Got Dropped in a Ghost Story Chapter 31

– Alien Shop? What a distinctive name. Quite stylish! Is that an online store too?

Ah.

I had summoned Braun as well.

He had been delighted when I closed the curtains in the middle of the day just for him, and he was still oddly touched by the fact that I had sold one of the mascot snacks.

My friend here really gets moved by the smallest things…

To be fair, the blue dragon had given me two packs, and I had kept one just in case.

Anyway, to answer his question—

“Yeah. It’s online. You browse through a product page that looks like a flyer.”

– Aha! Is that so? I’m curious to see the shop my friend frequents so often…

Braun’s cheerful voice echoed from the shadow.

※Amazing items from outer space※~!!

[I’ll take a look at the items.]

– …

– …?!

– What is this? This is nothing but an atrocious flyer completely devoid of aesthetic sense!

Hmm.

“Isn’t usefulness more important than appearance?”

– My word! Mr. Roe Deer, appearance matters just as much as content! Visual appeal is the first thing that draws in an audience. How could anyone be interested in such a dull, uninspired, and frankly ugly flyer?

Sure, sure.

With Braun complaining in the background, I opened the shop.

– …Very well, Mr. Roe Deer. I still trust your judgment. Since you said this place is useful, surely there’s something worthwhile beyond that dreadful flyer…

[Items]

[Bloodbathtub – ₩29,999,999]

[Mysterious Candle Kit – ₩19,999,999]

[Snow White’s Apple – ₩11,999,999]

[We Can Help! – ₩66,666,666]

[※Sale!※ Bloodsucking Cutlery – ₩7,999,999 ₩14,999,999]

– …

“Braun?”

No answer.

I think he fainted.

Apparently, my [Good Friend] deeply understood the suffering of designers.

Or maybe monsters who happened to suffer like designers.

“You okay?”

– I… need to rest.

“Go ahead.”

I turned my attention back to the listings.

A few familiar items were still there.

[We Can Help!] was still unavailable, while the Bloodsucking Cutlery were now on sale.

Still here, huh.

[※Sale!※ Bloodsucking Cutlery – ₩7,999,999 ₩14,999,999]

I had expected someone else to buy them by now, or at least for the algorithm to stop recommending them to me.

But there they were again.

Do they really think I’m going to buy these?

It felt a little strange.

Anyway.

The most expensive item I could actually purchase was—

[Bloodbathtub – ₩29,999,999]

I saw someone looking for one of these on Salmon Market earlier.

It was a fairly famous item, and I still remembered its description.

======================

Dark Exploration Records / Delusion Home Shopping / Items

Bloodbathtub

Today, we bring you an extraordinary product!

The miraculous elixir of youth, now available through our home shopping channel!

Introducing…

the Tub of Youth…

– July 7, 20XX, product description from [Delusion Home Shopping]

When filled with another person’s blood, the tub transforms it into a fragrant bath solution that heals wounds, relieves fatigue, treats arthritis, and improves the skin.

======================

Basically, a modernized version of the vampire legend turned into an item.

Considering its reputation, the price actually seemed surprisingly reasonable.

Still…

The idea of bathing in someone else’s blood, even if it turned into a “fragrant bath solution,” was enough to make my head spin.

Next.

[Mysterious Candle Kit – ₩19,999,999]

I didn’t recognize this one.

But candles usually represented light.

And in ghost stories, light often symbolized safety, comfort, or protection.

Still, spending twenty million won on it without thinking would be reckless.

And finally—

[Snow White’s Apple – ₩11,999,999]

Wow.

Even if it turned out to be useless, maybe I could resell it for forty million won and make a ridiculous profit.

No idea whether it’ll count as food from a paranormal phenomenon, though.

Still, the buyer’s post was still up.

And since they claimed to be buying for research, there was a good chance they would keep purchasing similar items.

With that in mind, my choices were obvious.

“These three.”

[Mysterious Candle Kit – ₩19,999,999]

[Snow White’s Apple – ₩11,999,999]

[※Sale!※ Bloodsucking Cutlery – ₩7,999,999]

= ₩39,999,997

Like I said, light was practically the natural enemy of ghost stories.

And an item that produced candles?

There was a good chance the candles had some kind of defensive or protective effect.

It’s expensive, but it’s probably worth the investment.

Snow White’s Apple appealed to me for a similar reason.

If it’s called “Snow White’s Apple,” it probably has something to do with sleep.

Lately, I desperately needed proper sleep.

If the apple could actually help me sleep deeply, that would be perfect.

My efficiency would improve.

My condition would improve.

And maybe even my survival rate would go up.

Please. Just let it be useful.

I pressed the purchase button.

And if it isn’t, I can always resell it.

A backup plan.

Just in case.

Then there was the final item.

The Bloodsucking Cutlery.

When something is discounted this heavily, isn’t buying it practically basic courtesy?

The last discounted item I had bought, the Silver Coin Snake, had turned out to be extremely useful.

It had helped create my personalized equipment and even played a role in summoning Braun.

For reference, if I pressed the belly of the plush keychain, I could still feel the round metal shape of the Silver Coin Snake inside.

I had no idea whether the Bloodsucking Cutlery would be equally useful.

But they might come in handy for trading or selling to other employees.

And now I had a believable excuse if anyone asked where I got them.

I could just say I bought them through Salmon Market.

So these would be my three purchases.

“All right.”

They fit almost perfectly within my budget.

Time to finalize the order—

– Mr. Roe Deer.

Hm?

Braun suddenly spoke.

– About that Bloodbathtub.

“What about it?”

– I would like to have it.

“…?!”

W-What?

– Friend, would you perhaps consider giving this Braun a gift?

His voice sounded unusually eager, with a faintly crafty edge.

– I’ve done my best to help you as your [Good Friend], haven’t I? And I’ve never asked for anything in return. So perhaps… it wouldn’t be too unreasonable to expect a small token of appreciation for my loyalty…

Ah.

Silence.

– My apologies.

Braun’s voice immediately shrank.

– I’ve said something terribly mercenary. Trying to assign a price to friendship…

– A [Good Friend] should never behave that way.

His shadow slumped in shame.

– Please disregard what this [Good Friend] just said…

Um.

“Sure.”

– Pardon…?!

“The Bloodbathtub.”

I nodded.

“Let’s buy it.”

– !!

Honestly, he had helped me escape the theme park.

I owed him for that.

He had literally saved my life.

Buying him something in return seemed fair.

Besides, money in this world still felt like game currency to me, and I already had a few promising ways to earn more.

More importantly, keeping Braun happy was clearly in my best interest, especially after seeing the strange abilities he could use inside the theme park.

And if I’m going to give him something, I should do it properly instead of acting stingy.

“I’m a little short right now, but once the extra money comes in, I’ll buy it for you.”

– Oh my goodness!

– Thank you! Thank you so much, Mr. Roe Deer, my friend…!

“Yeah. But remember, it’s not a reward.”

I smiled faintly.

“It’s just a gift because you’re my friend, Braun.”

– I understand, Friend!

“I’ll buy the Bloodbathtub as soon as the extra funds come in. It should only take a few days.”

– Yes!!

His voice trembled with excitement.

It took him a moment to calm down.

– I’m really looking forward to it… haha!

It was nice seeing him this happy.

…Just please don’t ask me to go collect fresh blood.

– Oh! The items arrived already. That was fast!

Once again, the order showed up almost immediately in an ordinary post office box.

Time for another satisfying unboxing session.

The discounted vampire cutlery was sitting right on top.

– Hooh. Quite a refined set, isn’t it? It would fit perfectly at an elegant dining table!

It consisted of a small dessert fork and knife, exquisitely crafted and wrapped in leather.

The metal gleamed softly in the flashlight.

Elegant.

Polished.

Beautiful.

The downside, naturally, was that they were apparently meant to be stained with blood before use.

Sigh.

Still, I should keep them with me.

They were compact and easy to carry.

Now that I had personalized equipment and several other items, having another emergency option couldn’t hurt.

Underneath the cutlery was—

[Quick and Easy Candle Making Kit]

So this was the Mysterious Candle Kit.

The packaging was colorful and cute.

It honestly looked like a children’s craft set.

Actually, that might be a good sign.

If it was made for children, it should be easy to use.

I wanted to open it immediately and check the materials and instructions.

But then I noticed the warning printed across the front.

[No refunds after opening.]

[Ingredients spoil 12 hours after exposure to air. Use promptly.]

[Recommended users: 3 people.]

Um.

Yeah.

Probably better to leave this sealed for now.

I’ll prepare everything the night before my next assignment.

Still, I was curious about what the candles actually did.

For twenty million won, they had better be something more than ordinary candles.

– Only one item left!

“Right.”

At the bottom of the package was the final purchase.

A small but surprisingly heavy…

apple crate?

“…?”

Wait.

Seriously?

[Snow White Mountain Apples]

[Delicious! Nutritious! Great for your health!]

“…”

Did they send me the wrong thing?

Had I somehow ordered actual farm produce?

Hmm.

There was a letter attached to the top of the crate.

Let’s see.

[To our valued customers who purchased Snow White Apples, thank you sincerely for your support.]

[These fruits were lovingly cultivated using ■■ as fertilizer sourced from ■■ and harvested through our own hard work and care.]

[Their flavor and effects are distinctly different from those of ordinary orchards. ^^]

[Usage: Completely chew and swallow one apple.]

[Effect: Immediately induces a death-like sleep in which all biological activity ceases.]

[The effect continues until sunrise the following day, at which point the user awakens with renewed energy and significantly improved condition.]

[※ Notice: This orchard bears no responsibility for any changes that occur to the user’s body during the sleep state.]

“…”

Definitely paranormal.

So it was basically like the potion from Romeo and Juliet.

The one that made you appear dead.

Got it.

I opened the crate.

Inside were seven small apples.

Glossy.

Perfectly round.

Bright red.

Almost unnaturally picture-perfect.

– My, they look incredibly healthy and nutritious!

Really?

Still…

This did seem useful.

An item that placed you into suspended animation and let you wake up fully restored the next morning?

There had to be situations where that could come in handy.

So my current inventory was now—

– [Good Friend]

– Bloodsucking Cutlery

– Mysterious Candle Kit

– Snow White’s Apples

– Memorial Popsocket

– Smiley Sticker 🙂

– Alice Picnic Set

Then my personalized equipment.

And one remaining pack of [Blue Soda Churros].

And soon, I’ll add the Bloodbathtub too…

All right.

Let’s make proper use of everything I have and somehow stay alive.

– Then, sweet dreams to you, Mr. Roe Deer!

That night, I went to bed a little earlier than usual.

I slept surprisingly well.

I had a few nightmares here and there, but for the most part, my sleep was peaceful.

Maybe it was because I had the feeling the next few days would finally be quiet.

Let’s rest, reorganize everything, and get ready until the payment comes in.

And then, a few days later—

I was hit with a horrifying realization.

The extra allowance… still hasn’t been deposited!

Even the manual revision Squad A’s leader had mentioned hadn’t been completed yet.

And I was supposed to receive a reward once that went through.

W-What the hell?

Was that all just talk?

Did they really bait me with fifty million won and then never pay me?

I immediately started asking around.

And soon, I heard something unbelievable.

“…The person in charge is missing?”

“Yeah. They haven’t come to work for several days.”

Apparently, the administrative employee responsible for processing manual revisions had gone missing.

And they had already been absent for a full week.

“…”

Wait a damn minute.

“Then what happens to the manual review?”

“It’s been postponed indefinitely. It’s not urgent, and… you know how long this company takes to reassign someone else’s paperwork.”

They shrugged.

“Probably at least two months.”

N-No way!

I made a promise to a certain ghost-story monster!