The 13th exploration record I added.

-If the uniform is obtained appropriately and worn, you can be treated as a student.

It’s actually quite a radical idea.

If mishandled, it could distort the essence of the original story.

A school ghost story.

Monsters that move only when they are not being watched.

By combining these two clichés, ‘In the Shade of Darkness’ was originally a classic ‘fear of the pursued’ themed ghost story.

A nightmare where a familiar place or person turns into something unrecognizable and chases me until it kills me.

However, as the exploration records pile up beyond 10 entries, subtle buildup is added.

'It adds the fun of imagining the background of the world in more detail.'

Exploration Record #5

Writing found on the blackboard:

Avoid the teacher, the teacher is… (The rest of the text was roughly erased.)

In that way, hints pile up one by one.

It had piled up over 12 entries, and since this legend was quite popular, it seemed like it would just keep growing.

'At that point, it starts to feel frustrating.'

The fear derived from the lack of information makes it hard to maintain the original theme.

But you see.

'If you can explore as an insider, as a student, it adds the fun of unraveling these hints…!'

The 13th exploration record I wrote fit perfectly with what the creators of the ghost story needed.

That’s how the ghost story of ‘In the Shade of Darkness’ reached a new turning point.

From the mid to late explorations onward, the chilling hints scattered in the previous records are all unraveled, revealing shocking twists.

The later parts were filled with deeper, more story-driven exploration records….

It was truly an astonishing indirect experience.

Watching the seed I planted grow into a larger, new story through the participation of many people.

'But who knew I’d get to experience it myself.'

Right.

I was now planning to experience the climax of that story a bit earlier.

'Let’s go.'

In the guise of a student, I walked down the dark hallway on the 3rd floor of Sekwang Technical High School.

In the distance, I saw the frightened ‘entities’ slowly disappearing around the corner of the hallway….

The urge to chase surged up and then faded away.

'Phew.'

Being present as a student in the school felt strangely comforting.

It felt like I was standing where I belonged.

That’s why the disgust and urge to destroy when witnessing these alien ‘entities’ wandering the school were even stronger.

Especially.

[A fatal accident has occurred in Class 2 of the 2nd Grade.]

The moment I heard that announcement for the first time, it felt like my heart dropped.

A lingering sadness and a chilling emptiness.

And a sense of duty to find the cause of the accident!

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

I wanted to run freely through the school, bright as daylight, eagerly eliminating the cause of this error and ‘observing silence,’ but….

'I’m not a student.'

I must not forget.

Kim Sol-eum had a lot to do.

First, I needed to go up to the 4th floor. I stepped onto the stairs….

'Ah.'

Wait, what?

My class, 1st Grade, Class 5, is on the 2nd floor.

There’s no reason for me to go up to the 3rd floor.

The thought popped up like a notification.

“…….”

This must be why the setting that ‘students don’t stray far from their assigned floors’ was attached to them.

Of course, it’s not impossible to resist. After all, I only borrowed the uniform; I’m not an actual student here.

'Phew.'

I started moving again.

One step, then another.

[4F]

Long before the dazzling ‘light of silence’ in the hallway disappeared, I reached the 4th floor.

The place where the light bulbs were shattered and flickering, leaving it dim and dark.

The 4th floor, where dozens of students stood frozen like mannequins, staring at people in the hallway, was now….

Full of life.

“…!”

The students now had lively expressions, exchanging glances and gestures, silently chatting with each other.

The students now had lively expressions, exchanging glances and gestures, silently chatting with each other.

The students of Sekwang Technical High School have no voices.

If you speak aloud while wearing the borrowed uniform, ■■■ ■■■■.

Then, you wake up and regain consciousness.

To think I’d be bound by the sentences I wrote myself.

I walked through the students who either glanced at me and then looked away uninterested or awkwardly smiled when our eyes met.

Don’t look awkward….

'Act natural….'

I passed the corner of the hallway and stopped just before the stairs near the 3rd Grade staff room.

There was a small iron door.

[Staff Room Storage]

It was a space usually used to store cleaning tools and such in schools.

Right in front of it, five or six students were sitting in a circle.

If I weren’t wearing the Sekwang Technical High School uniform, I would never have been able to approach such a tightly packed formation….

'Now I can go in.'

I stepped inside.

The students looked at me with curious expressions.

Why did a 1st Grader come up here?

That’s what their expressions seemed to say.

I took out the A4 paper I brought from the nurse’s office and slowly wrote something down.

The seniors asked me to get a ladder from the storage room.

Could I possibly take it?

One of the students smiled, took my pen, and wrote a reply.

Okay, lol.

Jingle.

When I looked up, another student was already holding a bunch of keys, shaking it in front of me.

I took the bunch of keys.

Then, using the key labeled '4th Floor Storage,' I unlocked the door and went inside….

A place only students could enter.

Creak.

A flashing light pierced my eyes through the crack in the door.

Inside the storage room, various items were gleaming as if radiating their presence.

Just like the name tag I received from Jang Heo-un.

'My goodness.'

I expected it, but it was far more bizarre and striking than I had imagined.

After carefully closing the storage door, I reached out toward the items….

It didn’t seem like these were items I could take just yet.

Ignoring the thought that popped up like a notification once again, I pushed aside the flashing items—buckets, mops, small whiteboards, etc.—and searched through them….

Finally, I found what I was looking for.

“…….”

It was a decorative brooch.

It was a somewhat clumsy decoration, seemingly handcrafted by an amateur, made of thick paper laminated for durability.

You have obtained the ‘Name Tag Decoration’!

Name Tag Decoration: A floral decoration with the words "Congratulations on Graduation" written on it. It seems to be modeled after the azalea, the official flower of Sekwang Technical High School.

Could it be intended as a gift for graduates?

I picked up this ‘Name Tag Decoration,’ the shiniest of them all, and carefully tucked it into my pocket.

'Got it.'

I now had the essential item to ‘conquer’ this ghost story.

Afterward, I visited various places that only students could access, checking to see if there were any discrepancies with the exploration records I knew.

Borrowing books from the library, or briefly tapping the piano keys in the music room….

'If there had been even the slightest discrepancy, it would have been better to die quickly and wake up again.'

Fortunately, everything matched perfectly.

'…Good.'

During this process, I never went up to the 5th floor, where the ‘auditorium preparing for the graduation ceremony’ was located.

Because it wasn’t time yet.

'I wonder when the notification will come.'

Taking a deep, tense breath, I waited slowly….

That’s when it happened.

₩uc544₩uc544₩uc544₩uc545₩u0021₩u0021₩u0020₩uc800₩ub9ac₩u0020₩uac00₩u0021₩u0021₩u0020₩uc800₩ub9ac₩u002e₩u002e₩u002e

An enormous roar struck my ears.

“……!”

Would a glitch sound like this if it became audible?

This insane noise, like hundreds of people scratching a chalkboard with their nails!!

I knew what it was.

'…It’s the monsters!'

To me, it was undoubtedly the voices of explorers that appeared like glitched monsters!

From the floor below, some overwhelming noise, as if they were chattering among themselves, struck not just my ears but my brain.

An overwhelming urge enveloped my body.

'This is why they went after the noisy ones first!'

At the very least, I wanted to eliminate the sound….

'…! Calm down, calm down….'

Instead of rushing down the stairs in frustration, I suppressed my urge for a few seconds.

'Let’s go now.'

After calming down enough, I moved and checked on the monsters at the other end of the 4th-floor hallway.

The monsters were confronting a student.

No, the situation was almost over. The student lay motionless on the floor, unable to move.

However, the monsters hadn’t all retired.

'Damn.'

I got ready.

Just one monster remained standing.

It was looking at the student lying on the floor….

Then it turned to look at me.

And it stopped me.

From a distance, I saw the monster that had stopped me—a horrifying figure with a face melting away into pixelated distortion.

However, there was one thing different about it compared to the other monsters.

'It was wearing a mask.'

And the shape of that mask was….

A goral!

'…Go Yeongeun!'

***

"Wow."

I’m the only one left.

Go Yeongeun caught her breath and leaned against the hallway wall.

In front of her lay (probably) the last student on the 3rd floor, unable to move.

They seemed to still be alive, but she didn’t feel like killing them.

'If I kill them, there’ll be another blackout, and more will swarm… sigh.'

The civilians who had been accompanying her were already all dead.

'At least the last three had name tags when they died….'

According to the company manual, you can live your daily life in reality even if you die here, but it felt unsettling that the Dream Collector’s liquid only fills up when you obtain a name tag.

'…There’s something about it.'

Go Yeongeun had somewhat given up on achieving a high-grade clear by hoarding name tags and instead subtly talked about them to her companions, sharing them.

And now, those people had all just died.

'Sigh….'

Having worked at this company, she had become somewhat accustomed to the gore-filled carnage, monsters, and ghosts, so she wasn’t overwhelmed.

To begin with, she had studied anatomy and completed cadaver practice without difficulty, so she was naturally quite resilient.

'At least they didn’t actually die for real….'

She had become indifferent enough to think this way now.

'…Shall I head upstairs now?'

Just as Go Yeongeun decided to catch her breath and move.

Flicker.

“…!!”

From beyond the hallway.

Another student appeared.

A tall student from Sekwang Technical High School, dressed in a slightly disheveled uniform.

'Sigh.'

Wow….

I can’t do this anymore!

'Let’s just go.'

I’ve held out this much, so there shouldn’t be any issues with my performance review.

Exhausted, Go Yeongeun felt like taking off the ultra-powerful headlamp strapped to her head.

She just wanted to prepare to wake up from this wretched……

Flicker.

…Huh?

'Wait, hold on.'

Beneath the dim light, the student’s facial features became faintly visible.

A composed, calm, and neat expression.

"...Roe Deer?"

It was Kim Sol-eum.

At first, she wondered if it might just be a similar-looking student, but even though the face appeared slightly younger than usual, it was unmistakably him.

It was him.

A chill ran down Go Yeongeun's spine.

'Wait, hold on…!'

What on earth was this situation?

Could it be?! If specific conditions were met in this legend, would you become ‘contaminated’ and get caught like that…?

As a student monster?

"Ah…."

Having worked for months and knowing a bit about contamination in this ghost story, fear surged within her, but….

In the next moment, she made up her mind.

'Let’s find out.'

If she woke up like this and something had truly gone wrong, she felt she would hate herself for running away halfway through.

'It’s okay to die now and wake up from this dream anyway.'

She approached the hallway, trying her best not to blink both eyes at the same time.

The appearance of the frozen student only reinforced her certainty that it was Kim Sol-eum the closer she got….

'…Even the rabbit plushie isn’t there.'

The keychain plushie he always carried was nowhere to be seen, leaving Go Yeongeun feeling a mix of bitterness and sadness as she moved forward.

Flicker.

The lights flickered, but thanks to the headlamp on her head, it wasn’t an issue.

'Just a little closer.'

Let’s get closer.

However.

Flick.

Suddenly, a blinding flash of light pierced Go Yeongeun’s eyes.

“…!!”

Her vision temporarily disappeared.

The cause was the flashlight in Kim Sol-eum’s hand.

He had set it on a timer to go off after a few seconds.

To temporarily paralyze the approaching opponent’s sight.

Although Go Yeongeun couldn’t pinpoint the exact cause, she grasped the situation and was left speechless.

'He set it up in advance…?!'

It was a trap.

She felt a momentary dizziness but quickly composed herself.

'It can’t be helped.'

It was regrettable that she couldn’t fully understand what bizarre occurrence this was.

But she wouldn’t be able to dwell on this thought for long because those monsters were insanely fast.

The next moment, I was about to die….

"……??"

I didn’t die?

There was no pain, no floating sensation of waking up from a dream.

…I was fine!

'What’s going on?'

Adjusting to the aftereffects of the flash, Ko Young-Eun quickly looked up at the ‘student’ with a startled expression and ‘paused’ him.

Kim Sol-eum, dressed in Sekwang Technical High School’s uniform, wasn’t looking at Go Yeongeun.

Instead, he was looking down at the floor.

'The floor?'

Go Yeongeun took a step back to simultaneously keep both Kim Soleum and the floor in her sight….

“…!”

Words had appeared on the floor.

A piece of A4 paper had been laid down, with words written on it.

Ms. Goral?

Aaaah!