Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 21

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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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Even If I Fall Into a Ghost Story, I Still Have to Go to Work Episode 021

In a desperate situation where mascots with bloody tears stared at me with pupilless eyes, demanding ‘Hey, since it’s come to this, why don’t you try killing someone first?’

Lies flowed smoothly from my mouth.

“A trap, you say?”

“Yes. Please think about it.”

I tried not to look at the crazy mascots at the window while maintaining an expression of ‘I really had a brilliant idea.’

“It’s this darkness that grouped us into a team. But would it really be okay to carelessly kill a team member?”

Actually, it would be fine.

“This darkness strangles us just for team members being separated. But if we kill someone?”

We’d just have to carry the corpse around.

In that process, my coward’s heart wouldn’t be able to handle it and I’d vomit, earning the evaluation ‘This bastard’s a torturer?’ and getting reassigned to a perfect position to die…

“…No matter how I think about it, there would be tremendous penalties.”

“Hmm.”

The eyes beneath the butterfly mask narrowed.

“But we might get penalized for not being able to kill, right?”

“Conversely, we might face total annihilation by killing.”

“…”

“If both possibilities exist, I thought it would be more rational to choose the direction that preserves our numbers.”

The other party was slightly shaken.

I swallowed and added more words.

“Of course, the decision is for you to make, Deputy Manager…”

“Right! If, if you kill me, huh? You’ll die too, uh, huh? You crazy bastard! You don’t want to die either. Stop…”

Thwack.

I firmly struck the researcher on the back of his neck.

Which means I knocked him unconscious.

‘I set up the whole situation and why is he trying to ruin it all?’

With such poor awareness, no wonder he gambles at work!

The Team Y New Employee, whose restraints seemed to have been released, was also letting go of the researcher’s limbs with a pale blue face.

Team A Supervisor, who had watched it all, slowly opened his mouth.

I waited anxiously.

“You.”

“…”

“You better not regret this.”

I survived.

“Yes, of course.”

Team A Supervisor didn’t respond. It seemed my score had been considerably deducted.

But that wasn’t what was important right now.

What mattered was that I had gotten past this timing for now.

[Die…]

The narration that had been repeatedly saying ‘die’ gradually subsided when we stopped attacking each other.

Flicker.

And the moment the train’s lights flashed.

“Th-they disappeared…!”

The mascots that had surrounded the windows were gone.

Only bloodstains remained.

“…”

But that wasn’t all that had disappeared.

‘It’s gone.’

The Engineer Mascot too.

The cheerful theme park music too.

The bright disembarkation announcement too.

“…”

Creak.

We manually pushed the train out and saw the interior that was eerily devoid of sound and light.

“…Feels like we stepped on a landmine.”

“…”

That’s… correct.

I recalled one of the Darkness Investigation Records again.

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

Cheerful Theme Park Usage Guidelines (Applied up to Investigation Record 64)

4. Each area of the theme park is colored according to its theme! The place where you first open your eyes is exactly the area your team belongs to!

Respect the areas. Areas are more important than anything else look at the colors don’t go against the mascot’s mood the mascot is everything in the area

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

This clause wasn’t there for nothing…

If you get on a mascot’s bad side in the theme park’s colored area, you no longer receive respect as a ‘visitor’ in that area.

You might have to play a deadly game of hide and seek.

But I couldn’t press the nuclear button just to avoid stepping on this landmine.

‘The mascots’ demands escalate step by step.’

Usually, they started with simple things at first.

Eat something, hold something, have a warm hug with them.

‘But they’re ordering murder from the first turn?’

Then by the time we ride the attraction after next, we’d be treated in a way where dying would be preferable.

For instance, I’d already seen in the investigation records crazy demands like ‘make a balloon with your bladder’…

By that point, the mascot’s influence becomes so strong you can’t even refuse.

‘I’d rather die than that.’

This is a ghost story world where cases of ending up worse than death are commonplace.

And even now, it’s not like there’s no escape route.

I swallowed.

‘I just need to run.’

If I escape from Red Rabbit, Magic Bunny’s area and enter another mascot’s territory, this aggro will be lifted.

To do that… let me see.

‘Found it!’

I finally found what was in one corner of the dark exit path.

“There’s something over there.”

“Huh?”

This was actually the reason I wanted to ride this attraction in the first place.

‘The theme park color map!’

[~Fantasy Land Color Map~]

Because after riding this attraction to the end, there’s a map showing each mascot’s territory at the very last exit.

I quickly approached while muttering.

“It’s a map. This could be helpful to us.”

“Wh-why is that?”

At first glance, it’s just interior decoration.

Since the attraction introduced Fantasy Land, it seems like they just implemented it visually as well.

However, the information contained is enormous.

“Do you remember the content of this attraction?”

“Ah, uh, so, these theme park mascots fighting over land…”

“That’s exactly it.”

I nodded.

“This attraction’s map should have other mascot zones marked on it.”

“…!”

You can see with your eyes how to move to reach different colored zones via the shortest route.

“The monster seems to hate us, so let’s run away? Carrying that?”

Team A Deputy Manager gestured with his chin at the Researcher I was carrying on my back.

Thinking he might suggest killing him right now, I immediately answered.

“I’ll wake Research Team 1 Supervisor as soon as we check the map and make him walk properly.”

“Hmm.”

Please don’t put on a dismemberment show right in front of me…

Anyway, once some vision emerged, a bit of hope returned to Team Y New Employee’s face.

I probably have a similar expression.

‘Please be nearby.’

I took a deep breath and quickly approached the map to check…

“…”

“…”

“It’s not… there.”

Huh?

I looked at the map again.

But the picture didn’t change.

[~Fantasy Land Color Map~]

The displayed interior view of the theme park is all.

Red.

[Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone]

Every signboard has Magic Bunny’s face carved on it.

“Ah.”

[Magic Bunny’s Fantasy Land]

There’s nowhere,

to escape.

“…”

“…”

“Th-this has to be wrong, right? Soleum, surely, surely there were other mascots earlier…”

“They were all driven out.”

“…!”

The narration I heard during the attraction automatically came to mind.

-Drop them in holes, drop them in water, push them off cliffs!

Then…

“After killing all the yellow and blue ones, that red mascot completely took over this place.”

“…”

“Then… the employees who drew different colored game pieces,”

“Who knows.”

Team A Deputy Manager shrugged.

“All missing?”

“…!”

“Is that important right now? What’s important is…”

The eyes under the butterfly mask turned sinister again.

“It seems you made the wrong choice.”

“…”

“Don’t worry. You’re not at the level where you need to die first.”

That meant one thing.

There’s someone else who needs to die first.

“Even now it’s too late, you know?”

“…”

…Reflexively, the moment I looked back at the Researcher hanging like luggage on my shoulder while unconscious.

B o r i n g

“…!!”

“Wh-what…”

B o r i n g

A sound ringing in my head.

B o r i n g

Haven’t I heard this somewhere before?

Ah, talk show, Tuesday Talk Show. In the revamped talk show, the Sacrifice Choir’s dead pig head screaming like animals animals mascot! Magic Bu Magic Bunny is bored

“Kugh.”

I covered my ears.

B o r i n g

I looked down.

The admission ticket on my wrist vibrated.

■

[(Fun) Fantasy Land Boarding Pass ■□□]

The sound was coming from here.

N o f u n

Creeeeeeak.

It begins to tear from the sound vibration.

The admission ticket.

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

Cheerful Theme Park Usage Guidelines (Applied up to Exploration Record 64)

1. Keep your admission wristband clean!

If lost or damaged, you are no longer a visitor. If you’re not a visitor, you’re an unwelcome guest. Thief! Criminal! Terrible punishment awaits. Or would you rather

become an employee?

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

No way.

I desperately tried to rack my brain.

But there was no way out.

Really, there wasn’t a single inch of escape. There’s nowhere to run! If I want to preserve human dignity, it might be better to commit suicide before it’s too late….

-Kim Sol-eum.

Now I’m even hearing things,

-Kim Sol-eum. Can you hear me?

‘….’

It’s not a hallucination!

I lifted my head.

Nothing was visible in the air, but I could hear a voice so clear in my ear that I couldn’t possibly mistake it for a hallucination.

The owner of that voice was….

“…Team Leader?”

-Yes.

Manager Lizard, Lee Ja-heon.

This situation feels familiar. Though the roles are reversed!

“How are you contacting me?!”

-I’m using Park Min-seong’s specialized equipment.

B o r i n g

The voices overlap and the Great Red Magic Bunny’s sound becomes muffled. I barely realized I was on the verge of hyperventilating.

No, that’s not what’s important….

-Is Noru okay? You’re alive, right?

-We’re fine! We just rode all three attractions!

All of Team D is together. How did this happen?

“Weren’t you all on different colored teams?”

I remember clearly.

‘Only Lee Ja-heon was on the blue team, the rest were on the yellow team!’

-Noru, that’s not what’s important right now….

“It is important! Did you three wake up in the same place in the theme park even though you were on different teams?”

After a brief silence.

-No.

Manager Lizard’s calm voice answered.

-I found the other two and then moved.

Several questions popped up in my head simultaneously, but the most urgent one is this. So,

“…Where did you find them?”

-Blue Zone Outskirts.

“…Then right now, are you in the Blue Mascot’s zone?”

N o f u n

-Yes.

A shiver ran through me.

“It’s not marked on the map, but do you happen to know which point is the blue zone?”

-I don’t know.

Damn it.

“You don’t need to know the exact coordinates. Please tell me about nearby attractions! Even cardinal directions would be good.”

-I see.

After a brief silence.

-It’s to the west….

Click.

The communication cut off.

“Team Leader?”

No answer came back.

It was probably a timeout for using the specialized equipment.

And more important than that speculation was….

“W-west??”

The Team Y new employee who had been desperately listening alongside me looked dazed.

The Team A supervisor’s face looked similar.

The reason was simple.

“We’re in the western area though?”

That’s right.

The ‘Fantasy Train’ was located almost at the western edge of the Fantasy Land map….

On the opposite side of the east with its bumpy forest surroundings, the smoothly finished west was surrounded by castle walls.

And this attraction was right next to those castle walls.

There’s nowhere more west than this in Fantasy Land!

B o r i n g

“It seems like we’ve fallen into different theme parks, right? Well, it’s probably a timeline where the Blue Mascot won, something like that. That’s how Darkness always is.”

We fell into different places?

So the setting is completely different parallel dimensions?

N o f u n

“No.”

That can’t be right.

“This is Darkness derived from a board game. There’s no way we’d use different boards when playing the same game.”

“Hey. Shut up.”

The Team A Supervisor replied coldly.

“Blabbering… No matter how plausible you make it sound, if it doesn’t match reality, you have to discard it.”

No, this isn’t deduction—it’s inductive reasoning.

I want to point out that there are countless examples, but I know they’ll never believe it. What’s needed right now is… just stating the correct answer.

Where exactly is the ‘west’?

‘Quickly, quickly.’

Let me think. There’s definitely an answer.

I looked at the Fantasy Land Color Map again. All the zones I could see were still painted red.

Ferris Wheel, Carousel, Roller Coaster, Viking Ship, Magic Palace. Without exception, Magic Bunny’s face was spinning in red on every single one.

All the rides are… wait.

“…!”

B o r i n g

Hold on.

I scanned the map again.

And I realized it.

“…Found it!”

“What?”

“The Different Colored Zone.”

It’s this way.

I moved my feet with confidence. Whether they were influenced by my momentum or felt hope, the Team Members followed along.

N o f u n

We had to move quickly before catching the Mascot’s attention. Since there was no time to delay, I stepped outside the attraction as fast as possible

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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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