It Seems I Must Go to Work Even After Falling into a Horror Story Episode 060

‘The fear of possibly dying.’

Perhaps that is the essence of horror stories.

Recently, I’ve even experienced a government-managed disaster that can only be theoretically cleared if someone dies.

In other words, I’ve become quite accustomed to the idea that “in horror stories, people usually die” and I’ve dulled to it a bit.

Somehow, I managed to poke a hole and get out of that situation.

– Insane, but let’s look for an escape route.

These past few months have been plenty of time to make this my fundamental way of thinking.

But…

“Originally, everyone was missing. Only one decapitated corpse came back.”

“…….”

“But after repeating it a few times, someone miraculously returned alive? Based on that person’s testimony, we pieced together the manual.”

This was the standard procedure for completing a high-level Dark Exploration manual.

“But no matter how hard I try, there’s one thing I can’t change.”

That is….

“One person’s death.”

“…….”

“Whether or not someone gets picked? There’s no mechanism. No logic. It’s truly random. I’ve gone through this thirty-seven times, and no matter what equipment I wear or items I carry, it has no impact.”

“…….”

“Even as soon as you enter, you get designated, so no preparation or response is possible.”

This kind of situation is insane.

By sheer luck, I can die with a 1/12 chance.

…And if you include team members, it becomes the ridiculous probability of 1/3.

Someone just dies.

“Even if I throw in a few worth dying for, why am I in the mix as a competent one? You might think that, but….”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Oh really? I’ve heard otherwise.”

“…….”

“I can’t not participate…. But this damned urban legend says you need a challenger with a smart head to clear it.”

So, I can’t just throw in a worthless hand.

Assistant Manager Eun Ha-je smirked.

“If there’s an 8.3% chance of dying in a B-class, that’s actually a pretty decent average.”

“…….”

That’s the truth.

Think of exhibition horror stories.

They didn’t have a manual, which made it worse, but even in a complete case, deaths are bound to occur.

Yet, despite that—

“It’s kind of bizarre how I’m caught up in that probability; it feels very absurd.”

“…….”

It’s not strange.

Dying without being able to struggle and dying “just because” is different from having a chance to do something.

The latter is a challenge while the former is like being slaughtered.

“…Giving three days means it’s for mental preparation, right?”

“Most likely.”

After about three days, your head cools down, and you start to think rationally and optimistically.

‘There’s no way I would hit a 1/12 chance, right?’

“Doe, this darkness is your first time, isn’t it?”

“……Yes.”

“Go out and grab a coffee. Get me one too.”

Hearing that “it’s okay to take your time,” I received Eun Ha-je’s card and stepped outside.

I sent out for coffee under the pretense, but it was basically for mental management of the newbie.

‘This is maddening.’

Thanks to that, I’m now leaning on a cafe couch with an Americano in front of me.

Fear… well, since I’ve never not been scared after falling into this situation, that’s not an issue.

I’m just uneasy.

‘In this situation, information and everything else is meaningless.’

Maybe it’s because I realize I’ve been walking conditions that others can’t “believe” in more than anyone else? It gives me this weird sense of self-doubt.

And a sharp sense of crisis.

“…….”

‘Should I just quit?’

Would it be better to quit now and look for another way?

Based on [Dark Exploration Records], investigating the horror story independently is…

– Ah, Good Friend!

– In that case, how about working in the show business industry from now on?

Huh??

– Of course! There’s always a good job ready for my friend…. What’s the saying? Helping a friend is what friends do, haha!

I nearly rolled off the couch in fright.

‘I’ll pass.’

My mind snapped back to attention.

– That’s unfortunate…

Right. In this town, dying like that is more common than not.

Plus, investigating on my own? Only a fool would make that choice, forgetting that I’m a coward.

It’s still foolish to quit given the 1/12 probability.

‘But doing nothing is also foolish.’

– Ah, are you going in?

‘Yeah.’

For now, I need to find out more about this horror story.

I returned to the office with the coffees for my team and started reading on my tablet PC.

And….

‘…Ha.’

Yeah. Random.

The horror stories I knew through [Dark Exploration Records] were accurate, but the problem is that most of what I read was already written in the manual.

‘There’s no new information.’

I don’t know anything others don’t.

‘No gaps to exploit.’

In [Dark Exploration Records], that explanation was quite clearly stated as “Random upon explorer entry.”

There were no exceptions or suspicious parts. It wasn’t particularly treated as important anyway.

From the writer’s standpoint, they probably just overpassed it as a premise. Since every horror story has people dying, it was nothing special.

And….

“This time, the team leaders are excluded. Only assistant managers and below will be deployed here.”

“…….”

Lizard Team Leader won’t accompany this exploration.

That’s to take into account that if a team leader is designated as a sacrificial lamb, the employees might “accidentally confuse priorities” due to the rank difference.

“There are no finishing teams or elite teams either. They went in once and caused quite a ruckus.”

The elite team, namely one from A, B, or C ranks, had one designated as a sacrificial lamb. They desperately fought for survival, causing several other employees to die in “unnecessary losses.”

I don’t regret not going to A rank, but this company is truly consistent.

“Thanks for letting me know.”

“Thanks for what?”

The assistant manager seemed to find solace in smoking, caught somewhere between enlightenment and annoyance. The chief kept prattling on as they both headed to the roof.

“Have you seen the list? The employees going in with you…”

“Eh, honestly, if one of them dies, I don’t think I’d even visit the funeral. Surely they didn’t just pick the lowest tier by personality, right?”

“Hey, we’re not like that!”

I kept comparing [Dark Exploration Records] with the manual, trying to find a gap.

A crack to slip through.

A little loophole in the rules.

But then…

That afternoon, a passageway to avoid the rules suddenly appeared.

In a somewhat different sense though.

“Chief Kim!”

“Manager.”

Manager Lee Byeong-jin came looking for me. Being the manual review supervisor, he wouldn’t have come all this way just to “stop by.”

“I heard too! No, you’re going to that crazy Russian Roulette darkness, right!”

“…….”

I’ve thought this before, but he sure has a way of getting on people’s nerves.

But Manager Lee wasn’t here just to make a fuss.

He lowered his voice and checked that no one was around, then whispered quietly.

“How about telling Director Ho?”

“……!”

“Chief Kim has caught the Director’s eye because of your exploits, you know?”

“You mean if I tell him….”

I looked at the manager.

“You mean the director would let me off?”

“Exactly!”

“…….”

“This stuff usually just gets decided with a ‘fair is fair’ mentality, but I’m against that. Huh? A brilliant young person like Sol-eum should be excused. They’re a top officer!”

A true escape method has come to light.

Get let off because of someone above me.

I opened my mouth.

“I’m fine.”

“Uh, huh?”

This is absolutely a no-go.

‘I’d stand out too much.’

Choosing that option means I’m effectively setting up a line within the company.

If it’s a horror company, the executives wouldn’t be normal people, so I should avoid “clinging to life in such a desperate situation.”

Moreover, this is a matter of survival.

‘The moment I get exempted, rumors will definitely circulate in the company.’

Would they look on that favorably?

It’s a kind of underhanded trick.

In a community, to be recognized as a proper member, sharing the pain is essential, and if I try to escape that…

‘I’d be totally marked.’

Due to the nature of the field exploration team, which has to keep moving in threes, this would mess up my company life completely.

Unless it’s the director who comes forward quietly to get me out and pulls me aside to make me look good about it.

But that’s not happening, which means they aren’t paying enough attention to pull me out from here.

Or perhaps…

‘They think luck is a kind of ability.’

So, this is a trap.

Even if it hurts, saying this is the right answer.

I purposely spoke as if I were a principles-based kind of person.

“If I conveniently exempt myself, it would be favoritism. There’s always a reason why assignments are done this way in the company, so I’ll fulfill my responsibilities.”

“Uh….”

Manager Lee Byeong-jin stammered but eventually, after a few “Are you serious?” questions, he accepted my stance and turned back.

Seriously…

I barely held back the urge to grab his pants and shout “yes”…

‘Let’s at least find significance in building the character.’

Aside from that, I have no joy.

I watched the manager’s back with a bitter smile before returning to my seat.

‘Let’s take another look at the manual.’

But no matter whether I check [Dark Exploration Records] or the manual again, it’s still the same—no gaps.

There were no exceptions for the explorers.

‘So, all explorers who entered are part of this sacrificial lottery…’

“…….”

Wait a minute.

‘This….’

I re-read it a few times.

‘…Could it be a gap?’

I can’t be totally sure.

‘But there’s a possibility.’

In this situation, it makes sense to hang onto any possibility and give it a shot.

– Did something funny come to mind, Doe?

It’s not about fun, but rather, an idea popped up.

‘Making an exception.’

– Hmm?

All explorers entering this horror story are subjected to a 1/12 chance of instant death.

But what if there was some common condition shared only by these explorers?

There hasn’t been a single exception up to now.

– What kind of common condition?

…….

‘Being human.’

In both the manual and the Dark Exploration Records, it stated that explorers are humans. There aren’t even any descriptions about other life forms.

Yet, aren’t there other sentient beings in this world aside from humans?

Including flora and fauna would open up endless possibilities.

‘If it’s a life form that isn’t human, could I possibly avoid the judgment?’

Considering the trends of the irregular records I’ve read in [Dark Exploration Records], it seems like that might be the most plausible exception in the current situation.

– Doe, do you want to escape humanity?

‘N-no, not that.’

Please, don’t ask such a pure question in a way that feels like a trap.

‘I just want to be treated like I’ve temporarily stepped outside of humanity for a moment.’

I deliberately chose my words.

‘Like dressing up as someone else for a show.’

– Hooh.

‘…Is this possible for Brown too?’

– Ah, of course!

Brown’s voice became more powerful and lively.

As if he were hosting a show.

– Having a new identity is the destiny of an entertainer, isn’t it? I have countless masks… Ah. I think I can lend you at least one right now!

Jackpot.

‘Let’s try this.’

“Phew.”

I finally pulled my gaze away from the manual and leaned back against the chair.

Just then, the assistant manager and chief, having just finished their smoke break, came into the office and waved at me.

“…….”

Ah, damn.

‘Brown, about that ‘mask’ ability… can you use it on multiple people?’

– Multiple people? Not for friends?

‘Um, including me.’

– …If I regain my prime ability, that should be possible. At that time, I even had dozens of people in the studio! Or, was it hundreds?

…Good.

‘Brown.’

– My friend is calling me again!

I politely patted my pocket.

‘Let’s take a bath.’

– …!?

– Doe, while I appreciate this, I’m not an entertainer who’s fascinated enough by the occult to enjoy bathing in friend’s blood.

“I know.”

Even though he was a quiz show host who burst guests’ heads, Brown definitely fits the role of a Good Friend.

But I have no other option.

Even if I somehow get a blood pack from the hospital, its freshness would be low and thus ineffective, and I can’t use someone else’s blood.

Nor can I bring in monsters from the horror story like last time.

‘The remaining ginseng doesn’t meet the sentient condition as it’s been losing its essence.’

What’s left is obvious.

My blood.

I gazed into the elegant checkered small bathtub.

This still clean and fragrant item is the Bloodlust Bath that I bought from an alien shop.

Now, I need to pour my blood into this.

“I won’t be able to give much, probably about half a cup.”

In terms of volume, I’m guessing around 180ml.

– Half a cup! It might be tight, but for a tiny body soaked in a bath, that shouldn’t be too bad. Diluting it in water…. No, wait, is this all right?

It was fine.

‘I can do this.’

I took a deep breath and grabbed a kitchen knife.

Next to it lay the healing potion I brought from the company’s medical room.

“Whew.”

I stabbed the flesh of my arm with the blade’s tip.

– Oh my god!

Blood gushed out.

I must have hit an artery since it exploded forth and flowed abundantly.

Ha…

‘Remember, I’m scared of eerie situations, not the blood itself….’

This is not an eerie situation…!

As I repeated that to myself, the anticipated amount of blood began to drop into the tub.

‘This should be enough for half a cup.’

But I didn’t stop the bleeding.

– Doe?

A bit more.

– I think that’s enough, friend!

A bit more.

–Friend?

That should be enough.

‘Done.’

I hastily used the company’s medicine to stop the bleeding. The magically effective medication excellently clamped the arterial bleeding.

Due to the blood loss, my head felt slightly dizzy, but it’s not a problem.

‘I can just drink a potion.’

By the time the horror story deploys in the day after tomorrow, I’ll be back to normal, so it’s okay.

What’s important is…

Isn’t that aromatic scent rising from the tub?

“Whew….”

I gazed into the tub. Whoosh, the fragrant smell tickled my nose.

It seems my blood successfully played its role.

‘I feel like I’ve drawn out almost 500ml.’

It seems to have properly transformed into bathing fluid…

‘…The smell of wood?’

As the scent hit me, I remembered that creepy monster forest and felt a bit uneasy, but it should be better than some nasty or weird scent.

I nodded and spoke to Brown.

“Now I can go in. How’s the scent?”

– Oh, absolutely. It’s an interesting aroma. Just like Doe’s unpredictable and whimsical decisions!

I smiled.

“Are you mocking me? Because I poured more blood than expected?”

– Sarcasm is a required virtue for a talk show host! But I don’t just display that virtue any time.

“Thanks for worrying.”

– ….

“Healing will be adequate, so I’m fine. I just won’t do this anymore.”

– Now you’re saying something wise, friend.

Is that so?

To be honest, I did this on purpose.

I thought if I shocked this ‘Good Friend’ a bit, it would feel some reluctance towards bathing in my blood again in the future.

And it seemed to work.

‘Had I warned ahead with this amount, it might have been accepted naturally.’

That wouldn’t do.

‘I need to keep this as a one-time thing.’

As I tried to get Brown to scoop him into the tub, he declined again.

– I will walk in confidently on my own two feet.

Oh please, suit yourself.

I turned my back to the tub. Soon, I heard the sound of feet entering the tub and the gentle splash of water.

The bathing had begun.

But shortly after.

– Doe, this bath additive you made…

– Hmm, it’s a bit unique!

What?