It Seems I Must Go to Work Even After Falling into a Horror Story 018

I’ll be honest.

One month into the job.

Surprisingly, the horror story conglomerate isn’t so bad…!

“Whoa, it’s insane! Cleared it again in just 30 minutes!”

“Are they actually performing better than C Team?”

It’s almost surreal to hear lines that sound like they belong to some web drama’s extras in real life.

“Hey, enjoy it. It’s all your performance.”

During lunch break.

The assistant manager confidently announced as he proudly carried both the menu A and B from the cafeteria.

By the way, he had already tackled one task this morning.

“Thanks to the doe, I’ve been crazy enough to clear new darkness twelve times this month.”

“Not at all. It’s all thanks to your leadership.”

“Leadership? You’re just riding the bus.”

“Right. I’ll buy beef today, Senior Sol-eum.”

“Min-seong, come on… that’s a bit much.”

“Why not! If you do well, it’s only fair you’re senior to me!”

When my boss makes a joke like this, it surprisingly feels hard to respond without feeling miffed…

But instead of waiting for my reaction, the chief was excitedly showing off his monthly points earned like a kid.

“I’ve already got 5000 points!”

Yeah.

[Chief Park Min-seong / Points accrued: 5200p]

This was the points I had earned over the past month.

‘Speedrunning actually works….’

My life expectancy is becoming like this.

It was possible because most grades were either F or D.

‘It seems high grades don’t come out often.’

If they did, the world would’ve already ended with “and so the world was destroyed” for that universe.

Anyway, my superiors looked happier than I felt. Maybe it’s more entertaining for them since it’s not their business.

“I bet you might have the fastest record among new recruits in our company!”

“Ooooh!”

Now that I think about it, I hardly see fellow newbies.

Since I only go in and out of the research team’s office on the 17th floor, I’ve hardly had the chance to meet other field exploration teams.

‘Well, Baek Sa-heon’s been treating me like a ghost.’

Honestly, I sometimes threw ridiculous jokes to maintain the crazy persona I initially caught.

– You’re heading into the dark exploration too, right? Care for a bet on how many civilians die?

– ……

The researcher who bet on it gave me inspiration. Thanks!

Anyway, seeing Baek Sa-heon not even respond and just keeping his mouth tight shows his performance is sure.

‘All smooth sailing so far.’

I finished the last drop of my galbitang and set it down.

Clock out, plus a bonus.

‘Cafeteria food is pretty decent.’

Overall, the welfare here felt like a company that could easily score above 3.5 on job sites.

Except for the intense stress that feels like staying overnight in a haunted house every day….

‘To think I’m doing things now I’d never have considered before… Well, this is pretty standard office life.’

Due to the sense of accomplishment from my performance, I’m somehow mistaking it for feasible.

“Doe,”

Assistant Manager Eun Ha-je whispered softly.

“By now, upper management is probably talking about you.”

“…What?”

“About your performance.”

“…….”

“Once or twice it might be luck or skill, but if it happens ten times, that’s different.”

The assistant manager squinted while smirking.

“Surely someone higher up will be curious about you. If that happens, let us know. Please tell our team leader too.”

Hmm.

In a typical company, I might hesitate, considering if I should slip it under the radar while contemplating performance theft.

But this is a manager I’ve saved in the horror universe, so his words carry weight.

I nodded obediently.

“Yes.”

“Yeah. Even if he looks plain… or rather, he does seem a bit extraordinary.”

Our gazes landed on Manager Lee Ja-heon, who had just finished his meal and was leaving the cafeteria.

“If by chance you get an outrageous proposal, feel free to ask for help once.”

That lizard?

“…Yes.”

“Okay. It’s nice to see the doe understands.”

In truth, I didn’t quite grasp fully but decided to keep my head nodding.

By the way… they could indeed bring up my name.

I thought as I picked up my tray and stood up.

‘At this point, standing out is inevitable.’

I’ve somewhat accepted that.

But if I’d seen a clown crawling out just his upper body from a portrait, I’d probably have already fainted…

But I also have my beliefs.

‘They can’t possibly give a newbie a harder challenge than this, right?’

If they went beyond this level, it wouldn’t be about manageable work but core duties.

Giving a newbie with only a month of experience the central tasks of the department?

That’s something even the craziest YouTube skit character wouldn’t do. It would be completely against unspoken social rules within a large corporation.

I’m just fortunate my work is developing toward “manual-less horror tales.”

If it becomes a chronic situation, they might just think, “Oh, he’s specialized in that,” and move on smoothly.

“Shall we head back?”

“Yes.”

I concluded and returned the dishes.

However, in this moment, I was so soaked in the world and office life that I forgot one immutable truth of society.

That is….

A protruding rock gets hit!

Meanwhile, in Office One of Research Team.

‘Another escape in the first hour….’

A researcher gnawed on the record of Group D, wasting his paycheck.

‘Have I earned about 5000 points so far?’

At this speed after just a month, maybe breaking the record in a few years and obtaining a wish card isn’t so far-fetched…

“…….”

“Must be nice, huh?”

The researcher grumbled.

“Some of us barely manage to save 500 points a month without any hazard pay while working in the lab through all sorts of horrific sights.”

“…….”

“While a newbie clears out a whole 50,000 points in just a month….”

“Whoa, let’s stop there.”

The researcher snapped his mouth shut.

In this situation, he couldn’t voice his dissatisfaction, and the reality began to boil his insides.

Something felt off.

‘There’s someone getting lucky with great gear and scoring points easily.’

While there are those, others can’t even dream of access or points.

‘Shouldn’t field exploration jobs be more elite and better compensated than research jobs?’

It was incredibly unfair.

The researcher genuinely thought so.

He conveniently forgot that he once mocked field exploration team members as lab rats.

“Well, sometimes the timing aligns, and darkness explorations work out smoothly.”

Manager Gwak Je-gang commented with a grin as he tossed words to the researcher.

“Even so, this is remarkable.”

“…….”

Pretending he didn’t see the researcher glaring back with disgust, Gwak Je-gang flipped through documents.

“Ah, for this darkness, they said we should send more than ten people, right?”

“…….”

“Is that correct, Chief?”

“Ah, yes. It seems we need at least ten to enter the darkness.”

“Hmm.”

Gwak Je-gang smiled as he picked up a pen.

“Well, it’ll be a team project this time.”

– Groups A, D, and Y deployed.

“…….”

The researcher watched Gwak Je-gang pull out a team chart for the field exploration teams, checking them off.

And then it happened.

“Chief.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know what the alphabetical order of the exploration teams means?”

I had no idea.

People who only handle their own tasks, securing their positions, wouldn’t have such an understanding of another department’s structure.

Gwak Je-gang smiled, tapping the document. There was something oddly amusing about it.

“Simply put, it’s by performance.”

“…!”

“Why, they have rankings like that in school too, right? Honor roll, general class, remedial class.”

The researcher suddenly recalled.

“So… Group D is the remedial class?”

“No.”

The firm denial echoed.

“A to C. That’s the elite.”

Gwak Je-gang tapped the respective groups with his pen.

“The rest are all expendable.”

“…Ah.”

It was just when I was about to feel slightly uplifted.

“But well. We’re just talking here, but since D group’s performance is so good, there are rumors saying if it continues like this, you might end up getting a good transfer next time? Haha.”

“…!”

As with office gossip, absurdly shocking remarks usually aren’t true rumors.

But somehow, the researcher felt uneasy.

‘Is there any bad news?’

As if to meet that expectation, Gwak Je-gang’s muttering reached him.

“Too unfortunate it led us here, sharing with Group A… Hmm.”

“…! Wait, going in with the elite team isn’t good?”

“More or less. You know this, Chief.”

Gwak Je-gang stroked his chin.

“Sometimes, there are dark instances where sacrifices are necessary to pave the escape route.”

Especially….

For instances requiring large groups, even more so.

Gwak Je-gang shrugged.

“This exploration record is bound to generate discussions in many ways.”

Several days later.

Once again as naturally as before, D group climbed to the 17th floor to receive a call and were met with an unexpected sight.

“Hello there.”

“…?!”

Standing in Research Team One’s office were guests.

People wearing various masks.

‘Are they from other exploration teams?’

I quickly counted the heads.

About seven or so.

Among them was someone I recognized.

– Can you bring back the dead?

It was that newbie who asked that question during the welcoming party for wish cards.

The person wearing the cow mask quietly bowed their head, leaning against the desk.

An aura of somberness enveloped them.

They had long hair, enough to worry about judgment over dress code issues at the company for a guy.

But nobody here seemed to care about something like that.

“Ah.”

“What’s this… hmm.”

As the senior members of D group let out small gasps of either admiration or dismay at the sight of so many people filling their office space.

“Oooh, our D group has finally arrived! Come on in~ Alright, let’s start today’s briefing.”

Manager Gwak Je-gang appeared and began guiding the people into the meeting room.

As I walked in, I heard the assistant manager pose a question.

“Are we entering with other groups?”

“Exactly. Yup.”

“…….”

The assistant manager glanced around, then soon moved closer to me to whisper in a volume discreet enough to not be heard by others.

“Do you see the staff wearing golden-marked masks over there?”

“Yes.”

“That’s Group A.”

I know that.

‘That’s the elite team.’

Baek Il-dong Group operates in a way where someone must clear a horror story for the materials to come in and the company to function.

‘To avoid a plot hole that the company should collapse, those excellent field exploration teams must exist….’

So it’s also a place where notably many name-recognized figures appear in [Dark Exploration Records]. I nodded slightly.

Group A had members wearing bizarre butterfly, mantis, and teal duck masks.

Then, the one in the teal duck mask spoke up.

With the spirited voice of a middle-aged woman.

“Oh, are you the Kim Sol-eum from that team?”

“Yes. Hello.”

I reflexively bowed, yet sweat ran down my back.

‘That’ Kim Sol-eum? What on earth kind of rumors are circulating?

“Yes, yes. If there’s a chance, let’s meet someday. A bright future ahead for you, young man.”

Then she brushed past to her spot and sat down.

…That must be the leader of Group A.

The assistant manager continued explaining.

“And…the ones without the golden marks on their masks belong to Group Y.”

“…….”

Three masked individuals without golden marks, plus the newbie in the cow mask who I recognized.

It was a team that emanated a somewhat gloomy aura.

“Group Y’s leader isn’t a manager but an ordinary employee, so just bear with it for now.”

“Yes.”

I knew that too.

The chief whispered to me.

“Um… doe, the members of the other team you see today, especially Group Y, let’s keep it to a moderate level when interacting, okay? I’ll tell you the reason later.”

“Yes.”

I nodded without a word.

Because I had a rough guess about the information that would be given later.

But then, suddenly, the chief sitting next to me seemed deeply moved.

“Ha. I really… feel like you’re the more perceptive version of our manager?”

“I feel the same.”

“……”

Was that… a compliment?

“Alright, everyone’s seated, and we’ll start the briefing.”

Gwak Je-gang stood at the board before the meeting room without turning on the teleprompter.

“Today, I was going to brief you about the darkness we’re entering… but!”

Manager Gwak Je-gang chuckled.

“Actually, we don’t know anything either.”

“…??”

“What does that mean, Manager Gwak?”

“There’s exactly one bit of information regarding civilian escape!”

“……Huh.”

In silence, documents were distributed.

I glanced at the pages that were barely more than notes.

– All college students (12) who were playing board games during a club MT at Hanmaum Pension, missing.

The board game is presumed to be developed by Ecstatic Research Lab* and titled ‘Cheerful Theme Park! ~Fun Fantasy Land Journey~’.

Survivors detail that the board game was ‘already set up inside the pension.’

The pension owner denies this claim.

Result: Some members returned 17 hours later.

They testified they had ‘stayed in the theme park within the board game’, showing various symptoms including psychological turmoil, PTSD reactions, and mild neurosis.

– Survivors 4, missing 1, deceased 7

On the next page were short statements regarding the ‘theme park within the board game’ recorded by each survivor. It appeared that due to severe mental trauma, the narratives were very fragmented.

However, it was enough to feel familiar.

I gulped.

‘It was about time for this to come out.’

It finally arrived.

A darkness demanding large group participation!

“The board game is for more than 10 players, huh? That’s why we gathered a large amount of personnel.”

“Yes, yes, we tried to replicate a similar environment as much as possible.”

Gwak Je-gang winked.

“Still! Doesn’t that mean our team members have surely figured out how to enter despite these adverse conditions?”

“Didn’t you just bring a board game here?”

“Haha! That’s a bit cold, Assistant Manager Jin. We’ve got the rules all figured out too.”

The employee in the butterfly mask from Group A said nothing, and Gwak Je-gang was unfazed, placing the board game on the table.

“Here it is.”

[Cheerful Theme Park!]
~Fun Fantasy Land Journey~

Team up with your teammates to board 3 fantasy attractions the fastest and claim rewards!

The front of the almost brand-new box depicted a colorful Fantasy Land.

Once opened, themed maps divided by sections and colorful tokens were revealed.

“Okay, now let’s divide teams and start the board game.”

The way they cheerfully told us to jump into a horror story where over half the participants had died was pretty lively.

“Can we just team up with our groups?”

“Oh, well… you’ll need to draw game pieces from this capsule, and depending on the color, your team will be decided!”

Manager Gwak Je-gang pulled out a small capsule-like object from one side of the box to show.

“Shake it, and the pieces will drop out of this hole.”

“Random, huh?”

Eventually, everyone sighed and began shaking the capsule to pull out game pieces.

‘Blue, yellow, red… right?’

Of course, such things often go in order of seniority, so my turn came almost last.

What I drew was….

“Kim’s a red.”

Of all things, a red piece.

A somewhat ominous color in the horror story universe, so I didn’t feel too great about it.

‘Well, the color doesn’t matter too much in this horror story.’

Even the same color can lead to different outcomes.

I gulped in tension.

Anyway, are we about to enter now?

“Alright, once we spread out the game board, we’re entering!”

Yet when Manager Lee Ja-heon set up the game board, nothing occurred.

“…….”

Hmm?

A lightning-flash thought struck me as I checked the participants.

Four in yellow, four in blue.

And among those drawn as red, there were…

Manager Jin from Group A, known as Butterfly, and that familiar newbie from Group Y.

Including myself, that makes three.

“…….”

Ah.

‘The red team is unbalanced.’

“We’re one short.”

Manager Lee Ja-heon glanced sideways at Gwak Je-gang.

“I don’t think we can enter with 11 people. We’ll have to fill all 12 before attempting again.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Gwak Je-gang answered nonchalantly, then immediately threw the capsule filled with pieces.

“Here, Assistant Manager! Catch!”

To the researcher standing right beside him.

“Uh, uh?!”

As if catching by reflex, the researcher grabbed the capsule.

Tumbling.

A piece dropped out of it.

“…!?”

“I’ve drawn it!”

Wait a minute.

– Departing to Fantasy Land~

The game board suddenly flew up towards the sky, swallowing my sight.

“AAAAAAAH!”

“Hahahahahaha!”

I could hear the researcher’s scream ringing in my ears.

And also the laughter of Manager Gwak Je-gang.

“……”

I recalled that guy’s [Dark Exploration Records] wiki page.

———————=

Fascinated by horror tales, a psycho.

Mad Scientist.

While exploring a horror story with insufficient information, he encourages combinations or actions that are dead certain to lead to death, resulting in rich exploration records through his insane habits.

Gwak Je-gang’s disciplinary record can be found on

#Exploration Record (Spinoff) page.

———————=

I had been alert, sensing that someday this day would come.

“What the hell is going on!”

Since I suspected from the start when a large number of people, including Groups A and Y, came together….

‘They deliberately lowered the survival rate.’

This was intended not to clear the horror story with maximum survival but a setup meant to ensure everyone other than Group A would die.