Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Even If I Fall into a Ghost Story, I Have to Go to Work
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I don't know about the unethical practices of Daydream Corporation, but the effects of the potions they produce are undeniably reliable.
Almost like magic.
"…!"
Around the severed thighs of the Bronze Agent, who had drunk the C-Grade Regeneration Potion, flesh began to sprout up like bubbling meat, rapidly restoring the full shape of his legs in an instant.
Go Yeongeun swallowed hard. She'd used it on herself before, but this was her first time witnessing it firsthand, and she seemed awestruck.
I felt the same way.
For such a large area to regenerate all at once with just a C-Grade Regeneration Potion.
'…It costs around 10,000 points, right?'
It was an effect that anyone would find shocking and mesmerizing.
I absentmindedly tried not to touch my newly regenerated right arm with the Nostalgia Candy, watching the scene unfold.
"Hoo."
Soon, the Bronze Agent mechanically tested the mobility of his legs.
Then, standing barefoot, he gripped the ropes binding the employees and… bowed his head, avoiding my gaze.
"…Thank you."
"Sure."
Go Yeongeun muttered softly, as if she couldn't hold back any longer.
"……You could stand to be a bit more grateful."
Ah.
"What do you mean…."
"Let's talk outside first."
I hurriedly defused their conversation and tried to lead everyone back to the base camp the Bronze Agent had set up.
But the ropes he'd tied began to tremble.
"…!"
Inside them, the two subdued employees—who looked deflated with holes punched through them—began to writhe.
And over there.
The door to the employee area we'd come from.
Thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud.
A dull crashing sound echoed as the metal door burst open with a creak, and employees poured out.
"……!"
"T-This way!"
We dodged the madly charging employees and hurriedly hid the Bronze Agent behind the candle's shadow.
The three-person capacity was filled again.
The three agents pressed against the wall, retreating hastily from the wave of creepy employees.
"…!!"
"It'll be fine. You're inside the candle now…."
The Bronze Agent glanced at the candle Go Yeongeun held.
"…Was that originally yours?"
"……Yes."
I deliberately glanced at the Bronze Agent and muttered.
"I told them it was something you gave me… So, could you back me up on that?"
"……."
The Bronze Agent gave a slight nod.
'…He's cooperative.'
He must know it's an item from my Daydream Corporation days, but he's still this helpful—probably thanks to the Regeneration Potion.
Screech screech screech screech screech screech screech screech screech screech screech screech screech.
'No, it's making it impossible to think…!'
Even amid the chaos, the number of surging employees kept growing. Go Yeongeun's ears paled as she backed away.
The two employees shot by the pistol emerged unevenly from the ropes, now grotesque and lumpy.
The other employees encircled them, madly circling around.
There were so many that arms crumpled and heads were crushed before springing back up.
It looked like some bizarre ritual.
"Looks like they're searching for whoever damaged the employees…."
"If you're spotted harming them in this mart, they'll chase you until they catch you."
"…!"
And he shot them without hesitation and sat on top?
The Bronze Agent's eyes hardened.
"…This time, since it's the end anyway, I was prepared to take responsibility."
"~!!"
Go Yeongeun seemed to hold back another comment.
"Let's move, quickly."
"Yes."
In any case, we hurriedly moved away from the eerie group behavior.
The creaking, unpleasant high-pitched noise continued….
'Hoo.'
I glanced down at the floor and noticed the Bronze Agent's bare feet stepping on the mart tiles.
"Agent, spare shoes…."
"…In the camping store."
Okay. I checked the time on my watch.
Fortunately, we'd found the Bronze Agent relatively quickly, so probably only two or three hours had passed at most.
'Even conservatively, it should still be evening….'
Around 7 PM, I figured, checking the watch.
But….
Nine o'clock.
"……!"
I double-checked the numbers.
But the figure, ten hours off from my expectation, remained the same.
It couldn't have gone back in time, so this meant….
'……The next morning?'
"The time is weird…."
The moment I spoke, I realized.
"Grape Agent. Time doesn't flow consistently in the employee area of this mart."
"……."
No wonder the employee area felt like spaces patched together contextlessly—it made it even creepier and more bizarre, like it had that setting too.
'Such a cliché.'
It might even be mentioned in the Darkness Exploration Records, but it was so common I didn't remember… No, that's not the point.
'…So how long were the kids left alone?'
To make matters worse, the Bronze Agent muttered with a stiff face.
"Nine o'clock."
"…Yes."
"We need to move as fast as possible. …The protective formation I set up in the store is almost out of time."
"…!!"
We practically sprinted to the camping store. It was a miracle we didn't drop the candle.
"Hah, haaah…."
And it was true.
In the camping store, the high schoolers were on the verge of fleeing.
"They're not coming! And something's wrong right now!"
"Th-That's…."
'My god.'
The agents hadn't returned all day, and sounds of employees moving wildly echoed from somewhere.
They'd been completely terrified and were about to run to another floor.
With their previously missing, dazed friend—how to carry him, or just leave him?—they'd been desperately debating among themselves when they spotted us and collapsed.
"Eek!"
"A-Agents!"
This is insane.
We herded the high schoolers, spilling words and tears between "Why were you so late?" and "You came!" and returned to the center of the camping store.
The Bronze Agent quickly inspected the go-stone-like defensive items he'd set up.
"How much time left?"
"About an hour."
Damn it.
"At least we can rest securely for that hour. Let's regroup quickly in the meantime."
Go Yeongeun immediately extinguished the candle and began checking the high schoolers' conditions and gathering what happened.
…Reliable.
'Hoo.'
"I'll keep watch, so Agent, get your uniform on."
"…Yes."
The Bronze Agent changed into spare agent uniform he'd brought, slipping into the tent while Go Yeongeun was inside.
I listened for sounds beside him, pondering where to go after this camping store….
'The stairwell's too cramped.'
…Please let the store be open today—no, expecting that kind of luck was bad for my mental health.
I swallowed the sugary taste from the Nostalgia Candy with saliva.
And shifted my attention elsewhere.
"You okay?"
"……Yes."
The Bronze Agent pulled items from the pockets of his bloodied original uniform pants, re-equipping quickly.
But one looked ominous.
He handled his own items casually in seconds, but hesitated picking this one up.
…A white GripTok.
…It reminded me of the Memorial GripTok. Looked like Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau gear.
"Agent, that…."
"……."
The Bronze Agent stared silently at the GripTok before tucking it into his new clothes and muttering.
"It belonged to another agent. Found it in the supply warehouse…."
From the nuance, I realized.
'…There were other agents in the warehouse.'
Probably taken from the corpse of an agent long "stored" in the supply warehouse after death.
The Bronze Agent finished adjusting his uniform and met my eyes.
Then quietly asked.
"Did you happen to enter the supply warehouse?"
"……."
I shook my head. A flicker of relief passed through his eyes.
"Good call. Avoid 'somehow creepy places' from now on. Human intuition is quite useful against these supernatural phenomena."
"……."
What the hell was inside that warehouse?
But even without specifics, I could guess from Darkness Exploration Records descriptions.
'…Dozens of dying people processed into supplies, rapidly corrupting and trapped.'
I tried not to imagine and changed the subject.
"So, what item is it?"
But if it were useful, he'd have mentioned it already.
Sure enough, a hint of regret crossed the agent's face.
"…It helps send definitive rescue request texts to the Bureau."
"……."
Ah.
"Smartphone attachment item. I hoped to send some message outside, but… it seems it only transmits if the user is the rescue target."
Such restrictions make the item's effect.
'…The dead agent carried it to give to someone.'
Of course, in this damned ghost story, a definitive rescue request would be great, but we didn't qualify.
I couldn't imagine what the Bronze Agent endured in that supply warehouse.
"Um, all changed?"
"…! Yes."
Go Yeongeun emerged from the tent.
"Agent, it might be good if you explain to them. They already know you're the highest rank among us."
"……."
The Bronze Agent nodded slightly and entered the tent.
Go Yeongeun sighed deeply and sat beside me.
"…How are the kids?"
"They're fine. Seeing all the agents back and rescued boosted their morale a lot."
……They didn't know we had to flee this tent store soon.
Hoo.
Go Yeongeun and I sighed in unison.
"I hope… it opens for business today."
"…Yeah."
Please.
I deeply agreed and slumped down.
"It was open fine when we entered, but how many days has it been closed…."
Tell me about it.
Every word hit home.
'It was open fine when we entered…….'
…….
…….
Wait.
"Gr-Grape?"
I jumped up and dashed to the tent.
Yanking open the flap.
"Agent!"
The Bronze Agent and high schoolers turned to me with wide eyes.
"That rescue request item—can it be used now?"
"Pardon?"
The Bronze Agent looked puzzled for a moment but kindly replied, mismatched to his stern face.
"The item itself is usable, but agents can't use it from the start."
"What if a student uses it?"
"Duplicate requests… get lower priority than the first report."
The high schoolers flinched.
Right. They reported first, drawing us into this damned Rookie Mart for rescue.
But.
"There's one more student who hasn't."
"……!"
I recalled the student still blankly lying in the other tent.
The high schooler friend missing even before the Bronze Agent arrived.
A civilian who hadn't requested rescue from the Bureau yet.
"Calm down, Agent."
The Bronze Agent tried to soothe me calmly.
"It's designed for only 33-character texts, no detailed explanations."
"It's fine."
I wasn't planning to detail our situation.
"The student can request however they want. …That should do it."
If my guess was right.
I swallowed.
"…Today, the mart will open."
"…!!"
I ran to the adjacent tent.
And gave one of the remaining three Nostalgia Candies to the high schooler still lying dazed.
Student 'Lee Soo-bin.'
The missing person who entered this mart days before the reporting high schoolers.
Go Yeongeun judged a familiar face would help stabilize, so accompanying high schoolers watched anxiously beside.
The moment I unwrapped and placed the Nostalgia Candy in Lee Soo-bin's mouth.
"……."
"S-Soo-bin. You okay?"
Tears streamed from the student's eyes.
And they sobbed.
"Hic, h-hiccup…."
"It's okay, i-it's okay……."
The high schoolers rushed over, hugging clumsily in confusion.
…Nostalgia Candy restores peak body and mind, but doesn't erase painful memories or experiences.
I calmly waited for the friends to help calm Lee Soo-bin.
Checking the time.
And when I couldn't wait longer.
That was when I spoke.
"Lee Soo-bin."
"Hic, yes…."
"Truth is, to get out of here faster, we really need your help."
I held out the smartphone with the GripTok attached.
"Write your name and ID, say you're in Rookie Mart now, and send a rescue request. Can you?"
"……."
"Please."
The student took the smartphone with trembling hands.
And frantically typed.
A bloodshot text. Tears poured from the student's eyes as fingers flew.
And… sent.
"……."
"Good job. Rest a bit."
I couldn't tell them to spit out the Nostalgia Candy.
…If my guess was wrong, I'd have to make them spit it to save it.
'For now, wait.'
I left the high schoolers and exited the tent.
Creak.
Go Yeongeun, sitting outside, looked at me.
I sat beside her, checking the watch until time came.
Until opening time at 10.
The Bronze Agent prepared to recover the protective item.
I calculated how long we could hold in the 2nd floor food court if it failed.
Worst case, who gets the two escape items.
And….
Time approached.
All three of us looked up at the ceiling and empty air.
Waiting for the signal.
And so….
Time.
"……."
"……."
"Grape Agent, it's okay…."
Na na na na na na na na na na na~
"…!!"
A bell-like chime filled the store.
Cheerful announcement voice.
The familiar logo song played unchanged, lively through the mart.
Tick tick tick.
Lights blazed on in the mart, sunlight streaming in from the windows outside.
And the bizarre employees rewound like tape, vanishing.
Creaking oddly, sucked back through the cracks in the open employee area door….
Thud.
The door closed, and they were gone.
Without a trace.
"……."
Business had finally resumed.
"Hah."
'…We survived.'
I collapsed where I sat.
"It worked! It actually worked!!"
That's what I'm saying.
Go Yeongeun, with the most excited face in days, slapped my shoulder, flushed like she might cry, scanning the store.
"How did— No! Doesn't matter! Let's get out of this mad place and talk!"
But the Bronze Agent, dazedly surveying the store, turned to me with sudden realization.
"Rescue request! This was…."
"Yes."
He caught on.
I finally smiled and answered.
"For rescue agents to enter, the mart has to be operating."
"…!"
Yeah.
'A kind of reverse thinking.'
I made the situation "make sense" by forcing the mart to open for business.
A matter of preconditions.
"You said there's no way to block people entering Rookie Mart."
Not just my rescue agent manual, but precisely in the Darkness Exploration Records.
Entry conditions listed plainly.
What does this mean?
'Just meet that condition, and you enter this horrific Rookie Mart ghost story immediately.'
Reverse it.
"Then, when someone's trying to enter, Rookie Mart must be open for business."
"And…."
"New agents will enter today."
Go Yeongeun interjected.
Her face flushed with shock and realization.
"Because the high schooler just requested rescue!"
Correct.
So today, for Bureau agents to arrive on a support request….
"Yes. Today is a day it must be open."
I smiled.
Go Yeongeun smiled briefly too, but confusion soon filled her face.
"…? Wait. That reverses cause and effect…."
That's right too.
"It's not that opening causes disappearances—disappearances require it open, so it starts business in the morning. Timeline's total nonsense."
"That's why it's a ghost story."
It follows bizarre rules we can't grasp, reversed logic….
Like the endless seasonal event stores chaining on the 3rd floor.
"True."
Composure and proactive unease settled on Go Yeongeun's face over confusion.
A face wanting to bolt from this mart now.
…I get it.
So let's go.
We immediately prepared to leave.
'We have coupons and escape items.'
Enough for the three high schoolers and us three.
"Impressive."
The Bronze Agent whispered while preparing.
Glancing at the three students emerging happily from the tent, thinking 'we can leave now.'
"Those civilians are getting rescued thanks to you, Grape Agent."
Honestly, no. Without him or Go Yeongeun, we'd all be dead….
I was about to say thanks anyway.
"……."
Suddenly.
It felt too easy to speak.
Nothing impeded pronunciation.
'Ah.'
And I realized the sweet sugar taste was gone from my mouth.
"……."
The Nostalgia Candy had fully melted away.
Which meant….
"……!"
"Agent!"
Mad agony struck my right side.