[Ding-dong-deng-dong]
I opened my eyes.
"Where am I?"
"Excuse me, what is this...?"
Familiar murmuring.
People suddenly pulled into a ghost story, conversing in confusion and tension.
A darkened classroom at night. And then...
"Ahhh! You scared me!"
"Is it a doll?"
A Sekwang Technical High School student sitting motionless in one of the classroom seats.
The tragedy about to unfold.
"..."
Complex emotions rush in, but I can't get lost in them.
I looked down at my hands.
Fortunately, I see human hands. My hands were in the familiar old high school uniform.
'As expected.'
Since Sekwang Technical High School is also inside the Special City, I knew I would be manifested in human form.
After days of arduous attempts to make 130666's sleepless body be judged as "asleep", to make it lose consciousness.
Finally, I succeeded.
In waking up in this nightmare school.
"Huh?"
But I need to move quickly.
I immediately opened the front door and ran out into the hallway.
"Let's go."
At the same time, two agents who had rushed out of other classrooms as soon as they came to their senses made eye contact with me.
Second floor.
We were all on the same floor.
'Good.'
This way, we can proceed faster.
"Excuse me! Do you know anything...?"
We ran without reacting to people.
Agent Choi seemed to be almost gritting his teeth as he ignored them.
-Agent, when entering, you need to write your name behind the high school photo...
-I'll take care of that myself.
And Agent Choi is really standing here.
His neck and hands in the navy high school uniform are clean without scars, to the point of feeling strangely out of place.
But the task is clear.
-We need to move as much as possible before the students can move, before the game starts.
We ran to the stairs.
We need to move before the daydream employees or other agents who entered randomly.
'To the third floor.'
And when we were about halfway up the stairs.
[Students, we will now close the automatic curtains and turn on the lights for heating and safety.]
The lights started to come on.
Whoop.
Just before darkness rushed in, Agent Bronze took out a flashlight from his chest and secured it to his arm with a cable tie. Agent Choi performs a similar action while watching the third floor.
But neither of them turn on their flashlights.
Because.
Thump.
I will release the contamination by pressing the heart tattoo.
"...!"
In an instant, the identity of Sekwang Technical High School rushes in, enveloping me.
A student wearing an old school uniform.
As the transfer student in Class 1-5 who borrowed the uniform from Lee Gyeol.
At the same time, the agents who were next to me.
₩ud3ec₩ub3c4₩uc57c₩u002c₩u0020₩ub4e4₩ub9ac₩uc9c0₩u003f
Their forms can no longer be found.
Now in their place are unpleasant monsters that should not exist, spewing glitches. Only melting pixel errors. Things that make an eerie sound like they're tearing your ears out.
Intruders.
I need to eliminate them right away. Reaching out towards those slow and terrible things...
Barely.
I gently grasp them without attacking.
-You must not shine the flashlight on me.
I grit my teeth.
As promised, I grab the "errors that are almost as slow as if stopped" and run like crazy to the third floor.
Then.
Flicker.
As the lights come on again, the errors look at me.
And so I become unable to move.
And when I can move again, I was already being carried by the errors.
About halfway down the third-floor corridor.
'That's it.'
This is it.
-There's a way to move quickly to the destination without stopping.
It's a method of moving without being affected by the lights.
'The student and the errors need to cooperate.'
When I stop, the agents move me.
When the agents stop, I move them.
That way, we can move without being attacked.
-The problem is that whether it's the people who entered or the school students, the moment we're caught, we're definitely suspected...
-Grapes. It'll be fine.
-Pardon?
-From what I hear, it must be chaos there. Us carrying you along won't stand out that much?
-...!
-Anyone would think that much is okay. ...At least until many citizens die.
That was right.
And in the same sense, in the beginning, there are too many intruders who appear as "errors" from the student's perspective, so attention is dispersed.
'So we have to hurry.'
Before drawing attention.
I dragged the two of them towards the infirmary.
...While ignoring the dull bursting sounds and shadows of students destroying "errors" in each classroom lined up along the corridor.
And.
Rattle.
I open the infirmary door, then close it.
"..."
Lee Gyeol was not there.
The bed in the infirmary where I had previously transported that classmate was empty, and the bedding was crumpled as if someone had just gotten up and left.
And there was a note left behind.
Paper scrap? Teacher?
As if he had no idea what the memo written in handwriting that looked like it was written by oneself meant.
'...'
From now on, I have to do this properly.
I took a deep breath, then quickly took out an A4 paper from the infirmary and placed it on the floor, starting to write letters.
-I've arrived. I also checked the window. I can see the backyard.
-When you're ready, let's go down together.
But at the next moment of flickering.
-Grapes.
I inhaled at the reply that came back.
-I can't see anything outside the window.
To the eyes of the errors, there is only pitch-black darkness outside the infirmary window.
'Is it because it's a place not implemented to be visited during game progression?'
I don't know. What's certain is...
'...It's okay.'
Wasn't I contaminated as if prepared for times like this?
'I can do it alone.'
The talisman is already complete; I just need to place it in the exact location.
-Please keep watch.
Leaving those words, I reached into Agent Choi's chest pocket[1], who was still looking up, and found the talisman.
'I was going to sneak it out anyway.'
I didn't expect to be able to take it out so naturally like this.
I quickly opened the window and went down. Rather, it was convenient to move since the errors couldn't come here.
The backyard.
Unlike just a few days ago, when I came with the Wolf Leader and the flower bed was withered and dead, it's strangely lush.
Like spring or summer.
'Phew.'
Without even breathing, I dug up the soil in the backyard and found the glass lantern. But...
'...!'
A faint light was coming from the bottom of the broken glass lantern.
'Is the talisman in an activated state?'
However, the flickering light looked precarious and seemed about to go out at any moment.
A balance that seems to be barely maintained.
I sense it.
'This is almost over.'
A premonition that this talisman will have exhausted all of its power today.
And I don't even want to imagine what might have happened... Especially if the state of this school is still somewhat under the talisman's influence.
'Fortunately, we weren't too late.'
Relief amidst the tension presses on my chest like pain.
Instead of digging it out of the soil, I carefully separated just the bottom to check the torn talisman. Its half-torn shape is still the same. But...
The pattern was burning blue along each stroke.
Heating the bottom of the glass lantern, climbing up the lantern, and spreading into the soil.
The power of the will-o'-the-wisp.
'...'
Stay calm.
With very careful hand movements, I took out the new talisman. And...
'Hup.'
As I pushed the new talisman into the bottom of the lantern, and slightly pulled out the torn talisman.
Then a blue light flares up from the new talisman.
"...!"
The power of the will-o'-the-wisp flashes as if to drive out all the evil things from this place, as if to hide the place that needs to be protected within itself.
'Good.'
I swallowed. And...
Flick.
The light of the talisman went out.
"..."
Wait a minute.
'No...'
The glass and talisman buried in the soil of the dark backyard are just lying there like trash.
...A chill runs down my spine.
'Why?'
No.
I hurriedly tried putting the torn talisman back into the bottom of the lantern, but there was no reaction.
As if its effectiveness had already ended.
-The talisman will activate properly when placed in its original position.
Agent Bronze had certainly assured me.
'But why isn't it working?'
I frantically dug up more of the soil mound.
And after urgently checking the talisman at the bottom of the lantern again, in that moment.
My skin crawled.
'...The glass lantern!'
Scratches.
The broken glass lantern had decorations like craftsmanship rising from the bottom. But it was hopelessly scratched and already cracked and broken...
If you bring the torn talisman close and look very carefully, you can see.
Some of those crack marks connect with the strokes of the talisman.
'Part of the scratches were deliberately made.'
Even the scratches on the glass lantern were part of the talisman.
Because something was drawn extending from the letters in the paper to the lantern, the talisman was able to exert its power even in a torn state with only half remaining.
But as time passed, or someone touched it, the glass lantern also broke and maintained a precarious state...
At this moment,
All of its power has been exhausted.
The protective barrier that had been protecting Sekwang Technical High School from something that the agents would have desperately created.
It just disappeared.
"..."
I t W a s R e l e a s e d[2]
The sound from behind.
Hide-and-seek is over the game is over intruded intruded into the school eat block behind behind behind danger disappear die no please no not a sacrifice intruded intruded screams oh how sad eat there from the darkness it surges evil things devour
I hurriedly climbed up the window sill. My grip is damp with sweat.
Faster faster can't block with games anymore games end comes fast comes fast fast fast fast fast
I barely manage to put my foot on the infirmary windowsill and slide inside. With trembling hands I close the window, and immediately try to undo the contamination. I need to undo the contamination and talk to the agents... ...
Why won't it undo?
Wait.
Why won't it undo? Why can't I escape? Why am I still like this? Huh? Trying to escape? Who are you looking for? Who is it?
Found you
Wa...
"Agent Grapes!"
"...!"
I find myself suddenly facing the moving agents.
I reflexively looked down at my hands, but I still saw the Sekwang Technical High School uniform.
But how can I see the agents normally? How are we facing each other? How is communication possi... No, no!
More importantly!
"The space is now..."
"The glass lantern!"
I immediately grabbed the other's shoulders.
"We need to save the glass lantern. The glass lantern was also part of the talisman! They had carved grooves all the way to there to draw the strokes!"
"...!"
"Can we save the glass lantern right now? Among the agents who entered, is there anyone who has a lantern..."
"There is!"
Agent Choi grabbed my shoulders.
"There is. Calm down. Let's go find them right away. They woke up in the same classroom as me. Not much time has passed so they should still be there."
"Who..."
"Agent Haegeum."
.
Who is Haegeum?
.
I froze.
[Ding dong deng dong The graduation ceremony has begun. Teachers are now leaving the auditorium to give penalty points to students who did not attend.]
We ran out of the infirmary.
We run frantically through the blood-soaked corridors.
We run down the stairs.
And I saw.
'It's coming down.'
The lumps of flesh that had covered the 5th floor are undulating and spreading terrifyingly downwards from the upper floors of the staircase.
But there is no sign of the talisman.
Is there any meaning in us walking now? It feels like everything is already too late, something...
'Shut up!'
I grit my teeth and ran.
We eventually ran down to the 2nd floor and followed Agent Choi into a classroom.
The classroom where Agent Choi had woken up was...
"Huh? Huhhh?"
"Aaaahhh!!"
Students and civilians who had started to recognize each other were screaming and crying, falling into panic in a miserable scene of chaos.
And.
"Agent!"
"Choi! The situation is strange so first call all the agents and create a protection zone!"
A high school student with a cheerful impression, hair tied tightly.
Giving orders right away with blood splattered on her face, I recognized familiar features in that youthful impression.
"Agent Haegeum...!"
And among Agent Haegeum's order targets was an unexpected figure.
"And you try to stop the company people from doing anything rash as much as possible!"
The black-haired boy in a neat blazer uniform... was wearing a Lizard mask.
"Not possible."
"...Section Chief!!"
"Yes."
Why is Section Chief Lizard here?
No, the Daydream Field Investigation teams would all be attempting to enter so statistically it's not surprising, but no...
"Mr. Roe Deer."
Wait, addressing me like that in this situation...!
"Why are you wearing the Sekwang Technical High School uniform?"
...
Wait a minute.
Wait...
That's right.
I am a student.
But...
'We can communicate normally.'
That means... these "intruders" are also being "recognized" as having officially entered the school, not as errors.
...
A chilling realization passes through my body...
'Originally the teachers couldn't recognize errors.'
Now they will be able to see.
The period of just having to avoid catching the teacher's eye by attracting too many name tags is over.
'Anyone can be attacked and die...'
And I've seen what happens when an outsider who's intruded into the school is killed by a "teacher".
Namely...
'Deletion...!'
I frantically looked around at the people.
"Run away."
"Agent Grapes."
"No, it would be better to die now! If you die here by a teacher, you'll be deleted from reality. It's not just ending with death, but your existence disappearing..."
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
...
Thud.
Thud thud thud thud thud.
"..."
Classic 8-bit game music started to descend on my ears in an ominous and steep minor key.
But it's unnaturally fast, with something like human giggling mixed in.
It's getting closer.
"It's here."
The students, as if by instinct, try to open the lockers to hide or curl up under the desks.
The agents ignore my words and take out their equipment to prepare some kind of response while securing their line of sight.
I also joined that line of sight looking out the window for now...
And I see it.
The bizarre thing coming down the stairs.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
The 'teacher'.
The hell I had already seen once before is there.
A monster made huge by cramming in all sorts of teacher forms and possessions that were lying on the 5th floor, with limbs and heads, faces that seem to be screaming protruding all over.
But this time there is an even more horrific difference.
The center of that body is split open, with strange light flowing out from inside.
"...!"
As huge ribs split open on both sides as if to reveal the internal organs, a human upper body with long hair was seated inside.
'The thing hanging in front of the auditorium door.'
A battered upper body all crushed down.
Congealed paper scraps are exposed in the center flesh of that torso.
The other half of the library checkout slip, the other side of the torn talisman.
The thing with a chunk of its waist cut out and half its head missing.
The already tattered jacket it's wearing is also visible.
Even the name written on it.
Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau
That face...
"...Team Leader?"
I turned to look at Team Hyumoo 1.
The faces of the two agents are frozen in shock I've never seen before.
And,
"Sister Hong."
Agent Haegeum.
"..."
-The last supernatural disaster our team leader went into was like a labyrinth, bizarre, anyway a really strange place... Almost her entire upper body was blown off.
I realize.
What they recognized.
-The team leader passed the goblin trial, so she had her own customized will-o'-the-wisp lantern.
-Currently, more than half of the team leader's head and upper body has been... replaced by will-o'-the-wisp.
Team Hyumoo 1's team leader.
Agent Park Honglim, who exists as an elder.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Agent Park Honglim's upper body twisted its head to look this way.
[1] originally it was only “chest” but I don’t think he put his arm inside of Choi’s chest… so I added “pocket”
[2] This was supposed to be in red. for now, bold + italic is what was supposed to be in red.