Fragment of the Story
"Haa. I really thought I was done for."
The darkness had vanished from the space. The school interior had returned to its original state, and no trace of the ghost story's energy lingered. The Catastrophe-grade ghost story, Lora's tale, was over.
"Man, that beginner package is seriously OP, huh? It just handled everything on its own."
When the Forgotten One had been attacking wildly, I'd frozen up and couldn't think straight. Not only did the attacks not land, but it even used the backstory I knew in just the right way!
"Gotta give a five-star review to the notification window next time."
Maybe it was because I'd been so tensed up until moments ago, but my whole body felt like jelly now. When Lora had gone berserk, I'd thought, 'This is it, I'm dead.'
'Who would've thought a single name would fix it.'
I already knew the Forgotten One's backstory. An ordinary girl forgotten by everyone amid irrationality, eventually turning into a ghost story. It wasn't even one with an established solution method, so resolving it just by remembering her name was basically pure luck.
"Still, glad I could save her. It was weighing on my mind."
The Forgotten One's story had been heartbreaking even when I read it in the novel. A village girl living happily. Lora, who did nothing wrong, suddenly plunging into an abyss of misfortune. Forgotten and erased for no reason. A girl with no one left to remember her.
"If I hadn't read the novel... what would've happened to Lora?"
Complicated emotions flickered through me. Was this the feeling of ending a ghost story with my own hands? It was my first time truly concluding one. The fragile girl's story of sinking into misfortune and being forgotten.
Until now, ghost stories had just been scary entities to me. Nothing more than words on a page in a novel.
"They say everyone has a story. Guess I forgot that even ghost stories do."
I felt a wistful emotion rise but quickly shook my head.
"Whatever, whatever. No need to get all serious. That's not like me."
'What about the people who passed out?'
Three figures lay collapsed behind me. Su-yeon, Do-hyeok, and even Ga-eun. All three had lost consciousness.
"If I had to carry them one by one, I'd die of injustice."
I slowly walked to the nearest wall and carefully lifted Ga-eun first, laying her down comfortably in one spot.
"She's surprisingly light."
Compared to her slender figure, she felt incredibly light. But thinking of Ga-eun's strength and presence, 'No one would imagine she's this light.'
"...Well, no rule says a super-strong fox-tailed girl has to be heavy."
After laying all three in comfortable positions, I realized I'd forgotten the most important thing in the world.
"...Shit. It's time to feed Luna her snack."
I always bought Luna's favorite snacks on the way home from work. But today, this damn ghost story hunt had eaten up all my time!
"Argh! If I don't get back now, my precious one-room's gonna turn to dust!"
Luna was the top reason, but another popped up. Netherworld dissipation followed by cracking a Catastrophe-grade ghost story. Staying at the site of such a massive incident? 100% busted, 200% interrogated, 300% exhausted!
Sure, I was in Phantom form, but getting tangled up like this would be a huge pain. Time to bail!
"No thanks to that hassle!"
At that moment, a black shadow rippled and undulated at my feet.
"Phew, good. It's working properly."
I was grateful just to be able to travel via shadows. Honestly, my heart was still pounding.
'I just faced a life-or-death ghost story up close—staying calm would be weirder.'
Whatever.
"I'm just a normal guy, you know?"
Mengmang-grade this, Netherworld that, Catastrophe-grade whatever—these crazy events were the problem in the first place.
"Let's get home quick. Luna's waiting."
"I hate overtime with a passion!"
As I surrendered my body to the black energy to depart, I sensed a small light flickering behind me.
"Ugh, I'm swamped—what now?"
Where Lora had vanished. A faint fragment of light floated there.
'What's this?'
It felt like it was calling to me. Drawn to the twinkling object, I reached out unconsciously.
Fragment of the Story discovered.
A familiar notification window popped up suddenly.
"What the—this is a fragment of the story?"
The light fragment seeped into my fingertips, showing me unfamiliar memories.
==========
Under a sky studded with stars, a warm breeze blew.
"Lora! Hurry up!"
"Wait there! You can't leave me behind!"
On a meadow tinged with sunset, innocent children laughed brightly as they ran about.
"This birthday festival's gonna be awesome!"
"Totally! We finally get to see Selenum's princess up close!"
Lora's friend waved and shouted.
"A princess dancing in a beautiful castle! It's like a fairy tale!"
"And this year, there's the moonlight festival too. It's gonna be magical!"
The kids chattered about Selenum's princess.
"They say she's super pretty, right?"
"Of course! Hair as beautiful as moonlight, golden eyes!"
"Yeah! They say it's like the 'Goddess of the Moon' came down herself!"
Lora pouted slightly at that.
"Hmph..."
"What's up, Lora?"
"I wanna wear a pretty dress and be a princess too!"
"Pfft, princesses are born that way."
"Still! I wanna wear a sparkly headband and a pretty dress!"
Her friends chuckled and teased her playfully.
"Then talk like a 'princess' starting today!"
"Ahem! I am 'Princess Lora'!"
"Hahaha! That's hilarious!"
Lora goofed around, rolling with her friends. All the kids were excited to see the beautiful princess at the moonlight festival.
==========
Fragment of the Story acquired: Selenum's Princess.
'...What was that just now?'
Touching the light fragment had flooded me with someone's memories. Alien yet vivid scenes. A warm breeze-swept meadow and children's laughter.
"That was Lora's memory."
Lora from before she became a ghost story, living happily. The fragment showed a time when the girl hadn't been forgotten yet, playing with friends and enjoying ordinary happiness.
A word from that story: Selenum. It meant 'beautiful land of the moon.' And its princess.
'...No way.'
I checked the notification title again.
Selenum's Princess.
'...That princess couldn't be...'
Golden eyes. Silvery hair gently swaying. Features identical to the girl I saw every day.
'...Luna?'
The memory fragment didn't name or show the princess's face. But the description was too familiar.
'Not certain, but... I can't ignore this.'
I'd gotten zero info on Luna's past until now.
'Felt like wandering in the dark.'
This memory might be a clue about Luna.
"Probably is, if my guess is right."
I waved my hand to close the notification window. Nothing left to do here.
'Head home first.'
The shadow at my feet rippled, enveloping me.
"Gotta check this out for sure."
"Situation report incoming!"
A bit earlier, inside the emergency response room. Dozens of monitors flickered, transmitting real-time energy changes from the school interior.
Agents checked data with tense expressions, and walkie-talkies buzzed with urgent chatter nonstop.
"Netherworld alert levels are still at maximum!"
"Ga-eun, Su-yeon, and Do-hyeok—their three energy signatures are fading fast."
"What?"
"This isn't... just fainting."
The agents exchanged glances and swallowed hard.
"Their very existence... seems to be vanishing."
"Can't do anything?"
Do-jin muttered lowly from one corner of the response room. He'd sent his own daughter to the scene. As guild master, he took responsibility, monitoring everything.
'...Ending this quick?'
"M-Master!"
An energy monitoring agent pointed at the screen in shock.
"Massive reaction detected!"
"What?!"
"This is..."
A dark, abyssal energy pierced the Netherworld.
'Phantom...?'
The energy spiked once, then the school's Netherworld surged wildly. Space twisted, unstable power splashing everywhere.
But soon.
"...It's fading!"
"Netherworld energy dropping suddenly!"
Everyone watched the monitors in stunned silence. The Netherworld, moments ago a worst-case scenario, roiled like a massive wave before gradually calming.
"...Netherworld contracting."
"Collapsing rapidly!"
"Dissipating!"
Beep—— The monitors' alarms silenced, signaling the end.
The Catastrophe-grade ghost story's Netherworld had vanished completely. Everyone could only stare blankly.
"...Um."
Someone spoke cautiously.
"So... what the hell happened?"
"If I knew, would I be standing here?"
"Catastrophe-grade Netherworld goes berserk, then a strong reaction pops out."
"And poof, gone."
"We didn't do jack."
"Don't say it. It's not bragging."
The powerful reaction that dissipated the Netherworld. Right before it, a fleeting odd energy had appeared.
'...Phantom.'
Do-jin closed his eyes and sighed in relief.
'Owe him another one.'
A being that appeared and vanished like a shadow. The pitch-black man standing aloof amid massive storms.
'Phantom handled the ghost story, so we focus on cleanup.'
"The three are still at the scene. Send response teams immediately to check status and secure the area."
"Yes, Master!"
Agents sprang into action at his order.
The ghost story that nearly plunged the city into chaos and death, the Forgotten One, was gone.
But.
'We don't know what went down at the center.'
That was the biggest mystery of this incident.
"Site secured!"
The guild response team passed through the school gates, swiftly entering the interior. Each carried detection gear and recording devices.
Their mission was singular.
"Investigate traces left by the Catastrophe-grade ghost story [Forgotten One]."
All agents moved to their zones and began work.
"No combustion detected. No residual Netherworld."
"School interior stabilized. Civilians still evacuated."
"No ghost story traces found yet."
Reports flew back and forth.
"This is weird."
Team leader Park Ki-hyeon frowned at the data.
"Gone this completely?"
Normally, powerful ghost stories left residual energy or anomalies upon dissipation. For example, the [Frost Queen] on Jeju Island was cracked after twists and turns, but the area remained eternally snow-covered.
This one was a Catastrophe-grade no slouch either.
'Too clean.'
As if it never existed. Vanished without a single trace.
"Team leader Park! Found something!"
One agent raised a hand urgently.
"Kang Do-hyeok, Im Su-yeon, and Han Ga-eun—we've located all three injured!"
The three collapsed inside the school. Neatly laid out, as if someone had moved them to safety.
The medical team rushed over to check.
"Pulse normal. Temperature normal. No major injuries."
"But they've been out for a while."
"They should wake soon enough."
Park was relieved they were safe.
"These three faced the ghost story head-on. Transport to guild medical wing immediately!"
"Got it!"
"Team leader Park."
Another agent investigating spoke cautiously.
"Isn't this suspicious?"
"What?"
"The Forgotten One's Catastrophe-grade. Even the guild couldn't respond properly to the rapid changes."
"True. Its 'forgetting existence' made deploying more personnel tough."
"But while we were scrambling, something intervened and wiped the ghost story."
Park swallowed quietly.
"Someone beat the Forgotten One?"
"Need more investigation, but yeah."
'...Then who cracked it?'
Then, another agent checking detection gear ran up, shocked.
"Team leader! Detection data confirmed!"
"What'd it show?"
"Right before the Netherworld vanished—"
He caught his breath and said carefully.
"Phantom's energy was detected."
"...!"
At his name, the investigation team exchanged looks.
"...So Phantom took it down?"
"Has to be. Data doesn't lie."
"Hah... The Phantom who quelled a Mengmang-grade."
Park sighed deeply.
"Phantom. Why... do you keep saving us humans?"
Meanwhile, the incident's protagonist, Si-hyun, was currently.
"Ow, crap! Where the hell am I now?!"
Struggling with a space transfer that wasn't listening.
"Behave yourself! You stupid beginner package!"
That five-star review from earlier? Canceled, canceled!!