Chapter 290: Ch 290: New Exploration Member
When I next opened my eyes, I was in reality.
"Mr. Roe Deer."
My body was no longer that of a student in a school uniform; its human
form was now nothing more than a silhouette outlined by a Security Team
uniform.
...But my mind still seemed to be at Sekwang Technical High School.
Amidst the napping students, in a sunlit hallway.
Immersed in an indescribably poignant afterglow.
But I couldn’t remain lost in that sentiment for long.
"What did you see?"
Right next to my bed, a pair of menacingly glinting eyes that had been
staring at me for who knows how long came into view.
Ho Yuwon.
This was because, in order to fall asleep in the sleepless body of 130666, I
had been placed under a restriction by Ho Yuwon at the Fox Counseling
Room to ’lose consciousness.’
"Didn’t you go to Sekwang Technical High School? Mr. Roe Deer?"
[My goodness, it seems this fellow waited all night for the news Mr. Roe
Deer would bring. Like a viewer waiting for a rerun of their favorite show!]
I heard Director Ho’s voice, feigning politeness as usual.
"I’m so very curious... just what did you intend to do, going to such lengths
to get in there?"
....
I provided the plain truth.
>Protecting the school’s students from a Supernatural Disaster
Ho Yuwon froze.
>Result: Success
Conclusion of ’In the Dark Shadow’
Contributors: Disaster Management Bureau Agents
"..."
"And Grapes was one of those agents, too. Ugh."
Agent Choi sat up in the adjacent bed.
With a wry smile, he took the high school photo he had tucked under his
pillow, glanced at the back, and slipped it into his pocket before looking
back at us.
His hostility toward the other party had subsided.
"Ho Yuwon-ssi. I have something I want to ask you."
"..."
"Is your grudge against the Management Bureau because of Segwang
Metropolitan City? Because the Management Bureau sealed it off without
rescuing people."
Agent Bronze, who was sitting up beside him, stiffened.
"The fact that you’re looking for something in Segwang Metropolitan
City... isn’t it because you used to live there before the lockdown and left
something behind...."
"..."
"That’s what I think. What about you?"
...To be honest, I had made a similar deduction.
But more clearly, because I had a hint.
>Confirming the whereabouts of the guidance counselor (Presumed: Ho
Yuwon) at the time
>-Requested student rescue from the Supernatural Disaster Management
Bureau
"...!"
If the guidance counselor really was him.
It meant that Ho Yuwon had known about the Disaster Management Bureau
from the beginning and had established a considerable relationship of trust
with them.
Ordinary citizens don’t even know the Disaster Management Bureau exists.
’And Ho Yuwon isn’t even an ’ordinary citizen,’ being something from a
ghost story.’
It became even more certain that he had built a friendly relationship with
them well in advance.
So, if he had a relationship close enough to request a rescue from the
Disaster Management Bureau.
>Question: Ho Yuwon’s past identity
Could it be this?
>Inference:
A Cooperative Spirit Beast of the Supernatural Disaster Management
Bureau
"...!!"
The agents’ eyes immediately shot to Ho Yuwon’s face. And....
"..."
"..."
"Ah. That might be it."
Ho Yuwon smiled.
"But all of that has now become something that never happened in the first
place. Because when Segwang Metropolitan City was sealed, everything
there became meaningless."
"..."
"Nothing from that place has any meaning in reality."
No.
>Denial
"Pardon?"
>The true nature of the ’In the Dark Shadow’ ghost story:
A request for student rescue from agents who entered Segwang
Metropolitan City to save citizens
"...!"
So, in the end, Ho Yuwon’s request for rescue had indeed been answered.
And the rescue request sent by those agents was also answered.
>Result of the conclusion:
Successful transmission of the rescue request
Students kept safe until rescue becomes possible
Now, the students, though trapped within Segwang Metropolitan City,
would be napping peacefully, free from the threat of Contamination or
death.
Thanks to the agents of the Disaster Management Bureau.
And if they are just rescued....
"But that rescue will never happen."
....
"Because the Disaster Management Bureau decided so. Isn’t that right?"
Clap.
Ho Yuwon’s face, as he clapped and exclaimed, was smiling so wide it
looked like it would tear.
At the hair-raising danger signal, I reflexively sat up in bed and....
"We’ll do it."
"...Pardon?"
"We’ll rescue them."
"..."
Agent Choi, having tossed out the words, began to stretch.
"We already know, so we have no choice. We have to do it. Right, Bronze?"
"..."
"We can’t just leave the kids there."
Agent Bronze just sighed.
It was a tacit agreement.
"..."
When I had asked Ho Yuwon if it was irrational to hold individuals in a
group responsible, he had said that emotions were inherently irrational.
In that case, what did he think about this outcome, something that could
move those very emotions?
>Result of this exploration:
Numerous agents died or went missing after throwing themselves into
stopping the catastrophe at Sekwang Technical High School
"Is that so?"
>Positive
"Because of the lockdown, those agents will be treated as if they never
existed, I suppose."
....
"Was there perhaps a better way?"
"Pardon?"
"I mean, another way to stop the Extinction-class supernatural disaster in
Segwang Metropolitan City. ...If there had been another way to handle a
ghost story that produced hundreds of thousands of presumed deaths in a
single day."
Agent Bronze!
I was momentarily shocked, but then I realized.
"...If there had been, they wouldn’t have resorted to such an extreme
method as ’Cognitive Impairment.’"
He wasn’t trying to pick a fight, but was genuinely pondering a topic he had
seriously considered.
"...The Management Bureau is not a perfect organization. The best
decisions they could make at the time to prevent loss of life couldn’t have
been absolutely perfect for everyone."
But Ho Yuwon didn’t even blink.
"Ah. So there was no other way, it couldn’t be helped...."
"..."
"It seems you want to say that the Disaster Management Bureau made a
very rational and correct judgment...."
"...At the very least, it means that judgment was motivated by the purpose
of saving more citizens, not by self-interest."
Agent Bronze’s eyes darkened.
"But you...."
"Yes?"
"Bronze."
"No. I’d very much like to hear what you have to say."
"..."
"So, ’what about this Ho Yuwon?’"
Agent Bronze’s eyes looked at me, then he clenched his jaw.
"Aren’t you pushing an employee you want to use for your own personal
gain into the danger of a Supernatural Disaster? Luring them in without
even giving them accurate information."
Then his gaze shifted to Agent Choi.
"You also tried to murder an agent who had nothing to do with your grudge.
...I suspect this was not your first murder attempt."
"..."
"Do you believe your actions can be justified by the cause of a grudge?"
"Pardon? Why should I?"
"...!"
"There’s no such thing as a justified action in this world. It seems you just
have to know that choices come with responsibilities, and you have to bear
them."
Ho Yuwon smiled faintly.
"Likewise, how the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau treated
Segwang Metropolitan City. That choice, too, has a price."
"..."
"If it couldn’t be helped for the sake of more people, then it’s only natural
that they should have to bear the grudges of the few who were selected."
But the strange glint that used to appear in Ho Yuwon’s eyes whenever he
saw a Disaster Management Bureau agent had largely vanished.
And he finished his words softly.
"I’m grateful to you two. Because you made a promise to me. To save the
students from Segwang Metropolitan City."
Ho Yuwon turned to me and smiled.
"And please, do take good care of what I’m looking for as well. Mr. Roe
Deer."
...Hoo.
[My, I thought they would hit rock bottom and start throwing punches at
each other! It was quite interesting, but this is as far as it goes.]
[So, how about we go find another interesting story now?]
An interesting story?
[I’m talking about that small item you entrusted to that public servant.]
Ah, that.
I had been thinking about it anyway.
While Ho Yuwon left and Agent Bronze checked his belongings, I
approached Agent Choi and made a request.
>Request: Check the item
"...Ah."
Agent Choi, who had a complicated expression, let out a chuckle and took
the item out from his breast pocket....
"You mean this?"
The Dream Collector.
It was the Elite Team collector that had come from the ’Merchandise Box’ I
had.
It was fine in Segwang Metropolitan City, but I didn’t know what kind of
judgment it would receive while I was in my 130666 state, so I had
entrusted it to someone reliable.
And its condition was....
"...!!"
A strange, hologram-like light swirled around it.
The brightness of the liquid, which surpassed even a golden hue,
shimmered with a light so brilliant it could almost rival a Wish Ticket.
’Ah.’
No score was displayed at the end, but the result was clear.
"How is it?"
>Estimation: Darkness (A) ~ Abyss (S)
Comparable to the highest grade
"...!!"
It was the most concentrated Dream Essence I had seen since I joined the
bureau.
’This is insane.’
And the reason for this... it seemed to be due to the nature of Sekwang
Technical High School.
The Extinction-class Disaster of Segwang Metropolitan City.
’Was the wicked thing that ’invaded’ Sekwang High... part of the culprit that
brought about the Day of Disaster in Segwang Metropolitan City?’
I had a feeling they were at least related.
"...Amazing."
Agent Choi looked at me.
"You need this, right? Here."
And he willingly handed over the Dream Solution he had.
Even though he must have guessed it was no ordinary item at a glance.
>130666’s state: Grateful
"What for? Grapes-ie, there’s no need to thank me...."
Then he whispered ominously.
"From now on, if you find out or get anything with that, we’re splitting it
fifty-fifty. Got it? We’re partners in fate. Huh?"
Ah.
"Haha, hey. You think I’m joking? I’m serious."
Yes....
"And now, an important task remains."
Agent Choi removed the hand that was patting my back.
"...We have to go see the Team leader. Grapes-ie."
....
I briefly looked down at my state within the Security Team uniform, but
eventually nodded.
***
Pure Hope Hospital was still a comfortable and quiet place.
Team Leader Park Hong-rim’s granddaughter wasn’t there, but the
guardian’s spot looked lived-in, as if she visited often.
"Looks like Yeji went to school. Here."
We stood quietly around the bed.
...Suddenly, as I was watching the curtains flutter as the wind blew in from
the window.
[It’s Grapes.]
The warm presence sitting on the bed took my hand and had me sit down.
"...Elder."
I could suddenly speak like a person.
The powerful force of the will-o’-the-wisp had guided me, who could not
sleep, into its dream in a way different from Ho Yuwon.
And I....
Now I knew another name for this being.
"Team Leader Honghwa."
....
[Did Bronzie tell you? You’re calling me by a nostalgic nickname.]
As I thought.
That agent who had desperately tried to protect Sekwang Technical High
School.
The shattered upper Body, clutching a torn Talisman, belonged to this Team
Leader Park Hong-rim, agent name Honghwa.
And I had to ask this question.
"Team leader. ...Do you remember what you did at Sekwang Technical
High School?"
And.
[I do.]
"...!!"
[But I only remember it now because you’ve spoken of it. Normally, I
cannot recall it. Even though this is a dream, not reality.]
[That is what it means to be erased from cognition. It is a dreadful ritual.]
....
[But seeing as you’re saying that, Grapes, it seems our method was a
success in the end. Did you find the sleeping children?]
"...Yes."
[That’s a relief. A true relief!]
Hearing those joyful words, I knew.
’She doesn’t know.’
This Team Leader Park Hong-rim didn’t remember everything.
She doesn’t know.
What her own upper Body, left behind in Segwang Metropolitan City, went
through.
About the students dying over and over in the horror game that appeared in
their new-moon nightmares, and how she, her agents, and the teachers were
Corrupted by the warding ritual and became one with the monsters.
It was a relief.
But at the same time, my heart ached for some reason.
That Agent Honghwa and the Blue Dragon Team agents who experienced
all of that no longer existed.
"..."
I remembered.
How the ’In the Dark Shadow’ ghost story I had originally read in the
<Darkness Exploration Record> had concluded.
Bad Ending 05 (The End of the School) confirmed.
This ending could only be seen by witnessing the ’teacher’ carry out the
entire horrific sacrificial graduation ceremony to the very end.
Anomalies confirmed: A strange phenomenon where the auditorium
melts and swallows the students. Glitches appearing on the teacher.
Confirmation of ■■, which should not have appeared.
And.
A kick-out phenomenon.
From the next new moon, all attempts to enter the said Supernatural
Disaster failed.
This continued for six months. Case closed.
...I had just thought that because too many errors occurred, and because I
kept seeing the ending with the error pretending to be a student, the horror
game eventually broke down.
I thought that was the entirety of this ghost story’s hidden truth.
A school consumed by a horror game.
But that wasn’t it.
...If it had ended as written in the <Darkness Exploration Record>, there
could have been no greater tragedy.
Because it would mean that the students and agents were all devoured by
the supernatural phenomenon.
Without any truth ever coming to light.
With all the effort and sacrifice made by the agent before me turning to
nothing.
All of it made my heart heavy and cold, but I tried my best not to show it.
But.
[Your hand has grown cold, Grapes-ie.]
[It seems it’s difficult to rescue the students right now.]
"..."
[Yes. The Management Bureau probably can’t handle what would happen if
they undid the lockdown ritual. But... there are many stories in the world,
and you never know how things will turn out. Isn’t that the way of the
world?]
I feel the elder’s hand stroking my head.
[You’ve worked so hard, Grapes. You’ve done your best until now. Trying
not to take the wrong path, trying to return to the right one.]
"...How do you know that?"
[Because you are pondering and doubting on your own.]
[And....]
[I also heard that you used the Sai Sword, Grapes.]
"...!"
[My goodness. You could even take the Goblin Trial now.]
Pardon?
[Just a joke. ...Now, when you wake up, there will be a friend who can
help.]
[Keep your spirits up.]
The next moment.
I came to my senses.
Back to being the strange being, 130666, who emits Black Smoke, standing
in the hospital room.
I watched as Agent Choi and Agent Bronze, who had come with me, woke
up from where they had fallen asleep by the window and near the bed.
And I realized they weren’t the only agents in the hospital room.
"You guys..."
"Elder Sister Haegeum."
Agent Haegum was looking down at us.
She was dressed in a way that showed she had moved in a hurry, likely
having visited for the same purpose, but her eyes narrowed pointedly as she
looked at us.
"You’re Grapes, right?"
Well....
"Never mind. Your body’s reaction is saying it all."
Good grief.
"Elder sister. Gomyeong and the others...."
"They haven’t woken up. ...They’re sleeping, peacefully."
"..."
I had no idea what to think.
Whether I should call it a relief that their existence hadn’t been forgotten
because they hadn’t been killed by the ’teacher.’
"Thanks to this, looks like I’ll be calling up the people on leave soon. The
ones who are hospitalized will have to come in as soon as they’re
discharged to supplement our manpower, too."
Agent Haegum’s expression was calm, as if she were used to this, but a hint
of bitterness was subtly mixed in.
Then she looked at us with sharp eyes.
"I saw that whole game-like credit roll. ...Where on earth are they
sleeping?"
"..."
"You guys look like you know."
About that ’Metropolitan City.’
"It seems we have a lot to talk about."
It was the appearance of a new exploration member.