Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work [Novel] Chapter 15 - Chapter 15 is available as a full text chapter. Published May 16, 2026 and updated May 16, 2026.
Translator: Nox
Chapter 15
Even if You Fall into a Ghost Story, You Still Have to Go to Work
Even if You Fall into a Ghost Story, You Still Have to Go to Work Chapter 15
Even if You Fall into a Ghost Story, You Still Have to Go to Work Episode 015
Baekilmong Corporation is a chilling company that shoves Field Exploration Team employees into horrific ghost stories to extract potion concentrate.
This raises a question.
—If they just recklessly shove employees into high-grade, extremely dangerous ghost stories, won’t everyone die before they can even extract the concentrate?
To address this question and facilitate the progression of the ghost stories, a setting is introduced: ‘As employees get promoted, they gain access to special equipment that can be enhanced.’
However, it isn’t overly detailed.
If the equipment were meticulously categorized into grades and tables, it would cease to be an internet ghost story and become a massive game setting instead.
Therefore, to make it easier for anyone to participate in the creation, a more convenient setting was added.
—Custom Gear.
Employees who have proven their utility to some extent receive company support to possess their own supernatural equipment.
Of course, this doesn’t mean a regular employee can use cartoonish superpowers; it’s more like a slight boost to specific stats.
You could call it something that creates a more favorable situation.
‘Still, it’s better than nothing.’
I inadvertently looked at Section Chief Lee Ja-heon with expectant eyes, but when I met the gaze of the lizard, I quickly lowered my head.
I really can’t get used to this.
“Ah, does this mean I can create Custom Gear?”
“Yes.”
“…Could you explain it to me?”
“Yes.”
After asking three times, a detailed explanation followed.
It was interesting nonetheless.
‘This is something even I only knew in fragmented pieces.’
Things that had been mentioned sporadically here and there were now being organized and relayed through the Section Chief’s mouth.
“Custom Gear can be crafted through specific darknesses held by the company.”
Right. They’d use ghost stories.
[The Playful Lab’s Toy Maker / Qterw-E-07]
[The Kind Seed Kit / Qterw-E-99]
[Offering a Ritual / Qterw-E-404]
As far as I remember, these three ghost stories were the ones described as being used by Baekilmong Corporation employees to create equipment.
Among them, the one the Field Exploration Team primarily uses is….
“…it is.”
Oh!
“It happens to be a darkness that can only be used under the moonlight!”
While the team members willingly followed along to watch, I headed toward the annex next to the company building with the Section Chief.
Striking while the iron was hot, my superiors had encouraged me to go right now.
“Ah… this is a place where relatively safe and useful ghost stories are kept in isolation.”
The Deputy Manager’s explanation followed.
“In the company, these are mainly referred to as ‘Twilight Grade.’”
I knew that.
Officially, they were ghost stories corresponding to E-grade.
However, the classification was a bit different than simply calling them E-grade.
‘Because they’ve only culled the useful ones.’
There were darknesses far more powerful than D-grade or even less dangerous than F-grade, so everyone more frequently used the proper noun ‘Twilight.’
“Roe Deer, you saw that… radio on the first day, right? It’s useful because it tells you your fortune for the day. It’s like that.”
After swiping my employee ID to enter the first floor of the annex, I saw stairs leading down to the basement.
And as we descended the stairs… someone was sitting at a pitch-black information desk.
It was a bizarre figure dressed entirely in black, wearing a mask, sunglasses, and a hat.
Was it an employee?
The Assistant Manager immediately stepped forward.
“Hello! We’re Team D from Field Investigation, here for a new recruit’s orientation.”
“…….”
“Ah, the one we’re seeking access to is Twilight Grade No. 99.”
The black figure stared at the Assistant Manager for a moment as if verifying them.
A nod.
The figure, having nodded, pressed a button installed on the desk, and one of the emergency doors behind them opened.
Creeeeeak.
Beyond it was a hallway lined with countless doors.
“Don’t open the other rooms even by mistake. Well, they’ll be locked anyway, but let’s not even touch the handles.”
Very wise words.
I nodded without a word and kept walking.
Soon, we stopped in front of a door marked ‘99,’ and the Deputy Manager placed his employee ID on the reader.
Clack.
“Let’s go in.”
I lifted my head.
Moonlight was pouring into a greenhouse overgrown with weeds.
And right in the center, a rusted machine stood bathed in that moonlight.
======================
Darkness Exploration Record / Ghost Story
[The Kind Seed Kit]
: A ghost story appearing in <Baekilmong Corporation>.
Identification code is Qterw-E-99.
It treats objects as plants, extracts genetic information, and performs crossbreeding and sowing. It operates using moonlight as its energy source.
======================
That was it.
‘A ghost story where if you put in two items, it mixes their characteristics to create a new one.’
The darkness primarily used by the Field Exploration Team to create Custom Gear was this rather atmospheric ghost story.
“It’s a darkness almost exclusively used by our department!”
Standing before the rusted machine, I asked, “Does it cost points to use this?”
“Yeah. The Twilight Grade darknesses kept in the annex require a usage fee to operate.”
“Ah….”
“For the record, this one is 1,000p per use.”
Wait.
Isn’t this a bit strange?
“If it’s equipment necessary for darkness exploration, shouldn’t the company be providing support instead of charging a fee?”
No matter how hopeless this company was, they should at least do that much to keep things running….
“Oh, once you become an Assistant Manager, you can spin it for free twice a year.”
“…….”
Promotion… I really should have gotten it.
“So the general atmosphere is to wait until you become an Assistant Manager to use it. Usually, you only have to survive a year at the latest.”
Hmm.
I contemplated.
‘There must be a reason why Section Chief Lee Ja-heon judged it to be ‘useful’ even though it costs points.’
The lizard—that is, Employee D—might be a brute-force specialist, but that clearly included an instinctual level of intuition.
If an employee with a high survival rate gave specific advice….
‘I think it’s right to accept it.’
If I could increase my initial survival rate by investing 1,000p, then that was the right answer.
…Even if my hands are shaking a bit!
“I would like to try using it now.”
“Okay!”
The Assistant Manager reacted enthusiastically, then whispered as if realizing something.
“…But first, you know you need existing equipment to put in, right? An item with an ability that can serve as a genetic factor.”
“Ah… right.”
I already confirmed all of that from the exploration records of this ghost story.
======================
Exploration Record #05
Employee N submitted a tumbler* and a backpack.
The tumbler* was Special Equipment (the liquid poured in after sunrise does not run out until sunset. Owned by Section Chief Choi ■■), the backpack had no special characteristics.
Seed Result: Backpack.
(Special Note: Possesses special abilities similar to the tumbler. However, it runs empty if more than 87L of liquid is removed.)
======================
“Don’t worry! There’s a tradition in the team that when a member gets their first Custom Gear, one of us lends their equipment once for free.”
“Yeah, yeah. Not both, just one. For the other slot, you either put in your own item or pay to rent one.”
The Deputy Manager glanced at the Section Chief.
“And Section Chief… your equipment is the best among us.”
I expected as much. He was the superior, after all.
“If it’s alright, I would like to see the Section Chief’s equipment.”
“Yes.”
The lizard pulled something out of his pocket.
It was a small knife glowing with a gray light.
“It is a Butter Knife. When it cuts through a medium entering the darkness, it can cleave through space and transport small objects.”
Oh.
“So that was the equipment you used when you threw the AAA battery to me.”
“Yes.”
I looked at the Butter Knife with fresh eyes.
‘I was hoping for defense-related equipment… but I guess it won’t be that easy.’
Regrettably, none of the other superiors’ equipment was related to defense either.
One was related to trickery, one to communication.
‘If worst comes to worst, I might be able to find items with similar effects at the alien shop….’
I made up my mind.
“So, you’re going to put in the Section Chief’s equipment?”
“Yes.”
I bowed my head for the sake of social etiquette.
“Thank you, Section Chief.”
Section Chief Lee Ja-heon gave a small nod and approached the machine.
Ancient letters were visible on the old LCD screen.
[Please give me plants 0/2]
I watched as the Section Chief held his equipment up to the machine to scan its ‘genetic information.’
[Plant information storage complete]
[Please give me plants 1/2]
“Now you just have to put in the item you want. ……Ah, wait a second.”
The Deputy Manager spoke hurriedly.
“Unless this machine is truly broken, it’s fine to put in almost anything. But there’s exactly one thing you can’t.”
The Deputy Manager tapped a sign attached to the front of the machine.
※ Insertion of actual plants is strictly prohibited.
“Never, ever put in a real plant just because it asks for one.”
“…….”
“The sensors at the door are already filtering out plants anyway, but I’m telling you just in case.”
Looking back with eyes now accustomed to the darkness, I saw the true nature of the lush weeds around here.
They were all fake. Artificial flowers.
…An exploration record naturally comes to mind.
======================
Exploration Record #14 (Irregular)
Employee R plucked weeds (presumed dandelions) growing naturally around the darkness and put them into the machine twice.
The resulting product was [Censored].
[Censored][Censored] emerged with a shriek.
—It took 7 days for the Security Team to complete suppression.
All 3 people on-site, including Employee R, were confirmed dead. All plants confirmed removed.
※ Notice: Recurrence will result in disciplinary action and termination.
======================
Mm. I must keep that in mind.
“Yes. Thank you for letting me know.”
“Don’t mention it.”
In the meantime, the Section Chief, who had finished registering his equipment and returned the knife to his suit pocket, stood up.
“Usually, common items that are easy to use are put in the other slot, but in that case, the supernatural characteristics of the equipment may be inherited weakly, or in rare cases, not at all.”
I already knew this, but I nodded seriously in response.
“It can’t be helped. Even if that’s the case, I will accept it.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled something out.
“Oh~ You said you were stopping by the dormitory earlier; I guess there was something you wanted to put in?”
“Yes.”
Held in my hand was a silver coin.
—Silver Snake Coin.
It was the very item that had been on a massive discount at the alien shop.
“I intend to put this in.”
I could just put an item in the other slot.
Since I had a fair number of supernatural items in my possession!
In fact, that was why I was pleased when I found out the ghost story the Field Exploration Team used was ‘The Kind Seed Kit.’
‘Because I have more sources for items than others.’
From that black notepad in the void that gave out goods to the alien shop.
From the moment I entered this place, I had been running through the lineup of items I possessed.
‘And the one that would likely have the highest grade among them is….’
It had to be this.
I rolled the round coin with the snake engraved on it in my hand.
‘Because it was the most expensive in terms of list price.’
Furthermore, considering that Section Chief Lee Ja-heon’s Butter Knife was for ‘logistical supply,’ I had high hopes that it might create a strange synergy with this coin, which was presumably ‘currency.’
I brought the coin to the machine.
The lizard’s pupils dilated at the sight of the silver.
“That is?”
“It’s a commemorative coin. I bought it as a souvenir during a trip… but I had a strangely good feeling about it.”
“…I see.”
…Did he realize it was an item?
It didn’t matter. This was a world where encountering ghost stories was common. It was quite plausible for me to unknowingly carry a supernatural object….
‘And a coin isn’t that suspicious.’
It was a small, everyday object.
“It looks easy to carry. It seems like it’ll be a good match.”
“Thank you.”
Listening to the well-wishes of my superiors, I finished the scan.
[Plant information storage complete]
[Please give me plants 2/2]
“Ah, now for the final step.”
[Please provide the gardener’s information]
This is why it’s ‘Custom Gear.’
I don’t know exactly how it works, but it seems to require the genetic information of the guardian who will look after this plant.
‘This acts as a variable in many ways.’
Though conflicted, I completed the scan.
[Verification complete]
Here it comes.
[Combining genetic information]
[Generating kit….]
Multi-colored smoke billowed from the machine, accompanied by the creaking sound of turning gears….
[Sowing complete]
Hiss.
The bottom drawer of the machine opened, revealing a small object.
A gray coin.
To be precise, a Toy Coin one might use at an arcade. An image of a glove was embossed on its polished front.
“Oh, it’s out.”
“Congratulations, Roe Deer.”
I carefully reached out and picked up the object.
It was my first Custom Gear.
I returned to the dormitory immediately after that.
My superiors also parted ways with me, saying, ‘Get some good rest and see you tomorrow.’
They probably didn’t want to make me do something stupid like testing equipment abilities while already inside a darkness.
“…Alright.”
I sat on my bed and took out two coins.
One was the Silver Snake Coin I bought from the alien shop and used as the ‘parent plant.’
The other was the gray coin born from mixing the genetic information of that Silver Snake Coin and the Section Chief’s Butter Knife.
It was all good. But the thing was.
“…How do I work this?”
It didn’t even twitch.
‘Come to think of it, the Silver Snake Coin wasn’t exactly an item with a specified supernatural ability either.’
I broke into a cold sweat, wondering if a toy coin that had to be used like real currency had come out as my equipment.
Fortunately, this concern was soon put to rest.
“I guess a coin is meant for this after all.”
I tried a quintessential gesture.
Flicking the coin with my thumb.
Then, the glove image embossed on the front of the coin actually popped out.
“…!”
A translucent silver glove appeared in the air.
The glove moved as if miming, drawing letters in the air.
[Insert coin]
…It wants me to put in a coin?
I rummaged through my wallet, took out a hundred-won coin, and held it out to the glove.
But the glove refused.
“What?”
Does it want a different currency? Or….
“How about this?”
I held out a five-hundred-won coin.
The hand happily took the coin, tucked it between its fingers, and made it disappear like a magic trick.
‘It was a matter of the amount.’
It was a piece of equipment thoroughly dictated by capitalist logic.
As I watched in bewilderment, the translucent glove approached my hand and merged with it as if being worn.
“…!”
An eerie sensation washed over me.
‘A third… hand?’
A shadow-like form of my hand appeared before my eyes.
It moved according to my will.
I could push against a wall, open the bathroom door, or even write.
‘The strength and dexterity are… about the same as mine.’
To summarize, it was a third telekinetic hand that could move for a few seconds if I gave it a coin.
The range was roughly… a 3-meter radius.
“Five hundred won for five seconds isn’t bad.”
Soon, the shadow hand shape in the air vanished, and the translucent glove naturally slid off my hand.
Then, moving its hand as if waving goodbye, it was embossed back onto the front of the coin.
“Hmm.”
It’s quite decent.
This wasn’t a method of overcoming spatial constraints between a ghost story and reality like the Section Chief’s Butter Knife.
However, instead, it felt like the operational range within a ghost story had increased, so it seemed like it would have great versatility.
Even if there were ammunition limits due to the spatial constraint of how many five-hundred-won coins I could carry in my suit while running around….
‘This counts as a successful draw.’
It was great that the fact that the coin was an item didn’t get exposed and passed over naturally.
“Work as hard as the 1,000p I invested in you.”
I tucked the coin into my pocket along with my other items.
While I was at it, I refilled my used ‘Smile Stickers’ and packed another ‘Can-bottle.’
‘I guess humans really are creatures of habit.’
I lay down on the bed.
Surprisingly, I felt good.
Though the horrific talk show flashed vividly in my mind when I closed my eyes, I could at least sleep well enough with the lights on.
Maybe it was because things ended on a good note.
‘…At least my bad luck was good.’
My luck with the team project was decent too.
‘Maybe it’s because I earned a lump sum of points, but the situation feels somewhat hopeful….’
Drowsiness washed over me, and I blinked my eyes.
Still, the remaining points I needed to earn for the Wishright were like a mountain, and I didn’t know how many more ghost stories I’d have to clear.
But for the first time, I felt that I might actually be able to make it through that period….
‘I might be able to endure quietly.’
…I briefly entertained that absurdly optimistic delusion until I went to work the next day and discovered the insane fact that an official notice had been posted saying, ‘A new recruit on his 2nd day of work cleared an A-grade Great Catastrophe!’
“Roe Deer, have a seat. Our… well, it looks like our positions are going to be changed.”
“Excuse me?”
It’s only my third day on the job.
