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Kim Soleum thought to himself.
If 'Good Friend' were accompanying him in this absurd situation, he could roughly guess what the entity would say.
—Oh! Deception. It has been a very effective technique of governance since ancient times. I am becoming increasingly curious to see what scene you will lead the masses toward….
He probably would have said something like that.
'Now that I think about it, walking on all fours leaves no room to carry a rabbit doll.'
Kim Soleum had such idle thoughts. No, he was desperately trying to distract himself.
It was because the gazes from behind were piercing.
'Uwaaaaagh.'
Behind him, the employees of Daydream Inc. and the agents of the Disaster Management Bureau were following him as if possessed.
No, even the Mer-childs… that is, the children, were following as well.
'To this extent?'
He felt like he was about to break out in a cold sweat.
It was true that he had intentionally induced the two factions to witness each other. He thought the psychological effect of the fake Necronomicon would work better if they were conscious of each other and the situation became chaotic!
However, he didn't expect it to work so well that not a single person would withdraw and everyone would follow him.
'If I get caught, I'm fucked….'
If those veterans caught him, he didn't even want to imagine what would happen; his paws were practically damp with sweat….
Surprisingly, however, Kim Soleum succeeded in not showing any of this. It was thanks to his survival instincts, honed since his days as a new employee at the ghost story company.
Thanks to that, he was perceived as the avatar of some cosmic horror entity that had caused the terrible and powerful phenomenon they had just experienced.
Even by the person who had guessed the identity of this cat!
"Excuse me."
Baek Saheon.
The employee in the goat mask walking beside the cat finally managed to speak after several hellish minutes.
"Exactly what are you…."
The cat stares.
Stopping in its tracks, it gazes silently at the black goat with blood-red eyes.
“…….”
“…….”
“…Ugh.”
In the end, Baek Saheon covered his mouth and began to walk again, his eyes spinning and sweat pouring down….
'It’s not killing us.'
'It’s not killing us yet.'
'It definitely has a purpose.'
Just as people’s minds were starting to work again and rational thought was beginning to function.
The great terror in the form of a cat began to speak again.
A different word.
[10]
…A countdown.
“…!”
[9]
And the cat's pace quickened.
[8]
The cat grows smaller in the distance across the city.
If they don't follow right now, there's no telling what will happen….
[7]
With cold sweat forming on the backs of their necks, people shut their mouths and moved to follow the cat as it started walking again.
It was a rare situation that occurred because everyone had experience in ghost story exploration.
It was because they all knew this unwritten rule.
—In a ghost story, if you scream and run away without thinking, you usually die.
Thus, the logic of the ghost story was protecting Kim Soleum!
Furthermore, by having a strange entity intervene between two factions that were on extremely bad terms, it had the effect of keeping them in check and preventing them from acting recklessly.
'Thank you, Baek Saheon…!'
Thanks to him, Kim Soleum was able to guide them while properly creating an atmosphere of fear and pressure, unlike his sweat-dampened paws.
The black cat with the ominous presence continued to move its feet, heading to a certain part of the city in an instant.
The employees avoided the mucus sprayed by the Ulcers in between, and the agents hurriedly carried the children who said their legs hurt, as they walked urgently.
Eventually, after passing the city area, a strange structure appeared….
“Eh?”
“It looks like… a cathedral.”
It was the stained-glass building at the very eastern end.
Even though all the glass was shattered and the symbols were destroyed.
The cat quietly went to the ruined building and headed for a strangely hidden space beyond a fallen beam.
Surprisingly, there was a small annex there.
“…!”
“This is a place we’ve never been to.”
Because it was hidden by the ruined building, it was a place the Daydream employees hadn't noticed and didn't even know existed until now.
However, in the eyes of the children looking at the Sparkling Dragon Palace, it appeared as a properly beautiful building….
“This is the place we searched last time, right?”
“Yes. There were no unusual findings.”
And so, one side felt strange while the other felt suspicious, and both entered the building full of wariness.
Following the black cat.
[This way]
The cat only stopped once it had entered the annex.
It was in front of the left wall.
Right below where a small, torn painting was hanging.
Baek Saheon flinched.
“…What do you want me to do with this?”
[This way]
Damn it.
Baek Saheon broke out in a cold sweat looking at the ruined painting, then turned around and smiled.
“Um, Ms. Pony.”
Kang Yihak naturally pretended not to hear. Baek Saheon continued regardless.
“I don’t know much about this sort of thing, so could you take a look? This painting, for some reason, feels like there’s a safe behind it….”
“A safe?”
“Yes.”
Kang Yihak stepped forward in an instant.
And after peering closely at the painting….
“Aha.”
She reached out and pulled the painting away without hesitation.
Behind it, there really was a rusted steel locking mechanism.
“…!”
It was a bluff, so why is it there!
For a moment, Baek Saheon almost grabbed her by the collar.
'If I’d known, I would have done it myself….'
Kang Yihak immediately took action.
“Lord Cat.”
She sat down on her knees in front of the cat.
Kim Soleum almost toppled over backward, but he managed to stiffen his posture like a proper Ghost Story Resident.
Kang Yihak’s eyes sparkled.
“The safe key! Where would the safe key be?”
Good grief.
“Haha, you told us to bow earlier so I tried bowing, but could you give me a little hint about how much expensive stuff is inside…….”
[This way]
The cat remained steadfast (out of necessity)!
And in the meantime, Baek Saheon quietly reached out and ripped the safe open.
Screeeak.
“Ah. It just opens…!”
And everyone from Daydream Inc. froze.
One, two, three…….
Twelve.
Inside the safe, beautiful white Conch Shells were displayed, tied with golden strings.
They were precious items that they had searched the city for like rats, yet were now rarely found.
“An, Angel’s Sigh!”
Thirteen total 'Angel's Sighs' discovered in a safe inside an annex next to a large, ruined religious structure in the east of the city. Given the nature of the structure, they appear to be professional stockpiles.
The thing the cat wanted to show them.
The cat watched the rejoicing employees with its red eyes.
If the exploration had already been completed, he would have naturally guided them elsewhere, but it had to be here if possible.
…There was a reason.
However, the promised side effects were unavoidable.
'Items!'
Greed clouded the eyes of the Daydream Inc. employees.
'How much is that if converted into points?'
'I have to take them out no matter what.'
However, they were still gauging the situation due to the fear brought about by the Necronomicon.
They seemed to think that the great malice reflecting in the form of the cat would set some condition or bring about a terrible result.
And so….
[This way]
The cat moved its feet again.
A suffocating silence followed.
And… he sat in front of the Disaster Management Bureau agents—the children.
“…!”
“It’s a cat doll! So cute!”
“No! It’s dirty!”
Agent Choi restrained a Mer-child that was about to pounce on the cat.
Ryu Jaekwan broke out in a cold sweat.
Regardless, the cat's senses, having already perceived the world behind the veil, also detected the voices of the Disaster Management Bureau agents who appeared as 'children.'
And he urged them.
[This way]
“…It seems like it wants us to look inside that safe.”
“…….”
The two calmed the Mer-childs and approached the safe while guarding their surroundings.
The employees of Daydream Inc. looked like their hands were itching, but for now, they remained quiet given the situation.
And finally, the agents peered into the safe….
“…….”
“…Bronzie. Do you see it?”
“No.”
“Right.”
Agent Choi broke out in a cold sweat and gave a thin smile.
“…There’s nothing there.”
That’s right.
To the agents in the form of children, the inside of the shimmering ivory safe appeared empty.
“But there actually is something, right?”
Agent Choi lifted his Sun Catcher again and looked at the spot the Daydream Inc. people had made a fuss over.
And he confirmed it.
“…!”
There really were twelve ‘Conch Shells.’
Agent Choi hurriedly asked a Mer-child.
“Hey friend, do you see that?”
“What? Is there something there?”
“I see the cat.”
The children answered innocently.
The agents realized.
This object is invisible only to children.
No, to be precise… they can't perceive it at all!
'Wait a minute.'
Agent Bronze felt a chill down his spine.
'Then… that means there was a crucial item that the Bureau hasn't been able to identify until now…….'
They always infiltrated ghost stories in the form of children.
So, they couldn't even perceive it in that form, and they were bound to fail to identify the Conch Shells, which could only be found if they were searched for by force.
But at this moment, the agents of the Disaster Management Bureau learned of this item’s existence….
Agent Choi whipped around to look at the cat, but the cat just stared at him, continuing to project the same will.
[This way]
“Agent.”
“No, no, it’s fine.”
Agent Choi responded to the call.
And he reached out, intending to touch the position where the Conch Shell was inside the safe….
But he couldn't touch it at all.
“…….”
It wouldn't even let him touch it.
The illusion of the Sparkling Dragon Palace, created by the culprit and source of infection of this ghost story, was rejecting the Conch Shell.
“Then….”
[This way]
“…….”
Agent Choi fell silent.
The cat moved again as if to say his turn was over.
The direction of its steps was… in front of Baek Saheon.
'Why me again!'
Baek Saheon screamed internally. But the next moment, he realized.
“Ah. …Should I be the one to pack these Conch Shells?”
That’s right.
'It's telling me to take the items!'
For the first time, Baek Saheon was filled with joy after hearing the kitten's words, and he quickly reached into the safe.
[10]
Even amidst the joy, his mind was busy running calculations.
'How do I pack all twelve in this situation?'
If it had only spoken to me, I could have just taken them right away, but since it turned out like this, the situation will only be settled if I give a few to my ill-tempered boss and my money-crazed colleague.
'Fuck.'
[9]
It was certain that it had intentionally gathered people to create a more interesting and provocative scene. As expected, that cat is the psychopath Kim Soleum….
'…Wait a minute.'
Baek Saheon flinched.
But that crazy, strange, bizarre, and terrifying pressure just now, that presence… isn't that something a mere psychopathic human can do?
The same goes for the Red Halo seen on Kim Soleum.
Of course, Baek Saheon had confirmed a few times that halos signaling danger could be seen even on humans, but Kim Soleum’s felt… somehow, different.
[8]
It was closer to something seen in a ghost story than a person….
The feeling of an Anomaly.
'No way.'
Could it be that his former roommate wasn't just a subhuman psychopath.
[7]
'But from the very beginning, he was never a human of reality…….'
His back felt chilly.
However, the die was cast, and he had to take the items.
'It doesn't matter.'
[6]
The countdown was ending.
Baek Saheon gritted his teeth and quickly packed the Conch Shells tied with golden strings. Ignoring Kang Yihak’s peeking and the intense gazes of his boss and the agents.
And just as he had swept all twelve into his bag.
“Eh?”
He discovered an additional Conch Shell hidden at the very bottom.
It wasn't tied with a golden string, but it was definitely an 'Angel's Sigh.'
'A bonus.'
Baek Saheon was plotting a way to secretly take it separately when he reached out….
[This way]
Something leaps out from inside.
“…!”
Baek Saheon tripped over the cat by a hair's breadth.
The mucilaginous Source of Infection shot out from inside the Conch Shell, slicing through the air and missing its target.
“Ack!”
Baek Saheon quickly threw the Conch Shell he was holding.
Agent Bronze, who had been watching the situation with his Sun Catcher, ran over and struck the Conch Shell that had fired the mucus with his glass hand cannon.
With a short thwack, the Conch Shell shattered, and a mass of flesh like a tick crawled out, twitching like an insect, before being hit by another bullet and sticking to the floor.
Crunch.
Jin Nasol’s shoe crushed it.
“…….”
In the chilling silence, people turned to look at the cat.
At the Ghost Story Entity that had forcibly guided them here.
Phew.
Feeling like I wanted to break out in a cold sweat, I tried my best to avoid people's gazes.
It wasn't that hard since I was in a cat's body.
'I was trying to verify this.'
Right. The reason I specifically wanted to come here among the many places where 'Angel's Sigh' could be farmed.
The moment you pick up the Conch Shell hidden at the very bottom of the safe, infection mucus shoots out.
The peculiarity of this place. It was a trap item.
It was a chilling and classic horror development, where a Biohazard was camouflaged while parasitizing inside an item that seemed useful, like a mimic.
But if you combine this classic trope with the information obtained from the tattooist….
'It becomes an even clearer hint.'
A hint about the true nature of the Conch Shells.
■■.
In that overwhelming sensory information the owner of Moonlight Tattoo Shop had passed on, the Conch Shells, the ‘Angel’s Sighs,’ were terrible things associated with a negative and fatal event.
Perhaps that event was this crazy infection and the destruction of the city.
But at the same time, the Conch Shells also had the opposite images of consolation and healing.
If I carefully thought about and reconstructed this, adding the tattooist’s expression of ‘something that is terrible because it is foul in image, even if you know rationally that it is not a threat’….
—The Conch Shells, which were originally a cure, caused a fatal event, but this is not the original function of the Conch Shells.
…It comes down to that.
Then who on earth would have contaminated the Conch Shells?
'A very obvious candidate.'
—The Biohazard Ulcer entered the Conch Shells and disguised itself as Angel's Sighs.
It's the same as Biohazard-Merfolk creating illusions of the Sparkling Dragon Palace to delude the child hosts.
'They first hid in the Conch Shells and spread the infection.'
If the children were infected and this crazy situation spread rapidly, and even made the civilization of this city wary of the Conch Shells, preventing them from receiving emergency treatment in time...
'All the pieces fit.'
Kim Soleum had driven the people here to directly deliver this hint without being suspected.
And….
“Aha.”
There was someone here who had accurately grasped the hint.
“…….”
Agent Choi picked up a piece of the shattered Conch Shell. Goosebumps began to rise along his hand.
It was close to a thrill.
A keen and experienced person easily notices the hint and gets closer to the correct answer.
“Is it a cure?”
He turned to look at the cat.
“Is this a cure?”
“…!!”
“So that’s why you blocked the kids from even seeing or touching it, and even mixed in a fake to induce a misunderstanding? To prevent them from being treated.”
The cat did not respond, but Agent Choi was already certain.
He declared in a voice so calm it was unbelievable to be addressed to a being that had shown such a terrible presence until just moments ago.
“Right. This… is the cure.”
“…….”
Tension began to fill the space.
'What is it?'
To the Daydream Inc. employees, the agent's words sounded only like the laughter of a Mer-child.
So they couldn't understand it, but they could instinctively sense the unusual atmosphere.
“But you see.”
Agent Choi looked at the bag Baek Saheon was holding.
Baek Saheon gripped the bag tightly.
“There are twenty-eight kids.”
And all of them are so severely infected that they cannot escape.
“But there are only twelve Conch Shells.. and they’re in the hands of you pseudo-company bastards?”
Agent Choi raised his hand.
And his glass hand cannon….
[10]
“…….”
[9]
The cat.
Before anyone knew it, was sitting elsewhere.
[8]
In front of Jin Nasol’s shoes.
“What.”
[7]
“I don’t know what you want me to do.”
[6]
“Are you telling me to go ahead and do what I was going to do?”
[5]
“Fine then.”
[4]
And so, Jin Nasol did what she had originally intended to do.
[3]
The assistant manager of Daydream Inc.’s elite squad launched the offensive wires attached to her fingernails.
Toward the Mer-child who was not an agent.
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