Chapter 4
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Cleaning Supply Closet
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Cleaning Supply Closet
‘It’s open.’
The back door’s lock opened on its own.
It wasn’t something you opened with a key or a password.
It was designed to open only when a B-flat was played on the recorder.
A specific user action acts as a trigger to unlock it.
This is a common element in Tsukuru games.
A locking mechanism that could never exist in reality, but it was possible now that the line between reality and the game had blurred.
‘The guard isn’t ambushing me, is he?’
I peeked my head out and scanned the hallway.
The guard wasn't hiding anywhere.
I crept out of the classroom.
Then, a series of messages appeared.
[Tutorial Complete!]
[You have escaped the classroom within the time limit.]
[Reward Acquired – Status Window]
The messages meant this was a turning point. I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
‘I’m alive...’
It was just a ten-minute escape room, but it felt like ten years.
I clutched my chest, completely drained.
More than happy, I was just exhausted.
If I had my way, I would’ve just flopped down right here in the middle of the hallway.
‘Is it over now?’
Just as I was leaning against the wall to calm my weary body and mind, messages popped up in a flurry.
[Chapter 1 – The School]
【It had been an especially tiring day.
Overcome with exhaustion, you closed your eyes for just a moment.
And woke up in the middle of the night.
On top of that, unbelievably strange things kept happening.
This bizarre and eerie school was different from usual.
How to put it?
An Unreality, far beyond the scope of the real world.
A ghost story.
An ominous premonition washed over you.
Fear took hold, along with the thought that staying here any longer would lead to a terrible end.
You must escape this place as quickly as possible.】
What a needlessly long and cringey monologue.
For the record, I didn't think that.
The game system itself thought it for me.
Wow, thanks a million.
-Ding!
[Quest Received.]
[Escape the school before sunrise.]
[Reward: Ghost Story Coin x1]
[Failure Penalty: Death]
As if to prove this was a game, a quest popped up.
The failure penalty was one thing, but the reward was confusing.
Ghost Story Coin?
Just from the name, it sounded like something you'd find on an NFT or crypto exchange.
Is it some kind of in-game currency?
It seems you get a fitting reward for clearing a quest.
‘Come to think of it, I got a reward for escaping the classroom.’
The reward acquisition message appeared as soon as I left the classroom. A status window, was it?
[Status Window has been unlocked.]
It was nice to get a status window, but I was puzzled about how to use it.
.
‘Should I do it like when I opened the inventory?’
I muttered in a small voice.
“...Status Window.”
-Fwoosh!
[Status Window]
Name: Lee Hyeon
Age: 17
Title: None
Trait: Calmness
Special Abilities: None
This really makes me feel like a game character.
Personal details aside, "Title" and "Abilities" were words I'd only ever heard in games, making it all feel disconnected from reality.
For some reason, my Trait was set to ‘Calmness’.
It seems to be a basic ability I have, like a passive skill.
Does it even have an effect?
Just like when I brought up the item description, I tapped it a few times and the screen changed.
[Calmness]
【Thanks to years of consistently enjoying horror movies and games, you have a certain degree of immunity to the horror genre.
Even when faced with unreal situations that couldn't happen in the real world, you are only briefly flustered before quickly regaining your composure.
Thanks to this personality, you can recover your calm even in unexpected crises and think your way to the correct solution.
However, it is useless in the face of unknown horrors that exceed the limits of your mind.】
‘What am I supposed to do with this?’
It was called a "Trait," so I was expecting some flashy skill like in a web novel, but it was just a long-winded description of my personality.
It was no different from the explanation on the personality tests we take every semester at school.
Is it because it's a default skill?
The kind of skills you'd see in games or web novels are probably in the Special Abilities section. I wanted to check what was there, but it was impossible right now.
[You do not possess any Special Abilities.]
I guessed there would be some way to unlock special abilities later on.
‘So, I just need to escape the school for now, huh?’
Given the linear progression typical of Tsukuru games, my assigned task was simple.
Escape the school.
Unable to even tell if this was reality or Unreality, I decided to obediently follow the quest for now.
I immediately stepped out into the hallway.
The unlit school hallway had a creepy atmosphere, as if something could jump out at any moment.
‘A flashlight would've been nice.’
[EXIT]
I followed the light of the emergency exit sign as my guide.
The lone green light floating in the darkness was somehow unsettling.
It felt like I was the only one unmoored, floating.
The air that touched my nose felt heavy.
‘It's not like this is some kind of haunted house challenge.’
In an atmosphere like this, anything jumping out would make me faint.
‘Bring it on.’
Fear had the opposite effect, actually boosting my fighting spirit. I threw a few punches into the empty air.
Jab, jab, hook, uppercut, Rage Art.
I swung my fists in a merciless combo learned from Tekken.
With this much spirit, I had nothing to fear.
I shadowboxed while running a simulation in my head.
Assuming the guard suddenly jumped out from the right, I'd lightly dodge his first attack and then—bam, bam, bam—right in the temple.
I even imagined receiving a Brave Citizen Award and taking a picture with the police chief.
I ran dozens more simulations in my head to prepare for other unexpected situations.
The possibility of the guard waiting at the main entrance, the possibility of the guard opening a classroom door to greet me warmly, the possibility of the guard running with a slice of toast in his mouth and bumping into me.
I considered every possibility. And I came to one conclusion.
‘If I run into him, I have to run like hell.’
My state-of-the-art, self-aware electronic brain saw no angle for victory against the guard.
I ran the simulations, and in nine out of ten, I met a miserable end.
I'm talking about me, of course, not the guard.
The guard was far beyond the scope of a normal human. He was, in a word, an unreal being.
The thought of fighting him alone and winning never even crossed my mind.
So, if I see him, the best course of action is to run. It would be even better not to see him at all.
It's not that I'm avoiding him because he's beneath me.
I'm avoiding him because I'm scared.
‘He's not coming now, is he?’
I perked up my ears. Thankfully, I didn't hear any footsteps or feel any vibrations.
Still, the guard might hear the sounds I was making and come after me.
I carefully walked on my tiptoes.
Like a water strider walking on the surface of the water.
Like a ballerina showcasing her elegant dance lines.
I put all my strength into the tips of my toes.
I walked softly, as if not to allow a single decibel of sound.
My destination: the main entrance.
It wasn't far from my classroom, 1st Year, Class 3.
Once I pass through the main entrance and get to the school grounds, it's a short walk to the main gate.
Besides, at this hour, there were no teachers on patrol.
‘Let’s hurry.’
I quickened my pace, hurrying along.
I was just passing Class 4 and 5, nearing the main entrance.
I spotted a sign stuck right in the middle of the hallway.
[Notice: Main Entrance Use Prohibited]
【Recently, students have been caught using the main entrance without permission.
For reasons of school order and cleanliness, student use of the main entrance is prohibited.
Please be advised that any student caught using it without staff permission will receive demerits.】
Was it a few days ago?
I remember my homeroom teacher mentioning it during morning assembly.
As such, the main entrance was off-limits to students.
So, even if it was inconvenient, the proper way was to use the doors at either end of the hallway, but...
Like I cared.
There was no reason to avoid a space made for people to use.
In the first place, isn't the school a place where students are basically the owners?
The very idea of restricting student access was strange.
And yet, they call on students from each class to clean the main entrance every day.
Even though students aren't allowed to use it.
Cleaning the teachers' office is a similar story.
What absurd tyranny.
I couldn't just stand by and let the main entrance remain a privilege for teachers.
I blithely ignored the sign.
I strode confidently toward the main entrance.
I mercilessly trampled the line drawn from the sign, the one separating the hallway from the main entrance.
There were no teachers anywhere to scold me for my actions.
‘I'm in the main entrance, so what are you gonna do about it~’
I stomped my feet on the floor, personally resisting the school's authority.
At that moment, a chilly wind blew from afar.
A sudden sense of unease washed over me.
I turned my head to see what it was. And I couldn't hide my shock.
At the far end of the hallway I had just come from.
Some kind of bluish figure was running toward me.
‘No way.’
Sure enough, it was the guard.
‘Fuck.’
The guard came running, his limbs bending at bizarre angles.
He had shed his previous screw-bar form for a tornado form.
In Dragon Ball terms, I guess he was like Cell's second form.
He looked as if he were dancing.
As if possessed by a wild spirit in his old age, the guard put on an exciting popping performance.
It was like watching a wild beast, not a human.
On the other hand, the guard's sudden appearance felt strange.
‘He didn't show his face this whole time, and now he crawls out?’
I glanced down at my feet.
My body had completely crossed from the hallway into the main entrance area.
‘...Don't tell me.’
Tsukuru games have events that occur in specific situations.
When the user achieves a certain condition while playing, a pre-set trigger activates, causing an event to occur.
For instance, obtaining a specific item or entering a certain area automatically activates a trigger and starts an event.
[Notice: Main Entrance Use Prohibited]
...Just like now.
The guard appeared the very moment I stepped into the main entrance.
Such perfect timing couldn't be a mere coincidence.
This damn school was set up so that the guard would start chasing you the moment you set foot in the main entrance.
‘Dammit.’
I'd already assessed the situation.
I immediately looked for a way to escape.
I ran swiftly to the exit door.
Just beyond this door were the school grounds.
From there, just following the path would make escaping the school a piece of cake.
-Clank
‘What the.’
-Clank, clank
Unfortunately, the door wouldn't budge.
Looking closely, I saw the handle was wrapped tightly in a metal chain.
It was obvious who had done this.
‘That damn guard!’
-Clank, clank
The door was locked so tight it wouldn't even allow for the slightest gap.
This wasn't a problem that could be solved with brute force.
In the end, I had to turn back to the main entrance.
All the while, the guard was chasing me fiercely.
He boasted superhuman physical prowess, as if he had two hearts.
At that speed, even if I ran, it was clear I'd be caught before long.
To survive the guard, I needed a different method than just running.
Grasping at straws, I scanned the main entrance.
‘Maybe here?’
Suddenly, I spotted a cleaning supply closet in the corner. It was covered in dust, as if it had been left unused for years.
‘First, I'll hide in here!’
-Creeeak
I opened the heavily rusted door, which was unpleasant to even touch.
The cleaning supply closet opened its mouth with a loud creak. And it exhaled a breath full of dust.
The white snowflakes spreading through the air struck my bronchial tubes directly.
“Cough!”
It was super effective!
I was completely taken by the cleaning supply closet's surprise attack.
My breath caught in my throat and my vision clouded over.
“Shit...”
It was so horribly dirty and filthy that I hesitated to go in. But there was no time.
The guard had already passed Class 3 and was heading for Class 4.
At this rate, he'd reach the main entrance in an instant.
‘Ugh... To hell with it.’
In the end, I squeezed my body into the cleaning supply closet, which was no better than a pit of dust.