Morning.
I sat quietly in the office.
– Ah, what a refreshing winter morning. How about a cup of coffee, friend?
Sure. Let’s have some at lunchtime.
While tidying up my desk and chatting with Braun to chase away the silence, around 8:50 AM, my lizard-headed superior entered through the door.
I approached and greeted him politely.
“Good morning, Squad Leader. It’s a pleasure to see you.”
“Yes.”
I lifted my head and continued.
“Um, I heard you helped arrange my paid leave. …Thank you.”“Yes.”
The lizard moved only his eyes to look at me.
“Can you perform your duties as you did two weeks ago?”
“Yes. I can work as before. Even if my initial results are lacking, I’ll regain my rhythm as quickly as possible.”
“I see.”
His vertical pupils scrutinized me intently.
“I’ll be the judge of that and provide any necessary support.”
Hmm.
By now, I’ve become fluent in interpreting his words.
‘Whether you excel or stumble, I’ll back you up—just keep working hard like you always do.’
Honestly, even if he looked and talked like a lizard, he’s a good boss. So who cares?
Still, that didn’t mean I can let my guard down.
‘I have to clear the Darknesses perfectly for a while.’
I’d already been granted paid leave.
If someone known for their swift, efficient work like me—the kind of employee who hit supervisor rank in just 60 days—came back from a break and couldn’t deliver results?
That would become a hot topic around the company.
It wouldn’t look good.
[Wait, nobody even died—everyone survived, didn’t they?]
[Hmm… Employee Kim Soleum seems oddly fragile emotionally.]
[But how could someone with such a weak mentality have achieved so much before?]
…That kind of talk.
‘It’s no good if suspicion starts swirling.’
I couldn’t give them any reason to doubt me.
‘I need to clear everything cleanly.’
Though… I hadn’t been able to purchase any reliable new items.
I recalled the message on the alien shop’s website that had been up during my entire vacation.
<Space Shopping Mall>
※ Redecorating (Temporary Closed) ※
>>I understand!
Alright.
The website was under maintenance.
‘I wonder when it’ll reopen.’
I haven’t seen any documents related to the site’s redecorating, so it should reopen soon.
Once the alien shop is back, I’ll check out the new stock and secure some items within my budget.
For now, I’ll focus on clearing Darknesses properly, getting back to basics.
‘They won’t send me into high-grade Darkness again for a while, I think.’
The strange emptiness left by reduced squad members was unavoidable, but quitting isn’t an option… so I’ll manage somehow.
I asked a bit more cheerfully on purpose.
“Do you think I’ll be deployed to a Darkness today? I heard there’s a high chance we’ll be sent to support another squad since we’re down to three members.”
“That’s correct.”
Oh.
“Which squad will we be supporting today?”
If I’m lucky, I might run into one of my yet-unmet peers…
“An elite unit.”
……
Huh??
Again?
“Do you mean the A-squad?”
“No.”
“…Then which team?”
“The C-squad.”
I knew no one at all from that squad.
The fact that it was an elite unit made me wary, but at least I wouldn’t have to see both the A-squad’s leader and Squad Leader Lee Jaheon in one place.
Wait.
Now that I think about it, I wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with the C-squad.
[K.LEE : This is Assistant Manager Lee Kangheon from the C-squad haha]
The suspicious assistant manager who introduced me to Salmon Market!
‘He did say he was from the C-squad.’
Maybe this time I’ll finally see him in person.
But a more pressing question came first.
If it’s an elite unit’s mission…
“Could it be a high-difficulty Darkness that’s hard to clear?”
“What criteria are you using to make that judgment?”
“…I apologize. That was thoughtless.”
“?”
“Um. Could you tell me its letter-class and whether a manual exists for it?”
“It’s D-class. The manual is fully prepared.”
Oh, then there’s little chance of seeing some crazy stunt where they use the Round-Off Team as human meat shields. Feeling relieved, I asked calmly.
“Understood. When should we depart?”
“We’ll move out in five minutes.”
Yessir.
We grabbed our gear and left the office, walking toward our destination.
But…
“……”
“……”
“Squad Leader.”
“Yes.”
“Why are we heading toward the annex instead of the C-squad’s office?”
“Because the C-squad has already entered the Darkness.”
“……”
Huh?
After a few more exchanges with Chief Lizard, here’s what I gathered:
[C-squad’s leader is on leave, leaving only two members in the unit.]
[Today’s mission involves a D-class ghost story.]
[Instead of adhering to the standard three-member team, the C-squad decided to fudge the numbers and dive in on their own, prompting the admin office to hurriedly assign additional personnel.]
“……”
Wow.
Back when I first joined, Assistant Manager Eun Haje had blown up in rage, swearing over how they counted a newbie as part of the three-person minimum.
‘And here we are with people willingly entering as just two…’
Ominous.
– Hmm, a member who doesn’t follow orders! A truly skilled host knows how to handle all elements of a show, especially human resources.
– Could today be your chance to learn that, Mr. Roe Deer? Let’s find out. Let’s charge forward, shall we, friend!
I want to sink to the ground in despair…
But I need points, and it’s true that I need to start diving into the Darkness again.
‘None of the elite units I’ve encountered so far have been normal…’
And I have a strong feeling this will be no different.
Still, as a half-year rookie supervisor, I have no choice but to follow orders. If I didn’t want this, I should’ve joined the A-squad… though if I had, I’d probably already be in the Round-Off Team as a corpse.
‘…Am I already feeling nostalgic?’
I forced myself to avoid thinking about my two superiors from the D-squad as I moved forward.
Squad Leader Lee Jaheon handed me a tablet.
“Spend the next ten minutes reviewing the manual.”
“Is there a reason I only get ten minutes?”
“Because time is tight before the entry closes, and the survival rate for the past two quarters has been 97%.”
Thank you for the reassuring explanation…
So we’ve reached the point where a 3% fatality rate is considered acceptable.
Honestly, in a scenario like this, the 3% who die even with a manual likely made terrible decisions or were extraordinarily unlucky.
‘It’ll be fine.’
With a mix of unease and resignation, I looked down at the tablet…
“……”
“……”
– Hmm? Mr. Roe Deer, it looks like your mind just went blank.
Yup.
Because I’m screwed.
========================
Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story
[Ignorance is Bliss]
: A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records>
: Daydream Inc. identification code – Qterw-D-2367
A textbook horror story where you must survive a full night among ghosts—an utterly nerve-wracking classic.
========================
“……”
Wait.
Wait just a second, Squad Leader…!
Instead of going on a mental break down and refusing to go in, I managed to make a rational suggestion.
“Sorry, could we possibly prepare for just thirty more minutes before entry, sir?”
“That is not possible.”
“……”
Right, they said the entry closes…
Not exactly a rational suggestion on my part.
“……”
Aaaaah! Seriously!!
Why does it have to be this one for my return mission?!