Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 94

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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 094

Someone who lost their smartphone on Death Road and desperately tried to return to reality somehow.

I can say with certainty that I’m not the first.

The documented quite a variety of miserable and eerie endings for such people.

For detailed records of employees and civilians who went missing on Death Road, refer to the ‘■■■ 16 Escape Attempt Records’ document.

First… let me check the common premises.

1. Attempts to blindly follow others who are receiving smartphone navigation guidance will always fail.

The app’s navigation couldn’t be shared. In the end, all attempts concluded with ‘the person I was following disappeared at some point’.

As these failure records accumulated, people gave up on this approach and began trying to find escape hints directly within Death Road.

‘There were all kinds of methods.’

A shop that would open the back door out of the alley if you gave up one limb, a passerby saying you could escape through the manhole, a shoe store claiming these shoes would show you the way out…

Fortunately, I can skip straight to the conclusion without trying all these methods myself.

All the aforementioned attempts failed.

…Right.

It’s a cruel fact deduced through inductive reasoning.

2. The residents of Death Road have no idea how to get to reality.

They were all just deceptions.

It’s no different from grabbing an office worker wandering the streets of Seoul and asking them how to get to a ghost story.

The residents here simply don’t have that knowledge to begin with.

‘I need to abandon any expectations or plans of escaping with someone’s help here.’

So I had to come up with an escape method under the assumption that there would be no new hints at all…

Sigh.

“Team Leader.”

“Yes.”

I forced my reluctant mouth to open.

“…I’ll brief you on what we’ve compiled so far.”

Next premise number 3.

“From now on, we cannot normally enter new alleys.”

Originally, app users would encounter new alleys every thousand steps and could choose whether to enter them or not.

But since the pedometer app is finished, that rational method is over too.

‘We’re trapped in this alley.’

The scenery might change as we walk, but we couldn’t choose.

Basically, since we’re not residents of this ghost story, we can’t find our way…

“Therefore, we must find an escape method within this alley.”

“Yes.”

And number 4.

“…Also, we need to get out before dawn.”

Time limit.

Naturally, most of the company’s Field Investigation Team members are strong-hearted.

Among them, there were crazy bastards who, when they encountered alleys with little danger if they just followed the manual, would try various things to see if they could raise the solution grade.

‘The research team had requested it at the company level too.’

For example… trying to stay on Death Road longer by enduring without walking as much as possible within the smartphone battery’s limits.

The result?

Complete loss of contact.

…This ‘loss of contact’ isn’t a disappearance with witness accounts of someone grotesquely transformed like the laborers in the boutique’s back alley.

Complete evaporation.

There’s even a detailed record of an employee who communicated through specialized equipment saying they’d stay overnight at an inn in the alley, up until they lost contact.

Investigation Employee: Yes, yes. I’ve entered a place called Goldfish Eyes Inn. As a precaution, I plan to sleep while taking turns keeping watch with Redacted Supervisor.

“…”

I absolutely didn’t want to experience such a situation.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

Walking through Death Road while having lost my smartphone and recalling all this, the reality was starting to hit me blatantly.

That I could become one of those records.

“Time constraints, spatial constraints, methodological constraints.”

I barely managed to report to Lee Ja-heon calmly.

“…Overall, I think whatever method I come up with will be an adventure close to gambling.”

“Yes.”

Lee Ja-heon remained composed as always.

“…Aren’t you worried about the current situation, Team Leader?”

“Yes. Worry has no utility in solving the current phenomenon.”

“…”

Wow.

‘Still, it seems like he’d participate without complaint if I brought any crazy method as long as it was persuasive.’

Just like the colleagues who were with us earlier.

“…”

Wait.

‘Where did the colleagues go?’

Section Chief Lee Ja-heon definitely told the colleagues entering the shop next door to ‘come out within 10 minutes’.

If they really came out after just 10 minutes.

‘That means they were there when the torrent swept through the alley…?’

Could they have been swept away by the current…

“Team Leader!”

Ah.

When I turned my head, Kang I-hak and Jang Heo-un were running toward us, waving their hands.

From the paper bags with yarn patterns in both their hands, it seemed they had successfully completed their purchases.

“Oh wow~ So you were here!”

Kang I-hak was beaming.

Phew.

“It looks like your shopping went well.”

“Ah, yes, yes. That shop owner seemed to need money urgently. He was so eager to match our price that he looked ready to sell even his own hat. It was really good, yes, good shopping!”

Then he glanced at Section Chief Lee Ja-heon’s face, pretended to check his smartphone quickly, and spoke rapidly.

“Huh? No way, has this much time already passed… I’m sorry. You told us to look for just 10 minutes, but we found items that could help with the investigation and I guess I lost track of time. I’m really sorry, Team Leader!”

“Yes.”

It seemed quite intentional, but it was rather fortunate.

It seems they were so focused on bargaining that they didn’t even notice the flood outside.

However, Jang Heo-un standing beside him glanced at his paper bag with a slightly pale face.

“Mr. Buffalo, is there a problem with your purchase?”

“Oh, no. It’s not that… Among the things being sold, some of the yarn wasn’t wool thread but… strange vein-like things mixed in.”

“….”

Good heavens.

“Oh, of course I didn’t buy it though. Thank you so much for the coins, Noru. I’ll definitely repay you with gold when we get out…!”

“Come to think of it, it’s probably about time for you to leave! Oh, have you been accumulating steps continuously in this alley? Could you share your ‘remaining steps’ through the app?”

Lee Ja-heon answered immediately with an expressionless face.

“No.”

“…Excuse me?”

Ugh!

‘This lizard!’

I struck Lee Ja-heon’s shin at an exquisite angle that the people in front couldn’t see.

“?”

And I said calmly.

“We’re walking slowly because there’s something we need to check. Have you two finished accumulating your steps?”

“Oh, we’re almost done. We went back and forth so much looking at items in the shops.”

“….”

“It’s a shame though~ We could have seen two more alley options!”

Kang I-hak clicked his tongue.

On the smartphone screen that colleague pulled out, I could see the remaining step count…

Don’t give up on your body!

Remaining steps: 1052

“We’ve spent all the money you lent us too, so we should probably just check what the next alley is and head back. Haha!”

“…Yes.”

Do you know this?

There was exactly one way for someone who lost their smartphone to successfully escape from this place.

It was a method that had been recorded multiple times and sufficiently verified as fact.

A similar opportunity had almost come to me just now.

That is…

Stealing someone else’s smartphone.

Team Leader Park Do-jeong got into a physical altercation with a merchant during a transaction. In the process, he suffered hairline fractures in three left ribs and his smartphone was destroyed.

“….”

I looked at Kang I-hak’s smartphone swaying defensively in the air…

“Yes. Then please return first. Team Leader, would it be alright for these two to go back?”

“Yes.”

I sent the two colleagues away.

“Then we’ll head in. Thank you…!”

“Haha, we’ll see you at the company tomorrow. Let’s talk more about the spoils of war then~!”

The two people walked down the alley and suddenly disappeared.

…They must have gone to the next alley.

Let’s not do things I can’t handle.

‘This would be an undeniable evil act.’

I might end up unable to use the silver heart if I wasn’t careful.

Even if not, my mental state wouldn’t be able to handle it if I later thought of ways I could have survived without stealing a smartphone…

‘Let’s not go that far unless it’s truly the worst situation.’

The moment I lose my principles, contamination might accelerate too.

I gently touched the silver ring I was already wearing and calmed down.

-Oh. Noru, you chose dignity. That’s truly admirable restraint!

-Among the guests, there are those who wouldn’t hesitate to do all sorts of lowly things just to get attention. That’s also a noble professional spirit, but isn’t it participants like you who win the public’s heart?

Right, right.

‘Thank you.’

Though I didn’t really want to be compared to that side…

I tried not to recall the incident that happened at the Tuesday quiz show and calmed myself.

In this situation trapped in a ghost story, I didn’t want to remember the direct experience of nearly dying helplessly in a ghost story.

I just diligently searched through the records in my head, comparing whether there might be anything that could serve as a clue in this alley…

“Noru.”

Whoosh.

Lee Ja-heon grabbed the back of my neck, opened the door to a shop, and threw me inside.

Then he came in himself and crouched down.

“There’s water.”

“…!”

I raised my head.

The place we entered was an unmanned laundromat.

Through the glass door with cheap printed letters, I could see the alley filling with water…

Whoooosh.

Between houses, black water gushed out from narrow gaps that weren’t quite alleys, clumping together to form the shape of that mascot animal.

A writhing dragon character.

‘…It doesn’t seem like a real mascot though.’

I couldn’t feel the clear intelligence I had seen before.

But that made it all the more eerie and threatening.

‘Communication seems impossible.’

Friend

The water mass began moving around the alley again with bizarre steps, moving its limbs.

Fortunately, it didn’t look into the laundromat.

‘Phew.’

Chocolate bars scattered down onto the wet floor where the water mass had passed.

They seemed to be products that had been swept away by the rapids and spilled out through the stationery store door.

And rushing toward them were the residents of Death Road who had been enchanted and followed the parade.

It’s mine! It’s mine!

Send me to Cheerful Theme Park!! Make me win!!

Let’s find a good child! Let’s find a good child!

All sorts of passersby and merchants from the alley crowded together, roughly tearing open chocolate bars and eating them, searching for ‘theme park winning tickets’ inside.

It seemed like admission tickets or membership cards were contained inside those.

…Like my tattoo.

: Socius :

‘…The moment I’m caught, it feels like I’ll be torn apart skin and all.’

Such typical ghost story developments came to mind, sending chills down my spine.

But the moment the water mass disappeared from view beyond the alley again, I slightly opened the glass door.

Jingle.

…Fortunately, the Death Road passersby frantically searching for chocolate didn’t turn to look this way.

I swallowed and flicked a coin, summoning the Third Hand into the air.

The translucent hand carefully moved through the narrow gap of the glass door and grabbed one chocolate bar that had bounced from the alley toward the laundromat…

As soon as the Third Hand returned inside the laundromat, I immediately snatched the chocolate bar and stuffed it into another tattoo.

‘Phew.’

Since I’d already stirred up trouble anyway, I might as well get some information to analyze.

Fortunately, whether the silver ring played its role well, I didn’t feel any strange hallucinations, noise, or passionate desire for the theme park.

‘Let me examine it more closely after returning to reality.’

As I pulled my hand out of my tattoo inventory and was about to deactivate the Third Hand.

I thought about a certain item I’d been carrying around but had never attempted to use.

The highest-priced item from the alien shop.

We Help! – ₩66,666,666

“…!”

I took out that item.

A small red button.

…Surely, Brown had said that.

-Hmm. Yes. You can understand it as ’emergency escape’, Noru!

Emergency escape.

‘Should I press it?’

Considering the price, it seemed like something I should save for higher-grade darkness, but with disappearance imminent, it might be better to use it quickly rather than risk disaster while trying to profit.

‘Alright.’

Let me see what happens.

Before using it, I showed the button to Manager Lee Ja-heon.

“Team Leader, this is…”

“Do you need advice?”

“…”

Huh?

“Do you need advice?”

“…Yes.”

“Don’t use it.”

“…”

An ominous premonition ran down my spine.

“This button, is it an item you know, Team Leader?”

“Yes.”

“…Will something bad happen?”

“It depends on the criteria.”

“…I’d like a more detailed explanation.”

“Impossible.”

“…”

“However, I don’t recommend using it in the current situation.”

“…”

‘Sigh.’

I ended up putting the button back.

Because Manager Lee Ja-heon might say he can’t tell me, but he doesn’t lie.

Moreover, the fact that the manager is also in a position to purchase items from the alien shop makes it even more concerning.

‘After all, I got the alien shop link through his account originally.’

Overall, forcing the use of this item in the current situation seemed like foreshadowing for disappearing after leaving behind one terrible exploration record.

-Oh my, you’re not pressing it? I was curious what would happen. What a shame.

Really?

I felt a strong sense of deflation.

It was like suddenly realizing that what seemed like a lifeline was actually just a drawing.

“…”

I leaned my back against the laundromat wall and held back a sigh.

“Then all remaining options are gambles.”

Manager Lee Ja-heon looked at me. I anxiously tapped my arm with my fingers.

“Maybe if we destroy one house entirely, it would create a gap in the concept of an alley and we could escape, or some such idea… Wait! Don’t destroy it!”

“Yes.”

This is driving me crazy.

After stopping the lizard from trying to claw at the wall with bare hands, I slumped to the floor.

‘Is there really no other way?’

Get screwed, or escape.

Isn’t there something more certain than betting on such an extreme probability game?

Certainly, the way to get out of ghost stories…

…

Ah.

“…!”

I jumped up from my spot.

“Noru.”

“Team Leader!”

This, this… seems possible?

“There’s a method I want to try. First, let’s get out of here and move…”

Lee Ja-heon grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back.

“Step back.”

“…”

I turned my head.

Outside the laundromat’s glass door, a black form was visible.

Looking in at us.

A black water mass.

Found you.

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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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