Mistaken for a Catastrophe-Level Ghost Story Employee 92

Chapter 92.

Whack!

Boom!

Crunch… Crack!

If you just blankly listen to the sounds, it feels like you’re experiencing some kind of 4D horror movie no, an even higher level, like you’re hallucinating that you’re in a 5D experience.

The vivid tones and the faint stench lingering at the tip of your nose.

The kind of stench you’ve never smelled before makes you furrow your brows so hard it feels like your nose is going numb.

Watching the countless ghost stories flooding toward 404 like a tidal wave, I thought for a moment that there would be no place for me to step in.

Well, they brought this on themselves, but still…

I moved my steps to the opposite side of the chaos unfolding.

Holding a digital camera in one hand, the place where I stopped was.

In front of a specific glass tube.

A person who had never once shown any reaction to me since I arrived here.

That same person is now looking at me.

Not only did they casually release the ghost story trapped inside the glass tube, but they’re also blankly staring at me someone who dared to defy 404.

As if they’ve lost all sense of self-awareness.

We silently stared at each other.

Thud—

Only belatedly realizing that my steps were gradually approaching the glass tube they were trapped in, they.

!

buried their faces back into their arms.

Probably because of the glasses I’m wearing right now.

The glasses that make me appear as a ghost story to others.

From that woman’s perspective, I must look like a ghost story with black flames wreathed around my face.

To her, I’m no different from the other ghost stories here.

Even if I took off the glasses right now and proved I was human, nothing would change.

So.

I have to do what I must.

What I can do.

Swish—

I pointed the digital camera in my hand toward the woman in front of me.

Without hesitation, I pressed the shutter.

Click—!

With the faint sound of the shutter brushing past my ears.

The woman who had been inside the glass tube just moments ago vanished without a trace.

She disappeared in an instant.

Amidst a situation where I had been wondering, Was I seeing a ghost?.

Flutter—

A single photograph fell weakly to the floor, catching my eye.

It clearly gave off the feeling of a bizarre picture to anyone who saw it, but I immediately picked it up and.

Without a shred of hesitation.

Riiip—!

I tore it apart.

The photo I had just taken was mercilessly shredded in my hands.

And at that moment.

The woman who had been crouching inside the glass tube just moments ago was now staring blankly at me, her disheveled long hair hanging down.

Her pupils were slack with bewilderment.

But,

I quietly slipped my hand into my ID holder.

!!

At my unrestrained movement, the woman flinched hard.

She lowered her head again.

She began trembling in fear.

A fragile sob lingered endlessly around my ears.

It’s not that I don’t understand that reaction. Precisely because I understand it.

I acted even more carefully.

So that the heart of the woman before me wouldn’t shatter any further.

Gently.

Like handling a child.

I quietly placed something I had taken from my ID holder onto the floor.

Tap, tap, tap.

Making an adorable sound with its tiny steps, the thing approached the woman, who was still bowing her head, soon.

Pat, Pat.

…….

I lightly tapped her ankle.

Feeling the touch, she slowly raised her head.

A teddy bear  was waving its tiny arms at her.

It was a bizarre sight, but also an undeniably cute one, she thought.

But that didn’t mean her trembling subsided or her tears stopped.

Just…

Without realizing it, as she stared at the teddy bear, a light returned to her eyes.

Seeing the way her expression gradually brightened, I decided now was the time to speak.

I kept my voice low.

“The living must keep living, don’t you think?”

“…….”

No answer came to my question.

Of course, I hadn’t expected one. I continued explaining.

Holding out the digital camera in my hand toward her, I went on.

“This little bear friend will take care of protecting you. What I need you to do is take this camera and save the people still trapped in the glass tubes.”

“…….”

“Don’t think of it as an order. Think of it as a request.”

“…….”

Again, no answer came.

No reply came, that much was certain.

But,

The light in her eyes didn’t fade. It remained right where it was.

Snatch.

She took the camera, but her steps still carried hesitation.

Something was making her reluctant to move.

And I knew what was weighing her down.

Probably something she had wished for, even if just once, after being trapped here, a dream-like fantasy.

Even if only in words.

Words she had been waiting for someone to say to her.

If just one phrase could give her the courage to move forward.

“Leave dealing with 404 to me.”

“!!!”

“I’ll fulfill your wish in your place.”

Just that one sentence.

With just those words, she tightened her grip on the camera again.

She sobbed.

Her eyes reddened.

She was holding back tiny, barely audible whimpers with all her might.

…….

After that, the woman took a difficult step forward.

Her retreating figure.

Looked so fragile.

Like if I didn’t reach out and stop her now, she might collapse to the floor at any moment.

Halt.

Suddenly, she stopped walking and turned her head to look back at me.

Bow.

She bent at the waist.

I was stunned.

Genuinely caught off guard by the unexpected reaction.

“……Thank you.”

?

A faint breath.

A fragile, trembling voice, laced with emotion, reached my ears clearly.

“……you.”

“…….”

At those words, I closed my mouth.

This time, she had silenced me.

Watching her slowly walk away through the vast, dimly lit hallway.

……

Sigh.

A deep breath involuntarily escaped my lips.

Right now, rather than worrying about others, she should be worrying about herself first.

I was already getting ahead of myself with concern.

And of course, the biggest concern was.

That bastard, 404.

Whack!

Boom!

Crunch!

The violent sounds from 404’s direction were still pounding against my eardrums.

Even if he’s an A-grade ghost story, facing off against a horde of ghost stories rushing at him couldn’t be easy.

But,

Just because it’s not easy doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

Especially not for an A-grade ghost story fueled by hatred.

Whaaaaaah!

With the sound of something tearing apart just now.

No more grotesque noises echoed through the hallway.

“…Even if he can’t use his special abilities, an A-grade is still an A-grade, huh?”

When we first met, 404 had seemed like nothing more than a troublemaker.

But now, he looked like a monstrous beast, his appearance grotesque.

Even though the mysterious chunks of flesh scattered everywhere and our overwhelming numbers still gave us the advantage.

No one dared to approach 404.

To be precise.

Everyone here had been swallowed by his overwhelming presence.

I had expected this to some extent, but.

He’s strong.

“As expected, it’s not ending easily.”

I felt a little embarrassed for confidently telling her earlier to leave 404 to me.

[Brother…… No, hey.]

“…….”

This guy’s pissed.

Really pissed.

[Are you happy now? Is this what you called a birthday prank?]

“Glad to see you’re enjoying yourself.”

[Enjoying……? Enjoying?! Are your eyes just for decoration?! I’m sick of playing along with this farce, you damn!]

[This storage room is getting scrapped! You guys… I don’t need any of you anymore!!]

This guy… He’s completely lost it.

His tone made it sound like he was planning to trap everyone here in this place forever.

Tap—!

A bright beam of light soon emerged from beneath 404’s feet.

And I had some idea what that light was.

One of the abilities he uses when a camera-user like him is stuck in a place where he can’t use his camera.

<Emergency Filming>

A power that lets him return to his original location, regardless of where he is.

Normally, 404 rarely uses this ability.

Because he hates including unnecessary things in his footage.

Just like how he flew into a rage earlier when I ruined his broadcast.

This guy has a serious obsession with what gets captured in his camera.

But the fact that he’s using this ability now means.

404 might look like he’s lost his mind in anger on the surface, but.

He definitely senses something off.

And the biggest reason for that unease is.

Me.

Standing here without making a move, he’s wary of me.

[Enjoy being forgotten by everyone, experience it with your whole body, you bastards!!]

Flash—!

The light grew brighter.

But no one made a move to step into that space.

And that included me.

“Guess this is goodbye.”

I spoke with an unnatural calmness for the situation.

At my inexplicable composure, 404 spat out his final furious words.

[Let’s see how long you can keep that act up!]

[I’ll make sure to burn into my eyes the sight of you being forgotten by everyone and disappearing! I’ll immortalize your endless despair in my footage forever!]

Maybe, just as 404 said, this really is the last time we’ll meet.

I hoped this moment would be.

My final encounter with him.

So, to make that wish come true.

I had prepared one last gift.

“Guess it’s time to give you that parting gift.”

Earlier.

While taking out the teddy bear, I had also taken out something else.

Now, I lightly tossed it into the space where the bright beam of light was shining.

Flick—

As 404’s figure vanished into the light, I saw him smile for the last time.

And I was grateful.

To 404, for moving exactly as I predicted, I was genuinely thankful.

“It was fun. And……”

And with that something I had thrown.

404 disappeared from this space entirely.

“Thanks for taking out the trash.”

****

404 barely managed to return to his filming set.

As much as he wanted to teach the bastard who’d put him through this hell a lesson.

He decided to save that for later.

Right now, he had used up too much energy.

It wouldn’t be too late to tear that guy’s arms and legs off after recovering.

Slowly.

He would wait for the moment that guy’s strength waned.

He could wait.

Just imagining that bastard crawling at his feet.

Crack—

……?

A sound of something breaking echoed through the entire space.

Following the source of the noise, his gaze fell upon a crudely shaped eyeball-like structure lying shattered on the ground.

He was puzzled.

And before he could even figure out where this eyeball structure had come from.

A voice brushed past his ears, whispering lowly into his eardrums.

A faint murmur.

Amidst an eerie atmosphere

Blink—

A single round eyeball appeared in midair, grinning brightly at 404.

『You moved.』