Chapter 02
Day 1 at Work
A heavy metal door opened with a deep, grinding sound, revealing Extraction Room D Zone.
After the eerie laughter earlier, I looked around.
One section, two sections… the isolation zones stretched on endlessly, filled with things that were hard to describe in human language.
“This is… all real?”
The first cell.
What I saw the moment I opened my eyes was something without a form.
It wasn’t black like something absorbing light, nor was it transparent.
It was simply a ripple that kept spreading and disappearing at the edge of my vision.
My rational mind desperately tried to label it as a stain on the wall or an optical illusion.
“You can only observe it. Do not make eye contact.”
Section Chief Myeon explained calmly beside me.
The moment he finished speaking, I made “eye contact” with it.
I didn’t even know if it had eyes.
But something deep inside me was certain that I had.
In that instant, it felt like the skin on my shoulder peeled away like a shell.
As if someone opened my body, looked inside, and then closed it again.
Nausea rose in my stomach, and I grabbed the wall, barely managing to turn my head away.
My eyes turned slightly red.
One of Section Chief Myeon’s seven faces smiled and muttered.
“Everyone is like that at first. If you feel like vomiting, there’s a bathroom outside. Please don’t hesitate.”
The tone was kind, but it only made me feel worse.
We moved to the next cell.
Inside were beings that looked almost human—but were not human at all.
They were burning something covered in smoke, then gathering the ashes again, crushing them, washing them, grinding them, repeating it endlessly.
Their faces did not change at all. Their mechanical hand movements repeated the same actions.
It was strangely horrifying, as if they were part of a giant gear system.
No meaning, no will—only burning, crushing, washing, grinding, existing only for that process itself.
One of Section Chief Myeon’s faces looked worried again and asked.
“Your expression is getting worse. Are you really okay?”
“Ah… yes, I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.”
I answered automatically, words I didn’t even mean, while forcing my trembling legs to keep following him.
The next cell.
In a water tank, something that looked like a human face made of mold was floating.
The mold shook its roots and seemed to laugh in a giggling motion.
From the ceiling hung what looked like a customer review screen, with five-star ratings sparkling and smiling faces.
In the next cell, there was a sealed box.
From inside came the crying of something that sounded like a child with four mouths.
‘So this is all… dimensional entities?’
Following my gaze, Section Chief Myeon spoke slowly.
“Dimensional entities are company assets. Storage, management, extraction. That is our job.”
His voice was calm, but there was a hint of pride.
“To put it simply, they are infinite raw materials. Sometimes power, sometimes knowledge, sometimes even dreams themselves. They are a treasure chest—you just take what you need. Because it is important work, the benefits and prototype supplies for employees are quite good.”
One of his faces smiled, another looked like it was about to cry.
Another wheezed as if feverish and continued speaking.
“But at the same time… they are dangerous. If management is neglected, this entire place could collapse.”
“I understand.”
“Especially damage to the extraction rooms threatens the company’s entire security. In short, Employee Jeong, it is directly tied to our lifeline.”
I only nodded in response.
Only one thought kept circling in my mind.
‘Is this really a company?’
Inside the isolation rooms, more indescribable forms wriggled.
Shadows sliding along the walls and vanishing, a floating severed arm, something that kept folding and unfolding its face like plastic wrap…
I forced my gaze away.
If I kept looking, I would definitely lose my mind.
Section Chief Myeon nodded in satisfaction and concluded.
“Good. That concludes the field tour. Employee Jeong, I hope we can work together for a long time.”
At that moment, his seven faces all showed different expressions at once.
Smiling, crying, screaming, holding back laughter.
I avoided all those gazes and forced myself to respond neutrally.
“Yes. I will try my best.”
After leaving the extraction rooms, I followed Section Chief Myeon.
Extraction Team 1.
The department where I would be working.
“Please come in. This will be the place you’ll be staying in for a very long time.”
The first thing that hit my nose was a completely ordinary office smell.
Moderately dry air conditioner wind, toner dust from printers, and a faint scent of coffee.
If I had to summarize the office, it was “fairly normal.”
Basic dual monitors, cubicles, shared printers.
Except for the Section Chief standing beside me and a few strange objects on the desks, the structure was just an ordinary office.
As I carefully stepped inside and looked around, I saw there were six desks.
The cleanest one, near the window and spotless like it had no dust at all, belonged to Section Chief Myeon.
He sat down comfortably and pointed to an empty seat in the corner.
“That is your seat, Employee Jeong. All supplies are in the drawer. Check them. I also put extra items in there.”
“Yes, thank you. I will check.”
While walking to my seat, I quickly scanned the other desks.
The first one I noticed was completely covered in plants and pots, like a jungle.
It didn’t look like a hobby anymore—there was barely any space left on the desk.
The second desk was decorated in luxurious gothic style.
Golden candle stands, red velvet cloth, and a feather pen like something from a medieval noble’s study. It looked more like a noble’s room than a modern desk.
The third desk was normal but messy and chaotic, filled with sticky notes and scattered parts.
Either a scattered personality… or a lazy one.
And the last desk.
The moment I saw it, I stopped slightly.
In one corner of the desk were bones that looked like something had just been butchered.
Between broken keyboard keys were black stains that looked like dried blood.
A clear conclusion formed in my mind.
‘There is no normal one.’
Just looking at the desks already made my temples ache.
“Are they all out?”
I asked while setting my bag down.
One of Section Chief Myeon’s seven faces smiled gently.
“Extraction Team 1 is elite. Everyone is out on assignments. You’ll meet them soon, so don’t rush.”
“…Understood.”
“Normally I would explain everything myself, but today the workload for the Refinement Department is heavy. That’s why everyone is out in the field. I’ll also need to go out shortly.”
All seven of his heads glanced at the clock at the same time.
The ticking sound made his voice speed up slightly.
“Now, there should be a file called ‘New Employee Guide’ on your desktop. There are also other materials, so browsing the company intranet will help. Excel and report templates too. Basic office work should be self-explanatory.”
“Yes, I’ll make sure to learn it.”
He pointed at the monitor with a pale finger.
“Good. I look forward to it. Ah, when you have time, please bring a cup of water from the water purifier for the plants over there.”
Without even waiting for a reply, he walked back to his seat.
I just sat there in my chair, watching his back.
For a moment, I wasn’t even sure if I had been breathing.
After a deep breath, I finally confirmed I was still alive.
‘What did I just see?’
Dimensional entities? Extraction? Management?
I had no idea what kind of job this was.
I sat down in front of the monitor where he pointed and placed my hand on the mouse.
The cold plastic texture ran through my palm.
The desktop was surprisingly normal.
But in the center, a single red folder icon stood out like a drop of blood.
[New Employee Guide]
I double-clicked it.
Dozens of documents appeared.
At the very top was a file titled [(Co., Ltd.) Standard Classification and Rating of Dimensional Entities].
Black text appeared on a dark screen.
==========
Classification Criteria for Dimensional Entities
Before extraction work, new employees must identify the type of target and follow the corresponding manual.
Biological Type: Forms that mimic or parasitize organic structures of existing ecosystems.
Object Type: Non-living matter, machines, or artifacts imbued with anomaly.
Composite Type: A fusion of two or more categories with irregular properties.
Adaptive Type: Forms that change appearance and rules in real time depending on environment or extraction progress.
Formless Type: No fixed body, existing as gas, liquid, shadow, sound, etc.
Conceptual Type: Forms that ignore physical laws, manifested from faith, fear, disasters, etc.
Risk Levels and Extraction Guide
The company classifies dimensional entities by management difficulty and potential threat level.
D-Class: Safe with manual compliance. Used as consumable resources for facility operation.
C-Class: Frequent physical damage and mental contamination. Protective gear allowed. Supervised extraction required for new employees.
B-Class: Fatal without proper control. Must be handled by experienced managers or higher.
A-Class: A single entity can cause company-wide shutdown. Requires executive approval and direct involvement.
■ Class: [Access restricted]
General Employee Rules
No emotional assimilation: All audio and visual data from entities are imitation; block them completely.
No unauthorized contact: Any unapproved experiments or contact will result in immediate dismissal.
Mandatory reporting: Report immediately and evacuate if any new phenomena appear during work.
==========
The lower sections were inaccessible.
Even with multiple strange experiences, the human mind was not built to be that flexible.
As I held my aching head, trying to forget everything I had seen, a paper on the office wall caught my eye.
[URGENT NOTICE]
Do not enter the 3rd floor storage area this week.
Two spatial distortion incidents detected.
If you encounter something that looks like you, do not smile first.
That is not a verification procedure.
— (Co., Ltd.)
“Haah…”
I exhaled without thinking, then immediately closed my mouth.
And I moved the mouse with trembling hands to browse the intranet further.
I needed to understand what kind of company this was—or whether it could even be called a “company” at all.
[Dead Will Be Correct Co., Ltd.]
The main page looked normal.
But the contents inside were anything but normal.
[Announcements]
<Read First> If a red drink comes out of the 4th floor vending machine, do not drink it.
<Obituary> Funeral notice for Extraction Team 1 Deputy Chief Mok (Revival in 3 days)
<Lost Item> I am looking for my left arm. Please contact security if found.
<Read First> Stairwell to Floor 377 is prohibited
‘I’m going crazy.’
The more I scrolled, the more my mind went blank.
Today’s cafeteria menu listed something called rainbow energy jelly.
The club recruitment board had entries like Abyss Staring Club and Scream Choir.
If it were just internet humor, I could have laughed it off.
But the extraction room I had just seen proved that none of this was a joke.
“…”
I wiped my face and looked back at the monitor.
Seeing my reflection in the black screen, only one clear thought formed in my mind.
‘Let’s quit.’
