Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Field Investigation Team
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The silence of the isolation room settled heavily.
A space enclosed by gray walls, not a single window in sight. The LED lights overhead emitted a cold, white glow. The only sound filling the space was the ticking of a clock.
The cocoa in my hand had long gone lukewarm. The sweet aroma from the cup the researcher had given me was still there, but it had cooled down during the examination. Still, it was better than nothing. At least it was better than the Almond Water I'd drunk in the Backrooms.
It had already been three hours since the examination ended. The researchers had been meticulously checking my body for any lingering anomalies from the Backrooms or any other abnormalities.
They'd done a skin tissue test, a blood test, even a brainwave scan. They scrutinized every detail as if researching an alien. Fortunately, the results were normal. According to them, my 'Anomaly Contamination Level' was 0%.
'Maybe I can finally get some rest now...'
Just as I was about to yawn, the isolation room door burst open.
"Is this the place?"
A group of unfamiliar faces flooded in. People poured in all at once, like a dam breaking.
The ones in black security uniforms were from the security team. 'Security' was clearly written on their armbands. The researchers in white coats were different faces from the ones who had conducted the examination. And... Deputy Kang Ha-na.
She was still in her neat business suit. She watched the situation unfold with the same calm expression as when we first met.
"Is it true that you escaped the Backrooms in just eight hours?"
One of the researchers in the white coat asked impatiently. His voice was filled with excitement. His eyes were sparkling like a scientist who had discovered a new test subject.
"How was that possible? Do you perhaps have a special ability..."
"No, I just... got lucky."
I answered with an awkward smile. I had to hide the existence of the Talent Shop and the Tracking Incense Set.
If these people found out about those... I'd probably become a 'research subject' myself. I already knew from documents that the Catastrophe Foundation isolates any entity with anomalies.
"Got lucky, you say?"
A Busan dialect rang in my ear. A burly man in a security uniform laughed boisterously and spoke. Sweat was streaming down his neck. He must have run here.
"Luck is a skill too. Escaping the Backrooms in eight hours... You should put that in the Guinness Book of World Records!"
"Hahaha..."
I gave an awkward laugh. This kind of attention was burdensome. I was just a regular new employee, but everyone was looking at me with excited expressions, as if they were dealing with someone who had seen a UFO.
Just then.
"The Head of HR is here!"
All eyes turned to the door. The moderator I had seen at the forum earlier came in.
He was still in a sharp suit. His expression was more solemn than at the forum, but he still wore a gentle smile.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Anomalous data string detected and deleted from the narrative. Proceeding with translation.
"So, you were the top of this recruitment test."
The voice was calm. The tone was relaxed, like talking to an old friend. When I nodded, he continued.
"Normally, we assign departments based on aptitude, but... for the top scorer, you get a choice. Which department would you like to join?"
The atmosphere changed instantly. A tension hung in the air, like when a high-value item appears at an auction.
"Our security team is damn stable. We have a full system in place to handle even the most dangerous ghost stories."
"If you come to the research team, you can work with our state-of-the-art equipment. Our goal is to understand the nature of the ghost stories."
Both sides started pitching their advantages at the same time. Then, Deputy Kang Ha-na stepped forward.
"Our field investigation team is dangerous. We often have to face ghost stories with no manual."
She paused for a moment, then continued.
"However, the compensation is certain. High incentives, and more opportunities for promotion than any other department."
There was no reason to hesitate.
"I'll go to the field investigation team."
To collect Talents, I needed to face ghost stories often. And the place with the most opportunities for that was the field investigation team.
The faces of the security and research team members filled with regret. But they nodded as if they understood. The high salaries and rapid promotions of the field investigation team were famous even within the company.
"Good. Then I will assign you to the 4th team of the field investigation department."
The Head of HR turned to Kang Ha-na.
"Deputy, please take charge of the department orientation."
"Yes, Director."
Kang Ha-na bowed respectfully. After the Head of HR left the isolation room, she spoke to me.
"Get some good rest today. You must have had a hard time all night. Just come to the main office by 9 AM tomorrow."
I nodded. Now, the fatigue was finally starting to wash over me.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I collapsed onto my single bed in my studio apartment.
I didn't even have the strength to take off my suit. The fatigue from the eight-hour Backroom escape finally hit me. I could feel my back was damp with cold sweat, but I didn't even have the energy to shower.
I opened the Talent Shop on my smartphone. 150,000 points. It was a considerable amount of money, but I had no intention of spending it right now.
'It's better to use it when I need it...'
The experience in the Backrooms came to mind. The best thing was to buy what was needed at the moment. There was no guarantee that preparing in advance would be helpful, and it could even be an unnecessary expense.
I thought about writing what happened today on Ghost Story Gallery, but I stopped. My eyelids were heavy. I didn't even have the strength to put down my smartphone.
'Still, I should try writing on Ghost Story Gallery...'
I was tired, but I wanted to share what had happened today with my fellow ghost gallery users. Even if I was exhausted, I felt a sense of duty to share such important information.
I connected to Ghost Story Gallery on my smartphone. I tapped the keyboard as familiarly as always.
─Title) The Backroom Escape Story
─Author) [Baekya(G)]
─Content) I was in the Backrooms until just now, but I escaped in 8 hours. If you have any questions, leave a comment.
Normally, I wouldn't like a title like that. It looked too much like clickbait. But now, it was the truth.
Comments started coming in right away.
[Cryptid(G)]: You escaped in 8 hours? Is that even possible?
[Chomyeon_Obaewon(G)]: How did you get out so fast?
[AnalogueLover(G)]: Damn, that's insane.
They were familiar usernames. Normally, I would have been glad to see them, but now that ghost stories had become reality, I felt complicated.
I slowly tapped the keyboard.
└[Baekya(G)]: It's true. I just came out of the Foundation's isolation room.
└[Hikiko(G)]: The Foundation? You don't mean the Catastrophe Foundation?
└[Baekya(G)]: Yeah, that was the new hire test.
The comments started to blow up. Like poking a beehive, comments were added in an instant.
[AnalogueLover(G)]: A foundation that sends new hires to the Backrooms as a test, and you who cleared it in 8 hours, both are really amazing.
[Cryptid(G)]: But isn't 8 hours genuinely insane? It usually takes months.
[Hikiko(G)]: Do you have any proof that you joined the Foundation?
Various reactions poured out. Some were suspicious, some were surprised. It was a natural reaction. If I had seen someone else write this, I would have been suspicious too.
I continued to answer while avoiding detailed information as much as possible. I could never reveal the existence of the Talent Shop or the Tracking Incense.
└[Baekya(G)]: I got lucky. I found an exit on Level 0.
└[Hikiko(G)]: Were there no entities?
My spine went cold for a moment. The moment I faced the Howler flashed back. The grotesque monster with bulging eyeballs, and the other new hires who were taken away...
└[Baekya(G)]: I saw it briefly on Level 1, but fortunately I avoided it. But the other survivors I met in between might have been caught.
└[Chomyeon_Obaewon(G)]: Damn... that's tough for that new hire... RIP.
└[AnalogueLover(G)]: But since it's the Foundation, do they just throw in the new hires and that's it? They don't come to rescue them later?
└[Cryptid(G)]: Rescue? lol Have you ever read the Foundation's documents? They don't do that kind of thing.
The comment section was quiet for a moment. Everyone must have been thinking about the fate of that new hire. I felt guilty too. I could have asked them to come with me...
[Cryptid(G)]: But you only went to Level 1? You didn't go any deeper?
└[Baekya(G)]: Nah, I didn't need to. I figured the Foundation would have made a connecting passage on Level 0, so I searched around Level 0 and the exit came out.
[Chomyeon_Obaewon(G)]: If you had gone deeper, you probably wouldn't have been able to come back.
[Hikiko(G)]: How many levels does the Backrooms have?
[AnalogueLover(G)]: Officially, a few hundred, I think?
Just as the conversation was getting deeper, someone changed the topic.
[Cryptid(G)]: So, which department were you assigned to?
└[Baekya(G)]: Field investigation team.
[AnalogueLover(G)]: The field investigation team, damn...
[Chomyeon_Obaewon(G)]: Still, if you're in the field investigation team, you'll make good money.
Then, a new comment suddenly appeared.
[Anonymous(112.223)]: Isn't the field investigation team the 'Death Squad' department? lol
I checked the IP, but it was an address I'd never seen before. A veteran user who was logged out? Or just a troll?
[Cryptid(G)]: It's all the same once you join the Foundation anyway.
[Hikiko(G)]: But if you cleared the Backrooms in 8 hours, you have enough skill to survive, don't you?
[AnalogueLover(G)]: Don't worry, you cleared the Backrooms in 8 hours, what's the problem.
[Hikiko(G)]: But if you're in the field investigation team, don't you have to keep facing ghost stories?
The unique atmosphere of the Ghost Story Gallery grew heavier. Normally, they would use light jokes or memes to change the mood, but now that it had become reality, they couldn't do that.
[Chomyeon_Obaewon(G)]: But isn't it bad for a new hire's mental state to be talking about this stuff already?
[AnalogueLover(G)]: Yeah, you're starting work tomorrow, you can't be like this.
[Hikiko(G)]: Don't worry, go to sleep early!
Warm and concerned comments followed. As expected, the ghost gallery users were special.
[Cryptid(G)]: Still, you had a good performance in the hire test, so you'll do well from now on too.
[Hikiko(G)]: For real, if you can escape the Backrooms in 8 hours, you can handle anything.
Just as more comments were about to be added, my eyelids grew truly heavy. I didn't think I could go on.
[Baekya(G)]: I'm tired, so I'll stop here. I have to go to work tomorrow...
└[Chomyeon_Obaewon(G)]: Sleep well.
└[Cryptid(G)]: Tell us the field investigation team story later too.
└[AnalogueLover(G)]: If you're alive, come back lol.
The last comment felt ominous. The phrase 'if you're alive' bothered me, but fatigue washed over me so much that I didn't have time to think about it.
I collapsed onto the bed, still in my suit.
"Ugh..."
My smartphone fell onto the blanket. The fatigue from the eight hours I spent in the Backrooms rushed in all at once. The time I spent running from the Howler, holding my breath from the unidentified sounds.
Still, strangely, I fell into a comfortable sleep today. A deep sleep without any nightmares.
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7 AM.
I woke up to the alarm.
"Ugh..."
My whole body was sore. Because I had fallen asleep in my suit, my shirt was wrinkled, and my back was damp with cold sweat.
'First, let's shower.'
I changed into a new suit and put on a tie. My reflection in the mirror looked unfamiliar.
On the subway to Gangnam Station, the tension wouldn't ease. It was because of the trauma from a week ago. After witnessing the massacre of the Dwarves, I broke out in a cold sweat every time I rode the subway.
'I just can't get used to this.'
Fortunately, it was a normal commute.
"Haa..."
I only let out a sigh of relief after arriving at Gangnam Station. I left the station and headed for the Foundation's main building.
The main building of the Catastrophe Foundation looked like a normal office building. The lobby only had the English logo 'Catastrophe Foundation' hanging.
I took the elevator to the 12th floor. That's where the field investigation team was.
The moment the elevator doors opened, a bright voice could be heard. Deputy Kang Ha-na, whom I had met yesterday, and several unfamiliar faces were standing there.
I approached them and greeted them.
"Good morning."
"Oh."
"Are you the new hire?"
People who were chatting in the office raised their heads and welcomed me.
One man with a gentle-looking face smiled and spoke.
"Welcome to the 4th field investigation team."
Of all teams, I was assigned to the 4th team...
A sense of unease washed over me at the ominous number. Since ancient times in East Asia, the number 4 has been an ominous number symbolizing death. To be assigned to a team with the number 4...
But I quickly shook my head. This wasn't the time to be worried about that kind of thing.
'It'll be fine, right?'
...At least for now, I wanted to believe so.