Tutorial (5) - Kihihihihihihit!!!
The eerie laughter, its pitch rising and falling at random, evoked both terror and disgust simultaneously. The laughter that had been growing progressively louder fortunately began to gradually fade away. Or at least, that's what I thought. The moment I believed it was dying down, it erupted even louder from directly behind me.
“?!”
I immediately seized my three-section staff and whirled around. However, there was no one behind me.
“What the hell is this?”
I scanned the area for quite some time, but there was nothing to be seen. Only the laughter could be heard.
“I wonder if the gallery users know about this?”
Deciding to ask in the gallery, I posted a question.
“Tag with a ghost, huh.”
It was a relief that I didn’t actually have to fight it. The scary ghosts I knew about were the ones like the insane nurse ghost that came at you with a surgical saw, or the cursed doll that possessed a lunatic killer ghost wielding a kitchen knife. This wasn’t the type that couldn’t even harm people and just laughed creepily while taunting you to catch it.
I immediately opened the manual the moment the suggestion came in.
“Staircase Maze… Ah, here it is.”
The explanation about the entity was written on the very last page.
Description: This anomaly occurs when the entity ‘Ghost that Mocks and Flees’ infiltrates the emergency stairs of a building with three or more floors. The phenomenon will not disappear until the entity is subdued or captured. Once you enter this anomaly, you cannot escape until the phenomenon is resolved. Therefore, we recommend entering after sufficient preparation. Inside, there is only cold air, dim lighting, and hard concrete stairs.
Countermeasures: The moment you set foot on the emergency stairs where the bizarre laughter echoes, you will be trapped inside the anomaly Staircase Maze. Therefore, you must prepare a sufficient amount of water, food, and equipment before entry. This anomaly can only be lifted by capturing the entity known as Ghost that Mocks and Flees. ‘Capturing’ refers to maintaining physical contact with the anomaly for an extended period and rendering its escape impossible. If you possess an awakening ability, you should be able to capture it without issue. For more details, please refer to the rulebook attached in the appendix.
“Appendix?”
I checked to see if there was more, but the manual ended there. It seemed the rulebook was a separate document.
Judging from the gallery users’ reactions, it seemed our senior was especially kind. I wondered what a normal senior was like. Was she just an existence that provided guidance and a bit of help like a game NPC? However, seeing the example of the deceased user ‘MommyLoves’ who died after acting spoiled toward the senior and neglecting her growth, it wasn’t always the case. Still, seeing our senior who always smiled brightly, patted my head, and was endlessly kind to me… At the very least, to me she was more than just an NPC that handed out necessary items.
“Junior~~~”
Right on cue, my senior came running toward me with a blue cooler slung over her shoulder.
“Huh? Didn’t you say you were only bringing water?”
“Mhm~ While I was at the vehicle anyway, I brought water, snacks, and a bunch of other stuff~ I thought you might need it for the next entity~”
She had already prepared that far ahead. I was genuinely moved. I took the luggage from her and asked.
“Senior, do you happen to have the rulebook?”
“Of course~ Here you go~”
While eating the water and simple snacks my senior had prepared, I began reading the rulebook related to Tutorial Stage 2.
1. The space you have entered is an unknown otherworld. Always keep this in mind.
2. The official name designated by the Bureau for this space is <Staircase Maze>. To escape, you must capture the master of the maze, the <Ghost that Mocks and Flees>.
2-1. If the <Staircase Maze> has been deployed, the entity cannot exit the stairs.
3. This entity is a spiritual being with zero combat capability. However, do not let your guard down. While it cannot cause direct harm, it can startle you and induce mistakes.
4. Contact with this entity is possible if the agent possesses an awakening ability. You must grab its body or collar and hold it for more than 3 seconds for it to count as ‘captured.’
5. Any object that appears to be a door or doorknob is not a door or doorknob. Turning it will not make it turn, and pulling it will not open it. If the door appears to open when you turn the knob, immediately return it to its original state. Even the slightest delay will make it irreversible. You will not want to be dragged beyond it by whatever exists there.
5-1. If you fail to close the door, our condolences for your hard work up to this point. You have disappeared into an unknown space where no entity has been identified. If you have placed a poison capsule under your molar, bite down on it immediately. If not, our deepest regrets. You have crossed into a space that cannot be observed even if the Bureau mobilizes all its resources. There is virtually no way to return. The Bureau will honor your sacrifice.
6. You may make direct eye contact with the entity’s two pupils. It will not contaminate your mind at all.
7. This regulation has been deleted.
8. The entity taunts people and moves up or down the stairs at high speed. Move in the direction the entity headed, even if slowly.
8-1. If you remain in place for an extended period without following, the space will begin to collapse.
9. When the entity realizes it is being pursued, it periodically returns to check how far you have followed.
9-1. At that time, the entity will laugh with a spine-chilling sound. Use that opening to close the distance and make contact. This is the only way to capture it.
10. This entity cannot pass through walls. If it disappears through a wall or emerges from one, it is not the entity but something else.
11. Only one person must enter the Staircase Maze. If two or more enter simultaneously, it violates the rules and everyone will die instantly.
12. This rulebook contains no flaws whatsoever. You must follow every single rule without exception. Please keep this in mind.
13. All dangerous safety protocols and unverified methods were deleted in the 29th revision. If you wish to view previous revisions, request them from the Bureau Archive. Access to said document requires security clearance of Level 5 or higher.
14. This rulebook contains a total of 17 items. If the number does not match, please contact the management team.
*This text only appears when copying a duplicate, not the original document.
‘Hmm?’
Some parts were blatantly strange, which was suspicious, but separately from that—
‘What are these stains?’
There were yellowish stains here and there like on faded paper. I wondered if coffee had been spilled, but there was no smell, and the paper didn’t feel warped from liquid.
I wanted to ask the gallery users, but—
‘Senior is right next to me, so that’s awkward.’
I recalled that the gallery wasn’t visible to my senior. I had been warned that openly using the gallery in front of her might cause unnecessary misunderstandings. If I messed up, it could end with something like:
[Junior~ Do you see something strange in front of you~?]
[Mhm~ It seems there’s something wrong with your brain~ What a shame, but this is as far as our junior goes~? Good work~]
That kind of ending wasn’t impossible.
‘No thanks.’
Since I couldn’t ask the gallery users for help right now, I decided to do what I could. ‘The note I saw at the beginning definitely said there might be contaminated sections in the manual and rulebook.’
I first filtered out the rules that looked blatantly suspicious.
‘For now, rules 6, 7, and 12 are obviously weird so I’ll discard those… It says 17 items but there are 18? Is one of them a lie?’
However, aside from rules 6, 7, and 12, the rest seemed plausible, so without any other information it was hard for me to tell which were lies. Just in case, I asked my senior, but—
“Mhm… I’m not sure~? I don’t know either~”
That was her answer. With no other choice, I memorized all the listed items.
‘Don’t open any doors. The ghost is fast, but follow it even if slowly. When it comes back wondering why you aren’t following and does a t-bag, that’s when you catch it.’
There weren’t that many points to watch out for. Just like the gallery users said, Stage 2 looked very easy.
‘I should finish this quickly and figure out the boss mob’s identity.’
I had been sitting and resting for a while and had eaten the energy bar and water my senior gave me.
“Alright.”
“Mhm? You’re going already~?”
“Yes. Let’s finish this quickly and head back.”
“Okay! As expected of our proud and amazing junior~”
My senior hopped up and lightly patted my head.
“You need to head toward the emergency exit~ This way~”
I slung the large cooler over my right shoulder and followed behind my senior. A short while later, we stood right in front of the emergency exit. The small device in my senior’s hand was sending a signal that the entity was here.
The green emergency exit light was powered off, and the iron door below it was slightly ajar.
“This is it~ The sensor says it should be completely empty~ Want to check~?”
“I suppose so.”
It was pitch black as if the entire space had evaporated. This inside was the space occupied by the creepy laughing t-bagging ghost. The rulebook said only one person could enter, so—
“Then I’ll be back.”
“Mhm~ I feel bad for always making our junior do all the hard work~?”
“It’s fine. I’ll finish it quickly and come out.”
“Not quickly~”
“Sorry?”
My senior smiled brightly, approached me, and brushed the dust off my shirt as she spoke.
“Even if it takes a little longer, you must return safely using a sure and safe method~?”
“Senior…”
Every single one of these words truly touched me. Of course I wasn’t the original owner of this body, Choi Minhyuk, but the kindness and consideration my senior showed were given to me.
“Yes. I’ll handle it cleanly.”
I didn’t want to disappoint her. So I had to do my best.
“Mhm mhm! I believe in our junior~”
It was a touching moment.
-Kihihihihihihit!!!
As if trying to shatter the atmosphere, the damn laughter rang out loudly once more. I gritted my teeth.
‘Just you wait, noisy ghost bastard.’
I’ll catch you right away. With that, I pulled open the emergency exit door. At that exact moment—
“Kihihihihihihit!!!”
A woman who looked like a ghost no matter how you saw her—clothes that were practically rags, bangs so long they covered her face down to her chin, bluish hands, and long, sharp nails—was shaking her body violently as she laughed.
“Kihihihihihihit!!!”
‘Ugh, so loud. I really want to smack her hard.’
It was a horrible sound that made me think that. Wait a second.
‘Didn’t they say this works on anomalies? It’s coated with that essence or whatever mysterious substance, right?’
Moreover, the sensor had already confirmed that the Staircase Maze was deployed. In other words, if that part of the rulebook wasn’t a lie, the entity couldn’t come out beyond the emergency exit.
So—
‘I guess testing it a bit should be fine.’
I immediately extended my three-section staff.
“Take one hit to start!”
I don’t go easy on women. I swung the staff quickly. However—
-Whoosh!
The three-section staff passed straight through the entity and cut through empty air. At the same time—
“Kihihihihihihit!!!”
-Grab!
“What?!”
The entity’s outstretched hands seized my arm and pulled.