---

Like it or not, the manual speaks when it needs to.

Whether it says to commit suicide, break your fingers, or anything else, it generally provides words that are somehow helpful in the given situation.

“Let’s go!”

And there was no reason for me to doubt such a manual.

At my words, the two moved quickly, sprinting towards the exit.

-Click!

“The door is locked!” Yu Da On shouted while gripping the doorknob.

Urgently pulling out her gun, she hastily opened the manual.

[Manual for Office Staff]

[7-6. If a screen with noise does not appear and the door is locked, the way out is blocked. You have two options.]

[7-7. First. Find a plausible hiding spot before it comes out. Statistically, hiding under the bed is the safest option, but you must be aware that the survival rate for hiding under the bed is 30%.]

[7-8. Second. Climb down to the 3rd floor using the railing. However, there is no exit on the 3rd floor, and the survival rate is about 50%.]

[7-9. Do not think about jumping down from the railing to the 1st floor. What awaits you down there is not the 1st floor. Once again, I warn you. What waits for you below is ‘definitely’ not the 1st floor.]

[7-10. In the 13th investigation, the response team members who jumped down were still falling in the 15th investigation.]

There was no time to think.

If we hide, we are left with a mere 30% chance, but if we run, we have a 50% chance of surviving.

And we were slowly becoming pros in this field.

“To the railing!”

The three of us immediately headed to the railing.

We gripped the railing in the darkness where not even a sliver of light could be seen.

“We’re going down to the 3rd floor slowly.”

“I’ll go first.”

Yu Da On expertly gripped the railing and began to descend.

I always feel like this, but even though she rarely shows off, Yu Da On seems to have the best physical abilities among us.

Like a performer, she glided down the railing and stepped onto the 3rd-floor railing, looking up at us.

“Hurry up!”

“A-Rin, you go first.”

“Oh, okay.”

Song Ah Rin hesitantly climbed down the railing.

Watching her slowly descend, I placed my foot on the railing as well.

“Ugh…!”

A piercing migraine surged through me, making my brows furrow uncontrollably.

I quickly shifted my gaze toward the television.

A single face emerged, staring at me.

Pale skin with an unreadable expression.

Every time that face met my eyes,

“Ugh…!”

The headache intensified.

I turned my gaze downward.

Song Ah Rin was halfway down.

I too hurriedly grasped the railing and began to descend.

That pale figure slowly began to emerge from the television.

[7-11. Do not look at anything coming from the television. It will drive a normal person insane.]

[7-12. The program, which was popular among children at the time, led to the decision by the Management Agency to retrieve all videos and shut down the broadcasting station after a critical flaw was discovered.]

“A-Rin. A bit faster.”

“I’m trying…!”

Song Ah Rin strained as she went down, and

“I’ve got you!”

“Ugh!”

As Yu Da On reached out and grabbed Song Ah Rin’s thigh, Song Ah Rin let out a strange scream and slid down.

Confirming that Song Ah Rin was completely down, I too held onto the railing and descended.

Now, something with pale skin was approaching me, crossing half the living area.

Describing it, it resembled a snake.

Maybe I should say it was a snake with a human head.

It had eyes, nose, and mouth, but something felt unnaturally off about it, and its hair was clinging together like seaweed.

The closer it came, the stronger the headache became—

“Ugh!”

Something grabbed my legs and began to pull me down slowly.

“I’m holding on, so it’s fine, Jae Heon!”

Looking down, I saw Song Ah Rin and Yu Da On struggling, each holding one of my legs.

With their “help, not help,” we descended to the 3rd floor.

Sweat cascaded from my hands.

I tried to look up, but a small hand covered my eyes.

“Don’t look.”

Song Ah Rin’s voice teased my ear.

“…Understood.”

After a brief moment, Song Ah Rin removed her hand.

“You can’t just rely on your mental resistance and see everything. That could lead to real trouble.”

“Thanks for your concern.”

“…It’s not concern. I was worried you’d go crazy and start shooting at us.”

Song Ah Rin mumbled gruffly as she looked ahead.

“Where do we need to go?”

“Just a moment.”

I opened the manual.

[Manual for Office Staff]

[Myungil Apartment – 3rd Floor]

[1. There are two main cases when entering the 3rd floor: When you have climbed down from the 4th floor, or when you’ve entered the black door at Room 410.]

[1-1. The 3rd floor generally lacks an escape route, so the goal is to exit from the 3rd floor as quickly as possible and head to the exit on the 2nd floor.]

[1-3. If you came down through Room 402, then naturally you’ll find yourself in Room 302.]

[1-4. Room 302 has a structure different from general rooms. The inside will be more spacious than you might think, so don’t be too surprised by that fact.]

More spacious than I might think, huh?

I cautiously opened the veranda door.

“…Huh.”

A massive corridor unfolded before our eyes.

It wasn’t just more spacious than I thought; it was simply vast.

[1-5. Keep walking until you find the exit of the room. The fastest record for finding the exit is 10 seconds, while the longest time taken to find an exit was 17 years, 3 months, 3 days, 24 minutes, and 25 seconds, 17 years, 3 months, 3 days, 24 minutes, and 26 seconds, 17 years, 3 months, 3 days, 24 minutes, and 27 seconds…].

-Tap!

I closed the manual.

It really has a way of making you feel uncomfortable.

“Let’s walk.”

“You just want us to walk?”

“Yes.”

There was no need to mention that people had failed to find the exit for over 17 years. They were likely all dead by now.

The three of us walked slowly down the corridor.

“I’m glad we found A-Rin,” Yu Da On said, breaking the silence with a smile.

“Honestly, I was worried. What if we couldn’t find A-Rin?”

“Where could I go?”

With a sigh, Song Ah Rin mumbled.

“I had no idea it would turn out like this.”

“But A-Rin.”

“What?”

Had Yu Da On and Song Ah Rin ever talked this long?

Normally, Yu Da On would often cut off Song Ah Rin’s words, but for some reason, today Song Ah Rin seemed to be listening pretty well.

“What is that picture about?”

“…”

Song Ah Rin glanced at me, and I quickly shook my head to signal that I wouldn’t say anything.

“Isn’t that the picture that was in the art museum?”

“…Yeah.”

“…”

Yu Da On stared at her while Song Ah Rin glanced down, then slightly raised her head to look at Yu Da On.

“There are several reasons.”

Seemingly reluctant to say more, Song Ah Rin let out a soft sigh.

Should I let these two talk more here?

It’d probably be better to keep Yu Da On’s curiosity from prodding at Song Ah Rin’s sore spots.

“I was worried. What if something really serious happened along the way?”

“…”

As I cut in, Yu Da On immediately fell silent, and Song Ah Rin turned her gaze towards me.

“What’s the worst that could happen? I’ve been living in the Management Agency for years.”

“Still…”

“And besides, it has been here long ago.”

You know that, right? she muttered as she kept walking.

I sneaked a glance at Yu Da On.

As we spoke, she had been quiet, almost like a backdrop, not saying a word next to us.

Her expression was blank as she stared ahead.

Was that her subtle consideration? Or was she merely uncomfortable with this conversation?

“You said it’s a monster. Something lying under the river.”

“That thing under the river is indeed a monster.”

“What does that have to do with this incident?”

If Song Ah Rin’s words are to be believed, she must have lost her family to the monster. Why is she losing her family to this phenomenon instead of the monster?

“A monster doesn’t need to break things everywhere.”

Song Ah Rin muttered, looking straight ahead.

“Sometimes, the phenomenon itself can be the monster.”

“…”

I understood what she meant.

“Oh, so…”

“Exit!”

And then, Yu Da On, who had been behind us, pointed ahead with wide eyes.

Following her finger, I looked forward and saw a single entrance door at the end of the wall.

Yu Da On ran ahead, grabbed the doorknob, and smiled back at us.

“Shall I open it?”

“Wait a moment.”

I opened the manual.

Nothing special there.

“Let’s open it.”

Yu Da On nodded and opened the door.

Fortunately, a familiar corridor unfolded before us.

“…”

Once outside, Yu Da On leaned out and eagerly surveyed her surroundings, but she saw nothing in particular.

It was just a corridor.

There were no doors opened.

“We can just go down from here.”

“Where is the exit?”

“To the 2nd floor.”

“…The 2nd floor?”

Song Ah Rin’s expression hardened.

“Why?”

“Oh, nothing. It’s nothing.”

Was there something to it? Song Ah Rin hastily shook her head.

I opened the manual.

[Manual for Office Staff]

[Myungil Apartment – 3rd Floor]

[7. If you find yourself outside into the corridor and no doors are open, it is permissible to head straight down to the 2nd floor.]

[7-1. However, the difficulty of escaping drastically increases on the 2nd floor, and the Management Agency is not responsible for any consequences that may occur if you do not follow the manual.]

So that’s it.

Gripping the doorknob, I descended the stairs.

The descent didn’t take long.

Reaching the entrance to the 2nd floor, I opened the manual again.

[Manual for Office Staff]

[Myungil Apartment – 2nd Floor]

[1. Reaching the 2nd floor means that you’ve failed to escape through the 4th floor.]

[2. Firstly, the escape methods on the 2nd floor are broadly divided into two, and I will introduce the easier method first, which is to escape through Room 208.]

As I was reading the manual, Yu Da On tapped my shoulder and whispered.

“Jae Heon, A-Rin seems strange.”

“…”

I turned my gaze to Song Ah Rin.

Her face had turned pale, and her hands trembled as if she—

A translucent window floated above her head.

[Name: Song Ah Rin]

[Age: 21]

[Special Skill: Hypnosis]

[Talent: -]

[Background: She recalled a memory.]

[Weakness: Leave her as is.]

“…”

She recalled a memory?

“Something feels off…”

Yu Da On murmured, observing her.

“A-Rin. Are you alright?”

“…”

“A-Rin.”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

Song Ah Rin mumbled, gripping the sleeve of my clothes beside me.

“Let’s go.”

Hearing her whisper as if she might fade away, I opened the manual.

[3. This is the place where the most erosion occurred, and all residents of the 2nd floor have turned into anomalies except for one.]

[4. Room 208. Let me begin describing a harmonious family.]

Creak!

Song Ah Rin’s grip on my sleeve tightened.