Chapter 119: The Ghost Story... That Was
Chapter 119: The Ghost Story... That Was
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
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Twelve.
And thirteen.
The moment I took that final step, the world inverted.
The interior, which had been bright with the afternoon sun, turned as pitch-black as the dead of night.
Everything in my line of sight was flipped left to right, as if reflecting a world within a mirror.
The building looked like a ruin abandoned for decades; debris lay scattered across the floor, and the countless students who had been visible just a moment ago had all vanished.
In this dark, desolate library, only the three of us remained.
Elisha jumped, startled by the bizarre phenomenon that had occurred after just a single step.
"W-what is this?!"
"Calm down. And keep it down. Are you trying to broadcast our location to the whole neighborhood?"
"…Is there something else here besides us?!"
Elisha trembled, accomplishing the impressive feat of screaming in a whisper.
Well, I couldn't blame her. The atmosphere here was pretty eerie. It felt exactly like a haunted house from a horror movie.
Carla, on the other hand...
"Master. Please stay close to me."
The moment she sensed the anomaly, her face hardened, and she pulled Elisha and me toward her. After a brief mutter, she spoke the activation word.
"Barrier."
Wung.
A translucent shield enveloped us. Unlike a personal Shield, this was a wide-area defense spell designed to cover a specific zone. She was likely preparing for any unforeseen circumstances.
I patted the shoulder of Carla, who was readying for a fight rather than being paralyzed by the sudden change in environment.
"Good job. But don't be so tense. There's nothing here dangerous enough to actually threaten us."
"That is a relief, but… Master, what exactly is this place?"
"I told you, didn't I? It's like a subspace."
"A subspace? You mean someone created this space and hid it?"
"Hmm… not exactly. This place is more like an accidental gap that formed unexpectedly."
Carla remained on high alert, while Elisha, having calmed down a bit, tentatively pulled out her wand. I shrugged at the two of them and continued.
"The Academy grounds are huge, but… you know the actual usable space is even larger, right?"
On the Eurelia Continent, space distortion magic is widely used. Of course, it’s not exactly 'commonplace.' It’s usually reserved for things with the word 'luxury' attached to them.
For example: luxury carriages, luxury inns, luxury bags, luxury restaurants, and so on.
The only exception might be the Subspace Pocket. Since the demand is so high, I heard there are plenty of mass-produced versions that trade performance for a lower price. That’s why almost everyone carries at least one Subspace Pocket, even if the capacities vary.
"Actually, spatial magic isn't exactly simple, is it? Even so, the reason space distortion is used all over the place is because…"
"Because external summoning magic was banned."
"Correct."
I reached out and stroked Carla’s head.
"Hehehe…."
I only continued once I saw Carla’s stiff shoulders relax a little.
"Summoning a being from another dimension only requires a link to the target… but to find that target in the first place, you need a deep understanding of space-time magic, right?"
If you already have a fish on a hook, you can pull it in from the vast ocean just by tugging the line. But if you’re told to catch a specific fish in the sea without a line, you need specialized knowledge. You have to study the ecosystem, pinpoint the target's habitat, and prepare specifically to catch it.
Applying this to spirits: to contract with a specific spirit, you fundamentally need an understanding of the Spirit Realm itself and the ability to open a gate at a precise location.
Naturally, techniques for interfering with other dimensions—other space-times—had to evolve.
"But as Carla said, external summoning magic was banned after the War of the Gods. So, what do you think happened to all those summoners?"
Some mages, like those of the Sylvan Magic Tower, switched to other branches of magic… but most of those who became unemployed overnight used their expertise to start researching spatial magic. Magical tools imbued with spatial magic were—and still are—quite profitable.
Carla nodded at my words.
"That's right. That's how space distortion magic began to be used everywhere, and I heard the Academy was no exception."
No matter if it was to prevent the descent of an Evil God, countless summoners essentially had their life's work snatched away. They needed compensation to appease them, and one such measure was hiring summoners en masse for the construction of the Academy.
"Thanks to that, the Academy has space distortion magic woven into almost every corner. …And that became the problem."
At first, it was fine. The structure was built under a rigorous plan. Even though there were buildings with space distortions everywhere, they didn't interfere with each other.
However, over the past 300 years, the Academy has continuously expanded and undergone repeated renovations. Thanks to the efforts of skilled professors to keep the magic from tangling, there were no major issues.
"But conversely, that means there have been constant minor issues. This place is like a crack where all those minor problems have gathered."
A gap between spaces. A mirror world where things that shouldn't exist reside, and things that shouldn't happen occur. The reversed first and last names in the signature of the ghost story book's author were a hint toward the unique nature of this place.
Having heard my full explanation, Elisha spoke up, her eyes now serious.
"Then isn't this place quite dangerous? I'm sure you have a plan, but based on what you're saying, this is basically a dungeon."
"It's fine. I might have made it sound grand, but in the end, it's just a collection of minor scraps. More importantly…"
I tapped the ghost story book in my hand and continued.
"We have the strategy guide our senior left behind, don't we?"
"Ah."
I'll say it again: this place is just well-hidden; it's not a particularly dangerous hidden piece. If it were truly dangerous, it would have been caught long ago during the stabilization work the professors perform periodically.
The rewards are somewhat mediocre because of that, but they are definitely helpful. Even if they weren't, it counts as an Achievement, so I can aim for stat growth.
"Everyone, just remember one thing. No matter what you see, don't get scared—just blast it with magic first."
Since ancient times, firepower has been the most reliable method of exorcism.
*
There are a total of seven ghost stories featured in the book.
A portrait that weeps blood and scatters curses.
A lute that plucks its own strings and casts inescapable illusion magic.
A broken golem that wanders between buildings, smashing everything that moves.
The 13th step that drags you to another world the moment you step on it, leaving no time to resist.
An anatomical model that wanders in search of a living person to fill its missing organs.
A full-length mirror that spits out a doppelganger of whoever is reflected in it until the original dies.
And the final ghost story that must never be known.
It was a strangely familiar lineup.
Back when I was playing the game, I liked it, thinking it was a nice homage to the '7 Great Mysteries' of schools that everyone hears about in elementary school. But living on the Eurelia Continent now, my perspective has changed a bit.
I felt this in the erotic novel section too, but it seems people's imaginations are pretty much the same everywhere.
Anyway, listing them out like this makes them sound terrifying… but it’s not necessarily the case.
First of all, whether it's a ghost or whatever, they can't do a thing once they're hit with magic. Since it's ultimately a magical phenomenon, that's only natural.
Furthermore, the entities appearing in this space aren't even real ghosts. Strictly speaking, they are just formless scraps of energy that have donned the shell of a 'ghost story.'
Therefore, they aren't particularly powerful, and they are closer to mindless phenomena than intelligent beings.
"Still, it's true that they're a handful for ordinary students… but we aren't exactly ordinary, are we?"
"B-but my sensitivity is ordinary! What is that disgusting thing?!"
We were in the Theology Department building, the closest one to the library.
Not long after entering, Elisha shrieked at the sight of an anatomical model sprinting toward us from the far end of the hallway.
Well, I suppose it would be scary. Even though it moved with the stiff motions of a model, it was dripping blood like a real person, exposing slick muscles and organs.
I was also startled by its grotesque appearance, which was on a different level than seeing it through a monitor.
However.
"Cold ice, sharpen your teeth. You are a sturdy fang."
A large ice spike formed in the air, aiming precisely at the model. Then came the activation word.
"Ice Fang!"
Swoosh!
The rapidly fired ice spike pierced straight through the model's chest.
Thud!
True to its reputation as the spell with the best stopping power after rock magic, the model stumbled for a moment. Of course, since it wasn't a living creature to begin with, it couldn't be taken down with a single shot… but the important thing was that magic worked.
The way it set the mood from afar with the squelching sound of blood.
The way it suddenly popped out and charged at us to startle us.
And finally, its appearance that triggered an instinctive revulsion.
Every bit of it was terrifying, but in the end, it meant it could be defeated.
I tilted my chin toward Carla and Elisha, who had been tense but were now losing their edge at the realization that the enemy was easier than expected.
"What are you doing? Did you forget what I said? Just fire your magic first."
"Yes!"
"I-I know that!"
Swoosh…
Thud! Thwack!
That day, the anatomical model received four more ice spikes.
It was summer.