Chapter 39

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 39

Chapter Title: Liar (1)

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After escaping the Two-Person Night Watch horror tale.

I was lying there in a daze, staring blankly at the ceiling, overwhelmed by the hollow feeling of having left the security guard monsters' corpses behind.

"A message?!"

The moderator, having figured out how to enter the cleared horror tale, had sent me a message...!

"...What the hell?"

Suddenly, someone had sent me a private message with a photo that looked like it was taken inside a horror tale I'd never seen before.

"What kind of person does this?"

After clearing the First-Floor Roommate Won't Die horror tale.

A few new horror tale dungeons had opened up.

But no Koreans had ever declared they were tackling one, so it seemed like some Japanese person had gone in to conquer it.

A bit annoyed, I told her to use Return and head back to the safe zone village.

"...You used up all your Returns in front of me? What does that even mean?"

The sender had suddenly claimed she'd used up all her Returns right in front of me.

"...The only person I saw use Return right in front of me... was that woman...?"

The image of the woman from Room 1001 in the Two-Person Night Watch horror tale, who had hit Return right in front of me, came to mind.

"She couldn't make it back to the safe zone?"

Just as that thought crossed my mind...

"...Huh?"

I suddenly remembered that after clearing the Bellierd Library horror tale, I hadn't returned to this safe zone either—I'd been transported straight into the Melting Shampoo horror tale world.

"Did this person too?"

She must have experienced the exact same phenomenon as me: after clearing a horror tale, getting sent to another one instead of returning.

However.

Unlike when I cleared the Bellierd Library and got sent to Melting Shampoo.

The woman I'd rescued from Room 1001 hadn't contributed anything to clearing the Two-Person Night Watch horror tale.

I realized her status window hadn't given her any Return uses.

At that moment.

'Looks like if you visit the safe zone at least once before clearing your first horror tale, the system sends you to another one.'

I finally understood why, unlike everyone else, I'd been sent to another horror tale world after clearing my first one.

But right now, uncovering that truth wasn't the priority.

I told her to seek help from others, not just me.

"I can't go there myself to help her."

All I could do was desperately hope one more survivor made it back alive.

"Hope nothing bad happens."

Just regretting leaving the security guards' corpses behind in a situation like this would make me no better than a psychopath.

Just as I'd received help back when I couldn't decipher the infected people's code in the Melting Shampoo horror tale.

I quickly logged into the community to check her post and started offering survival advice.

...

Q: Who are you?
A: I am the guide of this place.

Q: Are you human?
A: I consider myself human.

Q: How can I escape from here?
A: Avoid all the trap doors in this maze room and proceed to the end.

(Photo)

After asking 3 questions, the person who was holding up 5 fingers... is now only holding up 2 fingers.

The answer suggests I have to open one of those 2 doors and go through... but how do I ask which one isn't the trap door...

"..."

Everyone was probably thinking the same thing as me.

Why'd she ask such frustrating questions?

She saw the fingers folding after one question—why didn't she stop?

But no one was blaming her.

Because...

"Yeah, at least she didn't kill herself... that's a relief."

Saying something sharp like that could push her to give up on life.

Trapped in extreme terror, she wasn't capable of normal judgment right now.

We'd all been in that panicked state before—we couldn't blame or curse her for it.

"...All that's left is a gamble."

Honestly, she only had one option left.

No matter what she asked, she couldn't know which of the two doors led to escape.

Pick one at 50:50 odds and go...

'Or maybe both doors lead to death.'

No one could choose for her.

No one could go support her there.

That place... wasn't a horror tale dungeon we were tackling.

"...My head hurts."

All we could do...

was pray for her survival.

Suddenly.

"...Could this work?"

A thought flashed through my mind. I took a photo of the picture from the community post using my camera.

"Photo came out fine..."

The photo from Room 1001's woman was saved in my camera album.

"Does this work normally too?"

The photo showed two doors and a black suited figure. I activated the tracking function.

Sanity dropped by 30 normally.

"Oh..."

"It actually works..."

The camera's tracking function was pretty much useless.

There was no one here to track, no monsters to track either, right?

So tracking was basically worthless to me...

But it reveals entry codes for horror tales?

Which means...

"...Wait, does that mean I can go back to Bellierd Library too?"

If I take a photo of the Bellierd Library monster who delivers my bento...

And track it?

She definitely told me I could visit the library anytime to borrow books comfortably.

"Gotta ask her when she delivers next."

After helping the woman a bit, I'd ask the Bellierd monster delivering food if I could return to the library.

I entered LR into the input field to head there, but then...

I felt like I was acting too impulsively.

"Ugh... calm down. Talk to the admin first."

As I tried to message the admin carefully...

"Hm? When did I send this?"

There was a message someone had sent. I opened the inbox to check.

The woman who said she was going to end her life... stopped messaging.

'Shit, seriously...!'

If she's hanging herself right now... she probably hasn't died yet.

I immediately inputted the code to go to her.

And so...

"Please... let me not be too late... please..."

My vision slowly blurred, then cleared up normally.

"...!!"

"Haa... thank God... uwaaa... really, thank God..."

I saw the woman sitting against the corner, quietly untying her shoelaces.

"...What the hell are you doing."

"I-I..."

"It's me. The one you messaged."

"Ah... th-that, but... h-how did you get here...? Everyone said... no one can come here... they said..."

"I used an item. I have one no one else does."

"Ah...! Th-then... c-can I... g-go out... too?"

"I'll help you from now on. So you can get out."

Maybe because I'd cleared another horror tale, I could now see the face of the person in front of me clearly.

'Saying she looks black here would get me called crazy...?'

Um... no.

Better not say it out loud.

"R-really... can I... get out...? C-can I really... escape...?"

"Aren't you tired?"

"Y-yes...?"

"Crying takes stamina too. Those tear stains on the floor—you've been crying for a while."

"Ah... that... ...yes..."

"Sleep. I'll hold the line so nothing happens."

"B-but if I fall asleep... that m-mon... monster..."

"Nothing will happen. Trust me and sleep. I have a decent number of anti-monster items."

To give the still ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠terrified woman a moment to rest.

Meaning to recharge her stamina with a nap, I started scouting the surroundings.

'No different from the photo.'

An empty room.

One mysterious monster in a suit standing between two doors.

The suited monster still holding up only two fingers.

I couldn't see its facial expression.

'Is it looking at me?'

I felt its gaze sizing me up oddly.

'Come at me... We'll see who's faster.'

Finger on the status window's craft button.

If it charged, I'd craft it into an item while it was alive.

But...

'...Guess it's not doing anything.'

About 30 minutes passed.

The monster just stared at me blankly, no other moves.

"Hoo..."

I let out a deep sigh from the tension.

Sitting next to the woman asleep against the wall, I posted on the community.

(Photo)

I'm here too.

Ring visible in photo, so authenticated...

2 questions left on that thing, what should I ask?

'...No good questions here.'

No matter the collective intelligence...

What could people do in a situation with no answers?

"Haa..."

Just sighs escaped.

No solutions coming to mind, I stared blankly at the suited gentleman monster...

Suddenly.

'But what does LR mean?'

I started wondering about the entry code LR.

Why? Because the community access code 82 was Korea's country code.

To access the Japanese community, enter 81, Japan's code.

For some reason, LR felt meaningful too.

'Is there a rule to these letters?'

Plenty of time anyway.

While the Room 1001 woman slept, I pondered alone.

'Come to think of it. IY is Inventory, right? I-nventor-Y. First and last letters. CA is Camera, C-amer-A. DL is Doll, D-ol-L... wait...'

The moment I realized all input codes were first and last letters of English words for the horror tales...

A word starting with L and ending in R flashed in my mind.

'Liar... Liar.'