Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work (Novel) - Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translated by Jinmu
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Baek Sa-heon was, on a rare occasion, doubting his own single remaining eye.
Am I dreaming right now?
No, it was true that he was dreaming. A nightmare inside a ghost story… No.
No!!
Actually, until just a moment ago, he had simply been in an irritated state.
‘I came here because I heard there was an item with a powerful brainwashing effect in this school’s teacher’s office…’
Seeing all sorts of related parties here, he only seethed inside, thinking that it must not have been very exclusive information after all.
‘…I won’t let it slide when I go to work tomorrow.’
Let’s say gritting his teeth while updating his death note with the person who had given him that supposed exclusive information was one thing.
Even so, he was confident.
No, rather, he thought this situation of a tense confrontation between the two factions was good to exploit.
‘If I shake things up just a bit, it will turn into a mess, right?’
Whether by driving a wedge between them or summoning a monster to cause a scene, he felt he would be able to grab the item and slip away.
Just like how he had climbed up by using the fools around him as bait at critical moments until now.
He could even tolerate his weak peer wearing a bison mask groaning and holding back tears. Because he seemed usable.
But…
‘That bastard… what on earth is he.’
Baek Sa-heon stared forward in a daze.
A familiar-faced employee wearing a black school uniform stood confidently beside the Disaster Management Bureau people, acting completely natural.
Wearing the exact same iron badge as them, holding a strange toy-like pistol.
…Kim Sol-eum!
“Agent Grape.”
G-Grape??
What on earth did that mean.
He certainly hadn’t been wearing that kind of equipment when he saw him in the classroom earlier. No…
‘Why is a Daydream Co. employee standing nonchalantly on the opposing side!’
“Everyone seems to be in the middle of securing the item, is this what we were looking for?”
“Perhaps so.”
He is even sharing a natural Disaster Management Bureau-style conversation…!
Seeing this, the nearby Daydream Co. employees whispered among themselves.
“They don’t seem like ordinary guys.”
“Is he a high-ranking agent? Looks like he came after being summoned, right?”
“…….”
Beside them, Jang Heo-un gaped, looking back and forth rapidly between himself and Kim Sol-eum.
Excluding himself, he was the only employee here familiar enough to remember Kim Sol-eum’s bare face.
Even though he was wearing a mask, his shock was fully palpable.
And he even opened his mouth to openly look at Kim Sol-eum and try to act like he knew him!
‘Yes. That’s it!’
You do it instead!
“He… He.”
“Could you perhaps just step back.”
“Pardon?”
But the opponent was Kim Sol-eum.
That… ‘Agent Grape’ cut off Jang Heo-un, who was about to act like he knew him, in one stroke, and scanned the employees with a serious face.
And he continued speaking in a persuasive voice.
“In a supernatural disaster like this, an individual possessing a dangerous item could bring about disastrous consequences. As you all might have experienced, an item that looks good here doesn’t necessarily yield good results.”
The voice sounded somehow very…
plausible.
“…Even now, monsters are roaming around outside.”
“…….”
Kim Sol-eum said with earnest eyes.
“I sincerely hope you will yield for the sake of saving more lives.”
You?
I got goosebumps.
But Jang Heo-un somehow blinked, and slowly opened his mouth as if possessed.
“T-Then… this time we yield—”
This crazy bastard!
“…! Hey! What are you talking about, a mere rookie!”
“You, keep your mouth shut.”
The complaints of the employees, who suddenly snapped out of it, poured down.
Baek Sa-heon did not know it, but it was possible because he carried a mental defense item strong enough to escape the influence of the Silver Heart to some extent.
Of course, the scene was not very pleasant, so the opposing agents whispered.
“Their corporate culture is trash too.”
“Indeed. Still, that agent speaks very well.”
“…….”
He is being fully recognized by the agents…!
‘What on earth is that guy to pretend to be an agent…’
No, wait a minute.
At that moment, a thunderbolt of realization struck Baek Sa-heon’s head.
‘W-Was he actually… a Disaster Management Bureau agent from the very beginning?’
Looking closely, the public official standing beside him was that guy he had met at that crazy murder mountain villa!
Although he didn’t seem to recognize him because the mask issued by the company also had the effect of confusing the perception of non-company people…
‘…Don’t tell me.’
Was it all a setup?
Kim Sol-eum was a Disaster Management Bureau spy from the start?
His spine chilled.
But at the same time, it felt like a new card had been dealt.
‘Then, if I reveal that guy’s identity…’
Just then, his eyes met Kim Sol-eum’s.
Kim Sol-eum grinned and tapped his own chest.
And mouthed the words,
‘Debt.’
“……!”
-Debt
The note he had written while leaving the emergency flashlight.
‘Y-You crazy bastard, that’s the debt you owe me…!’
Did he mean ‘If you want to collect your debt, keep your mouth shut and cooperate’?
How could a debtor threaten a creditor in reverse… No!
‘Fuck, whatever about that!’
Baek Sa-heon gritted his teeth.
Right now, this team was outnumbered.
‘The agent side has more people now.’
At this rate, the field exploration employees aiming for a high-score clear were highly likely to just back down meekly and give up the item.
Then he wouldn’t be able to cause any disturbance. The opportunity itself would vanish!
‘Rather…’
“…….”
Baek Sa-heon pondered, then decided.
He absolutely needed that item.
…Absolutely.
He also knew that his dedicated equipment, which he had prepared by pre-investing a large sum of one thousand points, was securely attached to the sole of his shoe.
This, which he had crafted by carefully choosing parent equipment…
was a lethal weapon meant for causing chaos.
Owner: Baek Sa-heon
Registered Equipment Description: An equipment in the form of a three-color ballpoint pen; pressing the end of the pen shoots the tip, which explodes like a firecracker.
Manufactured by Qterw-E-99.
Enjoying the thin cylindrical pressure felt from the sole of his shoe,
Baek Sa-heon deliberately turned to Jang Heo-un and spoke to him.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t you think there’s a strange noise outside…”
And naturally fired at Kim Sol-eum.
“…right?”
What he aimed for was the head.
‘Die!’
Die instantly.
So that even when he woke up from this darkness, he wouldn’t realize that it was Baek Sa-heon who shot him.
‘That guy would have a name tag anyway!’
Even though he had marked the debt, he couldn’t get caught ruining this situation.
‘I can just pin it on some other bastard.’
Since the personalities of this company’s employees were all mediocre anyway.
Baek Sa-heon wore a subtle, satisfied smile.
Swoosh.
The tip of his dedicated equipment fired from the sole of his shoe flew silently to pierce Kim Sol-eum’s head…
…but it failed?
Kim Sol-eum naturally twisted his head to dodge the pen tip.
…?!
Kim Sol-eum glanced at Baek Sa-heon.
‘How many times have I read the manual for your dedicated equipment on the wiki.’
He already knew the loading motion too.
‘It’s striking your left heel twice.’
Since he had been preparing ever since they became roommates, in a way, this reflex was only natural.
Actually, since he had zero expectations, he wasn’t even angry, but…
‘I shouldn’t back down.’
At that moment, Kim Sol-eum looked at Baek Sa-heon and grinned.
‘I know you shot it.’
And it means you are screwed now.
“…….”
Baek Sa-heon felt a chill down his spine.
The conditioned fear rose to near panic levels.
However, his goal of causing chaos was successful in itself.
“Argh,”
…!
Kim Sol-eum’s book locker behind him exploded in all directions from the ballpoint pen tip that struck it.
In an instant, the teacher’s office became thick with light, noise, and smoke.
“…Who is it!”
It was useless to speak in low voices now.
At this level of commotion, the ‘students’ would pursue even if they had to tolerate some property damage. So…
They would flock soon.
…!!
“Flashlights.”
Everyone lowered their posture and pressed against the walls. Having one’s vision obscured by smoke was the worst condition in this nightmare school.
‘Which bastard is it?’
Just before survival rose to a higher priority in everyone’s minds than locating the culprit.
‘Since it has come to this…!’
I’ll take what I aimed for at least!
Baek Sa-heon lunged toward the table,
2nd Year ■■■’s Fountain Pen
grabbed the item, and stuffed it into his pocket.
And naturally joining the employees, he dashed out of the teacher’s office with them.
The agents inside the office, who had formed a defensive formation with no blind spots, only confirmed the situation after the smoke cleared slightly.
That the fountain pen and the employees had vanished at the same time.
“…! Damn it!”
“Those Daydream Co. bastards…!”
Suddenly, they were held collectively responsible.
‘Look at that.’
Only Kim Sol-eum, who had been watching Baek Sa-heon the whole time, confirmed this.
But the situation was too urgent to talk about it.
[A fatal accident has occurred in the 3rd-floor hallway.]
[The deceased student is Kim So-ra from the 2nd Grade.]
The Daydream Co. employees exiting the hallway had shot one of the students.
“…Sigh.”
A blackout arrived.
* * *
A 5-second blackout.
Frantic beams of flashlights.
Screams.
Corpses.
‘This is insane.’
With so many people and monster entities, this was nothing short of a B-class splatter horror movie.
A different kind of terror from the suffocating silence of earlier.
Aaaaack!
That, over there on the window!
Blood! Blood!
Give us backu… Heu,
As hair-raisingly cruel scenes unfolded all around, I managed to capture and halt the students trying to enter the teacher’s office through the gaps in the smoke.
It felt like playing a horrific defense game.
Or like being inside a horror game, cornered so much that this was all I could do.
“Go!”
Was it a relief that the agents’ aggressive offense drew almost no aggro toward me?
But even that had its limit.
Flicker.
The moment I had no choice but to blink due to blood splattering into my eye,
a student’s hand froze like a hook right above my head.
…!!
I quickly backed away.
…My skull was almost pierced just now.
The hair on my body stood on end.
‘Ugh…’
My heart felt like it would drop.
‘No.’
This was a swamp.
‘It has exceeded the range that can be covered by a single flashlight.’
As far as I knew, although there were variations between runs, there were at least twenty students on a single floor.
If an announcement broadcasted because a student was killed?
[A fatal accident has occurred in the 2nd-grade teacher’s office.]
They would come again.
Along with the five-second moment of silence blackout.
‘It won’t end.’
There was a high probability we would all die here and the exploration would end. So…
‘I’ll take this chance to escape instead.’
I gritted my teeth.
Let’s find other people on another floor and join them.
Just as the smoke died down and the blackout ended…
Flicker.
‘…Now!’
I slid across the teacher’s office, which had become a center of blood, organs, and violence, toward the door that had been open from the start.
At that moment,
“Grape!”
…!
Agent Bronze came into view through the clearing smoke.
He was in a confrontation, holding onto an employee wearing a mask, and that mask was…
“Hik.”
“Quiet.”
The bison mask. Group Y cleanup team.
‘It’s Jang Heo-un.’
Couldn’t you keep up when the employees escaped…!
“Bind him with this…!”
The agent threw an item that looked like handcuffs to me.
He probably meant for me to bind Jang Heo-un. He mistakenly assumed I had come here to help him.
But I had already decided to ditch everyone…
“R-Run away, Mr. Roe!”
…!
Damn it.
Jang Heo-un gasped and covered his mouth, startled by what he had blurted out.
The name of my persona.
“…Roe?”
“No, that…”
I could tell just by the agent’s expression.
‘I’m busted.’
Damn it, if that’s the case…!
I quickly grabbed the handcuff item the agent held out.
And snapped it on the agent instead.
……?!
The handcuffs expanded, binding the agent’s mouth and arms, and a silver chain extending from them connected to my hand.
“Mr. Bison, let’s run.”
“Y-Yes…?!”
And pulling Jang Heo-un and the agent, I dashed outside.
Aaaaack!
[The moment of silence is over. We offer our deepest condolences to the deceased.]
We escaped the chaotic teacher’s office and ran frantically up the stairs.
One or two entities followed us out of the office, but they turned back due to the commotion occurring inside the office again.
“Please keep watching above.”
“Yes!”
Jang Heo-un answered quite smartly and looked up the stairs.
‘Phew.’
Watching the students stop pursuing us and disappear from the middle of the stairs, I turned my head, feeling like wiping away my cold sweat.
Then I met the eyes of the person bound at the end of the line I held.
The Disaster Management Bureau agent, Bronze, was glaring at me as if he wanted to kill me.
“…….”
Since it has come to this,
it can’t be helped.
‘Let’s run a scam…!’
I began to spin a systematic sob story at a speed faster than I ever had in my life.