Chapter 35
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Usurpation
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END?
It felt like a knife was at my throat.
Hm, on second thought, it wasn't just a feeling.
A knife was at my throat. No, wait, it was an axe.
Either way, it was more than enough to kill me.
‘Damn it…’
In this moment, time seemed to slow down.
Memories, from the moment I first woke up in the classroom until now, flashed before my eyes.
Is this that life-flashing-before-your-eyes thing I've only ever heard about?
Looks like my time is finally up.
For some reason, this felt different from all the other times I'd died in this school.
It didn't feel like I would return to my last save point even if I died.
This is the end.
It was just a gut feeling, but somehow, I was sure of it.
The sharp axe blade pressed against my neck.
Blood was surely trickling from my neck, yet I felt no pain.
They say that when you're about to die, your body releases endorphins so you don't feel pain.
It was true. With death so close, all sorts of random thoughts filled my head.
In the midst of it all, my eyes met Dayeon's. Her expression was as indifferent as ever.
Mine was the same.
I don't know when it started, but my face now wore the same expression as the Dayeon before me.
“…”
My mind was in a whirl; I had no idea what to say.
I wanted to say something, anything, but my tongue wouldn't move.
As if taking pity on me, Dayeon spoke first.
“I'm sorry.”
Why apologize if you're going to kill me anyway? So typically Dayeon.
How can someone be so consistent? Her dedication to staying true to herself was almost admirable.
I squeezed my eyes shut. The axe would now chop me into five neat pieces.
I was just about to pray she'd make it painless and start with my head.
Clang.
Dayeon suddenly dropped the axe.
It fell to the floor, embedding itself deep into the wooden planks.
“Huh?”
I cracked open my tightly shut eyes. Thankfully, my head was still attached.
The Dayeon in front of me had dropped the axe and frozen in place.
I couldn't understand what was happening. I forced myself to call her name.
“Jin Dayeon?”
There was no answer. Soon, Dayeon's body swayed and tilted forward.
…And she collapsed, somehow ending up in my arms.
Dayeon didn't even twitch. She was completely wrapped around me.
Suddenly, I felt a warm, wet liquid soaking into my upper body.
“Blood?”
Only then did I notice Dayeon's condition. A large shard of glass was sticking out of her back.
Blood was gushing out. Behind her, I saw a familiar face.
“I made it.”
…It was Dayeon. She had appeared out of nowhere and stabbed the fake in the back.
Her unexpected appearance left me dumbfounded.
Shouldn't she have been trapped in the music room?
Dayeon had appeared in this classroom out of the blue. And she'd defeated the fake in an instant.
The situation had changed in a flash. I was more bewildered than relieved.
“I was worried I was late, but I got here just in time. That's a relief.”
“You…, how did you get here?”
“Who knows.”
Dayeon gave a slight shrug, as if it were a difficult topic. She then explained what happened when she was left alone.
“I was just playing the piano when the door suddenly opened. I don't know the details either.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Don't worry about the small stuff.”
The way she casually brushed it off was incredibly suspicious. Still, I had no grounds to argue with her.
“Need a hand?”
“No, I've got it.”
I lifted the fake Dayeon who had collapsed onto me. As a temporary measure, I carefully laid her against the classroom wall.
She had a peaceful expression, as if sleeping soundly.
In contrast, blood pulsed from the glass shard in her back.
The stark contrast between the two was chillingly eerie.
“Is she… dead?”
“Probably?”
Dayeon casually looked around and spotted a box.
“Look over there. I think we found it.”
Dayeon pointed to a heavily rusted metal box. The label on its surface read ‘Tools’.
“A toolbox?”
This classroom was so full of bizarre things that I hadn't even noticed it.
Besides, if it was a toolbox, the item I'd been searching for was bound to be inside.
I placed my hand on the toolbox, but it wouldn't open, as if locked tight. Looking closer, I saw it was covered in talismans.
I tried to peel them off, but they wouldn't budge. The talismans plastered all over its surface seemed to be sealing the box shut.
“Try this.”
Dayeon picked up the axe from the floor and handed it to me. It was so heavy I could barely lift it with both hands.
[You have acquired the Axe.]
Grunting, I lifted the axe. With this, I could definitely smash the metal box.
[Smash the box with the axe?]
[Smash it. / Stop.]
Screech!
As I slammed the axe down with all my might, an unpleasant vibration echoed out. It was a nauseating sound, like an awl scraping against a steel plate.
Still, the box was intact. It seemed one swing wasn't enough.
I immediately swung a second time.
I raised the axe, determined to keep hitting it until it broke.
[Smash the box with the axe?]
[Smash it. / Stop.]
Screeeech! Crunch!
Finally, the metal box was nearly destroyed by the axe. A deep, warped dent was clearly visible on its top.
I grabbed the tattered metal plate and tore it off with a hair-raising roar of metal.
The inside of the box was revealed. Various tools were lined up by type.
They were all rusted, and I didn't want to touch them. But among them, something shiny caught my eye.
It was an item.
And not just any item.
[You have acquired the Bolt Cutters.]
It was none other than the bolt cutters, the only means of escaping this school.
[Bolt Cutters]
【Rusted and old bolt cutters. Used to cut padlocks or chains.】
“We can escape now, right?”
Dayeon hopped cheerfully. Then she leisurely walked out of the classroom, as if she had no more business here.
She stood at the classroom door and gestured for me to come out. A signal to hurry up. But my feet wouldn't move.
A doubt crept in—was it really right to escape just like this? My gaze remained on the Dayeon collapsed in the corner.
What was the fake Dayeon's true identity? I was dying to ask.
It was too late. She was no longer in any condition to answer.
She might have looked like she was sleeping peacefully, but a pool of blood was spreading beneath her.
“Is there something else you need to do?”
Seeing me hesitate, Dayeon peeked her head in. She then grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the classroom.
It was awkward to resist. Staying here wouldn't bring a dead person back to life.
In the end, I turned my back on the classroom and stepped into the hallway.
“What do you think that thing was?”
“Hmm, a doppelgänger ghost?”
“It felt like more than just a ghost, like there was something else hidden.”
The question lingered as we walked through the basement hallway toward the main entrance.
A feeling that the school's secrets, and something hidden behind them, had yet to be revealed.
“Oh? You got any proof?”
“No, just a hunch.”
Lost in thought about what just happened, I found we had reached the main entrance.
The grandfather clock on the wall of the main entrance pointed to 5 AM. The sky was beginning to lighten, as if the sun was about to rise.
The entrance door was still tightly chained, just as it was when I first saw it. As I approached, a red message, different from before, appeared.
[Use the Bolt Cutters to cut the chains on the entrance door?]
[Cut them. / Stop.]
The final choice, huh? My answer, without question, was ‘Cut them’.
Snip, snip, snip.
One by one, I put my strength into cutting the chains wrapped around the handles.
With a series of clean cuts, the entrance door was finally restored to its original state.
Creeak.
The tightly shut main entrance door finally opened.
“We did it…!”
Now we can escape the school—
**
And just like that, I escaped the school. When I returned home, I felt a sense of unease.
Everything was so normal, as if everything I'd experienced today had been a dream.
Not just my home, but the entire world was starting a new day, no different from yesterday.
A normal world with no such things as ghosts, curses, or sacrifices.
It was obvious no one would believe me even if I told them what happened today.
So, I decided to keep this incident as a memory just for myself.
I promised myself I would carry it as a secret for the rest of my life.
After returning home, I immediately got ready for school.
I never wanted to set foot in that school again, but attendance was a serious matter.
I dragged my exhausted body back to school. Though barely two hours had passed, the school's appearance had completely changed.
Its gloomy and creepy atmosphere was gone, replaced by a hopeful and bright one.
The path to school unfolded before me. I could see students heading to school early in the morning.
Students yawning sleepily, students chatting with friends, a student on duty running frantically as if late.
It was a perfectly normal school morning. But for me, it felt different.
Who knew being normal could feel this good.
Is this what they call simple happiness?
Suppressing my overwhelming joy, I entered the school. Soon, I returned to my usual daily routine.
Even the boring classes were as fun as a game right now, so enjoyable I was sad when they ended. I truly felt alive.
Those around me quickly noticed this change and whispered among themselves with curious glances.
“Doesn't he seem a little different today?”
“He used to just sleep on his desk all day.”
“He's like a different person.”
Feeling the somewhat burdensome stares, I left the classroom.
I stopped by the bathroom for a moment, and while washing my hands, I faced the mirror.
I went to the bathroom for a moment and faced the mirror.
The mirror clearly reflected my face.
Not handsome, but not ugly either. A decent-looking face.
“Well, this isn't so bad.”
No matter how I thought about it, what happened at dawn today was a great stroke of luck for me.
As expected of a talent who passed the test.
The body and mind were both quite serviceable.
The lack of exercise and knowledge from only playing games was a bit annoying, but I could just make up for it from now on.
All in all, this body was a pass.
I definitely made the right choice.
“Thanks. I'll make good use of your body.”
Lee Hyeon.
[END – BAD]
【USURPATION】
[Quest Complete!]
[Quest Complete - Escape the school before sunrise.]
[Reward Acquired!]
[Reward: Ghost Story Coin x1]
[Congratulations! You have cleared Chapter 1!]
.
.
.
[However, you have not reached the truth.]
[Restarting from the checkpoint.]
**
“I'll be waiting, Champion.”
With Dayeon seeing me off, I exited the collapsed entrance to the school store.
With the entrance caved in, I had no choice but to explore the school alone from now on.
But my feet wouldn't move.
I stood rooted to the spot, lost in deep thought.
It was like…
I felt like I'd just woken up from a long dream.
A terrible nightmare, at that.
[You have cleared the 1st Playthrough!]
[Omake Mode will now be unlocked!]
[You can use Ghost Story Coins to purchase various special abilities and items!]