Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 15

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

Even If I Fall Into a Ghost Story, I Still Have to Go to Work Episode 015

is a creepy company that pushes Field Investigation Team employees into terrible ghost stories to extract potion essence.

This raises a question.

-If they just push employees into high-grade, extremely dangerous ghost stories, wouldn’t they all die and no essence could be extracted?

To address this question and for the convenience of ghost story development, the setting emerged that ’employees can have special equipment that can be enhanced as they get promoted’.

But it’s not too specific.

If they started dividing equipment one by one into grades and charts, it would already become a massive game setting rather than an internet ghost story.

So to make it easy for anyone to participate in creation, a more convenient setting was added.

-Customized Personal Equipment

Employees whose usefulness has been recognized to some extent get their own supernatural equipment with company support.

Of course, it doesn’t mean regular employees use cartoon-like abilities, but rather get a slight boost in special stats.

Something that creates convenient situations, you could say.

‘Still, having something is better than nothing.’

I unconsciously looked at Team Leader Lee Ja-heon with expectant eyes, then quietly lowered my gaze after making eye contact with Lizard.

I really can’t get used to this.

“Ah, so I can make custom equipment?”

“Yes.”

“…Could you explain it to me?”

“Yes.”

After asking three times, a detailed explanation followed.

Still, it’s interesting.

‘This is something I only knew fragmentary pieces about.’

Things that were only sporadically mentioned here and there in were organized and came out through the team leader’s mouth.

“Custom equipment can be made through specific darkness that the company possesses.”

Right. They would use ghost stories.

[Pleasant Research Lab’s Toy Maker /Qterw-E-07]

[Kind Seed Kit / Qterw-E-99]

[We Offer Sacrifice / Qterw-E-404]

In my memory, these are the three ghost stories that have descriptions of Daydream Corporation employees making equipment.

Among them, what the Field Investigation Team mainly uses is…

“…is.”

Oh!

“It happens to be darkness that can only be used on moonlit nights!”

With team members gladly following along to watch, I headed to the annex building next to the company with the team leader.

Strike while the iron is hot – it was thanks to the supervisors encouraging us to go check it out now.

“Ah… this is a place where relatively safe and useful ghost stories are isolated and stored.”

The assistant manager’s explanation followed.

“The company mainly calls these ‘Twilight Grade’.”

I know.

Officially, ghost stories corresponding to E-grade.

However, the classification method is a bit different to simply call them E-grade.

‘Since they’ve selected only the useful ones.’

There were also darkness much more powerful than D-grade or less dangerous than F-grade, so everyone more often used the unique designation ‘Twilight’.

“Noru, you saw that… radio on your first day, right? That’s useful because it tells you the day’s fortune. It’s like that.”

After swiping our employee ID cards and entering the annex building’s first floor, stairs leading underground came into view.

And when we went down the stairs… someone was sitting at a dimly lit information desk.

It was a strange figure dressed entirely in black clothes, wearing a mask, sunglasses, and even a hat.

An employee?

The team leader immediately stepped forward.

“Hello! We’re Field Investigation Team Group D, visiting for new employee training.”

“…”

“Ah, the darkness we want access permission for is Twilight Grade number 99.”

The black figure looked at the team leader as if verifying for a moment.

Nod.

The figure nodded and pressed a button installed on the desk, and one of the emergency doors in the back opened.

Creak.

Behind it was a corridor lined with countless doors.

“Don’t open other rooms even by mistake. No, they’re probably locked anyway, but let’s not even grab the door handles.”

Very wise words indeed.

I nodded without complaint and moved my feet.

Soon we stopped in front of a door marked ’99’, and the assistant manager placed his employee ID card on the card reader.

Click.

“Let’s go in.”

I raised my head.

Moonlight was pouring into a greenhouse overgrown with weeds.

And right in the center, a single rusty machine stood bathed in moonlight.

======================

Darkness Investigation Records / Ghost Story

[Kind Seed Kit]

Darkness Investigation Records

Plant

======================

That’s right.

‘A ghost story that takes two items and mixes their characteristics to create a new item.’

The darkness that the Field Investigation Team uses almost primarily for making custom equipment was precisely this rather atmospheric ghost story.

“It’s darkness our department uses almost exclusively!”

I stood in front of the rusty machine and asked.

“Does it cost points to use this?”

“Yeah. Twilight grade darkness stored in the annex building requires usage fees to operate.”

“Ah…”

“For reference, this costs 1000p per use.”

Wait.

But isn’t this a bit strange?

“If it’s equipment needed for darkness investigation, shouldn’t the company provide support rather than charge fees?”

No matter how hopeless this company is, they should at least do that much for things to work…

“Ah, when you become a team leader, you can use it twice a year for free.”

“….”

Promotion… I guess I should have gotten it after all.

“So everyone’s in the mood to wait until they become Team Leader before doing it. Usually you just need to endure for a year at most.”

Hmm.

I pondered.

‘There must be a reason why Lee Ja-heon judged it as ‘useful’ even though it costs points.’

Lizard, that is Employee D, was said to be a combat specialist, but that surely included instinctive-level intuition as well.

If an employee with a high survival rate gave special advice….

‘I think accepting it is the right choice after all.’

1000p, if I can invest it to increase my initial survival rate, that would be the correct answer.

…Though my hands are shaking a bit!

“I’d like to use it now.”

“Okay!”

The Team Leader reacted cheerfully, then seemed to realize something and whispered.

“…But first, you know you need existing equipment to input, right? Something with abilities that can be used as a parameter.”

“Ah… that’s right.”

I already confirmed all of that from this ghost story exploration record.

======================

Exploration Record #05

Tumbler*

Special Equipment

Backpack

(Special Note: Possesses special abilities similar to a tumbler. However, reveals the bottom when extracting more than 87L of liquid.)

======================

“Don’t worry! There’s a custom in our team to lend equipment for free once when a team member gets their first Custom Equipment.”

“Yeah. Not both though, just one. For the other one, you put in your own stuff or pay to borrow.”

The Assistant Manager glanced at the Team Leader.

“And Team Leader… your equipment is the best among us.”

I expected that. Since he’s a superior after all.

“If it’s alright with you, I’d like to see your equipment, Team Leader.”

“Yes.”

Lizard took something out of his pocket.

It was a small knife that gleamed ash-gray.

“It’s a butter knife. If you cut the medium that enters darkness, it can cut through space and transport small objects.”

Oh.

“So this was the equipment you used when you threw me the AAA Battery.”

“Yes.”

I looked at the butter knife with fresh eyes.

‘I was hoping for defense-related equipment… but I guess it doesn’t work out that easily.’

Unfortunately, none of the other supervisors’ equipment was defense-related either.

One related to deception, one related to communication.

‘If push comes to shove, I could probably get something with similar effects from the Alien Shop….’

I made up my mind.

“Then you’ll put in the Team Leader’s equipment?”

“Yes.”

I bowed my head for social courtesy.

“Thank you, Team Leader.”

Lee Ja-heon nodded slightly, then approached the machine.

Old-fashioned text appeared on the worn LCD Screen.

[Please give me plants 0/2]

I watched as the manager held his equipment up to the machine to scan its ‘genetic information’.

[Plant information storage complete]

[Please give me plants 1/2]

“Now you just need to put in whatever you want to add next. …Ah, wait a minute.”

The Assistant Manager spoke urgently.

“If this machine isn’t really weird, you can put in pretty much anything, okay? But there’s just one thing that’s absolutely not allowed.”

The Assistant Manager tapped the sign attached in front of the machine.

※Absolutely no plant input

“Absolutely, never put in real plants like it asks for.”

“….”

“The Detection Sensor at the door filters out all plants anyway, but I’m telling you just in case.”

With eyes now accustomed to the darkness, I could see the true nature of the lush weeds around here.

All fake. They were Artificial Flowers.

…One exploration record comes to mind naturally.

======================

Irregular

Employee R picked weeds (presumed Dandelion) growing wild around the darkness and input them into the machine twice.

[Censored]

-7 days required until Security Team suppression complete.

All 3 people on site including Employee R confirmed dead. All plants confirmed removed.

※Notice: Disciplinary action and termination upon recurrence.

======================

Hmm. I absolutely must keep this in mind.

“Yes. Thank you for letting me know.”

“No need for thanks.”

Meanwhile, the manager who had finished registering the equipment and retrieved his knife back to his business suit pocket stood up.

“For the other slot, you usually put in convenient everyday objects, but in that case the supernatural characteristics as equipment may be weakly inherited, or there’s a low probability they might not be inherited at all.”

I knew that, but I nodded seriously to show my reaction.

“It can’t be helped. Even if that happens, I’ll accept it.”

I put my hand in my pocket and took something out.

“Oh~ You said you stopped by Company Housing earlier, so you had something you wanted to put in?”

“Yes.”

What I held in my hand was a silver coin.

-Silver Snake

It was exactly that item that was being sold at a huge discount in the Alien Shop.

“I’m going to put this in.”

I can put an item in the other slot.

I had quite a few supernatural items in my possession!

Actually, this was why I was pleased when I found out that the ghost story the Field Investigation Team uses is the ‘Friendly Seed Kit’.

‘Because I have more item supply sources than other people.’

From that black memo pad floating in the air that gives goods to the Alien Shop.

From the moment I entered here, I had been thinking through the lineup of items I possessed.

‘And among them, the one with the highest grade would be…’

This one, as expected.

I rolled the round coin with a snake drawn on it in my hand.

‘Because it was the most expensive at regular price.’

Besides, considering that Lee Ja-heon’s butter knife was for ‘supply purposes’, I had expectations that this coin, presumed to be ‘currency’, might create some strange synergy with it.

I brought the coin up to the device.

The Lizard’s pupils dilated upon seeing the silver.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a commemorative coin. I bought it as a souvenir while traveling… it just had a mysteriously good feeling to it.”

“…I see.”

…Did they realize it was an item?

It didn’t matter anyway. Since it’s a world where ghost stories are so easily encountered. It’s quite plausible that I’d unknowingly carry around supernatural objects…

‘And a coin wouldn’t be that suspicious either.’

Since it’s an everyday, small object.

“It looks easy to carry. The compatibility seems good.”

“Thank you.”

I finished the scan while listening to my supervisors’ encouraging words.

[Plant information storage complete]

[Please give me plants 2/2]

“Ah, now for the final stage.”

[Please provide gardener information]

This is why it’s called ‘Custom Equipment’.

I don’t know exactly how it works, but it seems to require the genetic information of the caretaker who will tend to this plant.

‘This acts as various variables.’

I finished the scan while conflicted.

[Confirmation complete]

Here it comes.

[Combining genetic information]

[Generating kit…]

Multicolored smoke poured out from the device, and the creaking sound of gears turning could be heard…

[Seeding complete]

Hiss.

The front drawer of the device opened, revealing a small object.

A gray coin.

More precisely, a toy coin that might be used in an arcade. On its shiny front surface, a glove design was embossed in relief.

“Oh, it came out.”

“Congratulations, Noru.”

I carefully reached out and picked up the object.

It was my first custom equipment.

I returned straight to the company housing.

My supervisors also parted ways saying ‘get some good sleep and see you tomorrow’.

They probably didn’t want to make me do the stupid thing of testing equipment abilities after entering the darkness.

“…Good.”

I sat on the bed and took out two coins.

One was the Silver Snake I bought from the Alien Shop and used as the ‘parent plant’.

The other was the gray coin born from combining that Silver Snake with the Department Head’s butter knife genetic information.

Everything was fine. But the thing is.

“…How do I operate this?”

Not even a twitch.

‘Come to think of it, the Silver Snake wasn’t really an item with clearly specified supernatural abilities either.’

Don’t tell me what came out as equipment is really just a toy coin that should be used like actual currency… I’m breaking out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, this concern was soon resolved.

“As expected, this is what you do with coins.”

I tried one typical action.

Coin flipping with my thumb.

Then the glove design that was embossed on the front of the coin actually popped out.

“…!”

A translucent silver glove appeared in the air.

The glove moved as if doing mime and drew letters in the air.

[Insert coin]

…It’s asking me to insert a coin?

I rummaged through my wallet and took out a 100 won coin, offering it to the glove.

But the glove refused.

“What.”

Is it demanding different currency? Or maybe…

“How about this.”

I offered 500 won.

The hand happily received the coin, held it between its fingers, then made it disappear like a magic trick.

‘It was a money amount issue.’

Equipment that’s thoroughly committed to capitalist logic.

As I watched in bewilderment, the translucent glove approached my hand and merged with it as if being worn.

“…!”

I felt a strange sensation.

‘A third… hand?’

A shadow-like form of my hand appeared before my eyes.

It moved according to my will.

I could push walls, open bathroom doors, and even write.

‘The strength and dexterity are… just about the same as mine.’

To summarize, it’s a third telekinetic hand that can move for a few seconds if you give it a coin?

The range is roughly… about a 3-meter radius.

“This is pretty good for 500 won and 5 seconds.”

Soon the shadow hand shape in the air disappeared, and the translucent gloves naturally slipped off my hands.

And moving like a greeting, they were embossed back onto the front of the coin.

“Hmm.”

This is pretty decent.

This isn’t like the Team Leader’s butter knife that overcomes spatial constraints between ghost stories and reality.

But instead, it feels like the operational range within ghost stories has expanded, so it seems like it would have greater versatility.

Although there is a bullet limitation due to the spatial constraint of how many 500 won coins I can carry while running around in a business suit…

‘This is a successful draw.’

It’s great that the coin being an item wasn’t revealed and passed naturally.

“Work as hard as the 1000p I invested in you.”

I put the coin in my pocket along with the other items.

While I was at it, I refilled the used up ‘Smile Stickers’ and grabbed one more ‘Can Bottle’.

‘Humans really are creatures of adaptation, aren’t they.’

I lay down on the bed.

Surprisingly, I was in good condition.

When I close my eyes, that horrible talk show comes to mind vividly, but I’d say I can sleep reasonably well with the lights on.

Maybe it’s because the ending was decent.

‘…At least the bad luck was good.’

The group project luck was decent too.

‘Maybe because I earned points in one go, somehow the situation feels hopeful…’

Drowsiness poured over me and I blinked sleepily.

Still, the remaining points I need to earn for the Wish Potion are still like a mountain, and I don’t know how many more ghost stories I’ll have to clear.

But surprisingly, for the first time I think I might be able to get through that period well…

‘I might be able to endure quietly.’

…I briefly ran that ridiculous positive thinking circuit until I came to work the next day and learned the insane fact that an official document had been issued saying ‘Wow, a 2nd-day newbie cleared an A-grade major incident!’

“Noru, have a seat. We… um, it looks like our job assignments are going to change a bit.”

“Excuse me?”

I’m only on my 3rd day of employment though.

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