Chapter 42: Ch 42: Iconic trio assemble >:)
Step, step.
I was quietly walking through an exhibition that plucked out human eyes.
And next to me was someone who perfectly fit the ’human trash’ archetype
in a horror story.
’I really wish Baek Saheon would just keep quiet and act like a human
totem.’
On the way here, I’d seen horrifying shadows crawling on the floor a few
times from a distance. Each time, I couldn’t be more thankful to have
someone with me...
’As long as I don’t let my guard down. That’s the key.’
Braun spoke to me in a tone that suggested he was amused.
– Mr. Roe Deer, this fellow talks in such an interesting way. It’s almost like
he’s someone else entirely.
’Do you hate it?’
– Not at all! It’s utterly fascinating. It’s as though he’s created a more
exaggerated... persona for the sake of a show.
Hm. That’s a fair point.
– So, is leaving this magnificent exhibition your ultimate goal?
That’s correct.
And...
’I’ve already made my escape plan.’
I’d confirmed that this exploration was recorded as the seventeenth entry in
the <Dark Exploration Records>, so I based my escape strategy on that
case.
I’d even decided which of my items to use.
– Oh!
– But is it necessary to use the word ’escape’? Wouldn’t it be easier to just
grab any staff member and ask them to guide you to the exit? They’d surely
oblige politely!
That’s where the problem begins.
’The staff in this exhibition are machines.’
The kind with spider-like legs that swing ominously.
– Hmm. And?
’And each machine only knows information about its designated area.’
========================
Each area of this exhibition is equipped with an usher for the
convenience of visitors.
While some past visitors referred to these ushers as ’monsters’, they
are, in fact, vintage mithril automated-kiosk steam dolls, a model from
Imperial Year 62627.
Though their memory units are somewhat limited to information about
their specific areas, they are historical and meaningful artistic artifacts.
For the sake of a constructive viewing experience in our exhibition, we
kindly request refraining from using derogatory terms.
========================
What this means is that if you want to ask about the exit, you must go to the
area where the exit is located and talk to the staff there.
And by the time you get there... if too much time has passed, you’ll be
’charged the fee’ and turned into a grotesque human slug.
Even identifying which area contains the exit is a monumental challenge to
begin with.
’But there’s a hint.’
I stopped walking.
I had found what I was looking for.
"...An elevator?"
Standing in front of me and Baek Saheon was an antique-style elevator,
glowing faintly with brass tones.
The elevator was caged in iron bars, and a small light bulb flickered in front
of it.
Like any elevator, a guide panel was attached to the wall beside it,
displaying floor numbers and usage instructions.
The only problem was that the text was written in a script we couldn’t
understand.
’Just one more way to raise the exploration difficulty.’
The disconnect created by the script.
Baek Saheon frowned.
"...Are you planning to ride this thing?"
"Dunno."
"We can’t even check the floors. Are you out of your mind?"
I stared at him without a word. He quickly looked away.
’As if I’d do something that reckless.’
But I had Braun, the creepypasta talk show host who claimed to be fluent in
every language!
’Braun, can you read this elevator’s guide panel?’
– That’s hardly a difficult task, Friend!
– Ahem ahem,
Braun cleared his throat and began explaining in a friendly voice.
– This elevator comes with a stationed usher who will press the button for
your desired floor upon request. Quite a quaint and sophisticated service,
isn’t it?
This meant that you couldn’t use the elevator without meeting an usher,
which also meant getting your eyes plucked out.
Even knowing this, I swallowed involuntarily.
’Does it mention anything about the exit?’
– Unfortunately, no! It mostly describes the floors and their exhibitions.
– Oh, and by the way, you’re currently on the second floor. ...Ah, wait a
moment. There’s also a description of this mansion’s history!
"...!"
This was information not included in the <Dark Exploration Records>.
’Keep going.’
– Of course, Friend!
– This is the grand estate of a most noble... and refined collector. Through
their charitable spirit, they’ve dedicated this endless exhibition to sharing
their art and philosophy.
– Furthermore, this historic mansion is composed of seven floors above
ground... and 7,221 floors below ground.
"..."
Wait.
What?
’Below ground... 7,221 floors?’
– That’s correct. Hmm, it seems they’ve been collecting for quite a long
time!
I froze.
’...I already knew there was a basement.’
It wasn’t described at first.
The early exploration records of this ghost story, <Manor of the Blind>,
detailed lucky escapes from the ground floors or the deaths of those who
couldn’t get out.
Those records drew readers in, sparking popularity.
As the records expanded and the world of the story grew, some explorer
inevitably made a discovery.
========================
The 23rd record is a testimony left by a visitor who entered the
basement floors via the elevator.
========================
The existence of the basement floors.
From then on, records detailed people descending into the basement after
failing to find a way out on the floors above ground.
The relentless descent in search of an exit—down and further down—
conveyed an overwhelming, chilling fear.
At this point, the ghost story became categorized as cosmic horror.
These exploration logs aimed to make readers feel suffocated and
disoriented.
In some records, explorers even gave up on escaping, descending further
into madness as they ventured endlessly downward.
========================
This is testimony from a visitor who viewed the exhibit on B105.
Employee 753 : The unspeakable, dreadful things I cannot see are truly
beautiful. Structures made of ■■ and humans’ ■■ are ■ing. Die for this
purpose.
No further records exist.
Thank you for your meaningful feedback. We shall strive to improve
exhibition management for an even more profound experience.
========================
The deeper you go, the more grotesque and incomprehensible the collection
becomes. At some point, language fails to capture what is seen, leaving
censored fragments and overwhelming blanks filled with terror.
Thousands of unknowns lie down there...
Slap—
I slapped my own face.
"...?!"
Get a grip.
’There are multiple exits.’
Even though their locations change every time the exhibition begins, that
fact doesn’t.
There were records of people escaping through different exits on different
floors in the same iteration.
’I can do this.’
It doesn’t matter how astronomically vast this place is or how
incomprehensible the space becomes.
An exit might be closer than I think.
I have over 100 iterations’ worth of exploration data, including records from
this very round.
Sitting here overwhelmed would make me an idiot.
’Even if the exact floor isn’t specified, I already know the hints.’
I had to move quickly instead of being paralyzed by the scale of the ghost
story.
Don’t be foolish... stay sharp!
’...Alright.’
I took a deep breath and began walking.
To the staircase next to the elevator.
"Wait, so you’re not taking the elevator... how do you even know where
you’re going?"
"We’re at the second floor."
"...?"
"I’m heading to Basement 1 from here."
"Basement? There’s a basement—wait, this is the second floor? How can
you be sure?"
"Braun told me."
"..."
"Grateful, aren’t you?"
"..."
– No problem at all, happy to help!
Surprisingly enough, Baek Saheon still didn’t run away.
Hmm. I’ll have to keep my interactions with him at this level moving
forward.
* * *
Even as we descended down the staircase, the grand mansion’s decor didn’t
change at all.
The dim brass lighting and shadowy atmosphere continued endlessly,
making it feel like we were looping through the same floor.
And then, at one level below, the stairs disappeared entirely.
’...These stairs don’t lead to the basement.’
For now, since we’re at the ground floor, I decided to search for a new
staircase or another way to move.
There was no more idle chatter with Baek Saheon, either.
The sound of machinery was growing more frequent around us.
’The main exhibition hall must be nearby, with ushers stationed almost
constantly.’
Moving silently, practically crawling on the ground, I looked up and spotted
a large sign just beneath the ceiling.
’Found it.’
The sign for the main exhibition hall.
Carved with ornate designs, it bore a flowing, elegant inscription... in an
incomprehensible script.
– ’The Power of Emotion.’ What a unique title for an exhibit!
"...!"
It was an exhibit I’d read about in the <Dark Exploration Records>.
Just seeing its name in print had sent chills down my spine...
’What the hell.’
I suppressed the urge to turn back immediately.
’If I’m going to map out the escape route, I’ll have to face it at least once.’
Avoiding a ’safe’ exhibit while trying to secure a path would be idiotic.
So I gritted my teeth and moved forward, step by step.
The moment I peeked through the ornate, gilded doorway into the exhibit...
The exhibition space unfolded before me.
A wave of sound crashed over me.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH
Countless mouths shouting.
More precisely, rows of teeth and tongues.
An entire massive wall filled with ornate Baroque-style frames, each
containing a human mouth, all arranged in horrifying beauty.
It seemed like artificial voice boxes had been attached to the mouths, each
reciting poetry in different voices and languages.
The hundreds or even thousands of frames harmonized to create a bizarrely
strange medley of sounds and notes.
And beneath them...
On the floor, human slugs were writhing.
Huuuuuurgh... huuurgh...
People who could no longer speak human words, with extinguished buttons
fixed into their eye sockets, were writhing in agony.
They were those who had been repeatedly ’charged’ to the point where
they’d nearly lost all semblance of humanity.
The contrast between their grotesque forms and the neatly framed mouths
displayed in a beautiful arrangement made the scene horrifying... more...
and more...
’Ah.’
I felt like vomiting.
The dizzying dread made me look at the floor.
Stay calm. I need to calm myself.
’They’re not company employees.’
These were probably people who’d been trapped here for days.
Those poor... No, I couldn’t let myself focus on them now. I had to push it
out of my mind as much as possible...
Screeeeeeech—
In the distance, the shadow of an usher machine began approaching.
Baek Saheon and I held our breath and crawled into a nearby vent.
The usher machine’s shadow moved among the human slugs, as if
searching for unmoving bodies to pick up and carry away.
The sound of dragging bodies mingled with the mechanical noise.
"..."
"..."
After a suffocating few minutes...
"Hey."
"..."
"They took the corpses. Do you think even the corpses have value? As
payment for the fee?"
What the hell is wrong with this punk?
"If they had value as payment, they wouldn’t have just left them there alive
until they died without collecting."
"Ah, makes sense."
Even in this situation, I had to listen to this kind of nonsense? My
exhaustion was reaching its peak.
And I had to lie, too.
’If I were honest... of course they have value. Obviously!’
Since they treat us as ’visitors’, they only seem to charge for things that
don’t affect our survival, like eyes, noses, or mouths.
But wouldn’t they also find brains and spinal cords valuable? I think there
were floors displaying such items, too.
But I couldn’t tell this guy that. He’d probably suggest we carry around the
corpses and offer them as payment if things got bad.
While I remained silent—
"...!"
The usher machines disappeared, leaving the first floor’s main exhibition
hall empty.
From various shadowy corners, people hiding under tables quickly
emerged, whispered to one another, and scattered in different directions.
All of them wore masks.
’Employees...!’
Their masks and suits confirmed it.
They were from our company’s Field Exploration Team, cautiously dodging
the machines by sticking to areas outside their paths.
"Hey."
What now.
"If you spot any rookies among them, let’s bring them along. It’s better to
have one or two more people with us."
"Why?"
Baek Saheon looked at me as if I were asking something obvious.
"We need bait for when we run into a monster."
Ah, this sick bastard, seriously.
I tilted my head in mock confusion.
"We already have bait."
"What?"
"You."
Baek Saheon’s face froze momentarily before relaxing again.
"Whatever. I’ll bring someone else along to use as bait, too."
"Great. Just make sure to tell them you’ll use them as bait."
"..."
"I told you, didn’t I? I’m at least polite enough for that."
Baek Saheon fell silent again, his expression one of exasperation.
I was equally exasperated. This exhausting little shit...
’I miss you, Chief Lizard.’
I missed the straightforwardness of a taciturn colleague.
But then, as I caught sight of a familiar figure darting out from behind a
sofa at the edge of the exhibition hall, I froze in surprise.
"...!"
It was someone I recognized.
"..."
"...! What are you..."
After a moment of hesitation, I climbed out of the vent.
When I waved, the person also froze in shock before quickly lowering her
voice.
"...! Sol— I mean, Mr. Roe Deer? Is it okay if I call you that?"
"Yes, Ms. Goral."
It was Go Yeongeun.
The new hire who had fully supported my words during the subway
incident was standing there. Didn’t she say he’d dropped out of medical
school?
"Did you get sent in too, Mr. Roe Deer? Anyway, I’m glad to see you’re
safe."
"...Thank you."
In any case, Go Yeongeun, who was now wearing the mask assigned to her,
seemed much calmer than when I’d last met her.
Though there was some redness in her eyes.
’Has she already adapted to this...?’
The fact that I could have a rational conversation in this insane situation
was almost moving.
Go Yeongeun glanced around warily and spoke in a whisper, lowering her
voice as much as possible.
"Um, there’s a blocked window nearby, and I was thinking of trying to open
it. Have you seen anything that could work as a lever on your way here? I
don’t think we’re supposed to use the exhibits..."
"You can’t."
"Sorry? What do you mean?"
"You’re thinking of escaping through the window, aren’t you?"
"...Would that be a problem?"
Yes, it would.
This ghost story’s exploration records mention windows exactly once.
Do you know what it says?
========================
The 19th record is a testimony from a visitor who attempted to pass
through a window. However, due to credibility issues, it has been
omitted.
This exhibition does not have windows.
========================
It’s a trap.
I quickly made up a plausible reason.
"If you go out through the window, I have a feeling you’ll physically leave
the mansion. But... not return to the real world."
"...Oh."
Go Yeongeun’s face turned pale.
"You’re right. This isn’t reality... so finding a door that counts as a proper
exit makes sense."
"I think so, too."
"But we don’t even know what floor we’re on..."
"I checked. We’re on the first floor."
"...! How did you... Wait, hold on. The first floor?"
A glimmer of hope lit up in Go Yeongeun’s eyes.
"Then there’s a good chance there’s a door nearby! Exhibition entrances are
usually on the first floor, so if we search thoroughly..."
I forced my reluctant mouth to speak.
"...The reason doors are usually on the first floor is because we live on the
ground level."
"That’s—"
"Do you think the original visitors to this ghost story did the same?"
"..."
Go Yeongeun closed her mouth. She understood immediately.
’How can you be sure a monster would place a door on the first floor?’
Soon, the same despair that had clouded my face earlier spread across hers.
"Then... W-What do we do? Was asking the monster machine earlier the
right answer? But... I can’t encounter another machine. I don’t have any
chances left..."
"You don’t have any chances left...?"
"..."
Go Yeongeun hesitated before brushing her hair back slightly.
Beneath her hair, where there should have been an ear...
There was only a stitched scar.
"They... took my ears."
"..."
"They kept saying, ’Ear instead of eye, ear instead of eye!’ while
gesturing... and I guess they accepted it? It didn’t even hurt. It was so
strange..."
Go Yeongeun shivered slightly.
"And they seem to have put something weird in their place... but I can still
hear. I don’t know how it works, maybe some kind of artificial cochlea or
eardrum?"
Ah, damn it.
"It’ll be fine, right? I mean, uh, the employee store sells those organ-
regeneration potions and all..."
"You’ll be fine."
I spoke firmly.
"You’ll be fine. Let’s focus on getting out."
"...Okay."
Go Yeongeun’s breathing calmed again. For someone who’d just lost both
ears, her mental strength was superhuman.
I couldn’t help but admire her.
But someone else apparently didn’t feel the same way.
"Shall we get moving? Let’s not waste too much time."
"...! Baek Saheon-ssi."
The moment Baek Saheon, wearing his goat mask, emerged from the vent,
Go Yeongeun’s eyes lit up with alarm.
"Wait. Are you traveling with him?"
"Somehow, yes."
"...I see."
Go Yeongeun glanced warily at Baek Saheon but didn’t refuse to continue
traveling with me.
’Thank you...’
It had been so long since I’d had a normal companion.
After dealing with psychopaths and people possessed by ghosts, I felt tears
well up at the relief.
Still, Go Yeongeun muttered quietly.
"That guy... he even managed to pick a mask that suits him. You know
goats are a symbol of the devil in Western cultures, right?"
"Wow. Did you know lambs are a symbol of sacrifice?"
"Lambs are more associated with helping humanity than with devils,
though."
Baek Saheon smirked dismissively at Go Yeongeun, who ignored him in
turn.
– Is this an intermission skit? They’re like a comedy duo.
Yeah.
Except it’s not a skit—they’re actually dissing each other, and that’s the
problem...
’This party composition feels doomed.’
But our destination was steadily drawing closer.
"...!"
I found it.
At the end of the hallway, a staircase leading to the basement had appeared.
T/N:
Saheon and Yeongeun’s masks are both kinda goats, I guess? Here’s the
scientific name for both:
Saheon: Capra hircus – the goat or the domestic goat is a species of goat-
antelope that is mostly kept as livestock.
Yeongeun: Naemorhedus caudatus – gorals are small goat relatives, and
they are agile over the rocky crags and cliffs they inhabit.
The lamb comment earlier is (I’m assuming) stemming from how goats
were referred to as ’sheep’ in the olden times, given that cotton/wool sheep
were introduced to the East much later.
After these actual sheep were introduced, the existing ’sheep’ were hence
distinguished and called goats or mountain goats. Until then, in the East, the
term ’sheep’ referred to the current goat.
So basically, our comedy duo’s kind of doing the spiderman meme calling
each other goat devil spawn and sacrificial lamb lol.