3. Lee Seong-hyeon (real name)
I feel like utter shit, but anyway, since I've been suddenly transferred here, there's not much I can do. Still, I intend to put in the effort to survive somehow.
This is confidential, but my father is actually an agent belonging to an organization that fights these strange phenomena. He doesn't exactly run around in the field, but he did tell me that these phenomena really exist and taught me a few countermeasures, just in case I ever got caught up in one.
I'll be honest. Back then, I thought my dad was a moron with a pathological lying disorder. But I never let it show, since the money he brought home was enormous. I suspect that money came from the organization.
Anyway, enough of that.
The notebook's pages are limited, so I'll keep my sentences short from now on. And for the sake of those who might find this later, as well as the employees working for the same company as my dad, I'll write down what happens here like a diary, divided by date.
I hope this helps, damn it.
-
Day 1.
I've left the corpse in the break room alone for now.
Judging by the near-total lack of decomposition, I can tell that I was transferred here not long after this woman died.
There's nothing to eat in the break room. Nothing to drink either. Instead, I found a map of the art museum in a drawer. I hung it on the wall for easy viewing.
The place where food seems available, at a glance, is the staff cafeteria. If it becomes absolutely unbearable later, I'll try exploring it.
That's it for Day 1.
It feels fucking awful having to sleep with a corpse.
-
-
Day 2.
The corpse's condition hasn't changed much. A hypothesis occurs to me that it might be preserved in this state. Wondering if it could still be destroyed, I broke its arm—thankfully, it broke easily.
I plan to make a proper judgment tomorrow. For today, I'll just do a little exploring outside the break room.
Honestly, I'm scared shitless, but I don't want to die like a pathetic idiot like this corpse here. I'm going to do something.
I'll write again after I come back.
.
.
.
Fuck, never go outside. If I say don't go out, don't go out, goddammit. Just starve to death in here. That's the best option.
-
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Day 3.
I was a bit panicked yesterday and couldn't give a proper explanation, so I'll do it today.
First off, outside really is an art museum. There are tons of paintings on display, and every single one of them is moving, alive.
That's not a metaphor—they are literally alive and moving. The humans drawn in the paintings move and butcher other people in real-time, and watching it makes me think I want to end up like that too. If you can't shake that thought, you just die. I barely survived myself. I ran into an eyeball monster while passing by.
The eyeball monster is a thing with just a single eyeball dangling where the head should be. It wears a suit, and there are male and female ones. These bastards were just looking at paintings normally, but the moment I made footsteps, they came rushing at me relentlessly. They aren't very fast, though, so shaking them off was easy.
The problem is their numbers are fucking insane. Once you draw aggro, it seems like every bastard in the art museum swarms you. Their attack method is... the optic nerve? Blood vessels? They attack with those like tentacles, and if you get stabbed, an eyeball grows on that spot. And it gradually crawls upward. Right now, an eyeball that was on my wrist has crawled up to my throat. I suspect that over time, I'll turn into one of those things.
Realistically, I should consider myself already done for. But fuck it, I'm not going to die here like a moron. I'll take the corpse and go die outside. Whoever comes next, make sure you survive.
My name is Lee Seong-hyeon. If you get out and meet my parents, tell them something. Tell them I didn't die like a pathetic idiot, at least.
---------------
4. Kim Mi-rae.
The words of the person above seem to be true. There wasn't any corpse in the break room, just a large pool of blood. Strangely enough, the blood hadn't congealed. Maybe objects inside the break room are preserved in a fixed state of time.
I am a scientist. This phenomenon is new to me, so inwardly I am both frightened and intrigued. First, using the map, I plan to visit the place called the employee dormitory right next door. I will leave a record after I return, so if there is no record, assume I am dead.
-----------------
5. Jo Ji-eun
No record. The person above seems dead?
I don't really plan to do anything, so whoever's next, figure it out yourselves. Though I do have a charger and a game console, so if anyone wants to play, go ahead.
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6. Maria (baptismal name)
I pray that all those here are embraced in the arms of God. I have offered prayers for everyone, so may God guide them to heaven. I earnestly hope and hope again.
I happened to be on my way back from buying bread when I was transferred here. I will leave this bread for the next people.
I intend to visit the room called 'Art with God' on the map. May there be salvation there.
-----------------
6. Still Maria. Two days after posting the previous entry, I have arrived back at the break room.
As soon as I went outside, I encountered the so-called eyeball ghosts the person above mentioned. They attacked me when I had both eyes open, but when I closed one eye, they retreated on their own. However, closing both eyes is not tolerated. You must absolutely keep only one closed.
Areas that are attacked can be treated through amputation. I cut off my finger. If the upper body or head is attacked, there is no recourse, so please try to lure the attacks toward your hands if possible. Fingers would be best if feasible.
Art with God. Paintings related to faith were displayed in this space. However, all have been defiled by evil. Angels rape humans, and the Lord craves human flesh and blood instead of bread and wine. I struggled desperately to destroy the paintings somehow.
But when I tried to damage a painting, an eyeball emerged on the ceiling. It looked down upon me and defiled my vision. Everything in the world appeared stained with blood, and I felt an overwhelming urge to kill someone right then and there. But I endured by biting off my own tongue. Self-harm proved to be helpful.
Realizing it was impossible to damage the paintings, I moved to the staff cafeteria. There were no people there, but a great deal of food was on display. Nothing seemed particularly unusual when I ate it. However, when I did eat, an eyeball appeared on the ceiling again, just as before. Taking the food back to the break room was fine.
It seems you must not eat food anywhere except the break room. Even smelling the food appears to be forbidden. So if you intend to fill your stomach, please be sure to eat in the break room.
Tomorrow, I plan to go up to the second floor. May God's grace be with me.
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7. Han Seol
Wtf? Cut off a finger? Cut out your tongue? Have all the clergy these days fucking lost their minds? How the hell did she do that, damn it, and why are they trying to kill me, god fucking dammit.
I found this notebook right before dying and am writing in it now. Please understand if it's a bit incoherent.
First of all, Maria? That nun is dead. I saw an eyeball monster outside wearing a nun's habit. They seem like the type of monster that blows a person's head off and fills the empty spot. You know, it's common—appears a lot in movies and games.
But I never thought I'd become one of them, fuck.
The nun is strong as hell. I managed to beat some others to death with a pipe or something, but the nun is just unbelievably fucking strong. She dodged all my attacks and shattered my bones with straight punches.
Maybe they retain things like memories from when they were alive, or physical abilities.
Since I'm a scrub, you can probably just ignore me. If possible, kill me. The eyeball that's replaced my head is a bit tough, but you can definitely smash it. I'll leave the pipe here.
I'll go die outside at the end. There's plenty of food the nun left in the break room, so those who can hold out, eat that. I'm leaving.
Fuck, never thought this would be my end.
-----------------
Ian examined the sentences one by one, a low hum escaping him.
The numbers didn't stop at 7 but continued. 8, 9, 10... Finally, upon reaching 37, the notes ended. He let out a long breath and handed the tablet back to her.
"Was Victim 37 here rescued?"
"He was rescued, but he did not return alive. He was not among the five survivors."
"That's unfortunate."
"...You're the first mage I've seen who says that after hearing the report. The others didn't particularly care."
That's because the average moral character of mages isn't very good. Ian believed without a doubt that his own character was excellent. Whether that was actually true wasn't really important.
He tapped his fingers on the table, coordinating the mission details.
"The pay?"
"100 million per mage."
"That's not as much as I expected."
"That's the base pay. If you complete the mission successfully, additional compensation will be determined and provided by headquarters."
"Hmm... Can I decide what I receive as additional compensation?"
"...? It is possible, but is there something else you need besides money?"
Kim I-seo tilted her head. Ian answered immediately.
"I've gathered intelligence that Irene has entered Korea. I want to obtain one of her paintings, track her through it, and kill her. So let the additional compensation be one of her paintings."
"...J-just a moment. Are you saying Irene has entered Korea?"
"Why would I have any reason to lie? I'm accepting this request in the first place entirely because of Irene."
Ian continued in a calm voice.
"If the Management Bureau can commit personnel to killing Irene, I'll be satisfied with just a painting as extra compensation and let it go."
"...A mage's magical medium is quite a rare treasure in itself. So to give you a precise answer, I'll need to file a report first."
"I'll wait."
With those final words, Ian rose from his seat in the cafe.
Even if the Management Bureau refused the proposal, it didn't matter much. If necessary, he could use Reconstruction Magic to shrink the painting and put it in his pocket. Destroying a piece of evidence wasn't a difficult task for Ian.
Make no mistake. In his relationship with the Management Bureau, they were the client. Ian had nothing to regret if his relationship with the Bureau suddenly soured. He was confident he wouldn't be pushed back even in a full-scale war with them. He had no idea what shape Korea would be in by then, but one thing was certain: he wouldn't be helplessly defeated.
If the Management Bureau knew this, they would likely be as accommodating as possible.
If not? Well then, too bad for them, wouldn't it be?
If they insisted on creating unnecessary conflict, Ian had no reason not to oblige. They would probably be so delighted to receive a set of 15 varieties of Outer God spawn, brimming with love, that they'd strip off all their clothes and perform a dazzling dogeza. Personally, he hoped it wouldn't come to that.
Anyway.
Ian drained the little coffee that remained, set the cup down, and spoke.
"When is the departure?"
"Ah, four days from now, 8 AM. You can come to the Management Bureau building."
"Then I'll see you then. I look forward to a positive response."
He didn't wait for an answer. Smiling, Ian waved his hand and immediately left the building, heading back to his workshop.
Quite some time had passed since he last used alchemy, so he planned to replenish some necessary items during the remaining days. If possible, he'd make some new items as well.
'Since it's called the Visual Arts Museum, mass-producing eyes on the verge of death would be helpful in many ways.'
Vrooom...
He started his bike, put on his helmet, and activated the Bluetooth function. Responding to the AI voice, Ian twisted the throttle.
"Ah."
Just then, a thought suddenly struck him, and he immediately called a spare phone he kept at home. A phone that was impossible to call out on, only capable of receiving calls. The other party picked up before the ringtone could even sound fully.
[Master? What is it?]
It was Mariang. Ian lowered his helmet's visor and answered bluntly.
"Your limbs have all healed, right."
[Yes. They've all grown back.]
"Then go out and live on your own now. Don't touch civilians, and just follow the orders coming down from Laplace for the time being."
[...A-are you telling me to go out and live on the streets...?]
"That's for you to figure out. Leave. If I get home and you're still there, I'll throw you out."
[...Hnnng.]
Mariang let out a pained whimper.
Ian lightly ignored it and hung up.