Chapter 25
Chapter 25
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Final Trigger
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Our eldest Bear Doll's overwhelming physical prowess allowed us to shake off those Black Ash bastards....
But we couldn't keep running from them forever.
The longer this chase with those things dragged on, the more disadvantageous it became for us.
=======
/Ghost Story Log
[Black Ash]
:Identification Code Cd-D-111-1
Another variant observed alongside the Match Girl ghost story.
This variant occurs when two or more intelligent beings enter the current ghost story.
The subject stated that there was no great difficulty in shaking them off, using a healthy adult male as the benchmark.
-New anomaly observed in Black Ash.
Confirmed that the number of individuals continues to increase over time.
*Total observed individuals so far:
-1111.
=======
A thousand? No way.
It was an absurd number that had long surpassed any reasonable limit.
That's why Park Yeon-jeong focused even more on what he could do right now.
Click.
The revolver-shaped item he'd been holding in his hand since earlier.
Final Trigger.
My fate hung on this guy.
This item had cost a whopping 26.66 million won to purchase. It was the most expensive item currently in his possession.
Naturally, against enemies relying on sheer numbers like this, the most useful item had to be...
Thousands of Gazes might be perfect.
But... that item was off-limits.
No explanation needed.
It just wasn't an option.
If Park Yeon-jeong ever used Thousands of Gazes again that day...
It would be the day every inch of his body was torn apart.
Why those gazes had let him live back then instead of killing him was still a mystery.
Well, good is good, right?
He'd survived, and that was what mattered.
His gaze returned to the revolver in his hand.
And then.
Wipe wipe wipe wipe wipe!
He begged.
He begged desperately.
Please, pleeease... just not 'white'! He clutched the revolver tightly and prayed fervently.
=======
/Item List
Final Trigger.
(Check today's fortune!)
Point the muzzle at your head!
Pull the trigger!
Experience the thrill of checking your daily fortune!
(You won't die, so don't worry^^.)
What color is your personal color today?
White? Red? Orange? Yellow? Green? Blue? Indigo? Purple?
...Or black?
Don't be too disappointed if you don't get the color you want.
We have tomorrow!
Usage: Provides a random bullet. (Once per day. Resets at midnight.)
*Each bullet possesses strange powers, but remember that some only activate upon hitting the target. (You all passed marksmanship in the military, right?)
*Note: The white bullet is a 'dud.'
=======
White is absolutely out!
It's a dud!
As long as any color comes out, even the most basic one, he could turn this situation around.
And among all those colored bullets, the one he wanted most right now was purple.
=======
/Final Trigger
[Purple Bullet]
:Absolute Obedience. (Inflicts intense mental charm on the target hit by the bullet. A shy bullet.)
*The bullet must embed firmly in the target's body for the full effect to activate.
=======
This bullet could make the Match Girl submit in an instant.
Then he could command her to recall all those countless Black Ash chasing him.
And with the Match Girl in a obedient state, sealing her in the Quill Pen wouldn't be too hard.
So please!
Come on out, purple!
Ah... no.
He corrected himself.
Please come out, Mr. Purple!!!
Without hesitation, Park Yeon-jeong pointed the muzzle at his own head and pulled the trigger.
Click.
Not a ear-piercing gunshot. A rather limp, deflating trigger pull.
Whoosh!
From the barrel where a bullet should have fired, a small flag popped out flapping.
The color of the flag that emerged from the barrel was.
<Yellow>
It wasn't the purple he wanted.
But not white, so that was a relief.
He immediately checked the revolver's cylinder and confirmed the yellow bullet loaded in the next chamber.
He felt a bit relieved.
The yellow bullet was a single shot.
Just one chance.
As Park Yeon-jeong pondered the optimal strategy for the current situation...
...Ah, right.
He belatedly realized he hadn't come here alone.
"Bear Doll."
?
He lightly patted the head of the Bear Doll costume he'd been wearing and asked our Bear Doll in a playful tone.
"You gotta be the decoy for me."
?!?!
*****
Crackle.
【...Boring.】
The Match Girl's embers, which had been burning red until moments ago, dimmed slightly.
Because the current situation bored her.
【Aaaah~~~ I wonder when they'll get caught.】
As she cooled off a bit and stomped her blackened feet...
Patter patter patter!
In the distance, she spotted a massive Bear Doll costume fleeing in the opposite direction.
【...Don't those guys ever get tired?】
A voice laced with boredom. But now that they'd caught her eye, there was no reason not to chase.
【This time, catch them for sure. If you don't... you know, right?】
!!!
The Black Ash flinched at the girl's words.
Then, all the Black Ash standing dumbly beside the girl charged en masse toward the direction the Bear Doll had vanished.
......Crackle.
And silence returned.
【...Boring boring boring boriiing.......】
Step.
A black shadow appeared before the Match Girl, who endlessly muttered "boring."
【.........Huh? Wait, who's this?!】
The Match Girl, who had been spewing boredom with tiny embers until a second ago...
Upon spotting the man in a sharp black suit, flames erupted across her body, her heat surging once more.
Crackle crackle crackle!
Heat so intense it banished the surrounding bitter cold in an instant.
Anyone not an idiot could tell what emotion the Match Girl was radiating.
Ecstasy.
【So that Bear Doll earlier was a diversion? Something like that?】
“......”
【But why'd you show up in front of me? Surrender? Begging? Or... belatedly awakened to lust? But that's a problem. I'm not the kind of reproductive ve......】
"Let's end this."
Before the Match Girl could finish, he aimed the muzzle at her.
Her reaction to the sight was.
【...Pfft! Puhahaha! You're serious...! Fine! This is fun! So much fun, this twist!!】
Roar!
Her emotions flared.
Her flames burned even fiercer.
【Let's bet! On who wins! Let's bet!】
【Bet is, the first to die.】
Crackle crackle.
The Match Girl whipped up a massive swarm of Black Ash with her absurd bet.
The Black Ash quickly took form and charged at Park Yeon-jeong with ferocious speed.
【Can you hit me?! How many bullets in that gun?!】
【Make me happier!!!】
Like guardians protecting the Match Girl, the Black Ash rushed in a straight line.
By now, her emitted heat made the cold imperceptible.
His hand stopped trembling.
Click.
Somewhere, the sound of a trigger being pulled.
A voice rang clearly only in Park Yeon-jeong's ears.
-------
-Bullet loaded: 1.
-Today's personal color: 'Yellow.'
-A day of gnawing hunger. Today feels like you could devour everything in sight.
-------
Bang!
A gunshot echoed through the vast cityscape.
Perhaps because it was a place of only empty buildings?
The shot somehow seemed louder than any sound.
Like thunder from a clear sky striking the city directly, a massive reverberation.
Crunch.
Crunch crunch.
The Black Ash charging toward Park Yeon-jeong halted en masse.
Precisely.
Everything along the straight trajectory of the fired shot... obliterated in one impossible strike.
Crunch crunch.
And the Match Girl at the end of that devastating straight-line path of destruction...
Crunch crunch crunch.
Half her body vaporized, spewing embers from her mouth.
【...Wha......wha, t?】
Thud.
Like a tree tilting sideways.
The Match Girl collapsed limply to the ground.
She no longer had the strength to maintain the countless Black Ash she'd spawned.
Crunch.
The Black Ash lost form, reverting to ordinary ash.
Leaving behind this absurd scene where one shot resolved everything...
He stared blankly at his revolver-holding hand and thought.
This thing rocks!
This is the power of capital!
Got it, you little Match brat?!
He was thrilled like a child.
*****
He hadn't expected one shot to resolve everything.
Of course, Park Yeon-jeong already knew how to use the yellow bullet he'd drawn.
=======
/Final Trigger
[Yellow Bullet]
:Endless Hunger. (Devours everything in the fired radius. A hungry bullet.)
*Don't be a fool and shoot yourself.
=======
Even knowing it devoured everything, he hadn't imagined this level of power.
Nearly akin to firing an anti-tank gun in a straight line, an unimaginable destructive force.
With just this Final Trigger from now on, nothing seemed scary—a profound sense of security.
Shiver shiver shiver shiver shiver shiver.
C-c-cold!
He began trembling like an aspen in the cold.
Bear Doll, save me!!!
The brutal cold wave, forgotten amid the Match Girl's intense heat, pierced Park Yeon-jeong's body again.
With only seconds left before his body froze solid...
Patter patter patter patter!
Cute footsteps from afar.
Swoosh!
The Bear Doll that raced over snatched up his frozen form and unhesitatingly swallowed him whole.
“......Ah.”
Warm.
I'm gonna live.
After that near-miss of becoming an ice statue, his footsteps halted before a charred lump.
Crackle...... crackle.
A tiny remnant asserting its presence.
It looked utterly wretched on the surface.
Crackle... crackle.
But he wanted to applaud that tenacious will to survive.
“Thanks for staying alive. Really.”
He meant it.
To avoid repeating his revolver mistake, he'd prepared the Quill Pen in advance.
『The Quill Pen specifies material for ink.』
The same message as with the Conductor.
『Valid material identified.』
『Refilling ink.』
As the words ended, black ink dripped from the Quill Pen's tip, instantly devouring the Match Girl.
『Ink refilled.』
With the confirmation, the feather—which had been note-shaped for the Conductor...
Crackle.
Now took the form of a charred black feather.
Shake.
The ground began shaking just like before.
Same as with the Conductor.
The collapse of the space after its ghost story owner vanished.
The ghost story zone managed by the Match Girl crumbled.
But Park Yeon-jeong wasn't worried.
It wouldn't let him die here.
Snap!
Familiar lighting flickered on.
The shaking subsided.
Precisely, he now stood elsewhere.
Static-
[You finished the second task quicker than expected.]
Noise's voice struck his ears. And Noise's voice striking his ears meant...
The location was the usual library main building.
Noise had transported him to the library again.
[Surprisingly, customers seeking that tomboy girl are already lining up.]
[I don't know why they want this item so badly.]
He handed the Quill Pen to the White Librarian who appeared before him, just like before.
Scribble...... scribble scribble.
She opened an empty book. The sound of writing proceeded again.
[Performance bonus for this task, Employee Park Yeon-jeong.]
Bzzz-
His smartphone buzzed. Checking it, the bonus was...
-30,000,000
Same amount as the Conductor.
“...Mr. Noise.”
[Yes? What's up?]
“What's the criteria for these bonuses?”
Not a complaint about the amount disappointing him.
Pure curiosity.
[Ah. I haven't explained the performance bonus criteria yet, have I?]
[Sorry about that.]
Right after Noise finished, the White Librarian flew toward him.
She held a small piece of paper, which he took and read.
-------
[Performance Bonus Chart]
F-10,000,000
E-20,000,000
D-30,000,000
C-50,000,000
B-70,000,000
A-100,000,000 / (Good stuff)
S-(Even better stuff.)
-------
In the surprisingly straightforward chart, what caught his eye was.
A-100,000,000 / (Good stuff).
100 million?
Just seeing the number made of '0's and '1's exude immense prestige.
The thought of earning 100 million by capturing an A-rank ghost story dominated his mind.
But then he recalled the amount for the Conductor, which had been only E-rank.
-30,000,000
He'd definitely received 30 million.
Noise wouldn't have made a mistake.
“Um... I think the previous amount was wrong? The ghost story I captured was definitely E-rank.”
He stated frankly.
But Noise's response was.
[No. It's the exact amount. When Employee Park Yeon-jeong captured that ghost story, its measured rank was D.]
[It happens sometimes with our ghost stories.]
[Entities trying to grow their own size....]
At Noise's words, he understood somewhat.
Agency reports noted the Conductor's ghost story could reach up to B-rank.
And if the moment he'd entered was the start of its growth...
Noise measuring it as D instead of E wasn't wrong.
Static-
[More importantly, Employee Park Yeon-jeong.]
“Yes?”
[Since you finished early today, head home early.]
[Days like this are necessary.]
[Great work today.]
At his words to clock out early, he checked the time.
PM.14:43
It really was early for quitting time.
“Got it.”
He didn't refuse.
Excited at the thought of extra rest today...
[Oh right!]
Noise's urgent voice reached him.
[She prepared a lot for you today. Try to get home early.]
......Pardon?
Home?
I don't have a h—
He did.
The "home" Noise mentioned wasn't an ordinary house.
It was the house where a ghost story lived.
Telling him to go back there?
To that paper terrorist's house that kept him up all night?
[Her even asking me that favor... I never expected it.]
[When I first heard, I was shocked. She must really like you, Employee Park Yeon-jeong. Congratulations.]
“......”
Popular with ghost stories.
The name 'Park Yeon-jeong.'
Park Yeon-jeong hated himself for being so popular with ghost stories.
[And!]
[In my opinion, it's cute, but you should take off the Bear Doll costume before going. It might look ridiculous to other humans like you.]
“......”
Forgot about that. Thanks.
Park Yeon-jeong, who nearly became a laughingstock, trudged off the Bear Doll costume and safely clocked out in his normal suit.