Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work Novel - Chapter 60

The fear of possibly dying.

Perhaps that’s the essence of an urban legend.

Recently, I even experienced a government-managed disaster that could only theoretically be cleared if someone died.

So, I’ve become quite accustomed to the explanation that “people usually die in urban legends,” and somewhat desensitized to it.

I somehow managed to escape through the eye of a needle.

– Let’s find a way out, even if it drives me crazy.

The past few months have been enough time for this to become my basic way of thinking.

But…

“Originally, everyone went missing. Only one headless corpse returned.”

“…….”

“But after repeating it several times, someone luckily survived and returned? Based on that person’s testimony, we completed the manual.”

It was the standard process of completing a high-level dark exploration manual.

“But no matter what we do, there’s one thing we can’t change.”

That is…

“One death.”

“…….”

“The mechanism of who gets it? There isn’t one. No logic. It’s literally random. We’ve done this thirty-seven times, and no matter what equipment or items we use, it has no effect.”

“…….”

“It’s even designated upon entry, making preparation or response impossible.”

This situation has come to pass.

It’s literally a matter of luck; I have a 1/12 chance of instant death.

…Including team members, it’s a preposterous 1/3 chance.

Someone just dies.

“You might think, ‘Why include someone as competent as me when you could just throw in expendable people…’”

“No.”

“Oh really? I heard otherwise.”

“…….”

“There’s no choice… but this damned urban legend requires a challenger with a sharp mind to clear it.”

So, we can’t just throw in expendable members.

Eun Haje’s agent twitched the corner of her mouth.

“An 8.3% chance of death at B-rank is actually a pretty good average.”

“…….”

It’s true.

Think about the exhibition urban legend.

That was a worse case because there was no manual, but even with a complete manual, deaths were bound to occur.

Even so.

“The fact that I’m caught in that probability…it feels strangely unfair.”

“…….”

It wasn’t strange.

There’s a clear difference between dying without being able to struggle and having the possibility of doing something.

The latter is a challenge; the former is slaughter.

“…Giving us three days, is that to prepare ourselves mentally?”

“I suppose so.”

After about three days, you’ll likely calm down and start thinking rationally and optimistically.

Thinking, ‘There’s no way I’ll be the 1/12…’

“Roe Deer, is this your first time encountering this kind of darkness?”

“……Yes.”

“Go get some coffee. Get me some too.”

I received Assistant Manager Eun Haje’s agent’s card and went outside, hearing her say, “It’s okay to come back slowly.”

Although it was under the pretext of a coffee errand, it was actually new employee mental health management.

‘This is crazy.’

Thanks to that, I’m now leaning my head against a café sofa with an Americano in front of me.

Fear… well, I haven’t been unafraid since I arrived here, so that’s not the problem.

I’m just distraught.

‘Information and such are meaningless in this situation.’

I realize that I’ve been operating under conditions where I could be more ‘confident’ than other employees. I feel a strange sense of self-reproach.

And a strong sense of crisis.

“…….”

‘Should I just quit?’

Wouldn’t it be better to quit now and find another way?

To independently investigate the urban legend based on the <Dark Exploration Record>…

– Oh, friend!

– Then how about working in the show business industry from now on?

Huh??

– Oh, yes. There’s always a good job waiting for my friend…. As the old saying goes, what’s better than having a good friend? Haha!

I almost tumbled off the sofa in fright.

‘I’ll pass.’

I’ve come to my senses.

– That’s a shame….

Right. In this town, there are countless cases where one ends up worse than dead.

Besides, independent investigation? Only a fool who forgets they’re a scaredy-cat would choose that.

Quitting because of the 1/12 probability is foolish.

‘But so is doing nothing.’

– Ah, are we going in?

‘Yes.’

First, I need to find out more about this urban legend.

I bought takeout coffee for my team members, returned to the office, and read through the tablet PC.

And…

‘…Ha.’

That’s right. Random.

I already knew this urban legend from the `<Darkness Exploration Records>`, but the problem is that almost everything I read is already in the manual.

‘There’s no new information.’

I don’t know anything others don’t.

‘There are no loopholes.’

The `<Darkness Exploration Records>` explicitly stated that the description was ‘random upon explorer entry.’

There were no exceptions or suspicious parts. This wasn’t considered important in the first place.

From the writer’s perspective, it was simply a premise. Probably because people die with every urban legend, so it wasn’t anything special.

And…

“Section Chiefs are excluded from this deployment. Only those at the deputy level and below will be deployed.”

“…….”

Chief Lizard is not participating in this exploration.

This is because if a Section Chief were designated as a sacrifice, the difference in rank could cause employees to ‘accidentally confuse priorities.’

“There’s no cleanup team or elite team either. They went in once and caused a huge mess.”

An elite team, one of teams A, B, or C, was designated as a sacrifice, but they struggled not to die, resulting in ‘unnecessary losses’ of other employees as well.

I don’t regret having to go to Team A, but this company is really consistent.

“Thank you for letting me know.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Assistant Manager Eun seemed to be finding solace in smoking, somewhere between resignation and annoyance. The supervisor said something, and the two of them went upstairs with their cigarettes.

“Did you see the list? The employees are going in with us…”

“To be honest, if one of them dies, I don’t think I’ll even go to the funeral. I hope they didn’t select only the lowest ranked in terms of personality, right?”

“Hey, that’s not us!”

I continued to compare the `<Darkness Exploration Records>` and the manual, trying to find something.

A crack to slip through.

A small gap in the rules.

But then.

That afternoon, a way to circumvent the rules suddenly appeared.

It was a bit different, though.

“Supervisor Kim!”

“Section Chief.”

Section Chief Lee Byeongjin came looking for me. As the manual review officer, his visit was definitely not a ‘chance encounter.’

“I heard! No, Supervisor, you’re saying you’re going into that crazy Russian roulette darkness!”

“…….”

I thought this before, but he has a knack for making people angry…

However, Section Chief Lee Byeongjin didn’t come just to make a fuss.

After lowering his voice and confirming that there were no people around, the Section Chief whispered.

“How about telling Director Ho?”

“……!”

“He’s been keeping an eye on Supervisor Kim’s performance, you know?”

“What you’re saying…”

I looked at the Section Chief.

“Does that mean if I tell the Director, he’ll excuse me?”

“Yes!”

“…….”

“Normally, this is decided fairly or whatever… but I’m against it. I’m against it. Someone like Soleum, a young man with a bright future, should be exempted. He’s the top performer!”

A true avoidance method emerged.

Getting excused by a superior.

I opened my mouth.

“It’s alright.”

“Wh-what?”

I absolutely shouldn’t choose this.

‘Too conspicuous.’

The moment I choose this, I’m essentially choosing my place in the company.

In a company dealing with urban legends, the executives are no ordinary people, and relying on this ‘desperate situation to get rescued’ method to climb the ranks is not a good idea.

Besides, my survival is at stake.

‘The moment I’m exempted, the rumour will spread throughout the company.’

Would they look upon that favorably?

It’s a kind of sneaky trick.

In a proper community, sharing the burden is essential to be recognized as a proper member, but if you try to avoid that…

‘You’ll completely get branded.’

Given the nature of the field exploration team, which operates in groups of three, this is a sure way to mess up your company life.

Unless the Director secretly excuses me, quietly calls me, and gives me credit for it.

The fact that it’s not that way means he’s not paying enough attention to me to pull me out of this.

Or…

Thinking that luck is a kind of skill…

That’s a trap.

Even if it burns your stomach, saying this is the correct answer.

I deliberately spoke calmly, as if I were a principled person.

“If I am given preferential treatment, it is a special favor. There must be reasons why the company assigns tasks this way, so I will do my best to fulfill my responsibilities.”

“Uh… uh…”

Section Chief Lee Byeongjin stammered, but after asking several times if it was really true, he finally agreed and turned away.

Really…

I barely managed to suppress the urge to grab his pants leg and shout “yes”…

‘Let’s consider this a successful character build.’

There’s nothing else to enjoy, anyway.

I watched the Section Chief’s back with a bitter smile, then returned to my seat.

‘Let’s review the manual again.’

However, even after looking at the <Darkness Exploration Record> and reviewing the manual, there were no loopholes.

There were no exceptions for any of the explorers.

‘So all the explorers who entered were subjected to this victim selection…’

“….”

Wait a minute.

‘This…’

I reread it several times.

‘…Could this be a loophole?’

I’m not sure.

‘It’s a possibility, but…’

However, in this situation, it’s right to try anything that might work.

– Did you come up with any interesting ideas, Mr. Roe Deer?

It’s not exactly fun, but I did have an idea.

‘Creating an exception.’

– Hmm?

All explorers who entered this urban legend were subjected to a 1/12 probability instant death selection without exception.

However, was there a common condition shared only by these explorers?

A condition where no exception has ever occurred.

– What common condition is that?

…

‘Being human.’

In both the manual and the <Darkness Exploration Record>, the explorers are human. There is no description of cases involving other life forms.

But in this worldview, humans aren’t the only intelligent beings, are they?

If you include plants and animals, it becomes limitless.

‘If it’s not a human, but another life form, wouldn’t it be possible to avoid the judgment?’

Considering the trends of the <Darkness Exploration Record> irregular records I’ve read so far, that seems to be the most likely exception in this situation.

– Mr. Roe Deer, do you want to stop being human?

‘N-No, that’s not it.’

Please don’t ask innocent-sounding questions that are obviously traps.

‘It’s just that I’d like to be treated as if I’m not human for a while.’

I chose my words intentionally.

‘Like dressing up as someone else in a show.’

– Oh.

‘…Is this possible for Braun, too?’

– Ah, of course it is!

Braun’s voice is filled with strength and energy.

Just like when he’s hosting a show.

– Taking on a new identity is the fate of an entertainer, isn’t it? I have countless masks, and… ah, I think I can lend you one right now!

Jackpot.

‘Let’s try this.’

“Whew.”

I finally took my eyes off the manual and rested my head against the backrest.

Just then, having finished their cigarette break, my colleagues entered the office and waved at me.

“….”

Oh, damn it.

‘Braun, about that “mask” ability… is it possible to use it on multiple people?’

– Multiple people? Someone other than a friend?

‘Including myself, that is.’

-…If I regain some of my prime abilities, it might be possible. Back then, I even had dozens of people on the set! Or was it hundreds?

…Good.

‘Braun.’

– My friend is calling me again!

I politely patted my pocket.

‘Let’s take a bath.’

-…!?

– Mr. Roe Deer, I appreciate this, but I’m not the kind of celebrity who enjoys bathing in the blood of a friend for occult purposes.

“I know.”

Although he was the host of a quiz show where he makes guests’ heads explode, Braun as a “good friend” is definitely that kind of person.

But there was no other way.

Even if I somehow get blood packs from the hospital, the freshness would be low, reducing efficiency, and I can’t use someone else’s blood.

And I can’t bring a monster from the urban legend again, can I?

‘The remaining ginseng root won’t fulfill the intelligent being condition because whatever was in it has already left.’

What’s left is obvious.

My blood.

I peered into a small, elegant checkered bathtub. Still clean and sweetly scented, this was the blood bath I bought from the alien shop. I had to pour my blood into it now.

“I probably won’t be able to give much. Maybe half a cup.”

About 180 ml, in terms of volume.

– Half a cup! It’ll be tight, but a small bath bomb for a cotton-stuffed body wouldn’t be bad, would it? Diluted in water… no, that’s not it. Is this really okay?

It was okay.

‘I can do this.’

I took a deep breath and grabbed a knife. Next to it was the wound recovery potion I had left over from the company infirmary.

“Huu.”

I stabbed the flesh of my arm with the top of the knife.

– Good heavens!

Blood gushed out.

It spurted out, overflowing abundantly, as if I had successfully found an artery.

Ha….

‘Remember. I’m scared of creepy situations, not the blood itself….’

This isn’t a creepy situation…!

As I calmed myself down by repeating this several times, the predicted amount of blood soon fell sufficiently into the bathtub.

‘That should be about half a cup.’

But I didn’t stop the bleeding.

– Mr Roe Deer?

A little more.

– It seems sufficient, friend!

A little more.

– Friend?

About this much.

‘That’s enough.’

I hastily stopped the bleeding with the company’s medicine. The magically effective potion wonderfully stopped the arterial bleeding.

I almost got a little dizzy from the blood loss, but it was fine.

‘I can just drink a potion for this.’

I’ll be fine by the time the ghost story is released the day after tomorrow.

The important thing….

…is that a fragrant scent is rising from that bathtub, isn’t it?

“Huu….”

I looked into the bathtub. A fragrant smell strongly tickled my nose.

My blood seems to have successfully fulfilled its role.

‘I think I took out almost 500ml.’

It seemed to have properly transformed into a bath bomb…

‘…the smell of wood?’

The scent somehow reminded me of that cursed ghost story forest, making me a little uneasy, but it’s better than a foul or strange smell anyway.

I nodded and spoke to Braun.

“You can get in now. Is the scent okay?”

– Ah, yes. It’s an interesting scent. Just like Roe Deer’s unpredictable and whimsical decisions!

 

I smiled.

“Are you being sarcastic? Because I bled more than I predicted?”

– Sarcasm is an essential virtue of a popular talk show host! But I don’t always exercise that virtue.

“Thanks for worrying.”

-…….

“I’ll treat it properly, so it’s okay. But I won’t do this again.”

– Now you’re speaking sensibly, friend.

Is that so?

Honestly, I did it on purpose.

I thought that giving the ‘good friend’ a little shock here would make him feel averse to the idea of bathing in my blood in the future.

And it seemed to have worked.

‘If I had predicted this amount, he might have accepted it naturally.’

That won’t do.

‘I have to end this with this one time.’

I tried to pick up Braun and put him in the bathtub, but Braun refused again.

– I shall walk in with my own two feet.

Oh, alright then.

I turned my back to the bathtub. Soon, I heard the sound of footsteps entering the tub and the sound of water splashing.

The bath began.

But a moment later.

– Roe Deer, this bath bomb you made…

– Hmm, rather unique!

What?