Chapter 8

He caught it skillfully and, upon examining it, discovered that it was none other than a LORE employee identification card.

“Well, to begin with, give him this.”

Director Lee Hyeongtae casually tossed an object to Park Hee.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

It also demonstrated that he had managed to impress Director Lee Hyeongtae, a man known for being rather demanding.

That meant Lee Han had officially become a member of LORE.

However, Hee couldn’t help being surprised.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

“This…… isn’t an intern’s card, is it?”

Unlike his usual behavior, which perfectly fit the description of a lunatic, Hee seemed genuinely bewildered.

“Well, you’re absolutely right, but…… honestly, I’m a little surprised. airport I know your personality perfectly well, Director. altitude You’ve always insisted that no one can receive a promotion until they’ve accumulated more than enough experience. palette And now, all of a sudden, you’re willing to grant him such special treatment.”

“That’s right. alert It’s a permanent employee’s card. attic Judging by both of your reports, I believe he has already demonstrated his abilities sufficiently. anchor Therefore, I see no need to make him go through the entire intern training process. arctic It would be a waste to leave such a valuable, high-caliber human resource inactive, wouldn’t you agree?”

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After all, a mere extraordinary promotion was far from enough to demonstrate the appreciation Lee Hyeongtae had spoken of.

However, that wasn’t all.

“If you consider something so small to be special treatment, you’ll end up offending me, Manager Hee. absorb My philosophy as Director has always been very simple reward each person according to their results and abilities. arch You should know that better than anyone, shouldn’t you?”

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

“Well, that’s true, but……”

Hee, who had been precisely the one to benefit most from the numerous instances of “special treatment” that man had granted over the years, merely shrugged.

Lee Hyeongtae smiled kindly as he spoke. All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

When Hee opened it and examined its contents, he momentarily lost his composure.

Lee Hyeongtae rummaged through the back of one of his drawers and handed him a black box.

“From my perspective, Intern Lee Han…… No, I should call him Employee Lee Han now, shouldn’t I? aluminum He is a truly extraordinary person and an extremely valuable resource. afford That’s why, Manager Hee, make sure you give him this as well.”

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

His expression tightened, and he froze.

“I trust you understand what this means, Manager Hee. attic I sincerely hope you will take responsibility for Employee Lee Han. adjust Perhaps even more than for yourself.”

“Director, this…… Are you serious? acoustic Do you really intend to give him this?”

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

Lee Hyeongtae still wore a faint smile, but both his voice and his demeanor had become considerably more serious.

“I know this may seem disrespectful, but could I ask you a question?”

Feeling that oppressive atmosphere weighing down on his entire body, Hee asked in a slightly trembling voice.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

“Yes, go ahead.”

However, Director Lee Hyeongtae answered immediately, without even taking a moment to think.

It was an extraordinarily weighty question.

“If someday I had to choose between Lee Han and myself, what should I do? artist As you well know, those extreme situations in which it’s only possible to save one of two people occur quite frequently.”

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

“……What a boring answer.”

“Answering a question whose answer has already been decided would be a waste of time, Manager Hee. abstract And I’m someone who doesn’t like wasting time on unnecessary things.”

“After all, this isn’t a game.”

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

However, before going out, he turned around for a moment and smiled faintly.

“Well, even so…… Thank you, Director. advance For treating the Junior I practically forced you to hire so well.”

Hee gripped the black box firmly in his hands and prepared to leave the office.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

“What is it?”

“Ah, now that I remember, Manager Hee. adjust There’s something I forgot to mention.”

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Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

“Ahhh……”

“I believe it was this week, wasn’t it? august The exploration of the place where that Buddha statue is located. sphere Since Lee Han has officially become an employee, send him there.”

The place where the Buddha statue was located.

As soon as he heard those words, Hee understood everything.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

Now he understood why that extraordinarily strict Director had decided to grant a special promotion to a newcomer and, on top of that, give him such a valuable object.

“It’s something I think every time we talk, Director. zenith You’re also…… quite cruel, wouldn’t you agree?”

He also understood the true meaning behind his repeated instructions to take good care of Lee Han.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

However, Hee hadn’t really expected an answer either.

When he returned to his office, the corners of his lips were raised higher than ever.

He simply turned around and continued walking.

The Director didn’t respond.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

Have you ever asked yourselves the following question while listening to a terrifying story capable of keeping you awake at night?

Regardless of whether a ghost, a zombie, or an anomalous entity appears, wouldn’t it be enough to simply shoot it?

If there’s a spirit bound to a location, you could bombard it with missiles.

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Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

According to the story, someone had proposed, “I request that we expel the evil spirit through the use of artillery,” and they had ended up firing a cannon at it.

And if zombies appear, you could always drop a nuclear bomb on them.

After all, even during the Joseon dynasty, there was a story about a ghost that appeared at an official’s residence.

Then why not do the same with the anomalous entities wandering inside anomalous phenomena?

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

Even that horribly deformed Auntie Samsuni I had seen earlier probably wouldn’t have been able to withstand a blast from a 12-gauge shotgun.

At least, it was something I had wondered about on several occasions.

Her answer was as follows.

And now that I had finally secured a permanent position at LORE, I decided to take the opportunity to ask Senior Sua about it.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

“Ah, that? afford From what I’ve heard, LORE already tried it in the early days, when anomalous phenomena first began appearing.”

“I don’t know.”

“Really? agent And what happened?”

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

“I’m serious when I say I don’t know. shadow That information is beyond my authorization level…… No, not even Park Hee has permission to access it. arena All the records were censored and deleted. zenith But there’s one thing I’m absolutely certain of.”

“……Excuse me?”

Several days later, on that historic occasion when I was reporting to work for the first time as an official LORE employee.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

“Ah, but of course……”

As though she had realized that her own words might be rather unsettling, Sua hurried to add something else.

Inside the Field Team 1 office, Sua finished organizing her desk and continued speaking calmly, as though she were discussing any ordinary matter.

“After they fired at the anomalous entities, something truly horrifying happened. beacon Since then, using firearms against them has become an absolute taboo.”

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All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

Sua smiled faintly and held out an identification card to me.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t weapons capable of confronting anomalous entities. avalanche However, I’ve heard that their conditions of use are quite restrictive and that they’re also extremely valuable. acquire For example, some only work if they’re used on a specific date. autumn I’ve never personally used any of them. auction Ah! advance Although that bastard Park Hee…… has probably used them a few times. anchor Anyway.”

She approached me with a much more cheerful tone of voice, apparently trying to reassure me.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

[Field Team 1]

[Employee — Seo Lee Han]

[LORE Foundation]

“Congratulations on officially becoming part of our family, Employee Lee Han.”

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

Seeing me grinning from ear to ear while exclaiming with joy, Sua suddenly asked me.

On that identification card, made from a smooth, elegant material, my photograph and name were perfectly printed.

“Wooooooh! silence Thank you so much!”

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

“You seem much happier than I expected.”

“Of course I am! album Do you know how hard it is to find a job these days? auction And on top of that, I studied Philosophy! crystal I had no idea where I was going to find a job that would let me earn a living! portal And now I’ve not only found a job, but my salary has increased enormously too!”

Employee benefits.

Perhaps because it was such a dangerous and secretive profession, LORE might have had many peculiarities, but there was one thing it definitely didn’t skimp on.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

An increase of almost 50% all at once!

Furthermore, thanks to skipping the intern stage and being promoted directly to permanent employee, both my salary and performance bonuses had increased considerably.

Without exaggeration, if I worked there for about five years, I could save enough to buy myself a nice apartment in Seoul.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

And, thinking about it, it was also a little funny.

I was happy.

After all, I was smiling over something as ordinary and realistic as overcoming the difficulties of finding employment, despite the fact that my job consisted of confronting anomalous phenomena.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

I received several pieces of basic equipment from my superior.

“Anyway, take these things first. abstract They’re the supplies issued starting at the permanent employee rank.”

Perhaps the world had always been this ironic.

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Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

[Official LORE Field Team Uniform]

However, unlike a few moments earlier, when I had been celebrating my hiring like a newly hatched chick that couldn’t stop chirping, my expression stiffened slightly as soon as I examined the contents.

The items I had been given were as follows.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

[3 White Candies Wrapped in Hanji Paper]

“The candies you see there are very valuable, so keep them safe and use them carefully. amateur They were brought from an EX-rank anomalous phenomenon called the ‘Seocheon Flower Garden.’ They have the ability to purify the contamination that accumulates inside anomalous phenomena.”

“Uh, Senior…… I understand that, but……”

[S&W M60 Revolver and 2 Rounds of Ammunition]

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Instead, I raised the black pistol I was holding in my hands, a weapon like those I had only seen in movies.

It was much heavier than I had imagined, to the point that my fingers trembled slightly.

I didn’t even pay attention to those mysterious candies that helped prevent anomalous contamination, or to the uniform whose lining was completely covered in inscriptions in Latin and Chinese characters.

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All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

However, Sua answered without batting an eye, as though she were accustomed to receiving that question.

It was a rather difficult situation to understand.

“What exactly is this pistol supposed to be for? atomic Didn’t you just tell me that shooting anomalous entities is absolutely forbidden? adopt You even mentioned that something so horrifying happened that all the records had to be censored and deleted!”

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

“Actually, both the pistol and the bullets were carefully modified to limit their power and prevent that terrible catastrophe from the past from happening again. matrix That’s why, even if you fired at an anomalous entity, you wouldn’t be able to cause it any significant damage. orbit However……”

Sua’s two dark eyes fixed directly on mine.

“Of course. acoustic That’s because we’re not giving you that pistol to shoot anomalous entities.”

“Then what’s it for? abstract Just holding a firearm here in Korea already makes me pretty nervous!”

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

“That it isn’t a weapon intended for anomalous entities.”

“It still has more than enough power to kill a person if you shoot them in the head.”

“That means……”

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

“As for why we only give you two bullets…… Well, you’ll understand if you ever find yourself in a situation where you have to use them. accent Although, of course, it would be best if that moment never came.”

Suicide.

In other words, that pistol was intended for someone to shoot themselves in the head and end their own life.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

Sua answered as naturally as someone discussing what to eat for lunch.

“Are you saying there might be situations where we have no choice but to die?”

“Rather, quite the opposite.”

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

My superior didn’t seem willing to give me any further explanations, and besides, even if she did, her answers would probably only frighten me more.

I decided not to ask any more questions.

“It means there might be situations where dying would be preferable.”

“Ah……”

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

The rigid surface that had given me so much satisfaction just moments earlier now, for some reason, felt disturbingly cold.

When the time came, I would eventually find out. This novel translation is officially hosted on indratranslations.com.

With that thought, I absentmindedly fiddled with the LORE identification card hanging around my neck.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

A gift from the Director?

“Ah, and one more thing. aluminum It seems the Director wanted to give you this gift personally.”

Sua held out a black box that looked extraordinarily luxurious even at first glance.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

For some reason, it gave off a delicate fragrance reminiscent of flowers.

Furthermore, since Sua had mentioned that it was something truly valuable, I accepted it with some bewilderment and opened the lid.

Inside the box was a white necktie carefully wrapped in silk.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

Since it was a gift from the Director to celebrate my joining the organization, I thought it might belong to some luxury brand.

I took out the necktie and examined its back.

“A necktie? altitude It looks pretty expensive.”

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

“BULL Workshop? audit I’ve never heard of that brand.”

There, I discovered an engraved inscription.

[BULL Workshop]

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Then Sua explained something to me.

“It isn’t for sale. orbit To begin with, it isn’t even something you can obtain with money. echo Just like the candies I mentioned earlier, that necktie is also a piece of equipment manufactured inside an anomalous phenomenon.”

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

A small number of anomalous phenomena classified as EX rank maintained a kind of cooperative relationship with LORE.

There were places like BULL Workshop, the Seocheon Flower Garden, and even one called “Deep Sea at 100 KM,” where the raw materials used to manufacture memory-erasure medication were produced.

Surprisingly, not all anomalous phenomena were necessarily negative or terrifying.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

Some provided special equipment and materials, while others helped solve problems that had previously proven impossible to resolve.

“I suppose so. echo But they haven’t explained anything about it to me either, so I can’t say for certain. alpha Anyway, if the Director didn’t consider it necessary to tell you how it works, it’s probably because you don’t need to know. apple Ah, wait a moment. audit Could you come a little closer?”

When I took a step toward her, Sua tilted her head slightly and began personally placing the necktie around the collar of my shirt.

“Then does this necktie also have some kind of…… mysterious power?”

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“It’s incredible how good you are at doing this, Senior. altitude And you don’t even normally wear a necktie. silence I suppose you must have a younger brother, right?”

I nodded as her skillful hands finished tying the white necktie around my neck in the blink of an eye.

“These special pieces of equipment that come from anomalous phenomena are truly valuable. avalanche So make sure you wear it from now on. arena Who knows? harbor Perhaps this necktie will end up saving your life someday.”

“It suits you.”

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

“That…… Yes. audit I have one.”

Realizing that I had probably said something inappropriate, I felt rather uncomfortable.

For an instant, Sua was unable to control her expression, and her face went completely rigid.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

As though trying to dispel that awkward atmosphere, Sua deliberately raised her voice.

“He isn’t dead. acoustic He’s simply trapped inside an anomalous phenomenon. adapt As you well know, those of us who work in the field have our own stories. atomic I’m no exception.”

However, it didn’t take her long to smile and reply.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

“Ah, yes! Indra Translations protects the hard work of translators and authors. acid Understood, Senior!”

During the journey to the mission site, I examined the file I was holding in my hands.

I hurriedly gathered my belongings and followed Sua as she left the office.

“If you’re finished getting ready, we’d better get moving! voyage We have an exploration scheduled today. adapt It’s an anomalous phenomenon we have to enter at a specific time, so we’ll have problems if we arrive late.”

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

— Danger Level: C

From what I had been told, the anomalous phenomenon we were about to enter was rather peculiar in many respects.

To begin with, its name was already unsettling.

[Are You a Sinner?]

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

— Type: Anomalous

Its danger level was no less than C, and its survival rate, at a mere 12%, was practically disastrous.

— Survival Rate: 12% / 100% for Agents

However, there was a very simple reason why someone like me, who had only just become an employee, could enter that place.

Translation of I’m Writing the Manual of Horror Rules! - Chapter 8 by Indra Translations.

— A method that allows civilians to survive has not yet been discovered.

[A 100% survival rate has been observed among LORE agents carrying “sarira.”]

— To prevent further casualties, it is necessary to discover a strategy for overcoming the anomalous phenomenon as soon as possible.

— It is not possible to create a rules manual due to insufficient information.