[2019, May 27th, Monday, 6:35 PM]
[Lee Joon: Number of Attempts - 2]
[Ghost Story Points: 715]
[Causality Rate: 33%]
"I plan to stay hidden here and observe the situation unfold until the very end."
Inside the narrow storage room.
Amidst the chaotic sounds of students and monsters fighting noisily outside, I explained to the club members what we needed to do now.
Of course, Chaerin and Yeseul were huddled together in the corner, eavesdropping intently.
But I paid them no mind.
After all, I planned to turn back time once my purpose was fulfilled.
"We might be able to exorcise that thing right now, but we shouldn't. That's why I provoked a fight between them and slipped away quietly by ourselves."
"..To see how the Void cult reacts?"
"Exactly. We'll gather intel from that, and besides, Gyeongwon's dad was absorbed into that thing in the first place."
"...."
"Isn't that obvious? We can't just recklessly exorcise it.."
I said that in a tone as if it was Common sense, considering all the time we had spent together in the last few months, but the members showed blank expression as if they couldn't understand.
"...I thought since you were leading the attack, that if it was exorcised, he might
come back out or something."
"Me too...."
Jinhee grumbled, and Sunah chimed in agreement.
Gyeongwon just wore a complicated
expression.
'...So that's why they teamed up to beat it down without question.'
It seemed the members now trusted me immensely.
I nodded and continued my explanation.
"..Anyway. We'll also need to find a quiet way to stop that teacher before returning to the previous timeline."
"You're going back?"
"Yeah. I'm going back."
"....."
In the cramped storage room, the club members gathered around me leaned in, listening even more intently.
"Listen up, first of all. We have two objectives. One is to gather intel on Void cult. And two, a covert exorcism method."
I held up two fingers.
Gyeongwon soon made a thoughtful
expression at that.
"..Hmm, Prez. I understand you're trying to extract information. But what about a covert exorcise method..?"
"Hey, I agree. It wasn't even our fault to begin with, so why should we do that? Wouldn't it just be exorcised if we beat it up?"
"That's to ensure this school continues
to exist."
I explained to them.
"Vice Principal Jang Yeok fled immediately the moment she saw Teacher Choi Jungim's abnormal behavior. My guess is that as the
highest-ranking official here, she likely
judged that stopping the rampage was already too late at that point... or so i think."
The Vice Principal's fearful face, her terrified expression.
If simply stopping the totem from consuming at that moment could have resolved everything, she would have done so.
But the Vice Principal didn't do that.
Instead, she made the worst possible
choice; locking the competition room door,abandoning even the young teacher from the teaching staff, and fleeing alone....
..By that point, things had already gone too far.'
The totem devouring was merely a trigger. What this means is that by today, Teacher Choi Jungim was already prepared to transform into a monster at the slightest provocation.
And since i resolved he boardmg house ghost story early this morning, the designated checkpoint was also the same day.
If I went back without any countermeasures, the same outcome would repeat itself, so we had no choice but to find a secret way to
exterminate it ourselves.
"Even if we were to ambush the teacher by force, it would clearly be a crime in societal terms. Just plain robbery, a hit and run."
"....."
"And what if we recklessly provoke it and it transforms back into a monster? Then people's bodies merge again, and dozens of people witness it. If an incident of that magnitude occurs, can the school really return to normal afterward?"
"..No."
"News aside, if we're not careful, there's a risk the school itself could be shut down. Just like what happened in my previous life,"
On the day of the entrance ceremony in my previous life, this school was caught up in a D-rank ghost story, suffering massive damage where most students' heads were blown off.
Because of that, Nakseong High was suspected of a bioterror attack and was shut down, and the entire ShinLim area was placed under strict lockdown.
"At that point, my system window froze at that exact moment, stuck in the tutorial. I spent three years struggling with an unresolved quest."
"..Right. You did mention that..."
"It's the same reason. If we act clumsily trying to deal with Teacher Choi Jungim, the same thing will likely happen again."
The club members nodded.
"We don't know how far the Void cult's
influence can reach, but at this point, they're just a religious group without power. They certainly wouldn't have the capacity to handle an incident of this scale, and after such an abnormal event occurs, there's no way we'd be able to properly enter or exit the school."
"....Because the governmnent is going
to shut it down and launch an investigation."
Gyeongwon nodded in understanding.
If we couldn't use the school.
That meant all the clubroom functions would be suspended.
'And things like swapping special abilities or using the Store are only possible in the clubroom.
That's why we had to find a way. A way
to secretly, covertly stop this whole situation.
'...Would Hayoon know?'
I looked at Havoon's face.
Unlike her usual calm demeanor, her
expression was one of deep thought.
'If we keep hanging out together from now on, I'l find out.'
It was funny how she was suddenly cleaning up the mess of our enemy, the Void cult.
But ironically, the only way we could keep using the clubroom was to ensure this school, which had been occupied by the Void cult, and it continued to run without any issues.
It was the so-called 'uncomfortable coexistence'.
"Agh- aaagh!"
"My, my leg! My leg!"
"Let go of that! Let go!"
"..Joon, let's go fight that thing..."
Sunah looked distressed, perhaps troubled by the voices of students being sacrificed outside.
But I firmly shook my head, as if to say
such emotions were a luxury.
"This situation is different from facing an ordinary ghost story. It's a perfect chance to properly investigate that mysterious cult in the school, the one we've only had questions about until now. We can't waste such an opportunity over something trivial."
Exterminating it was one thing, there was also the question of why Teacher Choi Jungim, who we thought was on their side, betrayed them in the first place.
And that spade symbol they carry around, what exactly was that thing used for?
Also, Vice Principal Jang Yeok, she was
supposed to be the highest authority of the Void cult within the school.
So why did she flee without even looking back at Teacher Choi Jungim's suspicious behavior?
Does that mean they didn't anticipate this situation at all and had no Countermeasures ?
"..Hey, wait a second. So when you say you'd go back, that means-"
"Right."
I gave Jinhee, who had just caught up to the explanation and realized it belatedly, a determined look.
"After confirming all of that, I plan to die and return. This time will once again become lost time for all of you.I'm sorry."
"..Oh, I see."
Jinhee nodded in understanding.
It didn't seem like she asked out of concern, but just to confirm if she had understood correctly.
And despite my sincere aplogy, both the students being sacrificed and the loss of their memories seemed insignificant to them.
Everyone seemed to understand, as if
they unhesitantly accepted there was nothing they could do.
"And after I go back, we'll quietly try to find a way to stop Teacher Choi Jungim's rampage without anyone noticing. Understood, everyone?"
"Okay. Understood."
Jinhee made an OK sign with her hand.
"Sunah and Dukhun. Did you understand?"
"Yeah..."
"Got it"
"And Hayoon?"
Hayoon nodded with a thoughtful expression.
"Good. Everyone understands now. So,
Gyeongwon, do you know what this ghost story is about?"
"... That one? Hmm. I'm not sure."
At my sudden question, Gyeongwon rubbed his chin with a puzzled expression.
"That kind of flesh-eating creature is widely depicted across various media... and the only method of exorcism seems to be simply beating it down physically, like we just did. In fact, we had it on the brink of death just now...."
But since we couldn't just beat the teacher to a pulp in the current timeline, ultimately, we needed to find a more subtle way to exorcise it.
'It's probably a C- or D-rank ghost story.'
As long as it didn't consume too many victims from the start and built up strength, it seemed like a fairly simple Creature to exorcise.
Having concluded my thoughts, I took a moment to listen carefully to the situation inside the music room.
"Eek! Aaaah!"
"Ahh- get this off me! Get it off!"
"Let go of my arm--I said let go of my arm-"
"... That's horrible..."
Sunah turned her head with a horrified
expression.
The rest of the club members closed their eyes, as if it were too painful to listen, while Chaerin and Yeseul in the corner covered their ears.
And since I was human too, I did feel a bit of guilt listening to the students' Screams outside.
Even so, rather than getting lost in emotions, I was focused on thinking about practical solutions.
'Before the students are all devoured and the monster discovers this place Something has to happen before that.'
If we were caught hiding, it was all over before we could do anything. Something had to happen before that.
Whatever it is, I will definitely make it
happen.
I clenched my fists tightly.
I will not let my resolve weaken.
Even if I had to sacrifice all six billion people before going back, I'd still do it to find the answer.
The Detective was worried that my humanity was being eroded throughout this process, and I was keeping that in mind as well.
But still, my top priority was winning the fight.
If we lose, it's over. I can't bear to face
what comes after.'
Losing and going back to the entrance ceremony, watching all my friends disappear, and wandering alone from the start all over again, that would, to me, be an even greater tear on my humanity.
I desperately wanted to win in this lifetime.
I wanted to clear this repeating three-year cycle and live on beyond it, together with the people I cherished by my side.
Inciting students to die in my place wasn't the first time, after all. I've been doing it since the entrance ceremony.
I shook my head, trying not to think too deeply about it.
In any case, the timeline I would be going back to, if everything turned out well, that was all that mattered in the end.
As long as the final result is one where
everyone can smile and have a happy
ending.
To achieve that, I was prepared to discard all trivial morals and ethics.
"...Just trust and follow me, everyone. You won't have to face that monster directly, so don't worry. We just need tonstay hidden, move around quietly, and keep track of how things untold. Stay calm, and stay hidden."
"Got it, Prez. Just give the orders."
"Wheeze, wheeze."
"Hey, if things look like they're going to hell, get behind us right away. You've got to be the one to survive to the end."
"To protect you, Joon....".
I nodded at the members, each adding a word in turn, except for Hayoon, who seemed lost in thought.
Even if I was the kind of hero who sacrificed ordinary people, I still had comrades who trusted me and followed me.
"After listening to the wrong guy, now you're regretting."
"Ahhh-!"
"Squelch- squelch- squelch-"
"Save me-"
"Sweet Candy Time"
Outside, the screams gradually grew louder.
Jinhee frowned, seeming uneasy, and
leaned her head closer.
"Can we take a look? Through the door crack?"
"Through the crack... just a moment."
Perhaps because it was a storage room, the door wasn't completely sealed, but felt more like a makeshift door, so I thought it might actually work.
I pressed my cheek tightly against the gap in the storage room door and peered through with one eye.
"Hmm...."
"Can you see anything, Prez?"
"..Just a moment."
Wait a little. Ah just a little more.
I could see something, but it felt like barely a silhouette, definitely not enough to grasp the whole situation.
"Can you see, Joon...?"
"No, can't see much. Let me take out my phone to check."
I pulled out my phone, turned on the camera app, and pressed the lens tightly against the door crack.
Then, the outside, which was barely visible to my eyes, became perfectly clear on the phone screen, as if we were looking through an endoscope Camera.
"It's much clearer this way. With this, we can all look together."
"I want to see too."
"Me to.."
"I pass, my stomach feels a bit queasy.."
All the members except Gyeongwon gathered around, peering intently at the phone screen pressed against the door Crack.
There, a massive lump of flesh that had already swallowed dozens of people was wildly flailing its arms and legs, attacking the remaining students.
"Aaah, die, die!"
"You were supposed to be my puppets. Come here and help me deal with these punks, hehehe."
The chair swung down by the senior presenting for the Chemistry Club sank right into the flesh with a squelch, Swallowed whole.
Even the senior holding onto the chair was pulled in, both hands buried deep into the flesh.
"'Aaagh-! Let me go! Let go!!"
Other students beside him tried to help by pulling, but their efforts were in vain.
"Ahhh- something! Something's pushing into my hands! Up my arms!
The senior seemed to slowly begin feeling an odd sensation, as if the monster's nerves and muscles were tangling and merging with the area where his arms were buried.
"Ugh- Ah, ah... uggh...! M-my shoulders
are tingling all over... No... Get it out.. Ugh- uuugh-"
The faces of parents plastered onto the lump of flesh watched the students being sucked in while cackling and laughing together.
"Come back into Mom's belly, Jiyeon, Kangho, Haewon-"
"No! No! Aaaah-"
"School life must have been so tough- come back into my belly-"
"Ugh! Gah! M-Mom- Mommy-"
The students thrashed helplessly as they were dragged into their parents' grasp.
Each one, in the end, let out a strange,
high-pitched cry, their faces twisted in
ecstasy as they were swallowed and
disappeared.
"Wahhhh- Ahheuuuuu..."
"Oooh! Oooh! Ohoooh- hehehe..."
Just as the remaining fifteen or so students finally lost their will and began stumbling backward.
Bang-!
Suddenly, the tightly sealed soundproof door of the room burst open, and Vice Principal Jang Yeok, who had fled earlier, charged in holding a shotgun.
"Hey, you damned b*tch!! Just die!!!!"
Bang!
The bullets exploded with a deafening roar.
Like a firework exploding loudly, the gunshot, closer to a bang than the bang sound in games, violently pierced the air.
The lump of flesh, reaching all the way
to the ceiling, trembled with a wet squelch, splattering blood.
"Ugeeeh- Kyaahk-"
Soon after, following the Vice Principal,
the teachers who had remained in the school rushed in, also armed with shotguns.
"Form a line! Line up!"
"Fire! Shoot!!"
From our homeroom teacher to the counselor Ryu Jinah, and even Cha Eun, the music teacher who was originally in-charge of this music room.
About a dozen familiar-faced teachers formed a row at the entrance and poured a barrage of bullets with bang, bang, firing toward the monster in the audience seat.
Bang! Thud! Bang!
Thump-thump- squelch-
"Ugehehehehehek-
The members hiding in the storage room covered their ears at the loud gunshots.
I too, unlike the bang from movies, was hearing the real bang-! of gunfire,making my eardrums ache.
Even so, determined not to miss a single moment of the situation, I focused my eyes and ears even more intently, observing the unfolding scene.
"Aaah- D-don't shoot- Please save me-Save- Ugh-! Ugh-!"
Bang- bang- boom-! Boom-!
Between the monster and the teachers stood the seniors from the Chemistry Club, who had been fighting with chairs just moments ago.
But the teachers paid them no mind and indiscriminately opened fire.
Bang- boom- bang- boom-! Splat-!
"Keugh-! Gahk-"
"Ugh! Ugh- ugh-"
Eventually, the remaining students caught in the crossfire were struck by the bullets, bleeding as they collapsed.
"Crazy..."
"Unbelievable.."
Their school uniforms were stained with blood.
The members turned their heads away from the phone screen as if unable to bear the sight.
But the teachers, as if glad to see a troublesome obstacle removed, shouted commands even more fiercely and fired their guns.
"Fire! Until it's completely dead!"
"Shoot, shoot!"
Bang- bang- bang- bang-!
"You damn things "
Each time the barrage erupted from the dozen or so teachers lined up in formation, the monster retreated step by step, chunks of flesh flying off its body.
"Keep shooting! More, keep going! Keep going!"
"You idiots, how can teachers do this to another teacher-"
Amidst the relentless hail of bullets.
Taking advantage of the moment when several teacher ran out of ammunition and frantically tried to reload, the monster, sensing the weakened barrage, moved its body dramatically.
It tore a chair from the audience seats with a loud crack and hurled it toward the entrance in an instant.
Whoosh- Thud!
"Kyaaaaaah!"
The massive body of Teacher Choi Jungim, who had absorbed over thirty people.
With unbelievable monstrous strength,
the chair she hurled struck Music Teacher Cha Eun, sending her flying as she coughed up blood.
Taking advantage of the momentary
collapse in formation, Teacher Choi
Jungim bent and folded her dozens of
legs unsteadily.
"She's coming! She's trying to jump
Over!"
"Everyone, dodge to the sides! Now!"
"Dodddgge!"
Whoosh-
And with a splat- the several-ton lump of flesh leaped straight toward the entrance.
The sight of the monster flying seemed to momentarly slence the air.
BAAANG-!
Immediately after, the immense weight of its body crashed down, shattering the stage as wood fragments splintered upward, leaving the entire area in ruins.
One unlucky teacher get crush in an instant,
The monster cackled as it immediately seized a few teachers who had lost their balance from the impact, dragging them into itself.
"Don't serve a swindler like Taesang and come inside me-"
"Ahhhhh- Let go of this! Let go of this! Ugh, ugh-"
"Move outside! Head outside and form
the line again at the end of the hallway!Fire while it rushes down the corridor! Move! Move quickly!"
"Waaaah "
As the monster flailed atop the collapsed stage, absorbing the teachers, the remaining teachers, led by the Vice Principal, hurriedly left the music room and locked the door again.
"Ah, the door..."
"F*ck...!"
The members watching cursed at the locked door, but the monster quickly stood up and ran, thump- thump- thump, as if even tearing down the wall, and burst out into the hallway.
Crash-!
"Ahh-It's already chasing us!"
"I'm telling you to stay still-"
Thump- thump- thump- thump-
The presence of the monster and the teachers faded into the distance.
They probably went down to the lower floor.
"....Hooooo."
Only then did I let out the breath I'd been holding, then put the phone I'd been using to watch the situation back into my pocket and turned to look at the other members.
They all was somewhat shocked by what had just happened, but perhaps because of our shared experience navigating life-and-death situations together, their eyes were firm as they waited for my instructions I looked at them in the quiet room and
said,
"..We'll wait here for a while and then chase after that monster."
"Okay."
"Of course, it would be troublesome if the monster dies and the checkpoint gets set... So we'll just observe the battle between the Void cult and the monster from a distance. If it looks like they're about to completely subdue it, we'll step in immediately."
"Okay."
"Understood."
Honestly, even if the monster died, I could forcibly reset the situation using the Banality Manifestation ability, but doing that would put too much strain on the Causality Rate.
"Everyone understands, right? Then-"
Just as I finished saying that, I suddenly glanced toward Chaerin and Yeseul. Chaerin was still in a state of shock, trembling uncontrollably.
Yeseul was holding onto Chaerin, watching us with calm eyes.
"..What will you two do?"
"We'll just stay here."
Yeseul answered instead, and I nodded.
"Alright. Stay hidden and be careful here. Well go out now."
"Hey, but you. You know..."
For a moment, Yeseul looked at me as if she'd decided something.
"I.. knew it wasn't a dream."
"..What?"
"Ever since then, I've been secretly watching you in the classroom. A revelation from God, a divine dream...that's what I believe."
A determined look in her eyes.
She must be talking about the Apocalypse incident.
I paused for a moment, then simply nodded.
"...Uh, yeah. Okay."
"Do you go to church?"
"...."
I glanced at the club members and answered with an awkward expression.
" um..No."
"Oh, Lord."
Suddenly, Yeseul let go of Chaerin and
hurried over and grabbed my hand.
"Please help this person... I believe You
work even through strangers.."
"....."
"God, the grace of all nations... You work even through the ignorant.."
Holding my wrist tightly, she closed her eyes and began murmuring what sounded like a prayer.
I was momentarily taken a back.
Yeseul's slender fingers, tightly gripping mine, and the warmth I felt from them somehow made my heart flutter.
Her slender face, something you might see on Instagram, and the cross necklace swaying against the graceful curve of her neck added to her charm. When church-going girls showed their faith like this, there seemed to be a sudden unwaveringness about them.
"...I believe You will do it. Amen."
Yeseul's whispered prayer, still holding my hand, quietly echoed through the storage room.
She stayed still for a moment, holding my hand tightly, then slowly opened her eyes and placed my hand against her chest.
I hesitated for a moment, but all she did was help me gently squeeze the cross necklace hanging around her neck.
"Now go. Since I prayed, everything will go well."
"....."
I nodded, my face trembling.
When I looked at the other members,Jinhee let out a snort as if finding it amusing, while Hayoon wore a cold expression.
Sunah was trembling, going Eeek..'so
I quickly pulled my hand away.
"Yeah. Thanks for the prayer."
"Mmm.."
Once she had done what she needed
to do, Yeseul returned to her usual reserved expression.
She was even blushing a little, as if she
hadn't realized she'd acted that way.
Behind her, Chaerin was still trembling, clutching something tightly in her hand. WhenI looked closely, it was the hinge I had taken from my pocket and given her during the presentation earlier.
'Is she holding onto it because there's
nothing else to grip?"
I straightened up, rummaged through
the shelves, and pulled out the drumsticks used by the Follksong Club and handed them out tO everyone.
"Alright, let's each take a weapon.
Chaerin, you put that down, too. Here."
Only then did the trembling Vice Class
President set the hinge down and took
the drumstick I offered.
Despite appearing tough, she had her
vulnerable side, which was proven during the Apocalypse incident when she cried after I confronted her a little.
"Drumsticks, um..."
The club members eyed the crude wooden sticks with uneasy looks.
For now, it was all we had, but it should still be usable as a decent weapon until we found something better.
"Is everyone ready?"
I listened to the competition room, which had become quiet after a series of events,
and grabbed the handle of the storage room door.
'Huu...!"
The cold touch of the doorknob.
I was tired.
Even though I slept all day after burning through the weekend at the boarding house, I was just lying down.
And I didn't have the energy to jump back into another incident so energetically.
But with the sense that this was what needed to be done, I took a deep breath and turned the doorknob.
"Alright, opening it!'"
"..Yeah!"