I opened my mouth to respond.
“I’m alright.”
“H-Huh?”
This was something I absolutely couldn’t choose.
‘It would draw too much attention.’
The moment I accepted that option, I would effectively be picking sides within the company.
And in a ghost story company, even the executives were unlikely to be ordinary people. Aligning myself with someone in a ‘desperate, survival-driven manner’ would be a terrible move.
Especially since this was a matter of life and death.
‘The moment I’m excluded, rumors will spread like wildfire.’
Would they take it well? Not a chance.
It would be seen as selfishness.
In any community, earning recognition as a proper member requires sharing burdens. Trying to avoid that would…
‘Get me completely ostracized.’
In the Field Exploration Team, where members must constantly operate in squads of three, actions like trying to exclude myself could wreak havoc on my workplace dynamics.
Unless a director intervened to quietly pull me out and later claimed credit for saving me, that wasn’t going to happen.
The fact that this wasn’t the case meant I wasn’t ‘important’ enough to be singled out like that.
Or maybe…
‘They believe luck is a kind of skill.’
In other words, it’s a trap.
Even if it stung, the right move was to play it straight.
I spoke as if I were a principled stickler for rules.
“Making an exception for me would be preferential treatment. The company must have reasons for assigning work this way, so I’ll take responsibility and follow through.”
“Uhh…”
Section Chief Lee Byeongjin stammered, but after asking ‘Are you sure?’ several times, he finally relented and left.
Honestly…
I barely stopped myself from grabbing his pant leg and screaming, Yes, please save me!
‘Let’s just call this character build reinforcement.’
Because there’s no other comfort to be had here.
I watched him leave with a bitter smile and returned to my desk.
‘Let’s review the manual again.’
But whether I looked at the or reread the manual, the result was the same—there were no loopholes.
There were no exceptions for any of the explorers.
‘Every single one of them was subjected to the random selection…’
“……”
Wait.
‘This… could this be a loophole?’
I couldn’t be sure.
‘It’s just a possibility.’
But in this situation, it was worth trying any possibility, no matter how slim.
– Mr. Roe Deer, have you thought of something entertaining?
Not entertaining, but an idea nonetheless.
‘Create an exception.’
– Hmm?
Every explorer who entered this ghost story was subjected to the 1/12 instant death lottery without exception.
But what if there was a shared condition unique to all explorers? Something that had never allowed for an exception before.
– What condition are you referring to?
……
‘Being human.’
Both the manual and only mentioned humans as explorers. There were no accounts of other living creatures.
But in this world, humans weren’t the only sentient beings.
If we include animals and plants, the possibilities become endless.
‘What if a non-human being could avoid the judgment?’
Based on the irregular cases I’d read in the <Dark Exploration Records>, this seemed like the most plausible exception in the current situation.
– Mr. Roe Deer, do you wish to stop being human?
‘N-No, that’s not what I mean!’
Could he not throw out such pure-sounding yet ominous questions?
‘I just want to be treated as not human for a little while.’
I carefully chose my words.
‘Like putting on a disguise for a performance.’
– Hooh.
‘Braun, is that something you could do for me?’
– Oh, absolutely!
Braun’s voice became more vibrant and enthusiastic, as if he were preparing for a show.
– Adopting a new identity is an entertainer’s calling. I have countless masks to offer… oh! I even have one that I could lend you right now.
Jackpot.
‘Let’s try it.’
“Huuu.”
I tore my gaze away from the manual and leaned back in my chair.
Just then, Assistant Manager Eun and Supervisor Park returned from their smoke break, waving at me as they entered the office.
“……”
Ah, crap.
‘Braun, about that “mask” ability… can it work on multiple people?’
– Multiple people? You mean people other than you, friend?
‘Um, I mean, including myself.’
– …If I can regain a bit more of my former glory, it should be possible. Back in my prime, I could cast entire studio audiences—no, hundreds of people—into new roles!
Perfect.
‘Braun.’
– Ah, my friend calls on me again!
I patted my pocket respectfully.
‘Let’s give you a bath.’
– ……?!
* * *
– Mr. Roe Deer, I appreciate the thought, but I’m not an occult-obsessed celebrity who would enjoy bathing in their friend’s blood.
“I know.”
Even if he was a quiz show host notorious for ‘blowing up contestants’ heads’, Braun, as my ‘good friend’, was certainly someone I could afford not to doubt.
But there was no other way.
Even if I somehow procured blood packs from a hospital, the freshness would degrade, reducing their efficiency. I couldn’t use someone else’s blood, and bringing in a creature from a ghost story like last time wasn’t an option.
‘The leftover ginseng wouldn’t work either since whatever made it sentient has already dissipated.’
That left the obvious choice.
My own blood.
I stared into the small, elegant, checkered bathtub. It still looked pristine and smelled pleasant, as when I had first bought from the Alien Shop.
Now, I had to pour my blood into it.
“I probably can’t give much. Maybe half a cup.”
That would be about 180mL.
– Half a cup! A bit tight, but for the small, cotton-filled body I inhabit, it should suffice as a bath additive. Diluted, of course… No, no, this isn’t right. Are you sure about this?
It’s fine.
‘I can do this.’
Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the kitchen knife.
Next to me was a vial of a wound-healing potion I had brought from the company’s medical office.
“Huu.”
I pricked the flesh of my arm with the upper part of the knife.
– Good heavens!
Blood began to flow, a steady stream indicating I’d struck an artery.
‘Remember, I’m scared of creepy situations, not blood itself…’
This isn’t creepy…!
I repeated the phrase like a mantra over and over, trying to calm myself. Eventually, the promised amount of blood—half a cup—had dripped into the tub.
‘That should be enough.’
But I didn’t stop the bleeding.
– Mr. Roe Deer?
A bit more.
– It seems sufficient, friend!
Just a bit more.
– Friend?
Okay, that’s enough.
‘Done.’
I quickly used the company’s healing potion to stop the bleeding. Its magical effects sealed the arterial wound beautifully.
Though I felt a bit lightheaded from the blood loss, it wasn’t a big issue.
‘A recovery potion will fix that too.’
By the time I enter the ghost story in a couple of days, I’d be back to normal.
What mattered now was the fragrant aroma wafting from the tub.
“Huu…”
I leaned closer to inspect the tub, inhaling deeply as the pleasant scent tickled my nose.
It seemed my blood had done its job successfully.
‘I must’ve given about 500mL.’
The mixture had transformed into a proper bath solution.
‘…It smells like wood?’
The scent reminded me uncomfortably of that cursed forest ghost story, but at least it wasn’t unpleasant or strange.
Nodding in satisfaction, I turned to Braun.
“You can get in now. How’s the scent?”
– Ah, it’s delightful. Quite unique, like your unpredictably whimsical decisions, Mr. Roe Deer!
I smirked.
“Was that sarcasm? Because I bled more than planned?”
– Sarcasm is a key trait of any successful talk show host! But I don’t wield it indiscriminately.
“Thanks for your concern.”
– ……
“I’ll take care of my recovery. Don’t worry. But I won’t do this again.”
– Now that’s a wise declaration, Friend.
Is it?
To be honest, I did this deliberately.
Giving my ‘good friend’ a bit of a shock was my way of ensuring he’d feel reluctant about using my blood for baths in the future.
And it seemed to have worked.
‘If I’d announced the real amount in advance, he might’ve just accepted it without a thought.’
And that wouldn’t do.
‘This has to be a one-time thing.’
I picked up Braun to place him in the tub, but once again, he declined.
– I shall walk in proudly on my own two feet.
Aigoo, go ahead.
I turned away from the tub, and soon heard the sound of footsteps and splashing water.
The bath had begun.
Then, after a short while…
– Roe Deer, this bath solution you’ve created…
– Hmm, it’s rather peculiar!
Pardon me?