Chapter 70

... After that, things quickly settled down.

No, really, I had no choice but to calm down.

Because Lizard had begun questioning my earlier behavior.

["Mr. Roe Deer, were your questions last night intended to prolong a conversation with a ghost because you mistook me for one?"]

That sent a genuine chill down my spine.

["... Of course not. The back-of-the-hand clapping did catch me off guard, so I was keeping both possibilities in mind."]

And I gave my esteemed superior a figurative thumbs-up.

Meaning, I smoothed things over with flattery.

["I couldn't let a mistaken assumption that you were a ghost cost me my first opportunity to have an in-depth conversation with you, sir."]

["I see."]

["Thank you for taking so much time to kindly advise me."]

["Yes."]

Whew.

Incidentally, the Team C employees, who had enjoyed a peaceful night's sleep, woke before Team Leader Lee Jaheon and I left.

Then they chuckled.

"Ahh, so you two drew the short straws. Well, now."

"Wow. We were pretty scary, huh?"

"We sure were. Gave me chills."

Liars!

Watching them roar with laughter as they recalled what the ghosts impersonating them had done reminded me just how fearless this company's so-called elites were.

Oh, but first.

'Now that I have the chance, I could find out who referred me to Salmon Market.'

"Excuse me, may I ask your names?"

"Oh, absolutely!"

Supervisor Dolphin shot a hand into the air.

"I'm Supervisor Lee Seonghae, and that's Deputy Kang Dojun."

"..."

Huh?

Wait a minute.

The deputy who introduced me to Salmon Market was... Oh!

"Is Team C's leader named Lee Gangheon, by any chance?"

"Huh? Nope."

"..."

'I've been had.'

I'd thought he'd given me his personal details far too readily. Apparently, it had all been lies.

'Was he exploiting the fact that Teams A, B, and C are Elite Teams, so people on regular teams can't look up their names or contact details directly through the company directory?'

Well, it didn't really matter. It just made me glad I'd taken a roundabout approach to creating my account.

I was about to wrap up the conversation with something vague like, "I must have been mistaken," when it happened.

"Um, Supervisor Roe Deer."

While Deputy Leopard was talking to Section Chief Lee Jaheon, Supervisor Dolphin suddenly turned her head slightly and spoke to me.

"Did you happen to... get a KakaoTalk message offering to help you make money?"

"...!!"

"From someone whose profile picture has a Hawaiian beach in the background."

"Is this person well known?"

"Among people in the know, through word of mouth?"

Supervisor Dolphin glanced at her coworker. Once she had confirmed he wasn't paying attention to us, she hurried on.

"See, I was the top recruit in my intake too."

Ah.

"They contacted me too. That fish bears eat a lot of... Oh, screw it, Salmon Market. Salmon Market."

So she'd been phished too...

"A few other people with promising reputations got messages too!"

According to her subsequent explanation, the sender had used a different identity each time, but one thing had remained consistent.

[K.LEE: Oh hey there, Employee lol]

The profile picture and the name "K.LEE."

Supervisor Dolphin lowered her voice.

"Can I share my theory?"

"Of course."

"No matter how I look at it, I think the site's administrator sent those messages. To promote their secondhand marketplace and find people who could sell actual goods from Darkness!"

Oh.

"Do you think a company employee created the site?"

"At the very least, I think they're connected to the company! They knew way too much about the Field Exploration Team."

I see.

I rubbed my chin.

'If there really is an employee doing that...'

Wouldn't they be a Named Employee?

I mentally narrowed down the employees listed on the wiki to a few who might pull something like this.

"Thank you. That clears up a few questions."

"No problem."

Supervisor Dolphin smiled and shrugged.

"Do that many employees here use Salmon Market?"

"Quite a few, I'd say? The company doesn't really care as long as we don't sell our Dream Essence Collectors or masks. Kind of like letting soldiers loot during a war to keep up morale? Ugh."

She grumbled.

"Anyway, this company is seriously annoying."

I found myself nodding.

"It certainly does tend to undervalue human life."

"Oh, well, that... Humans dying is environmentally friendly, so I don't really mind that."

"..."

"The real problem is that they seem to kill people off way too randomly. If it were me, I'd definitely sort them by character before sending them off. Sheesh."

I... am scared of Team C.

"Anyway, that's the story."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Supervisor Dolphin answered brightly as she tied her long hair back.

"You were so polite even when I was a ghost, Supervisor Roe Deer. I think nice people should live long lives."

She gave me a big thumbs-up and grinned.

Um. Thank you.

At any rate, we parted with Team C on fairly warm terms.

"Let's meet in a Darkness that pays lots of points next time! We'll show you how awesome we are!"

"Even better if only one of you comes, so we get more points! Hahaha!"

Hmm.

'I don't want to go through anything that requires seeing an Elite Team show off in a Darkness...!'

Still, it seemed I could work with them more smoothly and with less friction than Team A.

Sure, Team C seemed to have something of a superiority complex too, but I could overlook that as a trait peculiar to Elite Teams.

... Except for the shocking ghost versions of Team C I'd seen today replaying endlessly in my head.

'Uuugh.'

Let's go home.

Let's indulge in the luxury of sleeping in broad daylight...

Feeling a small measure of gratitude that I was off duty today, I bowed to Section Chief Lee Jaheon.

"Thank you for today, sir. Let me thank you again for kindly answering all my scattered questions inside the Darkness."

"Yes."

"If you ever have anything you'd like to ask me, please feel free to do so anytime, sir!"

"Yes. I'll ask now."

"..."

Already?

Section Chief Lee Jaheon asked impassively,

"Mr. Kim Soleum. Have you used the Fox Counseling Office?"

"...!"

It was one of the three facilities I had gained access to upon becoming a supervisor.

1. Security Team Loan Warehouse

2. Annex (two free equipment-crafting sessions per year)

3. Fox Counseling Office

It was also the only one I hadn't tried yet...

"No."

Naturally. I hadn't had the breathing room or the opportunity.

"Do you plan to use it?"

"..."

Hmm.

"... Sir, you're recommending the Fox Counseling Office because it helps people recover from the psychological damage caused by contamination, correct?"

"Yes. I recommend scheduling a visit soon."

It was sound advice.

Except for one problem.

'That place has a side effect.'

In fact, the Fox Counseling Office had a particularly deadly side effect that wasn't mentioned in the employee manual.

Of course, the odds were so low that an ordinary employee wouldn't need to worry...

But I didn't want to risk that side effect, however unlikely it was.

... Besides, I was sick to death of probabilities right now.

'I think I can still manage.'

I didn't hear strange inner whispers or feel any desire to read the teaching manual unless I deliberately brought them to mind.

The late-night hours before I fell asleep were a little difficult, but having someone to talk to made them more bearable.

Braun, that is.

["My! I'm honored, my friend."]

Yeah.

I'd never imagined a monster from a ghost story would feel so much like a lifeline...

'Humans really are adaptable creatures, I suppose.'

Anyway, I was off duty today and could sleep during the day. If I kept catching up on sleep this way, I figured I'd be fine.

Outwardly, of course, I nodded obligingly.

"Yes. I'll schedule a visit as soon as I have time."

Of course, that time might not come for a while. Perhaps even months.

Still, it wasn't a lie.

"... Yes."

Section Chief Lizard stared at me for a moment, but accepted my answer and left.

And so I made it home safely...

"Whew."

CLICK.

I opened the door and entered my room.

The entire company housing building was quiet, probably because everyone was at work. Baek Saheon wasn't around either.

'Shall I get some sleep?'

After washing up, I lay down in bed and was about to make one last check of all my information sources and websites...

"...!"

When all my drowsiness vanished.

'It's open!'

The Alien Shop had finished its revamp and was displaying a new homepage.

The garish colors of the screen I clicked into assaulted my eyes.

<Space Shopping Mall>

>>I view the goods

★Grand Reopening Sale! ★

Amazing prices!

Wow, it really was... amazing.

The design, that is.

'How did they manage to make it even uglier?'

Meanwhile, pixels burst like fireworks. Every added color and effect made it more horrifying.

If these aliens were outsourcing the work, I wanted to talk them out of it.

"Mr. Roe Deer, please take pity on this Host and move me far away from that dreadful flyer."

I gladly placed Braun on a towel on the desk.

I'd bear this act of design terrorism alone.

'Anyway, they're having a grand reopening sale.'

That was a good opportunity. They might even have expanded their selection.

Feeling a little excited, I pressed the enter button.

Product List

Happy Maker - ₩27,999,999 ★

Nostalgia Candy - ₩12,999,999 ★

Wrapping Paper 12B357na - ₩9,999,999

Necronomicon - ₩49,999,999

We Help! - ₩66,666,666

Really, get 20% off purchases over ₩100 million!

Become a Space Shopping Mall VIP!

"..."

Wait a minute.

"It's here!"

"Mr. Roe Deer?"

I nearly sprang out of bed in excitement, but barely managed to calm myself.

"They finally have armor!"

"Ah, did you find what you were looking for? Congratulations are in order!"

They certainly were.

Wrapping Paper 12B357na - ₩9,999,999

'I absolutely have to buy this.'

It was even the cheapest item. What a fucking steal.

Only after adding it to my cart did I register that it cost ten million won, which brought me briefly crashing back to reality. But I had no intention of canceling the purchase.

Then, calming my excitement, I scrolled down to browse the other items.

"..."

"Friend? Is something wrong?"

"No."

Quite the opposite.

A little bewildered, I checked the list again, but it was real.

'Wait... I know every one of these items.'

This had never happened before.

Even the items without their own entries in <Records of Dark Exploration> had at least been mentioned, giving me enough to make reasonable deductions.

Of course, some of them were unsettling enough to almost qualify as ghost stories themselves. Still, perhaps because they were only words on a screen for now, their utility and how to use them came to mind first.

'Jackpot.'

Only then did I notice an unusual symbol.

Happy Maker - ₩27,999,999 ★

What was that star supposed to mean?

When I put my finger over it, an explanation appeared.

★ Similar to something you bought before!

'Oh.'

These aliens... I'd wondered why they'd revamped the site.

They'd actually introduced an algorithm. Products related to my previous purchases appeared at the top with stars!

'Shouldn't they have done the exact opposite, though?'

Clothes were one thing, but I doubted I'd go out of my way to buy similar items... Well, it would work for consumables I'd run out of.

Like this!

Nostalgia Candy - ₩12,999,999 ★

'It's from the Nostalgia series.'

It was made by the same outfit that produced the yarn-shaped restraint wrapped around my wrist when I'd been in Security's isolation room with the teaching manual.

A series built around the concept of returning your identity to "a happier time in the past."

In candy form, it would probably produce a similar effect by being eaten.

It must have appeared because I'd bought several edible products. It also had similarities to the Snow Mountain Apple.

'Definitely buying it.'

I was nearly out of mini apples anyway, both the juice and the whole fruit.

I immediately added the item to my cart and slowly examined the rest of the list...

'Pain relief, healing, armor, intimidation, emergency escape...'

Then I realized.

'All of these are good.'

Every one of them was useful. Knowing what they did let me judge that.

And besides.

Really, get 20% off purchases over ₩100 million!

"..."

A discount, huh.

'This isn't an opportunity that comes along every day.'

And if I added up my salary, all my side earnings, bonuses, and so on, then subtracted living expenses, the funds I had available came to...

'Up to 140 million... No, maybe even 150 million?'

"..."

"Friend, are you enjoying your shopping despite that abominable visual torture?"

"No."

"Hmm?"

"I just finished."

I looked at my cart.

Happy Maker - ₩27,999,999

Nostalgia Candy - ₩12,999,999

Wrapping Paper 12B357na - ₩9,999,999

Necronomicon - ₩49,999,999

We Help! - ₩66,666,666

= ₩167,666,662

※Discount applied! ※ : 134,133,329

Let's do it. Buy everything!