Chapter 14
A three-day new employee at <Daydream Corporation>.
“Phew.”
Ko Young-eun carefully sat down at her desk as lunchtime ended.
This unlicensed medical dropout thought she was adapting to the situation fairly well…
Her assigned Team R’s superiors weren’t particularly warm, but they weren’t overly hazing her either, and they didn’t force her into deadly situations unnecessarily.
Above all, she’d successfully cleared two F-class horror stories so far!
‘I heard one or two a week is average for a newbie…?’
Two in three days—even if they were the lowest-class Darkness, that was pretty good for a new employee!
She was doing her absolute best to adapt to this insane company…
Even though she almost fainted when she saw the Wish Grant points.
‘I cleared two and only got 66p—at this rate, when will I ever reach 500,000…’
“……”
But she couldn’t give up.
‘I’ll do it.’
Ko Young-eun steeled her resolve.
‘…I wonder if the other newbies feel the same way?’
She casually looked at her phone.
At the top of her messenger was a pinned group chat.
[Daydream Corporation Newbie Group Chat]
It was the group chat for new employees.
But there was one person who hadn’t been invited.
Not because they were being excluded—no one had their contact information.
That person was the top scorer, Kim Soleum.
‘I should invite them too.’
Even ‘that’ Baek Sa-heon was in this group chat, but strangely, no one had run into Kim Soleum in the office, so they’d had no chance to tell them.
Not knowing how intense Kim Soleum’s first two days had been, it was perfectly understandable to wonder!
‘Should I try contacting them through the company messenger?’
She accessed the intranet, searched for the name, and was about to try contacting Kim Soleum—
That’s when it happened.
Chat, chat, cha-cha-chat—
Suddenly, the group chat exploded with notifications.
-Have you seen the official notice that just went up?
-Does anyone know Kim Soleum-ssi personally…
-That’s the person who was the top scorer, right?
-What does “A-class clear as a major contributor” mean…
-That person with the strange horned mask…
“…?!”
“Whoa, Musk Deer, I heard some higher-ups are saying you should be made Assistant Manager immediately!”
“Cough.”
I almost choked on my medicine.
“But apparently some people in other departments are frothing at the mouth opposing it since it’s unprecedented, so it got shot down.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Should I have said “what a shame”? But I genuinely didn’t feel disappointed at all, so that was the best I could do.
I set down the empty pill bottle and rubbed my stomach.
After barely escaping the ‘Tuesday Quiz Show’ that had mutated into an A-class horror story, we were immediately moved to the infirmary and given emergency medication.
We’d been bleeding from our facial orifices, after all.
“Feeling better now?”
“Yes.”
The medicine seemed to be working well.
<Daydream Corporation>’s medicines were suspicious, but these ordinary over-the-counter ones were simply high-performance.
-For Darkness… I mean, those bizarre creatures from urban legends. It’s a recovery potion for supernatural damage from those things.
Basically, a horror-story health potion.
‘I’m pretty sure this was sold as a cherry-ade flavor at the collaboration cafe near the pop-up store…’
The actual taste was just cough syrup.
‘Anyway, the fact that I’m alive and drinking potion feels like a lie.’
Having escaped, everything felt good.
Just being alive in broad daylight was wonderful…
But my superiors seemed more concerned about something else than this emotion.
How exactly had this incident been reported and processed up the chain!
They were busy using all their connections to figure out the situation.
“Honestly, this was an unprecedented special case. I wish the Team Leader would push harder, but he’s not the type for that…”
“Deputy Manager, you can do it when you get promoted later.”
“Uh, I’ll quit before that.”
“Honestly, me too.”
I wish I could do that too.
In a strange sense of solidarity, we each sprawled out on the infirmary beds.
Assistant Manager Park Min-seong stretched and let out a sigh.
A long sigh of relief.
“…I really thought I was going to die. As expected, being alive is good! Musk Deer, thank you.”
“No, I just did my best.”
Honestly, the <Darkness Exploration Records> wiki did all the work.
If I made any more excuses, the conversation would drift toward an awkward direction—”we were all about to die but you’re smart so it worked out”—so I kept quiet.
“We’re not incompetent seniors, but we let our guard down because it was D-class.”
“Deputy Manager, that excuse is a bit ugly.”
“Then I’ll prove it on the next Darkness.”
‘I just wish there wasn’t a “next Darkness”…’
Just as this peaceful paid rest time was flowing by—
“The Section Chief’s meeting is over.”
“…!”
“They’re coming to the infirmary.”
The Deputy Manager, holding their smartphone, sprang up. The Assistant Manager followed suit, so I stood up too without thinking.
‘I’m finally going to see them in person.’
Section Chief Lee Ja-heon.
Employee D, nickname Lizard!
One of the most famous <Daydream Corporation> employees in <Darkness Exploration Records>. So popular that the company was reportedly about to release character designs based on them.
Honestly, I was curious.
What kind of person were they?
‘Judging by the conversation when I pressed the call button, they didn’t seem like a normal person…’
Still, considering they’d pulled off that superplay with the AAA battery shot, everything felt forgivable.
Knock knock knock.
“The door’s open. Come in, Team Leader!”
The infirmary door opened.
Standing beyond it was a tall figure.
Dressed in a perfectly fitted black suit with an employee ID badge, the very textbook and classic office worker appearance looked quite sharp.
Finally appearing—Section Chief Lee Ja-heon, <Darkness Exploration Records>’ named employee D…
“Hello.”
“…!? …!!”
A l-lizard.
No, not a mask—actually…
‘It’s… literally a lizard head.’
“……”
Wait.
No… that couldn’t be right.
I must be experiencing psychotic symptoms from excessive stress, still seeing afterimages of that TV-headed host.
Right? My brain was just mistaking someone wearing a mask for an actual lizard head…
‘Looking again, there’s a mask hanging on their waist.’
“……”
I’m going insane.
“It’s really good to see you.”
“Come in, Team Leader!”
Why is everyone so calm about this?
If a lizard in a suit is going to show up, shouldn’t someone at least warn the newbie with something like “don’t be surprised”?
Instead, they’re naturally creating a casual atmosphere!
“Ah, this is Musk Deer. Here’s Section Chief Lee Ja-heon. Greet them.”
“Wow, looks like Musk Deer is surprised because the Section Chief is too handsome! Haha! He doesn’t even look like the same species as us!”
Could you please clarify whether that’s office banter or a hint?
The white lizard head turned to me expressionlessly.
Crimson reptilian vertical eyes gleamed.
“Musk Deer-ssi.”
“……”
“Can you see?”
F-f*ck.
“What do you mean… Ah, my eyes aren’t injured. My vision is fine too.”
I silently applauded my own quick wit.
“……”
Excuse me?
“I see.”
The pale reptile head swiveled away with a dry rustle.
I almost fainted.
‘Please stop, seriously.’
Even outside the horror story, having to suffer like this in this world is just unfair…
‘What the hell is going on.’
But I wouldn’t even open my mouth.
Given the atmosphere, it was clearly a situation where I shouldn’t acknowledge the lizard head!
‘Everyone else was seeing a normal human face.’
Let’s not stand out.
I absolutely wouldn’t show any suspicious reaction to that walking human—no, lizard excavator.
I managed to control my expression, and fortunately, thanks to my teammates, the conversation flowed smoothly.
Then, the main topic.
“Section Chief, did management explain why this happened?”
“Yes.”
The white reptile—I mean, Section Chief Lee Ja-heon—nodded.
First, the cause of the incident.
The employees who had entered mid-show…
“It was a human error. ‘Tuesday Talk Show’ was double-assigned to both Team D and Team L.”
“Ah, really.”
“Ugh…”
So that’s why the assignment had been rushed—there was a mistake.
The Section Chief’s briefing continued.
-Team L’s medium (postcard) for entering ‘Tuesday Quiz Show’ was started at a similar time to Team D, but they briefly left the building during writing, creating a time gap of about 50 minutes before completion.
“…Did they go buy coffee for a newbie or something.”
“That team was known for having people who really looked after their teammates.”
Recalling Team L, who had all died, the two teammates looked a bit bitter before hiding their expressions.
“Anyway, that’s why it transmitted at an odd time. Unfortunately, our team had already started the process.”
“Yes.”
Lee Ja-heon answered briefly and continued the briefing.
The problem was that the next part was explosive.
“And the reclassification of ‘Tuesday Quiz Show’ to A-class has not been approved.”
“…?!”
“Ex-excuse me?”
-Due to the absence of other groups for cross-verification, and a relatively high initial survival rate (43%), etc.
Whether this Darkness is practically suitable for Abyssal (A)-class has not been proven.
“So Team L was completely wiped out, and that’s their argument?”
“The collector! The liquid in the Dream Dew Collector was golden! It’s not like we haven’t heard once or twice that’s the A-class color…”
-While the liquid in the Dream Dew Collector is comparable in concentration to A-class, the possibility of special situations where high-class liquid is extracted from low-class Darkness cannot be excluded.
“Therefore, since the company’s official classification of ‘Tuesday Quiz Show’ was D-class, exceptions will not be approved.”
“……”
So the company’s stance was…
‘A mistake caused this mess—why make it bigger? Let’s just quietly handle it…’
Hmm. Classic management.
In the sense that it drives employees insane.
“This won’t do. I’ll go talk to them directly…”
“Deputy Manager, hold on.”
The Assistant Manager asked in disbelief:
“They already took all the A-class liquid from us. And they’re really treating it as a D-class result?”
“No.”
“…!”
“Compensation has been separately allocated.”
Honestly, I wasn’t surprised.
‘They’re giving us something to shut us up…’
Unless the company was completely stupid, it was standard to prepare some kind of bribe.
The only question was how much that bribe would be.
I avoided eye contact with the lizard and focused on Lee Ja-heon’s snout—no, mouth.
“Considering the special nature of the situation and the confirmed liquid color in the Dream Dew Collector, they’ve acknowledged that the exploration was comparable to A-class.”
“Then…?”
“Additional points will be allocated.”
-Limited to clearing this ‘Tuesday Quiz Show,’ additional points equivalent to A-class will be granted as a one-time measure.
The amount was…
“30,000 points per person.”
“…!!”
The Assistant Manager and Deputy Manager froze as if struck by lightning.
“Thirty thousand?!”
“Yes.”
“WAAAAH—!”
The base points for A-class are 100,000.
Assuming it’s split among the number of people entering, even if only two teams survived, the expected amount would be under 17,000 points per person.
‘But they just gave us nearly double that.’
And that wasn’t the end.
“Additionally, a separate incentive has been allocated to the employee who played a decisive role in the clear.”
The lizard’s head turned to me.
“Kim Soleum-ssi.”
-Additional 10,000p granted to the highest contributor.
“You will be allocated a total of 40,000 points.”
“……”
In one shot, I’d filled 8% of the way to the Wish Grant.
‘Wow.’
I was dumbfounded.
What, was I disappointed that the A-class clear wasn’t officially recorded?
No—actually, this was better!
‘There’s no benefit to standing out and getting fast-tracked for promotion in this world.’
What happens if expectations rise beyond the norm?
I’d be forced into even more dangerous horror stories, and the more I stood out, the harder it would be to use my ‘goods.’
Of course, there are special spaces and items that become accessible with promotion, but I can’t lose sight of priorities.
This is a world where one wrong move means death!
‘And considering I was literally at death’s door… I never want to go near A-class again.’
But looking at the points, it didn’t seem like it was all for nothing.
And it seemed the other two felt the same way.
“…I just heard my retirement date move up by about three years.”
“Me too.”
But they quickly came to their senses and said to me:
“Points can’t be transferred, so… this is a bit awkward.”
“Right. Basically, Musk Deer earned all this for us.”
“No, it’s fine.”
Honestly, even if transfer were possible, I probably wouldn’t have given them any—I’d have found some excuse.
This has nothing to do with character.
‘We’re people who joined a job that could kill us just to save up points for a Wish Grant.’
For most Field Exploration Team employees, their points are something they can never give up.
Hmm. I should definitely keep that in mind.
“Waaaah!”
“It’s really coming in.”
We immediately returned to the office and registered the points.
[Employee Kim Soleum / Points Earned: 40,100p]
‘Wow.’
I looked at the monitor.
A number in the ten-thousands.
Honestly, I felt a sense of accomplishment.
“Alright, we survived, and we scored big on points…”
The Deputy Manager grinned.
“Doesn’t this call for a company card dinner!”
“Ooooh!”
“Let’s go, Musk Deer!”
The answer came out naturally and without hesitation.
“Yes!”
And now.
I was witnessing the rare sight of a lizard eating Korean beef…
Sizzle.
I was trying my best to naturally ignore the sight of perfectly grilled beef disappearing into a lizard’s mouth.
“The Team Leader’s personality is a bit unique, but they’re definitely capable.”
“Right. You really lucked out joining our team.”
“…Yes.”
It was almost certain that I was the only one seeing a lizard face.
Having seen Section Chief Lee Ja-heon physically smash through horror stories a few times, I could understand my teammates’ favorable attitude.
Either way, beef was delicious regardless of horror stories, and I enjoyed the dinner more than I’d expected.
‘At least they’re not making things uncomfortable.’
I was also realizing that having a bit of alcohol definitely helped make the fear fade away.
‘I’ll go home, watch ten episodes of a kids’ cartoon, and sleep with all the lights on.’
Just as I was planning such an extreme bedtime routine—
Section Chief Lee Ja-heon, who had been eating chives, suddenly asked:
“Are you going to save the 40,000 points?”
“Huh?”
It was a natural question.
“Ah, yes. I need to buy the Wish Grant.”
“I see.”
“……”
Wait. This conversation pattern felt familiar.
I retraced the earlier dialogue.
So…
“Is there another useful way to use the points?”
“Yes.”
“……”
Right. So this is how I should approach them…
I was finally starting to understand how to use my lizard Team Leader. It felt somewhat refreshing. I asked in a much more relaxed tone:
“What for?”
“Custom equipment.”
“…!”
I didn’t expect this to come up here…
‘Finally.’
One of the main characteristics of <Daydream Corporation> employees.
‘Exclusive equipment!’
