The Legendary Newbie of the Ghost Story Labyrinth - Chapter 15

WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

The Legendary Newbie of the Ghost Story Labyrinth

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 15 - Time Left to Remain Human (6)

"Is your arm okay?”

While walking, Seol Suyeon asked after noticing Park Minho rubbing his left arm.

"Ah, it’s fine."

"I should return the armband soon…”

Among the anomalous items Park Minho obtained after finding the higher-tier Faceling’s stash was a ‘Yellow Armband.’

It had a rather peculiar ability: When worn, it reduced the aggression of humanoid entities one encounters. However, it didn’t work on ones that were already enraged.

And it only worked when worn on the left arm.

Right now, Park Minho’s left arm was hardening like a mannequin’s, making it extremely uncomfortable to wear the armband, so he had temporarily given it to Seol Suyeon.

"Don't worry about it. I’m already recognized as a ruler, so I don’t really need it right now. I’ve registered you as a ‘guest,’ but just in case there are mannequins that don’t listen, it’s better if you keep wearing it.”

"Thank you. I’ll definitely return it once we reach the next level.”

As they chatted casually, a thought crept into Park Minho’s mind.

'Wait? Why does her voice sound so familiar to me?'

Maybe it was because she’d been through so much, her voice was quite hoarse, but it still felt like something he’d heard before.

'Feels like I almost remember…'

But his train of thought was cut short.

"Look! Minho-nim! It’s a poster!”

"Huh? You’re right!”

It wasn’t the blurred, mosaic-like poster the forum had mentioned that would lead to the next level.

It was just a normal advertisement poster, but even that was enough to make him glad.

Until now, in this clothing-filled underground mall, he hadn’t seen a single poster.

But after entering through the metal door, posters began appearing here and there. It was almost certain now that the exit was somewhere inside.

It was still just a clothing mall beyond the metal door but much darker and far more complex in layout.

-Clink, creak.

Some mannequins in the area woke up, startling them, but they quickly recognized Park Minho as their ruler.

"Kiieeh..."

"Kiii..."

Letting out eerie sounds, they began following him like their master.

Before long, dozens of mannequins crowded around them.

It could’ve easily become overwhelming, but Unit 1 and Unit 2 quickly stepped up, organizing them like commanders and keeping everything under control.

Park Minho nodded without realizing it.

"...Seriously. I’m lucky to have you guys.”

At that, Unit 1 and Unit 2 reacted immediately.

"Kwik!"

"Kiek!”

They seemed genuinely pleased, like they understood they’d been praised. Especially Unit 1, with its usual blank expression, threw up a double peace sign.

( ⚆ .⚆)

Ever since that selfie they took together, it would repeat that pose whenever it felt happy. For Unit 1 it must have been a good memory.

"Seriously, you guys are kinda cute.”

Park Minho let out a small chuckle, and then suddenly, a deafening roar tore through the air.

KWAAAAAAANG—!

It sounded like something massive and heavy was crashing through space itself.

"What the hell?!”

"Kyaaagh!”

Park Minho and Seol Suyeon instinctively flinched. The mannequins in the hallway also rattled in panic, letting out frantic clicking sounds.

But the confusion didn’t last long.

The disaster had already arrived.

-Boom! Boooom! Baboom!

The sound was getting closer.

A horrifying grinding noise of metal, concrete, and plastic being shredded. Park Minho’s instincts screamed at him to run.

But that disaster was faster.

From the bent corner at the far end of the hallway a black storm burst forth.

-Whooooosh!

Severed arms, crushed legs, and heads rolling around like balls. The mangled remains of mannequin Facelings exploded outward in a spray of black fluid.

And through that rain of gore the monster revealed its pitch black torso.

-Roooooar! Crunch!

Unable to control its speed, the massive body slammed into a shop at the corner, smashing it apart. Even the steel shutters crumpled like paper.

It staggered, then immediately sprang back up like a coiled spring.

"What is that…?!”

Seol Suyeon’s voice trembled. It was larger than a tiger or lion, its entire body covered in slick, gleaming armor.

Its hind legs bent backward like a beast’s unnatural, reversed joints.

But the most terrifying part was something else. Massive, bone-like scythes growing from both arms.

A living guillotine capable of slicing through anything.

"Kwiiik! Kwi!”

Unit 1 let out a shrill, almost screaming command. The effect was immediate.

Dozens of mannequins in the hallway charged the monster all at once, forgetting all fear, throwing themselves forward like shields.

But the result was horrific.

It wasn’t a fight…but a one-sided slaughter. Or rather, a cleanup.

-Boooom! Boom! Slash!

Every time a black afterimage flashed, five or six body parts flew into the air.

The monster swung its scythes wildly, and with each swing, the mannequins were cut down like grass before a lawnmower.

"Kweeeeek!”

It never stopped. And its target was obvious to anyone watching.

None other than Park Minho.

"Kiek!”

Unit 2 grabbed Park Minho and Seol Suyeon roughly by their collars. They had to run now.

"Got it! Let’s go!”

Park Minho and Seol Suyeon clenched their teeth and sprinted.

"Kwik!"

Unit 1 followed behind them, desperately commanding the remaining mannequins, but all they could hear was the sickening sound of plastic and debris being shredded apart.

'Where the hell did that insane thing come from?!’

Even as Park Minho’s breath turned ragged and sharp, a thought struck him. A predator like that, appearing all of a sudden?

'Ah...!'

Just then a memory flashed through his mind. The monster’s massive scythes. They were the same that protruded through the gap in the steel door of the perk room.

Now that he thought about it, it wasn’t that the thing had lacked the strength to come out back then. What was more likely was that the act of sealing the perk room had been a conceptual imprisonment enforced by the system itself.

'Then how the hell did it get out?!’

There was no time to figure that out. Running was the only option right now.

"Kieeek! Kiiik!”

Unit 2 desperately searched for a path, trying to guide them somewhere safe.

But where it led them was not hope, but despair.

“Hey! This is a dead end!”

At Park Minho’s shout, Unit 2 frantically pointed toward the end of the corridor. When they got closer, there it was. A downward slope.

It was a pitch-black hole so deep they couldn’t even tell where it led.

On the wall beside it, an arrow pointed downward. It looked like someone who had passed through here before had scrawled it in a hurry.

"Kiek! Kiiik!”

Unit 2 kept pointing at the hole, gesturing for them to jump.

"No, fuck. We can’t just…!”

But the sound behind them was getting closer. There was no choice. Park Minho and Seol Suyeon looked at each other and nodded. Then they ran straight ahead.

“Whatever. Uwaaaaah!”

"Kyaaaaaaah!”

The slope was steeper than expected. It felt like sliding down a water slide, their bodies scraping and slamming into the sides, bouncing uncontrollably.

"Aaagh!”

At that moment, Park Minho felt as if his pants were tearing somewhere.

But the impact gave him no time to think.

-Babababang!

After what felt like forever, they slammed into the bottom, rolling across the floor without stopping.

"Ghk...!"

"Argh……”

It felt like every bone in their bodies had been ripped apart. They writhed on the ground like insects, unable to stand for a while.

"That hurts…Ugh…”

However, they couldn't afford to rest. Park Minho forced himself up first and helped Seol Suyeon.

Then something heavy came tumbling down the slope. It was Unit 1.

Park Minho felt a wave of relief.

"You made it! What about the monster?”

But something was wrong with Unit 1. Instead of rushing over like usual, it stopped in place, tilting its head at a strange angle.

"Kwik…?”

Something felt seriously off. Unit 2 was the same. The usual puppy-like friendliness was gone, replaced by something else rather feral.

"Kieeeh!”

A cold chill ran down Park Minho’s spine.

'Something’s wrong!’

And then he saw it.

The ruler's eyeball was lying on the ground near their feet.

"......!"

His heart dropped. The distance was too far. The moment he moved to pick it up, there was no telling how Unit 1 and Unit 2 would react.

"Kwiii."

"Kieeh!"

At that moment, Unit 1 and Unit 2 lowered their stances. The smiling faces, drawn on them with marker, no longer looked like they were smiling.

It felt like something could snap at any second.

"Damn it..."

Cold sweat ran down Park Minho’s back as he slowly stepped backward when suddenly something completely unexpected happened.

Seol Suyeon stepped forward.

"Stay back!”

She moved in front of Park Minho, raising the yellow armband and shouting. At that, Unit 1 and Unit 2 reacted immediately.

"Kwik!”

"Kieh!”

The effect was instant.

It was like they’d been caught in the act, just about to do something wrong, and froze in shock. They looked utterly confused.

Park Suyeon grabbed Park Minho’s arm.

"Hurry, go…! Now!”

She was right. This wasn’t the time to hesitate.

The two of them turned and ran into the darkness, leaving Unit 1 and Unit 2 behind.

Park Minho glanced back just for a moment.

They were still standing there, watching him. Like they didn’t know what they were supposed to do.

And then the darkness swallowed them whole.

-Tadadadada!

The area beneath the slope was even darker and far more complex.

At this point, it was hard to even call it an underground shopping mall anymore. Twisted by the influence of the Backrooms, it had become something grotesque.

Narrow gaps, stairs leading upward, pillars clustered for no reason. Chaos everywhere.

"Hah, hah!”

"Huff! Haaah!”

Only after running for a long time did they finally stop, bracing themselves against a wall, gasping for breath. At some point, everything around them had gone completely silent.

It was unnaturally silent. Nothing, except their ragged breathing. There wasn’t even a single mannequin around.

Seol Suyeon trembled as she spoke.

"...What do we do now?”

Seeing her like this, it was hard to believe that she’d just stood her ground like that moments ago.

Her face was deathly pale. Park Minho clenched his teeth. She had helped him. Now it was his turn.

"Let’s find the poster. If this is the deepest part of the floor, then the exit has to be here.”

"...Okay."

They held each other’s hands tightly like it was a lifeline and started moving again.

Then, from far away, a deep rumble echoed.

-Ruuuuumble!

They both knew instantly. That monster had followed them down here.

They had to hurry.

And so, they wandered through the maze-like space like madmen.

How much time had passed?

Just as it felt like they couldn’t go any further…

"Look! Over there…!”

They were in a wide room filled with pillars, and at the far end, there was a poster. A bright spotlight shone down on that spot alone.

"!"

Their eyes widened at the same time.

Just as they’d heard, it was blurred and flickering, like it had been censored with a mosaic.

That had to be the exit. If they ran into that, they could finally escape this hell.

"Suyeon-nim!”

"Yes!"

They ran toward that poster with everything they had left.

-Tadadadada!

Their frantic footsteps echoed loudly through the vast hall.

The light drew closer. Their hope became clearer the moment it was almost within reach.

'Just a little more…!'

The moment that thought entered Park Minho’s mind, a sound froze them in place.

"Kweeeeh…Kwek.”

A heavy, bloodthirsty growl. Park Minho and Seol Suyeon stiffened like frogs in front of a snake. Then, from atop a massive pillar near the poster, the scythe monster revealed itself.

"Krrrrrrrr... Kweh... Sniff, sniff!”

Though it had no eyes, its pig-like nose sniffed the air. And it immediately turned toward them, sliding down the pillar.

"Kweeeeh…!”

Its mouth stretched wide, drooling thick, black saliva.

"Aah."

"Aaah...!"

Faced with the monster, they couldn’t do anything.

The scythe monster lunged, and in that instant, only one thought filled Park Minho’s mind.

'I’m going to die.'

A perfect, undeniable death stood before him. He could only accept it.

However, the moment he closed his eyes…

-Crunch—!

That wasn’t the sound of flesh tearing. It was something hard breaking and cracking. A dry, splintering impact.

"......?"

There was no pain. Park Minho slowly opened his trembling eyes. He saw something he couldn’t believe.

"What the hell……?”

A worn, white back.

The familiar texture of plastic.

It was Unit 2.

It had stepped in front of him and taken the falling scythe head-on.

One arm was already bent at an unnatural angle, part of the blade had pierced deep into its chest. Thick black fluid gushed out of the wound.

And yet Unit 2 held its ground.

With its remaining arm, it desperately gripped the scythe, refusing to let it fall any further.

It was as if it were determined to never let it reach Park Minho, no matter what.

"Kie…ek.”

It was struggling, but it was unmistakably the familiar voice he had heard before.

"How…?”

He couldn’t believe it.

The control he had over them was clearly gone. And the relationship between humans and entities was supposed to be nothing but cold and merciless. Without the ability to control them, it was just kill or be killed.

And yet, Unit 2 spoke for the first time, clumsily imitating a human voice.

"I’m…lucky…to have you guys.”

"What…?”

Park Minho clenched his teeth. His throat suddenly felt tight, like something was choking him.

It was just something he’d said in passing. Nothing more than a throwaway remark……

And yet it remembered?

"You idiot…I’m not worth that. Not someone you should risk your life for……”

At that moment, another shadow passed by him.

-Step, step.

Footsteps without a shred of hesitation in them.

It was Unit 1.

Walking forward steadily, it stopped for a moment. Then, it wiped away the dumb expression drawn on its face with its own hand.