Episode 179 Ghost Story (3)
“Should we go in first? Given the manager’s personality, I think he’ll just come in when he gets there.”
After waiting for 20 minutes for the swordsman, everyone nodded in agreement with Weapon’s suggestion.
“I brought this, but will I need it?”
Just before opening the door to Aaron’s wing, Abel waved the flashlight he had brought.
Weapon shook his head and answered.
“No, it’s not really necessary. Even though this building is this old, there’s an automatic sensor that turns the lights on. And if they don’t, the light from your smartphone will be enough.”
“Ah… Then I brought it for nothing.”
Abel licked his lips in regret. Rachel snatched the headlights away and spun them around in her hands.
“But just in case, I think it wouldn’t be bad to have something like this? It’ll liven up the mood a bit, nyah!”
“… In my opinion, that looks the most useless thing to you, Rachel. Your hair is shiny yellow.”
They entered the annex and followed Weapon. He grumbled that he didn’t want to take the lead.
But I had no choice but to stand in front because of the four women’s cold stares.
Anyone would have felt the same way if they had been stared at in an instant with cold eyes.
From the front, the procession was Weapon, Saki, Chloe, Abel, and Rachel.
As they were climbing the stairs, Saki, who was walking right behind Weapon, opened her mouth.
“Weapon, where is the place where you saw the ghost?”
“The piano room is in the middle of the hallway on the third floor. The soundproof booth where I practice is at the very end of the hallway. So it’s a structure that you can’t help but see when you come and go.”
“In the middle of the hallway… … By the way, I’m just asking now, but are the kids you saw really ghosts? They could just be kids like you who like the facilities here and use them.”
The third in the line, Chloe, answered Saki’s words.
“Probably not a typical cadet. I asked Knox before coming here today, and he said that cadets are restricted from entering this annex due to safety concerns. Even though it looks clean, the building itself is hundreds of years old.”
Abel, walking second from behind, added.
“Well… we also sneaked in at night so as not to be caught by the instructors. If there were a dozen or so people coming and going like Weapon said, there’s no way the Academy wouldn’t have known.”
At that moment, a faint laughter flowed from behind Abel. Abel did not think much of it.
It’s Rachel’s prank. She was excited before she even entered.
‘It’s a video even without watching it.’
At best, he’s probably trying to scare you by turning the flashlight upside down and sticking his tongue out.
The scene was drawn in Abel’s mind. Rather than bothering him by reacting, ignoring him was the answer.
Abel walked, looking only at the back of the person in front of him, Chloe.
Nyahhhhhhhhhhhhh… … .
The pranks continued for several minutes. Usually, if Rachel ignored them once, she would say, “Not funny, huh?” and not continue.
Pot-tied, Rachel gave up just as quickly as her tension rose.
But now she’s quite persistent. Rachel has also realized that giving up too quickly won’t turn her back on herself.
‘Yeah, is this how it comes out?’
I haven’t been able to sleep well lately and I’m on edge. I guess I should give you a sharp word.
Abel, who had been catching his breath, turned around quickly. The next moment, her eyes widened.
“…uh?”
Rachel, who should have been at the very end of the line, disappeared.
Where did it go in the middle? No, that can’t be.
Just a moment ago, I could clearly feel a presence behind me.
The basic skills of an inspector include detecting movement, so that you can read the opponent’s movements in advance or prepare for a surprise attack.
He trained every single day without fail. Abel was more confident than anyone else in his stamina.
Even if there had been a momentary mistake, it was unlikely that such a distinct presence would have been missed.
So where is Rachel? Abel turned his head forward urgently.
“Guys, Rachel is missing… …!”
Abel swallowed the words he was about to say.
I was dumbfounded, unable to believe what was happening before my eyes.
“Yes, why are you there?”
The third person to take Chloe’s place. Her blonde hair, braided into two pigtails, was captured in the retina.
“Rachel, you, you, when did you come in front of me?”
“Sorry. Abel, I thought you were going too slow, so I asked Chloe to switch seats. Right, Chloe?”
Suddenly, Chloe’s voice flowed in from behind.
“Yes, that’s right. Ms. Rachel said she wanted to go forward, so I changed it for her. So, go ahead.”
Chloe poked Abel’s back with her finger, urging him on, as if she didn’t want to give him time to think.
“Right, let’s go, let’s go.”
“Yeah, I should go. Hurry up.”
The two people in front, Weapon and Saki, added a word each.
Everyone created an atmosphere where Abel was seen as a strange person.
Abel stopped in his tracks. Then he put his hands on his hips and dismissed it.
“What are you guys?”
The air cooled in an instant. Rachel turned away and tilted her neck.
“Stupid Abel.”
Rachel’s voice. She started to pour out her words.
“You were hiding among the cadets that day and couldn’t even come forward, so why are you suddenly acting so bravely now? If you had acted like you did then, you wouldn’t have lost the player to Saki.”
“… … .”
“Kang Geum-ma was closer to you, Abel. Think about it. We lived in the same house for a month. But look at how you are now. You’re so full of pride that you can’t even go to class.”
“… … .”
“Don’t you secretly think that you’re better than other girls?”
“… … .”
“Ah, our crippled and pitiful Abel. Abel, a hypocrite who tries to look like a selfless person on the outside. Abel who asks Shail about basic cosmetics, saying that appearance is just a decoration. Abel, a coward. Abel, a leech. Abel… Abel-”
“Poohaha.”
Abel burst into a light laugh. The mouths that had been babbling for a while suddenly closed.
“You guys in their guise. I know you’re trying to pull my hair out, but it’s refreshing to hear you point it out in such a detailed way.”
Slurp.
Abel’s hand, which had reached down to his waist, soon drew his sword.
She held the sword upright in front of her chest. She saw her own reflection in the blade.
All the contempt and ridicule they poured on her. It was so obvious that she felt completely naked. But there was a smile on her lips.
Abel opened his mouth.
“I was always a coward who received help from Kang Geum-ma, but couldn’t step forward when he was in danger.”
“… … .”
“But you guys made a mistake. We Nibelungs always humbly accept our shortcomings. And we improve immediately. But you point out my mistakes one by one, so I can’t thank you enough.”
Abel held the raised blade to the tip of his nose and closed his eyes.
Hypocrite, coward, and entitled.
I admit all of that. And at the same time, I reflect on it.
That cycle will soon become growth.
Abel opened his eyes slightly.
The current location is in the middle of the second floor hallway. Before they knew it, the four of them were far apart.
He was glaring at me as if he was going to kill me, with bloodshot eyes streaming down his face.
Bloodshot pupils gleamed dangerously in the center of their darkened eyes. The group of ghosts had borrowed the scars of their friends.
Abel felt a chill run down his spine. The hairs on his spine stood on end.
Taking the initiative with that murderous visual? That was foul play.
The men held weapons in both hands. They were kitchen knives, weapons that appear formally in horror movies.
‘Their weapons are also swords.’
It wasn’t a ghost, it was a fellow swordsman. When I turned the idea around like that, the fear seemed to go away.
Moreover, there is a guy who has consistently only used a sword as his weapon.
Compared to that, I wondered if their kitchen knife could even properly peel an apple.
Abel chuckled. Thinking of Kang Geum-ma washes away the lump in his chest.
“Dieee …
Ghosts ran through the hallways, screaming curses. Their knives wielded their cleavers, their arms flailing as if their joints had dislocated.
‘I have to kill the ghost.’
Abel thought calmly as he stared at them. His eyes sank deeply.
‘If it was a strong sword… … .’
Abel put the sword back in her hand. She held the hilt tightly and took a low stance.
He slumped deeply and felt heavy, as if he had a rock on his back.
Right knee bent, left foot extended back. Unstable center of gravity.
It was a posture that seemed like it would collapse if even a single gust of wind blew. But that precariousness was the key to the explosive leap.
Abel once disguised the swordsmanship of someone he was jealous of.
The footsteps came closer. About twenty steps away. The ghosts extended their cleavers in a twisted orbit. It was a truly ghastly offensive.
“ha.”
Abel let out a hot breath through his clenched teeth. A long puff of breath. Swish—the train spewed steam.
Abel opened his eyes wide. Immediately, his foot burst through the pavement of the hallway. A silvery line stretched across the hallway like a pair of bars.
Ssung!
Abel was maintaining his posture at the vanishing point of the hallway.
Tak. The moment the tip of the sword collided with the scabbard, the ghosts were torn to pieces like radish chips.
* * *
I cut down all the ghost bastards I came across, destroying dozens of them.
But even so, these kids, instead of decreasing in number, kept growing bigger and bigger. While bursting into bizarre laughter.
Nyahahahahahahahaha!
At first, there were three of them: Saki, Weapon, and Chloe. Then I killed them all with one sword.
But I made a huge mistake. I blurted out, “Did you hurt me?”
Not to be dismayed, ghosts poured out from all directions.
Piano room, art room, ceiling.
Anyway, it appeared in all the places where ghosts are expected to appear.
The new characters that appeared were also bizarre.
With a kitchen knife in his mouth, crawling on all fours on the ceiling, or pounding the floor with his head, it was a complete ghost gift set.
If you look at them individually, their power was just so-so. They were like C-class demons. However, they came in droves, so it was quite troublesome.
If it were to turn into a war of attrition, I would be at a disadvantage. Coincidentally, I could only manifest [Protection of the Sword God] for 60 seconds.
So, I planned a plan and hid in the third stall of the men’s bathroom. It was not a good place to retreat to in terms of strategy. The other places were full of ghosts.
I sat on the toilet and collected my thoughts.
‘First, let’s hurt all those bastards… No, it’s something we can’t deal with.’
I concluded that this haunted den had similar characteristics to a dungeon.
After cutting down a few of them, I got the feel for them. Those guys running around in the hallway, making noises, were closer to demons than ghosts. That was the taste.
I tried to escape through the window, but the glass was scratched.
Once you enter, you cannot leave until the raid begins. This is also a characteristic shared with other dungeons.
Let’s put aside why there’s a dungeon in the academy. That’s not what’s important right now.
If this place shares the characteristics of a dungeon, there must be a strategy for conquering it.
The problem is that I don’t know that, because back when I was playing, there was no event like ‘Hometown of Legends’.
‘If I just knew the strategy, I think I could overcome it.’
Usually, in times like this, Sakina Weapon and I would brainstorm solutions instead.
As I was reflecting on their importance, an exclamation mark flashed in my mind.
I immediately brought up the status window and activated [Protection of Communication]. Then, I started talking to him out of the blue.
– Hey, give me a hint.
[… … .]
He was silent as if buffering had occurred. I guess it was too much.
I thought it would be useful because it provided a lot of information in times of emergency.
‘It’s useless when it really matters… … .’
Phew!
‘… … ?’
* * *
[Tip: Find the core of the ‘Horror Maison’ and destroy it. Then you can escape.]
[… … .]
[… … .]
[I don’t believe you. Sigh]
* * *
“Central.”
It certainly seems that the strategy isn’t to completely wipe out all the ghosts.
I wish he had told me the location of the core, but no matter how many times I called, there was no response.
‘That’s annoying.’
But thanks to that, I got the hang of it. First, I think about the location of the center here and then I move.
but…….
Why is it so quiet outside?
I don’t watch horror movies often, but I know what this silence means.
A bathroom, a sudden silence. Has there ever been a set this perfectly constructed?
First of all, I am hunched over the toilet. So I can see the pink shoes standing neatly through the crack in the door. The pointed toes are pointed right in my direction.
I slowly raised my head.
A tall monster with its head poking through the doorway, almost touching the ceiling. A hideous smirk hung at the corner of her mouth.
“Peekaboo? Found it.”
