The Legendary Newbie of the Ghost Story Labyrinth - Chapter 59

WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

The Legendary Newbie of the Ghost Story Labyrinth

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 59 - The Master of Floor 8 (3)

Park Minho’s most urgent problem was obvious. He needed a safe place to live on Floor 8.

After discussing possible locations with his party members, Park Minho reached a decision.

“We’ll build our settlement in the area in front of the Entity Rift.”

Because if the worst happened, the Entity Rift would serve as an escape route.

"At the moment, the Entity Rift is sealed, and I’m the only one with the key to move through it. So we don’t need to worry about enemies coming through the Rift.”

Ivan nodded at Park Minho’s decision but pointed out a drawback.

“However, this area around the Entity Rift is one of the deepest sections of Floor 8. It will be difficult for outsiders to reach, making it easy to defend, but it may weaken our ability to control other regions of Floor 8.”

Park Minho had already anticipated that issue. Naturally, he had a solution in mind as well.

"For now, safety comes first. Once the settlement is complete, I plan to build facilities throughout Floor 8 to solve those kinds of problems.”

For example, he could establish checkpoints at entrances leading to Floors 7 and 9 and control the flow of people moving between them.

“Then I’ll begin immediately.”

Park Minho ordered the biological system to summon hundreds of Miner entities. He then instructed them to build a fortress-settlement surrounded by massive stone walls.

-Clang, clang.

The sound of stone being carved echoed in every direction. Watching them work, Ivan offered another suggestion.

“Minho-nim, they’re probably capable of constructing the exterior structures. But wiring, heating, ventilation, and the other necessary facilities will require human labor.”

“You’re right. What’s the best way to handle that?”

"I’ll go see Director Yoon. If we ask him, he’ll provide skilled workers. And while I’m there, there's another issue that needs to be addressed.”

"What is it?”

“We’ll need a device that suppresses the Backrooms’ anomalous influence if anyone is going to live here long-term.”

According to Ivan, the reason people could reside in TBU’s Fortress City for extended periods was because of those suppression devices. They were inventions developed by TBU researchers. When installed, they suppressed the anomalous energy within a designated area and prevented cognitive contamination.

"As long as it covers the settlement, that should be enough. If the area is too large, it’ll weaken the entities too.”

“Exactly. So it shouldn’t be outrageously expensive.”

To cover the cost of an anomaly suppressor, laborers, construction materials, and other necessities, Park Minho handed Ivan 10 gold coins.

"I’d also like to report this situation to Director Yoon and discuss ways we can cooperate moving forward.”

“Understood. I’ll take care of it.”

Nicola also volunteered to accompany Ivan.

"Mister, I think we’ll need generators and a lot of other equipment. Supplies too.”

He had already compiled a list of necessities after hearing Park Minho’s plans.

-Energy Storage System (ESS) medium-sized generator.

-Water purification filters, filtration systems.

-CCTV cameras.

-3D printer, welding equipment.

-Various preserved foods and vitamin supplements.

And that was only part of it.

"That’s quite a lot. Can you transport everything?”

"That’s why I’m going with Mister Ivan. We’ll move it all at once when we’ve got enough people.”

Park Minho gave Nicola 5 gold coins as his budget.

"Then we’ll be back soon, Mister.”

"Alright."

And so, Ivan and Nicola departed for the Fortress City on Floor 7.

* * *

In the meantime, Seol Suyeon repeatedly questioned the Molting Church cultists about Seol Suhyeok.

"He’s my little brother. Please, just tell me.”

"Get lost, you bitch! Ptooey!"

The cultists remained stubborn as ever, so Park Minho stopped her.

“I know how you feel, but wait a little longer. I’m starting to see a few of them wavering.”

They had already been starved for several days. Most of them were still full of fanatic resolve, but a handful seemed to be changing their minds. There was no need to dirty their hands with torture. Hunger alone was hard enough to endure.

"Okay, Oppa.”

Three days later, Ivan and Nicola returned from the city.

Several small three-wheeled cargo bikes also arrived, carrying phase-compression crates packed with construction materials and equipment.

-Vrrrrmm, vrrrrmmm.

The workers stared at the sight before them and gaped in astonishment.

"The entities are really working…?”

"Look at that building! Doesn’t it look like some kind of Greek or Roman structure? You’re telling me entities built that?”

“What the hell is going on here?”

Of course, they had been briefed beforehand. But hearing about it and seeing it with their own eyes were two completely different things.

“How did they tame these entities?”

"Shh, don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong. They said this is a top-level classified facility.”

Thanks to Director Yoon’s arrangements, the workers believed this palace was one of TBU’s secret forward operating bases. In exchange for generous pay, Director Yoon had demanded complete secrecy regarding the facility. None of the workers wanted to cross a powerful figure of TBU, so they had all signed confidentiality agreements.

Ivan explained the situation to Park Minho.

"Director Yoon was extremely surprised. He said he never imagined you’d end up controlling Floor 8. He also told me to let you know that if you need anything, you only have to ask.”

The workers quietly whispered among themselves while looking at Park Minho.

"Who is he…?”

"No idea, but look at how polite that scary Ivan guy is toward him.”

“He looks young. Must be some incredibly important figure.”

The murmuring didn't last long. After all, if someone could command entities, how terrifying must they be?

"Come on, you’ve seen Miner entities before! They won’t attack you. Let’s get to work!”

At the foreman’s command, construction of the settlement officially began. The difference between skilled professionals and Miner entities stacking rocks was immediately obvious.

-Click.

Park Minho snapped a picture and uploaded it to the gallery.

[Title] Claimed Floor 8. Building main base now.

Author: Cheezza.

But this time, even the most seasoned gallery veterans couldn’t understand what Park Minho was talking about.

ㄴ(LostHassan) Claimed Floor 8? What does that even mean? And why are you building structures there?

ㄴWait, why are humans and entities working together??

ㄴWhat am I even looking at right now?

Since nobody could make sense of it, Park Minho explained everything that had happened up to this point. The gallery’s response was immediate. None of them could believe what they were hearing.

ㄴ(DeaguBadass) A human owns an entire Backrooms Floor now?

ㄴIf you’re hallucinating or having a mental breakdown, try drinking some barley tea.

ㄴDid this bastard end up in the Dream Backrooms again?

ㄴ(NCEInstaReject) Yeh, definitely dreaming.

Park Minho didn’t particularly care whether they believed him or not. Even if they denied reality now, they’d have to accept it eventually.

While everyone was insisting it was impossible, a few gallery users had already started predicting what would happen next.

ㄴ(Pitbull) Then isn’t TBU screwed? If Cheezza controls this passageway, the city’s pretty much finished, right?

ㄴIs Lord Cheeza about to start collecting toll fees?

ㄴBullshit. You think TBU would just sit there and take it?

ㄴ<White Puppy> Mister said he can control all the entities, though. Couldn’t he fight back even if TBU invaded? Do you know how many entities there are on that Floor?

ㄴThat Minecart is an absolute monster… Can he control that too?

Soon the gallery exploded into speculation about what would happen if Park Minho were telling the truth.

ㄴIs this for real? A single explorer obtains an entire Backrooms Floor and ends up holding TBU by the leash??

ㄴI can’t believe it.

ㄴBut has Lord Cheezza ever lied before? No, right?

It had always been like this. People would say that it was impossible or nonsense. Then time would pass, and it would turn out to be true. That was one of the reasons everyone more or less called him legendary.

ㄴI understand what you’re saying, but isn’t this a little too ridiculous this time?

ㄴfrf…

While Park Minho was browsing the gallery, a cold, mechanical telepathic message suddenly pierced his mind.

[Warning. A group of organic entities displaying unusual activity has entered Floor 8]

Park Minho immediately closed his laptop and responded.

'What’s going on?'

[An organic entity that previously accompanied the Administrator has reentered the area.]

'Oh? Who is it? Rahul? Wang Wei?’

[Unable to identify the organic entity’s designation, however, the entity possesses abundant facial hair.]

'That’s Rahul.'

Rahul had seemed like a gentleman, so Park Minho initially felt pleased to hear it. But the next message made his expression harden.

[The organic entity designated by the Administrator as Rahul is currently accompanied by 31 anomalous organic entities.]

Anomalous organic entities apparently referred to Awakened people.

'31 of them? That’s way too many, right?'

A bad feeling crept over him. As far as Park Minho knew, most explorer parties consisted of 4 to 7 people. A group of over 30 meant they had come with a very specific purpose.

[Intercepting communications between organic entities is possible.]

'Really? Let’s hear what they’re saying.'

[Establishing connection. Converting transmissions into telepathic output.]

A slightly distorted voice echoed through his mind. Rahul was talking to someone.

[Rahul! As expected, you’re a clever man. If we’d rushed in blindly, we’d probably still be wandering around looking for him.]

[Hehe. Director, what did I tell you? They need supplies, so sooner or later they'd have to send people to the city. Once that happened, tracking them back to their hideout was easy.]

[Exactly. They moved a considerable amount of personnel and supplies, so their destination was obvious. Though with this many people, do we really need to go beg him? Why not lure him out, capture him, and force him to cooperate?]

The man he called Director offered an example.

[Think of Atahualpa, the Incan Emperor, who was taken hostage by that Spaniard, Francisco.]

Back then, the Incan Emperor had commanded a vast army. Francisco, on the other hand, had arrived from Spain with barely 200 men. The Emperor hadn’t even considered them a threat. Yet somehow, he was ambushed and captured.

[After that, Francisco imprisoned the Emperor and extorted enormous amounts of gold from the Inca by holding him hostage. Our situation isn’t any different.]

[Hmm… You have a point.]

[If we try to persuade him first, we might only put him on guard and lose our chance to strike. What if he starts preparing? He might be able to command more entities than we expect.]

[That’s true. There must be limits to his control, but there’s always a chance he can exceed our assumptions.]

The Director let out a sinister chuckle.

[Hehehehe, it’s only been a few days since the Floor 8 incident. There’s no way he’s fully prepared. Hell, he’s probably still running around in circles trying to figure out what to do. Isn’t that the most likely scenario?]

[Agreed. If we offer our assistance, he’ll probably welcome us with open arms.]

[Exactly, we approach him like that, then seize him in one move. Fast, simple, and efficient.]

As Park Minho listened, he was dumbfounded.

'Would you look at this bastard, Rahul?'

He’d thought the man was pretty decent. Who would have guessed he was that devious.

'And he brought over 30 Awakened with him. Seriously, can’t trust anyone these days.’

On top of that, they were comparing him to the Incan Emperor. The real Incan Emperor had ultimately been stripped of his gold and silver, used for everything he was worth, and then strangled to death by the Spaniards.

"Ivan."

"Yes, sir.”

"We’ve got visitors.”

Park Minho explained what he had just overheard, to which Ivan immediately apologized.

"My apologies. I was so focused on gathering supplies that I failed to realize we’d been followed.”

Park Minho shook his head. It wasn’t entirely his fault. They hadn’t traveled alone, and moving that many people and supplies around was bound to attract attention.

"It’s fine. Just be more careful next time. Right now, damage control is all that matters.”

"What are you planning to do? I’ll follow your lead. Though with more than 30 Awakened, ordinary methods won’t be enough.”

Par Minho remained silent for a moment before answering.

"To be honest, I could’ve killed them and silenced them back then.”

"This isn’t your fault, Minho-nim.”

"But maybe I should’ve been prepared to pay the price for letting them live.”

Park Minho beckoned Ivan closer. When Ivan leaned in, he lowered his voice so neither Seol Suyeon nor Nicola could hear.

"Let’s bury them all. We’ll keep this between the two of us, okay?”

"...Understood.”

Rahul and his group would simply be recorded as missing on Floor 8. As Park Minho gathered his equipment, he contacted the biological system.

‘How many Minecarts can you summon right now?’

Apparently, the other side was planning an ambush. So Park Minho decided he’d ambush them first.