The Protagonists Are Murdered By Me Chapter 30: 151-155, a 13 tzameti fanfic

Since I couldn't maintain Holy Conversion for long, I promptly turned it off after incapacitating the ghost. Blood pooled under the ghost's body and drenched the floor in red. The place where the ghost lay currently was the thirteenth stair. A terrifying phenomenon fueled by 'spiritual' power to create a new space altogether. It even successfully deceived me, an S rank superhuman, who had extensive knowledge of magic and martial arts.

(For those who forgot, Holy Conversion is the skill from the Saintess)

'What the hell is this?'

It looks like a layered dimension. It added another reality to the current reality with illusion.

And soon enough, the thirteenth stair disappeared, perhaps because I recognized it as an illusion.

On the floor, there was nothing but a ghost whose body writhed even more intensely because it had been struck by the ether blade. The ghost had a very terrifying appearance: Black hair, white skin, and ripped lips. I'm afraid it will visit me in my dream tonight.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH….

Pang!!

"This bastard…. Be quiet!!!"

It only closed its loud mouth after I struck its head with the side of my ether blade covered with holy power. It's still alive though, I'm pretty sure by the looks of its eyes, if it had its chance, it would lunge at me.

'What should I do with this now?'

It was possible for me to attack and injure the ghost with holy power. The ghost indeed had the ability to manipulate reality, however, as a trade-off, its combat power was awfully poor. Well, to be fair, all ghosts had poor combat ability.

However, the ghost, which had weak defense and trashy attack power, and looked like nothing but a mob at first glance, had a very troublesome characteristic. It had an infinite amount of physical strength, which means, ghost could not be killed because its HP would not decrease.

I could choose to cut the ghost in front of me into a million pieces right here right now, but in the end, it would be nothing but extra work. Because tomorrow, it will return to its perfect condition and hunt the students all over again.

While I was pondering about what I should do, I could feel someone climbing through the stairs.

After a few moments passed, I could see a girl with a gloomy atmosphere around her and deep dark circles underneath her eyes. It was Ahinal.

With a voice devoid of strength, she asked, "Are you not afraid of seeing ghosts? Are you thinking of attacking it?"

I shook my head at her question.

"It just somehow happened."

"And, it looks like you have quite a lot of 'spiritual power'…"

Ahinal slowly climbed the stairs and looked at the ghost of the thirteenth stair. She bit her lip. It seems like she was unable to properly maintain her composure, unlike the time when we had met the other day.

"But… you don't seem to know how to seal it. There is no point in attacking it."

She opened her diary. It was an old diary with a strange character on its cover. Does that really belong to her? It was hard to imagine that a middle school student had such an old diary.

"It was written here…."

"What was written there?"

"A way to seal that ghost."

–

Z Month XX Year.

The non-existent thirteenth stair appeared. It was rumoured that anyone who witnessed the phenomenon would surely die. Students have disappeared every now and then. Just where did they go?

The keyword for this ghost is the thirteenth stair. The thirteenth stair was added to the original twelve stairs to stimulate fear and gain strength. So, I decided to take advantage of that.

I made the 14th stair by building an X-shaped footrest on the stair, then I went up there and tapped the floor three times with my foot. After that, I put my hands together and chanted the spell. 'I am afraid of you, my sweetheart, I am afraid of you.' Then the ghost was sealed in the diary.

It should never wake up again…

–

After a while, Ahinal put an X-shaped stool on the stairs as it was written in his diary and chanted the spell.

"I am afraid of you, my sweetheart, I am afraid of you."

Then, a white light flashed. The ghost began to scream once again. Before it could deafen my ears once again, I shoved my ether blade right into its mouth, and it went silent. Eventually, the ghost turned into light particles and flowed into the diary.

It lingered around the diary for a few moments before dissipating altogether.

[Protagonist 'Ahinal' has acquired 'nonexistent manual' ability from a ghost.]

[The stat of the protagonist 'Ahinal' has slightly increased.]

"…."

Ahinal complexion turned slightly better. It seems like she fell into some kind of trance as the ghost energy flowed into the diary. As I stared at her without a word, she slowly opened her eyes.

"You… you are more courageous than I thought, would you like to join the Psychic Research Club and do some ghost hunting with me?"

"Ghost hunting?"

"Yeah. We hunt ghosts that wander around the school and protect our school."

I had no intention of protecting the school, but I did not hesitate to nod my head as I had no intention of kicking the opportunity that had appeared in front of me.

"Ahinal, 10th grade student. She is the head of the Psychic Research Club and a 1st circle Wizard. She transferred to this school in 5th grade, her grades aren't noteworthy per say. She doesn't have a particularly flamboyant personality and has very few friends, so I don't know much about her personality or characteristics."

The very next day at lunch, Aracelli, as usual, ate in front of me and briefed me about what she had discovered.

"One peculiar thing about her is… Her transfer timing coincided with the time when the ghosts started appearing again as well as when the Principal's diary disappeared."

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"I thought so."

I was aware that the information Aracelli shared with me, gave me, the [Protagonist Hunter, a glimpse into the plot. Of course, at first what I knew was beyond vague, but as time passed, I poked here and there, and I could find all the answers I wanted.

Perhaps, the ghosts of this school were originally sealed in the 'diary' Ahinal held. However, due to some kind of incident involving Ahinal, the seals were undone and all the ghosts poured out in this school. From that day on, Ahinal's goal was to seal all the ghosts that had spread across this school!

At first glance, it seems like she was protecting the school by catching all the ghosts that wandered the school…..but the truth is way far from it. She was only cleaning up her own mess. It had nothing to do with school peace. Moreover, when there is a victim, kneeling down and apologizing is far from enough… Well, it doesn't matter anymore, from now on, the problem is how to kill Ahinal.

"Simply killing her won't do right, Professor?" Aracelli's question snapped me back from my train of thoughts.

"It seems so. Ahinal has already merged with the ghosts. And there's a chance she can be resurrected as a ghost when she dies. Even if she doesn't want to, she could avoid death."

The resurrection would be different from "Time Loop" or "Return To The Past" kind of cliché. In this case, the problem was a ghost…

'A way to kill her…'

I had found a few clues. First, the diary in which the ghosts were sealed.

Why were ghosts and ghost stories sealed in that diary, and why were they released? And who sealed those ghosts in the past?

And the second one, Ahinal's ability. It seems like her magic level was on the level as mine if I did not get any assistance from the flowerpot. However, her spiritual power is quite powerful, it could even absorb the powers of ghosts.

My level was higher than her, but… there's a problem with compatibility. I had no means to attack the soul. The best I could do was clad the ether blade with holy power, but in the end it is still a physical attack. My chances of winning against Ahinal with only that are tragically slim.

Aracelli had told me that the ghost I encountered last night had a weak ability so it couldn't affect me. But if I met another ghost with better ability, say, it could use a 'mental attack' to make people go crazy, I'll be damned.

In fact, Aracelli also told me about a story from her home world where a 7th circle wizard committed suicide after being possessed by a single ghost, so we should not look down at ghosts.

'However….'

Just because someone was a magician who deals with demons, there was no law that said demons couldn't strike them back. As a monster hunter myself, I had almost died countless times while hunting them. In other words, Ahinal was not omnipotent when it came to ghosts. If there's a stronger ghost, it could attack Ahinal.

"…it seems there's only one way."

Using the story in reverse.

Aracelli, who was busy munching her sandwich, tilted her head.

"Doesn't that student know how to deal with all the ghost stories?"

"No, not all ghost stories, she just knows how to deal with 'ghosts'."

"Hmmm? Isn't that the same thing?"

"It's different. A ghost is just a ghost. Ghost story is a story." I paused briefly. "The word 'ghost' exists as a specific keyword in the first place. But, with the keyword 'ghost of thirteenth stair' we could exercise the ghost by creating the fourteenth stair. The rule in the manual didn't have anything to do with the ghost."

"I see…."

"The story itself is important. Because the very word 'horror story' gives power to the ghost."

From now on, I will use that ghost story to my advantage.

"Right now, there are countless ghosts in this school which have been released from their seals. But they haven't shown themselves yet, as they didn't have any story related to them yet. From now on, I will make up that ghost story and cover the keywords. It will hinder Ahinal from identifying the ghost."

"Is it possible to make a ghost story in one day?"

"It's possible."

Because I had the knowledge of countless ghost stories from another world called Earth.

"So, please spread the word as I write it down."

Unlike me, who has no friends, Aracelli was a popular star in this school.

"Since you don't smoke, you could just talk about it while having a chat over a cup of coffee. Or take some time, say, for 5 minutes after class to talk to the students, or chat with other teachers while having some lun-"

"Not at lunch!"

"-ch… Huh?"

Aracelli said in protest.

"I can't do it during lunch…"

"Why?"

"Because it's the only time I can spend with Professor in the entire day."

"…."

The average meal time was about 10 to 15 minutes. Aracelli came to this world chasing after me, but the time she spends with me is only 15 minutes out of 24 hours. And yet, she never complained. Even though it was only 15 minutes, she was happy with it.

And yet, I ordered her to do something in those 15 minutes and deprived her from her happy time.

"…sorry. Let's keep eating together."

Then Aracelli smiled again.

"Yes, Professor!!"

Psychic Research Club. Although from its name it sounds like a flashy club, in reality it only had a few members. It wasn't a stretch to call it a club that was on the brink of disbandment.

"So… I was just looking for a member. I wish there were more members who are brave and smart… and ummm, and have courage to stand against ghosts like you…"

"…."

Tonight was the night of the full moon. Even when the sun had long gone to the other side of the planet, the world was still bright as the moonlight showered the darkness with its brilliance.

"It's the first time I've heard a story like this…dance room ghost story."

Late at night, I was heading to an abandoned building with Ahinal. It was because there was a ghost story about the dance room in the building that had been abandoned for 10 years.

'When the full moon was at its highest point, if you go to the dance room and dance, a ghost will appear!'

It's an old-fashioned ghost story that was common on Earth. But, perhaps here, it was uncommon. That's why Ahinal showed interest.

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"Ahinal. Are you not afraid of ghosts?"

"Well…."

I asked her as we were walking slowly towards the abandoned building while relying on Ahinal's 1 circle magic 'sphere of light'.

"It takes some courage. But I have to hunt ghosts."

"…."

I concluded that Ahinal was also afraid of ghosts. It wasn't mere conjecture, it was a conclusion I drew after observing her body language, her expression and her overall atmosphere.

It was such a cliché. The cliché of the protagonist who shook even with the tiniest flickering of light around them. They also almost make a mistake at an important moment, but in the end, they overcome it with courage.

The courage to fight against ghosts. You can't help but be afraid of ghosts. Unless you are a psychopath who has lost your fear. And Ahinal, in my eyes, was not a psychopath.

"…it's here. In this spooky building."

The abandoned building was old and worn out, it was a wonder itself that it hadn't collapsed yet. There were a lot of cracks on its wall, and from the cracks, vines grew and enveloped the building. It added to the eeriness of the building.

The roof was also covered with green plants that were difficult to tell whether it was moss or weeds because it was dark, and most of the windows were barren of glass, leaving huge gaps here and there.

The door creaked as I pushed it. Step by step we walked through the building.

'Weren't there many ghost stories that were made because someone mistook the sound of the wind for the cry of a ghost?'

Now I find those notions not so laughable, because they were true. The cry of the wind coupled with the eeriness of the building really sounds like a cry of a ghost.nov𝗲𝓵𝑢𝓢𝑏\𝑪/o\𝗆

Honestly, I was scared. The experience from the ghost of the thirteenth stair made me clench my ether blade unknowingly.

I was very familiar with intuitive fear. A hunter who lost their fear would eventually lose his life sooner or later. Fear of monsters stronger than me, fear of protagonists stronger than me. Using that endless fear as a driving force, I tried harder to overcome every situation.

But…

I couldn't simply overcome it right now. Because in the first place, it was fear of something unknown that does not exist in my world. I wasn't used to it.

"Here it is. The dance room… It's more ordinary than I thought."

"…."

The size of the dance room was around 50 pyeong. The floor, which was supposed to be smooth, was filled with cracks. Ahinal opened the door slightly and said to me, "You wait here. The dance room ghosts will only show up if I was alone."

"Okay."

The way to summon the dance room ghost was simple. You just had to dance at midnight. Based on the story, the ghost would appear and dance together with you.

Eventually, Ahinal went into the dance room alone and closed the door.

Now it's time to summon the ghost.

'This place is older than I thought…'

Ahinal walked slowly through the dance room. When she threw the crystal ball she had prepared in advance to the ceiling, lights permeated across the room. Then, when she put another crystal ball down on the floor and touched it, soft music came out. It was a dance song that she learned in arts and physical education class.

'Mirror.'

Standing in front of a mirror that occupied one side of the dance room wall, Ahinal stood in form. Then, her reflection in the mirror did the exact same thing as her.

Dancing wasn't difficult, one just needed to surrender their body to the music.

One of her feet stepped forwards, then she raised her arms to the air before spinning her body.

She peeked at herself in the mirror to see if her dance was a mess. Anyway, the festival is coming up soon, so she danced with the thought that she would practice in advance.

Time passed, and even though it was already past midnight, Ahinal kept dancing.

'The ghost hasn't appeared yet?'

Another minute passed. Ahinal looked around her while dancing. But nothing had changed. Old hardwood floors, two crystal balls and a mirror.

'…was it just a rumour?'

Not all ghost stories were true. When the dawn approached, Ahinal finally stopped dancing. She sighed heavily as sweat ran profusely on her body. She picked up the crystal which had run out of magical powers and left the dance room without strength.

'Where's Yoo Seodam?'

He's gone.

The thought of her being here alone made her shiver, but she bit her mouth shut. She told herself that she was not intimidated by this.

As she slowly walked out the front door, she saw Yoo Seodam standing there. Oddly enough, he seemed like he was still brimming with strength. There was no trace of exhaustion on his face.

"How was it?"

"…there's no ghost."

"Really? Were you really dancing all night long?"

"Yeah, I danced while looking in the mirror."

Ahinal spat without much thought. She was slightly annoyed at Yoo Seodam who looked like he was ignoring her words. However, after hearing Ahinal's words, Yoo Seodam's expression turned several tones paler.

"Let's go back soon…"

"Why are you doing this all of a sudden?"

"I'll tell you about it later."

Yoo Seodam grabbed Ahinal's arm. For her, it was rude. She tried to yank her arms free, but she stopped as Yoo Seodam words flew to her ears.

"…you danced all night looking at the mirror?"

"Yes, I did."

"Impossible."

Yoo Seodam was still looking ahead, not even looking at Ahinal.

"In the dance room… there are no mirrors."

Huh?

Late at night, the students returned to their respective dormitory. Only teachers on duty stayed behind in the campus.

One particular black-haired female teacher walked down the dark hallway. The not-so-smooth floor creaked as her feet stepped on it.

There were a lot of ugly rumours circulating around the school these days, so even the black-haired teacher, who was originally a veteran battle wizard, didn't quite like the job. She just forced herself to take the duty when her turn came.

Of course, no one was directly involved in the strange phenomenon. Most of them fainted and couldn't remember anything as they came to their senses. But there were some students who seemed to have disappeared and never came back.

'…..'

The hallway was really quiet. The current time was around midnight. Even though it was time for all the students to return to their dormitory, the teacher somehow had the feeling that there were still students on the campus. Then, the teacher suddenly turned her gaze to one of the classrooms.

'Student?'

Someone was in the classroom. The teacher opened the door to the classroom without hesitation. Inside, she saw a certain girl was staring at her with her arms supporting her chin as if she knew the teacher would open the door and come in.

"Student. What are you doing there? You have to return to your dorm."

"I can't go, teacher."

"You can't go? What do you mean? Come here now."

"No, teacher."

The girl stepped forward. However, unlike normal people, she didn't use her legs. Using her arms, she 'put' her upper body on top of the desk.

"Because….I have no legs, ma'am!!!!!!"

Kung Kung Kung!

Supporting her upper body with her elbows, the schoolgirl began to approach the teacher.

Thump thump!

"Kung Kung Kung Kung!!"

"Teacher."

Teacher Teacher.

"Teacher, teacher, teacher."

"I have no legs."

I have no legs, Ma'am, I have no legs.

"I have no legs I have no legs I have no legs Kung Kung Kung Kung Kung!!"

The girl reached out her hand to grab the teacher's leg.

"That leg is mine now. I can have those beautiful legs. From now on, I can walk on two legs."

But at that moment.

Wooonngg!!!

"Ugh!?"

A bright white barrier appeared in front of the female teacher, blocking the legless ghost. The ghost bounced back, she propped her body up again using her elbow and stared back at the teacher.

The teacher's wavy black hair fluttered, and contrasting her blue eyes, a golden cog gleamed behind her as it floated and spun. Dozens of tiny rods of light were attached to the slow-moving cogwheel, and they were emitting a strong energy.

And then, five golden mirror fragments surrounded her body.

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"Huuh….?"

The ghost didn't know the fact that the teacher in front of her was the true form of Archmage Aracelli Rinekal from her days as 'Demon Hunter'. She only knew the fact that she was shaking in fear because fear was an important energy for ghosts.

'It's difficult…' Aracelli frowned.

The cog wheel behind her appeared naturally whenever it detected the presence of a demon. It also consumed some of her mana.

Back when she was a demon hunter, she carried not one but seven cogs behind her for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. But right now, it was impossible for her to use it as she couldn't regenerate her mana fast enough.

She already felt the mana in her body being reduced to half. She couldn't drag it any longer.

Aracelli raised her hand, and the five mirrors around the ghost connected with a ray of golden light and trapped the ghost within.

"I, I, I just need legs…!"

"I know. You don't have legs, so it must have been very difficult for you."

"….?"

Then, a golden glow burst out. Legs sprouted from the legless ghost's lower body. Although it was only a spiritual body rather than an actual body, that alone allowed the ghost to walk on her two feet instead of using her elbows. Just like the days when she could roam freely before her death.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

"Even though I can't save you… Still, for your last few moments, run around as much as you want. That's all I can do."

"Th…thank you… Thank you… Really…. Ahh…"

The ghost sobbed. Her blood-soaked upper body had become clean. She looked like an ordinary pretty highschool girl. She began to totter slowly from where she once stood, like a baby, cautiously, and then ran through the hallway's window.

Aracelli looked at the window where the ghost disappeared. Perhaps…before she got sealed back into the diary, she would run endlessly to enjoy her last moments.

Soon, the golden cogs behind Aracelli that were brighter than the sun itself, disappeared, and Aracelli broke out into a cold sweat.

'Half of my mana had already been consumed….'

Originally, to help or kill a single ghost was easy. However, for the weakened Aracelli, it was very hard. But it didn't matter that much to her, because in the first place she was going to give up everything she had, even her magic, for him.

'Tonight… I have to spend some time with Professor.'

She smiled. Once she told her professor that her mana had depleted, he wouldn't be able to refuse her like he normally would. With such a happy thought, Aracelli turned around. The fact that she had done a good deed made her feel better, and she was even humming at some point.

"Hey, hey, did you know? If you look in the full-length mirror on the first floor of the abandoned building, sometimes your reflection on the mirror will do something different…!"

"I also heard that the statue in the abandoned building will open its eyes and walk around at midnight!!!"

"Did you see the book that the stone statue of the abandoned building holds? Every night it turns one page, and when it reaches the last page, the school will collapse…!"

"When you go to the first compartment on the 4th floor of the abandoned building, and do your chores, a ghost will appear and ask you, 'Do you want a red tissue or a blue one?' They say that if you answer red tissue, your body will turn into seven packs of blood, and if you choose blue tissue, they will strangle you until your body turns blue…"

So, just like that two months passed.

Quite a lot of ghost stories had spread throughout the school in the meantime. Some ghost stories were similar to the current ghost stories that circulated in the school and were present in this world. Because all the ghost stories that could occur in this so-called school were the stories that existed in any world. However, there were still a lot of ghost stories that were unfamiliar to them, and the students were terrified to tell them.

Of course, the ghost stories were highly likely to materialize, so most of them were based on 'abandoned buildings' or 'toilets in the abandoned building'. It was my attempt to avoid damage unless one dared to approach it.

The only person who dared to go to such an abandoned building would be the ghost story hunter Ahinal.

Over the period of the past few weeks, her face had grown even more weary. When I asked her why she looked so tired, she said that it was because of the stress of dealing with ghosts alone.

Unlike monsters, ghosts reveal the most terrifying end of a human being's death, and unless the one who faced them didn't have any emotions, they were bound to experience mental stress while dealing with them. And, according to my plan, Ahinal had built up more and more stress.

[Protagonist Ahinal's level has become: 150]

"Thank you for your hard work again today…"

Ahinal sealed the ghost we had just defeated, and she was growing more and more stronger. Helping an enemy that I had to kill to grow stronger may seem silly in the short term. But in the long run, it was an act that would allow me to be there when she was in the worst of her condition, so it would eventually play in my favour.

If there was one problem, it was that I also received a lot of stress. If someone asked me a month ago if I was afraid of ghosts or not, I would confidently answer 'I am not afraid'.

But not now.

Honestly, it's so scary.

I saw a man who committed suicide by twisting all joints on his body. I also found an altar with headless corpses hanging upside down. There were also times when I was walking down a street with no one in the middle of the night, and out of the blue, the sound of children's laughter came from all directions, and while I was walking, all of the lights suddenly went out.

It was a horror story I had never known before.

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Ghosts were not necessarily scary because they were visible. But when they become invisible, it becomes hella scary.

[E/N: Just like flying cockroaches that disappear after being sighted…]

"Today, we are also going to hunt for 'selfie ghost story'."

For two months, I spent quite a bit of time with Ahinal. We stayed up and spent so many nights together, but our relationship never turned into anything more than a partner. It felt like I was partnering with the kind of people I would never get to know, no matter how much time I spent with them.

When we met, we only talked about ghost stories. I secretly shared my knowledge of ghost stories from my world, and Ahinal came to recognize me as a 'pretty courageous and knowledgeable person'. It could be said that my knowledge was a great help to her when she faced something she didn't know about.

"Selfie ghost?"

"Yeah."

murmur murmur*

The place was quite crowded, partly because it was still around dinner time and partly because it was just before the 'School Festival', the bread and butter of the School Life genre.

"It's a story that said that someone would stand behind you when you take a picture of yourself with a camera in the auditorium warehouse. To be honest, I am very unfamiliar with these kinds of ghost stories."

It was plausible because it was a world where there were very few ghost stories with pictures. However, on Earth, it was common to see strange things appearing in photos. More importantly, that ghost story was also spread by me.

'Let's see if this ghost story actually gave birth to some ghost…….'

"Are we going right away?"

"No. Right now, the auditorium warehouse is crowded because of the festival preparations."

"So, as usual, around midnight?"

"It will also be difficult around that time…. I think the festival team will continue to use the auditorium. As you know, our school tends to put a lot of effort into preparation since people from outside will also attend the festival."

"What should we do, then?"

"Let's give up and find another ghost story, then."

"We can't do that. As long as there is even a slight possibility that a ghost will appear, I must hunt it."

"…."

She spoke as if it was her mission. But in the end it happened because of her own fault.

Ahinal gaze fell on the diary. Even about that unidentified diary, a certain outline was established.

It was true that the diary was written by the 'Principal', who god-only-knows what he is doing right now. In the diary in which a number of ghosts were sealed, the method of sealing them was also written. However, she misplaced it and released all the ghosts, and was in the process of re-sealing them.

I've seen this type of story in manga a few times before.

The story was that the heroine touches something wrong, and a monster is released into the world, and she works to seal it up again. The genre of the said story was a magical girl with cards, a ghost story, or something like Pandora's Box.

There was only one important point. If it wasn't for the contact between the heroine and the sealing medium, the monsters would not have been released into the world.

"I am the main dancer for this festival stage. I'll get some attention if I go on the stage tonight, so, please help me."

"What?"

"While I'm drawing attention, you have to take a selfie."

"…."

Until now, Ahinal had never asked for anything directly related to ghosts. So I frowned a little. I can't help it because of the situation, but I really hate having direct contact with ghosts.

"…."

But looking at her expression, it seemed like she's her usual self. Maybe Ahinal wants to leave the ghost story hunting to me using that excuse.

"Tell you what, I'll try it just this one time."

When I gave her my consent, the corner of her lips raised up.

What. Why are you so anxious?

"Good. Let's go right away."

She turned heel just like that with a forced smile on her haggard expression, and I had no choice but to reconsider the 'selfie ghost story' with a very uneasy feeling.

School festival, an annual event when the spirit of youth is at its peak. At first glance, it might look like every student enjoyed it, but in fact, more than half of the students did not enjoy the festival. After all, the festival was an event where the cool kids shone brighter than the rest.

By the way, Ahinal had bragged about her stamina and dancing skill to me when we were hunting the dance room ghost a couple of months ago. It seems like Ahinal was one of those cool kids.

On the outside, she looked like she was a gloomy loner with no friends, so I secretly felt a camaraderie with her, but I was wrong. I was the one who didn't have any friends.

Well, it's unreasonable for me to make friends with middle school and high school students. Because at my age, we usually get to know each other over a drink, but in high school, that's not possible.

"Seodam."

"Yeah? Where's the camera?"

"Here. You can use this one."

I took the camera from Ahinal's hand before throwing a glance towards the auditorium. The size itself was as large as a football stadium. And I could see both the teachers and students from elementary to high school being busy preparing for whatever attraction they planned for the festival.

All of those people were magicians. Once again, I thought of the possibility of such a school like this being established on Earth.

"It's a polaroid camera. If you take a picture, you can print it immediately."

"Okay…"

I remember that it was used quite often on Earth about half a century ago, this was before digital cameras became common. It seems like the technological degree of this world was far behind the Vivienda Magic Empire which was capable of transmitting video through crystal balls.

"I will go and draw people's attention. Good luck."

"…."

As I nodded while fiddling with the camera, Ahinal smiled at me before walking towards the stage.

Cheers erupted from her friends who saw her. And it was not only one or two, it was quite a lot of people.

The moment the cheering crowd focused their full attention on Ahinal, she immediately sent a signal towards me with her eyes.

"Let's do this, then."

To be honest, I really don't want to do it, but I can't bail out now. Because I had to stay by Ahinal's side until the day she showed me a gap that would allow me to kill her.

As Ahinal slowly made her way towards the stage, few more students left the auditorium warehouse to watch her rehearsal. After all, she was the female lead of this story.

Perhaps she was able to dance well thanks to the power she got from the ghost she had hunted. Or maybe she was able to dance well because she joined a dance team in order to get some friends. But it was meaningless to think about it now, because right now, it was an episode where her talent was discovered by her peers.

Perhaps. At this festival, she will get noticed thanks to the power of the ghosts she had hunted… just like me.

And become more and more powerful… just like me.

Suddenly, a laugh escaped from my mouth.

It's not bad really, what's wrong with living only for herself?

However, two egoistic people couldn't exist side by side. No matter how close we were right now, we were just temporary allies. At the end of the day, we were trying to kill each other.

Very soon, Ahinal started moving fluidly along with the music. It was powerful yet beautiful and at the same time, smooth yet forceful. Everyone who saw her were enthralled by her performance, whether it was students or teachers, there were no exceptions.

Then, she deliberately stumbled on her foot and fell on the stage.

"Ahhhh! What should I do!"

"Hey!! Call the school nurse, quickly!"

"Hey, call an ambulance!"

Even the students who were working in the warehouse left and gathered on the stage. The time right before the festival, everyone was very sensitive, so one accident was enough to disrupt their peace.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, I quickly slipped into the auditorium warehouse. Then I closed the door behind me and locked it. I only needed a few minutes, as long as no one disturbs me, I will be able to complete my task quickly.

'Well……'

Contrary to the noisy auditorium, the warehouse was quiet and eerie. Probably because there's hardly any light inside.

'Let's hurry up and be done with it.'

To be honest, I didn't even want to earnestly try. So, without even turning on the only light inside, I roughly picked up the camera. After making sure that the lens was pointed at me, I pressed the shutter. Since I had never taken a selfie, the composition was … strange, but whatever.

Just how long did I have to sit still in the warehouse and wait like this?

Suddenly, I felt the temperature of the room dropping. I quickly pressed the 'print' button near the shutter. A few moments later, a photograph was printed out. To unveil the ghost story, I had to repeat the process for 20 times to see if there was a ghost in even one of the photos. And in case it really appeared, I just had to endure until Ahinal came.

"What the…"

I felt something cold choking my throat. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to not lose control of my body.

'Just what is this!'

There was something behind me. I was certain. However it was invisible. And I couldn't feel any energy from it.

'What should I do…'

As I lowered my gaze, one of the printed photos that had called on the floor entered my field of vision. And there… I could see my stupid face and a woman with black hair wrapped around my neck.

'Are you fucking kidding me?'

I mean, did a ghost really appear just like this? Besides… if it is a ghost that can only be seen in pictures, how can I attack it? No matter how much I flailed around to free myself, I couldn't feel any sensation in my neck.

"Damn it!!!!"

In a hurry, I drew my sword. I clad it in holy power like usual and stabbed it around my neck. But, I still couldn't feel any resistance against the blade.

'I have to get out of here!'

I force my body to stand up. Even if someone strangled my neck, with my S rank body, I would be able to endure for a few minutes.

But when I turned my body towards the direction I entered from, I couldn't see the door. It had vanished.

I tried searching for the door around the room, but there were only a regular set of materials, a ball and a few jerseys for exercise. And for some reason, all the mannequins and dolls that were stored to prepare for the festival were staring at me.

Then, a thought bloomed inside my mind.

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'Maybe… this isn't just one ghost story?'

I know about this story.

It was a story about someone who, one day, while walking down the street, found a department store they had never seen before and went in. But once they were inside, they could not find any exit, so they couldn't get out. When they finally managed to leave the store after a lot of difficulties, the department store had vanished.

Other than that, there were many ghost stories about being trapped without an exit…

Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!

"This is crazy!"

The warehouse's walls gradually started narrowing down. The space that was originally around 100 pyeong was rapidly reduced to 90 pyeong before turning into 80 pyeong the next second.

The materials around me tumbled over each other and the space was getting smaller and smaller with every passing second. My mobility was restricted in the first place, and it's impossible to attack because I couldn't even see the ghost.

Ahinal… it was that woman's work. Even though she knew this, she left me to suffer.

Something… I have to do something.nov𝑒𝑳𝓤𝓈𝑩/𝑐/o\𝔪

I have to make a plan calmly as usual, or, at the very least, roll my head around and improvise…

But, without oxygen, my brain couldn't work.

'Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!'

In the end, the world turned black as I fell to my knees.

..Hun…Seodam.

-….Itch~

Hunter Yoo seodam, please calm down!!

– Witch~

"!!!!!"

At the system's voice, Yoo Seodam woke up. He gasped for air as cold sweat ran through his forehead.

'Why am I suddenly…'

Yoo Seodam looked around him slowly. He found himself in [Library Of The White Witch, his own imaginary world. A place where he could relax without being disturbed by anyone.

When he lifted his head, he realized that the silver spirit flower, which had grown to the size of his forearm, had one of its petals turned towards him and was blankly staring at him.

– Stupid witch~

She said so, before flying away.

Yoo Seodam tried to calm his heart. He swept his face with his hands. Then, he could hear the system's voice.

You have finally come to your senses.

'What the hell happened…?'

…You were possessed by a ghost.

'What bullshit is that? Me? Possessed?'

Yoo Seodam was confident in his own psyche. When Yoo Seodam thought so, the client sighed.

That's right. A person with strong mental power can't be possessed by ghost.

Yoo Seodam nodded. He was the possessor of a steel-like mental power who had survived three years in Hell Gate.

But recently, Hunter Yoo Seodam's mental state has been very unstable.

'Unstable?'

A look of embarrassment appeared on his face.

Looking at Yoo Seodam, the system bit her mouth bitterly.

If she recalled Yoo Seodam from the past, objectively said, he was a weak man. At best, he was a little bit stronger than a normal person, but he was no better than a bug among those with superpowers. There was only one reason why he was able to work as a hunter for 15 years.

'Mentality.'

However, that very mentality had been weakening recently. The system knew why. But… Unfortunately, she couldn't fix it.

The reason why there was a vacuum in Yoo Seodam's mental power was because of those precious relationships he kept in his heart. At first, while traveling around another world, Yoo Seodam had always tried to avoid making any connection. The system still remembers the promise he made to himself when he first met Aracelli.

'I will make sure not to have any connection in another world.'

However, his conviction was shattered the moment Aracelli found him in another dimension. He wasn't strong enough to keep his promise.

Yoo Seodam had traveled to countless worlds and met countless people, and he had formed connections with people in the respective dimension. Whether he liked it or not, those people were very precious to Yoo Seodam who spent his childhood in loneliness.

However,

Every time he finished his mission, he had to say goodbye to those precious connections. He would never be able to meet them again.

'Travelling to another world and hunting the Protagonist?'

It was never easy. It was not simply an act of killing the 'Protagonist'. And every time he returned to Earth after finishing his mission, the system could see Yoo Seodam's heart turning more and more weary.

And recently, the effect of that weariness was becoming more and more palpable.

'Saekma, Bang Ho-win.'

When Yoo Seodam tried to kill him, he was overly emotional and unrelenting. He took the provocation from an enemy that was out of his league, and as a result, he ended up inches away from death.

'The Protagonist Kim Ha-soo.'

It was the same when hunting him. If Yoo Seodam had thought a little more wisely, there could have been a better way to hunt him. His mind was conflicted between how to kill Kim Ha-soo, and a way to save Kim Ha-soo. But, Yoo Seodam acted on his emotions. He skipped all the planning and recklessly decided to fight the 'Final Boss', which was driving the world to destruction, all by himself. She knew that even Yoo Seodam was aware of the fact that it was impossible.

Nevertheless, he still did it. It was because he wanted to protect the precious bond that he had made in that world.

Seol Jungyeon during the conflict with Saekma Bang Ho-win.

Kim Ha-soo during the hunt in the destroyed world.

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They had become a meaningful existence for Yoo Seodam and he acted to protect them… But in the end, that act itself was nothing but a suicidal act.

Yoo Seodam's reaction those two times was very un-Yoo Seodam-like.

How could someone who couldn't follow his own plan and recklessly act on his emotions to the point where he nearly died, hunt a 'protagonist' that was the centre of their respective world?

Hunter Yoo Seodam, I don't know everything about you. However, the Yoo Seodam I know is someone who always had a solid plan, he is a thorough and cold-hearted hunter. It is to the point that sometimes, it is frightening.

'…..'

But, Yoo Seodam in the past two incidents was too emotional. And… I am well aware of the most emotional moment in humans. It is when a human is drenched in 'fear'.

Yoo Seodam's expression turned sour at the system's words.

"So, are you saying that I was drenched in fear?"

The system did not reply to his question, she continued her speech.

When I first saw you… you had nothing to lose. You even accepted your impending death, albeit bitterly. In other words, it meant that you didn't fear death.

"Is that so?"

But recently, that has changed. Slowly, one by one, you have gathered people whom you hold dearly to your heart.

The system's gentle words slowly penetrated Yoo Seodam's heart. Taylor Nine came to mind first, then Seol Jungyeon, followed by many other relationships he had forged as he worked as a 'Protagonist Hunter'. Each and every one of them was precious, and even if he had to die, he couldn't afford to forget them.

And then… You were forced to push away the two women you considered most precious to you. I know you are afraid to face your own emotions in case the worst happened to them.

Yoo Seodam did not refute her words. He couldn't find any words to do so.

But… Was it really okay?

Yoo Seodam fell into deep contemplation. He knew that whatever conclusion he comes to, it wouldn't be the correct answer. Her words, too, were not necessarily the correct answer.

But for some reason… He kept thinking that she was right.

Yoo Seodam was used to this feeling.

It was the same feeling he felt whenever Reina Ju gave him advice when he was faced against a wall and couldn't find a way to move forward.

If you had entrusted your heart to them, maybe you would have a stronger mentality.

'….'

Anyone is fine. If you have someone to lean on… You will be okay.

The system said so.

Hunter Yoo Seodam. You called yourself trash. Selfish, despicable, vulgar. You also said that you would happily kill, extort, and steal for your own gains. I….. I hope you will continue to do so. I want you to lay down all the burdens of your heart, forget the purpose of 'Hell Gate', and live happily every day. Live selfishly, for yourself and your loved ones.

'I….'

If you wish… you can also stop this 'Mission'. It is no longer necessary to live with such a sense of duty. You can spend the rest of your life happily with your most precious people.

However, he wouldn't do that.

Knowing that fact well, the system continued talking without waiting for his answer.

No matter how much you fight, you will surely hit your limit someday. So, rely on the people around you. I'll be looking forward to it.

"How can I…"

When you leave this place, go to Miss Aracelli immediately. Tell her your feelings, your worries, your sense of duty that you diligently embrace, all of that.

'….'

She has crossed dozens of dimensions and followed you all the way here while having only you in her mind. Yet, she hasn't asked you for anything, and she's content at being able to talk to you just for a few minutes every day.

The voice of the system began to gradually fade away.

Miss Aracelli is a woman with a great destiny and soul, so she will be a strong and upright supporter you can lean on.

Eventually, the world turned upside down.

Once Yoo Seodam left the Library of the White Witch, he found himself standing once again in the auditorium's warehouse.

"…."

Silence greeted him. The ghost's voice was no longer there. He lifted his head and looked around him, the enclosed space with no exits and no windows was still encroaching towards him, trapping him from all sides.

There was now less than 20 pyeong of space left.

Yoo Seodam thought about what he should do. Throughout his life, he had always overcome every impossible thing the world threw at him. It meant that he was not a soft pushover that could be deceived by the foolish tricks of a middle school kid.

With a sword clan in holy power, Yoo Seodam once again stabbed. But this time, he didn't stab his neck but the picture on the floor.

-Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!

Then, the ghost in the picture screamed at the top of its lung and the picture was slowly torn into pieces.

It feels like his head has been cleared. By giving him some advice, Yoo Seodam clearly felt that the system had already become his support, and thanks to her, his mental power began to slowly return.

He thought carefully.

In the first place, no matter how powerful a ghost is… is it possible for them to strangle an S rank superhuman? No, it was impossible.

'It's just possible because it was me.'

Yoo Seodam chuckled. Then in the next moment he raises his sword once again.

At first he thought that ghosts didn't have any physical form. But when he thought about it once again, he found something suspicious.

Why not? Why have you been foolishly deceived by the nonsensical phrase 'a ghost that has no physical form'?

After all, in order to exercise physical power, physical form was absolutely necessary.

Yoo Seodam's sword dug towards the wall this time.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The sound of cracking walls and the sharp screams of ghosts overlapped each other.

Then, another fact dawned upon him. The place he currently stood in was another world isolated from reality.

If so, the wall itself was a ghost.

With one more swing, the solid wall around Yoo Seodam broke apart and collapsed.

Ahinal was lying on a stretcher. She tried to move her swollen ankle lightly. However, it seemed like the injury she suffered from making a distraction was quite severe as her ankle refused to move like it usually was. Well, she didn't really mind it since the pain wasn't that bad.

Her eyes darted towards the warehouse. Except for her, no one was paying attention towards it. Then, the corners of her lips rose slowly.

'It's going according to the plan.'

Ahinal recalled a certain ghost story she had read. It was a story about someone who suddenly wriggled its way to the side of people. They had studied with them, ate with them, chatted with them, and lived their days with them, but in the end, no one remembered them.

'A reality manipulation… it was one of the trickiest ghost story one could face, but not for me.'

Ever since she met him the second time, Ahinal had suspected that Yoo Seodam was a ghost from a ghost story. Her suspicion stemmed from his spiritual power as well as his absurd power. And once she investigated deeper about him, her suspicion turned into conviction. He certainly had an admission record, even the teachers didn't seem to think his existence was strange…

'But, his trick was useless against me, because I can see through fabricated reality.'

A ghost story where a ghost lives among the living and pretends to be one?

It was too common to the point it was boring, Ahinal thought. Of course, Yoo Seodam's existence was a bit more extraordinary from the ghosts in the story because he was none other than a 'ghost that summons ghost stories'.

The mysterious ghost stories started circulating in the school after his appearance. Moreover, it was ghost stories that could not be grasped by common sense and were impossible to deal with. Such as the dance room ghost story, red tissue blue tissue ghost story, doorbell ghost story, friday the 13th ghost story, and many others..

All of them were tricky…

Ahinal relaxed, she reassured herself that it was all okay now. Her plan was to destroy the ghost that summons ghost stories, Yoo Seodam, through another ghost story, and the plan had already been set into motion. She believed that soon Yoo Seodam would cease to exist since 'closed room ghost stories' and 'selfie ghost stories' were very powerful ghost stories with the ability to manipulate reality itself.

'Ghost Yoo Seodam, you've worked hard. You've been helpful in the past, but you could be a hindrance when I confront the [Great Ghost Story] in the future, so I need to deal with you beforehand.'

Ahinal smiled. Her gaze hadn't left the warehouse's door.

But then, the wall around the door cracked and the door burst open. Ahinal's face turned stiff and her smile crumbled as her eyes met with Yoo Seodam's who walked out confidently from the open door.

'Whaaaattt?'

How?

"Ahinal. Are you okay?"

"Get some rest. Don't mind the performance… your health is more important."

Some students come to the infirmary to visit Ahinal. Beverages and fruits in hand was the basic gift they brought. Most of these students owed their lives to Ahinal since she saved them from a ghost story.

It was really ironic. It was Ahinal who set the ghosts free, but the victims were unaware of that fact, and even thanked Ahinal for saving them.

Ahinal, who was gloomy, originally didn't talk much to her friends. She had nothing special under her name and had no one around her since childhood. And just like any other human being, she also suffered from loneliness. She always waited for the day someone would come to her, but very few reached out towards Ahinal whose presence was so thin.

However, after she met ghost stories, her life completely changed.

As a result of absorbing ghost powers for herself while solving the ghost story, she became someone who was good at everything.

When she sealed the singing ghost, she gained the ability to sing well. After she got rid of the shoe ghost that danced all day, she was able to dance well. In addition to those two, she had absorbed the power of numerous other ghosts, and she had now become more powerful than any teachers in this school.

'If only the great ghost stories are dealt with…'

With the abilities she had collected so far, only a bright future awaited her.

However, an anomaly suddenly appeared.

'Yoo Seodam, just what is he?"

He was someone who suddenly appeared in the school and naturally integrated with the environment. A very unusual man who spreads ghost stories that did not exist in this world. Moreover, he could inflict physical damage to ghosts. Ahinal could feel a very special and powerful energy from him. It was an energy that only Ahinal, who could feel the 'soul' itself, could sense it.

'I don't think he is an ordinary ghost, but why did he come out to reality with a sword?'

It was ridiculous. In the first place, there was no such thing as a 'swordsman' in this world, so the weapon called sword had long since disappeared from the world.

Ahinal furrowed her brows as her thoughts became more complicated.

'Can ghosts assimilated into reality in the first place?'

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All the ghosts that had assimilated into society she had encountered so far had a very distinct characteristic. It was the fact that no one remembered the details of the ghost. When being asked for the ghost's name, people would answer with, 'Of course I know! Uh… I suddenly don't remember?' or when asked if they know what the ghost looks like, 'I see him every day but I don't know? Huh? Why can't I remember him?'

It means that, no matter how powerful the ghost is, there are limits to their ability to alter reality.

But…

'Yoo Seodam didn't have that limitation.'

It was Ahinal's conclusion after spending time with him for the last two months. He was too powerful. To the point where even the common sense of Ahinal, who had hunted down countless ghost stories so far, could not comprehend what he is.

Ahinal sighed. If so, there was only one conclusion left.

'That man, Yoo Seodam is a great ghost story.'

[The ending episode 'The Last Ghost Story (1)' begins.]

[The episode of the world approaches the ending.]

[The target 'Yoo Seodam' has been designated as a Great Ghost Story.]

[Episode 'The Last Ghost Story (1)' supports the Great Ghost Story.]

I burst out laughing at the notice. In the past I had similar experiences a few times. However, at that time, I only played the villain without having any role in the episode.

'I'm a great ghost story, you say?'

It's a ridiculous notion, but it's not like I don't understand where it comes from.

First of all, what is a ghost story? It was a story with a creepy and bizarre content, a story that had been passed down from generation to generation, bizarre stories that spread through rumors, etc…

This world was simply a very unusual world, where a 'ghost story' would gain power as they spread.

And, what about the ghosts that are often associated with ghost stories? The subject of the ghost story was usually a ghost, but there were many cases where it was not. Ghosts….are just a bonus for 'ghost stories'.

It's a really ironic situation.

Ghosts had existed from the very beginning. They draw their power from ghost story. But the subject itself was not a ghost, but a ghost story. From the moment a ghost was written in a ghost story, it became a part of the ghost story.

(E/N: It is like, ghosts have always existed but it is the story that gives them a form which allows them to materialize. You could say, a ghost story to a ghost is what a physical body is to the living being, we exist in this world and move about because of our bodies.)

And I had become a ghost from a ghost story.

It's not impossible. In fact, in this world, ghost stories become real simply based on rumours.. So it was only natural that I become a ghost story once the one carrying the most probability in the world deemed me as a 'ghost story'.

'Ahinal…. You think that I am a ghost story.'

The ghost, which was supposed to be the 'great ghost story' in the original story, is probably still wandering around the school without having gained the power of the story. Well, now that the ghost is no longer gaining power, I don't have to worry about it anymore.

From now on, I would welcome the ghost story hunter as a ghost story.

By now, Ahinal is probably busy digging through her diary looking for a way to seal me. However, unlike other ghosts she had hunted so far, she wouldn't find my story in the diary. And, the ghost stories that I would soon create were things that Ahinal did not know about either.

Laughter erupted from my mouth.

It was ridiculous, but it felt so good.

I had pondered over and over again about how I should kill her. As a result, I managed to devise a way to lure Ahinal and kill her with reasonable odds.

However, I made a mistake. I fell into the trap clumsily created by Ahinal.

My previous plan was in shambles. However, there's no need to make another one. Because now, I had the power of 'episode' in my hand. It was not the perfect plan to kill her because if it was the original 'Great Ghost Story Episode', the ghost would have been defeated by the protagonist.

However, protagonist correction doesn't work for me.

The chilly autumn wind blew noisily. The fallen leaves fluttered on the ground, and the sobs of a ghost crying could be heard from somewhere. The playground I would invite Ahinal to was the abandoned building that had been abandoned for more than half a century.

Now all I had to do was wait for Ahinal to bite the bait.

Student Yoo Seodam had disappeared.

But no one really cared about it. It was because Yoo Seodam didn't have many friends in the first place. However, for Ahinal who knew his identity, his disappearance was suspicious.

"Yoo Seodam? Ummm… was there a student like that?"

"Ah, ah! I remember. A high schooler, right? But.. I've never seen him."nov𝑬𝓵𝔲𝗌𝗯.𝐜\o\𝑀

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"Uh. He was my junior in middle school. That's right… He suddenly stopped coming to school. Well, he must be sick."

It's weird no matter how Ahinal thought about it. A student had suddenly appeared and then suddenly disappeared, how could people be so indifferent? Unlike other ghosts, Ahinal knew that Yoo Seodam was not an ordinary ghost. So, even though he disappeared, his existence should still exist in people's memory.

Whooosshhh!!

A cold wind blew past her. Ahinal could see the clouds rushing wildly across the red sky. A sudden change in the weather, a stagnation of atmosphere, and a chilling aura. There had never been a sign that a ghost would appear… on such a huge scale.

'Just what is Yoo Seodam?'

Ahinal had read the diary from cover to cover countless times since her plan failed the other day to find out who he is.

'Black hair and white eyes. He has an oriental name and uses a sword…'

It was quite common for ghosts to use a knife, but there were few ghosts who used a long sword like Yoo Seodam. So, in the diary, the ghosts which used swords were categorized differently from others, and there were more than 10 of such stories.

'What age is it now, Why are you using a sword…!'

Ahinal's stomach churned. It was a stressful endeavour for her.

'There must be a reason why he hid his identity and approached me.' Ahinal thought.

'First, why didn't he attack me even though he knew I was hunting ghost stories?'

Was it because he wasn't able to do it?

'If so, why couldn't he attack me?'

Was it because he still hadn't recovered enough strength to attack me, yet? Or because he couldn't hurt humans directly? Or, are there any restrictions?

'There must be a story. A story.'

In the diary, there were quite a bit of details written on every ghost, and Ahinal carefully read them one by one with her bloodshot eyes as if she was going to eat them.

One day passed, two days passed, another week passed.

Around that time, strange things began to happen in the academy. And, most of it took place around Ahinal. They were all ghost stories whose identity and causes were unknown to her.

One night, when she turned her head to the wall, she saw dozens of faces of men with terrible expressions looking at her. It was a ghost story from hell in the wall.

And one day, while she was doing her business in the bathroom, she kept hearing a voice in a language she didn't know. She was extremely annoyed, but when she searched the dictionary later, she was terribly surprised to find out that it meant 'look up' in a classical language. It was a ghost story that says that if you look up because of the voice, you will meet a ghost.

In addition to that, numerous ghost stories that Ahinal could not seal had started to become active once again. She vaguely guessed the reason.

"It was because of the great ghost story……."

However, no one was seriously harmed by the ghost stories that appeared recently. There were no missing or casualties. As if someone had intended it, The ghost only came looking for Ahinal.

She was too afraid to even fall asleep at night. She had never been directly victimized by a ghost story, so she had no idea that it would be this terrifying.

There was only one way for her to get out of this hell. She had to get rid of the great ghost story.

But, how? Ahinal didn't know what to do.

'I need to prepare a little more thoroughly…'

Then, Ahinal felt something tugging her mind. Out of instinct, Ahinal turned her head.

And then she saw it. Across the window, Yoo Seodam was looking towards her with a hideous smile.

"AHHHHHH!!!"

Ahinal closed her eyes out of reflex. Then, after ages, when she felt that she was ready, Ahinal looked at the window once again. However, Yoo Seodam had disappeared.

She was certain that it was neither a hallucination nor an illusion. It was really Yoo Seodam, However, by the way…

'This is the 17th floor…!'

What the hell?

Ahinal didn't come to see me, so I secretly came to spy on her, and then when our eyes met, I spooked her out of spite.

I scratched my cheek while clinging to the wall with my feet. Standing on top of a high-rise building was something that could be done so easily as an S rank superhuman who had mastered footwork. Besides, since I became a ghost story, people couldn't even sense my presence well. Even when they looked at me, they only saw a blurry figure and screamed in surprise, as if they were looking at the shape of a 'ghost'.

This seems to be the influence of being a ghost story.

I wanted to look through the window again, but I stopped myself. In the first place, it seemed that the ghost story that stuck to me could influence the school every time I got close.

Still, it was nothing bad. I'd rather say that it was working to my favour.

After sensing Ahinal's presence, who was still trembling, I smiled and left.

Ahinal stood in an abandoned building's playground. It was part of the school that hadn't been used for a very long time. The ground was cracked and green vegetation grew wildly, eating everything on its path.

Cold wind brushed Ahinal's cheek. Even though the sun was still hanging in the sky, only a little light illuminated her surroundings. It was because dark clouds covered the sky above.

hee hee hee…

ah… ah… ah…

Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…

Ahinal forcefully clenched her trembling hands. All around her, she could hear the cry of ghosts. It was not only one or two, there were a lot of them.

From inside the old building, she could see a pale ghost with a long neck staring at her with its white eyes. And from the tree standing at the border of the playground, a giant ghost's face was hanging from a tree upside down glaring at her. In addition to those two, dozens of other ghosts were watching Ahinal closely, but they did not come closer to her.

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!novℯ𝐋𝑢𝗌𝐁\𝒞/o\𝕞

Feeling ominous energy seeping into the sky, Ahinal raised her head.

The world slowly turned blood red, and it felt as if 'another world' existed beyond the sky. Ahinal thought that the other world was probably hell. A place where many evil spirits live.

"Ah…."

Ahinal trembled. The clouds began to part and the sky itself cracked. The place she thought as hell showed itself. From the inside, dozens, hundreds, thousands or maybe tens of thousands of red hands stretched out as if desperately trying to enter this world.

'If those things come out….'

Ahinal, who had become several shades paler, forcibly closed her mouth. And then, through the crevices in the red sky, a figure dressed in a blood-red cloak and uniform appeared. With his flickering white eyes, the figure stared at Ahinal with a bored expression.

Looking at the figure above, Ahinal trembled once again. Her instinct told her to run, and if she can't, to faint. However, she didn't follow her instincts. She knew that once she fainted, her life would be forfeited.

'Don't be afraid, Ahinal! You can win!'

Ahinal raised her hand to the sky, then, a fire blazed around the playground. The fire created something like a fire wall circling around the edge of the playground.

Then, Ahinal lit the red candle she had prepared beforehand. And it drew a cross before turning once again diagonally, dividing the circle into eight equal parts.

When the figure's interest towards her piqued, Ahinal opened her mouth.

"Yoo Seodam! I know your identity."

"…."

She could see Yoo Seodam's face harden.

"A pure white sword, black hair and white eyes. Given that you are strangely highly knowledgeable in magic, I speculated that you were a scholar in the past. You didn't say it, but I know that you are interested in women, it is evident by how you have attracted a female professor…"

At that point, a vein popped on Yoo Seodam's forehead, but Ahinal couldn't see it because Yoo Seodam was far away in the sky.

"So…. your true identity is 'The wandering ghost of Arakho'!"

As soon as Ahinal finished her speech, the fire soared, creating a strange pattern in the air. Perhaps it wasn't created by mana but a mysterious power called 'spirit power'. A power that could only be obtained through a god or a soul. It was treated as a very rare power in any world.

The earth trembled, and the flames grew wilder and more violent. With every second that passed, the red flames slithered towards the sky, challenging the red sky above.

When Ahinal saw that Yoo Seodam was not moving, she thought that she had fully restricted Yoo Seodam, so she chanted the sealing spell.

"Arakho, Arakho. Please take your ghost with you."

A red flame rose and struck Yoo Seodam's head. But it didn't seem that it hurt Yoo Seodam much, so Ahinal continued to chant the spell.

"Arakho, Arakho. Please take your ghost with you!"

Every time the spell was recited, red flames attacked Yoo Seodam as if it was trying to swallow him. But, Yoo Seodam still didn't move a single step from where he was floating. He just stared at Ahinal with an expressionless face.

"Arakho, Arakho…!"

"…can you stop now?"

"Ah!"

When Yoo Seodam waved his hand, a wind blew violently. It put off all the fire, including the one on the candle.

Ahinal fell to her buttock. She turned extremely pale. Her whole body was trembling. When she looked at Yoo Seodam, he was laughing viciously just like a demon king.

Slowly, Yoo seodam descended.

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"Ah, ah, ah…!"

Ahinal crawled on her knees as a last ditch effort to run away. But suddenly, she felt something grabbing her ankle.

"Ah!!!"

When she turned back to see what had grabbed her, she saw a white face sticking from the ground, biting on her ankle.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!!"

She filled her fist with spiritual power and struck the ghost as hard as she could. The ghost's face split in half and evaporated. But that wasn't the end. A ghost with an inverted limb in an upside-down posture, a female student ghost that pounded the ground with her head and a ghost without anything below her waist who kept shouting 'give me your leg.' They were all approaching her.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

Even though Ahinal was afraid, she was still certain that she could win against them. After all, they were nothing but ghosts. She could easily beat them with her spiritual power as well as the method that was written in the diary.

However, unfortunately for her, before she could do it, Yoo Seodam landed in front of her.

"The wandering ghost of Arakho?"

Yoo Seodam asked. The corner of his lips were curved upwards.

"You are wrong."

At that moment, there was only one thought left in Ahinal's head.

It's all over.

There was nothing she could do when she couldn't even figure out the identity of the ghost.

[You've successfully hunted a level 150 Protagonist.]

I was looking at the ground when that message was announced. Ahinal's body was missing. Probably, if there really was a place called the underworld, her body was taken there. After all, if ghosts were real, who said the underworld couldn't be real?

[Probability returns to normal.]

[The power of the episode disappears. The power of 'great ghost story' in your body has scattered.]

It's really funny. I won in a really funny way.

To be honest, the 'great ghost story' abilities were nothing special.

When I was designing a great ghost story a while back, a message came to my mind.

[You have become a great ghost story! But because your skill is too low, the effect of the skill has been halved!]

[You have acquired the skill 'Slightly Blow The Wind!]

[You have acquired the skill 'Slightly Show an Eerie Atmosphere']

[You have acquired the skill 'Aren't You Scared Even After This? Ghost Sound Imitation'.]

[You have acquired the skill 'Creating a Scary Hallucination']

[You have acquired the skill 'Fly Like a Ghost']

In front of Ahinal several minutes ago, I used all sorts of tricks and forms to pretend to be strong, but it was all a front. Hell opened up in the sky? Of course, it's a hallucination. How can I open such a thing?

To be honest, before facing Ahinal, I had wondered if I could win with this kind of garbage skill. Thankfully, she fell into my illusion skill and struggled to fight me.

You don't know how much my heart shuddered when Ahinal said 'I know your identity'. For a second, I thought she realized that I was not a ghost but a dimensional traveler.

Had Ahinal successfully controlled her mind and faced me with her pure power, I would probably have struggled quite a bit. Of course, in the end, thanks to the ghosts that had gathered around the playground because of the power of the great ghost story, I would not have lost anything even if we had a head-on confrontation.

"Whoa."

I unknowingly let out that sound as I saw the sky return to its original colour. The sun's rays glared wildly. However, instead of being overbearing, it was calming. When the 'great ghost story' powers disappeared from Yoo Seodam, all the dark clouds had also vanished, leaving white clouds adorning the blue sky. Perhaps, the ability to summon dark clouds itself was a kind of passive ability of a great ghost story.

"Professor!"

I looked at the direction of the voice. It was Aracelli. She was gliding through the air as she rushed towards me.

As she landed in front of me, she quickly looked around worriedly.

"I felt a tremendous ghostly energy from here…"

"I know."

"It was very wicked… Probably it was the worst energy I ever felt in this world…"

"…."

But, that's my energy…

"By the way, where is that ghost?"

"I got rid of it… Ahinal as well."

"Ah…."

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Aracelli nodded knowingly. Probably, she also felt that the 'probability' that surrounded the world has gone.

While Aracelli was still nodding, I picked up the diary that Ahinal had left behind. I brushed the dust off its cover and opened it. Then finally, I could see the ghost stories that were written inside of it.

"That's…."

"From now on, we will use this."

"Is that so?"

There were still many ghosts left in this world. Perhaps, I wouldn't be able to absorb the ghost's ability just because I held the diary… But still, I wanted to hunt them. It wasn't because he felt the need to, rather,

"Aracelli. Come with me, let's seal some ghosts."

I wanted to do it because of Aracelli. Because I know how much she prized her time with me.

Now, I just need a little bit more time before I tell her about all of my worries, receive some counseling, and find an answer.

"Shall we go?"

"Yeah!"

The moment both of us turned towards the direction of my dorm,

"Uh?"

I felt someone approaching me.

Then I saw her, not far from where I stood. From the figure clad in all-black, I knew that the other person was a female. Her hands were somewhat clasped together, and her face was hidden behind a veil. However, for some reason I could tell that she was smiling.

"Who are you?"

"It's been a while, Yoo Seodam. I felt the aura of a great ghost story and came to see it, but, did you already kill it?"

"….?"

Did I know her? I don't know.

"Oh, I see. You may be hearing my voice for the first time… Nice to meet you, my name is Malea."

Malea? Don't tell me, that Malea? The principal of this school?

'Her voice is younger than I expected…'

Aracelli looked at me as if worried about something. I shook my head because she wore an expression of 'Should I kill her?' on her face.

"Yes. Nice to meet you, Principal. The case here has been sorted out……"

"That's not it."

Principal Malea interrupted me with a somewhat bewildered tone.

"It's Malea, Seodam-nim."

"Uh, I know. Aren't you the principal of this school?"

"Don't you remember me?"

"What?"

"Didn't you help me in the tutorial? I still haven't forgotten about that time… Wait…. Don't tell me, you…"

She strode towards me. It was a perfect gait without any sign of movement on her body, just like a ghost. It had a mysterious feeling that was different from Seol Jungyeon's dark sky footwork.

As she walked closer to me, Malea looked me in the eye. She then smiled as if she was bewildered.

"I barely met you… But, you don't know me yet."

"…."

What is the best response I should give here?

"Sorry. My life is rather complicated."

"I see… It's fine."

Then, Malea smiled broadly. Her face was still hidden behind the veil, but I could see that her red lips were arcing through her veil. Then, Malea rummaged through her sleeve and took out a diary.

'Come to think of it, wasn't this ghost diary also written by Malea?'

"Take this."

"Huh?"

The diary she handed over was quite old, but unlike the ghost diary, it had an easy to read character on its cover.

When I tried to open it, Malea stopped me.

"Not now, but later."

And then, as I was bewildered, Malea blankly looked at me for some time as if she found it fun to look at my ignorant face.

And then, she disappeared like a ghost.

"What??"

I still couldn't understand her.