Chapter 71
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Please Write One Item Needed to Escape This Place. (2)
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After reading through the long list of records from start to finish...
I'd gathered a decent amount of information about this ghost story.
'Looks like there's no rush to write anything right now.'
First off.
It seemed like there was no time limit for writing down the required item, judging from how Record 18 had asked for something related to the 6th floor.
You just couldn't erase it once written, but you could put off requesting an item until later.
So I decided not to scribble down anything urgent just yet.
'I'll think it over slowly once the status window comes back tomorrow.'
Secondly...
"Haa... #33, that bastard really... what kind of dead-end asshole is he?"
Whoever he was, this fucker #33 had gone out with a bang right before dying.
"...Everything's burned up..."
Burned records.
Burned notes.
Burned photos...
It would've been great if even one clue had survived, but...
"What the hell did you see?"
The guy probably saw the photo requested by Record 30 and decided to pull that stunt.
"Haa... fucking prick..."
Those two things felt like the most important to me right now. The rest was minor stuff.
The building had at least six floors, with deadly traps hidden everywhere that could instant-kill humans like in Records 1, 2, and 4.
The survival tools provided here only fetched real-world existing items—not something nonexistent like in Record 12.
You couldn't stay in a safe zone for over 48 hours, and if you got hungry, just eat from the fridge.
"Phew..."
I wasn't hungry anyway, and in this situation, boredom wasn't even on my mind.
All I could do was hope the status window came back soon.
'Guess I'll just snap a few photos and head back.'
When the status window reactivated, I'd take a few shots with its camera function.
Then return without hesitation—
"...Hold up."
A hypothesis flashed through my mind, so I checked the records again.
14. MX - (133)
Requested Item: I'm not human?
Provided Item: Request not understood
Survival Time: 13 minutes
Cause of Death: Improper escape route.
"Improper... escape route..."
In a ghost story full of humans, somehow a 133-year-old monster MX had entered.
XY was male chromosomes, XX female, so MX wasn't human.
Considering monsters used status windows just like us...
"...No way?"
High chance that hitting 'Return' here to go back to the safe zone counted as an 'improper escape route.'
"...Gotta look for more."
Which meant...
To get home from here, I had to conquer this place outright.
...
NN-01 pills, about 30 of them.
Syringe filled with mystery liquid.
Full-body suit marked with a ∝ symbol.
Smartphone fully charged and plugged into a corner charger.
Broken game console.
One flamethrower.
Seven corpses, gender hard to tell.
"Phew..."
I gathered all the usable stuff from the room in the center, stripping only the clothes from the long-rotted corpses.
Soon enough.
'At least the basics are here.'
I pulled out a ton of bottled water from the fridge that auto-refilled food and water.
Sprinkling it on the blood-crusted clothes, I hand-washed them one by one.
"This should do it."
I thoroughly cleaned the outfit I'd wear myself, just in case.
The rest, I just rinsed off bugs and germs.
"This isn't destroying the safe zone."
I barely cracked the flamethrower to disinfect the soaked clothes with its flame.
"Ow, hot..."
Couldn't fully dry them, but I layered nearly dry clothes three deep against the cold.
Emptied a quarter of a water bottle, dumped in the powder from the capsule pills, and shook vigorously.
'This must be NN-01, so hopefully it works on monsters too.'
From context, these capsules brought painless death—NN-01.
If they worked on monsters, hurling the dissolved water would make a solid weapon.
With that hope, I made four water bombs.
"Now... what to do with you?"
I eyed the body-enhancing suit marked ∝.
'Torn up all over.'
Records said it enhanced the body, not that it blocked monster attacks like armor.
The rips showed people who'd treated it like armor and paid for it.
Looking around for armor materials...
'Wood or metal would be ideal...'
But smashing furniture might get misread as destroying the safe zone.
Just as I considered giving up on protective gear.
The empty plastic bottles sparked an idea. I yanked more water from the fridge, opening and closing the door endlessly.
Soon, about 300 more 1.5L bottles emptied into the tub...
Pour...
Pour...
Pour...
Pour...
"Hmm... better disinfect the tub too."
Whoosh—
...
I filled the sterilized tub with water from the PET bottles.
Still had about 100 bottles left, which sucked, but self-protection came first.
I dumped the rest down the drain without hesitation.
With roughly 300 empty 1.5L PET bottles, I grabbed some random food from the fridge.
"Ugh... my back hurts. Already four hours gone."
Hauled the plate of spaghetti to the toilet, flushed it down.
Cracked open a 1.5L bottle to roughly rinse the glass plate.
Crash!
Smashed it on the bathroom floor without a second thought.
"Broke nicely."
Perfect jagged shards.
Wrapped a sharp one in cloth from the corpses.
Szzzt—
Szzzt—
Szzzt—
Szzzt—
Now the tedious work of slicing bottles lengthwise into sheets.
...
"Groooan... my back... I'll die of back pain before any monster gets me..."
If a shard crumbled or dulled, grabbed a new one and kept slicing.
After flattening about 300 bottles.
Five hours later, emerging from the bathroom, I weakly flamed the sheets like before drying clothes.
'Nice. Working great.'
Like welding, bent and melted the thin sheets bit by bit, stacking and fusing them layer by layer.
...
'Godawful smell.'
The melting plastic stench tortured my nose.
But 30 layers made plates tougher than sheet metal. Enduring the pain,
I crafted thick 1-2cm protective panels for body parts.
Arms, wrists.
Calves, thighs.
Waist, stomach, chest, back.
Neck, head.
Ten sets of bottle armor done. Tore the dried corpse clothes into strips.
Threaded through pre-punched holes, tying panels together securely.
"Haaah...!"
A full day of grueling labor left my body screaming in exhaustion.
But status window in one hour.
'Just hang in there a bit longer.'
One more hour. With armor done, time for weapons.
Approached the pile of bones in the corner...
"Hello. Mind if I touch you a bit? Sorry if you're a lady."
Grabbed a sturdy male-looking thigh bone.
"Heavy."
About 50cm, 10kg. Gripped with both hands.
Wished I could sharpen it too, but...
'Can't do more today...'
My body, wrecked from armor-making, begged for rest more than anything.
'Finish tomorrow.'
Decided to quit for the day and flop on the floor for rest when—
"Oh right, the phone."
Remembered the smartphone among the finds. Powered it on from the corner charger...
"Seriously, a password lock? Come on..."
Absurd, but...
'Eh, nothing better to do.'
Bored out of my mind. Hit the 'Hint'...
- Human standard password
'Human standard password?'
Saw that and...
"No way, not 6974?? What else is standard then?!"
"Ah, 0000. Yeah... that is standard..."
Damn.
Smart move setting a password in case a monster saw it.
Whoever it was, brilliant choice.
'Wonder what's inside.'
Unlocked, now check for info.
First screen: memo app labeled 'MUST READ'. Opened it...
This is Record 26, first to use this phone.
For emergencies, I've photographed all prior records as backups.
If I don't escape, please continue via the charger for the next person.
"God #26!!! #26 is a hero!!!"
#33 torched everything, but #26 left backups so I could learn it all.
And more.
Record 27 here.
#26 died with thigh pierced.
Blood on floor said charge phone, so did and continuing.
This enhancement suit? Feels like guts twisting. Inject prevention kit first before wearing.
I'm decent at running, so I'll roam building and record videos.
Videos of the building interior without leaving? Awesome.
"Thank you #26... Thank you #27..."
The moment a new religion was born for me.
"Yawn..."
I yawned without realizing, having pored over photos and videos forever.
'Time to sleep.'
Monster types and strategies.
Trap locations everywhere.
Actual footage of monster movements.
All the survival info, studied intently...
'Oh right.'
Realized 12 hours had passed since arriving.
"Gotta eat something."
Remembered meals and sleep restored Sanity without items. Opened fridge for that.
Cucumber cold soup on the shelf—perfect light pre-sleep meal. Gulped the chilled, ice-floated soup happily.
"Status window."
Improper return might kill me, so no returning.
But update the Gallery with survival news...
"...Status window?"
..Huh?
"Status... window."
Oh... come on.
Please...
"Wow... it can't go right even once...?"
Status window wouldn't open.
Just like in that two-man night guard ghost story...
Ha...
"...Fuck, why are my hands shaking...?"
Big trouble.
"...No internet, right? Yeah... yeah..."
Real big trouble...
"How do I... get the status window back...? How...? What do I...?"
I...
"...Fuck, seriously. What do I do?"
It was severe 'Gallery addiction' needing treatment.
"Ah... wanna mess with Anon 1 and sex drips..."
"Wanna freak out over Gloomy Girl..."
"Wanna see monster pics uploaded as porn!"
"Wanna read Big Whale's chaotic adventure novel!!"
"Bored, wanna bomb unknown-face monsters and doppelgangers!!!"
How can anyone survive without Gallery?!
Right now, write 'Status Window' as needed item...!
"No... no, that's insane. Phew... sleep first, rethink tomorrow..."
"Aaaah... fuck, can't sleep for shit."
Needed sleep...
Had to sleep...
Body exhausted, but mind racing, anxiety gnawing.
"...What do I even write to escape...?"
What to write...
Countless failed before me. Could a nobody like me conquer it...?
"..."
Of course I was scared. Denying it would be a bold lie.
But I had a clear reason to survive this place.
"Gotta do Gallery. Somehow escape... and Gallery."
Deep in thought on escape when...
Suddenly, a childhood tale surfaced.
Specifically...
"Mirror mirror... grant three wishes."
Not the mirror fairy genie... the mirror.
"Ah, the lamp genie."
The genie granting any three wishes.
Everyone knew Aladdin.
Hero wished purely and righteously, I recalled.
Child me thought:
'Wish for 100 wishes.'
Three too few.
Yeah...
"...No way?"
Adult me couldn't settle for one item either.
"Can't get nonexistent items, but if it exists, delivers somehow?"
Please write one item needed to escape this place.
Write one item to use for escape in the blank below.
Once written, it cannot be erased. Be careful.
[100 sheets of paper with the exact same effect as this paper]
34. XY - (25)
Requested Item: 100 sheets of paper with the exact same effect as this paper
Provided Item: 100 sheets of paper with identical requested effect
Survival Time: 17h 37m ~
Cause of Death:
35. XY - (25)
Requested Item: Sanity 1000
Provided Item: 1,000 stones
Survival Time: 17h 38m ~
Cause of Death: