For a moment, I thought I was still caught in the ghost story of the Church of the Luminous Unknown.
However, my fully awakened mind judged the situation accurately.
‘It’s different from that.’
The Assistant Manager Eun Haje before my eyes was no longer the neatly dressed office superior in my memories.
Rather, she looked like a detective who had been on a stakeout for three days… or yes, like a reporter.
That brought a flash of reality back to me.
‘What’s going on?’
I immediately sat up in bed.
“Assistant Manager.”
“Yeah.”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje nodded.
“First, I’m sorry for barging into your house so suddenly. I shouldn’t be seen right now, but there was something I absolutely had to tell you.”
The person who had vanished for two months and suddenly appeared in someone else’s room like a burglar continued speaking, glancing out the window warily.
As if she were being tracked by someone.
“…What do you mean, you shouldn’t be seen?”
“It’s a long story. Just listen to me first.”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje spoke evasively and then took a deep breath.
“You, the day after tomorrow. On January 2nd, when you go to work, you’ll be assigned to a Darkness. …It’ll sound normal. It’s a C-grade with a complete manual, and other people will be going with you. But…”
But.
“Don’t go in there.”
“……”
“Avoid it by any means necessary. No, just quit or take a leave of absence. Because…”
The Assistant Manager gritted her teeth and then released them.
“If you go in there, you’ll die.”
“……!”
“Don’t ask me how I know. Just do as I say…”
“Is it Kwak Jekang?”
“…!”
Looking at Assistant Manager Eun Haje’s expression, it seemed I was right.
‘No, a death notice as soon as I wake up…?’
I got out of bed and pressed my hand to my forehead.
“Why on earth would that Manager do this to me…?”
“We all knew that bastard was a psychopath.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
Assistant Manager Eun Haje spat the words out.
“But since you’re so competent and keep pulling off such eccentric stunts, he probably wants to throw you into a death trap this time. To see how you ‘overcome’ it.”
She meant that flaunting my Gen Z energy had backfired.
‘Damn it.’
Right. If it was that man, he was exactly the type to get excited about an unusual specimen and shove me into a strange ghost story under bizarre conditions.
But…
“Assistant Manager, isn’t there still a chance… that I’ll survive and make it out alive?”
“……”
“Besides, if he wants to see how I ‘overcome’ it, I think he’d put me in a Darkness that has a way to survive rather than a guaranteed death trap.”
It might sound conceited, but I was an elite on the fast track for promotion.
I was well-connected with the higher-ups, and Director Cheong and (for reasons I didn’t know) Director Ho looked upon me favorably.
‘No matter how I think about it, I don’t think a project where a research team manager just randomly sticks me in a death trap for his own amusement would get approved.’
I could be assigned to a dangerous place, but ghost stories were dangerous by nature to begin with.
‘Even Assistant Manager Eun Haje herself said it was a C-grade with a complete manual.’
It didn’t make sense logically.
“So how can you be so sure? That I’ll die.”
I looked at Assistant Manager Eun Haje, wanting an explanation, and she pressed her brow as if holding back a sigh.
“There’s only one thing I know.”
Her hand pointed at me.
“You are processed as deceased on January 2nd.”
“……”
“I confirmed that… in a Darkness that sees the future.”
“…!”
Good grief.
A ghost story that glimpses into the future? There were even a few Wiki entries that came to mind.
However, putting aside the fact that I had no idea how Assistant Manager Eun Haje, who was on leave, had accessed such a Darkness…
‘Something’s weird.’
“So I just went and checked what Darkness you were being assigned to on the 2nd. Since you saved my life, I could at least do this much…”
“Wait a minute. Assistant Manager, it’s still strange.”
“What?”
“Because I saw the future, too. Do you remember the ghost story I was managing? The tarot cards.”
“…Yeah.”
“I drew a very good card there recently. And it hasn’t come true yet.”
I thought of the Sun card I had drawn.
Upright. The card that guaranteed happiness.
“I can’t be happy after I’m dead, can I?”
“You could die after being happy.”
“……”
No matter how much I thought about it, it was strange.
But since Assistant Manager Eun Haje seemed so anxious and had no reason to lie to me, I nodded for now.
“I understand. I’ll try to come up with a plan.”
“Dammit, fine.”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje looked up at the ceiling for a moment as if her tension had eased, then muttered as if making an excuse.
“Roe, I didn’t originally plan on showing up by breaking into your house like this, but I was in a hurry, so I apologize for the intrusion. It only makes things complicated to see someone who left the team.”
“Not at all. I was a bit flustered… but it’s good to see you’re healthy.”
“……Phew. Roe, with that personality of yours, how are you going to survive in this company…”
“Haha.”
My personality is average; it’s the other employees in this company whose personalities are the ghost stories…
‘No, really, wouldn’t it be crazy to act any ruder to a former supervisor who came to save a hubae’s life…?’
And let’s not even mention that I had a much bigger problem than my personality (being a coward).
Anyway, Assistant Manager Eun Haje signaled to me with a nod, her tired face showing signs of relief.
“Well, I’ll be going now. Get some rest.”
“Wait a moment.”
“What.”
“About… that hand.”
I cautiously lowered my gaze to her empty left sleeve.
Eun Haje waved her arm dismissively.
“What? Are you still worried about this? Roe. I told you Regeneration Potions don’t work on this. Use them for yourself, seriously.”
“It’s not about that.”
I had a method that had come to mind recently.
“Assistant Manager, you passed your communication equipment down to me, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I did. But that was just because I didn’t need it…”
“So, I’d like to introduce a piece of equipment to you as well.”
And then, I flicked my Exclusive Equipment, the coin.
The glove that appeared in the air, usable for 500 won…
The Third Hand.
In other words, equipment with the ability to provide an extra hand.
“Why don’t you try customizing one for yourself by using this as Parent Equipment?”
“…!”
And on the evening of December 31st.
I met Assistant Manager Eun Haje, who was wearing a hat pulled low, in front of the Annex, and we approached the Twilight-grade Darkness Archive where Custom Equipment was made.
[Kind Seed Kit / Qterw-E-99]
A massive, rusted machine standing tall among fake weeds.
It was a Twilight Darkness for producing Custom Equipment, used almost exclusively by the Field Exploration team.
It had been a while since I’d seen it.
But Assistant Manager Eun Haje looked quite skeptical.
“I feel like I’m interfering with your time off for no reason…”
“No. I was planning on making a new piece of Custom Equipment soon anyway.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I’m going to use this. I received it from the Team Leader…”
I also took out what I had prepared. It was…
-Please return after use. Limit: one time.
The equipment that increased physical strength, received as Parent Equipment from Section Chief Lee Jaheon!
But before I could even explain, Assistant Manager Eun Haje was shocked.
“You received that?!”
“Ah, is this an item you recognize, Assistant Manager?”
“Yeah, it’s a retired fellow’s item… No, the Team Leader really is a funny guy. I don’t know how he managed to borrow it when they weren’t even that close.”
I looked down at the equipment.
The bizarre bracelet, which looked like it was made of braided human hair, was already more than half-broken, sticking out in tatters like woven straw.
“I heard it lets you use superhuman strength temporarily, but the hairs break the more you use it.”
I see.
“Even considering it’s a consumable, it’s a good piece of equipment. Look at the Team Leader. He’s the prime example of ‘if your body is good, your head doesn’t have to suffer.’”
“……”
That is an undeniable truth…
Anyway, I tried to let Assistant Manager Eun Haje go first, but…
“It’s okay, you go first.”
“……Alright.”
I approached the old LCD screen attached to the machine.
[Please give me a plant 0/2]
I put the bracelet I received from Team Leader Lee Jaheon into the rusted machine.
[Plant information storage complete]
[Please give me a plant 1/2]
The next item to put in was…
‘I have quite a few useful items now.’
Hmm.
Considering the attributes of the equipment borrowed from Section Chief Lee Jaheon, I had about three good options.
‘Is that it?’
Well, since plant gene inheritance is random, there was a high possibility it wouldn’t get the options I wanted and would be a failure…
‘Alright.’
After much deliberation, I put in one of the items I possessed and even authenticated my genetic information to start the machine.
[Combining genetic information]
[Creating kit…]
[Sowing complete]
Clunk.
The machine’s front drawer opened, revealing the item.
It was a simple bracelet that looked almost like a thin wire.
‘Hmm.’
I carefully took out the metal bracelet and stored it. I’d have to check its power as soon as I got back.
“Did it turn out well?”
“For now.”
I packed the items I had used and stepped back. Now, Assistant Manager Eun Haje stood in front of the machine and began customizing her equipment.
First, she put in her own item.
Assistant Manager Eun Haje’s Exclusive Equipment.
It was a communication device in the shape of a power bank; when plugged in, it allowed a Smartphone to temporarily communicate with the outside world even within a ghost story.
As it turned out, the button-shaped equipment she had given me was an item produced by putting this into the machine.
“It was an unexpected upgrade. Well, I guess you could call it the luckiest moment of my life.”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje grumbled that she seemed to have used up all her luck in useless places, but her hands were quite careful as she handled the power bank-shaped Custom Equipment.
And…
“Here it is.”
I inserted my Exclusive Equipment, the coin, as the next item.
Ting.
The coin with the glove engraving disappeared into the drawer.
[Combining genetic information]
“…Roe. The probability of getting something that fits perfectly on the first try is usually low.”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje said quietly, as if trying to soothe me.
“So don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t work. I’m just grateful that you tried. Okay?”
“…Yes.”
I looked at the machine’s screen.
[Creating kit…]
[Sowing complete]
The crafting was finished.
The machine’s front drawer opened, and an item appeared. It was…
“A glove??”
It was literally a translucent glove.
The flimsy material gave off a bizarre feeling.
“Hmm.”
However, when Assistant Manager Eun Haje reached out her right hand to grab it, a spark flew in that direction.
“…!”
“Oh? Look at this. …Is it saying all the spots are full?”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje smirked and held out her empty left arm instead.
“Then I’ll give you an empty spot.”
Then, the glove stuck to the empty space as if it were skin.
Like a hand made of electricity.
“…!!”
And… it took on the complete shape of a hand.
“……”
A hint of emotion flickered across Assistant Manager Eun Haje’s face, but it vanished like a lie almost immediately.
Instead, she slowly lifted the hand and moved her fingers.
Zzap.
Faint currents of electricity crackled.
“Hmm. It strangely has sensation… Maybe because of the electrical signals? It’s very good. As for the appearance, I can just wear a glove over it.”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje turned to me and smirked.
“Thanks, Roe.”
“……”
“Everything I said earlier was nonsense. It came out in one shot. Thanks to you…… I guess I look lucky when it counts.”
I looked at Assistant Manager Eun Haje, who now had both hands… and just nodded.
“Don’t mention it.”
I thought it was a pretty good sight to see on the last day of the year.
But just as I was about to wrap things up on that somewhat touching note.
“And…… I’m sorry, but do you happen to have any use for Points at the welfare mall? I’ll buy up to about 1,500 points worth for you, so I was wondering if we could leave
the record here as you having used it twice.”
Hmm?
-Oh, an attempt to erase her own traces… it’s like destroying evidence! Friend, isn’t it? Shall we try to coax it out of her and see what kind of ulterior motive she’s hiding?
…….
‘I don’t think there’s any need for that.’
-Hm?
Because I already had a rough idea.
“…Assistant Manager, are you working in a different department by any chance?”
“…!”
As expected.
“This Darkness is used almost exclusively by the Field Exploration team. If you’re reluctant to leave a record of use here… I thought it might be because your affiliation has changed.”
“……”
After a thoughtful silence.
“…Well, I guess I can’t fool you. Roe. You’re still as sharp as ever.”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje gave a bitter smile.
“Yeah. While Assistant Manager Falcon of the Field Exploration team is officially on leave, I’m doing other work at the company…”
“…May I ask what kind of work you’re doing? Or even just your affiliation if that’s not possible.”
“……”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje seemed to deliberate briefly once more, but finally opened her mouth.
“Fine. Since it’s come to this anyway… well. Roe.”
Along with an unexpected name.
“Director Ho’s project team. You know about it.”
“…!”
“I’m working there right now.”
What?
Discussion