Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Jack’s Burger Shop
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The security office was narrow and dimly lit, its fluorescent light flickering.
The smell of old dust and rusted metal mixed together, stinging my nose.
It was a sealed space with no windows, a stifling feeling that squeezed my throat like being trapped in a coffin.
As soon as I stepped into the night security office, the desk clock chimed, announcing 11 PM.
Inside the cramped, dark room were CCTV monitors emitting a blue light, an electrical problem-solving panel, and an old telephone that looked like it belonged in an 80s movie.
Drrriiiiiing-
The phone rang. The characteristic sharp sound of the old phone filled the silent security office.
The moment I picked up this phone, the ghost story would begin in earnest.
The instant I lifted the receiver, a calm man's voice flowed out. It was an oddly familiar voice, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
- Ah, I'm leaving a message to help you out on your first night too. I was the senior working here before you... Actually, I resigned today.
I knew who the owner of this voice was. 'Phone Guy'.
He is a key character in the 'Jack's Hamburger' ghost story.
A figure who claims to be a kind senior and gives advice to the new security guard.
- First, I'll do the official welcome. 'Welcome to Jack's Hamburger.
This is the best hamburger specialty shop responsible for the city's taste.
Destroyer Entertainment takes no responsibility for any anomalous phenomena, and in the event of an employee's disappearance or strange phenomena, the fact will be permanently classified as confidential.'
As expected. The main settings of this ghost story were starting to reveal themselves one by one.
Destroyer Entertainment.
It was a fairly well-known fictional corporation among Catastrophe Foundation enthusiasts.
This company, which parodied Disney, was always at the center of scary and grotesque events.
Their mascot characters were all chilling, and strange things always happened at the facilities they operated.
Anyway, that's not important right now.
- Ah... it might sound ominous, but in reality, it's not that dangerous. It's just that special things happen at night. The dolls inside the store... start to move.
I turned my eyes to the CCTV screen. In the blue monitor, four dolls could be seen.
Their figures were intermittently visible through the screen's noise. On the performance stage, a rabbit, a bear, and a wolf doll were standing neatly, and in a separate space called the Red Room, a lion mask doll stood alone.
They were dolls that would have looked cute if seen during the day. The rabbit held a guitar, the bear held drums, and the wolf held a keyboard. It looked like an animal band from a children's amusement park. But it was different now. Under the faint light, their figures looked somehow chilling.
Especially the lion mask doll... its empty eye sockets seemed to be staring right at me.
- Fortunately, the dolls aren't that fast. If you hear them coming, just close the door. The important thing is to never get caught. If you get caught... well, you start your shift all over again from the first night.
This was fortunate. The fact that I could start over even if I got caught meant that this ghost story wasn't that dangerous.
It meant that even if I failed, I could start again from the beginning, like a game.
- I know, this wasn't in the contract. Still, nothing will happen on the first night. Let's talk again tomorrow. Check the CCTV often, and only close the door when necessary. You need to save electricity. Ah, and... if anything strange happens, just run. Getting fired is much better than being here. Well then... good luck.
Click.
The moment the phone call ended, the outside of the shop darkened rapidly. As if someone had lowered a huge blackout curtain, the surroundings turned to black in an instant.
The streetlights visible through the window went out one by one, and soon only darkness remained. As if cut off from the world.
Well, now it begins.
First, from 11 PM to 12 AM is preparation time. According to the ghost story document, the dolls do not move during this time period. I needed to use this time efficiently.
It was like a game's tutorial time, the only chance to prepare for what was to come.
Looking around the security office, I found that surprisingly many things were equipped. Not only hamburger ingredients but also a grill and various cooking tools.
It was as if someone had deliberately decorated this place to look like a small kitchen.
'Let's make some hamburgers first.'
I had experience working at a franchise burger joint in the past. I used those skills to move quickly.
I took the patties out of the refrigerator and put them on the grill, washed the lettuce and cut it to a suitable size.
I sliced the tomatoes thinly and cut the onions into round ring shapes.
Sizzle-
The sound of the patties cooking on the grill could be heard. The smell of grilled meat filled the security office.
Strangely, that familiar smell gave me a sense of stability.
I toasted the buns in a toaster while spreading the sauce. I already knew the recipe for the special sauce.
I saw it in the manual I read earlier. Mix mayonnaise and ketchup in a 2:1 ratio, and add a little pepper and parsley powder.
The sauce recipe was simple, but when I tasted it, it was special enough to be called a true specialty.
I moved without rest for an hour and completed ten specialty hamburgers.
The thick patties, fresh vegetables, and special sauce combined to emit an aroma that stimulated the appetite.
It was just before the clock pointed to midnight.
Ding-dong-
With the chime announcing midnight, the CCTV screen blinked. The real start is from now.
'The rabbit moves from 1 to 2, and the wolf moves from 3 to 4...'
I recited the patterns of the dolls in my head.
Each pattern was fixed like the movement of chess pieces. Fortunately, the bear doesn't move until the second day.
The figure of the bear doll sitting blankly was intermittently visible on the CCTV screen.
The most troublesome one was the lion mask doll. If I didn't check the CCTV periodically, it would immediately run over and attack.
Like a jump scare in a game, it was a being that could pop out at any time. The lion mask in the Red Room was unsettling enough even when it wasn't moving.
I stared at the monitor and fell into thought.
If I continued like this, I would have to endure eighteen hours in total, six hours each night for three nights, in a half-asleep state. But that was too inefficient.
'Wait, this is a game, right?'
Suddenly, my gaze turned to the desk clock on the desk.
The desk clock. The only object that tells the time in this ghost story.
If it were another ghost story, I wouldn't have even tried, but 'Jack's Hamburger' was different.
'If it's a ghost story based on a game... wouldn't time manipulation be possible?'
This is definitely a ghost story inspired by a game. Games always have bugs or cheats. As with all games, there will be a loophole that the developer didn't think of.
Even if I failed, I wouldn't die, I would just start over from the beginning, so it was worth a try.
In the worst case, I would just go back to the first night.
I carefully examined the back of the clock.
There was a small screw there.
It seemed to be for speed control. I slowly turned the screw with my finger.
In an instant, I felt a strange sensation.
It felt like the flow of time itself was changing. The second hand of the clock started to move rapidly.
The ticking sound grew faster and faster, soon turning into a continuous noise.
Now, all that was left was to check the CCTV. Every 3 seconds, I alternated checking the performance stage with the rabbit and wolf, and the Red Room with the lion mask.
The movements of the dolls on the screen had also sped up, but their patterns were still the same.
The rabbit goes from the stage to the kitchen, from the kitchen to the hallway, and from the hallway back to the stage.
The wolf had a similar pattern. I knew their routes and patterns, so it wasn't dangerous.
I watched the screen and controlled the electric door appropriately.
I closed the door when the doll was nearby and opened it again when it moved away. This was to minimize power consumption.
The timing of opening and closing the door also became more precise.
As a result, 6 minutes of real time, and 6 hours of in-game time, had passed. There was still 5% of the power left.
'This is easier than I thought.'
The moment I was about to let out a sigh of relief.
Drrriiiiiing-
A sharp bell sound cut through the silence and rang out.
It was a signal that the second night had begun.
- Hello? Oh, it's the second night! You held up well.
So far, it was exactly as written in the manual. However, Phone Guy started to say things that were different from the lines I knew.
- I'll only tell you important things today. You're still checking the dolls' locations, right?
Good.
Especially today, you need to be careful with the clock on your desk.
Absolutely, really absolutely, don't touch it.
Even if the clock hands have stopped, or time is flowing strangely, don't touch it.
The dolls treasure that thing very much.
In an instant, my whole body felt frozen.
The clock I had just been fiddling with seemed to waver hazily before my eyes.
The second hand of the clock was still moving abnormally fast.
- Last week, a new hire... said the clock was strange and touched it. When he did, the dolls went completely crazy. Usually, they just play around... but that day was different. They really devoured the new hire alive. Well then... let's talk again tomorrow. I hope you're alive!
The phone call ended.
Zzzzt-
A sound like a machine malfunctioning came from somewhere. The CCTV screen flickered for a moment. When the screen became clear again, I couldn't help but gasp.
The rabbit doll was staring directly at the camera. It was a completely different look from before. Its once-cute face was distorted, and its glass bead-like eyes were glowing red.
The wolf, which should have been on the stage, was nowhere to be seen. The lion mask in the Red Room had also left its spot. I hurriedly operated the control panel to close the door.
'Damn it.'
I only realized it now.
'Jack's Hamburger' is a ghost story inspired by a game. Therefore, if you break the rules, you naturally get punished. And judging from Phone Guy's words, that punishment is probably...
"If you get caught, you don't start over... you actually die…."
In short, the act of increasing the speed of time earlier had raised the difficulty level of the ghost story itself.
This was no longer a simple E-rank ghost story. It had become a ghost story of D-rank or higher, by the Foundation's standards, where I had to risk my life.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Ghost Story Difficulty Increased E-rank → D-rank The rules have been violated. The dolls are no longer just playing.
As soon as I let out a low groan, a sound of something banging on the door could be heard. I stared at the firmly closed iron door, sweating cold sweat.
It seemed, I was screwed.