Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work-Chapter 154

Rejuvenation.

It’s humanity’s dream, but so far, no one has succeeded scientifically. In reality, no one has ever truly experienced getting younger.

But in this ghost story world, I am experiencing it firsthand... actual rejuvenation!

…Though my height has been cut in half.

“Achoo.”

“Oh, oh, be careful. Kids get cold easily, you know.”

I fell silent for a moment, watching Agent Choi, who looked thrilled as he wrapped me in a blanket.

It was so absurd that I couldn’t even react.

‘This feels unreal.’

I’m eight years old.

Being reduced to an elementary school lower-grader was an incredibly bizarre experience.

Those old cartoons where the protagonist instantly adjusts after getting younger? All lies. A child’s senses were several times sharper, their stamina strangely overflowing.

I thought my shortened reach would make me waddle awkwardly, but surprisingly, I didn’t.

“It’s because of goblin tricks.”

Bronze Agent explained it neatly.

Of course, that was neat by long-time players’ standards—for a newcomer, it was anything but.

So, I reacted appropriately.

“G-Goblin tricks?”

“Think of it as a supernatural phenomenon that deceives reality. It’s not a disaster, and it can’t be used for evil purposes. Because, well… it’s just a ‘trick.’”

Hmm. That was a good explanation.

I glanced at the goblin fire embedded in my arm and recalled what I knew from .

Goblin Tricks

A mysterious ability possessed by certain agents in the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau.

It occasionally manifests when an agent is assigned a spiritually attuned goblin-related artifact.

The specific abilities that emerge depend on compatibility with the agent, but common ones include:

ShapeshiftingHiding objectsShowing illusionsPlaying with fire in midair

“You’ve probably guessed by now, but the Disaster Management Bureau is deeply connected with goblins. So, you can assume that even Captain of Xuanwu Team 1 can use ‘goblin tricks.’”

Oh. He was directly telling me that there was a deeper backstory he’d share once I was more experienced.

Thanks… I guess.

“Wait, Jaegwan, you said too much! What do we do, newbie? You might get your memory wiped!”

“……”

“Hmph. Not falling for it anymore, huh?”

Bronze Agent pressed his temples. Seeing a child pull an exhausted-from-life expression was… unsettling.

“When Agent Choi says things unrelated to work, you don’t have to respond.”

“Hey! That’s harsh. Fine, I’ll just stick to work talk!”

Agent Choi’s whining sounded way less irritating in a child’s voice.

“Anyway, so basically, goblin tricks are all about deception~ We aren’t actually ‘new nation’ children, so don’t forget that.”

“Yes.”

I understood what he meant, but…

“But your senses will deceive your body, and your body will deceive your mind.”

Agent Choi grinned, leaning in.

Seeing an adult expression on a child’s face was unsettling. It gave off an eerie vibe.

“While we look like this, we’ll have trouble controlling our emotions, our stamina will overflow, and our strength will be weaker.”

Because we’re children.

“That’s why we’re in pairs. Having another kidified teammate next to you makes you naturally want to look after them, which helps bring out your adult self~”

“……”

Makes sense.

“It’s just a trick, so be careful not to get swallowed up by it!”

“Y-Yes…! I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Aww, our newbie responds so well.”

Around that time, the Disaster Management Bureau’s vehicle that was transporting us came to a stop.

Ah, because of our smaller bodies, we couldn’t ride bicycles, so we had been given a bongo van instead.

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Besides, the destination was quite far.

“We’ve arrived.”

Thud.

The door opened, revealing—

Swoooosh…

The sea.

A chilly early spring beach. With no sunlight reaching it, it exuded a bleak and solemn aura.

If someone told me children had gone missing here, I’d believe it without question…

“Not there. This way.”

“…?!”

Following Agent Choi’s gesture, I turned my head.

It was… a massive, run-down seafood restaurant.

‘Oh, hell no.’

A huge neon sign flickered, its animated fish tail whipping aggressively—far too avant-garde.

But on the glass door, a sign was posted:

[Closed Today]

Despite that, the three of us—all now children—walked straight up to the restaurant’s door.

Placing our hands on the handle, Agent Choi spoke.

“From now on, we’re heading to the Dragon Palace.”

***

Entry Point.

A large children’s playroom attached to a seafood market, restaurant, or other marine-related facility.

To qualify, the playroom must meet the following conditions:

Minimum floor area of 49㎡.A red cylindrical slide must be present.The walls must depict an underwater kingdom.

(Attempts to prevent access by altering murals have resulted in distorted, irregular sea-themed images appearing instead. Complete blockage is deemed impossible.)

“Confirmed.”

“Good.”

Bronze Agent, with his now shorter arms, shoved aside the scattered toys, revealing a printed wallpaper mural.

A mermaid, smiling fish, coral, seashells, a nautilus-shaped castle.

Next to it:

A red slide resembling a playground tunnel.A ball pit.

“Wow, nostalgic. These things never go out of style, huh? Must be steady demand.”

“Stop chitchatting and get ready.”

“Yessir.”

Even this bickering sounded surprisingly wholesome in children’s voices.

“Newbie, you read the manual, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Great. Let’s do this.”

Following the others, I stepped up to the base of the red slide.

Entry Method.

Climb up the slide in reverse, starting from the bottom.Keep eyes closed while ascending.Concentrate on wanting to enter the underwater kingdom.Possessing a related item (e.g., a seashell) increases success rate.Chant the required incantation.

“Twinkle, twinkle, Dragon Palace Lord, we’ve moved into the Dragon Palace.”

Eyes closed, I stepped into the smooth, cold, pitch-black slide tunnel.

This incantation appears irregularly as graffiti on the walls or floors of qualifying playrooms.

At times, it has been found in supplementary pages of children’s books within the playroom, under titles like "How to Get to the Twinkling Dragon Palace."

“Twinkle, twinkle, Dragon Palace Lord, we’ve moved into the Dragon Palace.”

I continued climbing.

From both ahead and behind, the high-pitched voices of children echoed my chant.

A strange feeling.

It was dark.

I kept chanting.

"Twinkle, twinkle, Dragon Palace Lord, we've moved into the Dragon Palace..."

The slide doesn’t end.

Instead, the incline grows steeper and steeper, until we’re practically climbing up, hanging onto the surface as we ascend.

I can hear the kids around me panting, trying not to cry.

If the slope continues to become dangerously steep, it means the entry ritual has succeeded.

There are no records of what happens if someone fails and falls backward at this stage.

How long has it been?

Eventually, when I feel like I’m clinging to a sheer cliff,

"Twinkle, twinkle, Dragon Palace Lord…!!"

I plunge forward.

"Ahh!"

Like falling off a cliff.

Like the moment a rollercoaster reaches its peak and drops.

My child’s body tumbles downward.

"Hik!"

I try to hold it in, but a child’s body is too sensitive—a shriek escapes me.

And then—

A breathtaking scene unfolds.

"…!!"

A city straight out of a dream.

A golden glow stretches across the vast blue sky, rippling with aurora-like waves.

No— not the sky. The sea.

Beneath the dazzling, undulating ocean, golden pipes and ivory-bricked houses line the streets, creating a surreal, fairy-tale-like cityscape.

Shimmering coral reefs, colorful banners and decorations.

Golden street speakers, delicate flower carvings, and wave-patterned metallic designs twinkle on every streetlamp.

And above it all, a magnificent palace, adorned with pearls and gold, radiates iridescent blue hues.

"Ah…!"

Before I realize it, I’m no longer falling.

I float gently downward, as if drifting through a dream, gliding toward the glorious golden city.

Whoosh.

Two other children, my companions, descend beside me.

As we approach the city's central plaza, a white fountain stands beneath fluttering banners of gold, blue, and red.

✨ WELCOME TO TWINKLING DRAGON PALACE ✨

✨ WELCOME, NEW CHILDREN! ✨

And then.

"A new friend!"

"Wow, more visitors!"

A crowd of over twenty children rushes toward us, running through the beautiful boulevard beneath the banners.

Every single one of them is smiling from ear to ear.

Bright, clean hair and spotless clothes.

Dressed like princes and princesses straight out of a storybook, they look like the birthday stars of an endless celebration.

"Three of them this time?"

"I like this one!"

"…!"

Bronze Agent flinches as one of the children grabs his arm.

The child giggles brightly in response.

Laughter and sparkling joy overflow.

"Where… are we?"

"This is Twinkling Dragon Palace! It's super fun! It’s the best!"

The child chattering to me giggles, then starts leading us forward.

So carefree.

Like they have nothing to worry about.

Like their parents sent them on a wonderful vacation, a perfect playground where they make new friends and have endless fun.

But.

"……."

Every single one of these children… is a missing person.

Every living being detected within this supernatural disaster is presumed to be a missing child.

Confirmed age range: 5 to 11 years old.

All observed expressing deep euphoria and satisfaction.

"Ahahaha!"

The children laugh, pulling us forward down the grand street, almost racing toward the palace gates.

Yet, as kids do, they get distracted along the way.

"Look, look!"

Throughout the streets, clockwork figurines move with intricate, whirring gears.

Above them, golden signs sway in the air.

✨ CHILDREN, COLLECT YOUR HONEY! ✨

A colorful, comical soldier statue stands nearby.

At its belly, a faucet is attached.

When twisted—

Thick, golden honey pours out.

"If you fill a bottle and leave it at the Mermaid Princess statue, she'll give you a present!"

At the base of the white ivory mermaid statue, gifts appear—toys, clothes, books—anything a child might have wanted.

"Waaah!"

The children cheer, their laughter ringing through the air.

"Here, this is for you."

"…Thanks."

A child, younger than me, dressed in a blue dress, hands me a beautiful pair of shoes.

There is strong speculation that this supernatural disaster originated from ancient folklore about a "Dragon Palace" that was said to take pity on children lost near the sea.

"……."

I deliberately grabbed one of the kids, lowering my voice anxiously.

"Hey, I need to go meet my mom now…"

"Mom? Moms come to pick you up! You just have to play here until then!"

"……."

"You know, my mom is amazing! She’s really good at sewing! When she comes, I’ll show you her, just you!"

With a shy giggle, the child ran off down the street.

"……."

That kid…

will never be able to show me her mother.

"When you go in, you'll feel like you can just take all the kids and leave, right? Don’t get caught up in it. Understood?"

I clenched my teeth.

"If you take the wrong child, they will die."

Long-term missing children (over 1000 days) turn into "seafoam" the moment they are brought back to reality.

Check the missing date carefully before attempting a rescue.

But that’s insanely difficult to determine.

"Every time we enter, the children change. But once, we met a kid who hadn’t been here a year ago—yet there was proof they had lived here for over three years."

Time is distorted.

A child missing for just one day in reality might have lived here for five years.

Conversely, some are from decades past, even alternate timelines.

"That’s why you need to ask each child about their real-life memories. Use that to determine whether they’re a recent disappearance."

At least, agents’ time doesn’t seem affected—likely thanks to "goblin tricks".

Since we’re actually adults, we can still resist this phenomenon.

"But just like kids, we’re still vulnerable to being affected by the supernatural. Staying too long is dangerous."

Agent Choi, the mission leader, had laid down the rules.

"Two days."

"……."

"We’ll stay exactly two days, and we’ll leave on the third. Got it? …Technically, we could stay longer, but headquarters insists."

"Agent."

"I know! That’s why I said—two days."

And so, our mission was clear.

Xuanwu Team 1 and I had two days to find and extract a child who had been missing for less than three years.

Only that child.

"……."

This child’s body was making me too emotional.

I shook my head.

"Stay focused…"

I inhaled and moved.

For two days, I met as many kids as I could.

I talked to every single one of them.

I even found their bedrooms, searching for those who hadn’t greeted us.

But.

"This concludes the current rescue operation."

"……."

"……."

We didn’t find a single child who met the criteria.

Not one.

"Let’s go back."

I bowed my head.

"……."

There are things in this world…

that no matter how hard you try, you just can’t change.

"This ghost story was unknown to me."

Since this wasn’t in , I had no special methods to rely on.

Following the Bureau’s rules and my superior’s plan was the safest choice.

At least, that’s what I told myself.

"No!"

……?!

Wait.

Did… I just say that?

"No! We have to keep searching!"

…That was me.

"……That’s…"

The worst part?

Even my superiors started looking conflicted.

Because…

this child’s body was making them feel the same way.