Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Even If I Fall Into a Ghost Story, I Still Have to Go to Work
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Jolly Theme Park was a B-Grade Darkness belonging to Daydream Corporation.
And a manual had already been written up, with the research team having completed their analysis.
...The fact that I'd contributed to it was something I remembered without even trying to think about it.
The tattoo on my wrist was proof—the park's admission ticket that had burned itself into my skin.
And for high-grade Darknesses that had been fully analyzed, there were usually only two possible fates.
Assignment to the research team.
Or...
"It's under A Squad's jurisdiction."
Handled by the elite team.
"Normally, A Team gathers three elite members, three closers, and six regular team members for a total of twelve to enter... Hmm, the last entry record was three months ago, so there's plenty of time before the next one."
Director Ho smiled faintly as he handed over the documents.
A manual for Jolly Theme Park detailing the twelve-person entry method using a board game.
And the work order.
"So I've scheduled a special entry for you."
"...Thank you."
"No need! It wasn't any trouble at all."
That might actually be true.
A Squad was under Director Ho's direct line to begin with.
'Of course it'd be easy to pull strings on a ghost story under his own jurisdiction.'
Of course, that was the director's business. As a mere regular employee receiving his favor, I just had to bow my head here...
But Director Ho's words didn't end there.
"And to make entry more convenient, I've gathered all the employees who'll be going in with you. Haha."
"......!"
What was this ominous premonition...?
"Oh, are you worried about running into someone you know among the entrants? That they might recognize you, Sol-eum?"
"Yes. That's one of my concerns, as you said."
"Exactly! So, unfortunately, Sol-eum..."
Director Ho pointed at me.
"You won't be able to infiltrate in your original form."
I knew that.
"Yes. That's why I planned to buy a disguise potion with the welfare points you provided and use it..."
"That would be too inconvenient. And lately, with work, you'll have to live as someone else even in your daily life... I want to minimize that discomfort."
"......"
"So I found a way that won't raise any suspicions at all!"
What?
I looked at him with a sense of foreboding.
Director Ho beamed back at me.
"How about going in with a special status, Sol-eum?"
"...!?"
The next day.
Daydream Corporation Research Team 2 conference room.
"It's B-Grade today, right?"
"They are giving extra points, yeah?"
People started trickling in one by one. Modern professionals in suits and bizarre animal masks. Field Exploration Team employees.
They were regular team members who'd gathered despite the 'slightly special exploration' risk, lured by the promise of better point payouts.
"Jolly Theme Park?"
"Gotta go."
The rumors had spread by word of mouth.
This high-grade Darkness had a solid manual, and the speculations from a previous explorer had matched perfectly, making it relatively safe.
So when word got out about a special entry for Jolly Theme Park, they'd all shushed each other and shown up.
Research purposes were a bit unsettling, but as long as they weren't the ones dying, it was fine.
'Would be nicer if there was at least one closer.'
People subtly narrowed their eyes, scanning the room without making it obvious. Unfortunately, no one looked like a closer.
But there was a former closer.
"Huh?"
A tall man with long hair. An employee in a cow mask with dark brown hair stood quietly against the wall.
"You got transferred to a branch, right? You're applying from there too? Long time no see."
"Uh... yeah. Um. Yes."
It was Jang Heo-un.
He broke into a cold sweat at the employee chatting him up despite barely knowing his name.
Side effect of the spy gig...!
"How's the branch? Livable?"
"Haha, yeah..."
Jang Heo-un flashed an awkward smile and slipped away.
The people who'd approached him didn't press further and started ignoring him.
They misread it as him being embarrassed.
'Branches are supposed to be hell.'
'Dude already won his Wish Grant anyway.'
Branch transfers who escaped back to HQ clammed up, shuddering at the mere thought and refusing to describe it.
And a subtle label had stuck.
Probably because the entry exams differed in difficulty from HQ, right?
No doubt they handled odd jobs from who-knows-where at the branches, judging by the treatment and welfare gaps.
So no one here was going to share info or chat kindly with someone HQ had dumped on a branch like a fallen kite.
'If push comes to shove, he'll die for us.'
'He was a closer originally.'
Thus, an unspoken atmosphere of ignoring him formed.
"Except for this guy."
"Hey, you doing okay? Quitting the closers was badass. Let's do our best today."
"Th-thank you..."
A dolphin-masked elite Team C section chief, Lee Seong-hae, shook Jang Heo-un's hand and sat next to him.
'X, acting all nice.'
'Concept whore.'
But since he was elite team, everyone shut up and looked away for different reasons.
And then there was someone ambiguously positioned—not quite elite, not quite regular.
"It's Section Chief Lee."
D Squad's Lee Jaheon section chief sat ramrod straight in his conference chair, lizard mask on, statue-like.
'He's going too?'
'Elite team washout doing all sorts lately.'
'Wasted face.'
But they avoided eye contact, scared.
Fists were closer than law anyway... especially if those fists could crumple steel.
Anyway, reconnaissance complete.
"Once everyone's here, we'll start the briefing shortly."
A researcher entered soon after to set up the Darkness entry method, and employees quickly scanned the seated group.
1, 2, 3...
"Eleven people?"
"Who's missing?"
A few short-tempered veterans glared at the researcher.
But.
"Uh, um..."
The researcher was sweating bullets.
"......"
...An ominous chill ran down the employees' spines.
"Sorry, but who's the last one?"
"Section Chief Park. You know we need proper disclosure for a smooth clear, right?"
"I-it's..."
No matter how junior, he was still research. Seeing him this flustered terrified them more.
'What the hell.'
'Who is it...'
Then.
Knock knock.
A knock echoed through the silent conference room.
"......"
"......"
Silence blanketed the room.
People turned to the door.
The black door stood utterly still after exactly two knocks. As if waiting for permission.
"......"
"...Come in!"
Creak.
The door opened.
Black smoke poured in.
"...?!"
The smoke blanketed the floor thickly, then got sucked back out the door repeatedly. And in its midst...
Black loafers stepped across the conference floor, parting the smoke.
The smoke breathed in and out with each footfall.
And from the black smoke emerged the silhouette of a burly figure.
Glow.
Ooooo—.
Yellow lantern-like light emanated from his waist and eyes.
The eerie sight froze everyone.
But they recognized the affiliation.
"S-security team...!"
A mask completely covering the face.
And above it, countless horns branching out like antlers, crowning the head.
"...!"
Encased head to toe in black special gear, he looked like he'd custom-armed himself completely.
Or... like he was restrained by the gear.
"......"
"......"
Gulp. Someone swallowed.
Why was security here?
This held true usually. Security couldn't extract Dream Essence even if they entered.
They only showed up for incident suppression...
But sometimes, due to their unique nature, certain individuals wielded overwhelming transcendent powers.
"Oh, this is the... employee joining us for today's exploration."
"...!!"
People stared at the bizarre employee standing silently by the door, feeling faint.
This 'employee' from the security special division wore gear heavy on belts and a mask emblazoned with a unique logo near the head.
A twisted square shape.
Employees recognized it like a thunderbolt.
'Special division...!'
Security had many shadowy departments barely listed on the company intranet org chart, their exact makeup unknown.
Office rumors from chance encounters during messy incidents were all that was known.
The special division had particularly vicious rumors.
Dominated by tales of monstrous employees—unrecognizable as former Field Exploration—appearing from god-knows-where.
And this sweating researcher had heard more specifics...
Be polite if you see special division security. ...They're not human. Not contamination...
...They're really not human from the start.
'The department that hires the horrors from Darkness in human form...!'
A ghost-story-level rumor: Daydream's 'know-how' in contracting Darknesses as employees.
The researcher's back grew slick with sweat upon seeing one in the flesh for the first time.
Even after analyzing Darknesses and deploying Field Exploration, he'd never met a monster personally.
"......"
He swallowed, staring at the grotesque employee.
The conference room felt somehow darker...
The employee's yellow lantern eyes and waist glint flickered eerily in the black smoke.
On closer look, the waist lantern was wrapped in rib-like horns.
'Ugh.'
The researcher mustered courage.
"Um... hello."
Silence.
"Ah, please, have a seat."
No reply.
In the heavy silence, the researcher continued in a near-tearful voice.
"Um, b-briefing... commencing."
Only then did the horned mask move.
It sat in the seat closest to the door.
...Next to Jang Heo-un.
'Phew.'
Not me. Thank god.
People swallowed, desperately avoiding looking that way.
'Please not same squad.'
'Please...!'
As long as not same squad, fine!
Theme parks changed names/zones per entry, but rules stayed constant.
And.
So, not squad with that monster meant no encounters, straight clear.
Good zone draw, ride three rides, snag high-grade Dream Essence, rake in points.
Problem: special research entry.
Included other objectives.
And no matter how you sliced it, this 'variable' was that employee.
'Please.'
Employees eyed the briefing researcher.
He wouldn't say follow that employee, right?
"And for this entry, no special instructions..."
Phew!
"Just, uh, whatever the security team employee does inside... don't interfere."
"......"
"Everyone... got it?"
Yes.
The Field Exploration Team nodded desperately.
And the culprit behind their terror, the 'security special employee'...
'Damn, this thing's effective...'
Was sighing in relief.
Yes. It was Kim Sol-eum!
I held back a sigh as I surveyed the conference room.
Well, sighing through the mask would just leak black smoke anyway.
'Didn't expect Director Ho to go this far.'
He'd swiped security gear for me.
Aka, the suit revealing one's shadow self.
The game-like combat suit's notes said that.
I desperately didn't question why they were developing a security suit that made people look monstrous.
Knowing felt bad for my health...
'Project stuff, probably.'
Anyway, didn't know the mechanism, but heard the traits.
'Manifests differently per person.'
And I got a horn pile on my head.
My form was probably some alien bio-horror crammed into a human suit.
'Hmm.'
I resisted scratching my head by accident.
'Kinda reminds me of my old deer mask...'
I felt weird recalling the tree-horn mask that dubbed me Deer.
"Um, now explaining Jolly Theme Park entry method."
Briefing was nearing the end by then.
Entry method, huh.
'Gotta go to that theme park with the blue dragon mascot.'
Whether it'd lock in there was the question, but I felt sure somehow.
Inductive certainty from past ghost stories.
'Probably... it'll call me.'
Like that talk show TV host assuring I'd summon it as a 'suitable vessel.'
"......"
"Um, please draw a pawn..."
The researcher politely offered the board game pawn capsule with both hands.
Somehow, me first.
'I'm technically the newbie here, but...'
Couldn't show it, so I calmly reached for the capsule...
"Aaaah!"
"......"
"Hic, s-sorry......"
'This personality won't last long in research. Consider switching jobs.'
I politely ignored the freaked researcher and grabbed the capsule again.
Shook it.
Clatter clatter, and a pawn dropped out.
Bright yellow.
"Yellow pawn!"
Okay.
I picked it up and passed the capsule.
"Ah...!"
Next, Jang Heo-un.
...No idea why Director Ho roped in someone busy spying, wasting his precious vacation. Felt bad.
I'd barely gotten mine, he probably scraped his too.
'Why'd you apply...!'
Last entry, he nearly puked at Magic Bunny's guts parade!
Couldn't ask now, obviously.
And Jang Heo-un drew...
"Yellow!"
"Yes!"
Not his words.
Other employees fist-pumped. Someone else yellow meant lower odds for them.
Didn't want me.
'Heh...'
Amid it, Jang Heo-un bowed to me.
"Pl-please take care of me."
"......"
I nodded slightly to him.
Thanks for understanding my situation; best I can do...
But from there, things got awkwardly obvious.
"Please...!"
Everyone blatantly prayed not yellow.
"Ah! Red!"
Red draw got cheers.
"......"
Hey, you read my full exploration log, right? Run like hell to blue zone at Magic Bunny sighting...
Still, familiar faces staying calm was reassuring.
Like this.
"Oh."
I confirmed Lee Seong-hae section chief's red pawn. And...
"Blue."
...Squad Leader Lee Jaheon's blue.
'Why's that lizard section chief here.'
Couldn't shake suspicion Director Ho stuck him as a whip with the carrot.
...Knowing I'd shared my project progress with D Squad.
Poking me again: no funny business.
'Even favors keep me on edge.'
Really wanna quit.
'Sigh.'
"Last one now."
Distribution nearly done.
I ignored the stiff field mouse and ladybug-masked employees staring daggers, yellow pawn in hand.
'Quick ride rides.'
Send 'em off, then handle business.
Roll.
Last employee drew.
The board game board swirled up into the air, swallowing everyone's vision.
Entering.
Having done it once, I calmly reviewed plans.
Yellow zone? None in log.
'Magic Bunny killed the yellow mascot, right?'
Memory of activating the resort gate in yellow ruins surfaced.
'Straight to blue zone.'
Check souvenir shop for sure. Blinking in fading consciousness...
Soon, mind cleared.
Time for lively theme park BGM...
......
'...Huh?'
Dead silence all around.
"......"
I opened my eyes.
Dim indoor space: peeling paint walls, dusty lamp.
No lights, even windows shattered.
Stale dead space.
"......"
What... is this?
Not inside the park. Definitely not...
"...!"
I bolted up, rushed to window, peered out.
A crumpled massive sign dangled precariously, swaying in wind, one fixture loose...
"...!!"
I stared blankly at distant twinkling blue waterpark lights.
Look down: ruins.
"......"
I'd awakened in the ruined yellow zone.
'What the...'
Then.
Flicker. Lights stuttered on in my space.
"...!"
I realized it wasn't just a room.
Desk, chair, old cabinet.
Open cabinet door revealed massive machinery.
Like a small office or control room.
And on the desk... a formal sheet of paper.
"......"
I approached and read it.
"...!!"