Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work (Novel) - Chapter 71

Chapter 71

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Purchasing all products at the Alien Shop.

‘Wow.’

My hands trembled slightly.

Because it was the first time I burned 130 million won to buy just a few items.

Still, it was a bit better since I had spent tens of millions before.

‘Let’s use them well.’

They would all serve as stepping stones for survival.

I pressed the purchase button boldly.

Successful purchase!

The items rode the rocket!

Soon, as before, space-time opened in the air and a delivery box made its appearance. With a pounding heart, I waited for the box to drop to the floor….

However,

“…??”

the delivery remained floating in the air.

Because someone was holding it with extremely polite movements.

…A tentacle.

“……!?”

Tap, tap.

The tentacle gently shook the delivery box. As if asking, ‘Shall I place it here?’

“…! You can place it on the floor.”

Then, the delivery was smoothly positioned on the floor.

“Thank you.”

However, the tentacle did not disappear immediately.

Instead, it nimbly pulled something out from between the gaps in space-time and extended it to me.

It was a small, shiny gold card letter.

I am a Space Shopping Mall VIP!

~Gratitude cells enclosed~

“…Thank you?”

When I accepted the card, the tentacle seemed to wave its hand and then vanished into the gap of space-time.

“…….”

Mmh.

It seemed the Alien Shop had started treating me as a VIP….

‘It must be a good… thing, right?’

For now, I decided to keep the gratitude card. The golden color was radiantly colorful….

-My word, how can even a tag card be that ugly……

As expected, it seemed one shouldn’t expect design from the Alien Shop. Well….

‘The important thing is the performance of the items.’

I turned my eyes to the delivery box.

It was unboxing time.

“Whew.”

Upon opening the box, the item with the largest volume caught my eye first.

The item with a list price of 28 million won.

‘Happy Maker.’

It was a bright pastel-toned box.

As if liquid digestive medicine or vitamin drinks would be inside, twelve glow sticks about the size of highlighters were inserted into the square box.

However, needles protrude from the ends of these glow sticks.

The item that was sold under the same name in the ghost story ‘Delusion Home Shopping’……

The perfect painkiller.

———————=

Records of the Dark Exploration / Delusion Home Shopping

/ Item

Happy Maker

Is life painful?

For you who lose sleep due to unknown pain, and you who fear when you suffer an accident, this is the perfect savior.

We proudly introduce the rapid pain reliever, ‘Happy Maker’!

-Item description of ‘Delusion Home Shopping’ on September 9, 20XX

———————=

It was literally so.

I looked at the explanation written on the box.

Quick and comfortable shot

Say goodbye to your pain!

This item, a stick-type auto-injector, automatically injects a shot when pressed against the skin, and quickly and comfortably ‘eliminates’ pain altogether for a certain period.

‘It really is over-technology.’

Although its mechanism is an anomaly rather than science.

It was true that pain clouds judgment in extreme situations.

I could declare based on my experience of forging ahead through all kinds of dangers of injury and wounds so far. This would be useful someday.

‘I hope I don’t use it, but… sigh.’

Let’s abandon vain hopes…….

‘Dirty ghost story world….’

I willingly resolved to carry this item around diligently.

Even though a very horror-like ‘additional usage method’ was written in tiny print on the back.

In irreversible situations, it can be used for euthanasia.

Yes. I will absolutely not use it.

‘I will use you only for painkiller purposes.’

-Ah, painkillers. I also had times when I took headache medicine occasionally. The pain of creation! It is the fate of an entertainer and show creator.

…How on earth does a ghost story resident whose head is a TV take headache medicine…… No, never mind.

I quickly erased the rising image, made Brown proud by praising him with a few words, and then looked into the box again.

Whew.

‘The next item is……’

A dusty, very ominous-looking ancient book completely sealed with dark red beeswax.

And rolling in the corner next to it was a modern, neat, eco-friendly cushioning wrapping paper.

Right, literally without any goods inside, that wrapping paper itself was the item.

Wrapping Paper 12B357-Na

Actually, other than the text engraved along with a barcode on the outside like this, there wasn’t even a common explanation sheet.

Seems like nothing?

No.

‘It came. Armor!’

Because it was a ‘cushioning wrapping paper’ with unique performance.

It would become my precious lifeline.

I stored the wrapping paper very carefully. Let’s use it at the appropriate time.

And turning my head……

I looked at the ancient book with coldly frozen eyes.

Necronomicon

Necronomicon.

Otherwise known as the Book of the Dead.

It was a typical representative creation of a grimoire containing forbidden knowledge.

It reportedly became the pronoun of an extremely evil grimoire, to the point of continuously appearing in various stories for decades.

And naturally, I had read that it occupied a place in the <Records of the Dark Exploration> too.

So what are the usual cliché features of the Necronomicon?

1. Go mad if read.

2. Made of human skin.

“…….”

Yes.

Meaning human skin… that’s right.

So the representative cover image is also a face skin screaming in agony.

It was faintly visible even in the dark red beeswax covering the outside of this ancient book I received.

‘Sigh.’

It truly… looked like something I didn’t even want to lay a hand on.

-Mr. Roe Deer, did you just say Necronomicon? Ah, that translation, it’s been a long time since I heard of it.

A ghost story host with the theme of an American talk show knowing the Necronomicon? It was too natural to be surprising….

But unfortunately.

‘It probably isn’t the Necronomicon you know.’

-Mmh?

There is such a thing, punk.

Without a word, I grabbed the ‘Necronomicon’ tightly sealed with beeswax and stored it in my forearm.

‘Sigh.’

Like this, I stored the ‘threatening item’ well too.

Next, I also took good care of the Nostalgia Candy that I originally knew.

‘Should I call this an emergency recovery item.’

Even if I fell into a situation where I was heavily contaminated, this would allow emergency treatment until escape.

‘…Good.’

And final.

I noticed a small red button placed casually in the corner of the package.

Thinking by process of elimination, the identity of this item had to be this.

We Help! – ₩66,666,666

Have you ever heard such an internet ghost story?

What you would do if someone gave you a button and asked, ‘If you press this, someone dies, and instead 100 million won will be deposited to you. Will you press it?’

It was a red button looking exactly like something that would appear in such a place.

Looking closely, I also saw small text on the side. However….

‘I don’t know what language it is.’

-Do you need a translation, friend?

I received Brown’s help for this part.

-Mmh. Yes. Mr. Roe Deer can understand it as meaning ‘Emergency Escape’!

Indeed. Is it a small button that allows ‘emergency escape with alien help’ when pressed.

‘I hope it’s worth sixty million won.’

Actually, this was a bet close to a gamble, but I had no regrets.

‘Since the Alien Shop doesn’t scam.’

If it were another ghost story, I would have made a terrible prediction like ‘the moment I press this, does my brain escape from my head and get used as food ingredients’… but let’s trust the reliability of the Alien Shop.

“All done.”

-My friend is indeed a possessor of a very neat personality. I like it!

I stored all shopping spoils in the tattoo on my wrist.

Since a human completely contaminated by a ghost story was fine after entering and exiting, these items should be no problem either.

…Though I didn’t want to be proven in that way.

‘Sigh.’

Let’s stop thinking about it.

Fortunately, since the daytime did not disappear entirely from doing some shopping and organizing items, I could catch up on some sleep in the broad daylight.

And when I woke up again.

News that I had forgotten for a moment struck me.

[Go Yeong-eun: Did you check the intranet?]

[Go Yeong-eun: The regular personnel appointment document just went up!]

“…!”

Regular personnel appointment.

It meant the vacancy in Group D would soon be… replenished.

“…….”

Who could it be.

* * *

“Hello.”

“Ah, yes, yes.”

I could see the employee newly assigned to Group D in the office.

His rank was supervisor, same as me.

He looked to be of a similar age to me before entering the ghost story.

The employee wearing glasses glanced up and down at me.

“Ah, you are that supervisor? The one who got promoted in 60 days?”

“Yes.”

“Then actually, you are a rookie?”

“…….”

I quietly looked at him.

“Oh~ look at you staring. Why. Should I treat you the same as a supervisor who has worked for three years?”

And I grinned.

“Of course not. I look forward to working with you, senior.”

“Right. Hey, you hear that you are quick to grasp situations, don’t you?”

“Haha….”

“This Field Exploration Team is all a group project. Quick wits! Quick wits are the answer.”

Is that so?

“It is common to see people whining to be treated like seniors because they got promoted early, getting singled out, not getting help, and dying, you know?”

He then glanced around the empty office.

“I heard the assistant manager and supervisor who were originally here got their hands cut off, contaminated, and it was a total mess. That could have been you next.”

“…….”

I slightly turned my head.

I saw a cleanly emptied office desk.

It was originally Supervisor Park Min-sung’s seat.

A few days ago, when I came to work the day after the regular personnel reshuffle document went up, all the small items, cups, and frames were already gone.

“True. It could be you next, Supervisor.”

“…What?”

“Because there are many dangerous duties. I will do my best to support you so that doesn’t happen. I look forward to working with you.”

I politely requested a handshake.

“Uh……”

The employee who looked at me with a slightly uncomfortable face soon shook my hand, probably thinking it was his imagination.

And a moment later.

“Manager! I am Supervisor Yoon Jo-hoon. I look forward to working under you!”

Manager Lee Ja-heon, entering the office, nodded at the new team member’s greeting.

“Yes.”

“Haha, do you know that the initials of our names are the same? Doesn’t it feel like it was my destiny to work under you, Leader?”

“Yes.”

“……No, I mean… uh, it feels like destiny, right?”

“No.”

“…….”

The new team member, Yoon Jo-hoon, approached me and whispered as soon as the Leader left the office for a meeting.

“Hey. Does the Group D Leader really have some mental disorder? I heard rumors.”

“Do you feel that way?”

“You heard the conversation too and you don’t know this? I thought I was talking to some free AI just now.”

And he let out a deep sigh.

“Ah, fuck, this company is already perfect for getting a mental illness… sigh. Is it right for the leader to be like that.”

“Leader Lee Ja-heon tends to take good care of the team members……”

“So? What does it matter when dying is the end anyway? I heard he couldn’t understand what people say, did whatever he wanted even in the Dark, and got on the bad side of Group A’s leader. That rumor is true, right?”

“…….”

“Seems like it. Ugh, fuck, you watch out too. Ah, of all groups, this one……”

Supervisor Yoon Jo-hoon grumbled and went out saying ‘I’m going to the restroom,’ and didn’t return for tens of minutes.

“…….”

I have to work with that kind of guy……

-Dear… you don’t seem to be in a very good mood, Mr. Roe Deer.

-Is there anything this Brown can help with? As you know, am I not your good friend?

-If it is a friend’s request, willingly……

‘Yeah. Let’s watch a variety show together after leaving work.’

-Ah, that is good too!

Thanks to this conversation, my mind calmed down a bit.

Right.

Strictly speaking, the past was just unreasonably lucky with people.

‘Company life has this as the default value….’

Let’s be grateful that that supervisor wasn’t my senior.

I quickly composed my mind.

And that afternoon.

“I will brief you on the Dark we will enter tomorrow.”

Manager Lee Ja-heon, returning from the meeting, distributed a PDF and began the briefing.

And the newly arrived supervisor was shocked.

“Grade undetermined? No, is this a Dark entity without a manual?”

“No.”

The lizard stared at Supervisor Yoon Jo-hoon with vertical pupils.

“They say that every time it is cleared, the grade value of the solution in the dreamscape collector is measured differently.”

“…!”

Anomalous?

“Uh, but why did they give that to Group D, a general team, instead of an elite team?”

“It was not given only to Group D. All general team field exploration employees will attempt entry.”

The Lizard Leader turned back to look at me.

“Because this is a Dark entity entered through dreams, and the entry itself has a high probability of failure.”

“……!”

“Basically, it is like this. If you read a specific book on a night with a full moon and fall asleep, you might wake up in a school at night.”

Wait a minute.

“If the name of the school in question is ‘Sekwang Technical High School,’ you have successfully entered the Dark.”

Sekwang Technical High School.

“…….”

I know this ghost story.

But it doesn’t end with simply knowing it….

‘…It’s a ghost story I participated in.’

Exploration Record #13

The thirteenth entry of that ghost story exploration record was written by me.