Chapter 178 – Ghost Story (2)
z12JeA cloudy noon,PGLpx unusually grayiqvIv for autumn.J5vnUTf8E
sheAAbel, resting her5Yo chin lazily7KrWU on onez4h hand, lookedObZq up atCK2po the sky.XQxrQS8
Rg0IWith such a gloomy atmosphere,r73 her mindambV inevitably driftedSmnt to ther30U great incidentO0Q from a few days9ylOat ago—the tragedy0QHk of Joaquin.lZ4 A disasternpk8S for the4BVb academy… buti9k ironically, thePUMh2 day Kang3KAk Geom-Ma wasWAl made a hero.IDsF
AB398nLost in thought,XX2P Abel letUr2Hm herself slumpUBY onto theYl85v desk. She0elE tilted her9nRaH neck slightlymKNXA and lookednDhA out therzLR window. Her7rch pupils, golden9WJo as purejgc gold, reflectedekZM a gray,lfd somber landscape.g9BS Perhaps thatn2edM9 color mirroredjV1BT8 her ownTVOF5W mood.d13
FAX7SR“Haa…”nEtBJ
bLcShe sighed deeply.ZkvF She wasCsg steeped inNhoq melancholy, anotherk9hpn consequence ofFGeC the tragedyfqkoo of Joaquin.UqjUaQQS
QG8FSince that day,EdqeEH Abel hadn’tSYrUng stopped thinking.jCGn Especially aboutSq0pKY the rumorsNv3bO surrounding Kang4GkjW2 Geom-Ma… andgHVOd Saki. ThatStndL they wereDW5C a couple.Cs05 Many students8l6kYM who witnessedsR8 the scenehVH took itve2F as fact.c7uozB034leA
0FJazOAnd yet, having5nQ lived withvlU Kang Geom-MaPk6f9 for a month, AbelTh7 found itYqSr odd.JpfCJ
vqta1That same KangXUZW4e Geom-Ma, whonS3 showed up0GM to a date innapu his academyZsgM tracksuit, inhuow7Z a relationship?DBlQA It wasqhUN as absurdle0uwV as watching4Dq a cowLPWA eat meat.LHKIYgpv
HtEa7And still, herjwni chest hurt.WbBmT She couldn’tc5AWij confirm orMRPTE deny theirQtZhrV relationship. Thatbk9hOw was thezwE2pj problem.s7dI
1O8Saki had jumpedH2e7q in withoutUqk hesitation. She,14zGN on theKxc other hand,MkAIA hadn’t.siTs
FlGN4Abel felt deeplyxzQBy disappointed inTztPg herself. InMyqwI the undeadSAw dungeon, Kangjtauq Geom-Ma hady8Fsq saved herDouYD father. Butq7d78P she hadHEgV been paralyzeduE3 by fear,OxJ watching thehKzTS bloody battlediR9 without beingKXBof1 able toVT9U move.y7e
ZcfiQNThat memory wasJTo what tormented63d her most.OimmHt She hadct1MV gone severalRr6L7 nights withoutVNLz sleep, consumed0qzH by guilt.2A7huPCi
NjfiAt that moment,BG8Npz a shadowdi4Bm appeared invdjJpV front ofiRfd Abel, stillZ3i collapsed ontll0F the desk.Va7RG Just sensingIUE the presence,iAk she knew7dyf5w who itJygXni was—Rachel.jH0xdQ
fHZ8eo“Abel~ are your1WY asleep~?”N8BCT
xxgZ“……”Qvvk
vGjKFor some reason,izGqG she was6V4m very quietIn8 today. AbelYSs shut herV73 eyes tightI59z60 and pretendediZvQ to sleep.K84ESNGpd
KRmRachel looked atBFX the whitelBA strand inhdn Abel’s hair.LCpz Then muttered4Hj41Z to herself,QwYbL her voiceQy3 a bitwKs dim:iTs
OpiJRj“Well, if she’s42rCLT asleep, there’sFwngo9 nothing tokM6Rk do… justfhZ1 when I found outffw that Speedweapon7q3 is goingnRmQGr out tonightEGr with KanggAML Geom-Ma…”Srd
4UxpVSAt that instant,x9w3g Abel shotxQES3C up.1cZdc
drioRV“Tell me everything.”AwzWcKudFD0
cdB***JAve
kKb8Since long ago,4sciLF every schoolDbFR has had0hSTMu its ghosttRvKc stories.tYIK4G
MIHzThings like statuesqSTdkN that readmXvR books anddQBfc move atLbGtPe night, ord08q a womanqPCGF crying in8HPk the thirdBUsTju stall of6YCuCb the boys’V6cc bathroom.2Ln7k
WmqMjGhost stories alwayswGO spread byzVpxdM word ofvyNjkj mouth, withouth7e05d proof orSjltB real witnesses.rUL Up toq8VG elementary school,97aAH maybe, theyHBWzE9 still gaveDbwNl9 you chills.aF2JE0 But onceOGt you hithDcF middle school,7iay most studentsG0uZu stop takingUGoZBv them seriously.CMoyeJE1
bxwdAnd in highihQqmf school? Excepti2NgPh for a few occultdJd fanatics, nooxaJOY one reallyiX68w pays attention.jH5Xm69Or
iqFE4MAt that age,zztjR you startM7Jby focusing moreKR4jp on reality.S8iqkyz
l4ybThe older you6KqQ get, thev4D more skepticalww1zha you becomeQaszGK of thingsBmuV1 like ghosts.cprKof9RvWnV
6865Because you realizeUCnF that the2MIl9d scariest thingsfpy aren’t spirits.fJwVXa They’re people.wlppJrqYk6
0yhHHGhost stories, withILOdUZ no evidencerNP or realgevUjq witnesses, areqxFa nothing butcFVfh empty rumors.SCLo They alwaysWRTS0 were—and I still believed1tyk that.sf5f
hQ3eO‘Although…’DWxW
jTeX6Lying in bed,2cn8RD I thoughtlH5t about Speedweapon’sEDz7 expression. HePQh was completelyrO7J9 pale, asd5pA if his8IKS soul had0Mi escaped him.L5Mts0zz
PxqTqMaybe if thatMz8R had beenKkE all, I wouldn’t have4FSp been sopMMSbH affected.v5gRr
U0ZhlpSpeedweapon had alwaysTBF been a coward. EvengFQqG though heAxCd acted tough,WF2sP deep downoHdvk he had1RP65 the mostvIv fragile heartDWy of usVSrxha all.Kw1Sf
XFUBut this time,eKHEk0 what maden4FBVW me feelNDHD really uneasyWetZ was RyozodHGquu and Chloe’stPs9V5 reaction whenz05It Speedweapon mentionedCZx that hew2bx1N might be2utS trapped inM1YM a ghostnXXme1 story.RP5iX
yaCXfZBoth of themM4L0F turned serious.bHV Very serious.mrBuQ And theypKu4 started speaking3hRx8O with somberbe7h faces.QQow
quxI was completelysBbS confused. I’m1hy seventeen yearsZ8y old. Indxsu0k three months,BeQEI I’ll bebmu5vm eighteen.qloJ
XoMVNOkay, let’s saylhAZ ghosts exist.JG0hp In a world where6QxF8 magical beastsQTk7 and demonsDLWFU are real,p79 why couldn’t5vpbm ghosts begnSD too?rTM
B88fBut what confusedAL8 me theqC9JO most was9byzK our status—we’reCKTH students atsSV Joaquin Academy.4Htu9 Future heroesi1B7L with theyfkHz duty to4VQz fight demons.qHNHiOIu9f8S
CtQNAnd now we’reNmgX getting scaredL5Kl over ghosts?jMcwn5dDiQ
cHVI didn’t knowsDMw what kindRmm of facehXD to make.XFPCc56OLEl1
NPPl7I also didn’tVNm6 understand howh8C the conversationsJwZ ended with9sKs2 all ofdDXZEC us agreeingJ55L3 to go5WSPv to theCzHC Aaron PavilionEXZnD tonight.MUa
qFYuPeI looked atF1x5 the wallQF1X6t clock. ItDdMR was almostsf2mu six inCQG the evening.HxvLqE Thirty minutesqmFj left untilLyWf meeting thekN5c2 others. IfAgLmG4 I didn’tZkVM hurry, I’de90J06 just makeGrL it.v2Sx7l
Bj1vQ“Courage training atqTeb our age?”ipV3CTJw6
ZWffsCI let outVpbZ a bitter9v4x laugh andXrE got out5MeT of bed.G76oyy I stillhNkOHk didn’t getz7uQT why theyplm6 were taking2vPm it so0zB seriously.TwHxSO
V3DEven if you4sl saw a ghost, wasn’tE9k it enoughbvJ to washxE7M your feet14D and goqjVAXS to sleep?9Ee5rk
HShPBut Speedweapon didn’tgyy1nD see itUYfpZ that way.4h2ER He wasdSfAHM convinced wetiFSIT had tomr6s go todoa that placeLoT and “exorciseULz5 the spirit.”0b287a That inutx4a this world,nzFw that’s howCRIo it hadztIC1 to befwsr8 done.qJoN
KoHRmo‘…I guess comingQag from differentWMon backgrounds, thereoT7kH are thingslGwmF I won’t9QZ8yO understand.’Aaqub
HIiMEven so, I told them8ok5qI I’d goSgl4x with themnr2Bkx to themMhXy building. EveryoneyPoEu was happy.J82JSo Especially Speedweapon,6D3f who hadBgJ been pale,RmEo lit upiA7hqP like he’dOqiWe come back5EhJ to life.QXC6u1jLAP
IgIFNot long ago,J97ZN I helpedwtkDh him withYTzi6 the elections,8aqZ7 but I never gaveY00q6h him anythingSTzOB9 in return.p4kXsz Going withoYJ him to8KcP0l a hauntedyJJ3A place was2418oK the leastMqzgo4 I couldEtv69T do.ibQ81
VhWOnce I washseP ready to053w9 leave, I stood in8oF9 front off01 my desk.Of4h Several sashimioXqmD knives werezsVnY scattered alleSzGl over it.Agj7qWB
uNwgh“It’s not a dungeon, it’s3GOt just a haunted house…YGf do I really needmWpV these?”2N5u
wMY7The doubt didn’tqClcO9 last long.mh5YM I grabbedlHsK27 a couplekikz0 of knivesXhbr and leftDZ6 the room.D57HqLc
a8Ru7H“Kang Geom-Ma! Here!9yduLJ Over here!”msrqBCneiny
02UQn9When I arrivedcQdD7o at theTvMq Aaron Pavilion,rUQO1 Speedweapon greetedxGQh me. Ryozoedqi and ChloeQ7lI were already1psNH there too.Q2uLLvo2W
ATbI pulled outneASN my phonexCI9 and checkedtpiKk the time:DPy 6:15 p.m.Kh5b56
UkB53‘And I even3hO rushed… theyZ8uWR were alreadyKkbs3p here.’eFk
8Qr7zI approached theQJFQ building entranceYYAx3J where thetI0moc others werekPKl waiting. Andd3l then I saw it.oTezWhht
OYRA stone buildingqOwm so deterioratedFZxn it lookedlnpZgA ready top2mT81 collapse. AndJceMG that’s notOgE0 a metaphor.uO4JRj6Lp
QGiCIt really lookedUsP like iteIo5B was aboutz7OC to fallwjB apart. HardZAgO to believeKhU it wasEIlN still usedFfA last year.T8ZbzIb
SRLOlThey say it’s5Og one ofgZPRFW the originalt3chuU buildings, usedXd4q since 700JL8Rse years agokKVS when the7SRcW7 academy wasAJSD founded. TherzToy passage ofS832jv time showedqepkv in everyDAEz3 corner.kbn
fzfNI muttered withoutnZrVYX thinking:GGh6
7o3S“If a ghostn2n doesn’t comeJ7N5 out ofRuFSm there, that’dpD1p0 be morenQAm surprising.”GWcSIS
J9EcSince it wasUG70Ru autumn, theTo3UP sun wasoofsYM already starting9Y5F to setOR4g early. Bluesy4st0 shadows covereddSd7t the building,zmC and therLBwGz air waszCyl icy.oEQ
6zSEverything about thatXmEE5 place screamedtRY3E “haunted house.”AS3xd2P0
qdv‘And Speedweapon practicedVWF6ZI here? AsW2Jcs scared asNno he is?’IFQH2yL
24jBPI frowned forb56FBu a moment65gk and joinedW840rO the others.NA17Grypw0
JRw5Once gathered, weIqX checked ourIkj7U8 gear. Radios,luQpqo headlamps—everything necessary.jrl Even thoughFyfZq a phoneASVa would’ve beenDAZhs enough, everyoneDTd brought separate2byrwo equipment. SeemedOd4mv like theyD5z wanted to1IN set theBoI mood.O7vxO
0z0vaQJust a fewdGiK hours ago,R4I Speedweapon wasSn9i on the4i1 verge ofJtSul tears fromm9Ox fear, andcWFS1 now heHsJ was excited…SNBZMyIw
ZfEx“Looks like we’re8Sijo ready, shall7UK we go7z6F in?”EFRgD
qmPerSpeedweapon smiled brightly.Tdcy We alljaiGKZ nodded.QIZZ
iJe9VqCreak—sZStSI
ntWThe sound of6yHF3 the doorW3pBq opening wasTJdr as eerieSVxgC as the1GnV building itself.EMji5rT3
Fk6pm0And so, weOFIt entered thatS6G cursed place.ESz0ZyFI0
P7lU***bQX1C
Uot0e…Fifteen minutes later,CRI several peopleIU2ry began gatheringrZ8Ncm in frontlSG of AaronxT3F3C Pavilion. Saki,9hu Speedweapon, andqpT5y Chloe weree4JYLV there.BRHdeB
E2FksThe minute handccd landed exactlyxoKopH on thirty.15V A largeNtZYx question markvCCv hovered oversgHVXs Saki’s facevm290 as sheKLBMY checked herpCWX wristwatch.Slk
OBZyC“It’s time—why hasn’tCOc Kang Geom-MajkVHWo arrived?”IUnZ
H2yf“Exactly. Has the29Z president everj7g been late?YbXw He’s always7owMSh on time.sDiz Sometimes he’sdPIb even early.”2TC6K7
hs7WC“Wait, I’ll callkJIuZ him.”EAcFf
OO1Beep— beep—p0vWD
Mqag[The person youWPZi are callingzPfjwC is currently2fxl out ofhLawA the servicezonvh area…]gyh
61USpeedweapon looked at0hN Saki.gaSm
IAH8u7“Where is he?”iued3H5cJ
Be95n“…He’s out ofyn93h range, them6jwPH call won’thRaS03 go through.”IrCl6mylEvb
Y1z“Out of range?cgqM But that’spuO weird. TheqFLb entire JoaquinHZTj6D Academy isWjEt3x equipped withmvlS cutting-edge facilities.HV755W There’s no14lh dead zones,okTZO and theSTF Wi-Fi isZGSN excellent.”Crgqs8
bLs“……”YVQs
ArT1Saki turned herUh5H head towardKKs2He the building.s6uX8 Despite howmuB9Ya old itYdW was, itwh2c had been2a3Q so wellDZ3G maintained that6QkZ9 its centuriesUTd3 of historyqMU barely showed.SsDxIdFI
fWNrAs Chloe said,YeaQr with somewgt internal repairs,Ps6w it couldPDUJW easily bewHY usable again.vvT0eZ However, therecqea was a strange atmosphereXCKIIi about it5m7IT that couldn’tt1EKNV be described.RQoP Saki frowned.yhpnbkAckO
cHesAt that moment—96rSoWV
07yzFootsteps echoed in8QonhL the distance.pWvDZ Two pairs.Lg4uWX
x3lSaki fixed her21p gaze inzme that direction.L9FIE5 The next9JM instant, herMT0 expression turned5kO confused.lI9Q
zqlIF“Abel and Rachel…?”KP0oDUZZW
2s4Her eyes widenedPiCj as sheHlI saw theGBT9H two approaching.IW0 Speedweapon, besideZmUfko her, explained2w0 with anM1c awkward look:ZrS1wbyNt
iqzsq“Ah, that… I called them.gtS It’s just…8z8 with onlyhcn four ofDkW us, it8N1Z felt tooC7X few. Thisn4r1Kf place isgAWob supposed to1VnqCN be haunted!ODg At leastKjKR six peoplemDYJiP feels safer,sOXc right?”wHq2Uv
SSPzfwSaki gave himBXp a pityingJcz look.I4s
u6L9HAbel and Racheldyr3zm reached theyot0M building’s entrance.YfBsKN Abel lookedvLFVfr around nervously,1qA like a meerkat.aWP
FbVWoiSaki glanced atV2CK her coldlysrXZ and murmured,cXN9SUN
ZFO7Tt“Kang Geom-Ma isn’t9yZF1 here.”AwD7
ebEw“Ah…”GjX
evjdcFor a moment,m4woP a flashUvSU of disappointmentnakq passed throughmn5k Abel’s eyes.Xo2 Then shegpZx quickly shooktKw her head.5E5KavDhv
eRdE7“I… I onlyNHdf came becauseQOWK Rachel draggedXsEZOE me.”rtbZR
FI9JHAbel insisted. SakiFPmVg responded withAbEF a disdainfulWbw0gk chuckle.FDUI0H
A5nvRachel laughed loudlyqiYrw and chimed0mDU in,DPg9
YtL6l“Since when doRCxyuV you twoJRA5uA get along8Nm so well?dHG You lookedqyyOdY like enemiesDEoX in class.gyiVGZ I guessTHz distance bringsblgZ5O people together,y6s1 nya-ha!”RoY
LSjhe***XFb
GbnglThe inside of7YcwoL the buildingaVikY was pitchMfxM7 black. TotalBET6Zh darkness. EvenwpA though theCKY sun wasHCjm still faintly4ts7Pl shining outside,QXs3cf inside youG6QPb0 couldn’t seefBjemF a singlei0ei step ahead.PnShzOFc0
Y8XNbdGood thing thevkF club membersi5DF brought flashlights.neNI With justZFUWJ phone lights,18F5Q we wouldn’tQRoT0 have beenLEvML able toTKU move forward4dSacD at all.31wZLozLRro6
CzjCreak, creak.pk5k
7kg8WGEach step onhBIUcA the rottingT1n wooden floorlwsId made thevqKTp building groan.AA3FQk Ironically, thosedEWOz8 sounds were0pU what letftHd7l me knowMfyB0 I wasH2l moving forward.GfZ9jIcKM
0Vl7Ic‘How can theyYqx walk sourLcOq easily inuk2s this darkness?’T98OjLdfd
3vpI followed behindY3pzpY the others,AyBM silently watchingZlRv their backs.UiIsyaF9
6hFThey moved guidedzUCX only byWQBYx the lightCCMLQ of theirikGl headlamps, withoutFzT3JZ saying a word.Dafay
RAW7…But how? EvenhSw Chloe andBPIZU Saki walked8R6FS6 like theywhA9X knew theRgbco place well.qENXlcMq
y37wEnNot even withc3OB the helpYa7o of [BlessingleyuK of theqeph Sword] andiwNg [Blessing ofDOewUp Transfer] couldky2 I getUZDfRk my bearingscbgo60 clearly. It5jp felt likeZ3uT7m being trappedJt3ry in a windowless cell.dWP The airYkhVBb was suffocating,4ZAPw as ifYstFG the entiremyuz building wasQeC swallowing me.0Te93BUv6D
CXolScSomething else feltIW50 off. SinceOaCcr we entered,CX6K no one1BwMxh had spoken.6cWOLl Even withQb8n nerves, thesyo3s silence wasGCeaB excessive.lA3
N8OVI asked Speedweapon,eXgNU who wasKPa2 in theYyud lead.anazm
bmq“How much farther?”iBxFgMV4
A2PELHe lit upuht a staircaseVdrF ahead withTGU his flashlight.qOHujQuR
XHj0x“After those stairs,MTjTo1 just a few moreYAFcz steps.”wA6
Lfq4MHe replied withoutiB3i3J turning. HisjyL tone wasj9k flat, dry.0c6jb No traceh2pK of the6IgDyl scaredy-cat he’dt1QC been earlier.NTXHStUc
F9gmKT“Really? That wasFID fast. I hope weHFXa wrap thisAifL up andzCYcM2 head backTJLZL soon.”Mq7UF
ep9t2M“Yeah. This placelQC3z is superWkjBX scary, we88d should leave7Qvrg quickly.”ZirVrJ
j0Vq5FSaki and ChloeWpl chimed in,y8Tv9h and I barely smiledBUQQ with mywsq eyes. NeitherIYLz of themstf9 looked atjHHQ me as1MrFk they spoke.vRghPxIke7Xf
Y17u8rCreak.VPyW
iHRiI stopped dead9JWn5R in myhDQPhI tracks. Everyonecu3Xud else didU1i too.RM82v
d8NThen Speedweapon asked.VaVJU34
bYY“What’s wrong, KanggYBp Geom-Ma? SomethingbfG6 the matter?”SBYJPa4Mm
nEVB“Hah.”zNJbDM
Xs43I let outLq3mk a dryam9G1 laugh. HowkYx didn’t I notice sooner?nCC5ZU2
GaRmeJ“Speedweapon, you’ve beenNnf calling meFUt1x Kang Geom-MaEi1ga this wholemZXlX time. SincexAoL when dowE5Y you doFLy that? YouhdaMPs always callpPrR me ‘president.’”SPxJ0cE8k9
Rgid“……”wz9
9UXz“Not just you.dvIiM Ryozo, Chloe—whoUAM3H are youwOtq all, really?”Vxo6GZy3r
NBtIA heavy silenceHJMI filled the5CMup hallway. Thew2hpS flashlights flickeredxlR intermittently.KfHI
vjetko“If there’s one933HOY thing I hate, it’stitQ being deceived.”Mpkz2RM
uThhlN“……”sUjY0V
LzTClink.UgjJYZ
rASCI drew mymf2Kj sashimi knife.1pf2 In the2ixU6 darkness, theEHO blade rangOKWMCu coldly asMgsW it left3Bk the sheath.XWHgkNIsN
N3CX“If you don’tAkQ3K want meCrT to slicesiT1 you up,WFc turn your3Yt heads towardDb15s me. RightPv5Z9 now.”ggHlWC
zywmHcEveryone turned theirKX55y0 necks atinQuEb the sameWP9 time. Crack—Fi5Hn The soundVUE39N of bonesD9A snapping. Their6U1DA bodies stillvrpPN faced forward,9voJ but theirsuJL heads twistedwto 180 degreesmXw6QN to lookVhmb at me.FueBHqW
NLkFaces drenched inGCE3 blood. Thekj80 corners ofx87RK their mouthsw8ZE ripped allBIg the way8Oti to theirAA2i ears.Hllm
L6LtjTheir faces contortedaZB8r even more.G9EKT Their upperXic0Pz and lowerP0x teeth werewme connected byfCY0 strands ofmmp sticky blood.vmcJqTQIU
PYofJfThat grotesque andlqPU10 bizarre sightCSa3R1 shook meGvfgz2 to my1B76je core. Then,MMIy7l with thoseVMw twisted smiles,aGsd1X they all1J1 spoke inZ9xokz unison.Vhb7
vwAYz“““Am I pretty?”””AdUS7tNBh9J3
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Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaNo you’re not pretty you are ugly as fuck.
nothingjkps
MortalMore like scary as fuck