Chapter 107

... The Nameless Radiance Church.

While the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau sought to eliminate ghost stories, and Daydream Inc. sought to exploit them...

'The Nameless Radiance Church is a ghost story in itself.'

They worshipped ghost stories, believing them to be the origin of this world.

They were fanatics who believed that by discovering and nurturing ghost stories, and becoming meaningful presences in the world, they could be chosen by the Honored Name and attain eternal life.

'A full-blown doomsday cult.'

Honestly, of the three factions in <Records of Dark Exploration>, they were the one I felt least connected to.

'Not... my thing.'

Of course, I had read the wiki entries about the cult.

So I could bring up their wiki page just fine with the Memorial Griptok. The problem was that I hadn't been able to read the wiki for days.

'That's probably why I didn't catch on right away.'

But now that I'd identified the culprit, I could properly assess the situation: the bizarre loop that had begun during the nighttime containment room cleaning, and exactly what aspect of the Nameless Radiance Church had caused this nightmare.

I took a deep breath.

This was...

'A doppelgänger-type ghost story.'

A supernatural being that usurped someone's life.

One of the cult-themed ghost stories that had met with an explosive response and shot to fame when the Nameless Radiance Church was first added to the wiki.

To be precise, it was one of the ranks within the Nameless Radiance Church.

That insane cult assigned anomalous phenomena according to affiliation and rank!

And its name was...

* * *

Records of Dark Exploration / Ghost Stories

[Story Usurper]

: A power of the Nameless Radiance Church appearing in <Records of Dark Exploration>. Rank: fourth rank within the Mimic denomination.

A signature anomalous phenomenon of the Mimic denomination, which seeks to imitate others, steal their stories, and use them as narrative sustenance.

Those caught in this phenomenon are robbed of the possibilities of their stories. Prolonged exposure results in the loss of their very selves.

* * *

In wiki terms, this ghost story sprang from the fear of an unknown being replacing you or someone around you.

'The clearest sign is... behaving bizarrely in the guise of someone close to you.'

It appeared in the guise of various people known to its chosen target—a lover, a friend, someone they felt indebted to—to lull them into dropping their guard before staging a supernatural horror.

Its purpose was this:

Induce an intense desire in the target for the situation to be over. Obtain their tacit assent and consent, then steal their narrative.

And I had fallen for it... and been robbed of my narratives for the 29th and 30th.

A Story Usurper stole the possibilities in which its target could have done something else or made a different choice, claiming them for itself.

As a result, the target experienced the stolen portion as, "Before I knew it, time had passed without anything meaningful happening."

That was why I had been treated as having spent two dull days with "nothing particularly worth recalling," and regained awareness at around the same time the following day.

'Was the silver ring what kept it to just one day each time?'

One wrong step, and I could have lost my bearings and kept drifting along like this.

Once you couldn't make sense of anything and began doubting what was real, the situation would sweep you away.

'And that's how it sucks your whole life out of you.'

Thank goodness my mind had stayed intact enough to keep things from going that far...

“Ah, fascinating. Whew, I caught up faster this time.”

'Braun!'

From the little stuffed doll came the sounds of the Host making a show of catching his breath and brushing off his suit lapels, followed by his cheerful voice.

“You've handed over another day's worth of story, my friend! Hmm, but it seems your counterpart resorted to some clever tricks to induce that choice.”

“Was imitating the people around you part of that, Mr. Roe Deer?”

'Yes.'

First it had imitated Deputy Eun Haje, and then Supervisor Park Minseong, scaring me out of my wits.

Rather than reuse an identity I'd already seen through, it kept changing guises to steal my narrative...

“Oho. Then I wonder which ‘acquaintance’ you'll meet on the 31st, Mr. Roe Deer.”

“Who could it be imitating right now, on this third day...? We'll soon find out!”

“...”

I looked around.

There was no sign of Supervisor Park Minseong. Naturally, there was no sign of Deputy Eun Haje... either.

I was alone in the loan warehouse.

'... The lockdown lifted at the end of day two.'

Could that thing have left already, then?

But given a chance to steal the entire life of a person they'd marked as prey, Story Usurpers tended to pursue it obsessively, putting considerable effort into it.

'It wouldn't have guessed that I'd figured out what it was.'

In that case...

Someone I already knew, who could naturally appear here and put me at ease...

BEEP-BEEP.

[“It'll be... ten minutes soon... I'm coming.”]

“...”

My shoulders stiffened as I listened to the voice over the radio.

A moment later...

[BEEEEEP!]

[Lockdown is being lifted. Shutters opening....]

I stood up and looked ahead.

The door was opening.

The protective shutter over the exit from the Security Team Loan Warehouse reception rose, and the red lights turned green again.

And beyond the rising shutter...

“You're safe. Thank goodness...”

Security chief J3 was looking at me with his usual world-weary eyes, now carrying a hint of relief.

“The other employee... Oh, are they behind that door...? Um, are you okay?”

“...”

“Hello...?”

I straightened up... and turned my back on the security chief.

“Huh...?”

Then I stood facing the wall.

The thing was...

'When a ghost story takes on religious overtones, it usually comes with an exorcism method.'

There were procedures for dealing with transcendent beings. Like two sides of a mirror.

Insane as the Nameless Radiance Church was, it was no exception.

'There's a way to drive off a Story Usurper, too.'

I recalled the work rules I'd received on the first day.

The Honored Name? Anyway, the bastard shouts about some weird thing and offers to tell you how to be happy. Just swear at it a bit, and it'll shut up.

If you don't want to swear, just telling it to get lost is fine.

It was strange.

Even if that second sheet had been contaminated, the hint had been correct.

Because...

“Get lost.”

The way to drive this thing off really was to "recognize its identity in advance and reject it completely."

It needed my tacit assent and consent to steal my time?

Then all I had to do was refuse to give them.

So...

“Um, what's wrong...?”

“Get lost.”

Still looking away, I declared it again.

...

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Really? Really?

After giving it to me twice?

“Get lost.”

“Roe Deer. Since when did you get such a foul mouth? Whatever else, talking to your superior like that is...”

“Get lost.”

“Whoa! Come on, Roe Deer. That's going too far! We need to finish cleaning. I just want to help you.”

“Get lost.”

“I don't want to... Look, I'll just stay here... Honestly... it's not like I said anything nasty to you...”

“Get lost.”

“...”

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

What a shaaaaaame.

The voice behind me warped.

You reject the grace bestowed upon us, insignificant creatures whose lives cannot affect even a single letter of this world's origin. What a shame.

If you handed over your paltry story, we would fill it with the radiant grace of the Honored Name. The Honored Name would look upon me. What a shame.

“Get lost.”

What a shame...

I gritted my teeth.

“Get lost.”

The strange whispering behind me subsided.

And then...

It went quiet.

“...”

Apparently, it had given up on targeting me.

'Whew...'

The release of tension nearly made me collapse, but I held on. Instead, I kept doggedly thinking.

I hadn't heard any footsteps yet. The moment it moved somewhere else, I'd get the hell out of here and report it to Security. That should do—

BEEP-BEEP.

“...!”

The radio in my pocket sounded.

A familiar voice... came through.

[“I'm here... Hmm.”]

“I'm here... Hmm.”

But I could also hear the same voice nearby, in person.

“...”

Very slowly, I turned my head toward the loan warehouse entrance.

Outside the door stood security chief J3, watching us with a blank expression.

'Is that really him?'

No, this was definitely the real one!

I hastily opened my mouth to explain the situation, but...

“...! Jay.”

... A voice came from behind me.

A voice that sounded bewildered.

I turned my head farther to look behind me.

The Nameless Radiance Church's ghost story standing there was now wearing an orange cleaning uniform.

“I don't understand what's going on.”

Black hair. Mid-to-late twenties. A pale-looking man, glancing between the security chief and me with a shocked expression.

Kim Soleum.

The thing that had copied my current appearance perfectly looked at me and spoke in a flustered tone.

“What is... Can we get caught up in phenomena like this while cleaning, too?”

It was imitating me.

'Fuck...!'

A chill ran down my spine.

Urgently, I looked at the security chief and spoke in a calm voice.

“Jay, that thing is a member of the Nameless Radiance Church.”

“The Name... What are you talking about? Jay, do you happen to know what's going on? This seems to be a Darkness...”

“Jay! Don't answer. Just listen and make your judgment. The moment you answer, you'll get drawn into the situation.”

“...”

“If you want to verify anything, say it to the wall, on your own... No, ideally, just shout at everyone to get lost. That's the safest option.”

The security chief watched us silently, his face unreadable.

Then I heard ‘Kim Soleum’ speaking beside me, his voice trembling faintly.

“I... don't really understand what that means.”

What?

“Think about it, Jay. I just... came here to clean for three days. I only realized this phenomenon was a Darkness because the... something beside me said so.”

“...!”

“It's more natural for me not to know what's in Security's containment rooms. Jay, please think logically. Doesn't... this make more sense?”

“Oh, that's quite convincing.”

It sure was. Damn it...!

“And... I'm so relieved you came. I'm sorry to have put you in this situation...”

“...”

'It's a damn smooth talker.'

Just what you'd expect from a cultist. I gritted my teeth.

Then again, I'd nearly fallen for it myself when it appeared as Deputy Eun Haje on the first day.

'How on earth... did Supervisor Park Minseong realize it wasn't Deputy Eun Haje?'

I desperately tried to recall that moment.

What had tipped him off?

'I don't think there were any holes in its logic back then, either...'

What was it?

Something off that only a longtime acquaintance would notice?

A nuance in the conversation?

'Or...'

As I desperately reviewed and considered the possibilities, that gentle, composed voice sounded beside me again.

“Um, Jay. Please don't feel guilty. Just act according to your own judgment. I'll accept it.”

...

Ah.

'I've got it.'

So that was it.

I pressed my fingers to my temple and spoke.

“Jay, look at the purpose behind what we're saying. Which of us is trying to keep up a friendly conversation with you at all costs, and get you invested in the situation?”

Back then, Deputy Eun Haje...

Had been far too friendly for the situation.

Someone desperately trying to escape imprisonment wouldn't act that way.

'No, the real Deputy wouldn't have taken the risk of revealing herself and trying to persuade us in the first place. She would have hidden and slipped out.'

She had an item to help her, and all she needed to do was wait for the lockdown to lift.

She would never have decided that talking to us right then was worth the risk.

A strange response that didn't fit the situation.

So...

“In this strange, dangerous situation, which of us is going out of their way to make unnecessary social overtures? ... Which of us has an ulterior motive?”

I spoke calmly.

“That doesn't mean you have to believe me, either. This ghost story will disappear if you just shout at it to get lost and ignore it. Or you could call in other Security personnel...”

“Hmm.”

The security chief straightened up.

Then...

“This one, then.”

The black foreclaws of a gigantic wolf-like monster descended over my head like a guillotine blade.

'Fuck...!'

Before I even had time to close my eyes—

THWACK.

A head went flying.

The head of the mimic standing right beside me.

“...!!”

SPLAT.

The huge, twisted, shadow-like forepaw lifted from the crushed corpse with a cracking sound. Leaving an immense pressure in its wake, it swept past me...

And became the security chief's arm again.

“Um.”

“...”

“Are you okay...?”

Looking down at my orange cleaning uniform, drenched in the mimic's blood, I slumped heavily to the floor.

“...!”

“Yes. Thank you.”

I was alive.