Chapter 26
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Password
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Password
The atmosphere in the hallway was unsettling.
The bizarre ringing from before had vanished, but the air itself was grim and ominous.
The signs on the walls had also disappeared without a trace. The empty corridor was silent and deserted.
I swallowed hard and looked around.
The hallway was dead quiet.
The ghost that had tormented me for so long was long gone.
"This isn't fun. Come on out..."
I clenched my fists, ready for an emergency.
I advanced, prepared to strike if a ghost suddenly popped out.
As I maintained my guard, I spotted something glittering on the floor.
Worrying that a ghost might jump out at any moment, I picked up the item.
[You have obtained Sacrifice's Diary #5.]
"This wasn't here before..."
I cautiously opened the diary.
[■■/■■/19■■]
【We went from seven to six.
It was because Gyeong-gyun died.
People were fainting, screaming, and having seizures all over the place. We were out of our minds.
All six of us, including me, were thinking the same thing.
We have to get out of this school. Now.
Those who had grasped the situation or regained their senses started bolting from the classroom one by one.
The friends who had fainted or were paralyzed with fear remained sitting on the floor, sobbing.
I helped a half-conscious Seo-yeong and left the classroom.
I happened to see Gyeong-gyun's head rolling on the floor.
No one paid any attention to his limp corpse.
Of course, neither did I.
Everyone was so desperate to escape the school that a dead friend didn't even register.
I forced myself to ignore it and went out into the hallway. Then, I heard a sudden commotion from a distance.
My friends were clinging to the main entrance, scratching at it frantically. I looked closer to see what was wrong and realized the door wouldn't open.
Huh?
That's strange.
I'm sure it opened normally when we first came in.
The ones who had lost their minds couldn't accept reality and kept clawing at the door.
They didn't stop even when their fingernails bent backward and dangled from their fingers.
Even as blood gushed out, they kept digging their fingers into the door.
Their wailing screams were just the icing on the cake.
We were trapped, imprisoned in this school.】
This diary entry was simple.
It was about being trapped in the school.
"Well, it's the same as my situation."
Perhaps the school's curse has continued from the 90s until now.
I heard this school was built on a public cemetery. Could that be related?
No matter how much I thought about it, I was completely in the dark.
I figured I'd find some clues if I kept looking around.
Hoping to find another diary or some other item, I headed for the stairs.
According to the computer password pattern, I had to go to four places.
The library, the science lab, the teachers' office, and the classroom.
The first destination was the library.
While I was at it, stopping by the science lab next door would make for an efficient search.
*Tap, tap, tap.*
I quickly made my way up to the fourth floor.
It didn't take long to reach the library.
"What a mess."
The library was an absolute disaster, thanks to the security guard's rampage.
The bookshelves were toppled and shattered, a sorry sight to behold.
All sorts of books were strewn across the floor.
"Whoa."
I carefully crossed the floor, trying not to step on anything. Then, I entered the Secret Archives, a place of many memories.
*Creeak—*
The bizarre, perfectly symmetrical scene unfolded before my eyes.
"This place is the same."
The events that took place here were vivid in my mind.
Dayeon refusing to cooperate with our escape.
Dayeon making jokes that fell completely flat.
Dayeon thanking me.
...Why is she the only one I can think of?
Anyway, a lot had happened. But I didn't have time to get lost in nostalgia.
I pushed aside my idle thoughts and remembered why I came to the Secret Archives.
According to the hint, the first part of the computer password was the number of blue books in the Secret Archives.
I walked straight to the bookshelves.
Colorful books of all kinds were packed tightly together. I pulled out only the ones with blue covers and found three.
'Since the books are identical in the archives across the way, that means there are six in total.'
In other words, the first digit of the password was 6. I jotted it down in the margin of the diary.
Maybe because it was the first one.
I figured out the password number with ease. I was about to turn around and head to the science lab when...
[You have obtained Blue Book (1).]
[You have obtained Blue Book (2).]
[You have obtained Blue Book (3).]
A series of messages popped up.
The blue books I had just taken from the shelf were now in my inventory.
This was clearly different from my last time in the Secret Archives.
I immediately opened my inventory to view the details.
[Blue Book (1)]
【A book with a blue cover. The title is 'The Funniest Story in the World.'】
[Read Blue Book (1)?]
【Read./Do not read.】
A choice appeared in the air. At this crossroads, I hesitated to open the book.
"Hmm..."
Still, the title wasn't 'Book That Kills You When Read,' it was 'The Funniest Story in the World.'
"It should be fine to read, right?"
I clicked the message and carefully opened Blue Book (1).
[The Funniest Story in the World]
【Once upon a time, there lived a boy named Conrad. Before leaving, his mother told him,
"Conrad, don't suck your thumb."
But Conrad sucked his thumb in secret. And that's when it happened.
Snip!
One piece! Two pieces!
A devil appeared and cut off Conrad's thumbs!
Conrad had no thumbs left to suck.】
And with that, the book ended.
The rest of the pages were blank.
"...What? That's it?"
I stared at the blue book, feeling empty. How was that the funniest story in the world?
*Heeheeheeheehee! Eeheeheeheehee! Eeheeheeheeheeheehee!!!*
"Shit!"
A grotesque laugh echoed from somewhere.
I was so startled I nearly fell backward.
"God damn it..."
I clutched my shrunken heart and tried to catch my breath. The two remaining books caught my eye.
"Would it kill them to have a normal book for once?"
I was a little scared, but I couldn't ignore the possibility of a clue.
After taking a deep breath and steeling myself, I reached for Blue Book (2).
[The cover is stuck fast and will not open.]
But a different message appeared this time. No matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't budge, as if it were glued shut.
It was the same with Blue Book (3). There was no way to open these two.
Maybe there's a specific way to open them later.
If so, there was no point in wasting my energy now.
I put the books back into my inventory.
My business in the library was finished.
I immediately headed to my next destination, the science lab.
It was right next to the library, so I arrived in no time.
As I reached the science lab, a sense of foreboding washed over me.
The anatomical model isn't going to pop out like last time, is it?
Just in case, I opened the door just a crack. I peeked inside the science lab through the gap.
Strangely, the anatomical model was nowhere to be seen.
It should have been lying near the door with its head detached.
Then, I heard a thudding footstep.
Thinking the security guard had appeared, I whipped my head around, but the hallway was empty.
*Thud, thud.*
Listening closely, I realized the sound was coming from inside the science lab. On a whim, I cautiously poked my head in.
*Thud.*
The anatomical model was walking on its own.
Unable to do anything about its shattered head, it was wandering around with just its torso, step by heavy step.
The sight made me want to curse.
I had no desire to be in the same room as that thing.
I forced myself to ignore the model and recalled the computer password pattern.
[1 = Number of blue books in the Secret Archives]
[2 = Number of lights in the teachers' office]
[3 = Number of specimens in the science lab]
[4 = Number of windows in the classroom]
Specimens.
That meant the animal specimens preserved in formalin jars, like the frog or the snake from before.
I observed carefully from outside the door without going in.
"There are none."
Ironically, there were no animal specimens in the science lab.
Thinking back, the place with the specimens wasn't the science lab, but the laboratory.
That changed things.
According to the hint, the third digit was the number of specimens in the science lab. But there were no animal specimens in the science lab.
That meant the number for the third digit didn't exist.
Therefore, the answer for the third digit was 0.
It was easy enough to figure out with a little thought.
I had acted without thinking, wasting time for nothing.
"God, I'm such an idiot."
I didn't even need to go to the science lab, yet I opened the door and got spooked by the anatomical model.
Still, it was a blessing in disguise. I didn't have to face that grotesque thing alone.
I immediately closed the science lab door. Just as I was about to turn away,
*Ribbit—*
An unfamiliar cry caught my ear.
It sounded familiar, like something I had heard over and over.
I knew what it was in an instant.
It was unmistakably the croak of a frog.
And not just any frog—it was the sound of that disgusting frog that used to follow Dayeon around.
But that thing was dead.
While I was passed out because of the vent, Dayeon explored the remaining areas.
The frog disappeared during that time, so I assumed it had died around then.
But the sound I just heard was definitely a frog's.
Did I hear it wrong?
Thinking it might have been an auditory hallucination, I opened the science lab door again. And then,
The scene inside the science lab was different from before.
"What the..."
The walls and ceiling were splattered with red.
The floor was soft and squishy.
An unidentifiable mucus dripped down, making everything sticky.
I had seen a similar sight before.
"It's intestines..."
For some reason, the science lab had taken on a form similar to the intestines I had encountered in the vent.
The floor squirmed ceaselessly, creating a grotesque scene.
"Ugh."
*Slam!*
The nauseating sight made me slam the door shut. When I opened it again...
*Thud, thud.*
The science lab was back to normal.
The intestinal landscape was long gone.
Was what I just saw a hallucination? If so, was the frog's croak one too?
I couldn't even begin to guess.
After witnessing something so hideously grotesque, the science lab felt even more ominous.
"Let's get out of here."
I had the password number, so there was no reason to stay. I quickly turned and left.
Now, only the classroom and the teachers' office remained.
Both rooms were on the first floor, so I headed down the stairs.
"The guard isn't going to show up, is he...?"
The first floor was the guard's usual territory, so I was incredibly worried.
On top of that, I was afraid there might be some crude gimmick hidden here, like in the previous two rooms.
But perhaps I should call it a stroke of luck.
When I nervously entered the teachers' office, there were no traps.
Other than the computer clacking away on its own, there was nothing that threatened me.
I quickly counted the lights and left.
"Eight... eight..."
So far, the password was 608. All that was left was the number of windows in the classroom.
To be honest, now that I'd come this far, I didn't really need to go to the classroom.
It was a four-digit password, right?
It would be much faster to just guess the last digit ten times.
Still, I headed to the classroom first.
There was no particular reason. I just figured I'd check on Dayeon while I was at it.
What's she up to right now?
I pictured Dayeon waiting for me endlessly at the school store.
*"Look, I made a ten-story tower with potato chips."*
*"Whoa, so cola explodes if you shake it."*
...I didn't really think she'd be waiting for me.
Dayeon would definitely be having fun on her own.
Hasn't she been trapped in this school for ten years?
At this point, she could probably win the national championship for playing by herself.
Still, I should probably show my face at least once, just to be polite. As I thought this, I found myself in front of the classroom door.
The guard isn't hiding in there, is he...?
*Screech—*
Fully prepared for something to burst out, I slowly entered the classroom.
"This place is the same."
Thankfully, the classroom was as ordinary as the teachers' office.
I vividly remembered waking up here for the first time.
The quiet stillness of dawn, the heavy, sinking air. And all the bizarre phenomena.
The memory of being chased by the guard and my body exploding was also clear.
But that was more like trauma, not exactly a fond memory.
"This isn't the time for that."
I snapped out of my daze, realizing my purpose after spacing out reminiscing about the past.
I immediately followed the final hint for the password and counted the windows.
"Five."
There were five windows in the classroom.
The last digit of the computer password was 5.
"I solved it..."
With that, the final computer password was complete.
6, for the number of blue books in the Secret Archives.
8, for the number of lights in the teachers' office.
0, for the number of specimens in the science lab.
And 5, for the number of windows in the classroom.
All together, it was 6805.
My business in the classroom was also finished.
I was about to head to the school store to check on Dayeon.
Suddenly, the red locker at the back of the classroom caught my eye. It was still padlocked.
"What is this thing, anyway?"
It had been like this since I was first trapped in the classroom, but I hadn't seen a key anywhere.
And it couldn't be a clue for escaping the classroom, since I solved that just with the recorder, without needing to open the locker.
What was the purpose of this locker?
I stared intently at the red locker.
As I did, I could faintly make out someone's name on the red-painted surface.
The paint made it hard to see, but as I looked closely, I could read the name.
It seemed to be the owner of this locker.
When I finally made it out, I couldn't believe my eyes.
"...Jin Dayeon?"
Jin Dayeon.
The nameplate on the red locker read "Jin Dayeon."