“There have been no fatalities aside from two cases of heart attacks. It’s safe compared to other Darknesses of the same letter-grade.”
“…Understood.”
‘It’s not that I didn’t know that…!’
I had simply been deluding myself.
Drunk on the image of myself as the ‘elite rookie’, I’d forgotten something.
Even before my paid leave, I was someone who silently wept in fear while speedrunning through horror scenarios.
And now my comeback mission is the kind of classic horror I’m weakest against—a true nightmare.
‘New squadmates, half of them from an elite unit, meaning no room for nonsense.’
On top of that, the low Darkness grade made it wasteful to use the tattoo stickers here, so I’d have to endure it with sheer grit.
This wasn’t the kind of situation where survival instincts would kick in as you frantically search for a way out.
No, I’d have to experience everything raw.
Exactly as the wiki entry intended for the horror to be felt.
‘Huu…’
At least when I played tag with the convenience store ghost, I stumbled in without realizing it.
Now, it felt like I was being dunked in cold water, jolted back to reality. Call it shock therapy, maybe.
With a sinking feeling, I trudged into the Darkness, like a condemned soul walking to the slaughterhouse.
My legs wobbled.
“This way.”
At least the entry wasn’t one of those warped spaces that swallow us into bizarre, twisted worlds.
This time, the entry process was very straightforward.
Knock on the door of a sealed space that meets specific conditions, then enter. That space becomes the ghost story.
The space must be sealed with no one within 100 meters.
All four walls and the ceiling must be enclosed with no windows or elements revealing the outside.
It must contain an analog clock.
The space must be approximately 40 cubic meters—a deviation of more than 4 cubic meters will prevent the Darkness from manifesting.
Our company had built a dedicated separate space that met these conditions and used it for this purpose.
Specifically, a room measuring 4m x 4m x 2.4m…
[Break Room]
Squad Leader Lee Jaheon and I stopped in front of a door bearing that plaque.
The break room was attached to a regular office, but all the conditions were satisfied.
It was a Wednesday with a date ending in ‘4’.
Knocking on the door in a specific rhythm would trigger the ghost story.
I… I’m the one who has to knock, right?
Seniority, after all?
Knock, knock. Knock-knock. Knock-knock-knock.
Trying not to let my trembling hand show, I knocked on the door.
And, as if on cue, the door clicked open.
“Huh?”
“Who are these pe… oh!”
Inside, two employees were sitting comfortably. Upon seeing us, they waved their hands.
“Oh, you’re the reinforcements?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, we really didn’t need anyone, but they insisted on sending you.”
They muttered amongst themselves about how increasing the number of clearers would diminish points and reduce the concentration of Dream Essence…
Then, Chief Lizard responded curtly.
“If you have complaints, submit a department transfer request and revise the exploration manual yourself.”
The two employees’ mouths were wide open, then eventually nodded awkwardly, their faces turning sheepish.
“No, um… We weren’t criticizing you specifically. Sorry about that…”
“Hahaha, we must’ve sounded rude. Really sorry. You’re, uh, from the D-squad, right, sir?”
“Yes.”
“Then this person is…?”
“Supervisor Roe Deer.”
“Ohhh!”
Both their expressions changed again.
“You’re the new hire who almost joined the A-squad? I heard Assistant Manager Butterfly had her eye on you!”
“And there’s a story about you saving someone who was supposed to die… Wow, please tell us all about it when this is over!”
“It’s not much of a story—just some good luck—but sure. It’s nice to meet you.”
Ushered by them, Chief Lizard and I sat at a small table in the corner of the break room.
“We’ll be spending the night together, so let’s introduce ourselves. That’s Supervisor Dolphin over there.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Supervisor Roe Deer!”
A petite woman wearing a dolphin mask waved energetically when called. Her tone was bright and bubbly.
Then a tanned man with a sociable demeanor extended his hand with a smile.
“And I’m Leopard, Assistant Manager Leopard.”
“Understood, Assistant Manager Leopard.”
Hmm.
[K.LEE : Oh hello, Mr. Employee lolol]
The profile picture of ‘Lee Kangheon’ on the work chat had been set to a Hawaiian beach, and the tanned skin seemed to fit perfectly.
The matching rank and outgoing personality further aligned.
‘It’s probably this person.’
Still, I kept the possibility open. I didn’t know his real name for sure yet, and I wasn’t about to show any familiarity in front of a superior.
“Looking forward to working together, sir.”
“Same here! Let’s get through the night snacking and chatting in this cozy break room!”
For now, it felt like we were gearing up for an office all-nighter.
And indeed, nothing outlandish happened—the walls didn’t suddenly bleed, the ceiling didn’t flip, and the coffee machine didn’t turn into a murder bot. �
But…
‘The ghost… it’s already here.’
One or more explorers would have already been replaced by a ghost.
That’s right.
One of us wasn’t human anymore.
“Would you like some coffee?”
“Oh, I’ll get it!”
“No need—our squad doesn’t do the ‘newbie fetches coffee’ thing. Just sit back.”
You never know exactly when it happens—perhaps as soon as you cross the threshold, or maybe during introductions.
‘It’s easier if you’re the one replaced by a ghost.’
In that case, you just black out after entering and wake up the next day.
The real problem is the manual for those who aren’t replaced.
The rule I had to follow:
Ghosts mimic the appearance, personality, and behavior of explorers but exhibit subtle, unnatural actions, which no human would do, that cause unease.
However, you must never show that you’ve noticed who the ghost is.
Every explorer who blatantly revealed their suspicion disappeared without a trace.
I-I can do this.
‘I just have to ignore the weirdness and brush it off.’
I can do this!
If someone starts grinning with their mouth unnaturally wide or something, I’ll just look away and endure it.
‘If it happens, I’ll just very naturally act like I’m looking at someone else.’
With multiple people in the room, I felt like I could manage.
Maybe I wasn’t as much of a coward as I thought. Despite everything I’d gone through, I was surprisingly composed—not breaking into a cold sweat at the mere thought of what was to come.
“Ah! The entrance just fully closed. This is the group we’ll be working with!”
“Oh~!”
“Great, let’s give it our all!!”
Clap, clap, clap, clap!
All the employees clapped cheerfully, creating a warm, friendly atmosphere.
Except for one thing.
“Wow!”
Everyone in the room was clapping… with the backs of their hands.
Ah.
“Huh? Mr. Roe Deer, why aren’t you clapping?”
“Why aren’t you, hm?”
Assistant Manager Leopard leaned in close to my face.
“Is something bothering you?”freewebnσvel.cѳm