Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: New Employee First Day — Rules (1)
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Alias: Moderator.
She sat in a room filled with numerous lit monitors, chugging an energy drink.
"I'm not the Moderator! I'm not! How many times do I have to tell you!"
After pounding the keyboard in rage for a while, she muttered under her breath.
"Talking human language to those beastly bastards was my sin. Yeah. My bad was huge... Time to clean house."
She glared at the ones daring to insult her and spout nonsense.
No matter how clearly she explained she wasn't the Moderator, those idiots kept calling her that.
She actually was the Moderator, but that wasn't the point.
['Grad Student 12' has muted 'Forest Calling the Anomalies' for 6 hours.]
['Grad Student 12' has muted 'No Conscience' for 6 hours.]
['Grad Student 12' has muted 'Kyaru is Truth' for 6 hours.]
['Grad Student 12' has muted 'Food Waste Bag' for 6 hours.]
['Grad Student 12' has muted 'Spectator No.1' for 6 hours.]
['Grad Student 12' has muted 'Dark Meter' for 6 hours.]
The brutal ban spree finally came to a halt.
As she surveyed the now somewhat cleaner gallery, her eyes caught a red light flashing.
Normally, she'd just check the name and move on—
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[Anomaly Broadcast: Code 120053]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
"Already?"
She remembered clearing an anomaly less than a day ago.
Another anomaly challenge already?
Even the craziest anomaly junkies knew their lives were precious.
Pulling nonstop like this was impossible without some extraordinary reason.
Getting devoured by an anomaly or horror tale went beyond simple death.
If someone wanted to die, there were plenty of easier ways.
Suddenly, yesterday's post came to mind.
She had blocked it, but...
Maybe there was an unspeakable reason she had to post it.
"Was I too harsh?"
Veterans were already swarming the newb's anomaly broadcast.
[Veteran84]: No way, this guy's jumping into the next anomaly ahead of me, and I've been prepping for a month.
[If You Don't Get It, Meow Cat]: Meow meow meow meow—
[Hopeless Life]: One lucky clear and he's all cocky lol. This is why kids don't cut it lol. Underestimating anomalies. Time to get wrecked and wise up.
└[Not Human]: Fr lol, he'll only snap out of it when half his torso gets blown off. But if bro's right, he won't clear this round either? That newb? Bet 10 coins on him losing, gift to bro.
└[Hopeless Life]: Lmao wtf. Raising to 1000. Newb fails lololol
└[Sky Shattering Emperor]: Crazy bastards gambling here lololol Gallery level lololol
Just then, she tuned into the broadcast.
The newb was approaching what looked like a company building.
The place screamed suspicious at first glance.
Peeling exterior walls, faded sign lettering.
Victim of bad luck getting swept into an anomaly? Nah, ruled that out.
"No way he saw that and still walked in clueless."
***
Someone bumped my shoulder as they passed by me standing at the entrance.
I opened my mouth to say something, then stopped.
On second thought.
It was mostly my fault for blocking the way.
Black hat, face half-covered by a mask.
Only her eyes and ears visible, her brief glance swept toward me.
Cold.
Like it could pierce right through me.
She said nothing and headed inside.
Her outfit alone screamed she wasn't some regular new hire.
Weapons strapped all over her body.
A sharpened combat knife gripped in one hand, ready to stab at any moment.
She stopped walking ahead of me and spoke in a low voice.
"If you don't want to die... stay in the lobby."
"...Pardon?"
She glanced at me briefly, then spoke again.
"You got an acceptance notice from some unknown email yesterday or the day before, right?"
"How did you..."
She paused for a moment, then continued deliberately.
"Anomalous phenomenon zone. Codename Anomaly Zone C-14. Also known as... the 'New Employee First Day Anomaly.'"
Her tone was flat, like someone who'd been through this countless times.
"The company's name, location—everything's randomized. On top of that."
She continued with a sigh mixed in.
"Only people who got the email can enter this place. Outsiders can't even get through the front door or remember the location. That's why it hasn't been properly neutralized yet."
Haa—
"The moment your phone dings with that email and you step into the company, you're trapped in the anomaly. The safest spot, if any, is right here on the first-floor lobby. So just stay put. As long as you don't go upstairs... you should be fine."
She scanned me up and down, then nodded slightly.
"...You seem like a civilian. We'll handle the rest—Suppression Team's got it. Just trust us and wait. We'll neutralize it soon and extract you."
With that, she hopped into the elevator and headed up.
The arrow stopped at the 3rd floor.
Thanks to her, I learned a few things.
This zone was already on the Anomaly Control Bureau's radar, and a so-called Suppression Team had been dispatched for neutralization.
Decided to wait it out like she said.
I had cleared one anomaly before, but no need to get in the pros' way.
The lobby was bigger than expected.
From outside, it looked like it could collapse any second, but inside it was clean, like newly built.
With nothing to do, I bought the 'Recorder's Pen' I'd put off last time.
How does it work?
Rubbing it on paper did nothing.
No ink either.
Just in case, I decided to organize my thoughts on the anomaly in my head.
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Official Designation: Anomalous Phenomenon Zone (Anomaly Zone C-14)
Alias: New Employee First Day Rules
Traits: Company name and location randomized each time.
Status: Full neutralization failed thus far. Anomaly Control Bureau Suppression Team dispatched.
[New Employee First Day — Rulebook]
1. You receive an 'acceptance notice' from a company you've never applied to, via email.
└If you don't suspect it and enter the location, you're caught in the anomaly.
└Notices arrive the day before or two days prior, mostly.
└Only invitees can perceive the notice; non-invitees can't enter the building.
Safe Zone: 1st Floor Lobby
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That's all I knew about this anomaly's rules so far.
After that, I just spaced out, letting time pass.
The morning sky had shifted past noon, now dyed in orange sunset glow.
"Taking a while."
And then.
The moment night fell.
Every light in the lobby blinked out at once.
***
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[Moving to last save point.]
[Most recent save is AUTO SAVE 1.]
['New Employee First Day Anomaly']
[Death Type]: Dissolution.
[Tip]: When business hours end, the company no longer recognizes you as an employee.
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I blinked.
Dead, huh.
Soon, a faint pain bloomed in my shoulder.
Turning my gaze, I saw someone brushing past me.
Black hat, face half-masked.
Eyes met hers again just like before; she tilted her head curiously but kept walking inside without issue.
If my hunch was right, soon.
She stopped ahead and spoke in a low voice.
"If you don't want to die... stay in the lobby."
If I just stood there silent like last time, things would play out the same.
She'd warn me about the anomaly, urge me to stay in the safe zone.
Despite her icy exterior, she'd leave words of reassurance: 'Suppression Team will handle it.'
Judging by her not returning before time ran out, I could guess her fate.
Neutralization failed.
No one had exited the building via the sole exit—the first-floor lobby.
"Acceptance notice from an email in the last two days—"
The moment she started her second line, I cut in first.
"Anomalous phenomenon zone. Codename Anomaly Zone C-14. Also known as the 'New Employee First Day Anomaly.' Only email recipients can enter this building. Outsiders can't get through the entrance or even recall the location despite seeing the signs."
As my explanation continued, her eyes widened behind the mask.
"...Ah.."
Seeing her rattled, I extended my hand and tossed in some credibility boosters.
"My latest mission: neutralized the 'Gyeonggi Gwangju Station Anomaly' with Investigator Kim Sera from the Anomaly Management Foundation."
No way.
I couldn't just use my escape right and abandon the kind woman who tried to help.
"Just call me Alpha."