WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

The Legendary Newbie of the Ghost Story Labyrinth

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 72 - The Disposal Site (3)

Park Minho sank down onto the ground. After using the King’s Noose multiple times, he had finally reached his limit. The blood flowing from his nose, mouth, and eyes had stopped, but his face was still deathly pale.

Even so, he was smiling.

'I brought Units 1 and 2 back… I still can’t believe it.'

Unit 1 seemed to love its newly drawn face. When Seol Suyeon showed it a selfie, it immediately started flashing double peace signs in front of the camera.

"Kiek!”

Before she knew it, Seol Suyeon’s eyes had grown misty.

"You’re really back…”

She, too, had always carried a debt towards them in her heart. She had never even gotten the chance to thank them before they were gone.

"Hold still.”

She pulled a pack of wet wipes from her bag and carefully cleaned the tar and filth from Units 1 and 2.

Watching the scene unfold, Jung Manchun could only stare with his mouth hanging open. He was seeing it with his own eyes, yet he couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

'Entities are nothing more than monsters. So how is this even possible…?'

That was common knowledge among explorers. Yet one impossible thing after another kept happening around him.

Gu Bonjae, who had become an entity, and now these younger explorers, fighting side by side with entities. Jung Manchun, who had spent decades exploring the Backrooms, now felt everything he thought he knew crumbling away.

Back in his day, the world had been simple. Everything was perfectly divided into black and white. Entities and humans.

Yet the humans and entities before him now looked no different from friends. Frankly, it wasn’t easy to accept.

'No, at this point, none of that even matters anymore.'

He had just witnessed dead entities come back to life. Compared to that, humans being friends with entities hardly seemed worth questioning, right?

“Just what exactly are you?”

With Unit 1 supporting him, Park Minho slowly climbed back to his feet. There was no time to rest.

Unless they wanted Gu Bonjae catching up again, they had to reach the Entity Rift as quickly as possible.

"Honestly, I’d say it’s still a little early for you to be this surprised…”

"There’s more?”

"You’ll see once we make it safely to Floor 8.”

"......"

Jung Manchun wanted to ask just what in the world he did to Floor 8 but held his tongue. Now wasn’t the time. It was time to move.

The group headed toward the colossal fortress of scrap metal looming in the distance.

* * *

The scrap fortress that emerged from the mist was quite overwhelming.

It looked well over 100 meters tall.

It resembled a grotesque tower, built from wrecked cars, rusted steel plates, and shattered pieces of entity carapaces. The structure leaned precariously to one side, yet somehow refused to collapse.

"...It’s incredible."

There was awe and fear mixed together in Seol Suyeon’s voice.

"Let’s head inside."

At Park Minho’s signal, Units 1 and 2 took the lead. With the two mannequins accompanying them, the group felt incomparably more secure than before.

How should one describe it?

Park Minho felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Until now, he had constantly carried the burden of protecting the entire party. But with the two mannequins beside him, his mind was finally a little more at ease.

"Kiek!”

"Kwik!”

The two marched ahead as if proudly declaring to leave it to them.

The main gate had already been destroyed.

The massive iron doors looked as though something of overwhelming strength had torn straight through them. Studying the twisted doorframe, Jung Manchun muttered,

"Something forced its way in from the outside.”

"What do you think it was?”

A hint of fear crept into Seol Suyeon’s voice, to which Jung Manchun slowly shook his head.

"Something truly horrifying, no doubt.”

Stepping over the shattered gate, Park Minho entered the fortress.

The entrance hall was enormous. Its ceiling stretched high overhead. Several rusted chains hung down from above. Once they had properly supported lamps or chandeliers, but now only the chains remained, swaying gently.

The strangest thing was the floor.

"Oppa, this……”

Seol Suyeon pointed downward.

Human footprints. Dozens, or maybe even hundreds of them, crossed over one another and had become fossilized into the floor itself.

Park Minho followed their trail with his eyes. At first, they spread out in every direction, then, at a certain point, they all converged into a single path.

"They all tried to run.”

There was no doubt. Humans had once lived here. Then the gate had been breached, and everyone had fled. As for what happened afterward, he didn’t need to imagine it.

"Let’s look around the area.”

When they reached the second floor, it became obvious that people once lived here.

It was a residential area. Small rooms lined both sides of the corridor. Passing by an open doorway, they caught glimpses of what lay inside.

One room held a skeleton still seated in its chair. Another had walls completely covered in frantic scribbles. In another, broken weapons lay scattered across the floor.

At the very end of the hallway, they discovered what appeared to have been the leader’s office. Bookshelves lined the walls. Numerous journals had been carefully stored there. Perhaps because of power shortages, everything had been recorded by hand.

"Let’s search this room.”

At Park Minho’s suggestion, everyone nodded and began looking through the area. If anyone had left behind useful information, it would have been the leader.

While searching, Park Minho found a book that looked remarkably similar to the one belonging to the Molting Church.

"......"

After a brief moment of thought, he quietly slipped it into his bag.

Just then Seol Suyeon discovered something.

"Oppa, look at this. I found it in the desk drawer.”

Park Minho quickly examined what she was pointing at.

[At last, we reached the depths of the underground. The source of the anomalous energy we’d been sensing. We spent nearly 5 years digging and finally arrived. It was…an Entity Rift.]

Park Minho fixed his eyes on the test.

[A Rift no human could enter. Nothing more than a passage used by entities. Was this really all our years of labor and the lives of our fallen comrades bought us? We were devastated. Our community is collapsing.]

The journal ended there. What happened afterward was likely told by the shattered front gate and the countless footprints leading away from it.

"So the Entity Rift is underground.”

Seol Suyeon nodded.

"We need to head down immediately.”

“Forget searching the upper floors. We don’t have time.”

With Gu Bonjae undoubtedly grinding his teeth in fury, their best course of action was to escape through the Entity Rift before he reappeared.

Even if he followed them into the Entity Rift, they could use the biological system on the other side to seal the route behind them.

'As long as we get into the Entity Rift, we’ve won.'

That was why there was no time to waste. The group immediately began searching for a way underground.

They found it in a corner of the first floor. Calling it a path was quite the overstatement. A rope simply dangled down into a deep pit.

Park Minho cracked a flare and tossed it below.

-Fsssssh.

"Thankfully it’s not that deep. We can climb down the rope.”

Units 1 and 2 immediately leapt down. Then they gestured upward, telling everyone they’d catch them if anything went wrong. Trusting the mannequins, the group descended. Sure enough, Jung Manchin lost his grip halfway down, but Unit 1 effortlessly caught him.

"Th-thank you..."

Never in his life had Jung Manchun imagined being rescued by an entity.

His expression remained one of complete disbelief. The first underground level still bore the unmistakable traces of later explorers who had dug downward. The ceiling was low and the tunnels were narrow. Rather than the fortress’ original construction, the walls had become rough earthen passages carved straight through the soil. Abandoned pickaxes, shovels, and rusted wheelbarrows lay scattered everywhere.

"It’s cold and eerie. Hmph.”

Unlike Park Minho and Seol Suyeon, Jung Manshun seemed far less comfortable with the familiar atmosphere of the Backrooms. Whatever his past had been, he had been retired for a long time.

After walking for quite a while, artificial structures appeared once more.

To Park Minho, the corridor felt strangely familiar.

"I think we came the right way, Oppa.”

“Yeah. It looks like we can make it back.”

Not long after, they reached their destination. It was an enormous circular chamber.

The ceiling stretched so high, even the beam from their flashlights couldn’t reach it. At the far end of the hall a glowing fracture shimmered. Without a doubt, it was an Entity Rift.

"At last!”

Just as Park Minho smiled, heavy footsteps echoed from behind them.

-Thuuud! Thud!

They were deliberately loud.

Unfortunately, Gu Bonjae had no intention of letting them leave peacefully.

He emerged from the darkness.

“We’re not finished settling our score, so where do you think you’re going?”

His appearance had changed. Steel plates and salvaged machine parts from the Disposal Site had been welded across his body, reinforcing his defense. And even worse, he had grafted the limbs of dead entities onto himself. His arms had increased to four.

He had returned stronger and tougher after leveling himself up. His blazing yellow eyes declared that this time he intended to finish them for good.

“There’s nothing left to say!”

Gu Bonjae charged ahead. Roaring as loud as he could, he swung his massive chainsaw.

-Vrrrrrrrrrrm!

Units 1 and 2 immediately stepped in front of the others. They dodged the chainsaw with incredible speed, then lashed out with simultaneous kicks.

-Boom!

The blows carried tremendous force, but unlike before, they barely staggered him. The steel plating reinforcing Gu Bonjae’s body had made all the difference.

"Die, you vermin!”

Gu Bonjae brought his chainsaw crashing down toward Unit 1. It came with such incredible speed that Unit 1 couldn’t evade in time. But the far more agile Unit 2 grabbed its sibling and yanked it out of the way.

-Claaaang!

The chainsaw slammed into the concrete floor, sending up a deafening cloud of dust.

But Gu Bonjae wasn’t finished. The cables protruding from his mouth suddenly shot forward, striking Unit 2.

-Kakakakak!

The wires pierced deep into Unit 2’s body like poisoned spikes. Wherever they embedded themselves, the surface blackened as if infected with venom. Fortunately, Mannequin Facelings were largely immune to poison.

That didn’t mean it had no effect, though. Uni 2’s movements slowed dramatically. It had become even slower than Unit 1.

-Ratatatatatatat!

Seol Suyeon unleashed a barrage of gunfire, but Gu Bonjae didn’t even flinch.

"How annoying!”

Instead, he ripped a chunk of concrete from the ground and hurled it. It nearly smashed Seol Suyeon’s head open.

The battle wasn’t going well.

Park Minho’s anxiety mounted.

'I can’t use the Noose again…'

He had already used it far too many times. He was certain if he put it on again, he would die instantly before accomplishing anything.

'At this point it’d only be useful as a suicide device…'

He needed another option.

Just then, someone shouted with every ounce of strength they had.

“Enough!!”

It was Jung Manchun.

“Everyone, stop this!”

The old man’s voice echoed throughout the enormous chamber.

Gu Bonjae froze. Seizing the opportunity, Units 1 and 2 immediately fell back.

Staggering forward, Jung Manchun stepped between them. He was an old man and completely unarmed.

"Please, let’s all stop.”

Breathing heavily, Park Minho frowned.

“Boss, what are you doing?”

That monster wasn’t going to stop just because someone asked nicely.

"It has to stop.”

Jung Manchun’s face was full of anguish. To him either outcome was unacceptable. If Park Minho and Seol Suyeon won, Gu Bonjae would die. The two of them had known each other for years. And Jung Manchun still carried guilt over the past, so he couldn’t bear to watch Gu Bonjae die.

But if Gu Bonjae won, Park Minho and Seol Suyeon would be the ones to die. He didn’t want these kind-hearted young people to meet such an end either.

He somehow had to find a compromise.

"Hand over the Molting Church’s tome.”

"Boss!”

Park Minho frowned. That book was the key to uncovering the Molting Chruch’s secrets.

But Jung Manchun shook his head.

"I know how badly you want that book, but surely handing it over is better than dying, right? If you die here, everything ends.”

Turning to Gu Bonjae, he called out.

“Hyungnim. We’ll return the book, so please let us leave.”

Jung Manchun was placing his hopes in Gu Bonjae. He had already witnessed Park Minho forming bonds with entities. If that was possible, then perhaps this was too. After all, Gu Bonjae used to be human, right?

If he could just persuade him, he would surely listen.

"......"

Gu Bonjae stared at Jung Manchun for a long moment. Then he slowly nodded.

“Very well, Manchun. If it’s you asking, I’ll grant it. Once that book is back in my hands, I’ll let you all go.”

For just that moment, Gu Bonjae didn’t look like an entity. He looked like the man he had once been. Jung Manchun’s face brightened.

"Hyungnim...!”

Just as he’d hoped. Even if someone became an entity, surely their heart could still be reached.

Park Minho, however, ground his teeth. Seol Suyeon gently tugged at his sleeve.

"Oppa, we don’t have a choice.”

Park Minho let out a long sigh.

"Yeah, this is probably the right call."

He reached into his coat and took out the thick tome. He hesitated for a moment but eventually surrendered it.

"...Here it is.”

Jung Manchun accepted the book from Park Minho. Then he slowly walked toward Gu Bonjae.

"Hyungnim."

"Yes."

Gu Bonjae extended his hand. The instant Jung Manchun placed the book into it…

-Squelch—!

"Hyungnim......?"

Jung Manchun’s eyes widened.

Gu Bonjae’s other hand had transformed into a long, razor-sharp metal spike and skewered straight through his palm. Drops of crimson blood splattered onto the floor.

Jung Manchun blankly stared at his impaled hand. What hit him harder than the pain was the sense of betrayal.

"Hying…Hyungnim…Why……?”

Gu Bonjae smiled. His mouth stretched impossibly wide, forming the grin of a monster with not a trace of humanity left.

"I’m sorry, Manchun.”

The spike drove even deeper, burrowing further up his arm. Jung Manchun screamed.

"Aaaagh!”

"You see, I still need more people if I’m going to bring Taeson back.”

Gu Bonjae leaned in, looking directly into Jung Manchun’s face. There was no regret or hesitation, just obsession and madness reflected in him.

"So don’t take it too personally. You’ll become part of Taeson’s new body.”

His jaw opened unnaturally wide. Like a serpent unhinging its mouth. From within, the grotesque flesh construct stitched together from the dead Taeson and the butchered craftsmen slid out.

-Splat!

It looked like a snake regurgitating prey it had failed to digest.

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