Mistaken for a Catastrophe-Level Ghost Story Employee 115

Chapter 115

A man’s voice, one that should not have been heard in this space.

It tickled my ears.

The very culprit who threw me and the fox into this space.

A being classified as an A-grade ghost story.

The shadow man.

That bastard stuck his head out at the worst possible place, at the worst possible moment, while spewing his signature narration-like voice.

[“It seems there isn’t much left until the curtain call.”]

[“The audience must be feeling quite disappointed, no?”]

The shadow bastard’s playful voice began filling my ears without a hint of awareness.

In a situation even the Black King couldn’t handle, I now had to deal with this troublesome creature on top of it all.

Literally, I sensed that I was screwed.

My mind began spinning faster than ever before.

I quickly scanned my surroundings.

Between my rapidly darting pupils, the white armor split perfectly in half was the first thing to catch my eye.

And then, the holy sword still radiating a bright light, asserting its presence, was the second thing I noticed.

I can do this.

There’s still a chance.

‘If I can just grab that holy sword…’

At the very least, I’d be able to fight the Black King on equal footing.

But as if it had seen my gaze reaching for the holy sword, the shadow bastard’s unnecessary narration continued.

[“Oh my! It seems our protagonist has finally discovered the holy sword that could break through this situation! Was this all just preparation for the climax of the stage?!”]

‘Shut the hell up!’

There wasn’t a single likable thing about this guy from start to finish.

Because of the shadow bastard, my next move was completely exposed.

At this point, the Black King must have realized my intention.

Now, it’s do or die.

Crunch—!

With enough force to dent the ground beneath me, I leaped toward the holy sword.

In response to my movement, the headless Black King’s body swung its black sword with full force toward the holy sword.

Swish—

A thick darkness descended upon the holy sword.

Too late.

No matter how fast I go, I’m too late.

If this continues, the holy sword will be swallowed by the darkness.

The last means to land an effective blow on the Black King will disappear.

Just as the holy sword was about to be struck by the black sword’s trajectory in the midst of my contorted expression—

[That won’t do.]

A cold voice.

Settled in.

[If the holy sword disappears, the flow of the story will be disrupted.]

[Dragged-out developments are something the audience dislikes.]

Tap—

!

In that instant, the holy sword in the black sword’s path shifted slightly, as if someone had nudged it.

The holy sword narrowly escaped the black sword’s trajectory.

The shadow bastard…

Helped me.

I don’t know why.

Even though I knew this situation made no sense, the only thing I could think of right now was grabbing that holy sword lying on the ground.

Snatch—!

Thanks to the shadow bastard’s help, I succeeded in grabbing the holy sword.

But the real problem starts now.

Finding the Black King’s weakness.

Given that the Black King just tried to destroy the holy sword, it’s clear that the sword is a threat to him.

‘If not the neck…’

The heart.

That was the only thing I could think of right now.

As I tightly gripped the sword in one hand and stared at the headless torso—

Once again, the shadow bastard intervened without hesitation.

[No, no. The heart? It seems our protagonist is deeply mistaken.]

[Perhaps your eyesight isn’t sharp enough?]

[Did you not see how the villain cut off his own head?]

!!

The Black King… that bastard…

Cut off his own head?

No, more importantly—

‘What the hell is that guy doing?’

The shadow bastard has been acting strangely from the start.

First, he protects the holy sword from the Black King.

Now, he’s revealing the enemy’s weakness.

‘Weren’t you on the same team?’

His blatant assistance made it impossible not to feel suspicious.

But his words weren’t entirely unbelievable.

Honestly, I had found it strange.

Even though the Shield Knight’s holy sword should have sliced through his body, the bastard was still perfectly alive.

But if what the shadow bastard said was true—

“Did you not see how he cut off his own head?”

If that’s the case, then the target I should be aiming for is…

……

As I raised my head, my gaze met the Black King’s severed head rolling on the ground.

[!!]

The Black King, sensing my piercing stare, let out a furious roar.

[You insignificant vermin!]

He reacted.

The Black King responded to my movement.

My feet left the ground just as his black sword slashed through the path I was about to take.

Sizzle—

Amidst the blackening ground, I vanished into the static.

Behind me, the Black King began wildly swinging his black sword in all directions.

Watching this, the shadow’s narration resumed.

[The villain grows restless. Perhaps he’s realized that death is breathing down his neck?]

His voice echoed through the space.

[Silence!]

The Black King raised his voice.

From the start, he had been irritated by this creature spilling all his plans out loud.

Because of him, he had missed his chance to destroy the holy sword.

If he could, the Black King would have loved to slice the chattering bastard apart right then and there.

But he couldn’t.

The moment he let his guard down to deal with that nuisance—

He would be cut down by the holy sword.

If he took his eyes off the real threat even for a second, death would come for him instead.

The Black King was now on full alert.

Every nerve in his body was strained as he focused on the slightest sound, tracking every movement.

Yet, that grating voice continued to circle him relentlessly.

[There’s no need to strain yourself so much.]

[After all, you’ve already fulfilled your role splendidly as the villain! Once this stage ends, the audience’s standing ovation will be for you!]

The Black King had been ignoring him all along.

But the next words that followed those words alone were far too shocking to disregard.

[So, accept it. The script has already passed its midpoint.]

[Everything is flowing according to that one’s will. Unfortunately, this will be your final scenario, but don’t worry.]

[You’ve already performed your role admirably.]

Even though he didn’t want to hear it—

The Black King’s gaze was drawn to the crescent-like smile emerging from the abyssal darkness of his own black sword.

And that crescent smile… bid him farewell with its final words.

[You’ve worked hard.]

Sizzle—

In that brief moment of diverted attention—

A sacred light descended upon the Black King’s face as his gaze turned backward.

By the time he realized what was happening—

Slice—!

The Black King’s head, rolling on the ground, was cleanly split in half without resistance.

[From the very beginning… I was just dancing in the palm of your hand…]

Crack— Crunch—

With those final muttered words, the Black King’s head dissipated into nothingness.

As the Black King’s head disappeared, I looked around.

One by one, the Black Knights—including the Black Vassals—began to fade away, their bodies scattering into black ash.

With the King gone, all existence in this place began returning to nothingness.

Having witnessed the Black King’s defeat and their own bodies vanishing, two Black Knights turned toward me.

And knelt.

Thud—

Thud—

They bowed in respect.

[For your valor.]

[For our comrade who walked the righteous path.]

Lowering their heads, they remained motionless until their bodies fully disappeared.

The situation on the fox’s side didn’t seem much different.

All the remaining Black Vassals repeated the same words to the fox they had been fighting:

“We apologize. And thank you.”

Truly, the battle was over.

Now that the Black King had been decisively dealt with, all that remained was—

Remaining vigilant.

This guy had a history of coming back.

I couldn’t let my guard down.

Until the very last Black Vassal in the space disappeared, I stood there blankly, staring at the Black King’s bisected head.

I silently watched as every last one of them faded away.

Even the final remaining figure dissolved into black liquid before my eyes.

Pat, pat, pat—

When our three bear comrades approached me in their shrunken forms, I finally turned my gaze back to the Black King’s lone figure standing in the empty space.

……Haa.

I let out a deep, drawn-out sigh.

A sigh so heavy it could’ve sunk the earth.

And then, a single voice brushed against my ear.

[‘The effect of ‘Orange Bullet’ has ended.’]

Perfect timing.

As the effect of the Orange Bullet vanished at this miraculous moment, a figure slowly emerged from the dark shadows, making its presence known.

And then, it spoke to me.

[It was a splendid performance.]

!

The moment this forgotten presence reappeared in the space, my wariness instantly reignited.

[Now that the stage has ended, it’s time for the cleanup.]

Cleanup?

I couldn’t immediately grasp what he meant.

But the shadow bastard pointedly emphasized a specific word as he continued.

[What are you doing? Hurry and take out the ‘Quill Pen.’ That one is waiting.]

“……What?”

Why the hell would the word ‘Quill Pen’ come out of your mouth?

And… that one?

……Don’t tell me—