Chapter 42

I trudged along.

Here I was, quietly walking through an exhibition that plucked out people's eyes. With a human-garbage-type character from a ghost-story universe beside me, no less.

'I wish Baek Saheon would just keep his mouth shut and serve as my human good-luck charm.'

Several times along the way, I had spotted hideously disfigured shadows crawling across the floor in the distance. Each time, I couldn't have been more grateful to have another person beside me...

'Just don't let my guard down. That's all.'

Braun spoke to me, sounding rather amused.

-You have such an entertaining way of speaking to this fellow, Mr. Roe Deer. You're like a different person.

'Don't like it?'

-Not at all! It's fascinating. It's as though you've created a somewhat exaggerated... persona for a show.

Hmm. Close enough.

-So your objective is to leave this magnificent exhibition quickly, of all things?

Correct.

And...

'I've already planned our escape.'

Having confirmed that this was listed as the seventeenth exploration record in <Records of Dark Exploration>, I'd devised an escape method tailored to that case. I'd even decided which of my items to use.

-Oh!

-But must you call it an escape? Surely you could simply stop any employee and ask to be shown to the exit. I imagine they'd kindly oblige!

That was where the trouble began.

'This exhibition uses machines as attendants.'

Those monsters that swung their spiderlike legs around.

-Hmm. And?

'And each machine only knows about the section it's in charge of.'

* * *

An attendant is stationed in each section of this exhibition for our visitors' convenience.

Past visitors frequently refer to these attendants as “monsters” in their accounts, but they are Metrilkiosk-type automated steam dolls.

These vintage models date to Imperial Year 62627. Their somewhat limited memory allows them to learn only information about their assigned sections, but they are artistic collectibles of great historical significance.

Please refrain from derogatory expressions to ensure a wholesome viewing experience.

* * *

What that meant was that to ask about an entrance or exit, you first had to reach a section containing one and speak to an employee there.

And if too much time had elapsed by then... you would undergo the horrific experience of having your “fee collected” and being reborn as a human grub.

Even figuring out which section contained an exit was extraordinarily difficult in the first place.

'But there are clues.'

I stopped walking. I'd found what I was looking for.

“... An elevator?”

Before Baek Saheon and me stood an elegantly old-fashioned elevator of the early modern sort. A metal gate barred its brass-colored entrance, where a small light bulb gleamed.

Like any other elevator, it had a sign on the wall beside it listing the floors and instructions for use.

Except that the writing was utterly unreadable to us.

'One more thing that makes exploration harder.'

The difference in writing systems.

Baek Saheon frowned.

“... You're going to ride this?”

“Who knows?”

“We can't even tell what floor we're on. Are you out of your mind?”

I stared at him in silence. He hastily averted his eyes.

'Of course I wouldn't.'

But I had a ghost-story talk-show host who claimed to be fluent in every language!

'Braun. Could you read these elevator instructions for me?'

-An easy task, my friend!

-Ahem.

Braun cleared his throat, then explained in a kindly voice...

-It says an attendant is permanently stationed in this elevator. Simply state your desired floor, and you may enjoy the service of having the button pressed for you. Oh, how delightfully old-fashioned...

Meaning that riding the elevator guaranteed an encounter with an attendant—and having your eyes plucked out.

I already knew that, but I couldn't help swallowing.

'Anything about the exits?'

-Unfortunately not! It's chiefly a description of the floors and their exhibits.

-And you are currently on the second floor, Mr. Roe Deer. ... Oh, one moment. There is also an account of this mansion's history.

“...!”

That information hadn't even appeared in <Records of Dark Exploration>.

'Keep going.'

-Of course, my friend!

-This is the country residence of a noble collector of exceedingly... exalted standing. Through his charitable desire to share his art and philosophy, an endless exhibition is being held here!

-Furthermore, this historic mansion apparently consists of seven aboveground floors and 7,221 basement levels.

“...”

Hold on.

What?

'...7,221 basement levels?'

-Indeed. Hmm, he must have been collecting for quite some time!

I froze.

'... I did know there were basement levels.'

They hadn't been described at first.

The early exploration records of this ghost story, <Mansion of the Blind>, chronicled people who were lucky enough to escape from the aboveground floors, or who failed to get out and died there.

Those proved popular with readers.

The records were updated at a frenzied pace, growing longer as the story's universe expanded.

Then one of the explorers came to a realization.

* * *

The twenty-third record is the testimony of a visitor who entered the basement levels via the elevator.

* * *

That basement levels existed.

And so came a succession of records in which people who couldn't find a way to survive aboveground descended underground.

The bleak, chilling terror of watching them go down, ever farther down, in search of an exit.

From that point onward, this ghost story was classified as cosmic horror.

Exploration records designed to leave readers breathless and reeling.

One record even featured someone who gave up on escape and kept descending, half out of their mind.

* * *

This is the testimony of a visitor who viewed the exhibition area on basement level 105.

Employee 753: The wretched, horrific things I cannot see with my ears are truly beautiful. A framework of ■■ is formed, and a human's ■■ ■s. Die for this.

There are no further records.

Thank you for your meaningful impressions. We will devote ourselves to maintaining the exhibition to provide an even more moving experience.

* * *

The deeper you went, the more the floors were packed with bizarre, alien collectibles beyond human endurance. Amid the terror of countless words that could no longer be recorded in human language being censored, leaving only bleak blanks...

Thousands more unknown levels lay benea—

SLAP.

I slapped my own face.

“...?!”

Get a grip.

'There are multiple exits.'

Their locations changed each time an exhibition began, but that fact did not.

Hadn't I read records of people escaping through exits on different floors during the same visit?

'I can do this.'

It didn't matter how astronomically vast this place was, or whether it stretched into spaces beyond human comprehension.

There might be an open exit nearby.

I had information from over a hundred explorations, including a record of this very visit. I'd be an idiot to stand here in despair.

'Even if the exact floor wasn't specified, I know all the clues.'

I needed to move quickly instead of being overwhelmed by the ghost story's scale.

Don't be an idiot... Pull yourself together!

'... All right.'

I took a deep breath and headed for the stairs beside the elevator.

“Wait, so we're not taking the elevator... How can you just move on without knowing where we are!”

“Second floor.”

“...?”

“We're heading to basement level one.”

“The basement? There's a base... No, we're on the second floor? How can you be sure?”

“Braun told me.”

“...”

“Grateful, aren't you?”

“...”

-You're most welcome!

Surprisingly, Baek Saheon didn't run away this time either.

Hmm. I should keep treating him about like this.

* * *

Even downstairs, it was the same magnificent mansion, with identical lighting and not a single changed decoration.

The dim, brass-colored, shadowed scenery continued. It felt as though I was seeing the same floor over and over.

Though even that ended when the stairs disappeared one floor down.

'... These stairs don't lead underground.'

For now, I decided to search the first floor for another staircase or some other way to get around.

Naturally, there was no more idle chatter with Baek Saheon.

We were hearing mechanical sounds around us with increasing frequency.

'We're getting closer to the main exhibition hall, where rotating attendants maintain a near-constant presence.'

As we moved silently, practically crawling, I raised my head and saw a huge sign just below the ceiling.

'Here it is.'

The sign for the main exhibition hall.

Adorned with antique carvings, it bore exceedingly elegant... unreadable writing.

-“The Power of Emotion.” What an unusual exhibition title!

“...!”

I'd read about this exhibition in <Records of Dark Exploration>. Even reading the words had made my skin crawl...

'Holy shit.'

I firmly suppressed the urge to turn around that instant.

'If I'm going to explore in search of an exit, I'll have to see it sooner or later.'

When I needed to establish a route, avoiding a “safe” exhibition would be idiotic.

So I gritted my teeth and slowly approached...

The instant I peered through the open doorway, its ornate relief decorations gleaming, the exhibition space spread out before me.

Along with a sound that rolled over me like a wave.

“AAAAAAAAAH”

I saw countless shouting human mouths.

Teeth and tongues, to be precise.

Beautiful baroque frames containing human oral cavities densely covered an enormous wall.

They recited poems, each in a different voice and language, as though fitted with artificial vocal cords.

The hundreds upon thousands of frames harmonized to create astonishingly strange chords and scales.

And...

The grubs writhing on the floor beneath them.

“Huuuuuh, huuugh.”

People who could no longer utter human language writhed with unlit buttons fitted into their eye sockets.

Their fees had been collected so many times that they had all but lost their human appearance.

In contrast to the neat, beautiful display of frames containing nothing but mouths, it was even... even...

'Ah.'

I felt like throwing up.

The horror left me dizzy, and I looked down at the floor.

Calm down. I had to calm down.

'They aren't even company employees.'

They must have been trapped here for days already.

Those poor... No, I couldn't dwell on them now. Let it pass out of my mind, as much as possible...

SCREEEECH.

Before long, the shadow of an attendant machine approached from far away.

Baek Saheon and I held our breath, climbed into a nearby ventilation duct, and lay flat.

The attendant machine's shadow moved among the grubs.

It seemed to be finding bodies that had stopped moving, picking them up, and carrying them away...

Mechanical sounds alternated with the sound of corpses being dragged.

“...”

“...”

After several suffocating minutes...

“Hey.”

“...”

“It took the bodies. So corpses have value too, right? As payment?”

What the hell was wrong with this bastard?

“If they had any value as payment, it wouldn't have left them like that until they died without collecting.”

“Ah, I see.”

Did I really have to listen to this insane crap even now? Exhaustion surged through me.

And I had to make up lies on top of it.

'If I'm being completely honest... of course they have value!'

It probably only collected nonessential parts like eyes, noses, and mouths while we were alive because it treated us as “visitors”!

Surely it would consider brains and spinal cords valuable too. I thought there had even been floors displaying those.

But I couldn't tell this bastard that. Given the chance, he'd suggest carrying those people's corpses around to use as payment.

So I kept my mouth shut. And then...

“...!”

With the attendant machines gone, the first-floor main exhibition hall was empty.

People who had been hiding here and there in the darkness beneath corner tables hurried out, whispered together, then scattered and began running.

Wearing masks.

'Employees...!'

The shapes of their masks and their suits left no doubt.

They were field exploration employees from our company, deployed alongside us. They seemed to be narrowly evading the machines by cleverly hiding outside their routes.

“Hey.”

What now?

“If we spot any rookies among them, let's get them to join us. Better to have one or two more, right?”

“Why?”

Baek Saheon looked at me as if I were asking the obvious.

“We need bait to use if we run into a monster.”

God, this fucking guy.

I deliberately tilted my head in apparent puzzlement.

“I already have some.”

“What?”

“You.”

Baek Saheon's face stiffened before relaxing again.

“Right. I want to bring someone along as bait too.”

“Good idea. Tell them you're going to use them as bait.”

“...”

“I told you, didn't I? You should at least be as considerate as me.”

Looking appalled again, Baek Saheon shut his mouth.

I was the one who was appalled. This exhausting bastard...

'I miss you, Team Leader Lizard.'

I missed that working professional of few words.

But when I saw the final figure emerge from behind a sofa outside the exhibition hall and run off, I jolted in surprise.

“...!”

An employee I knew.

“...”

“...! What are you do...”

After a moment's hesitation, I climbed out of the duct.

I waved, and the other person startled at the sight of me before hastily lowering her voice.

“...! Sol... No, Mr. Roe Deer? Is that what I should call you?”

“Yes, Ms. Mountain Goat.”

Go Youngeun.

The rookie who had wholeheartedly supported me on the subway stood there. Had she said she'd dropped out of medical school?

“Were you deployed too, Mr. Roe Deer? Well, first of all, I'm glad you're safe.”

“... Thank you.”

At any rate, wearing the sheep mask she'd been given, Go Youngeun looked far calmer than when we'd first met.

Though her eyes were a little bloodshot.

'Has she gotten used to the job...?'

I was almost moved by the fact that rational conversation was possible even in this insane situation.

She scanned our surroundings warily and lowered her voice to a near-whisper.

“There's a blocked window nearby that I've been trying to open. Did you happen to see anything like a crowbar on your way here? I don't think we should use the exhibits...”

“You can't.”

“Sorry?”

“You're trying to get out through the window, aren't you?”

“... Shouldn't I?”

No.

Windows were mentioned exactly once in this ghost story's exploration records. Know what it said?

* * *

The nineteenth record is the testimony of a visitor who reportedly attempted to pass outside through a window. However, we will omit it at our discretion due to credibility concerns.

This exhibition has no windows.

* * *

A land mine.

I came up with a plausible reason.

“I have a feeling that going through a window would take you physically outside the mansion. ... Not back to our original world.”

“... Ah.”

Go Youngeun went pale.

“You're right. This isn't reality... So we need to find a door that counts as an exit.”

“That's what I think too.”

“But we don't even know what floor we're on...”

“I checked. This is the first floor.”

“...! How... No, hold on. The first floor?”

Hope flashed in her eyes.

“Then there's probably a door nearby! Exhibition entrances are usually on the first floor, so if we search thoroughly...”

I forced my reluctant mouth open.

“... Entrances are usually on the first floor because we live with our feet on the ground.”

“Well—”

“Can we be sure this ghost story's original visitors do too?”

“...”

Go Youngeun clamped her mouth shut.

She seemed to understand immediately.

'How can you be sure a monster would put its door on the first floor?'

Soon, helplessness settled heavily over her face. Just like mine a few minutes earlier.

“Then... wh-what do we do? Was asking that monster machine earlier the right answer? B-but I can't run into a machine again. I don't have any more chances...”

“What do you mean, no more chances...?”

“...”

She hesitated, then gently brushed back her hair.

Where an outer ear should have caught the strands...

There were only stitches.

“My ears. It t-tore off my ears.”

“...”

“I kept gesturing, saying, 'My ears instead of my eyes! My ears instead of my eyes!' And... it listened. It doesn't even hurt. It's really strange...”

Go Youngeun trembled faintly.

“And I think it put something weird inside... I-I can hear, though? Um, I have no idea how it works... An artificial cochlea or eardrum?”

Ah, damn it.

“I'll be all right, won't I? I mean, um, they sell organ-regeneration potions or something at the employee store...”

“You'll be all right.”

I assured her immediately.

“You'll be fine. Let's focus on getting out.”

“... Yes.”

Her breathing steadied again. For someone who'd suddenly lost her ears, she had superhuman mental fortitude.

Honestly, I admired her a little.

Apparently, someone else didn't.

“Shall we get moving? Let's not waste too much time.”

“...! Mr. Baek Saheon.”

The moment the goat-masked Baek Saheon emerged from the duct, Go Youngeun's eyes sharpened with alarm.

“Wait, you're traveling with him?”

“It worked out that way, yes.”

“... I see.”

She watched the goat-masked Baek Saheon as though keeping him under surveillance, but she didn't cut ties with me. She came along.

'Thank you...'

You have no idea how long it's been since I've had a normal traveling companion.

After dealing with psychopaths and possessed people, I could barely see through my tears.

Though Go Youngeun did mutter under her breath.

“He even got a mask that suits him perfectly... Did you know goats symbolize the devil in the West?”

“Wow. Did you know sheep symbolize sacrificial lambs?”

“That's more useful to humanity than the devil.”

Baek Saheon gave her a sneering, utterly unconvinced look, and she ignored him.

-Is this an interlude? It feels like a comedy sketch.

Yeah.

The problem was that this wasn't a sketch. It was actually happening...

'I think our party synergy is screwed.'

But we were steadily nearing our destination.

'...!'

Found it.

A staircase leading underground appeared at the far end of the corridor.