Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: School Ghost Story
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A ghost story set in a school.
Actually, it's a tradition with deep roots dating back ages.
Hundreds of teenagers forced to spend all day in one building—if they never once paid any mind to the scary rumors, bizarre rituals, or ghosts, that would be the real oddity.
The Seven Wonders, Bunshin Saba...
Of course, even after graduating, I found them pretty entertaining.
Universal, crowd-pleasing horror stories, right?
'So that's why I mustered up the courage to add my first exploration record.'
Thankfully, no waves of 'not recommended' rating spam took it down. It even inspired me to create and upload an original ghost story of my own...
But.
'You're... actually going in there?'
It was a strange sensation.
Sure, the spine-chilling dread hit first at the thought of diving into a ghost story, but there was this odd queasiness too.
Not like staring down the manual—no, nothing like that...
Anticipation mixed with terror?
'Can't quite put my finger on it...'
Either way, the manual was already handed out. At minimum, I had to attempt entry.
Which meant.
"Nah, not that."
I quietly straightened the bed.
"Gonna try dreaming the 'special dream' the company told me about."
Yeah.
'Even if it's not from here, I still have to enter a ghost story eventually.'
Better to go with this one—company gives solid points since only a handful enter matching those one-off conditions.
'Whew.'
Late night in the company dorm.
I opened the dubious 'specific book' from the company.
Just as Manager Lee Jaheon described.
The quirky part? It's a text file.
Inside the Black Shade.txt
They say it sometimes sneaks into downloads of that internet collection: '2000s Masterpiece Horror Novels'—a text bundle that ignores copyright like it's nothing.
File size? Easily two full books. But...
I clicked it open.
That single line was the entire content.
And as I scrolled down further out of sheer bewilderment,
the text suddenly broke into corrupted gibberish.
₩ub124₩uac00₩u0020₩uc774₩u0020₩uae00₩uc744...
And after a moment, a pop-up message appeared.
The text file vanished completely from my screen.
"......"
Ha.
Nothing ever comes easy, does it?
'I'm going to die of a heart attack before I even make it in...'
Just then, a loud stream of cursing echoed from the room next door.
Baek Saheon was likely preparing to enter this ghost story too. After all, it was open to all company employees.
'There's a decent chance we might run into each other inside.'
Though the odds of Baek Saheon actually meeting the entry conditions were slim.
This particular ghost story's entry conditions changed every single time it became accessible.
'But I already know the guaranteed entry method from the mid-to-late exploration records...'
And I'd already prepared accordingly.
The real issue was how much information the other employees had managed to dig up at this point.
'Even if the records aren't fully compiled yet, rumors might still be circulating given the nature of this story.'
With almost everyone preparing to enter, that part was a bit concerning.
'Maybe I should double-check.'
It seemed like as good a time as any to deter him from any unnecessary meddling. I walked over to Baek Saheon's door and knocked politely.
Knock, knock.
"W-What the...!"
"I'm coming in."
The door creaked open. Baek Saheon glared at me with a mixture of surprise, fear, and irritation before forcing a polite smile.
"Knocking means waiting for a response like 'Come in.' Isn't that basic courtesy?"
"Oh, is that so?"
I stepped back out into the hallway and knocked again.
Knock, knock.
Knock, knock.
Knock, knock.
Knock, knock.
Knock—
"You little— Agh! Just get in here already!"
I opened the door and gave him a pitying look.
"The outcome would've been the same either way."
"......"
"You... really live an inefficient life, don't you?"
Baek Saheon looked like he was about to burst with frustration, but he managed to swallow it down. It felt like he was finally starting to grasp the absolute basics of social interaction—what a relief.
"Anyway, I'm genuinely curious about what made you suddenly decide to barge into someone else's room in the middle of the night... especially since it's the first time you've ever done it."
As he spoke, he seemed to reach his own conclusion.
"...Wait a second. Don't you have to enter the Darkness according to the company's instructions, too? You know, that high school?"
"Yeah."
"Ah, I knew it. So you're preparing for it right now?"
Baek Saheon's eyes darted greedily past me toward my open door, scanning the area near my pillow with intense focus.
He was obviously trying to fish for hints.
'Wow.'
I didn't even bother closing the door. I just smirked openly.
"Yeah. That's right."
"Really? I heard you don't even know if you'll actually enter until you fall asleep... But you seem incredibly confident. Got some kind of secret method?"
"You sure have a lot of questions."
"Well, since you came all the way to my room, I figured the least I could do was listen to what you had to say."
I casually threw him a bone.
"Need a hint?"
"...Well, if you're willing to share."
"Why should I?"
"......"
Baek Saheon ground his teeth, forcing his smile to stay in place.
"...How about three days' salary transferred directly to you as a bribe?"
"I don't need money. But there is something I want to know."
"......!"
"You want to enter, right? Why?"
A brief but intense conflict flickered across Baek Saheon's face. It wasn't that he didn't want to answer; he was just busy calculating whether giving me the truth would benefit him more in the long run. Eventually, he made up his mind and spoke with forced nonchalance.
"...I mean, there's a rumor going around the company."
A rumor?
"Apparently, whatever items you manage to obtain in that ghost story can be brought back into the real world... So obviously, it's a no-brainer to go in and try to bring something back, right?"
"......"
"They also say it's nearly impossible to die in there."
Hmm.
So that's how the employees currently perceived it.
A ghost story labeled as 'profitable to enter.'
"To be honest, the hints you're offering probably aren't worth much anyway. But hey, as your roommate and coworker, I figured I'd share this intel as a gesture of goodwill," Baek Saheon said.
Wow. He was really trying to undersell my advice while acting like he was doing me a favor. I purposely adopted a serious expression and nodded.
"You're right. My hints probably aren't worth much."
"......!"
"So you don't need them, right? Let's just forget about it. I've learned plenty from what you shared."
"......!! Hey, you motherf—"
I looked at Baek Saheon calmly. He swallowed the curse just in time, quickly plastering on a strained, polite smile.
"...Mr. Supervisor, if an employee living in the same dorm is caught extorting a poor junior staffer's salary and personal information, wouldn't a complaint to HR be in order?"
Good grief.
I gave him a look of pity.
"You really think this company cares about stuff like that?"
"......"
"Well, belief is a personal choice."
"......"
Baek Saheon seemed trapped between utter frustration and despair. I figured this was a good spot to draw the line.
"Fine. I'll give you something."
His eyes lit up instantly as I spoke.
"Put a photo of yourself from high school under your pillow."
"......?!"
"On the back, write your grade and class, and maybe add a short profile. Like a yearbook entry."
I kindly grabbed a sticky note from his desk and even wrote out an example for him.
"Then, see what happens."
"......"
Baek Saheon looked deeply skeptical, asking if I had actually put a photo of my high school self under my own pillow.
Without a word, I went back to my room and returned with the photo I'd tucked away.
It was one of my old high school pictures, printed out from a saved image on my phone.
"......"
Baek Saheon stared at it, his disbelief giving way to stunned silence.
"You thought I was lying, didn't you?"
"I mean, usually! You speak so smoothly all the time, so you always give off that impression, Supervisor."
"Really? I've never lied in my entire life."
"......"
"Think about it."
While Baek Saheon was still dazed, I took the opportunity to usher him out.
"Anyway, I need to finish preparing with Braun, so you should go back now."
—Best of luck with your entry, Mr. Normal Coworker!
Baek Saheon retreated, looking thoroughly exasperated, and quickly shut himself back in his own room.
Bang—
'Done.'
Having to keep him in check every single time was exhausting, but it couldn't be helped.
Consider it a new addition to the team. Workplace survival is all about these minor power struggles.
'Whew.'
I returned to my bed and approached the pillow.
First of all, the tip I gave Baek Saheon was entirely true.
Once entry was guaranteed, the next priority was obvious: what to bring along. Only items placed directly under the pillow before falling asleep could be carried into the dream world of Sekwang Technical High School. Given the limited space under a pillow, careful planning was absolutely necessary.
'If I store it in my wrist tattoo and it doesn't activate in the dream, I'm doomed.'
Considering that ghost stories often altered appearances and gear, I couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.
Ultimately, I carefully calculated the remaining space and placed the essential items under the pillow, fitting them in like a game of Tetris.
Lastly, I positioned Braun in the coziest corner under the pillow. Of course, Braun ended up in a rather... awkward position.
—......
'Sorry. Is it too cramped for you?'
—Hmm, tolerable! Were this a studio, I might have called some of the staff. Haha!
'R-Right. Thanks.'
In other words, he was definitely uncomfortable.
I shouldn't push my luck with Braun, who had once incinerated entities with a mere snap of his fingers...
Carefully, I laid my head down, making sure not to squish Braun, and willed myself to fall asleep.
'This pillow is kind of lumpy...'
"......"
And yet, my eyes quickly grew heavy.
For someone who usually suffered from insomnia, it was astonishing how quickly drowsiness overtook me despite the discomfort. As slumber rapidly claimed me...
Mist.
Shadows.
And then...
[Ding-dong-daeng-dong—]
...A school.
[Ding-dong-daeng-dong—]
I opened my eyes.
What greeted me was a dimly lit classroom with not a single light turned on.
Looking down at my clothes, I realized I was wearing a school uniform.
The uniform resembled the one from my old school, but the school's name tag had been violently scratched off, as if with a needle.
While I couldn't check directly, I already knew.
My appearance had reverted to how I looked back in high school. And then—
"W-What is this??"
Remember the characteristic of this ghost story I mentioned earlier?
'You don't know if you've entered until you fall asleep...'
In other words, this meant it wasn't just company employees who could enter.
"Huh? Huuh? Why am I in a school uniform...?"
"Oh my gosh!"
"Excuse me, do you know where we are?"
In the dim, shadowy classroom, people began to stir one by one from their desks. They looked around in confusion, some screaming as they saw each other.
They were civilians who had been dragged into this place by chance.
"Is this some kind of event? Huh."
"Wait, why am I wearing a uniform...? Oh, no—why do I look like a high schooler?!"
"This has to be a dream."
"Hey, did you look outside? This looks like the second floor..."
'Feels like being back in that subway ghost story.'
Watching them waver between panic, fear, curiosity, and amusement, I felt a tightness in my chest.
And... an overwhelming sense of tension.
"Huh?"
One of the wandering individuals noticed something in the corner of the room.
It was a student, sitting completely still.
"Why isn't this person moving?"
The sight was deeply unsettling.
In the dim classroom, where people in various uniforms were noisily moving about, one figure sat frozen as if carved from stone. He didn't even blink.
The boy, who resembled an incredibly detailed wax figure, wore a name tag that was perfectly intact.
"Is this a mannequin? Eh, let's see."
Poke, poke.
"Ack!"
The person who poked him flinched, quickly withdrawing their hand.
"He's warm?!"
"Holy crap, seriously?"
I got up from my seat.
Without taking my eyes off him, I slowly approached the classroom door.
'I need to open the door in advance.'
Thud, thud.
As I moved nervously, something nearly fell out of the front pocket of my uniform—a small plush keychain.
Startled, I caught it just in time.
Whew.
'That was a close call, Braun.'
Silence.
"......Braun?"
I held up the plush doll.
It hung completely limp.
"......!"
Panicking, I pressed its belly.
The Silver Serpent Coin, the item I used to summon my 'Good Friend,' was...
Gone.
"......"
This was just a regular plush doll.
My good friend hadn't followed me into my dream.
"......"
"Out the window... u-uuhh, AAAAHHHHH!!!"
I'm fucking screwed.