Chapter 279

Ryu Jaegwan shifted his focus toward his commanding officer.

The operative from Team Hyumoo 1 had successfully breached the classified archives of the Gangwon-do office on the designated date to access restricted data.

‘…A perilous path to take.’

He had held that conviction from the start.

Yet, he found himself unable to intervene.

To begin with, delving into a Supernatural Disaster that the Bureau itself had chosen to bury was a gamble with high stakes.

Adding a partnership with the Daydream Director to the mix only heightened the danger.

It was a piece of audacity that Ryu Jaegwan would have shunned entirely had circumstances not spiraled ‘to this point.’

‘This is grounds for serious punishment.’

Since the line had already been crossed, he reasoned it was advantageous to gather as much intelligence as possible.

And… once the facts were laid bare, he would make his choice.

‘…Whether I can allow this pursuit to proceed.’

He had to weigh the peril of repeatedly entering a supernatural phenomenon so catastrophic that the Disaster Management Bureau was willing to write off an entire metropolitan area to contain it.

The logic was understandable, in its own way….

However, the conclusion—that ‘we have let something monumental slip from our collective memory’—was staggering.

“…Are you referring to that specific city?”

“No. It isn’t just about the location. Our unit, the Team leader….”

The Team leader?

‘What brings him into the conversation now….’

Agent Choi went silent mid-sentence, suddenly tilting his chin up to lock eyes with Ryu Jaegwan.

For a fleeting moment, Ryu Jaegwan noticed a peculiar, hollow depth in that stare, but….

“…Well. Let’s vacate these archives for now. We ought to discuss this in a more secure setting.”

Agent Choi quickly reclaimed his usual steady poise.

With a casual shrug and a few friendly signs directed at the will-o’-the-wisp, he prepared to depart.

As he exited the restricted area, the glowing entities even gathered to see him off, clearly delighted by the gift of buckwheat jelly they had received.

“Many thanks~ Stop by again soon!”

It was a performance designed specifically to provide cover in case they were intercepted by upper management.

-It’s best to keep these things casual. Like a routine habit.

-I’ll play it off as if I snuck in because I was too lazy to wait for the official paperwork.

He was leaning into the established ‘Agent Choi’ persona.

He wanted to ensure no one suspected his true objective: investigating cognitive erasure files while engaging with a sealed Extinction-class Disaster.

He had already used a similar tactic to mislead Agent Grape.

-Observe! I knew he’d buy the excuse that I was avoiding the field work because I didn’t want to get flagged for excessive time off!

-Good grief….

-I’m serious, that Grape fellow is surprisingly gullible when it comes to things like that!

‘Sigh.’

Still, the realization that this strategy left the investigation solely in the hands of a cult-affiliated private firm (Contaminated Entities included) sat poorly with him.

Ryu Jaegwan had been plagued by the worry that one of the Bureau agents should have stayed on-site, but his superior remained remarkably unbothered by that detail.

-Don’t sweat it, there were some capable individuals in that group. Besides, I wanted to see how they’d handle things on their own for a change.

Ryu Jaegwan couldn’t help but wonder.

Did Agent Choi still feel that way now?

Even after uncovering the truth about Segwang Metropolitan City, his superior was still projecting an air of indifference.

-Anyway, I’m sure Grape is steering them in the right direction.

“Staff Member Yong, we need to keep moving.”

“Just, just give me a second.”

I came to a halt, struggling to process the revelations crashing through my mind.

So.

‘The Emergency Rescue Squad was originally the Blue Dragon Team.’

But the Blue Dragon Team vanished within the borders of Segwang Metropolitan City, and their role… was eventually taken over by the Hyunmu Team.

‘And the Hyunmu Team… was specifically tasked with the total elimination of disasters?’

….

Then why was there no mention of this on the community wiki?

‘No.’

I can’t let myself get lost in these thoughts.

I don’t have the luxury of chasing mysteries I can’t solve while trapped in a ghost story where my teammates have vanished.

‘Focus on what’s possible.’

Yes. I have to prioritize the actions within my reach. And that starts with….

“…Could you show me that once more?”

“Hm?”

The ruined Talisman.

I reached for the library card Wolf Leader had pulled from the glass casing and began to study the reverse side with extreme focus.

I traced every marking, every line, and the overall composition.

“What’s your plan?”

“I’m committing it to memory.”

The specific geometry of this Talisman.

“I see. You’re hoping to secure a replacement from the Disaster Management Bureau.”

“…!”

“You’ve likely deduced that the chaos began the moment that seal was compromised.”

“…”

“Staff Member Yong, your connections to the Bureau seem deeper than you let on.”

I gave a slow, silent nod.

I worried if this was a fresh seed of distrust, but.

“Mind yourself. The firm won’t look kindly on those ties. Still, when the lives of children are at stake—an entire school’s worth—one can’t simply ignore their conscience.”

“…!”

Wolf Section Chief offered a soft chuckle, patted my shoulder, and turned away.

“Done memorizing? Let’s push forward. We need to find an exit.”

“…Understood.”

I tucked the damaged Talisman back into the shattered lantern and re-interred it in the dirt of the rear courtyard. Even in its broken state, it might still serve some function I didn’t yet understand.

However, I didn’t leave empty-handed.

“A shard.”

“Yes.”

A fragment of the glass casing that had splintered off completely.

I retrieved that single piece from the earth and slid it into my pocket.

“Would you like a cloth to wrap it? For collecting evidence?”

“I’m fine. I have something.”

I used a tissue to protect the glass fragment before pocketing it.

Thinking about it….

“Do you usually gather samples from the Darkness?”

“If the opportunity arises during an escape. The research department is always asking for them.”

Wait. A researcher who would demand field agents collect physical samples….

“By any chance, is their surname Gwak?”

“Ah, that’s the one.”

“…”

“So he’s still on the payroll?”

Calling it ‘still on the payroll’ was an understatement….

I couldn’t bring myself to mention that he was indeed still there.

However, appearing more relaxed and open than before, Wolf Leader kept the conversation going.

The topic shifted in a way I never expected.

“If there are survivors from the old days… tell me, is Haegeum still with the Disaster Management Bureau?”

“…!?”

Hold on.

“You mean… Agent Haegeum?”

“Exactly. She was always willing to take risks, had incredible resolve. More than anything… she had the devil’s own luck.”

“…”

“She would have been a perfect fit for Team B.”

A keen, perceptive light flickered behind the Wolf Mask.

“Regardless, she was such a driven young officer, I assumed she’d still be in the service.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Though, trying to imagine Agent Haegeum as a wide-eyed, enthusiastic rookie felt incredibly jarring.

I almost pulled out the bell she gave me, moved by the connection, but I checked myself. I had to remember that the man in front of me likely wasn’t the ‘actual Team B Leader’ from the past.

Yet, a fundamental curiosity began to itch at me.

If he was starting to trust me as a visitor from the future, then why….

“…Aren’t you curious about what becomes of Daydream in the years to come?”

Why did he have no questions about his own fate?

“Well.”

“…”

“There’s no point.”

Wolf Leader let out a silent laugh.

As he prepared to scale the wall back toward the Infirmary, he asked in a gentle tone.

“I assume you’re familiar with Oedipus?”

“…From the old myths?”

“Yes. He was given a prophecy that he would slay his father and take his mother as his wife, and it happened exactly as predicted…. Why do you suppose that is?”

His voice was low as he began to climb.

“It happened because the prophecy was heard. Like a ripple effect, the knowledge itself ensured the outcome was fulfilled.”

“…”

“The mere act of knowing what’s coming might be the very thing that drags me toward that end. There’s no reason to invite that kind of trouble. Do you follow me?”

“…I do.”

It was a staggering display of mental discipline.

[A self-fulfilling prophecy… what a convenient little excuse he’s crafted. He truly is in much better form than that pathetic, washed-up animal from the real world….]

[Oh. That gives me an idea. My dear Mr. Roe Deer, why not take a bit of advice from Braun for once?]

‘…What are you getting at?’

The host’s usually manic voice dropped into a soft, suggestive whisper.

[Why don’t you just kill him right now?]

What?

[If you do, he might actually wake up in the real world looking just like this.]

‘…!’

[Just as you might wish for your mundane old boss—the one who grew his hands back in this city’s dream—to wake up in reality with his body whole again.]

Like Supervisor Park Minseong?

‘No, that’s impossible.’

Because this Wolf Leader isn’t a person; he’s a manifestation of the ghost story….

[Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t! Who can say for certain? A theory isn’t a fact! But on the slim chance, I’m just saying….]

….

[Just give it a shot. What do you have to lose? It’s a gamble with no downside.]

I stared at Wolf Leader.

I thought about his true condition.

…Back in the Annex, driving a piece of stone into his own gut.

[Wouldn’t the man himself prefer this? To return to his prime. That’s the dream of every performer, isn’t it?]

“…”

[This is merely a friendly tip, Mr. Roe Deer. As your Good Friend, I am simply pointing out a new door!]

[So, give it some thought.]

“Come on, move it.”

“Yes.”

I couldn’t offer Braun a response.

I simply trailed behind Wolf Leader, scaling the exterior of the school, gripping the third-floor windowsill of the Infirmary, and hauling myself inside.

In my state of mental static, I tried to ignore the fact that Braun’s suggestion actually contained a warped kind of logic.

But then, the world shifted.

The moment I peeked over the ledge into the Infirmary….

“Look at this. We have a visitor.”

“…!”

A new development instantly cleared my head.

There was a student inside the room.

A Black Silhouette stood right by the door.

The figure in the school uniform watched us as we scrambled in through the window….

And in a heartbeat.

“…!”

The student turned to flee, but Wolf Leader and I lunged forward simultaneously, tackling him.

*Thud.* The dark shape, trapped within the Infirmary, hit the floor. I moved quickly to pin him down using the fabric of the hospital curtains. But in that same moment….

I saw his face.

The bleached hair and the piercings.

The transfer student?

That unlucky kid.

It was the same student whose uniform I had taken.

“…!”

Wolf Leader, having efficiently neutralized the struggling boy, asked.

“Can you talk?”

Silence. The student just glared at Wolf Leader with a vacant, hollow expression.

There was no recognition of humanity in that look….

‘Wait.’

-To the pupils of Sekwang Technical High School, anyone from outside looks like a monster.

It was because we were anomalies who exploited a glitch to enter. We had accessed this world through a book, not a digital file, but the rule remained….

We wouldn’t be seen as part of the school. Because.

‘We aren’t wearing the uniform.’

But.

I… have the ability to wear it.

“…”

*Thump, thump.* My heart hammered against my ribs as I reached for my chest.

The tattoo.

The spiraling, intricate mark that governed the Contamination was still etched into my flesh.

I selected one specific element.

A character that resembled a corrupted font from a system crash.

“…Leader.”

I signaled for him to wait.

“I’m going to try something else.”

I pressed my palm against the tattoo.

In the next instant.

The school bell of Sekwang High echoed.

I stood in the Infirmary, now clad in the vintage school uniform.

“…!!”

The eyes of the student on the floor widened. He was visibly shocked.

And then, I ‘understood.’

‘We don’t talk.’

Because this environment only allowed for communication through the written word.

Drawing on past experience, I grabbed a sheet of paper from the desk and began to write with a pencil.

> Thanks for letting me use the clothes before
> I’m the transfer student
> the one who brought you here
> You remember?

I showed the paper to my classmate.

The man in the Wolf Mask sensed the change and slightly relaxed his hold on the boy’s arm.

I watched as the student, his arm finally free from the “monster’s” grip, scrambled to write back….

> What are you?
> Why are you back here?

> I need to know about this school

I had a mountain of questions.

How was he able to move around?

What did he know about the broken Talisman?

But….

I went with a different query first, guided by a sudden intuition.

> Why can’t we speak?
> Why?

> Because we have to stay quiet

> Why do we have to stay quiet?

The classmate scribbled his response across the paper with a frustrated, angry motion.

> Because we’re in a library, you moron!

….

‘I knew it.’

It felt like a physical impact as the pieces fell into place.

The reason the world outside the school was nothing but void.

The reason I could only see this building through the gaps in the Hanbit Library’s shelves….

It was obvious.

‘It wasn’t a window to the outside world.’

The school itself was contained within the library.

The darkness surrounding the building wasn’t a fog; it was the absence of anything else.

A pocket of reality tucked behind the bookshelves.

This location had been integrated into the Hanbit Library.

Sekwang Technical High School.

It was nestled inside the library, completely consumed….

‘….’

The wiki updated before my eyes.

### A Strange High School

A unique educational facility that is accessible only through a specific sequence of actions within the Hanbit Library.

It appears a local public high school, which once had a partnership with the library, was pulled into the library’s dimensions.

‘….’

Following the Day of Disaster, agents marooned within the sealed Sekwang Special City made a desperate choice to protect the students until help arrived.

Consequently, the school was placed under the guardianship of ■■, who had claimed the Hanbit Library as a sanctuary. It now exists as a hidden wing of the library itself.

The Blue Dragon Team had hidden the school inside the library.

And this meant.

> Right
> So if you can leave, leave now

It meant that every student within Sekwang Technical High School had been human once.