Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 231

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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 231

As the heavy silence that settled inside the elevator drags down, the space descends.

Downward.

Into the distant abyss.

To Underground 96th Floor.

“…You pressed it?”

That’s right.

I suddenly chose the option to head toward the distant abyss of the ghost story, to the unfathomably deep levels.

…It would be a lie to say I didn’t hesitate.

I still don’t have confidence that I can maintain my reason when facing the Dream Cultivation Room I emerged from.

But….

‘In other words, aside from that, I’m not afraid.’

Right now I’m in a state where I can’t feel fear.

If Brown is right that my emotions will gradually recover like my reason, then from that point on I’ll tremble with fear every time I explore this Joyful Research Institute in the Main Building Basement.

‘It might be better to understand what I can before then.’

It’s a kind of preventive shot.

[Ah, eliminating fear through repetition. A classic and proven learning method….]

[However, there’s a completely unexpected variable next to you.]

Ho Yu-won.

[That’s also part of the charm of live broadcasting, but if it’s inconvenient, how about just abandoning him? If you need the Host’s help, I’ll lend a hand!]

….

No, I’ll take him along for now.

[Hmm?]

‘I’m concerned about the Employee ID Card he’s wearing.’

The Joyful Research Institute Employee ID Card hanging around Ho Yu-won’s neck.

I glanced at it again.

Surprisingly, I’ve already seen an object identical to this before.

It was the card key that the Dead Employee had in the underground Dream Cultivation Room where the prototype cultivation device was located.

Joyful Researcher

■■■

The part with ‘Joyful’ and the name had been roughly crossed out with a pen. I had used it to operate the cultivation device.

It’s probably still plugged into that cultivation device right now… unless someone else pulled it out.

‘…Even so, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to retrieve it.’

Anyway, observing exactly what effect wearing that Employee ID Card has in this Joyful Research Institute ghost story wouldn’t be bad.

Ho Yu-won, who met my eyes, seemed momentarily flustered that I pressed the button without hesitation, but then erased that expression and smiled again.

His face is still completely torn up.

“That surprised me. Noru, you’re quite brave.”

….

“With that much Courage, you must be good at Exploration too, right? I’ll follow along diligently.”

What a truly annoying bastard.

I ignored his words.

The negative numbers of the elevator floors that had been descending at an eerily fast pace finally arrive at the destination.

Underground 96th Floor.

Ding-dong, the Door opens with the still cheerful notification sound….

And.

A peaceful Corridor came into view.

“….”

From the Office, I occasionally hear laughter or the cheerful sound of keyboards being pressed… but that’s all.

An utterly normal appearance, as if I had returned to Basement Level 2.

That’s what makes it stranger.

This can’t be right.

“Noru?”

….

“Noru, aren’t you getting off? It’s just an ordinary Office Corridor… don’t tell me you’re scared? If you’re very frightened, cover your eyes. I’ll give you a little push….”

Warning 1

Reason: Work interference (intentional)

Accumulated warnings: 1 / 2 until Disciplinary Action

“What? I was just trying to help… this is really sad.”

Whew.

“And I’m also worried whether you can properly execute Disciplinary Action. You failed earlier….”

Evidence of successful Disciplinary Action execution

: Check your own left face

Only then did he become quiet.

‘Please just keep your mouth shut….’

Why is he acting like this even with half his face crushed?

Anyway, I stepped forward while paying attention to the dust on the Floor and the presence in front of the Office Door.

I exit the Elevator.

Step, step.

I minimize my footsteps as much as possible. Even without fear, I have vigilance.

I wrapped myself thickly in Smoke Writing.

‘There’s definitely something here.’

I walk slowly to the end of the Corridor.

….

However, in the peaceful Joyful Research Institute Corridor bathed in sunset light… there were no unusual circumstances at all.

It’s just a quiet Office Corridor.

“This is really strange… isn’t it?”

I grabbed the Door handle of the Office with the least presence.

“Ah. Shall we go into that Office? But inside there might be….”

…I hear something being crushed beneath the sticky Corridor.

[Sigh, to think my Friend’s feet are touching such a filthy Floor.]

It doesn’t matter. I’m not scared.

‘Where should I go first.’

I looked at the burning Joyful Research Institute with its glass windows shattered, walls ablaze, and office interiors starkly exposed…

A view opened up almost like a single space.

So it immediately caught my eye. Over there, beyond the locked door, beyond the collapsed and broken right wall, a transparent cylindrical device…

It’s a Dream Cultivator.

There’s a Dream Cultivator here.

I, I, I I I I, I had to check? it I think so but it’s difficult because my body is inside the cultivator

“Noru sir.”

Noru?

“That doesn’t seem to be the cultivator where Noru sir was cultivated.”

…

Ah.

“It’s broken.”

I staggered and straightened my body.

Before I knew it, I was almost collapsed on the floor.

Ho Yu-won, who was wiping ash from his hair and adjusting his clothes beside me, kindly bowed his head and extended his hand to me.

“You collapsed. You must have a lot on your mind.”

I stood up without taking his hand.

Ho Yu-won looked at me with a disappointed expression, but I already know he didn’t actually feel such emotion.

Instead, he watches the remaining flames in the corridor slowly beginning to spread again and asks.

“Ah. Were you perhaps worried that those flames might spread to other floors via the elevator?”

…

Denial

No.

I’ve never worried about that.

Each floor isn’t connected to begin with. Because…

Reason: Separate time periods

“…!”

Right.

Do you remember? The Joyful Research Institute has each floor with completely identical structure.

To what extent? Even some of the marks on the walls match.

The Security Chief also mentioned this. And there was the Security Chief’s speculation I heard then…

-Identical offices… The structure and even the scratches are the same, so it’s the same place, but… little by little… the time periods seem… different?

“Ah. You knew that much?”

No.

Actually, it didn’t stop there…

Based on this testimony, I also formed a hypothesis before entry.

[Indeed!]

If all these underground floors project different time periods of the same space.

And if that space was part of the Joyful Research Institute.

Rather than simply the scenery becoming more bizarre the further underground you go…

‘The deeper you go, the more important moments of the Joyful Research Institute appear.’

[Oho.]

Because there’s a visible tendency.

First, the lower levels.

‘The Joyful Research Institute here has few people, or it’s a time period strangely outside work hours.’

Lunch time, vacation season, after work.

‘But the deeper you go, work-related keywords emerge.’

When you enter the mid levels, the nuance becomes clear. Celebration, discussion… And the number of people also shows an increasing trend.

Then what about deeper down, the deep levels?

Looking at the tendency, the answer is visible.

‘More work-related, intense moments will appear.’

Core work-related incidents that occurred at the Joyful Research Institute.

Then I can make such speculation about this situation too.

[This fire is a very important incident connected to that toy store’s work…]

[Is that what you want to say, Friend?]

Correct.

And don’t we already know too well about the Joyful Research Institute’s work?

‘Development of recreational ghost story products.’

It was also strange for such a place to end up like this from an ordinary fire.

So this fire might not be natural, but caused by a ghost story itself.

An enormous incident that determined the fate of the Joyful Research Institute.

And recalling the Joyful Research Institute’s experiment log that summoned me…

This will be the Joyful Research Institute’s final research.

The probability that it’s connected to the reason I was summoned is also high.

‘Let me remember this.’

After taking a mental deep breath, I slowly moved my feet toward the broken Dream Cultivator.

And I reached my hand toward the position remaining in my memory…

The Dream Cultivator’s card key registration position.

Click.

The card key slides out from the slot, and an intact employee ID card begins to reveal itself…

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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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