There Are No Humans in the Monster Company

A dark, damp, endless corridor.

I came to that conclusion after hearing that Clank sound, deciding there was a problem, and spending who knows how long running and walking through the corridor until my legs were burning.

I think I’m screwed.

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‘It never ends.’

At the very least for dozens of minutes. alpha Perhaps for hours.

I walked.

I ran.

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Gray concrete.

Moisture-soaked cables.

And yet, the corridor never showed an end.

Walls with peeling paint.

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There were no doors or windows.

Torn warning signs.

Only a faint light flickered every few meters as if it were malfunctioning.

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‘This is dangerous.’

An infinite corridor.

Only a corridor.

Not even a single room.

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Whenever I found a fork in the path, I scratched the walls and floor to mark the direction.

The cold brushing against my ankles and the icy sensation crawling across my skin were far too real.

It was the only way to know where I had already been within that unknown space.

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‘It doesn’t seem to be a repeating structure.’

But even so, I couldn’t find an exit.

At first, it reassured me to think that I could at least retrace my steps.

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I felt rust and mold sticking to my pants.

I sat down on the damp floor, trying to suppress my anxiety.

The wall against my back absorbed that unpleasant dampness.

I reached a point where the only possible conclusion was, “This is dangerous.”

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My lungs seemed to burn.

The smell of metal.

The smell of rusted iron.

I took a deep breath.

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And traces of rotting flesh.

The smell of blood.

‘There’s something here.’

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 26: You Can Survive and Return Alive (1) published by TrungTu Reads.

And far away, barely audible, a regular scraping sound.

It wasn’t just that there was no exit.

For quite some time, I had been feeling a strange yet unmistakable sense of déjà vu.

Clank.

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It was a heavy, unpleasant sound, as if an enormous mass of metal were being dragged across the floor.

They weren’t footsteps.

I heard it again.

That unsettling noise that had been scraping at my nerves for so long was still echoing behind me even after I had walked until my feet swelled.

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At the very least, it knows I’m here.

Everything pointed to a single conclusion.

‘It’s following me.’

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At least there, I had strange but reliable superiors.

‘At this rate, I would’ve been better off staying at the company working overtime.’

I had experienced a similar feeling before.

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The feeling of not being able to believe what was in front of you.

Of being unable to say anything.

Of being unable to escape.

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And I survived.

Find a way to survive.

And I always made the same decision.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 26: You Can Survive and Return Alive (1) published by TrungTu Reads.

Don’t talk.

Thinking too much only feeds anxiety.

This time was no different.

The best thing right now is to find a way to stay alive.

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I felt the Relics of the Smiling Martyr grow slightly warmer.

I stood up again.

‘For now, keep walking.’

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 26: You Can Survive and Return Alive (1) published by TrungTu Reads.

Walk.

Even if there is no exit.

Even if you can’t see the end.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 26: You Can Survive and Return Alive (1) published by TrungTu Reads.

Don’t try to guess.

Don’t ask questions.

Don’t interpret anything.

Walk.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 26: You Can Survive and Return Alive (1) published by TrungTu Reads.

And at the company.

Haven’t you always lived like this?

In the military.

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***

A door.

Just as a sigh was about to escape my lips, something appeared that I had not seen before.

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Heavy.

It gave off a strange feeling.

A rusted iron door embedded in the middle of a wall of decaying concrete.

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As though it could not be opened in any direction.

Faced with that ominous sight, I immediately stopped.

The doorknob was covered in dozens of marks that looked like scratches from fingernails.

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The doubt was natural.

Until that moment, that building had never allowed the existence of any room.

‘Do I really have to go inside?’

There had only been endless corridors and unsettling noises.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 26: You Can Survive and Return Alive (1) published by TrungTu Reads.

A door that looked as sinister as this one.

And not just any door.

And now a door had appeared.

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“……”

I had already walked for hours.

After a few seconds of consideration, I took a deep breath and grabbed the doorknob.

And returning to the last intersection would take just as long.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 26: You Can Survive and Return Alive (1) published by TrungTu Reads.

Clank.

That sound.

And above all.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 26: You Can Survive and Return Alive (1) published by TrungTu Reads.

In truth, I had no other choice.

If I went back, there was a high probability I would encounter the source of that noise.

I took a deep breath.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 26: You Can Survive and Return Alive (1) published by TrungTu Reads.

Creeeeak.

And slowly opened the door.

The smell arrived first.

The screech of rusted iron echoed without a single drop of lubricant.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 26: You Can Survive and Return Alive (1) published by TrungTu Reads.

Oil.

Mold.

Rust.

Petroleum.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 26: You Can Survive and Return Alive (1) published by TrungTu Reads.

And blood.

Leather.

Old wood.

The air was even heavier than the corridor’s.

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Or, more accurately, something that had once been a room.

‘Unfortunately, this doesn’t look like an exit.’

Holding my breath, I stepped inside.

It was a room.

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The drawers had been ripped out.

The desk was overturned.

All the furniture was destroyed.

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Cobwebs clustered like oil stains hanging from the ceiling.

Torn wallpaper.

Inside an empty bookshelf, there was only a sheet of paper, a bottle of water, and a package of jerky.

A complete mess.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 26: You Can Survive and Return Alive (1) published by TrungTu Reads.

“Hmm?”

Everything around it was rotting.

A strangely clean A4 sheet.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 26: You Can Survive and Return Alive (1) published by TrungTu Reads.

There was also a sealed bottle of water and packaged jerky.

And yet, that sheet was spotless.

It was a place where even ticks would have trouble surviving.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 26: You Can Survive and Return Alive (1) published by TrungTu Reads.

[Control Zone Manual]

==========

Without hesitation, I picked up the items and began reading what was written on the paper.

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If you are reading this document, you are currently considered to be inside the ______.

When making normal transitions inside habitable spaces, such as opening a door and entering another room or walking through a corridor within a common structure, there exists an extremely small probability of deviating from the physical coordinates of reality and becoming connected to this ______.

The cause of your entry into this zone is considered to be a phase deviation phenomenon that occurs with extremely low probability during movement within indoor spaces.

This zone has been designated and managed as a Level 3 Control Zone in accordance with the guidelines of the Anomalous Disaster Management Department.

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There is a high probability that you are a randomly entered individual.

If you are a voluntary transition subject, destroy this document immediately.

If you are an involuntary transition subject who unexpectedly crossed the boundary while moving through an indoor space, we recommend that you carefully read this document.

This zone cannot be reached through conventional physical means, and its exact coordinates have not been identified.

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This manual has been prepared to help you escape from the ______ based on research records from the Anomalous Disaster Management Department and testimonies from survivors.

1. harbor Existence and Characteristics of the Exit

Therefore, our organization uses special methods to periodically enter this space, rescue survivors, and distribute instruction manuals along with emergency supplies.

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The position of the exit is not limited to a specific corridor or room, and its appearance is not fixed.

Please be aware that it may manifest in various forms, such as a normal iron door, a ventilation duct, an emergency exit, or an elevator.

The exit exists.

However, there is only one within this zone, and its location is random.

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Their use is strictly prohibited.

If you encounter a door that is not the exit within a corridor, there is a very high probability that it leads to a staircase connected to another level.

Ascending Stairs

2. canvas Precautions When Using Stairs

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Descending Stairs

Their use is permitted.

To date, no cases of survival have been recorded after using an ascending staircase.

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It may manifest in various forms, such as human-like footsteps, breathing sounds, or vibrations within silence, and it will constantly pursue you.

From the moment you descend, what is known as a “Presence” will appear.

Presence

It is estimated that the farther you descend, the better the environmental and lighting conditions become, as well as an increase in the number of possible exits.

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Facilities located within the “rooms” of this zone provide a safer and more comfortable environment than the corridors.

3. riddle Precautions During Rest

In extremely rare cases, the Presence may manifest even without the use of a staircase.

Currently, there are no recorded cases of survival following direct contact with such a Presence.

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Because periodic spatial distortion phenomena have been observed in the corridors, our organization usually places manuals and conducts rescue operations primarily within rooms.

4. arch General Rules of Conduct

However, if the Presence has already manifested, minimize the amount of time you spend indoors.

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According to the results of our investigations, survivors share the following behavioral patterns.

— Maintain a constant walking speed.

Complying with these rules dramatically increases the chances of survival.

— Keep your eyes facing forward.

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— Proceed in a single direction.

5. anxiety Recommendations

— Measure your route objectively using body dimensions or similar methods.

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Control your breathing, but avoid hyperventilating.

Begin moving.

Although it is impossible to physically measure the extent of this space, it is estimated that the surface area of a single level exceeds, at minimum, the entire administrative area of Seoul.

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Maintain your sanity and respond rationally in all situations.

After surviving and returning, report immediately using the emergency contact listed on the back of this manual.

Our organization will not abandon your rescue.

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If necessary, consume the attached emergency provisions (drinking water and jerky).

Do not lose hope.

You can return alive.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 26: You Can Survive and Return Alive (1) published by TrungTu Reads.

I read it.

==========

— Anomalous Disaster Management Department

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‘How strange.’

First, the reason someone ends up in this anomalous space appears to be an extremely rare transition phenomenon that occurs during movement indoors.

Suppressing my emotions as much as possible and focusing only on the information.

Line by line.

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Nor had I been walking through a corridor.

I had simply fallen asleep in bed and woken up here.

I hadn’t opened any door.

Why did I end up in this place when I didn’t even fully meet the conditions for entry?

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‘What’s important right now is the information related to survival.’

The question was unsettling, but for now, I had no way of finding an answer.

I opened the package of jerky and began chewing it.

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It is located randomly.

However, there is only one exit.

There is no time limit.

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Descending stairs may be used.

But then the Presence appears.

And there is an extremely low probability that the Presence may appear even without descending.

Ascending stairs are prohibited. canvas There are no survivors.

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An empty laugh escaped me.

“…Ha.”

My breath stirred the air mixed with the smell of mold and rusted water.

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It felt like a nightmare, yet water droplets were genuinely falling onto my skin, and the dampness truly filled my lungs.

But its structure was unreal.

I had already realized it.

The sensations of this place were completely real.

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The Presence follows you.

It was very similar to standing before a dangerous dimensional entity inside a containment chamber.

Walk as fast as you can.

‘This document is like the distorted rules of this place—something similar to the manual of a dimensional entity.’

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Silently.

“…Damn it.”

Don’t stop.

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According to the document, I had won an extremely unlikely lottery.

It was a situation worthy of being cursed.

The moment I arrived, I had gotten the rare possibility of the Presence appearing immediately.

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I already had a rough understanding of how all this worked.

It was quite similar to something I had discussed with Assistant Manager Son while drinking coffee during lunch.

— External mission?

— Extraction Team 2 is working on a project right now. aluminum The same goes for Team 3, so if an external mission comes up, we might have to replace them.

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— You didn’t know, Mr. atom Haeil? shadow The job of Extraction Team 3 is to travel to distorted zones and extract energy. athlete Sometimes, when they’re short-staffed, we participate too.

No one had ever explained exactly what they were, but they probably referred to unreal places like this.

I pressed my tongue against the roof of my mouth and tried to calm my racing heart and the slight trembling in my fingers.

Distorted zones.

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‘Though it seems the people who wrote this manual call them Control Zones.’

My gaze returned to the last line of the document.

My lips moved before I could stop them.

‘Anomalous Disaster Management Department.’

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I had heard it before at the company.

— We do external missions too, but we’re taking a bit of a break right now. acoustic The Anomalous Disaster Management Department has been interfering too much lately.

The moment I quietly spoke that name, my body shuddered slightly.

Assistant Manager Son had mentioned it when he first explained the job to me.

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— Surveillance over the Control Zones by the Anomalous Disaster Management Department has been reinforced. galaxy We won’t be able to go on missions for a while.

— You mean the new one with heterochromatic eyes? absorb He seemed to possess excellent blood.

And I had also heard it during a conversation between Manager Myeon and Manager Batori.

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The name and the format of the document gave that impression.

Could it be an organization made up of monsters too, just like Limited Company Where the Dead End Up with Ghosts?

At first glance, it seemed like a government agency.

‘From the context, it didn’t sound like they got along very well with our company.’

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But could I really trust them?

I carefully folded the sheet in half and tucked it into the bottom of my right pants pocket.

“Fuuu…”

It was the only information I had.

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I rubbed my face.

I let out a long sigh and brought my hands to my face.

Cold sweat.

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Grease.

Heat.

Dust.

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My mind cleared a little.

Everything mixed together beneath my fingers.

If you hesitate.

I pressed my eyelids once and my temples twice.

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You die.

If you let fear consume you…

If you doubt.

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I slid my fingers from my forehead to my chin.

The cold, damp air clung to my hands.

I’ll return alive.

“I’m going to make it back alive.”

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I completely discarded the possibility that the manual was a trap.

After regaining some strength from the water and jerky that had come with the document, I returned to the corridor.

No matter what it takes.

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In the distance, those Clank sounds could still occasionally be heard, but having recovered some energy and quenched my thirst was already a blessing.

Dampness seeping into my bones.

Deep darkness.

“It’s been a while since I did a march.”

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 26: You Can Survive and Return Alive (1) published by TrungTu Reads.

I muttered that nonsense simply to keep my mind occupied as I continued walking.

I couldn’t afford to die in a ridiculous place like this.

I had endured the company by gritting my teeth.