A brightly lit classroom straight out of a ghost story.

"Die! Die!"

Behind me, people were frantically pummeling a creepy, unmoving student.

"Let’s wait until they’re gone."

Ahead, a civil servant glared at my company employees passing by, his eyes filled with suspicion and disdain.

And stuck in the middle of it all…

With no allies and completely missing the timing, it was just me.

I had to survive this nightmare-like ghost story while pretending to be just an innocent bystander to the civil servant beside me.

The truth is... I used to work for a pharmaceutical company, which that civil servant despises!

“……”

Just how much harder can this get...?

‘This is driving me insane.’

Meanwhile, the employees had already moved far away.

I might have made eye contact with a few of them, but as I looked away, they didn’t stop to talk and quickly walked off.

At that moment, I felt a small sense of relief.

Blink.

The power went out again.

"Ack!"

But this time, the people were faster than the approaching darkness.

"…Ah, it’s not moving!"

"We did it!"

I took a deep breath.

When the lights flickered and came back on for a moment.

The ‘ Sekwang Technical High School student,’ who had been frozen like a statue, was now lying on the floor near the back door.

"Waaaah!"

The frantic beating by the people had clearly worked. This time, the student couldn’t move even when the lights went out.

Instead, the accumulated impact of the blows seemed to overwhelm it, leaving it sprawled as if dead.

However, the student’s right hand, now frozen again, still stretched toward the air as if reaching for the back door…

“…….”

The people cheered, their faces lit with joy, holding blood-stained sacks and chairs in their hands.

"It worked! This is it!”

“…….”

I have to run.

When one of the student entities falls into an immobilized state resembling biological death.

Quickly.

All the nearby students are summoned to that spot.

[Ding-dong-dang-dong]

[A fatal accident has occurred in Class 1 of the 5th year.]

"Huh...?"

An announcement echoed throughout the school.

Unlike before, the voice was calm and subdued.

A slow funeral march played in the background.

"Now."

The civil servant poked my back.

"Let’s run."

[The deceased student is Lee Won-yul from Class 1 of the 1st year.]

I immediately dashed out the door.

I tried to take in as much of the hallway as I could, as quickly as possible.

I identified what I needed and pressed myself against the nearest surface to minimize my body’s profile.

"Should I press my back against the wall?"

"Exactly."

[Let’s have a moment of silence for 5 seconds.]

Without resisting the civil servant pressing on my shoulder, I slid down and leaned my back against the wall.

And then.

Thud.

The lights went out.

[5]

Through the music, a grinding sound.

The sound of the back door opening.

[4]

"Aaaaah!"

"Ahh!"

"Wha- wha… guh…"

[3]

"Sa…ve…"

“Sob,"

[2]

Screams, screams, short screams.

[1]

…….

…….

Silence.

A funeral march played in the background.

[The moment of silence is over. We pray for the repose of the soul of the deceased.]

Forcing my trembling head up, I looked into the classroom.

Because I had to see it.

Blink.

The lights came back on, and my vision returned.

The classroom was a chaotic mess of blood and filth.

Bodies were flung against the walls, sprawled across the floor and desks.

‘…Ha.’

And amidst it all, only two figures stood tall.

The Sekwang Technical High School students froze under my gaze.

One stood trampling on a decapitated corpse, while the other held the front door, smiling…

Staring straight at me.

“…….”

I’ve been noticed.

‘Damn it.’

A bead of sweat dripped down my chin.

"...I’ll step back for a moment, just enough to keep the classroom in view."

“…….”

The civil servant gave a slight nod.

Keeping my eyes fixed forward, I felt my way along the wall as I moved backward.

The reason I stood by this wall.

[Portable Light]

A red emergency flashlight was right nearby.

A portable light source that could ‘stop’ the students even during a blackout.

‘An absolute necessity.’

But there was only one left where there should have been three.

‘The staff must have taken the others.’

It’s surprising that Baek Saheon, even though he was in the group, didn’t take all three as spares.

On top of that, they stuffed a wad of paper into the emergency light’s sensor to prevent the alarm from sounding. It was the kind of cleverness you’d expect from seasoned ghost-story explorers.

They even left a single sheet of paper in the empty flashlight slot.

‘They even thought that far ahead.’

I felt around behind me and picked up the paper…

Then, as I stretched my hand forward, I caught sight of some text folded on the back of the paper, just at the edge of my vision.

- Debt

“…….”

Not bad.

I crumpled Baek Saheon’s note, stuffed it into the sensor as I felt my way back, and pulled out the flashlight.

‘Phew.’

That’s the first step of preparing for an emergency blackout complete.

‘Next is….’

"...! Did you pull out the flashlight?"

"Yes."

"…Excellent. Keep it turned on. …Now, let’s retrieve the name tags."

The civil servant strode toward the front door of the classroom.

Right up to the student entity that was staring intently at me.

‘Hoo….’

Just looking at it made me feel like alarm signals were shooting up to the top of my head.

However, the civil servant quickly removed the name tag from its chest, 

And took it off.

Then, beyond that, they retrieved the name tag from the first deceased entity lying by the back door.

“…….”

This is insane.

‘This is an irreversible step.’

If a student sees their name tag being taken, they’ll chase you until you’re dead.

Though at this point, having already made eye contact, it might be too late anyway.

‘They’ll chase us no matter what.’

Even with a flashlight, moving through this school at night with two students on your tail is madness for an ordinary person.

It’s a choice only a disaster management agent, fully equipped with gear and comrades, could make.

‘…Still, if it were me, I would’ve done it differently.’

But what’s done is done, and thinking rationally…

Being exposed to the civil servant.

Dying in this nightmare ghost story.

No matter how I think about it, the former is far more dangerous. Dying here is one thing, but being marked and investigated is another.

‘For now, I have no choice but to trust the disaster management agent’s move.’

Still, I should at least pull my own weight… do my part.

‘If I’m going to do it, I need to act quickly.’

As the civil servant moved, I also stepped into the classroom.

Then, I reached out to the student near the back door and removed their name tag.

‘Ughhh!’

This is driving me crazy; it’s so terrifying.

The student stood frozen, unmoving, as if they might turn and crush my head at any moment…

But that didn’t happen, and I succeeded.

‘Phew.’

Just as I was clutching my trembling, chilled hand,

“S-save me….”

I heard it.

“…….”

I thought the student entity was just stepping on the neck of a dead person, but I was wrong.

Beneath them, someone was silently shedding tears.

“P-please….”

There was still someone alive.

Lacking the strength or malice to shout, they whispered faintly to me, and I could hear it.

“…….”

After a brief but intense deliberation, I took some action.

…….

“…! Sob, sniff… Yes….”

My eyes were entirely focused on the student-like entity, so I couldn’t be sure, but the person below seemed to nod faintly….

“…….”

I slowly backed away and rejoined the civil servant. Then, stepping backward into the hallway, I quickly started moving.

"Keep your eyes forward. I’ll watch the classroom."

"…Yes."

The civil servant pulled out their flashlight.

And while looking at the back of the head of the entity that had been staring directly at us from the front door.

I kept my eyes on the hallway ahead, prepared to ‘freeze’ any new entities that might appear.

Sticking to the wall, we moved, covering each other’s blind spots as much as possible.

“…….”

It was a soundless yet desperate, quick movement.

As the classroom faded from view… finally, one of the two entities, the one that had been entirely inside, seemed to disappear from sight.

The civil servant, who had been watching it, muttered curiously.

"Why isn’t it following us… could it be,"

I could feel the unease from the civil servant through our backs pressed together.

"…Was there someone alive inside? Are they the one watching?"

"…Yes."

The civil servant took a deep breath.

"They must have been gravely injured and unable to move… You did well. In a disaster, you secure your own safety first, then help others."

“…….”

"Head to the stairs. We’ll stop once near the fire hydrant."

"Yes."

I moved my feet. And then…

Blink.

…Another blackout.

"I’m shining the flashlight."

"Yes."  

I kept walking.  

And then I realized.  

During the blackout just now,  

The person I gave the name tag to… died.  

‘They’re coming after me.’  

The two entities must be leaving the classroom now.  

But the fact that I can’t turn around to check because I have to keep my eyes forward… makes my hair stand on end.  

"Don’t panic. There’s still a chance."  

"……."  

"You picked up a name tag earlier, didn’t you?"  

"Yes."  

"Good. Now, you need to kill yourself."  

I nearly fainted.  

"Do it as soon as we stop at the emergency light. Your face is so pale; it’s better to wake up from this nightmare quickly. You have the name tag, so it’ll be fine."  

"…Um."

But you see.

I swallowed hard.

"I did pick up a name tag, but it’s not in my possession right now."

“……!”

"I gave it to the person who was still alive in the classroom."

That’s right.

Earlier, I deliberately dropped the name tag on the floor.

So the person trapped beneath the ‘student’ could grab it.

“ – If you hold onto this, you’ll wake up from this dream.”

“ – …! Sob, sniff… Yes….”

"Since they have the name tag, they’ll wake up safely."

"And they’ve bought us some time in the process."

"…!"

The civil servant let out a short breath, filled with frustration and stress.

Then, in an even more fatigued and businesslike tone, he spoke.

"…Were you relying on the spare name tag I have?"

"No. You don’t need to give me that. It’s something you acquired, after all."

“…….”

"You need more name tags, right? You’ll need to hand them out to your colleagues too."

"…That’s…"

Of course.

It’s not like I was saying this because I’m some clueless pushover.

‘I’m really fine.’

Why, you ask?

‘Because from the beginning, I never planned to just grab a name tag and kill myself!’

Exploration Record #13

The exploration record I’m using as a basis for my escape, that is, the wiki entry I wrote, was… originally the record of an explorer who failed to obtain the name tag.

Moreover, I had analyzed this ghost story quite a bit and thought about all the variables, enough to write an exploration record.

And I had come to this conclusion.

‘If you don’t have the name tag, you must perform 'some action' in order to clear this without facing physical death…!’

And that was the strategy to obtain the highest grade of Dream Elixir.

‘Then I must do it no matter what.’

Team D… In other words, I need to prove that I can achieve similar results even in new situations.

"Do you know what happens if you die without the name tag?"

I know.

"You will be dragged back here every time you sleep on a new moon, and when you wake up, you will have forgotten and won’t be able to react."

“…….”

"Can you handle that?"

I don’t think I can, but there’s no other choice but to endure it…

It would be much safer to keep the name tag and then give up ownership at the critical moment.

But as long as that civil servant is with me, it’s impossible for me to acquire the name tag and then throw it away if necessary.

So instead, I took the risk and naturally gave away the name tag.

"There will be another chance."

Even if there is, I will give it up again.

While I’m traveling with you.

"And I will seize that opportunity myself. I won’t ask you for it, so don’t worry."

“……”

And at this point,

Should I at least try?

I spoke with a voice that seemed to have made a decision.

“…I guess, we should split up here.”

“…!”

“If you need it, I can give you the flashlight I have.”

‘After all, I brought a powerful flashlight.’

I’ve also brought a lot of other things.

Once I split from you, I can stop pretending to be a civilian and start using it all, once I split up!

I’m scared of going alone, but I can’t stay like this, with my hands tied.

It’s better to be with civilians or company colleagues than stuck here!

‘I need to join a larger group.’

This nightmare has a strange structure: the more eyes there are, the safer it is, but the noisier it gets, the more dangerous it becomes.

‘I need to form a party of around four as soon as possible.’

Since I’m a risk as an employee of the Daydream Corporation, I shouldn’t be traveling with this agent.

I need a situation where I can act more proactively.

‘Let’s pretend to give up and separate.’

“I think I’ll just be a hindrance to you, agent. I’ll try to handle things on my own…”

After all, a civilian caught in a disaster is considered dead! Let’s think of it as an unavoidable situation and move on!

But.

An entirely unexpected reaction came.

“...I misjudged.”

“…?”

The civil servant looked at me with an expression that seemed to convey a firm decision.

“I was planning to execute a humane execution as soon as you obtained the name tag.”

What?!

‘This is insane.’

Even though death means waking up, how could he say something like that so blatantly in front of me?

Feeling cold sweat running down my back, I forced a smile.

“Ah, yes. Even in a dream, suicide is difficult…”

“Yes. However... if it’s alright with you, I would like you to accompany me in this disaster investigation.”

……

What?

The civil servant spoke quickly.

“You’ll temporarily become an agent. This is not my solo mission, so normally, I would need the consent of another agent, but... Ah.”

The official rummaged through his pocket and took something out, handing it to me.

“If you take this, it will be recognized as a simplified procedure.”

I blinked as I saw the small caramel candy wrapped in silver foil, falling into my hand.

...It’s a Disaster Management Bureau supply!

-------------------------------

A tangy-sweet taste

A caramel-textured chewable candy.

When consumed, it causes discomfort with each lie told, forcing the person to speak the truth.

-------------------------------

"It's a simple truth verification process."

No, it's basically a confession drug used for torture.

"If you take this and accompany me, a small reward will be given."

“…….”

"If it's too difficult, I’ll give you the metal badge and then execute you to send you back."

Wow, damn.

"Citizen?"

It would be nice if I could pretend to eat and hide it in my tattoo, but being fully rejuvenated as a high school student, I didn’t have a tattoo in this dream.

After carefully weighing the options.

"……Yes."

I diligently chewed and swallowed the confession drug.

It had a tangy-sweet good taste, and it got stuck in my throat, but I chewed and swallowed it.

‘It would be more of a problem if they find out I’m throwing it away or if I get caught not eating it.’

It means I know what this caramel is.

"I swallowed it."

Tears are welling up.

But they say the whip comes with the carrot.

Unexpectedly, the carrot started pouring down.

"Well done. Now take this."

"…??"

The official quickly handed me something else into my empty hand.

It was a metal badge that looked somewhat like a silver heart.

Huh?

"It's an agent identification card. If you wear it, you'll be able to get help from other agents if you run into them."

“…….”

"And this."

As soon as I put on the badge, a small ivory-colored pistol was quickly handed over.

Small, multi-colored glass beads sparkled as bullets inside a translucent cylinder.

This, which looks unusual at first glance…

-------------------------------

Glass Handgun

A demon-slaying pistol loaded with special glass beads manufactured by the Disaster Management Bureau. It's so small that it looks like a toy or a lighter.

-------------------------------

“This is a weapon designed to combat supernatural disasters. It should be effective against those ‘students’ as well. Please hold onto it.”

“…….”

Wow.

This is the standard issue set for Disaster Management Bureau agents, which I’ve only seen in the wiki.

It's like the Dream Collector and the mask from DayDream Corporation, a kind of agent reader.

‘I’m actually wearing all of this.’

I never imagined I’d be pretending to be a Disaster Management Bureau agent.

‘What kind of situation is this?’

It’s funny, but at the same time, I’m excited, yet I also want to escape desperately.

But for now…

‘I don’t have the luxury of worrying about that.’

“It’s started.”

Blink.

“We’re almost at the end of the hallway, so from now on, please keep your eyes forward. ...Don’t let go of the flashlight.”

……

I readjusted my grip on the unfamiliar pistol.

They’re coming.