How a Veteran of the Urban Legend Gallery Survives – Chapter 20

Right after being introduced to Narae, Cheon Seungsoo immediately called me to the break room.

And as I stared at the pink remote he handed me, I was momentarily at a loss for words.

It was a remote with a design that looked like an adult toy straight out of a H-game. Pastel tones mixed with pink, and even a cute heart-shaped button.

I tried to stay calm, but this was too much. No matter how eccentric the other person was, using such a cute remote to deliver *that* kind of stimulation…

“What is this?”

I could feel the confusion in my voice, but I asked as calmly as possible.

Seungsoo smiled slightly, as if amused by my reaction.

“It’s the remote to control Narae’s collar. You can give her an electric shock if you press it.”

He continued casually, as if talking about the weather.

“If she doesn’t listen during the mission or tries to attack you, use it.”

I turned the remote over in my hands. Numbers from 1 to 10 were engraved around the heart-shaped button.

‘Ah, thank goodness.’

I let out a sigh of relief without realizing it. For a moment, I thought it was some kind of weird toy, but it was just a remote to control a restraint device.

Seungsoo led Narae and me to the partition room and turned on the beam projector.

As the faint light illuminated the screen, the view of Dorimcheon Station appeared. The dim platform, old tiles, and flickering fluorescent lights made it look like a scene from a horror movie.

“The urban legend you two will investigate this time is Dorimcheon Station.”

Seungsoo continued, showing us the data on his tablet. Known as the ghost station of Seoul Subway Line 2, it was a quiet station with fewer than 3,000 daily passengers, unlike the bustling Sindorim Station next to it.

“You might already know this, but the recent disappearance urban legend at Dorimcheon Station has been trending online.”

As he spoke, the effects of the Retrospective Thought Enhancement Serum kicked in. Neatly organized information began to pop up in my mind.

——————

<CTP-234-KO> Urban Legend Investigation Record #1

:Field Investigation Team 9 arrived at Dorimcheon Station around 9 PM.

They tried to leave the Line 2 platform, but an anomaly occurred where climbing the stairs led them back to the same Line 2 platform repeatedly.

Four hours after the anomaly occurred, Team Leader ■■■ of Field Investigation Team 9 partially figured out the rules of the space.

Every time you climb the stairs, it looks like the same Line 2 platform, but sometimes anomalies are found.

If you find an anomaly, you must turn back. In this case, the floor level increases.

If there is no anomaly, proceed straight. In this case, the floor level also increases.

Conversely, if you proceed straight despite an anomaly or turn back despite no anomaly, the floor level resets to the 6th floor.

When the floor level reaches B1, the loop ends, and you can exit through the original Dorimcheon Station exit.

——————

As I skimmed through the data, I could also trace the origin of this urban legend. Like ‘Jack’s Hamburger Shop,’ which was inspired by a horror game popular in the 2010s, the Dorimcheon Station urban legend was also inspired by a game that was trending in 2023.

Walking through the endless platforms might make my legs ache a bit, but as long as I brought enough food and drinks and caught the anomalies, there was no risk of death.

Moreover, thanks to the Retrospective Thought Enhancement Serum, I had a near-perfect memory. Combined with sufficient information about the urban legend, the mortality rate was practically zero.

“If you find an anomaly, you must turn back. In this case, the floor level increases.”

Seungsoo continued his explanation. I glanced at Narae sitting next to me. She yawned as if bored, but she was diligently taking notes.

Her demeanor felt oddly out of place.

The same Narae who once seduced men at a cram school to drain their energy was now taking notes like a new employee.

“If there’s no anomaly, proceed straight. If there is an anomaly, turn back. As long as you follow this rule, you can escape without any issues.”

The projector light illuminated Seungsoo’s face. Strangely, his expression carried a tension that wasn’t there before.

“There’s one thing to be careful of…”

Seungsoo paused for a moment, then looked at us with a stern expression.

“Never get lured by the anomalies. If you feel something is off, turn back immediately.”

After giving us a warning, Seungsoo cleared his throat and continued.

“Jeong Woo, write the report, have dinner, and then head to Dorimcheon Station with Narae.”

With that, he left the office.

On my way back to my desk, I stopped by the rooftop to grab a coffee. The harsh winter wind swept across the rooftop, but I wanted to take a moment to collect my thoughts. I leaned against the railing, holding the warm coffee I got from the vending machine.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

I was startled by the sudden voice. Narae was standing behind me, her voice icy.

The sharp winter wind blew through her long hair. Her earlier composed demeanor seemed to have been an act, as her eyes were now filled with anger. A white breath escaped her lips.

I felt a pang of guilt but smirked slightly as I replied.

“Not really.”

At my words, Narae’s sharp fangs peeked through her lips. Her pupils elongated vertically, taking on a yellowish hue.

“Because of you, my training is ruined. While all the other yokai around me are ascending to higher realms, I’m stuck in this rat hole for decades, maybe even centuries!”

Her anger was understandable. I had turned her, a nine-tailed fox who had trained for decades, into a test subject for the Foundation overnight.

I chuckled at her.

“Sorry, but that’s not my problem, is it?”

Narae growled lowly, gripping the collar around her neck. Her hair began to turn crimson, and fox ears started to sprout from her head.

“If it weren’t for this damn restraint, trash like you…!”

A chill ran down my spine. This situation felt eerily familiar.

‘Ah, that’s it.’

In the Catastrophe Foundation universe, there were countless records of researchers provoking or tormenting urban legend entities, only for the entities to escape and massacre the researchers.

In other words, I was steadily stacking up karma that would lead to my death.

Memories of the Foundation’s records flashed through my mind. The fates of researchers who had been avenged by urban legend entities were all gruesome.

‘If this keeps up…’

A cornered rat will bite a cat. What more if the cornered one is a decades-old fox?

I looked at Narae on the cold rooftop and thought. I needed to give her an escape route.

“Do you really want to become a celestial fox?”

At my sudden question, Narae’s yellow eyes gleamed.

“Of course!”

I took out my smartphone and opened the Dalant store. Typing ‘Yeouiju’ into the search bar, an item popped up.

『Completed Yeouiju』

-Grade: S

-Price: 1,000,000,000D

-Description: A Yeouiju completed by an Imoogi just before ascending to the heavenly realm. Unfortunately, the Imoogi faced a heavenly calamity and perished right before ascending. The Yeouiju contains spiritual energy accumulated over tens of thousands of years. If consumed by an ordinary person, their body and soul would instantly perish, but if consumed by a practitioner or yokai who has walked the path of cultivation, it could allow them to attempt ascension to the heavenly realm.

1 billion Dalant. It was an astronomical amount, but for now, knowing this item existed was crucial. It proved that I wasn’t lying about helping her become a celestial fox.

“I can make you a celestial fox.”

Narae scoffed at my words.

“Ha, lies. How could a mere human like you make me a celestial fox…”

But then her voice trailed off. She must have used her yokai abilities to discern the truth in my words. Her eyes wavered.

I took a sip of the cold coffee and continued.

“I’ll make you a celestial fox. But there’s a condition.”

I looked straight into Narae’s eyes.

“Help me rise to the Order’s position.”

The Order. The highest echelon of power in the Foundation, privy to all its secrets.

My reason for aiming for it was simple. The higher your rank, the higher the grade of urban legends you can access. Naturally, you can earn more Dalant.

In a situation where clearing a B-grade urban legend only nets you 300,000 Dalant, the only way to quickly accumulate 10 billion Dalant is to frequently clear high-grade urban legends.

Narae stared at me silently for a while. It was understandable. I was the person who had already betrayed her once by handing her over to the Foundation.

But with her body now bound to the Foundation, she had no other choice. She couldn’t gather energy to ascend, nor could she escape. Her only option was to seize the chance to become a celestial fox.

“If you help me, can I really become a celestial fox?”

Narae’s voice was still filled with distrust, but there was also a glimmer of hope. After all, even for high-ranking yokai, the position of a celestial fox wasn’t easy to attain.

“Of course. I’m a man of my word.”

It was a blatant lie. I had already betrayed her once, and now I was just using her for my own goals.

“Sigh… How did I end up with a human like you…”

Narae’s sigh somehow made her seem pitiful. But this was a mutually beneficial deal.

“So, are you in or not?”

After a long silence, Narae finally took my outstretched hand. Her hand was cold, but her grip was firm.

And so, a strange alliance between a yokai and a human was formed.