Dream Essence Collector.

Literally a device for collecting a liquid called ‘Dream essence’ from ghost stories, provided by Daydream Inc. to field exploration team members.

The concentration of the liquid collected depends on the grade of the ghost story cleared.

And the highest grade of liquid I had seen in person was….

‘It was A.’

The anomalous manifestation at <Chorus of the Sacrificed> from the Tuesday Talk Show, and <In the shade of darkness> at Sekwang Technical High School.

Both had liquid that shone with a brilliant, vivid golden hue.

But the liquid in my hand right now….

‘Oh my god.’

In addition, it had an orient-like holographic shimmer.

The liquid, with its flowing brilliance, reminded me of a certain potion….

‘The Wish token Potion I saw when I joined…!’

It was eerily similar, and I found it fascinating. Was it because this was raw essence?

No, that's not the important thing right now….

‘Then this… is an S-grade?’

I rotated the cylinder. The radiance flickered….

It doesn't feel real.

‘That grade isn't just assigned because the legend is dangerous.’

Abyss (S) Grade.

The creators of the <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration> wiki all thought.

‘Wouldn't there need to be a more special standard to assign an S?’

Until then, Daydream Inc.'s ghost stories had their grades implicitly assigned based on, ‘This is probably high-grade enough.’

Danger, mystery, significance, scale… the typical thresholds one might imagine when thinking of ghost stories.

But from A-grade and above, the consensus was that something different was needed.

Thus, a new condition was added.

In the darkness, who do you encounter?

Beyond the atmosphere of cosmic horror, when the legend involves directly encountering a being that is cosmic horror itself, only then does it surpass grade A and reach Abyss grade.

‘But was Braun's Midnight Talk Show really on that level?’

I did work there as a staff member for a month before escaping, but it felt a bit exaggerated.

Braun seemed like a crazy ghost story talk show host and a very powerful supernatural being, but didn't he feel a bit too approachable to be true cosmic horror?

Maybe the liquid in the dream collector wasn’t filled there but was just a bonus included with the merchandise.

‘And the reason I received this merchandise is….’

Because I cleared a high-grade story without a dream collector, I must have earned the right to be issued a new one.

And more importantly.

‘…If this really is S-grade, how many points would it be worth?’

The company's point allocation guidelines automatically came to mind.

S grade: Special Review

I swallowed hard.

A grade was 100,000 points, so based on the trend….

500,000 points.

It could be.

‘…Wouldn’t this be enough to exchange for a wish token right away?’

Oh my god.

Then I don’t even need to worry about being fired anymore!

If I just submit this dream collector, the company will give me the points…….

“......!”

…….

Ah.

‘Damn it.’

I lost my composure.

‘There’s no way to submit this.’

“ – Be careful not to lose it. They all have serial numbers engraved, so it’s a real headache.”

The words I once heard from Deputy Manager Eun Haje hit my mind like a sledgehammer.

It was true.

Dream Collectors are all engraved with serial numbers, strictly registered to individual employees.

So having a spare means a situation not just awkward but outright strange and bizarre.

It’s as crazy as innocently reporting that you found an extra bullet casing by accident….

‘If someone asks me where I got this, I can’t even answer.’

Obviously, I couldn’t just say it’s merch I bought from a pop-up store.

Especially, this Dream Collector is even more impossible to explain.

“…Ha.”

This version, made for elite teams, is smaller and fancier than a standard Dream Collector.

I peeled off the product sticker on the cylinder and sighed.

Dream Collector (Elite Team Exclusive)

This isn’t an ordinary Dream Collector; there’s a reason this was released as merchandise.

‘Because this is the version from a famous game based on <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration>…!’

It was an adaptation of an exploration record into a game, and this item appeared as a collectible tied to identifying significant NPCs and unlocking the true ending by collecting all six.

They even added this setting to avoid conflicts with the lore of the <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration> wiki!

Elite Team Exclusive Cylinder: Once specially manufactured for elite teams, but discontinued due to budget constraints as standardized models replaced it.

So if the game’s setting applies….

“ – Equipment produced long ago and only owned by a select few suddenly shows up in the hands of a rookie who disappeared for a month.”

Such a ridiculous scenario comes to life.

‘And if this setting isn’t applied, it’s an even bigger problem.’

Bringing in a Dream Collector that’s unfamiliar and different from the company’s standard?

Anyone would see it as a technology leak. The development department would be in complete chaos.

‘I’ll probably be mistaken for an industrial spy.’

Worse yet, they might even suspect something like a parallel world anomaly.

An employee who disappeared for a month and was assumed to have quit suddenly shows up like this?

They’d likely expect you to end up as some kind of lab subject….

‘…Oh, no.’

I swallowed hard.

For now, I’ll hold off!

“Phew.”

I put the cylinder back into my pocket.

Even so, my heart was racing.

The raw liquid of a potion capable of granting wishes, with magical effects.

Could the wiki simply summarize such an interesting setting as just ‘used as raw liquid in the horror company’?

‘It can be used in other ways too.’

Even if not offered to the company for points, there were a few other practical ways to use it.

‘Let’s aim for that.’

For now, though….

“Contact first.”

I left the park as the dawn began to break.

After treating my fractured left arm and bruises, I immediately charged my smartphone using a free charger upon leaving the hospital.

Then I made contact.

To the true boss of this era, the one who had helped me escape the most.

***

That evening.

"Mr. Kim Soleum."

"Team Leader."

As soon as I met Team Leader Lee Jaheon, I bowed my head deeply.

It was well-deserved, really….

"Thank you so much. Truly…."

"Yes."

I did spend 66.66 million won, but honestly, I think it was totally worth it….

‘Physical force… is really convenient and effective.’

It’s no wonder Employee D was used as a cliché in every special exploration log.

…Although I never expected him to be an alien.

‘Should I have suspected something when he looked like a lizard?’

I sighed inwardly with relief as I looked at Team Leader Lee Jaheon, who still resembled a lizard.

Who would’ve thought he’d be part of a bizarre interstellar shopping mall group capable of launching artillery at ghost stories?

‘They definitely called it the ‘Alliance.’’

There was no mention of this in Employee D’s entry on the wiki. In the end, I couldn’t suppress my curiosity and asked.

"Excuse me, Team Leader. May I ask what the ‘Alliance’ you mentioned when you were summoned to ‘help us’ is?"

"No."

“…….”

Ah, okay….

Well, let’s get to the main point then.

After confirming his agreement not to inform the company, I showed Team Leader Lee Jaheon the Dream Collector.

"About the liquid in this collector."

The lizard-like vertical pupils stared intently at the collector's strange design….

I asked calmly.

"Is it… an S-grade, meaning Abyssal Darkness Dream Essence?"

After a suffocating silence.

"No, it is not."

Ah.

"It has a higher concentration than the 'Grade: Darkness (A)' classification registered in the company database, but it is not Abyssal Grade."

Whew.

‘Makes sense.’

‘An S-grade wouldn’t appear so easily.’

‘I guess it’s roughly equivalent to an A+ grade.’

Feeling convinced, I put the collector back into my pocket.

"Then what color is a true S-grade?"

"There are no precise words in the current languages to describe it. However, upon witnessing it, there will be no doubt—it’s an intense, concentrated color."

"…I see."

‘That’s such an alien way of speaking….’

Suddenly, I became curious.

‘What kind of connection does Team Leader Lee Jaheon have with the interstellar shopping mall?’

‘And why is he working at the Daydream Corporation? I had so many questions, but now wasn’t the time to ask.’

‘The real problem is whether I can still stay at that company….’

"Team Leader, as far as I know, a month of unexcused absences with no contact leads to termination."

I swallowed hard.

"Am I in that situation too?"

"Yes."

‘Damn it!’

"Would it be possible to return if I claim I couldn’t come to work due to being caught in the darkness?"

"Yes."

Whew.

That was a relief. I figured I just had to talk my way out of it. I sighed in relief and spoke.

"Then, as it is…."

Bzzzz—

At that moment, Team Leader Lee Jaheon’s phone rang.

Lee Jaheon looked at his phone and spoke.

"Mr. Kim Sol-eum."

"Yes?"

"There are people who want to meet you."

A little while later.

"Hey, Roe Deer!"

At Lee Jaheon’s apartment building, I saw some familiar, welcoming faces.

Deputy Manager Eun Haje and Supervisor Park Minseong.

Seeing the people who even ventured into a ghost story to find me made my heart swell with emotion.

‘This is truly no ordinary effort.’

Surviving the Chorus of the Sacrificed and then stepping into the Braun’s Midnight Talk Show, which was practically its sequel, wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

Especially since one of them has to constantly avoid other staff, and the other can’t even go out freely.

When I had become one with the darkness and a part of the talk show, I hadn’t felt this inexplicable, strange surge of emotion.

I bowed deeply.

"Thank you. Thanks to the candy you gave me, I was able to find a clue."

That was the starting point that eventually led me to press the 'We Help' button.

Deputy Manager Eun Haje waved their hand dismissively.

"It’s fine. I didn’t really do much anyway."

"I only managed to get in at the last moment thanks to what you two told me."

Supervisor Park Minseong nodded in agreement and laughed. He seemed more stable now compared to the end-of-year quarantine room cleanup, but….

I noticed that Supervisor Park Minseong wasn’t wearing a suit but black casual clothing.

"Supervisor, have you started working again?"

"…Yeah. I’m working in the security team now."

He was no longer part of the field exploration team.

Supervisor Park Minseong didn’t elaborate further on what he was doing.

He only mentioned briefly, ‘It’s nice to start earning points again.’

“…….”

Instead of prying further, I let Senior Supervisor Minseong change the subject.

"Oh, by the way, Team Leader J from the security team occasionally asked about you. I didn’t tell him you were lost in the darkness, but he seemed to have figured it out a few days ago."

"Yes."

I was about to just nod when a realization hit me.

Wait a second.

"Are you saying the company already knew that I wasn’t just absent without notice, but that I was lost in the darkness?"

"Ah, uh, yeah. They concluded that you went missing during the ‘Tamna Express.’"

Oh!

"So, does that mean the company hasn’t given up on looking for me? Or at least they still consider me missing?"

“…….”

“…….”

The two superiors began to act like they hadn’t heard me!

‘…So they already declared me dead.’

What an incredible company.

Not that it mattered much. I resisted the urge to press my temples and just nodded.

"Got it. Then I’ll report that I’m alive, cleared the darkness, and came out, and if I return…"

"R- Roe Deer! About that…."

"You can’t."

“…!?”

Deputy Manager Eun Haje abruptly cut off the conversation.

"…Deputy Manager?"

"Look, Roe. Anyway, the company did put an unusual amount of effort into searching for you for a few weeks."

Supervisor Park Minseong quickly stepped in and continued.

"But if the audit department decides that it wasn’t work-related and just an unauthorized absence, they’ll try to charge you for the costs somehow."

…….

What?

"But I didn’t directly request a rescue, so there’s no basis for that, is there?"

"They can just make up a reason."

“…….”

"The points we receive aren’t wages; they’re ‘welfare points.’ If the company holds a grudge, they can find a way to take them back. At the very least, they could freeze your points for several months as a disciplinary measure."

A chill ran down my spine.

"It wasn’t a work-related incident caused by the company, but an accidental involvement with the darkness? They think they’ve suffered a loss because of it."

Deputy Manager Eun Haje spoke as if chewing on the words.

"They’ll frame it as if you caused a loss to the company because your absence was due to a personal accident or reason."

“…!”

"If you don’t return, there’s not much they can do, but if you rejoin as an employee…."

It’s absolute nonsense.

But the problem is, this kind of absurdity happens even in ordinary companies….

"So let’s document the method you used to clear the darkness. Then it counts as work. They can’t accuse you of negligence or anything like that."

"That’s impossible."

“…….”

The way I entered was unique, and the methods I used to escape were far too specific to be standardized into a manual.

Moreover, the very fact that I worked as a staff member in that ghost story for a month before escaping was an unusual situation.

‘If I could just submit the solution, I think everything could be smoothed over.’

The fact that I couldn’t do that was frustrating.

‘...Should I just brace myself for losing points and act?’

No. No matter how I think about it, that’s too wasteful.

No, it’s beyond wasteful… it’s infuriating.

‘I’ve already gathered more than half.’

The company drums and dances to their own tune, then just snatches my points? That’s not something I can accept as a human being.

And the problem didn’t even end there.

"Alright. Anyway… if you describe how you escaped and mention that you were part of the ghost story for a whole month…"

Supervisor Park Minseong swallowed hard.

"They might decide that you’re contaminated and… put you through something like what I went through."

“…….”

Yeah.

Normally, if someone spent a whole month in a high-grade ghost story and came out, it’d be unreasonable to expect them to return to the field team with a sound mind.

They’ll analyze my case and reassign me accordingly.

"Then, you might not be able to return to the field team."

“…….”

At this point, it’s tempting to yell, ‘Screw this damn company!’ and quit, but I can’t leave in a fit of anger.

‘I need the wish token.’

I already confirmed it in the elevator ghost story. The wish token can take me home…!

‘Besides, if I’m going to summon Braun again as promised, I’ll need to retrieve the doll from the cheerful theme park ghost story….’

I barely managed to stabilize our relationship as ‘friends,’ but if I break this promise, who knows what an otherworldly being summoned under the condition of ‘eternal companionship’ might do.

I clenched my teeth as I felt the weight of the coin still in my jacket.

‘The situation’s gotten weirdly complicated… but no. There’s definitely a way.’

I have the high-grade essence in my hands, and I escaped the ghost story with my sanity intact.

The situation is definitely not worse than before.

There must be a way, a decisive move, to resolve this problem….

“…….”

As I looked at the concerned faces of my supervisors, something suddenly came to mind.

Perhaps.

“Deputy Manager.”

I looked at Deputy Manager Eun Haje.

The one who had their workplace changed.

“By any chance, can you contact Director Ho?”

“……!”