chapter_0116

116 – Yes, Go Ahead

116 – Yes, Go Ahead

I’m not completely fearless.

It’s quite specific.

I guess I’m only afraid of beings that can harm me but that I can’t immediately catch.

The reason I felt at ease when I was with Dora playing Pandemic Village was that, as I’ve mentioned several times, I knew in my head that I could just kill the Boss like this or that.

But what if it’s not a horror game with shooting action like Pandemic Village?

If I’m not even given a club or anything, I really don’t want to play that game.

To put it more specifically, I can sweep away a centipede the size of my forearm that suddenly pops out at home without a second thought, but a cockroach that just flashes its appearance and disappears is terrifying.

… So, this zombie apocalypse escape attraction that I’m doing with the second-year students is really not to my liking.

The reason can be understood by listening to the guide.

It seems they’ve introduced some of the latest technology with this year’s renewal.

“You must wear the AR goggles until you fall asleep. The moment you take them off, it’s not an instant disqualification, but if you perform the mission without them, you’ll be facing a pathetic dinner and a tent and sleeping bag.”

I was thinking of something like a timed puzzle run through various traps in a huge set.

But starting this year, it has become an AR attraction that feels similar to hyper-realistic VR games.

I was wondering how it works.

When you wear the AR goggles, they receive our location and sounds in real time, allowing us to shoot at zombies roaming in the virtual world.

The movements of the zombies are rendered and transmitted to us as video, blending the reality of light and environment from a separate high-performance computer.

The video we see is of very high quality, and aside from a decimal-point delay, the realism is incredible.

They said they would show a sample of how the video comes out, so the three second-year students tested it.

“Eek!”

“Ahhh!!”

“Ugh. Ugh.”

The sudden appearance of a zombie between the three of them almost made all of them fall on their butts as if they had made a pact.

It’s definitely fun to watch someone wearing VR or AR goggles from the outside.

… The problem is that I have to wear them too.

As virtual as it is, there’s no way to physically get hurt, but the fear seems absurd.

Once again, I’ll let the reactions of the three second-year students explain.

“You… are too. Really… like….”

“Phew… If only I had a gun, I could hit it with the butt of it.”

“This is not easy. Hmm. It’s really nerve-wracking….”

Why is it that even if it’s a VR game and the 3D modeling quality is a bit lacking, most people who try it end up screaming?

But maybe because it’s AR.

The background is reality itself, and when a realistically rendered zombie pops out, it drives people even crazier.

It’s like taking all the part-timers out of a haunted house and implementing it with cutting-edge technology.

I know the head is fake, but since my eyes get tricked, my heart reflexively jumps in surprise.

I’ve felt this way for a while about the couple who own this pension.

They say they started the pension business as a hobby, but it seems like they’re spending money on that hobby in an unusual way.

The goggles we wear like helmets must cost several million won.

If people run around or break things, isn’t that a huge loss?

I wondered if there was a toxic clause, but there wasn’t.

There’s no liability for damages to participants.

When I asked what’s left, the guide spoke with a mindset similar to that of the American rocket guy who promoted Dogecoin.

“My husband is already happily contemplating what to try next year. The equipment does break down occasionally, but the data accumulated from customers playing helps create better content.”

I thought about escaping on the grounds that I couldn’t break such expensive equipment, but that was blocked too.

Now I have no choice but to head into the zombie apocalypse with the second-year students.

I want to tie up my mouth for saying I’d join the training five days ago.

As I closed my eyes and pondered, Ena brought me the AR equipment and military jumper that were in my locker.

“I really think it’ll be so much fun. It’s a bit scary, but… since we’re all doing it together, it’s exciting. Is that a weird thing to say? What do you think, Jia?”

No matter how much we’re in the same situation preparing for our debut, I still don’t want to show a weak side in front of the members.

The first-year students contact me first whenever there’s a problem because they believe I’ll somehow solve it.

I’ve shown that side several times before debut, and after debut, it’s needless to say that I’ve been the one to handle broadcast accidents.

And because of this situation, we were able to safely elevate the first-year students to a higher position without any major issues.

In our corporate affiliation, if virtual YouTubers can’t express their concerns to the company or just suffer in silence, it often turns into a huge snowball later on.

In a way, Serena’s sudden graduation that happened recently could be seen as a significant issue for Rapitz.

To sum it up, I want to be a reliable person.

At least for the members.

I maintained a straight line with my lips and shrugged my shoulders.

“There’s no way I’d be scared of something like this.”

“Ahhh! Ahhh—Ugh.”

“You mustn’t scream! Didn’t they say the zombies would increase if you do?!”

What the hell.

This is terrifying.

If Miho hadn’t screamed first just now, I would have been the one to let out a pathetic scream.

I barely held it in.

After crossing what seemed like a parade ground or playground, we finally reached the opposite side of the warehouse where the zombie popped out, and Ena muttered in a trembling voice.

“Ha. I’m really scared… Ha…”

We have to complete five missions.

Maybe it’s because of the hellish difficulty, but every time we move or do a mission, zombies keep popping out.

The moment anyone gets bitten, we have to return to the checkpoint (the mission clear point or the place where a new mission starts), so we’ve already reset three times just in the second mission.

Fortunately, the zombies don’t go beyond a certain range.

But still, every time they pop out, it’s the same shock.

Ena muttered in a troubled voice.

“It seems like the first one was just a taste….”

“Yeah.”

Thanks to Miho, who, like a scared animal, pulled her neck in while still managing to find important clues, we easily completed the first mission.

So even though it’s scary, the atmosphere was that everyone could handle it.

With Miho’s excellent deductive skills, we quickly figured out what to do for the second mission, and everyone was happy… until.

That’s when the timid Miho malfunctioned, causing a problem.

It was a mission to find a vaccine bag randomly placed somewhere inside the pitch-black burned warehouse, but with a time limit and the warehouse divided into four areas, it naturally led to the four of us splitting up.

However, it seemed they didn’t want it to be boring, so the moment we grabbed the bag, zombies randomly popped out through the gaping holes in the warehouse walls.

Zombies react to sound, so if we keep our mouths shut, we can avoid them to some extent, but unlike when we’re together, if Miho is separated, she becomes a siren that reveals her location.

Eek, eek!

I’m grateful that she always starts the scream before I do.

But because she screamed, all the aggro was drawn, and we ended up surrounded by zombies and met our death ending every time.

So we started at 3 PM, and it’s already 4 PM.

We need to complete the fourth mission before dinner at 5 PM to get a proper meal.

The meager dinner is already starting to dance in front of my eyes.

I wonder what will come out; I’d be satisfied with just triangle kimbap and banana milk.

Orca, while escaping from the warehouse, finally took her hand off Miho’s mouth and complained.

“Why do you scream like that when you already figured out how to do the mission in one go!!”

She wiped the drool on her pants, which she had been wearing carelessly.

In the meantime, the restraint shown by not using the military jumper provided by the pension as a towel was remarkable.

Even though her rigid personality remained, her relationships with people had loosened a lot.

She may not say much, but Orca now talks well with the other members, excluding me.

Feeling sorry for her consecutive mistakes, Miho covered her mouth with both hands and mumbled.

“Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh….”

Translating Miho’s extremely quiet murmurs was naturally Ena’s job.

“She says she’s good at deduction but hates horror.”

“That’s quite a boast!!”

As I watched and chuckled, Ena whispered in my ear while looking at the two still bickering.

“Are you okay, Jia? I saw you gripping my jumper tightly every time something scary popped up….”

I was desperately holding it in, but did she catch me?

In the end, it seems I’ve also made it onto Ena’s list of people she needs to take care of.

Well, I can’t help it since I started the teasing first because I’m debuting.

But a liar is often the best at playing along.

I shook my head with a poker face.

Ena smiled and didn’t say anything more afterward.

It was a moment where Ena, who loves to take care of others, quietly overlooked one of my weaknesses.

Meanwhile, Orca, who had failed to reach a compromise with Miho, muttered.

“By the way… what should we do? It seems impossible for Miho not to scream.”

Actually, I already knew the method.

We don’t have to split into four directions; we can just pair up.

If Miho has someone next to her, she won’t scream.

The time limit was only an issue when we didn’t know the internal paths well.

Now that each of us has gone in and out three times, we roughly know where the bags will appear, so it should be enough time even if we split up.

However, it’s better for the members to notice these peculiarities themselves rather than me figuring them out.

That way, we can bond and get closer.

After all, the reason we did this fun, or rather, interesting escape room attraction was to build teamwork.

But on the other hand, I also wanted to help them escape this hellish place quickly.

I was already feeling a bit mentally drained, and if I lost my warm meal and warm bed, I’d feel very sad.

I never imagined it would be an attraction with horror elements.

I thought it would mainly be about physical teamwork attractions like rappelling, rock climbing, and crossing a narrow bridge.

If it were a normal day, I would have been lying in bed at home watching the kids’ broadcasts, wondering what kind of suffering this was.

Of course, it feels like I’m watching the second-year students’ broadcasts live.

But since I’m involved, it keeps causing cognitive dissonance.

However,

“If you rush in to help the kids because you feel sorry for them, it’ll be a problem. This is a legitimate test.”

“I won’t help. If anything, I’ll just mess around more.”

I had responded to the Boss’s concern that I shouldn’t help the kids on Monday, so I couldn’t just help them.

If we succeed in escaping like this, it would create a picture where the members depend on me, but that’s a secondary goal; right now, the priority is for the members to get closer to each other.

In that case, this might be the solution.

A choice that protects my warm meal and bed while improving the relationships among the members and, in the meantime, maintaining the dignity of the official.

“First, let’s not split into four but into pairs. Since we now know the locations of the baggage conveyor, we can watch one and if it’s not it, we can immediately move to the next one; I think we’ll have enough time.”

As soon as I finished speaking, I casually borrowed Ena’s name.

“Miho said that if she’s in pairs, she won’t scream, according to Ena.”

Having caught onto one secret that I’m scared of this type of horror, I was asking Ena to overlook this as well.

More than anything, Ena has excellent observational skills.

So it makes sense even if it’s Ena’s opinion instead of mine.

Ena looked at me with a knowing gaze, but she definitely accepted it.

She immediately approached Orca and Miho to discuss this method.

Soon, Orca’s face brightened as she linked arms with Miho.

“Let’s give it a try.”

“Yeah… if it’s this way….”

Natural physical contact. It was a great sign that the members’ intimacy had increased significantly.

Until now, Orca had taken care of Miho, but unlike Ena, she had never directly touched her.

Maybe because of that, we succeeded in clearing the second mission right away in the next attempt.

When we escaped from the warehouse, Miho was almost biting Orca’s hand, but at least she didn’t scream.

Orca, who was bitten by Miho instead of a zombie, also held it in without making a sound.

While moving to the third mission area, Ena walked alongside me.

I was prepared for her to say something about why she was taking credit for it, but to my surprise.

“If you come up with a solution this time, please let me know right away.”

Ena gave me permission to do so.

As I had expected, Ena was definitely finding her place among the second-year students, playing a role similar to mine.

It felt like the chemistry between the three people I had hoped for with the Boss was slowly starting to show.

If the three of them collaborated, it would surely be fun.

Miho causing an accident and crying for help, Orca calmly responding while still screaming, and Ena, on the verge of fighting but not quite, linking arms with the two and returning to a joyful atmosphere.

I also look forward to a scene where Ena explodes once in a while while mediating between the two, and Miho and Orca watch her carefully.

I’m excited to see Miho and Ena playing all sorts of pranks to break Orca’s well-formed angle.

I wonder when Orca will test the waters by planning content to break Ena’s angelic mask in her quest for revenge.

This combination. It’s already delicious.

I want to see them do a Battle Call together at least once, so if they want, I should make them do a 3:1 hell training.

As I moved my steps and continued my joyful imagination, Ena said.

“Jia, your expression looks suspicious.”

“Ahem.”

“What are you thinking right now?”

“Nothing in particular. I just thought it looked good.”

“Pervert.”

“It’s all for you guys.”

Ena chuckled, saying I was good with words.

“So, when will you drop the honorifics? Orca, Miho, and I are already on a first-name basis, but you’re still using honorifics and putting up walls.”

As she said, the speed at which I and the members were getting closer was different.

I tend to perceive the members as higher beings, so I keep trying to keep my distance.

But if I act aloof here, the members who should be getting closer might hesitate.

Ena can casually talk to me, but Miho and Orca still tend to be cautious.

I’m just preparing for the debut in case something happens, and in a way, I’m intruding on the time when the three should be having fun together, so it’s important not to disturb the members, no matter what.

More than anything, the psychological distance with Ena has significantly decreased.

Every time I was startled and gripped the jumper, it felt like a shameful thing, and it seemed like the wall between us had crumbled even more.

“Then from now on, let’s just call you Ena.”

–

When Majiya, who insisted she wouldn’t debut, said, “Should I just debut?” Ena didn’t believe it.

The Majiya she knew was someone who could joke around anytime, and she had heard from Maru that the members were no exception.

“Then from now on, let’s just call you Ena.”

“Really?”

“It’s not a difficult thing. So, what do you want to do, Ena?”

However, speaking casually was a completely different story.

Ena was a bit close to Jia.

Maru even said on the broadcast that it took over a year for Majiya to speak casually with her, so it’s already strange for casual speech to come out so soon.

Could it be that she really intends to debut, or is this just another joke? Curiosity arose.

Ena, feeling curious, threw out a question that seemed a bit unreasonable as a test.

“If I call you ‘sister,’ it’ll mess up the family tree with Maru, so is it okay if I just call you by your name? We’re only a year apart.”

Without a hint of hesitation, Majiya answered.

“Sure. Let’s do that.”

A word from the author (Author’s note)

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So cute, instant purchase, me first!

Please show lots of love for the calligraphy made by Soju-jan Herb in the fan art notice section!!!