The Sole Manager of the Basement
Korea is in an uproar, and the whole world is watching!
I threw myself into the hole to escape Floor -1 — and landed on Floor -2.
No. This isn't better at all!
I've only gone deeper!
"Still… I'm alive…"
Alive is what matters, right?
Honestly, I thought I was done for. One more second of hesitation and that thing would have caught me from behind — and I would have been in for something truly filthy.
So… so thirsty…
After hours of running without a proper rest, my body went limp and my throat burned with thirst. I wanted something — anything — to drink, but all I had was this yellowish liquid.
What had they called it again? Almond Water?
It's safe to drink… right?
I cracked the lid. A rich, nutty aroma rose to meet me.
"What is this?! It's delicious!"
Gulp! Gulp!
Almond Water is amazing! Light and nutty, it even fills you up!
"So this is a recovery item."
Vitality flooded back into my body. The fatigue melted away, and the thirst and hunger vanished in an instant.
…Anyway. Where the hell was I?
Unlike Floor -1, with its endless corridor of nothing, Floor -2 almost looked normal. Dozens of computers frozen on blue screens, desks, cubicle partitions — it felt like a company office. The only sound was the whir of PC coolers spinning in the dark.
Ding!
Fill out the application form.
🎁 Reward: Almond Water ×1
🎁 Reward: Manager Authority
※ Caution: Every field must be completed without omission.
Another objective. So if I just fill out an application, I'm done?
This paper looked like the form — about five pages. Why is an application this long?
Congratulations.
You have survived and been registered as a Manager Candidate.
Please complete the fields below to finish the Manager application process.
The applicant bears full responsibility for any disadvantages incurred by providing false information.
"False information? So if I lie, I die…!"
Normally a résumé or personal statement needs a little seasoning of bullshit to really come alive… but here, it looked like pure, unvarnished truth was the only way to survive.
Fine. Let's try it. How hard can it be?
Name:
Age:
Place of Origin:
Mental Stability:
Physical Contamination:
Ego Loss Rate:
"Uh… what?"
Name, age, place of origin — those were easy. But Mental Stability? Physical Contamination? And I had absolutely no idea what my Ego Loss Rate even was.
"False information… disadvantages…"
Meaning I had to figure these out accurately and write them down!
How the hell am I supposed to know any of this?
Full panic. A completely insane situation where I had to measure my own ego loss rate — a number I didn't even know I had.
Clues. There have to be clues somewhere in here.
I'd already survived by throwing myself into a hole with death on my heels. This place had to have an escape hatch too.
"Found it…!"
Among the countless monitors locked on blue screens, one workstation was completely dark. That had to be it. I sprinted over and powered the computer on.
—Kyaaaaaaaaa!!!!
"W-what the—"
The second the dead computer came alive, a scream tore through the air.
—Kyaa… kyaaaaaaa!
The scream was getting closer. It was coming this way.
Shit! I-I need that info — now!
Just as the sound closed in to arm's length, the boot sequence finished and the screen lit up. Across it, in massive letters, was exactly the information I needed.
Mental Stability:91.07%
Physical Contamination:2.13%
Ego Loss Rate:77.99%
"KYAAAAAAAA!"
"…!"
Mental Stability 91.07 percent! Physical Contamination 2.13 percent! And… Ego Loss Rate… right! 77.99!
Committed to memory. Time to get out of here — now!
I tumbled between the cubicle partitions and finally got a look at whatever was screaming.
It was a monster in a suit. Where a head should have been sat a giant sphere. Its arms and legs were so long that the business suit looked like short sleeves and shorts.
"Ah… ahhh… work…"
It collapsed into the chair and stared blankly at the screen. I must have forced it onto the clock by turning the computer on. So that gut-wrenching scream had just been… an office worker's lament?
Even anomalies hate commuting. Who knew.
Sorry, Salaryman Mister. I didn't have a choice.
I needed that info, and clocking you in was the only way!
Anyway — data secured. Write it down before I forget!
Next section…
Kin Kill Count:
Survivor Encounter Count:
Entity Hunt Count:
This one was simple. Zero murders. Zero survivor encounters. I still didn't know what an Entity was, but the only thing I'd ever properly killed in my life was mosquitoes — so zero again!
A perfect trifecta of inexperience. At this rate I was practically a virgin of the body-and-mind.
Straight to the next section!
1. I prefer to be alone.
(Yes) (No)
2. I prefer dark places.
(Yes) (No)
3. A few sacrifices are only natural.
(Yes) (No)
4. I would not hesitate to kill in order to survive.
(Yes) (No)
5. I would be willing to send my family here in my place.
(Yes) (No)
What is this.
All no. The questions themselves were gross.
1. What is the death that remains most vivid in your memory?
2. What is the choice you most regret?
3. Who do you most want to see right now?
4. State your reason for wanting to become the Basement Manager.
"The death that remains most vivid…"
Probably when our family dog died.
Biggest regret: middle school, getting swept up in the moment and confessing in public. Got rejected and cried for ages.
Who I most want to see right now: my family.
And the last question… what was I supposed to write?
4. State your reason for wanting to become the Basement Manager.
Answer: Because I want that sweet, cushy life.
Yeah. That was right. I still had no idea what a Basement Manager even did, but it had to beat running for my life like this.
I wanted that easy ride. Desperately.
"Almost done."
I flipped to the last page of the application.
Check all that apply.
□ I will not hesitate to kill in the course of my duties.
□ I understand that Entities are valuable assets.
□ The rules are more important than anything else and must be absolutely obeyed.
□ The basement is the most comfortable place, and I do not wish to escape.
□ The outside world is dangerous, and I wish to work as Manager until I die.
※ If you do not agree, you cannot become Manager.
"Whoa."
Those contract terms were vicious. I have to kill people to be a basement janitor? Are you kidding me?! And what's this about not wanting to escape???
I very much, passionately, want out of this hell!
"But if I don't do it, I die. So no choice."
I checked every box with tears in my eyes. Better to become Manager and live than get murdered by Salaryman Mister on Floor -2!
Select the thing most unnecessary in the basement.
1. Limbs
2. Intelligence
3. Heart
4. Humanity
Pick the most unnecessary thing? I need all of them!
But… better to lose humanity than limbs, brains, or a heart, right?
"Done!"
Every blank on the Manager Application was filled. Did that clear the second quest?
Ding!
Manager Application complete.
Rewards will now be granted.
One bottle of Almond Water, identical to the one I'd just drunk. And Manager Authority.
What even was Manager Authority?
"Huh!?"
Ding! Ding! Di-ding!
The chimes kept cascading like a fanfare. How badly did this thing want to celebrate?
Ding!
◈ Breakroom Key provided!
◈ Leave applications now available!
◈ Gallery Peeping unlocked!
◈ Mental Filter applied!
"…Ohhh."
In my hand: not a graduation lanyard, but a Breakroom Key. Plus a leave application form and Gallery Peeping access. And last… Mental Filter?? What was that?
You areJi Cheonwoo
Job?:Basement Manager!
Level?:-2
Ability?:Manager Authority!
Special Trait:Human (90% Human)
The status window had changed. I had a job now. And an ability.
And…
My humanity dropped by nine percent.
Why?! Did becoming Manager mean I'd already given up on being a person?
"Breakroom first…"
I held the Breakroom Key to one of the doors on Floor -2, and it opened straight into the Breakroom.
One ancient fridge. One table. One chair. A sink with running water.
That was it. An actual breakroom.
And what's this leave application?
The moment the thought formed, a form floated up in front of me.
Available Leave = 1 day
Would you like to apply for leave?
So I could leave the Tower for a day? Then I was leaving right now!
"Yes! Using leave!"
My body lifted as if weightless, and everything went black.
Thud!
"Ugh…!"
When I opened my eyes again, I was on the same street I'd been walking with Jihye. Late evening.
Home. I have to get home first.
Leave was one day. Meaning the moment it ran out, I'd be yanked back into the Tower basement.
And what did I need to do with that one-day grace period?
Stock essentials and survival gear…!
The Breakroom seemed safe. I had to turn it into a forward base!
I sprinted for home. My parents might faint when they saw what I'd become — but there was no time!
I had twenty-three hours and fifty-six minutes left!
Whump—!
"Oh my, are you all right?"
"Ghk… I'm fine!"
I'd slammed into a very tall older girl while racing home. Her chest was enormous!
"Sweetie, are you lost?"
"No! I know the way home!"
"Oh dear. It's late — be careful, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
I'd never seen that unnie in the neighborhood before. She was ridiculously pretty. No — no time to stare! Home. Now!
"Mom! Mom, it's me! I'm back!"
"Huh…? You're not… Cheonwoo? We don't have a daughter. Who are you?"
"It's me! Ji Cheonwoo! The son who got a nosebleed fighting a girl in kindergarten at six! The one they called you in for after he jumped off the second floor in elementary school! The one who confessed in middle school, got rejected, and cried so hard he refused to go to class! The one who wrecked his ligaments falling off a unicycle in high school! Want more? College and military stories are actually classified."
"N-no. Our Cheonwoo is a boy… mid-twenties… and this little girl is supposed to be him?"
"Mom! There's no time to explain! I'm screwed!"
The perfectly healthy son who'd finished his military service had come home a half-day later as a pretty young girl. And from the looks of it, the news that I'd been dragged into the Tower had made them so happy they'd ordered chicken!
While I was getting my ass kicked in the Tower basement, they ate chicken without me!?
"Of course we were happy our son went into the Tower! Becoming a climber means you've made it in life! Mom believed our son — or, well, daughter now? — would succeed and come back. I just didn't expect you to come back as a little girl."
"There's a reason for all of it. I'll explain later. For now…"
Pack a bag. Pack a suitcase. Prep to survive…
Wait. What was that?
Why was the Tower basement on the news?
I drifted toward the TV with a chicken drumstick in hand and turned up the volume.
"…"
I just got dragged into the basement.
And Korea is in an uproar — the whole world is watching!?
Something. Something big is going down!