WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

The Legendary Newbie of the Ghost Story Labyrinth

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 78 - Backrooms Settlement (3)

The passage from Floor 9 to Floor 8 was always packed with people.

Beneath the yellow glow of the weathered mining lamps hanging from the ceiling, hundreds of travelers stood in line with heavy packs slung over their shoulders. Koreans, Indians, Southeast Asians, Caucasians, Africans. People of every ethnicity were mixed together, and the jumble of different languages made the palace overwhelmingly noisy.

Most of the cargo they carried came from the real world, brought up from Floor 11.

Food, medicine, manufactured goods, weapon parts. Things that were worth their weight in gold in the deeper reaches of the Backrooms.

Several explorers who looked like hired guards lingered nearby as well. The passage was crowded, but everyone was excited, imagining the fortune they’d make once they reached the Fortress City.

They had already endured the long journey from Floor 11. Compared to that, Floor 8 was little more than a transit point.

To them, Fortress City felt just around the corner.

"Heey, why’s the line stopped?”

For some reason, nobody at the entrance to Floor 8 was moving. There were usually minor bottlenecks here, but nothing like this.

Irritated voices began rising from throughout the queue.

"Did somebody drop their luggage? Let’s get moving already!”

"Seriously!”

Something felt off at the front of the line. Unable to contain their curiosity, people began leaving the queue and pushed toward the entrance of Floor 8.

"What’s going on up there?”

"Why’s everyone crawling like nails?"

One tall Caucasian explorer stood on tiptoes to get a better look. Then his expression gradually stiffened.

"...What is that? A checkpoint?”

"A checkpoint? "Here?"

"See for yourself.”

A structure no one had ever seen before had been erected at the entrance to Floor 8. It was a makeshift checkpoint built from heavy railroad ties and steel plates. A large lantern hanging overhead brightly illuminated the entrance.

Even more astonishingly, Miner entities were stationed there.

There had to be dozens of them. Wearing their trademark hard hats, the Miner entities stood in orderly ranks, directing the flow of traffic.

Everyone stared in confusion.

"What are the Miner entities doing?”

"Is this some new anomaly?”

"Can somebody explain? I’ve been away for a while. Did the rules change?”

The explorers began murmuring among themselves. Miner entities were one of the most common beings in the Backrooms. They generally ignored humans and simply went about their work as long as nobody picked a fight with them. But now, they were standing there like human guards, controlling the entrance.

"Don’t tell me they’re collecting a toll.”

"A toll? Since when do Miner entities have the brains to charge one?”

"I don’t think that’s it. Look, they’re inspecting people’s stuff.”

Sure enough, the Miner entities were checking the belongings of everyone passing through. After a quick inspection, they would either wave someone through, tell them to wait, or direct them off to the side.

"What the hell is going on here?”

Meanwhile, the line slowly began moving again. Two or three people at a time were ushered through the checkpoint under the Miner entities’ direction.

"Next."

A mechanical voice rang out. Its tone scraped like metal against metal, subtly different from a human voice, but perfectly understandable.

"This way, please."

The people watching the line stared in disbelief. One of the Miner entities had just spoken.

It was slightly larger than the others, and a star insignia was emblazoned on its hard hat. It looked to be the one in charge.

"Did that Miner entity just talk?”

"I never thought I’d live to see these entities talking.”

Rumors had been circulating, of course. Some claimed that a handful of the Miner entities in Floor 8 had developed intelligence. A few explorers even insisted they’d seen it with their own eyes. Most people, however, dismissed it as complete nonsense.

Yet now those rumors were standing right in front of them.

"State your name and affiliated party.”

The Miner entity wearing the star insignia addressed the Caucasian explorer at the front of the line.

"Evans. I’m with the Wild Cats.”

"Entry authorized. You may proceed.”

"...That’s it?”

"Correct."

Still looking confused, Evans walked through the checkpoint. His luggage remained untouched, and he wasn’t charged any sort of fee. None of the problems people had feared actually happened.

"Hmm…? That was easy.”

"They didn’t even search his bags."

"So what exactly are they inspecting?”

Someone farther back in the queue voiced the question on everyone’s mind. They were definitely conducting inspections, but they seemed incredibly superficial, and no one was being stopped or punished.

"Next."

"I don’t belong to a party.”

"Understood. Proceed.”

"...?"

Southeast Asians, Chinese explorers, everyone passed through with little more than a brief exchange. Only then did the crowd begin to relax.

"So it’s just a formality?”

"Come on. Looks like they’re letting everyone through anyway.”

"I still don’t get why they’re doing this.”

"Don’t try to make sense of everything that happens in the Backrooms. You’ll only give yourself a headache.”

"That’s exactly right.”

The mood in the line noticeably eased. Having Miner entities suddenly standing around like customs officers was bizarre, but since they weren’t actually interfering with anyone’s travel, people decided to just accept it.

Then, everything changed.

"Stop."

The entity with the star insignia suddenly stepped in front of a group of Indian explorers. Its voice was firm.

"Entry denied.”

"What? What the hell is that supposed to mean?!”

The large, bearded man at the front of the group frowned.

"What did I do wrong? You let everyone else through! I waited in line just like everyone else!”

But the Miner entity’s response was crystal clear.

"Indian explorers and merchants are prohibited from entering.”

"What kind of bullshit is that?”

The burly man glared at the Miner entity in disbelief. The five people traveling with him all came to a halt.

They were dressed in similar clothing.

"You’re saying Indians aren’t allowed through?”

What kind of discrimination was this?

"Correct."

"What kind of insane nonsense is that?! What did we do wrong?!”

The man’s voice rose with anger. Further back in the line, other explorers began craning their necks to see what was happening.

"This route has always been open to everyone! What gives you the right to discriminate against us?”

The officer in charge raised the stakes even further.

"Put down your luggage. All cargo will be confiscated.”

"Are you out of your mind?!”

"If you refuse, we will confiscate it by force.”

The burly man shouted something to the young Indian men behind him. In response, every member of the group reached for their weapons. There was no way they were going to let their belongings be taken without a fight.

"You bastards! Don’t push your luck!”

"I’ll beat some sense into you with this! Kutte¹!”

At that instant, the dozens of Miner entities lined up on both sides of the checkpoint simultaneously raised their pickaxes. The sheer killing intent behind the gesture was overwhelming. The Indian party immediately faltered.

"......"

The large man swallowed hard. Miner entities were powerful. They might have stood a chance against a handful of them, but dozens? There was no winning that fight. In the end, he made the practical choice.

"Everyone, hands off your weapons.”

After that, the same scene repeated itself over and over.

Everyone else was waved through with virtually no restrictions. Only Indians, and, more broadly, South Asians, were stopped and had their belongings confiscated.

There were plenty of protests, but none of them mattered.

To make things worse, the fearsome Minecart entities eventually appeared as well. Those gigantic machines were infamous for grinding anything alive into paste.

Even intermediate explorers began breaking out in cold sweats.

In the end, there was nothing they could do except surrender their cargo and vent their anger.

"We’re filing an official protest! Do you think we’ll just let this slide?!”

"Those are our belongings! We’ll be back to reclaim them, so don’t you dare touch anything!”

Their voices were loud, but despair was written all over their faces.

The Miner entity with the star insignia answered without hesitation.

"If you think it’s unfair, contact Advik.”

Meanwhile, explorers from the other countries continued passing through one after another. Everyone watched the scene unfold, but no one stepped in. It wasn’t their problem. And if they got lumped in with the dispute and had their belongings confiscated as well, that would be the worst possible outcome.

In the end, the Indian explorers hurriedly asked others to contact Director Advik on their behalf.

* * *

Director Advik sat comfortably in his office, savoring a glass of Lassi. Out in the real world, it was just a common drink you could buy from any street vendor. Here in the Backrooms, though it was a genuine luxury.

"Ah, now that’s the taste."

His mind kept replaying the directors’ meeting that had recently ended in his victory, filling him with satisfaction.

Director Yoon had fought tooth and nail to block a hardline policy toward Floor 8. In the end, however, he had been forced to back down.

This time, most of the other directors had sided with Advik.

Seeing Director Yoon, the most influential member of the council, suffer a defeat was almost cathartic.

'Director Yoon, that bastard… He’s definitely connected to Floor 8 somehow.’

In Advik’s eyes, there was no doubt about it. Director Yoon clearly had a significant stake in Floor 8. And that Park Minho fellow was most likely either his subordinate or his business partner.

'I’ll kill two birds with one stone. I’ll seize control of Floor 8 and expose Director Yoon's suspicious dealings, crippling him politically.’

Was that what they meant when they spoke of a blessing in disguise? Rahul’s death had dealt him a heavy blow, but now the perfect opportunity to recover everything had fallen right into his lap.

No, this wasn’t merely a chance to recoup his losses. It felt like an opportunity to leap to an entirely new level.

Director Advik’s smile widened.

"Good. Very good.”

At that moment, the office door burst open.

-Bang!

"Director!”

His secretary stood there with panic written across his face. Having his break interrupted, Advik frowned.

"What is it? I believe I told you to knock first.”

"I-I’m sorry, Sir, but this is truly urgent!”

"What happened?”

"There’s been an incident at the entrance of Floor 8! All of our Indian merchants and explorers are being denied entry!”

"What...?"

"Miner entities set up a checkpoint and are singling out Indians. They’re even confiscating all of their cargo!”

For a moment, Advik couldn’t even process what he’d just heard.

"......What kind of nonsense is that? How could Miner entities possibly tell people’s race apart?”

"I don’t know, sir. But reports are pouring in from every trade route. It’s confirmed that they’re only stopping Indians. And the amount of confiscated cargo is already enormous!”

"......"

The color gradually drained from Advik’s face. Something had gone terribly wrong.

"There’s also been a report that one of the protesting parties was taken away. These aren’t the Miner entities we know. They’re operating in an organized manner!”

"......"

"Director?”

His secretary asked cautiously. Advik remained silent. The directors’ meeting from that morning replayed itself inside his head. Director Yoon’s expression… It had been the face of someone thinking, I’ve done all I can.

"...Director Yoon, you son of a bitch.”

There had definitely been a plan behind all of this.

* * *

Floor 8, Park Minho’s headquarters.

Reading Director Yoon’s latest report through Ivan, Park Minho smiled with obvious satisfaction.

-Indian explorers are protesting everywhere, and Advik is in a complete panic.

-Now that his hardline policy has produced these results, the other directors are beginning to reconsider the situation.

Targeting only the Indian faction had worked exactly as intended. Park Monho turned to Ivan.

"Please relay a message to Director Yoon. Tell the Directors’ Council that I'm willing to negotiate. But I’ll negotiate only with Director Yoon. And let them know this as well. If the talks go smoothly, I’m willing to extend various benefits to the Directors’ Council.”

"I understand. I’ll pass it along.”

* * *

When the TBU Directors’ Council received the news, they quickly realized this wasn’t merely an incident on Floor 8. It was a high-stakes political maneuver.

"Wasn’t this all part of Director Yoon’s plan?”

"I believe so. We've also confirmed that this Park Minho from Floor 8 is Korean. Isn’t it obvious the two of them have been working together?”

"How devious."

Each director tried to piece together what had happened. Like Advik before them, they also began worrying that their own factions might become the next target.

"Director Yoon is quite the frightening man.”

"He already had the greatest influence on the council, but after this, his position will be even more secure… Shouldn’t we come up with some kind of countermeasure?”

"And end up like Advik? Honestly, I don’t even know how much influence Director Yoon truly has.”

Thanks to Park Minho’s support, Director Yoon’s political position had become stronger than ever.

"I’ll handle the negotiations.”

Meanwhile, Advik found himself completely sidelined.

"I can’t accept this! Everyone, at least hear me out……!”

He protested again and again, but none of the other directors paid him any attention.

In the end, just one week after the sanctions against the Indian faction began, Director Advik was forced to step down from his position.

_________________________________________________________________________

¹ Bastard in Hindi

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