinging as it hung from a stick. The security sergeant held the stick over his shoulder as if it were a garbage bag, with the ginseng swaying at the back. Go Seonha kept ncing at it suspiciously from the side, but the ginseng itself seemed to be enjoying the song, humming along cheerfully. ¡°Peek-a-boo! I¡¯ll entrance you, make you lose your mind. Peek-a-boo, so get ready.¡± p. I signaled for everyone to stop. ¡®The thirtieth step.¡¯ The group paused, then awkwardly bowed deeply before standing back up. The song continued. ¡°Peek-a-boo!¡± The narrow path gradually leveled out, making it easier to walk. ¨C ¡®When the song ends, so does the path. When you find a small snake hole in a ce with no grass, express gratitude for Sangun-nim¡¯s mercy and reach inside.¡¯ ¨C ¡®Make sure your hand is covered in the well water mixed with salt.¡¯ By the time we reached the final chorus of the second verse, the surroundings began to change. The trees that had been packed so densely were thinning, and the fog grew even thicker. Everyone sensed it instinctively. ¡®We¡¯re almost there¡­!¡¯ The expressions on their faces were a mix of tension, anticipation, and caution. But they remained calm, singing the song to the very end. ¡°Peek-a-boo, so get ready¡­¡± p. And with that final line¡ª ¡°Now I¡¯ming closer.¡± Our footsteps halted. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The path had ended. Ahead, the narrow trail opened into a wide clearing. ¡°There¡­ there are no trees.¡± Our steps quickened. And through the thick fog, the final result of the ritual appeared before us. ¡°Now, the snake hole should be¡­!¡± It was a massive reservoir. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®What is this?¡¯ An expanse of dark water stretched before us, the fog endlessly rolling over its surface. The group halted, faces filled with confusion and terror, as if they couldn¡¯tprehend what had just happened. ¡°W-Why¡­¡± ¡°T-There was supposed to be a snake hole, but¡­ w-what is this¡­?¡± What was going on? What went wrong? I looked at the ginseng the security sergeant was carrying. ¡­It was still there, perfectly intact. ¡®It should¡¯ve disappeared¡­ right?¡¯ Go Seonha, her face pale with fear, murmured¡ª ¡°¡­Water ghost.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The words I¡¯d heard a few hours ago rushed back to mind. ¡®The changgwi are ghosts cursed by tigers and bound to serve them, but¡­ historically, the term also referred to water ghosts.¡¯ ¡°It was a trap! The ritual itself was a trap! We were lured by the water spirit¡­!¡± ¡°Ahhh!!¡± ¡°We were all led here, right to the reservoir¡­!!¡± Section Chief Lee screamed, stumbling backward as he tried to run, only to trip. The children began to whimper, clutching onto each other and screaming in panic. I felt a chill down my spine, nearly falling to my knees. It was like being in the final scene of a horror movie, where every character faces impending doom. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®Are we really going to die here¡­?¡¯ ¡­No. NO!! At the very least, I needed to understand why. I couldn¡¯t think of any mistake we¡¯d made within the information we¡¯d been given. Even considering every exploration log I¡¯d read from the , nothing indicated we¡¯d gone wrong. A sense of frustrated disbelief overtook my fear. Go Seonha¡¯s panicked voice echoed in my ears. ¡°Turn around, let¡¯s run back. Back to the abandoned house¡­!¡± ¡­Wait. Hold on a second. I turned to Go Seonha. ¡°¡­Do you know something?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The abandoned house is a trap, too.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Think about it. Isn¡¯t it strange?¡± Slowly, I pointed out the intended contradiction of this ghost story. ¡°It¡¯s strange, don¡¯t you think? We¡¯re lured into this ce by the changgwi, yet we¡¯re supposed to feel safe in an abandoned house with protective talismans that supposedly keep the changgwi out.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°And that same house just happens to contain a ritual for escaping? Conveniently spelled out for us?¡± This was exactly why interpretations of this abandoned house were split in the wiki¡¯sment section. But I was almost certain now. ¡®This story was designed from the start to slowly drain people¡¯s sanity.¡¯ The intended reasoning went like this¡ª ¡°They lock people up in this abandoned house during the full moon, pushing them to their limits and weakening their spirits.¡± It dangles the hope of a ¡®ritual¡¯ in front of them, leading people to endure a state of mental breakdown while clinging to that hope. ¡°That makes it easier to lure people in.¡± And the most decisive part¡­ ¡°If they make a mistake during the ritual, all the better. But even if they don¡¯t, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± I looked at the wild ginseng. ¡°The process of choosing a sacrifice is bound to create conflict, leading to at least one dropout. They¡¯re guaranteed to ¡®im¡¯ a sacrifice.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Of course, the ritual is real. That way, people are more desperate to cling to it.¡± After all, this is the . You can¡¯t just throw in too many convenient plot devices. It breaks immersion and ruins the suspense. The ritual itself has to be genuine. That¡¯s why I had full confidence in performing it, but¡­ ¡°That only raises more questions.¡± Chapter 37.2 Chapter 37.2 I¡¯ve read a lot of ghost stories. In fact, I¡¯ve read every single ghost story uploaded to the . Some were hard to get through, but reading them became part of my daily routine at work, so I¡¯ve read them multiple times. In the process, I picked up a few bits of obscure knowledge¡­ Here¡¯s an example. ¡°Peach branches aremonly known to ward off spirits.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°And plums are a favorite fruit of the changgwi. That¡¯s probably why both of these materials were required.¡± ¡°¡­Ah.¡± ¡°Lure the changgwi to the shrine, and while it¡¯s there, the person conducting the ritual uses the peach incense to escape.¡± I looked up. ¡°But then, isn¡¯t it odd that someone here seemed ufortable with the peach incense and overly drawn to the plum?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Among seven people, only one kept staying close to the security sergeant at the back of the group, as if wanting to keep as far away from the peach incense as possible. ¡°Go Seonha-ssi.¡± I looked directly at her. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re speaking of your own will?¡± ¡°¡­What are you implying?¡± It¡¯s possible that¡­ The real Go Seonha may have failed the ritual in the shrine long before she ever met us¡­ ¡°Isn¡¯t it actually the changgwi that¡¯s speaking to us through you right now, Go Seonha-ssi?¡± The group froze. ¡°You figured it out.¡± Go Seonha¡¯s mouth stretched into a grotesque grin. But it¡¯s toote! Toote! Her arms began to elongate, reaching out toward me with a strange fluidity, trying to grab and pull me closer¡­ ¡®ACK!¡¯ I rolled to the ground, dodging her outstretched arms. Behind me, the screams of Section Chief Lee and the children echoed in terror. ¡°Ahhhh!!¡± ¡°G-Ghost!¡± Instinctively, I pulled a knife from my front pocket. This isn¡¯t a full changgwi¡ªit¡¯s a person possessed by one, which means I might be able to subdue her¡­ But I realized something. ¡®I can¡¯t get close enough to use it!¡¯ With a short-range weapon like this, I¡¯d have to get right up to a possessed person¡¯s face! I already feel like I¡¯m about to faint! But my brain, running on adrenaline, instantly found the right person for the job. ¡°Sergeant!¡± I tossed the weapon toward the figure standing behind me. ¡°Please subdue her!¡± Whoosh. The Bloodsucking Knife cut through the air. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± The security sergeant caught the knife and, after a brief nce, immediately lunged at the changgwi-possessed person. Hihihi!! Go Seonha¡¯s face and arms twisted into a bizarre, hideous form, sprouting the distorted features of countless men, women, and children¡ªarms, faces, strands of hair, and eyes pointing in all directions. Please, please, help me! ¡°Eeeek!¡± ¡°Get back and close your eyes!¡± Section Chief Lee scrambled backward with the children, huddling on the mountain path. Can you hear me? Somebody, help me! At that moment, the security sergeant¡¯s appearance started to distort too. A monstrous form. His once-slender upper body swelled to an enormous size, his mouth extending into a snout with a tongue thatshed out, brutally snapping the changgwi¡¯s long arms. Aaaaagh! No¡­ it was an illusion. The security sergeant looked just like a regr human. But then again, he seemed like some monstrous creature¡­ ¡®Wow, this is insane.¡¯ I managed to shift my focus. The reason the Security Team was so adept at handling the Darkness. And the reason they weren¡¯t part of the field investigation team. It was bing clear right in front of me. ======================== [Security Team] : One of the three teams under the Security Division of Daydream Inc., a major department featured in the . This team isprised of employees who have been so heavily tainted by certain anomalies that they are no longer ssified as human. Employment is for life, and resignation is impossible. ======================== Did you know? If you¡¯re no longer ssified as human, even if you clear a ghost story, the Dream Essence Collector won¡¯t be filled. There¡¯s no investigative value in it. That¡¯s why people who have practically merged with ghost stories, bing almost monstrous themselves, were assigned to the Security Team. Especially¡­ those affected by particrly violent or territorial ghost stories¡­ It hurts! It hurts!! ¡­They¡¯re assigned to the Security Team to handle significant issues withpany-managed Darkness. ¡®¡­And if he¡¯s the sergeant of that team, he¡¯s no different.¡¯ In short, he¡¯s an employee specialized in confronting the monsters within these ghost stories. Gaaaaahh! The changgwi¡¯s many arms were torn apart by the sergeant¡¯s jaws, ws, and teeth, stretching from his maw like a monstrous, serpentine tongue. Drooling saliva and blood dripped from the mouth that had transformed into a wolf-like snout lined with countless fangs. The illusion flickered in and out of my vision. ¡®¡­Wolf?¡¯ For a brief moment, I saw the illusion of countless teeth in his elongated jaw, dripping with saliva and blood, before it vanished. A wave of dizziness and nausea washed over me, and I quickly averted my gaze to the ground. ¡®This feels like a nightmare.¡¯ I began to understand why the Security Team always evacuated people when they subdued ghost stories in the . Despite the risks, things were progressing smoothly. ¡°Keep your eyes closed!¡± I urged the others as I kept my gaze down, bracing myself. Then, in the next moment¡ª ¨C Oh, Mr. Roe Deer, it seems that peculiar guest you brought won! It was over. When I looked up, the changgwiy on the ground, the Bloodsucking Knife embedded in its right hand. Standing over it was the distorted, monstrous form of the security sergeant, gripping its head tightly. Chapter 37.3 Chapter 37.3 ¨C Good riddance, a brute right to the core. If this had been my show, I¡¯d never let it on as a guest! I¡¯d never been so grateful that only I could hear Braun¡¯s voice. I mustered a calm voice and addressed the sergeant, who was still gripping Go Seonha¡¯s head. ¡°Thank you, Sergeant.¡± ¡°Urrgh¡­¡± ¨C He says he¡¯s tired. How rude! You¡¯re scarier for tranting that monstrous growl¡­ But then, at that moment. A faint, muffled sound came from under the sergeant¡¯s hand. It was a human voice. ¡°W-Wait, please¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Somehow, Go Seonha¡¯s face had returned to normal, her expression one of pure terror as she moaned weakly. ¡°P-Please help me¡­ save¡­¡± Leave this child here¡­ ¡°Uh, ugh¡­¡± Her eyes rolled back, and the changgwi¡¯s voice took over again. Only you need to die¡­ Hm? Right? You deserve to die. You killed people. You tried to kill the children. I know everything. You deserve to die. Go Seonha struggled. ¡°No, no¡­¡± Just leave her behind. Leave her, yes? Hmmmm? ¡°Please, save me, save me! Aaaah!¡± At that moment¡ª ¡°Tell me,¡± The sergeant¡¯s voice, now sounding human, asked, ¡°Did you formally request emergency rescue from ¡­?¡± I couldn¡¯t see his face beneath the monstrous form, but his voice clearly posed the question directly to Go Seonha. ¡°This is an official request requiring a signed contract¡­ isn¡¯t that¡­ right?¡± Something about it felt off. Go Seonha, dazed, looked up, then seemed to snap back, responding in a desperate tone. ¡°Ri¡ª¡± Wait. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡± I intervened, forcing the words out. ¡°This Darkness isn¡¯t under Daydream Inc.¡¯s jurisdiction, we didn¡¯t enter to rescue civilians, and more than that, there was mutual assistance on both sides.¡± ¡°Huh¡­? Weird¡­¡± The sergeant¡¯s voice dropped, dangerously low and growling. ¡°Wasn¡¯t she trying to prevent us from escaping¡­?¡± Gaaasp. ¡°¡­That doesn¡¯t matter, sir. In the end, she helped us.¡± I spoke firmly. ¡°Which makes this cooperation.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The sergeant stared at me, then looked down at Go Seonha¡­ ¡°Ah¡­ is that so¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Maybe that¡¯s correct¡­¡± Srrrk. His voice rxed, falling back to its usual tone of casual indifference. ¡®Huuu.¡¯ I¡¯d intervened because something felt off, and it seemed I¡¯d made the right call. ¡®It¡¯s best not to get entangled with Daydream Inc¡­¡¯ Especially to end up indebted to them. Just the thought gave me a terrible feeling. ¡°Hm¡­ so what should we do now¡­¡± ¡°One moment please.¡± I approached Section Chief Lee Byeongjin, who was standing back with his eyes closed, holding onto the kids. He flinched at the sound of my footsteps. ¡°Eeeek! Are you here to¡­ take me instead¡­?¡± ¡°The incense burner.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°Hand it over.¡± I took the incense burner from him. Although the peach incense had already burned away, the ashes remained intact inside. ¡®The changgwi didn¡¯t like the peach branches.¡¯ If that¡¯s the case¡­ I poured the ashes over Go Seonha¡¯s shoulder. AAAAAAHHHHHHH! Sizzle. Though the ashes weren¡¯t especially hot, the smell of burning and salt filled the air as smoke rose from her shoulder. I won¡¯t go! I won¡¯t! I¡¯ll cling on again! I¡¯ll cling on¡­ Aaaaagh! I poured the remaining ashes over her head. Her body, possessed by the changgwi, convulsed wildly and then¡ª Gaaasp¡ª Her eyes flew open, filled with rity and relief. It was Go Seonha. ¡°I-I¡¯m okay now! I think I¡¯m¡­ fine¡­¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°This is a ce we were lured into by the changgwi, so there¡¯s a chance it coulde back for you anytime.¡± ¡°T-Then¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make sure it can¡¯t possess you again, just in case.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± I had brought an extra pack of the apple juice with me. I handed the sealed pack to Go Seonha. ¡°Uh¡­?¡± ¡°Drink it all at once.¡± I insisted, and although she looked confused, she reluctantly took it and began gulping down the juice while lying subdued on the ground. And a momentter¡ª She slumped over, falling into a deep sleep like the ginseng. Phew. ¡°At least that¡¯s taken care of¡­¡± ¡°You can let go now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The security sergeant released his grip and, with a faintly amused voice, asked, ¡°Thinking of switching departments¡­?¡± ¡°No thank you, sir.¡± Please, spare me. After thanking the security sergeant once again, who had thankfully returned to a more human appearance, I went over to check on Section Chief Lee and the kids, who were still tightly shutting their eyes. ¡°You can open your eyes now. It¡¯s safe.¡± ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Relief washed over Section Chief Lee¡¯s face, but he quickly shot a worried nce at the kids and whispered to me with a desperate expression. ¡°But now what? How are we supposed to find the way out¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Dawn is almost here!¡± I looked up at the sky. Through the hazy fog, it seemed like a faint light was beginning to filter through¡­ The full moon was nearly setting. ¡®There¡¯s no time to redo the ritual.¡¯ But¡­ ¡°We¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°I believe we seeded in at least half of the ritual.¡± I remembered how the path changed with each step as we sang and how the incense burned properly. ¡®Everything we prepared was correct.¡¯ The ritual, strictly speaking, had two purposes. To avoid the changgwi. And to seek an escape route by appealing to Sangun-nim. ¡°It seems we fulfilled the second purpose.¡± While the first purpose failed due to the changgwi¡¯s possession of one of our group members, bringing us close to the water¡¯s edge¡­ ¡°Maybe there¡¯s an exit somewhere nearby.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± We clustered together and began searching in the dense fog, moving away from the water¡¯s edge toward the open clearing closer to the mountain. We searched around where the ritual path had ended. ¨C ¡®If you find a small snake hole in a ce with no grass, express gratitude for Sangun-nim¡¯s mercy and reach inside. Make sure your hand is coated in well water mixed with salt.¡¯ ¡®A ce with no grass¡­ a ce with no grass¡­¡¯ And then, a few momentster¡ª ¡°I-I found it!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± One of the middle schoolers spotted a small hole under a tree. A shaft of moonlight pierced through the fog, shining directly onto the dark hole, as ck as ink. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The snake hole. I quickly had everyone dip their hands in the saltwater, not caring about the fear or hesitation that gripped us. ¡°Hurry, hurry.¡± Just before dawn, we each reached our hands into the snake hole. Chapter 38.1 Chapter 38.1 The first thing I felt was dampness. Squelch. As I reached into the snake hole with my saltwater-soaked hand, a peculiar coldness, like submerging my hand in ink, washed over me. Then, I was pulled in. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The suction that began at my hand soon engulfed my entire body. ¡®I-I can¡¯t breathe.¡¯ It felt like wet paper was wrapping tightly around my whole body, suffocating me. My vision spun, dark and dizzy, until finally¡­ Gasp! With a sudden gasp, I was able to breathe again, as if emerging into cool air. I opened my eyes. Instead of stars, the neon lights of a provincial city stretched out before me, twinkling against the autumn night of Korea. ¡®I¡­ survived.¡¯ I was back in reality. ¡°Huu¡­¡± I tried to stand, but my legs were shaking so badly that I almost fell. Dark red ink was dripping from my feet, trailing onto the ground. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Following the ink trail with my gaze. I saw an old piece of hanji paper with a faded ink wash painting smeared and blurred, lying on the ground. It was as if, after countless years, the image had faded entirely, and new ink had been sshed over it, leaving barely any recognizable shape. ¡®¡­That must have been one of those cursed paintings connecting to that insane mountain.¡¯ Shuddering, I quickly tore my gaze away and turned to check on the others scattered on the ground. One, two, three¡­ seven. Everyone was here. It seemed the painting had spit them out right after me. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Oww¡­ Huh! W-We¡¯re outside!!¡± Section Chief Lee Byeongjin looked around, then yelled out in shock. ¡°Haha!! W-We made it!! We¡¯re alive!!¡± Then, filled with relief and gratitude, he turned to me and bowed deeply. ¡°Thank you¡­ for saving us¡­¡± ¡°You saved yourself, Section Chief. You were the one who carried out the ritual, after all.¡± ¡°¡­Haha, so m-modest¡­ I¡¯m ashamed.¡± Section Chief Lee bowed again, looking rather moved. I figured it was best to let him believe it was humility rather than ttery. ¡°O-Ohhh!¡± The next ones toe to their senses were the middle schoolers. As I helped them get their bearings, I listened to their surprised chatter. ¡°This ce¡­ it¡¯s where you were supposed to stay on your school trip?¡± ¡°Yes!!¡± Now that I looked around, it did resemble the description they¡¯d given of ¡®the gazebo behind our lodging¡¯. ¡®So we all got spit out here.¡¯ ¡­It was lucky we didn¡¯t wake up in that strange office in the basement of thepany. I reassured the kids who were hugging each other in relief, crying, and ready to run straight down the mountain. ¡°Be careful where you step. When you get down, find an adult and call your parents, alright?¡± But the kids looked nervous, hesitant to leave. ¡°Aren¡¯t youing with us¡­?¡± Well¡­ they had a point. Whether I was treated as a hero for rescuing them or mistaken for a kidnapper, if I went to the police, thepany probably wouldn¡¯t be thrilled¡­ ¡®As long as the kids get back safely, that¡¯s what matters.¡¯ I slowly shook my head. ¡°We need to go somewhere else. You just keep going straight down and don¡¯t look back.¡± Just in case you trip. ¡°¡­¡­! Okay.¡± The kids seemed to muster some resolve, nodding with determined faces, and carefully started down the mountain, relying on each other for support. ¡®Good.¡¯ Since it was a well-maintained path on a shallow mountain, it would only take them about five minutes to get down. As I watched them go, ensuring they were safe, I felt a tap on my shoulder. ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± It was the security sergeant, who had already gotten to his feet and was slightly swaying as he held out the stick with the greenish wild ginseng still attached. ¡°Hey kid, take this¡­¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The sergeant held out the stick with the unconscious wild ginseng dangling from it. ¡®I mean, we could¡¯ve just left it there.¡¯ Still, I took the ginseng without protest. The sergeant turned and started walking away, trudging off with heavy steps. ¡°¡­Where are you headed?¡± ¡°The office¡­ still on duty¡­¡± Ah. ¡®But we¡¯re in Gyeongju right now.¡¯ (T/N: A KTX ride from Gyeongju to Seoul is about 2 hours and 40 minutes, while a bus ride would be about 4 to 5 hours) By the time he gets back, his shift would probably be over anyway. In any case, I followed him since I also needed to get back to Seoul, carrying Go Seonha, the exhausted university student, slung over my shoulder. ¡®I¡¯ll drop her off in front of the police station on the way.¡¯ Then, at that moment¡ª ¡°Aah¡­ Both Security Team officers need to return quickly! I-I¡¯ll follow along then! Haha! Isn¡¯t it only right for me to apany you as the missing person you found? Let¡¯s go together!¡± I nced at Section Chief Lee Byeongjin, who was scrambling to catch up, looking every bit like a sycophant afraid to lose his backup. Well, now that we¡¯d escaped¡­ maybe it was time for him to know the truth. ¡°And, uh, after everything¡¯s settled, I¡¯ll stop by your department to properly thank you two! Haha, where exactly does the Security Team work¡­?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Even if youe to the Security Team, you won¡¯t be able to meet me.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m with the Field Exploration Team.¡± A heavy silence followed. ¡°But, uh, your clothes¡­ you¡¯re in a Security Team uniform¡ª¡± ¡°It was just lent to me¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± With thatment from the security sergeant, Section Chief Lee¡¯s face became a mix of confusion, and then, after a moment, he seemed to piece things together in his mind. ¡°Ahh! Ah! I-I see, so¡­ but you don¡¯t seem familiar. Don¡¯t you get administrative support? Ah! Maybe you¡¯re in a special team? And that¡¯s why you¡¯re in the security uniform¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a new hire, sir.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°D-squad¡¯s rookie.¡± ¡°¡­¡­???¡± Chapter 38.2 Chapter 38.2 * * * What happened afterward was handled fairly quickly. All the way from Gyeongju back to thepany, Section Chief Lee kept muttering ¡®lies¡¯ under his breath. However, when he reached the office and verified my personnel records, he was left in stunned silence. But surprisingly, he didn¡¯t immediately change his demeanor. ¡®Why not though?¡¯ I thought he¡¯d immediately dismiss me as a newbie in the lowly Field Exploration Team, but instead, he continued to behave respectfully, although he did make some effort to act more casually, dropping a bit of the formality. ¡°Uhh, Soleum-ssi, did you hear? The, uh, kids and the university student¡ªyou know, they got home safely.¡± A few dayster, he informed me that the survivors from our escape had been registered as civilian survivors at . ¡°They probably received a decent amount aspensation for their information too.¡± ¡°In a way, it¡¯s ironic how it really turned out to be a stroke of fortune for them. Yeah? Life can be funny, right?¡± And ironically, it was good fortune for me as well. ¡°So anyway, Soleum-ssi, from now on, you can just count on me!¡± ¡°¡­Um. Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Section Chief Lee quickly pushed through my manual evaluation process. ¡­Only for me, though. ¡®Is it really okay for him to act like this after taking an unauthorized week off?¡¯ Well, it was a good oue for me. The scroll that served as a portal for the ¡®Sangun-nim¡¯ ghost story was swiftly collected by as a Darkness under its jurisdiction, and my unique method of escape was officially epted as a new procedure in the manual. Even my previously pending application under A-squad for a manual revision was quickly approved. The bnce in my bank ount now read: Manual Revision Bonus ¡ª ?100,000,000 ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®Insane.¡¯ It was a staggering amount, enough to make my hands tremble. Now that two manual revisions had been approved, this unexpected sum appeared in my banking app. Even though it was a cash payment rather than the standard points allocation, this amount was certainly enough to make anyone do a double take. ¡®Maybe I should take advantage of this friendly manual evaluator and tackle as many new Darknesses as possible¡­?¡¯ But venturing out alone to encounter various ghosts and monsters was a daunting thought, so for now¡­ ¡®I should put this one hundred million to good use.¡¯ Where would be the best ce to spend it? I already knew where a portion of it was going¡ªabout 30% had been allocated to the source of this whole ordeal. ¡°Congrattions, Braun.¡± ¨C Ooooh! Bloodbathtub ¨C ?29,999,999 = ?29,999,999 Purchaseplete. Fortunately, the Bloodbathtub was still avable in the Alien Shop, so I could fulfill the promise I made to my animated plush friend. ¡®I wonder if it¡¯lle by rocket delivery this time too?¡¯ I recalled the postal service box that had mysteriously materialized in midairst time. As far as I knew, the Bloodbathtub was arge, four-legged tub, about the size of a typical household bathtub, with decorative gold legs that gave it an elegant look. But imagining itnding in my small studio unit¡­ ¡®Maybe I should order it from the bathroom?¡¯ In any case, I decided to push my bed and desk aside to clear space, then press the order button right here. There just wasn¡¯t enough room in the bathroom. ¡°¡­Alright. Time to ce the order.¡± ¨C Exciting! My heart is pounding with anticipation. In the dimly lit room, with only a shlight as illumination, I finally clicked the [Order] button, carrying on a conversation with a small little plushie that, of course, had no heart to pound with excitement. Ssshhhk. Just like the previous times, the space seemed to tear open, and my anticipation grew. But¡­ the tear was smaller than expected? With a soft plop, a package fell out. It was also¡­ small? ¡°¡­¡­?¡± I opened the postal box, which was barely a quarter of the size I expected, and found the product packaging inside. [Bathtub of Youth ¨C Foot Massage Edition] ¡°¡­¡­¡± So that¡¯s why it was so cheap. Come to think of it, since it was a ghost story item from a home shopping creepypasta, it probably had a variety of editions and versions¡­ Although, as far as I knew, most versions were just fun variations with little functional difference¡ªexcept for a few rare ones. ¡®I never thought they¡¯d make a footbath version, though.¡¯ It came with a gold-embossed sticker and a warranty certificate, hinting that it was some sort of ¡®special edition¡¯. [10-Year Free A/S Warranty] Utterly pointless. ¡®Who¡¯s going to request customer service on something like this?¡¯ But I decided to open it anyway. There were no records in the of anyone touching a ¡°Bloodbathtub¡± and having their blood involuntarily drained, after all. Inside, packed in a box as elegantly wrapped as a luxury item,y the object itself. ¡®¡­The Bathtub of Youth.¡¯ Also known as the Bloodbathtub. It was a glossy, ck-and-white checkered tub that appeared to be made of shimmering ceramic. Its elegant curves were supported by golden, feline-shaped legs, giving it a refined look. It¡¯s quite impressive. ¡®¡­If you ignore the fact that it was a footbath.¡¯ Someone with just the right size to fit in it, however, was evidently thrilled. ¨C Mr. Roe Deer! Please put me in there! With some bath salts¡­ Wait, if it¡¯s a blood bath, then¡ª ¡°¡­You mean you want my blood as the bath salt?¡± ¨C Precisely! How perceptive of you, Mr. Roe Deer. This crazy little¡­ For a brief moment, I wavered between reasoning with him or bolting out the door. ¨C Haha! I¡¯m joking, Friend! ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¨C With no audience or cameras here, I¡¯d never make such a demanding request of a friend! But what about if there was an audience and cameras? I kept that thought to myself. Desperate people have to bite their tongue sometimes. Still, I couldn¡¯t resist saying one thing. ¡°Please, no more jokes like that. They¡¯re not funny¡ªthey¡¯re terrifying.¡± ¨C My, I understand! Humor is a cultural delicacy, and it¡¯s always important to handle it carefully! This is what ¡®carefully handled¡¯ looks like? ¨C Anyway, back to the main point¡­ there¡¯s already a perfectly suitable alternative for bath salts in this space, isn¡¯t there? ¨C Let¡¯s see if our Mr. Roe Deer can figure out what it is! Something in my ce? I nced around. ¡®He couldn¡¯t possibly mean Baek Saheon, the guy in the next room¡­¡¯ No no, let¡¯s not even consider that. I tried to think of other options¡­ Then, my eyesnded on something that had been sitting on the corner of my desk for the past few days. Reluctantly, I pointed at it. ¡°¡­This wild ginseng?¡± ¨C Excellent! Yes. It was the corrupted, purple wild ginseng I had unknowingly taken from the Sangun-nim ghost story. ¡®I guess you could call it sap¡­ or maybe something more like blood did seem to flow through it.¡¯ But, for days now, it had just looked like a regr wild ginseng with an odd purple hue. My n was to feed it more apple juice if it ever woke up, and if that didn¡¯t work, just donate it to thepany. But surprisingly, it hadn¡¯t stirred at all. ¡®All that tension waiting for it to wake up at sunrise that day was pretty pointless¡­¡¯ Braun had evenmented, ¨C I doubt it will ever wake up again. After all, weaker creatures tend to y dead when they sense danger, do they not? Maybe getting pulled into the real world from the changgwi¡¯s ¡®Sangun-nim¡¯s Burial Grounds¡¯ had traumatized it. ¨C Anyways, Friend, if it concerns you, I¡¯ll keep an eye on it. And so far, there hadn¡¯t been a single problem. So¡­ was he suggesting I use this ginseng? ¡®Mm, that could work.¡¯ Without any supernatural possession, it was just a juicy piece of ginseng. Besides¡­ I was genuinely curious to see the Bloodbathtub in action. ¡®It¡¯s kind of fascinating, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ I had some curiosity of my own, which is probably why I sometimes snuck peeks at the creepypasta wiki during work breaks¡­ There aren¡¯t many creepypastas I can safely observe, even if just in images. Using ginseng juice instead of blood could be a unique opportunity. ¨C Ooooh! I grabbed a pair of rubber gloves and scissors from the kitchen. The plush monster beneath my bed spoke in a low, excited voice. ¨C Now, ce me in the bath please! ¡°Wait.¡± There was something I needed to rify. ¡°This bath is for rejuvenation¡­ do you really need to be rejuvenated? I mean¡­ you look young enough.¡± I wanted to point out the absurdity of a plushie needing such a concept, but held back. Braun, however, let out a heartyugh, crisp as if it were a prerecorded sound effect. ¨C Hahaha! You¡¯re seeing the concept of ¡®rejuvenation¡¯ too narrowly, my friend! Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ve got a fine conversationalist here to exin! ¨C In fact, ¡®rejuvenation¡¯ means ¡®the return of spring¡¯ in Hanja. In other words, it means ¡®to regain the prowess of one¡¯s prime¡¯. ¨C For some reason, I¡¯m feeling rather heavy and unbnced these days, so this bath is exactly what I need! ¡­But you¡¯re a stuffed toy. And the tub¡¯s description clearly said it was good for ¡®healing wounds, recovering energy, treating arthritis, and enhancing skin health¡¯. ¡®¡­I dunno anymore.¡¯ If he insists this much¡­ In the creepypastas I¡¯ve read, there wasn¡¯t really a case where a plush doll with a friendly spirit would turn on you after being treated well. The disasters always happened when they were mistreated. I decided to stop overthinking it. It was unnecessarily scary. With rubber gloves on, I held scissors in one hand and the wild ginseng in the other. ¡®Let¡¯s try it out.¡¯ And with that, I reached for the Bloodbathtub. Chapter 39.1 Chapter 39.1 I took a deep breath and recalled the instructions for the Bloodbathtub. First, fill the tub with warm water. 1- Add clean water to the tub as much as you like. (¡®Bathtub of Youth ¨C Foot Massage Edition¡¯ is a product that does not support automatic water filling.) As instructed, I poured enough warm water from the sink into the tub to submerge a plush doll. Then¡­ This is where the main process begins. 2- Once the water is filled to the desired level, pour at least 200ml of fresh blood over it. The fresher the blood, especially from a healthy and lively subject, the better the effects. The very idea that such nonsense was written in a polite and friendly font seemed absurd, but thankfully, I had a substitute. I lifted the wild ginseng. With scissors, I cut off one of the medium-sized outer roots. ¡®Ugh.¡¯ Dark purple sap, nauseating to look at, oozed from the severed root. I was immensely grateful for the rubber gloves I wore. Careful not to touch the sap, I ced the severed root against the edge of the Bloodbathtub. And then, a remarkable sight unfolded. Bubble, bubble. The sap that touched the water began to froth, releasing a fantastic aroma. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The nauseating, dark purple sap transformed into a rich, beautiful, rose-colored cream that shimmered brilliantly. It was bizarre and mesmerizing. The luxurious and inviting bathwater that anyone would be tempted to step into was now prepared. 3- Submerge your body entirely in the bathwater and enjoy the experience. (The Foot Massage Edition also restores vitality to the entire body.) An eager voice came from beneath the dark bed. ¨C Atst! Theughter of the plush doll. ¨C Ah, there¡¯s no need to carry me, Mr. Roe Deer. ¨C Just don¡¯t turn around. I froze on the spot. ¡­Behind me, I heard a sound. Thump. Thump. Thump. The sound of footsteps. No, was it the plush doll? The sound resembled a man¡¯s heavy, rhythmic leather shoes, slightly lively yet weighty. It passed right behind me and stopped. Then came the sound of something sshing into the tub. ¨C You may look now. I turned my head. The plush doll, soaked in the bathwater in the small tub, floated there with its unchanged, smiling mascot-like face. ¡°¡­Braun?¡± There was no response. Of course, there wouldn¡¯t be. Talking face-to-face with a plush doll wasn¡¯t something possible in reality. But I knew it was listening. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll clean up the wild ginseng for now. Enjoy your bath.¡± I ced the wild ginseng, which had stopped oozing sap, back on the desk and turned to look at the tub, recalling the records of those who had used the Bloodbathtub. ======================== Usage Record #05 In the process of cleaning up the remnants of a bathbomb of a tenant (a half-Caucasian man in his 20s), thendlord (a man in his 40s) inevitably dipped his hand into the bathwater left behind. Thissted for about 30 seconds before he emptied the tub. Immediately, the skin and muscle tissues of his hand regressed to the condition of his mid-30s. Signs of vitality were observed throughout his body. That same night, he attempted to flee with the Bloodbathtub in his car but was apprehended. ======================== Hmm, nothing like that seemed to be happening here. ¡®Maybe it doesn¡¯t work on dolls after all.¡¯ I should grab a towel. As I turned toward the dresser¡ª ¨C Ooooh! A voice? I turned my head. From the seemingly empty tub, faint sparks crackled like an old TV screen short-circuiting. ¨C Light is entering my powerless limbs! sh. The shadow of the plush doll loomedrge over the tub as its small arms were raised triumphantly. What was that? ¨C Mr. Roe Deer! Don¡¯t call me! ¨C This is such a fascinating artifact! Haha, hahahaha! I swallowed nervously as I watched. ¡®¡­Could he really be regaining power?¡¯ There was no record of the Bloodbathtub¡¯s rejuvenation effects extending this far. This was unprecedented. ¨C More bath salts! Pour in more! Bath salts. Without thinking, I grabbed the wild ginseng from the desk¡­ [AAAAACK! This punk, don¡¯t grab the wild ginseng!!!] [Mercy, noble one!! Spare me! Please spare me!!] Ack, fucking hell! Startled, I reflexively threw the wild ginseng. Thunk. The wild ginsengnded straight into the Bloodbathtub. It seemed to realize that its sap was being transformed into fragrant bathwater and let out a desperate scream. [AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!] But that was all. The wild ginseng didn¡¯t seem capable of causing trouble as before. Whether the bathtub¡¯s mysterious power was suppressing it, or Braun had done something, I couldn¡¯t tell. A desperate cry echoed. [Please spare me, noble one! Noble one!! I was wrong! I was wrong!] [I¡¯ll do my best! I¡¯ll serve you!!] ¨C How rude and noisy! More sparks crackled from the Bloodbathtub. It resembled a TV screen with its signals scrambled. From within, the booming voice of an irate announcer rang out. ¨C Slice its neck, Friend! Silence it! Don¡¯t ruin this scene! ¡°¡­¡­¡± I straightened up. Without looking into the tub, I said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to go that far to quiet it down.¡± ¨C ¡­¡­ ¡°There¡¯s no need for such extreme methods.¡± ¨C In a show, a single moment or timing can dictate all the reactions and feelings. ¡°But this isn¡¯t a show, is it?¡± ¨C That is¡­ The electricity sparking from the tub began to subside. ¨C You¡¯re right. Yes, that¡¯s true. Phew. ¡®I almost ended up registering this under the Bloodbathtub¡¯s irregr usage records.¡¯ Not that the situation wasn¡¯t already ridiculous. From inside the tub came a pitiful, sobbing voice. [Thank you¡­ Thank you, savior.] [Kind benefactor! Please, now get me out of here and save me from this ruthless monster¡¯s hands¡­] I crossed my arms. ¡°I never said I¡¯d save you.¡± [¡­¡­?!] Who ends up as the victim in the middle of a ghost story? It¡¯s always the kind-hearted person who lets their guard down at moments like this! ¡®When a ghost starts crying, and you get soft-hearted, that¡¯s exactly when something scary happens!¡¯ At times like this, you must stay calm and act firmly. I stared at the wild ginseng abandoned in the tub, past the ceramic edge. ¡°If I save you, how do I know you won¡¯t cause trouble?¡± A sobbing sound followed. [Then, in that case¡­ uh, how about this? A field! I¡¯ll tell you about the rare treasures around the field where I lived!] ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± It was bound to be some cursed, haunted item anyway. [Th-then¡­] I sighed. ¡°Just prove you won¡¯t harm anyone. Stay quiet.¡± [¡­¡­] The wild ginseng fell silent. At least I¡¯d bought some time. A few minutes passed in a tense silence (though possibly enjoyable for Braun). ¡®Ten minutes.¡¯ That¡¯s how long I had been keeping track when¡ª ¨C Hm. That was a fine bath. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Is it over? I was about to turn my head, thinking I might need to lift Braun out of the tub. ¨C Ah, splendid¡­ Thank you, Mr. Roe Deer. The plush doll¡¯s voice had turned sly. ¨C For waiting until my bath was finished! Bang. [GAAAHH!!] A thunderous noise and a scream erupted from the tub. This insane¡ª! Chapter 39.2 Chapter 39.2 ¨C Wait a moment! Friend, don¡¯t move. If anyone sees this plush body stuffed with cotton, I¡¯ll die of embarrassment! [You promised to save me, you promised!!] ¨C Haha! But Mr. Roe Deer said he never made such a promise! ¡°Wait!¡± I finally ran to the tub. I thought I heard someone clicking their tongue, but it vanished as soon as I leaned over the tub. What I saw was the wild ginseng, cornered, thrashing about wildly while shaking itself like crazy. The ginseng¡¯s berries looked half-crushed, as if it had been kicked, and its roots were mangled as though someone had tried to squeeze the sap out of them. [Save me, save me¡­] The wild ginseng seemedpletely drained, its berries movements slowing. [L-Let me go¡­] ¡­Let you go? I reached into the tub with my gloved hand to examine the wild ginseng. ¡®It¡¯s not tied down or anything.¡¯ [Save¡­] As I followed the ginseng¡¯s plea, I felt vibrations in my hand. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Vibrations. Now that I thought about it, every time the wild ginseng ¡®spoke¡¯, I felt this kind of pulse in my hand. It wasn¡¯t odd, considering its voice was a form of vibration. But something did seem strange. ¡®Its roots aren¡¯t moving.¡¯ Now that I thought about it, even in the field, only the leaves and berries moved when it spoke. The roots merely stretched out like infected tendrils. ¡°¡­¡­¡± If that¡¯s the case¡­ I instinctively grabbed the ginseng and plucked off its berries. At that moment¡ª [Yeeeeeessss!] The berries vibrated wildly before bouncing out of my hand. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± It seemed overjoyed as it spun in midair. [Freedom!! Freedom! The tiger¡¯s jaws are gone! Gone!!!] [Thank you, benefactor!! Thank you!!] The berries began to fade, its shape flickering until it turned into a glowing light, floating upward and eventually disappearing out the window. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Was that the real body? ¨C Oh no! It escaped. What a shame. Phew. ¨C Such a lowly, deceitful creature, constantly changing its story, should never be given another chance! ¡°Is that so. Well, next time, let¡¯s make sure to agree on things beforehand¡­¡± ¨C Even in moments requiring quick decision-making? ¡°If no one¡¯s life is at stake, yes.¡± ¨C ¡­Understood, friend. It sounded a bit sulky, but at least I got a promise. Satisfied, I let it go¡­ ¨C By the way, look at this! I¡¯ve rejuvenated quite a bit! I looked back into the tub. There was the plush doll, now oddly shiny, soaking in the water. The once damp cotton stuffing now seemed to glisten for some reason. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Oh, somehow it did look a bit more expensive now. Should I say it looked higher quality? He also seemed to have grown slightly, just as he imed. ¡®¡­It better not get any bigger.¡¯ The whole point was that he was keychain-sized so I could carry him around without drawing suspicion. A full-grown adult carrying a stuffed toy bigger than their hand wherever he went would attract way too much attention. I already stood out enough at thepany as it was. ¡®I¡¯ll think this through before letting him use the Bloodbathtub again.¡¯ Or better yet, I¡¯d just go home before needing to deal with it again. ¡°You¡¯re right. You do look great.¡± I carefully dried Braun with a hairdryer and wrapped him in a clean towel for safekeeping. When I returned to clean the tub, I noticed something surprising. ¡°¡­The wild ginseng root is still here.¡± I thought the wild ginseng would disappear along with its berries, but there it was,pletely intact. In fact, it looked even better. The wild ginseng, which had been discolored as though contaminated, had regained its original ivory hue, now clean and pristine. ¡®It even smells kind of nice.¡¯ It now exuded an aura of mystery, entirely opposite to its prior cursed nature. ¡°Hm.¡± After some hesitation, I decided to keep it and ced it in my desk drawer. Who knows, it mighte in handy someday. ¡°And with that¡­ it¡¯s over.¡± ¡®One more ordeal survived¡­¡¯ I copsed onto my bed with a thud. Wow, since entering this ghost-story world, I felt like my lifespan had shortened by at least twenty years. ¡®I need to rack up points quickly and get out of here.¡¯ The irony of having to actively tackle more ghost stories to achieve that was almostughable. ¨C Mr. Roe Deer. Ack, startled me again. ¨C My body and speech feel much more fluid now! ¨C Oh, but don¡¯t turn to look over here. I almost turned but stopped myself, fixing my head back onto the pillow. Braun chattered on. ¨C It seems we can now have conversations here without directly meeting eyes. ¨C Isn¡¯t that a delightfully shy method? Frustrating yet oddly fascinating. Sure, talk all you want¡­ ¡®You¡¯ll probably save my life again when I enter another ghost story, so¡­¡¯ ¨C You seem quite tired! Have a good dream, my friend. I passed out as if fainting. It was a deep, refreshing sleep, washing away days of exhaustion. ¡­Only to wake up to yet another problem. * * * That same day, in the afternoon. While Kim Soleum was idly chatting about trivial matters with his superiors in D-squad¡¯s office, a certain other employee closely connected to him was walking down the corridor¡­ ¡°Ah, Section Chief Lee Byeongjin.¡± Yes, it was that same section chief who had gone missing and been rescued by Kim Soleum. ¡°Y-Yes!¡± The person who stopped him was one of thepany¡¯s directors. It wasn¡¯t exactly a pleasant encounter for a regr employee, but Section Chief Lee forced a bright smile onto his face and politely shook hands. He had no choice. This man was the lifeline connecting him to thepany¡¯s hierarchy. A direct link to A-squad, and to the top of the terrifying and mysterious corporate food chain of thispany! ¡®Director Ho!¡¯ The director who had called him in the hallway smiled and asked, ¡°I heard you returned after being missing. Are you alright?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, Director. Thanks to your concern, I¡¯m perfectly fine and working hard to ensure thepany¡¯s well-being.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± The director didn¡¯tment on the obvious ttery. Instead, he spoke softly and calmly. ¡°You were lucky. Many who fall into the Darkness never make it out.¡± ¡°Oh, indeed¡­ I was lucky to have been rescued.¡± ¡°Rescued? Did you perhaps receive help from the Disaster Management Bureau?¡± Though the director¡¯s tone remained unchanged, Lee Byeongjin flinched. This particr director was notoriously ufortable with, if not outright hostile toward, any government involvement. Cold sweat dripped down his back. ¡°N-No, of course not! Apany employee found me!¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± ¡°Yes, yes! Oh, it was a new hire from the Field Exploration Team. A very capable individual, truly!¡± That such praise coulde from such a self-preserving man was shocking in itself. The director smiled and asked, ¡°What¡¯s their name?¡± ¡°Oh! Kim Soleum¡­ a new hire in D-Squad. Kim Soleum.¡± For Lee Byeongjin, saying this took a surprising amount of courage. It was his way of repaying the person who saved his life. ¡®Director Ho might be intimidating, but he¡¯s a decent superior.¡¯ As long as you didn¡¯t trigger any of his pet peeves, of course. ¡°He¡¯s a very promising recruit, Director. Truly.¡± And so, unbeknownst to Kim Soleum, a connection was being established behind the scenes. Lee Byeongjin wiped his nose with his hand. ¡®Soleum, when you find outter, you¡¯ll thank me!¡¯ But no, that wasn¡¯t the case at all! In any case, this action by Lee Byeongjin ended up creating a significant butterfly effect¡­ ¡°Oh, yes. I¡¯ll have to remember that name.¡± And just a few dayster, something big urred in thepany. Specifically, within the Field Exploration Team.
T/N: We have a server now! Join themunity here: https://discord.gg/Kv5qUKSGXS Massive thanks to Jia for helping me out with the server!! I really wouldn¡¯t have opened this without her out of procrastination XD Chapter 40.1 Chapter 40.1 [Don¡¯te in today, Roe. Just stay home.] ¡°Huh?¡± I stopped in my tracks on my way to work, having just received a call. It was from my direct superior, fifteen minutes before I was supposed to clock in. [I¡¯ll handle this as an on-site matter, so don¡¯te to the office. I¡¯ve already discussed this with Section Chief Lee Jaheon.] ¡°Understood. But may I ask why?¡± [Well¡­ that¡¯s just how it goes for field staff in thispany. It¡¯s an issue with some Darkness, you know. Darkness.] Ah. I could hear Assistant Manager Eun Haje letting out a long sigh, apanied by the faint wailing of Supervisor Park Minseong. It seemed like the rest of D-squad had already clocked in. [All the new hires are being excluded, not just you. So don¡¯t overthink it and stay home.] ¡°What kind of Darkness is it?¡± [Oh. If you¡¯re not directly involved, I can¡¯t tell you.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± [Actually, it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t know.] Could it be one of those? The kind where just knowing about it causes problems? Like the infamous ¡®informational contamination¡¯ ghost stories. For example, hearing someone¡¯s nightmare only to start dreaming the same thing yourself, or a ghost that relentlessly pursues you until death once you know its name. The idea of ¡®something terrible happening just because I¡¯m aware of it¡¯ stems from humanity¡¯s shared primal fear. ¡®And if they¡¯re telling me not toe in because of it, it must be pretty serious¡­¡¯ Still, judging by their tone, it sounded like they were more concerned about a new hire making a mistake than leaving a dying message, so it should be fine. ¡­Unless, of course, they were pretending to stay calm just to avoid causing me stress. ¡®Either way, I can¡¯t go to the office now.¡¯ If they don¡¯t need me, forcing my way there would only cause trouble. That¡¯d be a perfect recipe for disaster. I told them I understood and hung up. ¡®Guess I¡¯ll clean up the Bloodbathtub today and skim through the wiki about five times¡­¡¯ But just a few hourster¡ª [Kim Soleum-ssi.] ¡°Yes?¡± [Report to work.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± What is this, some kind of problem-dog training program¡­? While I was still stunned, Chief Lizard continued speaking without missing a beat. [Be at the main conference room of the 31st floor by 2 PM.] A conference room on a high floor I¡¯d never even heard of before! ¡°Wait a moment. I was told not toe in this morning¡­ has the situation changed?¡± [Yes. One of the executives has specifically requested your presence.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± Excuse me? [I¡¯ll see you at 2.] Please spare me. * * * ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± At the elevator on the 31st floor, I ran into D-squad¡¯s Assistant Manager Eun Haje, who was anxiously crossing her arms. I lowered my voice and urgently asked her, ¡°Has the situation changed?¡± ¡°A bit. Ha¡­ that insane bastard.¡± And with that ominousment, I was ushered into the conference room, my head spinning. ¡°He¡¯s here. Employee Kim Soleum.¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± ¡°You called him all the way to the conference room? Well, Just send him directly.¡± A group of superiors, whose exact affiliations I couldn¡¯t even guess, were sitting around talking. The moment they noticed me, they fell silent, exchanging nces. The eerie tension stiffened the back of my neck. ¡®Why is the office tension always the same, no matter where you are or what the setting?¡¯ Eventually, their excitement led them to resume their discussion, and I finally figured out why I¡¯d been singled out and summoned to this baffling situation¡­ It was a ssic, annoying reason. They¡¯re short-staffed. ¡°Look, it¡¯s confirmed to be a high-grade Darkness, but there are civilian survivors. This could be a revolutionary case for sourcing high-quality materials.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. So why are we having endless debates and more meetings about it? Honestly, Department Head Kang, we need to make bold investments!¡± ¡°Who said we¡¯re against investing? But this isn¡¯t the kind of issue you can solve by throwing a few more rookies into the mix¡­¡± ¡°Ah, this guy, seriously. Didn¡¯t I say we¡¯re short on manpower? Huh? Our Research Team¡¯s Manager Kwak says so.¡± Manager Kwak? I turned my head to see none other than Section Chief Kwak Jaekang of the Research Team, grinning while upying a corner seat. The very mad scientist who had once thrown his own researcher subordinate into a theme park creepypasta. ¡®So his disciplinary action is over.¡¯ Just looking at him gave me a headache. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Manager Kwak? We need more people, don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Ah~ That¡¯s right. It¡¯s obvious that we need to increase the number of personnel to deal with this Darkness!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Was that guy the consulting expert? I had a strong suspicion that this wasn¡¯t about ack of personnel but rather about wanting to see the fresh exploration results of a clueless new hire. ¡®In any case, guess I¡¯m heading into this Darkness today.¡¯ And if I was being called in with such grandeur¡­ The thought that this would be no ordinary mission sent chills down my spine. They mentioned it was a high-grade Darkness with civilian survivors, didn¡¯t they? While quickly running through simr cases from the in my head, I tried to calm myself. ¡®¡­At least I came prepared.¡¯ Just in case, I brought everything I could today. A full item package. ¡°Introductions are done, so you can leave now, everyone.¡± ¡°Yes, understood.¡± Assistant Manager Eun gave a quick bow and left the conference room with me. Ka-chak. The moment the door closed, she muttered under her breath. ¡°How many more times do I have to watch these bean counters, who¡¯ve never set foot into a Darkness, puff up their chests about their so-called ¡®strategic solutions¡¯? Ugh. This is why I can¡¯t quit smoking.¡± ¡°Assistant Manager.¡± ¡°What, it¡¯s not like they¡¯d hear us over their own bickering.¡± But I can hear you. ¡°Those who couldn¡¯t even pass the Field Exploration Team orientation test but climbed up thedder using their connections and nepotism¡­ Ugh.¡± Assistant Manager Eun nced around the conference room a few times, her face betraying desperation for one long drag of a cig, then let out a small sigh. ¡°¡­Anyway, you heard, right? We¡¯re going into a newly registered high-grade Darkness now.¡± So it¡¯s confirmed. ¡°Not just us¡ªover thirty people have already gone in.¡± ¡°¡­Does that include Section Chief Lee and Supervisor Park?¡± ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re already in. ¡­It¡¯s going to be dangerous. I won¡¯t lie to reassure you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°But don¡¯t worry too much. You got us all out alive from that crazy quiz show, didn¡¯t you? We¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± I adjusted the strap on my satchel, slinging it across my chest. ¡°Is that your gear?¡± ¡°Yes. Food and other supplies.¡± ¡°Hmm. Looks about a good size.¡± Assistant Manager Eun scanned my appearance a few times and asked, ¡°Nothing that would get gged during security checks, right?¡± ¡°¡­No, ma¡¯am.¡± I made it past the front gate without issue. Though I felt like the cursed wild ginseng could have caused problems, I¡¯m technically not carrying anything illegal, so it should be fine. Still, I wondered why D-squad wasn¡¯t moving as a group today, leaving only the assistant manager behind. ¡°May I ask how the others entered?¡± She pointed with her chin, her face expressionless. ¡°They disappeared the moment they read the manual.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s the kind of Darkness this is. The moment you learn even a little about it, you¡¯re pulled in.¡± Huu. ¡°I haven¡¯t read it yet so I could take you in myself. We¡¯ll read it together.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Wow, this is actually going to drive me insane. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Neither of them are the type to die easily.¡± Please don¡¯t say ominous lines like that! Chapter 40.2 Chapter 40.2 ¡®Let¡¯s just pretend I didn¡¯t hear that.¡¯ I took a deep breath and epted the manual Assistant Manager Eun handed me. ¡­Reading this would mean entering the high-grade Darkness. ¡®¡­Let¡¯s mentally prepare.¡¯ I read it all in one go. +++ Greetings. You are currently viewing a manual summarizing information about our exhibition¡¯s previous visitors. +++ ¡°¡­¡­!¡± +++ Before proceeding, we would like to inform you that you have been invited to a very special exhibition. +++ ¡°¡­¡­¡± A chill ran down my spine. ¡®I¡¯m screwed.¡¯ My eyes squeezed shut. In my mind, a wiki page automatically shed before me. ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story [Manor of the Blind] : A ghost story featured in : Daydream Inc. identification code ¨C Qterw-B-666 Greetings, dear guest. This text was written to invite you to a marvelous exhibition. To ensure a smooth journey, once you¡¯ve read this, no matter where you go, you will arrive at our exhibition. Visitation records indicate a total of up to 106 previous attendees in this document. Additionally, any attempts to record information about this ghost story are altered into the format of an invitation sent by the exhibition itself. It is an honor to extend this invitation. ======================== A prime example of an informational contamination ghost story registered in the . The kind of viral sensation on video tforms that draws hundreds of thousands of views! ¡®The Eyeball Collector.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± With a trembling heart, I looked back at the manual. There it was¡ªthe exact line I had expected to see. +++ To ensure a smooth journey, once you¡¯ve read this, no matter where you go, you will arrive at our exhibition. +++ And, just as it said, it happened. ¡°Hah.¡± As I stepped back, I realized the texture of the floor beneath my feet had changed. From the matte office tiles to the glossy, old marble. Thuk. Slowly, I raised my head. Before me stood a massive mansion, so silent I could hear the flickering of candle mes. The twilight and the glow of candles illuminated the grand, ancient interior in a reddish-golden hue. Numerous disys cast faint outlines in the shadows¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± Assistant Manager Eun Haje was nowhere to be seen. But I didn¡¯t do anything foolish, like call out for her. Instead, I slowly backed away. Then, I hid in a corner. ¡®¡­Huu.¡¯ Seated behind a sofa, I opened the manual again with trembling hands. +++ Here are somemon reviews from nine visitors of this exhibition, temporarily collected by Daydream Inc. (Ltd.): 1- You can view rare and diverse collections never seen before. 2- Eating or drinking in the exhibition hall is prohibited. 3- Visitors are advised to maintain standard viewing etiquette. 4- It is extremely difficult to find the exit. The exhibition strongly requests a revision to the final review. The exhibition hall has all emergency exits properly marked. Anyone may stop viewing and leave the exhibition at any time they wish. +++ This was likely true. The problem was that the ¡®anyone¡¯ here didn¡¯t seem to include humans. People couldn¡¯t properly use the emergency exits or entrances in this ce. ¡°¡­Ha.¡± An exhibition that so casually assumed its visitors weren¡¯t human. Humans of the modern era were merely idental victims, swept into this massive nightmare and experiencing cosmic horror. It was a deeply unsettling creepypasta. Honestly, I never liked it. I couldn¡¯t even understand why it was so popr on tforms like WeTube¡­ ¨C Friend? ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¨C Goodness, Mr. Roe Deer¡­ are you hiding? Who knew I¡¯d be this happy to have someone to talk to? I half-pulled Braun out of my pocket. ¨C My, this is quite a fine ce. ¨C Why not go out and take a look? This seems like a location worthy of being introduced to visitors¡­ Go out there? ¡®No way.¡¯ ¨C Oh my, may I ask why not? This appears to be an exhibition run by someone who knows how to extend a polite andfortable invitation¡­ That sounded exactly like something the host of that murderous quiz show would say to lure people in with postcards. I felt my head ache. Pressing my fingers to my eyes, I stood up from the sofa. ¨C Ah, it seems you¡¯ve decided to explore! No. ¡®I just want to move somewhere else.¡¯ I carefully examined the wall, searching for the source of the faint sound of air. Before long, I found what I was looking for¡ªa venttion duct hidden beneath a dark section of the wall, obscured by a massive vase, far from the reach of the candlelight. ¡®A vent.¡¯ Quietly, I climbed inside, leaving the lock unfastened, and held my breath. This was the only temporary safe zone I could recall. ======================== From the fifth visitor record: A gentleman testified that he survived for over five days by crawling into a venttion duct and licking the moisture from falling droplets. On the sixth day, an usher found him. We¡¯d like to remind you that our exhibition is fully equipped with guest rooms for long-term visitors. (Note: It is deeply regrettable, however we advise against staying in a guest room for the recorded 40th visit. Our exhibition prides itself on offering rooms that match the elegance of our collection and consistently maintains a high reputation.) ======================== ¨C Why hide in this filthy ce when there¡¯s a perfectly good sofa out there? I ignored the voice. I needed to n my next steps. ¡®How do I get out?¡¯ No¡ªwhat baffled me more was why so many people were necessary for this ghost story in the first ce. Having arge group enter didn¡¯t seem advantageous at all¡­ Wait. Was this scattershot approach because¡ª ¡®They don¡¯t know enough?¡¯ Maybe it was because this was still the early stages of exploration. ¡®In that case, wouldn¡¯t the earlier phases of this exploration be recorded in the ?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± I pulled out my smartphone, dimmed the screen brightness to its lowest setting, andy down to scroll quickly through the . And then¡­ ¡®Found it.¡¯ ======================== From the seventeenth visitor record: This record documents an invitation extended by Daydream Inc. to thirty-four employees from the Field Exploration Team. Seven of them returned home safely. ======================== This was it. I was now part of this record, one of the thirty-four people who had entered during the seventeenth iteration. And I was likely the thirty-fifth person. ¡®¡­Only seven made it back safely.¡¯ I was about to cross-reference the manual and the for more detailed information when¡ª Creeeeeak. ¡°¡­¡­¡± From a distance, I began to hear a sound. The slow, grinding noise of a moving machine. And then¡ª Aaaaahhh! Why, why is it chasing us¡­!! Get away, get awaaaay!!! Screams, apanied by frantic footsteps. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Thud thud! Thud! Creeeak, thud! Rat-a-tat-tat, creeeak, thud! The sound of something pounding against the marble floor grew closer. Cold sweat trickled down my cheek. Help us, no¡ª NOOOO!! Let us out, let us ouuuut¡­!! The pounding of fleeing footsteps echoed louder, joined by panicked cries. The sound was right on the verge of reaching me. At least ten or more people seemed to be running. Behind them, a heavy mechanical noise pursued with deliberate, suffocating persistence. Screeeeeech. Thump. A drop of cold sweat fell from my chin. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®Maybe just one person.¡¯ In the throes of extreme deliberation, I leaned out of the vent. Swiftly, I grabbed the back of one of the fleeing individuals and yanked them toward me. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Practically lifting them into the air, I hauled them into the vent and forced them to crouch down with me. ¡®This space can fit one more person, just barely.¡¯ If they were from the Field Exploration Team, the odds of them being a liability were rtively low. ¡°Hah.¡± Fortunately, the trembling person seemed to grasp the situation and immediately fell silent. They seemed quick-witted¡­ wait a second. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± ¡®Baek Saheon.¡¯ My roommate from thepany dorm. Wearing a goat mask, Baek Saheon swallowed hard as he crouched in the vent, staring straight at me. I had just saved this punk¡¯s life. Chapter 41.1 Chapter 41.1 A dark venttion duct inside a creepypasta. A situation where I had to hold my breath to escape terror. And to top it off, I¡¯d just saved Baek Saheon¡¯s life. ¡®Why you, of all people.¡¯ What¡¯s worse, he was now desperately avoiding my gaze. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± This wasn¡¯t like him at all¡­ ¡®Wait a second.¡¯ A sudden realization hit me. watch out for serial killers ¨C Was it because I¡¯d been sending him serial killer alerts every day as a ¡®friendly reminder¡¯? He seemed a bit intimidated. Well, fair enough. It is, um, creepy. ¡®Actually, this works out.¡¯ In truth, that was partially intentional. I hadn¡¯t bothered to send those messages anonymously precisely to achieve this effect. Seems psycho, doesn¡¯t it? Exactly. Keep your distance, buddy. Given Baek Saheon¡¯s personality, which was clearly strong against the weak and weak against the strong, he¡¯d likely choose to avoid me rather than use this opportunity to eliminate me. ¡®Which suits me just fine.¡¯ ¡­The only issue was that, for now, we were stuck together in this vent. I held my breath. Thankfully, Baek Saheon was also quiet as a mouse. Outside, shadows of people who had failed to escape flickered faintly in the candlelight, shrouded in Darkness. Creeeeeeeeak, thud. The machine came to a halt. In front of the shadows of people cornered at a dead end, something thin suddenly emerged. The silhouette of what looked like spider legs. And then¡ªsilence. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Only the strange mechanical noise echoed. Whoosh. The spider-like silhouette stretched wide in front of the humans. Hiiieeeek!! Through the flickering shadows, eight sharp and delicate appendages grasped a human torso. Save me, please save me¡­ AAAHHHHH!!! Thwack. One of the spider legs pierced into the gap in a human¡¯s head. Then, with a plop, it pulled something out of the head. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I already knew what it had taken. ¡®¡­An eyeball.¡¯ That was it. This was why this exhibition was called the ¡®Manor of the Blind¡¯. ======================== Numerous visitors testified to the ushers that they had lost body parts, mostmonly their eyes, as the first part to go. ======================== The ¡®usher¡¯. Encountering that thing here meant having your eyes plucked out. If you met it again, you¡¯d lose a limb, or perhaps your tongue or ears. Eventually, you¡¯d end up blind, mute, and crawling helplessly through the dark exhibition hall¡ªa slug-like, pitiful existence. The fact that this wasn¡¯t done all at once made it even more brutal. Ironically, it was because this exhibition was ¡®considerate¡¯. To the extent that it provided ¡®convenience¡¯ without you needing to ask. ======================== For your convenience, sensory enhancement devices are always avable for free rental. (Currently supported devices : visual, olfactory, auditory, tactile, gustatory, sixth sense, panoramic vision) ======================== Creak, creeeeak. A spider leg-like silhouette elegantly and delicately approached the eyeless person. The shape attached to the end of the leg was briefly illuminated under the candlelight, casting a sharp shadow. A thin thread and needle. ¡®Fucking hell.¡¯ I held my breath and waited for all themotion to subside. Cold sweat poured from my body. A momentter. Thuk, thuk, thuk¡­ The machine¡¯s sound receded. The person who¡¯d just lost their eyes began to stagger away, their footsteps uneven. Of all ces, they moved toward this vent, their blood-soaked face briefly visible before disappearing from view. Their eyes had been reced with camera lenses. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Baek Saheon, crouching beside me, silently mouthed a curse. It wasn¡¯t hard to rte. ¡®With those lenses, you might be able to see for a few hours or maybe a day or two at most.¡¯ But since it was a rental device, the functionality would gradually deteriorate, plunging them into greater terror. And the next time they encountered the usher, that device would be ¡®collected¡¯ as well. It was a rental, after all. ¡®I¡¯m gonna go crazy.¡¯ It felt like a prelude to even more horrifying things toe, making me instinctively squeeze my eyes shut. ¡®But I can¡¯t show fear. I can¡¯t let him see.¡¯ Conscious of Baek Saheon beside me, I waited until everything went silent before climbing out of the duct. ¡®We can¡¯t stay here.¡¯ We had to move quickly and escape. I¡¯d organize the exploration records and the manual after splitting up with Baek Saheon¡­ ¡°Um.¡± Hm? ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Suddenly, Baek Saheon addressed me politely. As if it were normal, he nodded slightly in a show of courtesy, much like the first time we met on the subway. And then, subtly, he began to edge away, clearly nning to run off. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be off¡­¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Baek Saheon stopped in his tracks. I asked, ¡°How long has it been since you entered?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t wanna answer?¡± ¡°¡­About two hours, I think.¡± He¡¯d entered quite a bit ahead of me. Since this wasn¡¯t a creepypasta that distorted the sense of time, it meant rookie Baek Saheon had been summoned early in the morning, just like I was. ¡®So my D-squad superiors kept me out of the loop on purpose!¡¯ For a moment, I felt touched. The thought of finding my squadmates quickly and getting out motivated me. ¡®Chief Lizard would¡¯ve probably made it into the final seven survivors anyway.¡¯ But I had to find the other D-squad members soon. ¡­Though honestly, stepping out of the vent and looking at the hallway made me want to sigh¡­ ¡®Wow, I have to search this entire ce on my own?¡¯ I¡¯m gonna have tob through every corner of this creepy mansion while dodging that usher monster while looking for clues? No wonder they made a horror game based on this Darkness. I¡¯d never yed it, but I¡¯d seen clips on WeTube¡­ ¡­while covering half the screen with my hand. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Um. As much as I didn¡¯t want to admit it, going with someone else¡­even if he¡¯s got a personality defect¡­seemed like the better choice. I turned to look at Baek Saheon. * * * In the dark¡ª Baek Saheon swallowed hard next to Kim Soleum. ¡®Fucking hell.¡¯ Of all people, why did it have to be this lunatic? Chapter 41.2 Chapter 41.2 Nothing had gone right ever since Saheon had gotten stuck with this guy as his dorm roommate. Just hearing the bastard spout insane remarks in that perpetually sarcastic tone, as if he¡¯d never start trouble even if drunk. It made Saheon¡¯s head spin. ¡®Do I really have to stick with this guy?¡¯ The other employees who entered with him seemed to have woken up scattered throughout the bizarre mansion. And the civilians he¡¯d encountered earlier? Well, they got obliterated. Still, was it better to wander around alone than to stick with this deranged nutjob¡­ He was frantically weighing my options when Kim Soleum suddenly spoke. ¡°You¡¯re using formal speech now? All of a sudden?¡± Son of a bitch. Cold sweat trickled down Saheon¡¯s back. ¡°¡­It was a highly urgent situation back then, so I identally slipped into casual speech¡­ but now I think it¡¯s better if we speak politely to each other again.¡± Kim Soleum stared at Saheon for a moment, then replied nonchntly, ¡°I see. Understood.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Should I¡­ run for it? Baek Saheon nced at Kim Soleum. He¡¯d already heard all the absurd rumors about this guy. The Field Exploration Team¡¯s ¡®monstrous rookie¡¯. ¨C I heard he cleared an A-rank Darkness all by himself. ¨C He was almost scouted for the elite squad, too. But he turned it down? ¨C Wow, I heard he even found a missing section chief. Is this guy really just a new hire? ¨C And he¡¯s had two manual revisions approved? Isn¡¯t this some kind of propaganda rookie to scam the regr staff¡­ The rumors got so ridiculous that some even joked he was justpany propaganda. But Baek Saheon didn¡¯t doubt the rumors. ¡®Isn¡¯t it just because he¡¯s a fucking lunatic?¡¯ This guy¡¯s monster-like results probably just¡­ stemmed from his monster-like mindset, right? A mind so different from normal people¡¯s that he coulde up with ideas no sane person would even inside these ghost stories. Baek Saheon, for all his self-centered pragmatism, felt a unique pressure from someone so damn unpredictable. The fear of the unknown. ¡®Honestly, if someone told me he himself was a ghost story, I¡¯d believe it.¡¯ Baek Saheon wiped away cold sweat. Still, he wanted information. At the very least, he could listen. ¡°Where are we headed? Judging by how that monster attacked people, this Darkness seems to treat us as intruders¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°This exhibition definitely treats us as guests.¡± What the hell was he talking about now? Baek Saheon looked at Kim Soleum, who continued speaking with unwavering confidence. ¡°That¡¯s why it collects fees. It only takes eyes. It¡¯s just charging admission fees.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you read the manual?¡± Of course he fucking did. That cursed, bizarre document contaminated by the exhibition¡¯s invitation. ¡°It¡¯s an invitation. People who are invited don¡¯t get treated as intruders.¡± ¡°¡­But it didn¡¯t mention anything about fees.¡± ¡°Read it again. Near the end of page three.¡± Baek Saheon unfolded the paper. +++ This exhibition is free for one hour as part of our open-minded appreciation of art. +++ ¡°Free for one hour implies that fees will either be collected or you¡¯ll be kicked out after that time.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°But instead of kicking you out of the venue, they take your eyes. That thing earlier¡­ it¡¯s probably a ¡®staff member¡¯ of this exhibition.¡± It was disturbingly convincing. Without thinking, Baek Saheon asked another question. ¡°Why do you think human eyes are considered the payment?¡± ¡°Well, maybe because they¡¯re the most valuable part of the human body?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Looks like the things we carry don¡¯t hold any value to them.¡± ¡°¡­¡®Them¡¯?¡± Kim Soleum shook his head expressionlessly. ¡°No idea.¡± And no one caught up in this mess would know either. A chill ran down Saheon¡¯s back. ¡°In any case, sir, whoever¡¯s running this exhibition seems to believe that human body parts are the most valuable things we possess.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I guess eyes are prolly considered the most appropriate starting payment, so yeah.¡± Eyes. Baek Saheon had only one. He almost instinctively pressed a hand over his covered eye. He still remembered that day vividly. Kim Soleum staring at him on the subway, casually lifting his ¡®answer key¡¯ of an eye. The unnerving calmness, the calcted observation, waiting for Baek Saheon to realize his own eye had been plucked pointlessly. That mocking gaze. This Darkness takes eyes as payment, but what in the world had made this guy so disturbingly nonchnt? ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Kim Soleum was staring directly at him. ¡°You¡¯ve slipped back into informal speech.¡± [1] A chill ran down Baek Saheon¡¯s spine. He forced himself to speak calmly as he now dropped to casual speech for good. ¡°Fine. Should we just keep it casual then? We¡¯re from the same batch after all, and we need to escape together¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t wanna,¡± Kim Soleum answered back. ¡°¡­¡­¡± For a moment, irritation red, but Baek Saheon forced a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. You hid me in the vent earlier¡ªdoesn¡¯t that mean you wanted to save me as a colleague?¡± ¡°Nah. I just figured I could use you as bait if needed.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Baek Saheon gave up on maniption and shifted to persuasion. Kim Soleum seemed to have a good understanding of this horrifying exhibition ghost story. ¡°If we stick together, exploration will be easier. Especially in a dark ce like this.¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°But for the sake of dopamine, sure, let¡¯s stick together. Having more people means more unpredictability.¡± This demented fucker. Baek Saheon was certain now. He had never encountered someone so tantly deranged, even in his tumultuous life. Still¡­ ¡®Do you have to be this crazy to survive in this godforsakenpany?¡¯ Feeling a strange sense of defeat, he clenched his teeth under his ck goat mask. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± Kim Soleum ignored Baek Saheon¡¯s frozen expression and started walking. Then, out of nowhere, he said, ¡°Thanks. That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°What?¡± What was he thankful for? Before Baek Saheon could question further, Kim Soleum raised a hand to his mouth. ¡°Quiet. I¡¯m talking to Braun.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Baek Saheon barely managed to force word out. ¡°Braun?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Kim Soleum reached into his suit pocket and pulled something out¡ªa cute, plush rabbit keychain. ¡°Braun¡¯s saying hi to you right now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Baek Saheon suddenly wanted to run far, far away. Of course, he couldn¡¯t have guessed that Braun was actually ¡®saying¡¯, Oh! Greetings to you, Mr. Scapegoat, soon-to-be victim of the next room! Nor did he realize that Kim Soleum was thinking this, ¡®Phew. Having another person around makes this a bit less terrifying.¡¯ The thought of wandering this ce alone with Braun made him feel as scared as during the changgwi incident. ¡®This was a good choice after all!¡¯ ¡°Are you nning to search for another ce like that vent earlier?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Kim Soleum gave Baek Saheon an incredulous look, as if staring at a truly ridiculous person. ¡°I¡¯m looking for the exit. Why would I search for a vent?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I mean, if you like vents so much, just stay in one. If you get caught though, just pay the fee.¡± Kim Soleum knew exactly what kind of person Baek Saheon was. ¡®This guy, he¡¯s the kind of person you can¡¯t just let loose.¡¯ He was someone who¡¯d exploit any opening, just like how he had ruthlessly attacked someone during their first meeting without even batting an eyelid. Never forget that Baek Saheon¡¯s nickname in the was ¡®Viper¡¯ a.k.a. venomous snake! Never let your guard down! ¡®Aight, I¡¯ll act crazy too.¡¯ Thus began the ufortable and uneasy Darkness exploration of two certified lunatics.
Note/s: [1] About Baek Saheon¡¯s shifting speech levels, sorry about this again but I don¡¯t know a more effective way to differentiate other than sometimes adding ¡®sir¡¯ if he goes up to the highest level. But since Soleum¡¯s being so petty about pointing out Saheon¡¯s slips, it can get more obvious lol ? T/N: This has been the chapter that¡¯s made meugh the most so far lmaoo Chapter 42.1 Chapter 42.1 Step, step. I was quietly walking through an exhibition that plucked out human eyes. And next to me was someone who perfectly fit the ¡®human trash¡¯ archetype in a horror story. ¡®I really wish Baek Saheon would just keep quiet and act like a human totem.¡¯ On the way here, I¡¯d seen horrifying shadows crawling on the floor a few times from a distance. Each time, I couldn¡¯t be more thankful to have someone with me¡­ ¡®As long as I don¡¯t let my guard down. That¡¯s the key.¡¯ Braun spoke to me in a tone that suggested he was amused. ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, this fellow talks in such an interesting way. It¡¯s almost like he¡¯s someone else entirely. ¡®Do you hate it?¡¯ ¨C Not at all! It¡¯s utterly fascinating. It¡¯s as though he¡¯s created a more exaggerated¡­ persona for the sake of a show. Hm. That¡¯s a fair point. ¨C So, is leaving this magnificent exhibition your ultimate goal? That¡¯s correct. And¡­ ¡®I¡¯ve already made my escape n.¡¯ I¡¯d confirmed that this exploration was recorded as the seventeenth entry in the , so I based my escape strategy on that case. I¡¯d even decided which of my items to use. ¨C Oh! ¨C But is it necessary to use the word ¡®escape¡¯? Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to just grab any staff member and ask them to guide you to the exit? They¡¯d surely oblige politely! That¡¯s where the problem begins. ¡®The staff in this exhibition are machines.¡¯ The kind with spider-like legs that swing ominously. ¨C Hmm. And? ¡®And each machine only knows information about its designated area.¡¯ ======================== Each area of this exhibition is equipped with an usher for the convenience of visitors. While some past visitors referred to these ushers as ¡®monsters¡¯, they are, in fact, vintage mithril automated-kiosk steam dolls, a model from Imperial Year 62627. Though their memory units are somewhat limited to information about their specific areas, they are historical and meaningful artistic artifacts. For the sake of a constructive viewing experience in our exhibition, we kindly request refraining from using derogatory terms. ======================== What this means is that if you want to ask about the exit, you must go to the area where the exit is located and talk to the staff there. And by the time you get there¡­ if too much time has passed, you¡¯ll be ¡®charged the fee¡¯ and turned into a grotesque human slug. Even identifying which area contains the exit is a monumental challenge to begin with. ¡®But there¡¯s a hint.¡¯ I stopped walking. I had found what I was looking for. ¡°¡­An elevator?¡± Standing in front of me and Baek Saheon was an antique-style elevator, glowing faintly with brass tones. The elevator was caged in iron bars, and a small light bulb flickered in front of it. Like any elevator, a guide panel was attached to the wall beside it, disying floor numbers and usage instructions. The only problem was that the text was written in a script we couldn¡¯t understand. ¡®Just one more way to raise the exploration difficulty.¡¯ The disconnect created by the script. Baek Saheon frowned. ¡°¡­Are you nning to ride this thing?¡± ¡°Dunno.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t even check the floors. Are you out of your mind?¡± I stared at him without a word. He quickly looked away. ¡®As if I¡¯d do something that reckless.¡¯ But I had Braun, the creepypasta talk show host who imed to be fluent in everynguage! ¡®Braun, can you read this elevator¡¯s guide panel?¡¯ ¨C That¡¯s hardly a difficult task, Friend! ¨C Ahem ahem, Braun cleared his throat and began exining in a friendly voice. ¨C This elevatores with a stationed usher who will press the button for your desired floor upon request. Quite a quaint and sophisticated service, isn¡¯t it? This meant that you couldn¡¯t use the elevator without meeting an usher, which also meant getting your eyes plucked out. Even knowing this, I swallowed involuntarily. ¡®Does it mention anything about the exit?¡¯ ¨C Unfortunately, no! It mostly describes the floors and their exhibitions. ¨C Oh, and by the way, you¡¯re currently on the second floor. ¡­Ah, wait a moment. There¡¯s also a description of this mansion¡¯s history! ¡°¡­¡­!¡± This was information not included in the . ¡®Keep going.¡¯ ¨C Of course, Friend! ¨C This is the grand estate of a most noble¡­ and refined collector. Through their charitable spirit, they¡¯ve dedicated this endless exhibition to sharing their art and philosophy. ¨C Furthermore, this historic mansion isposed of seven floors above ground¡­ and 7,221 floors below ground. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Wait. What? ¡®Below ground¡­ 7,221 floors?¡¯ ¨C That¡¯s correct. Hmm, it seems they¡¯ve been collecting for quite a long time! I froze. ¡®¡­I already knew there was a basement.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t described at first. The early exploration records of this ghost story, , detailed lucky escapes from the ground floors or the deaths of those who couldn¡¯t get out. Those records drew readers in, sparking poprity. As the records expanded and the world of the story grew, some explorer inevitably made a discovery. ======================== The 23rd record is a testimony left by a visitor who entered the basement floors via the elevator. ======================== The existence of the basement floors. From then on, records detailed people descending into the basement after failing to find a way out on the floors above ground. The relentless descent in search of an exit¡ªdown and further down¡ªconveyed an overwhelming, chilling fear. At this point, the ghost story became categorized as cosmic horror. Chapter 42.2 Chapter 42.2 These exploration logs aimed to make readers feel suffocated and disoriented. In some records, explorers even gave up on escaping, descending further into madness as they ventured endlessly downward. ======================== This is testimony from a visitor who viewed the exhibit on B105. Employee 753 : The unspeakable, dreadful things I cannot see are truly beautiful. Structures made of ¡ö¡ö and humans¡¯ ¡ö¡ö are ¡öing. Die for this purpose. No further records exist. Thank you for your meaningful feedback. We shall strive to improve exhibition management for an even more profound experience. ======================== The deeper you go, the more grotesque and iprehensible the collection bes. At some point,nguage fails to capture what is seen, leaving censored fragments and overwhelming nks filled with terror. Thousands of unknowns lie down there¡­ p¡ª I pped my own face. ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± Get a grip. ¡®There are multiple exits.¡¯ Even though their locations change every time the exhibition begins, that fact doesn¡¯t. There were records of people escaping through different exits on different floors in the same iteration. ¡®I can do this.¡¯ It doesn¡¯t matter how astronomically vast this ce is or how iprehensible the space bes. An exit might be closer than I think. I have over 100 iterations¡¯ worth of exploration data, including records from this very round. Sitting here overwhelmed would make me an idiot. ¡®Even if the exact floor isn¡¯t specified, I already know the hints.¡¯ I had to move quickly instead of being paralyzed by the scale of the ghost story. Don¡¯t be foolish¡­ stay sharp! ¡®¡­Alright.¡¯ I took a deep breath and began walking. To the staircase next to the elevator. ¡°Wait, so you¡¯re not taking the elevator¡­ how do you even know where you¡¯re going?¡± ¡°We¡¯re at the second floor.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m heading to Basement 1 from here.¡± ¡°Basement? There¡¯s a basement¡ªwait, this is the second floor? How can you be sure?¡± ¡°Braun told me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Grateful, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¨C No problem at all, happy to help! Surprisingly enough, Baek Saheon still didn¡¯t run away. Hmm. I¡¯ll have to keep my interactions with him at this level moving forward. * * * Even as we descended down the staircase, the grand mansion¡¯s decor didn¡¯t change at all. The dim brass lighting and shadowy atmosphere continued endlessly, making it feel like we were looping through the same floor. And then, at one level below, the stairs disappeared entirely. ¡®¡­These stairs don¡¯t lead to the basement.¡¯ For now, since we¡¯re at the ground floor, I decided to search for a new staircase or another way to move. There was no more idle chatter with Baek Saheon, either. The sound of machinery was growing more frequent around us. ¡®The main exhibition hall must be nearby, with ushers stationed almost constantly.¡¯ Moving silently, practically crawling on the ground, I looked up and spotted arge sign just beneath the ceiling. ¡®Found it.¡¯ The sign for the main exhibition hall. Carved with ornate designs, it bore a flowing, elegant inscription¡­ in an iprehensible script. ¨C ¡®The Power of Emotion.¡¯ What a unique title for an exhibit! ¡°¡­¡­!¡± It was an exhibit I¡¯d read about in the . Just seeing its name in print had sent chills down my spine¡­ ¡®What the hell.¡¯ I suppressed the urge to turn back immediately. ¡®If I¡¯m going to map out the escape route, I¡¯ll have to face it at least once.¡¯ Avoiding a ¡®safe¡¯ exhibit while trying to secure a path would be idiotic. So I gritted my teeth and moved forward, step by step. The moment I peeked through the ornate, gilded doorway into the exhibit¡­ The exhibition space unfolded before me. A wave of sound crashed over me. AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH Countless mouths shouting. More precisely, rows of teeth and tongues. An entire massive wall filled with ornate Baroque-style frames, each containing a human mouth, all arranged in horrifying beauty. It seemed like artificial voice boxes had been attached to the mouths, each reciting poetry in different voices andnguages. The hundreds or even thousands of frames harmonized to create a bizarrely strange medley of sounds and notes. And beneath them¡­ On the floor, human slugs were writhing. Huuuuuurgh¡­ huuurgh¡­ People who could no longer speak human words, with extinguished buttons fixed into their eye sockets, were writhing in agony. They were those who had been repeatedly ¡®charged¡¯ to the point where they¡¯d nearly lost all semnce of humanity. The contrast between their grotesque forms and the neatly framed mouths disyed in a beautiful arrangement made the scene horrifying¡­ more¡­ and more¡­ ¡®Ah.¡¯ I felt like vomiting. The dizzying dread made me look at the floor. Stay calm. I need to calm myself. ¡®They¡¯re notpany employees.¡¯ These were probably people who¡¯d been trapped here for days. Those poor¡­ No, I couldn¡¯t let myself focus on them now. I had to push it out of my mind as much as possible¡­ Screeeeeeech¡ª In the distance, the shadow of an usher machine began approaching. Baek Saheon and I held our breath and crawled into a nearby vent. The usher machine¡¯s shadow moved among the human slugs, as if searching for unmoving bodies to pick up and carry away. The sound of dragging bodies mingled with the mechanical noise. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± After a suffocating few minutes¡­ ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°They took the corpses. Do you think even the corpses have value? As payment for the fee?¡± What the hell is wrong with this punk? ¡°If they had value as payment, they wouldn¡¯t have just left them there alive until they died without collecting.¡± ¡°Ah, makes sense.¡± Even in this situation, I had to listen to this kind of nonsense? My exhaustion was reaching its peak. And I had to lie, too. ¡®If I were honest¡­ of course they have value. Obviously!¡¯ Since they treat us as ¡®visitors¡¯, they only seem to charge for things that don¡¯t affect our survival, like eyes, noses, or mouths. But wouldn¡¯t they also find brains and spinal cords valuable? I think there were floors disying such items, too. But I couldn¡¯t tell this guy that. He¡¯d probably suggest we carry around the corpses and offer them as payment if things got bad. Chapter 42.3 Chapter 42.3 While I remained silent¡ª ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The usher machines disappeared, leaving the first floor¡¯s main exhibition hall empty. From various shadowy corners, people hiding under tables quickly emerged, whispered to one another, and scattered in different directions. All of them wore masks. ¡®Employees¡­!¡¯ Their masks and suits confirmed it. They were from ourpany¡¯s Field Exploration Team, cautiously dodging the machines by sticking to areas outside their paths. ¡°Hey.¡± What now. ¡°If you spot any rookies among them, let¡¯s bring them along. It¡¯s better to have one or two more people with us.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Baek Saheon looked at me as if I were asking something obvious. ¡°We need bait for when we run into a monster.¡± Ah, this sick bastard, seriously. I tilted my head in mock confusion. ¡°We already have bait.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You.¡± Baek Saheon¡¯s face froze momentarily before rxing again. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯ll bring someone else along to use as bait, too.¡± ¡°Great. Just make sure to tell them you¡¯ll use them as bait.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? I¡¯m at least polite enough for that.¡± Baek Saheon fell silent again, his expression one of exasperation. I was equally exasperated. This exhausting little shit¡­ ¡®I miss you, Chief Lizard.¡¯ I missed the straightforwardness of a taciturn colleague. But then, as I caught sight of a familiar figure darting out from behind a sofa at the edge of the exhibition hall, I froze in surprise. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± It was someone I recognized. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­! What are you¡­¡± After a moment of hesitation, I climbed out of the vent. When I waved, the person also froze in shock before quickly lowering her voice. ¡°¡­¡­! Sol¡ª I mean, Mr. Roe Deer? Is it okay if I call you that?¡± ¡°Yes, Ms. Goral.¡± It was Go Yeongeun. The new hire who had fully supported my words during the subway incident was standing there. Didn¡¯t she say he¡¯d dropped out of medical school? ¡°Did you get sent in too, Mr. Roe Deer? Anyway, I¡¯m d to see you¡¯re safe.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± In any case, Go Yeongeun, who was now wearing the mask assigned to her, seemed much calmer than when I¡¯dst met her. Though there was some redness in her eyes. ¡®Has she already adapted to this¡­?¡¯ The fact that I could have a rational conversation in this insane situation was almost moving. Go Yeongeun nced around warily and spoke in a whisper, lowering her voice as much as possible. ¡°Um, there¡¯s a blocked window nearby, and I was thinking of trying to open it. Have you seen anything that could work as a lever on your way here? I don¡¯t think we¡¯re supposed to use the exhibits¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Sorry? What do you mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯re thinking of escaping through the window, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­Would that be a problem?¡± Yes, it would. This ghost story¡¯s exploration records mention windows exactly once. Do you know what it says? ======================== The 19th record is a testimony from a visitor who attempted to pass through a window. However, due to credibility issues, it has been omitted. This exhibition does not have windows. ======================== It¡¯s a trap. I quickly made up a usible reason. ¡°If you go out through the window, I have a feeling you¡¯ll physically leave the mansion. But¡­ not return to the real world.¡± ¡°¡­Oh.¡± Go Yeongeun¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°You¡¯re right. This isn¡¯t reality¡­ so finding a door that counts as a proper exit makes sense.¡± ¡°I think so, too.¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t even know what floor we¡¯re on¡­¡± ¡°I checked. We¡¯re on the first floor.¡± ¡°¡­¡­! How did you¡­ Wait, hold on. The first floor?¡± A glimmer of hope lit up in Go Yeongeun¡¯s eyes. ¡°Then there¡¯s a good chance there¡¯s a door nearby! Exhibition entrances are usually on the first floor, so if we search thoroughly¡­¡± I forced my reluctant mouth to speak. ¡°¡­The reason doors are usually on the first floor is because we live on the ground level.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Do you think the original visitors to this ghost story did the same?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Go Yeongeun closed her mouth. She understood immediately. ¡®How can you be sure a monster would ce a door on the first floor?¡¯ Soon, the same despair that had clouded my face earlier spread across hers. ¡°Then¡­ W-What do we do? Was asking the monster machine earlier the right answer? But¡­ I can¡¯t encounter another machine. I don¡¯t have any chances left¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have any chances left¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Go Yeongeun hesitated before brushing her hair back slightly. Beneath her hair, where there should have been an ear¡­ There was only a stitched scar. ¡°They¡­ took my ear.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°They kept saying, ¡®Ear instead of eye, ear instead of eye!¡¯ while gesturing¡­ and I guess they epted it? It didn¡¯t even hurt. It was so strange¡­¡± Go Yeongeun shivered slightly. ¡°And they seem to have put something weird in its ce¡­ but I can still hear. I don¡¯t know how it works, maybe some kind of artificial cochlea or eardrum?¡± Ah, damn it. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, right? I mean, uh, the employee store sells those organ-regeneration potions and all¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be fine.¡± I spoke firmly. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine. Let¡¯s focus on getting out.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Go Yeongeun¡¯s breathing calmed again. For someone who¡¯d just lost an ear, her mental strength was superhuman. I couldn¡¯t help but admire her. But someone else apparently didn¡¯t feel the same way. ¡°Shall we get moving? Let¡¯s not waste too much time.¡± ¡°¡­¡­! Baek Saheon-ssi.¡± The moment Baek Saheon, wearing his goat mask, emerged from the vent, Go Yeongeun¡¯s eyes lit up with rm. ¡°Wait. Are you traveling with him?¡± ¡°Somehow, yes.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Go Yeongeun nced warily at Baek Saheon but didn¡¯t refuse to continue traveling with me. ¡®Thank you¡­¡¯ It had been so long since I¡¯d had a normalpanion. After dealing with psychopaths and people possessed by ghosts, I felt tears well up at the relief. Still, Go Yeongeun muttered quietly. ¡°That guy¡­ he even managed to pick a mask that suits him. You know goats are a symbol of the devil in Western cultures, right?¡± ¡°Wow. Did you knowmbs are a symbol of sacrifice?¡± ¡°Lambs are more associated with helping humanity than with devils, though.¡± Baek Saheon smirked dismissively at Go Yeongeun, who ignored him in turn. ¨C Is this an intermission skit? They¡¯re like aedy duo. Yeah. Except it¡¯s not a skit¡ªthey¡¯re actually dissing each other, and that¡¯s the problem¡­ ¡®This partyposition feels doomed.¡¯ But our destination was steadily drawing closer. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I found it. At the end of the hallway, a staircase leading to the basement had appeared.
T/N: Saheon and Yeongeun¡¯s masks are both kinda goats, I guess? Here¡¯s the scientific name for both: Saheon: Capra hircus ¨C the goat or the domestic goat is a species of goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. Yeongeun: Naemorhedus caudatus ¨C gorals are small goat rtives, and they are agile over the rocky crags and cliffs they inhabit. Thembment earlier is (I¡¯m assuming) stemming from how goats were referred to as ¡®sheep¡¯ in the olden times, given that cotton/wool sheep were introduced to the East muchter. After these actual sheep were introduced, the existing ¡®sheep¡¯ were hence distinguished and called goats or mountain goats. Until then, in the East, the term ¡®sheep¡¯ referred to the current goat. So basically, ouredy duo¡¯s kind of doing the spiderman meme calling each other scapegoat and sacrificialmb lol Chapter 43.1 Chapter 43.1 ¡°There¡¯s even a basement floor here¡­¡± In front of the staircase leading to the basement, half fear and half anticipation were written on Go Yeongeun¡¯s face. Baek Saheon scoffed. ¡°Yeah, I know how you feel. And the person standing next to us? Without any exnation, he somehow knew there was a basement and insisted we had to go to the first basement floor.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go, we can just split up here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Baek Saheon fell silent. Now that he had confirmed the basement existed, it seemed he wasn¡¯t willing to miss the opportunity to see whether ¡®Kim Soleum has something up his sleeve.¡¯ I briefly exined to Go Yeongeun that I had used some special equipment to decipher the guide notice posted near the elevator and had identified a potentially useful space. And so, we finally started down the basement stairs. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The further we descended, the clearer it became. ¡®The style has changed.¡¯ The mansion, previously shimmering with a brass hue, now took on a darker bronze-like tone. More avant-garde decorations began to appear. For some reason, it felt like we were descending much deeper than the distance from the second floor to the first. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Eventually, stately, old-fashioned double-doors appeared beside the staircase. ¨C B1. That¡¯s what it reads. We had arrived. I cautiously gripped one of the doors¡¯ handles. After confirming that no mechanical noises could be heard from the other side, I carefully opened it. What was revealed beyond the door wasn¡¯t an exhibition hall or a corridor. Go Yeongeun¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°A lounge for visitors, I assume.¡± It was a type of resting area. Therge hall was designed forfort. Luxurious armchairs and vintage tables were arranged throughout, and a bronze-hued firece burned warmly in one corner. ¡°Is this what you read about in the elevator?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ah, ces like this are usually near a lobby. Maybe there¡¯s an exit nearby?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. But¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°The manual mentioned certain actions that were prohibited in the exhibition hall. I thought a ¡®resting area¡¯ might have fewer restrictions.¡± That¡¯s right. The hope was that some actions forbidden in the exhibition hall might be allowed here. ¡°Things you couldn¡¯t do¡­ Oh, like eating!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± 2- Eating or drinking in the exhibition hall is prohibited. ¡°¡­But it¡¯s not like we need to eat anything right now.¡± That¡¯s true. ¡°Not exactly. What I¡¯m trying to do is something that¡¯s considered part of eating and is therefore prohibited.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± I pulled out an item I had prepared from my bag. [Easy and Fast Candle Making Kit] ¡°Open mes are prohibited, too.¡± Now, it was time to create an escape tool. * * * Go Yeongeun gulped nervously. Right in front of her, an unbelievably capable colleague was doing something utterly ridiculous. ¡°Like this?¡± Kim Soleum pulled a strange box from his satchel and quickly skimmed through the enclosed instructions. But the box didn¡¯t look ordinary at all. Why on earth would someone bring a candle-making kit? ¡®I¡¯ve never seen a brand like that before.¡¯ The logo, ¡®Cheerful Research Institute¡¯, gleamed tackily alongside a bright smiley face, but the instructions Kim Soleum held were scrawled in messy handwriting with dark red ink. It felt eerily strange. Something you might encounter in a ghost story¡­ At that moment, Baek Saheon muttered, ¡°¡­An item?¡± An item? Instinctively, I turned to Kim Soleum, who answered quite kindly. ¡°Yes. A tool imbued with supernatural abilities.¡± ¡­¡­! ¡°T-Then, isn¡¯t that considered¡­ Darkness?¡± ¡°It might depend on the ssification method, but¡­ it seems that objects with stable irregrities, portability, and no defined domain are referred to as items.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± How does Soleum-ssi know all of this¡­? ¡®Aren¡¯t we¡­ both new hires?¡¯ Why is there such a difference in knowledge? And where on earth did he get that¡­? For Go Yeongeun, who had prided herself as being among the top three most capable among the new recruits, the situation was bewildering. ¡®And to top it off, he looks incredibly skilled at handling it¡­?!¡¯ Noticing her gaze, Kim Soleum nced back and, as if to justify himself, said, ¡°This is my first time making one too.¡± It¡¯s the truth! While he had read the instructions several times and pondered how to use it, this was Kim Soleum¡¯s first time actually crafting something. However, from the perspective of a colleague who didn¡¯t know he had already conducted three simr rituals, it was simply overwhelming. No, someone like him¡­ shouldn¡¯t he be starting his own business instead of just finding a job? Why is he tangled up in a horror show of apany like this?? But soon, cold reality brought her thoughts back into focus. ¡®¡­It must be because of the Wish Ticket.¡¯ A wish that couldn¡¯t be given up. Go Yeongeun nearly sank into mutual pity for their respective circumstances but quickly steadied herself. For now, she just needed to focus all her energy on escaping. ¡­Even the rage at her R-squad leader, who had ditched her the moment a monstrous machine appeared, would be turned into fuel! She only wished she could take back her earlier thoughts that this team, at least, wouldn¡¯t have the usual workce hierarchy issues or the stress of human rtionships. ¡®Die, Squad Leader!¡¯ Still, thinking that her R-squad superiors might actually end up being brutally killed, with their eyes, noses, and mouths torn apart, felt oddly unsettling¡­ ¡°It¡¯s ready.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Go Yeongeun, who had been lost in thought, snapped her attention back at Kim Soleum¡¯s voice. Before she knew it, he hadid out a ck piece of paper on the floor and drawn a small design on it with the provided crayon. It was¡­ um. ¡®¡­A candle?¡¯ Yes. It looked like a candle¡­ or rather, a t drawing that outlined a candle¡¯s shape. But Kim Soleum paid no mind and pointed with one hand to the cards ced near the drawing. ¡°You can see the cards, right?¡± ¡°Y-Yes.¡± ¡°Pick one of them.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It determines the item¡¯s attribute.¡± Chapter 43.2 Chapter 43.2 Would she be tricked or caught up in something by doing this? Go Yeongeun hesitated for a moment but then reached out. So far, there hadn¡¯t been anything suspicious or unpleasant about Kim Soleum¡¯s actions, and objectively speaking, he had always treated her with goodwill. ¡®Let¡¯s try it.¡¯ Her brain, which she trusted as a reliable data processor, urged her forward. She flipped over one of the scattered cards on the floor without much hesitation. The card¡¯s face depicted a vibrant blue figure raising one hand. At the top of the image, a white star sparkled like a jewel. [Honor] A faint smile appeared on Kim Soleum¡¯s face. ¡°You picked well.¡± Did she? ¡®I don¡¯t think I particrly need honor right now¡­¡¯ Anyway, if he said it was good, that was a relief. Kim Soleum then turned his head and, in a voice that sounded less than enthusiastic, called out to Baek Saheon. ¡°Pick a card.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Baek Saheon seemed to be calcting the situation in his head, narrowing his eyes as he reached out his hand. The card he flipped over showed a grinning mouth and a red iron cage. [Interference] ¡°Suits you.¡± ¡°What?¡± Kim Soleum ignored him and continued with the process! ¡°I will now flip over the remaining cards.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Whatever it was, let¡¯s just do it! Go Yeongeun watched as Kim Soleum swiftly flipped over the cards with his precise movements. There were ten cards left. Confusion, Healing, Meditation, Wound, Deceit, Dream, Rage, Protection, Strike, and Gaze¡­ the ten remaining cards were revealed andid out on the floor. ¡®What in the world is this?¡¯ After having them draw cards as if it were some kind of tarot reading, why reveal all of them at the end? Seeing Kim Soleum¡¯s next action, she understood. Thest card could be chosen directly. [Deceit] Kim Soleum picked out a card with a golden gear drawn next to a ck heart. He then burned all three cards they had chosen using a lighter. mes burst into vivid colors as the cards turned into shimmering ashes. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Gathering the ashes from the cards, he carefully spread them over the crayon-drawn candle outline he had created earlier and folded the paper. ¡°It¡¯ll need about 30 minutes to set now.¡± Kim Soleum lifted the folded paper off the floor, tucked it neatly into the front pocket of his suit, and gave a faint smile. ¡°This thing you just made¡­¡± ¡°This candle will help us get out of here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, I was nning to try again a few more times, but the keywords turned out well on the first attempt¡ª¡± Screeeeeeeeeeeech¡ª ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± All three of them turned their heads at once. In the distance, under the bronze light, a massive shadow emerged. Eight straight legs resembling those of a spider. And then¡­ Screeeech¡ª The glowing eyes of a machine, leaking light like that of a gasmp. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Run!¡± The three of them immediately bolted in the opposite direction at full speed. * * * I knew. Even in a lounge, the machines could appear. Still, I guessed that they would patrol less strictly than in the exhibition hall and had been willing to take the risk¡­ ¡®There wasn¡¯t even anywhere to hide like in the vents, but why now of all times!¡¯ Clenching my teeth, I sprinted across the corridor. Once we¡¯re detected, even hiding in another vent wouldn¡¯t help¡ªthe machine would simply follow. It was equipped with that level of tracking capability! ¡°Should we keep going straight?!¡± ¡°For now!¡± Straight ahead led to the main exhibition hall. Once there, they could only hope to draw the machine¡¯s attention away with a higher-priority problem¡­ ¡®But who knows how much more dangerous the exhibitions have be now that we¡¯re in the basement!¡¯ And then. Fwick¡ª ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Baek Saheon grabbed for my suit. ¡®What now, you lunatic?!¡¯ The punk shouted right at me, ¡°That item! The candle! Let¡¯s offer it up! It¡¯s valuable, isn¡¯t it?¡± I pped his hand away and yelled back. ¡°No, you idiot!¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Look at the exhibition theme!¡± +++ This exhibition is being conducted free of charge for one hour under the open spirit of admiration for art. +++ ¡°Art!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Specifically, living beings, civilization, and history!!¡± I shouted at the top of my lungs. ¡°What does this item have to do with that? Why would they ept it as payment?!¡± If items had any real value, wouldn¡¯t the employees of ourpany have already offered their own equipment before getting their eyes gouged out?! Besides, the candle wasn¡¯t even finished yet! But Baek Saheon once again reached for my bag, and Go Yeongeun, clearly fed up, let out an exasperated groan. ¡°Let¡¯s at least try! What¡¯s the alternative¡ªdying here?!¡± ¡°Ugh! Seriously! Stop it and just keep running¡ª¡± I turned my head. At that moment, our feet¡­ ¡­crossed through therge doors into the main exhibition hall. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Catching my breath, I lifted my gaze. Starlight twinkled everywhere No . . . were those fragments of stone ? Countless pairs of glowing circles, all the same color, lined the walls and ceilings, gazing down at us The walls were packed, covered in countless human eyes staring back at me¡­ The eyes¡­ taken by the usher machines. ¡°Eek¡ª¡± I stopped in my tracks and lowered my head. Beside me, I could hear Baek Saheon striking his remaining eye in frustration. My chaotic thoughts slowly settled. ¨C Ah. They¡¯ve arranged them like stars in the universe. It¡¯s called ¡®Glistening Gaze¡¯. A rather clich¨¦ yet popr name! They must have been mindful of the contributors to the materials for this piece. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Three walls of the vast ck exhibition hall werepletely covered in eyeballs, with not a single gap visible. The only entrance or exit was the door we had juste through. And through that very door, the usher machine was steadily advancing¡­ without pause. We were trapped. ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, your choices intrigue me! You¡¯re at a dead end now. A ce to run¡­ Hmm, seems like there¡¯s none. Fascinating! ¨C But my friend, you can escape anytime, anywhere. Because you have me, Braun! That much¡­ I already knew. If I were alone. I could escape safely anytime. Braun would dly use his ability, which he called ¡®Lights Out¡¯, to erase my presence entirely. Then, while the others drew its attention, getting their eyes and ears gouged out, I could carefully slip away. ¨C In that case, wouldn¡¯t it be fitting for Mr. Baek Saheon to pay the price? After all, he doesn¡¯t have much of a life left anyway! True. We sessfully created the candle, which required a rmended group of three, so Baek Saheon was no longer necessary. ¡®I mean, I only kept him along to avoid a mental breakdown after all.¡¯ Honestly, would it even matter if he died? In fact, his death might even be a positive for society. In the chaos, perhaps Go Yeongeun might also manage to escape¡­ ¡­Wait. Hold on. Chapter 43.3 Chapter 43.3 ¡°Let¡¯s split up! That way, if even one of us escapes¡ª¡± ¡°Ms. Goral!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You¡¯re safe.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you recently pay the fee? There should still be time left until the next cycle.¡± ¡°Ah!!¡± Since Go Yeongeun had recently had her ear taken, she likely still had ¡®time left¡¯ in her usage cycle! Hope flickered in Go Yeongeun¡¯s eyes. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go and try to distract¡ª¡± Screeeeeeech¡ª ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± It had entered. The usher machine. Drrrrrrk. Under the bronze candlelight, I saw the machine clearly for the first time. It was mercilessly sharp and intricate. Its form resembled a spider, with metal parts added as though the steel had been grafted onto flesh. Its head and thorax were oddly connected, with an abdomen and lower body beneath. Yet its vaguely humanoid, bipedal shape evoked a sense of uncanny dread, as if it was toying with the boundaries of intelligence and form. Its jagged, needle-like legs moved erratically, with joints bending at bizarre angles. From its head, eight gasmps shone yellow light, piercing through the pale shadows. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Go Yeongeun, who had been moving forward, froze in ce. It seemed as if the trauma from losing her ear had surged back into her mind. Understandable. Screeech¡ª The machine passed right by her. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Which meant the machine was chasing¡­ Me and Baek Saheon. Screeeeech. I deliberated for the briefest moment. If the machine¡¯s attention shifted to Baek Saheon, I could quickly erase my presence and escape. It would be difficult while the machine focused solely on me, but with two targets, Braun¡¯s ability might still work. ¨C Oh, shall I use it now? I made my decision. ¡°No.¡± Instead, I shoved Baek Saheon aside. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Run.¡± Baek Saheon already had only one eye left. He knew that meant the machine might take more than just his remaining eye this time. ¡®Who knows what kind of reckless actions he might resort to?¡¯ Even if it took his ear as a substitute, the rejection of someone who had already lost one eye would likely be far more extreme. I couldn¡¯t predict the lengths he might go to. It was better to let him run. ¡°I said run.¡± Baek Saheon hesitated for a moment. But as the machine moved toward me, he backed away cautiously before breaking into a full sprint toward the door and disappearing through it. At the same time, Go Yeongeun, understanding my nce, tightly shut her eyes and darted toward the door as well. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Now then. ¨C Do you have any questions for the usher, Mr. Roe Deer? I lifted my head. The machine stood before me, its gamp light illuminating the grotesque form that resembled a hybrid of a spider and a woman, as if someone had attempted to mosaic the two together. Its appearance was grotesque and sent chills through me. The usher machine, its eight legs and needle-like arms extending outward, began to twitch one of its limbs toward me. I bowed politely. ¡°Good day. I¡¯ve just arrived here.¡± I knew it wouldn¡¯t respond. Sure enough, the machine emitted an unintelligible noise and bent one of its massive needle limbs. ¨C It says that 1 hour and 54 minutes have passed since you entered, and additional charges have been calcted. I took a deep breath. ¡°Just a moment. Before I pay the fee, may I ask a question?¡± ¨C Of course, it says! ¡°Do you take reservations for a guest room at the front desk? ¡­If you agree with my question, please nod your head once. If you disagree, shake your head from side to side.¡± ¡­¡­ A nod. ¡°Thank you for the guidance. Then¡­¡± I stifled a sigh and asked what I had been leading up to. The critical question for escaping. ¡®These machines only remember information about their assigned zones, so they wouldn¡¯t know where the exit is.¡¯ Even if I asked where the front desk was, it likely wouldn¡¯t have an answer. But, if I rephrased the question to pertain specifically to its own zone, it might respond. Like this. ¡°Afterpleting their visit and returning home, do guests on this first basement floor proceed to a lower floor?¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°Or did they go to an upper floor?¡± A nod. ¡°They¡¯re ushered to an upper floor, I see. Thank you.¡± That¡¯s it. By asking each usher machine the right questions about its own floor, I could eventually narrow down the location of the exit¡­ ¡­assuming I didn¡¯t lose my eyes, mouth, or limbs before then. ¡®If it¡¯s above the first basement floor¡­ that means it¡¯s in the ground-level floors.¡¯ Just knowing that was a significant breakthrough. The ground level included seven floors, so the exit must be among them. ¡®This is a good lead.¡¯ But the sense of relief was short-lived, like a candle burning out. Now, the unavoidable moment had arrived. Screeeech. ¡ªIt says it will now collect the fee. Payment collection. ¡°¡­¡­¡± If I think about this rationally, it¡¯s not a huge problem. ¡®They¡¯ll plug a rental item into the empty eye sockets, so I¡¯ll still have vision until we escape this Darkness.¡¯ Besides, I know this world well. I¡¯m already familiar with several methods for restoring lost body parts, and I¡¯m confident I can use them more easily than others¡­ That¡¯s precisely why I¡¯m standing here. ¡®It¡¯s a situation I¡¯ve calcted ande to terms with.¡¯ The problem is¡­ this overwhelming revulsion! Who could ept this so calmly and indifferently? Having both eyes plucked out raw by a monster! Especially in a room surrounded by the disyed eyes of others who were taken! Cold sweat dripped down my chin. ¡®Even so, I have to go through with this.¡¯ I gritted my teeth. It wouldn¡¯t bepletely detrimental to have my eyes removed. ¡®If I can¡¯t endure under these conditions, I might as well give up on surviving here entirely.¡¯ Honestly, there would never be better conditions than now to test whether I, with my cowardly heart, could endure the horrors of this ghost story. Learning to withstand recoverable losses would help build my resilience. Yet, my clenched hands trembled. ¡®Shit¡­¡¯ Ziiing. A massive needle, sharp and metallic, like the leg of a spider, moved toward my face. I held my breath. Whoosh¡ª The needle was raised, ready to pierce my eye¡­ Ziiiiiiiing. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I rolled my eyes to the side. In the darkness, a massive, spider-like form was approaching from the distance¡­ Ziiiiiing, screeeeech. Another usher machine. ¡°¡­¡­¡± What¡¯s this? ¡®Aren¡¯t the machines supposed to have a programmed route?¡¯ Shouldn¡¯t it be impossible for their paths to ovep? Sure enough, the machine that was about to extract my eye seemed to malfunction for a moment. Then, as if recalibrating its route, it moved away from me. It was as though it adjusted its trajectory on its own. Screeeeeech¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t even exhale in relief. The new machine would just extract my eyes instead. I simply held my breath and stared at the newly arrived machine. It lifted its spider-like appendages high, stopping right in front of me. Then suddenly¡­ ¡°Huu.¡± ¡­¡­?! ¡°You okay, Roe?¡± The spider-like form crumbled away, revealing a human wearing a badger mask. ¡°¡­Supervisor!¡± It was Supervisor Park Minseong, his face drenched in cold sweat, grinning slightly. ¡°Phew¡­ That was close!¡± Chapter 44.1 Chapter 44.1 A dark, bronze-hued mansion. I followed Supervisor Park Minseong, walking silently behind him. The supervisor, who had aplished the insane feat of ¡®disguising himself as an usher machine, fooling the system, and rescuing a poor new hire,¡¯ evaluated the situation in his own way. ¡°It¡¯s not like their AI is particrly advanced. Maybe about as smart as a roomba? So I figured I could trick it for a moment by mimicking its appearance!¡± I wasn¡¯t entirely convinced the machine¡¯s intelligence was that rudimentary, but the timing had worked out, and he had saved me. For that, I was eternally grateful. ¡°Um, but how did you disguise yourself¡­¡± ¡°Ah! My special equipment.¡± Supervisor Park grinned and pointed to a cloth draped around his neck. Oh! I recalled his earlier exnation about his personal equipment. ¨C Mine is a camouge item. It can¡¯t transform me into a person, and its duration is short, so I only use it as ast resort. Until now, I had only heard about such things in ghost stories where they didn¡¯t work or were otherwise meaningless, but this was my first time seeing it in action. ¡®Under the right circumstances, it¡¯s actually pretty decent??¡¯ I was tempted to borrow it as a parent seed to make a new customization for my personal equipment. But that¡¯s not the priority right now! ¡°Alright. Phew. Now that I¡¯ve found you, Roe, let¡¯s get out of this insane ce.¡± ¡°Have you found an escape route, sir?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Supervisor Park didn¡¯t answer. He just smiled faintly. ¡®He must have some kind of n.¡¯ For now, I decided to trust him and quickly followed. ¡°This way.¡± We climbed the stairs from the basement back to the ground floor. Before long, the surrounding area shifted from bronze to brass, and a grand corridor bathed in a golden hue came into view. ¡®We¡¯re above ground.¡¯ That was enough to feel somewhat relieved, but¡­ The first floor was chaos. AAAAAHHHHH MMPH!!! UUUUUURGH! M-My¡ª MY EAR! Screams echoed from all directions. ¡®Two hours have passed.¡¯ Even the employees who had been hiding were now being caught by the usher machines, losing another body part¡­ just as I nearly had earlier. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Supervisor Park didn¡¯t nce toward the sources of the screams. He simply kept walking. ¡°Don¡¯t look back, Roe.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I clenched my fists so tightly that veins bulged on the backs of my hands. ¡°I know it¡¯s hard, but right now, we need to focus on saving our own team. If we¡¯re going to keep collecting points here¡­ we need to learn how to let go.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Suddenly, I recalled the moment during a talk show when Supervisor Park had resigned himself to surviving. ¨C ¡­I have a family member in the hospital. I hope someone could check in on her after this filming. If possible. For some reason, I felt like I understood how this cheerful supervisor had managed to endure in this ce. At any rate, I didn¡¯t argue. Before long, Supervisor Park scouted the area and seemed to have arrived at his destination safely. And that destination was¡­ ¡°Here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± A window. The same tightly sealed opaque ss window Go Yeongeun had tried so hard to open earlier. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me he ns to go through here?¡¯ But instead of desperately prying it open, Supervisor Park raised a finger and knocked on the ss softly. Knock, knock. The window suddenly slid open. ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± No, it wasn¡¯t just opening. It slid downward all the way to the floor, revealing itself to be¡­ ¡®A terrace door!¡¯ This wasn¡¯t a window at all! ¡®Was that why the exploration records said¡­?¡¯ ======================== The 19th record is a testimony from a visitor who attempted to pass through a window. However, due to credibility issues, it has been omitted. This exhibition does not have windows. ======================== What I had dismissed as a typical ghost story manual phrasing turned out to be literal. There really weren¡¯t any windows. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Without hesitation, we stepped through the open terrace door. Beyond it was a small hexagonal terrace with a long sofa and table. However, the view beyond the terrace was obscured by dense ck fog, as if visibility was intentionally denied to us. Tap. As Supervisor Park warily closed the terrace door, someone seated on the sofa rose and tapped my shoulder. ¡°I knew you¡¯d make it.¡± ¡°Assistant Manager.¡± It was Assistant Manager Eun Haje. And next to her, the slit pupils of Squad Leader Lizard met my eyes calmly. ¡°Our squad leader suggested expanding the search range since you weren¡¯t nearby, and it turns out you were just downstairs.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Did you purposely head to that eerie basement to find an exit? That¡¯s very like you.¡± I nced at Supervisor Park with newfound appreciation. Descending to the basement, with no clear information about the floors, had been an incredibly bold decision. ¡®Thank you¡­ truly.¡¯ Thanks to him, I still had both eyes intact. Still¡­ ¡°How exactly did you open this? Someone else tried earlier but failed to open it as a window.¡± ¡°? I just used my hands.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Of course you did. ¡®If the body suffers, the mind suffers even more¡­ right¡­¡¯ Looking closer, the terrace door handle seemed a bit wobbly. Wouldn¡¯t it be a disaster if the ushers discovered this? However, my D-squad superiors, including Chief Lizard, seemed unfazed by the unusual situation. They simply began discussing the next steps calmly. ¡°Well then, now that our squad¡¯s back together¡­ should we attempt an escape, Squad Leader?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Do you have a viable escape n?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Could you share what it is?¡± Chief Lizard answered sinctly. ¡°We¡¯re going to tie a rope to the terrace railings and explore the outer walls of this exhibition space.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Eh? Chapter 44.2 Chapter 44.2 ¡°From the outside, there¡¯s got to be a floor with the main entrance. We just need to head there.¡± That¡¯s¡­ quite the idea. ¡°I see.¡± If this cursed mansion didn¡¯t have seven thousand underground floors, it might have sounded tempting. And if I didn¡¯t already have an easier escape item in my satchel, it might have been worth considering. ¡®I could just use this to get out.¡¯ Thinking about the candle, which should be solidifying nicely, I raised my hand. ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± If I showed it to them and exined, I might be able to convince them. I just needed to stall a bit more time until it was ready¡ªand perhaps rescue some others while I was at it. ¡°I was with two fellow new hires earlier, but we got separated. They should still be nearby. If you could give me a moment, I¡¯ll go and find them¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ah. ¡°Roe.¡± Assistant Manager Eun Haje spoke bluntly. ¡°There are exactly three new hires in this mission, including you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°They said they picked a few high-performing rookies and dropped them in here. But we all know¡ªthey just needed to fill the numbers.¡± ¡°Sunbae¡ª¡± ¡°Let me speak.¡± Supervisor Park, silenced by Eun Haje, stayed quiet as the assistant manager continued. ¡°Remember lunch earlier? The higher-ups in the meeting room¡ªthey¡¯re hoping this might be an A-grade zone.¡± It came back to me. ¨C Look, it¡¯s confirmed to be a high-grade Darkness, but there are civilian survivors. This could be a revolutionary case for sourcing high-quality materials. ¡°They were so thrilled, talking about how it might be the most survivor-friendly A-grade resource site in history. A-grade Dream Essence is always out of stock, after all.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°New hires? From the beginning, they were considered expendable, written off aspany expenses.¡± Extracting high-quality materials from an A-grade site was far more valuable. It was true that the longer members of the Field Exploration Team survived, the more their lives were valued, but ultimately, consumables were still consumables¡ªdisposablepared to more valuable resources. ¡°Remember this: the further up top people go, the less they value human lives. To them, people are just flies.¡± Eun Haje sighed and put his cigarette back in its case. ¡°So, focus on saving yourself.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time, so let¡¯s move. If you start feeling sympathy, it¡¯ll only make things harder for you.¡± I barely managed to open my mouth. ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± ¡°Ah, a kind soul. Fine, if we¡¯re lucky, maybe they¡¯ll get out too¡ª¡± ¡°One of my fellow rookies is holding the escape item!¡± ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± Of course, it was a lie. ¡°We don¡¯t even know what¡¯s outside. There¡¯s no need to recklessly climb down with a rope.¡± But one thing was true. ¡°With that item, we can escape safely.¡± * * * I¡¯m back underground. Though my legs wobbled from walking around alone, the rity of my goal seemed to dull the fear. Find my fellow new recruits. ¨C You have 20 minutes. If you don¡¯t find them by then, we¡¯re heading back. My lie about the universe-gasping, world-amazing escape item had somewhat worked. The time they gave me was short, but manageable. ¡®They couldn¡¯t have gone far.¡¯ Shock reduces mobility. They¡¯re probably hiding nearby right now, trying to collect themselves. Besides, I had given them a hint earlier¡ªabout good hiding spots. ¡®The vents.¡¯ At the 7-minute mark of my search, I finally found someone crammed into the outer corridor vent on the basement floor. It was Baek Saheon. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Baek Saheon avoided my gaze. ¡°Do you want to get out of here?¡± Baek Saheon looked at me suspiciously, then slowly nodded. ¡°Then tell me where Ms. Goral is.¡± Uh, this felt oddly like threatening someone for theirrade¡¯s location¡­ ¡°She went into the left exhibition hall. Probably hiding behind a sofa or something!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Without hesitation, he gave up her location. What a spineless guy. In any case, I soon managed to find Go Yeongeun as well. By then, 14 minutes had passed. ¡°Mr. Roe Deer¡­! Thank goodness, truly¡­!¡± I briefly exined to the teary-eyed Go Yeongeun that a superior hade to help us and urged her to keep moving. I also gave her a specific instruction. ¡°I told them one of you¡¯s holding the key escape item, so please back up my story.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I handed her the paper in my satchel with the candle outline drawn on it. Carefully, she slipped it into the front pocket of her suit and nodded. ¡°So I just have to keep quiet and y along?¡± Yes! Baek Saheon, who had been effectively ignored during this process, looked like he had a lot to say but kept his mouth shut. He must have realized we were getting closer to escaping. When we reached the terrace door and stepped outside together, 19 minutes had passed. We had made it within the 20-minute window. Phew. ¡°I found them.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°I had a feeling this would happen because it¡¯s Roe.¡± Assistant Manager Eun and Supervisor Park threw in their remarks as the two rookies nervously looked around. It wasn¡¯t exactly a warm wee. Meanwhile, Chief Lizard was already tying a rope to the terrace railing. ¡°Uh, um¡­¡± ¡°No need for introductions.¡± Supervisor Lee Jaheon spoke in a t tone as he tied a secure knot. ¡°Exin your item within 200 seconds.¡± The two rookies gulped audibly. I immediately stepped in. ¡°May I exin on their behalf?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Now it was time to make a proper case. Based on the keywords I hadbined, this candle¡­ ¡°This item can deceive the usher machines.¡± Section Chief Lee Jaheon stopped what he was doing. Chapter 45.1 Chapter 45.1 ¡°Is¡­ is it really okay for us to go by ourselves? Is this the right way?¡± ¡°It should be fine.¡± Probably. Understanding the omitted words, Go Yeongeun swallowed a scream. After persuading his superiors, Kim Soleum had taken his two fellow new hires with him to ¡®use¡¯ the item and left the terrace. ¡®He probably said that to make it sound logical.¡¯ Since he had imed one of them owned the item, it only made sense for that person to take the lead. ¡­Although, being lumped together with Baek Saheon under the umbre term ¡®us¡¯ felt a bit unsettling. ¡®Still, he¡¯s unusually quiet right now.¡¯ But for the moment, whaty ahead concerned him far more. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take out the candle.¡± Yes! Go Yeongeun returned the paper Kim Soleum had given her, and he unfolded it. What happened next was astonishing. A cylindrical, heavy chunk of pale purple wax rolled into his hand. It was a real candle. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The outline drawn with crayon remained imprinted on its surface, like a stamped pattern, revealing its transformation from a mere sketch into reality. ¡®¡­Whoa.¡¯ Kim Soleum momentarily forgot the situation, marveling at the sight. Knowing what they nned to do with the candle only heightened his anticipation. ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± Taking a deep breath, he pulled out a lighter and attempted to ignite the candle¡¯s wick. Fwoosh. The me brushed the wick¡­ And nothing happened. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Why¡­ isn¡¯t it lighting? Kim Soleum even demonstrated his bizarre ability to flick a coin in midair, summoning a third hand to try igniting it, but to no avail. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± As if recalling something, Kim Soleum hastily retrieved the candle kit¡¯s instructions and skimmed them. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± He lowered the instructions with a strangely dry expression. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡± But he knew the problem. At the bottom of the chaotic, dark-red scribbled manual, in the sectionbeled ¡®Precautions for Use and Handling¡¯, one particr note stood out: The ¡®rmended users¡¯. ¡ù This toy is designed to alleviate the fatigue of modern Earthlings. For safety reasons, extraterrestrials, beings from other realms, non-intelligent entities, gods, and all other non-human intelligences cannot use this product. :) ¡®¡­I might not qualify.¡¯ After all, Kim Soleum was not a native of this ce. A chill ran down his spine, but he knew that wasn¡¯t the priority right now. He needed to entrust it to someone reliable. Someone with a low chance of acting rashly, someone with social and moral sense. ¡°Ms. Goral.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± Go Yeongeun hesitated before taking the candle. She received the lighter as well and, with trembling hands, held the me to the wick. Fwoosh¡ª The me brushed the wick¡­ And it lit. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Words began to emerge from the body of the candle, glowing faintly as if illuminated from within. The keywords from the cards they had drawn earlier. [Honor] [Interference] [Deceit] ¨C Do you remember the cards we drew when creating the candle? They indicate the abilities it will manifest. Kim Soleum¡¯s earlier exnation resurfaced in her mind as more phrases appeared on the candle. The bearer of this candle must present a deceitful form, empowered by the authority of interference, directed toward an honorable target. And the bearer will be granted a blessing. Impersonator of Nobility. Go Yeongeun raised the candle high. A round orb of me emerged from the candle like antern, hovering above her head before disappearing. The space around her softly lit up, resembling a subtle spotlight. ¡®Wow¡­¡¯ ¡°As expected, it works as nned.¡± Kim Soleum, watching with a faint smile, nodded. ¡°This candle¡¯s effect can extend to two people near you, Ms. Goral. Goat and I will follow behind you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Go Yeongeun wondered if someone other than Baek Saheon could have been chosen, but since the item was Kim Soleum¡¯s creation, sheplied withoutint. Kim Soleum spoke again in a hushed tone. ¡°Still, please be careful. Don¡¯t turn around to look at us. The effect only works if we remain hidden behind the candle bearer.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t stare at the candle too closely. It might eat away at your mind.¡± Go Yeongeun nodded slowly. Though tension gripped her shoulders, she managed to regain herposure. That was her specialty. ¡°You mentioned the exit is on the upper floors. So, starting from the middle¡ªon the fourth floor¡ªmakes the most sense. It reduces the number of possibilities.¡± ¡°Yes, good n.¡± Their steps began to echo. The thought of whaty ahead sent shivers down her spine, but Go Yeongeun clenched her teeth. Here she was, probably the most timid of them all, tasked with holding the candle. ¡®I have to do my best.¡¯ Little did she know, the most cowardly of their group was right behind her! Step, step. Their footsteps reverberated through the brass-lit hall. As they ascended toward the fourth floor, no sounds of the usher machines could be heard. But it wasn¡¯t reassuring. Because their destination was¡­ ¡°Found it.¡± It was right in front of the usher machine. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The new hires from , who had reached the fourth floor, followed the sound of the machine until they finally located the usher responsible for the hallway. Screeeech. ¡°Hey, if you run out of the candle¡¯s range now, it¡¯ll chase after you.¡± ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that?¡± The cold exchange between Kim Soleum and Baek Saheon sent a chill down Go Yeongeun¡¯s spine. It felt like the needle-likeponents of the machine might move at any moment to gouge out her eyes¡­ But swallowing her fear, Go Yeongeun stepped forward. One step at a time. Each step closer caused the reflection of the machine in the candlelight to waver. Standing before the grotesque spider-shaped machine, Go Yeongeun gave a slight nod. ¡°Hello.¡± Screeech¡ª The usher machine moved. Its eight needle-like legs raised into the air¡­ then slowly settled around its body in a neat formation. The machine lifted its head and respectfully shone a gaslight near Go Yeongeun¡¯s feet. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± It worked. Go Yeongeun swallowed hard. The candle¡¯s blessing was sessfully working for her. The blessing to impersonate an honorable being. ¨C The first card determines the purpose of the effect, the second dictates the method, and the third reveals its essence. ¨C Whenbined properly, it creates a deception targeting something honorable to hinder others¡­ ¨C This ability is likely rted to impersonation or trickery. Right now, Go Yeongeun was impersonating the most appropriate ¡®honorable being¡¯ for this scenario. The most favorable target for the usher machine. A guest who had paid in full! Chapter 45.2 Chapter 45.2 In the calmest tone she could muster, Go Yeongeun addressed the usher machine. ¡°If your answer is ¡®no¡¯, please remain still. If it is ¡®yes¡¯, nod your head.¡± Silence. ¡°Did guests who finished viewing the exhibition on this fourth floor go upstairs?¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°Did guests who finished viewing the exhibition on this fourth floor go downstairs?¡± Nod. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± It worked! Overwhelmed with relief, the candle bearer barely managed to conclude the interaction. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll continue enjoying the exhibition now.¡± The usher machine remained quietly in ce as the three within the candle¡¯s radius left. As they rounded the corner, Go Yeongeun couldn¡¯t help but exim. ¡°It worked¡­!¡± ¡°Move slowly. The candle will burn for about two hours, so it¡¯s critical not to let it go out midway.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± And then the process repeated. ¡°Did guests who finished viewing the exhibition on this third floor go downstairs?¡± Nod. ¡°Thank you!¡± It worked again. The three new hires were now walking with cautious but hopeful steps, fueled by the thrill of escape. If this kept up¡­ ¡°Either the first or second floor¡­!¡± The same thought urred to everyone. Go Yeongeun bit her tongue to keep her excitement in check. ¡°Stay calm, stay calm!¡± If she were to drop the candle, it would all be over. To avoid escaping with her eyes, tongue, or limbs taken, she needed to remainposed. As she took a careful step forward¡­ Grab¡ª Something seized her foot. Go Yeongeun froze and looked down. There was a human being, his eyes reced with telescopic lenses, crawling desperately on the floor and clutching at her pants leg. ¡°Goral! Ms. Goral!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°Take me with you!¡± It was R-squad¡¯s leader. Go Yeongeun¡¯s superior. * * * I looked at the person who had stopped ahead of me. I knew why. Someone was clinging desperately to the leg of the person ahead, shouting. ¡°Ms. Goral! If¡ª If you get me out of here, I¡¯ll make equipment for you! The kind only a section chief can ess! Right away, too! Okay?!¡± ¡®So Go Yeongeun is from the R-squad.¡¯ Seems like this was R-squad¡¯s section chief. But for someone supposedly in charge of a squad in the Field Exploration Team, he looked utterly pathetic. His limbs weren¡¯t taken as payment but seemedpletely broken, leaving him unable to stand. ¡®Did infighting break out?¡¯ If he were a proper squad leader, he should have been able to hold out with his equipment and items while moving stealthily. His current state made it almost certain that hadn¡¯t happened. He must be on the verge of death. And in this desperate moment, seeing a rookie from his squad wielding a remarkable item, he had lunged forward, recognizing hisst lifeline. ¡°Ms. Goral! That¡¯s an item, isn¡¯t it? Woooow, i-it looks great! Um, uh, t-take me with you, please! Okay?¡± ¡°Whoa, not even scared, huh? Babbling away.¡± Baek Saheon muttered under his breath. Then he turned to Go Yeongeun and said, ¡°Let¡¯s see if the monster machines hear him. Not like he¡¯s in any condition to run away anyway.¡± ¡°Huh? What kind of nonsense is that¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± R-squad¡¯s leader, who had been begging to Go Yeongeun, turned to look at Baek Saheon. The gleam of his telescopic lenses flickered. ¡°You. Which squad are you a rookie from?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Oh, right. It doesn¡¯t matter¡­ What matters is getting out of here. But look¡­ the item my squad¡¯s rookie is using¡ªit¡¯s shaped like a candle. A consumable, huh?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Fl¡­me-based¡­ yeah, defensive item, right? Right, yeah, that must be it¡­ So, then, what if I shake it, shake it like this, and put the me out?¡± ¡°Ugh¡ª¡± Go Yeongeun, who nearly stumbled, quickly steadied the candle in her grip. ¡®This lunatic.¡¯ I was about to summon my special equipment to use a third hand to pry him off, but the squad leader clung to Go Yeongeun¡¯s leg again. ¡°Do you think I, even in this state, know less than a rookie? Take me with you!¡± ¡°¡­You left me behind, Squad Leader.¡± Go Yeongeun muttered in an eerily quiet voice. ¡°When the machines came, you pushed me aside and ran.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I thought Go Yeongeun hadn¡¯t met any teammates and had been wandering alone because the team had split up when they entered. So that¡¯s why she was by herself. ¡°No! I did what I could! I couldn¡¯t die trying to save a rookie, so I left you behind. But now you can take me with you! If the conditions allow, humans should act humanely!¡± The squad leader screamed desperately, clutching at her. Tears didn¡¯t even flow from the lens-reced eyes. ¡°If you don¡¯t take me with you, it¡¯s murder! Murder! Just try leaving me behind. I¡¯ll destroy that item! Somehow!! I¡¯ll¡ª¡± Thud. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Srrrrrk¡ª R-squad¡¯s leader¡¯s body went limp and copsed sideways. Baek Saheon retracted his left foot, which had just struck the squad leader in the temple. ¡°¡­¡­¡± And me too. I recalled the third hand back into the glove, which struck the back of the R-squad¡¯s leader¡¯s head. ¡®H-He¡¯s still breathing, right?¡¯ I hadn¡¯t meant for both of us to hit him, but here we were. At least the situation seemed to have settled. I nced down at the disheveled middle-aged office worker sprawled on the floor. ¡®¡­Well, he does have experience in field exploration.¡¯ He had crafted a bnce of pleas that could tug at a rookie¡¯s heartstrings and threats that could instill fear. A maniptive mix. Go Yeongeun still held the candle steady, but her trembling gaze betrayed how shaken she was by the pitiful state of her superior. Baek Saheon casually remarked, ¡°Now we just take his head and leave, right?¡± ¡­What? ¡°No, we can¡¯t.¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to die anyway. It¡¯d make it easier for him and give us spare payments for a n B. There¡¯s literally no downside.¡± ¡°Think of Ms. Goral¡¯s mental state if we decapitate someone she knows. It¡¯s hard to maintainposure after killing someone you¡¯re familiar with.¡± As Baek Saheon and I spoke on either side, Go Yeongeun¡¯s face grew increasingly pale. ¡°This is ridiculous. No, I can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°What are you talking about? People can do anything to survive. Of course, it¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Don¡¯t listen to him, Ms. Goral.¡± ¡°Goral¡ª¡± ¡°Wait!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just do this.¡± Go Yeongeun tightened her grip on the candle, then kicked the squad leader toward a shadowy sofa corner. His body slid into the dim recess. She exhaled deeply. ¡°This way, the machines won¡¯t spot him immediately. Let¡¯s go before the candle burns out.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I nodded. Baek Saheon, however, scowled. ¡°Making thingsplicated. He¡¯s going to die anyway.¡± ¡°¡­If you owe your life to someone kind, you should stop saying things like that, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Go Yeongeun sighed deeply. ¡°Still, thank you, both of you. I almost got caught up in that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Surprisingly, Baek Saheon didn¡¯t say another word. I thought he¡¯d make a snidement or demand something in return, but he didn¡¯t. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± We descended the stairs once more. The disruption and the incident were behind us. The end was in sight. Chapter 46.1 Chapter 46.1 On the second floor¡ª Go Yeongeun, now ustomed to the process, posed her question to the usher machine. ¡°Have guests who finished viewing the exhibition on this floor gone downstairs?¡± Nod. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± It was over. This essentially provided the answer they were looking for. ¡®If the exit is on the ground floor and below the second floor¡­¡¯ The only possibility left was the first floor. ¡°Then, if we just go to the first floor and ask for the location of the entrance¡­!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hurry!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± For the first time, Go Yeongeun and Baek Saheon were inplete agreement. ¡®So the entrance really is on the first floor, just like modern logic would suggest. What a coincidence that everything lined up this way.¡¯ A faint sense of exhaustion crept in at the thought of how roundabout their journey had been, but the excitement of finally finding the exit outweighed it. I hastened my pace. All that remained was to pinpoint the entrance and ry the information to my superiors waiting on the terrace. ¨C Oh dear, is your exhibition tour over already? That¡¯s a shame. It seems like you¡¯ve barely seen five of the halls. Hoho. Keep looking, and you might lose your eyes, nose, or mouth. You might faint before then too! ¡®Even now, the three of us are sticking together under the candlelight to survive.¡¯ I tapped the pocket where I kept Braun, as if soothing him, and continued walking. Go Yeongeun, carrying the candle, walked with renewed confidence. That determination didn¡¯t falter, even when she faced the usher machine on the first floor. Her desire to leave seemed to overpower any lingering fear. ¡°Hello!¡± Once again, the machine, influenced by the candle, responded politely. Taking a deep breath, Go Yeongeun made a firm request. ¡°Please guide us to the entrance!¡± But¡­ ¡­¡­ Silence. The machine remained motionless. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± No response. ¡°N-No way¡­¡± With a face turning ashen, Go Yeongeun nced nervously at the candle, as if worried it had lost its power. The me flickered steadily, still shining brightly. After checking it a few more times, she spoke again in a trembling voice. ¡°Please¡­ guide us to the entrance.¡± Again, silence. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The atmosphere dropped to a cial temperature. ¡®We¡¯re fucked.¡¯ I broke the silence. ¡°¡­Ms. Goral.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± ¡°Ask it like this.¡± I recited a familiar phrase, and Go Yeongeun¡¯s expression darkened as she repeated it. ¡°Have guests who finished viewing the exhibition on this first floor gone¡­ downstairs? If yes, please nod.¡± Nod. ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± The usher machine¡¯s answers conflicted. ¡°Why¡­¡± Go Yeongeun swallowed hard. ¡°But the usher machine on the basement floor clearly said people went up¡­!¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± A chill ran down my spine. ¡®What the hell is going on?¡¯ The statements didn¡¯t add up. In the basement, it said to go up, yet on the ground floor, it said to go down. Even if there were multiple exits nearby, this tant contradiction made no sense. ¡®That does exin why so few survivors are mentioned in the , despite the exit being obviously on the first floor.¡¯ ¡°Instead of wasting time repeating the same question, let¡¯s just go to the basement and ask directly. We still have candlelight left, so let¡¯s not waste it.¡± ¡°¡­Ah.¡± Urged by Baek Saheon, we started looking for the stairs to the basement. The path leading down felt unnaturally long and heavy¡­ And the result? Nod. ¡°They said to go up? Damn it¡­¡± The same response as before. ording to the usher machine, visitors who finished viewing the exhibition on the basement floor had indeed gone upstairs. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Even Baek Saheon fell silent. Everyone¡¯s thoughts were tangled. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Go Yeongeun lowered her head. ¡°Do you think¡­ maybe there isn¡¯t an exit at all?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°This could just be a ce that tricks and torments people, giving them false hope to make their suffering worse¡­ There are so many ghost stories like that.¡± That was true. But not this time. ¡°No, there¡¯s definitely an exit.¡± I wasn¡¯t saying this just because I had read the . ¡°Do you remember? Beforeing in here, we were given a brief manual.¡± Though the information had been corrupted and turned into an exhibition invitation, it still applied. ¡°An exit record exists because someone seeded in escaping. That¡¯s how this became a registered Darkness under Daydream Inc.¡± ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Go Yeongeun raised her head. ¡°You¡¯re right. That makes sense.¡± Taking a deep breath, she spoke again, her voice steadier. ¡°Huu! I¡¯m sorry. In times like this, it¡¯s important not to get lost in emotion. There must be a solution.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It might look like a contradiction, but there was something we hadn¡¯t figured out yet. Just as we were deep in thought¡­ ¡°Hey.¡± Baek Saheon spoke, looking at me with a peculiar expression. ¡°Your doll.¡± ¡°Braun?¡± ¡°Yeah. What does¡­ Braun say?¡± ¨C I¡¯m waiting for my brilliant friend¡¯s answer! Of course, that wasn¡¯t because Baek Saheon thought Braun could actually speak. He probably asked because he thought I was a lunatic for talking to a little plushie. ¡®I get it, you want some unconventional ideas.¡¯ I deliberately stared at Baek Saheon before responding. ¡°How would a doll talk?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Think before you speak, yeah?¡± Baek Saheon clenched his fist tightly. ¡°But throwing out ideas like this isn¡¯t a bad thought.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Ms. Goral, do you have any ideas?¡± ¡°Ah, umm¡­¡± ¡°As positively as possible. Let¡¯s assume there¡¯s definitely an exit nearby.¡± ¡°Then¡­ a secret space, maybe?¡± Go Yeongeun furrowed her brow. ¡°Like how attics are sometimes above the top floor, maybe there¡¯s another space between the basement and the ground floors? A parking lot, perhaps¡­¡± There¡¯s no record of such a secret space in this exhibition hall. But it¡¯s still a possibility. After all, experiencing something firsthand is different from reading about it. Sometimes, even with prior knowledge, things don¡¯t match up perfectly. ¡®We didn¡¯t know the window was actually a terrace door, after all.¡¯ But¡­ I felt the exit would be in a more obvious location. ¡®Conceptually, it¡¯s strange for an official pathway to be in a secret space.¡¯ So, the exit likely exists in in sight, but we¡¯re failing to notice it due to biases, thought patterns, or cultural factors¡­ ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Wait a moment. ¡°M-Mr. Roe Deer?¡± I stood up abruptly. Baek Saheon looked at me in surprise, and Go Yeongeun, unable to turn around due to the candle¡¯s effect, nced downward anxiously. ¡°Do you have enough stamina to go up and down the stairs a few more times?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I-I think so.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s move.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I got to my feet. ¡°We need to climb to the top floor.¡± ¡°¡­¡­??¡± Chapter 46.2 Chapter 46.2 We returned to the stairs. ¡°We just need to climb, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I began climbing, but instead of just walking until the next floor appeared, I started counting. One floor. Two floors. Three floors¡­ We kept climbing until the stairs simply stopped. Huff¡­ Gasp¡­ I lifted my head. ¡°This is the top.¡± We had reached the very top floor of this massive mansion. On our way up, we encountered usher machines three times. Each time, Go Yeongeun asked the machines questions, but the answers were always the same. By now, the two of them must have been wondering, ¡®Why are we climbing when the machines say to go down?¡¯ The answery here on this top floor. ¡°Ms. Goral. How many floors do you think we¡¯ve climbed?¡± ¡°What? Well¡­ huh?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Wait. If I counted correctly¡­¡± ¡°Six floors,¡± Baek Saheon said. ¡°This is the sixth floor, not the seventh!¡± Exactly. ¡°But this mansion was supposed to have seven floors!¡± ¨C This historic mansion isposed of seven floors above ground¡­ and 7,221 floors below ground. This contradicted Braun¡¯s exnation. But Braun, being a ¡®good friend¡¯, wouldn¡¯t lie. So if everything is true¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± I get it now. ¡°You. Did you intentionally lie about the seventh floor¡ª¡± Baek Saheon started, but I interrupted. ¡°Ms. Goral, do you know this?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± There were many ghost stories like this¡ªsituations where what seemed logical and clear to one person bespletely irrational for another due to cultural or environmental differences. It¡¯s a kind of ghost story that thrives on the unease created by these disparities. Like when I once identified a clown painting because I understood the difference between a clown and a pierrot in that previous Darkness exploration. ¡°How floors are counted depends on cultural norms.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°In countries like the U.S. or South Korea¡ªand East Asian countries in general¡ªfloor numbering starts from the first floor.¡± However¡­ ¡°In other cultural contexts, it works differently.¡± That exins why the stairs from the ground floor to the basement seemed unnaturally long. It wasn¡¯t just perception. ¡°They start counting from the ground floor, or ¡®floor zero¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The Ground Floor, as it¡¯s often called. ¡°So this mansion does have seven floors above ground¡­ from GF¡ªor 0F¡ªto 6F.¡± I looked down the stairs. ¡°Now we just need to go back to 1F and ask how to find the way to 0F.¡± And that¡¯s exactly what we did. * * * ¨C Please guide us to the path leading to 0F. On the first floor¡ª Following the path led by the usher machine on 1F, we walked forward and, surprisingly, found a staircase of apletely different design on the opposite side of the main exhibition hall. A massive, double-spiral staircase. If we descended one of the spirals, we could, of course, end up in the basement exhibition hall, where the bronze glow transitions into brass¡ªjust like before. But there was another option. We could stop midway and choose to open a massive door. And so I opened that door. Creak. A grand, elegant space bathed in silver light unfolded before us. It wasn¡¯t an exhibition hall. It was¡­ the lobby. ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± A floor functioning purely as a lobby, without any exhibits, and therefore not connected to the usual staircases for exhibition halls¡ªthis was the elusive 0F. We had finally entered this floor through its most proper passageway. And right in front of us was a stained-ss-style ss door. ¡°¡­The main entrance.¡± Though the light pouring through obscured the view of the outside, it was unmistakable. We had found the exit atst. ¡°We¡¯re saved!!¡± ¡°Haaa¡­¡± Shouts of relief and deep sighs of exhaustion filled the lobby. And then, cheers of joy. ¡°Mr. Roe Deer! Your deduction was right! It was right again! Wo!! Let¡¯s get out of here immediately!¡± Truly. I wanted nothing more than to scream and run out in celebration. But¡­ ¡°I need to find my superiors and leave with them.¡± ¡°A-Ah!! Then¡­ you¡¯ll need the candle, won¡¯t you?¡± Go Yeongeun, eyeing the dwindling candle wax, quickly made a determined decision. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go together and get them quickly!¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you.¡± Truly, thank you so much¡­ Wandering this ce alone while searching for my fellow rookies had already drained mepletely. Go Yeongeun¡¯s choice was exactly what I expected of her character. As for Baek Saheon, well¡­ His decision was no surprise either. Without hesitation, he made a beeline for the door. ¡°Do as you like. I¡¯m outta here!¡± Sure, whatever. I watched Baek Saheon with an unimpressed look. ¡®I¡¯d better observe what happens when someone uses the door¡ªwhat effects it has, and how it reacts.¡¯ But then, Baek Saheon hesitated. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± And slowly stepped away from the entrance. ¡®¡­¡­?¡¯ Why. ¡°I thought you were leaving?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll let someone else go first.¡± Good grief. ¡®It¡¯d be easier for everyone if he just left.¡¯ I gave him a slightly disappointed nce and turned my attention elsewhere. ¨C Hahaha¡­ this is quite the amusing situation, Mr. Roe Deer! I don¡¯t find it amusing, but it¡¯sforting to know that someone does. ¨C So now you¡¯re heading off to inform your remarkably ordinary superiors about the location of the exit? Exactly. ¡®Though remarkably ordinary aren¡¯t exactly the words I¡¯d use for them¡­¡¯ How many times have I scoured this mansion by now? My legs were ready to give out, but I needed to move quickly. ¨C Wait a moment. Are your legs hurting, my friend? ¨C Oh, then it¡¯s time for me to introduce my newest ability. ¡­Huh? ¡®A new ability?¡¯ ¨C Yes! Thanks to the splendid bath you gifted me, my dear friend, I¡¯ve rejuvenated myself. Allow me to demonstrate my strength¡­ ¨C Now, take me out of your pocket. His tone was oddly grandiose, yet carried a subtle air of gratitude. I followed his instructions and pulled the stuffed doll from my pocket. ¡°Mr. Roe Deer?¡± ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± ¨C Precisely. You won¡¯t need to wait long! A true performer is always prepared to impress¡­ like this! Snap! A dull snapping sound echoed from the doll¡¯s fingerless hands. And then¡­ I felt something open within me, as if my chest and mouth had been ¡®unlocked¡¯. A sense of resonance. It was as though a vast space had formed within me. [Ah.] ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°Y-Your voice¡­¡± I fell silent. The vibration of my vocal cords reverberated throughout the entire lobby. ¨C Not bad. ¨C In my show, no guest needs to raise their voice. Every word will befortably and clearly heard by the audience and viewers. That¡¯s¡­ ¡®A mic?¡¯ ¨C Ah, what a wonderfully mainstream way to put it! ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, my dear friend, your words will now reach everyone clearly¡­ as long as they¡¯re in the same ¡®studio¡¯. ¨C In this case, the ¡®same floor¡¯, if you will! Unbelievable. He had actually be more capable. ¨C You tter me. I was amazed. ¡®Though, unfortunately, this ability doesn¡¯t seem very suitable for the current situation.¡¯ ¨C Pardon? I only needed to call the superiors waiting in the terrace room. If everyone on this floor could hear me instead¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¨C Friend? Wait. Is that really a bad thing? Chapter 47.1 Chapter 47.1 Supervisor Park Minseong suppressed a sigh as he sat down next to the sofa in the terrace room where he had been hiding. ¡®This is taking too long.¡¯ It had been over 70 minutes since Kim Soleum went downstairs with his fellow new hires. Though Soleum had mentioned that this amount of time might be needed, he had also left a caveat about what to do if neither he nor the others returned within two hours¡­ ¨C ¡­Don¡¯t bother waiting or looking for me. In other words, if things went south, they should just leave him behind. ¡®I should¡¯ve just gone with him.¡¯ Park Minseong stifled another sigh. Even though Daydream Inc. thrived on a survival-of-the-fittest philosophy, there were still some squads in the Field Exploration Team with strong camaraderie, and D-squad happened to be one of them. Assistant Manager Eun Haje, too, was sitting on the sofa, visibly unsettled as she revised a makeshift map of this Darkness. Every now and then, she sighed deeply. ¡®¡­I was hoping Roe would settle into our squad even after the rookie period ends.¡¯ For now, though, making it out of here alive took priority. Feeling slightly glum, Park Minseong still found some reassurance in one thing. ¡®Squad Leader Lee Jaheon approved this, after all.¡¯ That meant the item was likely as reliable as it seemed. Minseong had no idea where the rookie had managed to get it, but asionally, there were such cases¡ªpeople who joined thepany after being repeatedly caught up in urban legends or ghost stories. ¡®Is he a case like that?¡¯ Perhaps it was more urate to call it bad luck. Even in the Field Exploration Team, it was rare for rookies to be deployed into dangerous Darknesses like this¡ªmaybe once a year, if that. Thinking about Kim Soleum, who had gone from one high-risk mission¡ªlike the theme park¡ªto another, almost brought tears to Minseong¡¯s eyes. ¡®At least he¡¯s been earning points.¡¯ Park Minseong suppressed another sigh and looked toward the terrace door. There stood a figure,pletely unbothered, in stark contrast to Minseong¡¯s restless thoughts. Squad Leader Lee Jaheon. Without the slightest movement, he remained stationed right by the terrace door. He was likely measuring the passage of time with an unnervingly precise internal clock. Once the countdown ended, he would undoubtedly rise and act ording to n¡ªwithout hesitation. Minseong could only hope that the n didn¡¯t involve ¡®excluding Kim Soleum from the escape attempt due to ack of survival prospects¡¯. ¡®No, before that, I just hope Roees back¡­¡¯ Outside, apart from the asional scream, there was an unsettling quiet. ¡®No footsteps yet.¡¯ If Roe had finished his task, surely the sound of three sets of calm footsteps would be the first thing they heard¡­ [Can you hear me?] ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± Park Minseong leapt to his feet. Next to him, Assistant Manager Eun Haje reflexively did the same. [This is an announcement regarding the escape route.] [There isn¡¯t enough time to repeat myself, so please pay attention.] It was the voice of the rookie who D-squad had been waiting for¡ªKim Soleum. [The exit is at 0F.] [Let me repeat: the exit is at 0F. You need to descend the stairs until the bronze glow transitions into brass¡­] It was undoubtedly Roe¡¯s voice. Given how extraordinary this rookie had proven to be, it wasn¡¯t even surprising if he had found a clever way to broadcast an announcement¡­ but. ¡­What if it wasn¡¯t him? What if something not human was merely imitating Kim Soleum? ¡°¡­¡­¡± The two members of D-squad exchanged a nce, silently leaving the final decision to the person best equipped to handle this. Their squad leader, who had a reputation for unerring judgment in these situations. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lee Jaheon stood by the terrace door, having clearly heard the announcement. He stared nkly into space as if deep in thought. [You must use the spiral staircase.] After a moment of contemtion, he made his decision. ¡°Move out.¡± [That concludes the announcement.] I finally finished repeating the message for the sixth time. From the first to the sixth floor. ¡®That should cover all the surface levels.¡¯ I¡¯d debated whether to focus only on D-squad, stationed on the first floor, but Ms. Goral had been adamant. ¨C Y-You mean you can do that? Then we have to save as many people as we can! It was such a statement befitting someone in the medical field. Now, however, it was up to everyone¡¯s individual judgment. ¡®I deliberately avoided introducing myself or mentioning thepany, but I did include a few terms familiar to the Field Exploration Team¡­¡¯ Even so, there might be people too suspicious to act. If they encountered an usher machine on the stairs by chance, there was nothing I could do about that either. Still, losing a body part or two was still better than dying here as a human grub. ¡®It also helps spread out the machines that might head toward D-squad.¡¯ I cleared my throat. ¡°Ah, ah.¡± Braun seemed to have retracted his energy, as the strange resonance in my throat and lungs faded away. ¡®Thanks.¡¯ ¨C Gratitude is always music to my ears! Braun sounded slightly tired but still cheerful. Meanwhile, from the side, a voice filled with irritation broke the moment of appreciation. ¡°Why are you wasting points? The more people escape, the fewer points we get individually.¡± Here we go again with this guy¡¯s twisted logic. And worse, it¡¯s an ignorant statement. ¡°Are you stupid? Do you think there aren¡¯t veteran employees who¡¯ll find the exit on their own without our help, even if a rookie like you escapes?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± There are employees who are so well-equipped with items and specialized gear or just naturally talented that they¡¯ll escape without assistance. Even ording to the , seven survivors escaping was already guaranteed, so the individual point distribution wouldn¡¯t have been above one-eighth regardless of whether I did this or not. In short, trying to cash in on points from this ghost story wasn¡¯t worth it. But instead of exining all this, I simply smiled faintly. ¡°This is the kind of situation where making a good impression ensures work bes more enjoyableter. Plus, I get to observe different reactions.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Baek Saheon turned his head with an exasperated look. ¡®Do you even have a conscience?¡¯ If he were to reflect on his previous statement, he¡¯d realize that I should be giving him that exact reaction. What a sociopath, in this twisted ghost story world. Still, worried that Ms. Goral might have been unsettled, I called out to her. ¡°Ms. Goral.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ms. Goral?¡± ¡°¡­Wait. Did you just call me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± No way. ¡°¡­I think¡­ my hearing is starting to go, just a bit.¡± Chapter 47.2 Chapter 47.2 ¡°¡­¡­¡± I looked at her ear, hidden beneath her hair, where the opening was now absent. Instead, there was a neatly stitched, hollow space. Whatever device had been ¡®rented¡¯ to her as a hearing aid was starting to fail. And in such a short time, too. ¡®Of all moments¡­¡¯ ¡°But I can still hear, somewhat. And since there¡¯s still plenty of the candle left, I think we can keep moving carefully.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± To ensure clearermunication, I gently tapped Ms. Goral on the shoulder. She flinched slightly but then resolutely resumed her descent down the stairs. Baek Saheon quickly spoke up. ¡°I should carry the candle. Hand it over to me.¡± ¡°And what happens if Ms. Goral identally turns around because of that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Baek Saheon fell silent. We began descending the six flights of stairs, tense and alert. Step, step. Only the sound of our footsteps filled the stairwell. It didn¡¯t seem like anyone who had heard my broadcast hade out yet¡­ ¡°Excuse me,¡± Ms. Goral called out. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Could she not hear me? ¡°Excuse me, are you there?¡± I softly tapped her back. Reluctantly, Baek Saheon also gave her shoulder a couple of light pats. ¡°Ah¡­ Thank you.¡± Ms. Goral, reassured, gripped the candle tightly with both hands and continued descending the stairs. Step, step. The silence stretched on, feeling almost eternal¡­ until we finally reached the first floor. Creeeak. The sound of usher machines echoed from all around, moving along their paths. One of them passed right by us, dragging a dead, human husk along the ground. ¡°¡­We¡¯ll head to the spiral staircase now.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ms. Goral raised her voice. She probably couldn¡¯t tell how loud she was speaking anymore due to her deteriorating hearing. ¡®It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re almost there.¡¯ To react quickly, I kept my ears sharp, walking cautiously but steadily. It wasn¡¯t the wrong approach. But the problem with dangers like these is that they sometimes have nothing to do with how prepared you are. For instance, you could be focused on listening for threats, only for an entirely unrted obstacle to appear. ¡°Huh?¡± I noticed that the person in front of me had disappeared from view. Looking down, I saw Ms. Goral¡¯s figure falling. At her feet, something shiny was sliding across the ground. A telescopic lens. It had fallen off the corpse the usher machine was dragging¡ªan invisible rental item rolling at just the wrong moment into her path¡­ Thud. I reached out and caught Ms. Goral. But as her arm hit the ground, the candle flew out of her grasp. ¡°No¡­!¡± I reflexively caught the candle and threw it toward Baek Saheon. But it was toote. The candle went out. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡­Gaaasp¡ª The usher machine turned to face us. Whoosh. A metallic de flew toward us. ¡°Eek¡ª¡± I rolled to the side. A sharp gasp came from nearby. The usher machine, having set down the corpse it was carrying, raised its gasmp to illuminate us. It must have confirmed that all of us were behind on our ¡®payments¡¯. Reevaluating its ¡®priorities¡¯, the needle-like appendages mounted on the machine¡¯s abdomen flew toward us once again. Its target: the nearest eye. ¡°Mr. Roe Deer.¡± A familiar voice. ¡°Duck!¡± Instinctively, I pushed the heads of my two teammates down and threw myself to the floor. BANG. A deafening metallic sh and a shower of sparks erupted above our heads. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± It was Section Chief Lee Jaheon. The impossibly strong Field Exploration Team member had ruthlessly deflected the usher machine¡¯s needle. Ting¡ª The broken tip of the needle flew through the air and embedded itself in the corridor wall. The usher machine twisted its joints, emitting a strange grinding noise. What madness. ¡®That thing can break?¡¯ Lee Jaheon withdrew his gloved hand. Judging by the force involved, it wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if he had fractured something himself. Clutched in his hand, like a set of brass knuckles, was something metallic¡­ The terrace doorknob. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± An rm red in my mind. That item¡­ ¡®Exhibition property damage.¡¯ All disruptions, theft, or property damage urring within the exhibition hall are subject to immediate action by ushers, with corresponding fines collected. He even broke an usher machine. Even if the exhibition treated this as a civil issue and only demanded an apology andpensation fees instead of invoking criminal charges¡­ One thing was certain. The usher machines would now treat this as their top-priority. And it wasn¡¯t just the one machine in front of us. All the usher machines in this zone would react the same way¡­ ¡°Squad Leader.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Run.¡± I bolted. Grrriiiik, grrrrk, jijijik¡ª bzzzzzt, grrk¡ª SCREEEECH! The sound of the damaged usher machine moving more aggressively than ever filled the air. Beside me, I could hear my squadmates running like mad. As for the Chief Lizard¡­ wait, hold on! ¡°Squad Leader!!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Stop fighting and just run!¡± ¡®No matter how ridiculously strong you are, there¡¯s no way you can destroy every usher machine here!¡¯ Just imagining the chaos spreading further was overwhelming. ¡®Even the Dark Exploration Records had those sections censored!¡¯ I didn¡¯t even want to consider how such events might manifest in real life. Screeeeeech! ¡®Fuuuck!¡¯ We ran straight into another usher machine blocking the path to the staircase. No, two more! ¡°Uuurgh!¡± I threw myself through the descending needles, feeling a sharp pain shoot through my arm. Even as I ran, my instincts screamed the truth. ¡®I¡¯m going to get caught.¡¯ With human limitations, it was impossible to avoid this. We would be captured and fined before reaching 0F. A cold chill ran down my back. ¡®¡­Is there anything I can do?¡¯ My breath was ragged. Oxygen-deprived, my thoughts became sluggish, giving way to resignation. ¡®Maybe I¡¯vested long enough¡­¡¯ My dulled senses split the surrounding sounds intoyers. The echo of footsteps rumbled in my ears, as if dozens of people were running. No, wait! ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± It hit me. It wasn¡¯t just that the footsteps sounded like many. There actually were more people now. Instead of two, there were at least ten or more sets of footsteps. ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, these must be the folks who took advantage of your excellent broadcast to seize the opportunity! ¡°¡­¡­!¡± They were Field Exploration Team members. Spectators who had been watching the situation unfold now seemed to be using the chaos as cover to approach the spiral staircase. This unexpected development had an unintended effect. The usher machines became confused, recalcting priorities based on the importance of tasks and proximity to the various individuals. Everywhere, unpaid participants were breaking into sprints, distracting the machines. ¡°Hurry up!¡± Taking advantage of the brief window, we clenched our teeth andunched ourselves toward the staircase. Screeeeeeeeeech¡ª We ran like mad. The unsettling sounds of the machines grew closer behind us. The staircase ended, and a silvery hall spread out before us. The lobby. And¡­ the front door! ¡°Go!¡± Assistant Manager Eun Haje and Supervisor Park Minseong were holding the doors open. We sprinted with everything we had. As I stepped onto the threshold of the main entrance, my superiors dove through the exit. I followed, nearly copsing through the doorway. Breathless, I ran until the glowing doorway of light enveloped me. ¡°Huu!!¡± When I opened my eyes, I saw a clean ceiling lined with fluorescent lights. A modern hallway of moderate width. The corridor on the 31st floor of thepany, just outside the meeting room. We¡¯d escaped. ¡°Hah¡­¡­¡± I copsed onto the floor. I could hear the sound of people rushing out from the conference room, but I had no mental energy or strength left to care. Every ounce of strength had been wrung from my body as I drifted into a dazed state¡­ An rm rang out. [Dark Exploration Records Real Merch Box] ¨C New merch unlocked! Chapter 48.1 Chapter 48.1 The meeting room was in chaos. ¡°Seventeen people have reportedly returned alive!¡± ¡°Seventeen¡­?! Are you sure about that number? Could it be a counting error?¡± ¡°Yes. Oh! The count just went up to 20.¡± Members of the Field Exploration Team, deployed earlier in the day into a high-risk Darkness, had suddenly returned in droves. This unexpected turn of eventspletely paralyzed any immediate response. ¡°They said all the case studies were done and that they¡¯d escape in small, sequential groups. What on earth is this?¡± The room was filled with a cacophony of voices¡ªspections about whether the returning employees were really the ones who had entered, calls forb testing to confirm their identities, and other theories about what might have gone wrong with their predictions. But as the initial shock faded, a subtle thought began to form in the minds of some¡­ The thrilling possibility of sess. Could this result be a remarkable breakthrough? For a few of the key yers who had backed this endeavor, simr thoughts emerged. ¡®If this survival rate is real¡­!¡¯ It would mean their bold and calcted investment had paid off. The unexpectedly high sess rate was so surprising that it left them momentarily dazed. ¡®Should we start shaping public opinion about this achievement?¡¯ ¡®Wait, I should highlight my contributions while this is fresh.¡¯ However, all the confusion, excitement, and self-congrattions were abruptly extinguished by one critical piece of news. ¡°It¡¯s B-ss.¡± ¡°¡­Huh.¡± The first survivor¡¯s Dream Essence Collector had been evaluated, and the liquid inside was rated B-ss. In other words, the dream of a ¡®high-survival-rate A-ss¡¯ Darkness had vanished. The atmosphere in the meeting room deted in an instant, sinking into disappointment. ¡°Ha¡­ Of course, it¡¯s too good to be true.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t this jinxed the moment people started hyping it as A-ss?¡± ¡°Still, hey, isn¡¯t a B-ss Darkness with this kind of survival rate pretty rare? What do you think, Section Chief Kwak?¡± Kwak Jaekang, a researcher hurriedly called in, gave a faint smile. ¡°Indeed~ It¡¯s an impressive result.¡± No, it wasn¡¯t just impressive¡ªit was staggering! Did these people even understand the survival rates associated with each grade? They didn¡¯t seem to grasp how extraordinary this situation was. That¡¯s why none of them were foaming at the mouth, eager to analyze the exploration data right away. ¡®Wow~ incredible.¡¯ Seeing them exchange titudes and self-consoling remarks like, ¡®We just had bad luck,¡¯ or ¡®Our judgment was still correct,¡¯ amused Kwak Jaekang. Did they really think this was a situation that warranted constion? ¡®Do these people have any sense of reality at all?¡¯ The average civilian survival rate for B-ss Darknesses was below 2%. Deploying arge number of employees into such a situation without proper manuals or preparation had been a reckless gamble. And now, instead of marveling at the mind-boggling results, they were busy osciting between disappointment and self-praise. This, despite the fact that the ¡®expert consultation¡¯ they relied on had been nothing more than hastily adopted advice from a single research manager who catered to their biases. The reason for this recklessness was obvious. ¡®Because they wanted to do it!¡¯ While Kwak Jaekang was personally thrilled at the prospect of analyzing such fascinating results, he found it astonishing that thepany managed to function at all with higher-ups like these in its development division. Kwak felt a twinge of regret. The longer thispany survived, the more opportunities he¡¯d have to study these captivating paranormal phenomena. But the way the so-called ¡®Innovation Development Strategy Office¡¯ operated posed a clear risk to thepany¡¯s future. Sure, family-ownedpanies oftencked structure, but this was a mess. ¡®I¡¯d heard rumors¡­ but could it really be that everyone close to the owner is like this?¡¯ Of course, not everyone in the room was like that. Kwak Jaekang¡¯s eyes darted briefly to someone seated a bit apart from the rest. This individual hadn¡¯t been present at thest meeting. ¡®That¡¯s one of Director Ho¡¯s people.¡¯ That person had shown up under the pretext of having a passing interest in this agenda item and asked to join briefly. Even though the Development Department¡¯s higher-ups were known to meddle in the Field Exploration Team¡¯s affairs, this was still unusual. What stood out even more was how openly the individual was receiving updates about the situation via remotemunication with their team. ¡°Apparently, one employee yed a major role in therge-scale escape.¡± ¡°Pardon??¡± The air in the room shifted, not toward eagerness but to apprehension and tension. But the next statement left everyone in shock. ¡°It was a new hire.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°He reportedly broadcasted the escape method to all the employees. We need to investigate the details of how he managed it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Some people are already asking questions about it.¡± It was Director Ho. The Strategy Office¡¯s people exchanged nces, muttering half-heartedly. ¡°Ah, yes. We¡¯ll transmit the detailed exploration report as soon as it¡¯s avable.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Usually, after field exploration, people are so out of it they babble nonsense for a while.¡± ¡°Still, they wouldn¡¯t just make up something out of thin air, would they?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Which brings us to the matter at hand.¡± The representative from Director Ho¡¯s side interrupted the conversation. ¡°They¡¯re curious about what decision the ¡®Innovation Development Strategy Division¡¯ will make.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Regarding the employee¡¯s reward, that is.¡± * * * ¡°Congrattions, Supervisor Kim.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± I almost choked on my iced americano while lying on a cot in the medical bay. After hearing the heartwarming words, ¡®Our maknae[1], you worked hard, so just rest,¡¯ I had undergone a basic physical examination and had been dozing off for hours. I thought I¡¯d only hear more about this exploration when I came to work tomorrow. Supervisor¡­? ¡°Oh, you heard me right. Supervisor Kim.¡± Assistant Manager Eun Haje grinned. ¡°You¡¯re getting promoted. Fastest record in the history of thepany¡¯s Field Exploration Team!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡±
Note/s: [1] Maknae = youngest/newest member ? Chapter 48.2 Chapter 48.2 ¡°Honestly, I knew this would happen. Guess our Roe won¡¯t need to speak formally to me anymore.¡± ¡°Hey, if we wait until you¡¯re employed for six months here, you and I¡¯ll be able to talk on equal terms too, huh?¡± What is this? This isn¡¯t some mom-and-pop store¡ªhow is someone getting promoted to Assistant Manager after just a couple of months? ¡®This has to be an internal rumor, right?¡¯ I tried asking politely, but the answer was firm. ¡°No, you absolutely deserve it. Do you know how many employees you saved this time?¡± Assistant Manager Eun Haje crossed her arms. ¡°Twenty-six people, including yourself.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Roe, of those, seventeen escaped directly after hearing your broadcast!¡± ¡°When you count the ones who came outte after confirming others were escaping, it¡¯s safe to say you saved them all.¡± She added that even some civilian participants had made it out. ¡°Do you realize how rare a record like this is? It¡¯s something that might happen once every few years. Honestly, a promotion doesn¡¯t feel enough.¡± ¡°Exactly. Let¡¯s dig into this after the squad leaderes back from the meeting tomorrow. They¡¯re bound to give you something extra.¡± Their excitement on my behalf was heartwarming, but I was still in shock. A promotion? ¡­A promotion at a major corporation after just 60 days of work? My modern heart raced with unease. ¡°Brace yourself. Special promotions are announced quickly.¡± And indeed, it was true. The very next day, I saw the promotion notice on thepany intr. [Special Promotion Announcement] Sure enough, the name ¡®Kim Soleum¡¯ was listed there. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Buuuuuzzzzz. My phone vibrated incessantly. Apparently, congrattory messages were pouring in. Wait a second. ¡®This feels like they¡¯re handling this quickly to minimize internal resistance.¡¯ The Field Exploration Team is still made up of humans. Naturally, if you save someone¡¯s life, they feel a sense of gratitude or emotional impact. In that sense, the 35 people I¡¯d helped would likely feel at least some level of appreciation toward me, which would reduce opposition to the promotion. It was clear from the timing of the announcement that they wanted to capitalize on that goodwill. No, but why¡­? Why were they pushing my promotion so aggressively? ¡®H-How much more do they n to wring out of me?¡¯ Wasn¡¯t it enough that I was already dealing with newly registered ghost stories without manuals? As the thought of increasingly harrowing assignments loomed over me, I reached out to an elite senior from another squad. [Are you stupid? Not getting promoted would¡¯ve been stranger.] ¡°¡­¡­??¡± [Even the manual revision officer came looking for you after hearing about your performance. With results like that, of course you¡¯d attract attention from higher-ups.] Jin Nasol, A-squad¡¯s assistant manager, clicked her tongue. [If only we¡¯d grabbed you when we had an opening in our squad. Ugh, what a waste.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± [Anyway, congrattions. It was bound to happen.] ¡°¡­Thank you, I guess.¡± I hung up, feeling strangely hollow, and leaned back in my office chair, trying to process everything. Right. No point in denying it¡ªI had reached this stage. ¡®Am I¡­ an elite employee?¡¯ A notable figure destined to be listed in the ? The kind of character that certain hardcore creators of the lore might want to kill off just to maintain the gritty atmosphere of the universe¡­ but who ends up sticking around because of growing poprity on video tforms like WeTube? Maybe. Is this what people call a ¡®Mary Sue¡¯ character¡­ ¡®How did ite to this?¡¯ Then again, maybe it was inevitable. To be honest, having read through the entire was basically a cheat! ¡®I did my best to keep it subtle, given the life-or-death circumstances.¡¯ But here¡¯s the real kicker¡­ ¡®What happens if they figure out I¡¯m actually a coward?¡¯ Hoping this would just end with a reassignment to the Round-Off Team was overly optimistic. There was no telling how far the repercussions might spread. If someone started asking, ¡®How did someone so cowardly get such good results?¡¯ then what¡¯s next for me were¡­ ¡®Interrogations and experiments¡­?¡¯ I could already picture a future where I¡¯d be dragged off to the Research Team the moment they discovered I was from a parallel dimension. Cold sweat trickled down my forehead. N-No. That can never happen. I stood up, grabbed some coffee, and took ap around the break room. The caffeine cleared my head a little. Right. ¡®If I can¡¯t avoid it, I just need to maximize my survival rate in this ce.¡¯ If I was already under scrutiny, the best way to avoid unnecessary attention might be to keep delivering performances that justified it. ¡®I need to make them believe I¡¯m naturally thispetent and exceptional.¡¯ It¡¯s not like there aren¡¯t employees like that. Take Squad Leader Lizard or Assistant Manager Butterfly Mask, for example. They¡¯re categorized as standouts, and that¡¯s it. Even if it meant a higher probability of being assigned to more dangerous ghost stories¡­ Well, maybe it wasn¡¯t all bad. If I was treated as high-value personnel, I might be sent to fewer outright lethal missions. ¡®And I could rack up points faster too.¡¯ The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a reasonable strategy to escape this world quickly. But to achieve that, there was a critical first step. ¡®I need to do some serious work on my character build¡­¡¯ I had toe across as a petent and exceptional unit¡¯ naturally enough to avoid suspicion. Like when I¡¯d acted like a lunatic in front of Baek Saheon¡ªwalking the line carefully. And for that¡­ ¡®¡­I need more cards to y into this character.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± I looked up. Hovering above me was something that had been there ever since escaping the exhibition hall. [Dark Exploration Records Real Merch Box] ¨C New merch unlocked! (!) It was one of the merch I¡¯d purchased at the pop-up store. I¡¯d been putting off opening it, waiting until I felt rested and my judgment was clear. It was time. Chapter 48.3 Chapter 48.3 I had no idea what requirement I had fulfilled in the exhibition to unlock it, but I reached for the glowing ck notepad and lightly touched it, stretching as I did. Click. A clear sound apanied the small, lightweight object, still in its stic packaging, as it fell into my hand. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Shining silver, it was shaped like a small shield with the word ¡®CHARGE¡¯ embossed in elegant calligraphy. It¡¯s¡­ A badge. ¡®Ah.¡¯ I understood immediately. The condition I¡¯d fulfilled was¡­ ¡®good deeds¡¯. ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau / Items Silver Heart Wearers earn the reverence of others proportional to their cumtive altruistic actions. Strongly influenced by the creator¡¯s belief that ¡®it is socially most efficient for altruistic individuals to gain power¡¯. Item Usage Qualification(s) : Must have saved 12 or more lives in a supernatural disaster. ======================== This so-called ¡®badge of character¡¯. It was an item produced and distributed by the Disaster Management Bureau. It had exploded in poprity after a legendary performance in the exploration records of a sealed ghost story involving a train explosion. Its unique properties were part of what made it stand out. As the description suggests, it was an item exclusively for good people. It allowed altruists to wield influence within a group. ¡®The fact that I now qualify for this is¡­ overwhelming.¡¯ It felt like too much responsibility. While this item was generally used in heartwarming ways, there was that one time it led to a catastrophic disaster of utterly insane proportions. ¡®That¡¯s how it always goes with creepypasta universes.¡¯ Whenever enough goodwill umtes, something horrifying inevitably slips in to raise the stakes. In the past, there were records of this badge being distributed to exceptionally kind civilians, but over time, it became strictly regted and only loaned to government employees under tight rules. I remember watching the wiki updates happen in real time. What does this mean? It means that at this point, no one would ever predict a Daydream Inc. employee using the ¡®Silver Heart¡¯. ¡®Which is why I can actually use it.¡¯ I¡¯m not sure how many more good deeds I¡¯ll manage with everything I¡¯ve got on my te, but at least I should benefit from the badge¡¯s base effect, right? If it gives my colleagues the impression of, ¡®This person¡¯s pretty remarkable,¡¯ it¡¯ll make it much easier toe across as a capable employee. ¡®Alright. Let¡¯s make good use of this.¡¯ Apparently, the universe doesn¡¯t just want me dead. I carefully tucked the Silver Heart badge into my pocket and left the break room with a lighter heart. As soon as I stepped out, I was greeted with news of additional rewards for the recent exploration. ¡°Roe! It¡¯s not officially announced yet, but they¡¯re giving you a bonus reward too!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Man, it¡¯s a shame you¡¯re surprised about something you so obviously deserve¡­¡± ¡°Exactly! Do they think B-ss zones are ygrounds for kids? People step in there and die instantly. What do they think this is, a joke?¡± Uh, thanks, I guess? ¡°But the bonus reward¡¯s pretty decent, so that¡¯s something.¡± ¡®Pretty decent¡¯? That¡¯s high praiseing from Assistant Manager Eun. Judging by the hint of admiration on her face, it must be something special. ¡°¡­What is it?¡± ¡°A regeneration potion.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there. I bet the name alone doesn¡¯t mean much to you, huh?¡± It absolutely did. It¡¯s too famous for anyone not to know it. This wasn¡¯t just some standard health potion you¡¯d get from the medical bay. ¨C One of ¡®s signature products. A magic potion. The miracle cure. ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Daydream Inc. / Items Regeneration Potion A magical potion that regenerates all physical injuries. The higher the grade, the more powerful it is. With a deep green hue. ======================== ¡°Simply put, it can regrow body parts. And this one¡¯s C-grade. Even if you lose a limb, it¡¯ll regenerate just fine.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Not even the exclusive equipment for section chiefs has this kind of ability. This is apany specialty. Its point value? About 10,000.¡± Assistant Manager Eun grinned and gave me a pat on the back. ¡°You¡¯ll find it handy someday. Our line of work is dangerous, after all. Isn¡¯t it great to know you can get your arms, legs, eyes, or nose back if you lose them?¡± Honestly, ma¡¯am, you didn¡¯t have to put it quite like that¡­ ¡°And one more thing¡ªit might be disappointing, or it might be good news. Wanna hear?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not the only one getting it.¡± * * * ¡°Soleum-ssi!¡± ¡°Hello.¡± I waved to Go Yeongeun, who had called out to me. Baek Saheon was sitting next to her. Thepany had gathered the three of us for a photo op as part of the bonus reward ceremony. It was the first time I¡¯d seen them since the escape. You¡¯d think Baek Saheon and I would see each other all the time, being roommates, right? Buttely, he¡¯s been holed up in his room. Thanks to that, I¡¯ve been enjoying the living room TV with Braun in peace. ¡°Have you been resting well? Are you feeling alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. How about you, Go Yeongeun-ssi¡­¡± As I spoke, I realized something. Go Yeongeun was focusing intently on my lips, trying to read them as I spoke. ¡°My hearing¡­ hasn¡¯t returned yet.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± As expected. At least the rental auditory device she¡¯d been using automatically deactivated upon leaving the exhibition, so there was no worry about exhibition staff chasing after her. And in her hands was the bonus reward thepany had just given her. When she opened the ornate box, adorned with gold embossing and mural-like decorations, it revealed a beautifully wax-sealed ss bottle. Inside the ss, the light green liquid shimmered like new spring leaves. : Daydream Potion : Regeneration C (excellent) It was a C-grade regeneration potion. Go Yeongeun held the ss bottle aloft, her eyes filled with a mix of hope, uncertainty, and anticipation. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll go ahead and try it right now.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± Go Yeongeun opened the Regeneration Potion and downed it in one go. Chapter 49.1 Chapter 49.1 The green magical potion slipped into Go Yeongeun¡¯s mouth. Gulp. Gulp. When the liquid was gone, and the ss bottle waspletely empty¡ª ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Go Yeongeun lowered the bottle. Eyes wide open, she brought both hands to her ears¡­ And, trembling within her palms, As if new flesh was sprouting over an injury, round lumps of flesh began growing where her ears had been torn away. In an instant, they started taking shape. The helix, tragus, and earlobes all formed distinct structures around the cartge, and then¡­ They became whole again. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°W-Wow¡­!!¡± Goodness. ¡°Go Yeongeun-ssi?¡± ¡°Yes!! Oh! I can hear! I can actually hear¡­!¡± Go Yeongeun eximed in disbelief as she touched her newly grown ears, then opened her smartphone¡¯s camera app to inspect them. As expected, they looked identical to her original ears. ¡°Does it hurt or feel ufortable?¡± ¡°Not at all! It just itched for a moment, but then it was fine¡­ Actually, it feels like my hearing is even better than before!¡± It was truly a wonderful thing. Really, it was astonishing and awe-inspiring, something to be deeply grateful for, but¡­ ¡®¡­This could lead to more reckless decisions.¡¯ In thispany, if a high-grade Darkness was confirmed to involve unavoidable severe physical injuries, low-ss regeneration potions were sometimes issued as standard equipment. And once people get used to that? Employees would gradually begin to feel indifferent about losing parts of their bodies. It¡¯s hard the first time, but after the second, it gets easier. ¡®Is that really a good thing?¡¯ I nced to the side with a strange feeling. Baek Saheon was staring somberly into the ornate box containing his regeneration potion¡­ With one eye. ¡°¡­Pardon, Baek Saheon-ssi.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Go Yeongeun hesitated before speaking cautiously. ¡°Losing vision in one eye has a bigger impact than you¡¯d think. Depth perception, field of view, even bnce are affected. It might be better to use it and regenerate your eye, even if it feels wasteful.¡± ¡°Mind your own business.¡± Go Yeongeun almost showed a ¡®What¡¯s with this guy?¡¯ expression but chose to let it go, perhaps reassured by the return of her ears. After some hesitation, I added, ¡°Given the risks of our work, there¡¯s always the chance of more injuriester. Saving it for emergencies isn¡¯t a bad idea either.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Baek Saheon suddenly trembled slightly as he stared intently at the box. ¡®Hey.¡¯ Why did he suddenly look like he was debating, ¡®Should I just use it now?¡¯ after I backed him up? Anyway, I ignored him and carefully stashed my own box. My heart beat a little faster. It was my first time seeing such a famous, powerful, and non-threatening symbolic item in person. The symbol of Daydream Inc. The magical potion. ¡®I better keep this safe.¡¯ At that moment¡ª ¡°Excuse me, Soleum-ssi.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I meant to say this earlier, but I wanted to formally thank you.¡± Go Yeongeun looked at me and bowed slightly. ¡°Truly, truly¡­ Thank you.¡± Huh? ¡°For fighting that machine alone to let us escape.¡± ¡°¡­Go Yeongeun-ssi, you weren¡¯t in immediate danger back then.¡± Her ears had already been taken, so there was no more fee to pay. Honestly, the only person I really saved was Baek Saheon. ¡®And that ungrateful punk hasn¡¯t even said a single word of gratitude¡­¡¯ What a piece of work, this punk. However, Go Yeongeun firmly shook her head. ¡°No. You came back to save us afterward, didn¡¯t you? Even lying that the candle was ours to protect us.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°No matter how I think about it, you didn¡¯t need to do that. You could¡¯ve just stayed with the D-squad.¡± ¡°Um.¡± Yeah, but actually¡­ ¡®If I gave the candle to those guys with nerves of steel instead?¡¯ What? Was the situation secure now? Okay, then let¡¯s test this and test that, put it through the manual revision process, and farm some points. Just imagining the chaos they would cause made me feel like I¡¯d copse from a heart attack. I didn¡¯t wander around that insane exhibition to find the two of you for no reason. There was something even scarier behind me that drove me to act¡­! ¡®And¡­ if I can save someone, it¡¯s right to do so.¡¯ I simply did what I could. So I just shook my head. ¡°That¡¯s something anyone would¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°Are you serious? It doesn¡¯t seem that way¡­¡± ¡°If anything, considering your contributions, both of you deserve promotions as well. I feel a bit guilty being the only one promoted.¡± Go Yeongeun frowned. ¡°N-No. I¡­ I don¡¯t really want to be promoted just yet.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Oh but, um, Soleum-ssi, you¡¯d do a great job, though!¡± Suddenly, I felt like I might cry¡­ ¡°But, why do you think we should be promoted? You do remember that all the items at the exhibition came out of your pockets¡­ right?¡± Go Yeongeun looked at me with an expression that seemed somewhat pitying. ¡°Um. In a corporate environment, if you seem too nice, people might take you lightly, so maybe you don¡¯t always have to be so kind to others¡­¡± Yes? It really felt like she was overestimating me thanks to the ¡®savior effect¡¯. But remembering the Silver Heart badge, I simply lowered my head. Be kind! ¡°¡­Thank you for the advice.¡± Baek Saheon, looking utterly incredulous, alternated his gaze between me and Go Yeongeun before mping his mouth shut. Then, without a word, he stood up and left. Well, let¡¯s just leave him be. I exchanged polite goodbyes with Go Yeongeun and turned around, deep in thought. ¡®When should I start wearing the Silver Heart badge?¡¯ Should I only use it during missions? As I rolled the badge around in my pocket with my fingers, nning things out, a now-familiar silhouette appeared at the end of the hallway¡­ A white lizard head. ¡°Squad Leader.¡± ¡°Kim Soleum-ssi.¡± It seemed the squad leader had been talking with the team leader while I was receiving my award. By now, even those vertical pupils were starting to feel somewhat familiar. ¡®Is this the savior effect too?¡¯ I momentarily recalled the lizard¡¯s brutal knuckle strikes that had split the usher machine¡¯s needle in two and fell silent. Then, the lizard¡¯s vertical pupils shifted toward the empty regeneration potion bottle and its box. ¡°Did you use it?¡± ¡°Pardon? Oh. It wasn¡¯t mine. My colleague here¡­ Go Yeongeun-ssi used it.¡± ¡°Hello, sir! It¡¯s nice to meet you! I¡¯m Go Yeongeun!¡± Go Yeongeun bowed her head politely to the unfamiliar lizard¡ªor rather, the squad leader from another team. The lizard regarded her with unblinking eyes. ¡°I have a question.¡± ¡°Y-Yes?¡± ¡°Are you the owner of the escape item?¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± ¡°Three days ago, in the B-ss Darkness with the exhibition format, did you possess the cognitive interference item shaped like a candle?¡± Oh. ¡°Ah¡­ um. Something like that¡­¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± Go Yeongeun nced at me, quickly grasping the situation, and trailed off her sentence. But she didn¡¯t outright deny it, showing some situational awareness. Still, she probably felt it was time to make a swift exit. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be going now.¡± With that polite farewell, she quietly slipped away in the opposite direction down the hallway. ¡®Good judgment¡­¡¯ Relieved, I took a water bottle out of my bag and drank a sip¡­ ¡°Kim Soleum-ssi.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Refrain from repeated lies.¡± I nearly spit the water out through my nose. ¡°The more you repeat them, the less effective they be.¡± Chapter 49.2 Chapter 49.2 ¡°¡­¡­¡± When did he catch on? For now, I just lowered my head immediately. ¡°I apologize.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I thought it would be difficult to persuade anyone to use valuable escape time unless it seemed like my colleague had an escape item.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Though his responses were curt, it wasn¡¯t as though he was angry¡­ ¡®His voice is calm.¡¯ ¡®This is just how he is, huh? Not a human, but a lizard.¡¯ I cautiously nced up. To my surprise, the lizard was¡­ slightly smiling! ¡°All humans lie.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°What matters is the intent and the oue of the act.¡± It sounded almost philosophical. ¡®¡­Does this mean my lie was fine because my intentions were good and the results turned out well?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± Oh, whatever. ¡°I¡¯ll be more careful next time.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± And with that, the conversation ended. Squad Leader Lizard returned to his usual emotionless, reptilian demeanor with vertical pupils. ¡®I already thought his personality felt somewhat removed from ordinary people¡­¡¯ Now I felt it even more deeply¡ªthough not in a bad way. I picked up the regeneration potion box I¡¯d received as a reward from the chair. ¨C Friend, is your work all finished? Right then, Braun spoke from my pocket. At work, we¡¯d agreed to avoid idle chatter to keep anyone from realizing I carried a ¡®good friend¡¯, but¡­ Since the timing was right, I figured I¡¯d ask. I discreetly let the plush doll peek out of my pocket. ¡®Braun. The employee standing next to me right now.¡¯ ¨C Ah, you mean your tall supervisor, the handsome one, right? ¡®Yeah. What does he look like to you?¡¯ ¨C Hooh. A short pause, as if inspecting closely. ¨C Eyes, nose, mouth, and hearing organs all perfectly intact! ¡®¡­As a lizard?¡¯ ¨C Lizard? Haha, Mr. Roe Deer, you¡¯re quite cheeky! Who are you trying to tease? Calling someone a lizard, really!¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± Even Braun doesn¡¯t see him as a lizard? Could it be¡­ I¡¯m the only one who sees him as one? ¡°Kim Soleum-ssi.¡± ¡°Yes, Squad Leader.¡± I resolved once again: never utter the ¡®lizard¡¯ part of ¡®Chief Lizard¡¯ out loud. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Squad Leader Lee Jaheon began walking toward the elevator. Feigningposure, I followed him and asked, ¡°Should I return to the office?¡± ¡°No.¡± Hm? ¡°¡­Then, where are we going?¡± ¡°We¡¯re heading to a restricted area essible only to supervisors and above.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll exin how to use it.¡± It¡¯s here. * * * In thispany, the higher an employee¡¯s rank, the more privileges they gain. These privileges include benefits, capabilities, and even ess to specific locations. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve been promoted to supervisor, Kim Soleum-ssi, you are authorized to use three additional facilities.¡± Standing in front of an annex, I epted a folder of documents from Squad Leader Lee Jaheon. 1- Security Team Rentals Warehouse 2- Annex (two free equipment customizations per year) 3- Fox Counseling Office ¡°From now on, you can withdraw equipment from the Security Team Rentals Warehouse.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°You can also customize exclusive equipment in the annex using Twilight-ss Darkness without having to be escorted by a superior, and, if necessary, register for sessions at the Fox Counseling Office.¡± I was already aware of these benefits. And I also recognized some of the newly unlocked spaces from the . A mix of satisfaction and thrill washed over me. And anticipation. ¡®There are more ways to survive in this insane world now¡­!¡¯ But everythinges with its drawbacks. Better treatment implies greater expectations from employees. And in thispany¡­ ¡®Danger.¡¯ In a corporation that deals with ghost stories, areas essible only to high-ranking staff often imply risks that civilians cannot handle. Just like this. ¡°Additionally, supervisors in the Field Exploration Team are assigned one specific Darkness to manage.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Exactly. Aside from my squad responsibilities, I now had to directly manage a ghost story myself! ¡°Although management is generally done collectively by a squad, the primary responsibility falls on the individual employee.¡± Delegating responsibility to field workers. How very corporate. It¡¯s like getting a taste of familiar 21st-century workce dynamics¡­ ording to Squad Leader Lee Jaheon, the longer your tenure and the higher your rank, the more Darkness you are assigned, and the more dangerous it bes. Fortunately, I was still a rookie. ¡°Since you¡¯ve been promoted to supervisor in under a year of service, you¡¯ll be assigned an F-ss Darkness.¡± Huuu. ¡°Manage it ording to the schedule, and register any anomalies in the inspection report.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± It wasn¡¯t a situation whereining would help, so instead of wasting energy whining, I decided to conserve my strength and pray for something meaningful. ¡®Please! Please assign me a normal low-grade Darkness!¡¯ If it turns into some quiz show horror scenario, I might as well quit and start preparing for the Disaster Management Bureau exam! Then, I heard something surprising. ¡°I get to choose?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Squad Leader Lee Jaheon said he would present a few candidates, and I could pick from them. ¡°Is that how it usually works?¡± ¡°No.¡± The lizard stared at me intently. ¡°It¡¯s my discretion.¡± ¡­¡­?! So, he was using his authority to give me some flexibility in choosing¡­? This lizard? ¡°Thank you so much for your consideration. But¡­ may I ask why you¡¯re doing this for me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a reward.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a reward for finding the correct escape route in a B-ss ghost story and guiding D-squad to return unharmed.¡± ¡°¡­But Squad Leader, you also saved my life from the usher machine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a matter of responsibility.¡± The lizard spoke matter-of-factly. ¡°A squad leader is obligated to protect their squad members to the best of their ability.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Wow. A genuinely good boss¡­ right. ¡®I was almost moved.¡¯ If I were a fresh graduate just starting out, I might have postponed my resignation ns for at least a month. No wonder Assistant Manager Eun Haje and Supervisor Park Minseong always try to speak well of our squad leader, even when they seem exasperated. Even I felt a vague sense of wanting to do my best under this leadership. ¡°¡­Still, thank you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After bowing my head slightly, I followed the lizard to the istion chamber for the F-ss Darkness. It wasn¡¯t a scenario I had anticipated, but it was shaping up to be a very favorable one. ¡®If I handle this well, it might even turn out to be a win.¡¯ The was an opensource wiki. What did that mean? It meant that since various creators contributed while adhering to the rules, the grading criteria for Darkness could vary slightly depending on the source. ¡®Even within the F-ss category, there can be items with incredible potential.¡¯ As long as you know the correct way to handle them, that is. And through the , I already knew how to handle these. If the Darkness in front of me was one of those documented in the records¡­ ¡°These are the three F-ss Darknesses.¡± I looked up. Before me were three objects: An old teddy bear. Two ck cards. A model airne. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡®I know all three.¡¯ Jackpot. ¨C Ah, what a shabby and unsightly doll. Braun muttered in a tone that hinted at some displeasure. Was the influence of the ¡®good friend¡¯ causing him to be wary of the doll? ¨C Well, the time hase to make your choice, Mr. Roe Deer! I hesitated briefly, considering my options. Then, I reached out my hand. ¡°Sir, I will take responsibility for this Darkness.¡± Chapter 50.1 Chapter 50.1 ¡°Ah, Roe¡¯s back!¡± ¡°Yeah. Did you get your regeneration potion safely?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As I returned to the office, I greeted my superiors who had already finished their lunch and were lounging around. However, their expressions stiffened as they noticed the translucent, reinforced stic box in my hands. They immediately sat up straight. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Wait, is that your assigned Darkness, Roe?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± I lifted the transport box to show its contents. Inside, two ck cards clicked softly. It was the F-ss Darkness I had chosen. ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story [The Dilemma] : A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records> : Daydream Inc. identification code ¨C Qterw-F-2073 Two in ck cards, 60mm wide and 110mm tall. When the owner flips these cards at midnight, images appear on the front. These images are randomly chosen themes from the Major Arcanas of Tarot. Events depicted on the cards wille true in the future. ======================== Although it was a low-grade Darkness, small and portable enough to be managed by a single employee¡­ It was, in fact, the most dangerous and unpredictable of the three options I had been given. Because it dealt with the future. My superiors, recognizing this, wore grave expressions. ¡°That¡¯s a bit harsh for a rookie.¡± ¡°Exactly! Don¡¯t they usually assign something easier? When I was a rookie, I got a radio. You saw it on your first day too, didn¡¯t you, Roe? That one ended up being downgraded to Twilight-ss, even.¡± Ah, that radio. So it was managed by Supervisor Park, huh. No wonder it was left so openly in the office. Supervisor Park spoke with some concern. ¡°Maybe they have high expectations because you¡¯re doing so well, Roe¡­ Oh, Squad Leader!¡± Chief Lizard, who had just entered the office, turned his head at the sound of his name. ¡°You mentioned letting Roe choose his Darkness directly¡ªwhen was that supposed to happen? Has it already happened?¡± ¡°Twenty minutes ago.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­??¡± ¡°It was chosen twenty minutes ago.¡± My superiors turned to me. ¡°Roe.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You picked that from the options the Squad Leader gave you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded without expression. ¡°They¡¯re offering overtime pay.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°This Darkness requires regr nighttime management, you see.¡± My two superiors exchanged wistful looks. ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s so you, Roe.¡± And just like that, they regained their calm. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Where is my reputation even headed? Should I be happy that my character profile is developing so sessfully? Sniffle. Holding back tears, I turned on myputer. ¡°Are you registering it now?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m entering my employee ID.¡± On the intr, I navigated to the ¡®Unassigned Darkness List¡¯, found the code for my Darkness, and registered it under my ount. Done. Qterw-F-2073 : Kim Soleum (Supervisor) And with that, I officially had my own assigned Darkness. ¡°Even if it¡¯s F-ss, it¡¯s still a supernatural phenomenon. Be careful when managing it.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I read through the management instructions for the Darkness. It was exactly what I already knew about this ghost story. [Flip the cards at midnight / once a month] * * * A few dayster, at midnight. I was working a night shift at thepany annex. ¡°You¡¯re working hard.¡± The staff member at the desk, dressed entirely in pitch-ck clothing, nodded slightly and unlocked the hallway for me. Following the path, I reached the designated door and opened it¡­ ¡°Well, here it is.¡± Two ck cardsy before me¡ªmy task for the night. Carefully, I stepped into the room, closed the heavy metal door behind me, and approached the card storage case. I retrieved The Dilemma and ced the cards face down on the circr table provided in the room. ¨C Are you doing a reading? ult verification was always a favorite on talk shows! Now, Mr. Roe Deer, why don¡¯t you take a peek at the future? This was slightly different. ¡°It¡¯s not about seeing the future.¡± ¨C Hmm? ¡°It¡¯s about making a choice.¡± ======================== Interpretation A pair of mystical tarot cards that reveal their symbols when flipped. After viewing both cards, the user shall choose one, and an event matching the chosen symbol will ur in the near future. However, the event must be something usible within the user¡¯s everyday life. (Winning the lottery, for example, cannot be done.) ======================== That¡¯s right. These cards allow the user to choose between two possible near-future events. Of course, it¡¯s not always a good thing. I reached out and flipped the two cards on the table. As if by magic, borate illustrations appeared. The Devil. The Moon. ¡®Damn.¡¯ Just like that. ¨C Oh dear. Neither of these is traditionally considered a particrly positive symbol! Well, depending on the context, they don¡¯t necessarily have entirely negative meanings either¡­ but overall, they do lean that way. In other words, when both options are bad, all you¡¯re doing is picking which unfortunate event to add to your life. Considering that over half of the tarot deck can be interpreted ambiguously or negatively, the odds of this happening were at least one in four. But¡­ ¨C Have you decided which one to choose? ¡°Yes.¡± I was going to do this a little differently. I moved around to the opposite side of the table. ¡®This way, naturally¡­¡¯ From the opposite side, the cards appeared upside down. If I picked up a card in this position¡­ ¨C Oh, reversed orientation! I looked at the card I had drawn, now upside down. ¡®They say you should never do this during a proper reading.¡¯ As expected of an F-ss Darkness, its power wasn¡¯t overwhelming, and it had plenty of loopholes that allowed for tricks like this. ¡®Even if the trick fails, it usually just reverts back to being a in ck card.¡¯ So, I decided to give it a shot, and it seemed to have worked out. Now, the card I chose was¡­ ¨C The Moon! Ah, the symbol of confusion! I stared at the reversed Moon card, with a pale yellow full moon hanging upside down. ¨C The Moon typically represents mystery and uncertainty. In the absence of the Sun, vague shapes and doubts grow under the moonlight, eventually giving way to madness. ¨C However, reversed, it suggests the opposite, doesn¡¯t it? Hmm. ¡®So something bes clear?¡¯ ¨C Quite promising! The resolution of uncertainty! Doesn¡¯t that bring peace of mind? Agreed. ¡®In this insane world of ghost stories where it¡¯s hard to see even a step ahead, anything certain is wee.¡¯ ¨C Is that the end? ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± I carefully ced the cards back where they belonged. Readings were done only once per month. This means the event will happen sometime this month. While the scope of events is clearly limited to ¡®everyday¡¯ urrences, my ¡®everyday¡¯ involves working at a ghost storypany¡­ In that sense, it might actually be quite helpful for survival. ¡®Even if it¡¯s not, locking in at least one slightly positive oue for the future isn¡¯t a bad thing.¡¯ Having an assigned ghost story that¡¯s more of an asset than a burden isn¡¯t so bad. I decided not to get too greedy¡­ Thud. ¡°¡­¡­¡± A sound came from outside. This was the annex. It¡¯s where rtively safe Darknesses were stored¡ªmostly Twilight-ss, asionally F-ss as well¡­ But in the end, they¡¯re all still ghost stories. Thud. asionally. Very asionally, if a management failure results in an unexpected incident¡­ people can die. Easily. I stood in front of the iron door. ¡®¡­How far away is that sounding from?¡¯ Should I wait here, or¡­ BOOOOOOOM!! ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I immediately opened the heavy iron door and ran. It definitely sounded like something had exploded! Chapter 50.2 Chapter 50.2 ¡®The odds of survival are higher if I run out of here rather than being trapped inside.¡¯ I sprinted toward the entrance, intending to escape through the main door, but¡­ The floor was already partially destroyed. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¨C Oh dear! What a mess this is. A flood of wild possibilities raced through my mind. But then, I saw someone standing in the middle of the broken lobby floor, their foot firmly pinning down something shattered. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± It was the ck-d staff member from the front desk. Judging by their stance and the way they seemed to have ¡®subdued¡¯ the Darkness¡­ ¡®They must be a Security Team member!¡¯ The situation already seemed resolved. The sounds I had heard earlier must have been the noise created while the Security Team handled the situation. ¡®So they don¡¯t just let anyone sit at the annex front desk.¡¯ I hesitated, then spoke from about four meters away. ¡°Is there anything I can help with?¡± The ck-d staff member shook their head. Thank goodness¡­ I¡¯d better get out of here quickly. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± The staff member looked at me briefly, then reached over to the desk and picked up something. A post-it note. Have a good evening. So they¡¯re surprisingly sociable, huh? ¡°Thank you.¡± I bowed politely. The entirely ck-d desk worker gave me a slight nod in return and stepped back to sit down at their desk. The shattered fragments of what appeared to be the medium of the Darkness, likely some kind of ss, sparkled on the broken floor. In the reflection of the shards, I briefly noticed the shadow of the staff member¡¯s leg twist unnaturally, making their foot appear like a cloven hoof¡­ ¡­and then return to a normal human form. ¡®Phew¡­¡¯ Let¡¯s not dwell on it. Avoiding eye contact with anything, I exited the annex. ¡°This is just¡­ unbelievable.¡± These bizarre incidents feel so routine. ¡®I guess fixing one positive daily event into my life was a good call.¡¯ Life was tough and exhausting, but it felt like I was managing to navigate through it somehow, and that gave me a bit offort. Come to think of it, I oncemunicated in writing just like that desk staff did. [Have a nice day ^^] It was during a face-to-face transaction on a secondhand market where I sold cursed food for 40 million won. I evenmunicated in writing to hide my voice back then. I¡¯d sold the churros given to me by the blue dragon mascot from that theme park. ¡®I still have one more bag of those churros.¡¯ I don¡¯t n to sell them unless absolutely necessary, but¡­ hmm. I realized that I actually have quite a few food-rted items in my possession. My inventory wasn¡¯t bad. ¡®Maybe it wouldn¡¯t hurt to sell one or two and turn them into cash.¡¯ If someone¡¯s still looking for them, that is. Since the thought struck me, I decided to check Salmon Market. To my surprise, another post had been uploaded. -------------------- [Buying : Food from Paranormal Phenomena] For research purposes Strong preference for food originating from Fracture-sanctioned phenomena (ording to the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau¡¯s ssification) 40.0 -------------------- ¨C this guy doesn¡¯t get tired of trying, huh ¨C lololol at this point, getting scammed is on this rtrd ryt? Hmm. ¡®If they¡¯ve already used the previous churros for research¡­¡¯ I sent a message. [BlueFriend: Hello, sir ^^ I¡¯ve secured more food. Would you be interested, by any chance?] * * * And so, two dayster, on the weekend. Once again, I found myself waiting for a secondhand market transaction partner at Exit 5 of Gwanghwamun Station. ¡®Trust really is important in business, huh?¡¯ Because I had met their expectationsst time, this time they set up a meeting with no fuss or unnecessary questions. In fact, they were already waiting for me at the exit. Likest time, they were dressed in dark clothing,plete with a hat and mask. I recognized them by the drink box they were holding. Well, I was dressed simrly, so I couldn¡¯t exactly judge. [Hello ^^] I opened my notepad again and showed the greeting message. The buyer, seemingly expecting it, didn¡¯t appear surprised. [Here is the item I prepared.] Inside the box I handed over were two cookies from the Alice Pic Set. Why did I choose these? Simple. ¡®The expiration date¡¯sing up.¡¯ Like most snacks, these cookies had a shelf life! Because they were items that diminished or exaggerated effects based on usage, they weren¡¯t often needed, so I still had several left. However, since the drink from the Tuesday Quiz Show had been such a lifesaving item, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to part with it. Instead, I opted to let go of the cookies. ¡®Cookies are harder to use anyway.¡¯ It seemed like a waste to just let them expire without being used. Using expired items? I didn¡¯t even want to imagine what could happen. Anyway, I presented the item and waited for the buyer¡¯s reaction. The buyer, just likest time, ran a gloved hand over the box before shaking their head slightly. ¡°This isn¡¯t exactly what I was looking for.¡± Hmm. As expected. ¡®It didn¡¯t seem like it would meet their Fracture-sanctioned standards.¡¯ Mass-produced items like this have rtively low risk and feel more passive, so they¡¯re different from the bizarre objects directly retrieved from high-grade ghost stories¡­ ¡®A bit disappointing, but oh well.¡¯ Still, it was worth trying to negotiate. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll purchase them for half the original price each.¡± Thank you for the smooth transaction. ¡®If this person finds out about the existence of the alien shop, would they be so upset they¡¯d try to kill me?¡¯ Just in case, I decided toy some groundwork. Hastily, I scribbled something in the notebook. [Thank you. I really needed the money.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± [These don¡¯t seem as dangerous as other foods, but since the expiration date is close, I suggest conducting your research soon. I¡¯ll add a couple more for you.] I then slipped a small packet with one or two extra cookies into the bag. ¡®Think of it as a bonus.¡¯ This was a trust-building move to encourage continued transactions. It was supposed to be for negotiations, but it came in handy here. At this point, I felt like I was an exceptionally considerate secondhand seller. In a ghost story world, even more so. As I was about to leave, holding the cash-filled drink box handed to me by the buyer, their voice called out to me. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Hmm? ¡°How do you acquire things like this?¡± Hmm. [I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t tell you. My apologies.] That should suffice. It¡¯s a tform for trading supernatural items¡ªeveryone has their stories. Better to let their imagination fill in the nks. ¡®The alien shop is one of those ces where, unless you¡¯ve seen the ad for it yourself, it just redirects to a nonexistent page.¡¯ I was preparing to bolt if they pressed further, but instead¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± The buyer pulled a pen from their pocket and wrote something on my notebook. ¡°If you ever find yourself in danger, contact this number.¡± Huh? ¡°Then, bye.¡± The buyer left, and I looked at the note. 1717 8282 42 ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡®This is a government number.¡¯ It was a direct emergency assistance hotline for the Disaster Management Bureau. In short, the ghost story equivalent of 911. ¡®So they were connected to the government?¡¯ No wonder they used the terminologymonly associated with the Bureau. I shrugged and carefully secured the cash and the notepad. Daydream Inc., being the awful mega-conglomerate that it was, had a notoriously bad rtionship with the government. As an employee of such apany, there was no way I¡¯d ever need to call that number. ¡®Definitely not.¡¯ Yup. Nuh-uh. And yet! That very evening, when I returned to thepany dorm¡­ Chapter 51.1 Chapter 51.1 ¡®It¡¯s been a productive day.¡¯ Forty million won in additional ie¡ªtruly an excellent decision. ¡®It feels like I¡¯ve set up a discreet but regr side hustle.¡¯ Various ideas on how to spend today¡¯s forty million won floated through my mind, especially considering the newly opened areas in thepany following my promotion. And, of course, the plush doll who had keenly noticed my gains was subtly making its own desires known. ¨C Phew, after all these outings, I feel so stiff. I¡¯d like a bath¡­ Not happening. I can¡¯t exactly swipe a blood pack from a hospital, can I? ¨C Of course, I can endure it. I¡¯m a very good friend, after all¡­ Hmm, while a blood bath might be impossible, maybe I could at least hand-wash the plushie, I guess. That was the kind of idle chatter I nned to engage in with Braun to pass the evening¡ªuntil someone burst into my room. ¡°You!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± It¡¯s Baek Saheon. Wait, the guy who never even left his own room had just barged into mine without so much as a knock? Before I could even call him out on his rudeness, I realized something. He was practically in a state of panic. ¡°What does this mean¡­! What kind of mess have you dragged me into?¡± In his hand was his smartphone, and on the screen was my message. [Kim Soleum: watch out for serial killers] I had sent it earlier today as a warning. But seriously¡ª ¡°I didn¡¯t drag you into anything.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°You must have made the wrong choice.¡± ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, your ¡®work colleague¡¯ picked up an item, and now he¡¯s going to die in a brutal way! Baek Saheon¡¯s face turned pale. ¡®Looks like something just went down, coinciding with my message.¡¯ He¡¯s not dead yet, so he could contact thepany and handle it himself, right? As I started to head outside, not wanting to get dragged into this mess¡ª ¨C Oh dear, can you hear that? ¨C It seems your coworker¡¯s time is almost up, Mr. Roe Deer. ¡°¡­¡­¡± What? Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmmmm, hmm-hmm-hmm. A soft humming began to fill the air. Its source was unmistakably Baek Saheon. But his lips weren¡¯t moving at all. ¡­Which could only mean one thing. ¡°You¡¯ve picked up something you shouldn¡¯t have, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Pale-faced, Baek Saheon reached into his pocket and pulled something out. A cassette yer. Its aged, ivory body was grimy, and traces of abel hastily scratched off with a pen were visible. Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmmmm, hmm-hmm-hmm. The humming grew louder, emanating from the tape. An unmistakable, ominous¡­ signal. ¨C The time hase. Time to run. I immediately stood up and bolted out of the dorm. The problem was that Baek Saheon scrambled to follow me! ¡°Throw away the tape first!¡± ¡°I already threw it! Out the window!¡± Then stop following me! ¨C It¡¯s toote. ¨C Oh dear, Mr. Roe Deer¡­ You¡¯ve seen the item too. You¡¯re part of the story now. You¡¯ve be part of the sacrifice selection process. ¨C But as a talented and entertaining guest, you were bound to be involved sooner orter! Hah. ¡®Why can¡¯t this idiot take care of his own mess without dragging me into it¡­!¡¯ I even gave him several warnings! Isn¡¯t he supposed to be a named employee in a ghost storypany?! Frustration boiled in my chest, but there wasn¡¯t time to vent. I just ran faster. ¡®First, let¡¯s put some physical distance between us.¡¯ As long as I hadn¡¯t fully fallen into the creepypasta¡¯s grasp, creating some space might help. I sprinted as far from thepany dorm as I could, heading toward the bus stop. As soon as a bus arrived, I hopped on. Beep. The sound of my transportation card being scanned was followed by another beep from behind me. Baek Saheon. ¡®Why is this lunatic following me?¡¯ Doesn¡¯t he have even a shred of conscience to let the person who warned him avoid being dragged into this? Actually, no. He¡¯s aplete sociopath. Anyway, the bus doors closed, and we departed without incident. ¡°Ha.¡± ¡°Ha¡­¡± The humming was no longer audible. I moved to the very back of the bus and sat next to the emergency hammer for breaking the window¡ªjust in case. Baek Saheon hesitated before sitting nearby. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t rush hour, nor was it lunchtime, so there were only a few passengers¡ªtwo or three seated at the front. After ncing around nervously, Baek Saheon lowered his voice and asked, clearly unsettled, ¡°Hey, you¡­ how did you even know to send those messages¡ª¡± ¡°¡¯You¡¯?¡± ¡°¡­We agreed to drop formaliti¡­ No, I mean¡­ Right, Supervisor. How on earth did you know, sir?¡± ¡°How I know isn¡¯t the issue here.¡± Holding back my frustration, I replied while watching Baek Saheon¡¯s nervous expression. ¡°What matters is how you ended up with that thing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± If he kept his mouth shut, I was nning to get off at the next stop, grab a taxi, and ditch him. Maybe even throw him out of the cab to make sure he couldn¡¯t follow me. But as if he could sense my irritation, Baek Saheon finally opened his mouth. ¡°¡­It was something I had at home.¡± At home? ¡°It was passed down from a rtive. They told me to use it if I ever wanted to reverse a dire situation, so I¡¯ve been carrying it around¡­¡± ¨C Ah, a ssic trick! An heirloom thought to symbolize protection turns out to be a cursed item¡­ Truly a horror movie clich¨¦, isn¡¯t it? Exactly. I wasn¡¯t even trying to criticize him¡ªjust genuinely curious. ¡°You work at apany that assigns grades to ghost stories, and it never crossed your mind to have it inspected?¡± ¡°¡­If thepany found it useful, they might take it and not give it back! I did think it through, sir.¡± ¡°No, you didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Next time, think before you act, why don¡¯t you.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, yes, sir.¡± Baek Saheon¡¯s face turned red, and his lips twitched into a forced smile, barely suppressing his frustration. This guy was an open book¡ªacting like a sociopath one moment, then flipping into desperate politeness when scared. I sighed and tried to make sense of the situation. This was a textbook example of how people get caught up in ghost stories. ¡°For now, let¡¯s ride to thest stop and contact thepany¡¯s Security Team from there¡ª¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­W-Why are you looking at me like that, Supervisor?¡± Something felt off. City bus stops are usually no more than three minutes apart. But this bus¡­ Why was it still driving nonstop? ¨C Goodness, it¡¯s caught up to us. Chapter 51.2 Chapter 51.2 I looked out the window. ¡­Fog was rolling in. The clean, fourne streets of Seoul we had been traveling on were shifting into winding, unpaved roads. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I stood up from my seat. The passengers in the front rows had disappeared. The only other person still present was the bus driver. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The driver was now wearing a worn, old-fashioned cap. The kind that might¡¯ve been used when buses operated with a more formal air decades ago. With gloved hands, the driver casually hummed as they reached for the radio. Click. And what came through the speakers was¡­ Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmmmm, hmm-hmm-hmm. The same humming from the cassette tape. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmmmm, hmm-hmm-hmm. The humming filled the bus. The modern low-floor bus that had been driving through Seoul had transformed into an old, rickety bus with rows of single-file seats. Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmmmm, hmm-hmm-hmm. ¡°Don¡¯t look back.¡± It was already toote. Baek Saheon, his face pale, gripped the handrail and stared straight ahead. I tried not to focus too closely on the fog clearing outside and fixed my gaze forward. The narrow trail was bing an aged, paved road. The rickety old bus that had been rattling down a rough country path began to slow. [This stop is ¡®Horizon Mountain Lodge¡¯.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± The destination came into view. Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmmmm, hmm-hmm-hmm. The humming now flowed through the radio with an unmistakable melody. It was a minor-key, upbeat pop tune from the 1980s or ¡¯90s. As the bus doors opened, I looked outside. [Horizon Mountain Lodge] A grand mountain vi with a sign in elegant, antique lettering stood before us. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ha. ¡°¡­You¡¯re getting off?¡± Yeah. As much as I wanted to curse out loud, I held back. I stood up and stepped toward the open door. From behind, I could hear Baek Saheon muttering something that sounded suspiciously like cussing as he hurriedly followed me off the bus. The bus doors closed behind us and drove away, carrying the humming melody with it. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Baek Saheon mumbled, sounding slightly relieved. ¡°At least the song¡¯s gone, and the tape isn¡¯t here, so the situation¡¯s better than befo¡ª¡± ¡°Check your pocket.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Put your hand in your pocket and check.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Baek Saheon looked at me with a dazed expression, then quickly shoved his hand into his coat pocket. What he pulled out was¡­ The old cassette tape he imed to have thrown away earlier. ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± Baek Saheon moved to toss the cassette again, but I grabbed his arm and stopped him. ¡°It¡¯s toote. You might as well get ready to go in.¡± ¡°Go in whe¡ª¡± ¡°Over there.¡± I pointed toward Horizon Mountain Lodge. Now that we¡¯de this far, running away was useless. All it would do was waste energy and leave us crawling back to this ¡®story¡¯s focal location¡¯ after a series of needless struggles. ¡®We might as well go in and try to figure out the situation early.¡¯ ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, you move as if you already know what¡¯s going to happen! Could it be that you recognize this story? Braun, picking up on how much I knew about paranormal phenomena, prattled on. And¡­ he was right. ¡®¡­Yeah.¡¯ The keywords were all there. Serial killer. A lure involving a mode of transportation. An object cursed to return to its owner¡¯s pocket no matter what. And¡­ I lifted my head to look at the destination. ¡®¡­Horizon Mountain Lodge.¡¯ ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story [And Then There Was One] : A ghost story featured in : Disaster Management Bureau identification code ¨C 1489PSYA.1991.?84 A tale of individuals being murdered one by one by a serial killer in an isted, suspicious location. A variation of the ssic closed-circle mystery novel and B-grade sher movie. It is a Crutch-sanctioned disaster, which can be sealed with the presence of nine people. Every four years, the Disaster Management Bureau recruits or drafts participants to contain it. ======================== This ghost story¡¯s identity was something I inferred through the same process I¡¯d used countless times in my recent work experience. But this time, there was a critical difference. ¡®The affiliation¡­!¡¯ This wasn¡¯t a Darkness from Daydream Inc. It was a ghost story isted by the government¡ªor one to be isted in the future. A so-called ¡®disaster¡¯! What¡¯s the difference, you ask? Unlike the corporation¡¯s Darknesses, which were exploited as raw materials for profit, the government operated under apletely different set of rules. The Disaster Management Bureau existed solely to prevent loss of life or significant property damage. At least, that was the official justification. Thus, the Bureau prioritized isting anything that absolutely should not exist in the civilian world. In other words¡­ Someone had to die. Whether it was cleared, someone got trapped, or the attempt ended in failure or sess¡ª Every oue involved a guaranteed casualty. ¡®Once you¡¯re involved, it¡¯s a confirmed kill.¡¯ Cold sweat ran down my spine. This was something the government had deemed impossible to resolve without at least one death. And now I was about to walk straight into the middle of it. I won¡¯t even get any points from this! ¡®Baek Saheon, this hopeless little shit!¡¯ I wanted to curse him out and punch hisst remaining eye, but¡­ ¡®It¡¯d just waste time.¡¯ ¡°Excuse me, Supervisor!¡± Ignoring Baek Saheon, I sighed and walked toward the lodge¡¯s front door. Just as I took a deep breath and prepared to knock¡ª Drring¡ª The sound of a bicycle bell came from behind me. Turning around, I saw a bicycle pulling up to this secluded house in the woods, with someone riding it. ¨C Oh, look, another arrival! Someone else who picked up the item! No kidding. Another poor soul caught in this cursed ghost story. I held back a sigh and looked over, only to freeze in shock. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I recognized the figure getting off the bike. More precisely, I didn¡¯t know his face, but his outfit was unmistakable. Dark clothes, a hat pulled low, and a mask covering his face. ¡®¡­Salmon Market!¡¯ It was the same person I had sold cursed food to earlier today near Gwanghwamun Station. Chapter 52.1 Chapter 52.1 Caught up in this serial killer ghost story, three minutes had passed since we arrived in front of the mountain lodge in the middle of the forest. The secondhand market buyer, who had gotten off their bike after us, approached the cabin¡¯s door. He paused briefly when he noticed Baek Saheon and me standing there first. ¡®¡­Looks like he recognized me.¡¯ The secondhand market buyer seemed to recognize me, but I stayed silent, pretending not to notice who he was. Baek Saheon, ever eager, immediately began speaking in a friendly tone. ¡°Excuse me, are you the owner of this house? Sorry, but it seems we got on the wrong bus. With this forest around us, there¡¯s no signal. Would it be okay if we made a quick call?¡± ¡°I also got lost and came here to ask for help.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see.¡± At that point, I turned to the buyer and pretended to be surprised. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I widened my eyes slightly and gave a polite nod. The buyer, already aware of who I was, didn¡¯t seem particrly startled and returned the gesture with a small nod of his own. Meanwhile, Baek Saheon subtly started prying for more information about him. Clearly, he was trying to assess whether this person was weaker than him. ¡°Were you out here trekking for the weekend? This seems like a remote ce¡ªare you a local?¡± ¡°¡­No. I¡¯m not sure how I even got here. I definitely started in Seoul.¡± ¡°Oh, really? Same with us! But there¡¯s no signal here. Do you happen to know how to get out of here or where we are?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure. Let¡¯s go inside and ask.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, right.¡± Baek Saheon, clearly disappointed with theck of useful information, clicked his tongue softly and nced at the bike the buyer had arrived on. And then he seemed to notice something. The mark printed on the handlebars. [Seoul Metropolitan Government #2153] Obviously an official government-issued bike. Having found an opening, Baek Saheon brightened and began to speak again. ¡°Excuse me, are you perh¡ª¡± I lightly nudged his side. He froze, mped his mouth shut, and turned to look at me. I slowly mouthed the words: ¡®Disaster Management Bureau.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡®He must¡¯ve heard at least once at work how terrible the rtionship is between thepany and the Bureau.¡¯ If this person found out who we were¡­ I subtly drew a finger across my throat. Baek Saheon¡¯splexion turned pale. From that moment on, he avoided speaking to the government employee directly. Good. A wise choice. ¡°I¡¯ll open the door.¡± I nodded to the civil servant, who had already reached for the door handle, and he lightly opened the wooden door. Creeeeak. ¡°Anyone here?¡± The midday sunlight spilled into the slightly dim interior of the lodge. And then¡ª ¡°Ohhh, hey? More people are here!¡± ¡°Are you the owner of this ce?¡± People who had already arrived began to emerge. A married couple who looked to be in their forties. Three young adults in their twenties. And a middle-aged man. Six people in total. Including the three of us, that made¡­ nine. ¡®It¡¯s starting.¡¯ Suppressing the urge to groan, I stepped inside the cabin. * * * Everything proceeded as predictably as a clich¨¦ could. The married couple imed their GPS led them here. ¡°I mean, the GPS sent us to the wrong ce, the car broke down, and our phones don¡¯t have any signal¡­ It¡¯s driving me crazy!¡± ¡°Huu. Honey, I told you so, didn¡¯t I? We should¡¯ve gone to Sapporo instead of Sokcho!¡± Three university students from a hiking club, who imed to have gotten lost. ¡°We parked right below the trail, though.¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­ Ugh, this is so annoying.¡± And finally, a middle-aged man who¡¯d been trying to catch the nearest bus stop after finishing a shift as a designated driver. ¡°Aigoo. Still, seeing people around is such a relief. If we wait, the owner shoulde, right?¡± ¨C And once the lodge owner shows up, the bloodbath begins? Something like that. I nced around with the dead eyes of someone who had already given up. I hadn¡¯t even brought any decent items. Living is hard, seriously¡­ ¡®Focus only on myself. Just myself!¡¯ We were soon asked questions by the others. ¡°What about you folks? What brings you here?¡± ¡°Oh, we¡¯re just office workers. We must¡¯ve gotten on the wrong bus while heading out for fieldwork. This here is my supervisor, and I¡¯m just an employee.¡± Look at Baek Saheon subtly shifting responsibility onto me. I took out my notepad. Luckily, since I was still in my outdoor clothes, it was in my pocket, making it easy to maintain my usual demeanor. [Hello.] ¡°Huh? Why are you writing instead of speaking¡­?¡± [My throat¡¯s a bit sore.] ¡°Ahh.¡± The three university students turned away, looking unimpressed. The married couple nced at me and took a step back. ¡°Jeez, these colds going aroundtely must be really bad, huh?¡± ¡°You should at least wear a mask. What if you spread it to someone else?¡± [I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll avoid speaking as much as possible and be careful.] Baek Saheon shot me a disgusted look, as if I had be something revolting. He¡¯d been reacting like this all along, taking over the responses I might have given. ¡°By the way, is that young man from yourpany too?¡± ¡°No, we met at the door, but¡­ um.¡± The secondhand market buyer, a tall man with sharp eyes that gave him an intimidating presence, replied politely. ¡°I¡¯m a public servant from the Seoul City Hall.¡± Oh. He actually admitted it. He briefly exined that he was a public servant and had gotten lost while riding his bike. And that was the end of it. He conveniently left out the part where he worked for the Disaster Management Bureau, and that we were all stuck in a ghost story where a serial killer would soon be picking us off one by one, like a deadly game of Russian roulette. Chapter 52.2 Chapter 52.2 Still, people aren¡¯t fools. They began to sense something was off. ¡°So all these people just happened to lose their way in broad daylight and end up at this countryside lodge?¡± ¡°Maybe we¡¯ve been bewitched or something.¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t say such unlucky things.¡± The more people there are, the braver they get. Even while bringing up ghosts, the group began ncing around the room like it was some kind of curiosity show. ¡°Come to think of it, this ce¡­¡± ¡°Looks pretty fancy, doesn¡¯t it? Like one of those mansions rich families had in every neighborhood back when we were kids.¡± They weren¡¯t wrong. The wooden lodge, built in a style popr a few decades ago, was a mix of quaint charm, rustic wealth, and understated elegance. ¡°Oh, look over there! That¡¯s a gold frame, isn¡¯t it?¡± On one side of the living room was arge framed picture, its frame seemingly made of real gold. But what caught my attention wasn¡¯t the frame¡ªit was what was inside. +++ Joyful Mealtime The rabbit bakes in the kitchen The deer is caught in the backyard The pigeon is fattened in the bedroom Themb is sliced in the living room Boing, boing, the sound of hopping withughter The wooden floors beneath go bam, bam The table, full Humming, in the air The family gathers round Bon app¨¦tit +++ ¡°¡­¡­¡± No way. ¡®That¡¯s tant foreshadowing.¡¯ ¨C Hooh, could it be a metaphor for the uing murders? It sure looks that way. Yet no one here seemed to be particrly interested in horror or mystery genres. The university students iming to be part of a hiking club chuckled amongst themselves and even pocketed an ivory trinket from the side table near the sofa. ¡®Oh.¡¯ If one of them ends up being the first body tomorrow, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised. Just as I thought that¡ª Clunk. ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± There was a sound from the kitchen at the back. The shadow of the back door swinging open fell across the room. And then, a figure slowly stepped through the open door. The person, cloaked in an old, tattered hoodie with their face hidden and body hunched, greeted us. ¡°Good afternoon, visitors of the lodge.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± ¡°I am the caretaker of this mountain lodge, here to serve you during your stay.¡± Their voice was deep and formal, and they bowed politely, speaking in an old-fashioned Seoul ent. ¨C Oh, a suspicious staff member! Exactly. This is the ssic ¡®butler of the murder mansion¡¯. Unlike my deadpan expression, the others seemed caught off guard by the dissonance between the caretaker¡¯s shabby appearance and refined speech. ¡°E-Excuse me, we¡¯re not really guests. We just got lost and were hoping to use a phone¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. You¡¯vee to the right ce.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re here to exchange the cassette tapes, aren¡¯t you?¡± Everyone froze. ¡°The ones in your pockets.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± As if hypnotized, they all reached into their pockets and pulled out objects. They were all holding old ivory-colored cassette tapes, with the titles scrawled out¡ªjust like Baek Saheon¡¯s. ¡°That¡­!¡± ¡°How does everyone have those¡­?¡± ¡°The master of this lodge was a very wealthy man. During his lifetime, he distributed those cassette tapes far and wide.¡± The group flinched. ¡°And he made a promise.¡± ¡°W-What kind of promise?¡± ¡°¡®If you visit my lodge with one of these cassette tapes, I shall trade it for anything I possess.¡¯ That was his promise.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°And even in death, that promise remains valid.¡± ¨C An inheritance exchange! What a tempting bait. Very obviously bait¡­ ¡®Or maybe it¡¯s so obvious that it works too well.¡¯ Money has that certain magical power, after all. Even as theyughed nervously, everyone¡¯s eyes reflexively darted to the disy cases full of gold and cdon treasures. The middle-aged man let out a boomingugh, half-jokingly grabbing the golden frame as if testing his luck. ¡°Hah, so can I just take whatever I want like this?¡± The lodge caretaker responded smoothly and politely. ¡°Of course. However, you will only be able to take it with you after three days.¡± ¡°What?¡± Hm. As expected. ======================== Entrants are promised significant mary rewards if they stay within the Disaster for a designated period. The ¡®designated period¡¯ can range from a maximum of one week to a minimum of 12 hours, tailored to the entrant¡¯s capacity to endure for the promised reward. ======================== ¡°We give you three days to deliberate so you won¡¯t waste your one and only opportunity to exchange.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need time to think!¡± ¡°Then you may leave now. However, the exchange will no longer be possible.¡± The married couple mped their mouths shut. It seemed the thought of leaving behind free money was too bitter to swallow. One of the student hikers in the group raised their hand from the back. ¡°Excuse me, so¡­ can we ask for something outrageous? Like, ¡®Give me all the inheritance¡¯?¡± ¡°That is possible.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± The hiker¡¯s yful tone vanished in an instant. ¡°Can I ask for ownership of the lodge itself?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The group¡¯s expressions shifted. ¡®Now they want to believe.¡¯ The uneasy chill in the air was gone, reced with a sense of fortune as if the kind of mary windfall they¡¯d only read about on the inte was suddenly within reach. Once the caretaker produced documents, including the will, their skepticism transformed into certainty. ¡°This¡­ this looks legit.¡± ¡°Unbelievable¡­¡± Even the cursing married couple¡¯s demeanor changed. ¡°Forget the weekend trip, let¡¯s tough it out. Worst case, we can call the police, right?¡± ¡°Exactly! Wow, maybe this tape has some kind of charm on it, like from a shaman¡¯s talisman. It¡¯s crazy how everyone ended up here.¡± The lodge caretaker even gave everyone time to make phone calls. After finishing their calls, the group¡¯s mood had turned lively, as if they were part of some grand event. The caretaker, observing them, bowed deeply. ¡°When so many visitors arrive at once, the order of exchange bes very important.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, that makes sense!¡± ¡°Yeah, like if the first person demands all the inheritance, it¡¯s game over for everyone else!¡± ¡°Therefore¡­ priority will be given to those with the most cassette tapes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Chapter 52.3 Chapter 52.3 The group immediately nced around at one another. The three university students exchanged quick looks amongst themselves. If grouped together, they had the most tapes. ¡°Wait, are we supposed to buy tapes off each other now?¡± ¡°I am merely exining the rules. It is not mandatory. You are free to negotiate your own exchange conditions as you see fit. The order is important, after all.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± A tense, meaningful silence passed between them. ¡°Shall I prepare your rooms, then? There are suitable bedrooms upstairs.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± ¡°Sounds good. Let¡¯s get the rooms sorted first¡­¡± ¡°Excuse me, hold on.¡± Baek Saheon¡¯s voice cut through the group. ¡°I might have to leave due to urgent matters. Could you tell me the way out of here?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± But that didn¡¯t happen. A momentter¡ª ======================== Entrants will inevitably find themselves isted at the disaster site for various reasons. The mostmon would be due to abnormal weather conditions such as typhoons, heavy snowfall, orndslides. ======================== ¡°A torrential downpour has caused andslide outside, burying the roads. Thankfully, the electricity remains functional, so your stay will be unaffected.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Baek Saheon turned to me with an expression that practically screamed ¡®We¡¯re fucked.¡¯ ¡®Exactly.¡¯ I shrugged. Now that things had reached this point, no one would be able to leave until everything that was meant to happen had unfolded. ¡®Meanwhile, I¡¯m racking my brain trying to figure out how to survive this without losing my head.¡¯ At least one smallfort was that there wouldn¡¯t be any ghosts¡­ ¡®¡­Just a serial killer.¡¯ And wasn¡¯t it obvious? Every horror movie and mystery novel loves to use this twist, and ghost stories are no different. The killer¡­ One entrant will take on a special role within the narrative, embodying the predator archetype¡ª ¡­is among us. ¡ªand this individual is often referred to as the serial killer. I¡¯ve got to find and avoid the person who would be the killer. This individual will firmly believe that they are inheriting the legendary murderer¡¯s legacy and undergo mental and physical transformation. ¡®Hmm.¡¯ Unless¡­ I could try a slightly different approach. As I stroked my chin, I noticed the civil servant quietly leaving the group. ¡°I¡¯ll step outside to check the weather.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± I followed the civil servant out to the veranda. The wind and rain were growing fierce, darkening the surroundings and sshing enough to dampen our clothes. The downpour seemed loud enough to mask any conversation. Carefully shielding my notepad from the rain, I showed him a message. [Excuse me, are you the person who bought the cookies? I¡¯m wondering if I might have mistaken you for someone else.] Fortunately, the civil servant didn¡¯t feign ignorance. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± But he looked me up and down, as if assessing me. Hmm. I nced around, pretending to check the area, and ensured no one was watching us before scribbling another note, this time with a tense expression. [I¡¯m sorry, but is this¡­ some kind of strange situation?] ¡°¡­¡­¡± [It¡¯s just odd that only people carrying cassette tapes got lost and ended up here.] [Do you think it¡¯s¡­ a ghost¡­ or something?] Considering that he already knew I had experience with paranormal phenomena¡ªafter all, I¡¯d sold him food tied to ghost stories¡ªthis level of questioning shouldn¡¯t seem out of ce. ¡®The real issue is whether he thinks I entered this ce intentionally.¡¯ I¡¯d much rather be treated as an innocent civilian. Depending on his response, I¡¯d decide how to position myself moving forward. ¡®Honestly, he¡¯s most likely to give a safe answer like I¡¯m not sure yet.¡± ¡°You are correct.¡± ¡­¡­?? So direct? The civil servant hesitated briefly before asking me, ¡°How did youe across the cassette tape?¡± [Actually, I don¡¯t have one myself¡­ It¡¯s my colleague who has one. It gave me a bad feeling, so I told him to throw it away, but we ended up here anyway after getting on the bus.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± The civil servant rested a hand on his chin, silent for a moment. ¡°Do you often find yourself in situations like this?¡± I forced a sheepish smile, pretending to be awkward. [Sometimes?] ¡°I see.¡± After another moment of hesitation, he continued, ¡°I am¡­ well, something like a government agent.¡± He¡¯s telling me this much? [Really? Like a ghost-hunting 007?] ¡°¡­Yes.¡± [Wow!] The expression on his face screamed ¡®This is not the time to be impressed.¡¯ ¡°At any rate, this is indeed a supernatural phenomenon. Be cautious. As much as possible, stay close to me, or move in groups of at least three if it can¡¯t be avoided.¡± Hold on. ¡®He¡¯s treating me like an even more harmless civilian than I expected.¡¯ I wasn¡¯t sure why, but this was good. I quickly responded. [Thank you. But¡­ what about the others?] The civil servant answered firmly. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about them.¡± Hmm. [Would it be okay if I told my colleague¡ª] ¡°No.¡± Heck. ncing toward the living room, the civil servant lowered his voice and spoke softly, as if revealing a massive secret. ¡°Actually.¡± Actually? ¡°¡­There is a killer among us.¡± Oh. Yeah. I already knew, of course¡­ but I couldn¡¯t let that show. Feigning shock, I hastily scribbled another note. [A killer? How do you know that, sir??] ¡°This mountain lodge is no ordinary ce. It¡¯s never been publicly disclosed, but simr incidents have urred here multiple times. Guests were murdered by a killer.¡± ¨C Ah, a storied, legendary site where nightmares of the past are recreated¡­ Truly a fine preference. Now¡¯s not the time, Mr. Host. ¡°No matter how close you may be to someone, don¡¯t trust them. And under no circumstances should you open your door while alone in your room.¡± ¡®Usually, isn¡¯t it the person who barricades themselves in a room who ends up dying first¡­?¡¯ Regardless, I felt I¡¯d confirmed a few key facts about both the civil servant and this ghost story. [Thank you.] After expressing my gratitude and bidding him good night, I left the veranda. I felt a bit more at ease as I headed to my assigned room. I had made up my mind about what to do. ¡°Huu.¡± I began inspecting the room. I was looking for something specific. ¨C A weapon, I see. Opening the wardrobe, I found two reasonablyrge, one-handed axes hanging as decorative pieces. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was terrifying and exhausting to carry, but there was no choice. ¨C Ah, this is going to be so very fun! Now that things hade to this¡­ ¡®I might as well strike first.¡¯ Gripping one of the axes, I made my decision. Serial killer? Fine. Let me have a go at it.
T/N: aaaahhhh this makes me want to y among us againnn Side note: Hello everyone~! I¡¯ve decided to put advanced chapters up for GSGW! All proceeds will go towards buying raws, maintaining and improving this website, and for my own further studies in Koreannguage and literature. You may unlock chapters through Mythic Points, BUT! You¡¯re not obligated to unlock chapters just to read them. Chapters will still be unlocked ording to schedule and will never be locked indefinitely. Each chapter¡¯s parts will be staggered a few hours in between, but one entire chapter will nheless be unlocked within the same day (EST). I¡¯ll try my very best to keep up a daily chapter schedule for as long as I can, though I might deviate a bit here and there if there¡¯s an emergency, or if I¡¯m in severe need of a break, or if the crushing weight of my neglected thesis gets to me lol Old schedule (EST): ¨C Full chapter posted at around 7PM ~ 10PM New schedule (EST): ¨C if 2 parts: 8AM, 6PM ¨C if 3 parts: 8AM, 1PM, 6PM *The schedule may change in the future To mark the asion, please head over to our discord server and join our first giveaway! We¡¯re giving away 100 Mythic Points each to 5 winners! The giveaway will end in 72 hours! Always and forever grateful for everyone¡¯s support! Chapter 53.1 Chapter 53.1 Baek Saheon opened his eyes. Or rather, it would be more urate to say that he hadn¡¯t slept a wink. ¡®Fucking hell.¡¯ Ever since entering ¡®Horizon Mountain Lodge¡¯, his nerves had been on edge, searching for a way to leave this ce alive and intact. Half of his efforts were spent trying to stay on Kim Soleum¡¯s good side, carefully walking on eggshells to gauge the guy¡¯s mood. ¡®Son of a bitch.¡¯ He felt no shame about it¡ªit was necessary for survival. ¡­Even now, as he debated whether to visit Kim Soleum¡¯s room, it was for the same reason. ¡®I need information, anything I can use.¡¯ That lunatic definitely knew something. Baek Saheon was convinced he needed to extract that knowledge to secure a trump card for his survival. But¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± Was Kim Soleum really a lunatic? More specifically, why had he¡­ saved him? Baek Saheon already knew the truth. There had been multiple opportunities at the exhibition for Kim Soleum to kill him or use him as a scapegoat, but he hadn¡¯t. Sure, he had been messed with a few times, but in the end¡­ ¡®No!¡¯ He probably did it for fun. It¡¯s only because keeping me alive would make things more unpredictable and entertaining for that bastard! Baek Saheon jumped to that conclusion. He¡¯d never encountered such a madman in his life before. ¡®¡­Even so, I doubt he¡¯d lie about something important.¡¯ With a strange sort of faith, he opened his door¡ª Something stood in front of it. ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± The now-darkened lodge was steeped in shadows, making it difficult to recognize the figure immediately. A man of simr height to himself. ¡­It was Kim Soleum. ¡®Shit!¡¯ Startled, but strangely relieved. Better him than a stranger. At least Kim Soleum wouldn¡¯t try to kill him. ¡°Hey¡­¡± But as Baek Saheon¡¯s eyes adjusted to the dim light, he noticed something in Kim Soleum¡¯s hand. An axe. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®What?¡¯ An axe? He almost rubbed his one remaining eye in disbelief before a usible exnation struck him. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ for self-defense against the killer, right¡­?¡± But then, another thought entered Baek Saheon¡¯s mind. The texts Kim Soleum had been sending. [watch out for serial killers] What if those texts weren¡¯t warnings¡­ ¡­But a prediction of the future? ¡°Bye bye.¡± The axe came down on his head. * * * The next morning. A couple leaving their room heard a melody faintly blending with the heavy rain. Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmmmm, hmm-hmm-hmm. A hum. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the song that yed when our car¡¯s GPS broke?¡± ¡°Omo, it does sound like it¡­ Is this some local radio station?¡± Breathing in the damp, eerie morning air, they held their cassette tape tightly like a treasure as they passed through the hallway to the kitchen. And then¡ª ¡°GAAAHHHHH!!¡± They saw something stuffed into the kitchen hearth. It looked like someone had detonated fireworks and toys inside, charring the areapletely ck. The burnt remains. Among the dark-red ashes, two stick-like objects jutted out, bent at odd angles. And at the end of those sticks¡­ Shoes. The sneakers were partially burned, still clinging to what used to be a person¡¯s feet. ¡°Aaaaaack!!¡± ¡°Oh my God! Is that¡­ a person?!¡± ¡°Aigoo, aigoo, what is this¡ª what¡¯s happening¡ª aigoo!!¡± The couple¡¯s screams of horror echoed through the lodge, quickly drawing the others downstairs. One by one, the others joined the chaos, their faces pale. ¡°What¡¯s going¡ª AAAAHHH!!¡± ¡°Gaaaasp¡­!¡± The students, the middle-aged driver¡ªno one was immune to the panic. One person, iming earlier to have a sore throat and onlymunicating via notes, copsed to the ground, his face drained of color. But¡­ weren¡¯t there two people who said they were office workers? ¡®No way¡­!¡¯ The couple pointed at the burned feet sticking out of the hearth. ¡°The young man who came with you¡­ is it him? The one with the eye patch?¡± The remaining office worker stared at the scorched sneakers, covering his mouth, and gave a small nod. ¡°AGH!!¡± Someone had died. A person they had talked to just yesterday. As the realization set in, cries and screams filled the room again. ¡°Call 119 right now!¡± ¡°What the hell is this?! Fuuuuck!!¡± ¡°I told you these old kitchens were dangerous! One small fire and look what happens!¡± But in their hearts, a small voice whispered doubts. ¡®Was it really an ident?¡¯ Could a fire burn only a person, leaving everything else untouched¡­ and in such a horrific state? ¡®Could it be¡­¡¯ Still in a state of panic, the group scrambled for their phones. And momentster¡ª A collective chill ran down their spines. ¡°T-The phone isn¡¯t working. There¡¯s no dial tone!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the caretaker? Someone just died here!¡± But the caretaker, who had promised to take good care of them, was nowhere to be found, as if he¡¯d vanished into thin air. The dark, rain-soaked mountain surrounding the lodge. Inside the lodge, only the group and the humming remained¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmmmm, hmm-hmm-hmm. Outside, an unrelenting downpourshed the area, and there were signs that andslide had urred overnight, burying the bus stop in debris. ¡°The road¡­ it¡¯spletely buried.¡± ¡°My car!!¡± That¡¯s when the group began to realize. Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmmmm, hmm-hmm-hmm. Something was seriously wrong. ¡°I-I swear, that thing¡­ it was moving earlier.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Near the hearth where the charred remainsy, a small, old analog cassette yer emitted the humming sound. Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmmmm, hmm¡­ Click. One of the students switched off the cassette yer and pulled something from inside it. A worn ivory-colored tape. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The pale-faced office worker shakily pulled out his notebook, his trembling hands scribbling quickly. [This looks like the cassette Baek Saheon had¡­] ¡°O-Oh my God.¡± And that¡¯s when the nightmare truly began. Chapter 53.2 Chapter 53.2 Lunchtime. The lodge¡¯s caretaker had apparently prepared a neat meal of soup and rice in advance, but nobody dared to touch it, as if by mutual agreement. Instead, they nibbled on energy bars and snacks they¡¯d brought themselves, wandering around the lodge in a futile search for a signal to make their phones work. Unsurprisingly, there was no sess. In the oppressive rain, the isted mountain lodge felt suffocating and ominous, severed from any external connection. ¡®This is driving me crazy!¡¯ One of the university students, frustrated by his unresponsive social media apps, angrily tapped at his phone screen before switching it off in irritation. ¡°Fuck!¡± ¡°Dude, you¡¯re such a fucking scaredy-cat.¡± One friend teased,ughing nervously as they pushed each other closer to the legs sticking out of the hearth. They even took a few photos of the scene, treating it like a twisted joke, though they didn¡¯t seem to have much appetite as they left their calorie bars and choctes untouched. Despite their mockery, they weren¡¯t as calm as they appeared. They relied on their numbers to feel secure. ¡®There¡¯s three of us, after all.¡¯ Even if someone tried to kill them, they reasoned, no one would target arge group first. ¡®They¡¯ll go for someone alone, or the stragglers.¡¯ That thought seemed to put them somewhat at ease. ¡°Hey¡­¡± One student turned to chat with his friend, but a peanut-filled chocte bar was suddenly extended in front of him. When he looked up, he saw the pale-faced office worker holding out his notebook. [Would you like some? I don¡¯t think I can eat it¡­] ¡°Uh, no thanks.¡± The student replied curtly, and his friend beside him snickered. ¡°Dude, he can¡¯t eat peanuts.¡± [Ah¡­ I apologize.] The office worker apologized silently, retreating to the sofa with a dejected air. Wasn¡¯t he the one who¡¯d been introduced as a supervisor? At first, he¡¯d seemed quite intimidating, but after witnessing his colleague¡¯s death, he looked utterly deted. ¡®Scared stiff, huh.¡¯ He now gave off the impression of someone who would crumble under even the sliiiightest pressure. ¡°Hey, wanna bet?¡± ¡°Sure, but man, this is too much.¡± Meanwhile, the other two students went outside for a smoke. The office worker, still fiddling with his unresponsive phone, cast a dark nce at the hearth before heading upstairs. And just like that, the room grew silent. ¡°¡­¡­¡± One student was left alone, uneasily shifting in his seat. ¡®In the movies, this is the part where someone gets attacked.¡¯ He tapped his foot anxiously, ncing around the room with a wary expression. The presence of a jackknife in his pocket gave him some reassurance, but not for long. ¡®Shit, why¡¯d they go off on their own?¡¯ Unable to bear it any longer, he decided to go looking for his friends in the backyard. Gripping the jackknife tightly, he quickened his pace, unnerved by the sensation of something prickling at his back. He pushed open the back door to the kitchen, which led to the yard. Click. A damp, musty smell hit him immediately. ¡®They¡¯re probably under the roof somewhere.¡¯ Surely they wouldn¡¯t stand in the rain to smoke, right? With that thought, he headed toward a storage shed connected by a covered walkway. But as he walked, a peculiar smell caught his attention. Something metallic and sharp. ¡®Iron?¡¯ It smelled like rust, perhaps from the rain leaking into old tools in the shed. That was his assumption, at least, as he rounded the corner. ¡°Hey, Park Kyungsoo¡­¡± And then, an overwhelming metallic stench hit, enough to numb the nose. ¡°H-Huuuh¡­?¡± Inside the backyard shed was an old construction-grade grinding machine. It seemed like the machine had been used not for wood, but for something else entirely. Cruuunch. What should have been sawdust spewing from the discharge chute was instead shredded flesh. Fragments of torn clothes, blood-soaked meat, and crushed bone were scattered messily across the floor. ¡°¡­¡­¡± What is this? What¡­ the hell is this? For a moment, his brain refused to process the scene, rejecting the horrifying reality. Then, a beatter, the truth hit him like a tidal wave. He had found his friends. Turned into minced meat. ¡°Uuuughk¡­!!¡± As panic overtook him, vomiting and screams erupted from his mouth. And then, another sound joined in. From an old audio device came a familiar tune. Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmmmm, hmm-hmm-hmm. The sound from the cassette tape. ¡°Hiiieek!¡± The student spun around and bolted, running madly back into the lodge. Fear and cold terror chased him down to the tips of his hair. ¡°Hey, why are you running arou¡ª¡± ¡°Aaaargh!!¡± The student iled wildly, pping away the hand that had grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me, you bastard!¡± ¡°Whoa, whoa, what the hell?!¡± He looked up. The bewildered faces of the other lodge residents stared back at him. And there was one thing they all had inmon. The tapes. That¡¯s it! If the psycho responsible for this was targeting the tapes, and that¡¯s what caused all of this¡ª The student frantically rummaged through his pocket and pulled out his tape. ¡°Here, look at this! Look!¡± His eyes were bloodshot, and spit flew as he shouted. ¡°I¡¯m throwing this away! Take it! I don¡¯t want it, okay?! I¡¯ve given it up, damn it! I¡¯ve given it up!¡± Thud! He flung the tape onto the ground, then bolted upstairs to his room, mming the door behind him. Only when he locked the door did he finally catch his breath. ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­¡± Anxiety darted his eyes around the room. His mind was gued by the sight of shredded flesh and broken bones, pounding in his skull like a drumbeat. Thud. Thud. Should he build a barricade with furniture in front of the door? Thud. No, that would block his escape route. Thud. He nced at an oldcquered wardrobe in the room, hesitating before pressing himself against the wall beside it, gripping his jackknife tightly. He stared intently at the door. Thud¡­ As his back rested against the wall, his breathing began to settle. ¡®J-Just try it. Force your way in, I dare you¡­!¡¯ If someone tried, he¡¯d fucking scream bloody murder while swinging his knife. People woulde rushing in, and surely he¡¯d be saved! He just had to stay alert. ¡°No way, no way¡­¡± He muttered to himself like a madman, his voice trembling¡ª Click. Softly, the wardrobe door creaked open. Chapter 53.3 Chapter 53.3 The next morning, the student was found in his room, the door wide open to wee others. His body was grotesquely swollen, like an overstuffed sausage, bloated from an allergic reaction. The hiking club had been wiped out entirely. ¡°Aaaaaahhh!¡± In just one day, an office worker and three students had be corpses, plunging the remaining people into total terror. ¡°It¡¯s the inheritance! Someone¡¯s killing people to take more of the inheritance, yeah?! I¡¯m sure of it! They¡¯re trying to silence us all so they can keep the tapes without any trouble!¡± ¡°That guy, the caretaker! That fucker was sketchy as hell! He looked like a psycho!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a ghost! We¡¯re all haunted! Ha ha ha!¡± A middle-aged man shouted like a madman, then pushed past the others and ran outside. ¡°Argh!¡± Ruuuumble. Thunder resounded at just the right moment. No, it wasn¡¯t just thunder. There was another sound mixed in. BOOOM! ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°W-What was that?!¡± Startled by the deafening noise, everyone turned toward the window. The civil servant murmured grimly. ¡°¡­Andslide.¡± Thendslide had conveniently struck again. Swept away by the rushing debris, the deranged middle-aged man disappeared down the mountain slope. AAAAHHHHH¡­! His screams faded as he was buried in the muddy earth below. Rumble¡­ BOOM! Thunder reced the humming as it roared outside the lodge, lightning flickering across the stormy sky. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± A suffocating silence hung over the frozen group of survivors. Four people remained. * * * Night two. The couple, who had spent the day scouring the lodge for a way to contact the outside world, returned to their room, panting. They¡¯d found no means of escape, but they had discovered something else. ¡°Hah, hah¡­¡± ¡°Fuck¡ª Shut the hell up and breathe quietly, you moron!¡± ¡°Aaack!¡± The husband, introduced earlier as the wife¡¯s partner, shoved her head roughly before darting out of the living room and up the stairs to the second-floor hallway. As he ascended, someone cautiously exiting their room happened to meet his bloodshot gaze, startled. ¡°Hey, you!!¡± He was calling out to the office worker who had beenmunicating through written notes because of his sore throat. Startled, he quickly fumbled for his notebook to write something, but the man standing before him was faster, shaking something in his hand. ¡°This, this gold frame¡­!¡± It was the ornate golden picture frame that had been hanging in the living room. Eyes wild, the man jabbed a finger at the text inscribed inside the frame. Joyful Mealtime The rabbit bakes in the kitchen The deer is caught in the backyard The pigeon is fattened in the bedroom Themb is sliced in the living room ¡°This is how people are being killed!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The man shouted, voice shaking as he pieced it together. A person roasted in the kitchen, ground in the backyard, and bloated in the room. ¡°The lodge caretaker or whoever is messing with us! This could all be staged¡ªmaybe we¡¯re being broadcast somewhere! Or maybe¡­ no, they¡¯re toying with us, that¡¯s for sure!¡± The employee widened his eyes, startled by the revtion. Seeing his reaction, the man grew even more convinced and raised his voice further. ¡°The next one is the living room! Someone¡¯s going to get sliced up in the living room! I¡¯m sure of it! We need to find a way out before it¡¯s too¡ª¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡­¡­ Huh? That was a response. ¡°Surprisingly observant. Braun.¡± ¡°Braun?¡± That was thest word the man ever said. * * * ¡°Awake?¡± A throbbing headache greeted him as he regained consciousness. ¡°Mmph! Mmmmph!¡± His voice was muffled¡ªhe realized there was a gag in his mouth. He screamed as loud as he could. ¡°MMMMMMPH!!¡± But the reason for his terror wasn¡¯t just the damp, moldy smell of the basement he found himself in or the pitch-ck darkness that made it impossible to see more than a few inches ahead. It was the severed head lying right next to his. Yes, just a head. ¡°Mmmph! Mmmmmmph!¡± The pale, lifeless face rested on a silver tray mere inches from his nose. He felt his sanity slipping. Tears, snot, and cold sweat poured down his face as he desperately screamed for help, though the gag swallowed every sound. ¡°Hrrrnnph, s-sppph, mmmph!¡± ¡°Scared? Try to bear with it¡ªI¡¯m holding back too.¡± A calm,posed voice responded from somewhere nearby. The man rolled his eyes frantically, trying to distance himself from the head as he looked up. And he saw him. ¡®The office worker¡­!¡¯ Dressed in ck sweats, the younger man frowned as he gazed down at him. Then, as if in disdain, he looked at the bloodied work gloves in his hand before letting out a sigh and slipping them back on. Next, he picked up an axe. ¡°MMMMMPH!!!¡± ¡°Why is it that people always scream first, even when they already know what¡¯s going to happen? It just tires everyone involved.¡± ¡°Mmph!! Mmmph!!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not waste our energy unnecessarily.¡± He¡¯s insane. This man¡ªno, this monster¡ªwas the killer¡­!! The captive wanted desperately to negotiate, plead, fight back, do anything to survive, but his bound body and gagged mouth gave him no options. Tears streamed uncontrobly down his face. ¡°Hm, I think I¡¯ve heard that physical and emotional pain can be alleviated a bit by screaming¡­? Or, well, something like that.¡± The office worker¡¯s voice was dry, his tone almost clinical as he inspected the de of the axe. The edge gleamed as it caught the dim light. ¡°Reasonable enough, I suppose. Still, I don¡¯t find it particrly satisfying.¡± He adjusted his grip. The axe swung. A gleaming arc in the air. Thud. ng¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Silence enveloped the basement. Kim Soleum lowered the axe and, with a slightly brighter tone, remarked, ¡°Almost done.¡± Three people remained. Chapter 54.1 Chapter 54.1 The final day at the Horizon Mountain Lodge¡ª The promised three days had passed. The final morning at the ¡®Horizon Mountain Lodge¡¯ had arrived. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The civil servant woke up in his bed. It wasn¡¯t a pleasant morning. Something about the situation had felt off for a while now, like a carefullyid n slowly unraveling. To make matters worse, the assignment itself hadn¡¯t been one he was eager to take on in the first ce. Still, the job wasn¡¯t done yet. He donned his prepared work uniform, strapped on his gear, picked up his tools, and stepped out of his room. What awaited him outside wasn¡¯t a wee sight. ¡°¡­Huu.¡± The first-floor living room was soaked in blood. It looked as though someone had created a pentagram offering with blood, cing severed body parts at each point. On the lone clean sofay a woman, unconscious. It was the wife from the couple. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The agent hesitated briefly but ultimately resolved to carry out his duties as nned. He knew all too well the risks of acting on personal judgment. And besides¡­ ¡°Uugh¡­ wh-what?!¡± They weren¡¯t exactly the kind of people worth saving. ¡°AAAAAAHH!¡± The woman woke abruptly and screamed at the sight before her. A tall man, d in a ck, waterproof raincoat, stood before her, holding a butcher knife over 35 centimeters long!! The man sighed deeply. ¡®Of all times.¡¯ She had to wake up now. He was exhausted. More than usual. How could things have gone so wildly off course? The agent¡¯s mind shed back to the first day at the lodge. His initial target had been one of the couple. Greedy and vulnerable, they were an easy mark. ording to the Disaster Management Bureau¡¯s analysis, eliminating one half of a couple first would effectively sow fear, making the subsequent tasks easier. Following the script embedded in his mind, he had nned to lure the target to the kitchen and bring the frame¡¯s ominous prophecy to life. ¡®I¡¯ll burn that person in the stove.¡¯ But someone had beaten him to it. ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± The stove already contained a corpse. And not just any corpse¡ªit had been left in a bizarrely grotesque state. ¡­¡­?? His mind swam with confusion. The Disaster Management Bureau had ensured that he would be assigned the role of the serial killer, pre-assigning him the cassette tape as part of the Disaster¡¯s framework. So how could there be another killer? At the time, he had dismissed it as the unpredictable nature of supernatural catastrophes. That was, until lunchtime, when he stumbled upon the shredded remains of two students in the backyard. ¡°¡­¡­¡± He had no choice but to quietly stow away therge hammer he had prepared in his wardrobe. By then, he had realized the truth. Someone else had been preemptively killing the victims. It was maddening. And now, on the final day, someone had even gone so far as to set up this borate dismemberment scene. His head throbbed from the sheer absurdity of it all. Still, his tasks hadn¡¯t changed. Despite the chaos, he had toplete his duties, step by step. That was the Bureau¡¯s way. ¡°Hiieek¡­¡± His recollections came to an end as he looked down at his next victim. The woman¡¯s eyes were wide with fear, but she was too paralyzed to resist. He sighed, feeling the weight of his exhaustion, and raised the knife. At that moment¡ª ¡°Agent 007.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± A voice interrupted him. He turned to see someone leaning casually against the second-floor railing, looking down at the living room. It was the office worker. The seller he had met through Salmon Market. ¡°You don¡¯t have to kill her.¡± Kim Soleum looked down at him. This individual will firmly believe that they are inheriting the legendary murderer¡¯s legacy and undergo mental and physical transformation. In every way, the agent fit the description of a Disaster-appointed serial killer. The ck raincoat, the gleaming butcher knife¡ªhis appearance screamed ¡®killer¡¯. But Kim Soleum knew better. ¡®Despite how he looks, he¡¯s someone you could reason with.¡¯ ¨C Are you certain, friend? Yes, he¡¯s certain. ¡®Agents from the Disaster Management Bureaue prepared for these kinds of scenarios.¡¯ For instance, like the holster barely visible beneath that civil servant¡¯s raincoat. ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau / Items Tether Handler A ck holster-shaped equipment-type item. When equipped, it grants resistance to supernatural mental disturbances of Hollow-sanctioned level or lower. Usage Condition: Must be a Grade-8 or higher official of the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau. ======================== It was mental defense equipment. They wouldn¡¯t send agents unarmed into a Disaster capable of transforming someone into a brainwashed serial killer. ¡®No way they¡¯d send them in with a clear head.¡¯ Agents were regrly deployed into high-risk supernatural Disasters where death was often an assumed oue. ¡®Imagine running into a devious pharmaceutical rep using items like smiley stickers for maniption.¡¯ Kim Soleum observed the agent standing silently before him and spoke. ¡°You really don¡¯t need to kill anyone. All the groundwork has already beenid.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already done everything.¡± A moment of silence. ¡°Are you saying you¡¯ve killed them?¡± Well, it was true that this Disaster wouldn¡¯t end without a series of murders. ording to the , if no killings urred even through external intervention, things would spiral into chaos during the inheritance fight, ending in mutual ughter. ¡®That¡¯s why the Disaster is designed for the agent to kill directly.¡¯ To ensure the agent doesn¡¯t die by ident, they¡¯re designated as the serial killer and managed ordingly. That was the rule. Commit serial murders, or¡­ ¡°No.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°I just made it look like they died.¡± ¡­or convince everyone that they did. ¡°But there were corpses.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ but they weren¡¯t my doing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Did you know this lodge has a basement?¡± Kim Soleum recalled part of the poem inside the golden frame. It wasn¡¯t just foreshadowing murder methods. There were other hints as well. Boing, boing, the sound of hopping withughter The wooden floors beneath go bam, bam The table, full Humming, in the air This stanza hinted at something. A sound beneath the wooden floor. An echo from a hollow space below. And¡­ ¡®That verse alluding murder to food¡­¡¯ The table is bountiful. Something abundant, possibly rted to the serial killings. Sure enough. ¡°In the basement, there¡¯s a collection of preserved body parts and organs on disy.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Chapter 54.2 Chapter 54.2 It was a workshop. ¡°Apparently, this lodge has seen serial killings before. I nearly fainted when I saw it.¡± Honestly, he nearly did. The sight of those grotesque artifacts from past killings was horrifying. But more importantly, Kim Soleum had found a new use for those bizarre props. The agent caught on. ¡°All the bodies we¡¯ve seen so far¡­¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Kim Soleum grinned awkwardly. ¡°Not one of them was intact, right?¡± Because the corpses were made using the preserved parts from the basement, pieced together to look fresh! That¡¯s why Baek Saheon had to be the first victim. ¡®¡­I couldn¡¯t have done it without help.¡¯ Handling preserved body parts to recreate murder scenes in the dead of night was a task so revolting it made him want to give up on life altogether. But Baek Saheon, faced with a binary choice between coboration or death, begrudgingly became an excellent assistant for Kim Soleum¡¯s morbid creativity. Together, they painstakingly staged the crime scenes. They ced charred legs into the stove, using Baek Saheon¡¯s sneakers toplete the illusion. The ground meat and bones in the backyard? Repurposed food items from a freezer behind the storage shed, with bits of clothing scattered for effect. And the current bloody mess in the living room? The same method. Although Kim Soleum had done all the actual abducting alone, aided by the unique abilities of his plushpanion, Braun. ¡°People were hidden away while we staged their deaths. Using real body parts meant no one suspected anything.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I figured the real killer might get flustered and stay quiet if I acted first.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The n was as much a psychological y as it was an improvisation in the face of chaos. But then again¡­ ¡°You know¡­ someone still ended up killing people, though.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°The allergy and thendslide, for example.¡± Both happened before Kim Soleum had a chance to intervene. Thendslide might be written off as a supernatural catastrophe, but the allergy? That couldn¡¯t have been mere coincidence. No one¡ªnot even Sherlock Holmes¡ªcould figure out someone¡¯s fatal allergies just by observing them for less than a day. ¡®Even I only learned about it by ident during a conversation.¡¯ So the idea that someone brought an allergen, like peanuts, into the lodge in advance specifically for murder was even more imusible. Which meant¡­ Someone had to have known the profiles of everyoneing here ahead of time and prepared for the killings ordingly. ¡°Was it you, Agent, who caused the allergic shock?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The agent didn¡¯t deny it. And Kim Soleum¡­ ¡®Hmm. As I thought.¡¯ ¡­wasn¡¯t shocked in the slightest! Shouldn¡¯t he feel some sympathy for the loss of innocent lives? Well, they weren¡¯t exactly ¡®innocent¡¯. ¡®The government doesn¡¯t just pick random people for Russian roulette-style sacrifices.¡¯ The Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau uses a method known as the ¡®Scales of Malice¡¯ to determine candidates forpulsory civilian conscription. The scales weigh against acts of ¡®motive-less murder¡¯, and anyone with a heavier weight of guilt than that is ssified as eligible for conscription. In other words, only those deemed to havemitted atrocities worse than indiscriminate killing are selected and sent into these Disasters. ¡®If the Disaster has to operate periodically, they choose people who deserve to die anyway. At least it¡¯s an attempt at ethical bnce.¡¯ A very government-like decision, maintaining a veneer of morality. ¡®So, this time, too, they¡¯re all probably people who fit that profile.¡¯ And Kim Soleum¡¯s guess was spot on. The ¡®married couple¡¯ turned out to be an adulterous pair. The actual spouse of one of them, along with their young child, had sumbed to despair and financial hardship, leading to a family suicide. The college students had been perpetrators in a bullying case that resulted in a ssmate¡¯s death. They¡¯d been indicted but acquitted due tock of evidence and had since gone on to join the same hiking club. As for the designated driver? He was an as-yet-uncaptured child predator. Even without knowing these details, Kim Soleum had a general sense. ¡®A dream lineup, I¡¯m sure.¡¯ Clearly, the government had orchestrated things to ensure the tapes ended up in the hands of these individuals. ¡®And they sent an agent to monitor and manage it all.¡¯ That person was standing in front of Kim Soleum now. The agent spoke, his voice steady. ¡°They¡¯re all criminals.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Everyone in this lodge, if thew worked as intended, would be sentenced to death in some countries for crimes of such egregious severity.¡± He hesitated before adding, ¡°Everyone except you, who doesn¡¯t have a tape.¡± But inwardly, the agent wasn¡¯t confident this exnation wouldnd. His prior encounters with civilians during missions hadn¡¯t gone particrly well. Wearily, he raised his gaze. But¡­ ¡°Hmm, I see. That makes sense.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Surprisingly, the office worker standing on the second floor nodded easily. ¡°Anyway, aside from those two, the rest of the group is alive and well, so that¡¯s good.¡± Kim Soleum spoke casually, as if the situation were no big deal. ¡°Even for criminals, killing them must weigh on you. This isn¡¯t a bad oue, all things considered.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Finally, the agent asked. ¡°Who exactly are you?¡± This man had gone out of his way to stage fake murder scenes, appeared unfazed by the agent¡¯s suspicious appearance, and even trusted him based on rational deductions. No ordinary person could maintain suchposure. ¡°Hmm.¡± Kim Soleum let out a deep sigh. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ someone who tends to get swept up in these situations.¡± ¡°Are you affiliated with the Disaster Management Bureau?¡± ¡°Not at all. I¡¯ve heard rumors, though. It¡¯s fascinating to meet an actual agent in person¡ª Ah.¡± He suddenly turned his head. Creak. The back door to the kitchen was opening. Just like on the first day. ¡°It seems the lodge caretaker has returned.¡± The ending scene of this Disaster was approaching. Chapter 55.1 Chapter 55.1 The mountain lodge was a mess¡ªa pentagram drawn in blood and dismembered body parts strewn across the living room. In this macabre scene stood the civil servant, holding a butcher¡¯s knife before a fainted woman. From the second-floor railing, I watched it all. If I didn¡¯t know it was fake, I myself might have fainted at such a grotesque sight. But the lodge caretaker who entered through the back door was polite as ever. ¡°Did you have afortable stay?¡± As if that were possible. Still, there was no point in wasting energy responding, so I simply stayed silent. The caretaker didn¡¯t waste time on clich¨¦s like, ¡®I stayed out of your way so you could rest undisturbed.¡¯ Instead, he simply said this one thing. ¡°Three days have passed. The time hase.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°You may now exchange the cassette tapes for the inheritance of this lodge.¡± No one has died up to this point though? This is where chaos erupts, where people start killing each other. It¡¯s inevitable. The umted fear and trauma must reach a peak before the cassette tapes will release their survivors. ¡®That¡¯s why I made sure to create it.¡¯ The fear and trauma, that is. Modern sensibilities didn¡¯t make it any less distasteful, but I¡¯d scared them enough to believe they were really dying. It seemed my efforts had paid off. The caretaker recited his lines, and the fact that the living room was still peaceful, without bloodshed, proved it. Of course, this peace wouldn¡¯tst. The caretaker¡¯s first approach was toward the fainted ¡®wife¡¯ on the sofa. ¡°Dear guest.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Would you like to exchange your cassette tape?¡± ¡°Mmh, what¡­ H-Huuh? AAAAHHHHH!!¡± The woman woke up screaming, stumbled a few times, and bolted out of the lodge. What a shame. ¡®She would¡¯ve been better off staying unconscious.¡¯ Unbothered, the caretaker turned and addressed the next person. ¡°Would you like to exchange your cassette tape?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The civil servant stared at the caretaker for a moment before speaking slowly. ¡°I¡¯ll reveal my decisionst.¡± ¡°Understood. In that case¡­¡± The caretaker turned to the final person. Me. I met his gaze. Despite his tattered clothing, his speech carried the refined cadence of Seoul¡¯s old aristocracy. ¡°Would you like to exchange your cassette tape?¡± Would I? ¡°Yes.¡± Of course, I would. ¡®I¡¯ve worked like a deckhand on a shrimp boat for the past three days to get to this point.¡¯ Entrants are promised significant mary rewards if they stay within the Disaster for a designated period. This was why I had gone so far as to y the role of a serial killer. ¡®Exchange priority.¡¯ I retrieved the cassette tapes from a backpack belonging to the deceased college student. The couple¡¯s tapes. The students¡¯ tapes. Even Baek Saheon¡¯s tape. ¡°Six tapes. You are guaranteed first priority for the exchange.¡± As the caretaker spoke, his tone momentarily revealed his excitement before reverting to politeness. ¡°You may now im ownership of this lodge, sir. Would you like to?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± If an entrant choses to inherit the ce of Disaster (Horizon Mountain Lodge) as their reward, their altered psyche would be permanently tied to it. Even if my ¡®serial killing¡¯ was a ruse, there was no need to risk taking on such a burden. ¡®But I can¡¯t just make a random exchange or refuse outright either.¡¯ Whether you exchange the tapes for gold, garbage, nothing at all, or even burn the lodge to the ground, the cycle restarts. When the next roundes, the serial killer¡¯s items are redistributed, drawing new victims to this very ce. The lodge would reappear as if nothing had happened, perpetuating the carnage. Besides. ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure if I make the exchange, the people I pretended to kill and hid will all actually die.¡¯ There was this record. ======================== #6 Personnel : 8 conscripts, 1 civil servant (Grade-8). The civil servant was sessfully designated as the serial killer but deviated during the third murder, using a special item instead of the provided poison. Attempted to conclude the disaster without killing conscripts by inducing near-death states. Oue : 1 civil servant survived (refused the exchange). ¡ù The conscript in a near-death state waster confirmed to have died after choking on vomit post-exchange. ======================== The idea of locking everyone up so they couldn¡¯t escape during a fire, conveniently preventing their survival? That¡¯s how I¡¯d end up a genuine serial killer. Even if these people were destined to die in this cursed tale, it would still feel wrong. Let me respect my humanity, however fragile it may be. After much consideration, I made my choice. ¡°I want to exchange one cassette tape for the employment contract of the lodge caretaker.¡± The caretaker seemed momentarily stunned. ¡°My employment contract?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded. Did you know? The Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau typically aims to eliminate curses like this. The insane pharmaceuticalpany I work for aims to ensure employees escape while deftly preserving and managing phenomena¡ªit¡¯s never about actually resolving anything. For Daydream Inc., these ghost stories might serve as raw material supply sources, but for the government, they¡¯re just catastrophes to be dealt with. This difference has even inspired some creative reinterpretations in the wiki. In short, government-managed phenomena can¡­ ¡®sessfully disappear¡¯. For instance. The lodge caretaker announces the contract period has ended with this exchange. The location of the lodge bes an empty lot, with no signs of paranormal activity to date. Disaster resolved. This is the official conclusion of thest recorded investigation into this phenomenon. A definitive end. Which means¡­ ¡®Why not terminate it before the next cycle even begins?¡¯ That¡¯s how I arrived at this. ¡°I assume your current employment contract is tied to the previous lodge owner. I¡¯d like to transfer that contract to myself.¡± Not taking the lodge itself, but inheriting the caretaker¡¯s employment rights and terminating his contract? If I could replicate the scenario in the official records, this Disaster could finally conclude. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I waited for the caretaker¡¯s response. And¡­ ¡°It is¡­ theoretically possible.¡± Exactly. ¡°However, with all due respect, the employer must meet certain qualifications.¡± Chapter 55.2 Chapter 55.2 ¡°Qualifications?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The caretaker¡¯s formal tone carried a faint, fleeting trace of arrogance. ¡°There must be inherent, existential nobility.¡± For the person running a murder lodge? It seems the ethics of this role are vastly out of sync with modern sensibilities. ¨C Ha! The caretaker is acting like an 18th-century butler, mistaking his master¡¯s authority for his own! ¨C Why not just take over the lodge and fire them? Braun, I¡¯m going out of my way not to do exactly that. ¡®Hold on. I think I might have another way.¡¯ ¨C Your patience is admirable, Mr. Roe Deer! Sure, sure. I idly scratched my chin. ¡®¡­Nobility, huh?¡¯ Actually, something dide to mind. It¡¯s true that I didn¡¯t bring much in terms of items, but I always carry one small thing in my pocket. ¡®My merch.¡¯ Thetest trinket from the merch box: the Silver Heart. A small, silver badge that enhances one¡¯s persuasiveness when worn by a kind individual. ¡®It¡¯s a good opportunity to test it, too.¡¯ I had carefully handled the tiny badge in my pocket, using a pair of tweezers to affix it to the fabric. Then, as expected¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The other party showed no particr reaction. ¡®Ah.¡¯ Maybe it¡¯s an issue of application range. ¡®He probably isn¡¯t human.¡¯ The wearer earns the reverence of others proportional to their cumtive altruistic actions. Well, I had doubts about the definition of ¡®nobility¡¯ anyway, so this was just a test. I quickly adjusted my approach. In that case¡­ ¡°Are you saying Ick innate, existential nobility?¡± I had no choice but to start talking. ¡°Finding someone who meets such criteria is certainly difficult. I hope you won¡¯t feel disheartened, sir.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not the issue. What¡¯s important is this¡ªare you saying the exchange is difficult because I don¡¯t meet the qualifications?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand that.¡± I deliberately furrowed my brows, like a customer filing aint. ¡°The condition was, ¡®Bring the cassette tape, and I¡¯ll exchange it for anything I possess¡¯, correct? Suddenly changing the terms at the end is disconcerting.¡± I sighed dramatically, as if weary. ¡°Three days. That¡¯s how much time I¡¯ve spent here. And now, at thest moment, you¡¯re introducing qualifications that contradict the promise.¡± The caretaker seemed slightly flustered. ¡°There seems to be some misunderstanding.¡± ¡°What kind of misunderstanding?¡± ¡°The promise remains intact. However, if you inherit only my employment authority, it may be challenging to exercise that authority in practice.¡± The caretaker kindly borated. ¡°If you were to inherit the lodge itself, I would continue to work here under the original contract. But inheriting ¡¯employment authority¡¯ means that right would only be usable when applicable.¡± In simpler terms: Sure, I¡¯ll keep working under my old contract, but I won¡¯t take your orders. ¡°So, it¡¯s just a symbolic contract without practical application? Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°Precisely.¡± Wow. ¡°That¡¯s fine with me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Even better! It¡¯s invalid! ¡°So as long as I¡¯m aware of these terms, the exchange can proceed, right? If I still wish to proceed knowing this, there¡¯s no reason to stop me, correct?¡± ¡°¡­If that¡¯s the case.¡± The caretaker extended both hands. ¡°You are correct, dear guest.¡± He conceded. ¡°Please ce the cassette tapes you wish to exchange.¡± Yessir. I quickly handed over the tapes I was holding. ck, ck, ck. Six tapes left my hand andnded in the caretaker¡¯s rough palms. The caretaker smoothly tucked the tapes into the folds of his worn clothing. Then, after adjusting his tattered attire with deliberate precision, he produced a thin, ancient-looking object. It was a piece of paper. It looked like traditional Korean hanji paper, yet curiously Western in its cutting and design. Rolled up and sealed with red wax. ¡°This is the original contract document.¡± The moment I took it, the old paper caught fire. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The hanji began burning in a vivid orange hue, disintegrating into embers that rose into the air. Then, they coiled around my wrist. Specifically, the spot where the mascot¡¯s tattoo from the theme park remained! ¡®W-Wait.¡¯ : Socius : The tattoo glowed as if it were heating up. The embers shed with the tattoo, almost as if they were wrestling with it, before finally yielding and springing away. They then settled slightly higher on my arm, closer to my forearm, aligning themselves vertically. : ¶÷Ö÷ : ¡°¡­¡­¡± Now I got two tattoos. ¡®This isn¡¯t what I wanted.¡¯ I had expected to keep the physical contract as an item, but this? It felt oddly binding. But¡­ in terms of portability, this was actually more convenient. ¨C Eunju, or benefactor. Hm. Another old-fashioned expression. Even Braun refrained from making ominous remarks this time. Based on prior experience, the tattoo likely wouldn¡¯t be visible to the public¡ªcertainly not to the civil servant standing here¡ªso that worked out fine. If the contract simply vanished into thin air, that was probably better. ¡®Not like I¡¯d ever call on him anyway.¡¯ I raised my head. As expected, the lodge caretaker had vanished as if he had never existed. All that remained was the blood-soaked lodge, a scene straight out of a horror movie. And standing in it, just me and the civil servant. ¡®It¡¯s all wrapped up now.¡¯ Amusingly, at that moment, soft light began filtering through the windows. Sunlight. ¡°The weather¡¯s cleared.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Welp, everything¡¯s in good order. With the mood set, I could vanish quietly, and the civil servant could go about his business. The unconscious survivors tied up in the basement? The government could handle their identities and clean up the aftermath. ¡®Since the creepypasta itself had disappeared, I likely wouldn¡¯t end up as a target of investigation or detailed recordkeeping.¡¯ Whether it was the government or a corporation, they usually didn¡¯t exert themselves over neatly resolved cases. ¡®Even if it¡¯s logged as a peculiar case, I didn¡¯t actually kill anyone, so it should be fine.¡¯ I just needed to y my cards right with the civil servant and offer a reasonable exnation. Everything would blow over nicely¡­ ¡°You there.¡± The civil servant ascended the stairs and strode toward me. Grabbing my arm, he looked me straight in the eye and asked, quite seriously, ¡°Have you ever considered a career shift?¡± Pardon? Chapter 56.1 Chapter 56.1 ¡°Please think it over carefully.¡± The civil servant, dressed like a textbook serial killer, spoke with conviction. ¡°It¡¯s a guaranteed job until the age of 65, with a grade-based sry system. Since it¡¯s a specialized position, there are additional allowances.¡± Why am I sitting here listening to what sounds like a job fair spiel from the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau? ¡°If you¡¯re prone to being drawn into supernatural phenomena, wouldn¡¯t it be better to have financial stability and institutional protection?¡± I already have that, thank you very much. No matter how I look at it, I doubt a Grade-8 civil servant earns more than someone working for a major pharmaceutical corporation! Still, there was no way I could blurt out that I worked for Daydream Inc. I absolutely do not want to end up as a ¡®person of interest¡¯ under the Bureau¡¯s watch! ¡®I should have stuck tomunicating by writing.¡¯ I was beginning to regret speaking out loud for the sake of faster, more persuasive, and impactfulmunication. Feeling like I was starting to break out in a cold sweat, I opened my mouth carefully. Since he seemed to think of me as a mere ¡®civilian prone to supernatural phenomena¡¯, I decided to y into that perception. ¡°This incident was truly terrifying, and I just wanted to do something about it. But I¡¯m not someone capable of resolving supernatural phenomena. Being an agent? That¡¯s absolutely impossible.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The civil servant looked at me as if slightly dumbfounded. Why? ¡°You thought the caretaker of the lodge was the cause of this phenomenon, so you terminated the contract to prevent further incidents, correct?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ correct.¡± ¡°Then you independently made a judgment to fully resolve this supernatural phenomenon, did you not?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s an innate talent.¡± No, it¡¯s only because of the and wiki¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I really can¡¯t, sir. To be honest, I only did all of this because of the friend who came with me here¡­¡± Please, just drop it. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not skilled enough to fight or have any special abilities to warrant bing an agent.¡± ¡°Special abilities.¡± The corners of the civil servant¡¯s mouth lifted slightly. ¡°Those can be learned.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be taught in detail after you¡¯re appointed.¡± Heck. ¡°What makes you so confident about this?¡± ¡°You possess a small silver badge shaped like a shield, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the reason.¡± Ah, crap. ¡®Sharp, aren¡¯t you.¡¯ I had considered this possibility but still feigned being more startled than I actually was. ¡°What? H-How did you¡­¡± ¡°That is a piece of persuasion equipment used by the Disaster Management Bureau. I heard it was once distributed to citizens who performed great deeds, but¡­ this is my first time seeing someone able to use it.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°It can only be used by good people, making it something of a certification tool.¡± And then he gave me a knowing look. ¡°Did you use it after taking it out of your pocket?¡± This guy¡¯s sharp. ¡®Pretending I don¡¯t know would make me look more suspicious.¡¯ I decided to lean into it. Remember, this only works for ¡®good people¡¯! ¡®As long as I haven¡¯t caused any trouble, they won¡¯t confiscate it.¡¯ Thankfully, my brain kicked into overdrive, and a seamless response popped out. With a faintly bittersweet expression, as if there was a story behind it, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small silver badge. I made sure to present it in a way that felt natural, even mentioning the only legal route through which I could have obtained it. ¡°I inherited it from my family.¡± From today onwards, my merch box is my family. ¡°They said I should use it when I needed a voice in an emergency¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± The civil servant nodded, looking at me with a mix of respect and pity. ¡°You must have had an admirable family.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Are you misunderstanding that they¡¯re ¡®watching over me from the heavens¡¯? Well, technically, that¡¯s not entirely wrong¡­ I tried not to think about the ck merch box floating in the sky and continued speaking. ¡°They told me not to volunteer for dangerous tasks, and I want to keep that promise as much as possible.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± That was indeed something my parents said when they tried to dissuade me from entering the financial sector, and it¡¯s true I didn¡¯t exactly volunteer for this job either. Not a lie! Not a lie! ¡°¡­Understood.¡± The civil servant looked at me with slight disappointment but backed off without further insistence. ¡°In that case, it can¡¯t be helped.¡± Phew. And thus, the nerve-wracking job fair came to an end, with an unexpected bonus. ¡°If you ever face concerns or issues, feel free to contact me.¡± As I was leaving the lodge, the civil servant handed me a contact number. This time, though, it was presented in a different format. Ryu Jaekwan 010-XXXX-XXXX ¡°This is my work number.¡± Oh. ¡°The one I just gave you will be more useful than the previous card. The previous one might involve dys in dispatching a response team, and there¡¯s no telling which type of agent might show up.¡± In short, it was a get-out-of-a-creepypasta-free card. I exchanged the previous contact information with this new one as if I were swapping out cassette tapes. I never thought I¡¯d end up with connections like this. Now, before he¡¯d try to make small talk, I should quickly¡­ leave. Though he¡¯d probably do a background check on me anyway. ¡®In that case.¡¯ I scratched the back of my head awkwardly, pretending to be a bit embarrassed. ¡°Actually, with our transactions through the Salmon Market, I was so scared I resorted to writtenmunication¡­ But next time we meet, I¡¯d like to talk like this, with our voices.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°And¡­ could my identity be kept confidential? It¡¯s just that it makes me ufortable¡­ and, well, scared.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The civil servant was silent for a moment. ¡°If you leave things as they are now, that should be possible.¡± He¡¯ll let it slide. Nice! ¡®Does that mean he¡¯ll leave me as an anonymous figure?¡¯ Perfect. This left room for future dealings. ¡®Next time, I¡¯ll raise less suspicion and sell more food.¡¯ ¡°Take care on your way down.¡± ¡°You too, Agent.¡± I shook hands with the civil servant, who then rode off on a bicycle. Even his final attempt at persuasion as we parted was brushed off quite smoothly. ¨C Honestly, sir, I¡¯m at my limit with situations like this. Even now, I feel like I¡¯m barely hanging on. It would be too much for me. And I truly meant it. Baek Saheon, stop giving me that creepy, ring look. The civil servant, apparently just making a polite gesture, nodded and rode off without hesitation. Along with their parting advice to leave before the ¡®Bureau¡¯s cleanup team¡¯ arrived¡ªa life-saving piece of wisdom. ¡®Time to scram.¡¯ I left the lodge, now bereft of thendslide debris and bus stop as if by magic, and began walking down the mountain trail. ¡®Huuu.¡¯ Only then did the tension begin to lift. ¨C Over the past few days, sacrificing your sleep and pouring your efforts into creating that artistic final shot¡­ This Braun knows how hard you worked! Well done. Yeah. It was grotesque, terrifying, and utterly exhausting¡­ ¡®To think he got sent into such a ghost story alone¡ªthis is why I¡¯m not cut out for the Bureau.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t remember a day when Daydream Inc. seemed like a betterpany than today. ¡®At least they pay in cash and points.¡¯ There¡¯s a saying that even servants should work for wealthy families, and this was the perfect example of that. Though I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s particrly rewarding¡­ I nced back at my colleague, who was equally entangled in this thankless job. ¡°Let¡¯s just get out of here. This cursed lodge¡­!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Fuck, I got caught up in this nonsense that doesn¡¯t even pay in either points or cash!¡± ¡°There¡¯s something you need to say before we go.¡± Baek Saheon mped his mouth shut. Then, turning to me, he spoke in a highly defensive tone. ¡°I don¡¯t think I owe you anything for this. After all, it¡¯s not like I begged you to save me.¡± Oh, really? Chapter 56.2 Chapter 56.2 ¡°You¡¯ve already received the reward for the cassette tape exchange¡­ Supervisor Kim Soleum, sir. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I smirked. ¡°That¡¯s funny. You¡¯re bold enough to talk like that to someone who gave up their weekend and even skipped work to save your sorry life?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Baek Saheon¡¯s face turned pale before he reluctantly responded. ¡°¡­What do you want?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± ¡°Honestly, this was fun.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± I began walking briskly down the mountain path. From behind, I heard Baek Saheon scrambling to keep up and offering a bted response. ¡°¡­Anyway, I admit I ruined your weekend and caused you to miss work.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± Oh? ¡°I¡¯ll transfer three days¡¯ worth of sry to you, so just wait.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± But shortly after, as we entered an area with cell service and our data started working, Baek Saheon let out a shout. ¡°The date¡¯s exactly the same!¡± Of course it is. Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s a rule that that time flows differently in ghost stories? ¡°Still, I spent three whole days here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± In the end, I got my sry, while Baek Saheon, wearing a mix of indignation, relief, and frustration on his face, quickly avoided eye contact and retreated. ¨C Haha, regardless of this situation, he seems like the type to live a rough life! You¡¯re not wrong. Honestly, there was something I should¡¯ve said earlier. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect him to go the entire time without even thanking me.¡¯ What a remarkable guy in so many ways. Thoughpared to how he was in the , he seemed a bit less ruthless and slightly more human¡­ for what it¡¯s worth. Earlier, when the civil servant encountered this guy in the basement, he gave me some rather chilling advice after a brief, cold nce at him. ¨C Some inherit the Silver Heart, while others inherit a cassette tape¡­ like that. ¨C ¡­¡­ ¨C Matching them well would be a good thing to do. ¨C Um. Yes. Thank you, sir. Well then. The government had ensured that the cassette tapes ended up in the hands of criminals, people whose guilt was beyond doubt. Which means¡­ this guy was officially recognized as a criminal by the government. Even if I tried to think the best of him, at least one person in Baek Saheon¡¯s ¡°inheritance route¡± had to be a criminal. ¨C It was just something lying around at home. I inherited it from a rtive. ¡­A rtive. ¡®I suppose there might be a story behind it.¡¯ But I stopped thinking further. I didn¡¯t have the luxury to dive into the backstories of characters in the wiki. ¡®I need to survive this ghost storypany first.¡¯ And before long, this cursedpany was back to doing what it does best¡ªbringing bizarre and unpredictable events into my life as if they were the norm. * * * A few dayster¡ª ¡°Supervisor Kim!¡± On my way back from a coffee run, someone familiar called out to me in the hallway. It was Lee Byeongjin, the section chief in charge of manual revisions who had gone missing. ¡°Ah~ Congrattions! I knew our Supervisor Kim would go far!¡± We¡¯ve only known each other for less than two months, sir¡­ ¡°Top of the entry ss, scouted to the A-squad, saved me, and even connected to the Security Team. And now, a rapid promotion? Ee-yaaah, that¡¯s great.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± It didn¡¯t feel great, but I replied politely anyway. However, instead of wrapping up the conversation and leaving, Section Chief Lee Byeongjin lowered his voice and muttered, ¡°Director Ho has got an eye on you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°The director is the best superior you could ever have in thispany. Don¡¯t miss the opportunity.¡± Opportunity¡­? ¡°There¡¯s even a rumor that the director runs an external confidential project team. You might get transferred there.¡± Haha. You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying, sir. In the world of ghost stories, anythingbeled ¡®confidential¡¯ cuts your survival odds in half. Instead of saying that, I politely shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ve been here less than six months. I¡¯m not seeking out something like that. I¡¯ll just do my best in the position I¡¯ve been given.¡± ¡°Ah, modest too! I knew I had a good eye for people. Haha!¡± I was just grateful he conveniently forgot his overbearing attitude from when I was pretending to be part of the Security Team. People are truly products of their environment. Section Chief Lee patted my shoulder a few times, looking proud, and left with these parting words. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m curious where you¡¯ll end up, really!¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± That sounded oddly loaded. ¡®Why does it feel like he¡¯s assuming I¡¯ll definitely be going somewhere?¡¯ That question didn¡¯t stay unanswered for long. Later that afternoon¡ª ¡°Hey, Roe. Even if you get reassigned, let¡¯s catch up asionally. I still owe you a meal or two.¡± Pardon? I blinked at my somewhat dejected coworker. Reassigned? Wait¡­ did I seriously just get transferred to some strange ce? Was the director¡¯s ¡®interest¡¯ just a ploy to lull me intocency before blindsiding me? Why would anyone bother to do something so petty and diabolical to an ordinary employee¡­?! ¡°I mean, I¡¯d rather you stayed on our squad, but looking at how things are going¡­¡± Fortunately, before I spiraled into panic, Assistant Manager Eun kindly exined. She said that squads of the Field Exploration Team typically had a three-person quota. asionally, they¡¯d assign one or two extra members just to train new hires. The new members often stayed as extra personnel until they got promoted. ¡°But you¡¯re a supervisor now.¡± Ah. I was¡­ the exception to the usual case. ¡°You¡¯ll probably be shuffled somewhere else, but¡­ don¡¯t worry too much.¡± Feeling a glimmer of hope, I asked, ¡°Is there a chance I could be an exception?¡± ¡°Not really¡­ It¡¯s just that the squad will likely stay exactly at its three-person quota soon. Keep this between us.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Assistant Manager Eun smirked. ¡°I¡¯m quitting soon.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± A coworker just announced her escape! Chapter 57.1 Chapter 57.1 Office workers always carry their resignation letter with them¡ªwhether physically or mentally¡ªover their hearts. However, it¡¯s usually hidden¡­ ¡®Telling a new hire, though?¡¯ And from a direct superior, no less. ¡°I¡¯ve almost collected enough points. Don¡¯t go spreading it around.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Given Assistant Manager Eun Haje¡¯s personality, I¡¯d have expected her to keep her poker face until the very day of her resignation, revealing it only at thest moment. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s okay to tell me this?¡± ¡°Why not? It¡¯s not exactly bad news. Besides, there are plenty of people in thispany who brag about how many points they¡¯ve umted.¡± Eun Haje gave my shoulder a firm pat. ¡°I just thought I¡¯d let our squad know in advance.¡± ¡°Sniffle. It¡¯s so moving, seeing this from up close, sunbae-nim!¡± ¡°Cut it out.¡± I nced over at Supervisor Park Minseong, who had sidled up and was being overly dramatic. He seemed to have known about it beforehand. ¡®Must be apany culture thing.¡¯ After all, this is a job where people risk everything, spinning the chamber of a Russian roulette revolver against their temples in hopes of fulfilling a seemingly impossible, desperate wish. It made sense that there wasn¡¯t much point in hiding the desire to escape. Still, it was a shame to see such a considerate direct superior leave. But for her, this was great news, so congrattions were in order. There was just one thing I didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Assistant Manager.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Does that mean you¡¯ve gathered all 500,000 points?¡± ¡°What?! Five hundred thousand¡­!¡± Eun Haje looked startled before her expression rxed, and she chuckled knowingly. ¡°Oh, did you think I was aiming for a wish ticket?¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Isn¡¯t that the norm? Finding someone who isn¡¯t would probably be harder around here. ¡°Well, when I first joined, that was my goal too. But after looking around, I realized there are other ways.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Ah. ¡®I see.¡¯ Now that I thought about it, not everyone might need to go all the way to a wish ticket. ¡®If something you can buy from the employee points mall fulfills your wish, that might be good enough.¡¯ ¡°I just need one of the high-tier magical potions thispany offers.¡± As expected. ¡°¡­May I ask how many points it costs?¡± ¡°170,000. I¡¯m less than 5,000 away now. Still¡­ I¡¯ll probably have to stick around a few more months to earn the bonus points here and there thanks to you.¡± ????§à?¨º? Eun Haje gave a rare yful wink. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the squad leader and see if we can keep you here until the next regr personnel announcement.¡± That meant I could likely remain on the D-squad until then. Afterward, once she left, the squad would naturally be down to its proper capacity. ¡®How thoughtful.¡¯ Her confidence that I¡¯d even want to stay with this squad made it all the more impressive. ¡°Sunbae-nim, when you leave, we should definitely have a proper squad dinner. And let¡¯s stay in touch after you¡¯re gone. We could go watch baseball or something¡­¡± ¡°Of course. You just need to stick it out a few more years too.¡± ¡°Me? Nah, I¡¯m stuck collecting all 500,000 points.¡± Despite scratching his head, Supervisor Park¡¯s face seemed brighter than usual. ¡°Anyway¡­ this means Roe can stay on our squad, right?¡± ¡°If the squad leader pulls the right strings.¡± And when the ¡®squad leader¡¯ returned from the section head meeting, they confirmed the matter calmly. ¡°Yes. The odds are in your favor.¡± ¡°Ohhh!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a matter of probability. Do not base your ns on the assumption of staying.¡± ¡°¡­Well, Roe, there you have it.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ssic lizard. ¡°Anyway, congrattions on your decision, Assistant Manager.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Eun Haje smiled as he stepped out to smoke. Her back already looked lighter, as if a burden had been lifted. ¡®¡­What happens to employees who quit?¡¯ There were no ounts of resigning staff being secretly detained inbs for confidentiality or disappearing without a trace. ¡®There were even descriptions of retired employees having rtively good endings.¡¯ Like those universally liked colleagues that people on the wiki grew attached to, ensuring the writers gave them satisfying retirements. ¡®¡­I hope it goes that way for her too.¡¯ After a brief moment of reflection, I returned to my work. That meant taking on the tasks assigned by the squad leader who had just returned from the meeting. ¡°This time, the Darkness we¡¯ll be exploring is a C-ss spider from a known source with apleted manual.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ so the points will be around 600 to 700 per person, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Roe, it¡¯s good we banked on those points when we had the chance.¡± The influx of ¡®new Darkness manualpletion explorations¡¯ that had been almost exclusively assigned to D-squad was finally slowing down. ¡°There¡¯s usually a seasonal burst of new Darknesses. The research squad tends to register them all at once as the deadline approaches.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± This really feels so¡­pany-like. Of course, as a new hire, pointing that out wouldn¡¯t do me any good. I smiled faintly and said, ¡°Then we can all work safely for a while, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I like about you, Roe¡ªyou¡¯re always so positive!¡± Supervisor Parkughed heartily and handed me the tablet disying the manual in PDF form. ¡°Even with a manual, it¡¯s still C-ss, so if you let your guard down, it could be serious. Let me know when you¡¯ve fully gone through it.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Looks like this one just involves surviving in a certain location for a day.¡± Hmm. I took the tablet and started reading. The official manual was written in the usual calm tone, following the same format as always. It resembled the entries in the wiki, meaning the data had been implemented with detailed, practical information based on prior records. ¡®Let¡¯s see.¡¯ This is a ghost story about getting lost in a space within a mostly emptymercial building, a phenomenon referred to online as a type of ¡®backroom¡¯. ¡°¡­¡­¡± As I read the next paragraph, a strong feeling struck me like a hammer. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ For months now, I¡¯d been using the to infer the true nature of ghost stories and match them to their corresponding manuals. So I wasn¡¯t exactly surprised by the general nature of these phenomena anymore. But this situation? It¡¯s surprising in a different way. Normally, it¡¯s the kind of thing where I¡¯d end up in a scenario like the , involving insane mass ughter or a situation where my death is practically guaranteed. But this time, it¡¯s different. ¡®This is¡­ good news!¡¯ Oh my god, a wholesome ghost story! If fear were measured on a scale, this one would probably be a zero. Even the most faint-hearted could breeze through it after knowing the spoilers. Then why was it rated C-ss? ¡®Because Daydream Inc. misssified the grade due to a misunderstanding!¡¯ This story was meant to bring joy. It was one of those ¡®misunderstood ghost stories¡¯¡ªseemingly dangerous but actually warm and gentle. It was safe and friendly, but people¡¯s biases made it seem scary, leading to amusing misinterpretations. ¡®It¡¯s more like a magical experience than a ghost story¡­¡¯ Naturally, there weren¡¯t many cases like this in the . My heart raced slightly. Was I really going to experience this? ¡®Wait a minute.¡¯ If this goes well¡­ ¡®This might not just feel warm and fuzzy¡ªit could actually make my life better.¡¯ My mind started spinning quickly. To pull this off, there was something I definitely needed to have. And that was¡­ ¡°You¡¯re being sent in tomorrow afternoon, so there¡¯s plenty of time. Take your time reading through it. Though honestly¡­ You probably don¡¯t even need me to exin things, Roe!¡± ¡°In that case¡­ would it be okay if I stepped out for a bit during lunch tomorrow?¡± ¡°Huh? Well, I don¡¯t think either Squad Leader Lee or the Assistant Manager Eun would mind, but why? If it¡¯s for a doctor¡¯s visit, we can give you extra time.¡± ¡°Oh, no, it¡¯s not that. I just¡­¡± I thought about my bank ount and started counting. ¡°There¡¯s something I need to buy.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± To make the most of this wholesome ghost story, I needed to bring along¡­ Something very expensive! Chapter 57.2 Chapter 57.2 The next day, after lunch¡ª We traveled to the site in Assistant Manager Eun¡¯s car, heading to the location where the Darkness was contained. ¡°Got everything you wanted to bring?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The ¡®expensive thing¡¯ I had purchased during lunch was safely packed in my briefcase. From the driver¡¯s seat, the assistant manager checked, ¡°Roe, this is your first time entering an urban legend that takes ce in a real location, rather than being kidnapped by touching some cursed item, isn¡¯t it?¡± Uh, no. In fact, I just pretended to be a serial killer at a lodge full of dismembered corpses, nearly throwing up in the process. ¡­But let¡¯s not bring that up. ¡°Yes. It feels like my first real field assignment.¡± ¡°Haha. You¡¯re still in your twenties, right, Roe? This must be your first job, then.¡± The atmosphere was warm as we traveled, exchanging some light-hearted conversation. ¡°Did you know? Our squad leader once broke the steering wheel three times while on duty. Now there¡¯s a rumor he won¡¯t sit in the driver¡¯s seat again unless it¡¯s a full-blown zombie apocalypse¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Maybe I shouldn¡¯t ask about that directly. Anyway, after about forty minutes, the car smoothly arrived at its destination. ¡°Here we are.¡± It was a tightly packed alley ofmercial buildings in the suburbs of Seoul. Once bustling during a real estate boom, it had be eerily quiet and deste due to new urban development drawing people away¡ªan ¡®old¡¯ new town, so to speak. Numerous vacant windows disyed real estate signs advertising properties for sale or rent. ¡°One of these buildings is the urban legend. If you enter during the golden hour on a sunny day, something strange happens.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Apanied by my superiors, who helpfully summarized the manual¡¯s details, I approached the designatedmercial building. ¡°Civilians are blocked from entering this ce. It seems like some kind of¡­ Security Team equipment is being used. But it recognizes our badges and lets us through.¡± Hmm. ¡°Be careful once we¡¯re inside.¡± Supervisor Park lowered his voice and whispered seriously. ¡°There are quite a few disturbing records, so stay vignt.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Are you referring to something like this? Exploration Record #12 One of the staff members deployed (Employee Jung Sejong) discovered an operational shop at Room 404, next to the emergency exit on the fourth floor. The sign disyed the name ¡ö¡ö¡ö Caf¨¦. However, as the staff member approached the location, strange sounds not originating from the caf¨¦ began to be heard. Barking, shouting, and the howling of beasts ovepped into a cacophony that grew louder and louder, as if rushing toward him. Just as the staff member stopped in front of the door, the sound suddenly surged closer, as though something was about to charge out. Panicking, the staff member fled to the emergency stairs just before the door opened but fell unconscious after a loud crash. Later, the staff member was found unconscious near the building, suffering from open fractures in both legs and severe back injuries, rendering him unfit for duty. He subsequently reported persistent PTSD. At first nce, it sounds eerie and horrific. But did you notice? ¡®That¡¯s just¡­ a dog-friendly caf¨¦.¡¯ The barking scared the employee, causing him to flee and tumble down the stairs, leading to multiple injuries. The ¡®ghost story¡¯ actually kindly ejected the staff member from the premises. This Darkness is just a space where the old shops continue to operate normally. That¡¯s as weird as it gets. It¡¯s the kind of story where overzealous explorers, misinterpreting everything as sinister, end up creating problems for themselves, eliciting a wry chuckle from observers. And here I am, standing next to people who are eagerly giving me advice as if it¡¯s all serious. ¡°Let¡¯s be cautious. There are records of this space harming entrants.¡± No, there aren¡¯t. ¡°Especially, don¡¯t lose consciousness. That usually results in severe injuries.¡± Even if someone passes out or gets hurt badly, the space politely ejects them after a while¡­ This is literally a shoppingplex that ensures people leave once business hours are over. Still, I refrained from exining. I didn¡¯t want someone to think, ¡®Oh, this ghost story induces psychological contamination!¡¯ and spiral into more exaggerated misunderstandings. Instead, I simply nodded when they suggested splitting up to cover more ground efficiently while staying in contact. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be okay, Roe?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Normally, I¡¯d cling to someone¡¯s coattails out of nervousness, but today is the perfect day for a ¡®coward¡¯s adventure¡¯! ¡°Call immediately if anything happens.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Equipped with a walkie-talkie provided by the Security Team (which oddly reminded me of a toy I¡¯d seen in the Alien Shop), I moved out. ¨C Hm, is there a specific shop you want to visit? It seems a few are still operational. That¡¯s the thing. ¡®Yes, but they¡¯re a bit tricky to reach¡­¡¯ The space here was warped, with floors and directions all jumbled, but some semnce of order and rules could asionally be discerned. One such rule involved the elevator. When taking it from the seventh floor, a button for the basement might randomly appear. After several attempts, I finally saw the buttonbeled ¡®B1¡¯. ¨C Ah, a hidden location? Reminds me of that elegant exhibition we went to recently. Did you really have to bring that up? I still have nightmares about wandering endlessly in the basement of that exhibition, bumping into mechanical spiders, and losing vital organs¡­ ¡®This is a kind and gentle ce¡­ a kind and gentle ce¡­¡¯ Shaking off the memories, I pressed the button. Ding. The doors opened to reveal a parking garage. ¡®Someone once fainted here after hearing a car horn, I think.¡¯ That¡¯s not the point. I carefully followed the instructions I remembered. ¡®Three turns to the left.¡¯ After circling the parking garage three times, a new section number, previously invisible, appeared. ¡®A19.¡¯ This meant I had arrived. With growing excitement, I walked toward it. Next to this parking section was a door leading into the shoppingplex. Instead of heading to the elevators, I turned to the side, where a small shop awaited. And there it was. Moonlight Tattoo Shop A magical ce. Chapter 58.1 Next to the underground parking lot, there was a small space that seemed to embody andlord¡¯s desperate attempt to squeeze in one more rental shop for extra ie. That small space was upied by the little shop I had nned to visit today: A special tattoo shop. ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story [Moonlight Tattoo Shop] : A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records> : Daydream Inc. identification code ¨C N/A The only official record from Daydream Inc. about this location is a one-off entry titled ¡®It Is Empty (Qterw-C-818)¡¯. For more details, Document #818-15623 (Civilian Interview Record) can be essed, though its credibility is not guaranteed. ======================== Does the note about ¡®credibility not guaranteed¡¯ mean it¡¯s dangerous? No. The foundational story of ¡®It Is Empty¡¯ is a satire of humanity¡¯s tendency to twist benevolence into something sinister by looking for hidden negative reasons. Contextually, this ce has to be a ¡®good¡¯ location that aligns with civilian interview ounts. ¨C Are you going in? Yup. I pressed the button next to the frosted ss door. Srrrk¡ª The door slid open, revealing the interior of the tattoo shop. At a nce, it looked like an ordinary, modest shop. The facilities were slightly shabby but clean and well-maintained. A notice on the counter stated that they only performed one-on-one procedures. However, light streamed down onto the central tattoo chair. It was moonlight. Curiously, the ceiling above the chair featured a transparent LED panel that allowed the moon to be visible, creating artificial moonlight that poured down in a focused beam. ¡®Just as described.¡¯ ¡°Is anyone here?¡± When I called out, the shop owner emerged from behind the counter. It was a woman with dense Korean-script tattoos on her neck, wearing a sleeveless shirt. Her tied-back curly hair and confident demeanor immediately evoked the impression of a skilled technician or artist. ¡°I¡¯d like to have a tattoo consultation. Is that possible?¡± Nod. ¡°Could you let me know the price range?¡± The tattooist pointed at the wall behind the counter with a somewhat unassuming expression. [We only ept payments in kind.] Indeed. This shop didn¡¯t ept cash. Instead, payment was made with items that the owner found appealing, with a particr preference. [Special Condition : Items rted to the sea.] Because of this, civilians who happened to meet this condition often had rare and extraordinary experiences. ======================== Document #818-15623 Civilian : Honestly, I just took a wrong turn. I was trying to find a tattoo shop near ¡ö¡ö Station, but somehow, I ended up in this area full of empty spaces. Then I found the tattoo shop in the basement. When I saw they epted items rted to the sea, I thought it was really unique. So, just to try it out, I showed them a sand timer keychain I happened to have. They epted it! Afterward, they directed me to the central tattoo chair. ======================== So, I had prepared for this ¡®special condition¡¯ in advance. ¡°Would this be eptable?¡± I opened the velvet-covered rectangr box I had brought in my briefcase. Inside, shimmering beads of light reflected brilliantly. ¡°These are pearl beads.¡± These were extremely expensive marine pearls. Perfectly spherical Akoya white-green pearls, 10mm in size, with a pink aurora sheen that gave them a near-holographic appearance. It was a top-ss item. ¡®Technically, there are more expensive sea-rted items, but¡­¡¯ ording to the civilian¡¯s ount, the shop owner seemed particrly drawn to items influenced by the passage of time. Pearls, being organic andposed of protein, were inherently shaped by time. ¡®Besides, I managed to pick these up during a quick lunch break at a wholesaler in Jongno.¡¯ I had even excluded South Sea pearls, which were less affected by time, in favor of these Akoya pearls. ¡°How about this?¡± Nod, nod, nod, nod, nod. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive. The tattooist stared in awe at the gleaming pearls before carefully epting the box I offered. For a brief moment, joy flickered in her otherwise modest eyes. ¡®What could she possibly use them for?¡¯ I had no idea. In any case, after organizing the box with incredible speed behind the counter, the tattooist politely gestured for me to proceed to the central chair, bathed in moonlight. ¡°Thank you.¡± The tattooist soon brought over arge lemon drink and a thick booklet. So far, everything was as described in the ounts. They brought me a lemon drink and a booklet, which seemed like a collection of tattoo designs. One wasbeled ¡®Basic Design #3¡¯. I chose a tiny dolphin silhouette the size of a fingernail and got it done. During the process, they told me to close my eyes, and strangely, I felt no pain. I nced at the cover of the booklet. If the person who gave a mother-of-pearl keychain received ¡®Basic Design #3¡¯, what could I expect after offering pearls worth millions of won? Granted, this might be an overly materialistic way of thinking. ¡®This is a small tattoo shop in a ghost story. A mystical shop owner might not respond to material offerings¡­¡¯ [Royal Special Premium #1 (Customizable)] Well, that worked. ¡°Thank you.¡± Money wins, once again. Anyway, the designs here seemed to reflect what my offering could earn me. ¡®Hmm.¡¯ I turned the pages of the booklet. Designs included constetions drawn with water droplets, a fusion of pr bear ws and Inuit patterns, and a wistful pastel-toned seascape at sunset. The collection was stunning. If I¡¯de here for the express purpose of getting a meaningful tattoo, I¡¯d be poring over these designs with awe. But that wasn¡¯t my primary concern. The tattoo disappears the next day anyway. To be more precise¡­ It would feel like you had dreamed it. You clearly got a tattoo, but it would bepletely gone the next morning. But do you know what¡¯s stranger? The tattoo received here is ¡®absorbed¡¯ into the person. I suddenly became great at swimming in the ocean. Just like the dolphin I had tattooed. In other words, these tattoos grant special abilities based on the design! Chapter 58.2 ¡®I can¡¯t miss this opportunity.¡¯ In the , there must be hundreds of ghost stories that grant people talents or powers. But very few do so in such a gentle and harmless way. In a world of ghost stories where you must sell your body, soul, or at least your conscience to gain anything, Moonlight Tattoo Shop was truly a rare beacon of light. ¡®I need to pick something worthwhile.¡¯ I flipped through the pages with determination, deducing the abilities that each design might offer. ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, I¡¯d like to take a closer look too! Ah, right. Braun might be able to glean more from this than I could. Carefully, I pulled the doll out of my pocket and ced it before the booklet. ¨C Oh, the artist¡¯s aesthetic sense is quite good. Let me think¡­ hmm? The tattooist suddenly stared at Braun with sparkling eyes. Then, before I could stop them, she picked up Braun. ¡°¡­¡­! [Complimentary Service] ¨C Careful. Please handle me gently. My body is filled with cotton, so I can¡¯t move very¡­ hmm, mmmh, hm¡­ The tattooist ced Braun into a small basin they¡¯d brought over, expertly applied aromatic oils, and started massaging the doll¡¯s fabric with practiced hands. ¡­Is this a spa treatment? ¨C Huuuuu¡­ the fatigue from filming is melting away¡­ The plush doll sounded like an exhausted celebrity enjoying a high-end treatment. It was truly a surreal sight, one I¡¯d never encountered in any ghost story. Was this¡­ heartwarming? ¡®¡­Let¡¯s just pick a design.¡¯ After the tattooist handed back a gleaming, revitalized Braun, I thanked her politely and returned to flipping through the booklet with vigor. Unfortunately, none of the designs had clear indications of their abilities. There was only a curious abundance of sea-rted motifs. If that¡¯s the case¡­ ¡°Do you have any rmendations?¡± How about asking outright? ¡°Are there any designs rted to courage or boldness¡ªsymbols of fearlessness?¡± Yes, this was what I needed most. ¡®To escape being a coward¡­!¡¯ As tempting as the other abilities were, my most fundamental and powerful ¡®special ability¡¯ was my knowledge from the . That information was my greatest asset. But to use it effectively, I needed a rational mindset capable of sound judgment. ¡®I can¡¯t keep living with a heart that feels like it might stop from sheer panic¡­!¡¯ How many times had I almost died because of this cowardly heart? ¡®This is probably my one and only chance to visit Moonlight Tattoo Shop.¡¯ It made sense to address my most urgent need first. Asking directly wasn¡¯t something covered in the records, so I was a little nervous. But the tattooist readily flipped through the booklet and pointed to a design. The design was¡­ ¡°¡­Tomato?¡± Yes. It was a tree bearing tomatoes. The design depicted dynamic branches, leaves, and fruit, drawn with bold, rustic strokes that resembled the marks of a well-worn pen nib. It was mncholic, rough, and poetic. The only color in the design was the bright red of the fruit¡ªthe tomatoes. ¡®How does this rte to courage?¡¯ Honestly, I didn¡¯t understand, but since the tattooistmunicated exclusively through the designs in the booklet, I couldn¡¯t get a detailed exnation. Still, it was a rmendation from the professional, so I figured it must be significant. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll take this one.¡± The tattooist nodded happily and retrieved the booklet. ¡°Oh, the cement will be here¡­¡± I rolled up my left sleeve. If I was getting it, I thought I¡¯d ce it near an existing tattoo anyway. Suddenly, the tattooist¡¯s expression shifted, and they stood up from their seat. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ They quickly pointed to a notice on the wall. [Tattoo services may be refused for specific reasons.] Then, they pointed directly at my arm. No way. : Socius : : ¶÷Ö÷ : ¡°You can see these markings?¡± The tattooist nodded, looking at me as if it were the most obvious question in the world. Of course, she would see them¡ªshe¡¯s part of a ghost story, too. But that wasn¡¯t the issue right now. ¡°Are these markings the reason I can¡¯t get a new tattoo?¡± Nod. ¡°Does that mean I also can¡¯t get one on my other arm or back?¡± Nod. ¡°¡­So, there¡¯s no way for me to get a new tattoo right now?¡± N¡­od. Damn it! ¡°I didn¡¯t even choose to have these markings in the first ce. Isn¡¯t there any other way? I really want this¡­¡± I let my shoulders slump, feigning disappointment. The tattooist seemed taken aback and started contemting something. After a moment, she pulled something out from behind the counter. ¡®A promotional pamphlet?¡¯ The tattooist flipped through it quickly and pointed to a specific line on the page. [Cover-ups avable] [Transform your old tattoos into something new.] [¡ù Moonlight Tattoo Shop¡¯s cover-ups don¡¯t conceal the original tattoo. Instead, they amplify its charm. Retain its full meaning while discovering a new beauty.] Wait a minute. Does this mean¡­ they¡¯re offering to enhance my existing tattoos? ¨C Not bad! The theme park mascot and lodge caretaker tattoos were a bit much anyway. You should consider a more artistic choice. ¨C A nightjar, a constetion, the Eight Trigrams¡­ There are plenty of beautiful designs! It¡¯s better to cover them up with something stylish. I nced down at my arm. : Socius : : ¶÷Ö÷ : ¡°I can have either of these enhanced?¡± The tattooist nodded. ¡®So, I can only get one new tattoo, but cover-ups are considered exceptions, allowing either to be enhanced.¡¯ Still, I instinctively felt that choosing only one would yield better results. ¡®This shop clearly offers higher quality tattoos based on what you give. Dividing the value between two might dilute the oue.¡¯ I deliberated. And then¡­ ¡°Please enhance this one.¡± I pointed at one of the tattoos on my arm. Chapter 59.1 The tattoos that ghost stories left on me were all text-based. One was in Latin. : Socius : This was inscribed when the membership granted by the blue dragon mascot at the theme park burned away. ording to Braun, it symbolized ¡®special authorization¡¯, granting a type of ess pass. The other was in Chinese. : ¶÷Ö÷ : This appeared when the lodge caretaker¡¯s contract from the serial killer ghost story, the hanji burning over my skin. However, because Icked the ¡®qualifications¡¯, it was nothing more than a symbol with no real function. If I had to choose one to ¡®enhance¡¯¡­ ¡®It has to be this one.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care.¡± The tattooist leaned in to examine the tattoo I had pointed to. : ¶÷Ö÷ : The reason for this choice was simple: ¡®It¡¯s better to increase the range of abilities I can use.¡¯ It¡¯s (unfortunately) almost guaranteed that I¡¯ll be venturing into various ghost stories in the future. This means relying on just one superpower won¡¯t cut it. ¡®Even Chief Lizard had near death experiences despite his strength¡ªit¡¯s clearly not enough.¡¯ It¡¯s better to have a variety of abilities for different scenarios. Strengthening a single ability halfway wouldn¡¯t be as effective. ¡®It¡¯s more practical to make use of an unused tattoo.¡¯ With Moonlight Tattoo Shop, I didn¡¯t have to worry about ¡®stepping on andmine¡¯. The shop was extremely benevolent, so it didn¡¯t grant harmful powers. I could trust that the lodge caretaker wouldn¡¯t suddenly appear to strangle me. Moreover¡­ I nced at the Latin tattoo. ¨C Good child. Thinking back to the emotional bond I seemed to have formed with that mascot, covering up this tattoo felt¡­ wrong. ¡®That¡¯s a warning sign.¡¯ As a dedicated reader of the , my instincts told me to avoid tampering with something that carried emotional resonance. ¨C Ah, it¡¯s finally starting! And so, I made my choice, and the tattooist began her work. When she tried to show me several design options, I stopped her. ¡°Oh, please just proceed with what you think works best.¡± If I wanted the best results, I had to trust the professional. I smiled brightly. ¡°I trust in your skill, Tattooist-nim.¡± The tattooist¡¯s eyes gleamed momentarily before they confidently gestured for me to lie back on the chair. She also handed Braun to me to hold tightly. ¨C Does she think I¡¯m a stress-relief toy? What an amusing yet rude misunderstanding! But I felt no pain. The tattooist donned intricate steampunk-style goggles and began operating an enormous tattoo machine. ¡®¡­Are tattoo machines normally that big?¡¯ It looked asrge as a surgical device, and for a moment, I was taken aback. Then, moonlight poured into the machine. Bzzzzzzz¡ª The LED light from the ceiling flowed into the machine and concentrated at its tip. The needle glowed like a jewel as it approached my arm, and following the instructions, I closed my eyes. A strange sensation spread through my left arm. It wasn¡¯t pain, tickling, or even pressure. It felt as if old grime was being peeled away, my skin rearranging itself and fitting together perfectly¡ªa refreshing, soothing sensation. Tap, tap. It was over. The light faded, and following the tattooist¡¯s gesture, I opened my eyes. ¡®My god.¡¯ The tattoo now had a background. It depicted a deep blue night sky with a full moon painted in a single bold stroke. On the moon¡¯s shadow, the characters were engraved. Around them, stars were scattered like a pearl-studded constetion, shimmering faintly. ?? Tap, tap. The tattooist stood with her hands on her hips, as if asking if I liked it. ¡°It¡¯s stunning.¡± With a satisfied smile, the tattooist patted my shoulder before rushing to the counter. When they returned, she held a single pearl in her hand. It looked like it had been taken from the ne I had provided. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ The tattooist ced the pearl against the tattoo on my arm. And it sank right in. ¨C Hooh, well now. Hmm¡­ ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, this is truly fascinating. A ¡®pathway¡¯ has opened. A pathway? ¨C Try gently rubbing the tattoo. You should feel something. I raised my hand and lightly touched the tattoo, which, as if by magic, showed no signs of swelling or pain. I could feel it. Between theyers of skin, there was a distinct ¡®gap¡¯. Carefully, I ¡®inserted¡¯ my hand into it. When I withdrew it, I was holding the pearl that the tattooist had ced inside earlier. ¡®¡­A subspace?¡¯ ¨C Exactly. It seems that the uncharismatic lodge caretaker¡¯s contract included ¡®providing space¡¯ as part of the deal! ¨C After all, isn¡¯t it a servant¡¯s duty to provide rooms for their guests? It seems the artist found a loophole in the contract, enabling her to grant you a small space as well! Wait a second. Does this mean I now have¡­ my own little inventory? ¡®Is this really happening?¡¯ My heart raced at this webtoon-like gift¡ªsomething I¡¯d never expected from a creepypasta. ¨C Let¡¯s see¡­ imagine a cube with a side length of about 2 feet. That¡¯s roughly the amount of space that¡¯s now ¡®connected¡¯ to you. 2 feet¡­ about 60 cm. Braun used that pesky imperial measurement system¡ªtypical of an American ghost story connection¡ªbut still, the information was genuinely helpful. But now I had another question. ¡®So¡­ is this space connected to that lodge?¡¯ That crazy, murderous lodge should have disappeared by now though. ¨C It¡¯s uncertain. Where it¡¯s connected to¡­ no one can say for sure. ¨C Only the original contract holder would know what kind of space the lodge caretaker had agreed to provide. ¨C It¡¯s intriguing, isn¡¯t it? This would make for a great bet! What shall we wager for the fun of life? I would like to politely decline¡­ Chapter 59.2 Chapter 59.2 Still, considering that Moonlight Tattoo Shop never granted abilities harmful to its clients, I decided not to be overly wary and miss out on using this power. ¡®At least now I don¡¯t have to worry about secretly carrying items anymore.¡¯ That alone was a huge benefit. ¡°Thank you. This is truly amazing and wonderful.¡± I returned the pearl I had retrieved, and the tattooist, taking it back, looked genuinely pleased and satisfied. ¡°Is everything settled now?¡± The tattooist nodded. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± Just as I approached the entrance, the tattooist seemed to realize something and gestured for me to stop. ¡®What now?¡¯ She rummaged under the counter with intense focus and pulled out a piece of paper. Carefully wrapping it in a transparent sleeve, she handed it to me. ¡®¡­A tattoo design?¡¯ The moment I took it, I realized what it was. It was a tattoo sticker. And it was the exact design I had picked¡ªthe tomato tree. There were even three of them! ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Wait a second. ¡°Does this mean¡­ if I wear one of these, I¡¯ll temporarily be ¡®brave¡¯, as if I had received the tattoo?¡± The tattooist smiled and nodded. ¡®Good lord.¡¯ An unexpected bonus. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± The shop owner smiled warmly and waved as if it were finally time to bid farewell. I ced the stickers into my pocket¡ªor rather, into the new ¡®subspace¡¯¡ªand, for real this time, grabbed the door to leave. ¡°Have a great day.¡± With a polite farewell, the door closed behind me. Rattle¡ª When I turned back to look¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was now empty. As one would expect from a ghost story, the shop had reverted to a vacant space. Behind the distorted real estate sign in the ss window, the interior was hollow and lifeless. ¡®¡­That¡¯s how it¡¯s supposed to work.¡¯ Moonlight Tattoo Shop could only be essed once through the ¡®It Is Empty¡¯ ghost story. ¡®Maybe next time, I¡¯ll have a chance with a different ghost story.¡¯ ¨C Ah, what a unique and delightful experience. I couldn¡¯t agree more. ¡°Roe, how was your exploration?¡± ¡°It went well.¡± That day, I sessfullypleted the ¡®It Is Empty¡¯ exploration without any issues and umted a decent amount of points. The pleasant aroma from Braun¡¯s aromatherapy massage lingered for days. As for the enhanced tattoo, it disappeared without a trace the next morning, leaving only the original text on my wrist. Still, the ability it granted remained intact. ¡®Let¡¯s make good use of it.¡¯ With thoughts of the possibilities for my inventory, I conducted several experiments. * * * Three weekster¡ª The ability hadn¡¯t proven useful even once. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Well, I suppose that¡¯s normal. When entering ghost stories with manuals, thepany usually provided all the necessary items, so there¡¯s no real need to smuggle anything in. Additionally, deployments to ghost stories without manuals had significantly decreased. ¡®Even the Alien Shop doesn¡¯t have anything particrly portable or worthwhile to go wild over¡­¡¯ Ultimately, the ability had been relegated to a mere convenience for carrying existing items more easily. ¡®I did discover that it seems to be vacuum-sealed, so food doesn¡¯t spoil in there.¡¯ When I ced an analog clock inside, the second hand remained frozen, but a digital clock would get its battery drainedpletely. The rules were unclear. Still, I hadn¡¯t encountered an urgent situation requiring its use. Time passed uneventfully, and I umted more points without much fanfare and without much need to use items or abilities¡­ ¡®Still, it¡¯s a good thing to have.¡¯ ¡°Three weeks until the regr personnel announcement.¡± ¡°Hoo-ah, hoo-ah.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll definitely stay on this squad, right, Roe?¡± ¡°Yes, I certainly hope so.¡± The hottest topic among D-squad was whether I¡¯d survive the personnel announcement and remain on this squad. As expected from a ghost storypany, injuries and scares asionally cropped up, but I¡¯d be somewhat used to them. Holding onto the tattoo stickers like talismans helped me endure. ¡®I¡¯ll save these for real emergencies.¡¯ I was gradually settling into the routine, bingfortable with the work and the decent personalities of my squadmates. Naturally, this sense of ease didn¡¯tst long. Three weeks and two dayster¡ª Monday morning. ¡°Roe, you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The atmosphere had changed. ¡®¡­What¡¯s going on?¡¯ There was an eerie calmness in the air. The kind of stillness one might feel when leaving a final message for their family during a catastrophe. It was the peculiar serenity of people bracing for tragedy. It was definitely not a good sign. ¡°Well¡­ we¡¯re bound to encounter something like this eventually.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be okay! We¡¯ve all got strong luck on our side!¡± Supervisor Park Minseong¡¯s attempt at optimism didn¡¯t elicit a response from Assistant Manager Eun Haje. The tension was palpable. ¡°Have a seat, Roe.¡± Instead of my desk, I was directed to the sofa. Sitting across from me, Eun Haje ced a tablet PC on the table with a calm expression. ¡°This is the Darkness you¡¯ll be entering in three days.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Three days? ¡®Why are they giving so much time?¡¯ When something is scheduled three days out, it¡¯s usually framed as ¡®prepare just in case you¡¯re assigned¡¯. It¡¯s rare for it to be stated so definitively. ¡°Twelve people will be entering this Darkness. It¡¯s rated B-ss.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be too rmed. The survival rate is absurdly high. Plus, the additional points are generous¡ª2,000 points per person.¡± ¡°¡­And?¡± Eun Haje¡¯s expression briefly shifted to one of bitter amusement, as if saying, ¡®You sharp little devil.¡¯ ¡°And there¡¯s a problem. Finding a Darkness without issues would be faster, but this one¡¯s unique.¡± ¡°¡­Unique how?¡± ¡°The simplest way to put it¡­ well¡­¡± Eun Haje crossed his arms. ¡°It¡¯s a luck-based death game.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± ¡°As soon as you enter, someone is guaranteed to die. Completely random. Pure luck.¡± God damn. Chapter 60.1 Chapter 60.1 ¡®The fear of possibly dying.¡¯ Perhaps that¡¯s the essence of ghost stories. Recently, I even experienced a government-managed Disaster where someone had to die for the scenario to be theoretically cleared. So, I¡¯ve grown quite ustomed to the idea that ¡°people usually die in ghost stories.¡± I¡¯ve even be a bit desensitized to it. After all, I¡¯ve managed to squeeze through the needle¡¯s eye and survive. ¨C Let¡¯s figure out an escape route first, no matter how impossible it seems. This had be my default mindset over the past few months. But now¡­ ¡°Initially, everyone disappeared. Only one headless corpse ever came back.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°But after a few repetitions, someone lucky enough managed to survive and return. Based on their testimony, we pieced together the manual.¡± This was the standard process forpleting a high-level exploration manual. ¡°But there was one thing we could never change.¡± That was¡­ ¡°Someone always dies.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°The mechanism behind who gets chosen? There isn¡¯t one. No logic, no pattern. It¡¯spletely random. It¡¯s happened 37 times so far, and no matter what gear or items are brought in, it doesn¡¯t make any difference.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°And since the designation happens the moment you enter, there¡¯s no time to prepare or respond.¡± This situation was absurd. Literally a game of chance, where I had a 1-in-12 chance of instant death. Including the rest of the squad, the odds were 1 in 3¡ªabsolutely ludicrous. Someone would just¡­ die. ¡°You might think, ¡®Why not send someone expendable instead of apetent person like me¡¯¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Really? Because I sure did.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t have a choice. This damned urban legend demands a challenger with a sharp mind to allow for a clear scenario resolution.¡± In other words, we couldn¡¯t just throw away a sacrificial pawn. Assistant Manager Eun Haje smirked faintly. ¡°An 8.3% death rate in a B-ss Darkness is actually quite reasonable.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was true. Think about the exhibition ghost story. That one didn¡¯t even have a manual, making it far worse. Even when manuals areplete, fatalities weren¡¯t umon. But still¡­ ¡°The idea of being trapped in that probability¡ªit feels wrong. So unfair.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t unusual to feel that way. The difference between dying without a chance to fight back and dying after at least trying is significant. The former feels like ughter. Thetter, a challenge. ¡°¡­Does giving us three days mean it¡¯s to help us mentally prepare?¡± ¡°Most likely.¡± After three days, your mind cools down, and you start to think rationally and optimistically. ¡®Surely I won¡¯t be the one in 12?¡¯ That kind of thought process¡­ ¡°Roe, this must be your first time facing a Darkness like this, right?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Go grab a coffee. Get me one too while you¡¯re at it.¡± Taking the hint that I could take my time, I epted Assistant Manager Eun Haje¡¯s card and headed out. The coffee errand was probably just an excuse for some mental health management. ¡®This is driving me nuts.¡¯ Now I was leaning back on a caf¨¦ sofa, an Americano in front of me. Fear? I wouldn¡¯t say that¡¯s the issue. I haven¡¯t not been scared since arriving here, so that¡¯s nothing new. What I felt was unease. ¡®Information doesn¡¯t matter in this situation.¡¯ Maybe it¡¯s because I realized how much I¡¯ve relied on having clearer conditions than most employees. It left me with a strange sense of self-reproach. And an overwhelming sense of danger. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®Should I just quit?¡¯ Wouldn¡¯t it be better to leave now and figure out another path? Investigating ghost stories independently using the as a guide¡­ ¨C Ah, Friend! ¨C Why not consider a career in show business? Excuse me?? ¨C Oh, absolutely. There¡¯s always a spot for you in my world, my friend. Isn¡¯t that what friends are for? Hahaha! I almost fell off the sofa. ¡®Hard pass.¡¯ That snapped me out of it. ¨C What a shame¡­ Yes, in this world, there are plenty of fates worse than death. And investigating alone? Only an idiot would forget they¡¯re a coward and make such a foolish choice. Quitting over a 1/12 chance of death would be stupid. ¡®But doing nothing about it would be equally idiotic.¡¯ ¨C So, are you going in? ¡®Yes.¡¯ First, I needed to learn more about this ghost story. I returned to the office with the takeout coffees for the squad and began thoroughly reading the tablet PC. And¡­ ¡®¡­Hah.¡¯ It really was random. The ghost story matched what I already knew from the , but the problem was that everything I had read was already documented in the manual. ¡®There¡¯s no new information.¡¯ I didn¡¯t know anything that others didn¡¯t. ¡®No gaps to exploit.¡¯ Even in the , the description tantly stated, ¡®random upon entry¡¯. There were no exceptions or suspicious loopholes. It wasn¡¯t treated as particrly significant, probably because deaths in ghost stories weremon enough to feel unremarkable. And then¡­ ¡°For this deployment, squad leaders are excluded. Only those ranked assistant manager or below will enter.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Chief Lizard wouldn¡¯t be apanying us this time. This was to prevent ¡®priority confusion¡¯ among staff if a squad leader were designated as the sacrifice due to their higher rank. ¡°None from the Round-Off Team or the elite squads would be included either. Last time they went in, it caused a huge mess.¡± Apparently, during one deployment, an elite squad member from the A, B, or C squads had been designated as the sacrifice. Their desperate attempts to avoid death ended up causing ¡®unnecessary casualties¡¯, taking down several other employees with them. I didn¡¯t regret not being ced on the A-squad, but thispany was as consistent as ever. ¡°Thank you for letting me know.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Assistant Manager Eun seemed caught somewhere between resignation and irritation, finding sce in a cigarette as Supervisor Park joined him for a smoke break. ¡°Did you see the roster? The employees going in, too¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, honestly, I wouldn¡¯t even attend some of their funerals. Did they select the lowest-ranked based on personality or something?¡± ¡°Hey, at least we¡¯re not included!¡± I keptparing with the manual, desperately searching for something. A gap to slip through. A small loophole in the rules. And then, unexpectedly, that afternoon, a potential way to bypass the rules appeared. Though it came in a slightly different form. ¡°Supervisor Kim!¡± ¡°Section Chief.¡± Section Chief Lee Byeongjin hade to find me. As the manual revisions officer, he wouldn¡¯t havee all this way just ¡®in passing¡¯. ¡°I heard! You¡¯re going into that insane Russian roulette ghost story, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I had thought it before, but he truly had a knack for irritating people. But Section Chief Lee wasn¡¯t here just to make a fuss. After lowering his voice and ensuring no one else was around, he leaned in and spoke quietly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you talk to Director Ho about this?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Apparently, the director¡¯s been impressed by your performance.¡± ¡°Are you saying¡­¡± I looked at him. ¡°¡­if I speak to the director, I¡¯ll be excluded from this?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Normally, these things are decided under the guise of fairness, but I¡¯m against that. Someone as talented and promising as you shouldn¡¯t have to go. You¡¯re a top performer, after all!¡± A legitimate escape route presented itself. Getting an executive to intervene. Chapter 60.2 Chapter 60.2 I opened my mouth to respond. ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± ¡°H-Huh?¡± This was something I absolutely couldn¡¯t choose. ¡®It would draw too much attention.¡¯ The moment I epted that option, I would effectively be picking sides within thepany. And in a ghost storypany, even the executives were unlikely to be ordinary people. Aligning myself with someone in a ¡®desperate, survival-driven manner¡¯ would be a terrible move. Especially since this was a matter of life and death. ¡®The moment I¡¯m excluded, rumors will spread like wildfire.¡¯ Would they take it well? Not a chance. It would be seen as selfishness. In anymunity, earning recognition as a proper member requires sharing burdens. Trying to avoid that would¡­ ¡®Get mepletely ostracized.¡¯ In the Field Exploration Team, where members must constantly operate in squads of three, actions like trying to exclude myself could wreak havoc on my workce dynamics. Unless a director intervened to quietly pull me out andter imed credit for saving me, that wasn¡¯t going to happen. The fact that this wasn¡¯t the case meant I wasn¡¯t ¡®important¡¯ enough to be singled out like that. Or maybe¡­ ¡®They believe luck is a kind of skill.¡¯ In other words, it¡¯s a trap. Even if it stung, the right move was to y it straight. I spoke as if I were a principled stickler for rules. ¡°Making an exception for me would be preferential treatment. Thepany must have reasons for assigning work this way, so I¡¯ll take responsibility and follow through.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Section Chief Lee Byeongjin stammered, but after asking ¡®Are you sure?¡¯ several times, he finally relented and left. Honestly¡­ I barely stopped myself from grabbing his pant leg and screaming, Yes, please save me! ¡®Let¡¯s just call this character build reinforcement.¡¯ Because there¡¯s no otherfort to be had here. I watched him leave with a bitter smile and returned to my desk. ¡®Let¡¯s review the manual again.¡¯ But whether I looked at the or reread the manual, the result was the same¡ªthere were no loopholes. There were no exceptions for any of the explorers. ¡®Every single one of them was subjected to the random selection¡­¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± Wait. ¡®This¡­ could this be a loophole?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t be sure. ¡®It¡¯s just a possibility.¡¯ But in this situation, it was worth trying any possibility, no matter how slim. ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, have you thought of something entertaining? Not entertaining, but an idea nheless. ¡®Create an exception.¡¯ ¨C Hmm? Every explorer who entered this ghost story was subjected to the 1/12 instant death lottery without exception. But what if there was a shared condition unique to all explorers? Something that had never allowed for an exception before. ¨C What condition are you referring to? ¡­¡­ ¡®Being human.¡¯ Both the manual and only mentioned humans as explorers. There were no ounts of other living creatures. But in this world, humans weren¡¯t the only sentient beings. If we include animals and nts, the possibilities be endless. ¡®What if a non-human being could avoid the judgment?¡¯ Based on the irregr cases I¡¯d read in the , this seemed like the most usible exception in the current situation. ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, do you wish to stop being human? ¡®N-No, that¡¯s not what I mean!¡¯ Could he not throw out such pure-sounding yet ominous questions? ¡®I just want to be treated as not human for a little while.¡¯ I carefully chose my words. ¡®Like putting on a disguise for a performance.¡¯ ¨C Hooh. ¡®Braun, is that something you could do for me?¡¯ ¨C Oh, absolutely! Braun¡¯s voice became more vibrant and enthusiastic, as if he were preparing for a show. ¨C Adopting a new identity is an entertainer¡¯s calling. I have countless masks to offer¡­ oh! I even have one that I could lend you right now. Jackpot. ¡®Let¡¯s try it.¡¯ ¡°Huuu.¡± I tore my gaze away from the manual and leaned back in my chair. Just then, Assistant Manager Eun and Supervisor Park returned from their smoke break, waving at me as they entered the office. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ah, crap. ¡®Braun, about that ¡°mask¡± ability¡­ can it work on multiple people?¡¯ ¨C Multiple people? You mean people other than you, friend? ¡®Um, I mean, including myself.¡¯ ¨C ¡­If I can regain a bit more of my former glory, it should be possible. Back in my prime, I could cast entire studio audiences¡ªno, hundreds of people¡ªinto new roles! Perfect. ¡®Braun.¡¯ ¨C Ah, my friend calls on me again! I patted my pocket respectfully. ¡®Let¡¯s give you a bath.¡¯ ¨C ¡­¡­?! * * * ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, I appreciate the thought, but I¡¯m not an ult-obsessed celebrity who would enjoy bathing in their friend¡¯s blood. ¡°I know.¡± Even if he was a quiz show host notorious for ¡®blowing up contestants¡¯ heads¡¯, Braun, as my ¡®good friend¡¯, was certainly someone I could afford not to doubt. But there was no other way. Even if I somehow procured blood packs from a hospital, the freshness would degrade, reducing their efficiency. I couldn¡¯t use someone else¡¯s blood, and bringing in a creature from a ghost story likest time wasn¡¯t an option. ¡®The leftover ginseng wouldn¡¯t work either since whatever made it sentient has already dissipated.¡¯ That left the obvious choice. My own blood. I stared into the small, elegant, checkered bathtub. It still looked pristine and smelled pleasant, as when I had first bought from the Alien Shop. Now, I had to pour my blood into it. ¡°I probably can¡¯t give much. Maybe half a cup.¡± That would be about 180mL. ¨C Half a cup! A bit tight, but for the small, cotton-filled body I inhabit, it should suffice as a bath additive. Diluted, of course¡­ No, no, this isn¡¯t right. Are you sure about this? It¡¯s fine. ¡®I can do this.¡¯ Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the kitchen knife. Next to me was a vial of a wound-healing potion I had brought from thepany¡¯s medical office. ¡°Huu.¡± I pricked the flesh of my arm with the upper part of the knife. ¨C Good heavens! Blood began to flow, a steady stream indicating I¡¯d struck an artery. ¡®Remember, I¡¯m scared of creepy situations, not blood itself¡­¡¯ This isn¡¯t creepy¡­! I repeated the phrase like a mantra over and over, trying to calm myself. Eventually, the promised amount of blood¡ªhalf a cup¡ªhad dripped into the tub. ¡®That should be enough.¡¯ But I didn¡¯t stop the bleeding. ¨C Mr. Roe Deer? A bit more. ¨C It seems sufficient, friend! Just a bit more. ¨C Friend? Okay, that¡¯s enough. ¡®Done.¡¯ I quickly used thepany¡¯s healing potion to stop the bleeding. Its magical effects sealed the arterial wound beautifully. Though I felt a bit lightheaded from the blood loss, it wasn¡¯t a big issue. ¡®A recovery potion will fix that too.¡¯ By the time I enter the ghost story in a couple of days, I¡¯d be back to normal. What mattered now was the fragrant aroma wafting from the tub. ¡°Huu¡­¡± I leaned closer to inspect the tub, inhaling deeply as the pleasant scent tickled my nose. It seemed my blood had done its job sessfully. ¡®I must¡¯ve given about 500mL.¡¯ The mixture had transformed into a proper bath solution. ¡®¡­It smells like wood?¡¯ The scent reminded me ufortably of that cursed forest ghost story, but at least it wasn¡¯t unpleasant or strange. Nodding in satisfaction, I turned to Braun. ¡°You can get in now. How¡¯s the scent?¡± ¨C Ah, it¡¯s delightful. Quite unique, like your unpredictably whimsical decisions, Mr. Roe Deer! I smirked. ¡°Was that sarcasm? Because I bled more than nned?¡± ¨C Sarcasm is a key trait of any sessful talk show host! But I don¡¯t wield it indiscriminately. ¡°Thanks for your concern.¡± ¨C ¡­¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll take care of my recovery. Don¡¯t worry. But I won¡¯t do this again.¡± ¨C Now that¡¯s a wise deration, Friend. Is it? To be honest, I did this deliberately. Giving my ¡®good friend¡¯ a bit of a shock was my way of ensuring he¡¯d feel reluctant about using my blood for baths in the future. And it seemed to have worked. ¡®If I¡¯d announced the real amount in advance, he might¡¯ve just epted it without a thought.¡¯ And that wouldn¡¯t do. ¡®This has to be a one-time thing.¡¯ I picked up Braun to ce him in the tub, but once again, he declined. ¨C I shall walk in proudly on my own two feet. Aigoo, go ahead. I turned away from the tub, and soon heard the sound of footsteps and sshing water. The bath had begun. Then, after a short while¡­ ¨C Roe Deer, this bath solution you¡¯ve created¡­ ¨C Hmm, it¡¯s rather peculiar! Pardon me? The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 61.1 I suddenly found myself receiving a critique of the bath solution I had made with 500mL of my own blood from Braun. ¡®¡­Unique?¡¯ I was taken aback. ¡®I almost turned to look at the tub.¡¯ Keeping my head steady, I asked, ¡°What do you mean by ¡®unique¡¯?¡± ¨C Exactly what I said! Hmm, bath solutionse in various types, don¡¯t they? Salt, oil, bubble baths¡­ Yours, Mr. Roe Deer, is quite different from the ginseng, though there are simrities too. That, Hey, that ginseng came from a ghost story, and I¡¯m a human being¡­ ¡®Isn¡¯t it obvious that they¡¯d be different?¡¯ ¨C They are different. But why do you think there¡¯s a simrity between you and that ginseng, Mr. Roe Deer? ¨C Oh¡­ I see. Now I understand. As I heard the sound of the smacking of lips as though tasting fine wine, Braun answered. ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, your bath solution is a blend. Blend. In literal terms, it means mixed¡ªa term often used in coffee or cocktails to describebining ingredients for a new vor. ¨C That¡¯s right. It seems to share someponent with the ginseng, though in a different form. Could this be referring to ghost story contamination? I thought of the Security Team sergeant¡ªthe way his human form had ripped apart and twisted into a wolf-like creature. Was I also beginning to experience the contamination and encroachment of paranormal phenomena? ¨C Contamination? That¡¯s such an extreme and negative way to put it. Isn¡¯t life a process of change? Mutual influence and transformation¡ªthat¡¯s where the fun lies! ? Damn it. Instinctively, I nced down at my body. If there were any visible signs of ¡®ghostly influence¡¯, it would most likely be¡­ ¡°Do you think the tattoos are the cause?¡± ¨C Hmm, tracing the origins of what¡¯s already mixed is quite a challenge. ¨C There are connoisseurs who can guess a vineyard by tasting a drop of wine, but I¡¯ve never liked that kind of pretentiousness, even as a talk show host. ¨C Anyway, there¡¯s no need to worry, Mr. Roe Deer. You¡¯re not about to meet a new version of yourself next week or anything like that! Theoretically speaking, that seemed true. ¡®Living and working here inevitably means I¡¯ll experience some level of ghostly contamination.¡¯ There was no point in panicking over it. After all, the stronger and more varied one¡¯s supernatural abilities be, the greater the risk of being consumed by them. Bncing that risk was essential. ¡®¡­Though I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve reached a point where I need to worry about bnce yet.¡¯ Still, it was something I¡¯d have to manage in the future. Luckily, one of the facilities I now had ess to as a supervisor specialized in monitoring such changes. I¡¯ll visit that ce after safely surviving this ghost story. ¨C Hmm. There¡¯s also something particrly unique about your bath solution¡­ Oh, it¡¯s all dissolved now. Braun let out a long, satisfied sigh as if he had been trying to analyze the bath solution further. ¨C I thoroughly enjoyed it! At least one of us enjoyed it¡ªthat was a relief. The bathtub glimmered with neon lights, flickering briefly as though flipping through TV channels. Braun lounged against the tub¡¯s wall, his plush body radiating a lively energy. ¨C Shall we step out now? I walked over and lifted Braun out of the tub. The plush doll felt oddly more luxurious than before, though the size hadn¡¯t changed. Still, Braun¡¯s voice sounded sharper, more articte¡ªmore vibrant. I covered the plush doll with a towel, shielding him from view, and asked, ¡°Feeling reinvigorated?¡± ¨C Beyond words! ¨C Hmm, it feels like returning to my prime, when I was most active¡­ While it wasn¡¯t as dramatic a transformation as when I used the contaminated ginseng, Braun had clearly ¡®rejuvenated¡¯. And when I pulled back the towel covering him, I noticed something I hadn¡¯t seen before. ¡®¡­A tag?¡¯ There was a small scrap of fabric at the back of his neck, where it looked like a tag had once been attached. ¡®So there was originally aplete tag here?¡¯ It seemed to be a remnant recovered during his rejuvenation. ¡®Interesting.¡¯ I made a mental note of it. ¨C Ah, I feel wonderful. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± After drying off the plush doll, I ced him neatly on a towel-covered table. The preparations wereplete. ¡°I have a favor to ask.¡± ¨C Ah, I had a feeling that wasing! ¨C After all, how could I refuse a friend who had just prepared a bath for me? You¡¯re probably about to ask if I can lend my mask to more people, aren¡¯t you? ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± With Braun rejuvenated, he could now wield more powerful abilities. ¨C Excellent. How many people are we talking about? ¡°Two.¡± * * * Two dayster¡ª Following instructions in thepany¡¯s notice, I headed to a different location for work. It was an abandoned private kindergarten building, already popted withpany personnel. ¡°You¡¯re already here,¡± I greeted respectfully. ¡°Roe, you¡¯re early!¡± Standing near the poorly cleaned entrance of the kindergarten, I soon saw my squadmates arrive. ¡°Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s one of those guys who bites it, not us.¡± ¡°Please¡­ just this once¡­¡± Thanks for whispering, though honestly, I don¡¯t think anyone would have cared even if you hadn¡¯t. Everyone wore the same anxious expression anyway. ¡°Roe, Roe! Do you see that guy over there with the rabbit¡¯s foot? It¡¯s supposed to be a lucky charm.¡± ¡°Does it work?¡± ¡°You think? Last expedition, someone wore something simr and still got sent to the afterlife in one hit.¡± ¡°Yeah, Assistant Manager Eun¡¯s right. They say none of those items work here. The selection is ¡®fair¡¯ and unavoidable.¡± I nced at Supervisor Park, who, though pale, was trying to force a smile. He looked as if he had braced himself but was still deeply nervous. ¡°Supervisor.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Would thepany have any issues if I tried something simr? To avoid being picked as the sacrifice?¡± ¡°Ah, preparing some countermeasures to dodge it?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± Supervisor Parkughed and patted me on the back. ¡°Oh, Roe, of course not! Everyone does it!¡± ¡°I¡¯d bet my paycheck that everyone here has spent thest three days trying every trick in the book to weasel out of this.¡± Bold words, Assistant Manager Eun¡­ Eun Haje smirked faintly. ¡°How do you think they figured out none of it works? Plenty of people tried and still ended up as the sacrifice.¡± ¡°Why, Roe, are you nning to try something too?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After a moment of hesitation, I pulled Braun out of my pocket. Chapter 61.2 ¡°Ah, the keychain you carry around.¡± ¡°My lucky friend. Would it be alright if I shared this friend¡¯s abilities with you two? It¡¯ll be our little secret.¡± Both of them gave tired, skeptical smiles but nodded. ¡°Well¡­ thanks, I guess.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s hoping it actually brings some luck!¡± Okay. ¡®That should keep any rumors from surfacingter.¡¯ ¡°Huu.¡± ¨C Now, let¡¯s get ready. ¡°They¡¯re about to start.¡± I looked at the old grandfather clock hanging in the entrance like everyone else. Tick. The second hand passed 8:59:56 AM. ¨C You¡¯re now entering the studio. ¨C If you see cameras, don¡¯t worry¡ªthink of them as starlight. Stay rxed. Tick. 57 seconds. Oddly, I felt calm. A certainty about my identity. ¨C Oh, I see you¡¯re wearing your mask! Excellent. That mask is now who you are. Tick. 58 seconds. I raised my head. My horns felt itchy¡ªlike wood, but not quite wood. Only I knew it was something else entirely, that it was ¡ö¡ö. ¨C And there are other animal friends! Two of them. Tick. 59 seconds. I turned my head and saw a badger and a falcon observing the surrounding humans. And then¡­ ¨C It seems no one here is stronger than you. I know. I blinked, perceiving the heat signatures of the humans around me, flushed with tension. And then¡­ Tick. 9:00 AM. The grandfather clock chimed loudly. Bong¡­¡­!! I took in a sharp breath. The dpidated kindergarten building transformed into a pristine, modern space. It smelled of fresh construction, like a newlypleted facility awaiting its first use. And I was in a room filled with neatly arranged toys, standing alongside the falcon¡ªor rather, Assistant Manager Eun Haje. ¡­We had entered the ghost story. I slowly looked down at my neck. Clean. ¡°Hah.¡± I exhaled, letting the tension drain from my body. ¡®I made it.¡¯ The strange thickness I¡¯d felt across my entire body, the tactile sensation of horns¡ªall of it gradually faded away. The certainty in my identity dissipated too. ¨C Hm, and that concludes everyone¡¯s brief role. Thank you. ¡®So that¡¯s what the mask was.¡¯ It was a bizarre experience, and I was d it had been short-lived. Since I¡¯d stretched Braun¡¯s limits by having him mask three people at once, his voice sounded drained. The fact that it held up even for a few seconds was impressive. ¡®You did well.¡¯ I reached into my pocket to gently pat Braun. ¨C No¡­ Hold on. What¡­ in the world is this? Why did he sound rmed? I immediately pulled Braun out of my pocket. Hanging around the neck of the plush doll was something that hadn¡¯t been there before. ¡­A ck noose hologram. It was the mark of a sacrifice. Did Braun just get selected as the sacrifice? ¡®A ghost story resident himself?!¡¯ I teetered on the brink of confusion, unsure whether this was an impossible fluke or something I should be rmed about. Then Braun started talking. ¨C Pardon? Participate in a teaching demonstration, you say¡­ What are you talking about? I interview teachers¡ªI¡¯m not the one teaching children. Good gracious! ¨C Show business, for heaven¡¯s sake! You people are so boring. Stuck in a rut, inflexible, and utterlycking the charm the public craves. ¨C I¡¯m opting out, thank you very much. With that, Braun snapped his plush, cotton-filled fingers. And then¡­ miraculously, the noose around the stuffed doll¡¯s neck disappeared! ¨C Trying to enforce rules to involve an uninvolved participant? What an unprofessional kindergarten this is! ¡®So the tactic of being recognized as non-human¡­ worked after all.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t quite how I envisioned it, but the oue was clear enough. Braun had been selected, but his participation in the ghost story was redirected to another participant because he refused toply. Wait a second. ¡®Redirected?¡¯ I quickly looked down at my neck. Still clean. ¡®Who did it pass to, then?¡¯ While it was a relief that it wasn¡¯t me, the idea of the ghost story transferring the noose to another target randomly because its first pick was declined¡­ Was this how it worked? ¡°Roe.¡± I turned to Assistant Manager Eun Haje, still processing what had just happened. ¡°Assistant Manager, just now, I think¡ª¡± When I looked at her¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t panic. Take a deep breath, slowly.¡± She smiled at me. ¡°Now I¡¯m going to ask you for a favor. If you think you can¡¯t do it, feel free to decline.¡± ¡°Assistant Manager¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯d handle it myself if I could, but that¡¯s not an option.¡± With a bitter smile, she lightly patted the noose now firmly secured around her own neck. ¡°Because I¡¯m already locked in.¡± ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story [Hungry Hangman] : A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records> : Daydream Inc. identification code ¨C Qterw-B-191 Based on the word-guessing game, this Darkness permits no exceptions to its rules. Participants are unable to escape their assigned roles under any circumstances. The psychological tension and fear that arise within are a hallmark of this ghost story. The sacrificial ¡®Hangman¡¯ climbs the gallows as the other participants guess words rted to them, ultimately resulting in their execution by hanging. There are no exceptions. ======================== ¡°Should I say I¡¯m d I at least get some time to leave a will? Guess that¡¯s a small mercy.¡± No. This can¡¯t happen. ¡°Wait, wait, please just¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Assistant Manager Eun¡¯s smile shifted into a wry grin. ¡°Look¡­ I¡¯m going to die anyway.¡± ¡°The real question is whether you all survive while I die, or everyone dies together.¡± ¡­She¡¯s right. If the word puzzle isn¡¯t solved before the end of the game, all participants are executed, including the Hangman. No exceptions. God damn it. ¡°Alright, listen carefully. I have some automatic purchases queued in the Points Mall for when I die on the job.¡± ¡°Just make sure Squad Leader Lee reviews them properly. The guy¡¯s surprisingly scatterbrained at times.¡± It hit me then. She had already fully epted her fate. Dzz zz zz zzzt¡ª ¡°Stay sharp. It¡¯s starting now.¡± In the corner of the yroom, an old-fashioned TV screen flickered to life. [Hello, English Kindergarten teachers of ¡ö¡ö! Today, we¡¯ll be learning a fun game to y with your students!] [It¡¯s¡­ Hangman!] The noose around Assistant Manager Eun¡¯s neck suddenly jerked taut. The now-solid rope coiled tightly around her limbs, lifting her into the air. [Today¡¯s host will be our newest teacher, Eun Haje!] On the TV screen, enormous nk spaces appeared. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Hangman! Let¡¯s guess the word together!] The execution had begun. Chapter 62.1 [Everyone, what kind of game is ¡®Hangman¡¯?] [That¡¯s right! It¡¯s an educational game where you guess the spelling of a word! If the letter you shout is part of the word, correct! If not, wrong!] [And to make it easier for learning, we¡¯ll be giving you some hints!] A figure dangling in midair. The pastel tones of the TV and its cheerful voice sharply contrast with the scene, cutting into my ears. [Shall we get started?] The dangling figure, Assistant Manager Eun Haje, breaks into a wry smile, cold sweat dripping down. ¡°Everyone already knows the answer, but the intro is unnecessarily long, don¡¯t you think?¡± This B-ss ghost story thrived on mental strain, nerve-wracking psychological pressure, and the excruciating pain that would drag a victim to the brink of death. ¡­It¡¯s that kind of ghost story. It¡¯s true that a victim chosen for Hangman was effectively sentenced to death. But during the actual ¡®game¡¯, they could temporarily hold onto their life. And this particr victim is¡­ [Today¡¯s word is one that best represents Teacher Eun Haje! Let¡¯s all figure out what kind of person Teacher Eun Haje is!] Ruthlessly exposed. ording to the , every attempt to conceal the victim¡¯s identity would fail during this process. It¡¯s as if their life was being meticulously scrutinized and judged, with every significant event ringly announced. Even the ssic hangman game itself has been altered to serve this purpose. [Everyone, the word has 8 letters!] I looked up at the nk spaces disyed on the TV screen. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ If you correctly fill in all the nks, it forms a single word. Normally, participants take turns guessing random letters, and the nks are filled in as the guesses align with the word. That¡¯s how the word is deduced. But¡­ ¡®Here, every letter is directly tied to the victim.¡¯ [Here¡¯s a hint for the 8th letter!] [What was Teacher Eun Haje¡¯s job four years ago?] Like this. Guessing something rted to the victim¡¯s personal history makes it easier. To make this process smoother¡­ The victim¡¯s cooperation is necessary. You must persuade or threaten someone sentenced to death into talking. Cold sweat dripped down my chin. ¡®So, right now¡­¡¯ What am I even doing? A plush doll in my hands, an outdated TV, Assistant Manager Eun Haje dangling in midair¡­ What can I do? ¡®Run.¡¯ I started moving my feet. ¡°Roe! Where are you going?!¡± ¡°No time. I¡¯ll exinter¡ª¡± ¡°Are you looking for the gallows?¡± ¡°Even if you destroy it, it won¡¯t change anything. You know that, right? You read the manual.¡± ¡°You never know until you try.¡± Just like in the quiz show, I¡¯m calling Section Chief Lee Jaheon to the scene. So, if I ask him to destroy the gallows this time too¡­ Yeah, until it¡¯s restored, we¡¯ll have some time. ¡°Wait.¡± There¡¯s no time. ¡°Sit down for a moment. Actually¡­ I¡¯ve got something I want to try at the very end.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying this lightly. So don¡¯t do anything conspicuous either. We can¡¯t afford to stack up unnecessary penalties.¡± Penalties. ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about, right?¡± I do. This ghost story was based on the oppressive fear that stemmed from being utterly trapped. The movements and actions of the 12 ¡®new teachers¡¯ would be monitored in real-time by the kindergarten through CCTV, and any behavior deemed unfit for a teacher results in a ¡®penalty¡¯. [One minute left. Teachers, raise your hands and shout out a letter!] ¡°Assistant Manager Eun! Assistant Manager Eun!¡± At that moment, the yroom door mmed open, and a staff member rushed in, looking desperate and anxious. His expression screamed frustration and despair, as if searching frantically for the victim but unable to run due to the rules. In this kindergarten, running above an rmed pace was strictly prohibited. Swearing, damage, and anything against the game rules¡ªeverything is banned. ¡°Shi¡ª Huu. Why does it have to be the room at the end of the third floor!¡± The staff member shouted at Assistant Manager Eun Haje, venting his frustration. Still, he seemed to restrain himself from cursing, trying to follow the rules. ¡°Hey! You¡­ Assistant Manager Eun, what were you doing four years ago?¡± Eun Haje smirked. Because¡­ ¡°You fucking turd, how dare you talk down to me?¡± In this game, the Hangman was an exception to all rules. ¡°W-What¡­ why, all of a sudden¡­¡± It didn¡¯t matter anymore when they¡¯re going to die anyway. ¡°I¡¯ve held back from pointing out your behavior so far just to avoid getting involved with you, you hopeless fucking moron. And now, I¡¯m about to die without even gathering enough points. What a mess.¡± ¡°U-Uh¡­¡± ¡°Get a grip, you goddamn troll. You¡¯ve already killed three newbies.¡± The staff member¡¯s face turned beet red with anger. ¡°Feeling wronged? Frustrated?¡± ¡°N-No¡­¡± ¡°Then suck it up. You wouldn¡¯t want to be judged as ¡®zero contribution¡¯ter and get punished, would you?¡± Eun Haje teased, grinning slyly. ¡°There are only eight slots. Behave yourself, yeah?¡± The staff member mped his mouth shut. It was the only logical decision. In this ghost story, the idea that only one person dies was the best-case scenario based on the manual. In reality, deviations often lead toplete annihtion. This was a tale where your survival depended on strictly adhering to the rules. ¡®And if you fail to guess even a single letter in this Hangman game, you¡¯ll face a penalty during the final evaluation¡­¡¯ That¡¯s when it happened. ¡°Hey, Roe. Come here.¡± Assistant Manager Eun Haje called out to me. When I approached, she lowered her voice so only I could hear. ¡°I was a reporter four years ago.¡± ¡°Roe, you make the guess. Avoid the ¡®zero contribution¡¯ penalty from the start.¡± This is driving me crazy. ¡°Even if you refuse to guess, nothing will change. You know that, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯d help my mental state, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Then start by worrying about the mental state of someone who¡¯s about to die. Will you?¡± Eun Haje frowned. ¡°Imagine how awful it would be if that guy beats you to the answer, huh?¡± Hah¡­ I pressed my temples and eventually stepped toward the TV. The staff member who had barged in looked at me in disbelief. ¡°W-Wait, you¡­¡± ¡°Thest letter of the word is R. It¡¯s the initial of ¡®Reporter¡¯.¡± Dzz zz zz zzzt¡ª [Correct!] _ _ _ _ _ _ __ The screen made a cheerful sound as it filled in the letter. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ R And then. [Let¡¯s give a round of apuse for the Hangman~] ¡°Kuh¡ª¡± Eun Haje¡¯s body twisted. The left foot of the assistant manager, suspended in midair, literally vanished. ¡­One step closer to execution. The sacrificial ¡®Hangman¡¯ climbs the gallows as the other participants guess words rted to them, ultimately resulting in their execution by hanging. There are no exceptions. This is madness. Chapter 62.2 ¡°¡­It¡¯s not like it got hacked off, so there¡¯s no pain. Don¡¯t worry.¡± How can I not worry? ¡°Well, at least it didn¡¯t start with the neck. We can still talk, right?¡± No way. No matter how I think about it, dissuading me from the st-ditch attempt¡¯ was just a bluff to keep me stuck here. ¡®I can¡¯t let time run out like this.¡¯ Meanwhile, the TV continued. [Here¡¯s a hint for the 5th letter!] [What was thest mode of transportation Ms. Eun Haje used during her time as a reporter?] The staff member hesitated, gritting his teeth as he nced at Eun Haje. ¡°Ugh, just tell me¡­ Hey, even so, we¡­¡± ¡°We what?¡± Eun Haje stared at them incredulously. ¡°You¡¯re responsible for three dead newbies¡­ Damn it. You should¡¯ve been the one stuck here to die.¡± ¡°Shut up! You¡¯re dead meat now anyway!¡± ¡°Oh~ Then don¡¯t listen to this dead meat.¡± Eun Hajezily tilted her head with a bored expression. The staff member, his face flushed red with anger, shoved me aside and stepped up to the TV. ¡°Transportation? Well, probability-wise, it¡¯s obvious! Bus or subway! Yeah, okay, subway initial, S!¡± [Oh dear. Ding! Wrong!] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ R [As punishment, please recite the educational booklet for 10 minutes!] ¡°U-Ugh¡­¡± With a twisting sound, a holographic ck booklet appeared in front of the staff member¡­ ¡°Gaaaahhh¡ª!¡± It stuck to his face. ¡°Aaaaah! Aaagh!¡± The ck booklet melted as if it were merging with his skin, swallowing his face whole. He rolled on the floor, struggling desperately to tear it off, but nothing changed. Beneath the dissolving booklet, a clear brand appeared on his forehead¡­ [Chick ss] Eun Haje clicked her tongue. ¡°What a mark to get. Idiot.¡± ¡°Pay attention, Roe. If that umtes, you¡¯ll be stuck here being ¡®educated¡¯ until you¡¯re a proper ¡®kindergarten teacher¡¯. ¡­Forever.¡± That¡¯s right. If you fail to participate in this game properly, you¡¯ll end up in a fate worse than death. ¡°Three times. Just three penalties, and it¡¯s over.¡± Three penalties. It¡¯s enough to contaminate someone to the point where they¡¯re no longer considered human. Like the Security Team. ¡®But this is even worse.¡¯ Unlike the Security Team, if you¡¯re not rescued, you¡¯ll just disappear, trapped in this ghost story indefinitely. ¡°So don¡¯t do anything unnecessary.¡± ¡°If you screw up, you won¡¯t even be able to die.¡± Cold sweat dripped down my back. ¡®I know.¡¯ In this situation, as long as I follow the manual, I¡¯ll survive. I¡¯ve even guessed one letter correctly, removing the penalty. So is there any reason to take a risk? ¡®If I try, the situation might just get worse.¡¯ There are plenty of records in this ghost story of people who tried to save the Hangman, only to end up contaminated and stuck here forever, endlessly ¡®educated¡¯ as kindergarten teachers. There are no exceptions. Yeah, there¡¯s no way out. I know that too. There¡¯s no way out. No matter what, the game must bepleted, and the Hangman must die. That¡¯s how it works. This isn¡¯t some fun ghost story about bending the rules to escape. ¡®Its very nature is different.¡¯ From the moment it was registered on the wiki, this was a theme that drove people insane because the rules couldn¡¯t be broken. This ghost story amplifies the fear of helplessness and suffocating adherence to rules, ultimately forcing you to desperately self-censor in ordance with those rules. Still, there was one faint variable I had witnessed. Braun, who had escaped the game by ¡®talking¡¯ to this ghost story. But I lost that chance because I stood there dumbfounded, just watching him talk. ¡®I should have intervened.¡¯ I should have done something, dragged out time, avoided the noose, and kept the conversation going¡­ ¨C Hm? Braun had looked on in disbelief, horrified. ¨C Well, I¡¯d rather not! Talking more with these people? How boring! ¨C Mr. Roe Deer. Are you seriously saying I should¡¯ve humored this outdated game and pretended to go along with the hanging? For me, your friend? ¡­¡­ Huu. ¡®Braun. Even I can¡¯t argue with you there.¡¯ ¨C Wait a moment? ¡®When you dered your refusal to participate in this game, you knew someone else would be chosen as the Hangman, didn¡¯t you?¡¯ So, ¡®You knew there was a 1 in 12 chance I could die, and you didn¡¯t hesitate?¡¯ ¨C ¡­¡­!! ¡®So you didn¡¯t care if I ended up being hanged?¡¯ ¨C No! No, that¡¯s not it¡­ It¡¯s not like that. But this outdated game, even as a game, should be respected for its rules¡­ Ah, of course, I mean, my friend is more important¡­ For the first time, Braun¡¯s voice wavered, filled with confusion. It seemed as though the role of being a ¡®good friend¡¯ and the role of the narrator within the ghost story were shing inside him. Let¡¯s not forget, this guy has the twisted mindset typical of an ghost story resident. But at the same time¡­ He was a stuffed doll trying very hard to remain my friend. ¡®Right.¡¯ I had to center myself. I might be a coward, but I shouldn¡¯t let myself be stupid. I exined as calmly as possible. ¡®I didn¡¯t mean to say that I thought you should have been hanged either.¡¯ It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m going crazy with anxiety. ¡®I just meant that I wish I had asked you to stick around a bit longer to gather more information before bailing. You seemed to be able tomunicate with this ghost story.¡¯ ¨C Ah¡­ that¡¯s true. Unfortunately, for you, Mr. Roe Deer, it seems they¡¯ve decided to treat me as an outsider now, so no special interviews are being granted. ¨C Still, if that¡¯s your reasoning, I can certainly understand! ¡®Yeah.¡¯ But faintly¡­ I had a feeling we understood each other differently. Even as I thought that, I didn¡¯t have the mental bandwidth to dwell on it further. ¡®There¡¯s nothing.¡¯ Even though I knew there was nothing, part of my brain kept desperately sifting through the exploration records and the manual, trying to find a loophole to save the Hangman. But there was nothing. Of course, there wasn¡¯t! If there had been, I would have thought of it over the past two days while wracking my brain to the breaking point! ¡®There¡¯s no precedent.¡¯ No matter how much I scoured my mental catalog of the or revisited the manual, it wasn¡¯t there. I already knew¡­ Whether I destroyed the gallows, tried to rece the Hangman, or simply refused to guess the word, it would only add penalties. The Hangman still dies. There are no exceptions. ¡®They¡¯ll die no matter what¡­ no matter what,¡¯ it said¡­ Is there really nothing else? I gritted my teeth. How¡­ ¡°Roe!¡± A familiar voice rang out. I turned to see a second staff member standing in the open doorway¡­ ¡°¡­Supervisor.¡± ¡°You alright¡­ haah.¡± Supervisor Park Minseong, who had just entered the room, caught sight of Eun Haje and visibly swallowed hard. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already heard it on the TV, right? Just get ready to guess.¡± Park Minseong¡¯s face was filled with a mix of emotions before quickly calming down. ¡°Stop thinking unnecessary thoughts and guess quickly. You know you¡¯ve already umted penalties, right?¡± umted? ¡°Supervisor, what does that mean¡­?¡± The supervisor whispered to me with a strained expression. ¡°Well. Actually, this is my second time being here¡­¡± ¡°I came here right after I started, and now, two yearster, I¡¯m back again. Haha¡­ I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m lucky or unlucky.¡± He gave a bitter smile. ¡°Last time, I tried to save someone who¡¯d been chosen as the Hangman and got a penalty for it¡­ so I think the contamination might have umted¡­ I¡¯m not sure. There hasn¡¯t been a case like this before.¡± He rambled, saying he even started carrying only one piece of equipment at a time because he wasn¡¯t sure what might happen. His mental state was clearly shaken. I grabbed his shoulders. ¡°Supervisor.¡± A direct experiencer. The only person who might have detailed information I didn¡¯t. ¡°Please answer my questions quickly and urately from now on.¡± Chapter 63.1 Hurry up. Hurry up. ¡°Then, Supervisor, your previous experience would be the 35th round, correct?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah. It was the only round where they attempted to bring in new hires.¡± Kim Soleum quickly exchanged a few hurried questions with Supervisor Park Minseong and immediately pieced together the essentials in his mind. ¡®Supervisor Park¡¯s detailed experience¡­¡¯ ¡°Is this all? Is this what we need?¡± ¡°I¡¯m working on putting it together.¡± ¨C New hires were drafted into this Darkness¡¯s exploration, resulting in chaos and panic from fear. ¨C Some kept cursing so they received penalties. A fight broke out over calming pills, and it led to penalties for both parties, including the one who drank them. ¨C Seven people received more than two penalties, reaching the brink of contamination. ¨C The new hire chosen as the Hangman passed out from panic halfway through, but the sheer terror and confusion left no one able to help. ¨C Another new hire copsed after being struck on the head by the body that fell from the gallows. Theyter resigned. Huh? ¡°After that, they never brought in new hires again¡­¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Do the bodies remain?¡± Kim Soleum stared urgently at the supervisor. ¡°The bodies of the people who¡¯ve died here as the Hangman, I mean.¡± ¡°Well, yeah? Though I don¡¯t know about decay or anything like that¡­ I don¡¯t think there was a head, but it¡¯s not like I personally attended the funeral and checked every detail¡­¡± ?? A chill ran up Kim Soleum¡¯s spine. This, this¡­ ¡°W, What is it??¡± Supervisor Park grabbed Kim Soleum¡¯s shoulders in a panic. ¡°Is there a hint? Does this help?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kim Soleum nodded urgently, but cold sweat trickled down his neck. ¡®I can¡¯t guarantee it, though.¡¯ It felt like madness. But, but¡­ The mere possibility was such an exhrating hope. ¡®This is worth trying.¡¯ Kim Soleum hastily pieced together what was needed. ¡­It seemed barely feasible. ¡®With this, we might be able to slip through the cracks without breaking the rules¡­!¡¯ The only problem was¡­ One essential skill wasn¡¯t currently avable. ¡®¡­Braun.¡¯ Once again, he was needed. ¡®How much longer until your transformation ability is ready?¡¯ ¨C Hm. ¨C Even I need about half a day of rest, don¡¯t you think? Kim Soleum quickly adjusted the question. ¡®What if I change the conditions?¡¯ ¨C Conditions? Kim Soleum exined the ¡®altered conditions¡¯. The response changed. ¨C If that¡¯s the case, I can manage after about an hour of rest! ¨C It¡¯s a tough schedule, but¡­ hm, I¡¯ll endure it. I¡¯m a professional, after all! ¡®Thank you so much.¡¯ ¨C Don¡¯t mention it! One hour. The conditions were reset. ¡®I need to buy time.¡¯ Within this chaos, I had to ensure that Eun Haje didn¡¯t fully ascend the gallows for an hour. And that was impossible to do alone. ¡°Sunbae-nim.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°If possible, I¡¯d like you to act as a decoy.¡± Kim Soleum quickly held the ¡®Silver Heart¡¯ badge in his pocket. Then he shouted to the nine employees who had gathered in the room, enthusiastically immersed in the Hangman game. ¡°Everyone!¡± Nine pairs of eyes turned toward Kim Soleum. He swallowed hard. What was needed now was¡­ ¡®¡­Aggro!!¡¯ ¡°If you could double your clear points, would you do it?¡± * * * Assistant Manager Eun Haje of D-squad raised her head. Even though she was hanging midair, sentenced to death with ck ropes wrapped around her neck and limbs, she was surprisingly calm. ¡®All things considered, this isn¡¯t a bad way to go.¡¯ Aside from dying just short of reaching her point goal, it was honestly far better than the bloody messes from her coworkers¡¯ deaths in the past. ¡°Assistant Manager Eun! What was your mode of transportation?!¡± ¡°Dunno. I told you already, I don¡¯t remember.¡± If taking these goddamn trolls with her to the grave wasn¡¯t enough to make it worse, she didn¡¯t feel all that cooperative. Still, the right answers would eventuallye, regardless of her efforts. That¡¯s just how Hangman works. ¡°Damn it¡­ Thest mode of transportation she used as a reporter? How the hell would I know that? Fuck it¡ª A?¡± [Correct!] ¡°It worked, it worked!!¡± Even without figuring it out from the hint, throwing out letters eventually leads to the correct answer. _ _ _ _ A _ _ R ¡®Ugh.¡¯ Eun Haje looked at her now missing feet, feeling the chilling fear of death crawl up her neck. But, no, she didn¡¯t show it. She didn¡¯t want to serve as entertainment for the trolls. [Here¡¯s the hint for the 3rd nk letter!] [Why can¡¯t Teacher Eun Haje take airnes anymore?] Meanwhile, her two hoobaes from D-squad were busily whispering in the corner. ¡®What are they doing?¡¯ They clenched their teeth as if seeing Eun Haje lose both her feet was too much, then started talking more fervently. They must have some delusional idea of saving her¡­ ¡®That might be better.¡¯ If they just keep talking and eventually realize there¡¯s no way out, they¡¯ll give up. At least they¡¯ll find somefort in having tried. Meanwhile, someone came up with the answer to the rtively easy question. ¡°Trauma? T!¡± _ _ T _ A _ _ R [Correct!] Her entire left leg disappeared. ¡®Fuck¡­!¡¯ ¡°Woooo! We got it!¡± ¡°Ah!! I should¡¯ve answered first!¡± The trolls screamed like they were at a sports event, watching someone¡¯s leg disappear. Eun Haje¡¯s irritation and anger began to boil. ¡®Maybe I should just troll along with them.¡¯ But then, suddenly. ¡°Everyone.¡± Someone raised their hand beyond the trolls. ¡°If you could double your clear points, would you do it?¡± ¡®¡­Roe?!¡¯ Yes. The rookie from D-squad, or rather, the now-former rookie who¡¯d climbed the ranks in record time, Kim Soleum, raised his hand with a calm expression. ¡°What the hell?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the guy¡­ that one who got promoted recently?¡± Everyone recognized him by then. The top new hire, wearing a mask with antlers like a deer, who had been promoted to supervisor after just 60 days, had already be a widely talked-about figure. Maybe because of the rumors, everyone was now strangely drawn to him. There was something¡­ natural about his presence. And just now. ¡®Did he say points¡­?¡¯ In the strange atmosphere that had overtaken the yroom, Kim Soleum spoke. ¡°How about we make a bet?¡± ¡­¡­?? ¡°If any of you win this bet, I¡¯ll give you all my clear points, Sunbae-nim.¡± ¡°What?¡± Insane aggro. ¡°Is that guy crazy? Why¡¯s he doing that?¡± But for members of the Field Exploration Team, the mention of ¡®points¡¯ was irresistible. ¡°Are you really saying you¡¯ll give up all 2,000 points?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ah, Supervisor Roe Deer, you must not know since you¡¯ve only been here a few months¡­ Points are non-transferrable.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°You do? Then what¡­¡± ¡°But there¡¯s no rule against using 2,000 points to buy items from thepany store and giving them away, is there?¡± ¡°If you win, you can pick whatever you like. I¡¯ll even pay for custom equipment.¡± The atmosphere shifted. If the ¡®sacrifice¡¯ had already been chosen, then how useful would additional points be? ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He was serious. Of course, if they could win. Chapter 63.2 ¡°Then what¡¯s the bet?¡± In response, Kim Soleum crossed his arms. ¡°Who can guess the most letters in the Hangman puzzle.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°The person who guesses more letters than me will get the points.¡± Is he insane? ¡°For reference, I¡¯ve only guessed one, so just getting two would meet the threshold.¡± ¡°W-Wait!¡± Supervisor Park Minseong from D-squad stood up in rm. ¡°Roe, why are you making a bet in this situation¡­?¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t many B-ss ghost stories that are safe as long as you follow the manual. I thought this could be a good opportunity to see if guessing more correct answers might trigger any special phenomena. Right?¡± Kim Soleum spoke seriously, looking around at the employees. ¡°If the atmosphere gets strange, please stop. I hope it doesn¡¯t be dangerous.¡± ¡°Hah.¡± Some of the employees exchanged smirks and sneers before one of them spoke up with a sarcastic grin. ¡°Oh~ so noble. You¡¯re making a bet to add more detail to the manual and make it safer?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± Kim Soleum replied without hesitation. ¡°I want to help make it so that those whoe in after us can clear this more safely.¡± ¡°¡­Why?¡± ¡°No particr reason. Hmm¡­ I just think it¡¯d be good if someone did it, and I¡¯m in a position to do so.¡± The employee who asked fell silent. For some reason¡­ they felt uneasy. ¡®Come to think of it, didn¡¯t this rookie rescue a missing person?¡¯ Another memory surfaced. ¡®Last time, I heard he saved all the other employees from some B-ss Darkness and got promoted because of it.¡¯ He¡¯d retrieved an unpopr desk worker that no one else cared to find, without pay. He¡¯d risked his life in a high-grade Darkness to save employees he didn¡¯t even know. ¡®He¡¯s not normal.¡¯ Normally, these people would¡¯veughed at someone like this guy, calling him gullible. But strangely, for some peculiar reason¡­ they couldn¡¯t. Tiiing¡ª A clear, metallic sound seemed to echo in their minds. It was as if their thoughts were sharpening, seeing things in a clearer, more objective way, detached from their usual habits and inertia. ¡­And oddly enough. Those seemingly foolish choices began to look, somehow, impressive. They spoke without thinking. ¡°¡­Alright, let¡¯s do the bet.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you!¡± Kim Soleum bowed repeatedly, thanking the now-quiet employees, and then began to walk away. ¡°I¡¯ll see you all when the game is finished.¡± He approached Assistant Manager Eun Haje, who had been watching the whole scene with her jaw dropped. ¡°Assistant Manager.¡± Eun Haje felt a throbbing headache. ¡®This guy¡¯s problem is that he¡¯s too nice!¡¯ Smart rookie or not, this was his w. ¡®He¡¯s too sincere.¡¯ The type to burn out or break under the weight of his own ideals. He¡¯d passionately dered that his items belonged to his coworkers just to try and save them before, and now he was seriously pulling a stunt like this¡­ ¡°You, you¡¯re seriously¡­¡± Kim Soleum lowered his voice and spoke quickly. ¡°It¡¯s a bluff.¡± Oh. ¡°I just stirred things up to buy us time.¡± For a moment, Eun Haje almost forgot she was about to die, but then she managed to reply. ¡°¡­You¡¯re saying you¡¯re stalling for time?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Hah. ¡°Wait, if you¡¯re nning to try something in that time, don¡¯t. That¡¯s how you get yourself killed¡­¡± ¡°What if I insist on doing it?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to try no matter what. ¡­If you cooperate, our chances of sess will be higher.¡± This¡­ this stubborn brat! Eun Haje gritted her teeth. ¡°Hey. I told you I¡¯ll handle it myself.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe that. ¡­You¡¯ve already given up. You¡¯re ready to die.¡± So quick on the uptake. ¡®Ugh.¡¯ ¡°¡­I won¡¯t say I haven¡¯t thought about trying something.¡± Finally, Eun Haje confessed. Things she hadn¡¯t mentioned to avoid giving her hoobaes false hope. ¡°You know how this ghost story enforces all sorts of rules on the so-called ¡®new teachers¡¯, right? But do you know who the only exception is?¡± ¡°¡­That would be¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªThe Hangman.¡± Eun Haje grinned. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± The Hangman wasn¡¯t penalized for anything¡ªnot for cursing, not for mming their head against a wall hard enough to break the skull. ¡°The problem is, even so, moving my body is difficult.¡± She gestured with her eyes toward the ropes binding her. ¡°But¡­ if I put it the other way around, it means I can do whatever I want with my upper body.¡± Of course, the chances of anything working were slim to none. Eun Haje spoke casually, keeping herposure. ¡°Did you hear that? Only I can keep trying this loophole. Even so, I don¡¯t get penalized. So you penalty targets just sit and¡ª¡± Kim Soleum¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°I¡¯ll use that loophole to maximize the survival rate.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Please remember what I¡¯m about to say.¡± Kim Soleum exined, clearly, firmly, and concisely, what Eun Haje needed to do. And after¡­ ¡°¡­That¡¯s all.¡± Eun Haje suddenly felt like she¡¯d been doused in ice water. Were they seriously going to do this? ¡°We¡¯ll head off and start the work. See you in a bit.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Wait a second. ¡°Roe!! Badger!! You damn brats!¡± But the two were already walking out of the yroom. ¡°Hey! Come back here!¡± * * * ¡®Phew.¡¯ It seemed the stalling tactic had worked. I was walking down the unnervingly clean, colorful, and quiet kindergarten hallway with Supervisor Park Minseong. ¡®Let¡¯s move faster.¡¯ The testimonies from Supervisor Park and Assistant Manager Eun were helping me form a clearer picture. My mind wavered between anxiety and hope. Even so, the unsettling atmosphere of this ghost story¡¯s setting still made my skin crawl. But courageous as always, Supervisor Park kept ncing back at me with a worried expression before finally speaking up. ¡°R-Roe, are you sure about this? Those 2,000 points aren¡¯t a joke¡­ What if someone actually guesses two letters?¡± Ah. That? ¡°That¡¯ll never happen.¡± I grinned. ¡°With selfish personalities and everyone keeping each other in check, it¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll sabotage each other every time someone tries to guess.¡± ording to the records, each question¡¯s time limit ranged from 7 to 10 minutes, depending on the whims of the ghost story. Even conservatively, they¡¯d have to cycle through nine rounds of this full time limit. So, what¡¯s the best method? ¡°They¡¯ll probably keep sabotaging and fighting until the veryst moment. And since they still wouldn¡¯t want to umte penalties, someone would begrudgingly propose terms for their guesses.¡± And the likelihood of that being the correct answer? Very slim. ¡°In the end, they¡¯ll all have to take penalties, and the time will drag on.¡± Additionally, once contamination starts umting, they¡¯ll hesitate to randomly guess letters, slowing things down further. So¡­ ¡°It¡¯ll easily take an hour.¡± I stated this confidently. ¡°And since the prize isn¡¯t the 2,000 points themselves but an item you can buy with them, it¡¯s harder to split the reward. They can¡¯t easily form teams to share, and verbal agreements aren¡¯t trustworthy enough.¡± ¡®The only reason they trusted my promise was because of the Silver Heart.¡¯ I had to make sure it wasn¡¯t exposed. I consciously avoided even thinking about the badge in my pocket as I continued. ¡°So don¡¯t worry about that. Let¡¯s focus on saving the assistant manager first.¡± A flicker of emotion crossed Supervisor Park¡¯s face beneath his mask. Realizing there was no time to waste, he quickly suppressed it. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s get to it! Oh, we¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It was time to begin preparations. ¡®Huu.¡¯ I sat down with Supervisor Park, settling on the floor. It was thergest space in the kindergarten. [yroom] I tried my best not to look too closely at the scene before me. In front of us was a colorful ball pit and a stage decorated with flowers and butterflies. But atop the cheerful stage, two grotesque chunks of flesh stood awkwardly. A left leg. A right foot. They were parts of Assistant Manager Eun Haje¡¯s body. ¡®Haah.¡¯ A chill ran up my spine, raising the hairs on my neck. Whether it was from fear, dread, or a sense of crisis, I couldn¡¯t tell. ¡®The gallows.¡¯ There was only one chance. I had to seize it here. Chapter 64.1 Assistant Manager Eun Haje¡¯s emotions were a tangled mess. ¡®If I¡¯m going to leave, I¡¯d like to go in peace.¡¯ Apparently, that was an impossible wish. ¡°Hey! Move back! Do you think I didn¡¯t notice you already guessed one right?¡± ¡°Ack! Move back! I haven¡¯t guessed a single one yet!¡± ¡®Troll bastards¡­¡¯ It was utter chaos. The scene had already been unseemly when everyone acted as if they were watching a spectator sport while fending for themselves. But now, with everyone monitoring and sabotaging each other while yelling, it had gotten worse. Survival and points. Two objectives meant double the conflict. It was like watching a wagon wheel stuck in ce, unable to move because of friction, only building up heat. ¡®Roe, that punk¡­ He¡¯s really something else.¡¯ It had been a long time since Eun Haje had seen such excellent political maneuvering. ¡®Good thing he¡¯s a decent guy.¡¯ Judging by the mess in front of her, they might actually stall for more than an hour. ¡®How long has it been? Twenty minutes?¡¯ _ _ T R A _ _ R And yet, with only one letter filled in so far¡­ [Here¡¯s the hint for the 6th nk letter!] [Whose obituary call caused Teacher Eun Haje¡¯s airne trauma?] ¡°Assistant Manager Eun, who passed awa¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, shut up.¡± But what was the point of stalling, anyway? ¡®Isn¡¯t it the same oue? All my secrets will get exposed, and I¡¯ll die.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t like Eun Haje cared about preserving her honor anymore, but the longer it dragged on, the more bitter and tired she felt. And the more she thought about what those two hoobaes were nning, the more dizzy she became. ¡®They¡¯re about to do something crazy.¡¯ Eun Haje recalled Roe¡¯s earlier whisper. ¨C During the hanging, remember this¡­ It hadn¡¯t been a request, but a statement, one that wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer. Still. If they were really determined to go through with it, wasn¡¯t it only fair that Eun Haje did her best to survive? ¡­Though she couldn¡¯t say whether their resolve would hold in a few minutes. ¡®Let¡¯s see how it goes.¡¯ Eun Haje crossed her arms philosophically. And so, twenty minutes, Thirty minutes, Forty minutes passed. ¡°Hell yeah! It¡¯s right! The ¡®B¡¯ in ¡®Believe¡¯!¡± [Correct!] B _ T R A Y _ R The word was starting to take shape. And at this point, it¡¯s only natural that someone would catch on. ¡°Wait a sec.¡± ¡°Huuh?¡± The word¡¯s true identity. ¡°This word¡­¡± * * * ¡°Roe, over there.¡± I looked up. One hour and eight minutes had passed. ¡­The word wasplete. B E T R A Y E R Betrayer. [The word that best represents Teacher Eun Haje is ¡®Betrayer¡¯!] What? [Four years ago, as a reporter, Teacher Eun Haje betrayed her long-time boss and team, trying to publish an exclusive article on her own. She failed and had her story stolen.] [And during this process, her false report caused severe emotional distress to her sources, leaving them in despair until some of them actually died!] [What¡¯s the moral of this story?] [The answer is, ¡®People who betray their workce deserve punishment¡¯.] Ha. [Hangman is an excellent educational game used here at ¡ö¡ö Kindergarten to teach the moral of justice and retribution to our students.] ¡°This is the one time I really regret not being able to curse.¡± ¡°Roe.¡± Supervisor Park grabbed my shoulder. ¡°Listening to this, it makes your sunbae sound like such a terrible person, but¡­¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know for sure unless you heard it directly from them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just how this kind of Darkness works.¡± It istes the victim, inflicts psychological torment, and uses penalties to scare the remaining members of the Field Exploration Team intopliance. ¡°I think it¡¯s not toote to talk about it after we all make it out alive.¡± Supervisor Park¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Exactly! You¡¯re right, Roe! That¡¯s why¡­ ah.¡± Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk¡­ I turned my head. Eun Haje watched with a conflicted heart. ¡°¡­They¡¯reing.¡± Through the open door of the yroom, figures stepped in unison, moving slowly and fluidly. There were no melting ck substances, no screams. Just pristine pastel outfits, smiling faces, aprons, and name tags. The brand marks on their foreheads. [Sunny ss ¡ö¡ö¡ö] [Chick ss ¡ö¡ö¡ö] [Dream Sprout ss ¡ö¡ö¡ö] ¡°¡­Those people are the ones who were fully contaminated and trapped here. No, the monsters that used to be people¡­ Don¡¯t make eye contact.¡± ¡°If you get scared, you might be affected.¡± I turned my eyes away as much as I could from those figures. [Game over!] [Now, let¡¯s hang the Hangman onest time!] ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± I recalled the conversation we had during preparations. ¨C Supervisor, if it feels like too much of a burden¡­ ¨C You¡¯re telling me to push it onto you? ¨C What? ¨C Oh,e on. That¡¯s not happening. This is my custom equipment. You couldn¡¯t use it even if you tried! ¡®I wasn¡¯t saying I¡¯d do it, but¡­ thanks.¡¯ And now, the supervisor was holding his custom equipment. A camouge cloth. ¡®Wasn¡¯t it called the Mimic Scarf?¡¯ It looked no different from the one he had used to help me during the exhibition, but there was one key difference. ¡°It¡¯s actually sopping wet now, huh?¡± It was soaked. We had dumped all the remaining contents of the drink enhancer onto it. The same enhancer that doubled the effect of the Smiley Sticker during the Tuesday Quiz Show. ¡®I drenched that scarfpletely without holding back.¡¯ To avoid dirtying the floor with foreign substances¡ªwhich would incur a penalty¡ªwe¡¯d spread my suit jacket beneath it, essentially sacrificing it. And if the enhancer worked¡­ ¡®The camouge gear should have tremendous power, even if just once.¡¯ At least until the moisture dried. Since we were racing against time, it was perfect for the job. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll use it now.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded. The supervisor nced at the kindergarten teachers climbing onto the stage, then silently pulled the scarf over his face. And¡­ He became one of them, perfectly. [Sprout ss ¡ö¡ö¡ö] ¨C Ah, excellent. A convincing disguise. It won¡¯t hold for long, though¡­ ¡®It only needs tost for a moment.¡¯ About three minutes. And I had to act, too. Chapter 64.2 I waited until Supervisor Park had blended in with the teachers and then started moving, slightly dyed to stagger the timing. ¡®Now.¡¯ I had to get as close to the stage as possible for Braun to use his ability. And if I could draw some attention away, it would make it easier for Supervisor Park Minseong to maneuver unnoticed among the monsters. ¡®Let¡¯s begin¡­¡¯ But as I raised my head, I froze. ¡®Oh.¡¯ I had forgotten something critical. That I was a coward. Teacher Kim Soleum, listen to me. I finished reading the handbook! 1- ¡ö¡ö Kindergarten is eternal. 2- I follow the rules. Everything is perfect. I am a perfect teacher. Everyone is safe, happy, and there are no idents, no one jumps. Our ¡ö¡ö Kindergarten is a perfect and safe haven where everyone follows the rules and educates endlessly. Once you finish reading the handbook, Teacher Kim Soleum, you¡¯ll be like me. Now just read the handbook quickly. On the tform. Countless ¡ö¡ö Kindergarten teachers stood, smiling. They were not human. They had never been human. Just looking at them sent an instinctive warning down my spine, that I would X if I were to approach, that I would be grabbed by the back of my neck, that I¡¯d be left with nothing else to do but scream I knew it already. The more I was afraid, the worse the mental contamination would get. I just had to endure. And I knew I had to stand close to them, attracting their attention. Compared to Supervisor Park Minseong, who had to fully blend into their midst, what I had to do wasn¡¯t even that difficult. ? But¡­ Did I hold back a scream? What¡­ what on earth is this? They said feeling fear leads to contamination, right? Is my fear drawing the contamination toward me? I¡¯m supposed to draw their attention? I¡¯m supposed to draw their atten¡ª Drip. Cold sweat dripped from my chin. I barely managed to move my left foot forward, taking a single step. Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da Their gazes locked onto me. N E W T E A C H E R ! ¡®S-Sticker.¡¯ The tattoo sticker! I need to use it. I need to use it now. There¡¯s no way I can endure¡ª No, hold on. I can¡¯t use them now. This is panic talking. What I need isn¡¯t courage. It¡¯s rationality¡­ No, maybe I should¡ª ¨C Mr. Roe Deer. ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, I¡¯m curious. What¡¯s your favorite fruit? ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, a humble admirer named Braun is eagerly awaiting your answer! A question¡­? ¨C Your favorite fruit, please! ¡­¡­ ¡°Grapes.¡± ¨C Ah! Excellent choice. A symbol of abundance and nourishment. In ancient Egypt, they were revered as sacred fruit, and in Greece, they were celebrated as a cultural beverage. ¨C Shall we delve deeper? Let¡¯s move forward¡­ I slowly took another step. New Teacher Eun Haje will dangle by her neck and die! That¡¯s what the Hangman game is about! Staring at the ground, I moved forward. ¨C How about wine? It¡¯s a beverage that has evolved alongside human civilization, shaped by the grape variety, harvest timing, and aging methods. ¨C Over millennia, it has been refined, driven by the desires and determination of producers and consumers to perfect its methods and results¡­ One step. Another step¡­ Soon, the edge of the stage came into view. I had reached just below the tform. ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, your steps are no different. I lifted my head. ¨C In this show, boldness is essential. Without it, you vanish. ¨C And Mr. Roe Deer, you¡¯ve proven to be a participant who won¡¯t vanish. Ah, it¡¯s alling back to me now. Yes¡­ you were the MVP. ¨C This time too, let¡¯s follow your desires and determination. Braun spoke cheerfully. ¨C Now, let¡¯s y our assigned roles brilliantly, shall we? ¡­¡­ Right. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ ¨C Encouraging my crew is my specialty! I was genuinely grateful. I took a deep breath. Though the smiling teachers¡¯ gazesnded on me again, it felt more bearable. The whispers and phrases didn¡¯t burrow into my brain enough to overwhelm me with fear or contamination. ¡®Don¡¯t let fear consume me.¡¯ I can do this. I steadied myself and stood, looking up at the teachers crowded on the tform. [New Teacher Eun Haje, please step onto the tform~] The execution had begun. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 64.3 The kindergarten teachers stood in abundance atop the colorful, cheerful stage. It looked as though an event was about to take ce, but what they surrounded was an executioner¡¯s block. A ck execution scaffold. At the scaffold, a ck line extended straight ahead. At the end of the line were assembled body parts. Both legs, both arms, thighs, waist, chest, neck, and finally, a head. The moment the head appeared on the stage, the parts merged, and Assistant Manager Eun Haje exhaled deeply. Then, looking at the teachers surrounding her, she clenched her teeth. G O O D B Y E ! The teachers pped gently with smiling faces. Likely holding back a stream of expletives, Eun Haje¡¯s face was pale as she moved her feet. Not by her own will. The ck holographic ropes forced her limbs to move, guiding her toward the scaffold amidst the crowd of teachers. And then¡­ ¡®This is the moment.¡¯ Did you know? Of course, any contact with the teacher chosen as the Hangman was strictly forbidden. Any attempt to rescue them, even ast handshake or an item exchange, was prohibited. Even if someone tried to risk a penalty, their actions would be blocked just before the attempt. So, the only opportunity to act was during one specific moment¡­ [The Hangman is ascending the scaffold! This is what happens when you guess correctly!] When Eun Haje appeared on the stage and began ascending the scaffold, at the exact moment she passed directly beside the ¡®teachers¡¯. Tuk. One teacher gave her something. Supervisor Park Minseong, perfectly disguised as a kindergarten teacher, handed something to Assistant Manager Eun Haje. Since Eun Haje¡¯s arms and legs were bound by ropes, she couldn¡¯t use them. Only small, movable parts of her body were functional. For example¡­ Her mouth. The ¡®something¡¯ handed over in passing disappeared into Eun Haje¡¯s mouth in an instant. As if nothing had happened. Eun Haje continued walking, expressionless, and finally stepped onto the gallows. This is where the second critical moment came. [Now, let¡¯s begin the execution.] ¡®Braun!¡¯ Now! ¨C Understood. ¨C Let¡¯s see your mask in a whole new light! Reframing the familiar¡­ I frantically looked up at Eun Haje. No change. Thunk. The ck holographic rope around her neck gained physical form and texture. [Hangman~!] And then, it pulled upward. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ I wanted to avert my gaze so badly, but I forced myself to watch, pretending to be unaffected. The rope pulled with a disturbingly immense force, and then¡ª Ting. Thud-thud-thud-thud¡­ The headless body tumbled down from the stage. Thump. The lifeless body part fell right in front of me, and I caught it. It was limp, devoid of any signs of life. Then, it gradually faded until itpletely vanished. [The game has ended!] [New teachers, please wait for your evaluation!] ¡°Ah, it¡¯s finally over.¡± ¡°So you won the bet, Supervisor Roe Deer. Man, how¡¯d you stop anyone from guessing twice?¡± The other staff, who had been waiting at the back per the kindergarten¡¯s instruction to ¡®watch the Hangman¡¯s final moments in the yroom¡¯, approached with relieved sighs andints. ¡°Ah, is this your first time seeing a team member die?¡± ¡°Honestly, Eun Haje wasn¡¯t the kind of person who¡¯d live long anyway.¡± One of them gave my shoulder a light pat. ¡°Well¡­ don¡¯t take it too hard, okay? She¡¯s dead now.¡± I smiled. ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Why are you smiling¡­?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not dead.¡± ¡°What, what?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± They stared at me like I¡¯d lost my mind. But then. ¡°Ugh, what is this?!¡± Screams erupted from those who looked up at the stage. Not because they saw Eun Haje¡¯s severed head. Rather¡­ ¡°This, this!¡± One of them pointed at the stage with a trembling voice. ¡°Why¡­ is it a hand?¡± Exactly. ¡°But, but it was definitely a head!¡± I looked at Eun Haje¡¯s severed left hand lying on the stage and chuckled. I never thought I¡¯dugh at the sight of a severed body part, but I couldn¡¯t help it. It worked! ¨C Ah, what a remarkable piece of craftsmanship! ¨C And what an amusing idea¡ªswitching the head and hand. Exactly. The n was to switch Eun Haje¡¯s head and hand while concealing it from everyone¡¯s eyes. So during the execution, instead of her head, one of her hands would be severed! ¨C Using hands or feet to substitute for other body parts is a ssic stage trick. Braun, muttering about doing this only for a friend, was unexpectedly brilliant in this moment. But this isn¡¯t over yet. For the Hangman to ¡®escape¡¯, they have to die and leave as a corpse. If Eun Haje had somehow survived the execution, the system would have noticed and enforced another way to follow the rules. So¡­ ¨C All I have to do is ce this plum-sized apple in her mouth, right? Supervisor Park Minseong had been essential to the n. While disguised as a teacher, in that fleeting moment that Assistant Manager Eun Haje passed by, what he had slipped into her mouth was none other than a Snow White Mountain Mini Apple. It was an item I carried, designed to induce ¡®death-like sleep¡¯. ¡®It was a stroke of luck that the wrist storage upgrade let me carry a whole apple instead of just juice.¡¯ That¡¯s why I was able to give these instructions. ¨C Assistant Manager, when the apple enters your mouth as you ascend the scaffold, swallow the final piece just before your wrist is severed. ¨C What? ¨C It will happen in that moment¡­ That¡¯s all. Eun Haje followed the instructions to the letter. At the exact moment when her wrist¡ªmistaken for her neck by everyone¡ªwas severed, Eun Haje swallowed thest piece of the apple. This put her in a state identical to death. Her body, now indistinguishable from a corpse, was recognized as having been ¡®executed as the Hangman¡¯ and sessfully ejected from the ghost story. Exactly. Outside that oue, no other possibility could have worked in this situation¡­! ¡­Sess. ¡°Ha¡­!¡± I pressed my hands against my face. Even so, I wanted to leave and confirm his survival as soon as possible. What if someone mistook the body for a corpse and transported it away? It felt too early to feel catharsis or relief. I just wanted to get out of here quickly. [The evaluation is ready!] Thankfully, the TV disyed the final signal. Soon, it would announce which participants contributed topleting the Hangman word and which didn¡¯t, assigning penalties or granting a pass ordingly. From the looks of it, no one seemed contaminated enough to fail escaping. ¡°Roe!¡± As the teachers on the tform disappeared, Supervisor Park Minseong finally jumped down from the stage. ¡°W-We did it, right?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Waaaah!¡± The supervisor copsed onto the ground in relief and joy. ¡°It was worth squeezing into that gap¡­¡± Even though his face was pale, Park Minseong grinned earnestly as he finally removed the camouge equipment. ¡°Supervisor, you didn¡¯t guess a letter, so you¡¯ll probably get another penalty¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I can handle up to the second one.¡± As we had discussed earlier, the supervisor nodded, epting the consequence. ¡°Honestly, it doesn¡¯t feel great, but¡­ well, taking one penalty for missing a correct answer is way better than letting the Assistant Manager die! I¡¯ll stop at the second¡ªthere¡¯s no way I¡¯ll get a third, so I¡¯ll be fine¡­¡± [Goodness. Ding! Wrong!] Wait, what? [New teachers must remain at the bottom of the tform! Stepping onto the stage is prohibited.] [As a penalty, you must read the handbook aloud for 10 minutes!] Park Minseong looked back up at the spot he had just stepped down from. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± The tform. ¡°I¡¯m And then, he was dragged away. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 65.1 A ck holographic book descended over Supervisor Park Minseong¡¯s head. The hologram clung to him like tar, seeping over his body as he wed at the ground, struggling in vain. Behind his writhing figure, the TV¡¯s cheerful voice resumed. [Now, let¡¯s reveal the new teachers who failed to actively participate in the Hangman game.] Simr scenes began to unfold across the room. The issue, the real issue, was¡­ [New Teacher Park Minseong, you didn¡¯t guess a single letter correctly!] One penalty had already been umted. Stepping onto the stage added another. And now¡­ Not guessing a letter resulted in a third. Thus. [Three penalties umted.] The TV dered its verdict. [New Teacher Park Minseong is designated as a permanent trainee.] [You will remain here forever, receiving training and preparing to be a perfect ¡ö¡ö Kindergarten teacher.] The ck holographic books covering the faces of those who failed to guess letters remained, but only Park Minseong¡¯s turned a fiery red and spread across his entire body. ¡°¡ö!!¡± His scream warped into something unnatural. ¡°N, ¡ö¡ª ¡ö ple¡ª His body twisted and thrashed on the floor in grotesque contortions. Iprehensible excerpts from the handbook were read aloud, ovepping with his sobs and screams. Yet no one around paid attention. A few nced over, only to quickly step away as if avoiding any connection, waiting for the next stage outlined in the manual. Finally¡­ [Thank you for your efforts in today¡¯s dry run! Goodbye, new teachers!] Clearance confirmed. ¡°Finally, it¡¯s over!¡± ¡°Move it!¡± As soon as the game ended, everyone realized they were free to curse and run, and a flood of participants surged out of the yroom. Even those who had just finished their 10-minute penalty, coughing up the tar-like hologram and clutching their heads in pain, staggered upright and limped or ran out, bumping into me along the way. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Wh, what the¡ª¡± ¡°The door only stays open for 30 minutes! If you don¡¯t get out now, you¡¯ll be treated as a permanent trainee too! Damn it!¡± They brushed past me and kept running. And so I was left alone. Alone, except for the ¡®contaminated¡¯ Park Minseong writhing on the floor. ¨C Oh dear, my friend is being mistaken as a volunteer in such an outdated ce! Let¡¯s leave immediately, Mr. Roe Deer! ¡°¡­No.¡± ¨C Mr. Roe Deer? The game was over. That meant¡­ The rules of this ghost story had also ended. In the worst case, I can run out on my own in ten minutes and make it through the door. But. ¡°I¡­ I have to at least try to take the supervisor with me.¡± I could endure this. I had to try as much as I could. After all, I¡¯d seeded before. I don¡¯t want to give up so easily. I didn¡¯t want this story to end with saving the Hangman by exploiting a sliver of a loophole, only to have the one who tried to save them disappear into the legend. I don¡¯t want some casual note on a wiki saying, ¡®An incident where the rescuer of the Hangman was lost.¡¯ I can do this. I raised my head and reached for the tattoo on my wrist. : ¶÷Ö÷ : From the heated tattoo, the items I had stored began to appear. The candle-making kit, apple juice, the blood-sucking knife, stickers, and dozens of 500-won coins bundled together. ¨C Oh, what fascinating tools will you use this time, friend? ¡°I¡¯m not using anything.¡± ¨C Hmm? Then what is this¡­ I stuffed all the items into my briefcase. Given that I hadn¡¯t brought the bloodbathtub with me, I was left with just enough room to fit everything snugly. The blood-sucking knife, which looked like it could burst out of the bag due to its size, was carefully set aside into my back pocket. Done. The fully packed briefcase was heavy, but not so much that I couldn¡¯t carry it while running. And now, there was one thing left to do. The now-empty subspace in my wrist. ¨C Ah, you were clearing it for a purpose? Exactly. I briefly reached into the tattoo¡¯s connected subspace and pulled my hand back out. ¡°This subspace, it¡¯s a cube with a volume equivalent from 60 cm per side, right?¡± ¨C Precisely. ¡°It¡¯s irregr, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¨C ¡­¡­! That¡¯s also¡­ Braun¡¯s voice carried a mix of amusement and interest. ¨C Correct. Good. ¡®It¡¯s all or nothing.¡¯ I¡¯d heard it before¡ªthe idea that being contaminated and trapped in this ghost story forever, unable to die, was far worse than death. ¡®Let¡¯s do this.¡¯ I gritted my teeth and waited. Waited for Supervisor Park Minseong¡¯s third penalty to finish. ¡®Trying to do anything now would be foolish.¡¯ Trying tomunicate with someone in the middle of their penalty would result in the holographic handbook ¡®graciously¡¯ attaching itself to me as well. And then, I¡¯d spend ten minutes reading the handbook, effectively out ofmission. ¡®That would be the end.¡¯ I forced myself to suppress my anxiety and waited calmly. ¡®Time remaining for the penalty¡­ 7 minutes.¡¯ 6 minutes. 5 minutes. 4 minutes. 3 minutes. 2 minutes. 1 minute¡­ 0. The tar-like red substance surrounding Supervisor Park Minseong disappeared. Slowly, he stood up. His appearance had transformedpletely into that of a kindergarten teacher. The ck suit he had worn was reced with soft beige pants, a white shirt, and a light green apron. In one hand, he held a brown folder with a red title. <¡ö¡ö Kindergarten Handbook> His mask hadpletely melted away, revealing his face. And on his forehead, clear and vivid, was the brand of his assigned ss. Sprout ss A gentle smile spread across Supervisor Park Minseong¡¯s fully exposed face. ¡°Teacher Soleum!¡± Shit. ¡°Did you wait for me to finish reading the handbook? Thank you so much.¡± ¡°¡­Of course, I had to wait.¡± Don¡¯t let it show. Don¡¯t panic. Showing anything now would be disastrous. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Great! Never better!¡± Supervisor Park smiled softly, nodding. ¡°¡­That¡¯s good to hear. Shall we head out now?¡± ¡°Head out? Oh¡­ You mean leaving?¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t have a quitting time! I¡¯m not just a new teacher anymore. I finished reading the handbook!¡± ¡°But you can still leave¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible though?¡± ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s time for me to head to the Sprout ss and help prepare for opening¡­¡± Then, with a bright expression, Supervisor Park eximed: ¡°Oh, right! Teacher Soleum, want toe with me?¡± A chill ran down my spine. ¡°Teacher Soleum, you don¡¯t know which ss you¡¯ll be assigned to yet, do you? You haven¡¯t read the handbook yet. If you read it, you¡¯ll find out¡ªyour assigned ss!¡± Supervisor Park extended his hand to me. ¡°What do you think? It¡¯d be great if we were in the Sprout ss together. We used to be on the same squad, after all.¡± Shit. Shit! I naturally stepped back, making sure that I looked like I was considering his suggestion. His outstretched hand swiped through empty air. ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Thank you for the offer, but I need to drop this outside the exit first.¡± I lifted the briefcase. ¡°I borrowed some things, and I think I need to return them within the time limit.¡± ¡°Teacher Soleum, all those interesting items you carry around were borrowed?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Please don¡¯t notice. ¡®Please.¡¯ Chapter 65.2 trigger warning: self harm
The thing that had once been Supervisor Park, still speaking kindly and gently as if it were second nature, replied, ¡°Then should I ask the other teachers to help move it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just one briefcase. If you wouldn¡¯t mind, could you apany me to the entrance for a moment? ¡­Supervisor Badger specifically requested it.¡± Supervisor Park froze. Perhaps. ¡°¡­Supervisor Badger?¡± ¡­¡­ His mouth opened. ¡°That¡­¡± ¡­¡­! But then, in the next moment. ¡°Sure! Let¡¯s go to the entrance together.¡± The kind, cheerful teacher¡¯s voice returned. ¡°Teacher Soleum?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯d appreciate it if you could apany me to the entrance. Quietly, so we don¡¯t disturb anyone.¡± ¡°Sounds good!¡± I turned and began walking out of the yroom. Right behind me followed the fully ¡®contaminated¡¯ Supervisor Park, now a teacher. ¡®Hah.¡¯ Slowly, I moved forward. Step. Step. Right behind me, I could hear the sound of soft slippers¡ªnot the hard click of dress shoes¡ªquietly trailing me. Step. Step. ¡°Oh, let me help you carry the briefcase.¡± ¡°It Before I could finish saying it was fine¡ª The teacher¡¯s hand grabbed half of the briefcase I was holding. The Perfect Teacher¡¯s Handbook in his hand brushed against mine. Step. Step. I¡¯m fine. The sharp, piercing sound that messes with my mind isn¡¯t there. Neither is the overwhelming terror or fear that makes me want to lose my mind. I can do this. The entrance isn¡¯t far now. All I have to do is walk. But at the same time, a thought crosses my mind. Is sneaking out to the entrance like this the right thing to do? Motherfucker. Look at me cursing. Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯ve never read the handbook, but somehow it feels¡­ a little embarrassing. Maybe reading the handbook isn¡¯t a punishment at all. Perhaps it¡¯s an opportunity disguised as a penalty, a chance to learn? Crazy¡­ Wait. Let¡¯s not just dismiss this as contamination. Let¡¯s consider it seriously. This is a great workce. Preparing for a perfect opening with polite andpliant colleagues is the ultimate joy. I have the potential to be a perfect teacher. ¡ö¡ö Kindergarten has shown me that! No. Absolutely not. I scoffed at myself. Don¡¯t I know that even getting caught in a lie results in punishment? I should just give up on the entrance efficiently. That¡¯s the logical thing to do. I should voluntarily start reading the handbook here. I could even ask Teacher Park Minseong to join me. No. If I just borrow the handb No. Stop entertaining other thoughts. But if I think about it a little more, I¡¯ll start to believe this isn¡¯t such a bad idea It is not! Focus on moving forward. One step at a time, the entrance grows closer. Step, step. I¡¯ve made it. The entrance! Instead of the dirty, cluttered entrance I first walked through, it now looks pristine, clean enough to make me hesitate about leaving. ¡°So, we just have to throw this bag, right?¡± I grabbed the briefcase, and in the motion, the handbook that had been brushing against my hand slipped and fell. ¡°Shall we throw it together?¡± Please. ¡°Yes, that sounds good.¡± It has to work. ¡°Hold onto this part for me¡­¡± Finally, I turned my head. Standing in my view was Supervisor Park Minseong, smiling with the face of a ¡®teacher¡¯. He reached out his upper body and hands, just as I had instructed, ready to grab the briefcase. Now. I grabbed Supervisor Park¡¯s head without hesitation. And I shoved it roughly into my forearm. It¡¯s working. The subspace connected to my tattoo on my wrist has the volume of a 60 cm cube per side. But it isn¡¯t a literal cube. It¡¯s a malleable, irregr subspace. So, when converted into other measurements¡­ It can easily fit the body of an adult man. I fixed my gaze upward. Crack, crack. The humanoid body resisted as I pushed it into the tattoo, its joints feeling like they were breaking apart. I made sure to start with the head on purpose. Talking to him would¡¯ve definitely affected me, making the contamination worse. I kept pressing down with one hand. The subspace within the tattoo swallowed it without resistance¡ªah! The handbook touched it! No, I¡¯ll keep that separate, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll let it go in. Finally, I crammed in thest of his legs¡­ Snap! Something suddenly grabbed my left forearm. Fingers gripping tightly with unnatural strength, pale as death. It was Supervisor Park¡¯s right hand. ¡°Ugh!¡± Damn it! I tried to pry off his fingers one by one, but it wasn¡¯t working. I can¡¯t injure a teacher. I had no idea how this Darkness would react if I did. Stay calm¡­! I took out the blood-sucking knife and drove it into my own arm. The fingers tore away, taking chunks of flesh from my forearm. It was pain that should¡¯ve made me scream like crazy, but adrenaline and sheer tension kept me silent. As I shoved thest of his fingers into the tattoo, I hurried toward the entrance. Step. The final step. I lifted my head. The bright blue sky of daylight greeted me. Behind me, only the decrepit, abandoned building of a private kindergarten remained. The sunlight glimmered over the wild grass in the outskirts of Seoul. Clear. I lowered my head. Therey Assistant Manager Eun Haje¡¯s body, missing a hand, copsed on the ground. None of the otherpany staff were around¡ªthey must¡¯ve already left¡­ I reached into my pocket and pulled out my smartphone. Following protocol, I pressed a button. As if to confirm I was back in reality, the signal connected, and someone answered the call. ¡°This, is the Security Team¡¯s storage¡­ correct?¡± With my dry mouth, I barely managed to speak the rehearsed line. ¡°I need equipment to contain contamination¡­¡± Because. ¡°I¡¯ve rescued a contaminated employee.¡± ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ Done. And then, I passed out. Chapter 66.1 ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± ¡°Excuse me.¡± I snapped my eyes open. A familiar face came into view. ¡°¡­Sergeant?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Dressed in a security uniform, with a slender build, light-colored hair, and a name tag reading ¡®J3¡¯. The very same security officer who had been involved with me in the Changgwi Darkness! I tried to get up in a hurry, but a massive headache struck me¡ªwait, what? Jingle. I froze. The red yarn tied tightly around my hands, dangling little silver bells, caught my eye. ¡®Yarn?¡¯ The look and purpose felt oddly familiar¡­ Oh. ¡®This is one of the Security Team¡¯s equipment¡­¡¯ ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau / Items Nostalgia Kitty A red yarn with silver bells attached, ssified as an equipment-type item. Temporarily reverts the subject to their physically and mentally healthiest state within the past ten years. The more severe the subject¡¯s mutation, the faster the yarn breaks. ¡ù Health criteria determined based on usage records. ======================== A device that allowed anyone to temporarily ¡®return¡¯ to a better state from their past. Knowing this calmed me down a little. I rxed, and¡­ No, wait. Why am I restrained?? I quickly raised my head. The sergeant, looking mildly annoyed but also slightly amused, met my gaze. He gave a small wave. ¡°We meet again¡­¡± ¡°Yes. But¡­¡± I raised my bound arms as high as I could. ¡°What is this about?¡± ¡°You said¡­ you rescued a contaminated employee¡­¡± ¡°Yes, but why am I¡­¡± The sergeant pointed at me. Ah. ¡°¡­Are you saying the Security Team thinks I¡¯m the one contaminated?¡± ¡°Looks like it¡­ yeah¡­ There¡¯s no one else.¡± He raised his hands slightly, his expression an odd mix of anticipation and embarrassment. ¡°Uh¡­ wee to the Security Team¡­?¡± N-No. Is this some kind of initiation for me as a new recruit¡­! ¡°It¡¯s not me.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not me.¡± I emphasized this twice, then finally managed to steady myself and take in my surroundings. ¡®¡­Is this a istion room?¡¯ The interior was an empty space surrounded by gray walls, with even the lighting recessed seamlessly into the ceiling. ¡®It seems like the Security Team responded properly.¡¯ I must¡¯ve made the call correctly. [Security Team Equipment Rental Facility] This was a facility I¡¯d been authorized to use after my promotion to supervisor¡ªa storage space where equipment from the Security Team could be borrowed via phone or in person. However, if the Security Team deemed a situation required ¡®containment¡¯, they could intervene directly, as they had here. ¡®Lucky me.¡¯ Seeing as I was now detained in a Security Team facility, that must¡¯ve been the case. I slowly nodded. ¡°This must be thepany building, given that you¡¯re here, Sergeant.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ sharp observation¡­¡± I swallowed nervously. If I wasn¡¯t mistaken, my tattoo still held the contaminated Supervisor Park Minseong. ¡®I need to hand him over so the contamination can be contained.¡¯ But wouldn¡¯t officially registering the existence of my tattoo with the Security Team be an incredibly stupid move long-term? Testing the waters, I cautiously asked, ¡°Is there a CCTV system installed here by any chance?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­¡± Right. It was likely that no recording devices had been set up, considering this was the first time someone contaminated by the ghost story had escaped into reality. Even CCTV footage could be contaminated. ¡®Especially since Hungry Hangman was an ghost story with exceptionally strong psychological contamination¡­¡¯ In any case, it seemed no one knew that the fully contaminated Supervisor Park Minseong was currently inside my tattooed wrist. I swallowed nervously. ¡°¡­Sergeant.¡± ¡°Just call me Jay. I¡¯m the only ¡®J¡¯ left in the Security Team¡­¡± ¡°All right, Jay-ssi.¡± I spoke with a serious expression. ¡°Can you promise to keep what happens next a secret?¡± Naturally, I expected him to refuse. Or, perhaps he¡¯d act conflicted, agree to keep it a secret, and then promptly report everything. Either way, I was prepared to offer some form of persuasion¡ª ¡°Sure, why not¡­¡± ¡°As long as it¡¯s not about blowing up thepany¡­ No, even that might be okay¡­ Just keep it a secret that I even heard anything¡­¡± Was this the confidence of someone in a lifelong position? ¡®What kind ofpany is this¡­¡¯ I shook off the dizziness creeping into my head and firmly stated, ¡°It¡¯s not about blowing up thepany.¡± ¡°Then¡­?¡± ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve rescued a contaminated employee, and I¡¯m currently containing them on my own.¡± The sergeant looked at me like I was speaking nonsense. ¡°Are you delusional¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m perfectly sane. I¡¯m even wearing contamination-suppression equipment, am I not?¡± I raised my arm. ¡°These yarns with bells¡ªthis is contamination-suppression equipment, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Um¡­ yes, it is.¡± ¡°Then you can see that I¡¯m speaking with a clear mind.¡± The sergeant stared at me. I swallowed again. ¡°When you¡¯re ready, I¡¯ll bring out the contaminated employee.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± He blinked, clearly unconvinced but willing to humor me, and slowly replied, ¡°Fine¡­ go ahead¡­¡± ¡°Do you need any special preparations? I only have one chance, as I¡¯m using a disposable item.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± He tapped his chest lightly. ¡°I¡¯m enough.¡± Though his words might have sounded arrogant, his tone was straightforward and wearied, giving no impression of boasting. ¡®And he¡¯s a sergeant.¡¯ I¡¯d seen his capabilities in the changgwi ghost story. He was a professional in ¡®Darkness suppression¡¯. Good. ¡°All right.¡± I took a deep breath. Then, I reached directly into my tattoo. I didn¡¯t have to search. My hand immediately grasped the target. Keeping fellow teachers locked away is against the rules!! ¡®Pull!¡¯ As my hand emerged from the tattoo, it dragged something along with it. Riiiip. With grotesque sounds, the ¡®teacher¡¯ began to emerge from the tattoo. And then¡ª Thunk. The yarn snapped from the strain. Blood spurted from my forearm like a fountain¡ªthe wound inflicted by the blood-sucking knife earlier had reopened. ¡°¡ª!¡± Fuck! I wanted to scream from the pain, but I held back. The contamination was creeping back as well. But more pressing than that was¡ª ¡°Teacher Soleum! Such mischievous behavior is a punishable offense at ¡ö¡ö Kindergarten¡­¡± Flinch. Supervisor Park Minseong¡ªor rather, ¡®the teacher¡¯¡ªpaused mid-sentence, smiling softly. Then, he stopped entirely, ncing around nkly at his surroundings. ¡°This is not the kindergarten!!¡± Damn it. ¡°This is not the kindergarten! This is not the kindergarten! I left without permission, unauthorized¡ªI am not a perfect teacher. I¡­ I broke the rules¡­!¡± There was no way to respond. I could only feel the guilt crashing over me. I¡¯m so sorry, teacher. I made the wrong decision. I shouldn¡¯t have done this. I¡¯ll take your punishment and read the handbook aloud instead. I¡¯ll grab the handbook of ¡ö¡ö Kindergarten and¡ª ¡°Up you go.¡± Grab. Someone seized my face. Then something was inserted into my ear. ¡°Some kind of¡­ sleep sedative.¡± Chapter 66.2 ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ sh. I blinked. ¡°Excuse me.¡± ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± I opened my eyes again. Everything was still. ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I instinctively knew. ¡°You knocked me out, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± I looked at the empty capsule shell that had fallen to the floor from my ear. ¡®A drug?¡¯ It seemed I¡¯d been given something that briefly knocked me out. Something simr to the Snow White Mountain Apple I carried, but perhaps a less potent version. Stay calm. It appeared I¡¯d been freed from the contamination¡¯s effects. I steadied my breathing and looked down at my arm. The area where I¡¯d been injured was now wrapped in bandages. As for the yarn that had been wrapped around me earlier¡­ I lifted my head and saw it tightly wound around Supervisor Park Minseong¡¯s limbs in the corner. Right. He no longer looked like a ¡®teacher¡¯. It was Supervisor Park Minseong again! ¡®¡­It worked.¡¯ Dressed in a ck suit and mask, Park Minseong looked just as he had before entering the ghost story. Even if this was only a temporary effect of the suppression equipment. ¡°¡­Hah.¡± Feeling utterly drained, I leaned against the wall. ¡®¡­Sessful handover.¡¯ I heard the sergeant mutter beside me. ¡°That guy¡¯s lucky¡­ getting out that quickly¡­ envy him¡­¡± Wait. ¡°Since he came out quickly, does that mean he can fully recover from the contamination?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± The sergeant, looking too tired to think, hesitated before finally speaking under the weight of my persistent gaze. ¡°That¡¯s a Gloom-level contamination¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Yes, it¡¯s B-ss.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s fine¡­¡± B-grade? ¡°Thepany¡¯s got protocols¡­ and well, if things go decently, maybe¡­ a department transfer?¡± Sure. Working in the Security Team would be better than dying. ¡®I hope he recovers well enough to either return or leave on his own terms¡­¡¯ I turned back to look at Supervisor Park Minseong. Now that the tension was easing, I felt strange. Until just yesterday, we¡¯d been coworkers, chatting and joking in the office. Now, starting tomorrow, he¡¯d suddenly disappear from my daily life. ¡°¡­Please take good care of him.¡± The sergeant nodded slightly, his expression unreadable. As my thoughts wandered, my mind finally returned to thest scene I had witnessed. ¡­Assistant Manager Eun Haje! ¡°What happened to the¡­ body¡­ lying next to me? The one missing a left hand¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Please, tell me she wasn¡¯t incinerated or something. No, that couldn¡¯t have happened. ¡®Since she was a missing hand and not a head, they would¡¯ve thought it strange.¡¯ Still, my growing anxiety prompted me to hasten the process and leave the istion room. ¡°Let¡¯s head out together¡­¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± With a few members of the Security Team apanying me, I found myself walking out of the istion room, escorted somewhere between surveince and protection. And as soon as I stepped outside, I realized something. This was the istion area adjacent to the Security Team¡¯s equipment storage facility. [Istion B] ¡®There were separate pages about this ce in the Darkness Exploration Records¡­¡¯ Every single one of them was chilling. Two summoned employees walked just half a step behind me, moving at a calm pace through the corridor. Meanwhile, I followed, trying to suppress the unease creeping over me¡­ Kekekekekeke¡ª AaaaahhhhhhhAlmightyLuminousOneshineYourlightuponme Savemesavemepleasesaveme¡­! From the istion rooms lined along both sides came bone-chilling sounds. ¡®Don¡¯t look.¡¯ I resolutely avoided ncing anywhere but the light spilling from the door ahead. ¡­¡­ Who¡¯s in the hallway? Aaaaaahhh!! Who¡¯s in the hallway? Who¡¯s in the hallway? Who¡¯s Please, just walk faster! Hurry up!! Yet the sted Security Team staff maintained their steady pace until we finally emerged through the door. By that point, I was utterly drained, left toplete the exit procedure for the equipment storage facility as a ragged husk of myself. The front of the storage facility looked like a bleak corridor in the maintenance department. At the counter, a silent Security Team employee retrieved my belongings, which had been stored for istion. ¡°Thank you.¡± I epted the briefcase. A stickerbeled [Approved / Risk Level D] was affixed to its surface. ¡®Looks like they didn¡¯t inspect the items individually.¡¯ Nor had they conducted any additional checks on what I¡¯d retrieved from my tattoo. Surprisingly, Sergeant J seemed to have kept his promise entirely. ¡®Though he might report it someday.¡¯ That much was manageable. I¡¯d even mentioned the one-time-use nature of the items on purpose. What mattered now was handling the situation properly. ¡®Let¡¯s do this right.¡¯ I took a deep breath. ¡®Time to quickly check on Assistant Manager Eun Haje¡¯s situation¡­¡¯ ¨C Friend! ¨C Friend! Huh? ¨C Friend!! Braun!!! ¡°Excuse me, is this all of my belongings?¡± The staff member silently pointed toward a container in the corner of the front desk. [Waste Disposal Box] Therey my soaked and mangled suit jacket, crumpled into a mess¡ªand stuffed inside it, a small, disheveled stuffed doll¡­ Gaaaaaaasp! ¨C How dare they throw me into such a ce as if I were trash!! This is outrageous! Even when I was a rookie, I never experienced such disrespect! T-These people are insane! I felt like I could bathe in my own cold sweat. Hastily, I retrieved the jacket, cleaned up the doll, and tucked it into my shirt pocket. ¡®Y-You¡¯ve been through so much¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ ¨C Huu¡­ It¡¯s not your fault, Mr. Roe Deer. It¡¯s those ruffians who acted so recklessly! Braun seemed somewhat mollified. Without wasting time, I turned and began walking away. But from behind, an ominous voice trailed after me¡­ ¨C But a good friend never forgets¡­ Let¡¯s make sure to never let Braun near the Security Team again. As I stepped out the door, a voice called out to me. ¡°Kim Soleum-ssi.¡± Waiting at the front of the Security Team facility was someone familiar. ¡°¡­Squad Leader.¡± Chief Lizard gazed at me with his slit pupils. ¡°Did youe to fetch me, sir?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Where are you taking me? And, while you¡¯re at it, could you exin why I¡¯m being taken there?¡± ¡°To the infirmary. Assistant Manager Eun Haje is lying there.¡± I, I paused several times before I managed to speak. ¡°¡­Is she alive?¡± Squad Leader Lee turned to look at me. And his response was firm and clear. ¡°Yes.¡± Gulp. A surge of emotion suddenly rose to my throat. ¡°¡­Squad Leader. Supervisor Park Minseong has also been retrieved.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Squad Leader Lee Jaheon seemed to ponder for a moment, but he soon asked, ¡°Is he alive?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Then everyone has survived.¡± That alone made it all worth it. Undeniably. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 67.1 After that, everything was processed fairly quickly. It seemed I had gained some remarkable recognition at thepany again. Apparently, rescuing a contaminated colleague by yourself wasn¡¯t entirely unheard of, but most cases involved months or even years of preparation and a desperate determination to pull it off. There were countless cases where the people supposedly on a rescue mission would disappeared together with those contaminated people while attempting it. But to pull someone out immediately after contamination? It was apparently unprecedented for a new hire. ¡°Look, that guy with the deer antler mask¡­¡± ¡°Oh, is that him?¡± ¡°Wow¡­ How many times is this now?¡± Sometimes, as I walked through thepany corridors, I overheard whispers behind me. Come to think of it, I remembered experiencing something simr while eating with D-squad at the cafeteria a few times before. But maybe because I was walking alone now, thements felt especially clear. Though it didn¡¯tst long. ¡°Kim Soleum-ssi.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Don¡¯te to work for the next ten days.¡± ¡°It¡¯s paid leave.¡± With half the team gone, D-squad operations had already been temporarily suspended, and now I was being granted leave. ¡®I was stilling in regrly to write the situation report, though.¡¯ I¡¯d been curious about how we¡¯d managed to twist the rules of a B-ss Darkness, where the Hangman had to die to clear it, and bring Assistant Manager Eun Haje out alive. ? ¡®Someone must¡¯ve reported that Supervisor Park Minseong and I tried to do something.¡¯ It even seemed there had been discussions about scheduling interviews with the Research Team to strengthen the reliability of the exploration records. ¨C Ah, Supervisor Kim. Why bother with that! Take a break, take a break. You¡¯ve done something huge! ¨C ¡­Um. Thank you. It appeared Section Chief Lee Byeongjin, who¡¯s in charge of manual revisions, and Section Chief Lee Jaheon from our squad had cut off the talks at their level. It was a bit funny, but during the reports from the employees who had been with us, they had apparently testified, ¡®Kim Soleum-ssi must have acted to save his squadmates without any ulterior motive.¡¯ They essentially made excuses on my behalf, iming it was all a fortunatebination of quick thinking and good luck. ¡®They all bolted the moment the clear door opened, yet they still spoke up for me.¡¯ The former was only natural, but thetter was something I was grateful for, so I decided to ept it. Thanks to all this, my name kept circting on internal calls, and the manual now had a ¡®Possibly Subject to Revision¡¯bel attached to it. In the group chat with my fellow new hires, people kept trying to dig for information from me. [Go Yeongeun : You¡¯ve been through a lot. Great job.] Some even sent texts tofort me. ¡®Thanks. Truly.¡¯ For the record, Baek Saheon hadn¡¯t even asked how I was doing, even when I live with the guy. ¡®That punk¡¯s personality has always been like that, anyway.¡¯ I didn¡¯t expect anything different. Overall, the situation so far hadn¡¯t been bad for my survival. ¡®Actually, isn¡¯t this good?¡¯ I was steadily building an impressive career. Specifically, I was establishing a reputation as a standout employee known for ¡®quick clears using unconventional methods outside the existing manual¡¯ and for ¡®benevolence¡¯. And now, a ten-day paid leave. I thought I¡¯d either be pleased about distancing myself from ghost stories for ten days or feel disappointed about slowing down the pace of umting points. I expected it to be one or the other, but I felt neither particrly. So, I ended up doing nothing at all. -Mr. Roe Deer, would you like to hear my thoughts on why that abysmaledy show failed to captivate the public? It¡¯ll be fascinating! ¡°Why not.¡± I spent a few days just sitting in the living room, watching TV. Then, about three days in¡­ ¡­a text arrived. [Eun Haje : Come to the hospital.] * * * ¡°Roe, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°¡­Assistant Manager.¡± I ced the get-well gift I¡¯d brought on the side table and stood next to the bed. Assistant Manager Eun Haje let out a faint chuckle. ¡°Soy milk? Nice choice.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± It was the first time we were meeting since the briefmunication we had in the infirmary, right after she regained consciousness. The assistant manager¡¯splexion was slightly pale, but her face otherwise looked fine. The Snow White Mountain Apple had apparently done its job to some extent. ¡°Not bad for someone who came back from the brink of death, right? ¡­That item was great. Thanks.¡± Thanks to that item, Assistant Manager Eun Haje had appeared to be a corpse. Luckily, the unique condition of her missing hand rather than her neck led to her being preserved in istion. ¡®Section Chief Lee Jaheon reported her survival and had her moved to the infirmary at sunrise the next day¡­¡¯ Now, she had been transferred to a hospital with some sort of partnership with thepany, and the urgent treatments had just beenpleted. ¡°Oh, by the way, I just said the apple was something I had on me. People usually prefer to keep their sources a secret.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± ¡°Gratitude? If anything, I should be the one thanking you and Minseong.¡± Assistant Manager Eun Haje started to raise her left hand as if to wave it and dismiss the notion, but then froze. Because it wasn¡¯t there. Her bandaged left arm ended abruptly at the wrist. With such a loss,pany-issued supply potions wouldn¡¯t be able to regenerate it. ¡°Um, Assistant Manager.¡± I voiced what I¡¯d been considering. ¡°I have that C-grade regeneration potion with me¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not about to offer it to me, are you?¡± ¡°I was nning to sell it¡­ for money.¡± ¡°Hah.¡± Eun Haje clicked her tongue. ¡°Listen up, Roe. Items that are only tradeable for points? You can¡¯t just buy those outside, no matter how much money you have.¡± ¡°And using that potion just because I lost a hand? That¡¯s wasteful. It¡¯s the kind of thing you save for when half your body¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°But still¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll handle my hand. You keep it for emergencies.¡± Her gaze grew faintly shadowed. ¡°If you keep going into the Darkness, you¡¯ll face situations far worse than losing a hand. Trust me.¡± A chill ran down my spine. Chapter 67.2 ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve got something for you.¡± With the grace of someone who¡¯d been using just one hand for years, Eun Haje reached into the bedside drawer¡­ And pulled out a luxurious gold-embossed box painted with an oil painting design. [Daydream Potion] ¡®W-Wait.¡¯ That¡¯s the kind of box Daydream Inc. uses for their premium potions! And it looked even fancier than the box my C-grade regeneration potion came in. ¡°Assistant Manager, what exactly are you¡­¡± ¡°See this? There¡¯s only one left.¡± She opened the box with an exuberant gesture. Inside, the molded silk lining held spaces for two round ss vials¡ªbut one was already empty. Eun Haje took the remaining vial and casually tossed it to me. ¡°Take it.¡± Oh my God. I lunged forward, catching the vial before it could fall. Inside, a liquid shimmered like flowing silk, blending hues of deep purple and silver. : Daydream Potion : Venom Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Outstanding) Venom?! ¡°Assistant Manager, you bought this with points¡ª¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Eun Haje grinned, showing her teeth. ¡°Handle it carefully. That¡¯s a 170,000-point death note.¡± ¡°You can kill someone remotely without leaving a trace.¡± W, Wait a minute. With trembling hands, I read the description on the vial. Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Venom assists with silent and ruthless revenge. Through a simple ritual, breathe the target¡¯s name into the vial¡­ That very night, a horrific death shall find them. ¡°In short, it¡¯s perfect for getting rid of someone you want dead without any fuss.¡± ¡°Before they die, they¡¯ll experience excruciating, searing pain and horrific mental torment, enough to curse the world itself, before falling into aa. Over the next four hours, they¡¯ll endure what feels like four years of agony.¡± You¡¯re giving me a murder weapon¡­? Assistant Manager Eun Haje further grumbled about how the venom always came in sets of two vials because of the ¡®damn concept¡¯, so she had to work twice as hard and twice as long just to get it. But eventually, she smiked mischievously at me. ¡°Use it if someone you want to kill shows up.¡± ¡°Because I had someone like that.¡± I nced at the empty slot in the box, feeling a lump in my throat. ¡­Did she already use the first one?! ¡°Curious? About who I used it on?¡± My mind instantly shed to the revtion from the . ¨C The word that best represents Teacher Eun Haje is ¡®Betrayer¡¯! ¡°If it¡¯s a personal matter and you¡¯re ufortable, you don¡¯t have to tell me¡­¡± ¡°Ufortable? Please. I¡¯ve been dying to talk about it.¡± If that¡¯s the case, by all means. Assistant Manager Eun Haje leaned back against the bed with her arms crossed. ¡°To cut to the chase¡­ Yes, I got into trouble as a journalist and ended up switching careers.¡± ¡°There was this second-generation politician who dabbled in everything from drugs to human trafficking. I was chasing an exclusive scoop on him, but I ruined myself in the process.¡± Her tone was casual, as usual, but the content was anything but. It was the kind of story that felt polished through years of introspection and regret. Her article was killed at the desk, and the very next day, immense pressure came down on her entire team. She was stalked, her family received threatening calls¡­ ¡°The team decided to drop the whole thing and pretend it never happened. But I couldn¡¯t let it go and tried to blow the whistle through a foreign media outlet. Sure, that could be considered betrayal. But¡­¡± A small sigh escaped her lips. ¡°On the day I was supposed to leave the country, I got a call. Four of the informants had died as if it were some sort of cruel joke.¡± ¡°Officially, it was ruled as suicides due to despair¡­ but they obviously weren¡¯t. Either they were killed outright or driven to the point of death.¡± ¡°I was stupid to think that just publishing the story would fix everything.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t stupidity.¡± ¡°It was stupid, no matter how you look at it. Anyway¡­¡± Eun Haje quit being a journalist. She said she simply couldn¡¯t do it anymore. ¡°But I still needed a job. I had a family to support at home.¡± Fortunately, she found apany that fit. A ce where the age range for new hires was rtively broad, where experience in diverse fields was valued for sales positions, and¡ªsince it was in a different industry¡ªshe wasn¡¯t on any cklists. ¡°A pharmaceuticalpany called Daydream Inc..¡± And at thispany, she encountered something extraordinary¡ª A wish ticket. ¡°At first, I thought about bringing the dead back to life, but that felt like an insult to them.¡± Eun Haje adjusted her arms, crossing them morefortably. ¡°Trying to bring them back just because I felt guilty would¡¯ve been self-serving. Respecting the dead as they are¡­ that¡¯s the right thing to do. Plenty of people in thispany wouldn¡¯t agree, but that¡¯s my stance. Anyway¡­¡± Her story ended with a faint smile. ¡°Sost night, I got my revenge. And that¡¯s the end of it.¡± ¡°If you hear about a second-generation politician dying a horrible death in the news, just know that I was the one responsible.¡± Eun Haje stretched her arms high with a relieved sigh. ¡°Ah¡­ Fuck, I¡¯m finally done with this cursed Darkness exploration!!¡± ¡°Are you quitting?¡± ¡°You never know in life.¡± Despite her bold deration, her face was slightly stiff. Even though she mentioned it casually to avoid burdening me, it was clear that she felt conflicted about leaving Supervisor Park Minseong behind. ¡°Either way, I¡¯ll be taking a break for a while¡­ but I guess that means I won¡¯t be working in the D-squad anymore.¡± She gave a slightly bitter smile. ¡°I made such a fuss about you staying in our squad, and it ended up happening after all.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± I realized it reflexively. From now on¡­ I wouldn¡¯t see Assistant Manager Eun Haje sitting at the desk next to mine anymore. ¡°Roe.¡± ¡°Is it hard on you?¡± ¡°Yeah. If it weren¡¯t, you¡¯d have to be some kind of psychopath. You¡¯ve been so capable that it¡¯s just hitting you a bitter than usual, but everyone goes through this at some point.¡± Eun Haje smiled and lightly thumped her chest. ¡°Not being able to see the squadmate who used to sit next to you the very next day.¡± ¡°But you should give yourself some credit for this. It¡¯s the best-case scenario¡ªyou¡¯re not seeing us anymore for a good reason, thanks to your own abilities.¡± ¡°¡­Supervisor Park Minseong, he¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s a debt I¡¯ll keep on my own tab.¡± Eun Haje cut me off firmly. ¡°You rescued him too. Be proud of that. He¡¯s strong in his own way. He¡¯ll recover¡­ Focus on yourself for now.¡± She nced at me and smiled. ¡°Even the squad leader seems worried about you.¡± The lizard¡­ worried? ¡°Roe, hasn¡¯t the squad leader been barely showing up at the officetely?¡± He hadn¡¯t. ¡°Usually, when half a squad gets wiped out, the norm isn¡¯t taking a break¡ªit¡¯s stepping in to support another squad.¡± Ah. ¡°But he made sure to keep you out of that.¡± ¡°Whether it¡¯s by pulling strings or stepping in himself.¡± Goodness. ¡°Trustworthy, huh? He¡¯s been like that since I joined. Not exactly flexible, but dependable.¡± Eun Haje ced her intact hand on my shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s not easy finding people you can rely on in thispany. That¡¯s part of your good fortune. Work well with the squad leader moving forward.¡± Then she grinned and extended her hand. ¡°Whoever ends up taking my spot, with Squad Leader Lee Jaheon and Kim Soleum, I¡¯m sure the D-squad will be fine.¡± She firmly shook my hand with her uninjured right one. ¡°Earn plenty of points safely, Roe.¡± And she added with a smile, ¡°I hope your wishes true.¡± That was myst handshake with Assistant Manager Eun Haje from the D-squad. * * * When I returned to work after my short leave, I saw that all of Assistant Manager Eun Haje¡¯s belongings had been cleared from her desk in the D-squad¡¯s office. Supervisor Park Minseong¡¯s desk had been left alone, but who knew how long that wouldst. I quietly went to my desk and sat down. Just like that. I was thest remaining member of the D-squad here. Chapter 68.1 Morning. I sat quietly in the office. ¨C Ah, what a refreshing winter morning. How about a cup of coffee, friend? Sure. Let¡¯s have some at lunchtime. While tidying up my desk and chatting with Braun to chase away the silence, around 8:50 AM, my lizard-headed superior entered through the door. I approached and greeted him politely. ¡°Good morning, Squad Leader. It¡¯s a pleasure to see you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I lifted my head and continued. ¡°Um, I heard you helped arrange my paid leave. ¡­Thank you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The lizard moved only his eyes to look at me. ¡°Can you perform your duties as you did two weeks ago?¡± ¡°Yes. I can work as before. Even if my initial results arecking, I¡¯ll regain my rhythm as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°I see.¡± His vertical pupils scrutinized me intently. ¡°I¡¯ll be the judge of that and provide any necessary support.¡± Hmm. By now, I¡¯ve be fluent in interpreting his words. ¡®Whether you excel or stumble, I¡¯ll back you up¡ªjust keep working hard like you always do.¡¯ Honestly, even if he looked and talked like a lizard, he¡¯s a good boss. So who cares? Still, that didn¡¯t mean I can let my guard down. ¡®I have to clear the Darknesses perfectly for a while.¡¯ I¡¯d already been granted paid leave. If someone known for their swift, efficient work like me¡ªthe kind of employee who hit supervisor rank in just 60 days¡ªcame back from a break and couldn¡¯t deliver results? ? That would be a hot topic around thepany. It wouldn¡¯t look good. [Wait, nobody even died¡ªeveryone survived, didn¡¯t they?] [Hmm¡­ Employee Kim Soleum seems oddly fragile emotionally.] [But how could someone with such a weak mentality have achieved so much before?] ¡­That kind of talk. ¡®It¡¯s no good if suspicion starts swirling.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t give them any reason to doubt me. ¡®I need to clear everything cleanly.¡¯ Though¡­ I hadn¡¯t been able to purchase any reliable new items. I recalled the message on the alien shop¡¯s website that had been up during my entire vacation. ¡ù Redecorating (Temporary Closed) ¡ù >>I understand! Alright. The website was under maintenance. ¡®I wonder when it¡¯ll reopen.¡¯ I haven¡¯t seen any documents rted to the site¡¯s redecorating, so it should reopen soon. Once the alien shop is back, I¡¯ll check out the new stock and secure some items within my budget. For now, I¡¯ll focus on clearing Darknesses properly, getting back to basics. ¡®They won¡¯t send me into high-grade Darkness again for a while, I think.¡¯ The strange emptiness left by reduced squad members was unavoidable, but quitting isn¡¯t an option¡­ so I¡¯ll manage somehow. I asked a bit more cheerfully on purpose. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll be deployed to a Darkness today? I heard there¡¯s a high chance we¡¯ll be sent to support another squad since we¡¯re down to three members.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Oh. ¡°Which squad will we be supporting today?¡± If I¡¯m lucky, I might run into one of my yet-unmet peers¡­ ¡°An elite unit.¡± ¡­¡­ Huh?? Again? ¡°Do you mean the A-squad?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°¡­Then which team?¡± ¡°The C-squad.¡± I knew no one at all from that squad. The fact that it was an elite unit made me wary, but at least I wouldn¡¯t have to see both the A-squad¡¯s leader and Squad Leader Lee Jaheon in one ce. Wait. Now that I think about it, I wasn¡¯t entirely unfamiliar with the C-squad. [K.LEE : This is Assistant Manager Lee Kangheon from the C-squad haha] The suspicious assistant manager who introduced me to Salmon Market! ¡®He did say he was from the C-squad.¡¯ Maybe this time I¡¯ll finally see him in person. But a more pressing question came first. If it¡¯s an elite unit¡¯s mission¡­ ¡°Could it be a high-difficulty Darkness that¡¯s hard to clear?¡± ¡°What criteria are you using to make that judgment?¡± ¡°¡­I apologize. That was thoughtless.¡± ¡°?¡± ¡°Um. Could you tell me its letter-ss and whether a manual exists for it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s D-ss. The manual is fully prepared.¡± Oh, then there¡¯s little chance of seeing some crazy stunt where they use the Round-Off Team as human meat shields. Feeling relieved, I asked calmly. ¡°Understood. When should we depart?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll move out in five minutes.¡± Yessir. We grabbed our gear and left the office, walking toward our destination. But¡­ ¡°Squad Leader.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why are we heading toward the annex instead of the C-squad¡¯s office?¡± ¡°Because the C-squad has already entered the Darkness.¡± Huh? After a few more exchanges with Chief Lizard, here¡¯s what I gathered: [C-squad¡¯s leader is on leave, leaving only two members in the unit.] [Today¡¯s mission involves a D-ss ghost story.] [Instead of adhering to the standard three-member team, the C-squad decided to fudge the numbers and dive in on their own, prompting the admin office to hurriedly assign additional personnel.] Wow. Back when I first joined, Assistant Manager Eun Haje had blown up in rage, swearing over how they counted a newbie as part of the three-person minimum. ¡®And here we are with people willingly entering as just two¡­¡¯ Ominous. ¨C Hmm, a member who doesn¡¯t follow orders! A truly skilled host knows how to handle all elements of a show, especially human resources. ¨C Could today be your chance to learn that, Mr. Roe Deer? Let¡¯s find out. Let¡¯s charge forward, shall we, friend! I want to sink to the ground in despair¡­ But I need points, and it¡¯s true that I need to start diving into the Darkness again. ¡®None of the elite units I¡¯ve encountered so far have been normal¡­¡¯ And I have a strong feeling this will be no different. Still, as a half-year rookie supervisor, I have no choice but to follow orders. If I didn¡¯t want this, I should¡¯ve joined the A-squad¡­ though if I had, I¡¯d probably already be in the Round-Off Team as a corpse. ¡®¡­Am I already feeling nostalgic?¡¯ I forced myself to avoid thinking about my two superiors from the D-squad as I moved forward. Squad Leader Lee Jaheon handed me a tablet. ¡°Spend the next ten minutes reviewing the manual.¡± ¡°Is there a reason I only get ten minutes?¡± ¡°Because time is tight before the entry closes, and the survival rate for the past two quarters has been 97%.¡± Thank you for the reassuring exnation¡­ So we¡¯ve reached the point where a 3% fatality rate is considered eptable. Honestly, in a scenario like this, the 3% who die even with a manual likely made terrible decisions or were extraordinarily unlucky. ¡®It¡¯ll be fine.¡¯ With a mix of unease and resignation, I looked down at the tablet¡­ ¨C Hmm? Mr. Roe Deer, it looks like your mind just went nk. Yup. Because I¡¯m screwed. ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story [Ignorance is Bliss] : A ghost story featured in : Daydream Inc. identification code ¨C Qterw-D-2367 A textbook horror story where you must survive a full night among ghosts¡ªan utterly nerve-wracking ssic. ======================== Wait. Wait just a second, Squad Leader¡­! Instead of going on a mental break down and refusing to go in, I managed to make a rational suggestion. ¡°Sorry, could we possibly prepare for just thirty more minutes before entry, sir?¡± ¡°That is not possible.¡± Right, they said the entry closes¡­ Not exactly a rational suggestion on my part. Aaaaah! Seriously!! Why does it have to be this one for my return mission?! Chapter 68.2 ¡°There have been no fatalities aside from two cases of heart attacks. It¡¯s safepared to other Darknesses of the same letter-grade.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± ¡®It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t know that¡­!¡¯ I had simply been deluding myself. Drunk on the image of myself as the ¡®elite rookie¡¯, I¡¯d forgotten something. Even before my paid leave, I was someone who silently wept in fear while speedrunning through horror scenarios. And now myeback mission is the kind of ssic horror I¡¯m weakest against¡ªa true nightmare. ¡®New squadmates, half of them from an elite unit, meaning no room for nonsense.¡¯ On top of that, the low Darkness grade made it wasteful to use the tattoo stickers here, so I¡¯d have to endure it with sheer grit. This wasn¡¯t the kind of situation where survival instincts would kick in as you frantically search for a way out. No, I¡¯d have to experience everything raw. Exactly as the wiki entry intended for the horror to be felt. ¡®Huu¡­¡¯ At least when I yed tag with the convenience store ghost, I stumbled in without realizing it. Now, it felt like I was being dunked in cold water, jolted back to reality. Call it shock therapy, maybe. With a sinking feeling, I trudged into the Darkness, like a condemned soul walking to the ughterhouse. My legs wobbled. ¡°This way.¡± At least the entry wasn¡¯t one of those warped spaces that swallow us into bizarre, twisted worlds. This time, the entry process was very straightforward. Knock on the door of a sealed space that meets specific conditions, then enter. That space bes the ghost story. The space must be sealed with no one within 100 meters. All four walls and the ceiling must be enclosed with no windows or elements revealing the outside. It must contain an analog clock. The space must be approximately 40 cubic meters¡ªa deviation of more than 4 cubic meters will prevent the Darkness from manifesting. Ourpany had built a dedicated separate space that met these conditions and used it for this purpose. Specifically, a room measuring 4m x 4m x 2.4m¡­ [Break Room] Squad Leader Lee Jaheon and I stopped in front of a door bearing that que. The break room was attached to a regr office, but all the conditions were satisfied. It was a Wednesday with a date ending in ¡®4¡¯. Knocking on the door in a specific rhythm would trigger the ghost story. I¡­ I¡¯m the one who has to knock, right? Seniority, after all? Knock, knock. Knock-knock. Knock-knock-knock. Trying not to let my trembling hand show, I knocked on the door. And, as if on cue, the door clicked open. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Who are these pe¡­ oh!¡± Inside, two employees were sittingfortably. Upon seeing us, they waved their hands. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the reinforcements?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Wow, we really didn¡¯t need anyone, but they insisted on sending you.¡± They muttered amongst themselves about how increasing the number of clearers would diminish points and reduce the concentration of Dream Essence¡­ Then, Chief Lizard responded curtly. ¡°If you haveints, submit a department transfer request and revise the exploration manual yourself.¡± The two employees¡¯ mouths were wide open, then eventually nodded awkwardly, their faces turning sheepish. ¡°No, um¡­ We weren¡¯t criticizing you specifically. Sorry about that¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha, we must¡¯ve sounded rude. Really sorry. You¡¯re, uh, from the D-squad, right, sir?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then this person is¡­?¡± ¡°Supervisor Roe Deer.¡± ¡°Ohhh!¡± Both their expressions changed again. ¡°You¡¯re the new hire who almost joined the A-squad? I heard Assistant Manager Butterfly had her eye on you!¡± ¡°And there¡¯s a story about you saving someone who was supposed to die¡­ Wow, please tell us all about it when this is over!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not much of a story¡ªjust some good luck¡ªbut sure. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± Ushered by them, Chief Lizard and I sat at a small table in the corner of the break room. ¡°We¡¯ll be spending the night together, so let¡¯s introduce ourselves. That¡¯s Supervisor Dolphin over there.¡± ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Supervisor Roe Deer!¡± A petite woman wearing a dolphin mask waved energetically when called. Her tone was bright and bubbly. Then a tanned man with a sociable demeanor extended his hand with a smile. ¡°And I¡¯m Leopard, Assistant Manager Leopard.¡± ¡°Understood, Assistant Manager Leopard.¡± Hmm. [K.LEE : Oh hello, Mr. Employee lolol] The profile picture of ¡®Lee Kangheon¡¯ on the work chat had been set to a Hawaiian beach, and the tanned skin seemed to fit perfectly. The matching rank and outgoing personality further aligned. ¡®It¡¯s probably this person.¡¯ Still, I kept the possibility open. I didn¡¯t know his real name for sure yet, and I wasn¡¯t about to show any familiarity in front of a superior. ¡°Looking forward to working together, sir.¡± ¡°Same here! Let¡¯s get through the night snacking and chatting in this cozy break room!¡± For now, it felt like we were gearing up for an office all-nighter. And indeed, nothing oundish happened¡ªthe walls didn¡¯t suddenly bleed, the ceiling didn¡¯t flip, and the coffee machine didn¡¯t turn into a murder bot. ? But¡­ ¡®The ghost¡­ it¡¯s already here.¡¯ One or more explorers would have already been reced by a ghost. That¡¯s right. One of us wasn¡¯t human anymore. ¡°Would you like some coffee?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll get it!¡± ¡°No need¡ªour squad doesn¡¯t do the ¡®newbie fetches coffee¡¯ thing. Just sit back.¡± You never know exactly when it happens¡ªperhaps as soon as you cross the threshold, or maybe during introductions. ¡®It¡¯s easier if you¡¯re the one reced by a ghost.¡¯ In that case, you just ck out after entering and wake up the next day. The real problem is the manual for those who aren¡¯t reced. The rule I had to follow: Ghosts mimic the appearance, personality, and behavior of explorers but exhibit subtle, unnatural actions, which no human would do, that cause unease. However, you must never show that you¡¯ve noticed who the ghost is. Every explorer who tantly revealed their suspicion disappeared without a trace. I-I can do this. ¡®I just have to ignore the weirdness and brush it off.¡¯ I can do this! If someone starts grinning with their mouth unnaturally wide or something, I¡¯ll just look away and endure it. ¡®If it happens, I¡¯ll just very naturally act like I¡¯m looking at someone else.¡¯ With multiple people in the room, I felt like I could manage. Maybe I wasn¡¯t as much of a coward as I thought. Despite everything I¡¯d gone through, I was surprisinglyposed¡ªnot breaking into a cold sweat at the mere thought of what was toe. ¡°Ah! The entrance just fully closed. This is the group we¡¯ll be working with!¡± ¡°Oh~!¡± ¡°Great, let¡¯s give it our all!!¡± p, p, p, p! All the employees pped cheerfully, creating a warm, friendly atmosphere. Except for one thing. ¡°Wow!¡± Everyone in the room was pping¡­ with the backs of their hands. Ah. ¡°Huh? Mr. Roe Deer, why aren¡¯t you pping?¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you, hm?¡± Assistant Manager Leopard leaned in close to my face. ¡°Is something bothering you?¡± Chapter 69.1 Who could have imagined something like this. Being trapped in an enclosed space with three ghosts imitating humans, all while sitting in a cold sweat, pretending to act normal. And worse¡­ However, you must never show that you¡¯ve noticed. ¡®¡­I can¡¯t let it show.¡¯ Even if every person in front of me¡ªno, every ghost¡ªwas pping cheerfully with the backs of their hands. p, p, p, p, p. ¡®Don¡¯t, be ob, vious.¡¯ Then, one suddenly turned to me and asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you pping?¡± Oh, fucking hell. I barely kept myself from trembling as I raised my hands. And then¡­ p, p, p. I ced one hand politely over the other and produced a quiet sound. I nced around as if embarrassed, offering a slightly awkward smile like a rookie trying to gauge the situation. ¡°¡­I missed the timing to p and got flustered. It¡¯s a bit embarrassing.¡± Please. Please let this slide. ¡°Eyy~ No worries at all!¡± ¡°Hey, Leopard sunbae, don¡¯t pressure thepetent newbie. Sit back down.¡± ¡°Aigoo, alright.¡± The Leopard employee¡ªor rather, the ¡®thing¡¯ pretending to be Leopard¡ªshrugged and sat down as instructed. But my relief was short-lived. Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud. Suddenly, the Dolphin employee dropped her head to the floor and started banging it sideways. Expressionlessly. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s a bug, a bug, a bug I can¡¯t catch¡­¡± Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud. ¡°¡­I heard no other creatures can enter this Darkness. Perhaps you were mistaken?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The Dolphin employee stopped banging her head. Her disheveled hair was now a mess, and her skull was crushed. ¡°That makes sense. Thank you, Supervisor Roe Deer.¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± And then, as if nothing had happened, she resumed chatting naturally with Assistant Manager Leopard. If I pass out here¡­ would I disappear? I¡¯m going crazy. ¡®Why did everyone but me get reced¡­!¡¯ If only I could¡¯ve cked out and been reced too¡ªwaking up tomorrow morning oblivious. ¡°Supervisor Roe Deer, have some food.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you very much, Squad Leader¡­¡± The lizard mask-wearing ghost¡ªno, don¡¯t think like that¡ªSquad Leader Lizard handed me some food. It was kimbap from a rather tasty snack shop near the office. ¡®I need to eat to survive the nearly 24 hours until tomorrow morning.¡¯ It was a rational decision¡­ If only I didn¡¯t feel like I¡¯d throw up or get indigestion the moment I put anything in my mouth¡­. ¡®Urgh.¡¯ ¡°Ohh, how about sharing? We brought some sandwiches, too.¡± The two employees from the C-squad took out their sandwiches. I reflexively responded out of social courtesy. ¡°I should¡¯ve brought something, but I was unprepared. I¡¯m truly sorry and grateful.¡± ¡°Eyy, maknae,e on. No need to worry about stuff like that! Even this squad leader here doesn¡¯t seem to care about formalities, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± With the lizard¡¯s short reply, Assistant Manager Leopard gave a thumbs-up with a grin. ¡°Ee-yah~ Our C-squad¡¯s leader is like that too. Hey, you know Squad Leader Teal Duck from the A-squad, right? Our squad leader is on a whole different level.¡± Ack. ¡°¡­Sounds like someone worth respecting.¡± ¡°Right? The squad leader even used that wish ticket to take a vacation¡­ Eyy, hope it doesn¡¯t lead to retirement though.¡± I avoidedmenting on the subtle criticism against A-squad¡¯s leader and turned the conversation with gentle praise instead. Not that it matters since they¡¯re ghosts¡­ But yeah, I¡¯ll keep this up. ¡®Forget it, forget it¡­¡¯ Honestly, it felt less like a ghost story and more like awkward small talk during a team-building retreat with senior employees from rted departments. Of course, it didn¡¯tst long. Right after the meal, Assistant Manager Leopard yawned and stood up. ¡°Ah, we¡¯ll be here all night¡­ Mind if I take off my shoes for a bit?¡± ¡°Aww, you should¡¯ve brought slippers like me!¡± ¡°Eyy, what can I do if I didn¡¯t? My socks are clean anyway.¡± Assistant Manager Leopard chatted nonchntly with Supervisor Dolphin while starting to take off his shoes. ¡®Sure, I won¡¯t even be surprised if he suddenly starts tap dancing on the table¡­¡¯ Instead of feet, there were hands. Crammed and forced into the shoes, the hands unfolded and pressed onto the floor as they emerged. ¡°Ah, since I¡¯m already up, I¡¯ll grab more coffee~ Everyone wants a refill, right?¡± Thup. Suddenly, Assistant Manager Leopard stood on his hands. The hands attached to his feet swung up and waved. Thup¡­ thup. Apany employee walking on his hands. ¡°Supervisor Roe Deer.¡± I swallowed a scream. ¡°Yes, Assistant Manager Leopard.¡± ¡°Can you help me carry the coffee? It¡¯s hard to see straight for some reason. U-Uh¡ª¡± Thump, thump, thump, thump. His inverted body kept bumping into the counter where the coffee was ced. ¡°Not trying to boss you around just because you¡¯re the junior¡ªit¡¯s just you¡¯re seated closer. Sorry if it feels like I¡¯m pressuring you.¡± Sh-Shit. ¡°Of course. I¡¯d be happy to help, sir.¡± I stood up immediately and moved toward Assistant Manager Leopard. Now that I think about it, sitting next to a ghost with a crushed skull might be worse than assisting the upside-down ghost. Right? Riiight?? ¨C Fascinating! Could this be a deliberate uncanny valley effect? ¨C An entertaining performance, Mr. Roe Deer. Let¡¯s enjoy it to the fullest! Enjoy it? To the fullest? ¡®Just keeping my eyes open deserves a self-pat on the back right now¡­!¡¯ Enjoyment is way too high a bar! ¡°Now then, let¡¯s move these.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± I handed cups of coffee to the hands attached to his feet, holding two cups myself, and ced them on the table. I was proud of not spilling or trembling, despite the sheer absurdity of it all. The real problem, though, was that with coffee refilled, the mood shifted into casual conversation. ¡°Now then.¡± Supervisor Dolphin, smiling brightly despite her caved-in skull, suggested, ¡°How about we go around and share stories of the Darknesses we¡¯ve cleared? Let¡¯s be honest, it¡¯s hard to stick with this job without finding some fun in it!¡± Assistant Manager Leopard waved it off. ¡°What if the ghosts overhear us and do something crazy? Let¡¯s just talk about our favorite foods or something.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s good too.¡± He wasn¡¯t wrong. Discussing the ghost-switching itself would not cause anomalies. However, it greatly increased the risk of someone noticing who the ghost was, which was highly discouraged. But they¡¯re all ghosts. ¡°I like things crispy on the outside, moist on the inside. Like fried eggnt, you know?¡± ¡°Oh, really? I like food that pops when you bite into it. Like eyeballs?¡± Fwick¡ª Dolphin leaned right into my face. ¡°Supervisor Roe Deer, you¡¯ve got eyeballs, don¡¯t you? I can see them. You brought them under the mask, right? To share? Let¡¯s share.¡± AAAAACCKK!! Chapter 69.2 ¡°They¡¯re not for eating, unfortunately.¡± I politely folded my hands under the table to hide the trembling. ¡°And it seems like we have simr tastes. Texture really is important.¡± ¡°Oh~ Comrade!¡± The ghost mimicking Dolphin beamed. ¡°Supervisor Roe Deer doesn¡¯t seem like a ghost. Talking so normally about food and all.¡± Wow. ¡®I can¡¯t keep this up.¡¯ If I stayed in this conversation any longer, there¡¯d definitelye a moment I¡¯d scream. ¨C Oh dear, Supervisor Roe Deer seems particrly sensitive to the uncanny valley effect! Such reactions are appreciated in an audience, though unfortunate in this situation¡­ ¨C But worry not. Isn¡¯t having this Braun by your side the greatestfort? Your friend is right here! ¡­Wait. That¡¯s right. ¡®What Braun said is right.¡¯ ¨C A great host always adapts to the situation! Exactly. What I was experiencing now was a situation where fear had been heightened to the extreme by the uncanny valley effect. ¡®Fear when something looks human but isn¡¯t.¡¯ In this ordinary break room, watching coworkers casually disy grotesque, inhuman behaviors was deeply unsettling. And being the only human amplified the sheer terror. ¡®If that¡¯s the case¡­¡¯ I nced to the side. The lizard was casually eating a sandwich snack with the wrapper still on. Not particrly less scary! Even if he suddenly flicks his tongue, walks backward with a grin, or gets up and starts shaking his head while crazily dancing yet casually chatting¡ªit¡¯s all the same. Because he was already terrifying! Because he already looked like a lizard! There¡¯s no longer any uncanny valley to feel. ¡®I¡¯m sticking with the section chief no matter what.¡¯ Finally, a solution appeared. Suppressing my cold sweat, I turned my chair naturally toward Chief Lizard, as if I had an urgent question to ask. ¡°Section Chief Lee Jaheon.¡± And I did genuinely have something I wanted to ask. ording to the , in this ghost story, ¡®Ghosts are identical to theirpanions in appearance, personality, and character.¡¯ This means that if you ask something natural and unpressured, there¡¯s a high chance the answer will mirror that of the ¡®original¡¯. Unless they suddenly start acting ghostly, of course. ¡®This might even make it easier to ask.¡¯ Since it wasn¡¯t really them. I pulled my chair closer as if I wanted to have an open and honest conversation with a squadmate. I aimed to create an atmosphere that discouraged the other ghosts from interrupting, and it seemed to work. Then I asked, ¡°We don¡¯t usually have time to chat during work. Would it be alright if I asked you a few things now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Thank you. I was wondering¡­ how did you be so strong, Section Chief?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Thankfully, Lee Jaheon didn¡¯t seem annoyed. ¡°It¡¯s the result of abination of innate factors and acquired learning.¡± The perfect, universal answer for any question! It felt like asking the top student how they aced their exams, only to hear, ¡®I studied hard with my good brain.¡¯ ¡®I want to hear more details, though.¡¯ With anyone else, this might be a brush-off, but with Chief Lizard, it¡¯s hard to tell. I decided to y along and smiled sheepishly before responding. ¡°I see. I asked because I¡¯d like to improve my strength too¡ªwithout relying on items or contamination.¡± ¡°Follow a protein-based diet andbine aerobic and anaerobic exercise.¡± ¡°¡­Will doing that make me as strong as you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Excuse me, I can already muster strength proportional to my physique. I almost gave my superior a look of incredulity. ¡°¡­If you have any other advice for me, I¡¯d love to hear it.¡± ¡°Yes. Supervisor Roe Deer, you have other strengths. Focus on developing those.¡± The lizard spoke dryly. ¡°No individual excels in all areas. Don¡¯t waste resources on inefficient or unnecessary things. Use others to your advantage.¡± ¡­Wait a second. ¡°Are you saying that when strength is needed, I should rely on you for that role, and instead focus on honing my own strengths?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The lizard nodded. ¡°Your strengths lie in creativity and decision-making, Mr. Roe Deer.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Well. ¡®Should I consider this high praise?¡¯ It¡¯s definitely better than being told to handle everything on my own. I¡¯m grateful, of course. ¡®Still, it feels like a missed opportunity.¡¯ I debated for a moment, then decided to dig a little deeper. ¡°However, we do asionally enter Darknesses alone. Strength is a universal and effective means, so I feel I might need it for situations like that.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The lizard stared into the void for a moment, as if in deep thought, before giving a confirming nod. ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you to an item.¡± Jackpot! ¡°Does it enhance strength?¡± ¡°Something simr. Use it as a parent item when crafting a new special equipment.¡± ¡°¡­¡­! Thank you.¡± I¡¯d been meaning to enhance or expand my dedicated equipment anyway. ¡®At least I gained something from this.¡¯ Even amidst a ghost story full of ghosts, while sweating bullets, I managed to obtain something¡­ wait. Come to think of it, the lizard sitting in front of me isn¡¯t even the real Lee Jaheon¡ªit¡¯s a ghost. ¡®Can I really trust this promise?¡¯ I panicked for a moment but recalled the manual. People who were reced by ghosts retain indirect memories of what urred within the enclosed space. Given Lee Jaheon¡¯s personality, he was highly likely to keep the promise. ¡®That¡¯s settled.¡¯ Phew. Aplishing something gave me a sense of achievement, even if I had to endure terror. ¡®Let¡¯s use this sense of aplishment to push through the fear¡­¡¯ Pretending to stretch, I avoided looking at the two C-squad ghosts who were now doing handstands and grinning eerily at me. At this point, I didn¡¯t care who among them introduced me to the Salmon Market. ¡®Empty your mind¡­¡¯ I kept making small talk with the lizard, avoiding direct interactions with the ghosts. The ghost posing as Chief Lizard couldn¡¯t get up to anything mischievous because I kept bombarding him with questions, forcing him to respond endlessly. ¡®I learned a profound fact¡ªthat the section chief prefers beef over pork¡­¡¯ ¨C Friend, this seems less like an interview and more like a tedious amateur biography investigation¡­ I know, Braun-ah, but what choice do I have¡­? When even that small talk ran dry, I pretended to doze off, ying word games with Braun, who was in my pocket, to pass the time. No matter what nonsense echoed in my ears, I stuck to one response: ¡®Sorry¡­ I¡¯m too tired. Let¡¯s continue this conversation after we¡¯re out.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s 3 a.m. Please, let this end.¡¯ I felt like I was drowning in cold sweat, but no emergency urred. Clutching Braun in my pocket, I survived the harrowing hours that felt like an eternity. Click. Finally, the pantry door opened. I had endured the entire night alone. ¡°¡­Done.¡± I made it, dammit! I wanted to stand up and punch the air in triumph despite my foggy mind. ¡®I can feel tears in my eyes.¡¯ It was the first time I had endured ghostly horror this raw and alone, without cutting corners. It felt like I had ovee a personal limit. ¡®I should give myself a pat on the back¡­¡¯ I wobbled as I stood. No one knew how much of a struggle even a D-ss challenge was for me, and that was a relief¡­ ¡°Mr. Roe Deer.¡± H-Huh¡­? Turning my head, I saw the lizard calmly standing there, wide awake. He looked fine, as if he had never stayed up all ni¡­ Wait. He¡¯s awake? ¡°S-Section Chief?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to wait for the members of C-squad to wake up. You may clock out.¡± I stared at the lizard, perfectly upright, and then turned to look at the sprawled, sleeping C-squad members. No way. ¡°You weren¡¯t¡­ a ghostst night?¡± ¡°I was not.¡± ¡°¡­You were pping with the backs of your hands though?!¡± ¡°?¡± The lizard tilted his head, then seemed to realize something and replied, ¡°I thought it was a popr trend.¡± Ah. Ahhhhh! Chapter 70.1 ¡­The situation quickly settled afterward. Or rather, it couldn¡¯t not settle. The lizard had doubts about my earlier behavior. ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, were your questionsst night intended to engage in lengthy conversation with a ghost because you mistook me for one? That moment was genuinely spine-chilling. ¨C ¡­How could that be? I was simply keeping both possibilities in mind after seeing you pping with the backs of your hands, sir. And I raised an imaginary thumbs-up toward the respected superior. That means I smoothed it over with ttery. ¨C I couldn¡¯t afford to miss the first chance to have an in-depth conversation with you, even if it meant risking a misunderstanding. ¨C I see. ¨C Thank you for kindly consulting with me for such a long time. ¨C Yes. Phew. For the record, the C-squad members, who had slept peacefully through the night, woke up before Lee Jaheon and I left. They chuckled casually. ¡°Ah~ It just had to be the two of you, huh? What a coincidence.¡± ¡°Wow. That must¡¯ve been really scary.¡± ¡°Right? Pretty chilling~¡± Liars! Watching themugh as they recalled the things the ghosts imitating them had done, I was once again struck by how bold the so-called elites of thispany were. Oh, before I forget. ¡®Now¡¯s my chance to figure out who referred me to the Salmon Market.¡¯ ¡°Um, would it be alright if I ask for your names, please?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Supervisor Dolphin raised her hand energetically. ¡°I¡¯m Supervisor Lee Seonghae, and over there is Assistant Manager Kang Dojun.¡± Huh? Wait a second. The assistant manager who introduced me to the Salmon Market was¡­ Ah! ¡°By any chance, is C-squad¡¯s manager named Lee Kangheon?¡± ¡°Huh? No.¡± ¡®I¡¯ve been had.¡¯ No wonder that person had been so quick to share their information. They were all lies. ¡®They must¡¯ve counted on the fact that the elite units, A, B, and C, are off-limits for direct contact via thepany directory for regr employees.¡¯ ? Well, it didn¡¯t really matter. It just made me d I¡¯d created an alternate ID to bypass their scheme. As I was about to wrap up the conversation with some casual remark along the lines of, ¡®I must have confused that person with someone else¡¯¡ª ¡°Pardon me, Supervisor Roe Deer.¡± While Assistant Manager Leopard was talking to Section Chief Lee Jaheon, Supervisor Dolphin suddenly turned to me, speaking in a hushed tone. ¡°By any chance¡­ Did you also get a katalk message about making money?¡± ¡°¡­From someone with a Hawaii beach background on their profile?¡± ¡°Famous, huh?¡± ¡°Is it a word-of-mouth thing?¡± Supervisor Dolphin nced at her colleague to ensure they weren¡¯t paying attention, then quickly continued. ¡°Um, well, I was also the top recruit in my batch when I joined.¡± Ah. ¡°They contacted me too. That¡­ fish bears eat a lot of¡­ oh, Salmon Market! Yeah, Salmon Market.¡± So she¡¯d been fished¡ªor maybe phished¡ªtoo¡­ ¡°I¡¯ve heard a few other promising recruits got contacted as well!¡± ording to her, the identity of the sender varied each time, but two details always matched. [K.LEE: Oh hello, Mr./Ms. Employee lolol] The profile photo and the name ¡°K.LEE.¡± Supervisor Dolphin whispered conspiratorially. ¡°Want to hear my theory?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°I think the site admin sent it. Like, they¡¯re recruiting people to sell actual items from the Darknesses on their secondhand tform!¡± Oh. ¡°You think the site was created by apany employee?¡± ¡°They must at least be connected! They knew way too much about the Field Exploration Team.¡± Interesting. I rubbed my chin. ¡®If such an employee really exists¡­¡¯ A named character? I mentally sifted through the profiles in thepany wiki for employees who might pull something like this. ¡°Thank you. That clears up some of my questions.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Supervisor Dolphin grinned and shrugged. ¡°By the way, are there that many employees using Salmon Market within thepany?¡± ¡°Quite a few, actually. Thepany doesn¡¯t care as long as we¡¯re not selling Dream Essence Collectors or masks. It¡¯s like how looting gets overlooked in wartime to keep soldiers¡¯ morale up. Ugh.¡± Supervisor Dolphin grumbled. ¡°Honestly, thispany is so annoying.¡± I nodded without thinking. ¡°There¡¯s definitely a tendency to disregard human casualties.¡± ¡°Well, I mean¡­ technically, people dying is eco-friendly, so whatever.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s the randomness that bugs me. If it were me, I¡¯d send them off in order of personality. Ugh.¡± I¡­ think I¡¯m scared of the C-squad. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s just my take.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No worries.¡± Supervisor Dolphin tied her long hair into a ponytail and answered cheerfully. ¡°You know, you were so polite even when I was a ghost, Supervisor Roe Deer. I think good people should live long.¡± She gave me a thumbs-up and a bright smile. Um. Thank you. In the end, I parted ways with C-squad on a rtively pleasant note. ¡°Next time, let¡¯s meet in a Darkness that gives lots of points! We¡¯ll show you how awesome we are then!¡± ¡°And it¡¯d be even better if only the person giving us points shows up! Hahaha!¡± Hmm. ¡®I¡¯d rather not encounter the greatness of the elite unit in Darkness¡­!¡¯ Still, working with C-squad seemed smoother and less friction-filledpared to A-squad. Of course, C-squad also appeared to have a certain sense of elitism, but that could be chalked up to being an inherent trait of elite units. ¡­Except for the endless reying in my head of the shocking ghost-version C-squad I saw today. ¡®Ugh.¡¯ Let¡¯s go home. Let¡¯s indulge in the luxury of sleeping while the sun¡¯s still up in the sky¡­ Feeling a small sense of gratitude for having the day off, I bowed to Lee Jaheon. ¡°Squad Leader, thank you for today. Once again, I appreciate you patiently answering my questions in the chaos of the Darkness.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Please feel free to ask me anything in return anytime, Squad Leader!¡± ¡°Yes. Then I¡¯ll ask now.¡± Already? Lee Jaheon asked bluntly. ¡°Supervisor Kim Soleum, have you used the ¡®Fox Counseling Room¡¯ before?¡± That was one of three locations I gained ess to after bing a supervisor: 1- Security Team Rentals Warehouse 2- Annex (two free equipment customizations per year) 3- Fox Counseling Office It was the only one I hadn¡¯t used yet¡­ ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡± Of course, I hadn¡¯t had the time or opportunity. ¡°Do you n to use it?¡± Hmm. ¡°¡­Squad Leader, you¡¯re suggesting the Fox Counseling Room to help me recover from the psychological effects of contamination, correct?¡± ¡°Yes. I rmend scheduling a session soon.¡± That was reasonable advice. Except for one issue. ¡®There¡¯s a side effect to that ce.¡¯ The Fox Counseling Room had a severe, unwritten side effect not mentioned in the employee manual. Granted, it was a very low probability, so regr employees didn¡¯t need to worry about it. Still, I didn¡¯t want to take that risk, no matter how small. ¡­With everything that¡¯s happenedtely, I¡¯m a bit tired of dealing with probabilities. Chapter 70.2 Chapter 70.2 ¡®I think I can manage for now.¡¯ Unless I¡¯d deliberately think about strange inner whispers or a sudden urge to read the employee handbook, such feelings didn¡¯t surface. Nights could be rough until I fell asleep, but having someone to talk to made it manageable. That someone being Braun. ¨C Goodness! What an honor, Friend. Yup. Never would I have imagined a monster from a ghost story could feel like such a lifeline¡­ ¡®Humans are truly creatures of adaptation, aren¡¯t we?¡¯ Anyway, since I had the day off today and could sleep during the day, I figured I couldpensate for myck of sleep this way. Of course, outwardly, I nodded politely. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll schedule it when I have the time.¡± Though that ¡®time¡¯ might note for a while¡ªmaybe even months. But hey, I wasn¡¯t lying. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Chief Lizard stared at me for a moment before nodding and leaving. And with that, I returned home safely¡­ ¡°Huu.¡± Click. I entered my room. The officetel building was quiet, probably because everyone else was at work. Baek Saheon wasn¡¯t around either. ¡®Time to sleep.¡¯ After washing up, Iy on my bed, intending to check thetest information and websites onest time¡­ ¡°¡­¡­!¡± And immediately lost all thoughts of sleep. ¡®It¡¯s open!¡¯ The alien shop had finished its renewal andunched a new homepage. The colorful screen stabbed at my eyes as I clicked on it. >>I¡¯ll take a look at the items ¡ï Grand Reopening Sale! ¡ï Shocking prices! Wow, really¡­ shocking. The design, I mean. ¡®How could it look even worse?¡¯ As pixted fireworks burst across the screen, the increasing colors and effects made it even more hideous. If these aliens were outsourcing their design work, someone needed to intervene. ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, please have mercy on this host and move me far away from that awful advert. I dly propped Braun on a towel on the desk. I¡¯d endure this design terror alone. ¡®Anyway, a grand reopening sale sounds like a good opportunity.¡¯ It might even mean more products were avable now. Excited, I clicked the entry button. Items Happy Maker ¨C ?27,999,999 ¡ï Nostalgia Candy ¨C ?12,999,999 ¡ï Wrapper 12B357? ¨C ?9,999,999 Necronomicon ¨C ?49,999,999 We Can Help! ¨C ?66,666,666 Buy over ?100,000,000 and get a 20% discount! Be a Space Shopping Mall VIP! ¡°¡­¡­¡± Wait a minute. ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± ¨C Mr. Roe Deer? I nearly jumped out of bed in excitement but managed to calm myself. ¡°The armor finally showed up!¡± ¨C Oh, you¡¯ve found the item you were looking for? Congrattions! Absolutely. Wrapper 12B357? ¨C ?9,999,999 ¡®I have to buy this no matter what.¡¯ It was even the cheapest item. What kind of jackpot was this? I added it to my cart and only then realized it was 10 million won, momentarily struck by reality. But canceling the purchase? Not a chance. As I tried to calm down and scrolled through the rest of the items: ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¨C Friend? Did something happen? ¡°No.¡± It was the opposite, actually. I checked the list again, a bit startled, but it was real. ¡®I recognize all of these items.¡¯ That was a first. Even when an item wasn¡¯t listed in the , there was at least a brief mention that allowed me to make a reasonable guess. Granted, some items seemed so ominous they bordered on ghost story material, but since they were just descriptions for now, I could still focus on their usefulness and applications. ¡®This is amazing.¡¯ And then, I noticed a peculiar mark next to some items. Happy Maker ¨C ?27,999,999 ¡ï What does this star mean? When I hovered my finger over it, a description popped up: ¡ï Simr to something you¡¯ve purchased before! ¡®Oh.¡¯ These aliens¡­ So this is why they revamped the site. They¡¯d implemented an algorithm. Items rted to past purchases were marked with stars and listed at the top! ¡®But shouldn¡¯t it work the other way around?¡¯ For clothing, I could understand, but why would I buy a simr item? It might work for consumables that could run out, though. Like this one. Nostalgia Candy ¨C ?12,999,999 ¡ï ¡®The Nostalgia series.¡¯ It was from the same ce as the red yarn control gear that had been wrapped around my wrist during my time in the Security Team¡¯s istion room. A series themed around returning to ¡®a better time in the past¡¯. Since this was candy, it probably had a simr effect when consumed. Looks like it showed up because I¡¯d bought several edible products before¡ªsimr to the Snow White Mountain Apples. ¡®This is a must-buy.¡¯ Especially since I was almost out of those mini-apples, whether in juice or pill form. I immediately added it to my cart and continued browsing the rest of the list. Painkillers, healing items, armor, intimidation tools, escape items¡­ And then it hit me: ¡®These are all good.¡¯ Every single one was practical. Knowing their uses made it easy to discern their value. And then, of course: Buy over ?100,000,000 and get a 20% discount! ¡°¡­¡­¡± A discount, huh? ¡®Opportunities like this don¡¯te often.¡¯ When Ibined my sry, extra earnings, performance bonuses, and subtracted living expenses, my avable funds came to¡­ ¡®Up to 140 million? No¡­ maybe even 150 million?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¨C Friend, are you managing to enjoy shopping despite that visual torment? ¡°No.¡± ¨C Hmm? ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± I looked at my cart. Happy Maker ¨C ?27,999,999 Nostalgia Candy ¨C ?12,999,999 Wrapper 12B357? ¨C ?9,999,999 Necronomicon ¨C ?49,999,999 We Can Help! ¨C ?66,666,666 = ?167,666,662 ¡ù Discount Applied! ¡ù : ?134,133,329 Let¡¯s go. Buy every single thing! Chapter 71.1 I had just purchased everything from the alien shop. ¡®Wow.¡¯ My hands trembled slightly. It was the first time I¡¯d blown 130 million won on a few items. (Approx. 90,000 USD) Still, having spent millions a few times before, I was a bit more used to it. ¡®Let¡¯s make the most of this.¡¯ It would all serve as stepping stones for survival. I boldly hit the checkout button. PURCHASE SUCCESSFUL! Your item is on a rocket! Soon, just like before, a spatial rift opened mid-air, and a delivery box appeared. With a pounding heart, I waited for the box to drop to the ground¡­ But¡ª The package remained suspended in mid-air. Someone was holding it, gently and politely. ¡­With tentacles. The tentacle softly shook the delivery box, as if asking, ¡®Here? Is this okay?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­! Please ce it on the ground.¡± The package was smoothly set down with care. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± But the tentacles didn¡¯t disappear immediately. Instead, they swiftly retrieved something from the spatial rift and handed it to me. A small, golden, shimmering card. I am a Space Shopping Mall VIP! ~ Special Thanks Included ~ ¡°¡­Thank you?¡± When I epted the card, the tentacle waved¡ªalmost like it was saying goodbye¡ªbefore retreating back into the rift. Huh. It seemed the alien shop had decided to treat me as a VIP¡­ ¡®That¡¯s a good thing¡­ right?¡¯ I decided to keep the gratitude card. It shimmered brightly in golden hues¡­ ¨C Good heavens, how could even a tag card look so appallingly designed? Apparently, expecting decent design from the alien shop was a mistake. I mean¡­ ¡®The important thing is functionality.¡¯ I turned my attention to the delivery box. It was time for the unboxing. ¡°Huuu.¡± When I opened the box, the first thing I saw was thergest item. A product priced at 28 million won. ¡®Happy Maker.¡¯ The pastel-toned box was cheerful and colorful, like something containing liquid antacid or vitamin drinks. Inside were twelve glowing sticks, about the size of highlighters. However, needles protruded from the ends of these glowing sticks. An impable painkiller that was sold under the same name in the ghost story Delusion Home Shopping. ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Delusion Home Shopping / Items Happy Maker Is life painful? Do you dread sleepless nights caused by mysterious aches or fear idents? Introducing your perfect savior: ¡®Happy Maker,¡¯ a rapid pain eliminator! ¨C September 9, 20XX, item description from ¡®Delusion Home Shopping ======================== It was exactly as described. I looked at the instructions on the box. A quick andforting shot Say goodbye to pain! The stick-type auto-injector pressed against the skin would automatically administer a shot that eliminated painpletely for a set period of time. ¡®This is true overtechnology.¡¯ Although the mechanism wasn¡¯t scientific but rather paranormal, it didn¡¯t change the fact that pain could cloud judgment in extreme situations. Based on my experiences navigating countless injuries and threats, I could confidently say this woulde in handy someday. ¡®I hope I never have to use it¡­ haah.¡¯ I decided to let go of wishful thinking¡­ ¡®This damned creepypasta world¡­¡¯ Resolving to carry the item carefully, I noted a tiny, unsettling addendum to its usage on the back. In irreversible situations, use for euthanasia. Nope. Absolutely not. ¡®I¡¯ll only ever use it as a painkiller.¡¯ ¨C Ah, painkillers. I used to take headache pills myself! The agony of creation¡­ Such is the fate of an entertainer and show creator. How would a ghost story resident with a TV for a head even take headache pills¡­ No, let¡¯s not imagine that. I hurriedly erased the mental image and gave Braun a fewpliments to lift his spirits before turning back to the box. Phew. ¡®Next item¡­¡¯ Two items caught my attention simultaneously. One was a dusty, ominous book sealedpletely with dark red wax. The other, rolled up neatly in the corner, was a modern, eco-friendly packaging material. As literal as it gets, it was packaging material that functioned as an item itself. Wrapper 12B357? The wrapper bore an engraved barcode and description butcked any further instructions. Looks simple, right? Wrong. ¡®Here it is. Armor!¡¯ A unique armor-like buffering material, this packaging material would prove to be my lifeline. I carefully stored it away, resolving to use it only when necessary. Then, I turned my gaze back to the box¡­ Necronomicon. The sealed, dark red wax-covered book red at me ominously. Necronomicon The infamous Book of the Dead. A quintessential example of a magical tome of forbidden knowledge. It¡¯s a staple in countless stories spanning decades, so much so that it¡¯s be synonymous with all things evil and arcane. Of course, it was listed in the ¡ªand now, here it was in my hands. Let¡¯s review the typical clich¨¦s associated with the Necronomicon. 1- Reading it drives you insane. 2- It¡¯s bound in human skin. Right. Bound. In. Human. Skin. The book¡¯s cover¡ªbeneath the red wax¡ªsubtly revealed grotesque, twisted faces, as if preserved in eternal torment. ¡®Ugh.¡¯ It was thest thing I wanted to touch. ¨C Mr. Roe Deer, did I hear you say Necronomicon? Oh, that old tranted ssic¡ªsuch a delight to recall! Of course, Braun, the host of an American-themed talk show, recognized it. That wasn¡¯t even surprising anymore. But sadly¡­ ¡®This is not the Necronomicon you¡¯re thinking of.¡¯ ¨C Hmm? It¡¯s something worse. Without another word, I carefully tucked the wax-sealed Necronomicon into my arm tattoo inventory. ¡®Phew.¡¯ That took care of my intimidation tool. Next, I turned to the Nostalgia Candy, a familiar item that I knew would be invaluable. This was my emergency recovery tool. If I ever found myself dangerously contaminated, it could stabilize me until I reached safety. ¡®This will be a lifesaver.¡¯ Finally, my attention returned to the smallest item in the package¡ªa red button. Its design was simple, almost cartoonishly so. There was no doubt. This had to be: We Can Help! ¨C ?66,666,666. Ever hear of those creepy inte stories? The kind where someone gives you a button and says, ¡°Press this, and someone somewhere dies, but you¡¯ll receive a billion won. Would you do it?¡± This button seemed straight out of one of those tales. On closer inspection, faint text was engraved along the edges. ¡®What does this say?¡¯ ¨C Need a trantion, Friend? With Braun¡¯s help, I deciphered the text: ¨C ¡®Emergency Escape¡¯. ¡®So¡­ pressing this activates an alien-assisted emergency escape?¡¯ It sounded straightforward, but at 66 million won, it was an expensive gamble. ¡®Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s worth it.¡¯ Sure, it was a leap of faith, but I trusted the alien shop¡¯s reputation. If this button hade from another ghost story, I¡¯d be worried that pressing it might eject my brain and serve it up as dinner. But the alien shop? I¡¯d take my chances. ¡°That¡¯s everything.¡± ¨C Ah, my meticulous friend. Such admirable organization! I carefully stored all my purchases in the tattoo inventory, confident that they¡¯d stay safe until I needed them. Not that I wanted to prove the inventory¡¯s reliability again¡­ ¡®Haa.¡¯ No use dwelling on it. Thankfully, the unboxing hadn¡¯t taken up the entire day. I had just enough time to catch up on some much-needed sleep. But before I could even rest, mym device buzzed. [Go Yeongeun: Have you checked the intr?] [Go Yeongeun: The regr personnel transfer notice just went up!] Regr personnel transfers. That meant the vacant position in D-squad was about to be filled. Who will it be? Chapter 71.2 A few dayster¡ª ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, yes.¡± I found myself face-to-face with a newly assigned D-squad employee at the office. The position was the same as mine: supervisor. He seemed to be around my age before I got involved in all this ghost story nonsense. The bespectacled employee nced me up and down briefly. ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re that supervisor? The one promoted in just 60 days?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re basically still a rookie, huh?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I silently stared at him. ¡°Oh~ Look at that re. What? You expect to be treated the same as a supervisor with three years under their belt?¡± He smirked. ¡°Of course not. I look forward to working with you, sunbae-nim.¡± ¡°Sure. Hey, I heard you¡¯re pretty quick on the uptake?¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°You know, in the Field Exploration Team? It¡¯s all about teamwork, you know. The key to surviving? Reading the room! Got it?¡± Is that so? ¡°If you go around whining about being promoted early and demanding to be treated like a senior, you¡¯ll just end up marked and left to die without help. That kind of thing happens all the time.¡± He scanned the officezily. ¡°I heard the assistant manager and supervisor who used to work here both lost their hands and got contaminated. That could be you next.¡± I turned my head slightly to look at the one clean, empty desk in the office. That had been Supervisor Park Minseong¡¯s desk. A few days ago, I came in to find all his personal items, cups, and picture frames had already disappeared, just a day after the new personnel announcement went up. ?? ¡°True. It could be you, Supervisor.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°The work here is dangerous enough. I¡¯ll do my best to assist you so that doesn¡¯t happen. I¡¯ll be in your care.¡± I politely extended my hand for a handshake. ¡°Uh¡­¡± The employee, who had been eyeing me with a faintly unpleasant expression, must have decided it was just his imagination and shook my hand. Shortly after, another voice rang out. ¡°Squad Leader! Supervisor Yoon Johoon reporting for duty. I look forward to working with you!¡± The lizard-like Lee Jaheon, our squad leader, nodded briefly at our new squadmate. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Haha, did you know our initials are the same? It must be fate for me to work under you, Squad Leader!¡± (T/N: In Korean, the surnames are ?(Lee) and ?(Yoon), that¡¯s why Johoon mentioned ¡®same initials¡¯. Technically in modern Korean, ¡®Lee¡¯ is pronounced more like ¡®Yi¡¯, too.) ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­No, I mean¡­ uh, doesn¡¯t it feel like destiny?¡± ¡°No.¡± Yoon Johoon, the new addition to our squad, failed miserably at small talk. As soon as the squad leader left for a meeting, Yoon sidled up to me, whispering conspiratorially. ¡°Hey. Is D-squad¡¯s leader, like, mentally not all there or something? I heard rumors.¡± ¡°Is that how he seems to you?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t see it? Were we even talking to a person back there? It felt like chatting with some free AI.¡± He let out a long sigh. ¡°Damn, thispany¡¯s already enough to drive you insane, and we get stuck with a leader like that? Ugh. What¡¯s the deal with him?¡± ¡°Squad Leader Lee Jaheon is attentive to his squadmates¡¯ well-being.¡± ¡°So what? You still die if ites to that, right? And if he¡¯s out there doing his own thing in the Darkness, no wonder A-squad¡¯s leader hates him. That rumor¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It is, huh. Ugh, you¡¯d better watch yourself, too. Seriously, of all squads¡­¡± Yoon Johoon grumbled something about needing the restroom and then didn¡¯te back for nearly half an hour. Do I really have to work with people like these? ¨C Oh dear¡­ You seem to be in low spirits, Mr. Roe Deer. ¨C Would you like assistance from your good friend, Braun? You know I am always ready to help. ¨C Just say the word, and I¡¯ll dly¡ª ¡®Let¡¯s watch some variety shows together after work.¡¯ ¨C Ah, now that sounds delightful! The conversation helped calm my mood a bit. Right. To be fair, I¡¯d been ridiculously lucky with colleagues before. ¡®This is what life in apany is normally like, after all¡­¡¯ At least these supervisors weren¡¯t a step above me in the corporatedder. For that, I was thankful. I quicklyposed myself and moved on. Later that afternoon, Lee Jaheon returned from his meeting, holding a PDF file for distribution. ¡°We¡¯ll now begin the briefing for tomorrow¡¯s entry into a Darkness.¡± The newly added Yoon Johoon recoiled in horror. ¡°Undetermined grade? What is this, some undocumented Darkness?¡± ¡°No.¡± The lizard turned his vertical pupils on Yoon Johoon. ¡°Each time it¡¯s cleared, the grade of the liquid in the Dream Essence Collector changes.¡± An anomaly? ¡°T-Then why isn¡¯t this assigned to an elite unit instead of a regr unit like D-squad?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not limited to D-squad. All regr squads under the Field Exploration Team are attempting entry.¡± Lee Jaheon turned his gaze toward me. ¡°This Darkness is entered through dreams, and the chance of sessful entry is low.¡± ¡°Here are the basics: On a full moon night, read a specific book and fall asleep. You may wake up in a school at night.¡± Wait a minute. ¡°If the school¡¯s name is ¡®Sekwang Technical High School¡¯, you¡¯ve sessfully entered the Darkness.¡± Sekwang Technical High School. I knew this ghost story. But it wasn¡¯t just a matter of knowing it¡­ ¡®This is a ghost story I¡¯m directly involved in.¡¯ Exploration Record #13 The 13th entry in the Dark Exploration Records. I was the one who wrote it. Chapter 72.1 A ghost story set in a school. It¡¯s a concept with ancient roots, passed down over generations. When hundreds of teenagers are confined to a single building for hours on end, it¡¯s only natural that eerie rumors, strange rituals, or ghost stories start circting. The Seven Wonders, Bunshinsaba rituals¡­ Of course, having gone through school myself, I always thought those were pretty entertaining. Isn¡¯t it a ssic, widely appealing horror narrative? ¡®That¡¯s why I was bold enough to contribute to the exploration records for the first time.¡¯ Luckily, my entry didn¡¯t get bombarded with ¡®Not Rmended¡¯ votes, and it stayed up. Encouraged by that, I even ended up crafting and posting an entirely original ghost story¡­ But now. ¡®I¡¯m¡­ actually going in there?¡¯ The idea gave me a strange feeling. Sure, hearing about entering a ghost story was chilling enough to make my spine tingle, but there was also this odd queasiness. It wasn¡¯t like the unease you feel holding apany manual. It was¡­ Anticipation? Fear? ¡®I don¡¯t even know how to describe it¡­¡¯ In any case, the manual had already been distributed, and I had to at least attempt to enter. So, the question became how. ¨C Perhaps a brief ritual before bedtime is in order? I¡¯d love to know your secret to falling asleep so easily, Mr. Roe Deer! ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± I quietly made my bed. ¡°I¡¯m nning to dream the ¡®special dream¡¯ thepany told us about.¡± ¨C Ah, you¡¯re aiming to go to that ¡®high school,¡¯ then? Exactly. ¡®Even if it¡¯s not this, I¡¯ll have to enter some other ghost story anyway.¡¯ Since only a select few met the conditions for entry each time, thepany assigned higher point values for sessful entries into this one. ¡®Huu.¡¯ In the dead of night at the officetel, I opened the ¡®specific book¡¯ given to me by thepany. ¨C On a full moon night, read a specific book and fall asleep. You may wake up in a school at night. It was just as Squad Leader Lee Jaheon had exined. What was unusual was that the ¡°book¡± was actually a text file. Within the Shadow of Darkness.txt This file was rumored to asionally pop up in the ¡®2000s Horror ssics Comption¡¯, a sketchy collection of novels you could download online pletely disregarding copyrightws). R It looked like it could hold enough content for two books. But when I opened the file¡­ ¡°It all began on our graduation day.¡± That single sentence was the entirety of its content. Then, as I scrolled further, the text broke into gibberish. ?ub124?uac00?u0020?uc774?u0020?uae00?uc744¡­ And after a moment. File cannot be opened. The file vanished. Ha. Nothinges easy, huh? ¡®I¡¯m going to die of a heart attack at this rate¡­¡¯ Just then, I heard cursing from the room next door. Baek Saheon was likely preparing to enter this ghost story too. It was open to all employees, after all. ¡®There¡¯s a chance we might run into each other inside.¡¯ Though the odds of Baek Saheon meeting the conditions for entry were slim. This ghost story¡¯s entry conditions changed every time it was essible. ¡®But I know the guaranteed entry method mentioned in the mid-tote exploration records¡­¡¯ I¡¯d already prepared ordingly. The critical question was how much information the employees had at this point. ¡®Even if the records aren¡¯t fullypiled, rumors might still circte given the nature of this ghost story.¡¯ With every employee preparing to enter, this aspect was a bit concerning. Hmm. ¡®Maybe I should check.¡¯ It seemed like a good time to deter any unnecessary meddling. I walked up to Baek Saheon¡¯s door and knocked politely. Knock, knock. ¡°W-What the¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯ming in.¡± The door creaked open. Baek Saheon red at me with a mix of surprise, fear, and irritation before forcing a smile. ¡°Knocking means waiting for a response like ¡®Come in¡¯. Isn¡¯t that basic courtesy?¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± I stepped back out and knocked again. Knock, knock. Knock, knock. Knock, knock. Knock, knock. Knock¡ª ¡°You little¡ª Aauugh! Juste in already!¡± I opened the door and gave him a look of feigned pity. ¡°The oue would¡¯ve been the same either way.¡± ¡°You¡­ live a really inefficient life, huh.¡± Baek Saheon seemed on the verge of bursting with frustration but managed to suppress it sessfully. Hmm, it felt like he was finally starting to grasp the basics of social etiquette¡ªwhat a relief. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m really curious about what made you suddenly decide to barge into someone else¡¯s room in the middle of the night for the first time¡­¡± As he spoke, it seemed like he simultaneously came to his own conclusion. ¡°¡­Hey, wait. Don¡¯t you have to enter the Darkness ording to thepany¡¯s instructions, too? You know, that high school?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Ah, I figured. So you¡¯re preparing for it right now?¡± Baek Saheon¡¯s eyes darted greedily toward my open door, scanning the area near my bed¡¯s pillow with focused determination. He was obviously trying to squeeze out any hints. ¡®Wow.¡¯ I didn¡¯t bother closing the door, smirking openly. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Really? I heard you don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll actually enter until you fall asleep¡­ But you seem so confident. Got some kind of secret method, huh?¡± ¡°You sure have a lot of questions.¡± ¡°Well, you came all the way to my room, so I figured I should return the favor by listening.¡± I casually threw out, ¡°Need a hint?¡± ¡°¡­Well, if you¡¯re willing to share?¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± Baek Saheon ground his teeth and forced a smile. ¡°¡­How about three days¡¯ sry transferred to you as a bribe?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need money. But I do want to know something.¡± ¡°You want to enter, right? Why?¡± A brief but intense conflict flickered across Baek Saheon¡¯s face. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to answer. It was that he was calcting if giving me the reason could somehow benefit him further. Eventually, he came to a decision, speaking with an air of nonchnce. ¡°¡­I mean, there¡¯s this rumor going around thepany.¡± A rumor? ¡°Apparently, whatever items you obtain in that ghost story can be brought back into the real world¡­ So, it¡¯s a no-brainer to go in ande out with something, right?¡± ¡°They say it¡¯s nearly impossible to die in there, too.¡± Hmm. So that¡¯s how the employees currently perceive it. A ghost storybeled as ¡®profitable to enter¡¯. Chapter 72.2 ¡°To be honest, the hints you¡¯re offering probably aren¡¯t worth much. But hey, as your roommate and coworker, I figured I¡¯d share this intel as a goodwill gesture,¡± Baek Saheon said. Wow. He¡¯s really trying to undersell me while posturing as helpful. I purposely put on a serious face as I nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. My hints probably aren¡¯t worth much.¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t need them, right? Let¡¯s just forget about it. I¡¯ve learned a lot from what you shared.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!! Hey, this fu¡ª¡± I looked at Baek Saheon calmly. He swallowed his curse, then quickly stered on a strained smile. ¡°¡­Mr. Supervisor, if an employee living in the same dorm is caught extorting a poor junior staffer¡¯s sry and personal information, wouldn¡¯t aint to HR be in order?¡± Good grief. I gave him a look of pity. ¡°You really think thispany cares about that?¡± ¡°Well, belief is a personal choice.¡± Baek Saheon seemed trapped between frustration and despair. I suppose this was a good ce to draw the line. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll give you something.¡± His eyes lit up as I finally spoke up. ¡°Put a photo of yourself from high school under your pillow.¡± ¡°On the back, write your grade and ss, and maybe add a short profile. Like a yearbook entry.¡± I kindly grabbed a post-it from his desk and even wrote out an example. Name: Message to your friends: ¡°Then, see what happens.¡± Baek Saheon looked skeptical and asked if I¡¯d put a photo of my high school self under my pillow. Without hesitation, I went back to my room and returned with the photo from under my pillow. It was one of my high school pictures, printed from a saved image on my smartphone. Baek Saheon stared at it, his disbelief turning into silence. ¡°You thought I was lying, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I mean, usually! You speak so smoothly all the time, so you give off that impression, Supervisor.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯ve never lied in my whole entire life.¡± ¡°Think about it.¡± Baek Saheon looked stunned, so I took the opportunity to usher him out. ¡°Anyway, I need to finish preparing with Braun, so you can go now.¡± ¨C Best of luck with your entry, Mr. Normal Coworker! Baek Saheon retreated, looking either exasperated or unsettled, and quickly returned to his own room. Bang¡ª ¡®Done.¡¯ Having to keep him in check every time was exhausting, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. Consider the new addition to the D-squad. Workce survival is all about these little battles. ¡°Huu.¡± I returned to my bed and approached the pillow. First of all, the tip I gave Baek Saheon was true. Exploration Record #15 Utilizing the explorer¡¯s high school graduation photo, all three members of K-squad sessfully entered Sekwang Technical High School. Validity confirmed. Once entry was guaranteed, the next priority was obvious: what to bring. Only items ced under the pillow before falling asleep could be carried into the dream world of Sekwang Technical High School. Given the limited size of what could fit under a pillow, careful selection was necessary. ¡®If I store it in my wrist tattoo and it doesn¡¯t activate in the dream, I¡¯m doomed.¡¯ Considering that ghost stories often altered appearances, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit uneasy. Ultimately, I carefully calcted the space and ced essential items under the pillow, like a game of Tetris. Lastly, I positioned Braun in the coziest corner under the pillow. Of course, Braun ended up in a rather¡­ awkward position. ¨C ¡­¡­ ¡®Sorry. Is it too cramped for you?¡¯ ¨C Hmm, tolerable! Were this a studio, I might have called some of the staff. Haha! ¡®R-Right. Thanks.¡¯ In other words, he was definitely ufortable. I shouldn¡¯t push my luck with Braun, who once incinerated entities with a mere snap of his fingers¡­! Carefully, Iid my head on the pillow, making sure not to squish Braun, and willed myself to sleep. ¡®This pillow is kind of lumpy¡­¡¯ And yet, my eyes grew heavy. For someone who had been suffering from insomnia, it was astonishing how quickly drowsiness overcame me despite the difort. As slumber quickly took over¡­ Mist. Shadows. And then¡­ [Ding- dong- daeng- dong-] ¡­A school. [Ding- dong- daeng- dong-] I opened my eyes. What greeted me was a dimly lit ssroom with not a single light turned on. Looking down at my clothes, I realized I was wearing a school uniform. [¡ö¡ö High School] The uniform resembled the one from my old school, but the school¡¯s name had been scratched off, as if with a needle. While I couldn¡¯t check directly, I already knew. My appearance had reverted to how I looked in high school. And then¡ª ¡°W-What is this??¡± Remember the characteristic of this ghost story I mentioned earlier? ¡®You don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve entered until you fall asleep¡­¡¯ In other words, this meant it wasn¡¯t justpany employees who could enter. ¡°Huh? Huuh? Why am I in a school uniform¡­?¡± ¡°Oh my gosh!¡± ¡°Excuse me, do you know where we are?¡± In the dim, shadowy ssroom, people began to stir one by one from their desks. They looked around in confusion, some screaming as they saw each other. They were civilians who had been dragged into this ce by chance. ¡°Is this some kind of event? Huh.¡± ¡°Wait, why am I wearing a uniform¡­? Oh, no¡ªwhy do I look like a high schooler?!¡± ¡°This has to be a dream.¡± ¡°Hey, did you look outside? This looks like the second floor¡­¡± ¡®Feels like being back in that subway ghost story.¡¯ Watching them waver between panic, fear, curiosity, and amusement, I felt a tightness in my chest. And¡­ an overwhelming sense of tension. ¡°Huh?¡± One of the wandering individuals noticed something in the corner of the room. It was a student, sittingpletely still. ¡°Why isn¡¯t this person moving?¡± The sight was eerie. In the dim ssroom, where people in various uniforms were noisily moving about, one figure sat frozen as if carved from stone. He didn¡¯t even blink. The boy, who resembled an intricately crafted wax figure, wore a name tag that was perfectly intact. [Sekwang Technical High School] ¡°Is this a mannequin? Eh, let¡¯s see.¡± Poke, poke. ¡°Ack!¡± The person who poked him flinched and withdrew their hand. ¡°He¡¯s warm??¡± ¡°Holy crap, seriously?¡± I got up from my seat. Without taking my eyes off him, I slowly approached the ssroom door. ¡®I need to open the door in advance.¡¯ Thud, thud. As I moved nervously, something nearly fell out of the front pocket of my uniform¡ªa small plush keychain. Startled, I caught it just in time. Whew. ¡®That was a close call, Braun.¡¯ Silence. ¡°¡­Braun?¡± I held up the plush doll. It hung limply. Panicked, I pressed its belly. The Silver Serpent Coin, the item I used for summoning my ¡®Good Friend¡¯, was¡­ Gone. This was just a plush doll. My good friend hadn¡¯t followed me into my dream. ¡°Out the window¡­ u, uuuhh, AAAAHHHHH!!!¡± I¡¯m fucking screwed. Chapter 73.1 Braun¡¯s not here. ¡°W-What is this?¡± ¡°Thi, this person, he¡­ moved!!¡± With the silver coin inside the plushie missing, had the ¡®Good Friend¡¯ ritual been nullified? Or was it simply that, since this was a dream, it only looked like an ordinary doll¡­? ¡®Stop it!¡¯ Trying to figure things out isn¡¯t the priority right now! Snap out of it! You¡¯re inside a ghost story! ¡°Take a look over here!¡± I quickly turned my head. In one dim corner of the ssroom, someone screamed. It was the person who had been poking at the ¡®student¡¯ that had sat stiff and unmoving at a desk, like a wax mannequin. But that wax-like mannequin¡­ ¡°Over there!¡± ¡­was gone from the desk. Following the finger of the pale-faced person pointing nearby, I saw it. [Sekwang Technical High School] The vanished ¡®student¡¯ was now standing at the back door. Holding the door. Expressionless. Turning his gaze across the ssroom. ¡°W-What is this? You¡¯re kidding, right?¡± No response. No movement. ¡°Hold on a second.¡± A brave individual approached and waved a hand in front of the face of the ¡®student¡¯. The ¡®student¡¯ didn¡¯t even blink. He simply stood frozen in ce in front of the back door, perfectly lifelike. ¡°He¡¯s not breathing. This thing isn¡¯t human¡ªit¡¯s a mannequin.¡± ¡°But how could a mannequin suddenly move? Maybe it¡¯s some kind of advanced illusion to make it look like he¡¯s not breathing?¡± ¡°Right, this must be one of those hidden-camera things like on variety shows or YouTube.¡± No. Of course, there were no cameras here, nor was there a production crew waiting to startle people for entertainment. Instead¡ª [Ding- dong- daeng- dong-] [Students of Sekwang Technical High School, your graduation ceremony will begin shortly. Please gather in the auditorium.] ¡°Graduation ceremony¡­?¡± The announcement was cheerful, clear, and fitting for a school setting. ¡°Should we go? It¡¯s kind of interesting.¡± ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t we back to looking like we did in high school? Wow. What kind of dream is this?¡± Some of the group, having decided this was nothing more than a dream, chatted without any tension. It made sense. So far, nothing truly terrifying had happened. ¡®They don¡¯t feel the gravity of the situation.¡¯ After all, they had reverted to their high school selves. And who wouldn¡¯t feel good about turning back the clock? A school at night may often serve as the backdrop for ghost stories, but with a group of people and a touch of moonlight, it could even feel romantic. However¡­ ¡°Hey, this mannequin student? Take a closer look.¡± One person approached the unmoving ¡®student¡¯ by the back door. The ¡®student¡¯ was pointing a hand backward. ¡°It looks like his hand is signaling something¡­¡± [For heating and safety, we will now close the automatic curtains and adjust the lighting.] ¡°It looks like he was about to lock the door.¡± BANG. The curtains mmed shut. ¡°Whoa!¡± ¡°Ah, that startled me!¡± With a deafening sound, the automatic curtains closed, plunging the ssroom into darkness for a brief moment. Blink. After a dy, the lights in the ssroom turned on. ¡°Oh, thank goodness.¡± ¡°Looks like they were just adjusting the lights¡­ Wait, what?¡± Blood was pooling on the beige ssroom floor. ¡°What¡­ what is that?¡± Following the trail of blood upward, everyone¡¯s gazended on a person. One person from the group was slumped near the back door, neck twistedpletely backward. A grotesque amount of blood poured from the impossibly angled neck, seeping into the cracks of the flooring. Eyes, wide with shock, seemed to suggest it was a fate that was never once anticipated. ¡°AAAAAAAHHH!!¡± ¡°Ughhhh! Aaaargh!!¡± It had begun. ======================== Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story [In the Shadow of Darkness] : A ghost story featured in : Daydream Inc. identification code ¨C Qterw-()-62 : Disaster Management Bureau registration number ¨C 2845PSYA.2016.?53 ording to the story, reading the infamous text file before falling asleep causes you to awaken in Sekwang Technical High School at night, where you are pursued by inhuman entities until your death. £Ò All civilian attempts to locate the real Sekwang Technical High School have failed, and it is understood to be a ce that does not exist in present-day Korea. ======================== Right. The only escape from this nightmarish ghost story is through death. To leave this school at night, there is no other option but to die. And¡­ as with all too many ghost stories, where inhuman entities feature prominently, this one has be a horrifying clich¨¦. ¡°Th-that person!¡± One of the people screaming raised a trembling finger to point. At the ¡®student¡¯ still frozen by the back door. But there was one significant difference. ¡°His hand¡­ it¡¯s covered in blood.¡± The crowd turned their stiff, horrified gazes toward the ¡®student¡¯ again. And they confirmed the fact. On the inside of the curled fingers of the ¡®student¡¯, as if trying to hide it, blood was smeared along the fingerprints. Their eyes shifted back to the corpse. Behind the corpse¡¯s grotesquely twisted neck, there were bloody marks¡­ shaped like fingers. ¡°Aaah!¡± ¡°Mom! No, no, no! Aaah!¡± And then again. Blink. The lights flickered. The ¡®student¡¯ of Sekwang Technical High School doesn¡¯t move as long as someone is watching him. But the moment no one¡¯s eyes are on them¡ª In the blink of an eye, when the ssroom lights brighten again¡ª He¡¯d move. Inhumanly fast. The person who had been pointing at the mannequin was gone. ¡°Ack!!¡± Found on the floor, body shattered below the chest. Thud. The lifeless arm that had been pointing fell to the ground limply. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Aaaaaaaahhh!!¡± Panic, fear, and hysteria erupted. ¡°N-now! We have to attack it now! Someone close to it, just hit it!¡± ¡°F-Fuck! Why are you yelling at me? Why don¡¯t you do it yourself!?¡± Blink. ¡°Hieek!¡± Another corpse appeared. One of the shouting people was impaled on a desk, hanging upside-down. Only the lower half of their body remained. In the terrifying silence, the remaining people turned their heads. The ¡®student¡¯ by the back door was now staring intently at them. A strange smile crept across his face. ¡°Eeeeeek!¡± ¡°R-Run! Get out of here!¡± ¡°Open the door, now!¡± The group rushed toward the front door, avoiding the ¡®student¡¯ blocking the back door. But¡­ it was already toote. ¡°Over here¡ªaaaargh!!¡± The person who opened the front door copsed in shock. Standing in the doorway was another smiling ¡®student¡¯. [Sekwang Technical High School] This female student, with neatly trimmed bangs, wore the same name tag. ¡°Just go around them!¡± ¡°Move, now!¡± The group ran past the smiling student. And again¡ª Blink. The student by the front door disappeared from my sight. ¡°Aaaaaaaahhhh!!¡± ¡­The hallway filled with anguished screams. One by one, the screams faded. And then, silence. Suffocating silence. Chapter 73.2 The sound ofbored breathing, distant cries, and the frantic stares of those left in the ssroom fixed on the doors. ¡°Slowly,¡± I said softly, scanning the room. ¡°Let¡¯s move slowly and see if anything reacts. Keep an eye on both the front and back doors.¡± ¡° Adults, who now looked like high school students, trembled as they staggered back from the doors. Among those who had awakened in this ssroom, half had fled, their fates unknown. The other half remained¡ª Or rather, they were too paralyzed to move. In the midst of this chaos, I thought quietly to myself. ¡®This is a disaster.¡¯ I shouldn¡¯t have stayed still at the start. Before the curtains closed, plunging us into total darkness, I should have sprinted out alone, grabbed an emergency shlight, and settled into a good hiding spot. ¡®I missed my chance.¡¯ I had hesitated, panicked by the realization that Braun wasn¡¯t here. By now, a few people were starting to catch on to the situation. ¡°This¡ªthis is just like that thing!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know? The kind of monster that can¡¯t move while you¡¯re watching!¡± ¡°Wait, you mean you¡¯ve seen this before?¡± ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you get it?? It¡¯s like that monster that follows you when you¡¯re not looking! As long as we¡¯re looking at it, it can¡¯t move!¡± The voice of the person speaking was distorted by fear and excitement as they rambled on: asking if everyone had read some weird text file, suggesting we were inside a game, or wondering if this was possession¡­ Normally, people would have ignored such wild ims, but in their panic, they listened intently. This was a progression I¡¯d seen countless times before. And the conclusion reached by a fear-stricken group is always¡­ simplistic and extreme. ¡°In that case, we should just attack it! Destroy it!¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°If we try to run, it¡¯ll just keep chasing us, no matter what! Didn¡¯t you see what happened to the people who left? They all died! Hurry! Before the lights flicker again!¡± ? ¡°Ah!¡± As if hypnotized, people started scouring the empty ssroom for anything that could be used as a weapon. Brooms, chairs, mops, box cutters¡­ ¡®No.¡¯ This was a shortcut to the most typical bad ending! ¡°Wait a moment, please¡­¡± Just then, someone covered my mouth. I nearly threw a punch out of reflex. Forcing myself to remain calm, I slowly turned my head to see who had silenced me. Our eyes met. It was a familiar face. ¡®¡­Civil servant!¡¯ It was an agent from the Disaster Management Bureau! Agent Ryu Jaekwan, whom I¡¯d encountered at the mountain lodge. His hair was now cropped short like a high school student¡¯s, but his features were unmistakably the same. ¡®Where had he been sitting all this time?¡¯ No, that wasn¡¯t the issue here. ¡®Right. Even civil servants can end up here too!¡¯ This wasn¡¯t one of Daydream Inc.¡¯s ¡®secured and contained¡¯ ghost stories. That meant it wasn¡¯t impossible to encounter someone from another agency in a ce like this. But still, running into the same agent again? Wasn¡¯t he working way too hard? ¡°If you don¡¯t scream, I¡¯ll let you go.¡± I quickly nodded with a serious expression, and the agent released me without furtherment. ¡®Phew.¡¯ ¡°You really do have a knack for getting caught up in situations like this, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Let¡¯s just leave it at that. ¡°And, some of what that person said earlier is correct.¡± ¡°Keep your eyes on that student mannequin at all times. Don¡¯t look away, and make sure you blink alternately. If the lights go out, immediately lower your head. Also¡­¡± The agent leaned in and whispered the proper protocol, clearly well-versed in handling this kind of situation. ¡°They¡¯re very sensitive to sound.¡± That¡¯s right. These ¡®students¡¯ were strongly drawn to people who screamed, cursed, or shouted. ¡°Under no circumstances should you raise your voice. Ever.¡± I nodded slightly. ¡°But is it really okay to just let them attack that thing¡­?¡± ¡°Right now, your own safety is the priority. Rescuing others caught in this Disasteres second.¡± The agent delivered the line with practiced precision. ¡°When dealing with a supernatural Disaster, assume everyone involved will die, and act ordingly.¡± This was¡­ textbook Disaster Management Bureau protocol. ¡®They prioritize identifying, sealing, or destroying the ghost story to prevent further casualties.¡¯ It was a utilitarian judgment, akin to pulling the lever in the trolley dilemma without hesitation¡ªchoosing to sacrifice one life to save five. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when it¡¯s time to run. For now, just follow the instructions I¡¯ve given you.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Arguing with the agent here would be suicidal. For now, I kept my mouth shut. Meanwhile, the others were already armed and approaching the student mannequin. ¡®Fuck.¡¯ I deliberately asked another question to guide the agent¡¯s response. I needed to know more to make my actions seem natural going forward. ¡°But, um, isn¡¯t this a dream? If that¡¯s the case, wouldn¡¯t we just wake up even if we die here¡­?¡± That was the ssic escape method from a nightmare. At the moment of death in the dream, you wake up and return to reality. Hearing that, one might think that quickly taking your own life is the best option, but that¡¯spletely wrong. Such a choice should never be made¡­ ¡®There¡¯s something you need.¡¯ ¡°¡­That¡¯s correct, but there are conditions.¡± Exactly. ¡°Conditions?¡± ¡°Yes. Do you see that name tag?¡± The agent pointed to the ¡®student mannequin¡¯. ¡°You must die while in possession of that mannequin¡¯s name tag to wake up ¡®properly¡¯. If you fail to meet this condition¡­¡± If the escape conditions are not fulfilled, the explorer bes trapped ¡®In the Shadow of Darkness¡¯. ¡°You will suffer¡­ undesirable effects.¡± ¡°There are also a few other conditions for dying safely, but I¡¯ll exin them as we go.¡± ¡°Together¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Wait a second. However, the agent, perhaps interpreting my hesitation differently, gave me a look as if to say, Don¡¯t feel bad about it. It was an awkward attempt to reassure me with a forced smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There are many agents deployed here besides me. Someone will surely make it through.¡± More than one Disaster Management Bureau agent? ¡®This really must be an ovep in exploration timing.¡¯ There must have been a relevant entry in the exploration logs. I tried to sift through past records in my mind, but before I could identify any, the situation shifted. ¡°D-Die!¡± The others finally began attacking the student mannequin. And, surprisingly¡ª Crack. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°B-Blood¡­!¡± The ¡®Sekwang Technical High School¡¯ student bled, as though they were an ordinary human. The sound of bones breaking, blood spilling, and bruises forming echoed around the room. ¡°Aaah!¡± ¡°What do we do? Oh, shit¡­¡± ¡®¡­Huu.¡¯ Fear and unease ran down my spine. However, the agent, calm as if this was routine, gestured discreetly toward the front door. ¡°For now, we should use this distraction to¡­ hmm?¡± That¡¯s when it happened. Figures appeared on the brightly lit central staircase visible through the open front door. Three or four figures moved quietly, their footsteps muffled as they ascended. They shared amon feature. Each of them wore strange animal masks. ¡®Company employees!¡¯ What¡¯s more, I recognized one of the masks. Bison! ¡®Jang Heo-un.¡¯ It was the rookie from the Y-squad, with whom I¡¯d endured the theme park ghost story. ¡®Did he get reassigned to a regr squad?¡¯ It had been a while. My recent chaos had kept me too busy to track other people¡¯s transfers, but it seemed he¡¯d survived his first three months unscathed. ¡®At least that¡¯s good news.¡¯ But next to him¡­ A less wee sight. A ck goat mask. It was Baek Saheon. ¡®Did they wake up in the same ss?¡¯ Both were faithfully following thepany¡¯s safety rmendation to ¡®wear your mask whenever possible¡¯. ¡®I¡¯d like to wear mine too, if I could.¡¯ I wanted to check my items and use them to improve my chances of escape. Overall, it seemed the best course of action would be to separate naturally from the agent and join that group. ¡°Um, Mr. Agen¡ª¡± ¡°Daydream Inc¡­!¡± Ack¡ª ¡°Be careful. If you encounter someone in animal masks and business suits in a ce like this, never acknowledge them.¡± The agent gritted his teeth and cast a disdainful re toward the group. ¡°They¡¯re likely dispatched from that disgusting pseudo-corporation. Avoid any involvement with them at all costs.¡± ¡°The majority of their employees are hical psychopaths. You must be cautious.¡± Absolutely. Absolutely! Don¡¯t let him find out who I am! Chapter 74.1 A brightly lit ssroom within the ghost story. ¡°Die! Die!¡± Behind me, people were desperately striking at the unmoving, eerie student. ¡°Let¡¯s wait until they pass by.¡± In front of me, the government agent red at my fellowpany employees walking by, his gaze a mix of wariness and disdain. And stuck in between them¡­ Me. No colleagues, missed timing, and the task of clearing this nightmare of a ghost story safely while pretending to be an innocent civilian to the agent beside me. The truth? I¡¯m actually from the pharmaceuticalpany this agent loathes. ¡°¡­¡­¡± How much harder can this get? ¡®This is insane.¡¯ The employees had moved far ahead by now. I might have made eye contact with a few of them, but as I avoided their gaze, they refrained from approaching me and walked off quickly. At least that was a relief. For a moment. Flicker. The lights went out again. ¡°Hieek!!¡± This time, however, people reacted faster than the iing darkness. ¡°¡­¡­I-It¡¯s not moving!¡± ¡°It worked!¡± I took a deep breath. When the lights flickered back on¡ª The ¡®Sekwang Technical High School student¡¯, who had been frozen like a statue, was now lying on the floor near the back door. ¡°Waaah!¡± The frenzied attacks had evidently worked. This time, even when the lights went out, the student couldn¡¯t move. Instead, it appeared to have sumbed to the umted violence and nowy on the floor as though dead. However, its outstretched right hand still reached toward the back door, as if trying to grab hold of it¡­ The people cheered in triumph, holding bloodied mops and chairs in their hands. ¡°It worked! This is it!¡± We need to run. When one student entity bes immobilized, resembling biological death¡ª quickly¡ª All nearby student entities are summoned to the scene. [Ding- dong- daeng- dong-] [A death has urred in ss 1-5.] ¡°Huh¡­?¡± The school¡¯s announcement yed over the inte. The voice was heavier this time, somber. A slow funeral march yed in the background. ¡°Now.¡± The agent poked me in the back. ¡°Run.¡± [The deceased is first-year student Lee Wonyool.] I immediately bolted out the door. I tried to take in as much of the hallway¡¯syout as possible while running, noting key details and pressing myself close to a nearby wall to minimize my profile. ¡°Should we press our backs to the wall?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± [Let us observe a moment of silence for five seconds.] Iplied without resistance as the agent pushed me to sit against the wall. Then¡ª Thuk. The lights went out. [5] Through the faint sound of the funeral march came the creak of the back door opening. [4] ¡°AAAHHH!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°W, what¡­ keuuugh¡ª¡± [3] ¡°Help¡­¡± ¡°Huk¡ª¡± [2] Screams. Short, desperate screams. [1] ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ Silence. The funeral march continued. [The moment of silence is over. May the deceased rest in peace.] Forcing my trembling head up, I looked back into the ssroom. I had to look. Flicker. As the lights returned, the scene came into focus. The ssroom was a wreck, smeared with blood and filth. Bodies were strewn everywhere, mmed against walls, copsed on the floor, or sprawled across desks. ¡®¡­Hah.¡¯ And among the carnage, only two figures remained standing. Two Sekwang Technical High School students, frozen by my gaze. One stood atop a decapitated corpse, while the other smiled as it clutched the front door, staring at me. They¡¯d noticed me. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ Sweat dripped down my chin. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll step back, just slightly. I¡¯ll continue to stay in view of the ssroom.¡± The agent gave a slight nod. Still keeping my eyes on the front, I groped along the wall, retreating cautiously. The reason I¡¯d chosen this wall: [Portable Light Source] A red emergency shlight was mounted nearby. It was an essential tool¡ªa portable light source capable of freezing the students even during a ckout. ¡®Absolutely necessary.¡¯ However, where three lights should have been mounted, only one remained. ¡®The employees must have taken the others.¡¯ What surprised me was that, even with Baek Saheon among their group, they hadn¡¯t taken all three lights for backup. On top of that, they¡¯d cleverly inserted a wad of paper into the release sensor to prevent the rm from sounding when the lights were removed. Clearly, these were experienced ghost story explorers. They had even left behind one of the crumpled papers in the empty slot. ¡®They thought that far ahead.¡¯ Reaching back, I grabbed the paper. As I brought it forward, the folded back of the paper caught the edge of my vision. ¨C Debt Not bad. I crumpled Baek Saheon¡¯s note, shoved it into the sensor slot as a makeshift stopper, and extracted the shlight. ¡®Huu.¡¯ With this, I had taken the first step in preparing for potential ckouts. ¡®Next¡­¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­! Did you grab the shlight?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Excellent. Keep it on at all times. Now, let¡¯s retrieve the name tags.¡± The agent strode briskly toward the ssroom¡¯s front door. Right up to the face of the student entity that was ring at me. ¡®Huuuuu¡­¡¯ Just watching the scene made every rm in my head scream. Yet the agent moved swiftly and tore the name tag from the mannequin¡¯s chest. Then, without hesitation, he collected the tag from the entity lying by the back door¡ªthe first one to ¡®die¡¯. I could feel my stomach churn. ¡®This is an irreversible move.¡¯ When a student¡¯s name tag is stolen in its presence, that student will pursue the thief relentlessly until you die. Chapter 74.2 Given that the students had already locked eyes with us, perhaps it was a foregone conclusion. ¡®No matter what, they¡¯ll chase us.¡¯ Even with a shlight, moving through this haunted school while being hunted by two entities was sheer madness for an ordinary person. It was a choice only a Disaster Management Bureau agent, equipped with tools and experience, could reasonably make. ¡®Still, I would¡¯ve done it differently.¡¯ But spilled milk is spilled milk. Thinking rationally, I had to admit¡ª Being discovered by the agent was far riskier than dying within this nightmare. Not only would death here be just an unfortunate side note, but I¡¯d likely face interrogation and an investigation. ¡®I have no choice but to trust the agent¡¯s judgment for now.¡¯ Still, I had to hold my weight¡ªat least do my part. ¡®If I¡¯m going to act, it needs to be now.¡¯ As the agent moved, I followed him into the ssroom. I reached toward the student by the back door and snatched their name tag. ¡®Uuuugh!¡¯ This was nerve-wracking. The unmoving student, frozen in ce, seemed ready to whip around and crush my skull at any moment. But nothing happened, and I seeded. ¡®Huu.¡¯ As my hand trembled with a mix of relief and revulsion, I heard something. ¡°S-Save me¡­¡± I froze. The student entity appeared to be stepping on a severed neck, but there was more. Beneath them, someone was still alive. Tears streamed down the face of the survivor, who whispered weakly, as though theycked the strength to scream or curse. ¡°P-Please¡­¡± After a brief but fierce internal debate, I made my decision. ¡­¡­ ¡°¡­¡­! H, sob¡­ o-okay¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t be sure since my gaze was fixed on the student entity, but it seemed like the person beneath them gave a faint nod. Slowly, I backed away and rejoined the agent. Together, we exited the ssroom and began moving swiftly down the corridor. ¡°Keep looking ahead. I¡¯ll keep an eye on the ssroom.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± The agent turned on his shlight, focusing on the back of the entity that had been watching us from the front door. Meanwhile, I kept my eyes on the corridor, ready to ¡®freeze¡¯ any new entities that might appear. We hugged the wall as we moved, ensuring no blind spots for either of us. Our movements were silent yet desperate. Finally, as the ssroom faded from view, and I was certain one of the two entities was no longer visible, the agent muttered in confusion, ¡°Why aren¡¯t they chasing us? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± A ripple of unease emanated from the agent¡¯s back, pressed against mine. ¡°Was there someone alive in the room? Are they watching the students?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± The agent exhaled deeply. ¡°They must have been too injured to move. ¡­You did well. During a Disaster, securing your own safetyes first. Helping otherses after.¡± ¡°Head for the staircase. We¡¯ll stop briefly by the fire hydrant.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± I resumed walking. And then¡­ Flicker. ¡­The lights went out again. ¡°I¡¯m shining the shlight.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I kept moving forward, and that¡¯s when it hit me. During the ckout just now¡ª The person I¡¯d given the name tag to had died. ¡®They¡¯reing.¡¯ The two entities would be leaving the ssroom now. But since my job was to watch the front and freeze anything new that appeared, I couldn¡¯t look back to confirm it. The thought alone made my hair stand on end. ¡°Do not panic. You still have a chance.¡± ¡°You obtained a name tag earlier, correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good. Now, you just need tomit suicide.¡± I almost passed out. ¡°Let¡¯s do it as soon as we stop by the emergency light. You look so pale¡ªit¡¯d be best for you to wake from this nightmare quickly. With the name tag, there shouldn¡¯t be any issues.¡± ¡°¡­Wait.¡± But there¡¯s something. I swallowed hard. ¡°I did acquire a name tag, but I no longer have it in my possession.¡± ¡°I gave it to the person who was alive in the ssroom.¡± That¡¯s right. Earlier, I deliberately dropped the name tag on the floor so the person beneath the ¡®student¡¯ could grab it. ¨C If you hold onto this, you¡¯ll wake up from this dream. ¨C ¡­¡­! H, sob¡­ o-okay¡­ ¡°Since they have the name tag, they¡¯ll wake up safely.¡± And they even bought us some time by doing so. The agent let out a sharp breath, heavy with frustration and stress. Then, in a more fatigued and businesslike tone, he spoke, ¡°¡­You must have assumed I had a spare name tag.¡± ¡°No. You don¡¯t need to give me one. That¡¯s something you obtained yourself.¡± ¡°You need more name tags, don¡¯t you? You¡¯ll likely need to distribute them to your colleagues.¡± ¡°¡­ Of course. I wasn¡¯t saying this because I was a fool with no n. ¡®I¡¯m fine, really.¡¯ Why? ¡®Because I never intended to acquire a name tag andmit suicide in the first ce!¡¯ Exploration Record #13 The log I had used as the basis for my escape n¡ªthe wiki entry I had written¡ªwas the record of an explorer who had never obtained a name tag to begin with. I had analyzed this ghost story extensively, thinking through its variables, and hade to one conclusion. ¡®To clear this without physically dying, you need to perform a specific action without possessing a name tag¡­!¡¯ Moreover, this method allowed you to bring back the highest-grade Dream Essence solution as a reward. ¡®So I have to do it.¡¯ The D-squad¡ªor rather, my new squad¡ªneeded proof that I could maintain simr levels of performance even under unfamiliar circumstances. Chapter 74.3 ¡°Do you know what happens if you die without a name tag?¡± I do. ¡°Each new moon, you¡¯ll be dragged back here when you sleep. And when you wake up, you won¡¯t remember anything, making it impossible to prepare.¡± ¡°Can you handle that?¡± I probably couldn¡¯t, but I didn¡¯t have much choice. Ideally, carrying the name tag until the critical moment and then relinquishing ownership would be the safest strategy. But with this agent as mypanion, there was no way I could obtain a name tag andter abandon it. So instead, I chose to take the risk and give it away. ¡°There will be another opportunity.¡± Even if there were, I¡¯d give it up again. At least as long as I was traveling with this agent. ¡°And I¡¯ll handle that opportunity myself. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t ask you for anything.¡± At this point, it was worth trying. I decided to push forward with a determined tone. ¡°¡­We should part ways here.¡± ¡°If you need it, I¡¯ll even give you my shlight.¡± ¡®I brought a high-powered shlight anyway.¡¯ Along with several other tools. As long as I separated from him, I could stop pretending to be a civilian and use them. Separation was the key! Though walking alone would be terrifying, staying in this restrained state wasn¡¯t viable either. Whether it was with civilians or my coworkers, any other group would be better. ¡®I need to join arger group.¡¯ This ghost story¡¯s structure made it safer the more eyes were watching, but it grew riskier the louder things got. ¡®I need to form a party of around four people quickly.¡¯ With my connection to Daydream Inc. posing a constant threat, traveling with this agent wasn¡¯t an option. I needed a scenario where I could act more decisively. ¡®I¡¯ll pretend to give in and suggest parting ways.¡¯ ¡°I feel like I¡¯m just getting in your way. I¡¯ll figure things out on my own¡­ somehow.¡± After all, didn¡¯t you say civilians caught in Disasters are as good as dead? Consider this an unavoidable situation and move on! But then, an unexpected response came. ¡°¡­¡­I believe apologies are in order.¡± The agent looked at me with a resolute expression, as if he¡¯d made an unshakable decision. ¡°As soon as you obtained the name tag, I was nning to humanely execute you.¡± Excuse me?! ¡®This lunatic.¡¯ Even if you wake up after dying, to say something like that so casually, right to someone¡¯s face¡­ Feeling cold sweat trickling down my back, I forced a smile. ¡°Ah, yes. Even in a dream, suicide isn¡¯t exactly an easy thing to do¡­¡± ¡°Indeed. However, if you¡¯re willing, I¡¯d like you to apany me for the remainder of this Disaster investigation.¡± ¡­¡­What? The agent spoke quickly. ¡°Temporarily, you could act as an agent. Normally, this would require approval from another agent since it isn¡¯t a solo mission, but¡­ ah.¡± The agent rummaged through his pocket and handed me something. ¡°If you consume this, it will serve as an expedited authorization.¡± I looked at the small caramel candy, wrapped in a rectangr foil, that hadnded in my hand and felt my eyelids twitch. ¡­This was Disaster Management Bureau equipment! ======================== Tangy-Sweet A caramel-like chewy candy. Upon consumption, lying induces unbearable difort,pelling the user to tell the truth. ======================== ¡°This is a light truth verification procedure.¡± No, this is practically a confession-inducing torture tool! ¡°If you take this and apany me, you¡¯ll bepensated ordingly.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s too difficult, I¡¯ll simply give you a name tag and execute you to send you back.¡± Wow. For real? ¡°Civilian?¡± If only I could fake eating it and stash it in my tattoo, but in this dream where I¡¯d fully reverted to a high schooler, I had no tattoos. After an intense internal debate, I made my decision. ¡°¡­¡­A I reluctantly chewed and swallowed the truth-inducing candy. Its tangy-sweet vor caught in my throat, but I forced it down. ¡®Getting caught throwing it away or not consuming it would be a bigger problem.¡¯ It would reveal that I knew exactly what this candy was. ¡°I¡¯ve swallowed it.¡± Tears welled up. But as they say, the stick is often apanied by the carrot. To my surprise, the unexpected carrots started rolling in. ¡°Well done. Now, take this.¡± The agent swiftly handed me something else, cing it in my empty hand. It was a metallic badge, vaguely resembling a silver heart. Huh? ¡°This is an identification badge for agents. Wearing it will allow you to receive assistance if you encounter other agents.¡± ¡°And this.¡± No sooner had I clipped the badge on than a small ivory-colored pistol was ced in my hand. The translucent cylinder gleamed with multicolored ss beads that served as its ammunition. It looked extraordinary at a nce¡­ ======================== ss Handgun A specialized exorcism pistol manufactured by the Disaster Management Bureau. It uses custom ss beads as ammunition and is sopact it resembles a toy or lighter. ======================== ¡°This is a weapon for dealing with supernatural Disasters. It should be effective against those ¡®students¡¯. Keep it with you.¡± Wow. This was the standard issue gear for Disaster Management Bureau agents, the kind I¡¯d only ever seen on the wiki. Like the Dream Essence Collectors and masks used by Daydream Inc., this was iconic agent gear. ¡®And now I¡¯m wearing it all.¡¯ Somehow, I¡¯d ended up ying the part of a Disaster Management Bureau agent. ¡®What is even happening?¡¯ It was absurd, but oddly thrilling. At the same time, I had a strong urge to run for my life. But for now¡­ ¡®There¡¯s no time to dwell on this.¡¯ ¡°¡­It¡¯s starting.¡± Flicker. ¡°We¡¯re almost at the end of the hallway. From here on, you must also face this way. ¡­Do not, under any circumstances, drop the shlight.¡± ¡­¡­ I adjusted my grip on the unfamiliar pistol. They¡¯reing. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!