Park Minseong held back a sigh and sat beside the sofa tucked away in the terrace room.

‘This is taking way too long.’

It's already been over 70 minutes since Kim Sol-eum went down with the others.

Sol-eum did mention it might take this long, but he also left a heads-up just in case neither he nor his team made it back after two hours...

– ...You don't have to wait or look for us.

Basically, he meant, "If it gets tough, just leave me behind."

‘Should’ve just gone with him.’

Minseong stifled another sigh.

Even in a dog-eat-dog place like Daydream Inc., some field exploration teams showed strong camaraderie. Team D was one of those.

Even Deputy Manager Eun Hajae, looking a bit uneasy, let out a sigh while tweaking the makeshift map of the darkness on the sofa.

‘...I was hoping Roe would stick with our team even after the rookie period ends.’

But for now, getting out of here safely came first.

Minseong felt a little down but still had something to hold onto.

‘Team Leader Lee Jaheon gave the green light, didn’t he?’

That meant the item really did look useful.

No one knows where the rookie managed to get it, but occasionally, people like that do show up.

The kind of person who has already been tangled up in urban legends or ghost stories before even joining this job.

‘Is this one of those cases?’

Should we call it bad luck?

Even for a Field Exploration Team, a rookie being deployed into such dangerous darkness was an event that might happen once a year, if that.

But thinking about Kim Sol-eum, who kept getting dragged into places like that board game theme park earlier, made him feel like tearing up…

‘At least he’s been earning points along the way.’

Park Minseong held back a sigh and looked toward the terrace door.

There, in stark contrast to his troubled mind, stood a figure that appeared perfectly calm.

It was Team Leader Lee Jaheon.

He was standing completely still right by the terrace door, likely measuring time with his eerily precise internal clock.

And when the countdown ended, he would rise without hesitation and execute the plan as intended.

Park Minseong could only hope the plan didn’t assume, ‘Kim Sol-eum’s survival is unlikely, so exclude him from the escape plan.’

‘No, before that, it’d be great if Roe makes it back safely…’

Outside, apart from the occasional screams, it was eerily quiet.

"No sound of footsteps."

If Roe had finished the task, the sound of three quiet footsteps would surely have been heard by now…

[Can you hear me?]

“…!?”

Park Minseong shot up to his feet.

Beside him, Deputy Manager Eun Hajae also stood up instinctively.

[This is an announcement regarding your escape.]

[There’s no time to broadcast this again, so please listen carefully.]

It was the voice of Kim Sol-eum, the rookie they’d been waiting for.

[The exit is on the 0th floor.]

[I repeat. The exit is on the 0th floor. While going down the stairs, there’s a section that transitions to brass from bronze…]

It was definitely Roe.

For an extraordinary rookie like him, using some strange method to make a “public announcement” like this wouldn’t be surprising… But.

…What if it wasn’t human? What if something was mimicking Kim Sol-eum’s voice?

“……”

The two Team D members exchanged glances and left the final judgment to their leader.

The one who, in situations like these, remained as calm as ever, with an uncanny sense of intuition – their team leader.

“……”

Lee Jaheon, standing by the terrace door, had heard the "announcement" more clearly than anyone else.

[You must use the spiral staircase.]

He stared into the air, deep in thought, before finally declaring:

"We’re moving."

* * *

[That’s it.]

I finally finished saying the same thing for the sixth time.

From the 1st floor to the 6th floor.

‘That should cover everyone on the surface levels, right?’

I’d debated whether to only notify the 1st floor where Team D was, but Go Yeongeun was adamant.

– "You… you can do that? Then we should save as many as we can!"

A statement fitting for someone in the medical field.

But from this point on, it’s up to each individual’s judgment.

"I didn’t mention the company name just in case, but I did include a few terms commonly used by the Field Exploration Team…"

Still, they might doubt it and choose not to come out.

If anyone uses the stairs and unfortunately runs into one of the guide machines assigned to that floor, there’s nothing that can be done.

Better to lose a limb or two and survive than to die trapped in this insane exhibition like some human slug.

"And it helps spread out the machines that might head for my Team D members."

I cleared my throat.

"Ah, ah."

It seemed Braun had wisely eased up, and the strange resonance I felt in my throat and lungs disappeared.

"Thanks."

“– Gratitude is always music to my ears!"

Braun answered cheerfully, though his voice sounded slightly worn.

But from the side, an irritated voice chimed in, sounding confused.

"Why waste points like that? The more people escape, the fewer points there are per person!"

Here we go again with the inhumane remarks.

And it’s a dumb statement, too.

"Are you stupid? Even you, a rookie, can escape. Do you think veteran employees wouldn’t find the exit on their own without help?"

"…!"

Employees with well-matched equipment, or those naturally skilled, would definitely make it out.

Looking at the <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration>, seven people escaping was already a given, so the points per person would still be 1/8 even if I didn’t do this.

In short, racking up points in this ghost story wasn’t worth it.

Instead of explaining that, I just smiled.

"Moments like these are perfect for showing off. It makes company life more fun later… Plus, it’s a chance to observe all kinds of reactions."

"……."

Baek Saheon turned his head with a tired look that said,

‘Do you even have a conscience?’

Based on what he said previously, it should be me who should be reacting that way. What a sociopath in this creepy ghost story world.

But worried that even Go Yeongeun might have been shaken, I called out to her.

“Goral.”

“……”

“Goral?”

“…Wait a moment. Did you just call me?”

“…!”

No way.

“…I think I’m starting to lose my hearing.”

“……”

I looked at the spot where Go Yeongeun’s ear used to be, now hidden under her hair.

I had no idea what they had placed inside the stitched-up void, but the “borrowed” hearing device she was using seemed to be failing.

And in a relatively short amount of time too.

"Why now of all times…"

“But it’s not like I can’t hear at all. We still have some candlelight left, so I think we can move carefully.”

“Alright.”

To make it clearer, I gently tapped her shoulder.

She flinched slightly but soon began descending the stairs with determination…

Baek Saheon spoke urgently.

“I should carry that item. Hand it over to me.”

“And if Goral accidentally turns around?”

“……”

Baek Saheon fell silent.

We began descending the six floors of stairs, tense and alert.

Step, step.

Only the sound of our footsteps echoed through the stairwell.

It didn’t seem like anyone who heard my broadcast had come running out yet…

“Excuse me.”

Go Yeongeun called out.

“Yes.”

“……”

Can she not hear me?

“Are you behind?” 

I gently tapped Go Yeongeun’s back. Baek Saheon, looking reluctant, also gave her shoulder a few pats.

“Ah… Thank you.”

Go Yeongeun, reassured, tightly gripped the candle with both hands again.

We continued descending the stairs.

Step, step.

Through a silence that felt like it stretched on forever…

We reached the first floor.

Creak… creak…

The sound of the guide machines moving along their paths echoed around us.

It passed right by us… dragging along a dead human corpse like a limp slug.

“…Now we’ll head to the spiral staircase.”

“Okay.”

Go Yeongeun’s voice grew louder.

It seemed like she couldn’t hear much and wasn’t able to control her volume.

“We’re almost there. It’s okay.”

To react quickly, I listened carefully in all directions and walked steadily, and cautiously.

I didn’t think it was the wrong approach.

But the problem is, danger can show up completely unrelated to any preparation.

For instance… when you’re focused on listening intently, and an entirely unrelated obstacle might appear.

“What?”

The person ahead of me suddenly disappeared from sight.

I looked down and saw Go Yeongeun falling.

Something shiny slid under her foot. A telephoto lens.

It was an invisible borrowed item that had fallen off the corpse being dragged by the guide machine, rolling perfectly into the path…

Thud.

I grabbed Go Yeongeun.

But the candle had already slipped out of her hand as her arm hit the floor.

“No…!”

I reflexively grabbed the candle and tossed it toward Baek Saheon.

But it was too late.

The candle went out.

“……”

“…Hah—”

The guide machine turned toward us.

Whoosh.

A metal blade flew toward us.

“Gah,”

I rolled to the side. A sharp cry came from next to me.

The guide machine placed the corpse it was carrying down and raised a gas lamp to illuminate us.

It had clearly confirmed that we were all overdue on our ‘fees.’

Thus, the “monster” re-prioritized, and the needle-like attachment on its upper abdomen flew toward us again.

First, targeting the nearest pair of eyes…

“Roe deer.”

A familiar voice.

“Duck!”

Instinctively, I pressed down on the backs of my two colleagues’ heads and dropped to the floor.

Bang!

The sound of metal colliding and sparks flying erupted above my head.

“…!”

It was Team Leader Lee Jaheon.

The field exploration employee with ridiculous strength had mercilessly deflected the guide machine’s needle.

Ting!

The broken tip of the needle flew and embedded itself in the hallway wall. The guide machine made a strange grinding sound as it twisted its joints.

What the hell.

‘That thing can break?’

Team Leader Lee Jaheon withdrew his gloved hand. He might have fractured it, but that wasn’t surprising given the situation.

In his hand was something metallic, gripped like a brass knuckle…

The terrace doorknob.

“……!”

An alarm rang in my head. That…

‘Destruction of exhibition property.’

-------------------------------

Any disturbances, theft, or property damage occurring within the exhibition grounds will be immediately sanctioned by the guides, and corresponding fines will be levied.

-------------------------------

He had even destroyed a guide machine.

Even if they didn’t treat this as a crime in the exhibition and only demanded a polite apology and compensation fee for the disturbance… one thing was clear.

The guide machines’ priority was absolute.

And not just for the one in front of us, but for every guide machine in this area…

“Team Leader.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s run.”

I threw myself forward.

Kiiiik, keek, zzzz, jeek, keek, kiiiik, kiiiiiik…

The sound of the damaged guide machine moving aggressively was louder than ever.

Beside me, I could hear the frantic footsteps of my teammates. 

The Lizard Team Leader… No, wait!

“Team Leader!!”

“Yes.”

“Stop fighting and just run!”

‘No matter how strong the Team Leader is, there’s no way he can take down all the guide machines here!’

Even imagining what might happen if this chaos spread was overwhelming.

‘…In the <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration>, they even censored this part!’

I didn’t want to think about how the redacted content would manifest in reality.

Kiiiik.

‘Damn it!’

On the way to the stairs, we encountered another guide machine.

No, two more.

“Urgh!”

I dove between the needles swinging down. A sharp pain flared in my arm.

Even while running, my biological instincts knew.

‘I’m going to get caught.’

With human physical limits, this was impossible.

Before reaching the 0th floor, we would inevitably be caught by the guide machines and fined.

A chill ran down my back.

‘…What can I do?’

My breathing was labored. My oxygen-starved brain refused to think.

Instead, resignation set in.

‘This much… was a decent effort, right?’

My thoughts slowed, and even the sounds around me felt separated into layers, echoing in my ears.

It felt like dozens of people were running…

Wait, hold on!

“…?!”

I realized.

It wasn’t just that the number of footsteps increased.

There were actually more people.

Not just two, but at least over ten sets of footsteps.

“Roe, these are the people who heard your fantastic announcement and seized the opportunity!”

“…!”

They were Field Exploration Team employees.

The onlookers who had been watching the situation seemed to be using the chaos to approach the spiral staircase.

And that had an unexpected effect.

The guide machines were thrown into confusion, re-prioritizing based on severity and distance to each individual.

People who hadn’t paid their fees were popping out and running everywhere.

“Run!”

Using that brief window of opportunity, we clenched our teeth and bolted for the stairs.

Screeeeeech.

We moved like mad.

The terrifying sound behind us grew closer.

The stairs ended, and a silver hall appeared.

The lobby.

And… the main door!

“Go!”

Deputy Manager Eun Hajae and Supervisor Park Minseong were holding the door open.

We ran like crazy.

Just as I reached the main door, my superiors threw themselves through the exit.

I nearly collapsed as I dove through.

Running until my lungs burned, I reached the bright, glowing exit door…

“Huuu!!”

When I opened my eyes, a clean ceiling with fluorescent lights came into view.

A modern, moderately-sized hallway.

In front of the company’s 31st-floor meeting room.

We had escaped.

“Haa…”

I collapsed onto the hallway floor.

I could hear people running out of the meeting room, but I had no energy or mental capacity to care.

With every last drop of strength squeezed out, as my mind wavered in and out…

An alarm sounded.

[Chronicles of Darkness Exploration Real Goods Box]

– Unlocked the usage rights for new merch!