Chapter 33
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Flashlight
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Flashlight
*Thud.*
The axe blade sliced through a chunk of flesh.
*Thud.*
A spray of liquid scattered in all directions.
*Thud.*
*Thud.*
‘What the fuck...’
I watched the scene unfold through the classroom window.
Someone was on top of the security guard, wildly swinging an axe.
A disheveled schoolgirl's uniform, hair soaked in blood, two unfocused eyes. And the hideous self-harm scars etched into her arm.
No matter how I looked at it, it was definitely Dayeon.
But the girl I knew was currently locked in the music room.
There was no way she could have snuck out of the music room and come down to the basement without me knowing.
Besides, the basement stairs had been off-limits until I came down.
Therefore, it was impossible for Dayeon to have entered the basement before me. Yet, there she was, right before my eyes.
In the basement hallway, holding an axe.
*Thud.*
The guard was being brutally hacked to pieces. He lay sprawled in the hallway, not even twitching a finger.
He was dead. It was a complete one-eighty from when I first encountered him in the classroom.
I recalled the time I'd let out a barbarian's roar and smashed a chair over the guard's head.
Back then, it had felt like punching a lump of steel.
And that same guard had been killed without putting up a fight. At the hands of Dayeon, no less.
‘No, that's not Dayeon.’
Given the circumstances, that wasn't Dayeon, but someone else.
Just someone taking on Dayeon's appearance to confuse me.
It was the same in the computer room and the broadcasting room. The fake Dayeon wasn't an illusion.
She was alive and well, right before my eyes.
She was currently burying the axe blade in the guard's chest.
‘Ugh.’
Every time I heard the squelching sound of the axe, I felt a pang in my own chest for some reason.
I held my breath, watching the situation, waiting to see when she would move. The Dayeon on top of the guard slowly got up.
After roughly wiping off the blood that covered her entire body, she began to trudge in my direction.
The axe in her right hand was an added bonus. I could clearly hear the sound of the blade scraping along the floor.
She isn't coming to the classroom, is she?
Suddenly, an ominous thought struck me.
I quickly ducked down below the window.
The inside of the classroom wasn't visible from the outside, but I hid myself well, just in case.
If I were caught, I'd be hacked to pieces just like that guard in an instant.
I scared myself with the needlessly gruesome thought.
I held my breath, waiting for the Dayeon in the hallway to leave.
*Thud, thud.*
Soon, the sound of Dayeon's footsteps reached the other side of the classroom.
Peeking through the window, I saw the blood-soaked schoolgirl walk nonchalantly past the classroom.
"...Where could he be."
The fake Dayeon muttered to herself in a low voice and continued down the hallway.
It was a huge relief. Miraculously, she hadn't found out I was hiding in the classroom.
Only after Dayeon was a good distance away did I finally leave the classroom.
"Phew..."
I had somehow managed to survive, but I couldn't let my guard down.
The shutter to the basement stairs was down, wasn't it? At this rate, it was highly likely the fake Dayeon would come back.
So, continuing to hide in the classroom was tantamount to suicide. If I got caught, it would be an instant, gruesome death.
There were two conclusions I could draw.
Either risk death and venture deeper into the basement.
Or cower in the classroom until I'm dismembered by an axe.
Naturally, my decision was the former.
The best course of action was to press forward, deeper into the basement, and search for a new way out.
Honestly, there was no other way. I had no choice but to bite the bullet and do it.
‘She's really gone, right?’
I peeked my head out into the hallway. The fake Dayeon was long gone, far in the distance.
Still, I didn't know when she might return.
If there was a chance, it was now.
I carefully slipped out of the classroom and strode down the hallway.
The moment I took that grand step, the wooden floor splintered and gave way.
*CRACK!*
Of all the things, I had to step on a rotten floorboard.
The floor caved in, causing me to lose my balance and fall forward.
‘I'm fucked!’
A chill ran down my spine as I scrambled to my feet.
Wood splinters stabbed and scraped my leg, but the pain was the last thing on my mind.
My heart dropped like it was on a roller coaster. Fortunately, the hallway remained quiet. The fake Dayeon hadn't noticed the commotion.
I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Soon, my leg began to throb.
"Ugh...!"
The pain from the fall finally set in. As the fear of death receded, pain took its place.
Wooden splinters were embedded in my leg, stinging sharply.
On top of that, my ankle was numb, as if I'd sprained it when I fell.
"Damn it."
In this state, I couldn't run even if I wanted to. I clutched my injured leg and staggered forward.
There was no time.
I had to endure the pain and move, no matter what.
I was dragging my leg along when I bumped into something in the middle of the hallway.
...It was the guard. It was so dark I almost missed him completely.
The guard was sprawled out in the middle of the hall like a drunk. Of course, unlike a drunk, he was cold and dead.
"How gruesome."
The guard's body had been brutally dismembered. It was a sight I couldn't bear to look at.
His body was cut so precisely and cleanly, it was as if someone had used a ruler.
I wanted to ignore it and keep going, but I couldn't just pass by.
Something was glinting in the pocket of the guard's blood-soaked uniform.
Maybe because it was so dark, but it shone unusually bright. It was an item.
"Why the pocket of all places..."
The thought of having to stick my hand into the guard's pocket made me hesitate.
But I had no choice. I reluctantly reached for the guard's pocket.
A slimy, wet sensation seeped directly into my skin. I rummaged around as quickly as possible to shake off the unpleasant feeling.
At last, I found the item.
[You have acquired a Flashlight.]
The item was the flashlight the guard had been carrying.
[Flashlight]
【A flashlight with low battery. Illuminates the surroundings when used.】
As I went deeper into the basement, the lights were already growing dimmer and it was getting darker.
With this flashlight, I should be able to continue exploring without any trouble.
I held the flashlight in my right hand. It fit snugly and was easy to hold with one hand.
*-Click*
As soon as I flicked the switch near the handle, the area lit up. The dim hallway was bathed in bright light.
But it wasn't completely bright. The light was limited to my immediate surroundings; the rest of the area remained pitch-black.
Just as the description said, the range was only about three meters.
I let out a sigh mixed with admiration at the needlessly faithful depiction of a Tsukuru game mechanic.
I could barely see what was right in front of me.
I pressed forward, praying I'd find a useful item this time.
The basement hallway ahead began to grow even darker than before.
The reason was none other than the ceiling.
The lights on the basement ceiling were gradually fading.
The entire basement hallway was slowly being consumed by darkness. Before I knew it, it was so dark I couldn't see a thing.
Without the flashlight, I would have been completely lost.
I would have had to feel my way forward as if blindfolded.
In my field of vision, everything was pitch-black except for the area immediately around me.
Relying on the light from the flashlight, my only hope, I scanned the hallway.
Suddenly, I discovered a door in the corner of the hallway, placed as if it were hidden.
It was tucked away in such a remote corner that it felt intentionally concealed.
"Should be okay to go in, right?"
*Creeak.*
After taking a breath, I opened the classroom door. Inside was just as dark as the hallway.
Because of that, I couldn't tell what kind of classroom it was. I was hesitant, unsure if I should really step inside.
Still, I had no other choice.
In fact, when you got down to it, I never had a choice to begin with.
‘It's a Tsukuru game, after all.’
I have to go inside. No matter what.
Even if death is what awaits me at the end of this classroom.
‘Hoo.’
I don't want to die. But rotting away in this school is even worse.
I've already resolved myself. I will put an end to this damn school.
Whether it's sweet or bitter, I'll endure it all.
I steeled my resolve with a determination that would likely falter. With this hollow pledge that I'd probably forget in three minutes, I entered the classroom.
*-Creeak*
The classroom was dark. Anything outside the beam of the flashlight was completely invisible.
Even if the fake Dayeon were waiting with an axe, I wouldn't be able to see her.
It was that dark. I had no idea where to even begin searching.
Maybe there's a light switch. I should check the walls first. I carefully approached the wall, trying not to trip.
Then, something hidden in the darkness appeared. There were sentences written in rows on the wall.
In red letters, no less.
...I had a bad feeling, and I was right. It was written in blood.
At the very top of the lines of text, a large sentence, presumably the title, was written.
It read as follows.
[Sacrifice's Diary #8]
The letters, written in blood, were smeared and had dripped slightly down toward the floor.
"Fucking hell, seriously..."
A cold sweat drenched my back.
I was speechless at the bizarre scene.
I didn't want to read the diary written in blood on the wall right now. But the system made me read it automatically.
[Sacrifice's Diary #8]
【The children all changed, becoming abnormal.
Gyeong-gyun reigned not as a king, but as a god, and everyone went into a frenzy with his every word.
Some burst into tears, overwhelmed with emotion, while others dropped to their knees, bowing and smashing their heads against the floor.
They were like religious fanatics.
Amidst it all, I was the only one who remained sane.
I was just thankful I hadn't gone crazy like them.
But before long, the other kids started to pick on me for it.
It started lightly, with questions like, 'Why don't you pledge your loyalty?' but soon devolved into a torrent of curses and insults.
Among them was Seo-yeong, the girl I had a crush on.
The girl who always smiled at me now wore a look of genuine disgust, spewing curses I'd never heard in my life.
Ah, so Seo-yeong could make a face like that.
The innocent girl who looked like she couldn't even step on an ant had become a dog.
A piece of livestock that would crawl on all fours if told to, bark if told to. Of course, the trainer wasn't me, but Gyeong-gyun.
Even as everyone hurled curses disguised as insults at me, Gyeong-gyun watched from a distance with a pleased look.
What in the world does he want?
How did things end up like this?
My head hurt. It wasn't because of the curses that filled my ears. The situation itself was confusing me.
The kids no longer treated me as a friend.
They saw me as a vile heretic and tried to kill me.
Seo-yeong was among them. She spat in my face and swore at me.
Ah, so Seo-yeong knows how to spit, too.
For some reason, I had a premonition of death.
I couldn't imagine making it home alive.
If I'd known this would happen, I should have just snuck out like Byeong-cheol.
I gently closed my eyes.
Then, the surroundings grew quiet.
It was Gyeong-gyun's command.
With a light gesture, everyone backed away.
Then Gyeong-gyun made a throat-slitting gesture. One by one, the kids began to frantically scratch and tear at their own necks with their fingernails.
Even as their flesh was torn and blood streamed down, the kids didn't stop.
It was as if a contest was being held to see who could die first, as they furiously clawed at their necks.
Did they interpret it to mean that the person who died the fastest was the one who best obeyed Gyeong-gyun's command?
With each person that fell, the others looked frustrated. And they destroyed their own necks even faster.
One by one, they collapsed,
and finally, Seo-yeong fell, bursting into tears, unable to contain her frustration and disappointment.
Gyeong-gyun smiled with satisfaction and clapped his hands. Then, he spoke in a low voice.
-Test passed.
Surprisingly, Gyeong-gyun's mouth didn't open.
But he was speaking.
It wasn't ventriloquism or anything like that.
Gyeong-gyun didn't have that kind of talent.
This confirmed it.
That guy is,
...a ■■.】
The long sentence, written in streaks of blood, came to an end. But my question remained.
What could these characters, ■■, possibly mean?
It was the same as before; something was written there, but it was damaged, so I couldn't make it out.
I was about to look away from the diary on the wall when the flashlight, which had been working fine, began to flicker.
"Is the battery dying?"
I was a little worried, but after flickering a few times, the flashlight returned to normal.
And then, a new sentence was painted over the diary on the wall.
-Test passed.
...It had changed while the flashlight was flickering.
Soon, the surroundings began to brighten.