Chapter 202
Chapter 202
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 202
Chapter Title: Glass Prison Interrogation
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Underground location unknown.
A dark iron sector, like an evacuation space inside a tunnel.
“…….”
“Ah, Agent. This way.”
The agent from Black Tortoise Squad 1 followed the guide.
There were no staff working as jailers in the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau's glass prison.
An unknown supernatural force without sound or form handled the guard duty, and one person on rotation checked the status of that ‘guard’.
The person on duty asked cautiously.
“...Are you here for the interrogation of that Grape agent—no, 37-999?”
“…….”
“I see. This way.”
The agent followed the cautious guidance, avoided the ‘guard’, opened the iron door, and entered. That place was...
A crystal cave.
“...!”
Click.
“The cell is this way.”
The person on duty opened the rusted door in the corner.
But no human figure was there.
Instead...
Glass beads piled high on every wall formed a diffusely reflecting structure.
“…….”
The agent stared at it darkly.
Layer upon layer of glass beads densely filled the space, forming a cone. It almost resembled a decorative piece.
But movement was visible inside each individual bead.
Isolated prisoners.
The figure standing before them could observe every single thing inside the beads like a giant. A bizarre structure reminiscent of a panopticon.
This was the true nature of the glass prison.
A secret chamber formed from a single bead.
Its exact location unknown to all but authorized personnel, its very mode of existence a mystery—in this crystal cave, escape was impossible unless the gatekeeper personally carried the glass outside.
Even if one somehow shattered their own bead and escaped, it wasn't true freedom.
They'd simply be inside another glass bead.
A circular structure. An endless chain of glass rooms.
“Here’s the one at the very top. I heard you made a special request for it. They said you hoped it would be at least a little more comfortable... since you were originally an agent.”
The agent’s gaze halted.
Exactly... the 37th layer. The pinnacle of the glass beads.
A single bead.
With its identification tag.
“…….”
A black shadow was visible inside the glass bead, but the figure lying on the floor showed no movement.
“I’ve said too much. Sorry. Here are the past interrogation records for 37-999.”
The agent’s hand clenched briefly at the final line, then flipped the page.
Flip.
Day 1.
Prisoner transferred to glass prison as part of procedure to examine agent under special restraint.
Restraint confirmed released (Implementer: Grand General of Daecheong Peak). Conducted light interview and physical exam.
※Anomaly discovered during interview process.
Prisoner voluntarily refuses all statements on the identity, timing, and form of the supernatural entity that imposed the restraint.
Checkup procedure halted. Switched to interrogation.
Of course, the initial interrogation wasn’t particularly harsh.
Questions like: Why refuse to testify? Where does it hurt? Any approximate timing? Any guesses on when it happened? What kind of restraint was it?
Approached gradually, assuming trauma response from a shocking incident.
But the response to every question was the same.
Prisoner completely refuses to answer all questions.
That’s when the duty personnel began sensing the gravity of the situation.
Suspected as behavior to evade statements after learning of the glass prison’s interrogation effects in advance.
Thus, from the evening of Day 2, the true glass prison interrogation began.
Fortunately, they didn’t use interrogation methods that altered the prison environment to apply pressure.
It was a judgment made with the prisoner’s health in mind, though it wasn’t particularly effective.
Day 5.
Prisoner condition: Poor.
Politely refuses recommendations for sleep and meals.
Requests release from prison, claiming the allotted will-o’-the-wisp feels ‘pitiful’.
Denied due to fears of escape attempts or sudden incidents.
However, for emotional stability, several items the goblin favored were brought into the cell.
Prisoner expresses gratitude.
Special Note: Interrogator’s Personal Opinion.
-At this point, seems under another restraint. Recommend transfer to a specialist examination facility for gut ritual or exorcism instead of here.
But when asked if under another restraint, surprisingly gets direct ‘No’ from subject himself.
And glass prison judges it truth.
-Might be a suggestion making him believe he’s not restrained.
Despite the duty personnel’s personal opinion, the transfer was placed on hold for now.
Flipped the page.
The date changed again, and the prisoner’s condition worsened further.
Day 6.
Prisoner condition: Poor.
Special meal provided out of concern for health. (Special meal—mung bean samgyetang—left untouched until next day.)
No responses during interview.
Injection into Nightmare Labyrinth proposed for deeper interrogation intensity, but scrapped due to fierce opposition from field agents.
“…….”
“Records up to yesterday.”
From the next page onward, it wasn’t records but inferences.
Speculation on the prisoner’s true identity.
Information stamped ‘Absolutely No Export Except Authorized Personnel’, viewable only by current duty staff and interrogator.
Prisoner maintains blanket silence to all interrogations, but based on several truths confirmed in extreme situations, can infer ‘most avoided questions’.
• Source of information.
• Purpose of working at Disaster Management Bureau.
• Who imposed the restraint.
• Unclear blank period before employment.
• Various contamination traces.
And so, the conclusion was reached.
But the text didn’t end there.
The agent turned the page.
The final page.
A temporarily attached appendix document was visible.
The reason he was here now.
“…….”
“Preparations are complete, Agent.”
Ryu Jaegwan set the records down.
And approached the glass bead for the interrogation.
I blinked my eyes.
A transparent ceiling came into view.
The narrow hemispherical space enclosing me contained a bed, desk, chair, and a few books and meals arranged to regulation specs.
Beyond that, it looked shrouded in fog and was invisible, but I could tell the walls were made of transparent material.
‘...So this is what it’s like.’
Glass prison.
Long ago, the goblin beat Kim Seobang at yutnori and claimed his grand tiled house.
But Kim Seobang, unwilling to lose his home, schemed. He accused the goblin of cheating with bizarre sorcery during the bet and drove him away.
The goblin was furious.
So he created a space inside a thumb-sized glass bead where no one could cheat, invited Kim Seobang in, and they played yutnori again.
The goblin won.
Won again and again.
Until he took everything from Kim Seobang.
House, property, family, appearance, status, lifespan, name.
Finally, the goblin who seized the tiled house and became Kim Seobang tossed his own cave and the glass bead as a consolation prize to his yutnori opponent, who had lost it all.
The defeated Kim Seobang—no, the man who was now nothing—remained in the cave.
Even today, that nothing guards the crystal cave where the goblin once lived and the glass bead within.
Ensuring no one plays ‘dirty tricks’.
The Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau utilized this to construct the glass prison system.
Mysterious glass beads that block all supernatural phenomena, guarded by the gatekeeper.
‘They say they mixed in some supernatural phenomenon related to the afterlife and judgment too.’
Whatever.
It didn’t matter.
What mattered was that in this place where I was now confined, only pure, precise reality could remain.
Supernatural entities could only exist here—nothing realistically impossible could occur.
Just like... reality outside the wiki.
Items were all useless here, and tattoos were just tattoos.
‘During the body search, they only took the glass handgun from my bosom.’
The inventory tattoo wasn’t activated, so there was nothing else to find.
But in the same vein, it could be considered the ultimate safe haven.
‘No risk of suddenly falling into a ghost story.’
Physically speaking, it was indeed ‘safe’ rest as Chief Agent Choi had said. I’d heard some even volunteered for confinement to escape curses or killers.
But...
“…….”
I couldn’t sleep.
Tension and resignation throbbed through my entire body.
Just like during the interrogations of the past few days.
The glass prison’s interrogations grew progressively harsher. I’d desperately evaded answers, but they’d already extracted quite a bit of information.
‘They must have their suspicions by now.’
That I was suspicious.
That I might even be a spy.
‘In that case, from here on... they might deploy even harsher methods.’
The Disaster Management Bureau could be utterly merciless toward selected villains.
Just recalling the interrogation methods I knew of made cold sweat trickle from my temples.
‘Damn it.’
Chief Agent Choi might have hoped that, with the restraint lifted, I’d confess everything from the start...
Maybe expected me to resign myself since I couldn’t return to Director Ho anyway.
The problem was, my secrets didn’t end there.
Too much of what I knew couldn’t simply be explained away as spy activity.
I had no idea how far I’d be forced to reveal—or what my treatment would be afterward. Secrets like that.
My original world, the dream incubation chamber, various contaminations... and even the Darkness Exploration Records.
‘If I was going to talk, I should’ve come clean from the beginning and wrapped it up as a spy case.’
But what about Go Yeongeun and Heo Un, who came in with me?
What about my Wish Grant?
‘That was the right call then.’
......But even so, I knew.
This approach would hit its limit soon too.
“…….”
Fatigue seeped in, but I had to stay sharp.
The time was approaching. The bloodcurdling interrogation hour filled with traps and lures.
I swallowed hard, maximally suppressing my anxiety, and calmly compartmentalized in my mind the things that absolutely couldn’t be discovered.
And...
Rrrrrrrumble.
The sound of glass clinking.
There—beyond the glass wall—a figure drew near.
The interrogator, separated by the wall.
But it wasn’t the duty officer from yesterday.
“...Prisoner 37-999.”
“...!!”
Bronze agent.
Ryu Jaegwan stood beyond the glass, eyes dark.
Hold on.
‘The bronze agent... is today’s interrogator?’
The interrogation method had changed.
I tensely assessed the situation.
The bronze agent, gaze unwavering, spoke slowly.
“...Prior notice before interrogation. You have the freedom to speak lies, but all lies will be transparently revealed.”
I knew.
In the glass prison, false testimony projects the true response onto the glass. Only silence will protect you.
—Daydream-origin prisoner
So I couldn’t say a word.
Lying here was no different from confessing the truth.
But my silence would seem suspicious too. They’d suspect I already knew the prison’s mechanics. Obvious.
‘And that... is the truth.’
I’d suspect myself.
I gritted my teeth, staring at the bronze agent.
‘They’ve shifted the interrogation to using personal connections.’
A relatively lenient measure... but I couldn’t deny its effectiveness.
“Interrogation commencing.”
I swallowed a groan.
And...
A completely unexpected question came.
“Where is your house?”
“……!”