Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 286

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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 286

 

[Ding- dong- dang- dong]

 

I opened my eyes.

 

“Where is this place?”

 

“Excuse me, what is this….”

 

Familiar murmuring voices.

 

People suddenly sucked into a ghost story, conversing in bewilderment and tension.

 

A midnight classroom with the lights off. And….

 

“Ahhh! That scared me!”

 

“Is that a doll?”

 

A student from Sekwang Technical High School sitting motionlessly in one seat of the classroom.

 

The tragedy about to unfold.

 

“….”

 

Complex emotions surge through me, but I mustn’t be overwhelmed by them.

 

I looked down at my hands.

 

Fortunately, I can see human hands. My hands wearing the familiar old high school uniform.

 

‘As expected.’

 

Since Sekwang Technical High School is also located within the Special City, I knew I would manifest in human form.

 

Through the arduous process of several days, attempting to make 130666’s body, which cannot sleep, receive a judgment of ‘having fallen asleep’, to make it lose consciousness.

 

I finally succeeded.

 

In awakening from this nightmare school.

 

“Huh?”

 

However, I need to move quickly.

 

I immediately opened the front door and ran out into the corridor.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

At the same time, two agents who had rushed out of another classroom as soon as they regained consciousness made eye contact with me.

 

2nd Floor.

 

We were all on the same floor.

 

‘Good.’

 

This way we can proceed faster.

 

“Excuse me! Do you know anything about….”

 

We ran without responding to the people.

 

Agent Choi seemed to be almost gritting his teeth while ignoring them.

 

-Agent, when entering, we need to write our names behind the high school photo….

 

-I’ll take care of that myself.

 

And Agent Choi is truly standing here.

 

His neck and hands wearing the navy blue high school uniform were clean without scars, creating an odd sense of dissonance.

 

But our task is clear.

 

-While the students still can’t move, before the game begins, we need to move as much as possible.

 

We ran to the stairs.

 

We need to move before the Daydream Employees or other agents who entered randomly.

 

‘To the 3rd floor.’

 

And when we climbed about halfway up the stairs.

 

[Students, we will now close the automatic curtains and turn on the lights for heating and safety.]

 

The lighting began.

 

Whoosh.

 

Just before darkness rushes in, Bronze Agent takes out a flashlight from his chest and secures it near his arm with cable ties. Agent Choi performs a similar action while watching the 3rd floor.

 

But neither of them turns on their flashlights.

 

Because.

 

Thump.

 

I will press the heart tattoo to release contamination.

 

“…!”

 

Instantly, the identity of Sekwang Technical High School rushes in and covers me.

 

A student wearing an old school uniform.

 

As the transfer student from Class 1-5 who borrowed the uniform from Lee Gyeol.

 

At the same time, the agents who were beside me.

 

₩ud3ec₩ub3c4₩uc57c₩u002c₩u0020₩ub4e4₩ub9ac₩uc9c0₩u003f

 

Their forms can no longer be found.

 

Now in their place, there are monsters spewing glitches, unpleasant and deserving to be eliminated. Only errors of melting pixels. Things making eerie sounds that seem to tear at the ears.

 

Intruders.

 

I need to eliminate them immediately. Reaching out toward those slow and terrible things….

 

Barely.

 

I gently grasp them without attacking.

 

-You must not shine your flashlight on me.

 

I grit my teeth.

 

As promised, I ran frantically to the 3rd floor while holding the ‘errors that are almost as slow as if they’ve stopped’.

 

Then.

 

Flicker.

 

The lighting occurs again and the errors look at me.

 

Thus I become unable to move.

 

And when I can move again, I find myself being carried by the errors.

 

Having passed about halfway through the 3rd floor corridor.

 

‘Perfect.’

 

This is it.

 

-There’s a way to move quickly to the destination without stopping.

 

It’s the method of moving without being constrained by the lighting.

 

‘Students and errors can cooperate.’

 

When I stop, the agents move.

 

When the agents stop, I carry them.

 

Then we can move without being attacked.

 

-The problem is, whether it’s the people who entered or those school students, the moment we get caught we’ll definitely be suspected…

 

-Grape. It’ll be okay.

 

-Excuse me?

 

-From what I hear, it’s chaos in there. Us taking you along and moving around won’t stand out that much, right?

 

-…!

 

-Anyone can see that much would be fine. …Until too many citizens die.

 

It was true.

 

And in the same sense, initially there are too many intruders who appear as ‘errors’ from the students’ perspective, so attention gets dispersed.

 

‘So I need to hurry.’

 

Before drawing attention.

 

I dragged the two of them toward the infirmary.

 

…While ignoring the dull bursting sounds and shadows of students destroying ‘errors’ in each classroom lined up along the corridor.

 

And.

 

Creak.

 

I opened the infirmary door, then closed it.

 

“…”

 

Lee Gyeol wasn’t there.

 

The infirmary bed where I had previously transported that classmate was empty, and the bedsheets were wrinkled as if someone had just gotten up and left.

 

And there was a note left behind.

 

Paper fragment? Teacher?

 

A memo in handwriting that seemed to be written by himself, as if he couldn’t understand what it meant.

 

‘…’

 

From now on, I need to do this properly.

 

After taking a deep breath, I quickly took out A4 paper from the infirmary, placed it on the floor, and began writing.

 

-We’ve arrived. Checked the window too. I can see the backyard.

 

-When you’re ready, let’s go down together.

 

But at the next blinking moment that came immediately.

 

-Grape.

 

At the reply that came back, I drew in a breath.

 

-I can’t see anything outside the window.

 

From the error’s eyes, outside the infirmary window was nothing but pitch-black darkness.

 

‘Is it because it’s a place not implemented to be visited during game progression?’

 

I don’t know. What’s certain is…

 

‘…It’s okay.’

 

Wasn’t I left uncontaminated as if prepared for times like this?

 

‘I can do it alone.’

 

The talisman is already complete, so I just need to place it in the exact location.

 

-Please keep watch.

 

Leaving those words, I reached into Agent Choi’s jacket, who was still holding his head up, and found the talisman.

 

‘I was planning to steal it anyway.’

 

I didn’t expect to take it out so naturally like this.

 

I quickly opened the window and went down below. Rather, this side was convenient to move around since errors couldn’t come here.

 

The backyard.

 

The flower bed I had come to with Wolf Team Leader just a few days ago was eerily green, unlike when it was withered and dead.

 

Like spring or summer.

 

‘Whew.’

 

Without even breathing, I dug into the backyard soil and found the glass lantern. But…

 

‘…!’

 

A gentle light was emanating from the bottom of the broken glass lantern.

 

‘Is the talisman in an activated state?’

 

However, the flickering light looked precarious, as if it would go out at any moment.

 

A balance that seemed to be maintained precariously.

 

I had an intuition.

 

‘This is almost over.’

 

A premonition that this talisman would exhaust its power today.

 

And what might have happened… I don’t even want to imagine. Especially if the current state of this school is because the talisman is still exerting some power.

 

‘I’m glad I’m not too late.’

 

Relief amid tension pressed against my chest like pain.

 

Instead of digging it out of the soil, I carefully separated only the bottom and checked the torn talisman. Its half-torn shape remained the same. But…

 

The patterns were burning blue along each stroke.

 

Heating the bottom of the glass lantern, climbing up the lantern and spreading into the soil.

 

The power of dokkaebi fire.

 

‘…’

 

Stay calm.

 

I took out the new talisman with very careful hand movements. And…

 

‘Inhale.’

 

At the same time I pushed the new talisman into the bottom of the lantern, I gently pulled out the torn talisman.

 

Then blue light blazed from the new talisman.

 

“…!”

 

The power of dokkaebi fire sparkling as if it would drive away all evil things from this place, as if it would hide and conceal the place that needed protection within itself.

 

‘Good.’

 

I swallowed. And…

 

Flicker.

 

The talisman’s fire went out.

 

“…”

 

Wait a minute.

 

‘No…’

 

The glass and talisman buried in the pile of soil in the dark backyard just lay there like garbage.

 

…My spine went cold.

 

‘Why?’

 

This can’t be.

 

I frantically tried putting the torn talisman back into the bottom of the lantern, but there was no reaction.

 

As if its usefulness had already ended.

 

-If you place the talisman in its original position, it should activate properly.

 

The Bronze Agent had definitely assured me.

 

‘But why isn’t it working?’

 

I frantically dug through more of the dirt pile.

 

And as I urgently checked the talisman thoroughly again from the bottom of the lantern, in that moment.

 

Goosebumps ran down my spine.

 

‘…The glass lantern!’

 

Scratches.

 

The broken glass lantern had craft-like decorations rising from the bottom. However, it was hopelessly covered in scratches and already cracked and broken in countless places…

 

If you bring the torn talisman close and examine it very carefully, you can see it.

 

Some of those crack marks connect with the strokes of the talisman.

 

‘Some were deliberately made to mix in.’

 

Even the scratches on the glass lantern were part of the talisman.

 

By extending the characters on the paper to draw something on the lantern as well, the talisman was able to exert its power even while torn and only half remaining.

 

But as time passed, or someone had tampered with it, the glass lantern also broke and maintained a precarious state…

 

At this moment,

 

all its power was exhausted.

 

The barrier that had protected Sekwang Technical High School from something, which the agents had desperately created.

 

Had just disappeared.

 

“…”

—————
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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