WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

The Legendary Newbie of the Ghost Story Labyrinth

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 62 - The Master of Floor 8 (6)

At the moment, the biggest problem was that they couldn’t identify the attackers.

'Didn’t you see them, system?'

[It is necessary to correct the Administrator's misunderstanding. This system possesses no sense of sight.]

‘Then how did you know Rahul and Wang Wei had entered before?'

[Identification was possible through sound and vibration.]

Come to think of it, the system had relayed Rahul’s and Wang Wei’s conversation through telepathy. It had never actually shared visual information.

[The problem is that the current attackers cannot be identified through sound or vibration.]

'What?'

Park Minho immediately understood. They were almost certainly using anomalous items like the ‘Shh, Quiet Tape’ that he himself had frequently used in the past.

'These aren’t first-time offenders, are they?’

[Agreement with Administrator’s assessment.]

Now it made sense. These people knew exactly how to rob Floor 8 without getting caught. And because chasing them down was inefficient from the biological system’s perspective, it had simply ignored them until now.

‘The nerve of those fucking bastards…I’m definitely catching them.'

They were professional rats. If he let them go, they’d keep raiding his warehouse forever.

Since he was already involved, Park Minho decided to do things properly.

'Block every entrance leading to Floors 7 and 9 with Miner entities.'

[Potential conflict with Awakened individuals may occur.]

'No, anyone with common sense will wait and see what happens first.'

Fighting Miner entities had no merit. They were absurdly strong, and unless they happened to be transporting rare ore, there was no reward for killing them. If a bunch of those things were standing around the exits, most people would naturally keep their heads down.

[Order acknowledged and being executed.]

'If anyone tries to force their way through, send reinforcements immediately and capture them. Also, track every mid-rank Awakened party currently moving through the tunnels.’

[Procedure confirmed.]

* * *

In a dark, damp corner of Floor 8’s tunnels, four men and women moved quietly through the shadows. Pieces of ‘Shh, Quiet Tape’ were stuck all over their bodies, preventing them from making any noise.

"This is perfect. I’m already looking forward to figuring out how to spend the money from selling this.”

The giant of a man named Jack wore a broad grin. His phase-compression backpack was packed with rare ore stolen from the Miner entities they had killed.

Ultra-Pure White Lumistone.

It was the key material used in anomaly suppressors like those found in the Fortress City. As the population living inside the Backrooms continued to grow, demand had exploded everywhere. These days, sellers could practically name their price.

The moment Jack’s party spotted Miner entities transporting the ore, they had completely abandoned their original contract. Who cared about penalties? They could pay any compensation fee and still come out far ahead compared to the fortune this ore would bring.

"Jack, quit showing off and get over here. You stink of blood.”

Celine, the party leader and strategist, snapped coldly.

"Huh? I do?”

“Obviously, idiot. Entity blood splattered all over you. That’s going to draw attention.”

Celine pulled a spray bottle filled with a colorless, odorless, anomalous solution from her pocket. She thoroughly sprayed Jack down with it.

Jack burst out laughing.

“You’re damn thorough, Celine.”

This veteran party of four mid-rank Awakened was known as ‘Texas Chainsaw.’ To them, Floor 8 was basically a gold mine that occasionally handed out lottery tickets.

Normally, robbing rare ore from Miner entities wasn’t nearly as easy as it sounded. But thanks to the clever Celine, they had figured out the loopholes in Floor 8’s system. And over the years, they had repeatedly killed Miner entities and stolen rare ores.

Everyone assumed this time would be no different.

"Alright, let’s get moving. The longer we stay here, the worse our odds.”

"Got it, Celine.”

But their relaxed attitude didn’t last very long. Something felt off about the tunnels today.

"...Doesn’t something feel off?”

Aiden, who was leading the way as their scout, hesitated.

"What? Getting cold feet?”

Aiden shook his head, hearing Jack’s scoff.

"No. The sounds are weird…”

He was right. Normally, Floor 8 was filled with a steady rhythm of noise. Countless Miner entities hammered away at rock faces in their respective work zones, creating an almost rhythmic chorus throughout the level.

But today was different.

-Thud, thud, thud. Thud, thud.

The tunnels echoed with chaotic footsteps moving in groups all over the place. Aiden pressed his ear against the ground, then stood up and reported what he’d heard.

"Hundreds…No, at least a few thousand.”

"You sure?”

“I didn’t just listen. I used my ability to check.”

"......"

Tension settled over the party. Jack spat on the ground as though it didn’t bother him.

“Peh! Maybe they’re doing some giant tunnel cleanup today. Let’s stop overthinking it and keep moving. The exit isn’t far.”

Celine nodded.

“He’s right. Getting out as quickly as possible is our best move."

So they broke into a run toward the exit. Hoping against hope that their instincts were mistaken and nothing had gone wrong.

But when they reached the exit leading to Floor 7, the route they used most often, Aiden nearly dropped the staff he was carrying.

Right behind him, Jack muttered a curse.

“......Holy shit."

A space that should have been completely empty was now packed shoulder-to-shoulder with Minter entities wearing grimy yellow hard hats. There wasn’t even room to squeeze through. There seemed to be more than 50 at a glance.

They stood perfectly still like soldiers or guards, as though they had no intention of letting anyone pass.

"Wh-what the hell? What are those things doing? I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

"What the fuck is happening on Floor 8?”

"Goddammit…Things went crazy here not long ago, and now this.”

They had no choice but to abandon this exit. Even mid-ranked Awakened weren’t eager to fight more than 50 Miner entities at once.

“Let’s head to another exit. Stay calm, everyone. There are plenty of exits.”

Following Celine’s orders, the party moved again. After nearly an hour of running, they reached another exit.

But despair awaited them there as well.

"Ah…no way……!”

Aiden’s legs nearly gave out beneath him. This exit was completely blocked as well. Dozens of Miner entities stood layered across the passage like a living barricade.

"This is definitely not a coincidence."

"Right. Floor 8 has locked its doors!”

"Is this because of us?”

"No! We didn’t make a mistake! We did everything exactly the same as always!”

"Then why is this happening? What? Is someone controlling Floor 8 now?”

“Shut up! Stop freaking everyone out with your insane theories!”

The party argued back and forth, unable to make sense of the situation. The next exit and the one after that turned out to be in the exact same state.

"Every single one is blocked?”

"......Something definitely happened.”

"We’re screwed. Please tell me this isn’t because of us."

"Should we just abandon the ore?”

"Are you insane?! Do you know how much this stuff is worth?!”

No solution was in sight. The only thing growing was the tension between them. And from a dark corner of the tunnels, a Miner entity was watching them.

Unlike usual, it stared at the party with a strange, thoughtful gaze before silently slipping back into the darkness. Celine caught sight of it and bit her lip.

"Hey! Did you see that just now?”

"What? See what?”

"It was watching us! That miner was watching us!”

Even for Celine, that sounded hard to believe.

"Those rockheads?"

“Calm down, Celine. They don’t have that kind of intelligence.”

"You probably imagined it."

"No! You should’ve seen its eyes!”

That hadn’t been the usual vacant stare of a Miner entity. There had been intelligence behind those pitch-black eyes.

“What the hell is happening here…?”

For perhaps the first time, the ever-confident leader looked genuinely shaken. A chill ran down her spine, and she wrapped her arms around herself.

“Celine, it’s fine. We’ll be okay.”

The massive Jack put an arm around her shoulders, trying to reassure her, but she didn’t seem to hear him. Her eyes darted around frantically, then she suddenly shouted,

"We need to get out of here! We can’t stay here!”

"Where are we supposed to go?”

“Anywhere! Just get moving!”

The party were already exhausted from running nonstop, but they had no choice. They started moving again.

Then, at some point, the sound of footsteps all around them became unmistakable.

At first it sounded like 10 entities. The 50. Before long, hundreds were swarming nearby.

Nobody needed an explanation anymore.

They were being surrounded.

As impossible as it seemed, the Miner entities were herding them. Eventually, they were driven into a wide-open cavern. There was nowhere left to run, so they gave up on trying to move any further.

Jack drew his twin blades and roared viciously.

“You sons of bitches! Come on, then! I’ll cut every last one of you down!”

The Texas Chainsaw party immediately fell into combat formation. Miner entities began emerging from every tunnel entrance.

Yet none of them attacked.

"What?! What do you want, you goddamn bastards?!”

Just as Jack shouted that, a heavy vibration echoed through the cavern. Everyone’s face instantly went pale.

"Minecarts!"

"Minecarts...!"

The most feared entities in all of Floor 8 had arrived. Celine immediately barked out orders.

"Just make sure they don’t herd us near the rails! They're useless if we’re out of reach!”

"Got it!”

Moments later, a massive Minecart glided along the tracks and entered the chamber.

Then the party witnessed something they never could have imagined.

There were two people riding on top of it.

"What?”

"What the hell…?!”

In all their years, none of them had ever seen a human sitting atop a Minecart entity. For a moment they wondered if those people were just some disguised entities, but no matter how they looked at them, they were undeniably human.

What was even more shocking was the way the Miner entities behaved toward them. Anyone could tell they were treating the newcomers with respect.

“Celine, what the hell is going on?”

"I don’t know. I have not the slightest idea!”

The Minecart finally came to a stop. The East Asian man standing atop it spoke calmly.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to conduct a brief inspection.”

The completely unexpected statement left every member of Texas Chainsaw staring blankly.

"What?"

"An inspection?"

"Did he just say an inspection...?"

The man’s demand was simple.

"Please empty your phase-compression backpacks and lay out everything you’re carrying.”

Celine immediately objected.

“What kind of ridiculous demand is that?! We have no reason to show you anything.”

The East Asian man, Park Minho, answered without missing a beat.

"If you’d rather not cooperate, we’ll have to do it by force. If you’re innocent, I’ll compensate you. One gold coin per person.”

“What exactly are you looking for?”

“We’re looking for an Ultra-Pure White Lumistone.”

Celine flinched ever so slightly, but she refused to back down.

“What does that have to do with you?!”

Park Minho frowned as though the answer should have been obvious.

"It has quite a lot to do with me, actually. I’m the owner of this place.”

"What……?”

“No more arguing. Empty your backpacks.”

“Hell no! What makes you think we’ll do what you say?”

"If you refuse, that just turns my suspicions into certainty.”

"Cut the crap! If Awakened start treating each other like this, the Fortress City will punish you!”

Par Minho snorted.

"Hah! The Fortress City regulations don’t mean much to me. And when you’re catching thieves, who gives a damn about regulations?”

That confirmed it. This man was searching for whoever had stolen the Ultra-Pure White Lumistone. They still had no idea how he was controlling the entities, but it was obvious he possessed some kind of related ability.

For now, Celine decided to bluff. Even if negotiations happened later, projecting confidence came first.

"We have four mid-ranked Awakened on our side. Do you really think a bunch of Miner entities can take us?”

“Looks pretty possible to me… But if you’re still unconvinced, let me show you something a little more persuasive."

At that moment, the Minecart entity suddenly let out a burst of steam. Then its lower frame began shifting and transforming like a giant transforming robot. The wheels that normally ran along the rails abruptly changed into tank-like caterpillar tracks.

-Whiirrrrr.

The Minecart rolled off the tracks, its six mechanical arms spreading wide as it came to a stop directly in front of the party.

"Changed your mind yet?”

"......"

Celine felt despair sink into her chest. She desperately searched for some way out, some loophole, some chance to escape. This time, there wasn’t one. And if a fight broke out, they would be wiped out in moments.

"Aah……”

In the end, Celine dropped her weapon to the ground. The rest of the party followed her lead. A moment later, she became certain she made the right choice. For some reason, the East Asian man looked almost disappointed that a battle hadn’t broken out.

“What a shame. That would have been a nice batch of AC points……”

No matter what, he couldn’t massacre people who surrendered. Park Minho ordered the Miner entities to search their phase-compression backpacks.

Soon, all kinds of miscellaneous items spilled onto the ground. Among them were several brilliantly glowing chunks of Ultra-Pure White Lumistone.

"So it was them."

"Yes, Ivan. Bind them and throw them in a cell. Same treatment as the Molting Church guys. Drive suppression spikes into their chests.”

"Understood. What are you planning to do with them afterward?”

"I’ll have to think about that.”

Park Minho’s mind raced. How could these criminals and prisoners be put to effective use?

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