Chapter 41
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Towards Escape
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As we left the library and headed for the hallway, the security guard just stared at us blankly.
I was half-scared he would chase after us like a shot the moment we let our guard down. Barely shaking off his unnerving gaze, I followed Dayeon.
“Let’s go together.”
“What, are you scared?”
I didn’t bother to reply. I had already checked her traits through the status window.
From now on, I wouldn't be so easily swayed by her whims.
Just as I steeled my resolve and was about to head down to the basement, Dayeon stopped dead in her tracks.
“I’m scared.”
“Don’t lie.”
How could a ghost possibly be scared of ghosts?
It seemed the thought that her own existence was the scariest thing in the world hadn't occurred to her.
Ignoring me, Dayeon slyly pressed the flashlight into my hand. She took a step back, then quickly latched onto my back.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“You can just lead the way.”
“I'm so scared my body is trembling.”
I glanced back at her. Contrary to her words, her face was completely impassive.
It was clear she had no intention of taking the lead. With no other choice, I accepted the flashlight.
Perhaps because I had already been to the basement in the last playthrough, it wasn't particularly frightening. However, the classroom I had discovered back then still felt suspicious.
What was that classroom, anyway?
Whatever it was, it was surely related to the school's secrets. I needed to stop by that classroom again and investigate it thoroughly.
“I’m going in.”
I slowly started down the basement stairs. At the bottom of the long staircase, a dark hallway greeted me.
This place is the same, too.
I feigned a look around.
The dust-covered lights strung with cobwebs, the creaking floorboards with every step—it was all just as I remembered.
“Watch your step over there.”
“Here?”
Recalling the previous playthrough, I quickly sidestepped the rotten floorboard.
As I cautiously moved forward, the hallway began to grow darker.
It was the same phenomenon as last time. I fumbled for the flashlight before it got any darker.
“Be careful not to get separated. We don't know what tricks the fake might pull, so stick close.”
“Like this?”
Dayeon threw her arms around my back and squeezed. For a moment, I felt the hair on my body stand on end.
“…Not like that.”
Without another word, I peeled her off me and linked arms with her instead. This was enough.
“If you miss my embrace, just say the word.”
“Forget it.”
Before long, the hallway was completely pitch-black. Relying on the flashlight's beam, I walked straight ahead.
Soon, a classroom materialized out of the darkness. It was the same classroom where Dayeon had died in the last playthrough.
‘This is it.’
Before entering, I carefully scanned the area around the classroom with my flashlight.
A school secret might be hidden here, so I couldn't afford a careless investigation.
Eventually, I found a sign. It probably indicated the name of this classroom.
The sign read ‘■■’s Room’. As expected, this place was closely related to the school’s secrets.
‘So what the hell is ■■?’
Last time, things had happened so fast that I didn't get a chance to investigate properly.
Determined to uncover the truth this time, I opened the door.
*Click.*
*Click. Clack.*
“What the.”
For some reason, the door wouldn't open. This was clearly different from the last playthrough.
I tried pulling the handle several more times, but it wouldn't budge, as if it were glued shut.
It was strange. Was it locked because this playthrough was unfolding differently?
There was no other way in. In the end, I trudged away from the classroom.
“Anyway, where are the secret archives?”
“Just a little further.”
She pointed deeper into the hallway. It was an inky blackness where you couldn't see an inch in front of you.
I even worried that I might get sucked into that darkness if I wasn't careful.
“You’re not lying, are you?”
“What, are you scared? Want me to hold your hand?”
We were already linking arms, which was more than just holding hands.
It was amazing how she had the composure to joke around in a situation like this.
An eerie energy filled the basement hallway. It should have been just the two of us, but for some reason, I felt the gaze of dozens of eyes on me.
It was as if they were warning me not to come any closer. A shiver automatically ran down my spine.
“This feels ominous.”
“We’re almost there.”
Unlike me, whose heart had shrunk a little, Dayeon started to take the lead more actively.
After being dragged here and there by her, we soon reached the end of the hallway.
“Is that it?”
A classroom that appeared to be the secret archives came into view. Its condition, however, was far from good. I couldn't believe my eyes at the musty, old, and decrepit sight.
“Is that really the secret archives? No matter how I look at it, it just looks like a pile of trash.”
“It may look like that, but it’s the secret archives.”
The door to the archives was covered in so much mold it boasted an avant-garde design.
“Wow.”
It was scary in a different sense. I was experiencing a new kind of horror I had never felt before.
At a glance, its appearance suggested it had been here for at least a hundred years, and I had no desire to get any closer. Just as I was about to slowly back away…
“Let’s go in.”
“Wait a sec…”
Dayeon yanked my arm hard.
I didn't even have a chance to retreat. I was half-forcibly dragged into the secret archives.
“It’s cleaner than I thought inside.”
Dayeon muttered something ominous. Still, she was right to a certain extent.
The secret archives were unexpectedly tidy. It was a world apart from the door, which looked like it was on the verge of collapsing.
The bookshelves were neatly organized, and candles on the walls cast a soft glow over the entire room.
You could have told me this was a different space from the desolate hallway outside, and I would have believed you.
‘She definitely said there was an empty space on a bookshelf.’
I examined the rows of bookshelves. Sure enough, I found a strangely empty section. It was a gap just big enough for one book.
[Insert a book?]
[Insert] / [Do not insert]
I hit the accept button without hesitation.
Then, another message appeared.
[Which book will you insert?]
[Blue Book (1) / Blue Book (2) / Blue Book (3)]
I hesitated for a moment. In the last playthrough, I had confirmed the contents of Blue Book 1 and 2.
Only Book 3 remained locked, even up until I got the bad ending.
That one point bothered me.
What could possibly be written inside?
‘Let’s just put the books in first and think later.’
First, I placed Blue Book 1 on the shelf.
*Click.*
The book slid perfectly into the empty space.
It was a perfect fit. Using the Blue Books here was indeed the right move.
“This spot is empty, too.”
Dayeon gestured from a distance. When I approached, she pointed to a bookshelf. Like before, it was a shelf with an empty space.
[Which book will you insert?]
[Blue Book (2) / Blue Book (3)]
Next, I inserted Book 2. I already knew its contents, so there was no reason to keep it.
*Click.*
Just like Book 1, it slid in perfectly. Then, I heard the sound of a lock being released from somewhere.
“The Blue Book?”
To my surprise, it was Blue Book (3). I had wondered why it wouldn't open in the last playthrough.
It was designed to unlock only after all the other books in the secret archives were in place.
Would it kill them to make things a little easier?
Grumbling to myself, I opened the Blue Book.
[Blue Book (3)]
【Devil.】
…What the.
Is there something wrong with my eyes?
I was stunned the moment I read it. For such a thick book, the content was pitifully sparse.
I flipped to the next page, and the page after that, but nothing was written.
This book contained just a single, scrawled word.
Devil.
That was it.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.
It was about the fake's identity.
According to Dayeon, it was a being that must not be mentioned, the very culprit who turned the school into this mess.
It might have been my imagination, but wherever the fake was, there was a strange emptiness that followed.
The ‘■■’.
In all sorts of documents, including the diary, blank spaces appeared as if they were deliberately censored.
They were smeared over with something black, like blood, making them completely illegible.
If this signified the fake's identity, then all the circumstances so far made sense.
It was hidden by the blank ‘■■’ because it was a being that must not even be mentioned.
Why go to such lengths to hide its identity?
I didn't know why, but I intuitively felt it was an unfathomable existence.
I glanced at the Blue Book. Not even a full line, just a single word was written. But its meaning was more than enough to fill this entire book.
It was the fake’s identity.
This wasn't a guess; it was close to a certainty.
It felt like all my experiences in this school were guiding me to the truth.
‘…A devil.’
I let out a sigh. As I thought, this school's secret was much grander than I had imagined.
The source of this whole incident, the true mastermind hidden in this school for 100 years. And the enemy we must defeat.
Its identity was the ‘Devil’.
Anyway, I placed Blue Book (3) into the last empty spot on the shelf. With that, this book's purpose was fulfilled.
I had finally succeeded in filling all the empty spaces on the bookshelves.
“But nothing’s really chang—”
*Rumble, rumble, rumble.*
Suddenly, the floor shook. The entire secret archives began to vibrate without warning.
“An earthquake?”
“Whoa, ahhhh!”
My body swayed back and forth, left and right on the violently shaking floor. Amidst the chaos, Dayeon was leisurely fooling around. I, on the other hand, could only stagger about precariously.
After several near-falls, the vibrations finally subsided.
“*Pant, pant…*”
By the time I caught my breath, I sensed a change in the secret archives.
“Look over there, the bookshelf is weird.”
“The structure changed…”
The books on the shelves had stacked themselves neatly, forming something that resembled a staircase.
Moreover, a gaping hole had opened in the ceiling, as if telling us to go up. Its interior was deep and dark, making it hard to see inside.
“Are you sure this is okay?”
“Let’s go.”
Without a moment's hesitation, Dayeon stepped onto the books and began to climb. Her consistently reckless behavior was something I was getting used to.
Besides, it’s not like there was any other way to go.
We were already cornered. There was no reason to hesitate. Following Dayeon, I began to crawl up the book staircase.
The book staircase was longer and higher than it looked. Just climbing it took ages.
“…”
“…”
A quiet silence fell. Dayeon, halfway up the stairs, murmured softly.
“Thank you.”
It was an unexpected thing to say in an unexpected situation.
I was at a loss for how to respond.
“What, all of a sudden?”
“Is it?”
Dayeon resumed her climb.
Silence fell again.
For some reason, the air felt thick.
It felt like it was my turn to say something…
Unable to bear the pressure, I finally threw a question at Dayeon.
“What do you want to do when you escape the school?”
“All of a sudden?”
“…Just answer the question.”
I had actually asked this before, when we first met in the library. But back then, Dayeon had dodged the question, saying it was a secret.
Maybe she would tell me now.
“Hmm, a normal school life.”
“Is that all?”
“Yeah. Disappointed it wasn't the answer you were hoping for?”
“Not really. I’m just surprised you answered seriously.”
A normal school life.
It was so different from the kind of answer I expected from the Dayeon I knew that it felt a little awkward.
I had half-guessed she'd say something like world domination. But Dayeon’s reply was surprisingly sincere.
We continued to make small talk like that, and before we knew it, we had reached the top. The sight before us was nothing you would ever believe was part of a school.
A completely different scene unfolded before my eyes.
“What is this.”
“This is my first time here, too.”
A vast prison, the size of a sports field, appeared. I stared blankly around.
Arranged around the center were boxes, each the size of a person, displayed as if in an exhibition.
Looking closer, they weren't simple boxes.
“This is…”
It was a coffin.
The kind used to hold dead bodies.
For a moment, I almost freaked out.
The coffins were arranged in a circle radiating from the center, covering the entire floor. It was similar to the placement of the dolls I’d seen in ■■’s Room.
“No way.”
I cautiously approached a coffin.
A name was written in small letters on the lid.
Among them, I saw a familiar name.
[Park Gyeong-gyun]
[Choi Seo-yeong]
They were names from the Sacrifice's Diary. But there was something even more shocking.
[Jin Dayeon]
I wasn't seeing things. Dayeon's name was unmistakably written on the coffin.
“Looks like I’m sleeping in there.”
“Don’t say that so calmly.”
“Should I wake myself up?”
*Thump, thump, thump.*
She started pounding on the coffin she was supposedly inside. Fortunately, nothing happened.
Shoving the troublemaker aside, I began to properly examine Dayeon's coffin.
Apparently, this coffin was made ten years ago.
…It matched the year Dayeon died. Still, there was no definite proof. To investigate further, I needed to open the coffin.
“I’m going to open the coffin, so grab that side.”
“Like this?”
This time, I pulled on the coffin lid with all my might. Disappointingly, it didn't budge.
The coffin wouldn't even open a crack, as if it had been sealed with adhesive.
“It won’t open.”
“Do you want to see me that badly?”
“That’s not it, I’m looking for clues.”
“I’m probably naked inside the coffin right now.”
“…”
I did my best to ignore Dayeon's nonsense.
Shaking off the impure thoughts, I was about to search the other coffins.
-Ah.
-Can you hear me.
A bizarre and unpleasant voice echoed.
I froze at the voice, thick with static.
I knew instantly who this voice belonged to. It was the Devil.
“You son of a bitch…”
-Wipe that look off your face.
-You look like you want to kill someone.
The voices overlapped one after another.
And it wasn't coming through my ears, but resonating directly in my head, causing a headache.
-How is it.
-Do you like your present?
“Cut the crap and tell me where you’re hiding.”
I looked around, trying to find where it was hiding.
But it was nowhere to be seen.
I couldn't find it no matter how I looked.
-You want to know?
-But first, take care of the traitor.
“What?”
Then, a powerful explosion erupted. This time, it wasn't a sound in my head.
*BOOM.*
…The sound came from behind me.
A chill shot down my spine. I whipped around in a panic to check on Dayeon.
“…Jin Dayeon?”