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‘If the world doesn't end in the future, I'll live comfortably and be well-treated with the magic warrior license.’
——
Such a humble wish Baek Yu-Seol has….. But the fate is far more cruel..
Chapter 170: The 7th Tower (2)
The culprit was actually the protagonist.
It might be hard to understand the contextless outburst, but he didn’t feel the need to drag it out, so spoke from the conclusion.
"Baek Yu-Seol! You have talent as a Ghost Hunter. I guarantee you that, as the world’s greatest ghost hunter."
"Yes."
"From now on, will you address me as Master Pung Ryu-jin?"
"No."
"Too bad."
Currently, Baek Yu-Seol was here in the haunted village of Malentai for an event.
The main content of this sub-event was to successfully meet the Ghost Hunter Pung Ryu-jin, who could be considered as the protagonist of this event, and then solve the mysteries occurring in the village...
That was the main plot.
In conclusion, the ghost tormenting the villagers was actually Ghost Hunter Pung Ryu-jin himself, and the player realized this and exorcized him.
The direction was decent, the story quite moving, and there was a twist, so it received some praise. However, as it was a predictable storyline, many people didn't find it particularly exciting.
This was because the story development was too similar to the movie 'The Sixth Sense', and people were expecting too much of a twist.
Moreover, honestly, throughout the quest, it was just an endless repetition of Pung Ryu-jin rushing off saying, 'Oh, there's a rumor that a ghost appeared! Hurry and investigate!'
While the player followed and defeated the monster.
[You have gained skill experience.]
[You have gained a large amount of skill experience...]
So. Did he feel dissatisfied?
Not at all.
Thanks to Pung Ryu-jin, he was quite satisfied because he could defeat monsters that he couldn't even touch at his level.
That’s why this side event is considered a hidden gem.
"Your help was very significant. Once this is over, do you have any thoughts about working as my assistant? You're gutsy, courageous, and skilled."
"Not really."
"Baek Yu-Seol, you're great, but you lack a clear sense of purpose, which is a flaw. What's your dream?"
"To prevent the world from ending."
"Haha! Ridiculous, but you should have that level of ambition. I, too, once dreamed of conquering the world."
Being a Ghost Hunter was a job just right for starving to death.
Why bother with it when Yu-Seol will have a future profession like a magic warrior?
‘If the world doesn't end in the future, I'll live comfortably and be well-treated with the magic warrior license.’
"Well, it's regrettable. It's about time for me to retire. However, even without me, ghosts will still wander the world."
Pung Ryu-jin looked into the empty space with a bitter gaze.
"In this world, whether knowingly or unknowingly, there are lingering spirits who couldn't achieve enlightenment. I believe it's my duty to resolve their lingering regrets. How much attachment must remain for them to linger on this land even after death?"
"That's true."
Why were there so many lingering regrets?
He was puffing away from his cigarette, and muttered while occasionally staring blankly into the air.
No smoke came out of the pipe.
That was one of the proofs that Pung Ryu-jin was a ghost.
At first, when he knew nothing, he thought it was a graphics glitch.
"Nevertheless, we're almost at the peak. Do you see that mansion? There are rumors of a lady crying softly every night."
"I see it well."
"Tonight, we'll infiltrate there. This time, there's no doubt."
It had been a week since he stayed in Malentai.
The climax of the story was approaching.
The crying lady in the mansion wasn’t a ghost as everyone expected.
The crying lady was someone who had a romantic relationship with Pung Ryu-jin during her lifetime...
That was the setting.
Pung Ryu-jin protected the lady and tragically died, and even after death, he became a wandering spirit, unable to let go of her.
It seemed predictable and cliché when reading the story, but now that he was facing the actual individuals...
Baek Yu-Seol couldn't just brush it off with a laugh.
"We must resolve the case this time."
Unlike the energetic departure of Pung Ryu-jin, his shoulders felt heavy.
Because he knew what fate awaited him in the future.
"Let's go."
Yet, Baek Yu-Seol still followed him.
After all, he came prepared for this situation, knowing that fate was predetermined.
Sometimes, he wondered if knowing the future was always a good thing.
'Sigh... What am I thinking?'
Let’s not get carried away by emotions.
He had to deal with something more dangerous and perhaps even more challenging in the future.
He need to quickly finish this event and return to Stella to prepare for the Dark Magic Corruption with Flame.
Time-wise...
Nothing significant should have happened yet.
The future had changed significantly, but he hoped it remained quiet.
"Let's go!"
With a heavy heart in many ways, he followed Pung Ryu-jin.
He was lost in thoughts, but there was still so much to do.
——-
Most of the ghost stories heard by her from his father were mostly true.
After midnight, when the moonlight shines on the corridor of the 12th floor, Section D-3 of the 5th Tower, do not look at the corner's pendulum clock. There's no pendulum clock on the 12th floor. If you happen to find it, leave quickly before it strikes 12 times.
Around 3 a.m., when entering the basement of the 4th Tower, always pair up with someone. If you happen to enter alone, don't try to find the exit and quietly find a corner to spend the night with your eyes closed. At least, you won't end up in a strange place.
Eisel’s ghost stories were close to one circulating in the academy, but they weren't particularly scary.
They were just one of the ways to the 7th Tower.
But not all of them would be true.
Around that time, strange incidents began to occur at the academy.
"Do you know the ghost story of the 7th Tower? If the water is running in the women's restroom at midnight, close your eyes and count to ten."
"Yeah, I know."
"Did you hear about what happened to Senior Henetly recently?"
"What? That's impossible. There's no women's restroom there in the first place?"
"That's why it's even scarier. Senior was so shocked and recalled the ghost story, so they closed their eyes and counted to ten, and suddenly the restroom disappeared."
"Is it true...?"
"I don't think that a serious senior would lie."
It wasn't just once or twice.
"Have you heard about Abeck from Class C?"
"Of course. He saw a puddle of fresh blood on the floor when walking by the 6th Tower in the early morning?"
"That sounds like nonsense. He’s always exaggerating or making things up."
"But he was trembling like crazy, and he was taken to the infirmary. If they acted that well, they should get the Best Actor Award of the Year."
Ghost stories and experiences began to spread throughout Stella.
Some students even went back to their hometowns, and model students, who regularly attended classes, stayed in the dormitory and didn't even think about coming out.
In the middle of the night, most people were too scared to wander alone.
"Something... seems strange."
It had only been a day since Hong Bi-Yeon went missing, but suddenly the incident had escalated to this extent.
The ghost incidents will be resolved directly by the Stella Magic Knights, so all students should focus on their studies without worry.
Although Stella had deployed its full resources to investigate, it was futile.
The ghost stories seemed trivial to students, but for some reason, neither the Magic Knights nor the professors were affected at all.
It was as if the ghost stories were avoiding them.
That was the scariest part of this episode: Despite incidents occurring within the academy, the professors were unable to help at all.
By the third day, students began to disappear one by one.
Despite heightened vigilance and nightly patrols by professors throughout the corridors, they couldn't prevent students from being lured by ghost stories.
What kind of magic is this?
Even at Stella, the world's greatest magic institution, they couldn't solve this mystery.
… Indeed. Was it Abeline’s magic?
On a dark night, with even the starlight obscured by clouds, there was only one thing to rely on: a magical orb.
Yet, Flame walked down the corridor without a hint of fear.
It was terrifying to experience it firsthand.
When mysteries occurred that even modern science couldn’t explain, people trembled in fear.
The world of magic, Aether World, was no different.
Mysteries that couldn’t be explained by magic resulted in restlessness.
But this wasn’t just any mystery; it was real magic.
It was just... a few steps beyond the level of modern mages, called 'hyper-real magic.'
Even knowing that it was magic, it was hard to believe it was magic at all.
It was more so for ordinary people.
By now, Elthman Elwin must have realized the true nature of this incident.
It was the fragment of reality manipulation magic left by Abeline, who disappeared over half a century ago.
But waiting for him to step in personally would be too late.
Summer vacation hadn’t even ended yet, but the 'ghost disappearance incident' had already occurred.
Soon, it would escalate to the Dark Magic Corruption Incident at the 7th Tower...
'Before that, I have to enter the 7th Tower.'
It took a few days, but she had completed all preparations.
She filled her bag with various artifacts collected from external cities to special items made by Alterisha. Additionally, there was also special items made by her through tearing the wings of angels she met in the dreams.
Through the original web novel, she had some idea of what might happen internally, so it should be fine.
".... It's a bit eerie."
Eisel said.
She was walking behind Flame.
They didn’t know if they would encounter ghost incident right away today.
The current situation was somewhat similar to what happened in the original web novel.
One day, Eisel was kidnapped to the 7th Tower, but with Haewonryang's help, she escaped.
However, soon after, as students began to disappear one by one, she eventually decided to use the ghost stories herself to enter the 7th Tower to avoid being caught.
But the process wasn't easy.
Ghost incident could occur anywhere at any time, so who knew when they would happen.
She walked alone through all the towers every night to turn the ghost stories she knew into reality.
"At least... Should I aim for a week?"
Just like back then, it wouldn’t be easy for Flame and Eisel to encounter ghost easily.
And now, including Anella, there were three of them.
Ghost incident typically had a higher chance of occurring when you're alone, so it might take even longer.
If there were no signs of ghost incident by the third day, then maybe they should take separate actions...
But then.
"Huh?"
Splash!
As she took a step, cold water splashed.
Lowering her head to look down the corridor... It was filled with cold water.
There was no mistaking it.
This, too, was a ghost encounter.
※ If the corridor is filled with water while walking on the 15th floor of the 4th Tower... something like that.
The details didn’t matter.
Just the fact that they had fallen for the ghost story was important.
“G-ghost story..."
Eisel said with a tense voice, and Flame nodded.
But... something was off.
'On the first try?'
It was not like they had tried it multiple times.
It was just once.
Today, for the first time, they tried to approach it and succeeded on the first try.
Does that make sense?
'Is it just a coincidence...?'
She wanted to believe that, but she couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling.
"Let's go. According to the ghost story, if we're told not to walk to the end of the corridor, then we should do the opposite."
"Yeah, let's go."
There was no other way.
Although there was a strong suspicion that someone was intentionally taking them, they had no choice but to head there.
Even now, countless students were missing, and above all, Hong Bi-Yeon, whom Baek Yu-Seol had painstakingly brought back from evil, was trapped there.
So, without hesitation, they moved forward.
"Wait."
A boy's voice came from behind.
Recognizing the owner of the voice immediately, Flame turned her head with a stern expression.
"... Jeremy."
"Yeah, Flame."
Jeremy Skalven, a boy with golden hair that shone like a star even in the absence of any starlight.
There was no reason for Jeremy to come here in the middle of the night... except for following Flame.
"Why did you follow?"
"... I had no choice. To protect you. It's a request. Don't ask for more than that."
"Why?"
"Can't you feel something strange? This is...tempting you."
"Ha, tempting? Tempting would be the foolish things you usually do."
Flame knew.
Jeremy knew too, but they had no choice but to go.
"And who's tempting me for what purpose?"
"... I can't tell you that."
"Huh. Speaking as if you know something?"
"Sorry."
Jeremy firmly shook his head, not backing down from his opinion.
"Don't go any further. It'll be very...dangerous."
"No. We have to go."
"... Why?"
"Because our friends are trapped."
“To rescue them? It's beyond your ability. Even the professors can't find them."
"I know. But we still have to go."
Watching Flame, who remained steadfast in her words with an unchanged expression, Jeremy smiled bitterly, as if he expected that.
"Then... I'll go with you."
"What?"
"I can't just watch you go there."
"Are you crazy? Why all of a sudden..."
Eisel and Anella had long retreated.
Jeremy Skalven was a feared figure to them.
That was the same for Flame.
He would undoubtedly be a great asset, but to be together... His presence was too burdensome.
"Go back. I have no intention of being with you."
"... Since you won't listen to me, I'll do as I please too. I'll pursue you on my own terms."
After saying that, Jeremy stepped back ten paces.
"I won't interfere. I'll keep my distance. I won't even initiate conversation. Let me watch over you from afar. Is that... too much to ask?"
Honestly, even that, she didn't want to allow it.
Because Flame had a personal aversion to Jeremy's existence.
But from the outset, if Prince Jeremy had come this far, she knew she couldn't stop him.
Unavoidably, she turned around without a word and moved forward.
Eisel and Anella exchanged glances before following Flame, and from a distance, Jeremy followed suit.
Thus, the very strange and mismatched team of four embarked on their exploration of the 7th Tower.