Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work

Chapter 19.1

The psychopathic doctor pushed his researcher into the ghost story exploration as a sacrificial lamb.

He was probably trying to observe how the people from the Field Exploration Team would die in even stranger ways by creating synergy with that researcher.

The problem is that I’m on the same team as that researcher.

‘Phew…’

I pulled myself together.

My ears, rather than my eyes, were the first to sense the ghost story.

– ♩♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪

The cheerful sound of a melodica and orchestra.

It was the typical BGM of a theme park.

“Hah…”

When I opened my eyes, we found ourselves in the middle of an old-fashioned, colorfully painted theme park.

– Hahahaha!

The laughter of children echoed around.

However, there were no bare human faces to be seen anywhere.

The only things wandering about were the mascots.

In the distance, I thought I saw visitors in mascot costumes, but if you tried to approach, they would disappear like a lie.

‘That’s the kind of place this is.’

I immediately checked my wrist.

[(Cheerful) Fantasyland Admission Ticket □□□]

Three blank spaces.

‘As expected.’

It’s that insane amusement park inside a board game, where you can only escape by riding three attractions.

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Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story

[Cheerful Theme Park!]

: A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records>

: Daydream Inc. identification code – Qterw-B-11

An amusement park within a board game themed around various fantasy lands.

If you use three major attractions after entering this ghost story, you can return home.

This ghost story became more famous because of the supplemental booklet titled ‘Cheerful Theme Park User Guide’, written by people who played the game while in a state of delirium.

If you’re looking for a game based on this ghost story, click this link.

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There are many theme park ghost stories. But among them, this one is particularly famous in the <Dark Exploration Records> due to its bizarre, peculiar nature and relentless horror.

‘They even had goods inspired by this theme park at the pop-up store.’

It also gained a cult following through the supplement, <Cheerful Theme Park User Guide>.

They call it a so-called ‘Neapolitan ghost story’.

‘And it’s a B-Class.’

Gloom-Class Darkness.

Civilian survival rate… 2%.

The four civilian survivors must have been extremely lucky to make it out alive.

If we compared the list of missing persons who disappeared without a trace before, we’d probably find quite a few cases where they all died in this ghost story.

Cold sweat trickled down.

‘…The people in D-squad are probably in danger.’

But for now, I had my own crisis to deal with.

Because I was the one stuck with the variable called ‘the researcher got dragged into it’!

“Uwaah, huff… huff… Let me out, this is wrong, wrong…!”

“Quiet!”

I covered the researcher’s mouth, who was having a fit, and made him crouch down.

At that moment.

Clunk.

All the mascots in the theme park turned to look at the researcher who had been wailing.

“……”

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Cheerful Theme Park User Guide (Applicable up to Exploration Record #64)

3- Please refrain from expressing negative and intense emotions such as crying, wailing, or screaming!

They do not suit the atmosphere of the cheerful theme park.

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It was nothing short of a nightmare.

I fought hard not to close my eyes.

3…

2..

1.

The noise returned.

– Hahahaha!

– ♩♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪

The stares disappeared.

As the lively atmosphere of the theme park returned, I slowly let go of the researcher.

An employee from A-squad struck the researcher on the jaw.

“……!”

Thud.

After the short, dull sound, the A-squad employee, wearing a butterfly mask, gripped the researcher’s jaw and leaned in close, speaking in a low, eerie voice.

“Hey.”

“……!”

“If you whine like that one more time, I’ll start by killing you.”

“Hiie, hiiieek—”

The researcher, with a terrified expression, stumbled backward and collapsed to the ground, clutching his head.

He seemed to be muttering things like, ‘This is a dream,’ ‘It’s a lie,’ mixed with curses, clearly in a state of panic.

“…Wasn’t that a bit excessive?”

A new employee from Y-squad spoke cautiously, but the A-squad employee ignored him.

Instead, she turned to me and asked.

“Hey, newbie. I heard you were the top recruit? Your judgment’s pretty good.”

“…Thank you.”

“Did you get your specialized equipment?”

Hmm.

So, she’s treating me as a fellow employee, at least.

‘Not part of the elite team, but still the top recruit?’

I thought it was a ridiculously one-dimensional standard, but I answered politely without showing it.

Yes, I had specialized equipment.

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

“A finger that can remotely touch things. It has limitations on time and usage.”

That was all I said.

And I had a question of my own to ask.

“What kind of weapon do you use, Assistant Manager?”

“Not that it’s your business… Hmm, fine.”

The A-squad employee pulled at her index fingernail.

It was a fake nail, the kind used for nail art.

A sticky substance stretched out from the underside of the detached nail.

It was a translucent thread.

“It can stretch endlessly, and it’s pretty strong.”

“…That sounds extremely useful for various purposes.”

“Hmm. Yeah, I guess so.”

She seemed to be in a better mood.

I immediately nodded and asked.

“May I ask your name?”

“Just call me Assistant Manager Jin. What’s with the awkward introductions?”

Isn’t it just basic courtesy when people meet for the first time…?

Anyway, her surname’s unique enough to identify her right away.

‘Maybe… it’s this employee.’

– Assistant Manager Jin Nasol sneaks into the murderer’s bedroom, sets the clock to 4:44.

– When asked, “Do you have any particular grudge against carrots?” Jin Nasol answers seriously. No special remarks.

– Cuts off the limbs of a teddy bear (Executor: Employee Jin Nasol).

And so on.

There weren’t enough descriptions to deduce her personality in detail, but she seemed to be portrayed as a competent and rather cold employee.

At that moment, the new recruit from Y-squad quietly asked me.

“…What exactly do you mean by specialized equipment?”

Ah, right. It made sense that he wouldn’t fully understand yet.

“Oh, you can customize equipment using Darkness from the company—”

“Hey. Let’s move quickly. Observation comes first in large-scale Darkness like this.”

“……”

“What are you waiting for, top recruit? I said, let’s move!”

She cut me off without hesitation.

Without waiting any longer, I followed Assistant Manager Jin from A-squad, who had already started walking, and responded.

“Yes. I’ll explain the situation to my colleague as we move.”

“What? Why bother with that… oh.”

The mouth beneath the butterfly mask curled into a strange smile.

“What, you really don’t know?”

“……”

“Well, do as you please.”

I didn’t argue back.

Instead, I roughly explained to the new recruit from Y-squad what ‘specialized equipment’ was.

I added this to ease any tension within the team.

“I thought long and hard about it and ended up using quite a lot of points to get mine. Things can be scary from now on.”

“I… see.”