The Ghost Story's Deadly Trigger
Uncle Brandon failed again. Things had looked promising when we started the subjugation. Since we'd arrived much earlier than last time, the canteen lacked the suffocating stench of blood and the students' groans that had filled it before. Naturally, Uncle Brandon was still in his pre-enhanced state. So time really was a key variable?
"That's the murderer…!"
"What a horrific sight…."
The teachers and guards who saw Uncle Brandon's gruesome form let out soft groans and sighs. But unlike previous attempts, the canteen itself wasn't in a grotesque state, so the teachers didn't panic, and the subjugation proceeded smoothly.
"I'll give you paaaainful cookies…."
"You crazy serial killer! Don't resist—just let us subdue you!"
Even when we'd only brought a few teachers last round, we'd subdued him without much trouble. With twice as many people now, including armed guards, there was no way we'd lose. Uncle Brandon resisted fiercely again, but he was overpowered even more pathetically than the first time. We even managed to bind him without spilling a drop of blood.
But then, the anomaly struck once more.
Uncle Brandon began writhing again, twitching unnaturally. The moment I saw it, I abandoned everyone else and bolted. Still, the only difference was that my death came last this time.
Ah. It wasn't a total waste, though. Surviving until the end let me observe the enhanced state Elaine had described.
[Name: Uncle Brandon]
[Classification: Ghost Story]
[Gift: ──]
[Characteristics: A famous ghost story entrenched in Everlight Academy. Kills everyone. Wherever he is becomes a bakery. Everything he kills turns into cookies and candy.]
Uncle Brandon was far larger now than Elaine had described—his status window proved it true as the space around him warped, eroding into a kaleidoscope of colorful breads and desserts. The corpses of those he'd killed were transforming too; the ones he'd trampled and crushed turned into cookies and candy in an instant.
"Urk…."
The canteen reeking of blood and filled with groans was nauseating enough, but compared to the spectacle of rampaging Uncle Brandon, it was mild. I gagged. And what was even more revolting? The vomit rising in my throat started tasting sweet.
What kind of absurd existence was this? Hadn't it completely transcended the scope of the Uncle Brandon ghost story?
What had I overlooked? Was violence the key to his enhancement?
"Kyaaah!! Run, everyone!!"
"Where!? Where the hell can we go!?"
Like the other students, I tried to flee desperately—only to realize my body wouldn't obey. Was it fear? No. My body was turning into a cookie, starting from the edges.
Luckily, I didn't have to endure the full horror of becoming a cookie. Uncle Brandon crushed me first.
Crunch!
…
And back to the academy's quiet morning. Having looped once before, the shock wasn't too bad. Over breakfast, I held another strategy meeting with Elaine.
"What caused the failure this time?"
"No idea."
Honestly, I was clueless. We'd prepared even more thoroughly and entered hours earlier than the first attempt. But contrary to my hypothesis that time triggered the enhancement, Uncle Brandon transformed faster and stronger than before.
"Elaine. In the Uncle Brandon ghost story, is there anything about him awakening into Super Uncle Brandon by unleashing hidden power when he's about to die…?"
"No."
She cut me off coldly before I finished. Yeah, even I knew that was ridiculous. If that were the gimmick, it'd be a villain from some ability-battler story, not a ghost story.
My head spun even more. But amid the chaos, one thing was clear.
"If we can't uncover why Uncle Brandon keeps getting stronger, we shouldn't try brute-forcing it with sheer force like the last two times."
Two straight failures with minor tweaks to the same approach. I'm not dumb enough to eat a third L with the same playbook. Loops are finite. Regression has worked fine so far, but if we run out of energy for it someday, that's game over.
"Let's recap. In the first attempt, I thought his sudden enhancement was time-related. I figured he had a time limit, so for round two, I gathered people earlier, before lunch, to subjugate him again."
"But the Uncle Brandon ghost story doesn't say he gets stronger over time, right?"
"Exactly. My first judgment was wrong. Next hypothesis: violence. Both attempts involved gathering a crowd to subdue him, which naturally meant some violence. Maybe that triggered it—like unleashing hidden power in a crisis."
"…That does make sense. Like a wounded beast turning fiercer?"
"But rethinking it post-loop, that hypothesis has holes too. If so, he should've enhanced more in the first attempt, which was messier. Actually, the bigger enhancement happened in round two."
"Not true. You died first then, Teacher Allen, but he enhanced similarly in round one too."
"Thanks for sharing now. Super helpful."
Putting it together: We've seen three forms of Uncle Brandon. First: the 'normal' one from the original ghost story. Second: the stage-one enhanced giant when I brought a few teachers. Third: the stage-two metamorphosed version—after my death in round one, and with dozens including guards in round two.
Why stage one sometimes, stage two others? More fundamentally, enhancement isn't even in the original Uncle Brandon ghost story—why does it happen? Especially round two: didn't that already surpass the Uncle Brandon ghost story itself?
I'd only heard about Uncle Brandon from Elaine yesterday—or today, counting loop time—but that wasn't inherent to the entity.
"…."
I closed my eyes. Time to deduce.
Maybe I wasn't short on info—it was an illusion. Two deaths in, the puzzle pieces might be enough; I just hadn't seen it.
Assembling what I know, logically inferring to understand the Uncle Brandon ghost story. Dissect its structure, grasp the phenomenon fully, find the solution.
View ghost stories as products. Buying one equates to rumors spreading person-to-person. That's the 'sale' of the ghost story product.
For a ghost story to sell via word-of-mouth, what's needed? Its selling point: uniqueness and appeal. What sets Uncle Brandon apart from lame tales? His narrative and the irrational choices—all leading to certain death.
The personal backstory is the appealing packaging; the core is the dilemma of no-good choices. Faced with inevitable bad ends, people puzzle over countermeasures, deepening the ghost story. That's when it spreads.
But enhancement? It keeps the packaging but guts the dilemma core. That's self-sabotage.
So enhancement isn't from Uncle Brandon's traits. If not the entity, then a trait all ghost stories share? Like expiration dates on food.
Do all ghost stories have enhancement triggers? Inherent traits. Why call them ghost stories? Not bizarre or monstrous—specifically ghost stories?
"…."
"Teacher Allen?"
"Shh. Thinking."
"Eek."
A strange sensation. My reasoning felt eerily certain, heading toward truth.
So the trigger? Time? Threat? Wrong. Devouring victims? No.
Recall stage two: Humans dying easily. Students' screams. Crowded chaos where escape was impossible.
…!!
An absurd idea hit me. I widened my eyes—and as if confirming it, a translucent message appeared.
Through logical deduction and deep contemplation, your understanding of ghost stories has increased.
All ghost stories are───────────────.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
"Ha…! Unbelievable."
"Did you figure it out!?"
"Yeah. Realized we've been doing nothing but pointless crap."
"Pointless?"
"The worst kind of pointless."
I stood up.
"Ah, Teacher Allen? Where are you going all of a sudden!?"
"Come on. Time to end this mess."
This world is brutally, goddamn cruel.