Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Is Part-Time Work Supposed to Be Like This?
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'Is the convenience store interview at nine in the morning.'
I checked the clock. It was still seven fifty.
I'd arrived way too early.
It wouldn't hurt to go ahead of time—
'But do I have to?'
It would just make things awkward for both of us.
The sky was clear, and the breeze was cool.
Perfect for a walk.
"It's chilly."
Standing around felt awkward, so I headed to a nearby café.
The automatic door slid open smoothly, and the scent of coffee wafted over.
I opened my wallet and checked the balance.
Fortunately, I had just enough left for an Americano.
"A hot one, please."
I took the cup and headed to a seat by the window.
I leaned back against the chair and took a sip of the coffee.
Warmth spread through me.
As the bitter taste hit my tongue, I recalled the conversation from earlier.
I'd turned down Gamble Black, saying I had no interest in gambling.
I'd also firmly refused any mentor-disciple relationship.
Not that saying it had done any good.
Now, just the word "gambling" made me recoil.
It was a kind of post-nut clarity.
Like I'd gotten it out of my system.
More importantly.
I checked the time.
About an hour left until the interview.
Today's interview was at the convenience store.
Tomorrow's was at the café.
'I'd love to pass both, but honestly, landing even one would be lucky.'
If I passed, I'd have to start working right away.
Better to prepare my mind in advance.
I took another sip of coffee and pulled out my phone.
[Title: Morning]
—Author: Newb120053
(Photo)
Leisure.
I just posted a mundane daily life shot with no real meaning.
Then I stared blankly at the screen.
I liked the comments pouring in one by one.
[Crazy Woman]: Café location pinpointed.
└[Newb120053]: ..Huh?
Just a joke, probably.
I killed time like that until suddenly.
I remembered the video I'd only watched halfway last time.
My hand naturally moved to the broadcast tab.
It was the human-faced dragon and the centipede(?) thing, right?
What was that code again.
A moment of scrolling later, my finger stopped.
I remembered.
[76353] [99324]
I immediately hit the button for that broadcast.
This wasn't just killing time.
For me, beyond simple entertainment, there was another purpose.
Watching videos was a form of 'information gathering.'
I never knew when or how I'd get dragged into something.
That's why I needed to collect this kind of data bit by bit.
Saying it out loud was bumming me out.
I took another sip of coffee.
The bitterness washed away the bitterness in my mouth.
I set the cup down and looked at my phone.
The screen lit up.
***
A short loading chime played, and subtitles appeared over the black screen just as it was about to start.
Truth be told, I'd never watched anyone else's攻略 video besides my own.
'...Excluding the one from last time.'
That was more of an accident video than a攻略.
I didn't have time to watch the entire broadcast.
My time was limited.
Until the interview.
If I pre-paid for the broadcast, I could rewind.
It seemed to still be ongoing.
I pulled the time forward to the part I'd seen last time and hit play.
Information gathering could wait for later.
A misty flow spread over the black screen.
Soon, the damp screen slowly brightened, revealing a man inside.
He was walking toward a lake.
Then—
The screen suddenly went pure white.
A short noise sound followed, and the ground shook violently.
It was only a few seconds.
When the light faded, the man turned around in shock.
And—
"Fuck!!! Fuck!!! You fucking fuck!!! Why the hell is a human-faced dragon coming out of the lake!!!"
His voice was almost a scream.
At the edge of his view.
The center of the lake.
A dragon with a human face slowly raised its head above the water.
Eyes stained with blood.
Eyebrows and skin that resembled a human's.
But mixed with scales and flesh, it was no longer human or beast.
The anomaly control agency agents standing at the lake's edge.
The moment they confirmed its appearance, they dropped all their equipment and fled in every direction.
[Poison Needle Pufferfish]: Total disaster.
That single line of chat summed it all up.
Exactly as it said.
The neutralization operation had failed.
From the start, when the strongest-looking guy bolted the moment he saw the 'human face' in the lake, the outcome was sealed.
Of course, I understood.
If I'd been there, I would've run too.
Honestly, it looked pretty damn scary.
The face itself clearly resembled a human.
But it was the face of something mimicking a human.
That 'almost similar yet off' face created an uncanny valley.
And when it opened its mouth.
Hundreds of human teeth inside writhed and gnashed like they were biting each other.
It was clearly trying to 'speak.'
But no matter how you listened, it wasn't a human voice.
The silver lining.
The monster only chased that one fleeing man to the end.
So no other casualties.
But the area around the lake was already ruins.
Mud waves like tides,
Overturned vehicles,
Smashed equipment.
It looked like a wrathful 'god' had rampaged.
The human-faced dragon crossed the lake, gouging the earth and devouring buildings.
Even just watching the video made it hard to breathe.
'Can they even catch that thing?'
Just then, breathing came from the screen.
'Ha… huff, ha…!'
Harsh breaths, and the screen shook wildly.
Something burst up from behind like an explosion of water.
Not ripples.
The entire lake surged.
Kwaaaang!!
The screen followed the man's gaze upward to the sky.
Water droplets splashed across the screen.
The man looked up.
At the edge of his view—
The human-faced dragon was charging at him at insane speed.
The dragon's pupils rolled back,
And human laughter exploded from its mouth.
An old man. A young woman. A boy. A middle-aged man.
Dozens of voices, impossible to pin down.
—Hahahahaha… ha, hahaha!!
—Heheheheheek!!
—Kekeke, kuhuhuhu!!
—Hehehe, hahahahaha!!
—Huhuhu… haha… hehehehe!!
The voices overlapped.
Some sounded like sobs, others like screams.
All of them felt eerily 'joyful.'
Blood-mixed spray soaked the ground.
The man's retreating shoe sank into the mud.
A massive water crash echoed from behind.
Kwachik, splash, kwaang!
I couldn't breathe.
The view kept shaking.
Streetlights flickered on and off.
Finally, the man stumbled and fell.
A face filled the screen above the water.
The dragon's eye blinked.
In front of the man's face.
Blood dripped from its mouth.
It slowly opened wide.
Crack—
—…Got you.
—Thanks for the meal—!!!!
At that moment, I turned off the video.
Whew.
Truth be told.
I don't handle horror movies well.
This was no different; it was too hard to keep watching.
He looked like he was about to die any second.
Hoo—
I exhaled the tension that had built up while watching.
Since there was still some video time left.
There must be a follow-up.
Still… better to stop here for today.
'Too much.'
Good thing I was watching alone.
If someone had been next to me.
They definitely would've said something when I quit midway.
I chuckled.
At the pointless hypothetical.
I lifted the coffee cup for a sip and slowly moved my finger.
And.
I hit play on the second video I'd bought.
[99324]
After a short loading chime, the screen faded to dark dawn light.
I dragged the timeline forward with my fingertip.
Skipping straight to the scene I'd seen.
At the paused playback point.
A woman in a black suit stood on the rooftop railing.
The wind blew.
Her hair slowly scattered in the air.
The city was engulfed in gray fog.
No sounds, no lights, no signs of people.
Then.
Something passed through the fog somewhere—
A long, blurry shape.
Things that looked like legs, dozens or hundreds tangled together.
The city's lights went out in an instant, and the screen shook.
She muttered.
"Did I… just see something? Hehe…"
The woman looked over the railing, let out an awkward laugh, and turned around.
"Anyone… see that thing pass through the fog just now?"
"If you did… please tell me it was a dream. I saw it too. Please, please, please."
[Happy Storage]: Haha, nope. Reality.
She gave a dejected smile at the anomalous gallery user's reality check comment.
And behind her—
A massive shape slowly revealed itself.
The fog parted and tore in one direction.
From the gap.
A gigantic centipede twisted its body and crawled out.
Silently.
As the fog cleared, the shape sharpened.
Hundreds of eyeballs packed into each oily segment.
And what I'd thought were legs…
Up close, they were crudely woven from human arms and legs.
Then the eyeballs swiveled in unison.
Focusing on her turned back.
Seeming oblivious to the situation.
The woman slapped her face with her palms, trying to pull herself together.
Clap clap—
The ground shook.
Her shadow beneath her feet slowly.
Being absorbed into the centipede's legs.
"Ugh…! Goosebumps."
[Happy Storage]: Behind you.
"Yes?"
[Happy Storage]: Look… behind.
"Behind?"
[Happy Storage]: You crazy bitch! Behind!
[Happy Storage]: Stop watching! Turn around NOW!!!
By the time she turned with a puzzled look—
It was already too late.
A black shadow blanketed the entire rooftop.
And—
Kwaaaaaang!!
The screen flashed like an explosion.
An enormous sound.
For a moment, all sound vanished from the screen.
After a bit.
Something leaked in from off-screen.
It sounded like human voices…
'What happened? No way.'
Then.
Beep, beep, beep—
An alarm rang.
[08:50][Time for part-time interview]