“There’s even a basement floor here…”
In front of the staircase leading to the basement, half fear and half anticipation were written on Go Yeongeun’s face.
Baek Saheon scoffed.
“Yeah, I know how you feel. And the person standing next to us? Without any explanation, he somehow knew there was a basement and insisted we had to go to the first basement floor.”
“If you don’t want to go, we can just split up here.”
“……”
Baek Saheon fell silent.
Now that he had confirmed the basement existed, it seemed he wasn’t willing to miss the opportunity to see whether ‘Kim Soleum has something up his sleeve.’
I briefly explained to Go Yeongeun that I had used some special equipment to decipher the guide notice posted near the elevator and had identified a potentially useful space.
And so, we finally started down the basement stairs.“……”
“……”
The further we descended, the clearer it became.
‘The style has changed.’
The mansion, previously shimmering with a brass hue, now took on a darker bronze-like tone.
More avant-garde decorations began to appear.
For some reason, it felt like we were descending much deeper than the distance from the second floor to the first.
“……”
“……”
Eventually, stately, old-fashioned double-doors appeared beside the staircase.
– B1. That’s what it reads.
We had arrived.
I cautiously gripped one of the doors’ handles. After confirming that no mechanical noises could be heard from the other side, I carefully opened it.
What was revealed beyond the door wasn’t an exhibition hall or a corridor.
Go Yeongeun’s eyes grew wide.
“This is…”
“A lounge for visitors, I assume.”
It was a type of resting area.
The large hall was designed for comfort.
Luxurious armchairs and vintage tables were arranged throughout, and a bronze-hued fireplace burned warmly in one corner.
“Is this what you read about in the elevator?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, places like this are usually near a lobby. Maybe there’s an exit nearby?”
“I don’t know. But…”
“But?”
“The manual mentioned certain actions that were prohibited in the exhibition hall. I thought a ‘resting area’ might have fewer restrictions.”
That’s right.
The hope was that some actions forbidden in the exhibition hall might be allowed here.
“Things you couldn’t do… Oh, like eating!”
“Yes.”
2- Eating or drinking in the exhibition hall is prohibited.
“…But it’s not like we need to eat anything right now.”
That’s true.
“Not exactly. What I’m trying to do is something that’s considered part of eating and is therefore prohibited.”
“…What do you mean?”
I pulled out an item I had prepared from my bag.
[Easy and Fast Candle Making Kit]
“Open flames are prohibited, too.”
Now, it was time to create an escape tool.
* * *Go Yeongeun gulped nervously.
Right in front of her, an unbelievably capable colleague was doing something utterly ridiculous.
“Like this?”
Kim Soleum pulled a strange box from his satchel and quickly skimmed through the enclosed instructions.
But the box didn’t look ordinary at all. Why on earth would someone bring a candle-making kit?
‘I’ve never seen a brand like that before.’
The logo, ‘Cheerful Research Institute’, gleamed tackily alongside a bright smiley face, but the instructions Kim Soleum held were scrawled in messy handwriting with dark red ink.
It felt eerily strange.
Something you might encounter in a ghost story…
At that moment, Baek Saheon muttered,
“…An item?”
An item?
Instinctively, I turned to Kim Soleum, who answered quite kindly.
“Yes. A tool imbued with supernatural abilities.”
……!
“T-Then, isn’t that considered… Darkness?”
“It might depend on the classification method, but… it seems that objects with stable irregularities, portability, and no defined domain are referred to as items.”
“……”
How does Soleum-ssi know all of this…?
‘Aren’t we… both new hires?’
Why is there such a difference in knowledge?
And where on earth did he get that…?
For Go Yeongeun, who had prided herself as being among the top three most capable among the new recruits, the situation was bewildering.
‘And to top it off, he looks incredibly skilled at handling it…?!’
Noticing her gaze, Kim Soleum glanced back and, as if to justify himself, said,
“This is my first time making one too.”
It’s the truth!
While he had read the instructions several times and pondered how to use it, this was Kim Soleum’s first time actually crafting something.
However, from the perspective of a colleague who didn’t know he had already conducted three similar rituals, it was simply overwhelming.
No, someone like him… shouldn’t he be starting his own business instead of just finding a job?
Why is he tangled up in a horror show of a company like this??
But soon, cold reality brought her thoughts back into focus.
‘…It must be because of the Wish Ticket.’
A wish that couldn’t be given up.
Go Yeongeun nearly sank into mutual pity for their respective circumstances but quickly steadied herself.
For now, she just needed to focus all her energy on escaping.
…Even the rage at her R-squad leader, who had ditched her the moment a monstrous machine appeared, would be turned into fuel!
She only wished she could take back her earlier thoughts that this team, at least, wouldn’t have the usual workplace hierarchy issues or the stress of human relationships.
‘Die, Squad Leader!’
Still, thinking that her R-squad superiors might actually end up being brutally killed, with their eyes, noses, and mouths torn apart, felt oddly unsettling…
“It’s ready.”
“……!”
Go Yeongeun, who had been lost in thought, snapped her attention back at Kim Soleum’s voice.
Before she knew it, he had laid out a black piece of paper on the floor and drawn a small design on it with the provided crayon.
It was… um.
‘…A candle?’
Yes. It looked like a candle… or rather, a flat drawing that outlined a candle’s shape.
But Kim Soleum paid no mind and pointed with one hand to the cards placed near the drawing.
“You can see the cards, right?”
“Y-Yes.”
“Pick one of them.”
“……”
“It determines the item’s attribute.”
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