Sangun.
One of the most sinister and unsettling <Dark Exploration Records>.
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While it appears similar to the Jangsan Tiger ghost story that was popular on the Korean internet, this ghost story has a stronger shamanic and bizarre color.
The paintings of ghosts, who claim to have been killed by a tiger referred to as Sangun, persistently change their appearance and pursue people, attempting to bewitch and drag away a Sacrificial Lamb.
It is one of the <Dark Exploration Records> that went viral in the first half of 20XX, with a succession of reviews stating that just reading it makes one feel ill or uncomfortable.
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It was exactly as described.
Even I, who can usually read text-based ghost stories without much trouble, had to stop several times while reading it because of the strangely lingering, unpleasant aftertaste.
The fact that similar ghost stories were popular and felt somewhat familiar also played a part.
Most people have probably heard of it at least once.
'The ghost story where a person eaten by a tiger becomes a ghost and visits those close to them...'
The so-called Changwi.
It’s a chilling tale where this ghost can only go to the afterlife if it finds another Sacrificial Lamb and passes its role onto them.
'Certainly, even just thinking about it is unpleasant.'
However, thinking calmly, there is a path to survival.
'A C-rank means it's a rank that still has a standard escape record.'
Even if it’s not easy, it doesn’t mean there’s no way to escape this Darkness.
The problem is... the method is quite bizarre, and because it forces one to make an unfair choice, the psychological pain and pressure can be suffocating.
It was the type of ghost story that enjoyed making the reader shudder with immersion.
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Exploration Record #3
A man in his 50s who downloaded a landscape painting from the internet that was said to improve his career luck.
The painting in question was an ink wash painting in the late Joseon style, and he testified that the depiction of the mountains and fog in the dusk was strangely vivid even in low resolution.
After downloading it, he occasionally dreamed of wandering near the mountains in the painting, and each time, he strangely felt at peace and his concentration improved.
However, the dreams changed starting from the point he was suddenly promoted at work.
A voice calling out to him began to be heard from within the mountain fog.
The voice said that it is a scholar's duty to repay a favor once received, and the sound of someone walking heavily along a mountain path while crying sadly was heard, along with the sound of a beast's cry.
Strangely terrified, the man turned around and ran away.
Then, the sound of cackling laughter followed him, repeatedly saying, 'I found you, I found you.'
The dream of running away repeated every night.
As the man moved further away from the mountain in the landscape painting, the voice calling his name in all sorts of different voices also drew closer.
And he realized that in his dream, he had run all the way to the front door of his house.
Terrified, the man woke from his dream and immediately ran out of the house alone to move into a hotel. He stated it was to avoid the voice chasing him and to prevent his family from getting involved.
However, in the dream that night, the voice did not chase him.
Instead, he saw someone with a pale complexion slithering like a snake into his open front door with a giggle.
Only then did the man realize.
The voice hadn't been following him, it had been trying to find out where he lived to get inside.
Result: 3 family members missing, excluding the man himself. (6 months later, 3 unidentified bodies found at a nearby dam)
Later committed suicide while hospitalized for PTSD.
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...It’s like this.
The worst part was being forced to imagine the psychological pain of the person caught in this ghost story.
Furthermore, there was something even more unsettling.
'……I've come too far.'
I was already in a situation where I had been bewitched and dragged here by a Changwi.
The circumstance of having answered the calling voice several times.
The Talisman that had almost fallen off.
This was a description that would only appear at the end of a long exploration record, in a desperate situation just before everyone dies.
It meant I was driven to the very edge.
'This is driving me crazy.'
I brushed my hair back.
-Are you in trouble, Friend?
It’s more than just trouble. I feel like I could take a bath in my cold sweat.
-Oh dear. Is it perhaps because of the Uninvited Guest who visited earlier? Uninvited guests are always unpleasant. Even more so if it's a place you don't want to be.
-So, I would like to give you a piece of advice. Would that be alright?
Huh?
I looked down at my pocket.
-I shall turn off Mr. Roe Deer’s light for you!
-Then you will be able to leave this place quietly without attracting anyone's gaze.
“…!”
I recalled the amazing supernatural ability this plush doll had shown at the theme park.
That peculiar ability that made my presence completely vanish, allowing me to move without being noticed by the Blue Mascot.
-You just have to quietly walk out that door and go home. There is no better way to avoid a tiring situation than this....
“…….”
There was a high probability that I could deduce the correct escape route based on the <Dark Exploration Record>.
So, if I just didn't get caught by the Changwi, I might really be able to get out of this ghost story easily!
'But...'
Isn't that for one person only?
'Could you perhaps do it for someone other than me?'
-For someone who isn't a Friend?
Braun’s voice distorted for a moment as if he had received an unpleasant proposal, but as a broadcaster, he still replied in a cheerful tone.
-Well. I might be able to do it, but if I were you, I wouldn't take such a risk!
-Mr. Roe Deer, everything has a set total amount, and doesn't it follow that the more you share, the less you have for yourself?
It seemed that if he used it for others as well, either the duration of his ability or its power would decrease.
'As expected, it's for one person if we want to play it safe.'
Still, to leave the kids behind, the conscience of a modern person who received public education…….
And also.
'Braun. If I can't take Manager Lee Byeong-jin over there... there will be a big problem with our budget.'
-…Pardon?
'Then I can't buy the Blood Bath....'
Capitalism holds me back.
-Ah... That cannot be!
-But, but if we turn off the lights for two people, it'll be easy for a sensitive audience to notice! Then the quality of the cut will be ruined!
Right.
'So I'll look for another way.'
Of course, if things get urgent, I'd have to quickly call Braun for an SOS and at least one of us would have to bail.
'Let's try as much as we can.'
-That's a pity! Understood.
I first rummaged through my pockets.
Fortunately, several items I always carry on my way to work remained safe, as I had kept them even while changing into the security uniform.
Smile Stickers, Alice's buff and debuff foods, and even the Snow White Apple.
Although I had just lost the fork of the Blood-Sucking Cutlery….
'It was originally a pair.'
Right, the knife remained.
I pulled the remaining Blood-Sucking Cutlery from the pocket on my other thigh.
And I was surprised.
'…It’s grown!'
The knife that revealed itself was no longer the size of dessert cutlery.
Delicate engravings were on the handle, and something like a very small red gemstone was elegantly set on it as a decoration.
One could tell at a glance that it had grown.
'Could it be that the blood the fork consumed was shared with this side?'
They are a pair, after all.
“…!! I-Is that a magic weapon for suppression from the security team?”
I didn't answer. Let Manager Lee Byeong-jin misunderstand.
I carefully wiped the knife, which was now about the size of a utility blade, on my clothes and put it in my jacket's front pocket, where it was easy to reach.
Please, let there be no reason to use it.
“Then I will search this house.”
“Ah... Yes!”
As I moved, the Manager hurriedly cleared the way for me.
I stared blankly at Manager Lee Byeong-jin, who had stopped.
“…?”
“I would like you to accompany me.”
“What!? A-Ah, no. I-I’ve already seen everything….”
“Since you've already seen it, I’m asking you to guide me.”
“Oh, o-okay... Yes.”
Manager Lee Byeong-jin seemed reluctant, but he followed me, sensing my mood.
That’s a relief. I avoided the situation of him wandering alone, getting scared, and fainting.
“This is, uh... it was probably the kitchen. There was nothing to eat, though.”
The old house, rusted, dusty, and moldy, was filled with nothing but Talismans.
The kind of house you might see halfway up a mountain in the distance while driving on a provincial highway—old, abandoned, and no longer inhabited.
“Weren't there any inconveniences while staying here for a week?”
“That is... I wasn't thirsty, nor was I hungry…….”
The Manager's face turned pale.
“T-That ghost, every time the ghost visited every night, only then did I strangely feel like my energy was being drained….”
“Have you ever tried going out during the day?”
“…I have, but no matter how much I walked, only the forest appeared…… I kept coming back here because I was afraid the sun would set while I was outside.”
It was a statement that matched other exploration records.
If so….
“W-Where are you going?”
I headed towards the end of the hallway where there were no doors.
And I stood at the dead end.
“It seems there might be an upper floor.”
“What?? No, there are no stairs leading up! I searched everywhere for a week, but there isn't even a trace of stairs….”
I summoned the Remote Hand.
Then, I let it hold the remaining Blood-Sucking Cutlery, the knife, and threw it toward the empty space.
To be precise, toward the ceiling.
“Gah!”
From the knife stuck in a tiny crack in the ceiling, something made a snapping sound.
Then, with a loud noise, the ceiling opened, and an old ladder came crashing down.
'Attic discovered.'
“M-My goodness! As expected of the security team…. The way you view space is indeed different from an ordinary person!”
“…….”
No, it isn't.
I just saw it in the Exploration Record….
There is always an attic in an abandoned house.
'Well, the way someone who knows something will be there looks at things is bound to be different from someone who doesn't know at all….'
At any rate, given the circumstances, it seemed certain that it led to an attic.
'Wow.'
It looks like a place I really don't want to go.
'It feels like entering an open room by myself in a haunted house.'
But since I had already pretended to be from the security team, I had essentially taken on the role of a tanker. In the end, I grabbed the ladder and went up, pretending to be composed.
Creak.
'Please follow me!'
Not surprisingly, he didn't follow.
'Impersonating the security team will remember this....'
I tried my best not to let my legs tremble as I barely made it up to the attic, finished the search quickly, and hurried back down.
As if I had finished the search quickly because I was competent.
'Phew.'
That must have looked natural.
“H-How was it?”
“It’s just an old attic. Nothing out of the ordinary, but….”
I held up the only find.
“It was placed on top of an old small table.”
It was an old book, bound in an ancient style.
The Path to Survival
“The Path to Survival! Could it be that the way to escape is written there!”
He reads Hanja well.
I carefully opened the book, which was so old it felt like it might crumble.
The inside was also entirely in Hanja.
'Hanja…… at most, all I have is the Level 2 certification I got in high school….'
-Oho. This is interesting content.
“…!”
Does he understand Hanja too?
-My, Mr. Roe Deer. A competent host like me must, as a rule, be able to communicate with all audiences in the universe…. Well, almost all.
I thought I just heard a very unrealistic statement, but this was the important part.
'…Could you read it for me?'
-Of course!
Good.
Braun made a sound like a classic broadcaster with a good voice clearing his throat, and then his voice became old and deep.
-'This is your only Path to Survival.'
Thump.
-'O foolish one who has stepped into the Sangun's Burial Site while bewitched by a Changwi! It is dark before you, and a ghost is attached to your back.'
I swallowed hard.
-'Do not answer, do not open up. Simply keep your body clean and endure until the full moon, then go to the Divine Shrine and perform the ritual when the full moon rises.'
-'Then you shall see the rising sun alive. However…….'
I turned the page.
-'A Changwi will desperately pursue once it finds someone to become Tiger Prey. You are already bewitched by the tiger. You can never escape.'
-'The ghost will remain attached to the threshold of your house and the bedside where you sleep.'
-'Therefore, you too must become a Changwi. You must capture someone to be caught and killed by the tiger in your stead.'
…!
-'The sacrificial offering must surely possess intellect, have hot blood flowing through them, and be able to speak. Only then can you deceive the Changwi.'
-'While offering the sacrifice, follow the path to where the moonlight shines, and there will be a small snake hole.'
-'This is your only Path to Survival; there is no other way.'
“…….”
-That is the end. Oho, how interesting.
I closed the book, frozen.
'……So it was like this.'
In the Exploration Records, it was only mentioned in a line or two of description: 'A Sacrificial Lamb was designated by drawing lots, then the ritual was performed. It was stated that the winner refused, so they were tied to a pillar and dragged along.'
But looking into it directly... beyond the chill, a bizarre psychological pressure weighed down on me.
Flutter.
Just then, something that had been tucked into the very last page of the book fell out.
“…….”
A small paper business card.
As I picked it up, I saw handwriting scribbled on the back.
⧻⧻ Leaving tomorrow.
I flipped the business card over.
Go Seon-ha
Department of History, Jugang University
Was this the person who had read this book first?
In the meantime, Manager Lee Byeong-jin, who could read Hanja, seemed to be trying to read the text in the book himself, faltering.
And then he was shocked.
“Sacrificial Offering…… T-This! Doesn't this mean one person has to die?”
“…….”
“That’s right! I-If just one person dies, everyone else can live!”
I didn't answer.
Manager Lee Byeong-jin’s eyes darted around, and he began to rub his palms together with an anxious voice.
“Um, but, u-ultimately, everyone dies if we don't do it, so….”
“So?”
“…Wouldn't it be fine if someone who deserves it dies? Someone who wouldn't have been able to escape anyway, right?”
Is he talking about himself?
But I realized after seeing Manager Lee Byeong-jin's expression as he gestured downward.
'That.'
He's talking about the kids.
“Honestly! Just one of those kids... Wouldn't they all have died anyway if you hadn't come, Mr. Security Officer? We should focus on getting out!”
“…….”
“If just one of them dies and the rest of us survive, yes! Wouldn't that still be a good thing!”
I didn't expect to hear such a statement in reality.
I could take into account that he had been trapped here for a week, panicking and feeling the fear of death….
'But I still can't agree with that kind of talk.'
I glanced at the Hanja.
“An entity with intellect.”
“Pardon?”
“In this book, it is written that one who possesses intellect—that is, an intellectual entity —must be offered as a sacrifice.”
I tilted my head slightly.
“But can a child who has not yet become an adult be judged as a complete intellectual entity?”
“U-Uh…….”
“I don't think so.”
I stared quietly at Manager Lee Byeong-jin.
“Wouldn't an adult be the one suitable to be used as a sacrifice as a complete intellectual entity? Then... it seems there's only one.”
“……!”
Receiving my gaze, the Manager broke into a cold sweat, his pupils trembling as his mouth hung open.
“Th-Uh, uh….”
I spoke.
“I’m talking about me.”
“……Yes?”
“I would be the only one who qualifies. Excluding the children and the Manager, who has fallen into mental confusion after being trapped here for a week.”
“…….”
“But I don't want to die. I'll look for another way.”
I began to examine the book again.
After a silence followed.
“I, uh... I’m sorry.”
“…….”
“Bringing up the kids' lives, how did I become someone who would say such things... Ha, haha….”
With a face that looked completely out of his mind, the Manager slumped to the floor.
“On the first day, it was my late father…….”
He passed away in a hospital bed from cancer, but I couldn't even be there for his final moments because of work.
“But that father was crying, calling my name, 'Byeong-jin, let me see my Byeong-jin's face.' Telling me to open the door.”
“…….”
“When I endured it by hitting my head, the ghost left while hurling all sorts of mockery and insults. In my father's voice.”
The Manager lowered his head, clutching it with his hands.
“Like that, every single day, it visits once with the voices of dead family, friends, and neighbors...!”
His maternal uncle who had been very fond of him, his aunt, a cousin who died in an accident, college friends, and even the neighborhood child who was kidnapped and went missing….
“Now it drags out everyone I knew who has died. I can't hold out with a sane mind any longer……. If there is a hell, this must be it.”
“…….”
Hmm.
Come to think of it, the middle school kids didn't even know there was a ghost knocking on the door outside.
Even though they had been here for two days.
'Was he standing there, almost guarding the door himself?'
Whether that was intentional, accidental, or because he was bewitched by the ghost, I felt a strange sensation realizing his actions had, in any case, protected the kids' mental state.
I stared at the Manager for a moment, then nodded.
“If this is hell, then all the more reason to escape.”
“…….”
“I will try to familiarize myself with the contents of this book a bit more….”
Knock, knock, knock.
“…!”
The faces of the Section Chief and I turned toward the door at the same time.
“Just now….”
Knock, knock, knock.
“…….”
“…….”
Excuse me.
The voice came, once again.
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