School festival, an annual event when the spirit of youth is at its peak. At first glance, it might look like every student enjoyed it, but in fact, more than half of the students did not enjoy the festival. After all, the festival was an event where the cool kids shone brighter than the rest.
By the way, Ahinal had bragged about her stamina and dancing skill to me when we were hunting the dance room ghost a couple of months ago. It seems like Ahinal was one of those cool kids.
On the outside, she looked like she was a gloomy loner with no friends, so I secretly felt a camaraderie with her, but I was wrong. I was the one who didn’t have any friends.
Well, it’s unreasonable for me to make friends with middle school and high school students. Because at my age, we usually get to know each other over a drink, but in high school, that’s not possible.
“Seodam.”
“Yeah? Where’s the camera?”
“Here. You can use this one.”
I took the camera from Ahinal’s hand before throwing a glance towards the auditorium. The size itself was as large as a football stadium. And I could see both the teachers and students from elementary to high school being busy preparing for whatever attraction they planned for the festival.
All of those people were magicians. Once again, I thought of the possibility of such a school like this being established on Earth.
“It’s a polaroid camera. If you take a picture, you can print it immediately.”
“Okay…”
I remember that it was used quite often on Earth about half a century ago, this was before digital cameras became common. It seems like the technological degree of this world was far behind the Vivienda Magic Empire which was capable of transmitting video through crystal balls.
“I will go and draw people’s attention. Good luck.”
“….”
As I nodded while fiddling with the camera, Ahinal smiled at me before walking towards the stage.
Cheers erupted from her friends who saw her. And it was not only one or two, it was quite a lot of people.
The moment the cheering crowd focused their full attention on Ahinal, she immediately sent a signal towards me with her eyes.
“Let’s do this, then.”
To be honest, I really don’t want to do it, but I can’t bail out now. Because I had to stay by Ahinal’s side until the day she showed me a gap that would allow me to kill her.
As Ahinal slowly made her way towards the stage, few more students left the auditorium warehouse to watch her rehearsal. After all, she was the female lead of this story.
Perhaps she was able to dance well thanks to the power she got from the ghost she had hunted. Or maybe she was able to dance well because she joined a dance team in order to get some friends. But it was meaningless to think about it now, because right now, it was an episode where her talent was discovered by her peers.
Perhaps. At this festival, she will get noticed thanks to the power of the ghosts she had hunted… just like me.
And become more and more powerful… just like me.
Suddenly, a laugh escaped from my mouth.
It’s not bad really, what’s wrong with living only for herself?
However, two egoistic people couldn’t exist side by side. No matter how close we were right now, we were just temporary allies. At the end of the day, we were trying to kill each other.
Very soon, Ahinal started moving fluidly along with the music. It was powerful yet beautiful and at the same time, smooth yet forceful. Everyone who saw her were enthralled by her performance, whether it was students or teachers, there were no exceptions.
Then, she deliberately stumbled on her foot and fell on the stage.
“Ahhhh! What should I do!”
“Hey!! Call the school nurse, quickly!”
“Hey, call an ambulance!”
Even the students who were working in the warehouse left and gathered on the stage. The time right before the festival, everyone was very sensitive, so one accident was enough to disrupt their peace.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, I quickly slipped into the auditorium warehouse. Then I closed the door behind me and locked it. I only needed a few minutes, as long as no one disturbs me, I will be able to complete my task quickly.
‘Well……’
Contrary to the noisy auditorium, the warehouse was quiet and eerie. Probably because there’s hardly any light inside.
‘Let’s hurry up and be done with it.’
To be honest, I didn’t even want to earnestly try. So, without even turning on the only light inside, I roughly picked up the camera. After making sure that the lens was pointed at me, I pressed the shutter. Since I had never taken a selfie, the composition was … strange, but whatever.
Just how long did I have to sit still in the warehouse and wait like this?
Suddenly, I felt the temperature of the room dropping. I quickly pressed the ‘print’ button near the shutter. A few moments later, a photograph was printed out. To unveil the ghost story, I had to repeat the process for 20 times to see if there was a ghost in even one of the photos. And in case it really appeared, I just had to endure until Ahinal came.
“What the…”
I felt something cold choking my throat. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to not lose control of my body.
‘Just what is this!’
There was something behind me. I was certain. However it was invisible. And I couldn’t feel any energy from it.
‘What should I do…’
As I lowered my gaze, one of the printed photos that had called on the floor entered my field of vision. And there… I could see my stupid face and a woman with black hair wrapped around my neck.
‘Are you fucking kidding me?’
I mean, did a ghost really appear just like this? Besides… if it is a ghost that can only be seen in pictures, how can I attack it? No matter how much I flailed around to free myself, I couldn’t feel any sensation in my neck.
“Damn it!!!!”
In a hurry, I drew my sword. I clad it in holy power like usual and stabbed it around my neck. But, I still couldn’t feel any resistance against the blade.
‘I have to get out of here!’
I force my body to stand up. Even if someone strangled my neck, with my S rank body, I would be able to endure for a few minutes.
But when I turned my body towards the direction I entered from, I couldn’t see the door. It had vanished.
I tried searching for the door around the room, but there were only a regular set of materials, a ball and a few jerseys for exercise. And for some reason, all the mannequins and dolls that were stored to prepare for the festival were staring at me.
Then, a thought bloomed inside my mind.
‘Maybe… this isn’t just one ghost story?’
I know about this story.
It was a story about someone who, one day, while walking down the street, found a department store they had never seen before and went in. But once they were inside, they could not find any exit, so they couldn’t get out. When they finally managed to leave the store after a lot of difficulties, the department store had vanished.
Other than that, there were many ghost stories about being trapped without an exit…
Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!
“This is crazy!”
The warehouse’s walls gradually started narrowing down. The space that was originally around 100 pyeong was rapidly reduced to 90 pyeong before turning into 80 pyeong the next second.
The materials around me tumbled over each other and the space was getting smaller and smaller with every passing second. My mobility was restricted in the first place, and it’s impossible to attack because I couldn’t even see the ghost.
Ahinal… it was that woman’s work. Even though she knew this, she left me to suffer.
Something… I have to do something.
I have to make a plan calmly as usual, or, at the very least, roll my head around and improvise…
But, without oxygen, my brain couldn’t work.
‘Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!’
In the end, the world turned black as I fell to my knees.
* * *
<..Hun…Seodam.>
-….Itch~
<Hunter Yoo seodam, please calm down!!>
– Witch~
“!!!!!”
At the system’s voice, Yoo Seodam woke up. He gasped for air as cold sweat ran through his forehead.
‘Why am I suddenly…’
Yoo Seodam looked around him slowly. He found himself in [Library Of The White Witch], his own imaginary world. A place where he could relax without being disturbed by anyone.
When he lifted his head, he realized that the silver spirit flower, which had grown to the size of his forearm, had one of its petals turned towards him and was blankly staring at him.
– Stupid witch~
She said so, before flying away.
Yoo Seodam tried to calm his heart. He swept his face with his hands. Then, he could hear the system’s voice.
<You have finally come to your senses.>
‘What the hell happened…?’
<…You were possessed by a ghost.>
‘What bullshit is that? Me? Possessed?’
Yoo Seodam was confident in his own psyche. When Yoo Seodam thought so, the client sighed.
<That’s right. A person with strong mental power can’t be possessed by ghost.>
Yoo Seodam nodded. He was the possessor of a steel-like mental power who had survived three years in Hell Gate.
<But recently, Hunter Yoo Seodam’s mental state has been very unstable.>
‘Unstable?’
A look of embarrassment appeared on his face.
Looking at Yoo Seodam, the system bit her mouth bitterly.
If she recalled Yoo Seodam from the past, objectively said, he was a weak man. At best, he was a little bit stronger than a normal person, but he was no better than a bug among those with superpowers. There was only one reason why he was able to work as a hunter for 15 years.
‘Mentality.’
However, that very mentality had been weakening recently. The system knew why. But… Unfortunately, she couldn’t fix it.
The reason why there was a vacuum in Yoo Seodam’s mental power was because of those precious relationships he kept in his heart. At first, while traveling around another world, Yoo Seodam had always tried to avoid making any connection. The system still remembers the promise he made to himself when he first met Aracelli.
‘I will make sure not to have any connection in another world.’
However, his conviction was shattered the moment Aracelli found him in another dimension. He wasn’t strong enough to keep his promise.
Yoo Seodam had traveled to countless worlds and met countless people, and he had formed connections with people in the respective dimension. Whether he liked it or not, those people were very precious to Yoo Seodam who spent his childhood in loneliness.
However,
Every time he finished his mission, he had to say goodbye to those precious connections. He would never be able to meet them again.
‘Travelling to another world and hunting the Protagonist?’
It was never easy. It was not simply an act of killing the ‘Protagonist’. And every time he returned to Earth after finishing his mission, the system could see Yoo Seodam’s heart turning more and more weary.
And recently, the effect of that weariness was becoming more and more palpable.
‘Saekma, Bang Ho-win.’
When Yoo Seodam tried to kill him, he was overly emotional and unrelenting. He took the provocation from an enemy that was out of his league, and as a result, he ended up inches away from death.
‘The Protagonist Kim Ha-soo.’
It was the same when hunting him. If Yoo Seodam had thought a little more wisely, there could have been a better way to hunt him. His mind was conflicted between how to kill Kim Ha-soo, and a way to save Kim Ha-soo. But, Yoo Seodam acted on his emotions. He skipped all the planning and recklessly decided to fight the ‘Final Boss’, which was driving the world to destruction, all by himself. She knew that even Yoo Seodam was aware of the fact that it was impossible.
Nevertheless, he still did it. It was because he wanted to protect the precious bond that he had made in that world.
Seol Jungyeon during the conflict with Saekma Bang Ho-win.
Kim Ha-soo during the hunt in the destroyed world.
They had become a meaningful existence for Yoo Seodam and he acted to protect them… But in the end, that act itself was nothing but a suicidal act.
Yoo Seodam’s reaction those two times was very un-Yoo Seodam-like.
How could someone who couldn’t follow his own plan and recklessly act on his emotions to the point where he nearly died, hunt a ‘protagonist’ that was the centre of their respective world?
<Hunter Yoo Seodam, I don’t know everything about you. However, the Yoo Seodam I know is someone who always had a solid plan, he is a thorough and cold-hearted hunter. It is to the point that sometimes, it is frightening.>
‘…..’
<But, Yoo Seodam in the past two incidents was too emotional. And… I am well aware of the most emotional moment in humans. It is when a human is drenched in ‘fear’.>
Yoo Seodam’s expression turned sour at the system’s words.
“So, are you saying that I was drenched in fear?”
The system did not reply to his question, she continued her speech.
<When I first saw you… you had nothing to lose. You even accepted your impending death, albeit bitterly. In other words, it meant that you didn’t fear death.>
“Is that so?”
<But recently, that has changed. Slowly, one by one, you have gathered people whom you hold dearly to your heart.>
The system’s gentle words slowly penetrated Yoo Seodam’s heart. Taylor Nine came to mind first, then Seol Jungyeon, followed by many other relationships he had forged as he worked as a ‘Protagonist Hunter’. Each and every one of them was precious, and even if he had to die, he couldn’t afford to forget them.
<And then… You were forced to push away the two women you considered most precious to you. I know you are afraid to face your own emotions in case the worst happened to them.>
Yoo Seodam did not refute her words. He couldn’t find any words to do so.
<But… Was it really okay?>
Yoo Seodam fell into deep contemplation. He knew that whatever conclusion he comes to, it wouldn’t be the correct answer. Her words, too, were not necessarily the correct answer.
But for some reason… He kept thinking that she was right.
Yoo Seodam was used to this feeling.
It was the same feeling he felt whenever Reina Ju gave him advice when he was faced against a wall and couldn’t find a way to move forward.
<If you had entrusted your heart to them, maybe you would have a stronger mentality.>
‘….’
<Anyone is fine. If you have someone to lean on… You will be okay.>
The system said so.
<Hunter Yoo Seodam. You called yourself trash. Selfish, despicable, vulgar. You also said that you would happily kill, extort, and steal for your own gains. I….. I hope you will continue to do so. I want you to lay down all the burdens of your heart, forget the purpose of ‘Hell Gate’, and live happily every day. Live selfishly, for yourself and your loved ones.>
‘I….’
<If you wish… you can also stop this ‘Mission’. It is no longer necessary to live with such a sense of duty. You can spend the rest of your life happily with your most precious people.>
However, he wouldn’t do that.
Knowing that fact well, the system continued talking without waiting for his answer.
<No matter how much you fight, you will surely hit your limit someday. So, rely on the people around you. I’ll be looking forward to it.>
“How can I…”
<When you leave this place, go to Miss Aracelli immediately. Tell her your feelings, your worries, your sense of duty that you diligently embrace, all of that.>
‘….’
<She has crossed dozens of dimensions and followed you all the way here while having only you in her mind. Yet, she hasn’t asked you for anything, and she’s content at being able to talk to you just for a few minutes every day.>
The voice of the system began to gradually fade away.
<Miss Aracelli is a woman with a great destiny and soul, so she will be a strong and upright supporter you can lean on.>
Eventually, the world turned upside down.
Once Yoo Seodam left the Library of the White Witch, he found himself standing once again in the auditorium’s warehouse.
“….”
Silence greeted him. The ghost’s voice was no longer there. He lifted his head and looked around him, the enclosed space with no exits and no windows was still encroaching towards him, trapping him from all sides.
There was now less than 20 pyeong of space left.
Yoo Seodam thought about what he should do. Throughout his life, he had always overcome every impossible thing the world threw at him. It meant that he was not a soft pushover that could be deceived by the foolish tricks of a middle school kid.
With a sword clan in holy power, Yoo Seodam once again stabbed. But this time, he didn’t stab his neck but the picture on the floor.
-Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!
Then, the ghost in the picture screamed at the top of its lung and the picture was slowly torn into pieces.
It feels like his head has been cleared. By giving him some advice, Yoo Seodam clearly felt that the system had already become his support, and thanks to her, his mental power began to slowly return.
He thought carefully.
In the first place, no matter how powerful a ghost is… is it possible for them to strangle an S rank superhuman? No, it was impossible.
‘It’s just possible because it was me.’
Yoo Seodam chuckled. Then in the next moment he raises his sword once again.
At first he thought that ghosts didn’t have any physical form. But when he thought about it once again, he found something suspicious.
Why not? Why have you been foolishly deceived by the nonsensical phrase ‘a ghost that has no physical form’?
After all, in order to exercise physical power, physical form was absolutely necessary.
Yoo Seodam’s sword dug towards the wall this time.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
The sound of cracking walls and the sharp screams of ghosts overlapped each other.
Then, another fact dawned upon him. The place he currently stood in was another world isolated from reality.
If so, the wall itself was a ghost.
With one more swing, the solid wall around Yoo Seodam broke apart and collapsed.