Chapter 105

Pedestrian ⅠII

Inunaki Tunnel was cursed in every way imaginable.

The very location of the tunnel induced fear. Urban legends, vengeful spirits of workers buried during construction, murders and disappearances occurring within...

I had underestimated the difficulty of dealing with an anomaly that had reached across the Korea Strait. We stepped back from the tunnel entrance to resume our strategy meeting.

“Is it impossible to destroy that tunnel from the outside?”

“Probably impossible, nya.”

Manyo Neko sighed.

“Our Association also attempted to destroy the tunnel physically when we decided to attack it, nya. We even used bombs from the old Self-Defense Forces to blow up 72 tunnels simultaneously, nya.”

“And the result?”

“We observed that Inunaki Tunnel was restored within as short as four minutes and as long as four days nya. We speculate that the only way to subjugate it is to walk through it from the entrance to the exit, nya.”

“I see.”

There were sometimes anomalies that couldn't be subjugated by physical force alone.

The outer god ‘Infinite Void’ was one such anomaly. To briefly summarize the method of exterminating Infinite Void:

1. Seal the 99 ghosts of the Hyakki Yagyo at Baekhwa Girls' High School.

2. Descend to the 4th basement level and place 100 candles at the location reached after walking 4,444 steps.

3. Two or more people must exchange ghost stories about the sealed ghosts.

4. Approach the Infinite Void that appears and have someone capable of playing the role of a ‘shaman’ seal it.

5. Help the shaman by striking an unpredictable blow to Infinite Void, using a special sword like ‘Doha’ made by Noh Do-hwa.

…This method was insane enough to make anyone wonder, ‘Did they really expect us to beat this?’ Even the Saintess, upon seeing this strategy, muttered with a frown, ‘…That’s really something.’

But turning the tables, even an anomaly that defied the world’s rules, like the outer god Infinite Void, could be subjugated with enough effort.

So, there was no need to even mention Inunaki Tunnel, a continent-class anomaly.

Even if physical force was ineffective, anomalies always had a weak point.

“Got it.”

“...Nya, but why are you standing up with your cane-sword, Undateikeo?”

“If there’s an anomaly that can't be subjugated by physical force, I tend to wonder if it’s because we didn’t use enough firepower.”

From that day, Inunaki Tunnel entered a season of severe trials.

“Secret Art: Tunnel Destruction.”

Boom—

I unleashed my aura, collapsing the tunnel entrance.

As Manyo Neko had mentioned, the tunnel structure was restored in less than 40 seconds (likely stronger and with increased restoration power than in the past). However, my blade didn’t care about such trivial resistance.

“Secret Art: Tunnel Destruction but I keep doing it.”

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Every time Inunaki Tunnel restored itself, I bombarded it relentlessly. Not just the entrance, but the entire mountain ridge the tunnel passed through was blown away.

“Nyaaa! What are you doing, nya! This whole area is dedicated to our god, nya!”

“Calm down. This is just collateral damage.”

“How is it collateral damage when our shrine’s property is being destroyed, nya?”

Although Manyo Neko was jumping up and down, there was some progress.

After 40 seconds, with the mountain completely gone, the tunnel stood alone in the barren wasteland. It was like a bald scalp with the tunnel structure clearly exposed.

“Just as I thought.”

As expected, Inunaki Tunnel was an anomaly that parasitized the tunnel. The void it controlled didn’t extend beyond the tunnel to the surrounding mountains.

Seeing the exposed tunnel structure, Phantom Blade admired it.

[Oh, indeed, Undateikeo-san. Impressive power. The tunnel is fully exposed.]

“The fear of a tunnel is concentrated in its darkness. It’s the vague fear of not knowing how far you have to walk to find the exit and the hopelessness of being surrounded by concrete with no way out. But look.”

I climbed onto the tunnel’s outer wall and walked to the middle. Then, I slashed through the tunnel’s middle like tofu.

“When the structure is exposed, if an explorer gets lost, they can be rescued from the outside like this. Although the wall will restore in 40 seconds, if they are rescued within that time, there’s no problem.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

[Ah… Certainly. Thinking that way, it doesn’t seem so scary.]

“Anomalies are mold that feeds not only on the void of reality but also on the gaps in our hearts. If we can eliminate even a bit of unconscious fear, we should use every means possible.”

[Hmm. Truly golden advice.]

“Well, it’s understandable since actual gold has flown away, nya! Oh my nya, oh my nya!”

Click—

I took the spirit camera from Manyo Neko and photographed the tunnel entrance again.

Now. I had responded to the anomaly’s provocation with a provocation of my own, but how would it react?

Soon, the photo developed. Last time, it had hung torsos from the cedar trees, but now, since the forest had been completely cut down, it had nailed heads to the stone wall at the tunnel entrance.

This time, only the heads.

The severed heads were pinned with tiny nails, fixing their lips and eyelids. The nails forced the heads into grotesque smiles.

The writing ‘Welcome back (おかえり)’ remained on the wall, now written in the blood dripping from the heads of the Magical Girls.

“…It’s still taunting us.”

No matter.

“Nyaa?”

“Just talking to myself. You don’t need to look at the photo. It’s just playing with the bodies of your fellow Magical Girls.”

“……”

Manyo Neko nodded slightly.

I picked up the radio. Although the radio itself had no special functions, I had deceived others into thinking it was a ‘cursed radio’ to avoid suspicion.

“Saintess.”

[Yes.]

“Please contact Commander Noh Do-hwa and ask her to start the operation.”

[Understood.]

A moment later.

“Your Excellency, the chess pieces are moving.”

Yu Ji-won said, standing by the table at the tunnel entrance.

“The first group is entering the Busan Undersea Tunnel.”

“Good, keep me updated. Saintess? Please keep monitoring the death row inmates’ vision. Share their reactions, dialogue, and actions with me. It’s crucial for devising the strategy.”

[Yes.]

Click. Click.

The 72 chess pieces on the table slowly moved. These were the death row inmates we had lost in the previous cycle.

Me, Noh Do-hwa, the Saintess, and Yu Ji-won. The strongest support team began to control the numerous chess pieces.

This time, the prisoners’ lives would be used more valuably.

A real tunnel is a passage you can enter from the entrance and walk to the exit.

Meanwhile, a void tunnel is a maze where you can never reach the exit, even if you enter from the entrance.

To defeat a tunnel anomaly, one must enter and safely exit. This proves, ‘This place is no longer a void but reality.’

Here’s a guide to safely passing through Inunaki Tunnel, or more accurately, the communication records exchanged during our operation to establish the guidelines.

These records will later be registered in the [Library Society’s Encyclopedia of Anomalies] on SG Net.

Although the survival rate of those entering the tunnel is never high, if you follow the ‘strategy’ diligently with a clear mind, you can survive.

On the record.

[Mr. Undertaker, all exploration teams have been equipped with radios. I introduced myself as the team leader of the National Road Management Corps and instructed the explorers to follow my orders.]

[Advance party entering.]

[Destroying the stone wall is deemed to attract unnecessary attention from the Inunaki Tunnel. The explorers climbed over the wall.]

1. When death row inmates climb over the wall, they will immediately smell a foul ‘garbage odor.’

It resembles the stench of decaying leaves soaked in summer rain all season long.

The musty smell of the damp cave will cling to your body like mites, but do not panic.

In fact, the presence of that smell indicates a ‘safe zone.’

[Two explorers reported an unbearable stench.]

[6th inmate reported that it smells not just like a cave but like abandoned corpses. What should we do?]

“Tell them to find the bodies.”

[Understood.]

1-1. If you smell ‘blood’ or ‘rotting corpses’ instead of garbage or moss, immediately turn back and climb back over the wall.

However, if you have already taken more than ‘seven steps’ after entering the tunnel, do not attempt to return. In this case, your torso will be severed as soon as you climb over the wall.

Do not attempt to locate the corpses emitting the smell.

Ultimately, you will realize that the smell comes from inside your own body.

Five death row inmates were required to draft Strategy 1.

[An explorer has died.]

[The remaining team is slightly confused but there are no issues with continuing the operation.]

[Requesting to deploy the next team as planned to Commander Noh Do-hwa.]

[Proceeding.]

[Advance.]

2. Never walk past the middle of the tunnel on the right side. Always move along the left side.

[Mr. Undertaker, I’ve relayed this instruction to all explorers, but why must they use only the left side of the passage?]

"Ah. In the last cycle, the four of us walked side by side in the passage. But Phantom Blade, who walked on the far right, and Yu Ji-won, who walked in the center, suddenly died.”

[What?]

“Ah, Yu Ji-won, you don’t need to listen to this part. Just focus on watching the mini-map. Anyway... They started gasping for breath, as if they were completely submerged in deep water, and soon after, they collapsed.”

[…….]

“When we examined their bodies, their esophagus and lungs were filled with filthy water. They died of drowning.”

2-1. If you smell ‘water’ or ‘sewer’ while walking, it means you are leaning too far to the right.

Immediately shift a bit more to the left.

If you find it difficult to breathe or feel a strange difficulty in walking, also move to the left. In such cases, mimic the movements of swimming rather than walking.

To be safe, wear a life jacket when entering the tunnel.

No death row inmates were needed to draft Strategy 2.

[No issues. I’ll instruct them to continue advancing.]

“Yes, thank you.”

3. The inside of Inunaki Tunnel is covered with various graffiti and scribbles in vibrant colors.

The walls are painted from top to bottom. The graffiti is as dense as shells clinging to seaside rocks.

The scribbles may look like Latin letters, but they resemble no language on Earth.

If the graffiti seems to wriggle when you look at it or if you smell ‘blood’ from the red parts of the graffiti, immediately avert your gaze.

The deeper you go into the tunnel, the more vivid and complex the graffiti becomes.

As long as the graffiti still looks like ‘scribbles,’ the area is safe. But if the graffiti starts to appear as beautiful ‘art,’ especially ‘beautiful creatures,’ immediately look away.

This phenomenon is presumed to be due to the confusion of the ‘corridor’ of the tunnel and the ‘corridor’ of a gallery.

[Mr. Undertaker, some explorers are showing excessive interest in the graffiti.]

“Are any unusual behaviors detected?”

[Yes. They are approaching and moving away from the graffiti as if admiring artwork in a museum, muttering phrases like ‘beautiful,’ ‘pretty,’ ‘exquisite.’]

[Ah.]

[14th inmate is showing abnormalities. He keeps repeating, ‘The colors here could be a bit deeper.’]

[The surrounding explorers are trying to stop him, but it doesn’t seem to help.]

[14th inmate confirmed to be self-harming.]

[He’s cut open his abdomen and is using his blood to paint the graffiti.]

“I see. Saintess, make sure you don’t look at the graffiti.”

[Understood. I’m changing my view periodically. The 14th inmate has gouged out his eyes and smeared them on the graffiti on the tunnel wall.]

[Confirmed deceased.]

3-1. If someone stands in the middle of the tunnel admiring the graffiti and shows no reaction, immediately kill them.

If tattoos appear clearly on their arms or neck, you’ve already missed the window to kill them. Escape from them as quickly as possible.

Individuals infected in this manner are referred to as ‘observers.’

If you no longer smell blood and instead detect moss, basement, or cave scents, you’ve entered a safe zone.

3-2. If you feel an observer is chasing you, use a knife to cut off a finger or toe, draw tattoo-like patterns on your face, and hold the severed part in your mouth.

Press yourself against the tunnel wall without making any sound.

Even if you hear footsteps, do not look down the tunnel’s corridor. Do not make any noise. Remain pressed against the tunnel wall until the footsteps have completely disappeared. It is recommended to hold your breath for at least 30 seconds.

Eleven death row inmates were required to draft Strategy 3.

[An explorer has died.]

[No issues.]

[Advance.]

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried