Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Newbie Protector (1)
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⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Until the occurrence of '██ ███'.
10 hours 00 minutes ago.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The evening hour that could be called the epitome of a debauched life.
I'd spent the entire day lying in bed.
If you were to ask what I was doing lying in bed.
It's only natural to answer...
Gallery searching—a routine that's now become part of my daily life, as essential as breathing.
Swipe—
Swipe—
My dopamine-addicted thumb frantically scrolls down the screen...
But it's all stuff I've already seen.
Nothing but posts I've already read catch my eye.
'All read already.'
That doesn't mean I'm just lying there aimlessly. I have a plan, you see. I'm a man with plans.
Swipe—
How much time had passed?
I checked the time on the screen.
'PM 09:21' jumped into view.
If I head out now...
"I'll arrive just in time."
Bidding farewell to my bed—which feels like a second skin—I did a quick wash-up, changed clothes, and headed straight out the door.
......
Swipe—
In the meantime, I checked if any new posts had gone up on the ghost story gallery.
And right on cue.
A fresh post caught my eye.
'It dropped!'
📰 Breaking News
<Insomnia Cure from Browsing Ghost Story Gallery—Sharing Spot>
"......"
For a moment, I thought it was a post I'd written.
I shoved my stubbornly clingy smartphone into my pocket.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Until the occurrence of '██ ███' ghost story.
09 hours 39 minutes ago.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
There's a famous saying out there in the world.
—Outside the blanket is dangerous.
And that's pretty much established fact.
If you're asking about the source...
Check NamuXki.
Anyway, outside the blanket is dangerous.
But there's something even more dangerous in this world.
No one would deny this part, I'm sure.
Right away...
money.
Money.
Without money, your right to survival inside the blanket is threatened.
So, to protect that right to survival.
Knowing full well that it requires effort, today too, I set foot here for that money.
Step—
In this job market plagued by fierce competition lately.
I pushed through the hordes of rivals.
And snagged one of the few spots left.
That spot was!!
Beep—
"6,300 won."
Night shift at the convenience store.
I'd started it thinking I'd only do it until I landed a real job.
But life doesn't go according to plan.
Already, half a year has passed as of today.
That doesn't mean I haven't been knocking on the doors of the job market at all.
It's just that despite my persistent visits, they're not opening the door.
Beep—
"1,200 won."
Still, the biggest perk of sticking with this convenience store for over half a year is this:
After midnight, customer visits drop off sharply.
Fewer customers means more free time.
And with free time, I squeeze in some studying here and there.
And the current time.
AM 00:01.
That time has arrived.
The hour when foot traffic at the convenience store grinds to a halt.
From midnight until 3 AM, no customers are expected.
After that, it's basically free time.
I pulled out the books and stationery I'd packed in my bag, finished prepping to study, and then...
......
......
......
Grabbed my smartphone.
Swipe—
My dopamine junkie thumb finally got to its main gig, something it'd been holding back on till now.
Swipe—
Swipe—
With the books and stationery propped up for show right in front of me.
I turned my gaze, as always during these night shifts, to that 'gallery'—the real treasure you can only find at hours like this.
The gallery packed with original ghost stories that brought a fresh paradigm to my otherwise boring life.
Featuring bizarre phenomena that don't exist in the world.
Or rather, couldn't possibly exist.
And ghost stories crafted to individual tastes.
All recorded in that gallery space.
<Ghost Story Apocalypse>
Beyond the diverse ghost stories, there's more.
💬 Various Elements
The existence of an organization managing heterogeneous entities (ghost stories).
Other factions that follow ghost stories.
And named characters as captivating as the ghost stories themselves.
Lately, there's even a rumor circulating about a mobile game based on <Ghost Story Apocalypse> being developed. Hearing that the works I enjoy are doing so well made my shoulders lift with pride. "......Huh? What's this." But every now and then. Since it's a site used by tons of people. Low-quality ghost stories that look like some elementary kid slapped them together get posted.
— /Ghost Story Apocalypse
Title: Newbie Protector Author: Anonymous (115.170) I save newbies who fall into ghost stories Just save 'em. Anyway, saving 'em No matter the ghost story, the rescue agent always wins Just a newbie. This guy's the primordial ghost story. If you argue back, everything I say is right Ghost story ratings are meaningless to him.
Beyond elementary-level trash.
This was straight-up dogshit, a ramble of nonsense.
Didn't they read the notice?
Of course, comments on this half-assed setting dump weren't going to be kind—and sure enough, there were already dozens attached.
💬 Total Comments: 68
— Anonymous
Jammin, fuck off. You won't grow tall like bro.
— Anonymous
Read the damn notice before you post, you fuck
↳ Reply
I did already?
↳ Reply
You little shit...... I did too
— Anonymous
Yeah, do whatever the hell you want, kid.
— Anonymous
This is fucking hilarious lol
↳ Reply
Jammin's so cute
A few comments welcomed this kind of post.
But most were loaded with curses—pure provocation.
'This poster's not gonna write again for a while.'
Having eaten every insult in the book.
I was sure they wouldn't post anymore. But at the very bottom of the comments, this was written:
⭐ Top Comment
— Anonymous
This post's author just uploaded a new post. Go check it if you want.
For real?
After getting flamed like that.
And they posted again?
This guy... is the real deal.
I couldn't help but think they get off on posting this crap.
It was almost awe-inspiring.
Tap tap—
I lightly tapped the author's nickname and headed straight to check the new post.
The title of the fresh post was this:
—'Newbie Rescue Agent' Recruitment Notice.
It seemed to continue from the previous post.
Views: 0
No one else had seen it yet, it seemed. Feeling like the first commenter, I moved my finger toward the post.
'Can't resist being first!'
But when I tapped it, instead of the post page...
?
It jumped to some other popup window.
The new window greeted me with garish light blooms and a crudely made 'job ad'.
📢 Job Ad
『!You Can Get Hired Too!』 —Newbie Protector— ★Urgently Hiring★ One click and you're an official employee! <Newbies desperately need your help.> Save the newbies right now!
Well... that's pretty well made.
Unnecessarily so.
It looked a bit sloppy, sure.
But with this level of effort, I had a 0.00001% thought of 'maybe click it once?'
But I can't let some tiny curiosity drain my already pitiful bank account.
Wait, who knows?
Maybe they'll see my tear-jerking balance and toss me some cash?
Swipe—
But even my thrill-seeking thumb was steering clear of the popup.
Yeah, I acknowledge the effort.
As clickbait, it was perfectly staged.
So now, time to close it.
Before leaving this weird popup open too long invites some disaster, I went to shut it down.
Slide—
?
A sinister shadow loomed over me as I stared at my phone.
I slowly looked up.
A man in a black hat and white mask was peering down at me.
!
Startled by the sudden intruder, the moment my eyes met his...
"Ch-checkout."
"......Ah."
The moment I saw the man's timid voice and the three soju bottles on the counter.
Cus...tomer?
I belatedly realized this shady-looking guy was just a customer checking out.
My face flushed red.
We exchanged awkward glances, and I picked up the soju bottles on the counter.
Beep—
"...5,700 won."
I rang him up.
After handling the surprise customer visit.
I calmed my startled heart and naturally lifted the hand holding my smartphone to check.
Unlike moments ago, a simple line now filled the screen.
[Thank you for applying.]
"......Ah."
......
......
......
Just... let's study.
I sat down, picked up the decorative pen, and started studying.
But as expected, nothing stuck in my head that dawn.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Until the occurrence of '██ ███' ghost story.
06 hours 22 minutes ago.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Current time: AM 06:05.
My hazy night shift at the convenience store finally wrapped up.
I trudged back to my studio apartment in a crappy mood.
There won't be any issues, right?
No, there better not be.
Please, there must not be.
These days, the world's overrun with sophisticated cybercrime.
Before I even set foot on the job hunt battlefield.
I can't get tangled in some crime and end up stepping into prison instead of a company.
With every step toward my studio, that nagging unease grew.
Ding—!
?
A vibration from my pants pocket—I checked my phone.
A text had arrived:
— Web Sender
『Hello. Congrats on passing 'Newbie Protector'. Please clock in right away upon receiving this.』
...What the hell is this?
The font was glitched, hard to read at a glance, but the gist was simple.
(Alert) Newbie Protector Passed (Congrats)
I stared blankly at the text for a while.
Swallowed dryly.
Blinked my parched eyes.
Rolled my frozen brain as hard as I could over that one short message.
And the conclusion I reached:
Prank text.
Aka 'spam'.
'Yeah, probably spam.'
With that in mind, I quickened my pace toward the studio.
The text didn't specify any location.
That settled it.
Even if it was a 'congrats on passing' text.
Without a location, there was nothing I could do.
So I just needed to get home right now.
And flop onto my other skin, the bed.
Step—
20 steps to the studio.
The closer I got, the more my tension eased.
And the moment I saw the front door.
I felt relieved.
I punched in the code on the door lock, grabbed the handle, and opened it.
But inside...
No plush bed in sight.
In the empty space.
An endless corridor stretched into view, no end in sight.
"......"
As I stared at the impossible scene with my own eyes, a loud voice pounded my eardrums.
✨ CONGRATULATIONS! ✨
'Kim Min-hyuk' Employee
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Newbie Protector ghost story has occurred. Work hours check-in begins now. 00:00:01 00:00:02 00:00:03