The Smiling Freak
"So... this place is really safe, right?"
Han Yujin asked in her effortlessly casual tone. This was after they'd been chased out from where Lee Kanghyeok had been. There was a door behind them, and ahead stretched what looked like an endless corridor riddled with alleyways. Hmm, is this actually safe? It screams "easy to get lost."
Han Yujin's eyes narrowed to slits. Yoo Se-rin, meanwhile, just grinned ear to ear.
"At least we ran into that protein monster dude and lived to tell the tale, so we've dodged immediate death, yeah?"
Right as she flashed that sly smile in response—
Di-ring—!
A blaring alert sound rang out in front of Han Yujin's eyes. A translucent gallery window flickered into existence in midair.
New horror ruleset has been automatically registered.
[Classification: Annex (Rank TBD) - D Company Logistics Center Basement Level 13 Waste Sorting Facility and Disposal Area]
Yoo Se-rin checked her phone and her eyes went wide. "Huh? Whoa, a gallery-wide notice?"
The ruleset unfolding before them was nothing short of spectacular.
0. This ruleset has been automatically generated via admin privileges based on the clear record of user ''.
This strategy is extremely dangerous and includes unpredictable variables. Exercise extreme caution if attempting to imitate.
1. Upon encountering a 'Worker Anomaly,' prioritize acquiring their 'work uniform.'
1-1. Acquisition method: Approach their blind spot (usually the rear) and strike the back of their head with a sturdy, heavy blunt weapon.
Success will render the Worker Anomaly temporarily incapacitated.
1-2. (Caution) This action may provoke intense hostility from the Worker Anomaly. Failure means 'disposal.'
1-3. This is most effective right before workers board the elevator.
2. Return to the sorter box afterward. The activated conveyor belt will automatically lead to the disposal area.
2-1. If sorted as [Recyclable], you may suffer permanent memory loss, loss of consciousness, etc. Be extremely careful.
2-2. If sorted as [Waste], no immediate physical/mental damage, but you'll face incoming 'Worker Anomalies.' Refer to below.
3. Don the acquired work uniform to masquerade as a 'worker.' Mimic worker behavior patterns for all subsequent actions.
4. If questioned by a superior entity (red hat), firmly insist you were on duty for 'newbie training' or 'defective item processing,' etc.
4-1. Appropriate levels of 'troublemaking' (declaring task abandonment, requesting voluntary disposal, etc.) may glitch the superior's logic circuits and help defuse the situation.
5. Follow the superior's orders and take the elevator to the upper levels. Refer to that floor's ruleset thereafter.
The moment the ruleset went public, the gallery exploded.
Yoo Se-rin recoiled like she'd seen something she shouldn't have. "What kinda batshit strategy is this?"
"What's what."
"I mean, someone farmed anomaly work uniforms and wore 'em? That's the clear method?"
"Yeah. Just time your angle right—ain't hard. Just run good."
Yoo Se-rin stared at Han Yujin like she was a monster herself. Maybe this girl's an anomaly? Only Field Team 1 at Unique Company pulls shit this insane. She might really be that level.
'At least A-rank?'
Unique Company material— she'd be managing a sub-team on entry. Yoo Se-rin grinned inwardly at her rough estimate.
"Wanna get chummy?"
"Creepy."
"...Oof. Rude."
Just then, something translucent began beading at the corner of Han Yujin's eye. A crystal-clear liquid gleaming like a gem. It hardened into a teardrop-shaped crystal.
"Wha...?"
Yoo Se-rin's grin vanished. Her eyes filled with shock.
"Hold up. A heteromorphic crystal? That size... no way, right?"
The crystal that dropped into Han Yujin's palm was larger and purer than any she'd ever seen—easily B-grade or higher. The kind only Unique Company's top aces occasionally hauled in.
But Han Yujin casually shoved it into her work uniform pocket like it was nothing.
"Eh, this is standard for me."
"You're insane?! Do you know how much that's worth—don't just pocket it!"
Yoo Se-rin yelped in horror. Only then did Han Yujin make an "oh yeah, this is pricey" face, fishing it out and stashing it deep in her money bag's inner pocket.
Yoo Se-rin was speechless at the absurdity. Whatever. Han Yujin's focus stayed on the horror.
This pristine, seemingly infinite space. Alleyways everywhere, primed for anomalies to leap out. Backtracking meant fighting that protein freak again.
"This place safe or what?"
Yoo Se-rin quickly regained her sly smile at Han Yujin's question. "Hehe, no worries. I've been here a few times. There's more safe zones besides that one. This way."
Yoo Se-rin confidently took the lead. Endless corridors, countless forks. She navigated without hesitation, clearly familiar with the area.
After a long walk, she suddenly stopped. Turned back, scratching her head.
"Uh oh?"
Hmm. Number two phrase you never wanna hear from a guide. (Number one is... well.)
"Looks like... we're lost. Hehe."
Yoo Se-rin, now the worst guide ever, beamed with the purest, most innocent smile in the world.
"......"
Han Yujin sighed deeply. My fault for trusting this girl. Yeah, I'm the idiot.
"You just thought something super rude, didn't you?"
Ignoring her, Han Yujin mentally retraced their path. A blank white canvas unfolded in her mind, footsteps mapping into a reconstructed layout.
After a silent moment, she spoke. "The place you were aiming for—a big square room?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah! Almost perfectly square... how'd you know?"
That instant.
Shoooo...
A thin black line, like spreading ink, etched across the blank white wall where nothing had been.
"Huh?"
Someone mumbled blankly. A crack? No.
It curved unnaturally, stretching into a ear-to-ear grin. :)
Chills erupted across their skin.
"What the hell is this."
Yoo Se-rin was still smiling dopily. But her eyes had turned ice-cold.
"Dunno. But... we're pretty much screwed."
ZZZzt...!
The smile symbol on the wall began bulging in 3D. The flat drawing peeled off like sticky tar. The dot eyes became hollow voids, the creepy grin filling with razor-sharp, saw-like teeth.
"Damn it."
It was no longer a drawing. A massive, grinning freakish face with pale, leathery skin writhed to life.
"Kii... ki-gig... keeheehee...!"
It emitted a horrific parody of human laughter.
"Run!"
At Han Yujin's shout, the group bolted after her like mad.
Craaaack!
Sounds chased from behind. Not footsteps. A sticky, goosebump-inducing drag, like a wet rag scraping the floor.
It slithered freely across walls and floors, closing in faster than imaginable.
"Hah, hah, hah...!"
Breath burned in their throats. Lungs screamed. But they couldn't stop. The friction noise grew nearer.
"Everyone, push! Just that corner—almost there!"
The mental map said so. But urgency laced Han Yujin's voice.
—Schreeee!
Anyone could see they were seconds from capture.
That moment.
"Hahk... hahk... ev-everyone... go on ahead...!"
The rearmost Mother staggered to a halt, her face drained white with despair.
"I... wasn't here to survive anyway... I'll... be the decoy...!"
As she squeezed her eyes shut, the Smiling Freak reached her back and gaped its torn maw.
Right then.
"Not on my watch!"
Han Yujin, who'd been ahead, spun around. She leaped, money bag in hand, and swung it full-force at the freak's face.
A clean full swing. Thwuuuump—!
A watermelon-splitting thud echoed. Dark red chunks sprayed from where the bag smashed its face center.
"Kieeeek!"
The freak screeched horribly and tumbled back.
"Now!"
Han Yujin landed, grabbed Mother's wrist, and bolted again. They rounded the corner.
Beyond, Yoo Se-rin gripped a door, waving frantically. "Hurry!"
Shoooooo...
Sticky friction sounds again from behind. It recovered too fast.
"Shit!"
Ten meters to the door. Freak right on their tails.
"In you go!"
Han Yujin shoved Mother inside like a sack, then hurled herself toward the door.
That instant, the Smiling Freak's teeth snagged the hem of her work uniform.
"Hya!"
Kruru's hand grabbed Han Yujin's hair and yanked her through.
"Aaaah!"
Hair-ripping pain was brief. Riiip—! Slam!
The sound of fabric tearing, then the door boomed shut.