“…It’s not like it got hacked off, so there’s no pain. Don’t worry.”
How can I not worry?
“Well, at least it didn’t start with the neck. We can still talk, right?”
No way.
No matter how I think about it, dissuading me from the ‘last-ditch attempt’ was just a bluff to keep me stuck here.
‘I can’t let time run out like this.’
Meanwhile, the TV continued.
[Here’s a hint for the 5th letter!]
[What was the last mode of transportation Ms. Eun Haje used during her time as a reporter?]
The staff member hesitated, gritting his teeth as he glanced at Eun Haje.
“Ugh, just tell me… Hey, even so, we…”
“We what?”
Eun Haje stared at them incredulously.
“You’re responsible for three dead newbies… Damn it. You should’ve been the one stuck here to die.”
“Shut up! You’re dead meat now anyway!”
“Oh~ Then don’t listen to this dead meat.”
Eun Haje lazily tilted her head with a bored expression.
The staff member, his face flushed red with anger, shoved me aside and stepped up to the TV.
“Transportation? Well, probability-wise, it’s obvious! Bus or subway! Yeah, okay, subway initial, S!”
[Oh dear. Ding! Wrong!]
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ R
[As punishment, please recite the educational booklet for 10 minutes!]
“U-Ugh…”
With a twisting sound, a holographic black booklet appeared in front of the staff member…
“Gaaaahhh—!”
It stuck to his face.
“Aaaaah! Aaagh!”
The black booklet melted as if it were merging with his skin, swallowing his face whole.
He rolled on the floor, struggling desperately to tear it off, but nothing changed.
Beneath the dissolving booklet, a clear brand appeared on his forehead…
[Chick Class]
Eun Haje clicked her tongue.
“What a mark to get. Idiot.”
“Pay attention, Roe. If that accumulates, you’ll be stuck here being ‘educated’ until you’re a proper ‘kindergarten teacher’. …Forever.”
That’s right.
If you fail to participate in this game properly, you’ll end up in a fate worse than death.
“Three times. Just three penalties, and it’s over.”
Three penalties.
It’s enough to contaminate someone to the point where they’re no longer considered human.
Like the Security Team.
‘But this is even worse.’
Unlike the Security Team, if you’re not rescued, you’ll just disappear, trapped in this ghost story indefinitely.
“So don’t do anything unnecessary.”
“If you screw up, you won’t even be able to die.”
Cold sweat dripped down my back.
‘I know.’
In this situation, as long as I follow the manual, I’ll survive.
I’ve even guessed one letter correctly, removing the penalty.
So is there any reason to take a risk?
‘If I try, the situation might just get worse.’
There are plenty of records in this ghost story of people who tried to save the Hangman, only to end up contaminated and stuck here forever, endlessly ‘educated’ as kindergarten teachers.
There are no exceptions.
Yeah, there’s no way out.
I know that too.
There’s no way out.
No matter what, the game must be completed, and the Hangman must die.
That’s how it works.
This isn’t some fun ghost story about bending the rules to escape.
‘Its very nature is different.’
From the moment it was registered on the wiki, this was a theme that drove people insane because the rules couldn’t be broken.
This ghost story amplifies the fear of helplessness and suffocating adherence to rules, ultimately forcing you to desperately self-censor in accordance with those rules.
Still, there was one faint variable I had witnessed.
Braun, who had escaped the game by ‘talking’ to this ghost story.
But I lost that chance because I stood there dumbfounded, just watching him talk.
‘I should have intervened.’
I should have done something, dragged out time, avoided the noose, and kept the conversation going…
– Hm?
Braun had looked on in disbelief, horrified.
– Well, I’d rather not! Talking more with these people? How boring!
– Mr. Roe Deer. Are you seriously saying I should’ve humored this outdated game and pretended to go along with the hanging? For me, your friend?
……
Huu.
‘Braun. Even I can’t argue with you there.’
– Wait a moment?
‘When you declared your refusal to participate in this game, you knew someone else would be chosen as the Hangman, didn’t you?’
So,
‘You knew there was a 1 in 12 chance I could die, and you didn’t hesitate?’
– ……!!
‘So you didn’t care if I ended up being hanged?’
– No! No, that’s not it… It’s not like that. But this outdated game, even as a game, should be respected for its rules… Ah, of course, I mean, my friend is more important…
For the first time, Braun’s voice wavered, filled with confusion.
It seemed as though the role of being a ‘good friend’ and the role of the narrator within the ghost story were clashing inside him.
Let’s not forget, this guy has the twisted mindset typical of an ghost story resident.
But at the same time…
He was a stuffed doll trying very hard to remain my friend.
‘Right.’
I had to center myself. I might be a coward, but I shouldn’t let myself be stupid.
I explained as calmly as possible.
‘I didn’t mean to say that I thought you should have been hanged either.’
It’s just… I’m going crazy with anxiety.
‘I just meant that I wish I had asked you to stick around a bit longer to gather more information before bailing. You seemed to be able to communicate with this ghost story.’
– Ah… that’s true. Unfortunately, for you, Mr. Roe Deer, it seems they’ve decided to treat me as an outsider now, so no special interviews are being granted.
– Still, if that’s your reasoning, I can certainly understand!
‘Yeah.’
But faintly… I had a feeling we understood each other differently.
Even as I thought that, I didn’t have the mental bandwidth to dwell on it further.
‘There’s nothing.’
Even though I knew there was nothing, part of my brain kept desperately sifting through the exploration records and the manual, trying to find a loophole to save the Hangman.
But there was nothing.
Of course, there wasn’t!
If there had been, I would have thought of it over the past two days while wracking my brain to the breaking point!
‘There’s no precedent.’
No matter how much I scoured my mental catalog of the <Dark Exploration Records> or revisited the manual, it wasn’t there.
I already knew…
Whether I destroyed the gallows, tried to replace the Hangman, or simply refused to guess the word, it would only add penalties.
The Hangman still dies.
There are no exceptions.
‘They’ll die no matter what… no matter what,’ it said…
Is there really nothing else?
I gritted my teeth.
How…
“Roe!”
A familiar voice rang out.
I turned to see a second staff member standing in the open doorway…
“…Supervisor.”
“You alright… haah.”
Supervisor Park Minseong, who had just entered the room, caught sight of Eun Haje and visibly swallowed hard.
“You’re here?”
“You’ve already heard it on the TV, right? Just get ready to guess.”
Park Minseong’s face was filled with a mix of emotions before quickly calming down.
“Stop thinking unnecessary thoughts and guess quickly. You know you’ve already accumulated penalties, right?”
Accumulated?
“Supervisor, what does that mean…?”
The supervisor whispered to me with a strained expression.
“Well. Actually, this is my second time being here…”
“I came here right after I started, and now, two years later, I’m back again. Haha… I don’t know if I’m lucky or unlucky.”
He gave a bitter smile.
“Last time, I tried to save someone who’d been chosen as the Hangman and got a penalty for it… so I think the contamination might have accumulated… I’m not sure. There hasn’t been a case like this before.”
He rambled, saying he even started carrying only one piece of equipment at a time because he wasn’t sure what might happen. His mental state was clearly shaken.
I grabbed his shoulders.
“Supervisor.”
A direct experiencer.
The only person who might have detailed information I didn’t.
“Please answer my questions quickly and accurately from now on.”