Chapter 19
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: School of Screams
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Creak, creak.
The wind made the iron gate screech with every gust, joined by the shrill chirping of insects. Right before our eyes loomed the school building we'd spotted earlier, looking downright sinister, its windows plastered with countless handprints.
I'd half-expected it, but this dungeon really was...
"Spot on! It's a horror dungeon!"
"Whoa, this is seriously eerie."
I envied the guts of those two, chatting so casually. I finally pried my feet off the ground and slowly crossed the sports field.
Han Jin-woo's weapon was genuinely bizarre. The brown furball called the Lucky Rabbit's Foot flitted around him, occasionally perching on his shoulder. It was like a pet—minus the face.
―Please, show, your, entry, pass―
"Whoa!"
The moment we stepped into the building entrance, a voice rang out of nowhere. The busted entry pad crackled with static as it barely spat out the words. Keeping as calm as I could, we pushed inside, passed the neat rows of shoe lockers, and headed for the stairs.
Thud.
"Huh?"
Something dropped. I whipped around to see a pair of indoor school shoes that could've belonged to anyone, lying on the floor.
"Looks like it jumped from that shoe locker."
"Monster...?"
Se-bin reached out, and a hand shot from the locker shadows, grabbing the shoes before shredding them to bits.
Plop.
The tattered slippers hit the floor limply, and bright red blood oozed out right after.
Kyaaaaaaa!!
Crash-crash-crash.
A chilling scream echoed through the entire first floor. As the wail—half sob, half cheer—faded, the locker doors flew open in unison, spilling out identical pairs of indoor shoes. The shoes started shambling toward us on their own, lining up in a row.
We could all guess what came next wouldn't be pleasant.
Click.
I hooked my finger on Ego's trigger and aimed at the lockers. Sure enough, the shoes launched like bullets to prove me right.
Boom!
Han Jin-woo's sandcastle blocked their first wave. But like a bursting dam, the sturdy mound crumbled as the shoes poured through.
Bang!!
I fired a sonic bullet at the airborne slippers hurtling our way. They plummeted back down, flopping like fish yanked from water.
Whoosh.
Shadows swept them up in one go right after. Se-bin hurled herself through the gap between the shoes.
Slash.
Her sword carved a pitch-black arc, cleaving the shadow clutching the slippers clean in half. Even I, with my limited combat experience, could tell it was a flawless, no-frills move.
Splash.
'Ugh, the stench of blood.'
Scarlet gore gushed from the bisected shadow's innards.
"Whoa, first time seeing Hunter Shin Ji-ui's skills up close."
"Oh? Yeah, now that you mention it, this is our first dungeon together."
"That's a megaphone as a weapon? And it has a trigger! Like a gun! Totally awesome~"
His reactions were over the top.
Han Jin-woo gushed endlessly, eyes sparkling.
Keep hyping me up like this, and I wouldn't know how to respond.
"Ji-ui, see the gate location?"
"Oh, right."
Se-bin shook the blood off her blade and approached me. The full moon ornament atop the Pathfinder narrowed into an arrow, pointing up the stairs.
"Looks like we follow this, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Handy item."
Ridiculously expensive, but clearly worth every penny.
Practical Music Room
Following the Pathfinder's guidance up the stairs, the Practical Music classroom came into view first. Through the shattered windows, we glimpsed orderly desks and lockers. Shards of broken guitars and massive speakers littered the floor.
'...Something in the corner.'
Whoosh!
No illusion. Something sliced the air, barreling toward me.
Bang!
The snake-like cable smacked into the thick shield I'd yanked from Ego with a twang.
Kaboom!
I pulled the trigger at the writhing, shuddering cable. Black casing and wires tore apart.
"Whoa... that startled me."
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Didn't even graze me."
I reassured Se-bin, then picked up the debris.
'What kind of description is that?'
After the brief commotion, we relied on the Pathfinder again and climbed the stairs. Each floor felt towering, making the ascent drag on.
At this point, it felt like someone was shoving extra stairs underneath.
Whirr.
"Huh?"
"What's up?"
"It's suddenly lost the position."
The moment my foot hit the stairs from the fourth to fifth floor, the Pathfinder's arrow spun wildly.
Rumble.
"Wha—aaah!!"
It happened in a flash. The stairs under me collapsed, and I plummeted with them.
'No footing, so I can't use Word Without Feet...!'
I fired Ego downward to hover for a split second.
Whoosh.
"Gah!"
A black hand burst from the wall, snagging my waist and yanking me up. My guts churned as I floated upward.
"Did that hurt? Sorry."
"Better than splatting on the floor..."
Se-bin stood against the wall, pouting apologetically. Whether item or skill, it was a surreal sight.
Fully trusting her shadow hand, I peered down from my perch on the wall. Not just the stairs—the corridor floor we'd been on had been swallowed by endless darkness.
Wait, one person's missing.
"Where's Hunter Han Jin-woo?"
"Right here~"
His voice echoed from the dark, followed by a pink head bobbing up. He rode his weapon leisurely upward. Despite the chaos, he kept that idol poise anywhere, anytime.
"Let's move sideways first. That floor over there looks solid."
Se-bin strolled along the wall casually. I trailed like a claw machine prize, dangling limply inward.
'This side's collapsed a ton too.'
Only at the far end did we find intact flooring. The shadow gently set me down, and Han Jin-woo hopped off his Lucky Rabbit's Foot, which shrank back to orbiting him.
"Let me check the position again."
The Pathfinder had already rerouted, arrow pointing deeper into the corridor. Too far to see clearly, but another staircase seemed to wait at the end.
"Feels like a real haunted house tour."
"Right?! I'd love to film this!"
"You two have some nerve."
Se-bin and Han Jin-woo chatted like it was nothing.
'Well, Han Jin-woo's a horror buff, but was Se-bin always this fearless?'
From old memories, she handled scares okay, but not to the point of zero flinch. She'd jump if something popped out. Whatever the reason, Se-bin had stayed cool as a stroll the whole time here.
'Makes sense. Compared to the storms she's weathered lately, this might not even register as scary.'
Boing, boing, boing.
As stair railings came into view, something bounced rhythmically. Soon, headless busts tumbled down the stairs—common art room statues.
"...Monsters, right?"
"Looks like it."
Se-bin gripped her sword tighter, eyes locked on the toppled busts. While everyone stared, I circled my finger and peered through cautiously.
'This one's got attack reflection too.'
Suddenly, a massive canvas dropped from the ceiling, engulfing a bust's head.
Crunch, crunch.
Screams and bone-snapping horrors droned on before the canvas faced us squarely. Three identical bust heads were painted in red on the white surface. The blank faces twisted in agony, then gaped wide.
"Kiyaaaaaaa!!"
With the same bone-chilling scream, the canvas charged. Before its face could twist into a grin, I pulled Ego's trigger.