WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

The Legendary Newbie of the Ghost Story Labyrinth

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 25 - Goshiwon (1)

The moment he threw himself into the light, the sensation they felt on his body changed.

Instead of the sticky, carpet-like texture of the living dungeon, a hard, smooth floor slammed into his back and hips.

"Ghk…!”

Park Minho rolled across the ground with a groan. When he finally stopped and lifted his head, he saw Seol Suyeon beside him, collapsed face-down, gasping for air.

"Suyeon."

"Uugh…Oppa…”

"You okay?”

"It hurts…Ugh…”

The surroundings were silent. There weren’t any writhing tentacles nor NCE operatives hunting them down.

"It feels like we ended up on a different floor, right…?”

"Yeah, I think so.”

"They’re not going to follow us, right?”

"I doubt it. Even if I were the NCE, I wouldn’t jump into some unknown light just to chase after some civilians.”

In the first place, the NCE had no idea he’d taken the Gastrolith.

“Besides, there’s no visible connection to the previous floor here. Even if they did follow, they’d get scattered somewhere random on this floor. The Backrooms’ floors are huge. Our chances of running into them again are pretty much zero.”

"That’s a relief. Haah……Wait, isn’t this a goshiwon?”

She was right. It looked exactly like a typical goshiwon. a narrow hallway lined with many cramped rooms. Signs reading <Payment in advance required> and <No outside visitors> were stuck on the walls. Here and there were strange coin slots embedded in places they shouldn’t be.

“Yeah. I think this is Floor 3. The Goshiwon Backrooms.”

Park Minho had done his homework before coming back.

Floor 3, the Goshiwon, was considered relatively safe. For newbie explorers who had just survived the hellish floors before, this was often the first place they could actually rest.

"So we made it, right?”

“Yeah, we did.”

"Ah......"

Seol Suyeon bit her lip, her eyes welling up. They had just escaped certain death, so of course her emotions were all over the place. But then, her expression suddenly changed.

"Oppa! Your arm!”

“Ah, right…Ugh……”

He noticed that his left sleeve was soaked in blood when he looked. Park Minho shrugged off his bag and slumped against the wall.

"Wait! I’ll help.”

Seol Suyeon rushed over with the medical kit.

"Aagh...!"

"Getting this off is going to be hard. I’ll just cut the sleeve.”

"Do it."

She cut the fabric away with scissors, disinfected the wound, then pulled out the rapid foam hemostatic agent they’d looted earlier from the fallen NCE operatives.

-Pssssshh!

The spray coated the wound in foam, which quickly hardened into gel, sealing the wound shut.

It was only a temporary fix, and Park Minho’s face was still pale.

But fortunately, they had something better.

"Give me some painkillers and the sikhye from the bag.”

The sikhye he had was an anomalous drink from the Backrooms with healing properties.

-Click.

Seol Suyeon opened it for him, and as he swallowed it down with the painkillers, Park Minho’s expression finally eased a little.

"Whew…yeah, we’ll need to stock up on this stuff somehow.”

"Are you feeling a bit better?”

"Yeah, there’s still some left. Here, drink some too.”

"What? No, it’s fine. You’re the one who’s hurt.”

"You don’t realize it yet, but you’re probably covered in bruises from everything we went through. Just drink it.”

"Ah…Thanks.”

After that, they set their bags down and started looking around.

At a glance, this place looked like a completely normal goshiwon. But it was more than clear that they were in the Backrooms since whenever they opened the exit and stepped outside, another identical goshiwon stretched out endlessly.

The name of the place they were currently in was <Good Stay Goshiwon>.

"Let’s rest here for now. This should be a good place to regroup for a bit.”

Inside were multiple rooms, a shared kitchen, a bathroom, showers, and even a washing machine.

They carefully checked each room, then settled into the cleanest and biggest one they could find. Of course, it was still cramped as hell since it was a goshiwon.

-Click.

Locking the door made them finally feel a little safer.

They tossed their heavy bags into a corner, then lay side by side on the narrow bed.

Even if this was a safe floor, it was still in the Backrooms, so neither of them even considered sleeping in a separate room.

And in moments like this, the warmth of another person nearby was comforting. Before long, Seol Suyeon naturally scooted closer, pressing against him.

They didn't even have the energy to talk, so they just passed out like this.

Their bodies felt heavy and numb, like soaked cotton, and their memories blurred into nothing.

Who knew how much time had passed?

Park Minho woke up first. Surprisingly, his condition wasn’t that bad.

Maybe it was because of the sikhye, but the gunshot wound in his arm had improved significantly. Earlier it had felt like his arm was being torn apart, but now it was just a bit sore.

Then he looked beside him and saw Seol Suyeon curled up and trembling, muttering something.

"Uugh…Cold.”

Her face was drenched in sweat. Park Minho quickly placed a hand on her forehead. She was burning hot.

"Suyeon! Suyeon? Are you okay?!”

"Ugh……Oppa…”

Her damp hair clung to her cheeks, and she couldn’t even open her eyes, just letting out weak groans.

'She’s got a bad fever...'

Thinking about it, it made sense. Aside from having learned how to shoot, she was still just a normal person. And yet, she’d pushed her body to the absolute limit while running for her life. Now that they’d reached safety, the crash hit all at once.

'Yeah, I really pushed her too hard.'

Park Minho immediately grabbed some fever meds and barley tea. The barley tea was his last anomalous drink. A beverage excellent for calming both the body and mind.

"Suyeon, here, drink this first.”

She couldn’t even sit up properly, so he pulled her into his arms and helped her drink the medicine and tea.

“Sorry. I feel like I’m just dragging you down……”

"What are you talking about? If it weren't for you, I’d have gotten grabbed by those tentacles and died back there. Come on, drink slowly.”

After the medicine and tea kicked in, her expression eased a little. Park Minho pulled the blanket up to her neck, then reached for his laptop.

[Title] Thought we were on Floor 0, but we got dropped into some weird-ass floor.

Author: Cheezza

Park Minho wrote about how he barely escaped from the biological Backroom that mimicked Floor 0. Naturally, the users were shocked.

ㄴWut??? A level like that exists?

ㄴNever heard of it. A fake Floor 0?

ㄴI don’t think Lord Cheezza would lie about stuff like this…

ㄴ(LostHassan) The luck on this guy. Getting dragged into some weird place while trying to go to Floor 0 makes him seem unlucky……but since he somehow survived, his luck seems god-tier.

ㄴfrfr I can’t even tell if his luck is trash or god-tier LMAOOOO

Most people had no idea about the biological Backroom that Park Minho had fallen into, but there were a few that did.

ㄴ(DaeguBadass) You actually survived that…? Your survival skills are crazy.

ㄴ(Cheezza) You know the place?

ㄴ(DaeguBadass) That biological Backroom itself is a predator. It intercepts explorers heading to Floor 0 and drops them into its stomach.

ㄴ(Cheezza) That sounds like absolute trash.

ㄴ(DaeguBadass) It’s extremely rare, though.

So basically, he got unlucky and got dragged away by some predator while heading to Floor 0.

ㄴ(Pitbull) Bro hit the lottery, but in a bad way.

ㄴFirst time I’ve ever seen someone get kidnapped on the way to Floor 0 LMAOOO

ㄴGuess kidnapping is just a regular thing for Lord Cheezza.

ㄴMan’s life is just pure bs rng.

ㄴIf you’ve been salty seeing Lord Cheezza do well, upvote.

ㄴ🢁

ㄴ🢁

ㄴ🢁

Someone else’s misfortune was another’s happiness. The gallery was having a field day.

And when Park Minho mentioned that he ran into the NCE and almost died, it got even worse.

ㄴLOOOOOOOL

ㄴBro has a real special relationship with the NCE. You should just join em.

ㄴLooks like our newbie is officially loved by the NCE.

ㄴWait, but why the hell was the NCE even there???

ㄴ(Cheezza) Ah, there's a reason for that. It’s because of this.

ㄴWhat????

ㄴ(Cheezza) Hold on, I’ll post a pic.

A moment later, Park Minho uploaded a proof picture. And the entire gallery’s mood flipped instantly.

[Title] Went through hell but got this instead.

Author: Cheezza

The moment the black Gastrolith appeared, everyone lost their minds.

ㄴIsn’t that a super high-tier energy core?????

ㄴYeah? Why the hell do you have that?

ㄴIsn’t that like mandatory if you wanna build a forward base in the Backrooms?

ㄴ(Pitbull) Yep. That’s why groups like the TBU are desperate to find one. That thing’s insanely expensive, you know?

ㄴ(Cheezza) Is it that hard to get? This energy core thing?

ㄴ(Pitbull) yehyeh

ㄴEveryone wants one. Problem is nobody knows where to find them.

Park Minho blinked, confused.

ㄴ(Cheezza) But is it really an energy core? When I scanned it, it just said it’s a Gastrolith. A lump of anomalous energy or smth.

ㄴ(Pitbull) That’s literally what an energy core is. What you’re holding is basically a mini power generator. That’s why its value is insanely high in the Backrooms.

ㄴ(Cheezza) So how much are we talking?

ㄴ(Pitbull) At least 80 coins?

ㄴ(Cheezza) What? Srsly? That much?

80 gold coins were over 24 billion won. (approx 16.359.472,13 USD)

Park Minho had no idea the black sphere in his hand was worth that much. Perhaps that was why it suddenly looked way more premium to him now.

ㄴ(Cheezza) Man, the NCE must be pissed LOOOOL

Park Minho explained how he basically used the NCE’s intel, snatched their item, and dipped.

ㄴThat’s evil af lololololololol

ㄴBro’s the devil;; straight up;;;

ㄴI hate the NCE too, but this is kinda…

ㄴSo while they were throwing operatives in there, Lord Cheezza just took it and dipped? LMAOOOO

ㄴNah, this dude is just hella lucky.

ㄴNCE: ”We must secure it!” Lord Cheezza: "Yoink."

The energy core, aka the Gastrolith, kept the gallery buzzing nonstop.

ㄴ(LostHassan) So the energy core everyone’s been looking for was inside that biological Backroom? And its true form is this Gastrolith?

ㄴThat’s insane;;; never would've guessed. The fact the NCE already knew is creepy af.

ㄴThose guys feel like they’re getting more and more influence in the Backrooms.

ㄴ(Cheezza) Anyway, I was planning to use it to trigger Noise and awaken.

ㄴ(Pitbull) Well, it is basically condensed soot, so that’s not wrong. But it’s way more versatile than you think.

ㄴYou can even turn it into a weapon. Bullets made from that thing would be totally op.

After that, people got curious about his current location, so Park Minho told them that he was on the goshiwon floor.

ㄴFloor 3? Yeah, that place is pretty decent.

ㄴThe shared kitchen has unlimited ramen. Peak.

ㄴDoesn’t eating that slowly raise your cognitive contamination, though?

ㄴStill better than starving to death.

ㄴSometimes entities show up in the hallway, but you can just duck into any room and lock the door.

ㄴYou can also find vending machines in that area, so make sure to check.

Vending machines being in this area meant that he finally had a chance to spend his gold coins. Park Minho decided he was going to go on a proper shopping spree on this floor.

ㄴ(Cheezza) If I find a vending machine, I’m gonna make it cough up everything. Anyway, guess I can chill a bit here, right?

ㄴ(LostHassan) As long as you don’t get caught.

ㄴ(Cheezza) Caught? Isn’t this supposed to be a safe place?

And then the fluorescent lights suddenly started to flicker. A cold, chilling presence crept over him.

-Knock, knock.

Someone was knocking on the door.

'What...?'

Frozen in place, he heard it again.

-Knock, knock.

He held his breath and didn't respond. Then the thing outside spoke.

"If you’ve checked in……you need to pay your fee……Please open the door……”

Needless to say, that was not a human voice.

Startled, Park Minho quickly started typing.

ㄴ(Cheezza) Something’s outside my door. Says I need to pay since I checked in. What do I do?

ㄴ(Ptibull) That’s the manager.

ㄴWait, the manager’s already shown up?

ㄴI lasted like a week before getting caught…ended up in the White Room.

ㄴThe manager’s basically the number 1 cause of death in the goshiwon.

ㄴ(LostHassan) Absolutely don’t open the door. If you see its face, you’re dead on the spot. No one has ever survived after seeing the manager’s face.

The sound of knocking came again.

-Bang, bang!

It was rather violent now. The door was shaking like it might break soon.

"Guest…I know…you’re in there……!”

Just waiting it out didn’t seem like an option anymore. Park Minho grew quite desperate.

ㄴ(Cheezza) It’s about to break the door down, though???

-Bang! Bang, bang!

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