Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work (Novel) - Chapter 43

Chapter 43

===================

Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

===================

“To think that there were even underground floors here….”

Standing before the underground stairs, Go Yeong-eun’s face was half-filled with fear and half-filled with expectation.

Baek Sa-heon sneered.

“Exactly. And the person next to me, how did he even know there were underground floors, and why he’s going underground, saying without a word that we absolutely must go to the 1st floor below ground.”

“If you don’t want to go, we can part ways here.”

“…….”

Baek Sa-heon fell silent.

After confirming that there was an underground, it seemed he wouldn’t miss a ‘situation where Kim Sol-eum likely had something up his sleeve’ to rely on.

I briefly explained to Go Yeong-eun that ‘I had found a space that would be helpful using special equipment to read the guide board attached in front of the elevator.’

And finally, I moved my steps toward the underground stairs.

“…….”

“…….”

The further I moved my steps, the more I came to know.

‘The style has changed.’

The brass-colored mansion darkened to a bronze hue, and more avant-garde decorations appeared.

For some reason, it felt like going down much deeper than when going down from the 2nd floor to the 1st floor…….

“…….”

“…….”

Before long, a classical grand gate appeared next to the stairs.

-The 1st floor below ground. It is written as such.

We arrived.

I carefully grabbed one of the door handles of that grand gate, and opened it only after ensuring that no mechanical sounds were heard outside the door.

And what revealed its appearance…… was not an exhibition hall or a hallway.

Go Yeong-eun’s eyes widened.

“여긴…….”

“It must be a visitors’ lounge.”

It was a sort of resting space.

In the massive hall decorated quite comfortably, luxurious armchairs, vintage tables, and even a fireplace burning in bronze light in one corner were provided.

“Y-you read from the elevator that this existed?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, since usually there are places like this in the lobby, maybe there is an exit nearby here…?”

“I don’t know about that. However….”

“However?”

“Looking at the manual, there were a few things that couldn’t be done in the exhibition hall, and I thought that if it was a ‘resting space,’ there would be fewer restrictions.”

Indeed.

I came aiming for the fact that a few actions prohibited in this exhibition would be permitted.

“Things that cannot be done… ah, like eating and drinking!”

“Yes.”

2. Eating and drinking in the exhibition hall is prohibited.

“…But it doesn’t seem like we particularly need to pack and eat anything right now.”

That would be so.

“To be precise, I came to perform an action that is included in eating and drinking and thus prohibited.”

“…What would that be?”

I took out the item I had prepared from my bag.

[Easy and Fast Candle Making Kit]

“Strict prohibition of open flames.”

“From now on, I will manufacture an escape item.”

* * *

Go Yeong-eun swallowed her saliva.

Before her eyes, an incredibly competent peer was performing a truly absurd act.

“Is it like this.”

Kim Sol-eum pulled a bizarre box out of his briefcase, and was rapidly reading down the enclosed instructions.

However, that box did not look ordinary. Why on earth did he bring something like a candle making kit?

‘I’ve never seen such a trademark.’

A logo under the name of ‘Pleasant Lab’ sparkled with a smile mark so as to look tacky, but the instructions held by Kim Sol-eum were handwriting written messily in dark red ink.

…It gave off an extremely bizarre feeling.

Like a prop one would somehow run into inside a ghost story…….

At that time, Baek Sa-heon muttered.

“…An item?”

An item?

When she looked back at Kim Sol-eum reflexively, he answered quite kindly.

“Yes. An object that possesses supernatural abilities.”

…!

“Th-then, isn’t it the Dark?”

“It would differ depending on the classification method, but… it seems that objects whose anomalies are stable, portable, and possess no territory to be viewed as the Dark are called items.”

“…….”

How does Sol-eum know that…?

‘Aren’t we… the same rookies?’

Why is there such a difference in information capability?

And where on earth did he obtain that…?

As Go Yeong-eun, who had done well in company life to the extent of being within the top three among the rookies, it was a situation where she had no choice but to be flustered!

‘No, he even looks extremely skilled at handling it…?!’

Sensing her gaze, Kim Sol-eum turned to look at her and spoke as if giving a slight excuse.

“It is my first time manufacturing it too.”

It was the truth!

Though he had pondered over the usage method while reading the instructions a few times, manufacturing was a first for Kim Sol-eum too.

However, from the perspective of his peer who had no way of knowing that he had already conducted similar pseudo-rituals about three times, her mind only grew distant….

No, wouldn’t a person like that… be a social benefit if he started a business rather than getting employed?

Shouldn’t he not be involved with a company that is like this horror movie??

However, soon a cold sense of reality made her sober up.

‘……It must be due to the Wish Ticket.’

Because of a wish that cannot be given up.

Go Yeong-eun almost fell into a slight depression due to sympathy for each other’s situations, but soon composed her mind.

For now, let’s focus all of our minds only on escaping.

…Let’s use all of our extreme anger toward the Group R Leader, who abandoned us and fled as soon as the monster machine approached, as fuel!

She only wanted to retract her past statement where she thought there was no hazing in the group, and that with this level, there would be no human relationship stress.

‘Die, Group Leader!’

However, thinking that if it continued like this, the Group R superiors might really die miserably with their eyes, nose, and mouth all torn out, that too felt a bit strange….

“Done.”

“…!”

Go Yeong-eun, who had almost fallen into thought, suddenly raised her gaze again at Kim Sol-eum’s voice.

Somehow, Kim Sol-eum had laid a sheet of black paper on the floor, and drawn a small picture with the enclosed crayons.

That was…… mmh.

‘…A candle?’

Yes. It looked like a candle…. To be precise, it was merely a flat drawing depicting the outline of a candle, though.

However, Kim Sol-eum paid no heed and indicated the cards placed near the drawing to his peer by pointing with one hand.

“You see the cards, right.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Please pull one among them.”

“…….”

“It is deciding the property of the item.”

Could I perhaps be used or get swept in?

Go Yeong-eun pondered for a moment, but soon stretched out her hand.

Because there had never been any unpleasant suspiciousness in Kim Sol-eum’s words or deeds so far, and even looking at the situation objectively, the judgment was that he always treated her with good intentions.

‘Let’s do it.’

This person highly trusted the big data inside her own smart brain.

So she flipped over one of the cards scattered on the floor quite without hesitation.

On the front of the card, there was a energetic blue drawing raising one hand.

At the very top, a white star sparkled like a gem.

[Honor]

Kim Sol-eum’s face of the card flipped over revealed a faint smile.

“……You pulled well.”

Is that so?

‘Although it doesn’t seem like honor is particularly needed right now….’

Anyway, it was a relief that the person who read the instructions said it turned out well.

Before long, Kim Sol-eum turned his head and called Baek Sa-heon in a voice that sounded rather reluctant.

“Pull a card.”

“…….”

Baek Sa-heon seemed to calculate the situation while rolling his brain, but soon narrowed his eyes and stretched out his hand.

On the front of the card he flipped over, a crookedly smiling human mouth and red iron bars were drawn.

[Obstruction]

“It suits you.”

“What?”

Kim Sol-eum ignored him and continued to proceed with the manufacturing!

“I will flip over all of the remaining cards.”

“Yes, yes.”

Although I don’t know what it is, please do so!

Go Yeong-eun watched Kim Sol-eum rapidly flip the cards with neat hand movements.

The remaining cards were ten in total.

Confusion, healing, meditation, wound, lie, dream, anger, protection, blow, gaze…… ten kinds of cards were listed on the floor, revealed.

‘What on earth is this?’

Why make us pull cards as if giving some tarot reading, and then reveal them all at the end.

She realized upon seeing Kim Sol-eum’s next action.

So the last card was choosing what he wanted directly.

[Lie]

Having pulled out that card where a golden gear was drawn next to a black heart, Kim Sol-eum burned all three cards they had pulled with a lighter.

Sparking in various colors, the flames turned the cards into sparkling ashes.

“…!”

And carefully gathering the ashes from those cards, he applied them as if painting over inside the crayon candle outline he made, then folded the paper.

“Now we just need to let it harden for about 30 minutes.”

With a faint smile, Kim Sol-eum picked up the paper placed on the floor, folded it, and put it in his suit breast pocket.

“What you just made is….”

“This candle will help us get out of here.”

“…!”

“I intended to repeat it a few more times if it didn’t work, but the keywords came out quite well at once……”

Screeeeeeeeeeech

“…….”

“…….”

The three people turned their heads in unison.

From over there, beneath the bronze light, a massive shadow revealed its appearance.

Eight straight lines resembling spider legs.

And….

Screeech

The machine’s eyes leaking gas lamp light.

“…….”

“…….”

“Run!”

The three immediately began to sprint in the opposite direction.

* * *

I knew.

That even if it was a resting space, the machine could appear.

Still, because I speculated that it would patrol more loosely than the exhibition halls, I resolved to bear a certain degree of risk….

‘Although it couldn’t be helped because there was no place to hide like a vent there, still, of all times!’

I gritted my teeth and ran across the hallway.

As long as we were already spotted, it would be able to follow even if we hid in some other vent.

Because it was a machine equipped with that level of performance!

“Shall we go straight?!”

“For now!”

If we kept going straight, it would be the main exhibition hall.

We had no choice but to go there and hope that there would be a higher priority trouble situation drawing attention….

‘Not to mention we went down underground, so we don’t know how dangerous the exhibits have become…!’

It was at that moment.

Swoosh.

“…!”

Baek Sa-heon tried to grab my suit.

‘What now, you crazy bastard!’

The fellow yelled.

“That item! The candle! Let’s offer the candle you made! It is precious, isn’t it!”

I slapped his hand away and yelled.

“No, you idiot!”

“What?!”

“Look at the exhibition theme!”

+++

This exhibition is conducted free of charge for one hour under an open mind that admires art.

+++

“Art!!”

“…!”

“And among them, living beings, civilization, history!!”

I shrieked.

“What connection does it have to this item for them to accept it as the fee!”

In the first place, if items were valuable to them, our company’s employees would have given their own equipment first and not had their eyes torn out!

Besides, in the first place, the candle isn’t even finished yet!

However, Baek Sa-heon reached out again trying to snatch my bag, and Go Yeong-eun let out a sigh as if angry.

“Let’s at least try! If we are going to die like this!”

“Agh! Excuse me! Stop that and run……”

I turned my head.

Right now, our feet….

Crossed the grand gate of the main exhibition hall.

“…….”

Catching my breath, I raised my head.

S t a r s s p a r k l e d i n a l l d i r e c t i o n s

O r w e r e t h e y p e b b l e s ? C o u n t l e s s c i r c l e s o f i d e n t i c a l c o l o r s s p a r k l i n g i n p a i r s

closelycoveringthequadrangularwallsandstaringatmehumaneyesight….

The eyes plucked by the guide machine.

“Gasp.”

I stopped my steps and lowered my head. From the side, I heard the sound of Baek Sa-heon hitting his single remaining eye.

My shaken mind slowly, calms down….

-Ah. They have arranged them like stars in the universe. ‘Shining Gaze.’ A quite typical but popular naming! They must have been conscious of the providers of the artwork materials.

“…….”

The three sides of the massive black exhibition hall were packed full of eyeballs, without a single gap visible.

The entrance was only the single door we just came through.

And through that entrance, the guide machine was approaching without rest…….

We were trapped.

-I am curious about Mr. Roe Deer’s choice! It is a dead end now. A place to flee is… mmh, it seems there is none. Indeed!

-But my friend, you can escape anytime, anywhere. Because you have this Brown!

That too…… I knew.

‘If it’s only me.’

That I could escape safely anytime.

Brown would willingly use the ability he called ‘Lights Out’ to make my presence vanish for me.

Then I would just need to carefully slip out of here while the other companions drew the aggro and had their eyes and ears extracted.

-In that case, how about that person named Baek Sa-heon pays the fee? Since his life doesn’t have much time left anyway!

Right. Since the candle whose recommended number of people was 3 was also successfully manufactured, Baek Sa-heon is no longer needed now.

‘I only accompanied him because I was worried about having mental issues.’

Honestly, wouldn’t it be no big deal if that bastard died? No, rather, dying might actually be helpful to society.

In that gap, if she was lucky, Go Yeong-eun might be able to slip out too…….

…Uh?

“Let’s scatter! So that if even one person slips out….”

“Ms. Mountain Sheep!”

“Yes?”

“You are safe.”

“…?!”

“Have you not had your fee collected recently? There should still be time remaining until the next term.”

“Ah!!”

Go Yeong-eun, whose ears were extracted relatively recently, would definitely still have ‘usage time’ remaining!

Hope flashed in Go Yeong-eun’s eyes.

“Then I will go and try to obstruct……”

Screeech

“…….”

“…….”

It entered.

The guide machine.

Rumble.

In the bronze candlelight, I faced that machine directly for the first time.

It was mercilessly sharp and elaborate.

As if using iron as flesh added on top of a spider base, the head-thorax was bizarrely connected, and below it was the abdomen and lower body.

However, because it oddly resembled an bipedal intelligent being, it touched the uncanny valley. The creaking, bizarre movements made one feel chilled.

Sharp needle-like legs moving their joints arbitrarily.

And at the head, eight gas lamps shone yellow, piercing the whitish shadow.

“…….”

Go Yeong-eun, who was approaching, froze just like that.

It seemed the trauma from when her ears were torn off right before had pierced through her brain and risen.

It was worthy of that.

Screeech.

The machine passed Go Yeong-eun just like that.

‘As expected.’

If so, what the machine chased was….

Me and Baek Sa-heon.

Screeeeeech.

I pondered very briefly.

To quickly erase my presence and flee when the gaze is focused on Baek Sa-heon.

It would be difficult when the machine is paying attention only to me, but since there are still two targets, wouldn’t Brown’s ability work.

-Oh, should we use it now?

And I decided.

‘No.’

Instead, I shoved Baek Sa-heon to the side.

“…!”

“Run.”

Baek Sa-heon already lacks one eye.

That is, he himself knows that he might have something more than an eye extracted together.

‘I don’t know what level of unexpected behavior he might do.’

Even if we let them ‘collect’ ears instead, the rejection reaction of a person who has already had one eye extracted would be more violent.

I couldn’t even estimate what kind of extreme crazy act he might pull.

It was better to let him run away.

“Run.”

Baek Sa-heon faltered for a moment.

But soon after taking steps back and moving away from the machine, when the machine stood in front of me, he ran toward the door at full speed and vanished.

At the same time, Go Yeong-eun also saw my eye signal, tightly shut her eyes, and ran out of the door.

“…….”

Then now.

-Do you have something to ask the guide? Mr. Roe Deer.

I raised my head.

The machine looking like a half-mosaic combination of a spider and a woman faced me while shining gas lamp light.

It was a grotesque and thrilling appearance.

The guide machine before long raised its eight legs and arm needles attached in all directions and began to gesture at me.

I politely bowed my head.

“Greetings. I just entered.”

I knew it wouldn’t work.

Sure enough, the machine made an unknown noise and gestured with the joint of one massive needle.

-It says that 1 hour and 54 minutes have elapsed since you entered, so an additional fee is being settled.

I took a deep breath.

“Wait a moment. May I ask a question first before paying the fee?”

-Of course it is fine!

“Is the guest room reservation perhaps processed at the front desk? …If you agree with my question, nod your head once, and if you do not agree, shake it sideways.”

…….

Nod.

“Thank you for the guidance. Then….”

Holding back a sigh, I opened my mouth.

I had asked the previous question in order to ask this.

The core question for escape.

‘Since these machines only remember information about their own areas, they don’t know which floor the exit is on.’

Even if I asked the location of the front desk, it probably wouldn’t know.

However.

If I changed the question to ask about the floor it is on, couldn’t I hear an answer.

Like this.

“Did the guests wishing to return home after finishing their viewing go to the lower floors from this 1st floor below ground?”

…….

“Or did they go to the upper floors?”

Nod.

“They went to the upper floors, then. Thank you.”

Indeed.

If I kept asking appropriate questions to every guide machine encountered on the floors like this, I would eventually be able to narrow down the location of the exit…….

Before my eyes, nose, mouth, and limbs are all plucked, that is.

‘If it is above the 1st floor below ground… it is on the floors above ground.’

Just having figured that out was a huge achievement. Since there were only 7 floors above ground, it meant it was within them.

‘It is a good condition.’

However, the joy vanished like candlelight.

Because the unavoidable time had now approached.

Screeech.

-It says it will take the fee now.

Fee collection.

“…….”

Thinking calmly, there was no huge problem.

‘Since they will plug the rented item into the eye socket instead, I will have vision until I escape from this Dark.’

And I know this universe very well. I already know several ways to restore lost body parts, and I am confident that I can use them more easily than anyone else….

And that is also why I am standing in this spot.

‘It is a situation where I’ve calculated and understood everything.’

The problem was… this driving-me-crazy aversion!

Who on earth could accept this meekly as if it were nothing.

With both eyes being rawly extracted by a monster!

Even in this space where other people’s plucked eyes are displayed in all directions!

Cold sweat ran down my chin.

‘Still, I must verify it.’

I gritted my teeth.

Even if my eyes are plucked, it won’t hurt.

‘If I cannot endure even under these conditions, I must give up on surviving here.’

Truly, there were no better conditions than now. If I was to verify whether I could endure injuries of ghost stories with a coward’s heart.

For defects that can be restored, an experience of enduring it once to build tolerance is also necessary.

Still, my tightly clenched hands trembled.

‘Damn it….’

Whirring.

Before my eyes, a massive needle made of a thin and sharp metal material resembling a spider leg approached.

I held my breath.

Swoosh.

The needle dug into the eye area…….

Screeech.

“…….”

I only rolled my eyeballs to look to the side.

Beyond the darkness, a massive, bizarre spider-like shape was approaching….

Screeech, squeak.

It was another guide machine.

“…….”

What is this.

‘There should be a route inputted in the machine.’

Isn’t it that there are no cases where the routes overlap?

Sure enough. The machine that was about to extract my eyes seemed to cause a brief operation error, then… soon separated from me and began to move.

As if modifying the route on its own.

Screeeeeeech…

“…….”

A sigh of relief did not escape.

Because the newly arrived machine would extract my eyeballs anyway.

I just held my breath and stared at the newly appeared machine.

The guide machine raised its appendage resembling a spider leg right in front of my nose.

Then…….

“Phew.”

…?!

“Are you okay, Roe Deer?”

The spider shape vanished as if collapsing, and a human wearing a badger mask revealed his appearance there.

“…Supervisor!”

Supervisor Park Min-sung, who revealed his appearance, smirked with a face drenched in cold sweat.

“Whoa… that was close!”