The tattoos the ghost stories had etched onto me were all characters.
One was in Latin.
: Socius :
It had been etched when the membership pass given to me by the blue dragon—the theme park mascot—burned away. According to Braun, it was a script that granted the authority of a pass, like a 'special qualification.'
And the other was in Hanja.
Benefactor :
This tattoo was etched when the contract document of the Caretaker from the serial killer ghost story burned away.
However, since I lacked the 'qualification,' it was currently nothing more than a character with no actual function.
If I had to choose one of these to 'enhance'…
'It has to be this one.'
"I'll leave it to you."
The tattooist peered at the tattoo I pointed to.
Benefactor :
The reason for this choice was simple.
'It's better to increase the variety of my abilities.'
It was almost certain (though it brought tears to my eyes) that I would continue to enter various ghost stories in the future.
This meant that it wasn't a situation where a single superpower could be a cure-all.
'Even Section Chief Lizard almost died despite having that kind of power. One-trick ponies won't cut it.'
It was better to increase the number of cards I could play in various situations; enhancing a single ability halfway wouldn't be very efficient.
'So, it's better to be able to use a character I currently can't.'
In this Moonlight Tattoo Shop, I didn't have to worry about 'stepping on a landmine.'
Since they were very friendly to humans and rarely gave harmful abilities, it meant the Caretaker wouldn't suddenly pop out and chop my head off.
Besides….
I glanced at the Latin characters.
—Good boy.
…Recalling that mascot who seemed to have formed a strange emotional bond with me, 'covering up' this tattoo felt somehow like a desecration.
'My danger sense is tingling.'
My gut feeling as a regular reader of the <Dark Exploration Record> told me it was better to avoid that.
—Ah, it's finally starting!
And so, I made my choice, and the tattooist began to move.
I stopped the other party as they tried to show me several drafts.
"Ah, please just do it in the way you think looks best."
If I was aiming for maximum effect, I should leave it to the expert.
I grinned.
"I trust your skills, Mr. Tattooist."
"…!"
The shop owner's eyes seemed to sparkle for a moment, and they immediately and vigorously urged me to lie back comfortably in the chair.
While shoving Braun firmly into my hand.
—It seems you've mistaken me for some kind of doll to soothe the pain! What a rude yet amusing misunderstanding!
But there was no pain.
The tattooist put on a pair of sophisticated goggles that reminded me of steampunk style and began to operate a massive tattoo machine.
'…Are machines normally that big?'
Just as I was feeling a bit bewildered by the machine, which was as large as a piece of surgical medical equipment.
Moonlight settled into the machine.
Zzzzzzt—
The light pouring down from the LED ceiling was sucked into the machine.
Then, it gathered at a single point.
The tip of the tattoo machine's needle.
Seeing the tip, which shone like a radiant jewel, approaching my arm, I closed my eyes as instructed.
"……."
A strange sensation washed over my left arm.
It wasn't pain or itchiness. Nor was it pressure.
It was a refreshing and comfortable sensation, as if old grime was being peeled away and my skin was being rearranged and assembled perfectly, and then.
Tap, tap.
It was over.
The light before my eyes vanished, and I opened them at the tattooist's gesture.
"…!"
'Oh my god.'
The tattoo now had a background.
A full moon hanging in a dark blue night sky was rendered as if painted with a single brushstroke, and the characters were etched over it like a lunar shadow.
Stars sparkled with a pearly luster as if scattered near the characters.
Tap, tap.
The tattooist looked at me with their hands on their hips, as if asking if I liked it.
"It looks magnificent."
The tattooist, looking proud, patted my shoulder and then ran to the counter.
"…?"
What the tattooist held in their hand upon returning was a single pearl. It looked like one they had unfastened from the necklace I had brought.
'What is it?'
The owner pressed the pearl against my tattoo.
Then, it slipped right in.
"…?!"
—Ho-oh, well now. Hmm….
—Mr. Roe Deer, this is quite interesting. A 'passage' has been opened.
A passage?
—Would you like to try rubbing the tattoo gently? You'll feel something.
I raised my hand and lightly touched the tattoo, which miraculously had neither swelling nor pain.
"…!"
I felt it.
A 'gap' of some sort between the touching skin.
"……."
I cautiously 'inserted' my hand inside.
When my hand came back out, it was holding the single pearl the tattooist had put in earlier….
'…A space?'
—Indeed. It seems that 'provision of space' was included in that pathetic mountain cabin laborer's contract!
—Well, isn't providing a room to a guest a natural duty for a servant? It seems the artist found a loophole in that contract and forced them to provide a small space for you as well!
Wait a minute.
Does this mean… I now have something like my own little inventory?
'This is actually possible?'
My heart raced at this webtoon-style gift that I had never dared to expect in a ghost story.
—Let's see… you can think of it as a cube roughly 2 feet on each side. It seems a space of that size has been 'connected' to you!
Two feet would be about 60cm.
Despite the use of a villainous unit of measurement—befitting someone from an American talk show ghost story—it was truly grateful information.
But you see.
'Then, is this connected to that cabin?'
That crazy killer cabin should have disappeared.
—Who knows. As for where it connects… wouldn't nobody know?
—Exactly what kind of space the Caretaker decided to provide would be a fact known only to the one who originally entered the contract.
"……."
—This is quite intriguing. It would make a good subject for a bet! What shall we wager for the enjoyment of our lives?
I'll politely decline….
Still, since this Moonlight Tattoo Shop wouldn't have manifested the ability in a way that harms the user, let's not let caution prevent me from using an ability I can use.
'In the future, I won't have to worry when I need to sneak items in.'
That alone was a remarkable thing.
"Thank you. It's truly amazing and wonderful."
I returned the pearl I had taken out, and joy and satisfaction sparkled in the tattooist's eyes as they took it.
"Is it okay for me to head out now?"
A nod.
"Then, I'll be going."
And just as I was about to head to the entrance.
The tattooist, as if realizing something, gestured for me to wait a moment.
'What now?'
They then frantically rummaged under the counter and pulled out some papers. They carefully wrapped them in transparent packaging and held them out to me.
'……Tattoo designs?'
The moment I took what they were offering, I realized.
They were Tattoo Stickers.
They even had the design I had been recommended and chose—the tomato tree—etched right on them.
And there were three of them!
"…!"
Wait a minute.
"Is it possible that while wearing these… I'll become 'brave'? Just like if I had received the tattoo."
The tattooist nodded with a smile.
'Oh my god.'
It was an unexpected bonus.
"Thank you."
The owner waved at me with a smile.
It seemed it was truly time to say goodbye.
After carefully tucking the stickers into my pocket—rather, the newly created 'space'—I finally grabbed the door to leave.
"I hope you have a wonderful day."
The door closed behind me with a polite farewell.
Ding.
And when I turned my head back.
"……."
It was a vacant room.
Befitting a ghost story, the inside of the glass window, which had a twisted real estate contact number stuck to it, was hollow and empty.
'…They did say it was always like this.'
The Moonlight Tattoo Shop could only be entered once through this 'Vacant Room' ghost story.
'I'll probably have a chance to use a different ghost story next time.'
—Ah, that was a unique and enjoyable experience.
I agree.
"Roe, was the exploration okay?"
"Yes."
That day, I successfully finished the 'Vacant Room' exploration without any other issues and accumulated my points.
The pleasant scent of the aroma massage Braun received lasted for a few days.
However, the cover-up tattoo vanished the next day as if it had been a lie, leaving only the original characters on my wrist.
Still, the ability I gained remained.
'Let's put it to good use.'
Thinking of the possibilities of the inventory, I repeated my experiments.
And then, three weeks.
As if it were a lie, there was no occasion for this ability to play an active role….
"……."
Well… usually, this is normal.
When entering a ghost story with a Manual, the company already provided the items necessary for clearing it, so there was no need to hide anything.
And the cases where I was deployed to a ghost story without a manual had decreased significantly.
'The Alien Shop doesn't really have anything that looks useful while also making me want to carry it around like crazy….'
In the end, it meant its utility had been reduced to just carrying around existing items more conveniently.
'At least I found out that food doesn't rot, as if it's in a vacuum or something.'
When I put in an analog watch, the second hand stayed the same, but when I put in a digital watch, it discharged.
A situation where the laws were incomprehensible.
And a timing where there was no urgent need to use it.
In the end, time just passed by as I gathered points reasonably well without having to use items or abilities particularly fiercely….
'It's a good thing, though.'
"Three weeks left until the regular personnel reshuffle."
"Huff, puff."
"I'm telling you, you're staying here, got it, Roe!?"
"Yes. I certainly hope so."
The hottest topic of gossip in Group D was whether I would be able to safely remain in this group after the regular personnel reshuffle.
Being a ghost story company, injuries or scary incidents occurred from time to time, but I was quite used to that now.
It meant I had become able to endure by clutching the Tattoo Stickers like talismans.
'I should save these for when it's really urgent.'
As I attended the company I was slowly getting used to, I began to feel relieved about handling work with these good-natured teammates.
And this, too, is a given.
That relief didn't last long.
Three weeks and two days later.
Monday, the day of work.
"Roe's here?"
"……."
The atmosphere had changed.
'…What is this?'
A strange calmness.
The air in the office was like when people leave a final message to their family in a disaster situation.
The peculiar serenity of people facing the acceptance of tragedy.
It was definitely not a good omen.
"…Well, I guess we end up doing things like this too."
"It'll be okay. All our team members have strong bad luck, after all!"
Assistant Manager Eun Haje didn't bother to respond to Supervisor Park Minseong's words.
It was truly ominous.
"Take a seat, Roe."
I ended up sitting on the sofa instead of at my desk. Assistant Manager Eun Haje, sitting opposite me, placed a tablet PC in front of me with a calm expression.
"This is the Darkness we'll be deployed to in three days."
"……."
Three days?
'Why are they giving us so much time?'
For a schedule three days away, they would usually say something like 'be prepared since you might be going in.'
To speak with such certainty meant something.
"It's a Darkness where twelve people will be deployed… and it's B-rank."
"……."
"Don't be too shocked. The survival rate is ridiculously high. And since the bonus points are also set generously… each person can take home 2,000 points."
"…And?"
A bitter smile that seemed to say 'you quick-witted brat' flashed across Assistant Manager Eun Haje's face.
"And, well, there's a problem. It would be faster to find a Darkness that doesn't have one… but this Darkness is a bit unique."
"…In what sense is it unique?"
"To explain it as simply as possible… yeah."
Assistant Manager Eun Haje crossed her arms.
"A total RNG-screwed game."
"…!?"
"With this one, as soon as you enter, one person unconditionally dies. …Completely random. Purely by luck."
Damn it.
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