Parcel Reception Counter (1)
Creak.
The door swung open to reveal a staircase leading downward.
"Wait, we're really going down here?"
Yoo Se-rin peeked out from behind, craning her neck.
"Why? What's with the weight in your hand? Wanna get smacked?"
"Ehehe... No way."
Han Yujin's eyes narrowed into thin slits. She tilted her head quizzically.
"Look, if you wanna go, head to the underground parking lot. No need to tag along with us. Isn't that safer?"
Yoo Se-rin, Kruru, and even the mother. Somehow the four of them had ended up moving together, but they weren't exactly companions. If they wanted to go somewhere else, they could—just no need to follow.
Under Han Yujin's gaze, Yoo Se-rin just grinned sheepishly again.
"W-well, I believe in your skills, Han Yujin."
"Then quit yapping and follow."
"Whoa, so cool. Ehehe."
This Yoo Se-rin girl—if you watched closely, she was a total sycophant. Han Yujin resolved to stay on guard. Still, her lips twitched upward in a smirk. Attention was attention, after all, no matter the kind.
The pristine white staircase spiraled endlessly downward. They descended the twisting steps for a while.
Round and round, round and round. Han Yujin's eyes started spinning too.
"I'm gonna lose my mind."
She was weak to repetitive tasks without any dopamine hits.
"Just a bit longer."
"This isn't a trap? No exit, just keep going down forever?"
"It's a horror story."
Short but spot-on explanation! Just as Han Yujin's dopamine teetered on the brink,
the endless stairs finally ended, a door looming before them.
"We're here!"
Han Yujin flung the door open without a second thought. It was a procedural horror anyway—no rule against opening doors!
A wave of horror-story scent rushed through the open doorway.
"Haaa... I missed this."
Yoo Se-rin stared at her like she was a monster. Missing a horror story? What kind of lunatic says that?
Whatever. Han Yujin savored the dopamine-laden air.
And besides.
"Whoa."
The scene unfolding before them was dazzling. Red, green, yellow, blue, pink. Conveyor belts of every color flowed like rivers across the floor.
"Feels like a video game."
Packages rattled atop the belts, and countless workers in paper hats bustled about.
The warning music chiming as packages passed filled the air like BGM from a game world.
Han Yujin checked her smartphone.
D Company Logistics Center Ground Floor - Parcel Reception Entry Complete
True to Unique Company make, the procedure auto-printed crisply.
Reason: Extreme survival rate drop due to ambiguous rule interpretations. Risk of irreparable bodily loss from random 'payment' requirements.
Unique Company bears no responsibility for any injuries, dismemberments, abductions, deaths, etc., arising from unauthorized entry into this horror story.
(Deleted)
Minimize interactions with staff. They have a habit of treating anything visible as cargo.
Never touch or contact passing cargo.
No method found yet to calm angry staff.
If requesting specific cargo at reception, avoid items of excessively high value or shipping fees. Confirmed that if payment impossible with requester's body, fees collected from associated groups or acquaintances.
(Deleted)
Not a tough phase yet. Just watch out for the floor, passing staff, and packages.
Han Yujin rose lightly on tiptoes. Beyond the river-like multicolored belts, the reception counter came into view.
"Gotta get over there first."
Looking around, Yoo Se-rin, the mother, and Kruru all wore troubled expressions. No clue why Kruru looked bothered, though.
Yoo Se-rin and the mother's unease made sense.
Whoosh!
Screeech!
The floor conveyors and packages whizzing atop them moved at a blistering speed.
In other words, they had to dodge all those belts to reach the counter. No wonder it was billed as tough.
"Everyone, huddle up."
Han Yujin gathered them. Complaints erupted immediately.
"Whoa... I told you, this is a hard one. Let's go to another horror."
"I-it looks way tougher than expected."
"Be afraid."
Han Yujin quickly pressed a finger to her lips. The group glanced around warily.
"......"
Only then did they notice the staff's attention converging. They clamped their mouths shut fast.
Minimize attention in the reception area—violate that, and you might end up as a package, per the rules.
After staying still a moment, the staff resumed their slow movements.
"Phew."
"W-we survived."
Sighs of relief escaped. Half grateful, half resentful glances at Han Yujin. The resentment? Probably for dragging them to such a high-diff spot.
Swoosh, swoosh. With staff surveillance plus dodging underfoot packages, it wasn't easy.
Han Yujin shrugged and explained simply.
"Stay focused, and it's not hard."
"What do you mean?"
"Colors are the hint. Look farther down the belts—you can predict what's coming."
For example, the red conveyor line flowing before the group. Han Yujin scanned around, then fixed on the right.
And hop. She leaped over during a package gap.
The others hesitated but followed one by one.
Han Yujin smiled and added,
"Think rhythm game. The stuff coming from afar is like the score sheet—tells you where to step and how fast."
With that, she darted ahead, hopping belt to belt like it was her backyard.
"...Huh? That's it?"
Yoo Se-rin snapped out of her daze late. Staring dumbfounded at Han Yujin vanishing into the distance.
"Guess I'll go too."
Unexpectedly, the mother bolted after her.
Kruru followed.
"Wait! You all pros at rhythm games? What's a rhythm game anyway?"
How does Han Yujin even know this stuff? Yoo Se-rin barely leaped over belts, stifling screams.
Then a box popped up suddenly. Panic hit as staff eyes locked on.
Tears welled—
Whoosh! Han Yujin yanked her through just in time.
A massive package grazed past Yoo Se-rin by inches.
"Haaa... haaa."
Yoo Se-rin clung to Han Yujin, sniffling. But Han Yujin spun away.
As Yoo Se-rin stared blankly at her back, Han Yujin's voice rang out.
"Good job, everyone. Let's head in."
Over Han Yujin's shoulder:
Reception Counter
...Already there?
Glancing back, Han Yujin's path was unmistakably the shortest.
"How are you so good at clearing horrors?"
Yoo Se-rin muttered blankly. But Han Yujin was already through the door.
Her action speed was insanely high. Paired with top-tier smarts and judgment. Rookie? Hard to believe—this was pro-level horror clearing.
'No wonder the research team wants her as a sample.'
Anyway, swept into the reception with Han Yujin. No choice but to trust her now.
Meanwhile, Han Yujin grinned as she opened the door.
'Perfect. This'll work.'
A ridiculously high-diff horror. The clear method had slipped naturally into view.