Mistaken for a Catastrophe-Level Ghost Story Employee 110

Chapter 110.

He died.

I’m not sure if this is the right expression.

But.

Just now, right before my eyes, Noise was struck by the Black King’s blow and vanished without a trace.

To the point where not even a trace of its original form remained.

It had turned into a black liquid.

That Noise… was defeated.

The gravity of the current situation didn’t immediately sink in.

As I stared at the remnants of Noise, now reduced to a mass of black liquid, unable to fully process what had just happened.

A heavy male voice.

The solemn voice of the king.

Echoed throughout the space, accompanied by a thunderous laugh.

【From the moment I first laid eyes on you, I could sense it! That you were nothing more than an empty box wrapped in expensive packaging!!】

【Pathetic! Foolish! Arrogant! Absolutely arrogant!!】

The Black King’s mockery continued relentlessly.

He made no effort to hide his joy at having defeated Noise, flashing a vulgar smile without hesitation.

For a while, all we could do was watch… until we were forced to confront a truth we didn’t want to face.

Now that Noise, our last hope, had fallen to the Black King.

What came next.

Was the realization.

That it was our turn.

【……Haa. Could there ever be a day as joyous as this? A day more exhilarating than this?】

【The thought that I might never feel such joy again…… Truly, this must be the loneliness a king feels.】

【Good! How good it is!!】

The madman’s chuunibyou-like remarks brushed past my ears, and the Black King’s gaze turned toward us once more.

Tsk-

The blatant sound of a tongue click heightened our unease.

【Two insects still dare to make their presence known in my domain.】

【…I’ll leave the pest control to you all.】

Tick-!

As if resonating with the snap of his fingers, masses of black liquid emerged once more from the cracks in the stone floor.

The Black Servants.

‘There are still so many of them….’

Even now, the Black King was surrounded by countless Black Servants guarding him.

After summoning his servants, the Black King turned his back and walked toward his throne without a second glance.

【I wish to savor this joy a little longer. Make sure you clean up… properly.】

Fortunately, the Black King had no intention of dealing with us himself. But that didn’t mean the situation was in our favor.

Even a rough estimate put the number of Black Servants at well over several hundred.

-If it’s Employee Park Yeon-jeong, I believe she’ll be able to handle it.

…….

To have expectations placed on you by others.

Means that the other person has high hopes for you, which is likely why they said such a thing.

Having others rely on you is never an easy thing.

But.

‘You’ve got the wrong person, Noise.’

The opponent wasn’t B-grade, or even A-grade.

They were S-grade.

In the <Ghost Story Record Storage>, there are no records of anyone surviving a direct confrontation with an S-grade ghost story.

Even if the Agency deployed more than half of the elite A-team, the best they could hope for was a stalemate.

In a one-on-one scenario, there was no chance.

To the point where the Agency’s guidelines explicitly stated that rather than futile resistance.

It was better to choose a method of dying with as little pain as possible.

This alone shows how meaningless it is to fight an S-grade ghost story.

…….

But.

Why was it?

Was it because all I could envision was a bleak future where only death awaited?

Or was it because of these glasses, shielding me from mental damage?

My current emotions…

Were more focused on analyzing the situation with cold clarity than on fear.

From the S-grade Black King, who was beyond our league, to the Black Servants tightening the noose around us.

The biggest obstacle, the Black King, currently had no interest in us.

In that case.

What we needed to focus on right now.

Were the ‘Black Servants’ approaching us, aiming to turn us into one of them.

Despite their overwhelming numbers.

The Black Servants’ movements weren’t particularly fast. Of course, the biggest problem was that even a graze meant ‘game over.’

Crunch-

Right now, we had no choice but to try something.

There were no other options.

I pulled out a revolver and a white mask from my employee ID.

In a voice so quiet only the trembling fox next to me could hear, I whispered.

“My disciple.”

【…….】

There was no response from the fox.

I understood.

The helplessness an E-grade ghost story must feel in the presence of an S-grade.

The fact that the fox hadn’t fainted upon seeing the S-grade was proof enough that it was holding on.

But.

Just once would be enough.

“My disciple. You don’t need to look anywhere else. Just once is enough.”

Really, just once.

“Could you look at me?”

I swallowed the sorrow in my voice.

Gently stroking the fox’s head with my still-warm palm.

“Just once is enough.”

At these final words, the fox’s trembling, which had been as violent as a quaking aspen, gradually subsided.

Swoosh-

And when its head slowly turned, meeting my composed gaze in slow motion.

Looking into the fox’s reddened eyes.

I murmured softly to the fox who had listened to me.

“You did well…… my disciple.”

My face slowly lowered to the fox’s flushed face, and the moment our cheeks touched.

【!!!】

When I raised my head again to look at the figure before me.

【!!!】

Beneath the fox’s fully reddened face, the man met its gaze with a faint smile.

“I’ll protect you, no matter what.”

【…….】

Again, there was no response from the fox.

But.

Whoosh-.

Its answer no longer mattered.

Whoooosh-

Soon, purple flames erupted from behind the fox’s back, rapidly taking shape.

By the time the flames solidified.

They had formed the shape of tails.

When I first met the fox, it only had two tails.

Swish-

Now, nine tails swayed behind it.

At the same time, behind the fox’s crimson face, a white phrase appeared for the first time in a while.

『A day of terrible luck.』

The moment my eyes caught the black skull mark on my right wrist.

Without hesitation.

Click-

I pressed the revolver in my left hand against my temple.

“Now, it’s do or die.”

As I pulled the trigger, a black phrase appeared before my eyes.

『A day of good luck.』

Tick-!

When I pulled the trigger, the color of the flag that emerged from the barrel was.

Orange.

A color that had never appeared before. But right now, this orange flag was exactly what I wanted.

Confirming the color, I called out to the fox, still dazed and staring into the distance.

“My disciple!”

【Yes! Husba…… no, I mean, Master!】

Seeing the fox still not fully coherent, I said something I wouldn’t have dared to say if I were sober.

“If we get through this, I’ll give you whatever you want—husband or whatever.”

【Wha—!!?】

With that short remark.

Click-

A series of voices whispered past my ears.

———-

-One bullet loaded.

-Today’s personal color: ‘Orange.’

-A day where confidence soars sky-high. Today feels like a day where anything is possible.

———-

Without a moment’s hesitation.

I pulled the trigger of the revolver pressed against my temple.

Click-

Bang!

『The ‘Arrogant Bullet’ begins to look down on every existence in this world.』

*****

Even as the gunshot reverberated through the space, the Black King acted as if it were nothing.

And that.

Was only natural.

To him, it was nothing more than the squirming of a lowly worm.

With the former king gone.

There was no one left in this world who could threaten his position.

All that remained was to sit upon the throne and look down upon all existence.

Sizzle-

【!!!】

When a familiar, unpleasant static brushed against his ears.

Echoing once more through his domain.

The Black King’s gaze swiftly scanned his surroundings.

And then, he denied it.

He had witnessed the former king’s presence fade with his own eyes.

He had clearly seen the life drain away.

He wanted to believe he had misheard.

……Nothing.

Gone.

His servants, who should have been there.

Were nowhere to be seen.

And this wasn’t the first time.

The Black King had experienced this before.

The power of the former king, capable of swallowing hundreds of his servants in an instant.

When his gaze fell upon another being radiating the presence of the former king—one he had thought long gone.

【…….】

The Black King’s eyes grew colder.

Deeper.

And lower.

Than ever before.

【O former king. You pitiful, wretched king.】

【You’ve already… placed your successor upon your throne.】