Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 71

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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 071

Buying all products from the Alien Shop.

‘Wow.’

My hands were trembling slightly.

It was my first time burning through 130 million just to buy a few items.

Still, having spent a few thousand before made it somewhat better.

‘Let’s use them well.’

They’ll all become stepping stones for survival.

I boldly pressed the purchase button.

Successful Purchase!

Rocket

Soon, just like before, space-time opened in the air and a delivery box revealed itself. I waited with a pounding heart for the box to fall to the ground…

But,

“…??”

The delivery package continued floating in the air.

Because someone was holding it with very polite hand movements.

…A tentacle.

“…!?”

Tap tap.

The tentacle gently shook the delivery box. As if asking ‘Should I put it here?’

“…! Please place it on the floor.”

Then the delivery package was gently positioned on the floor.

“Thank you.”

But the tentacle didn’t disappear right away.

Instead, it swiftly pulled something out from between the cracks of space-time and held it out to me.

It was a small card letter sparkling in golden color.

I am a Space Shopping Mall VIP!

~Gratitude Cell Enclosed~

“…Thank you?”

When I received the card, the tentacle seemed to wave its hand before disappearing into the crack of space-time.

“…”

Hmm.

It seems the Alien Shop has started treating me as a VIP…

‘That’s good… right?’

I decided to keep the gratitude card for now. The golden color was dazzling…

-My goodness, how can even a tag card be made so ugly…

I guess I shouldn’t expect design from the Alien Shop. Well…

‘What’s important is the item performance.’

I turned my gaze to the delivery box.

It was unboxing time.

“Phew.”

When I opened the box, the largest item caught my eye first.

An item worth 28 million won.

‘Happy Maker.’

It was a bright pastel-toned box.

In a square box that looked like it might contain liquid digestive medicine or vitamin drinks, twelve glow sticks about the size of highlighters were inserted.

However, needles protruded from the ends of these glow sticks.

Sold under the same name in the ghost story ‘Delusion Home Shopping’…

A perfect painkiller.

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

It was literally that.

I looked at the description written on the box.

Fast and Comfortable Shot

Say goodbye to your pain!

This stick-type auto-injector automatically injects a shot when pressed against the skin, quickly and comfortably ‘eliminating’ pain completely for a certain period of time.

‘It really is over-technology.’

Although its mechanism is based on supernatural phenomena rather than science.

It’s true that pain clouds judgment in extreme situations.

From my experience navigating through all kinds of injuries and wounds so far, I could assert with certainty. This will come in handy someday.

‘I hope I won’t need to use it… ha.’

Let me abandon false hopes…

‘This damn ghost story world…’

I gladly decided to carry this item with me.

Although there was also a very horrifying ‘additional usage method’ written in small print on the back.

In irreversible situations, it can be used for euthanasia purposes.

Yeah. I’ll absolutely never use it for that.

‘I’ll only use it as a painkiller.’

-Ah, painkillers. I sometimes took headache medicine too. The pain of creation! It’s the fate of an entertainer and show creator.

…How does a ghost story resident with a TV for a head even take headache medicine… No, never mind.

I quickly erased the emerging image and praised Brown with a few words to make him feel proud, then looked back into the box.

Phew.

‘The next item is…’

Two items came into view simultaneously.

An ancient book that looked very ominous, completely sealed with dark red wax and covered in dust.

And next to it in the corner, rolled up modern and clean eco-friendly cushioning wrapping paper.

Yes, literally that wrapping paper itself was the item, without anything inside it.

Wrapping Paper 12B357B

In fact, aside from this text engraved along with a barcode on the outside, there wasn’t even a single description.

Seems like nothing special?

No.

‘It’s here. Defensive equipment!’

Because it’s ‘cushioning packaging material’ with unique properties.

It will become my precious lifeline.

I carefully stored the packaging material with very cautious hand movements. I’ll use it at the appropriate time.

And when I turned my head….

I looked at the ancient book with coldly cooled eyes.

Necronomicon

Necronomicon.

Also known as the Book of the Dead.

It was a typical representative creation of grimoires containing forbidden knowledge.

For decades, it appeared consistently in various stories and became synonymous with the most evil grimoires.

And naturally, it also occupied a place in , which I had read.

So what are the typical clichéd characteristics of the Necronomicon?

1. Reading it drives you insane.

2. Made from human skin.

“….”

Yeah.

Meaning human skin… that’s right.

That’s why the cover’s representative image is also the face skin screaming in agony.

The dark red wax covering the surface of this ancient book I received also showed pale traces of that.

‘Ha.’

Really… I don’t even want to touch it.

-Noru, did you just say Necronomicon? Ah, that translation, it’s been a while since I’ve heard of it.

The American talk show-themed ghost story host knows about the Necronomicon? It was so obvious it wasn’t even surprising….

But unfortunately.

‘The Necronomicon you know probably isn’t this one.’

-Hmm?

There’s such a thing, you see.

I silently grabbed the ‘Necronomicon’ tightly sealed with wax and stored it in my forearm.

‘Phew.’

This way I’ve properly stored the ‘intimidation item’ too.

Then I also properly collected the familiar Nostalgia Candy.

‘This could be called an emergency recovery item.’

Even if I’m placed in a situation of severe contamination, I could provide emergency treatment with this until escape.

‘…Good.’

And lastly.

I focused on the small red button that was casually placed in the corner of the delivery package.

Thinking by process of elimination, this item’s identity can only be this.

We Help! – ₩66,666,666

Have you ever heard such an internet ghost story?

Someone gives you a button and asks ‘If you press this, someone dies, but in return 1 billion won will be deposited to you. Will you press it?’

It was a red button that looked exactly like something that would appear in such a story.

Looking closely, I could see small text on the side. However….

‘I don’t know what language this is.’

Friend

I received Brown’s help for this part.

-Hmm. I see. Noru should understand this as meaning ’emergency escape’!

Indeed. So it’s a small button that allows ’emergency escape with alien help’ when pressed?

‘I hope it was worth 60 million won.’

Actually, this was betting close to gambling, but I have no regrets.

‘The Alien Shop doesn’t scam people.’

If it were another ghost story, I might have made terrible predictions like ‘the moment I press this, my brain will make an emergency escape from my head and be used as food ingredients’… but let’s trust the Alien Shop’s reliability.

“All done.”

Friend

I stored all the shopping spoils in my wrist tattoo like that.

Since it was fine when a human completely contaminated by ghost stories went in and came out, these items should be fine too.

…Though I didn’t want to be proven right in that way.

‘Phew.’

Let’s stop thinking about it.

Fortunately, shopping and organizing items didn’t make the entire daytime disappear, so I was able to supplement some sleep in broad daylight.

And when I woke up again.

News I had briefly forgotten came rushing to me.

[Go Young-eun : Did you see the intranet?]

[Go Young-eun : The regular personnel transfer document just came up!]

“…!”

Regular personnel transfer.

It means Team D’s vacancy… will be filled.

“….”

Who could it be.

A few days later.

“Hello.”

“Ah, yes yes.”

I was able to see the employee newly assigned to Team D in the office.

The position was the same as mine, Team Leader.

They appeared to be around the same age as me before entering the ghost story.

The employee with glasses glanced up and down at me.

“Ah, so you’re that team leader? The one who got promoted in 60 days?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’re basically a new employee?”

“….”

I quietly stared at him.

“Oh~ look at him staring. What. Want me to treat you the same as a team leader with 3 years of service?”

And he smiled coldly.

“Of course not. Please take care of me, senior.”

“Right. Hey, I heard you’re pretty quick at Situation Assessment?”

“Haha….”

“This Field Investigation Team is all about group projects. Reading the room! Reading the room is the answer.”

Is that so?

“You know it’s common for people to whine about wanting to be treated like seniors just because they got promoted early, then get marked and die without help?”

He said this while casually looking around the empty office.

“I heard the deputy and team leader who used to be here also got their hands cut off, got contaminated, and all sorts of shit happened. You could’ve been next.”

“….”

I slightly turned my head.

I could see one cleanly emptied office desk.

It used to be Park Min-seong’s desk.

A few days ago, the day after the regular personnel announcement came up, when I came to work, all the accessories, cups, and picture frames had already disappeared.

“That’s right. You could become the next team leader.”

“…What?”

“Since there’s so much dangerous work. I’ll do my best to assist you so that doesn’t happen. Please take care of me.”

I politely requested a handshake.

“Uh….”

The employee who had been looking at me with a somewhat uncomfortable expression soon thought it was just his imagination and accepted the handshake.

And a little later.

“Manager! This is Yoon Jo-hoon. Please take care of me!”

Lee Ja-heon, entering the office, nodded at the new team member’s greeting.

“Yes.”

“Haha, did you know our name initials are the same? Doesn’t it seem like fate that I’d work under you?”

“Yes.”

“…No, I mean… uh, it’s like fate, right?”

“No.”

“….”

The new team member, Yoon Jo-hoon, who completely failed at small talk, approached me and whispered as soon as the team leader left the office for a meeting.

“Hey. Does the Team D Leader really have some kind of mental disorder? I heard rumors.”

“Do you feel that way?”

“You heard that conversation too, how can you not know? I thought I was talking to some free AI just now.”

And he let out a deep sigh.

“Ah fuck, this company is already perfect for getting mental illness… Sigh. Is that really what a team leader should be like.”

“Lee Ja-heon takes good care of his team members though….”

“So what? We’re dead if we die anyway, right? I heard he doesn’t understand what people say and does his own shit even in the Darkness, and even got on the Team A Leader’s bad side. That rumor’s true, isn’t it?”

“….”

“Seems like it is. Ugh fuck, you be careful too. Ah, why this team of all teams….”

Yoon Jo-hoon grumbled and said he was “going to the bathroom” and left, not returning for several dozen minutes.

“….”

I have to work with that bastard….

-Oh my… you don’t look very happy, Noru.

Good Friend

Friend

‘Yeah. Let’s watch variety shows together after work.’

-Ah, that sounds good too!

This conversation helped calm my mind a bit.

Right.

Strictly speaking, I had incredibly good luck with people before.

‘This is the default value for company life….’

Let me be grateful that team leader isn’t my supervisor.

I quickly calmed my mind.

And that afternoon.

“I will brief you on the Darkness we’ll enter tomorrow.”

Lee Ja-heon, returning from the meeting, began the briefing while distributing a PDF File.

And the newly arrived team leader was shocked.

“Grade undetermined? Wait, is this a Darkness without a Manual?”

“No.”

Lizard looked at Yoon Jo-hoon with vertical pupils.

“It’s said that each time it’s cleared, the grade value of the liquid in the Dream Essence Collector is measured differently.”

“…!”

An anomaly?

“But why did they give this to Team D, a General Team, not an Elite Team?”

“It wasn’t given only to Team D. All General Team Field Investigation Staff will attempt entry.”

Lizard Team Leader looked at me.

“This is a Darkness entered through dreams, and the probability of entry failure itself is high.”

“…!”

“Basically, it’s like this. If you read a specific book on a full moon night and fall asleep, you may wake up at a Nighttime School.”

Wait a minute.

“If the name of that school is ‘Sekwang Technical High School’, then you have successfully entered the Darkness.”

Sekwang Technical High School.

“….”

I know this Ghost Story.

But it doesn’t just end with knowing it….

‘…This is a Ghost Story I participated in.’

Exploration Record #13

The 13th item of that Ghost Story exploration record was written by me.

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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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