Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 373

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Even if You Fall Into Ghost Stories, You Still Have to Go to Work 373
Having returned home, I stood in my living room.
The corrected Dark Exploration Records website displayed a sentence that pointed to something….
Unmistakably, it was me.
Each word was so explicit that I couldn’t think of anything else.
“…….”
A chill crept up my spine.
I immediately closed the corrected screen screenshot.
But the strange feeling wouldn’t fade.
Like realizing that what you thought was a streetlight’s shadow in a dark alley was actually someone staring at you with persistent intent.
“……uh,”
Why hadn’t anyone else discovered this?
Surely there were people trying to dissect the website, yet no one had extracted the text through such a simple correction?
“That doesn’t make sense.”
It was strange.
…Like a ghost story.
And that’s exactly what made all of this so unsettlingly direct.
Still, there was one saving grace.
I was remarkably composed.
‘…Why is that?’
Ah.
‘I’m used to it.’
The mind that had survived the Dark Exploration Records.
A brain that had actually experienced countless ghost stories—after a year of avoidance, it was now turning to face the situation directly, and it was rapidly processing everything to understand what was happening.
“…Let me start with the text.”
My hands moved quickly to open the screenshot again.
After returning home,
the apocalypse has come.
Thank you so much
to you.
…Apocalypse.
At first glance, it seemed like my returning home was the cause of the apocalypse, but reading it carefully again, it wasn’t about causality.
The apocalypse came after I returned home.
‘It’s just chronological order.’
But….
‘Then why would they need to thank me for it?’
That was….
…….
…….
‘Are they thanking me for letting the apocalypse come while simply returning home…?’
…Yes.
I did know, actually.
Dark Exploration Records.
A ghost story wiki collecting the management methods and investigation cases of three groups of entities that gather and manage dangerous supernatural phenomena.
To maintain this worldview, one prerequisite was necessary.
‘…That supernatural phenomena are prevalent enough in the world to collect.’
Especially considering the nature of dopamine-chasing content that becomes increasingly sensational and dangerous over time….
This world would inevitably grow more dangerous and horrific, leading to one conclusion that satisfied plausibility.
‘…The world collapses from a containment failure.’
—Humanity is destroyed by supernatural phenomena it cannot manage.
A grim, eerie ending perfectly suited to the genre.
[Apocalypse Prophecy: Dark Exploration Records]
Ultimately, every ghost story in the wiki is a prophecy and harbinger of the apocalypse.
Creating all manner of strange phenomena and props based on this premise—that is the worldview of Dark Exploration Records.
It was also an incredibly convenient framework for creation.
—With ghost stories like that, humanity’s doomed lol
└yeah that’s why it’s doomed
‘How could such a ghost story ever be managed?’ This question was easily answered.
Maybe it couldn’t be managed, and the world fell instead….
“…….”
So I knew.
—There was no need to think three years ahead. Because eventually, this world would….
When I opened my eyes in the Dark Exploration Records world, I chose my options looking only at the present, not the future, and this was part of the reason.
‘Because that world won’t last long anyway.’
If I couldn’t go home, I’d have a high probability of dying terribly regardless….
“…….”
Yes.
Everyone who sent me home would soon be dead.
The Field Investigation Team D members, the Xuanwu Team 1 agents, the other field agents, the Elite Team superiors, the Security Team members—all of them….
“…Stop.”
‘Exhale.’
I clenched my fists, then opened them.
‘Start by understanding the situation at hand.’
The fallen website, the hidden text targeting me. So, based on the situation….
“…Whoever wrote this seems to know about me.”
More precisely, about the version of me who visited the Dark Exploration Records world.
“…Who is it?”
Let me search.
I connected to the internet again.
‘From what I remember, the wiki site was never operated by any specific individual from the start.’
Ghost stories that became famous on social media naturally formed, and it was maintained through sponsorships and advertising.
‘But someone had to pay the server fees and maintain the website address.’
And I found them easily enough.
The social media accounts of the Dark Exploration Records’ initial operators.
There were already many inquiries about the site being taken down, and related posts were pinned at the top.
—Right now that certain wiki site exploded, and I’m getting terrorist-style inquiries, but I haven’t been involved for a while now. Please ask elsewhere.
So they’d already stepped back from operations.
└Then who’s running it now if not you
└I don’t know. I quit because real life got too much, and I think there are a few people left.
So I searched for all the accounts of those ‘remaining people.’
The result:
—No I said I don’t know shit from the start I said it was unrelated when the popup disaster happened lol
—Don’t contact about Dark Exploration Records X
—I’m in Germany right now, I don’t run the wiki, I quit years ago
I realized something astonishing.
‘No one.’
No one was operating the wiki site.
The people who were once admins of the Dark Exploration Records website had all already stepped back.
And that meant….
—Oh so they all quit by coincidence before the popup event lolol
—How does not a single person show up, when did Dark Exploration Records become an unmanned online store
—X what the hell is obviously off lol there’s something suspicious
—How much did they profit from the popup anyway
—Yea that’s just free real estate
They had all quit before the popup store was launched.
It looked like they profited commercially and then distanced themselves, so people were whispering that ‘it must be a money thing.’
‘That’s a realistic judgment.’
Of course it was natural to suspect that.
But my mind….
I came to a different conclusion.
“…….”
An eerie premonition felt by someone who had actually experienced supernatural phenomena, ghost stories.
‘…What if there really is no operator at all?’
A wiki site maintained by itself.
What if that itself…has become a ghost story?
“…….”
What if a ghost story is manifesting as reality here too?
“No…wait.”
Don’t jump to conclusions so rashly and scream.
‘If that were true, social media would be overwhelmed.’
It would spread uncontrollably and go viral. There’s no Disaster Management Bureau in reality, and if real ghost stories suddenly appeared in the real world, there’s no way rumors wouldn’t spread.
So I’m just making a very small hypothesis. Just a hypothesis….
—If only the Dark Exploration Records wiki became a supernatural phenomenon…?
And.
—If only I could notice it…?
“…….”
I alone noticed the text that seemed to target me.
‘Wait.’
So the popup store ruins I see in my dreams might also….
‘…Actually be real…?’
A chill ran down my spine.
I jumped up from my seat.
“This is insane.”
I’d survived thinking it was just a nightmare.
‘But I could have ended up much worse?’
Examples of people who ignored ghost stories as ‘nightmares’ or ‘overthinking’ and got eliminated flashed through my mind in rapid succession.
And my brain, having read too many of them, naturally derived a terrible ending.
‘Damn it.’
Cold sweat ran down my face for the first time in a while.
I was about to tear my hair out.
With the impulse to pull at my hair, I instead ran my fingers through it frantically.
‘…What do I do?’
And I realized.
“Really….”
If I wanted to properly understand this situation, there was only one answer.
Not to avoid it.
“Make the first move.”
If I can’t escape, I have to respond.
Assuming all these phenomena are real ghost stories, I would conduct a proper investigation.
‘And the clue connecting everything is….’
I’d already found it.
“…The popup store.”
And I still had evidence of that connection.
One in my dream.
One in…reality.
“…….”
I moved from the bed toward the entrance.
Now my body headed to the front door.
But instead of opening it and going outside, I bent down….
And opened the cabinet in the entrance.
Click.
Looking in the lowest shelf of the opened cabinet, there was a familiar shape.
“……Phew.”
Black box.
Dark Exploration Record Real Goods Box.
The item I’d brought back from the popup store.
The very one I’d used when I returned home.
I couldn’t throw it away, but I couldn’t leave it somewhere visible either, so I’d kept it stored there.
I took out the box, placed it in the living room, and opened it.
Inside, the pink rabbit doll was still visible.
I picked it up.
“…Hello.”
It was ridiculous, but a smile spread across my face.
My heart pounded.
Not just fear, but strange joy and tension.
‘I really…went through hell.’
Or maybe it felt worse because it was with me through all of it.
“…Let’s do this.”
Ghost story approach.
First, I backed up all the wiki content from before it went down to my smartphone.
It wasn’t hard using the search engine’s saved page function.
‘So Dark Exploration Records is saved.’
Next, I thought of devices to install in the bedroom.
Simple: hang a paper cup full of cold water from the bed’s headboard, and fix the supporting rope with ice on the floor.
This way the ice would naturally melt and the rope would come free, spilling water on my head and waking me up.
An evacuation device just in case.
‘Finally….’
This item, or rather, these goods in the black box.
“…….”
Looking at these goods, one method I knew naturally came to mind.
A gimmick used in some nightmare high school ghost story.
A way to carry something from reality into a dream and wake up with it.
“…….”
I put the goods box under my pillow.
The box was so large it made my neck quite uncomfortable, but I solved the height issue by placing an extra blanket under me.
“…Phew.”
Right. That’s how tense I was.
I didn’t know if I could sleep like this, but I really wanted to avoid setting flags like ‘why can’t I wake up?’ with sleeping pills….
After considerable tossing and turning, I finally fell asleep in the early morning.
And I opened my eyes.
Dark basement of a department store.
At the demolished location where the popup store had been.
In both my hands, I held the goods box.
“Ah.”
So that works.
‘Is this…really a ghost story?’
I didn’t know whether to celebrate that I was right or cry….
Whirrrrrr…
Click.
“…!”
I almost jumped in place.
‘So that clicking sound is also….’
A supernatural phenomenon.
And I realize once again.
…You can break a cold sweat even in a dream.
‘Phew.’
There was no one to talk this through with.
After deliberation, I opened the box and took out the rabbit doll, placing it in my pajama pocket.
The goods didn’t react mysteriously like actual items did, but even that was strangely comforting.
‘…Let’s go.’
Whirrrrrr…
Click.
I squeezed the rabbit doll once more, then released it and began walking slowly.
‘It was good I brought more stuff for the goods box.’
Click—the flashlight I’d brought turned on.
Its bright light illuminated what had become an empty field—the popup store site. Fragments of talismans and the fake bloodstains, abandoned packaging and metal shelves rustled.
Oooooh.
‘I forgot that partial visibility is scarier…!’
I’d never done an escape room since coming home…!
My heart screamed at my year-long peace of mind, but I didn’t stop walking.
Splash.
And as I moved….
The sound grew closer.
Whirrrrrr…
Click.
Finally, I arrived near the source of the sound.
…Beyond the shelf.
Whirrrrrr…
Click.
“…….”
Now the sound included a faint mechanical hum. What was it?
‘Right.’
Near the counter area of the popup store.
‘It’s right up ahead.’
My heart pounded.
Should I turn off the flashlight? No, it’s too late anyway. Better to secure my vision.
I steadied my trembling hands with difficulty.
Then, peeking just my head around the shelf, I confirmed what was there….
“……!!”
I saw a roulette.
…But it wasn’t moving.
‘What?’
I moved the flashlight while frozen, but nothing changed.
The roulette was just sitting there, inert.
But the sound continued.
Whirrrrrr…
Click.
‘…Wait a minute.’
Sparks flew in my mind.
That wasn’t the sound of a roulette spinning.
I’d imagined the identity of the sound—unconsciously assigning it to the roulette, the most memorable device from the popup store where I’d won the goods box.
But…I was wrong.
‘A roulette spinning wouldn’t be loud enough to hear from meters away.’
Then.
‘……!’
I quickly turned the flashlight to the side.
The identity of another object was revealed in the darkness.
Whirrrrrr…
Click.
On the day I fell into the Dark Exploration Records world.
Actually, I hadn’t just used the roulette.
There was something else I used next.
—Oh! We’d like to give you some of our on-site manufactured goods, so if you could just tell us your name…!
[Darkness Investigation Records Character Maker]
‘…ID card vending machine!!’
The 3D-printer-like facility where I’d pulled out an employee ID for ‘Daydream Corporation Employee Kim Sol-eum.’
The strange sound I’d heard was coming from that black vending machine.
And even now….
Whirrrrrr…
Click.
The machine was operating.
From below it, a “Dark Exploration Records Character ID Card” dropped out.
“…!”
Hundreds of them were already piled up in a mountain on the dirty floor.
Like a stone cairn.
New ones continued to print and drop onto it.
Countless identity cards from the generated Dark Exploration Records.
‘…Ah.’
Whirrrrrr…
Click.
Another newly printed ID dropped onto the pile.
Then it bounced off one of the other cards, skittering out and rolling to my feet.
“…!”
[Supernatural ■■■ Management Bureau]
■■■ Agent
New Team ■■
I’d clearly watched it print fresh.
‘…But it was worn.’
The card, cracked and faded everywhere, had its name section scratched out with a blade so you couldn’t see it clearly. And….
‘Blood…?’
Bloodstains that looked dried were stuck here and there on the card.
“…….”
And even beyond that….
—Wow! A Field Investigation Team employee ID! I’m so excited to see what kind of exploits Employee Kim Sol-eum accomplished in the Dark Exploration Records world!
—Do you like it? You’ll keep it close, right?
—That’s a lie.
‘Definitely, after I pulled out the ID card from there and grabbed it….’
I’d fallen into the Dark Exploration Records world.
“…….”
Eerie unease.
I didn’t pick up the card, instead carefully stepping forward.
‘Phew.’
There was no strange premonition that made my spine tingle. The Character Maker just kept producing cards.
‘Let me look more closely.’
In darkness and silence, relying on the flashlight’s beam, I examined the vending machine more carefully.
The machine’s panel. Where I’d typed my name. So it should say ‘Darkness Investigation Records Character Maker’….
…….
…….
Ah.
[Darkness Investigation Records
Character
Maker]
You said you’d keep it close, but
you’re a liar where’s your card
Thump.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
Words appeared chaotically on the panel as if something inside was pulsing.
[Darkness Investigation Records
Dead One
Maker]
Supervisor Sol-eum
Where’s your employee card?
Insane,
[Darkness Investigation Records ■■■ Maker]
Where is it?
I can’t see it?
I hastily lowered my head. Cold sweat dripped to the floor.
That was, well, the goods box…no.
‘It’s not there.’
Not an item, not an employee card from the company—I’d forgotten about it at some point. I never grabbed it in the first place!
‘Who would keep a business card from a job they quit in the first place!’
Especially when my whole body was melting and I was doing slave labor in another department…!
‘Please…!!’
[Darkness ■■■■ ■■■ Maker■■]
Lie
Lie lie lieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielieliellielielie
Goosebumps erupted across my spine.
My mind whirled as a primordial ghost story consumed the space.
‘Why is it like this…!’
Is this the popup store ghost? No, wait! First I need to respond. And hold on.
If this is a Dark Exploration Records-style ghost story….
‘…The manual.’
There’s a good chance that a manual-like method will work. So….
I respond.
“…!”
I grabbed one of the ID cards piling up below the machine.
Not that I was going to insist this was my card.
The opposite.
“There are many ID cards stacked here.”
I caught my breath.
“They all look worn from being kept for a long time. But I don’t see any owners here.”
In other words.
“Even if you keep something close, you can lose it, can’t you?”
That applies to me too.
…….
Will it work?
‘If not, I’ll have to try something else.’
In that desperate moment as I wracked my brain.
[Darkness Investigation Records Character Maker]
The panel stopped.
The cursor blinked.
‘It’s clear.’
I watched it with bated breath, without blinking.
And.
Whiiiiing—
‘Rebooting?’
The machine’s sound changed.
The cascade of ID cards stopped.
Then the vending machine glowed a clean blue, and the panel reset.
[Darkness Investigation Records Character Maker]
▶Loading
‘Phew.’
The red disappeared.
‘In genre terms, that’s a good sign.’
Isn’t a safe marker a cliché in ghost stories? I was about to exhale in relief when—
[Darkness Investigation Records Character Maker]
▶Awaiting Administrator Verification
Administrator?
[Darkness Investigation Records Character Maker]
Verification Question:
You’ll keep it close, right?
“…….”
Hold on.
‘That question….’
I turned my head, looking at the ID card in my hand.
—
[Nameless Radiance Cult]
■■■ ■■
White-Robed Order
—
Surely not.
“Wait….”
The nightmare warped.
I saw the entire popup store distort, and the form of the black vending machine leaving only lines, projected before my eyes….

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