It is the nature of an office worker to always carry a resignation letter in their heart (physically or mentally).
However, they usually keep it hidden….
‘She’s telling a rookie?’
And her direct subordinate at that.
“I’ve almost gathered all the Points. Don’t spread the word.”
“…….”
Given Assistant Manager Eun Haje’s personality, I thought she would walk around without a change in expression until the day she quit and only then let us know.
“Is it really okay to tell me?”
“Well, it’s not exactly bad news. Besides, in this company, there are plenty of bastards who go around bragging about how many Points they’ve collected….”
The Assistant manager gave my shoulder a firm, sudden pat.
“I just wanted to tell the people in our team in advance.”
“Sniff. Even watching from the side, I’m touched, Seonbae!”
“Cut it out.”
I groaned as I watched Supervisor Park Minseong approach and make a fuss.
It seemed the Supervisor already knew about it.
‘Is it because of the nature of the company?’
Since it’s a crazy profession where people play Russian roulette with their temples through work, desperate to fulfill a wish that is realistically impossible.
Since the premise is that everyone wants to escape anyway, I understood there was nothing to hide desperately.
Still, it was a shame to see a direct superior who looked out for me this much leave…. But since it was a good thing for her, it was something to celebrate.
However, there was a question.
“Assistant manager.”
“Yeah.”
“In that case, have you collected all 500,000 Points?”
“What?! 500,000? As if….”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje, who had looked appalled, soon smirked as if realizing something.
“Ah, did you think I was trying to buy a Wish Ticket?”
“…?”
Isn't that the case?
Wouldn't it be harder to find someone here who isn't?
“Ah. That was my goal when I first joined, but after looking around a bit, I realized I could do it with something else.”
“…!”
Ah.
‘I see.’
Thinking about it, there were indeed cases where a Wish Ticket wasn't strictly necessary.
‘If you can fulfill your wish with something you can buy from the Employee Point Mall, then that’s enough.’
“For me, one of the High-Grade Magic Potions from this company will do.”
Just as I thought.
“…May I ask how many Points it costs?”
“170,000. Now I have less than five thousand Points left. Well… though the Point Special Bonus I got thanks to you will come to an end, so I’ll have to stay a few more months.”
The Assistant manager winked, which was unlike her.
“Let’s talk to the Team Leader and see if we can keep you here until the next regular personnel transfer.”
It meant that if I could hold out until then, I would naturally remain in Team D.
Since she would be leaving, the headcount would fit.
‘That’s a very considerate thing to say.’
Even more so because she showed confidence that I would like staying in this team.
“Seonbae, when you leave, we really have to have a proper company dinner…. Let’s stay in touch even after you go. Let’s go watch baseball or something…!”
“Of course. Hey, you only need to hold out for a few years too.”
“Me? Sigh, I can’t. I’m stuck having to collect 500,000.”
The Supervisor, scratching his head, still had a bright expression.
“Anyway… then Roe can keep staying in our team!”
“If the Team Leader does a good job, that is.”
And the ‘Team Leader,’ who had returned from the Section Chief-level meeting, confirmed it calmly.
“Yes. The probability is high.”
“Ooh!”
“It is a matter of probability. Do not plan your work based on the assumption that you will remain.”
“…That’s what he says, Roe…….”
“Yes….”
It was very Lizard-like.
“Anyway, congratulations, Assistant manager.”
“Yeah.”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje went out for a smoke with a smile.
Her back already looked quite unburdened.
‘…What happens to employees who resign?’
There was no mention of depriving them of human rights and locking them in a lab to maintain secrecy, or disposing of them without a trace.
‘There were descriptions of a few cases where people retired quite well.’
You know how it is. Those employees that everyone likes.
The kind of minor characters that readers of the Wiki grew fond of, so they were given a good ending through retirement.
‘…I hope it’s like that for her too.’
After a short prayer, I returned to what I was doing.
Which meant I had been assigned a task by the Team Leader who had returned from his meeting.
“The Darkness we will be exploring this time is a C-Class spider, and it is a Supply Source where the Manual has already been completed.”
“Oh… then we’ll get about six or seven hundred Points per person?”
“Yes.”
“Roe, it’s a good thing we earned a lot of Points when the work was pouring in.”
The ‘Exploration for New Darkness Manual Completion’ that used to pour into Team D almost exclusively was now dying down.
“There’s usually a season when new Darkness pours in. The research team registers them all at once when the registration deadline approaches.”
“Ah.”
That really… feels like a company.
Of course, it wouldn't do a new employee any good to point that out.
I said with a bright smile.
“Then we can all work relatively safely for a while.”
“Yeah, I like how Roe is always positive~!”
The Supervisor laughed and handed me a tablet with the Manual PDF displayed.
“Even if there is a Manual, it’s still C-Class, so things could get ugly if you let your guard down. Now, let me know when you’ve fully mastered it.”
“Yes.”
“Looking at it, you just have to survive for a day at a certain location.”
Hmm.
I took the tablet and read.
The official Manual, written calmly, was in the same format as before.
It meant that it provided information implemented with detailed figures based on the records we obtained, in a format similar to the <Dark Exploration Record> Wiki.
‘Let’s see.’
An urban legend about a space one can fall into if they take a wrong turn in a commercial building with many vacancies, the type called the Backrooms on the internet….
“…….”
As I read the next paragraph, a powerful premonition hit me.
‘This is…….’
It’s already been several months since I started guessing the identity of ghost stories through the Manual based on the <Dark Exploration Record>.
It means I don’t get surprised just because I already know it.
And yet, it was a surprising situation?
Usually, it would be a crazy mass-slaughter situation like the <Tuesday Quiz Show> or a situation where I’m about to get a Guaranteed Kill.
But this time, it was in a different sense.
‘This… this is a good one!’
My god, it’s a heartwarming ghost story!
If you measured the fear level, it would probably be 0. An Anomalous Phenomenon that even a coward could pass through composedly if they’d already been spoiled!
But why was it C-Class?
‘Because Daydream Inc. made a mistake and classified the grade wrong!’
This was a story where one finds joy.
A so-called Misunderstood Ghost Stories!
It looks dangerous, but in fact, it’s a very gentle and gentlemanly Anomalous Phenomenon. It’s just a safe and kind ghost story, but it’s funny because people misunderstand it due to their preconceptions.
‘It’s to the point where the expression "magical experience" fits better than "ghost story"….’
Of course, there were very few such cases in the <Dark Exploration Record>.
My heart fluttered slightly.
I’m going in there?
‘Wait a minute.’
If I play this right….
‘It might not just be a heartwarming feeling; my life going forward could be heartwarming too.’
My mind raced.
To do that, there was definitely one thing I needed.
That was….
“We’ll be deployed tomorrow afternoon, so there’s plenty of time. Take your time reading. Well… I don't even need to say such things to Roe!”
“In that case… would it be alright if I went out for a bit separately during lunch tomorrow?”
“Eh? Well, the Team Leader or the Assistant manager aren't the type to care about that… why? If you’re going to the hospital, I’ll tell them to give you plenty of time.”
“Ah, it’s not that. Just….”
I calculated while thinking of my bank account.
“There’s something I need to buy.”
“…?”
To benefit from this heartwarming ghost story, I had to prepare something.
Something very expensive!
And the next day, after lunch.
We ended up moving in the Assistant manager’s vehicle.
To the place where the Darkness we were to enter was isolated.
“You packed everything you wanted to pack, right?”
“Yes.”
The ‘expensive thing’ I bought during my lunch break was also tucked safely in my briefcase.
The Assistant manager in the driver’s seat checked.
“Is this Roe’s first time entering an urban legend that takes place in an actual space, rather than being kidnapped after touching some object?”
No. Actually, just before this, I went into a mountain cabin and tried to act like a serial killer while holding pieces of a corpse, and I thought I was going to throw up.
…Let’s not mention that.
“Yes. I think it’s my first business trip.”
“Haha. Roe, you’re still in your 20s, right? This must be your first job.”
The atmosphere was quite warm, and we moved without issue.
While sharing some small talk.
“Did you know? Our Team Leader accidentally broke the steering wheel three times while working. So there’s a rumor that he’ll probably never sit in the driver’s seat again unless a zombie apocalypse breaks out….”
“…….”
Well. Let’s not ask him directly.
Anyway, after driving for about 40 minutes, the vehicle arrived smoothly at its destination.
“It’s here.”
It was an alleyway densely packed with commercial buildings in a bed town on the outskirts of Seoul.
However, because the real estate boom had passed long ago and people had left as new urban developments occurred, it was a somewhat quiet and empty… ‘old’ new city.
On the windows of numerous vacant rooms, real estate contact numbers with "For Sale" signs were posted.
“I guess one of these buildings is the urban legend. When you enter at sunset on a day with good weather, strange things happen.”
“Yes.”
Along with my superiors who kindly briefed me on the contents of the Manual, I approached the specified commercial building.
“It seems they’re blocking civilians from entering with some… Security Team equipment. It recognizes our masks and lets us inside.”
Hmm.
“Be careful once you’re inside.”
The Supervisor lowered his voice and whispered seriously.
“There are quite a few horrific records, so let’s make sure to be careful.”
“…….”
Stuff like… this, you mean?
Exploration Records #12
One of the deployed employees (Staff Jung Sejong) discovered a shop operating in Room 404, next to the emergency exit on the 4th floor. The name on the sign was ■■■ Cafe.
However, as he approached the location, strange sounds that shouldn't be heard in a cafe began to be heard.
Barking, shouting, and dozens of animal howls overlapped, growing louder and louder. The moment the employee stopped in front of the door, they suddenly grew close as if to
pounce.
The panicked employee managed to escape to the emergency stairs just before the door opened, but contact was lost after a loud noise.
Later found in an unconscious state near the commercial building.
Sidelined from work due to open fractures in both legs and a serious back injury. Continues to complain of PTSD since then.
At first glance, it could be eerie and horrific.
But did you perhaps notice?
‘That’s just… a dog-friendly cafe.’
The ghost story had kindly sent the employee outside after he got scared by the sound of dogs, ran away, and suffered multiple injuries from tumbling down the stairs….
Because the most anomalous thing about this Darkness is simply the fact that the shops that used to be there are operating normally.
However, it could be seen as the type of story where one scoffs at the explorers who get scared and ruin everything by interpreting everything negatively and making a fuss.
And right next to me, those very parties were busily giving advice….
“Let’s go carefully. There are quite a few records of this space harming people who enter.”
No, there aren't.
“Especially, you must not lose consciousness. It ends with a major injury.”
It’s just that even if you’re badly hurt and lose consciousness, they kick you out when the time is up….
Because this place is literally a commercial building, they politely evict you once business hours are over.
But I refrained from saying such things, fearing that they might think, ‘Aha, this ghost story even causes Mental Pollution!’ and create another comedy story through insane misunderstandings and delusions….
Instead, for the sake of efficient exploration, I readily and quickly nodded at the method of distributing contact devices and scattering individually.
“Will you be okay, Roe?”
“Yes.”
Normally, I would have stuck to them as if I wanted to grab their pant legs, but today was a day for this coward!
“Contact us immediately if there’s a problem.”
“Understood.”
Carrying the walkie-talkie I received from the Security Team (it strangely reminded me of the toy walkie-talkie sold at the Alien Shop), I immediately set off.
-Hmm, is there a shop you would like to visit? It seems a few places are in operation.
Do you know?
That’s correct.
‘Though, I have to approach it in a somewhat peculiar way….’
Because the space was distorted, the floors and directions were a mess, but there were also their own systems and laws that appeared occasionally.
And among them was this.
When taking the elevator from the 7th floor, a button for the basement appears with a certain probability.
After several attempts, I finally discovered a button labeled ‘B1’ in the elevator.
-Ah, is it a hidden location? It reminds me of that dignified exhibition.
Do we really have to bring that up?
I still have nightmares about being trapped in the basement of that exhibition, unable to find the exit, wandering around until I encountered a spider machine and had my organs harvested…!
‘T-This is a kind place……. A kind place…….’
I struggled to shake off the nightmare and pressed the button.
Ding.
And when the door opens, the basement parking lot is visible.
‘I think there was someone who fainted here after a car honked its horn.’
That wasn’t the important thing.
I moved diligently according to the instructions I remembered.
‘Three times to the left.’
If you circle this underground parking lot, a new area number of the parking lot that wasn't visible before appears.
‘A19.’
Then it’s as good as being there.
I moved my feet excitedly with an expectant heart.
Next to this parking area, there is also a door leading to the commercial space. Instead of opening it and going to the elevator, if you look to the side, there is a small shop.
That is how it appears.
Moonlight Tattoo Shop
The magical place.
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