Agent Bronze was dragged away by the employees.
The future of that situation was easily pictured in my head.
Because I had seen a similar case on the first day.
—Aaaagh! Aaa-aaaaagh!
Thinking back to that ‘Supply’ being ground alive in a blender still makes cold sweat run down my spine.
But to think that the veteran agent we had been searching for over the past three days might be suffering such a fate.
The high school student Agent Bronze had been in charge of described the past situation as if vomiting out the words.
“At, at first, I felt a bit relieved...”
On the first day, it seemed the agent had taken the survivors to the tent in this store, ‘cleared’ the surroundings, and taken some measures.
The anomaly occurred on the second day.
“Originally... over there, your group.”
“...You mean us?”
“Yes. I think he was trying to find your group.”
But Agent Bronze ended up finding something entirely different, not me.
“He, he came out...!”
He?
Everyone turned their heads in the direction the high schooler was pointing, but there was nothing there but the tent fabric.
“Ugh!”
Then the kid stood up, went out of the tent, and opened the door to the adjacent tent.
And there, a human figure wearing a school uniform lying inside revealed itself...
“...?!”
“Lee Subin!”
The high schooler I was in charge of jumped up and ran to that tent. Then he looked back at me and said urgently.
“I-It’s the one we were looking for! Lee Subin!”
Ah.
The friend who had gone missing first, whom these high schoolers had come to find.
“Su, Subin?”
The high schooler called his friend’s name repeatedly.
However, ‘Lee Subin’ did not react. Lying in the tent, staring blankly into the air with his mouth agape... he looked as if he had already lost his soul.
‘...Is it because the period of disappearance was so long?’
He was even covered in scratches and bruises.
It was a distressing sight.
But I felt I understood better why Agent Bronze hadn't been seen for several days.
“...Where did the Agent find him?”
“I-I don’t know. He just suddenly brought him back and said he found him. Asking if he wasn't wearing the same school uniform...”
With two minors to protect, his range of movement would have inevitably narrowed.
He probably spent two days caring for the two of them, waiting for business to resume...
......And at the same time, waiting for me to safely arrive at this store.
“...So, when did you say the Agent disappeared?”
“Today... around dawn?”
“.......”
It was more recent than I thought.
“Suddenly, a bunch of employees swarmed in and, w-well, anyway, he was taken away.”
“He wasn't seriously injured or anything. He was just ‘taken,’ right?”
“How should I know! ......I-I think that was the case, though.”
If so....
“F-fck, we’re fcked, right? We’re all going to die? Huh? The ability user is gone. You’re a rookie, aren’t you? Uh, the Agent said so.”
“Hey, why are you talking like that! Are you crazy?”
“.......”
The high schooler I was in charge of, horrified, spoke to his friend and began to watch my and Go Yeongeun’s reactions.
The high schooler from Agent Bronze’s side, who had spoken out, sniffled and hung his head low.
“A-anyway... we’re doomed.”
“No.”
“...!”
Ms. Go Yeongeun spoke firmly.
“We’re not doomed. You have a place where you can hold out safely, and new adults have come to help, so things have actually improved.”
“Ah...”
“If you act recklessly because you think you’re doomed, you’ll lose the opportunities you do have. If we want to get out safely, we have to do our best to cooperate with each other. Got it?”
“.......”
The two high schoolers nodded.
Shame and regret appeared on the face of the one who had been shouting at us.
...I suddenly thought that Ms. Go Yeongeun seemed more suited for the Disaster Management Bureau than Daydream Inc.
“Phew.”
After soothing the kids, I stepped out of the tent for a moment.
Ms. Go Yeongeun let out a short sigh, swallowed, and spoke to me.
“...I didn't just say that to comfort the kids; I think we need to believe that ourselves.”
“I agree.”
And one more thing.
I hesitated before whispering to Ms. Go Yeongeun.
About what I had been agonizing over since I heard the high schooler’s words earlier.
“About my senior agent who was taken away...... he might still be safe.”
“...!”
That’s right.
If the missing persons processed as supplies matched an employee’s routine, they could unluckily be ‘used’ immediately.
‘But usually, they wait for their turn to be used.’
Just like supplies.
Since the employees were mimicking the duties of a mart, they stored the supplies according to regulations.
The place where such items are piled up.
Somewhere deep inside the mart’s staff area...
“He might be in the supply warehouse.”
Supply Warehouse.
Failed to escape from the supply warehouse. Status: Deceased.
...It seemed such sentences were frequently recorded in the <Dark Exploration Record>.
But thinking about it again, it meant the missing person could still attempt an escape. It meant they were alive and in a state of reason and strength.
‘There were rare cases of escape.’
In instances where they possessed special items or abilities.
......Of course, there were also many cases where they had already been ‘processed’ into forms according to the supply's purpose...
The important thing was this.
Right now, this group had that ‘special item’ that could grant access to the supply warehouse.
“.......”
I looked at the soft-textured lump Go Yeongeun was holding, its candle flame now extinguished.
Mysterious Candle.
It required three people to create, but it was possible to travel with it alone.
‘If only the candle could be lit... that is.’
But for some reason, I couldn't light that candle, which only ‘modern people’ could use. Therefore, it was impossible for me to carry that item alone.
“...Agent.”
“Let’s go.”
“...!”
“With two people, we have twice the brains and... twice the hands, so it should be better.”
Ms. Go Yeongeun, with a face that couldn't quite manage a smile, glanced at my arm and nodded.
...It seemed like a choice she made considering that I could only move normally by depending on Nostalgia Candy.
“Thank you.”
“I should be the one saying that. I would’ve died on those stairs anyway if it weren’t for you, Agent.”
Ms. Go Yeongeun shivered as if briefly imagining it.
“Anyway, let’s go. ...To find your senior.”
I nodded.
I’m going to find Agent Bronze.
The high schoolers’ reactions to those words were intense.
“Wait a minute, what about us if you both go? An employee might come. If it’s just us...”
“It’s okay.”
I calmly grabbed the high schooler’s shoulder.
“...The other agent already took measures before he left.”
Surely, he must have chosen this store as a place where employees rarely appear.
But since he didn't know when a long-term missing person might attack, it seemed he had taken care of that part as well.
‘...Is it that?’
I saw items that looked like children’s play stones pressing down on the tent’s stakes.
Air-Pressing Stone
: Equipment of the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau that creates an auspicious space.
The item description comes to mind, stating that placing those stones in all four directions within a certain area protects it from wicked things.
The Contaminated long-term missing persons would probably fail to perceive this store properly and just pass by.
...It tasted bitter to think that if only the agent had stayed quietly inside here, he wouldn't have been caught.
“You’re... coming back, right?”
“Of course. I’ll definitely come back after finding the Agent.”
I spat out some Nostalgia Candy for the high schooler I was in charge of, told him to rest easy, but advised him to put it in his mouth and move in case of an emergency.
Fortunately, despite his reluctant expression, he followed the advice.
Fwoosh.
Ms. Go Yeongeun lit the candle again, and I stood behind her as if hiding within the mist and the shadow created by the candle flame.
“...The candle has melted about a third of the way.”
“.......”
We had to move as quickly as possible.
We set off.
Through the vast 3rd-floor shops that were becoming almost familiar, which made them even more eerie.
‘...They said the Agent was caught on the 3rd floor.’
If so, we had to find a door on the 3rd-floor wall this time as well.
“Exactly what kind of door is it?”
“An announcement broadcast went out before closing. And at the same time... those balloon-like employees poured out.”
“...Yes.”
“It’s the door that opened then.”
However, this time we didn't have to find it ourselves.
Squeak, squeak, squeak.
“......Let’s follow him.”
“.......”
We followed behind an employee who was creaking along with hollow eyes.
After wandering through the 3rd floor for a while...
As if his ‘patrol routine’ had ended, the employee returned to where he had originally come from.
[Authorized Personnel Only]
An iron door leading to the space used by staff.
“.......”
“.......”
Creeeeeak.
The door opens.
There were many similar doors here and there, but all doors would likely lead to a single space through corridors, much like an ant colony.
There, we had to find the supply warehouse.
We held our breath and quickly slipped inside before the iron door the employee had opened could close.
And the sight of the inner staff area that greeted us as we poured in...
“Hic.”
Ms. Go Yeongeun covered her own mouth.
Under bright incandescent lights, numerous employees were stacked vertically, all crumpled up.
Not the grotesque employees that appeared after closing, but employees who looked like normal people.
They were in a state where descriptions like ‘piled up’ or ‘crushed and wedged in’ were fitting.
In that place, which was bright and modern as if it were an ordinary space, human bodies were being stored crumpled in layers as if it were perfectly natural...
“...They look like the employees who worked during business hours. Gasp,”
Ms. Go Yeongeun suppressed a dry heave and steadied her breathing.
So they even mimic the shift changes.
I didn't want to imagine how those crushed people would come out looking normal and perform their duties when business hours arrived.
Repulsion surged up my throat, but I kept moving.
If even one of the two—the candle or the Nostalgia Candy—had been missing, I would have given up....
Squeak, squeak.
The employee moves again.
“...Shall we follow for now?”
“Yes.”
Our footsteps echoed very softly through the staff area. My nerves were on edge.
Relying solely on the candle, we advanced cautiously.
“...By the way, I’ve memorized the entire path I came in. For now... don't worry.”
“...Yes.”
Since two people were memorizing it, we could supplement each other if someone's memory became hazy.
We held our breath and stepped forward.
Employees, employees, scraps of what used to be employees, things that were half-employee, every time I saw them repeating eerie noises and greetings, I felt the pores on my skin stand on end.
But we had to observe the surroundings carefully. Because we had to find the warehouse.
‘I can do this.... I, can do this.’
Passing through a space of bizarre continuity where corridors, staff lounges, and warehouses seemed attached at random, we finally...
[Supply Storage]
Found employees standing thickly in front of the space with that doorplate.
Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak.
The employee we were following joined them.
“Ha.”
Ms. Go Yeongeun swallowed as she looked at the iron door, its interior hidden by the employees.
“...If we go in when an employee opens the door.......”
It was then.
Clack.
The door to the supply warehouse opened from the inside.
“...!”
Several employees who had been inside were coming out, carrying ‘supplies.’
And I saw it.
A familiar face among the supplies.
“T-that person...”
A large young man wearing an agent uniform was being carried by two employees.
It was Agent Bronze.
But he had no legs.
“.......”
A chilling shiver ran through my hands and feet.
“Could it be...”
“Yes.”
It seemed Agent Bronze had been processed into a mannequin.
The only positive was that there was no bleeding, but Agent Bronze already had his eyes closed and appeared unconscious.
“S-shall we approach for now?”
“...Yes.”
We moved, sticking close to the two employees carrying Agent Bronze.
But even as we followed, my mind went blank with the thought of what on earth we should do.
‘Dammit.’
Is he... even alive?
Should I call out to him? But even if we’re being protected by the candle, is it okay to make a sound right next to an employee?
Creeeeeak.
In the meantime, the two employees finally moved Agent Bronze out of the staff area.
This was actually better.
After some thought, I acted somewhat boldly.
“...Could you stick as close as possible?”
“.......”
Ms. Go Yeongeun, nodding, quickened her pace and stuck right next to the employees.
And exactly at the timing when the employees came close within the range of the mist, I reached out toward Agent Bronze.
Then I lightly tapped near his neck.
Tap, tap.
“...!”
Surprisingly, Agent Bronze’s eyes flew open.
I swallowed.
“...Agent.”
It was at that moment.
Phut.
One of the employees holding Agent Bronze collapsed like air escaping.
“...!!”
The employee holding Agent Bronze from behind also began to shrivel with the sound of escaping air. I saw a small, transparent pistol suddenly held in the Agent's right hand.
‘glass hand cannon.’
The issued item from the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau shone in the hands of the right person.
The moment the Agent turned his hand again, the pistol disappeared from his grasp.
“Than—...you... Customer!”
“He-he-he-he-hello....”
The deflating employees gibbered strange sounds and repeated announcement phrases.
And something even more bizarre and horrific tried to bulge out from within them, but Agent Bronze was faster at binding and subduing them.
‘Arrest Rope.’
An issued item for suppression.
He moved both hands in an instant, tying the two employees with something like thin arrest ropes, and then sat on top of them as if subduing them.
...To think he could handle two employees like that.
“I’ll hold out like this for about 5 minutes without a commotion.”
It was a skill like a feat of magic.
...Unbelievable for someone who had just lost his legs.
“...Agent Grapes.”
Agent Bronze looked up at me and gave a faint smile.
The eyes of a person who had made a resolution.
“You were safe. It was worth holding out.”
“.......”
“And that person?”
His gaze landed on Ms. Go Yeongeun.
“One of the missing agents who entered here first was alive.”
“.......”
Ms. Go Yeongeun bowed her head deeply.
“...You did well. I’m glad you’re safe.”
Agent Bronze looked at me with a rather warm gaze, as if leaving a will. My stomach churned.
“Agent Grapes.”
And he pulled something out from inside his agent uniform.
“Take this. It’s for escape.”
...It was two strands of shoelaces.
The shoelaces, woven with O-bang-saek threads in complex colors, had a strangely glossy texture.
“There are exactly two, so the two of you can leave.”
“...!”
“If you tie them to your shoes and walk three steps with your own feet, you can immediately leave this place.”
I instinctively looked at Agent Bronze’s lower body.
...The missing legs.
Currently, Agent Bronze could not walk.
He couldn't use the escape item.
From the beginning... he had no choice.
“......I will look for another way, so you must ensure your own safety.”
“.......”
“There’s not much time left. Hurry.”
No.
The Nostalgia Candy. Let's give that to Agent Bronze so he can leave, then....
‘No.’
I clenched my fists so hard my hands turned white.
‘There are only three pieces left.’
If I give him one now to make him escape immediately... then what on earth am I supposed to do with the remaining two?
Among the three high schoolers that need to be rescued, two are in a state where normal movement is impossible. Wouldn't it be more advantageous for overall survival if Agent Bronze joined us?
My head felt like it was going to explode from the complexity.
Is there no other way? Other.......
“.......”
Ah.
Right.
“Agent.”
I reached into my shirt and pulled an item out of my tattoo.
A small glass bottle containing a light green potion that shone like a new sprout.
: Daydream Potion :
Regeneration
C (excellent)
My lifeline.
I showed the label of the potion to Agent Bronze while pretending to hide it from Ms. Go Yeongeun’s sight.
“Drink this. It’s a regeneration item.”
“...!!”
“Wait...”
“It’s okay. It’s a proven item.”
I quickly gestured with my eyes to Ms. Go Yeongeun, who was about to say something.
‘...If my prediction is correct.’
This wasn't simply about helping Agent Bronze’s easy escape.
Rather, it was a move that would return as an even greater harvest.
The build-up I needed.
‘This is the answer.’
The pleasure of finding the most effective answer momentarily passed through my spine.
...While suppressing the instinctive fear of the loss.
“.......”
Ms. Go Yeongeun closed her mouth, albeit with a somewhat troubled expression.
However, Agent Bronze did not take the potion and spoke to me with a face whose expression was unreadable.
“...Is this made from your ‘place of origin’?”
“......Yes.”
I nodded slightly and smiled as if making an effort.
“There’s only one left. …I know you might feel reluctant. But you must drink it.”
“…….”
A strange look flashed across the Agent’s face.
Honestly, it was a complex expression, hard to tell if it was reluctance or a surge of emotion, but he was certainly conflicted.
And that conflict ended when the Agent reached out his hand.
Tak.
With a short sound, the potion was passed to Agent Bronze.
And the Agent uncapped the Regeneration Potion and drank it as if shoving it into his mouth.
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