How a Veteran of the Urban Legend Gallery Survives – Chapter 11

The thick iron door clattered and shook.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Damn…”

The low muttering voice was mixed with irritation and anxiety.

Cold sweat dripped down his forehead. He instinctively knew he couldn’t hold out much longer like this. The noises from outside the door were growing louder.

With each shake of the electric door, the power dropped by 1%. Like a health bar in a game, the numbers falling one by one before his eyes gave him even greater anxiety than reality. His heart pounded every time the red numbers blinked. 69%, 68%, 67%… The numbers fell indifferently.

In the blue light of the CCTV monitor, the power level dropped to 50% in an instant. As the fluorescent lights dimmed, the security room grew darker.

The desk clock was still running at an accelerated pace.

The dolls outside the door were becoming more ferocious. At first, they just knocked on the door, but now they were acting as if they wanted to break it down. The rabbit’s laughter grew sharper, and the wolf’s clawing sounds were ear-piercing. The sound of the lion mask’s teeth clacking was especially spine-chilling. Just hearing it made his whole body break out in goosebumps. The sounds filled the security room like a prelude to death.

‘This can’t go on.’

Wiping away the cold sweat, he tried to think calmly. The back of his shirt was soaked with sweat.

His mind was a mess, but based on his past experiences, one thing was certain. Horror stories always had some kind of ‘rule.’ And the moment you understood that rule, an escape route would appear.

In the monkey dream, lucid dreaming was the answer. In the Back Room, the Foundation’s research facility was the answer. This time, there must be something too. The effects of the ruminant serum made his memories vividly resurface.

‘Wait, Jack’s Hamburger Shop… Destroyer Entertainment…’

Suddenly, the puzzle pieces in his memory began to fit together. Like fast-forwarding an old cassette tape, the documents he had read in the past quickly flashed through his mind.

After midnight, the dolls go into autonomous mode. And from then on, the dolls try to capture humans.

The reason was simple.

‘No costumes allowed inside the shop!’

That’s right.

To the dolls’ eyes, humans without costumes are just ‘skeletons.’ They try to capture the bare skeleton of a human security guard to dress them in a costume.

Like a system trying to fix a game bug, the dolls were trying to correct the ‘rule violator.’

‘We need camouflage.’

His fingers quickly tapped on the phone screen. The Dalant Shop app opened, and colorful icons glittered. Typing ‘camouflage’ into the search bar, a waterfall of items poured out. Scrolling quickly, he looked through the items. Most were too expensive. Items over 1 million Dalant were the majority, with some even priced at 10 million Dalant.

His finger hesitated. While scrolling, he stumbled upon an item. It caught his eye with its reasonable price.

『Ridiculous Bread Bag』

– Grade: D

– Price: 15,000D

– Description: A suspicious paper bag used as wrapping paper at the Goblin Market. According to the goblin ‘Bihyung,’ it’s an item that drifted in from somewhere when the boundaries between dimensions blurred. Wearing it over your head allows you to be recognized as any object or person you desire for one hour a day. If you want to be an old bookshelf, you’ll look like one. If you want to be an old gentleman with an umbrella, you’ll look like one. Before wearing the bag, you must vividly imagine the desired appearance in your mind. Taking off the bag immediately reverts you to your original form, and after one hour, the effect automatically ends. Cannot be used twice in the same day, and can only be used again after midnight.

Reading the description, there was no reason to hesitate. His finger moved steadily to the purchase button.

Touching the screen, a soft light flashed in the air. As the light faded, an old paper bag appeared. Strange patterns were drawn on the bag’s surface. Resembling ancient characters, yet giving off a bizarre feeling, the goblin letters densely covered the entire bag.

Carefully touching the bag with his fingers, the texture was unique. Unlike ordinary paper, it felt like touching the skin of a living creature. A faint electric current seemed to flow with each touch, and the bag felt like it was slightly trembling.

Only 20% of the power remained. On the CCTV screen, the dolls were becoming more violent. There was no more time to hesitate.

‘Fox doll… One of Destroyer Entertainment’s mascots.’

He pictured the fox doll in his mind. Red fur, white belly fur, black eyes, and a mischievous smile. Even the hidden malevolence within its cute appearance. He imagined the peculiar atmosphere unique to Destroyer as accurately as possible.

Taking a deep breath, the cold air filled his lungs. There was no turning back now. He recalled the fox doll’s image one last time, then lifted the bag over his head.

In an instant, all power went out. The last fluorescent light turned off, plunging the security room into complete darkness. The blue light of the CCTV monitor also disappeared.

– Creak.

The iron door rose with a mechanical sound, and in the faint emergency light seeping from the hallway, the dolls poured in.

The rabbit was first. Its torn ear swayed ominously. The wolf followed. Its rusty claws scraped the floor, making a horrifying sound. The lion mask was last. Black liquid dripped from its broken teeth.

The rabbit’s footsteps tapped the security room floor. Tap. Tap. Tap. The sound was as regular as a clock’s second hand. The wolf’s low growl filled the space. The hum reverberated in his ears. The lion mask’s laughter was the most terrifying. The ‘hehehe’ sound was like rusty gears turning.

But they didn’t find me. Or rather, they didn’t find the ‘security guard.’ Their gazes passed over me. As if I were transparent, or rather, as if I were one of them.

To their eyes, I must have looked like a new colleague. Thanks to the bread bag’s effect, I had become a perfect Destroyer Entertainment character.

The rabbit staggered around the hallway. Its unsteady steps were like a drunk person. The wolf began rummaging through the kitchen. The sound of its rusty claws opening and closing drawers echoed. The lion mask inspected every corner. Its broken teeth clacked as it searched for something.

But in the end, they found nothing. The ‘rule violator’ they were looking for had already become one of them. As time passed and 6 o’clock approached, the dolls returned to their places one by one. Silently, mechanically, like returning to a toy store display.

The third night passed in the same way. The bag’s duration was one hour, but since it seemed to follow real-time rather than accelerated time, it was enough to hold out. While the clock’s second hand spun wildly, the bag’s magic remained stable.

Just as he was about to leave the shop with the completed hamburgers, the dolls blocked the exit.

‘No way…’

Was this the price for accelerating time? Were they going to block the exit and kill me?

Cold sweat ran down his spine. The tension rising to his throat made it hard to breathe.

But the dolls acted completely differently than expected. The rabbit stepped forward and held out a shiny box. The gesture was as polite as offering a gift. The lion mask nodded, gesturing for him to choose one.

Destroyer Toy Set.

It seemed to be a reward for clearing ‘Jack’s Hamburger Shop,’ which had been upgraded from an E-grade horror story.

An unexpected stroke of luck.

Accelerating time had brought a good result after all.

‘Who would have thought this would come out here…’

In the Catastrophe Foundation’s worldview, ‘Destroyer Entertainment’ was notorious for being a problematic company, but among the things they made, the toy sets had many useful items.

Like Solif’s Picnic Set, Rabbit’s Pocket Watch, Teddy’s Honey Jar, and so on.

But the item I chose was none of those.

『Leon’s Keychain』

– Grade: D

– Description: A small lion mask plush keychain. When carried, it instills courage once a day in dangerous situations.

Instills courage in dangerous situations.

At first glance, the description seemed abstract and vague.

But according to the Foundation’s research documents, it was a special toy that applied a mosaic filter to brutal scenes and doubled adrenaline secretion.

Considering the horror stories I would have to face in the future, this special ability seemed invaluable.

Without hesitation, I chose the lion mask keychain and left the hamburger shop.

[You have safely escaped from the ‘Jack’s Hamburger Shop’ horror story.]

[You escaped the horror story faster than anyone else.]

[You have been awarded 50,000 Dalant as a basic reward.]

+50,000D

[You have been awarded an additional 25,000 Dalant.]

+25,000D

***

“For a newbie, you’re adapting too quickly.”

Moon Jinwook took a sip of coffee and spoke. Under the warm lights of the cafe next to the construction site, his expression looked complicated.

“Are you worried?”

Kang Hana picked up a macaron and asked.

“Your attitude towards horror stories… It’s like someone who’s been researching them for a long time.”

“That’s not a bad thing, is it?”

Kang Hana’s voice remained calm.

“That’s true, but… You know how this field is, Supervisor. If you adapt too quickly…”

As Moon Jinwook’s words trailed off, the automatic door at the cafe entrance opened. A cold breeze blew in, and Baek Jeongwoo stood at the door.

“What, already?”

Moon Jinwook jumped up from his seat. Checking his watch, only two hours had passed. Normally, a horror story of this difficulty would take at least two days.

Moreover, Baek Jeongwoo was holding ten special hamburgers. The packaging made it clear. They were Jack’s special hamburgers.

Moon Jinwook was shocked.

His lips trembled.

When he first entered the ‘Jack’s Hamburger Shop’ horror story, he was too busy escaping to even think about making hamburgers.

But this newbie not only escaped the horror story but also made hamburgers that no one expected.

Making hamburgers was surprising enough, but completing a two-day horror story in just two hours?

“This doesn’t make sense…”

A sigh escaped Moon Jinwook’s lips. His usual calmness was nowhere to be seen.

Meanwhile, Kang Hana smiled leisurely. As if she had expected this outcome. A small smile lingered at the corner of her lips.

The newbie, who had set a miraculous record, looked at the two of them as if nothing had happened and said nonchalantly.

“Mission accomplished. Let’s go.”