Chapter 93
Chapter 93
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Instant Maze Horror Tale — Rules (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Desks, chairs, copiers, filing cabinets.
All identical in shape and arrangement.
Not a single one could be distinguished as the 'place I'd been,' even if I returned to it.
It felt just like a maze deliberately designed by someone to make anyone who entered lose their way.
That sensation was evident in the lighting too.
Fluorescent lights placed at perfectly even intervals, without the slightest deviation.
A pathological obsession.
But thanks to that malicious regularity—
The maze became clearer to me instead.
The circular area illuminated by the lights.
That was the 'detection range' of the lights.
The light's glow activated and deactivated perception based on that boundary.
I began drawing a map.
Light — Light
| |
Light — Light
Connecting these four formed a square.
I pictured the Recorder's Pen without its tip in my mind.
Lines connected one by one on invisible paper.
A grid map based on the lights slowly took shape.
If the distance between lights was 'one square.'
The area I'd secured so far by going straight in previous rounds was roughly 127×1 squares.
Ahead of that was blocked by three Human-Faced Dogs.
Pushing further was still impossible.
That was practically the boundary and end of where I could go.
When I paused the Recorder's Pen after moving it for a while.
A single map was complete in my head, with horizontal and vertical lines intersecting.
The shape formed by those aligned lines was—
Familiar.
A go board.
And at my current position, I marked a small dot signifying the start.
This was where it began.
***
My actions were simple.
Explore. And draw the map.
I'd only illuminated a small part of the map so far.
Most of it was unknown territory shaded black.
I picked one of the uncharted directions on the map and walked.
As long as I minded only the squares of light, I didn't need to worry about whether I was still heading straight.
Or if I'd somehow turned somewhere along the way.
I moved within the baseline range, drawing the map.
Until my concentration broke or I was ambushed.
Round 2.
I encountered it shortly after starting exploration.
Next to the copier.
An area not illuminated by the light.
When I turned my head at the rustling sound.
It was already poised to leap at me.
—That was when I first realized.
They could hide in the darkness too.
The lights only activated because they moved.
“……!”
Reflexively, I drew the stick.
And at the same moment, its arm whipped toward me like a lash, slicing through the air.
—Boom!
The partition tore, and the light shook.
Through that gap, my body, unable to withstand the impact, flew back, rolled several times, and barely regained posture.
I looked up.
Its body folded irregularly, bending as if multiple skeletons overlapped.
'It's coming.'
Instant judgment.
I braced one end of the stick on the floor and thrust the other end forward.
Mouth.
Into the center of what could be called its face, the torn slit like a mouth, the shaft plunged.
Kiiiiieeeek—
A scream tore at my ears.
For a moment, its body shuddered.
Did I get it..?
But soon—
I realized it was a misjudgment.
It had bitten the end of the stick.
And with that,
Its entire mouth slid toward me along the shaft.
My whole body was drenched in sweat.
My body was pushed back, slamming into the corner of the copier.
Breath caught in my throat.
A metallic bursting sound echoed from inside its mouth.
Once. Twice.
Crack— Crack—
This time, no such stroke of luck occurred.
The snapping jaws engulfed my body.
My vision went dark.
Round 3
I lasted about twice as long as the previous round.
But because I hadn't managed stamina, my body felt sluggish.
All my nerves strained outward, so I didn't notice the change quickly.
The sensation in my fingertips was subtly delayed.
Muscles reacted a half-beat slow.
And that tiny lag—
Was enough to divide life from death.
I managed to deal with one of the two via ambush.
But after the initial clash, the remaining one changed tactics.
More quietly, more surely.
Fluorescent lights flickered irregularly around me.
With each flash, only glimpses of its black silhouette cut through its speed.
It glided through the space swiftly, contrary to its massive bulk.
Hoo—
I steadied my breath and raised the stick.
I thought I'd grown somewhat accustomed to the movements by now—
But its speed was beyond that.
Differences existed between individuals.
A shadow surged at the edge of my vision.
Sweat slicked my grip.
Stress from prolonged tension.
Contracted muscles.
Everything worked against me.
I swung the stick at what I thought was the optimal timing.
But in reality, it was at least a half-beat slower than I imagined.
Before my arm fully extended—
Its hand struck my wrist first.
Bang!
The stick flew from my hand.
It sailed far, crossing the light's boundary into the darkness.
"...Haa. Fuck."
It approached.
Slowly.
Deliberately, languidly.
As if it knew I couldn't move.
Round 5
This time, I didn't forget water and sugar replenishment.
As info on their paths and spawn points accumulated, avoiding danger zones in advance became possible.
Ambush spots, patrol routes, areas where multiple gathered.
Now I had a grasp on the 'terrain' to some extent.
The problem was—
I'd have to pass through those areas eventually.
To find the exit, I needed to illuminate every zone on the map.
I'd reached the limit line I'd set, albeit in a different direction.
I turned and headed the opposite way.
Illuminating the remaining unknown areas one by one.
Like lifting fog in an old 2D game.
One square, then another.
Each time the light revealed, the unknown space unveiled a bit more.
The Anomalous Tale Gallery users helped too.
[파천황]: Newb, light flickering at 6 o'clock from your right.
[Crazy Woman]: Another chocolate in the drawer?
[Narita]: ...! Be careful!
Without the chat window's help, it would've been even harder.
Still—
I was starting to feel the limits of going solo.
Human concentration had its bounds.
Even with their help, it wasn't instantaneous.
Chat was just chat.
If I didn't read it, warnings meant nothing.
They couldn't send voice messages or anything—viewers weren't supported for that.
In the end, one person maintaining alert for 24 hours straight was near impossible.
My sense of time dulled.
At some point, my eyelids grew heavy.
My body slowed, thoughts dragged.
'Just one minute rest.. then again..'
That brief thought was the problem.
How much time passed.
When consciousness returned, the fatigue filling my body was strangely gone.
“……?”
I opened my eyes and looked around.
The scenery had changed.
The open drawer was closed, and I no longer felt the weight of my bag.
Everything had reverted to pre-regression state.
Only then did I understand.
I'd fallen asleep without realizing.
And at the same time, I realized.
What it meant for the 'lights to go out' here.
Fatigue-induced drowsiness turned off the lights.
When lights vanished, darkness came.
And in darkness, senses dulled.
That blocked mental reawakening.
Meaning, I'd never wake again.
I felt the need for comrades.
Someone to keep the lights on in my stead.
Slowly, I compiled the rules discovered so far.
Rule 3. Human-Faced Dog
- Living creatures roaming the office, extremely sensitive to light.
- Physical abilities roughly five times an adult male's; avoid combat if possible.
- Possess partial intelligence; requires caution.
- Have intelligence to hide in darkness. (New!)
- Beware of ambushes even in unlit areas. (New!)
Rule 4. Food in the office. (New!)
- Some food existing in this office space is edible.
- Confirmed foods: chocolate, candy, water.
***
Except for early rounds, I moved quickly from then on.
The map filled out steadily, and path efficiency improved accordingly.
'Safe zones' for rest—
Areas with minimal anomalous activity—were mapped to some extent.
This time, I finally chose the path I'd been putting off.
The first round's site—thunderous roar, vibrations, and the light explosion.
I headed to that center.
I'd considered attempts after, but nearby anomalies prevented approach.
Too high failure risk.
But now, the situation differed.
Their paths, reaction patterns, movement cycles.
All vividly mapped in my head.
Using previous round memories, I quickly grabbed water bottles, chocolate bars, a few candies from nearby desks.
Tied my shoelaces tight so they wouldn't come loose.
The estimated distance to the light-burst spot was quite far.
Not enough time walking.
They reacted not to 'sound' anyway.
To light.
After running for a while, I spotted something.
In front of a desk, a person stood.
Completely unlike a Human-Faced Dog.
Slender build, motionless posture.
So at first, I mistook her for one of the dead applicants.
That area's light was off, and she hadn't stirred.
But as I took one more step, her head turned slowly at my footsteps.
Black, round eyes.
Gaze like it'd lost its light.
Head tilted awkwardly downward.
It was the girl from the auditorium.
The 'Contractor Girl.'
I didn't relax just because she seemed harmless.
Earlier, she'd stood in darkness unaffected.
Even now, that ominous shadow from the auditorium faintly swirled around her.
Slowly tilting to one side.
'Considering even a slim possibility—'
Gurgle—
A small sound sliced the silence.