The last I heard of Ms. Kang Yihak was when I went out to collect the 'Man on the Screen' ghost story.
And it was news of her disappearance.
I heard she might have been taken in by the Disaster Management Bureau, but I figured she'd be released without much trouble since she was a manager…
'…Why, is she here?'
A glamorous woman's Clay Figurine, standing in a filthy, silent corridor.
A sound coming from inside the porcelain.
"~!!"
A strangled scream, like someone suffocating to death, like one that would be shrieked by a person buried alive…
—Yeah…. There might be… a missing employee on that floor….
'…Was the missing employee Ms. Kang Yihak?'
But I had no time to dwell on the thought.
The next moment.
The Clay Figurine in the hallway had multiplied into two.
"..."
The one visible beyond that corner is much smaller than the female figure in front of me. Like it was inside a Matryoshka doll, it looks similar but is different.
And in its shrunken form, its identity becomes even clearer.
'A jar.'
At that moment.
Teeter.
'…!'
The porcelain woman teeters toward me, swaying back and forth. Jewels glitter in the dim light of the hallway and fall.
From inside the Clay Figurine comes the sound of a person, jewels, and liquid colliding…
I watched it, motionless.
"Good…. Don't… touch it…."
....
"It's doing that on purpose…."
The atmosphere was stiff with tension.
From behind me, I heard Deputy Manager Eun Haje's groan as she took in the situation.
"Fucking crazy. That's the Honey Pot Bastard."
Right. I had noticed it too.
One of the Twilight Grade Darknesses that supplies gold in Daydream.
To be precise.
A ghost story that had maintained a level of danger appropriate for a Twilight Grade based on a strict manual.
---------------------=
Darkness Exploration Record / Ghost Story
[Golden Jar of Canopus]
: A ghost story appearing in the
A distorted version of the jars used to store organs when making mummies in ancient Egypt.
A ghost story in which a jar that failed to store organs lures bait with precious metals to obtain new organs for the mummy to use in the afterlife.
---------------------=
Truly….
'It's a ghost story that makes me think I know why Ms. Kang Yihak was trapped…'
A sigh escaped me.
Right now… it could be seen as a Venus Flytrap that had grown enormous, using Ms. Kang Yihak as nutrients.
'This must be why it was so hard to subdue.'
Even in the process of simply breaking or subduing it, the Clay Figurine scatters accessories. And….
A strange pattern has been observed where the Darkness multiplies through the precious metals attached to its Exterior.
The precious metals that fall from the jar are found by chance in various sealed spaces nearby, luring the discoverer to the Golden Jar in a linear route.
If not acquired by a discoverer, glaze and clay gradually accumulate on the outer shell of the precious metal, forming into a small jar within three days.
This is identified as a new Golden Jar entity.
If they couldn't retrieve all the scattered accessories that had strangely vanished, each and every one of those accessories would become a Clay Figurine.
And they would call another victim.
Moreover….
"…That Honey Pot Bastard just ate a person, didn't it?"
"Yes."
I heard Deputy Manager Eun Haje curse under her breath.
"Why, why?"
"They say one that's eaten a person goes on an even more energetic rampage until it digests the person inside and takes out their organs, and that one is…."
And her words trailed off.
'She's noticed.'
The reason access to the Annex Basement 2nd floor has been restricted for so long.
The Security Team is deliberately waiting until the people swallowed inside that jar die.
More accurately, they were ordered to do so.
'We just have to wait out this period.'
Once the person inside completely transforms into organs, the Golden Jar of Canopus will have achieved its goal and become docile.
Besides….
However, the proliferative behavior of this Darkness does not match any known lore of the Canopic Jar.
Furthermore, there were no Canopic Jars in the shape of a woman in ancient Egypt, nor do any porcelain jars with a human-like form exist.
Thus, there is also the eerie hypothesis that it is an unknown something mimicking the said artifact.
An unknown fear.
With no lore to reference, they become even more careful not to provoke it further.
Until it returns to its docile state, befitting a Twilight Grade.
'They probably had no intention of rescuing… Ms. Kang Yihak.'
The company would have written off a low-year employee who had already been caught by the Disaster Management Bureau once and then returned, treating her as a sunk cost and processing her as missing.
And the bigger problem was….
"...That, that!"
I looked at the earring in my hand.
"Did that come from there? This…"
The fact that this accessory I found in the broken toy maker seemed to have fallen from that Clay Figurine….
'Damn it.'
I was lured here.
"If that thing isn't in quarantine, it'll chase the person who picked up the jewel to the very end, until the human inside is nothing but organs."
Even the company completely melts down any accessories acquired in quarantine to destroy their form and prevent supernatural phenomena, using them only as gold.
But in a state of being pursued, could I escape this place without getting caught by the Security Team?
Especially a conspicuous Special Department employee like me.
The expressions of my companions changed.
'…Even if I break it, the Security Team will probably notice.'
Besides, all sorts of fragments and accessories will fly and scatter, so the quarantine failure period will be even longer, and the other Darknesses on this floor might be affected….
Just like the toy maker that had just broken!
'I can't do anything too conspicuous.'
No matter how much Director Ho has my back, if the incident gets too big for him to cover up, I'll be in trouble.
"Hoo."
Tududuk.
Meanwhile, the Clay Figurine in front of me continues to drop accessories onto the floor.
As if, telling me to pick them up.
'....'
If it keeps doing that, and then realizes it's not working, it'll start trying to touch my body 'somehow'…
'It's not human, but it only needs the organs, is that it?'
A troubling moment.
"Hmm… should I just… swallow it...?"
Excuse me…?
"I think it'd be fine if I eat it… without leaving any crumbs…?"
The Security Chief's head twisted into a strange shape, becoming a black, massive form….
Not Recommended
Reason: Survivor inside the jar
"...Hmm."
Just as quickly, the Security Chief was back to his usual slumped self.
Hoo.
'…Is this the influence of seeing Red Riding Hood?'
He feels more aggressive than usual…. I should be careful.
[My, my, that would have been quite a spectacle for the interlude. Swallowing the prey, porcelain and all! There is a certain primal fun in things that are messy and dirty.]
Wait a minute.
'Swallow it?'
Even if the Security Chief was a bit aggressive, his usual indifferent yet precise judgment for his duties must have remained.
If so, he chose that method because it was a way to not leave behind any scattered jewels and porcelain shards. And….
'Isn't that something I can do too?'
....
I released my Black Smoke and enveloped the Clay Figurine before me.
"…!"
"Noruya?"
Request to Stand By
And I think.
'I almost made a mistake.'
Coming into the Annex Basement and walking around like this reminded me so much of those days that I must have forgotten.
I no longer worked for the Field Investigation Team. Which means….
'I can do things like this.'
I tore off the head of the anomalous Clay Figurine.
"…!"
Crunch.
…I had done similar things to people, but this was actually easier.
'Since there's no worry of Contamination.'
With the sound of something hard cracking, the seal of the jar, decorated with brilliant jewels, breaks.
But the jewels don't fall to the floor. Because I'm catching and swallowing them all with my smoke.
Right.
'Since I've already drawn its aggro.'
It's fine as long as all the accessories are judged to have been picked up by me.
Grind.
I held the Clay Figurine's head and accessories in the smoke, then took out only my wrist and shoved them into my inventory tattoo.
"Hic."
And then I pushed my now-empty hand straight into the Golden Jar of Canopus.
Peering inside with one of my many yellow eyes, I rummaged through the interior of the bizarre ghost story with my black-gloved hand.
Damp digestive fluids, clattering jewels, but none of it can do me any fatal harm….
And.
"…Lord Cat?"
Got her.
Whoosh.
I pulled out the human body and threw it outside.
"…!"
Just as an employee, whose flesh and bone in various parts of her limbs had turned into jeweled ornaments, was about to hit the hallway floor, Manager Lee Jaheon quickly caught her.
Ms. Kang Yihak, gasping for breath.
And.
"There's still some left…."
Gulp.
The mouth of a giant wolf swallows the rest of the Clay Figurine's body whole.
Crunch, crunch…. A short bursting sound rang out, followed by a gulp, a swallowing sound, and then.
"..."
Everything became quiet.
"Hoo."
The situation was resolved when the Security Chief, in the blink of an eye, stretched out his shadow and swallowed even the small jar that had appeared from around the corner.
And our gazes turned to Ms. Kang Yihak.
"..."
"..."
"We all saw you close your eyes just now, what are you doing."
"Hah!"
At Baek Saheon's words, Kang Yihak nonchalantly sat up.
The sound of the parts of her body that had transformed into jewels jingled.
"Oh my, thank you. I was just, you know? In the middle of you all escaping a predicament, and I happened to receive your help. If possible, I'll buy you a meal sometime. Well then, I'll be on my way…."
"She saw."
"..."
"She saw us."
"Hahaha, what could you possibly mean…."
"It would be quite troublesome if the company asks how this one survived."
The moment Ms. Kang Yihak tells her story, our Annex Heist Plan will be completely ruined….
And Ms. Kang Yihak was the type of person who would sell us out for a single pennyweight of gold.
"I see. We will transport her in a sealed state."
"Yep, yep."
"Wh-what??"
Ho Yuwon will take care of it.
And so, Ms. Kang Yihak, secured to a wheelchair, became Manager Lee Jaheon's baggage.
"W-wait a minute! Are you perhaps traveling with Lord Cat? The one who saved me was Lord Cat…."
Hmm.
I formed a message for my companions.
Suggestion: You go on ahead
130666: Will join later
"…!"
'Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae got the equipment she needed anyway.'
Since I'm the only one left, it would be better for me to travel alone.
The Golden Jars will only follow me, after all.
'And it's easier to make excuses if I happen to run into the Security Team.'
If I'm just accompanying a Special Department employee, that is.
Reason: Safety of escape
Suggestion: Take Manager Pony with you.
"Understood."
"If I recover from the Contamination, can I have these gold accessories separated and given to me…."
Gwak.
Ms. Kang Yihak was quickly and precisely knocked out by Deputy Lee Seong-hae's hand, and the group moved their feet in perfect order….
"We all remember the way to the emergency stairs, so you don't need to guide us."
"Yes..."
However, Baek Saheon remained in place.
Because I had grabbed his shoulder.
"…?!"
Reason: Surveillance
"Alright."
"Hey."
Of course, that wasn't the only reason. It was also because I might need someone who would be judged as a 'person' at the next place we visit.
Deputy Manager Eun Haje seemed to have noticed this, as she moved away quickly without another word….
"No…"
And Baek Saheon had a complicated expression, but in the end, he didn't resist, as if bothered by the fact that he hadn't gotten an item.
Only after the group had disappeared around the corner did the Security Chief raise his head.
"Let's go… before more show up…."
"...Yes."
For some reason, his words sounded as if he were still starving, hungrily smacking his lips….
'…Let's not provoke him.'
I started walking with the Security Chief.
This time, we go deeper.
"Now… it's that Security Team's area… so we might run into them. If I stop, you stop immediately..."
Positive
The sound of footsteps quietly echoes down the corridor.
The numbers engraved on the iron doors facing each other keep changing, and not long after they finally entered the three-digit range.
The Security Chief's footsteps stopped.
"...Here…."
E-404
We've arrived.
The last of the three ghost stories for equipment crafting.
Offering a Ritual
Also known as, Tainted Wish.
"..."
We opened the iron door and went inside.
The smell of burnt ash, the smell of olives, and other strange, indescribable scents hung calmly in the air.
The floor of the small, square space was covered with fine soil, and in a corner near the entrance, a large pile of dried olive branches was stacked.
And in the very center.
There was an altar, looking as if it had been made by children playing house.
A rough, natural stone.
And the mark of ash left from burning branches.
---------------------=
Darkness Exploration Record / Ghost Story
[Offering a Ritual]
: A ghost story appearing in the
A small altar for burnt offerings. It consists of plaster and a pile of olive branches, and it is recommended to always have olive branches ready for quick use.
The user burns salt, grain, and oil on the altar and states the desired item three times, then can confirm success or failure through the shape of the remaining branch ash.
Upon success, the buried item can be found in a pit under the altar.
The success rate is observed to be about 30%.
---------------------=
Looking at just this, it feels like it couldn't be more useful.
But.
However, there have been many observed cases where the item discovered under the altar after the ritual is contaminated by an unknown high-grade Darkness.
Also, while it is possible to repeatedly offer rituals at this Darkness until success, as the number of attempts increases, there is a rise in cases where more fatally contaminated items are found.
In this process, it was discovered that living things can also be designated as the 'desired item,' but in this case, the item appears dead.
Due to its strong randomness and frequent malicious responses, it cannot be used with a light heart.
'That's why it's a Darkness mainly used by the Security Team.'
That's because when members of the Security Team come into contact with even fairly contaminated items, it's comparatively rare for them to die or suffer a terrible outcome on the level of retirement.
Because they are already contaminated to a level where returning to the Field Investigation Team is impossible.
And that….
'…is probably the same for me.'
For me, in my 130666 state, it would be similar….
'....'
[A ritual of burning offerings with fire! Ah, a 'giving' ritual commonly observed across various cultures. This is somewhat familiar to Lee Brown as well.]
[Of course, this is more like playing house, but hmmm… let's see what it will give Mr. Roe Deer.]
I walked up to the altar and placed the salt, rice, and olive oil, which were already prepared on the side of the room, on top of the olive branches.
And I light a fire.
With a chijik sound, an unusually large flame flares up over the altar, making strange shadows flicker across the plaster....
At that moment, I make my wish.
The exact item I want, three times.
"..."
"..."
The flame soon dies down, leaving ash on the stone….
A clear, circle pattern.
[Ah, how simple!]
[But it is an equally clear expression of intent, my friend.]
Success.
I carefully dug under the altar. From beneath the shallow soil in the already-dug pit, the outline of an item is revealed, and it is lifted up in my gloved hand….
…displaying a phrase I once saw often.
Those warm days,
a magical candy!
Nostalgia Candy.
Right. This ghost story was the main source for the Security Team to acquire the Nostalgia series in the first place.
'....'
I quietly stared at the candy wrapper in my hand.
It wasn't dirty, I didn't see any hallucinations, and it didn't feel strange.
There were no signs of Contamination at all.
'Success.'
And this is enough.
If I take this in Segwang Metropolitan City, it will probably return me to the time when I had my legs.
'...Ah.'
I held the candy still. Just like the item's name, I feel a strange nostalgia.
And.
Hand
"H-hand??"
Gift
I placed three or four Nostalgia Candies in Baek Saheon's palm.
'Well, I doubt this bastard has any particular use for it.'
It'll be helpful for escaping in a pinch. And doing this will ensure he won't try to run off, if only for the scraps.
And since it's the Nostalgia series….
'It would be good to give some to the Security Chief too.'
I was just about to share.
"Wait… a moment."
The Security Chief raised a hand.
And he rummaged in his clothes and took something out.
A walkie-talkie.
The Security Chief slowly brought over the device, which was vibrating and glowing ever so slightly, and pressed the receive button.
The voice that came through was….
[Finally connected!]
It was Section Chief Kwak Jegang.
[Jeez, you. What took you so long to answer? A security guard needs to be sharp.]
The Security Chief didn't reply.
I, too, figured Kwak Jegang was just getting under the Security Chief's skin like he always did, so I held back a sigh and waited, but…
[But more importantly….]
[Staffer, you're there with him, aren't you?]
....
...!
I looked at the radio.
A voice, somehow tinged with excitement, was coming from it.
[I know you infiltrated the Annex under Director Ho's orders. How do I know? Hahaha….]
[Director Cheong has found out.]
…!!
[I called to tell you that you'd better get out of there quickly. The Director, you see, has even taken your assigned Security Team with her!]
…What?
[As you know, Director Cheong isn't exactly the type of superior who cherishes her employees….]
[Who knows what might happen. Ha, hahaha…. Oh dear.]
Click. The transmission ended.
And then.
Knock, knock, knock.
"..."
"..."
My gaze, and that of my companions, fell in unison upon the steel door.
A voice could be heard from beyond it….
Teacher, are you in there?
It's ••• from the Sprout Class!