Still, considering that Moonlight Tattoo Shop never granted abilities harmful to its clients, I decided not to be overly wary and miss out on using this power.
‘At least now I don’t have to worry about secretly carrying items anymore.’
That alone was a huge benefit.
“Thank you. This is truly amazing and wonderful.”
I returned the pearl I had retrieved, and the tattooist, taking it back, looked genuinely pleased and satisfied.
“Is everything settled now?”
The tattooist nodded.
“Then, I’ll be on my way.”
Just as I approached the entrance, the tattooist seemed to realize something and gestured for me to stop.
‘What now?’
She rummaged under the counter with intense focus and pulled out a piece of paper. Carefully wrapping it in a transparent sleeve, she handed it to me.
‘…A tattoo design?’
The moment I took it, I realized what it was.
It was a tattoo sticker.
And it was the exact design I had picked—the tomato tree.
There were even three of them!
“……!”
Wait a second.
“Does this mean… if I wear one of these, I’ll temporarily become ‘brave’, as if I had received the tattoo?”
The tattooist smiled and nodded.
‘Good lord.’
An unexpected bonus.
“Thank you very much.”
The shop owner smiled warmly and waved as if it were finally time to bid farewell.
I placed the stickers into my pocket—or rather, into the new ‘subspace’—and, for real this time, grabbed the door to leave.
“Have a great day.”
With a polite farewell, the door closed behind me.
Rattle—
When I turned back to look…
“……”
It was now empty.
As one would expect from a ghost story, the shop had reverted to a vacant space. Behind the distorted real estate sign in the glass window, the interior was hollow and lifeless.
‘…That’s how it’s supposed to work.’
Moonlight Tattoo Shop could only be accessed once through the ‘It Is Empty’ ghost story.
‘Maybe next time, I’ll have a chance with a different ghost story.’
– Ah, what a unique and delightful experience.
I couldn’t agree more.
“Roe, how was your exploration?”
“It went well.”
That day, I successfully completed the ‘It Is Empty’ exploration without any issues and accumulated a decent amount of points.
The pleasant aroma from Braun’s aromatherapy massage lingered for days.
As for the enhanced tattoo, it disappeared without a trace the next morning, leaving only the original text on my wrist.
Still, the ability it granted remained intact.
‘Let’s make good use of it.’
With thoughts of the possibilities for my inventory, I conducted several experiments.
* * *
Three weeks later—
The ability hadn’t proven useful even once.
“……”
Well, I suppose that’s normal.
When entering ghost stories with manuals, the company usually provided all the necessary items, so there’s no real need to smuggle anything in.
Additionally, deployments to ghost stories without manuals had significantly decreased.
‘Even the Alien Shop doesn’t have anything particularly portable or worthwhile to go wild over…’
Ultimately, the ability had been relegated to a mere convenience for carrying existing items more easily.
‘I did discover that it seems to be vacuum-sealed, so food doesn’t spoil in there.’
When I placed an analog clock inside, the second hand remained frozen, but a digital clock would get its battery drained completely. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
The rules were unclear.
Still, I hadn’t encountered an urgent situation requiring its use.
Time passed uneventfully, and I accumulated more points without much fanfare and without much need to use items or abilities…
‘Still, it’s a good thing to have.’
“Three weeks until the regular personnel announcement.”
“Hoo-ah, hoo-ah.”
“You’ll definitely stay on this squad, right, Roe?”
“Yes, I certainly hope so.”
The hottest topic among D-squad was whether I’d survive the personnel announcement and remain on this squad.
As expected from a ghost story company, injuries and scares occasionally cropped up, but I’d become somewhat used to them.
Holding onto the tattoo stickers like talismans helped me endure.
‘I’ll save these for real emergencies.’
I was gradually settling into the routine, becoming comfortable with the work and the decent personalities of my squadmates.
Naturally, this sense of ease didn’t last long.
Three weeks and two days later—
Monday morning.
“Roe, you’re here?”
“……”
The atmosphere had changed.
‘…What’s going on?’
There was an eerie calmness in the air.
The kind of stillness one might feel when leaving a final message for their family during a catastrophe.
It was the peculiar serenity of people bracing for tragedy.
It was definitely not a good sign.
“Well… we’re bound to encounter something like this eventually.”
“It’ll be okay! We’ve all got strong luck on our side!”
Supervisor Park Minseong’s attempt at optimism didn’t elicit a response from Assistant Manager Eun Haje.
The tension was palpable.
“Have a seat, Roe.”
Instead of my desk, I was directed to the sofa. Sitting across from me, Eun Haje placed a tablet PC on the table with a calm expression.
“This is the Darkness you’ll be entering in three days.”
“……”
Three days?
‘Why are they giving so much time?’
When something is scheduled three days out, it’s usually framed as ‘prepare just in case you’re assigned’.
It’s rare for it to be stated so definitively.
“Twelve people will be entering this Darkness. It’s rated B-class.”
“……”
“Don’t be too alarmed. The survival rate is absurdly high. Plus, the additional points are generous—2,000 points per person.”
“…And?”
Eun Haje’s expression briefly shifted to one of bitter amusement, as if saying, ‘You sharp little devil.’
“And there’s a problem. Finding a Darkness without issues would be faster, but this one’s unique.”
“…Unique how?”
“The simplest way to put it… well…”
Eun Haje crossed his arms.
“It’s a luck-based death game.”
“……?!”
“As soon as you enter, someone is guaranteed to die. Completely random. Pure luck.”
God damn.