WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

The Legendary Newbie of the Ghost Story Labyrinth

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 57 - The Master of Floor 8 (1)

"H-hurry…!”

At the High Priest’s shout, the Molting Church members ran for their lives like a pack of fleeing rats. The confidence they had displayed while controlling the biological system was nowhere to be seen. Now they were terrified.

-Vrrrrmmm!

For some time now, the Entity Rift had been trembling strangely. No one had ever experienced anything like this before. The Entity Rift, which had always been as familiar as their own front yard, now felt alien and terrifying.

And sure enough, disaster struck.

Without warning, a massive concrete barricade dropped from the ceiling ahead like the blade of a guillotine.

-Boooom!

Two cultists at the front were crushed instantly. Blood and flesh burst from the cracks in the concrete, and those who had stopped just in time could only stare in horror.

“It’s blocked!”

“Destroy it! Hurry!”

But neither their anomalous abilities nor their explosives could do anything to the wall. The High Priest shook his head.

"We’ll go around. This isn’t ordinary concrete. I can feel powerful anomalous energy within it.”

The High Priest immediately began searching for another route. But every time they changed direction, a new barricade appeared and blocked their path.

A chill ran down his spine.

It felt as though something was watching them from above and deliberately sealing off every possible escape route with malicious intent.

‘The biological system is fighting back!'

But he couldn’t understand how that was possible.

By now, the biological system should have been half-cooked alive, losing control while Floor 8 collapsed around it.

'One thing is certain. We can’t escape like this.'

The exit leading back to Floor 24, the headquarters of the Molting Church, was not far away. And yet they found themselves trapped just short of it, unable to proceed.

There was only one option left.

“I still have one trump card."

As High Priest, he possessed a special power. Even within the sealed Entity Rift, he could force open a path for a brief moment. The cost, however, was his own lifespan. And even then, he could only bring two or three people at most.

'I can’t save all of the cultists.'

If that was the case, then the choice had already been made.

‘Seol Suyeok,’ his designated successor. And ‘Rachel,’ his loyal adjutant. Those two were indispensable assets for his future plans.

“Stop."

The High Priest’s command cut through the shaking Rift. Every cultist immediately turned toward him. Despite everything, they still hoped their High Priest would perform some sort of miracle.

“Split up and send out scouting teams. Form groups of three. Search for an escape route. The moment anyone secures a path, report back immediately. Understood?"

It wasn’t the answer they had hoped for, but it was a practical order.

"Understood!”

“Understood!”

The Molting Church members scattered in all directions with desperate determination. By the High Priest’s command, Seol Suhyeok and Rachel remained behind.

Once everyone else had disappeared, the High Priest revealed his true intentions.

“You two, come with me. I know a route.”

The High Priest’s attitude, implying there was a different escape route prepared, immediately raised doubts in Seol Suhyeok’s mind.

“High Priest! Shouldn’t we call for the bothers as well…?”

The High Priest coldly drew the line there.

“We cannot take everyone.”

"But…!?”

“Do you not understand? This is the sacrifice of the few for the sake of the many. No more arguments. Follow me.”

Rachel, his loyal adjutant, silently followed him. Seol Suhyeok didn’t have much of a choice but to follow either.

The High Priest led them through a narrow passage that had gone completely unnoticed until now. At its end stood a concrete wall.

"...It’s blocked, High Priest.”

“You need not worry. Watch closely. Witness this power.”

The High Priest drew a rusted dagger from his robes and sliced open his left wrist. Dark crimson blood gushed out, staining only the concrete wall.

“O boundless wisdom that sheds all shells…"

As he chanted, visible changes overtook him. His skin aged in an instant. His hair turned completely white. In mere seconds, it looked as though 20 years had crashed down upon him all at once.

-Craaaack!

Yet in exchange for that vitality, a fissure appeared in the center of the concrete wall. A gap barely large enough for a single person to squeeze through.

“Gasp…! Hah!”

Seol Suhyeok stared in shock.

“What… is this? What kind of power is this??”

The High Priest answered in an exhausted voice.

“This is…an inferior imitation of the Reality Manipulation used by god-tier entities……a mere copy, yet still an anomalous power beyond the dreams of ordinary people…"

To perform it, he had to consume his own lifespan.

“Now, let us proceed. Once we return, the cult will…"

-Thrust—!

Suddenly, a horrifying sensation pierced his chest.

"......Gak!"

With a strangled gasp, the High Priest looked down. His gray robes were rapidly turning black with blood.

A dagger had pierced straight through his chest. And gripping its handle tightly was the one he had considered his successor, Seol Suhyeok.

“Y-you……!”

But Seol Suhyeok’s expression had completely changed. It was as if he were an entirely different person.

“Your disgusting sorcery…! Did you really think that brainwashing would last forever…?”

For a brief moment, pain flashed across Seol Suhyeok’s face. He remembered what the brainwashing had stolen from him. Things he could never recover. That realization only fueled his rage, and he drove the dagger in even deeper.

“Ugh……!”

“Now it’s time to pay the price, you old monster.”

“You ungrateful worm…! Rachel! Rachel…! Quickly, stop him!”

The High Priest believed Rachel could easily subdue Seol Suhyeok. This young sacrifice could not be allowed to regain his reason just yet.

Until the day he was offered to the god, he was supposed to continue believing himself to be the cult’s true successor.

“Rach—el!”

But then another sickening sound echoed out.

-Thrust!

Rachel, the adjutant whose loyalty had bordered on fanaticism, had stabbed the High Priest as well.

“Rachel… You too….ㅡ?"

Rachel’s thoughts were impossible to read, but one thing was certain. Her thoughts had changed. Even now, she was looking at Seol Suhyeok with a strange look in her eyes.

"You filthy traitorous bastards……! The Gods shall……!”

"Shut up!”

Seol Suhyeok roughly tore off the pendant hanging around the High Priest’s neck, the symbol of his authority.

“Save your curses for whatever hell you’re headed to!”

The dagger plunged into him several more times. Unable to endure any longer, the High Priest finally collapsed.

"Gaaah……”

Whether from resentment or sheer unwillingness to accept his fate, the old man died with his eyes wide open.

“It’s over now. I suppose it’s your turn to become the master of the cult.”

Rachel carefully wiped the blood from Seol Suhyeok’s face with a handkerchief.

“Let’s go, Rachel.”

As the sole survivor within the Entity Rift and the High Priest’s successor, Seol Suhyeok intended to seize complete control of the Molting Church. And from this point forward, the cult would become a chess piece for his ambitions.

* * *

“Oppa…! Oppa…!”

The moment Park Minho opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of Seol Suyeon subbing uncontrollably.

“Ah, sob, sob. Thank goodness…!”

For a moment, he had no idea what was happening. Then his memories returned. Forcing himself to wear the King’s noose for the third time and speaking with the biological system.

Park Minho immediately sat upright. Looking toward the biological system, he saw that all the spikes had already been removed.

“The Molting Church…! Did we catch them?”

The biological system responded directly into his mind through telepathy.

[An anomaly occurred. Two contaminant entities escaped to the outside. Several contaminant entities were terminated. Remaining entities have been successfully contained.]

“And the condition of Floor 8?”

[Mining sequence for Miner Entities has resumed. Anomalous concentration within Floor 8 is projected to stabilize within 72 hours, Administrator.]

Park Minho let out a sigh of relief.

"Phew… That’s good.”

The people around him, however, could not hide their shock.

They couldn’t hear the biological system’s voice. But every time Park Minho spoke, it responded by glowing and vibrating.

Its behavior was so deferential that it almost looked as if it were serving Park Minho as its master.

“What in the world happened?”

“Who knows...?"

“Nothing has made sense all day.”

Everyone could do little more than stare in bewilderment.

With Seol Suyeon’s help, Park Minho got to his feet and addressed the group.

“The Molting Church’s scheme has been stopped. I believe it’s thanks to everyone’s efforts. Floor 8 will return to normal.”

A collective sigh of relief spread through those present.

“I see. That’s a relief.”

"We’re alive. I seriously thought we were done for.”

“But seriously, what happened at the end there?”

Everyone knew that Park Minho had accomplished something close to a miracle. But he had no intention of explaining everything.

'There’s no need to let everyone know right away that I now own Floor 8.'

The first time in history that a Backrooms Floor had fallen under the control of a single human.

Even the mighty TBU Fortress City was nothing more than a settlement built by clinging to Floor 7. There was no telling what consequences this might have in the future, so caution was necessary.

‘I have got a lot of work ahead of me. If I’m going to make Floor 8 a stable base of operations…’

For now, though, dealing with the people in front of him came first.

“Everyone, thank you. Really. I’ll see if I can create a way back.”

After saying that, Park Minho turned to the biological system.

“Can you create an exit for these people to return to Floor 8?”

[Possible. Initiating procedure.]

Soon, one section of the wall split apart, revealing a crack in space. Beyond it, they could see the abandoned mine tunnels of Floor 8, where Miner entities were already busily moving about.

“The fight is over. You can return to Floor 8 now.”

Rahul spoke up.

“Is Floor 8 safe now?”

“Of course. The Miner entities have returned, haven’t they? The anomalies will be cleaned up quickly.”

“That’s good…very good. But just how did all this happen?”

“I’ll explain it later. I’m not exactly in great condition right now…”

They had witnessed Park Minho miraculously come back from the brink of death, so no one pressed the matter any further.

“I understand. We can leave through here?”

"That’s right.”

“Whew…what a wild experience. How am I supposed to explain this to anyone?”

The Indian party hurried out first. Every one of them looked eager to get back to the Fortress City as soon as possible.

Before leaving, Rahul extended his hand to Park Minho.

“You’ve been through a lot. I have a feeling we’ll meet again. Until then, take care of yourself. Meeting someone like you might just have been due to Shiva’s guidance.”

He was the sort of gentleman who knew how to begin and end things cleanly.

“Maybe so. Until next time.”

Park Minho nodded and shook his hand. Once the Indian party departed, the Chinese party also began moving. Then Wang Wei stopped.

"Wait. Why aren’t you moving?”

Park Minho remained where he was. Since he wasn’t budging, his party members also stood still, unsure what was happening.

“I still have business here.”

Wang Wei narrowed his eyes.

"You didn’t find some hidden treasure, did you? You’re not planning to keep it all for yourself, right?”

Park Minho shook his head.

"I just have things left to do.”

"Suspicious. Very suspicious. If that’s the case, then I’m staying too.”

Apparently the Chinese explorer had caught the scent of money. After everything he’d gone through, Wang Wei was unhappy with how little he had gained. The 50 gold coins had slipped through his fingers the moment Park Minho actually succeeded in opening the Entity Rift.

Before Park Minho could even respond, several Miner Entities strode through the spatial crack. Then they surrounded Wang Wei and the other Chinese explorers, gesturing for them to leave.

"Kieek!”

"Kieek!”

Wielding massive pickaxes, they menacingly motioned for them to get moving. Wang Wei couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

"You bastards! Why are you only doing this to us? You’re leaving those guys alone?!”

But Miner Entities were far from weak, and there were far too many of them. If a fight broke out, his entire party would be wiped out. In the end, Wang Wei could only grit his teeth and leave with a resentful expression on his face.

With greed still evident on his face, Wang Wei shouted back at Park Minho.

“If you get anything out of this, you’d better share! That’s only fair!”

Park Minho shrugged.

"If the Molting Church leaves behind anything worthwhile, I’ll give you a cut.”

They had fought the Molting Church together, so Park Minho could acknowledge Wang Wei’s share in that. But when it came to Floor 8 itself, he had no intention of conceding a single thing. Everything related to this Floor belonged to him now.

"Take care."

“We’ll meet again! You greedy bastard! What are you trying to hog all for yourself?!”

With that, Wang Wei finally departed as well. Only Park Minho’s party remained.

“...Would it be possible to get a more detailed explanation?”

After hesitating for a moment, Ivan finally asked. Nicola also looked intensely curious.

Park Minho leaned more heavily against Seol Suyeon’s shoulder. He had acted fine while the other parties were around, but truthfully, he was exhausted.

“Let’s find a suitable area, pitch the tents, and prepare camp first. I’ll explain once I’m feeling better.”

"Understood.”

"Just know this much for now. We won’t be returning to the Fortress City or moving to Floor 9 anytime soon.”

The priority was establishing a solid foundation in Floor 8. There was still a great deal of work to do if he wanted to truly make this place his own.

And on top of that, he still had to decide what to do with the captured members of the Molting Church.

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