A rainy Monday afternoon.
The members of Field Exploration Team’s D-squad were furiously writing up the situation report, finishing it with record speed, even submitting it under the squad leader’s ID for approval.
The reason?
A rookie who cleared a time-limited ghost story way too fast!
“Wasn’t the time limit supposed to be three days?”
“It was.”
Sitting across from the rookie on the sofa, Assistant Manager Eun and Supervisor Park laid out snacks they had scavenged from the break room. They exchanged glances and nodded. It was finally time to ask the question properly.
“So how did you get out so fast?”
“Oh.”
The rookie seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding as if he understood and calmly answered,“I sped up the time.”
‘He’s saying that as casually as if he’s talking about what he had for lunch…!’
Before they could even react, the rookie slowly explained the method he used.
“Since there was a time limit, I thought there must be an event that signals the passing of time. I focused on that…”
He explained how he used the expiration date to trigger a ‘time alarm’.
The superiors, who had been listening in silence, thought to themselves:
‘He’s a genius.’
‘No way we’re letting him quit.’
The rookie’s instinct and logic were sharp enough to instantly grasp the essence of the ghost story. His abilities were perfect for the Field Exploration Team. They absolutely had to make sure he couldn’t esca… no, that he could soon adapt well!
“I’m not one to be saying this, but welcome to the squad, Roe Deer-nim.”
“You’ll probably outrank me soon and get promoted to assistant manager.”
“……!?”
This kind of rookie doesn’t come around often!
“When you succeed, don’t forget us… and when you get that Wish Ticket, make sure to come brag about it…”
The rookie looked a bit flustered.
“No, um… actually—”
“Hm?”
The rookie added, as if confessing something serious,
“I just wanted to get out quickly because I was scared.”
“……”
Since when could someone escape a scary urban legend by being scared? It felt like the kind of mind-altering thing you’d only see in an escape room.
‘Is this humility, or…!’
But the rookie remained firm.
“I’d appreciate a heads-up next time. I almost fainted from fear.”
“You cleared it in an hour, and that’s what you say?”
The rookie, now wearing a somewhat ambiguous expression, said,
“I really thought I was going to die.”
‘Lies!’
No one who genuinely feared for their life would attempt a speed-run, setting a record-breaking time like a veteran employee! That’s something even the most seasoned workers wouldn’t dare attempt. ṜἈNȱВЁS
Still, they could understand his sense of betrayal.
‘To be fair, it was harsh.’
Even if it was considered ‘safe’, being thrown into a paranormal phenomenon alone wasn’t something to take lightly. And they knew exactly how to comfort someone in that situation.
Workplace therapy!
Assistant Manager Eun sipped her coffee and asked,
“So, Roe, how much did you get?”
“Huh?”
“The money. How much did you make from clearing it?”
“Oh, right. I got 10 million won.”
That’s right. Clearing this F-Class ghost story came with a cash prize. And the company manual clearly stated:
– When clearing a graded Darkness (F-Class) ghost story with a completed manual, 50% of any additional income generated will be awarded to the employee as a bonus.
In other words, if you earn money in a ghost story using a fully documented manual, the company takes 50%.
However, rookies assigned their first ghost story were exempt from this rule! Since they’re placed in ghost stories proven safe through countless attempts, the company doesn’t consider it hazardous enough to warrant hazard pay.
The rookie had already read the manual, but then…
“They’re supposed to take it all, but… just keep it for yourself.”
“…Pardon?”
Once you’ve been around long enough, you learn all the ways to bypass the system! Since he cleared it using a new method, they could claim it wasn’t covered by the manual. There were plenty of loopholes.
Getting a huge bonus on your first day of work would make everything seem better!
Assistant Manager Eun and the Supervisor Park shared a knowing smile, applying a time-honored trick they had both experienced firsthand.
“C’mon, just keep it. We’ve got ways to handle this.”
“……”
‘Actually, it was 20 million won.’
Kim Soleum broke into a cold sweat, as he’d been planning to pocket half of it himself.
Suddenly, he found himself with an extra 10 million won that he couldn’t explain, feeling both thrilled and a bit guilty. But he quickly got up to follow his superiors.
“Now that you’ve successfully completed the dark exploration, it’s time to accumulate the most important thing.”
“Accumulate… what?”
“Points.”
Supervisor Park replied with a grin.
“Employee welfare mall points!”
* * *“Huuu.”
It felt like pure bliss to be standing in the middle of a bustling city in broad daylight.
Even though he knew I’d struggle to sleep with the lights on tonight, that worry was far away for now.
‘Maybe having 20 million won in cash in your pocket gives you some inner peace…’
No matter how terrifying the ghost story was, this was still 21st-century South Korea, a capitalist society.
I finally sat down at my assigned desk, turned on my computer, and accessed the company intranet. Sitting under bright fluorescent lights in a spine-supporting office chair, the ghostly events I’d just experienced felt like a bizarre lie.
On my desk, there were some surprisingly cute stationery items and a lizard plushie with big eyes.
‘…This desk seems used, doesn’t it?’
I could only hope that the previous owner had left abruptly due to winning the lottery.
Since the welfare mall was already bookmarked, I quickly accessed it.
[Daydream Inc. Employee Welfare Mall]
After entering my employee ID to register, I clicked on the ‘Point Registration’ tab, just as my superiors had told me.
– Select the class grade of the ghost story you cleared, enter your name, and attach the PDF.
I did exactly that.
Five minutes later,
[Employee Kim Soleum / Accumulated Points: 100P]
“……!”
Incredibly, the review process was completed at lightning speed, and my points were credited.
‘So clearing an F-Class solo gives you 100 points.’
Well, despite the hellish experience, F-Class was still F-Class. I tried not to expect too much. Still, I had earned points, so I decided to check what I could buy with 100 points.
And then, right on the first page, I was surprised.
“…A robot vacuum cleaner?”
The items available were better than I expected. Most of the special discounted products were around 100 points, while high-end large appliances, like those you’d buy for a new home, were around 500 points.
Moreover, Daydream Inc.’s undisclosed medicines were being sold for around 1,000 points, including advanced over-technology items like cornea regeneration potions. For context, their famous hair loss treatment, which cost around 500,000 won on the market, was available here for just 100 points.
‘This is actually pretty good.’
Feeling hopeful, I scrolled through the products. Now it was time to check the most important item.
I sorted the ‘Company Products’ tab by ‘Highest Price’ to see the glorious name at the top.
‘Wish Ticket.’
The miraculous potion that had been introduced as the ultimate employee benefit after surviving a death match. Its price was…
Wish Ticket : 500,000P
“……”
Is this a joke?
‘Five hundred thousand?’
I had just cleared a ghost story and earned 100 points…
500,000 points?
‘Theoretically… even if I cleared F-Classes every day by myself, it would take me 15 years.’
But of course, it wouldn’t be that simple.
‘There’s no way the company would let that happen.’
It wasn’t realistic to think you could clear F-Class ghost stories every single day. There would certainly be anomalies.
‘It’s likely that I’ll be forced into higher-class ghost stories with squadmates.’
Wait, do they split the points between squadmates in that case?
I dug through the welfare mall’s point registration tab to find the basic point system for each ghost story class.
F-Class : 100P
D-Class : 1,000P
C-Class : 2,500P
B-Class : 10,000P
A-Class : 100,000P
S-Class : Special Review Required
On top of that, there were additional bonuses based on internal assessments, which considered urgency, lack of prior information, or extra dangers.
‘So if three people are in a squad, and three people clear a ghost story together…’
…You’d have to clear a B-Class 150 times to earn enough points for the Wish Ticket?
‘Are they out of their minds?’
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