Surviving in a School of Ghost Stories-Chapter 102

The surroundings were still pitch dark. Without the lantern, I wouldn’t have been able to see anything at all.

I leaned toward the sign with the rules written on it, holding Gloria's lantern in my hand.

As the light from the lantern shone over the sign, the usage rules became more clearly visible.

< House of the Dead: Hide and Seek with Ghosts >

Welcome to the House of the Dead.

Among the lost souls who wander, there are some who envy humans and seek to take their souls.

You are the hero who has come to rescue the humans caught by them.

Please make sure to read the precautions and usage rules before entering.

The experience time at the House of the Dead is approximately 20 minutes.

The House of the Dead is divided into 7 zones, from Zone 1 to Zone 7. Each zone is equipped with a bell. If you ring the bell, it will be considered a surrender, and you can immediately escape.

Each zone has ghosts hiding inside. Participants must find the ghosts and guide them to the "Otherworld" using a cross and holy water.

Occasionally, items may get damaged. There are no problems here that require physical force. Please treat all items carefully.

You cannot enter alone. If it’s difficult to find a companion, you may enter with a doll. Dolls are available at the entrance of the ticket office.

Once a team enters, the next team may enter after 10 minutes, regardless of sounds such as bells or screams. These are the noises of the previous or next team.

Be cautious with the number of doors when exploring the second floor. There are only three rooms on the second floor. If you find a red fourth door, immediately go down to the first floor and ring the nearest bell.

Holy water can be replenished in Zone 4. Please ask the staff waiting in Zone 4 for assistance.

There are seven lost souls hidden in total, one in each zone. Use the cross and holy water to guide them to the "Otherworld."

Once all the ghosts are found, the surviving human at the last escape point will be waiting for you.

Good luck.

Do not fear the ghosts. They are just lost and pitiful souls.

"Once you find all the ghosts, the surviving human at the last escape point will be waiting for you."

I carefully examined the final item, number 10.

Could I find an answer if I found all the ghosts?

‘If there is no answer even after solving everything, let’s quickly open the door with the medium and return to reality.’

Whether it was the missing student or the reason Noah Senior lost consciousness, I hoped to find an answer. I committed the usage rules to memory, as they reminded me of the F-Class courage test guide.

I glanced at the doll placed in front of the ticket office. In a basket in front of the counter, there was a plush doll with a human face.

The usage rules couldn’t be ignored.

The F-Class courage test guide had come to mind. It was an instinctive warning based on past experiences.

I checked the map, which showed the path from Zone 1 to Zone 7. Up to Zone 4, everything was on the first floor, and from Zone 5 to Zone 7, everything was on the second floor.

The missing student might be somewhere in here. Perhaps I could even find out why Noah Senior collapsed.

The smell of humans was in the air.

I felt a chill as I heard a voice coming from outside the mansion. I swallowed dryly.

‘I hope the male student is alright.’

It would be great if I could find a way to save the male student who helped me earlier.

Bang!

At that moment, someone knocked loudly on the mansion's front door.

The smell of humans was near.

Had the ghost reached the front of the mansion? Could it have figured out that I was inside?

I had to hurry. And from now on, I had to stay alert.

I stood at the entrance of the experience hall and took a deep breath. In one hand, I held the doll, and in the other, I had Gloria’s lantern.

The dim corridor in front of me was eerily quiet, as if nothing had been there.

Meow.

I jumped in surprise and turned around to find Kkamang sitting in front of the ticket office. Its tail swayed as it walked toward me when our eyes met.

Meow.

The cat rubbed against my legs. With its yellow eyes, it looked like an ordinary black cat.

An ordinary black cat...

‘Is it really an ordinary black cat that I met in the Otherworld? But there are rumors that cats are mystical beings, right? They say they have seven lives.’

Going back and forth between the "Otherworld" might not be that difficult for a cat.

"......Are you staying here quietly while I go inside?"

I said, but Kkamang followed me.

"No, it’s dangerous. Stay here."

Meow!

Kkamang hissed at me, as if to say I was in its way. As expected, I couldn’t win against a cat.

Thinking back to how the ghosts in Chesswind Village didn’t touch Kkamang, it might be safe.

What I needed to worry about was myself.

I shook my head and took another deep breath, pulling out my crucifix necklace and taking some holy water into my mouth.

Then, slowly, I stepped into the entrance. Kkamang followed me, walking behind.

I walked five steps and reached a dead-end. The corridor was short.

I turned left and stepped inside, where I saw a dark room.

The walk would take about 10 minutes without any detours, but if I experienced each zone, the time would double. The experience time for the House of the Dead was generally 20 to 30 minutes.

‘Let’s finish in 20 minutes if possible.’

I didn’t know how long I could hold the holy water in my mouth, so I had to hurry and find the seven hidden ghosts.

Including small corners, there were a total of seven zones. The first space I encountered was the children's playroom.

I noticed the number 7 written on the wall near the entrance.

It seemed that they marked the zones from 1 to 7 to avoid confusion for the ghost-dressed workers or managers.

On the left side of the room, there was a baby crib stained with blood, and a mobile was spinning above it.

In the center of the room, a carpet was laid with bloodstained toys scattered around.

‘There doesn’t seem to be many hiding spots here...’

Before I could finish my thought, I saw a figure sitting on the right side.

It wasn’t even hiding. It looked like it was mocking me for being tense.

‘Are the evil spirits looking down on me?’

I had heard that people with weak energy were sometimes humiliated in terrible ways by evil spirits.

But I didn’t think I was one of those weak people, so I walked directly toward it.

The figure was unmistakably not human.

As I approached, its head suddenly dropped forward. The severed head rolled on the floor, coming to a stop at my feet.

I lowered my lantern.

The head, which had been looking down, quickly twisted around and stared up at me.

Its features were hard to make out, but I could clearly see its sharp teeth and bloodshot eyes glaring at me.

Let’s play.

I set the doll down. Then, I splashed the holy water on its face and pressed the crucifix to its forehead. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

Sizzle—

A scream filled the air.

One evil spirit was destroyed. A cross tattoo appeared on my forearm and quickly vanished.

Drip.

Once again, blood dripped from my nose. I pulled out a handkerchief, pinched my nose, and took a deep breath.

‘I’m dizzy.’

But I had to hold on. I still had to do this six more times.

Once the nosebleed stopped, I tucked the bloodstained handkerchief into my pocket and picked up the doll and lantern I had left on the floor.

The playroom didn’t have any large furniture, so I walked through it.

Click, click.

As I moved toward Zone 6, I heard the sound of footsteps. It wasn’t mine.

It was coming from behind me, but I was too afraid to look back.

Meow.

As if sensing my hesitation, Kkamang meowed. Only then did I turn around.

There was no one behind me.

Looking back at the dark corridor, I picked up Kkamang and held it in my arms.

‘...Please tell me nothing’s above me?’

I looked up at the ceiling. It was just as dark, and I couldn’t see anything.

I paused, sharpening my senses. Maybe I could hear other sounds if I stood still.

But the footsteps from earlier had disappeared, and the inside was eerily quiet.

There was no sound from outside, no sound from inside, not even the wind.

It felt like I was submerged in a deep abyss.

I moved on. It was getting harder to keep the holy water in my mouth without spilling.

‘Hurry up.’

Zone 6 had nothing in it. It seemed like a small gap between the scenes.

I passed it and moved toward Zone 5.

‘Five zones left.’

There were seven lost souls in total. Seven zones as well. So, one ghost had to be hiding in each zone.

But since there ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) was no ghost in Zone 6, it meant there would have to be more than one ghost in another zone.

Zone 5 was the morgue.

The morgue had five makeshift beds. And on them, corpses covered with blood-stained white cloths were lying down.

There were no other pieces of furniture.

Five makeshift beds, and five people lying on them.

There was no way humans would lie here.

But it didn’t seem like all five of the remaining six spirits would be lying here.

So why were five people lying on the beds?