GDCG c272

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Chapter 272

The last time I heard news about Kang Yihak was when I had gone out to collect the “Man in the Screen” ghost story.

Even then, it had only been fragmented information.

I heard she had been taken in by the Disaster Management Bureau, but since she was a Supervisor, I assumed she’d be released without much trouble…

'…Why is she here?'

A clay figure of a lavishly adorned woman stood in the filthy corridor, streaked with reddish grime.

A sound came from inside the ceramic. 

“~!!"

A muffled scream—like someone suffocating, like the suppressed shriek of someone buried alive…

—Yeah… there was probably an employee who went missing on that floor…

'…That missing employee was Kang Yihak?'

But there was no time to dwell on the thought.

The next moment—

The clay figure in the corridor had split into two.

“……”

The one visible beyond the corner was far smaller than the woman-shaped figure before me. Like something nested inside a matryoshka doll—similar in form, yet different.

And in its reduced shape, its true nature became clearer.

'A jar.'

At that moment—

Tilts.

'…!'

The ceramic woman leaned toward me, swaying back and forth. The jewelry adorning it glinted under the dim corridor lights as pieces fell away.

From within the clay figure came the sound of a human body, jewelry, and liquid colliding…

I didn’t move. I just watched.

“…Good… don’t… touch it…”

…….

“It’s doing that on purpose…”

The tension in the air turned rigid.

Behind me, I heard Assistant Manager Eun Haje mutter after grasping the situation. 

“This is insane. That thing’s a honey jar bastard.”

Yeah. I had realized it too. 

One of the Twilight-grade darknesses used by Daydream Inc. to procure gold. 

More precisely— 

A ghost story that maintained its Twilight-Grade level of danger through a strictly enforced manual.

====================

Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story

[Golden Canopic Jar]

: A ghost story appearing in the <Dark Exploration Records>, with Daydream Inc.’s identification code Qterw-E-195.

A distorted version of the jars used in ancient Egypt to store organs during mummification.

A jar that failed to preserve organs lures victims with precious metals in order to obtain new organs for use in the afterlife.

====================

Seriously…

'I think I understand why Kang Yihak got trapped…'

A sigh escaped me.

What stood before us now… Could be seen as a giant Venus flytrap that had grown by feeding on Kang Yihak.

'No wonder it’s hard to subdue.'

Even while trying to destroy or restrain it, the clay figure scattered jewelry. And—

It had been observed that this darkness proliferates through the precious metals attached to its exterior.

Jewelry that falls from the jar is later discovered scattered throughout enclosed spaces, forming a linear trail that lures discoverers toward the Golden Jar.

If not picked up, layers of glaze and clay gradually accumulate over the jewelry, eventually forming a small jar-like structure within the facility.

These are identified as new Golden Canopic Jar entities.

If even one piece of scattered jewelry wasn’t recovered, each of those pieces would become another clay figure.

And draw in more victims.

On top of that—

“…That thing just ate someone, didn’t it?”

“Yes.”

I heard Assistant Manager Eun Haje curse under her breath.

“W-Why?”

“They say once it eats a person, it gets more active until it finishes digesting them and pulls out the organs…”

Her words trailed off.

'You figured it out.'

The reason access to Basement Level 2 of the annex had been restricted for so long.

The security team were deliberately waiting until the people swallowed inside that jar were fully digested.

More precisely, they had been ordered to.

'We just have to endure this period.'

Once the person inside fully turned into organs, the Golden Canopic Jar would have fulfilled its purpose and calm down.

And besides—

The proliferation behavior of this darkness does not match any known tradition regarding canopic jars.

Furthermore, there are no records in ancient Egypt of canopic jars shaped like women, nor ceramic vessels resembling the human form.

Thus, there exists a chilling hypothesis that this is something unknown merely imitating such artifacts.

An unknown horror.

With no reliable references, no one dared to provoke it further.

Not until it returned to a docile state befitting its Twilight-Grade classification.

'…They probably never planned to rescue Kang Yihak.'

From the company’s perspective, she was already a low-tenure employee who had once been detained by the Disaster Management Bureau—written off as a sunk cost and marked as missing.

And the bigger problem was—

“……That. That!”

I looked at the earring in my hand.

“That came from there, didn’t it? This…”

The ornament I had found inside the broken Toy Maker—it must have fallen from that clay figure.

'Damn it.'

So I had been lured.

“If that thing isn’t contained, it’ll chase down anyone who picked up its jewelry until the person inside is reduced to nothing but organs.”

Even within the company, any jewelry recovered under containment procedures was completely melted down to erase its form and prevent supernatural effects—used only as raw gold.

But in our current situation—being pursued—could we escape this place without getting caught by the security team?

Especially someone like me, a conspicuous member of a special department.

The expressions of the group changed.

'…If we break it, the security team will definitely notice.'

And it would scatter fragments and jewelry everywhere, prolonging containment failure—and possibly affecting other darknesses on this floor…

Like the Toy Maker that had just malfunctioned.

'We can’t do anything too conspicuous.'

Even with Director Ho backing us, if things escalated beyond control, not even he could smooth it over.

“…Haa.”

Drip. Drip.

Meanwhile, the clay figure in front of me continued dropping pieces of jewelry onto the floor.

As if urging me to pick them up.

'......'

If it realized that didn’t work, it would eventually try to make contact with my body—by any means necessary… 

'So it doesn’t matter if I’m not human—as long as I have organs?'

A grim thought.

“…Hmm… should I just… swallow it whole…?”

What…?

“…I could eat it without leaving fragments… that should work, right…?”

The guard captain’s head twisted into an unnatural shape, morphing into something massive and pitch black…

Not Recommended

Reason: Survivor inside the jar 

“……Mm.”

Before I knew it, the guard captain had returned to his usual slumped appearance.

Whew.

'He felt more aggressive than usual.'

I needed to be careful.

[Ah, what a shame. It could have made for quite the spectacle using human fear. Watching prey swallowed whole along with the ceramic—filthy, grotesque… but primitively entertaining, wouldn’t you say?] 

Wait.

'Swallow it?'

Even if the guard captain had become somewhat aggressive, his usual indifferent yet precise judgment should still remain.

If he chose that method, it must have been because it left behind no scattered jewelry or ceramic fragments. And then…

'Couldn’t I do that too?'

…….

I released black smoke, letting it wrap around the clay figure in front of me.

"...!"

“Roe Deer?”

Request: Stand by 

And I thought.

'I almost forgot.'

Maybe coming down into the annex basement and moving like this had reminded me too much of those days.

I wasn’t part of the Field Exploration Team anymore. Which meant…

'I can do things like this.'

I tore the head off the grotesque clay figure.

“...!"

Crunch.

…I had done something similar to a person before, but this was even easier.

'At least I don’t have to worry about contamination.'

With the sound of something solid cracking apart, the sealed jar adorned with extravagant jewelry broke open.

But none of the jewelry fell to the ground. I caught and swallowed it all with smoke.

Right.

'I’ve already drawn its aggro anyway.'

As long as all the ornaments were considered to have been picked up by me, that was enough.

Crack.

Holding the clay head and jewelry within the smoke, I exposed only my wrist and shoved them into the inventory tattoo.

“Store.”

Then, without pulling my hand back, I plunged it straight into the Golden Canopic Jar.

Through one of the many yellow eyes, I peered inside, while my black-gloved hand rummaged through the interior of the bizarre ghost story.

Wet digestive fluids. Clinking jewelry. But none of it could deal me any fatal harm. 

And then—

“…Cat?”

Got it.

Retrieve.

I pulled a human body out and threw it onto the floor.

"...!"

An employee—whose flesh and bones had partially transformed into golden ornaments—was about to slam into the corridor floor when Section Chief Lee Jaheon quickly caught them.

Kang Yihak gasped for breath.

And—

“Still something left….”

Grab.

A massive wolf’s jaws swallowed the remaining body of the clay figure whole.

Crunch. Crunch….A brief series of cracking sounds echoed, followed by a gulp. Then—

"......"

Silence.

"Hoo."

Even the smaller jar that had appeared around the corner was devoured in an instant, the guard captain’s shadow stretching out to swallow it whole.

The situation was over and our gazes turned to Kang Yihak.

"……"

"……"

“I saw you close your eyes just now. What are you pretending for?”

“Ha!”

At Baek Saheon’s remark, Kang Yihak sprang up with feigned composure.

The parts of her body that had turned into gold clinked as she moved.

“Ah, thank you so much. Really, I ended up receiving help like this while you all were escaping a difficult situation. If possible, I’ll treat you to a meal sometime. Well then, I’ll be on my—”

“You saw.”

"......"

“You saw us.”

“Hahaha, I’m not sure what you mean…”

“If the company asks how this one survived, that’s going to be quite troublesome.”

The moment Kang Yihak gave a witness account, our entire heist plan in the annex would fall apart…

And she was absolutely the kind of person who would sell us out for a single piece of gold.

“I see. We’ll transport her in a sealed state.”

“Y-Yes!”

“Huh—wait, what??”

Ho Yuwon would handle it.

And just like that, Kang Yihak was strapped into a wheelchair, becoming part of Section Chief Lee Jaheon’s baggage.

“W-Wait a moment! Are you perhaps traveling with Cat? The one who saved me—was that Cat…?”

Mmm.

I showed the group a message.

Suggestion: You all leave first

130666: Will regroup later

“...!"

'We’ve already secured the equipment Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae needed.'

That only left me. It would be better if I moved alone.

The Golden Jars would follow me anyway.

'And if we run into the security team, it’ll be easier to explain.'

At least if I’m just accompanying someone from a special department.

Reason: Stability of escape

Suggestion: Take Supervisor Pony along

“Understood.”

“Um, if I recover from contamination, could I maybe keep these gold ornaments separately—”

Whack.

Kang Yihak was swiftly and precisely knocked unconscious by Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae. Thus, the group moved out in perfect coordination.

“I remember the way to the emergency stairs, so no need to guide us.”

“Alright…….”

Only Baek Saheon remained.

Because I had grabbed his shoulder.

"...?!"

Reason: Surveillance

“Very well.”

“Hey—”

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. We might need someone who would still be recognized as “human” at the next place we visited.

Assistant Manager Eun Haje seemed to realize that too, and left without another word.

“Seriously…”

Baek Saheon wore a conflicted expression, but in the end, perhaps bothered by not having obtained any items, he didn’t resist.

Only after the others disappeared around the corner did the guard captain lift his head.

“Before more appear… let’s go…”

“……Alright.”

There was still something hungry in his voice—like he was licking his lips…

'…Let’s not provoke him.'

I moved forward with the guard captain.

This time, we went deeper.

“…From here on… it’s the security team’s zone… so we might run into them. If I stop, you stop immediately……”

Proceeding

Footsteps echoed quietly through the corridor.

Iron doors lined up facing each other. The numbers engraved on them kept changing, and before long, we had entered the triple digits. How much time had passed?

The guard captain stopped.

“……Here…”

E-404

We had arrived. 

The last of the three ghost stories needed for equipment production. 

I offer this ritual.

Also known as—The Contaminated Wish.

"......."

We opened the iron door and stepped inside.

The smell of burnt ash, olive, and something impossible to describe lingered heavily in the air.

The floor of the narrow, square room was covered in fine soil, and in one corner near the entrance lay a heap of thoroughly dried olive branches.

And at the center—

A small altar, as if children had built it during play.

Rough, uneven natural stones.

And traces of ash left behind from burned branches.

=====================

Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story

[I Offer This Ritual]

: A ghost story appearing in the <Dark Exploration Records>, with Daydream Inc.’s identification code Qterw-E-404.

A small altar used for burnt offerings. Made of plaster and piles of olive branches, and it is recommended to always keep olive branches prepared for quick use.

The user burns salt, grain, and oil on the altar while wishing for a desired object three times. The result—success or failure—can be determined by the pattern of the remaining ash.

If successful, the desired item can be found buried beneath the altar.

The success rate has been observed to be approximately 30%.

=====================

At first glance, it seemed incredibly useful.

But—

In many observed cases, items found beneath the altar after completing the ritual were contaminated by unknown high-grade darknesses.

While it is possible to repeat the ritual until success, the more attempts made, the higher the likelihood of obtaining severely contaminated items.

It has also been discovered that even living beings can be designated as the “desired object,” but in such cases, they appear dead.

Its heavy randomness—and its tendency to produce malicious outcomes—made it dangerous to use lightly.

'That’s why the security team mainly uses it.'

Their personnel rarely suffered fatal or retirement-level consequences even when coming into contact with heavily contaminated objects.

Because they were already contaminated beyond the point of returning to the Field Exploration Team.

And that…

'…applies to me as well.'

As a 130666, I was no different.

'......'

[Ah, a ritual that burns offerings with fire! Such “offering” rites appear across many cultures. Even this Braun finds it somewhat familiar.] 

[Of course, this looks like child’s play… but hmm, let’s see what it gives you, Mr. Roe Deer.] 

I stepped forward to the altar. Salt, rice, and olive oil—already prepared at the side of the room—were placed atop the olive branches.

Then I lit them.

Crackle. The flames flared up unnaturally large, casting strange, wavering shadows across the plaster……

And I made my wish.

Exactly what I needed, three times.

“……”

“……”

The flames soon died down, leaving ash upon the stone.

A clear—circular pattern.

[Ah, how simple!] 

[But all the more certain as an expression of intent, my friend.] 

Success.

I carefully dug beneath the altar. From beneath the shallow soil of the already hollowed pit, the outline of an object emerged, rising into my gloved hand…

…Accompanied by a phrase I had seen often before.

Those warm days,

Magical Candy!

Nostalgia Candy.

That's right. This ghost story had always been one of the security team’s primary sources for obtaining items from the Nostalgia series.

'......'

I quietly examined the candy in my hand. 

It wasn’t dirty, no hallucinations appeared, and there was no strange sensation.

No signs of contamination at all.

'Success.'

And this would be enough.

If taken in Segwang Special City, it would likely return me to the state I had when I still had legs.

'……Ah.'

I held the candy silently. Just like its name, it stirred a strange sense of nostalgia.

And then—

Hand.

“H-Huh? My hand??”

Gift.

I placed several pieces of Nostalgia Candy into Baek Saheon’s palm.

'Well, it’s not like this guy will have much use for it anyway.'

But it might help in an emergency escape. And giving it to him would at least keep him from trying anything reckless out of greed.

Besides, it was part of the Nostalgia series…

'“It’d be good to give some to the guard captain too.'

Just as I was about to share—

“Wait… standby.”

The guard captain raised his hand.

Then he reached into his coat and pulled something out.

A radio.

It faintly vibrated, glowing softly as he slowly brought it up and pressed receive.

The voice that came through—

[Finally got through!] 

Section Chief Kwak Jaekwang.

[Hey now, is it alright to answer this late? A security employee should be a bit more responsive.]

The guard captain didn’t respond.

I almost sighed, thinking Kwak Jaekwang was, as usual, needling him—but—

[More importantly…]

[The employee is with you, correct?]

……

……!

I looked at the radio.

There was an unmistakable excitement in his voice.

[We know you infiltrated the annex under Director Ho’s orders. Wonder how? Hahaha…]

[Director Cheong figured it out.]

…!!

[You’d better get out quickly—that’s why I’m calling. Apparently, the Director even brought along your assigned security team!]

…What?

[As you know, Director Cheong isn’t exactly the type to cherish employees…]

[Who knows what might happen, ha… hahaha… oh dear.]

Click. The transmission cut off.

And then—

Knock knock knock.

"......"

"......"

Our gazes slowly turned toward the iron door.

From beyond it, a voice called out—

Teacher, are you in there?

I’m from the Sprout Class, ■■■!

 

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