Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work (Novel) - Chapter 61

Chapter 61

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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I suddenly had my bath additive, made by drawing 500 ml of my own blood, evaluated by Brown.

‘…Unique?’

It was baffling.

‘I almost turned around to look at the bathtub.’

I asked, keeping my head fixed forward.

“What do you mean by unique?”

—Just what I said! Well, aren’t there different types of bath additives? Salt, oil, bubble… Yours has quite a few differences from that wild ginseng, Mr. Roe Deer. Though there are commonalities too.

Well,

that one is a wild ginseng from a ghost story, and I’m a human, after all…

‘Wouldn’t it obviously be different?’

—It is different. But why is it that you have commonalities with that wild ginseng, Mr. Roe Deer?

“…!”

—Hmm… Ah. I see the reason.

Brown smacked his lips as if tasting wine, then spoke like this.

—Mr. Roe Deer. Your bath additive is blended.

Blending.

Literally translated, mixing.

It usually refers to mixing various ingredients in coffee or cocktails to create a new flavor…

—Right. Ingredients of a similar category to that wild ginseng are mixed in somewhere…

“……”

Could this perhaps be about ghost story contamination?

I recalled the security team leader.

That appearance of a twisted wolf-like creature tearing through a human form.

Was such a phenomenon of being contaminated and encroached upon by paranormal phenomena happening to me as well?

—Contamination! What an extremely radical and negative expression. Isn’t life originally a process of change? Influencing each other, that is the pleasure!

Damn it.

I reflexively looked down at my body. If it was the most conspicuous influence of the ‘paranormal phenomenon’…

“Do you think the cause of that ‘influence’ is the tattoo?”

—Hmm. Guessing the origin of something already mixed is a very difficult task…

—Some connoisseurs say they can name the vineyard just by touching the tip of their tongue to the wine, but I am not a host who likes that kind of pretentiousness!

“……”

—Anyway, it’s not like you’ll be meeting a new version of yourself by next week or anything, so I’m saying there’s nothing to fear!

Theoretically, it was true.

‘As long as I live and work here anyway, avoiding ghost story contamination to some extent is impossible.’

Making a fuss for nothing was a meaningless act.

Originally, as the supernatural abilities one could use grew stronger and their variety increased, the encroaching force also grew.

One had to maintain a balance in between.

Although it didn’t seem like I possessed enough ability to worry about that balance just yet.

‘…I should manage this in the future too.’

Among the facilities opened upon becoming a supervisor, there happened to be a place that managed this.

I should pay a visit there once I safely get through this ghost story.

—Hmm. It seems something else very unique is mixed in as well… Ah, it has all dissolved.

Brown, who was smelling the scent as if to analyze the bath additive a bit more, let out a long, satisfied sigh.

—Shared my enjoyment!

I’m glad at least you enjoyed it.

Neon lights flashed a few times inside the bathtub, as if changing TV channels.

And the shadow of the stuffed doll lying comfortably against the bathtub wall vibrated energetically.

—Shall we go out now?

I walked over and took Brown out.

Once again, the stuffed doll looked strangely more luxurious, but there was no difference in size.

Even so, Brown’s voice sounded somewhat clearer and more intellectual.

I covered the doll with a towel to hide it from view and asked.

“Are you full of strength?”

—Without a doubt!

—Mmm, it feels like I’m returning to the awakened state of my busier days…

Although there didn’t seem to be a dramatic change like when using that contaminated wild ginseng, it seemed he had indeed undergone a ‘rejuvenation.’

And the moment I lifted the towel covering Brown, I noticed something I hadn’t seen earlier.

‘…A tag?’

I saw a scrap of cloth on the nape of the stuffed doll’s neck that looked like a cut-off tag.

‘Was there originally an intact tag attached to this spot?’

It appeared he had recovered a portion of what had been cut during the rejuvenation process.

‘It’s a strange feeling.’

Let’s keep this in mind.

—Ah, how comfortable.

“I’m glad.”

After removing the moisture from the stuffed doll, I placed it nicely on the towel on the table where it usually sat.

The preparations were complete.

“I have a request.”

—Ah, I had a rough guess!

—Since my friend even served as my bath attendant like this, how could I refuse! It is probably a request to lend my mask to more people, right?

“Yes.”

Since the rejuvenated Brown would be able to use stronger abilities.

—Very well. How many people?

“Two people.”

* * *

Two days later.

In accordance with the official document I received, I commuted to a location other than the company.

It was an already closed private kindergarten building, and inside, company personnel had already taken their places.

“Have you arrived?”

“Roe Deer arrived early!”

As I stood near the kindergarten’s entrance, which hadn’t been properly cleaned up, my teammates soon arrived.

“Please let those bastards die instead of us.”

“Please… absolutely…”

“……”

Thank you for speaking in a low voice.

But honestly, even if they had heard, it probably wouldn’t have mattered much because everyone was wearing the exact same expression.

“Roe Deer, Roe Deer! See that person who brought a rabbit’s foot? That’s an item that’s supposed to improve luck.”

“Does it really improve?”

“Would it? In the exploration before last, a guy who came wearing a similar item got picked and went to the afterlife in one shot.”

“……”

“The assistant manager is right. All such items are useless here… They say selection is done ‘fairly.'”

I turned back to look at the supervisor who was smiling awkwardly.

With a pale face, he seemed highly nervous despite being prepared.

“Supervisor.”

“Yes?”

“By any chance, would the company take issue if I also tried something like that?”

“Ah, devising a safeguard to not get picked as the sacrificial lamb?”

“Well, something like that.”

The supervisor laughed and patted my back.

“Aigo, Roe Deer, of course! Everyone does it!”

“I’d bet my salary that all the humans here did all kinds of crazy shit for three days to somehow get out of it themselves.”

That is quite fiery of you, Assistant Manager…

Assistant Manager Eun Ha-je smirked.

“How else would we have figured out that it doesn’t work in the first place? We found out because even the bastards who tried everything got picked as the sacrificial lamb.”

“……”

“Why? Is Roe Deer trying to do something too?”

“Yes.”

I hesitated before pulling Brown from my pocket.

“Ah, the key ring you carry around.”

“He is my lucky friend, so by any chance, would it be alright if I lent this friend’s ability to the two of you as well? In secret.”

Both of them smiled with slightly drained expressions and nodded.

“Well… thanks.”

“It would be great to have some luck, seriously!”

Okay.

‘I’ve also handled it in advance so that no complaints will arise later.’

“Phew.”

—Now, let’s get ready.

“We will enter shortly.”

Like the others, I looked at the old grandfather clock hanging alone in the entrance.

Tick.

The clock hands passed 8:59:56 AM.

—Now, you are entering the studio.

—Do not be nervous even if you see the cameras, think of them as starlight. It will be very comfortable.

Tick.

57 seconds.

Strangely, my mind was calm.

A certainty about my identity.

—It turns out you are wearing a mask! Oh, excellent.

—That mask is now you.

Tick.

58 seconds.

I raised my head.

My horns were itchy. They had a wood-like texture, but only I knew that they were not actually wood but ■■…

—There are other animal friends! Two of them.

Tick.

59 seconds.

Turning my head, I saw a badger and a peregrine falcon. The two were observing the humans around them.

And…

—It seems no one here is stronger than you.

I knew it.

I blinked. My temperature-sensing vision identified the poikilothermic animals around me.

The body temperatures of humans heated by tension.

And…

Tick.

9 o’clock.

The grandfather clock rang its alarm noisily.

Dong…!!

“…!”

I inhaled.

The kindergarten building, which had been like a ruin, had suddenly transformed into a neat space smelling of a brand new building.

It felt like a new building just prior to opening.

And I was standing in a room with sorted toys together with the peregrine falcon… no, Assistant Manager Eun Ha-je.

…We had entered the ghost story.

“……”

I slowly looked down at my neck.

It was clean.

“Ha.”

I relaxed the tension in my body.

‘I avoided it.’

The bizarre sense of body thickness as if wearing a mascot suit, and the tactile sensation of horns slowly disappeared.

As did the strange certainty of identity.

—Well, your brief roles end here.

Thank you.

‘Is this what the mask is like?’

Since it was a truly bizarre sensation, I was glad it had ended after a short use.

Perhaps because he had designated three and used it very elaborately right up to the limit, there was no strength left in Brown’s voice either.

Enduring these few seconds was indeed remarkable.

‘Good job.’

I tried to gently pat Brown inside my pocket…

—Now… wait a minute. Oh dear, what on earth is this?

“…?”

Why was this guy panicking?

I immediately pulled Brown out of my pocket.

Then, I saw something that hadn’t been there before hanging from the stuffed doll’s neck.

…A black rope hologram.

The mark of the victim.

“…?!”

Was Brown selected as the victim just now?

‘A ghost story resident?’

Right before I got frantically confused about whether the probability had completely gone awry or if this was a situation to worry about.

Brown began to chatter.

—Pardon? Participating in an educational demonstration, what on earth does that mean… I am in the profession of interviewing teachers, not the profession of teaching children. My goodness!

—Show business heavens! You guys are too boring. Caught in a rut, inflexible, and lacking any charm that the public would like.

—I’m pulling out.

And he flicked his cotton-stuffed hand.

Then… surprisingly, the rope disappeared from the stuffed doll’s neck!

“…!!”

—Even though he is not a suitable participant, to try and drag him in by bringing up rules! What a kindergarten with absolutely no work ethic.

“……”

‘Being judged as something other than human… It really did have an effect.’

Although it felt slightly different from what I had expected.

It was clear, seeing how the ghost story passed the rope to another target just because Brown got selected but refused to participate.

“……”

Wait.

‘It got passed?’

I hastily looked down at my neck.

It was still clean.

‘Whom did it go to?’

For now, I was glad it wasn’t me, but was this situation where another person died randomly just because a ghost story resident refused to receive the baton correct?

“Roe Deer.”

Flustered, I turned my head toward Assistant Manager Eun Ha-je.

“Assistant Manager, I just…”

“……”

“……”

In front of my eyes as I turned my head.

“Don’t panic and take a deep breath, slowly.”

The assistant manager smiled broadly.

“Now, I’m going to make a request… but if you think it won’t work, refuse it.”

“Assistant Manager.”

“I wanted to do it myself, but I can’t.”

The assistant manager smiled broadly and tapped.

“Because it is confirmed.”

Her own neck, where the black rope hung.

———————=

Records of the Dark Exploration / Ghost Story

[Hungry Hangman]

: A ghost story appearing in the <Records of the Dark Exploration>, Daydream Co.’s identification code is Qterw-B-191.

As a Dark themed around a word-guessing game, it does not permit any exception to the rules for explorers.

One can never escape the given role.

The psychological conflict and fear arising within it are top-notch.

The sacrificial lamb designated as the hangman goes up to the scaffold every time other explorers guess about them, and is eventually hanged.

There are no exceptions.

———————=

“I suppose I should be glad there’s at least time to leave a will.”

No.

“Wait, please wait a moment…”

“It’s fine.”

The assistant manager’s smile turned into a bitter one.

“Hey… I’m dying anyway.”

“…!”

“The only difference is whether you guys live while I die, or we all die together.”

…It was the truth.

If the correct word is not guessed by the end of the game, the participants are disposed of.

The hangman is also disposed of together.

There are no exceptions.

Damn it.

“Now, so listen carefully to what I say. When I die on the job, there are things I’ve set to be automatically purchased in the points mall.”

“……”

“Just make sure the group leader properly verifies it. That gentleman is secretly a bit of a klutz, you see.”

At that moment, I realized.

This person had completely accepted the situation.

Ch-ch-ch-

“…!”

“Pull yourself together. It’s starting now.”

A corner of the playroom.

An old-fashioned TV crackled and lit up.

[Hello, childcare teachers of ■■ English Kindergarten! Today, we are going to learn a fun game you can play with the children!]

[Namely… Hangman!]

The rope around the assistant manager’s neck moved violently.

“…!”

The rope, taking shape, wrapped around the assistant manager’s limbs one by one and lifted her into the air.

[Today’s teacher, rookie Eun Ha-je, will run the game!]

And huge blank spaces popped up on the TV.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

[Hangman! Let’s guess the word together!]

The hanging began.