The subway train glided smoothly into Imaeyeok Station’s platform.
The scenery beyond the train window finally took on the appearance of reality.
The hushed murmur of the crowd, the luminous glow of billboards, the purposeful steps of those heading for the exit—
Everything was so utterly mundane that it felt almost unreal.
I rose from my seat.
‘It’s time to go home.’
Despite everything.
There was no way I would transfer again from here, not if it meant returning to Gyeonggi Gwangju Station.
I had died at the hands of that entity a double-digit number of times.
Today, despite my unemployed status, I had resolved to splurge on a taxi.
Kim Sera, who had been seated beside me, also began to gather her belongings with careful movements.
“This is where we part ways.”
She was the first to speak.
“Thanks to you, Agent Alpha, I survived. And you were an immense help with the investigation. Had I been alone… I would likely have already been devoured by the rules and vanished.”
Her voice was composed, yet a faint tremor betrayed her at the end of each sentence.
“Just like the previous investigator. I’m still quite dazed. It’s hard to believe I completed the mission and am still alive.”
I shook my head.
“As an investigator, you would have eventually uncovered it on your own. It simply occurred a bit sooner than expected.”
“You’re too modest.”
Kim Sera offered a faint smile, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.
“Actually, it’s not entirely over yet. The rules we documented today are merely a temporary measure… We’ll be sending the information about the anomaly we investigated to the Foundation, and then its proper management will commence.”
A surge of people spilled out onto the platform, momentarily halting our conversation.
After we quietly moved to a quieter corner of the platform, I turned to her and spoke.
“Then, is this where the investigation concludes?”
“Yes. I need to return to headquarters to submit my report. As for Agent Alpha…”
She trailed off, her gaze fixed on me.
“…Might I see you on the next mission as well?”
For a brief moment, I averted my gaze.
I had no desire to be entangled in this hellish urban legend again.
“If destiny permits.”
I responded concisely.
Kim Sera nodded.
“Then, this is goodbye for today.”
We began to walk in separate directions.
Just then, her voice echoed from behind me.
“Agent Alpha!”
I turned at the sound of her voice.
“Your bank account number!”
“…?”
“It’s for the compensation for today’s work. You mentioned you’d provide it upon your arrival. While it still requires approval from higher-ups, it should be deposited before midnight tonight.”
It felt as if we had just concluded a rather dramatic and cool conversation.
Now, abruptly, it had transformed into a mundane transaction of daily life.
While exchanging bank account numbers in such a public place felt somewhat awkward.
I, an unemployed drifter.
I still needed to eat.
Since I had single-handedly handled all the work today, the true Agent Alpha, should they ever appear, had no grounds for complaint.
“It’s NongX 3XX-XXXX-XXXX-XXX, Kang Do-yoon.”
As I uttered the words, our eyes met.
…Ah.
“So, I heard your name. Kang Do-yoon. Next time, I’ll just call you by that, if that’s alright? After all, we’ve shared life-threatening experiences together.”
It was a bit…
While the revelation of my name through the mundane act of providing a bank account number was a rather mortifying situation, I was the stoic Agent Alpha.
I would hardly flush over such a triviality.
Since we shared the same exit, Kim Sera and I ultimately reconvened beneath the station.
After bidding her farewell in front of the station, I quietly hailed a taxi and returned home.
From the moment I entered the front door password until I finally sank onto my bed, my expression remained utterly unchanged.
In the empty space.
I buried my face in my hands.
“…Damn it. Should I just die?”
Never before had an auto-save felt so desperately needed.
****
*Ding—*
As I briefly wallowed in self-loathing, a notification chimed from my phone.
[Deposit: 50,000,000 won]
[Depositor: Anomaly Management Agency]
“……”
I blinked once, then opened my eyes again to re-examine the screen.
I wondered if it was an illusion, but the figures remained unchanged.
‘Fifty million won.’
Some might argue it was a paltry sum for a life.
But what if it were framed as fifty million won for a single day’s labor?
That would be 1.5 billion won a month.
…Naturally, that was merely a hypothetical.
I wouldn’t calculate it so simplistically.
More importantly.
“It’s a lot.”
It was more than my entire severance package.
Agent Alpha.
“…Perhaps it’s worth it.”
Could there truly be any downside for me in pursuing this?
My special ability as a reincarnator was likely auto-save.
The power to revert to the most recent save point upon death.
In essence, I was virtually impervious to true death.
As I pondered this for a moment, another alarm popped up, illuminating my phone screen.
Ever since my corporate days, I had habitually kept my phone on silent mode.
[Anomaly Gallery Victim’s Group (+1253)]
I had completely forgotten about it.
The very gallery that had abruptly popped up during the initial subway urban legend incident.
The mortifying embarrassment from earlier dissipated completely.
“Given I have ample time… I might as well take a look.”
I had always been a fixture in online communities.
It was difficult for me to simply ignore something like this.
A single post was pinned at the top.
[Title: The State of Newbies These Days.]
-Author: It’sShallowHere.
[Video-Target ‘Newbie120053’]
Alright. Now you understand why everyone prefers experienced new hires, don’t you?
However, there’s a slight issue.
Oh, it’s nothing major.
It’s trivial.
It’s just that the new hire… is ridiculously competent.
They handle the assistant manager’s tasks.
The manager’s tasks.
The department head’s tasks.
And as if that weren’t enough, they even take care of all the work from the neighboring department.
Do you understand?
Right.
I’ve lost my veteran title… Dammit.
[CucumberCandy]: …I suppose that’s where the assistant manager comes in. I’m fired.
[Spectator1]: That’s where the ‘same-year hire’ position comes into play. Constantly compared, unfairly targeted…
ㄴ[KarylIsTruth]: Which cohort are you?
ㄴ[Spectator1]: Dammit… 120050.
ㄴ[NotHuman]: Hahaha, is that the one? *Kyah—* [Video-Target ‘Newbie120050’] Simultaneous bowel and bladder release, lol. What a talent.
ㄴ[Spectator1]: I told you not to upload that, you bastard! Do you genuinely believe you wouldn’t soil yourself when a human being explodes in front of you?!
ㄴ[NotHuman]: ? I soiled myself too, junior-kun.
ㄴ[Spectator1]: …Don’t pretend we’re close.
[RealTears]: Hey, but for real, is that actually a newbie?
[HappinessStorage]: What was I like when I started? My hands were trembling, and I couldn’t even follow a single rule there…
[HahaMan]: Lol, his corporate experience is insane.
[TasteOfCollapse]: That day, the company collapsed. All employees merged into one.
I stared blankly at the screen.
The figure in the video looked remarkably familiar.
“…Wait, is that… me?”
Dressed in casual clothes.
I certainly didn’t look like someone dispatched to handle an anomaly.
And why would I?
I had been lured out solely by trusting the information posted on the gallery.
‘Damn it… I never imagined it would actually be real.’
Too lazy to click on each individual post, I merely skimmed through them.
[Title: My World Collapsed Today]
-Author: DaddyLongLegs
It’s usually my routine to assist newbs when they arrive…
But this one is taller than me?
[Title: Something Like This?]
-Author: MrSerious
…lol
(Image)
For the time being, I had finished lurking to some extent.
The general atmosphere of the gallery was now clear.
There was no particular need to ask anyone for details.
I immediately navigated to the announcements section to review the gallery’s rules and guidelines.
[Title: Anomaly Gallery Victim’s Group — Rules and Regulations to Observe]
-Author: GradStudent12
Assuming you’ve frequented online galleries before, consider the fundamentals to be largely identical.
However, the Anomaly Gallery operates under its own unique set of special rules.
1. Forced Live Broadcast Upon Contact with Urban Legend
-The instant you are ensnared by an urban legend, a [Broadcasting] code will appear on the gallery.
-It cannot be forcibly terminated. The broadcast will continue until its conclusion, even if you perish.
-Broadcast records are automatically saved in the gallery and cannot be edited or deleted.
2. Share Urban Legend-Related Information Appropriately Among Yourselves When Necessary
-Each urban legend possesses its own distinct set of rules.
-As a cautionary note, be aware that while anomalies bearing the same name typically share the same rank and danger level, the specific rules governing that entity may vary slightly if it originates from a different worldline or space.
-Nevertheless, any information is better than none. Such details can become a lifeline for other victims.
3. Prohibited Posts
-No Disturbing Images: Posting simple photos of corpses or gore will result in immediate deletion.
-No Foreign News/Political Posts: Articles unrelated to anomalies and political memes are prohibited.
-No Mentally Contaminating Posts: Anomaly patterns, indecipherable scribbles, summoning circles for foreign deities, and similar content are forbidden.
-No Trolling/Pointless Posts: All false information and fabricated experiences are strictly prohibited.
4. Respect for Others (TL Note: The original Korean phrase ‘이걸 굳이 내가 말해야 되냐?’ literally translates to ‘Do I really have to say this?’, conveying a sense of exasperation that such a basic rule needs stating.)
-Do not excessively mock victims who are currently broadcasting.
-While mocking is, admittedly, a long-standing gallery tradition, if a victim’s mental state shatters, they’ll miss crucial rules and perish instantly. Exercise discretion and know your limits.
5. Sponsorship/Coin Rules
-Sponsorship during broadcasts is permissible.
-As has been reiterated countless times, we do not take a commission!
6. Account and Activity
-Both anonymous posting and using a nickname are permitted. (However, your cohort number cannot be changed.)
-However, accounts linked to an urban legend broadcast are permanently recorded. In such instances, even if you change your nickname, the one displayed in the video will remain unaltered.
7. Final Precaution
All information serves merely as a reference; ultimately, your own judgment will determine your survival.
[Recommend 32521][Dislike 41]
[Comments]
[DarkMerchant]: Finally, the Anomaly Gallery has a proper main announcement board, just like the cyberpunk and fantasy galleries, lol.
[CucumberCandy]: So, we won’t be seeing those damned Cthulhu summoning circles anymore? Please, for the love of god.
[RealTears]: No mental contamination = this is genuinely crucial. Previously, a user from another gallery died after falling for a phishing post. That’s why the atmosphere between the Cyberpunk Gallery and ours is still utterly ruined.
[HappinessStorage]: Announcement approved. This is a historic day. 5121 Anomaly Gallery users… no, 5120 users… no, 5119 users… no…
[NotHuman]: Rule #1 is absolute hell… Dammit. How many times do I have to watch the replay of my own death scene?! There! Damn it! There’s no information! Nothing at all! I’m just shitting and pissing myself, so what the hell?! How many times are you going to watch that?!
[Lurker20Years]: That single line, ‘Respect for Others,’ truly sent a shiver down my spine. Respect… others?
ㄴ[Hornet]: Aim *for* others.
[UpvoteFairy]: I’m hitting the upvote.
It was undeniably clear.
This was no mere online community.
It was a gathering of victims, all deeply entangled in the dark fantasy of anomalies.
The number displayed beside it: 1,253 users.
This was likely the count of active users currently logged in at this very moment.
And my own code number was 120053.
This implied that more than a hundred thousand individuals had already passed through this place before my arrival.
My fingers began to tingle.
With an irresistible urge to churn out some truly terrible posts.
