Chapter 045
“Th-this really is okay, right? Us going by ourselves? Is this really the right move?”
“It should be fine.”
Probably.
Understanding the omitted words, Go Youngeun swallowed back a scream.
After persuading their superiors, Kim Soleum left the terrace room with the two fellow rookies in order to “use” the item.
‘He must have done that on purpose to make it look logical.’
Since he had already said that one of them was the owner of the item, it would only be natural for that person to be the one moving.
…Though being grouped together with Baek Saheon as “us” felt a little unpleasant….
‘Still, he’s strangely quiet right now.’
But at the moment, what was going to happen next weighed on her mind much more heavily.
“Then I’ll take out the candle.”
Yes!
Go Youngeun returned the folded paper Kim Soleum had given her, and Kim Soleum unfolded it.
Then something astonishing happened.
A solid cylindrical lump of pale purple wax rolled down into his hand.
It was a real candle.
“…!”
The crayon-drawn mold was still faintly imprinted on it like an embossed pattern, making it immediately obvious.
The candle that had once only been a drawing had become real.
‘…Wow.’
Forgetting the situation for a moment, she was struck with admiration.
Now that she had heard a brief explanation of what he intended to do with that candle, anticipation swelled in her mind.
“One moment, please.”
After taking a deep breath, Kim Soleum pulled out a lighter and tried to light the candle’s wick.
Whoosh.
The flame brushed across the wick…
and nothing happened.
“……”
“……”
Why… isn’t it lighting?
Kim Soleum even demonstrated that insane ability of his by flicking a coin into the air and summoning a third hand, trying to light it that way too, but it still didn’t work.
“…Ah.”
As if he had suddenly remembered something, Kim Soleum pulled out the candle kit’s instructions and quickly read through them again.
“Is there a problem?”
“……”
Then he lowered the instruction sheet with a somewhat dry expression.
“No. I’m not sure.”
In truth, he knew.
At the very end of the chaotic dark-red handwritten instructions, under “Handling and Usage Precautions,” was one line.
The “recommended users.”
※This toy was created to relieve the fatigue of modern Earth humans.
For safety reasons, extraterrestrials, otherworldly beings, non-sapient beings, gods, and all other intelligent beings that are not human may not use it. 🙂
‘…I might not qualify.’
Because Kim Soleum wasn’t actually a person of this place.
A chill ran down his spine, but he knew that was not the priority right now.
He had to pass it to someone trustworthy.
Someone unlikely to make an impulsive move, and who possessed social sense and moral character.
“Ms. Sheep.”
“…!”
“I’m asking this of you.”
In the end, Go Youngeun swallowed and accepted the candle.
Then she took the lighter from him and, with trembling hands, held it to the wick.
Whoosh.
The flame brushed across the wick…
and it caught.
“…!”
And then letters began to appear from within the body of the candle, as if the light were shining out from it.
The keywords from the cards they had drawn.
[Honor] [Interference] [Lie]
-Do you remember the cards we drew when making the candle? They indicate what kind of ability the candle will have.
The explanation she had heard from Kim Soleum rose back into her mind, and at the same time, other phrases surfaced on the candle itself.
The supplicant bearing this candle must, with the aid of the power of interference, present a false form before an honorable target.
A blessing is bestowed upon the supplicant who bears the candle.
Imitator of Nobility.
Go Youngeun raised the candle.
A rounded orb of flame rose from the candle like a lantern light, circled once above her head, then disappeared.
And then the area around her grew softly brighter, like a tiny spotlight.
‘Wow……’
“It works exactly as expected.”
Watching it with a faint smile, Kim Soleum nodded and said,
“This candle’s field affects up to two people around Ms. Sheep, so Goat and I will follow behind you.”
“Yes.”
Go Youngeun did think it would have been better if they could have recruited someone other than Baek Saheon, but since Kim Soleum was the one who had made the item, she nodded without complaint.
Kim Soleum lowered his voice again.
“But there is one thing you need to be careful about. …Please do not look back at us. We need to remain hidden behind the one holding the candle in order to receive its effect.”
“……Yes.”
“And do not stare too closely at the candle. …Your mind may be eroded by it.”
Go Youngeun nodded slowly.
Tension gripped her shoulders, but she somehow regained her composure.
This was what she was good at.
“You said earlier that the exit is on one of the above-ground floors… so we’re starting from the middle floor, the fourth floor, right? That reduces the number of possibilities the most.”
“Yes. Good.”
They began walking.
Just imagining what was about to begin sent a chill straight through a person’s spine, but Go Youngeun clenched her teeth.
To think that the most timid person here was the one holding the candle.
‘I have to do my best.’
Without ever imagining that the biggest coward of them all was right behind her!
Tap, tap.
The footsteps of the three of them echoed through the brass-colored hall. Until they reached the fourth floor, there was, strangely enough, no sound of an attendant machine….
But that didn’t make her feel reassured.
Because their destination was…
“We found it.”
Right in front of an attendant machine.
“……”
The rookie employees of Baekilmong Co., Ltd., having followed the sound of machinery up to the fourth floor, finally found the attendant machine in charge of the fourth-floor corridor.
Kiiiiiiiiik.
“If you run now and step outside the candle’s range, it’ll come after you.”
“I know that, you know?”
The cold words exchanged between Kim Soleum and Baek Saheon made Go Youngeun’s heart run cold too.
It felt like those needle-like appendages might move at any moment and pluck out her eyes, but….
Swallowing hard, Go Youngeun stepped forward.
One step at a time.
Each time she moved closer, the image of the machine wavered in the candlelight.
Standing before the grotesque spider-shaped machine, Go Youngeun gave a small nod.
“Hello.”
Kiiiiiiiik.
The attendant machine moved.
Its eight needles rose into the air…
Then neatly folded into place and lowered themselves gently around the machine’s body.
And the machine lifted its head and politely directed its gaslight to the floor near Go Youngeun’s feet.
“…!”
It worked.
Go Youngeun swallowed.
At this moment, the candle’s blessing was being successfully applied to her.
A blessing that allowed her to imitate an honorable one.
-The first card indicates the target of the effect, the second indicates the method of the effect, and the last indicates the essence of the effect.
-If combined properly, it creates a lie that interferes with others in relation to something honorable….
-It’s probably an ability related to impersonation or deception.
And right now, Go Youngeun was impersonating the most suitable “honorable one.”
The target toward whom the attendant machine was the most friendly.
Namely…
‘A guest who has properly paid all their fees!’
In the calmest tone she could manage, Go Youngeun asked the attendant machine,
“If the answer to my question is no, please remain still, and if the answer is yes, please nod your head.”
Silence.
“……When guests finished viewing the exhibition and returned home, did they go to an upper floor from this above-ground fourth floor?”
……
“When guests finished viewing the exhibition and returned home, did they go to a lower floor from this above-ground fourth floor?”
Nod.
“……!”
It worked!
The one holding the candle was seized with exhilaration, but somehow managed to finish the exchange.
“Thank you. I’ll be on my way to continue viewing the exhibition.”
The attendant machine remained standing there quietly.
Until the three people within the candlelight had left.
The moment they turned the corner, Go Youngeun shouted without even realizing it.
“It worked…!”
“Please take it slowly. The candle will burn for about two hours, so the important thing is not to let it go out midway.”
“Yes!”
And then it repeated.
“When guests finished viewing the exhibition and returned home, did they go to a lower floor from this above-ground third floor?”
Nod.
“Thank you!”
It had worked again. The three rookies now moved forward, swelling with the thrilling hope of escape.
At this rate.
‘Then it’s either the first floor or the second…!’
The same prediction settled into all of their minds.
Go Youngeun bit her tongue and fought to keep from getting carried away.
‘Careful, careful!’
If she dropped the candle even once, it would all be over.
If she didn’t want to escape with her eyes and tongue, or her limbs, plucked out, she had to stay calm.
Just as she stepped forward, calm and deliberate—
Grab.
Something caught hold of her leg.
Go Youngeun froze and lowered her gaze.
There, instead of eyes, a person had telephoto lenses jammed into their sockets.
In a thoroughly ruined state, they had crawled across the floor, flailing, and grabbed the hem of her trousers.
“Ms. Sheep! Ms. Sheep!!”
“…!!”
“Take me with you!”
Group R’s Team Lead.
Go Youngeun’s superior.
I looked at the person in front of me, who had come to a halt.
I knew why.
Because someone was desperately shouting while clutching at the hem of the person in front of me!
“Ms. Sheep! Equipment—if you take me with you, I’ll get you equipment! You’ll be able to use equipment that’s at the manager level right away! Huh?!”
‘Ms. Sheep was in Group R.’
He was probably Group R’s manager.
But for someone who was supposed to be the leader of a Field Operations Team group, he looked too pathetic.
His limbs hadn’t even been collected as fees, but it was as if every one of them had been broken—he couldn’t even get up off the floor.
‘Looks like there was internal conflict.’
If he were a team lead, he should have been able to endure until the end with his personal equipment and items, hiding here and there. Seeing him in that state alone made it almost certain.
He was in a condition where the threat of death had risen right up under his chin.
And then, in that state, a rookie from his own group suddenly appeared carrying an item that looked anything but ordinary.
He had instinctively realized it was his last lifeline.
“Ms. Sheep! That’s an item, right! Haaah, l-looks good. Uh, let, let me come with you too, huh?”
“Wow, isn’t he scared at all? He sure talks a lot.”
Baek Saheon muttered quietly.
Then he said this to Go Youngeun.
“Should we see whether the monster machine comes when it hears sound? He doesn’t look like he can run away in that state anyway.”
“Huh? What kind of bullshit is that…”
“……”
Still begging Go Youngeun, Group R’s Team Lead looked up at Baek Saheon.
The telephoto lenses glinted.
“What group rookie are you from?”
“……”
“Ah. Right. Not important…. What matters is getting out of here. But look here……. The item our group rookie’s using, it’s in the form of a candle? So it’s a consumable.”
“…!”
“Flame… flame as the medium, hm, a defensive type? Yeah, that seems right…. Then if I do this, if I shake it like this! What happens if the flame goes out?”
“Ah—”
Go Youngeun, who nearly staggered for a moment, hastily steadied the candle.
‘This crazy bastard.’
Just as I was about to summon my personal equipment into the air and use three hands to tear Group R’s Team Lead away, the team lead latched himself onto Go Youngeun’s leg again.
“Even in this state, do you think I know less than some rookies?? Take me with you!”
“…You left me behind, Team Lead.”
Go Youngeun muttered in a voice so quiet it was eerie.
“When the machine came, you shoved me aside and ran.”
“…!”
Since the employees had all entered scattered apart, I had assumed Ms. Sheep just hadn’t run into anyone from her own group and had been walking around alone all this time….
So that was why she had been alone.
“No! I did what I could! I couldn’t die trying to save a rookie, so I left you! But right now you can take me with you! If the situation allows it, a person should act like a person!”
The team lead clung to her and shouted desperately.
No tears ran from the eye sockets that had turned into lenses.
“If you don’t take me, that’s murder, murder! Just try leaving me behind, you. I’ll wreck that item. No matter what it takes!! Uh…!”
Thud.
“…!”
Slump.
Group R’s Team Lead’s body went limp and toppled sideways.
Baek Saheon returned his left foot—after smashing the team lead in the temple—to where it had been.
“……”
And I, too,
pulled back into my glove the third hand that had struck the team lead on the back of the head.
‘H-he’s still breathing, right?’
No, only one of us should’ve hit him, but of course it overlapped at exactly that moment.
Either way, the disturbance seemed to have settled.
I looked at the collapsed, shabby office worker in his forties.
‘…Experience in field exploration really is experience.’
He had mixed together exactly the right balance of pleas that would prick at a rookie’s conscience and threats that would frighten them, spinning out absurd logic.
Go Youngeun was holding the candle steadily, but it looked as if, with shaking eyes, she was staring down at the wretched state of her direct superior….
And then Baek Saheon said lightly,
“Well then. Should we just tear off his head now?”
…What?
“No.”
“Either way, he’s going to die soon. He gets relief, and we get a fee to use if we need Plan B. There’s not a single downside, though?”
“Think of Ms. Sheep’s mental suffering when you say that. It would be hard for her to keep her composure after personally killing someone she knows.”
As Baek Saheon and I spoke from either side, Ms. Sheep’s face grew paler and paler.
“No, what kind of, no……”
“What are you talking about? When people need to survive, there’s nothing they can’t do. Of course she can do it.”
“She cannot. Don’t listen to him, Ms. Sheep.”
“Ms. Sheep….”
“Wait!”
“……”
“……”
“I’ll… just do this.”
After gripping the candle tightly, Go Youngeun kicked Group R’s Team Lead and shoved him into the dark corner beside a sofa.
Then she let out a long breath.
“This way, the machines won’t notice him right away…. Let’s go now. Before the candle burns down.”
“……”
I nodded.
But Baek Saheon frowned.
“You’re making things complicated. He’s going to die anyway.”
“…If your life was just saved thanks to a kind person, maybe don’t say things like that.”
“……”
Go Youngeun let out a long sigh.
“Still, thank you, both of you. I almost got dragged into something awful while wide awake.”
“It was nothing.”
Unexpectedly, Baek Saheon closed his mouth. I had thought he would sneer or try to wring something out of the situation, but surprisingly, he didn’t.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
We started down the stairs again.
The interruption and the incident were over now.
The finish line was right in front of us.
