Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Answerer II
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Shin Noah
4
Once you've identified an anomaly's weakness—its flaw—what comes next?
Spirit.
In refined terms, it's "vitality" or "willpower." In cruder language, it's "stubbornness" or "guts." You unify your mental state with that of a Marine and bulldoze through with sheer malice and grit.
This is no joke.
Take, for example, the story from my 90th regression, when I ran a 6th International convenience store.
Though I didn't mention it before, human customers weren't the only ones who stopped by back then—non-human patrons visited frequently too.
One night, the bell jingled—ding-a-ling. I whipped my head around. The digital clock by the door read 01:59.
"Welcome, sir—."
-Uwoooo....
"—or ma'am. Please, browse at your leisure."
A rotten stench wafted in.
A pitch-black ghost approached, oozing shadow slime in its wake. Its gait was so elegant, I half-expected a red carpet rolled out for a film festival in my store.
'I'm fucked.'
A perfectly rational assessment.
Ever seen Muk from Pokémon? Or the River Spirit from Spirited Away?
It looked just like that—a ghost slithering around the store before reaching the counter.
My sanity cracked a bit. I'd meticulously cleaned the floor five minutes ago, but now it glistened beautifully coated in the ghost's shit-water.
-Wiiizaaang....
The thing spoke.
"Yes?"
-Wiiizaaang, one. Kidney... two. Heart, oneeee.... Lungs, one. Fingers... three. Eyyyye, oneee, giiive meeee....
"...."
I was a self-employed owner who'd hammered ethics and morals into my prefrontal cortex.
Even dealing with asshole customers, I never forgot the five letters of "service spirit."
That's why I could flash a flawless smile.
"Sir, you want a beating?"
-...?
"You want a beating? You want a beating?"
The ghost flinched.
I hopped onto the counter, closing in on it instead.
"See this floor right now? Yeah? Can't confirm with your wonky eyes, so I won't say much."
-Uwooo...?
"It's black as backed-up sewage. The smell? We sell food here, and your stench is so bad it's spoiled everything. You're paying for this, right? You gonna pay up, asshole? Why no answer?"
That's right.
If there's an anomaly called "asshole customer," there has to be a "trash store owner" to balance the scales.
"What? Liver? Kidney? Heart? Bullshit, you piece of shit. Hand it over. Cleaning fee for the floor. Mop'll need tossing after, so mop fee. Food section's ruined, compensation fee. And my uniform's got your stink—laundry fee. Total: your worthless life, bitch."
-Uuwoo....
"No cash? Broke and causing chaos? Fuck! Hey! Call the cops! Call the cops! Wait—I'm the cop now, you filthy fuck!"
-Ueee....
Poof.
The anomaly evaporated. The shit-water and stench scattered everywhere vanished with it.
The clock still read 01:59.
The lesson from this tale? Even an anomaly strong enough to pause time can be driven off with knowledge of its flaw and blazing spirit.
Me, Undertaker.
Unlike some regressor who whined about needing love and took a long vacation to bail, I've always got endless guts to flip off anomalies.
To help you all pioneer your own paths someday, this episode will detail an expert's "anomaly攻略 manual" for breaching the Void.
5
Thud. I stepped out of the security office in my guard uniform.
Flashlight in left hand, trunk in right.
Earbuds and mini-mic equipped. Full gear for serious anomaly hunting.
Mood-wise, I felt like Liu Bei gripping the Dual-Wielded Heroes—once conditions aligned, even Lü Bu would tremble in fear at the might of the realm's top sword descending.
-Uwoooo..., ....
-Hee, hee, hee, hee....
The ghosts swarming the first-floor hallway slunk away as I approached.
Obviously.
"Ghosts" were anomalies based on human forms. Some had intelligence, and most instinctively recognized the strong.
Sure, Baekhwa Girls' High School was a top-tier Tutorial Dungeon, but I was a 117th regressor. To them, it was like Cthulhu crashing a newbie village—total disaster.
Not all ghosts fled, though.
Some had thick hides, or settings that made running tricky.
So my steps headed straight for the boys' restroom.
"Hmm."
Squelch—
My shoe sole squished. The floor pooled with about 0.5 cm of water.
Faint bleach mixed with a weird stench—like hair clippings soaked in water.
The faucet was off.
'This screams haunted spot without even looking.'
No hesitation.
Four stalls. I politely knocked on the third: knock knock knock.
"Hanako? You there?"
-....
"Hanako?"
Silence.
I tilted my head.
"Hmm."
-....
Suspicious silence.
My 117th-regression anomaly hunter nose whispered, "Ghost here for sure."
Locking the faucet in a panic was pointless—the floor was already flooded.
Game over.
I trusted my instincts generously, so two options: the ghost was Japanese-original and didn't get English, or ignoring me on purpose.
In this global era, option one was impossible. Instinct said the latter.
"Ah, right. My bad. Some versions need more than a knock to trigger."
-....
"Alright. Spin time?"
Click. I locked the restroom door and spun in place in the stall.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven."
-....
"Eight, nine, ten, twelve, thirteen. Done."
Knock knock knock on the door.
"Hanako, let's play. Hanako, you there?"
-Yes.
Instant reply.
Anomalies' fate. They follow "rules," unbound even to themselves.
That's how they exist in the world.
Like Ten Tribes with insane physical power but vulnerable to physical destruction.
The convenience store ghost: "Appears as a customer at丑時 in any store." Seems omnipresent, but flaw: "Only as a customer."
Same for restroom Hanako.
"Exists in any empty restroom's third stall." A bound spirit.
Must appear to anyone entering the third stall, especially chanting the invocation.
Ignore? Admits non-existence. Exterminated.
The restroom ghost muttered in a trembling voice (haunting in reality).
-Red tissue... or blue tissue...?
"Ah, collab version with red/blue tissue. Not rare."
-Purple tissue...?
"Oh."
Anomaly offered compromise.
Some tales say demanding "purple tissue" makes Hanako retreat. A攻略 method.
But it proposed first, without me invoking.
Almost touched. Such a polite ghost.
"Purple's fine. But this?"
-...?
Zip!
I unzipped my leather trunk—another anomaly, story for later.
Inside: stacks of red and blue tissues.
"I brought both red and blue."
-....
"Post-COVID era. Gotta carry personal hygiene stuff for peace of mind. Right, Hanako? Want some? Red or blue?"
-Purple tissue....
"No purple, bitch!"
Boom!
Aura flared, True Step stomped. Toilet shattered, porcelain shards flying.
Gurgle—backflow. Not just H₂O. A girl-ghost in red cape surged up.
I grinned.
"Found you."
-...!
The ghost quivered.
Prime perk of human-based "ghost-types": strong vs weak, weak vs strong. Human traits amplify it. Hanako embodied it.
Most had "physical immunity," but no issue. Could bypass that.
Like this.
"Gotcha."
-...! ...!
Swish. Red tissue right, blue left, gripped Hanako's head tight.
Ghosts dodge physics, but Hanako kills via "red/blue tissue" words—physical change, death.
Flaw exploitation.
Anomaly world: no one-way streets. Two-way if you match methods.
Result: ghost vise-gripped, dangling.
-...! ...! ...!
"Red or blue?"
-....
"Both. 1+1 sale this month, customer."
Crunch!
Ghost face blued, then popped. Body melted into red liquid, formless.
No pity, even human-shaped.
Reason revealed post-exorcism.
Floor water turned red, corpses surfacing like a burst dam.
"...."
Seven bodies here alone. Dozens across restrooms. Trapped clueless students: easy prey.
Piled bodies. Wouldn't rot till Void broke.
"Hmm...?"
Sorting, found suspicious item.
"...Talisman?"
Hidden talismans everywhere: behind Hanako's toilet, cleaning closet, sink bottom. Three total.
Post-200th me could've decoded. But then? Knew Analects, Mencius, Great Learning, Doctrine—not I Ching.
Still distinguished prayer from curse. Intent obvious.
死. 死. 死. 死.
Amid water-bombed restroom, crimson characters gleamed snake-skin shiny.
"Hmm."
Ominous. Even curse shops avoid 死, stick to 亡.
Scraped red ink with nail, sniffed.
"...Real human blood."
Blood-written talisman. Deadliest curse.
Why hidden in school restroom?
Pocketed question, burned all talismans.
Paper and tape from trunk: stuck on door.
[Patrol Complete]
Safety zone mark.
Hope for wandering students.
"Good."
Moved on.
Prioritized restroom ghost for reason.
Since ancient times, urination spots taboo.
Shrine: yang center. Restroom: yin. Inevitable, yet dirty.
With dining/sleeping spots, key in occult for Void.
Core axis of "School Ghost Stories."
Science/art/music ghosts? Negligible.
'Wish I could link with Cheon Yo-hwa or survivors, but pinpointing in distorted Void? Tough....'
Thud. Flashlight swept black hallway.
Hall unnaturally long, duplicated, twisted. Red sky outside, birch trees clawing through windows into corridor.
Anomalies lurking in white shadows.
Nodded. Adjusted [Guard Undertaker] badge.
'Till linking with Cheon Yo-hwa, crush every anomaly in path.'
Brrrr....
Felt like the School Ghost Stories Void shuddered. Maybe imagination.