Annihilation-class ghost story.
In the heart of history beneath Segwang Metropolitan City, I came face to face with the face of an acquaintance I never expected.
My mouth opened reflexively. With a title I barely managed to censor.
"…Ms. Goral?"
"Just a moment."
Ms. Go Young-eun, wrapped in a worn padding jacket, scanned her surroundings with tense eyes.
Likewise, the interior of the old casino.
And…
The dealer, smiling brightly as our eyes met.
Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae's head.
"..."
"..."
"This way."
Ms. Go Young-eun grabbed my arm and suddenly started running. I chased after her in a hurry, realizing something…
'…Some are missing.'
That a few of that colleague's fingers were only shaped with bandages.
A chilling premonition struck me.
'How long had she been in this casino?'
"Hoo."
Ms. Go Young-eun, who had been running, stopped in a secluded corner of the slot machine room, next to a wall with a broken vending machine, and released my arm.
Only then did words spill out.
"That dealer, you're sure it's Deputy Dolphin, right? From… the elite team?"
"Yes."
"I knew it."
Ms. Go Young-eun's face darkened.
"I had a feeling. Your way of speaking and things like that were familiar…"
But then, with unavoidable anticipation and tension, she asked.
"So… is the company managing this ghost story? I mean, like the entry points or clear conditions…?"
I shook my head with difficulty.
"Deputy Manager Dolphin got caught up in this ghost story for personal reasons, and I came in for personal reasons as well."
"Ah,"
Ms. Go Young-eun's expression blurred.
After a short silence, she continued.
"It wasn't Deputy Dolphin, but Deputy Manager Dolphin."
"…I heard she was promoted a few months ago."
"A few months."
Ms. Go Young-eun lowered her head.
"Time has already passed that much."
"Ms. Goral."
This won't do.
"What on earth happened to you?"
"..."
Ms. Go Young-eun closed her mouth.
But why would someone who was perfectly fine working as an agent at the Disaster Management Bureau be in Segwang Metropolitan City… wait a minute.
'Why did I never think to find out Ms. Young-eun's whereabouts…?'
A chilling sensation ran down my spine.
I should have looked into it while working at the Disaster Management Bureau, but I never once thought to search for her.
It was a similar symptom to when I thought of Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae.
Being forgotten.
It's a phenomenon that occurs to people trapped in Segwang Metropolitan City.
'Damn.'
…I had been considering the possibility of hallucinations or anomalous phenomena, but it seems she is indeed the real person.
And the reason Ms. Go Young-eun might be in the middle of an Extinction-class supernatural disaster, sealed in an unidentifiable state…
…There's really only one.
Something I've used myself.
"Ms. Goral. Did you perhaps wake up here after using a Wish Token?"
"..."
Ms. Go Young-eun blurted out an answer.
"I don't know."
"What?"
"I mean, yes… I did use a Wish Token. But even here, I…"
Ms. Go Young-eun's expression became confused, then she quickly regained composure.
"No, that's not important right now. How long have you been here?"
"You mean in Segwang Metropolitan City?"
"No. In this Body Casino."
Ms. Go Young-eun, her gaze fixed on the missing persons of Segwang Metropolitan City plastered to the slot machines, quickly explained.
"If you stay too long, your way of thinking changes like a gambling addict. So, you shouldn't stay more than one night. You have to leave and then come back after spending at least as much time outside as you did here…"
"How do you know that, Ms. Goral?"
"That… I think it would be better to tell you after we leave."
Ms. Go Young-eun glanced back towards the casino entrance once more.
"If it's just one person like Mr. Roe Deer… it's fine. There's a shelter where you can stay."
"…!"
"For now, let's get things sorted out there, and then we can talk about Deputy Manager Dolphin again."
'A shelter?'
It would be fortunate if there was such a place in the subway.
It meant at least Ms. Go Young-eun could hold on.
But…
"I didn't come alone."
"…Yes?"
At that moment.
"Mr. Roe Deer."
"…!"
I was called, but it was Ms. Go Young-eun who turned around in shock.
Lee Ja-heon Section Chief, with his usual Reptilian Face, was standing behind us.
"S-Section Chief?"
"Ms. Goral."
Lizard Section Chief immediately recognized Ms. Go Young-eun, whose mouth was agape.
And a barrage of questions followed.
"Have you secured the Darkness from the Daydream Branch and deployed Chief Goral?"
"Ah, no…!?"
"Are you exploring of your own volition?"
"No!"
"Are you currently missing more than 12% of your Body?"
"..."
Ms. Go Young-eun remained silent, but soon answered with difficulty.
"Yes."
"I see. Please take this."
And omitting everything else, Lizard Section Chief took something out of his pocket.
A potion, shimmering with a fresh, light green hue.
"This is…"
Ms. Go Young-eun's complexion changed upon receiving it.
A Daydream C-Class Regeneration Potion.
Lee Ja-heon Section Chief, presenting the item issued by Director Ho Yuwon, instructed calmly.
"After taking it, please provide any information you know about the usage and environment of this casino."
"…Yes."
Ms. Go Young-eun, unable to refuse this, extended her bandaged hand, trembling.
In the process, I caught a glimpse of Ms. Go Young-eun's ear through her slightly pulled-back padding…
'…It's gone.'
Her left ear was missing. A blank space finished off with a bandage.
[Oh dear, she seems accustomed to it, having paid her ear as an admission fee even at exhibitions.]
'No way.'
[Hmm?]
Logically, she might have decided it was better to use the ear that had been injured, but getting injured in the same place again could be traumatic.
Perhaps because of that, Ms. Go Young-eun's hand, holding the potion, moved towards the cap as if to open it immediately…
But then.
"Wait."
I urgently stopped her.
"It might not work."
"What?!"
"Did you exchange the lost Body parts at the casino?"
"Not all of them, but… yes."
"..."
If that's the case, then.
"You saw Deputy Manager Dolphin earlier, didn't you? Her entire body was likely made of other people's body parts."
"…Yes. Probably from people who pawned their bodies here…!"
As she spoke, Ms. Young-eun's complexion changed as if she had just realized.
That's right.
"Seeing that, it seemed like the body parts exchanged at this casino functioned properly even after being taken. So."
I looked at Lizard Section Chief's glove, with its empty ring finger.
"It's not just a lump of flesh called a 'finger,' but rather the function itself that seems to have been handed over to the casino."
"..."
"There's a high probability that the regeneration potion won't work properly. …Even if the flesh grows back, the function might not return."
At that moment.
As if reflecting my deduction, an alert popped up on my smartphone.
The method of exchanging coins at the Body Casino is strictly through selling one's own Body parts, and the parts sold are permanently lost.
'…!'
Is this being updated based on the information I just realized?
Come to think of it, new pages were updated when I entered the station or saw the guidance notices.
'It's like game help.'
In any case, I quickly looked away from my smartphone and continued.
"I'm telling you not to panic even if the regeneration potion doesn't work."
That's how the rules of ghost stories usually work.
'Unless something more powerful than this casino is involved…'
Even if it's better than the outside, which is World-ending Class, this casino must be a considerably powerful and dreadful ghost story.
In that sense, it's better to give up on the expectation that a mere C-Class Dream Potion will work properly.
"…Then, if it's alright, could I keep the potion and use it at a more appropriate time?"
"Yes. Please provide the information."
"Of course."
Ms. Go Young-eun, with a pale face, nodded and quickly put the bottle away.
Then she asked.
"So, are you two the only ones here?"
"Actually, there are more. Right here in this room, there are others…"
Ah.
"Speaking of which, Section Chief, where is Goat?"
"He's in the second row of slot machines, slot number 14."
Ms. Go Young-eun's and my heads turned in unison.
Indeed, Baek Saheon was standing there, watching the missing persons of Segwang Metropolitan City, who were attached to the slot machines, operate the gambling machines.
He seemed to be trying to figure out the machine patterns using his eyes or check the accumulated number of failed attempts, but he didn't look at us at all.
"…Should I drag him over if you need him?"
"No! It's fine. Um, so is that all for the personnel? Three people?"
"…A total of six."
I saw people appearing in front of the slot machine room.
"It's Deputy Manager Falcon and the agents."
"Oh, you were all here…"
Agent Choi waved upon seeing us, but paused upon seeing Ms. Go Young-eun, who was covered in padding.
And the next moment.
"…Agent Peppermint."
He recognized her.
Ms. Go Young-eun, as if wanting to hide her head under her padding, tried to lower her head, but then resigned herself and stayed still.
'Ah.'
She seemed to have instinctively tried to hide, fearing her cover as a spy would be blown, but realized it was meaningless in the current situation.
The two agents approached quickly with grim expressions.
"Why on earth are you here…"
"..."
"We heard you cut off contact after submitting your resignation. We confirmed the notice of voluntary retirement afterward…"
"You already know I was a spy deployed by Daydream, right?"
"...!"
Agent Bronze's pupils trembled, and he turned to Agent Choi.
Agent Choi was smiling wryly.
"We had our suspicions."
"..."
"It's okay. It wasn't confirmed. We just assumed you were a spy because you submitted your resignation right after Grape disappeared. Besides, there's no trace of you leaking any particularly significant information, is there?"
"Um, then, though it's shameless."
Ms. Go Young-eun lifted her head and said in a firm voice.
"Could I possibly share a way to get out of this subway?"
"..."
"I just can't see any way out…"
…It seemed Ms. Young-eun assumed that because I had secured a way out, Daydream employees and Disaster Management Bureau agents had entered.
It was a wise deduction. However.
"Currently, there is none."
"Yes?"
Agent Bronze explained in a firm voice.
"We entered through a special method, so we plan to return using a method that others cannot use."
"Ah."
I quickly interjected.
"But I will try to find a way for Agent Peppermint to get out."
"Of course, you should."
Agent Choi's voice, as he replied, was firm and trustworthy. However…
"..."
"...No. Please don't worry about me for now."
"…!"
Her voice was old and subdued.
"I don't know how many people are trapped only in the subway of this city… I thought if the Bureau could rescue them, they would have done so long ago."
"..."
The agents' faces hardened.
It was probably because it was the absolute truth.
In fact, currently, there was no way out or hope for people trapped with their bodies in Segwang Metropolitan City…
"I asked just in case. Because I see so many capable people…"
But the next moment, Ms. Go Young-eun took a breath as if to push away her fear and changed her tone.
"For now, it would be best to focus on rescuing Deputy Manager Dolphin. You're trying to rescue her because the escape method you can use works on her, right?"
"Yes."
Lizard Section Chief answered immediately, followed by Agent Choi, who asked gently.
"…Then, do you perhaps know how this citizen became a dealer? Even a small clue or a deduction is fine."
Go Young-eun raised her hand and pointed at something.
"I think she was aiming for that."
A banner.
Royal Casino Exclusive
Special Prize
Emergency Exit 10,000 Coins
The talked-about product that allows you to go anywhere! A luxury item for the top 0.01%, serving as a high-quality means of transportation for busy modern people.
"Countless people have seen that as their only hope and aimed for it."
"..."
"…Including Agent Peppermint?"
"No."
Ms. Go Young-eun closed her mouth and opened it again.
"…If you know the accumulated failure rate, it becomes difficult to attempt."
And her gaze turned towards the addicts filling the slot machine room.
"But Deputy Manager Dolphin seems to have tried."
"How do you know that?"
"I heard rumors."
From whom, I wonder.
But Ms. Go Young-eun continued without explaining that part.
A few days ago, she heard stories about someone new appearing and winning an immense amount of coins at the Body Casino…
"At first, she just exchanged food and water, but one day she exchanged a body part to make coins, and based on that, she earned hundreds of coins in a single day in the dealer room."
"…!!"
"So I came to this casino, but by then…"
"By then?"
"That person was already in the VIP Room."
"..."
"She had earned over 1,000 coins."
So, without confirmation, she visited the Body Casino again today. And…
"…I suppose you saw the rumored person appear as the new dealer."
"Yes."
Deputy Manager Dolphin, that is.
"I suspect she lost a lot in the VIP Room. Or perhaps she became severely contaminated."
"..."
At that moment, Agent Choi, who had been observing Ms. Go Young-eun intently, spoke.
"We did find other Body Fragments of Dolphin inside the pawn shop glass…"
"…!!"
"They were carefully stored deep inside. I wondered why they were hard to see."
"How many are there?"
"Ah. That's hard to say for sure, citizen. But… I definitely checked her elbow, hand, and left foot."
I almost asked how he knew, but then I remembered he was Agent Choi.
'He identified me just by looking at the veins on my wrist.'
If so, the same could apply to a Daydream Inc. employee who accompanied him for more than a day.
However.
"Those body parts stored inside couldn't be purchased specifically. They said it was impossible because they were 'special products'."
Special products.
Perhaps…
Agent Choi and I made eye contact.
"Are they used for games in the VIP Room?"
"…There's a sufficient possibility."
It seemed certain that Lee Seong-hae had lost most of her body and become a dealer in the VIP Room.
Tension settled on everyone's faces.
If so.
"To restore Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae to her original form by exchanging as many Body parts as possible, we must also enter the VIP Room."
"..."
"It will be difficult."
Assistant Manager Eun Haje said, putting a cigarette in her mouth and then taking it out again.
"First, you need to make 1,000 coins, and gambling shouldn't be done with the expectation of winning."
"..."
"Otherwise, you end up handing over your Land Deeds, House Deeds, and writing Body Forfeiture Agreements. You know that, right?"
Of course.
"But Deputy Manager Dolphin made over 1,000 coins in just a few days."
"…!"
"Even though her situation was much worse than ours."
Given Lee Seong-hae's disposition, it didn't seem like she enjoyed gambling regularly. This means she was unlikely to be a skilled professional gambler.
[Indeed, even for a talented and lucky gambler, that's not easy. Unnaturally consecutive wins! Then… oh.]
[Perhaps it was seasoned with a bit of magical 'Seasoning'.]
That's right.
"There must be 'another way' to win with high probability."
A method of clearing the ghost story by exploiting loopholes.
It was also a capability befitting an elite team member.
So.
"Let's find that method from now on and accumulate 1,000 coins to enter the VIP Room?"
"…Yes."
Tension flowed between us.
At that moment.
BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!
"…!"
I turned my head.
One of the slot machines was flashing, spewing out lights and music.
A sign of a win.
And the person sitting in front of it was holding coins and some 'prize' spewed out by the slot machine, with a flushed expression.
'Baek Saheon!'
He had finally won.
But…
"…That."
All the patrons in the slot machine room looked at Baek Saheon.
And they rushed at him.
"…!!"
Baek Saheon hastily shoveled everything into his arms and made eye contact with me.
And without hesitation, he started running towards us.
'Hey!!'