It Seems I Must Go to Work Even After Falling into a Horror Story 015

Daydream Corporation is a creepy company that throws employees into terrifying horror stories to extract potion essence.

This raises a question.

-If employees are just carelessly thrown into high-risk horror stories, won’t they all die and fail to extract any essence?

To address this question and for the convenience of horror story development, the setting emerges that “employees possess special equipment that can be enhanced as they get promoted.”

However, it isn’t too specific.

If we start categorizing and detailing every piece of equipment, it wouldn’t just be internet horror stories anymore, but a massive game setting.

So, to make it more convenient for everyone to participate in the creation process, a more practical setting was attached.

-Customized Exclusive Equipment

Employees who have proven their usefulness can obtain their own supernatural equipment with the support of the company.

Of course, general employees don’t wield cartoonish abilities; it’s more like slight special stat boosts.

Just enough to create a favorable situation, I suppose.

“Well, at least that’s something.”

Before I knew it, I glanced at Team Leader Lee Ja-heon with hopeful eyes, only to meet the gaze of a lizard and quickly looked down.

I really can’t adapt.

“Ah, I can make customized equipment?”

“Yes.”

“…Could you please explain?”

“Yes.”

After asking three times, a detailed explanation followed.

Still, it’s interesting.

“This is something I only knew bits and pieces about.”

Dark Exploration Records gathered various scattered mentions and organized them through the manager’s mouth.

“Custom equipment can be made using specific darkness the company possesses.”

Right. They must be leveraging horror stories.

[Joyful Laboratory Toy Maker / Qterw-E-07]

[Kind Seed Kit / Qterw-E-99]

[I Present this Offering / Qterw-E-404]

To my memory, these three horror stories contain descriptions of how Daydream Corporation employees made equipment.

Among these, the one primarily used by the Field Exploration Team is…

“…is.”

Oh!

“Perfect! A darkness that can only be used on moonlit nights!”

As my teammates joyfully followed along, I headed to the annex beside the manager’s office.

Thanks to my superiors encouraging me to act while the iron is hot, I was ready to go.

“Ah… this is a place where relatively safe and useful horror stories are kept isolated,” the assistant manager explained.

“The company often refers to these as ‘Twilight Grade’.”

I know that.

Officially, it corresponds to E-grade horror stories.

But simply labeling it as E-grade feels a bit off in how it’s classified.

“It’s because it’s been filtered to only include the useful ones.”

There are horror stories much stronger than D-grade or less risky than F-grade that everyone often prefers to refer to as ‘Twilight’ darkness.

“Doe, remember that… radio from the first day? It can give today’s fortune, making it quite useful. It’s that sort of thing.”

As I scanned my employee ID and entered the 1st floor of the annex, I spotted stairs leading down.

Descending the stairs revealed… someone sitting at a darkened reception desk.

It was a bizarre figure dressed entirely in black, complete with a mask, sunglasses, and a hat.

An employee, perhaps?

The chief immediately jumped out.

“Hello! We are from Field Exploration Team D, visiting for training with the newbies!”

“…….”

“Oh, we’re here to request access for Twilight Grade darkness number 99.”

The figure in black briefly glanced at the chief as if verifying something.

Nod.

The figure nodded and pressed a button at the desk, and one of the emergency doors at the back opened.

Creeeak.

Behind it lay a corridor lined with countless doors.

“Don’t open any other rooms, even by accident. No wait, they should all be locked anyway, but don’t even touch the doorknobs.”

That’s solid advice.

I nodded without further comment and moved my feet.

Soon, we stopped in front of the door marked ‘99’, and the assistant manager placed his employee ID on the reader.

Click.

“Let’s go in.”

I lifted my gaze.

Moonlight spilled into an overgrown greenhouse.

And right in the middle stood a rusty device, glowing under the moonlight.

———————

Dark Exploration Records / Horror Story

[Kind Seed Kit]

: This horror story that appears in [Dark Exploration Records] is identified by Daydream Corporation with the code Qterw-E-99.

It treats items as plants to extract genetic information, allowing for crossbreeding and seeding. It operates using moonlight as an energy source.

———————

Indeed.

‘It’s a horror that combines two items to create a new one by mixing their traits.’

The darkness primarily used by the Field Exploration Team to create custom equipment is precisely this atmospherically themed horror.

“It’s practically exclusive to our department!”

Standing in front of the rusty device, I inquired, “Does using this require points?”

“Yep. You have to pay a usage fee for the Twilight Grade darkness stored in the annex.”

“Ah….”

“By the way, it’s 1000 points per use.”

Wait a minute.

Isn’t this a bit odd?

“If the equipment is required for dark exploration, shouldn’t the company be providing support instead of charging us?”

No matter how desperate this company is, they must provide at least that much to keep things running…

“Oh, but once you become a chief, you can use it for free twice a year.”

“…….”

Promotion… I should have aimed for that.

“Everyone usually waits until they become chiefs before using it. Generally, as long as you can hold out for a year or so, you’ll be fine.”

Hmm.

I pondered.

“There must be a reason Manager Lee Ja-heon considers it ‘useful’ even if he uses points.”

Lizard, or rather Employee D, might be a powerful tool, but surely, it includes instinctive intuition as well.

If a highly survivable employee gave special advice…

“Accepting it seems to be the right choice.”

1000 points can enhance initial survival rates, making it the best course.

…Though my hands are shaking a little!

“I want to try it now.”

“Okay!”

The chief readily reacted, but he seemed to realize something and whispered.

“…By the way, you know you need existing equipment to put in, right? Something with decent abilities to serve as input.”

“Ah… right.”

I already confirmed that much from the Dark Exploration Records.

———————

Exploration Record #05

Employee N inserted a tumbler and a backpack.

The tumbler is special equipment (liquid stored after sunrise doesn’t show until sunset, owned by Chief □□), and there’s nothing special about the backpack.

Seed Output: Backpack.

(Notes: Similar special abilities to the tumbler. However, if more than 87L of liquid is extracted, the bottom is exposed.)

———————

“Don’t worry! There’s a practice of lending each other free equipment once for new custom gear in our team.”

“Ah. Not both, only one. The other one needs to use your own item or pay to borrow it.”

The assistant manager furtively glanced at the team leader.

“And team leader… Your equipment might be the best among us.”

I expected that. After all, he’s a higher-up.

“If it’s alright, I’d like to see your equipment.”

“Yes.”

The lizard took out something from his pocket.

It was a small knife glimmering in ash gray.

“This is a butter knife. If you cut through the medium to enter the darkness, you can split space and transport small items.”

Oh.

“Is this the equipment you used to throw AAA batteries?”

“Yep.”

I looked at the butter knife with renewed interest.

“I was hoping for something related to defense… But I guess it won’t be that easy.”

Unfortunately, none of the other superiors had equipment related to defense either.

One for trickery and one for communication, that was about it.

‘In case of emergency, I could find something similar in an alien shop…’

I made my mind up.

“Then, you’ll be lending your equipment?”

“Yes.”

I bowed my head for social courtesy.

“Thank you, Team Leader.”

Manager Lee Ja-heon slightly nodded and approached the device.

On the old LCD screen, archaic text appeared.

[Please provide me with a plant 0/2]

I watched as the manager presented his equipment to the device to ‘scan the genetic information.’

[Plant information storage complete]

[Please provide a plant 1/2]

“Now you just need to add whatever you want to input next… Oh, wait a moment.”

The assistant manager hurriedly spoke.

“This device is supposed to be weird, but you should be okay with most stuff you put in, right? However, there’s exactly one thing you absolutely cannot use.”

The assistant manager tapped the sign attached to the device.

※ Absolutely no real plants allowed

“Absolutely, you cannot insert real plants as requested.”

“…….”

“Anyway, the sensor at the entrance filters out all plants, but I still wanted to warn you.”

With my eyes accustomed to the darkness, I could see the lush weeds surrounding us.

All fake. They were artificial flowers.

…One particular exploration record suddenly came to mind.

———————

Exploration Record #14 (Irregular)

Employee R pulled out weeds (presumably dandelions) growing around the darkness and inserted them twice into the device.

Output resulted in [Censorship Removed] with an accompanying scream [Censorship Removed][Censorship Removed].

-The security team took 7 days to suppress it.

All three people present, including Employee R, confirmed deceased. All plants removed.

Notice: Repeated offenses will result in disciplinary measures and expulsion.

———————

Hmm. I should definitely keep that in mind.

“Yes. Thank you for letting me know.”

“No worries.”

In the meantime, after completing the equipment registration and retrieving the knife back into his formal suit pocket, the manager rose.

“We generally input easy-to-use common items in other sections, but in that case, the supernatural traits may become weakened or may not be passed on at all.”

I already knew that but nodded seriously in response.

“There’s no other choice. I will accept that if it happens.”

I reached into my pocket and pulled something out.

“Oh~ I thought you were just stopping by after visiting the staff quarters, looks like you had something in mind?”

“Yes.”

What I held in my hand was a silver coin.

-Silver Snake

It was that very item sold at a significant discount in the alien shop.

“I’m planning to put this in.”

You can place items in other sections.

I had quite a few supernatural items on hand!

In fact, I was thrilled when I realized that the horror story the Field Exploration Team used was ‘Kind Seed Kit.’

‘Because I have more sources for obtaining items than others.’

From that black notepad in the air that gives out goods to the alien shop, right until now.

As soon as I stepped in here, I was running through my lineup of items in my head.

‘And among them, the one with the highest grade would be…’

Sure enough, this one.

I rolled the coin and admired the snake drawn on it.

‘It cost the most at regular price.’

Moreover, considering Manager Lee Ja-heon’s butter knife was for ‘supply purposes,’ I had this coin, presumed to be ‘currency,’ would create an intriguing synergy…

I presented the coin to the device.

The lizard’s pupils widened at the sight of the silver.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a commemorative coin. I bought it as a souvenir during my travels… There’s something oddly appealing about it.”

“…I see.”

…Did they perhaps realize it’s an item?

But that’s fine. In a world where encountering horror is easy, I carrying a supernatural item also feels plausible…

‘It’s just a coin, so it shouldn’t be too suspicious.’

It’s an everyday, small item.

“It looks easy to carry. The compatibility seems decent.”

“Thank you.”

Hearing the compliments from my superiors, I completed the scanning.

[Plant information storage complete]

[Please provide your plant 2/2]

“Ah, we’re at the final stage now.”

[Please provide gardener’s information]

This is what it means to have ‘Custom Equipment.’

I don’t know exactly how it works, but it seems to ask for the genetic information of whoever will take care of this plant.

“I’m sure that various variables will affect this.”

I resolved myself as I finished scanning.

[Confirmation Complete]

It’s coming.

[Combining Genetic Information]
[Creating Kit….]

The device spewed out multicolored smoke, and the sound of gears grinding filled the air.

[Seeding Complete]

Creeeak.

The front drawer of the device opened, revealing a small object.

A gray coin.

To be precise, a toy coin most likely meant for arcades, with a shiny front engraved with a glove design.

“Oh, it’s out.”

“Congratulations, Doe.”

I cautiously extended my hand to pick up the item.

It was my first custom equipment.

———————

I immediately returned to the staff quarters.

My superiors parted ways, saying, “Let’s get a good night’s sleep and meet tomorrow again.”

Perhaps they didn’t want to ask me to conduct a silly test of equipment’s capabilities while already in the darkness.

“…Alright.”

I sat on the bed and took out the two coins.

One was the silver snake I bought from the alien shop and used as a ‘parent plant.’

The other was the gray coin that was born from mixing ‘inheritance information’ of the silver snake and manager’s butter knife.

Everything seemed great. But…

“…How do I activate it?”

There was no movement.

‘Thinking back, the silver snake wasn’t exactly an item that had explicitly stated supernatural abilities.’

Could it be that the toy coin, which came out as equipment, now needs to be used like real money…? I break into a cold sweat.

Fortunately, this concern was soon laid to rest.

“Is this what a coin does?”

I attempted a typical action.

Flicking the coin with my thumb.

Then, the glove engraved on the coin’s front actually popped out.

“…!”

A translucent silver glove appeared in the air.

The glove mimics movement, sketching letters in the air.

[Insert coin]

…It’s asking for me to put in a coin?

I rummaged through my wallet and pulled out a one-won coin to present to the glove.

However, the glove rejected it.

“What the—”

Is it asking for another form of currency? Or…

“How about this.”

I offered a five-won coin.

The hand cheerfully accepted the coin, wedged it between its fingers, and then made it disappear with a flourish.

‘Was it about the amount?’

This equipment is thorough with capitalist logic.

As I watched in surprise, the translucent glove approached my hand and seemed to meld into me.

“…!”

A strange sensation washed over me.

‘A third… hand?’

An outline resembling my hand appeared before my eyes.

It moved according to my will.

I could push walls, open restroom doors, even write.

‘Strength and delicacy… just like me.’

To summarize, it’s a telekinetic hand that can move for a few seconds for every coin I insert.

The range is about… three meters.

“This is pretty good for 500 won for 5 seconds.”

Soon, the shadow-like shape of the hand faded, and the translucent glove gracefully retreated, imprinting itself again on the coin.

“Huh.”

Not bad at all.

This isn’t like Manager’s butter knife that overcomes space constraints between horror and reality.

But, on the other hand, it feels like it expands operational range within horror itself, giving it greater versatility.

Even if mobility is limited by how many of these five-won bills I can carry under my jacket…

‘This counts as a success!’

The fact that the coin being an item remained undetected is a huge bonus.

“Work hard for the 1000 points I invested!”

I tucked the coin into my pocket along with the other items.

On a side note, I also refilled the used ‘smile sticker’ and grabbed one more ‘can bottle.’

‘Humans truly are adaptive creatures.’

I lay down on the bed.

Surprisingly, I felt good.

When I closed my eyes, that horrific talk show vividly returned to mind, but leaving the lights on, I could manage to sleep pretty decently.

Perhaps it’s because I wrapped things up well.

‘At least I had some luck…’

My group project luck was looking decent too.

‘Maybe because I earned points in a single sweep, I feel strangely optimistic about the situation…’

Sleepiness enveloped me, and I blinked at the sudden drowsiness.

However, I still had a mountain of remaining points I needed to earn for my wish tokens, and I had no idea how many more horror stories I had to clear.

But surprisingly, for the first time, I felt like I might be able to get through this period well…

‘Maybe I can quietly endure it.’

…This absurd happiness circuit played in my mind until the next day when I found out about the shocking news that “Doe, on only your second day, cleared an S-Rank major incident!”

“Doe, sit down. It seems our… um, positions might change a bit.”

“Yes?”

But I just joined three days ago!