Editor’s Survival Guide - Chapter 23

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Editor’s Survival Rules Episode 23

ep5. Shopping! Warehouse-style Mart! (3)

Crash, thud, bang-!

I rolled across the moving walkway with rhythmic collision sounds.

-Left side, take cover in the ATM area!

Cha Si-eon shouted before I had even stopped moving.

So without even realizing I was hurt, I threw myself to the left.

I was there, unable to sit or stand properly, looking around when it happened.

-Seo Do-un.

“Huff, yes.”

-Are you having difficulty by any chance?

“Gasp, wheeze, what?”

-Why is your heart rate like this?

Why? I was agile.

For a civilian, I was really fast!

“For almost 10 minutes, huff, I moved without stopping once, wheeze, wouldn’t that be tiring?”

-The time Seo Do-un moved was 4 minutes and 8 seconds.

Then I must have been running through time!

I didn’t even have the strength to say more and collapsed right there.

Literally, everything in front of me was yellow.

My heart was pounding like crazy and sweat was dripping from my eyelashes and nose tip.

-If you lower your head, you’ll faint. Lift your head, take deep breaths, and take out water and saline glucose to drink.

Even while groaning, I lifted my head as instructed.

And this vest the Management Bureau gave me.

Honestly, I thought it was cumbersome, but from now on I should wear it even more cumbersomely.

I don’t know how many times this has saved my life already.

I gulped down the water and pills I took out from my pocket and waited for a moment.

Then my vision, which had been flashing yellow and black, gradually returned to normal.

When I caught my breath, Cha Si-eon noticed like a ghost and said.

-We’ll rest for 2 more minutes then move.

“Are you the grim reaper…”

-If you want to meet the real grim reaper, you can keep resting like this.

He has sharp hearing too…

I groaned and shut my mouth.

But before long, I opened it again.

“Team Leader Cha Si-eon.”

-I’m listening.

“Who was the person who died earlier?”

A moment of silence passed.

-The observation team will identify them.

The answer that eventually came back was extremely Cha Si-eon-like.

I thought he’d at least explain the age range or gender, but as expected, he’s cold and rational.

If I had died at the railroad station, would I have been processed like this too?

Hmm, it’s better not to think about this.

Did that person die without pain earlier?

They probably did, since they seemed to die instantly.

…I think I shouldn’t have thought about this either.

-Your heart rate is rising. If you’re having useless thoughts, please refrain.

I sighed at my situation where even my heart rate was being controlled.

Then, to change my thoughts, I asked Cha Si-eon.

“When this Special Zone disappears, will a new Special Zone be created?”

-That’s correct.

“Then wouldn’t it be better to destroy places like this early and replace them with new ones?”

Special Zones have a conservation law, so even if you eliminate them, they reappear.

Plus, like a kind of lottery, the internal rules become completely new.

Then wouldn’t it be better to quickly clear out things like Samboilsa rather than keep them around?

-There have actually been several such discussions.

“Then why didn’t you eliminate it?”

-If we wage an all-out war with a Special Zone, our side could also suffer damage. Also, if that Special Zone is destroyed, the 17% we’ve uncovered so far would also disappear, so we decided to maintain the status quo.

I realized what I had overlooked.

All safety rules are written in blood.

This was a saying that applied both in society and in Special Zones.

In other words, the 17% here was also uncovered with someone’s blood.

So they couldn’t easily give it up.

There’s no guarantee that something better would come out if they threw this away.

So they had no choice but to maintain the status quo, but they’re eliminating it today?

To rescue me?

“How many people have died here so far?”

-Seo Do-un.

Perhaps noticing my bewilderment, Cha Si-eon said firmly.

-Right now, focus only on escaping. The rescue team deployment is the Management Bureau’s decision considering various factors.

I had no choice but to shut my mouth.

I welcome them working hard to save me too.

But if that involves other casualties, it’s a different story.

Putting aside the matter of conscience, why exactly?

I understand that the Management Bureau treats me as a kind of rare item.

But there should be limits to that too.

What exactly are they expecting from me?

-Your heart rate is rising again. Please refrain.

…Maybe the expectations are just my delusion.

Judging by how he’s giving hints through heart rate.

I felt deflated somehow and shut my mouth and emptied my head too.

Then the small noises of this space suddenly sounded louder.

Whirrrr-!

Clank- clank-!

Beeeep-!

Ugh, if I stay like this, my heart rate will probably go up again.

I opened my mouth again to shake off the bleakness and sense of alienation.

“How long have you been at the Management Bureau?”

-I don’t take personal questions.

“Is that something to say while watching someone’s heart rate?”

-This is my 6th year.

“You’ve been there quite a long time.”

I heard that Cha Si-eon’s age is similar to mine.

Then did he work here continuously after finishing university or training?

Ah, that’s why his personality is like that!

“Is Management Bureau work manageable?”

-No.

Surprisingly, an immediate answer came back.

Even a negative one.

“But why do you do it?”

-Because I have to.

I was a little surprised by Cha Si-eon’s answer.

So I was spacing out for a moment when a harsh instruction came down.

-Break’s over. Get up.

What? Already?

I wondered if I had lost track of time again and checked my watch.

But that wasn’t it.

“There are still 30 seconds left.”

-You’ve rested enough, so start moving.

What kind of tyranny is this.

I deliberately pretended not to hear.

-Mr. Seo Do-un, get up.

…They say if the grim reaper calls three times, you get dragged away.

I had no choice but to get up.

-Basement 1 is a grocery store. Similarly, there are invisible traps and dangerous entities. The dangerous entities on this floor are the 「Tasting Corner Employee」 and 「Checkout Employee」, and rarely, 「Woman Pulling a Shopping Cart」 appears.

Having come down just one floor, the method to pass through here was the same as before.

I moved little by little, identifying traps with the bloody cloth pieces.

Fortunately, the 「Tasting Corner Employee」 didn’t roam around a wide area like the 「Merchandise Organizer」.

So passing through the grocery section was relatively easy.

No, it should have been easy.

-Stop for a moment.

Cha Si-eon suddenly made me stop.

Right then.

Flap- Clang-!

There was a sound of something flying around and metal clanging.

The direction was toward where the 「Tasting Corner Employee」 was, which I was deliberately keeping my distance from.

Clang! Clang! Clatter-!

The sound of metal clashing kept coming from the same direction.

“What’s the situation right now?”

-A bird got in from somewhere.

“A bird?”

-A bird is flying around the area, so the 「Tasting Corner Employee」 is trying to chase it away.

Animals come in here too?

Cha Si-eon seemed unable to predict this situation either, speaking more cautiously.

-For now, keep your distance…

But those words were cut off mid-sentence.

-Get down!

What burst out instead was a shout.

And clear déjà vu.

I ducked down almost like diving.

Swoosh-!

Right after, something passed quickly over me.

I dodged it this time!

I raised my head belatedly to see what it was, but there was no trace left in the air.

Instead, a storage rack where baby formula cans and such were stacked moved.

Slowly, and at an angle.

-Left!

At Cha Si-eon’s instruction, I rolled first.

Right after, the upper part of the storage rack separated cleanly from the lower part and toppled sideways.

Bang! Crash-!

The cans that bounced out poured toward me.

I got pummeled like a drum by the objects tumbling down on me.

Still, it was fortunate.

The baby formula cans were light for their size, so it was bearable.

The problem was that the lids flew off and formula spilled everywhere.

But wait, what’s this?

…Sawdust?

I was stunned looking at the formula spilled on the floor.

These formula cans only mimicked the appearance plausibly.

What they spewed out as they got dented was inedible sawdust.

Clang-!

At the metallic sound that came again, I flinched and lowered my body.

Beyond the severed storage rack, I could see a flapping bird.

Black wings, like a crow.

And below it, something wielding a long blade.

It was the 「Tasting Corner Employee」.

It also had a head made of a barcode scanner.

However, the torso below was full of errors like a badly drawn picture.

Setting aside the tangled clothes and skin, large tongs and scissors were stuck to its hands.

“Team Leader Cha.”

I saw that monster and urgently called for Cha Si-eon.

“Team Leader?”

But there was no answer.

…The earpiece fell out.

I only then noticed that the earpiece had fallen from my ear.

So I frantically looked at the floor, but damn it…!

The floor was a mess with sawdust piled up everywhere.

I looked at my watch just in case.

But because the earpiece was disconnected, the watch no longer transmitted Cha Si-eon’s voice.

Damn!

I searched for the earpiece, digging through the sawdust.

I desperately swept the floor, praying the 「Tasting Corner Employee」 wouldn’t look this way.

Soon something caught on my glove.

It was the earpiece I had dropped!

I quickly brushed it off and put it back in.

At the same time, Cha Si-eon’s voice rang out loudly.

-Seo Do-un, behind!

I startled and was about to back away but stopped.

Backing away would be ‘retreat’.

Then what does ‘behind’ mean?

I wondered but instinctively turned to look behind me.

And our eyes met.

With a barcode scanner ‘looking down’ at me.

Right after, my body was pulled backward.

That dangerous entity.

Because the 「Merchandise Organizer」 that should originally be on the 1st floor had grabbed my ankle and lifted me up.

Hanging upside down, I kicked its head with my other foot.

Bang-!

But it didn’t budge at all.

Instead, its light source swept across my face.

Beep- beep- beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep-

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■ Common Precautions for Dangerous Entities Classified as “Employees”

Among the dangerous entities roaming this Special Zone, individuals with head sections shaped like ‘barcode scanners’ are classified as “Employees.”

The currently confirmed “Employees” are as follows:

1. “Information Desk Employee”: Stationed at the information desk in front of the 1st floor store entrance

2. “Product Organizer”: Patrols the product display area on the 1st floor

3. “Tasting Corner Employee”: Stationed at the tasting corner on Basement 1

4. “Checkout Employee”: Patrols the checkout area on Basement 1

5. “Parking Attendant”: Patrols the parking area on Basements 2-3

If discovered by an “Employee,” you will be dragged to the 1st floor store entrance and forcibly ejected.

During this process, your body will be dismantled to the size of an “Employee’s” hand, continuing until your screaming stops.

No method has yet been confirmed to avoid the “Employee’s” forced ejection measures.

The “Employee” will track you to the end as you flee, and you cannot resist an “Employee” by any means.

So never let yourself be spotted by an “Employee.”

If it’s already too late, consider less painful options while being dragged away.

—

The world turned upside down and shook violently.

Cha Si-eon kept shouting.

But the sounds I was making were louder.

Display shelves toppled over from my struggling.

Kicking my feet was useless.

The knife I pulled from my vest eventually bounced away and flew off.

Before I knew it, the “Tasting Corner Employee” had also attached itself beside me.

After all the hardship of coming down here, being dragged back to the 1st floor was far too easy.

And now, in front of the store entrance.

It’s too late.

I dropped the knife earlier, so I can’t make a less painful choice.

What do I do?

What do I do?

What do I do?

How can I avoid the pain…?

No, I don’t want to die!

I pathetically clawed at the floor until the very end.

But the “Employee’s” monstrous strength easily ignored my resistance, and only my cut-resistant gloves were peeled off from the friction.

The moment I saw that, I belatedly remembered.

Wait, maybe…!

Finally dragged to the entrance, I hurriedly removed the gloves from my hands.

Then I spread my hand toward the “Employee” that was really about to tear me apart.

Stop-

At that moment, the “Employees'” movements ceased.

What was currently on my hand.

It was the ring Baek Sa-ra had given me.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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