WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

The Legendary Newbie of the Ghost Story Labyrinth

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 14 - Time Left to Remain Human (5)

Amid the grotesque sight of countless gold coins scattered like stars across the floor drenched in disgusting filth... Park Minho wore a grim expression.

'Han Oseok?”

At that point, there was only one conclusion he could come to. The connection between the dead and the gold coins.

There were more suspicious elements.

The compactor.

A horrifying device that crushed human bodies into meat cubes.

And yet when it exploded, it had spewed out a flood of coins.

'If those came from all the victims crushed inside it so far……?'

Park Minho picked up another coin and scanned it.

Beep.

[Anomalous Object/ Low-Tier/ Yoon Mina]

Beep.

[Anomalous Object/ Low-Tier/ Kim Sungsoo]

Beep.

[Anomalous Object/ Low-Tier/ Park Cheol]

".......”

There was nothing left to consider. He didn’t know the exact mechanism, but it was more than certain that the gold coins were tied to the dead.

'It’s not just death. The guys in the forum died as well, but they ended up in the white room, right?'

Still, one thing was clear. The Backrooms were far more twisted and far darker than he had imagined.

And yet, strangely enough, Park Minho felt no moral disgust, unease, or hesitation, to a puzzling degree.

He felt that something was off about this, but then brushed it off as a change brought on by repeated brushes with death.

With a cold, cynical smile, one he would never have worn before, he slipped Han Oseok’s coin into his pocket.

"Only worth something after you die, huh, Hyung-nim?”

Then again, maybe that made him a good person after all.

"Alright, everyone! Clean this up and collect all the coins.”

At Park Minho’s command, the mannequins moved in perfect unison. Watching them with satisfaction, he briefly considered drawing faces on some new ones beside Unit 1 and Unit 2, but at some point, his pen had gone missing.

'Well, whatever.'

A short while later he examined the collected coins and found that there were 107 coins.

Adding the previous 15 he possessed, there were now 122 coins.

‘How much is that...?'

Based on the old market price the forum users had mentioned, that was roughly 36.6 billion won. (approx. 24,653,603.39 USD) The number was so absurdly unreal that Park Minho just stared blankly.

“Holy shit!"

It was unbelievable. If he could just escape the Backrooms, he’d walk out a multi-billionaire.

* * *

After sorting things out, Park Minho wrote a post on the forum.

[Title] What the hell is this……?

Author: Cheezza

The attached photo showed over a hundred gold coins. Naturally, the forum’s reaction exploded once again.

ㄴ???????????

ㄴWait a second???? Are all those coins????

ㄴBro, that’s more than I’ve collected in 5 years. y’know?

ㄴDid you go mine a gold vein or something while we weren’t looking?

ㄴ(Chiavelli) What exactly happened?

Park Minho wrote out everything he had experienced so far, starting from running into the suspicious men in the hallway, to dealing with the flesh monster, to the coin explosion from the compactor.

The forum users were left speechless.

ㄴLord Cheezza is insane. 💀

ㄴAt this point I’m curious how far this guy is gonna go.

ㄴ(LostHassan) They say crazy bastards are the strongest in the Backrooms. Must be talking about you LOOOOL

ㄴHow the hell do you think of using a fire shutter like a guillotine? This dude’s mindset is just different;;;

ㄴNormally people’d think, ‘How do I escape an entity,’ but this guy only thinks, ‘How do I best kill it?'

ㄴfrfr the way he acts is violent as hell.

ㄴBeen here a long time, but this is my first time seeing someone execute an entity.

ㄴ(DaeguBadass) You’re seriously next level. You didn’t already awaken or something, right?

But what really got the forum fired up was something else entirely. It was the fact that Park Minho had decided to team up with Seol Suyeon after talking with her.

ㄴWait, what? You teamed up with a girl?

ㄴDiediedie. Jump off a cliff.

ㄴBooo trash.

ㄴIf ur more jealous about the girl than the coins, upvote.

ㄴUpvote

ㄴUpvote

ㄴUpvote

ㄴ(LostHassan) But is she hot?

Park Minho answered honestly.

ㄴ(Cheezza) She got emotional while we were talking and started crying. Took off her glasses to wipe her tears away, so I saw her face properly. She’s insanely pretty. I kinda just stared like an idiot even though I knew it was rude.

In his entire life, Park Minho had never seen someone that beautiful. Not even idols at university festivals came close.

ㄴ(LostHassan) You piece of entity shit. Don’t ask me anything ever again. 🖕^^🖕

ㄴ(Cheezza) Bro what;;

ㄴ(LostHassan) Hah... I couldn’t even meet girls in the real world, and this guy finds one in the Backrooms. fml

Park Minho had just inadvertently learned that LostHassan was a lifelong single. And then something he’d never seen before happened.

[This post has been hidden due to excessive reports.]

"Huh...?"

Dumbfounded, Park Minho wrote another post.

[Title] I’m not flexing, you idiots.

Author: Cheezza

[Content] I literally just wrote what happened. Are you seriously reporting this?

Naturally, angry comments kept pouring in. Park Minho ignored them all and continued talking with the more rational users.

ㄴ(Pitbull) At least your cognitive corruption levels should be more stable now. But did that girl have any perks like a gun or a laptop?

ㄴ(Cheezza) Nope.

ㄴ(Pitbull) Then she’s a standard Level 0 entrant. Probably came here by accident. Take good care of her mental state.

ㄴ(Cheezza) Gave her barely tea.

ㄴ(KimChilsung) Good! Barley tea helps not just with detoxing but also stabilizes the mind!

Park Minho asked something he’d been curious about.

ㄴ(Cheezza) When I scanned the coins, dead people’s names popped up. What’s the connection between coins and the dead?

ㄴ(Pitbull) Sorry, can’t tell you that.

ㄴ(Cheezza) Why?;;

ㄴ(Pitbull) Because you haven't made your choice yet. That’s tied to the secrets of the Backrooms. If you decide to just escape, none of us will tell you. Honestly, you’re better off not knowing.

ㄴ(Cheezza) Ah, I see.

ㄴ(Pitbull) Since we’re on the topic, I’ll ask again. What are you going to do? I’d like to hear your answer before it’s too late.

Park Minho fell into thought. There were three paths before him.

Escape.

Farm coins.

Uncover the secrets of the Backrooms.

It was about time to decide, and Park Minho made his choice.

"Yeah…There’s only one answer.”

ㄴ(Cheezza) Sorry to disappoint, but I’m getting out. I might be a Level 1 entrant, but unlike you guys, I didn’t come here by choice.

The replies that came in showed understanding but clear disappointment.

ㄴ(Pitbull) Yeah, figured as much. You made the right call. If you go deeper, eventually…

ㄴKinda sucks tho. Thought we finally got the real deal after a long time.

ㄴGet out while you still can. Don’t get greedy like us and miss your chance.

ㄴ(Chiavelli) Would you reconsider? If you choose to stay, I can offer special assistance.

ㄴDon’t listen to that psycho bastard. Better to get out than end up a Backrooms lifer.

ㄴ(DaeguBadass) Escape favors the smart. You made the right choice. With that many coins, you’ll hit the jackpot if you get out.

ㄴ(Cheezza) Yeah, the coins are nice, but they’re useless if I can’t escape.

But then the forum users said something quite unexpected.

ㄴYou can use coins inside too. Damn, you really don't know anything. It’s kinda cute how much of a newbie you are.

ㄴHe acts crazy, but he's such a newbie.

ㄴ(Cheezza) What? You can use that vending machine in here too?

ㄴ(Pitbull) You remember the NCE-1091 vending machine I mentioned, I see. There are similar ones inside. Actually, the ones inside are the real deal.

ㄴ(Cheezza) The real deal? What do you mean by that?

ㄴ(Pitbull) The ones outside only give stuff like youth elixirs or panaceas. But inside it’s totally different. You can pull Awakening drugs, anomalous items, and even entity body parts. Basically anything. The selection is way broader.

ㄴ(Cheezza) Why though?

ㄴ(Pitbull) Outside, the NCE strictly controls the awakened and other risks. So they only allow things like longevity, beauty, and health items to circulate. Stuff the powerful want.

The NCE, a multinational organization, used that as leverage to control the elites and wealthy.

ㄴ(Pitbull) But inside it’s different. If you’ve got enough coins, you can buy things beyond imagination.

ㄴ(Cheezza) Like what?

ㄴ(Pitbull) Time, fate, even space. You can even change the rules of the Backrooms.

One could buy time or fate? That meant doing something akin to playing god. This was completely incomparable to a mere 30 billion won. For a brief moment, even Park Minho, who had already decided to escape, felt tempted.

ㄴ(Cheezza) What do you mean by that?

ㄴ(Pitbull) Sorry. Since you chose escape, I can’t tell you more.

That was the end of the discussion. According to Pitbull, the nearest exit was on Level 5 of the Backrooms.

* * *

Currently, Park Minho had deployed every available mannequin to search for an exit to the next level.

But even after two days since defeating the flesh monster, there was still no progress.

"Seriously? It’s this bad…?"

At this point, he didn’t have much time left as a human. If he stayed any longer, he’d become the next higher-tier Faceling.

-Scratch, scratch.

Park Minho irritably scratched his arm.

His left arm was already hardening like a mannequin's. It felt thick and stiff, like he was wearing multiple layers of rubber gloves, like it wasn’t even his own arm anymore.

'After everything I went through, am I seriously going to die here just because I can’t find the exit?'

He tried to shake off the creeping dread, but the anxiety kept building.

"Haah..."

A sigh slipped out of his mouth. Just then, someone called out to him.

"Minho-nim! Minho-nim!”

When he turned around, he saw Seol Suyeon waving at him from a distance. Beside her stood Unit 2. She, too, had been doing everything she could to find the exit.

Especially after seeing what was happening to Park Minho’s left arm, she had thrown herself into the search, barely even sleeping, determined to repay him.

However, judging by her expression as she ran over, something was off. She looked clearly excited.

“Minho-nim! I found something weird!”

"Really?”

"Would you take a look?”

"Of course!"

Park Minho lit up. With how stuck things had been, even the smallest clue was huge.

Seol Suyeon held out her phone and showed him a photo.

"This."

"Hm…? What is this? The wall’s pink?”

The image was strange. It showed part of a wall somewhere on this level made of gray concrete, but in the middle of it was a bright pink square.

It clashed so badly with the surroundings that it looked almost like a badly edited image.

"Yeah, it’s pink. That bright pink you see when textures bug out.”

By texture, she meant the surface layer applied to 3D models.

And texture bugs were something Park Minho had seen plenty of times in games.

"You’re saying there’s a texture bug in the Backrooms? I’ve never seen that before.”

"I found it by accident. You can’t see it with your eyes.”

"What do you mean?”

Seol Suyeon explained. While exploring, she had found a strange section of wall.

"There’s an exit sign above it, but below, there’s no door. Just a wall. I even touched it, but it really was just a solid wall.”

"And?”

"It felt off, right? So I took a picture, which is kind of a habit of mine. I always photograph weird things…”

"Don’t tell me…You saw the texture bug through the camera?”

"Yes! Exactly! You can’t see it with your eyes, but it shows up on camera!”

Park Minho immediately felt that something was there. So he went straight to the forum.

[Title] Is this a texture bug?

Author: Cheezza

ㄴ(Pitbull) Yep. It’s only visible through cameras. The Backrooms’ perception filter doesn’t affect machines. How did you even find that? Even knowing about it, it’s hard to locate.

ㄴIs our Lord Cheezza’s perception also GOAT-tier?

ㄴ(Cheezza) So originally there was a door there, but the texture bug made it disappear?

If that was the case, then maybe fixing the bug would restore the door. And if that door came into existence again, it might lead to the next level.

When he asked directly, he was basically told that it was possible.

ㄴI ran into something similar on another level. First time I’ve seen it on yours, though.

ㄴ(Cheezza) Then how do you fix a texture bug?

ㄴLMAOOOO do you actually think that’s doable?

ㄴAwakened who can manipulate textures are insanely rare. Not something just anyone can do.

ㄴIf you’re mad about it, just awaken yourself lol.

ㄴ(Cheezza) Ah fuck, srsly…

Park Minho felt crushed but then realized the veterans were just messing with him.

ㄴ(DaeguBadass) Like they said, Awakened who can manipulate textures are extremely rare. But we do have a workaround.

ㄴ(Cheezza) Really? Seriously?

ㄴ(DaeguBadass) Yep. Opening a single door is totally doable.

And then DeaguBadess suggested a completely ridiculous workaround. It was to just attach a door handle to the wall.

ㄴ(DaeguBadass) Right now, due to the Backrooms’ baseline correction, that spot looks like a normal wall. But in reality, it’s undefined. It hasn’t been determined whether it’s a wall or a door because of the texture bug.

ㄴ(Cheezza) So?

ㄴ(DaeguBadass) So stick a handle onto it. Then the system will go, ‘Ah, this is a door,’ and apply a new texture.

ㄴ(Cheezza) You’re saying that actually works?

ㄴ(DaeguBadass) This is the Backrooms. Drop common sense and use your imagination. And look at your photo. There’s an exit sign above it. Unless it’s an error, there was originally a door there. If you attach a handle, there’s a high chance it’ll restore itself.

ㄴ(Cheezza) Holy shit, thank you!

Park Minho asked Seol Suyeon.

"Where is it? Let’s go right now.”

“Yes! I’ll lead the way.”

The two of them hurried off, practically running, thrilled at the thought that they might finally escape this place.

On the way, they ran into Unit 1 and a group of about a dozen mannequins and joined up.

"It’s here!"

The place Seol Suyeon pointed to was exactly as she described.

"It really is. There’s an exit sign above, but just a wall below.”

"Right?”

"You’ve got sharp eyes.”

Park Minho couldn’t help but think he’d made the right call saving her. No matter how many mannequins he sent out , they’d never find something like this.

"Try looking through the camera."

"Wow… I still can’t believe it.”

Through the camera, the pink texture bug was clearly visible.

"Let’s try it right away. Unit 1. Make a hole here.”

"Kwik! Kuku!”

Meanwhile, the rest started looking for a door handle. But of course, when you need something the most, it never shows up. And in this area, there were barely any doors to begin with.

"...What do we do?”

Just as Park Minho was starting to get anxious, something popped into his head.

'Right. The management office! The control room’s metal door!’

When he got there, it was still in place. The door itself had been crumpled like paper from the earlier chaos, but thankfully, the handle was intact.

"Alright. There should be a screwdriver somewhere.”

Sure enough, he found one in a nearby drawer, removed the handle, and came back.

"Done with the hole?”

"Kwik!”

Unit 1, who had been digging into the wall with something like a metal rod, answered confidently.

"Good. Let’s do this."

Park Minho took a deep breath and inserted the handle into the hole.

"Hmm...?"

Nothing happened at first. Frowning, he gave the handle a twist. At that moment, Seol Suyeon, who had been watching nervously, suddenly shouted.

"Minho-nim! Minho-nim! Whoa!”

The gray wall flickered, like static noise.

Then, as if the pixels were breaking apart, a metal door suddenly overlaid itself onto the surface.

-Click!

With a heavy sound, the door opened.

"Whoa! That actually worked?"

Even Park Minho just stood there, mouth slightly open in total disbelief.

Beyond the metal door, a new path revealed itself.

And he instinctively knew that path led to the next level.

* * *

Before turning the handle, there was actually one possibility Park Minho should have considered.

Even if it was something beyond his experience and knowledge, the Backrooms wouldn’t care.

Of course, getting a door was a good thing.

But where did that door texture come from?

If there had been a spare, that would’ve been ideal, but in this area, doors with handles were extremely rare. Which meant there were only a few possible sources for that texture.

If it had used the control room’s steel door, that would’ve been perfect for Park Minho. But that one had been completely crumpled, so the Backrooms chose something else.

The very first room Park Minho had entered on this level and where he received his perk.

"Kweek?”

The entity trapped inside let out a confused sound. The steel door that had been blocking it had suddenly vanished.

A toppled vending machine was still lying in front of it, but escaping the room was easy enough.

"Kweeeeeek!"

The creature that stepped out was a monster covered in slick, tar-like armor. Spine-like bones jutted out along its back like spikes, and a long tail tipped with a barb trailed behind it.

But the most horrifying part was its arms. They were shaped like sickles as if they could slice through anything in their path.

It had no eyes. Instead, above rows of tightly packed teeth sat a large, pig-like nose. Its sense of smell was exceptional.

"Grrr! Sniff! Sniff!”

The scythe monster sniffed the air and soon found its prey.

"Kweeeee…Kekek!”

A sadistic, eager sound slipped from its maw.

_________________________________________________________________________

Join our Discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/wetried