Chapter 5 - Daycare #4
Daycare #4
Translator : Elizabeth
"...This."
The user with the nickname 'SafeToday' was thinking about the topic currently heating up the F-Rank post tab.
The user she was interested in possessed a common nickname that could be found anywhere.
That was understandable, as it was a 'Default Nickname' for those who found even naming themselves bothersome.
'...That stone from earlier.'
The woman knew the identity of the stone that the user had posted at the very beginning.
A means to abduct a scapegoat, a kind of trace left behind by an Anomaly in another dimension—
As long as one does not make direct contact, its danger level belongs to a considerably low side.
What if one makes contact?
An object containing the trace of an Anomaly drags the contactee into its malicious world.
"...."
However, she had just advised the user cornered in a crisis to use that Anomaly-imbued stone.
Because to arrange an escape route somehow from the Anomaly named 'Daycare', that was the best move she could think of.
[Title: That stone that guy used earlier]
Was there a case where someone used that and did something like Awakening?
↳ Absolutely not. Are you crazy?
↳ Does Awakening look like a joke to you lol.
↳ In the first place, is that really an Anomaly trace?
↳ Working at the Administration Bureau, this is really the first time I've heard of it having such an influence.]
Even she thought of it as natural, just like the reactions of the current users.
Awakening was originally not a phenomenon that occurred in such a way.
A very long period.
A condition is attached where one must be in contact with Anomalies for so much time that it takes up a very large part of the Awakener's life.
However, the user she is currently observing was too far from such conditions.
[↳ If you say you can Awaken just by click smearing blood on a stone, I'm going to headbutt the Daycare right now too.
↳ Fr lol.
↳ No matter how you look at it, it's a coincidence, and trolling. Anyway, yep.
↳ For now, the fact is just seeing him rolling in there, he's not Awakener material lol.
↳ Why keep manual rules? Just click the stone ah lol.
↳ SafeToday: Is that right?
↳ I don't know about that shit, just Awaken me too!!!]
"Phew."
Eventually, the woman who closed the gallery tab sighed in frustration.
"What are you looking at."
At the voice coming from nearby, the woman turned her head.
A woman with impressive green bobbed hair was looking up at her.
"It's nothing."
"Looking at that gallery or whatever again, right?"
"I said no."
The colleague glared with cold eyes at the woman who continued to deny it.
"If you're going to look, I told you to look at the side fitting our rank instead, what for do you look at where such consumables are..."
"Yoo Ha-eun, watch your words."
"Tch, got it. Got it."
The woman warned her colleague who referred to the users of the F-Rank gallery as consumables.
Ha-eun, who had green bobbed hair, grumbled while taking her eyes off the woman with such a brusque attitude.
"...Your taste is truly unique. We just need to do our job."
"Using the gallery often works beneficially."
"There's just as much weird nonsense."
"You have to filter it well."
"The guys there hate people like us too."
"Not exactly."
"I saw it all? What makes them so great, treating Awakeners like us as some monsters..."
"....."
Awakener.
At that word, the woman's gaze returned to Yoo Ha-eun.
"Why, why are you looking at me with those eyes?"
"...It's nothing."
"What is it!"
What? Seriously what is that gaze?!
Leaving the chatting team member behind, the woman fell into thought again.
'You.'
The existence currently making the gallery for F-Ranks noisy—
Does the user wielding mysterious abilities due to the Anomaly truly possess the same constitution as herself?
Until the next status update is posted, the Awakener 'Shin Hae-in'.
Decided to keep a close watch on that gallery for a while.
Step. Step.
The breath of the colleague roaming inside the Playroom had already been cut off long ago.
Watching the face of the corpse moving its steps staggeringly while exposing its brutally torn abdomen.
Various conversations we shared together flashed through my mind.
"U-woo."
He said he would save money and go on an overseas trip.
If he could afford it, he planned to buy a gift for his mother and take on some of the burden of his younger siblings' tuition.
Until he met such a futile death.
Stomp. Stomp.
The abdomen of the colleague approaching with staggering steps.
The 'Crying Child', squirming and recognizing me, raised its head and opened its mouth.
Ung-aee...
"....."
「▶ The entity in question seems to have favorable emotions toward you. How about greeting it in return?」
I took a deep breath.
It's sad that a colleague is walking around dead, and terrible too, but.
I had to retrieve the Old Coin from here and get out somehow.
Because I didn't want to be in such a terrible place anymore.
So—
"H, Hello."
"Ung-aee."
When I barely forced my trembling lips open to offer a greeting, only then did the Crying Child, losing interest, roam the Playroom again along with the colleague's corpse.
- 6. A colleague whose abdomen has already been occupied by an entity is no longer human. Since they are utilized as the entity's 'cradle' and 'bait', do not attempt rescue and avoid the spot immediately.
The contents of the manual, which I took memorization tests for several times at the Administration Bureau level before entering the 'Daycare', flashed through my head.
'I know...!'
That is no longer the colleague I knew.
It was in a state no different from an entity, merely encroached by an Anomaly.
"B, But."
Composing myself is composing myself, but.
...How do I retrieve the 'Old Coin' from there?
Clearly, the coin would be somewhere inside the suit pocket.
Do I have to check by hanging onto that corpse of terrible form one by one?
"Ah."
Just imagining it made my shoulders tremble at the bizarre and chilling emotion.
「▶ The entity in question perceives your existence as something cozy. Perhaps it felt a sense of kinship?」
'Shut up, will you...!'
「▶ The entity included in the host, the 'Crying Child', falls into a deep sleep state.」
"Huh...?"
Around the time I was worrying in the midst of internal conflict.
The wandering corpse stopped tall for a moment, then collapsed in place as it was.
Thud.
"Uh, eh?"
Checking the Crying Child settled in the abdomen, it was really closing its two eyes and taking a nap.
Accordingly, even the host entered a state of suspended action.
"Ni, Nice...!"
Rather than being flustered by that series of nonsensical phenomena, I quickly approached the colleague's corpse that had entered sleep mode to snatch the opportunity.
"Ugh... Sorry."
There is nothing as repulsive as rummaging through the corpse of someone I knew, but still, I have to do what I have to do...!
Around the time I was putting my hand into every pocket of the suit—
The texture of a familiar coin was felt at my fingertips.
"Found it...!"
Taking it out of the colleague's pocket, a worn copper-colored coin of the same appearance as the one I was looking for so much came into view.
'Now if I just go to the donation box...!'
It's goodbye to this sickening Anomaly too.
When I go out, go out...
"...."
What should I do...?
Will everyone recognize the changed me? The Administration Bureau? I don't even have relationships that can be called relatives?
"Hoo!"
A bad thought dug into my head for a moment, but I shook my head vigorously to shake it off.
Anyway, getting out of here is what's important, yeah.
I can think about that when the time comes.
Now, according to the manual, if I walk to the 1st-floor entrance and submit the coin to the 'Donation Box', it's over.
Originally, I wouldn't be able to relax my tension until that moment, but for the current me, a singularity was in effect.
Having proven that I am out of the Crying Child's attack range several times already, there was no longer any means to restrict my actions.
Front and back, and even one arm.
Along with the Crying Children sleeping deeply, I left the Playroom and moved slowly to the 1st-floor entrance.
"Uh... Would it be okay even if they wake up...?"
Eventually, to escape the Anomaly, I have no choice but to separate from the entities attached to me...?
What do I do if they suddenly swing their tentacles out of sadness when that happens?
"U, Ung-aes. You won't do that, right...?"
Stroking the Crying Children who were sleeping with the most peaceful faces in the world once each, I continued to move my steps.
[【Daycare Graduation Guide】
- Literature regarding graduation procedures.]
[The moment you put the coin into the donation box, a 'Graduation Announcement Broadcast' resonates throughout the Daycare along with a metallic friction sound. Since this sound becomes a signal calling all surrounding 'Crying Children' to the entrance, please be sure to check the safety of the surroundings before inserting the coin.]
Graduation Announcement Broadcast.
Administration Bureau personnel who have finished their mission proceed with the procedure to fully go outside through the manual.
Of course, since re-entering the Daycare once the procedure is in progress is close to impossible, it was right to do it after finishing all missions.
'Since it wasn't civilian rescue when I came.'
The Administration Bureau mission I received while entering the Daycare was sample collection of entities and exploration of other Daycare internal facilities.
"Will those people I met just now be the same...?"
As the escape stage approached, naturally, the image of the Administration Bureau agents who abandoned me so nicely came to mind.
Resentment welled up again the moment I remembered, but I sighed deeply and composed my emotions.
'Waiting would be correct, right?'
I don't know if their mission is all finished, but it would be right to wait in a spot not conspicuous to their eyes as much as possible and leave at once.
Since I actually received the same information when I received education at the Administration Bureau.
It was around the time I was walking chap-chap down the hallway with such thoughts.
Ding Dong Dang Dong.
"....?!"
Beyond the hallway I was walking in, a notification sound that shouldn't be heard right now began to be heard from the entire Daycare.
"W, What?!"
They finished the mission already...? That can't be!
Clearly, the place where the agents I last encountered disappeared was a space leading in the exact opposite direction from the entrance.
Unless they ran and arrived immediately as soon as they encountered me, it cannot be explained physically.
Ah, this isn't the time—
Tat-tat!
Feeling a sense of crisis, I ran blindly toward the entrance.
Dizzy debris in the hallway brushed my feet, but right now my safety is more priority than that.
'No...!'
I couldn't lose the escape opportunity so futilely like this.
"Haa, ha...!"
It's the first time performing such intense movement with the changed body.
Physical strain didn't come, but breath kept running short due to tension.
Moving my legs hard continuously, soon a familiar space came into view.
"Ah...!"
- Notice. The precious hearts of donors have gathered, delivering warm love to our 'Sunshine Daycare'. Good children, please gather at the entrance and give a warm hug to the leaving donors.
My feet almost stopped momentarily.
A bizarre voice that seemed to scoop up unpleasant emotions from the bottom of human foundation.
The owner of the grotesque tone, neither woman nor man, announced that the graduation procedure was in progress.
"Not yet...!"
Just because the graduation procedure has started doesn't mean the exit door opens immediately.
A very brief waiting time was given.
So I intended to use that waiting time to go out together...!
Two steps, three steps.
At the end of moving my steps, an agent looking pushed to the limit was looking at where I was with a pale expression.
'Where is the one person?'
Not visible.
I didn't bother thinking about the whereabouts of the disappeared personnel.
"...!"
Belatedly noticing my existence, the male agent's eyes open wide.
The moment he opened his mouth to say something, faster than that, I lifted my index finger and brought it to my lips.
'If you are agitated, you die.'
I know my appearance right now is very strange, and I know I'm showing a crazy move enough to carry around three Crying Children...!
Still, I couldn't let a precious life be lost after coming this far.
Because the Crying Child reacts very sensitively to the intruder's emotions.
Did he realize that meaning immediately?
The agent, who also covered his mouth with one hand, suppressed his emotions and hid them.
Nod.
While nodding to him that he did well, I headed toward the entrance slowly, one step at a time, so the agent wouldn't be startled.
Zzz, zzz...
The Crying Children were still in a deep sleep in my arms.
'Thank goodness.'
It seemed they wouldn't wake up and commit heinous acts.
However.
"Ung-aeeee!!"
End of the hallway, beyond the darkness.
The presence of Crying Children scattered throughout the Daycare began to be heard simultaneously.
It was a sound as if sinners of hell were screaming.
Controlling the anger that made me want to cover my ears momentarily, I took a deep breath and faced them.
'As long as I'm not agitated, it's fine.'
Just because Crying Children flock to the entrance doesn't mean they unconditionally attack intruders.
Perhaps that point significantly lowered the difficulty of the Anomaly 'Daycare'.
Because rather than 'how' to respond to the entity, 'is escape easy' was set as more important.
The agent who was aware of that in advance also only trembled his legs finely occasionally, never revealing emotions through facial expressions.
'Just how.'
Did he end up in that state.
How did the colleague who came with him get hit?
Various curiosities poked their heads out, but I endured until the end and feigned calmness.
Ta-da-da-dat.
Crying Children flocking from the other side of the hallway are visible.
The speed of the entities themselves was not that fast.
Unlike the mistake I made, the current situation is a state where they haven't been provoked.
It was clear that the flocking Crying Children would just watch the intruders slowly and then disband again at the right time.
'Then.'
The end of this Anomaly was approaching.
As my thoughts reached there, I recalled what I hadn't done yet.
'Donation Box.'
I headed to the old donation box placed forlornly at the entrance.
Plonk.
And onto it, I put down the one Old Coin I had brought.
Now there is one coin in the donation box... Wait.
"One?"
I turned my head sharply and looked at the agent.
In the eyes within that face, pale and barely feigning calmness, only the instinct to live remained with reason almost lost.
"....!"
There is no coin. No, he didn't bring it in the first place.
The agent, who was in a state of panic because the colleague he was moving with died, had run blindly to the entrance in that state.
"Ah."
- Unpaid daycare fees in the donation box have been confirmed. The children of Sunshine Daycare are greatly saddened by the lost love.
"Ung-ae! Ung-aeeee!"
The gathered Crying Children make crying sounds all at once.
They hadn't taken out the tentacles on their backs yet.
However, as if calling something, they continued to chorus.
"S, Save me."
The half-crazed agent spoke barely as if he would breathe his last any moment.
- The Director has come out of the 3rd-floor office.
And simultaneously, an announcement broadcast announcing the arrival of an existence that should absolutely never come out rang out.