Editor’s Survival Guide - Chapter 72

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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 72

ep13. Blood-Raining (4)

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「Blood-Raining Island (Post-2nd Awakening)」 Exploration Record

Date: 20XX. 5. 14.

Author: Cha Si-eon

■ Response Manual for New Pattern ‘Photo Exhibition’ in ‘Zone E. Gallery 2’

1. Basic Structure

Long corridor format, 4m wide and 450m long.

Approximately 800 black and white photos on left and right walls.

Subjects presumed to be Korean men and women of all ages.

2. Risk Factors

1) New threat entity 「Faceless Thing」

Humanoid threat entity.

Facial area severed, showing subcutaneous cross-section of face.

Hand areas distorted into blade and weapon forms.

Normally disguised as photos among the black and white photographs.

Protrudes from photos when humans enter attack range.

Even when humans are within attack range, maintains disguise state if observed by humans, attacks the moment gaze is averted.

In photo form, identifiable by distorted facial features, tongue sticking out, black tears flowing, etc.

Easily subdued if you target the moment it emerges.

May be difficult for ordinary citizens to handle.

Especially careful when multiple 「Faceless Thing」 photos overlap in one space.

2) Penalty for damaging black and white photos

Tearing black and white photos confirmed to cause blood flowing from photos.

Knife damaged by contact with blood. (Blood rain?)

Tearing 28 black and white photos causes regression to exhibition hall starting point.

Do not carelessly damage photos.

※「Faceless Thing」 also shows same blood flowing phenomenon when attacked in photo state.

3. Escape Method

Find military jeep in black and white photos and tear it.

—

Crash-!

Cha Si-eon’s knife pierced the jeep in the photo.

At that moment, the 「Faceless Things」 that had been lunging toward Cha Si-eon lost their strength and dropped to the floor with thuds.

Then they began melting away limply.

Creak-!

Then with a small friction sound, a door crack that hadn’t been visible before opened.

When we pushed that door open, light poured into the dim interior.

Outside was a garden full of sunlight.

“We’ll rest for 5 minutes then enter the next zone.”

At Cha Si-eon’s words, I just nodded blankly.

Something had passed by in an instant.

I thought I was going to die when those face-severed monsters came bursting out.

I never expected him to break through by dealing with it so quickly.

I asked Cha Si-eon, somehow feeling absurd.

“How long have you been in this zone?”

“This was the 11th time.”

Not 11 minutes, not 11 hours, but the 11th time.

…He really was planning to escape on his own.

While people outside were anxiously wondering whether Cha Si-eon was alive or dead.

The person himself was steadily advancing toward the exit, breaking through each zone’s stages.

Yes, I’ll admit it. Baek Sa-ra was right again this time.

I watched Cha Si-eon with his eyes closed for a moment, then turned my gaze to the surroundings.

It was a small garden.

Next to the flower bed in bloom was a brick path, and at its end was a door.

It was a door leading to another zone.

This garden was a passage connecting stage to stage.

Right now it maintained a peaceful atmosphere under clear skies, but once the 「blood rain」 began falling, this place too would transform into a hellscape.

As I was looking up at the sky, Cha Si-eon spoke.

“Seo Do-un, you came out of 「Ant Hill」 on the 12th, correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

As I answered and looked to the side, Cha Si-eon still had his eyes closed.

“What was your exact stay duration?”

“23 hours and 20 minutes. I entered at 1 AM on the 11th and came out just after midnight on the 12th.”

“You observed the rest period.”

That’s right.

To prevent contamination, anyone who enters and exits a Special Zone must rest outside for three times their zone stay duration.

The time I spent in 「Ant Hill」 was 23 hours and 20 minutes.

And I was dragged to this place, 「The Island」, 86 hours after coming out of 「Ant Hill」.

Though I hadn’t intended it, I had observed the rest period set by the Management Bureau quite well.

Should I call this fortunate, or call it coincidental…

“The rest period between escaping 「National Theater」 and entering 「Ant Hill」 was also observed, correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

At Cha Si-eon’s confirmation, my feelings leaned toward coincidental.

As he said, I had precisely observed the recommended rest period when entering 「Ant Hill」 after coming out of 「National Theater」 too.

Could this really be coincidence?

Or as Section Chief Kwon Mu-seop claimed, was it the intention of something that was ‘at minimum an enemy’s enemy, at maximum our ally’?

I want to dismiss it as mere coincidence, but look at the current situation.

I was dragged to the Special Zone where Cha Si-eon went missing, right before Team Leader Cha’s eyes, immediately after receiving various snacks from Ha Yu-ju.

Wouldn’t dismissing this as simple coincidence be denial of reality…

“By now the Management Bureau should have realized Seo Do-un is here.”

“That’s right.”

I nodded at Cha Si-eon’s dry voice.

My location is under constant monitoring by the Control Team.

Of course, location tracking might have been cut off when I entered here.

If so, they would first suspect this place where communication interference occurred.

So they would quickly notice I’m here too.

“But I’m not sure if the Rescue Team can enter.”

“They’ll come.”

Cha Si-eon declared in response to my light complaint.

“That’s why we need to escape first from our side.”

As if taking those words as a signal, Cha Si-eon pulled his back away from the wall.

He also reopened his closed eyes, which were still bloodshot.

They’re almost rabbit-level red, making me wonder if he’s really okay, but he’ll probably handle it well on his own.

In this domain, he’s much more of an expert than me.

Besides, I already experienced getting embarrassed by worrying first unnecessarily with Section Chief Kwon Mu-seop.

“Time’s up, so we’re moving.”

Cha Si-eon strode ahead.

Right now, all I had to do was silently follow behind him.

—

■ Response Manual for New Pattern ‘Light Performance’ in ‘Area B. Indoor Concert Hall’

1. Basic Structure

Circular stage with 28m diameter. Floor structure that rotates like the top of a spinning top.

6 pin lights installed on the ceiling.

Pin light beams are white in 50cm diameter circles. Continuously move in specific patterns.

When 2 or more white lights overlap on the floor, color change to orange or blue observed.

Some switch in wall crevice.

2. Risk Factors

1) White light – Burns

White lighting has intense heat.

2) Orange light – Explosion

When white lights overlap and turn orange, flame explosion occurs in 50cm area, 5m height.

3) Blue light – “Faceless Thing”

When white lights overlap and turn blue, “Faceless Thing” appears from blue light, shows hostile reaction to humans.

3. Escape Method

When all 6 pin lights converge at one point, operate device in wall crevice.

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“We’ll enter the next area in 5 minutes.”

As soon as we left the area, Cha Si-eon muttered.

Then he leaned his back against the wall and closed his eyes, just like he’d been doing continuously.

I was also getting quite used to this situation, so I sat down roughly on the garden floor.

It had already been 2 hours since I was dragged to “The Island.”

During that time, we cleared 9 stages, and it wasn’t particularly difficult.

Because Cha Si-eon led the way and cleared the path.

I thought I’d be riding the Cha Si-eon bus after the Kwon Mu-seop bus, and that’s exactly what was happening.

As expected, it’s nice going around with professionals.

Of course, Manager Kwon Mu-seop’s care and Team Leader Cha Si-eon’s treatment of me as baggage were very different in nature.

But compared to when I was struggling desperately alone, either way was much more civilized.

And, well.

I didn’t want to admit it if possible, but I think I have to now.

That Cha Si-eon is extraordinary beyond normal standards.

The Blood-Raining Island that completed its second awakening had transformed considerably as the Management Bureau expected.

So all the existing patterns I saw in the manual had disappeared.

Only the spatial forms remained somewhat identical, while the risk factors and detailed rules had all changed.

But Cha Si-eon had already figured out all those new patterns.

He had discovered them by throwing himself at them alone.

I thought he was someone who just sat around being lazy…

He was actually amazing…

Ms. Baek Sa-ra, it seems like Cha Si-eon being wary of me was a misunderstanding.

No matter how I look at it, there’s no reason for him to feel competitive toward me.

Anyway, exploring the Special Zone with Team Leader Cha Si-eon was quite comfortable, just like with Manager Kwon Mu-seop.

However, there was a concerning issue that prevented me from being completely at ease.

“Team Leader Cha, how many areas have you cleared so far?”

“…”

I asked a question but was ignored.

Cha Si-eon remained silent with his eyes closed, and I felt a momentary surge of irritation before sighing.

We had cleared 9 areas in 2 hours.

Areas B, C, F, G, I once each, Areas E, H twice each.

Areas A, D, J hadn’t appeared yet.

There are 10 areas total here, and when you clear one area, the next is randomly assigned, so the probability of each area appearing is 1 in 9.

So Area A not appearing yet isn’t that unlucky.

But that’s only from my perspective.

Cha Si-eon had been trapped here for three whole days.

And Team Leader Cha clears 4 areas per hour.

He actually said he’d cleared Area E 11 times.

So why hasn’t he escaped yet?

Of course, he might have struggled learning the patterns initially.

He might have been stuck during the “blood rain” periods.

Even accounting for that, it doesn’t make sense.

By now, Cha Si-eon would have cleared areas dozens of times alone, maybe even more.

The fact that he still hasn’t gotten out might mean we need to consider the possibility that Area A is completely excluded from this random arrangement.

Cha Si-eon probably isn’t unaware of this, so why isn’t he explaining anything, this bastard.

I was glaring disapprovingly at the silent Cha Si-eon when it happened.

“Mr. Seo Do-un.”

Cha Si-eon suddenly called me and asked this.

“Do you have aspirin?”

Aspirin? Does he have a headache?

I took out the aspirin bottle from my vest pocket and handed it to Cha Si-eon.

Cha Si-eon opened the medicine bottle and poured five or six pills into his mouth.

Wait, hold on!

I was shocked by Cha Si-eon’s drug abuse and asked.

“Team Leader Cha, are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

“I’m fine.”

“If you’re fine, why are you taking so much medicine…”

When I asked back, Cha Si-eon looked at me as if annoyed.

But that look in his eyes was also somewhat strange.

They were insolent eyes as usual, but somehow seemed a bit hazily unfocused.

…No, thinking about it, it’s natural.

Cha Si-eon isn’t superhuman.

No matter how extraordinarily amazing he is, he’s still just human.

Team Leader Cha Si-eon was currently overexerting himself.

“Team Leader, if you’re not feeling well, please rest properly. You seem to be overexerting yourself.”

“There’s no time.”

“There are still 12 hours left before the ‘blood rain’ falls. It’s not immediately urgent, so wouldn’t it be better to rest for an hour or two? If you just keep pushing and collapse, that would be an even bigger problem.”

“I won’t collapse, so don’t worry.”

“No, why are you being so stubborn…”

“Do you think I’m doing this for myself?”

What the hell is this bastard suddenly saying.

“If you can’t grasp the situation, just follow along. That’s how you help.”

Cha Si-eon concluded his words unilaterally and stood up.

Then he began walking briskly toward the next area.

“Hah…”

Ms. Baek Sa-ra, does Team Leader Cha Si-eon have a personality problem, or is he really particularly harsh only to me?

Actually, either way doesn’t matter.

I never liked that bastard from the beginning anyway.

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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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