I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game-Chapter 15: The End of the World

"I'm heading to the temple today."

I announced this to the kids as they ate their triangular rice balls for breakfast.

Judging by their neatly hung clothes by the window and the fact that they were wearing their gym uniforms, they seemed to care about cleanliness.

Since I was a ghost, my body never really got dirty. That might have made me too indifferent to daily life matters.

I should have them stop by their homes later to pick up some essential supplies.

"Is there even a temple around here?"

Soo-ho voiced his doubt, and Kyung-min shook his head. This place was more like a parallel world, just one step removed from reality.

I had assumed there would be a temple here as well, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. Then again, such a grim, eerie temple wouldn’t exist in the real world either.

"There is one. If we go where I lead you. Ah, right. Take this."

I handed Eun-jung the artifact I had crafted last time, [Sacred Chime]. She inspected it curiously before glancing at me. I was about to explain anyway.

"That’s a bell that purifies the surroundings and lightens your steps. You’ll understand once you try it."

Eun-jung gently shook the bell forward and backward.

— Ding

A wave of divine energy spread outward with the sound.

The kids felt an overwhelming sense of peace, like lying on the ground on a perfect-weather day while sipping a cold drink.

But Ella shuddered slightly.

"What's wrong, Ella?"

"Ugh. It... tickles a little."

She almost made a strange noise. I hadn’t expected that.

It didn’t hurt her or make her feel bad, but if she kept hearing it for too long, she might get so ticklish she’d run away.

"It has a purification effect, but it won’t actually harm spirits. It’s only meant to neutralize curses. You shook it forward and backward just now, right? Try shaking it side to side this time."

Eun-jung obeyed and shook the bell side to side.

— Tiiing

A distinctly different sound rang out—higher, thinner.

"Whoa, I feel lighter."

Soo-ho swung his arms experimentally.

Apparently, the effect also applied to me, even though I was a ghost.

It seemed the artifact applied buffs to those the user recognized as allies. Since Eun-jung saw me as an ally, the buff extended to me as well.

With her relatively weaker physique but strong support skills, Eun-jung had the qualities of a perfect support-type player.

In the game, only Ha-rim could receive buffs unless special conditions were met.

But now that we were moving as a group, an artifact capable of granting party-wide buffs would be incredibly efficient.

"Um, Ella."

Eun-jung approached me, hesitating slightly.

She used to be too afraid to even make eye contact with me, but now she seemed more comfortable. It must have been because of yesterday’s shared meal and games.

"What are you curious about?"

"Is the reason we’re going outside the school to collect more of these kinds of items?"

That was exactly it.

To counter the upcoming bosses, we needed various tools.

A group of physically weak students traveling together was far from efficient.

But unlike in the game, where characters could only equip a limited number of artifacts, here we could use as many as we wanted.

That meant we had to maximize this advantage.

"That’s right. If you want to return home, you’ll have to face serious dangers. We’re preparing for that."

"I see..."

I was relieved she accepted the answer without further questioning.

But just when I thought the conversation was over, Eun-jung fidgeted with her hands and hesitantly spoke again.

"Ella... Thanks for this."

"Just make sure you use it well."

"I will!"

It might seem like I was acting like some tsundere trying to hide embarrassment, but that wasn’t the case.

If I threw in a casual “That’s what friends are for” here, it would only make things more awkward.

After that, I explained our next plan, just as I had when we strategized against [Turbo Granny].

Once the briefing was over, we stepped out of the school once again.

The outside world was basically a realm crawling with spirits.

But considering the game mechanics, where stronger entities spawned the longer time passed, we wouldn’t encounter anything too overwhelming just yet.

Of course, this didn’t apply to ghosts bound to specific locations.

I guided the kids through the mirror Soo-ho was holding.

"Like last time, don’t look up at the walls. And if you see anything suspicious in front of you, reflect it in the mirror where I am."

Not long after I said this, Eun-jung let out a small yelp.

"Eek...!"

Soo-ho quickly turned the mirror toward her.

And there, behind a utility pole, was a small child, grinning eerily.

Ah, this one.

I whispered softly to it.

"Found you~"

[Hehehe...]

The child giggled, then dissolved into smoke and was absorbed into me.

Like the frog ghost from before, it was a mass-produced, minor spirit.

The frog ghost had been an annoying creature that swapped people’s bodies, but this one only hid like a game of hide-and-seek.

It startled people simply by appearing out of nowhere.

Something had fallen where the child had been. A folded paper, like a traditional Korean slap-match toy.

A rare drop item.

Considering the frog ghost from last time, my luck seemed unusually good.

Could it be Ha-rim’s artifact, [Shining Will], increasing our drop rates?

That feature didn’t exist in the game, but now that we were in a patched reality... who knew?

I told Ha-rim to pick it up.

This item was called [Secret Play].

Don’t let the name mislead you.

When used, it temporarily grants stealth, making it easier to evade ghosts.

It’s a one-time-use item with a short duration, so we needed to use it wisely.

While the major artifacts were crucial, collecting items like this would be just as important.

After a while, we spotted a small convenience store.

"Let’s stop by that store."

At my suggestion, the kids cautiously entered.

And then—

"Urgh! This is..."

They recoiled in shock.

Because there, inside the store, lay a mutilated corpse.

It had been slashed all over from head to toe, as if cut apart by countless knives.

Just looking at it was terrifying.

I quickly warned the kids not to stare for too long, considering their mental well-being.

I already knew a corpse would be here.

But why did we come in anyway?

Because this corpse itself was part of a game mechanic.

"Ha-rim, take the handcuffs next to it."

Ha-rim flinched but obeyed, picking up the handcuffs beside the body.

And then—

"Who’s there?!"

A voice called out from the entrance.

A man in a police uniform stood there, holding a baton and a shield with POLICE written on it.

The kids exchanged startled whispers.

"A cop...?"

"There are other survivors?!"

To kids who had only ever seen ghosts like me, the sight of an actual adult must have felt like a blessing in the midst of a drought. Their expressions brightened instantly.

...For some reason, it made my stomach ache.

I’d protected them a lot, too.

"Hurry, come this way! The [culprit] is nearby! I’ll protect you, so follow me! I’ll take you to a safe place."

At his words, the kids hurriedly followed the police officer out of the store, muttering about how terrifying it was that the murderer responsible for such a gruesome corpse was lurking nearby.

"Come, follow me!"

The kids obeyed, and the officer led them deeper into an alleyway—the kind of dark, narrow path where crime seemed inevitable.

Step... step... step... step...

Footsteps echoed behind them.

Someone was following them.

And in this situation, the {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} only one who could be trailing them was the murderer from the convenience store.

Fear gripped the children, and they nervously turned to the officer.

"Please help us! I think the killer is following us!"

"That’s bad! Hurry and follow me!"

The officer’s pace quickened, and the children instinctively followed suit.

But the truly terrifying thing was that the murderer’s footsteps also sped up.

Step, step, step, step!

"He’s chasing us! He’s really chasing us!"

"You’ll be fine as long as I’m here! Just follow me!"

Now the officer was outright running.

The children, panting heavily, sprinted after him, heading deeper into the alley.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"Huff... huff! Please slow down a little!"

[Follow me! Hurry, follow me!]

Step-step-step-step-step-step-step!

Just as they reached a dead end—

The officer vanished.

Yet, the sound of approaching footsteps only grew louder.

Panic set in among the children.

The sudden disappearance of their supposed protector was a terror in itself.

It was the fear of being abandoned by their guardian, the eerie tale of a police officer who runs away instead of protecting his charge.

That was the true nature of this ghost.

The only way to resolve it was to reverse the source of fear—to capture the murderer instead.

At that moment, a shadow emerged from around the corner—an adult male figure wielding a knife.

He lunged forward, slashing wildly.

"Aahh!"

Leaving the panicked children behind, I swung my sword from within the mirror, slashing through the attacker.

Limbs severed, the ghost crumpled to the ground.

I instructed Ha-rim to cuff him, and this time, she didn’t hesitate.

The moment the handcuffs locked in place, the entity dissolved into mist and was absorbed into me.

At the same time, an item dropped.

I clapped my hands, snapping the kids out of their dazed state.

"Huh? What just happened?"

Kyung-min muttered.

I decided to clear up his confusion.

"So? How does it feel to face a ghost that attacks the mind?"

In the game, the text would simply display, [For some reason, you feel compelled to follow its orders.]

But I had been curious about how it would manifest in reality—and besides, the kids needed to experience it firsthand.

And, of course, we needed the item.

This game was frustrating, but at least the locations of craftable items weren’t too far apart.

"It was disorienting..."

"If you don’t keep your mind sharp, you’ll fall for it. You need to stay cautious."

Mental attacks weren’t something they were used to, so experiencing one would serve as a valuable lesson.

This would make them more alert in the future.

"Ha-rim. You noticed it midway, didn’t you?"

I had seen her necklace glow briefly, and the dazed look in her eyes had cleared up.

It must have been the effect of [Survival].

That option adjusted stats like stamina, stealth, or curse resistance in favor of survival, depending on the situation.

The fact that it also provided resistance against a mental attack—something that didn’t exist in the game—meant that it had been significantly buffed in this real-world patch.

For something obtainable so early on, it was ridiculously overpowered.

It must have helped during the [Turbo Granny] encounter as well.

"I believed in you, Ella. You looked so calm."

...Did I?

I hadn’t even realized.

I should probably be more mindful of my expressions.

But more importantly—

She trusted me?

Hmph. Not that I’m happy about it or anything.

"I let it play out this time for the experience. But next time, speak up the moment you notice something off."

"Got it, Ella."

"So this is what it feels like to be hit with a mental attack..."

Soo-ho muttered as I directed him to pick up the item the ghost had left behind.

It was the police officer’s shield.

Since holding both the mirror and the shield would be difficult, I had Kyung-min take the mirror instead.

He was a guy, so this much weight shouldn’t be too much for him to handle.

Soo-ho, now holding the police shield, remarked that it felt surprisingly light.

Since it was an item capable of blocking ghost attacks, it clearly wasn’t an ordinary shield.

Though it wasn’t at artifact-level yet, so dodging was still preferable.

"Let’s move out. Turn right at the corner."

The kids followed my instructions and continued forward.

Along the way, we encountered more frog ghosts, collecting their items diligently.

Thanks, frogs.

By now, we should be nearing the location...

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Ah, there it is.

"That’s the place."

"Whoa... It looks blatantly ominous."

Kyung-min grimaced.

It was a small temple, but it was plastered with ominous talismans.

The Buddha statue’s head was broken, and the temple itself was so old that the wind howled eerily through the holes in its walls.

But you guys waltzed into an abandoned mansion just for a club report, so you’re hardly in a position to judge.

"Are we really going in there?"

"Yeah. But wait a moment."

I told Kyung-min to walk past the temple and head toward the distant fire station.

"Huh?"

He followed my instructions without question—until he suddenly stopped, as if blocked by something.

Because, well—he was.

He pressed his hands against an invisible wall, even tried punching it, but it didn’t budge.

As I thought.

This was the end of the world.

Since this was an indie horror game, it wasn’t an open-world sandbox.

The map was, naturally, limited.

"This is the edge of this world. Even if it’s a parallel world, it’s not as vast as the real one."

"Then... is the other side our world?"

I shook my head.

Even though it looked like there was space beyond, it was nothing more than a painted backdrop—a fake horizon.

This world existed within a set boundary, with the church at its center.

The area stretched from there to our current location in a circular shape.

A world just small enough that we didn’t need vehicles to get around.

Now that I realized how limited the space was, I felt a bit relieved.

If this world had no boundaries, the scope of everything would have spiraled out of control.

Once again, I was reminded—

No matter how terrifying its inhabitants were, this place was still bound by game mechanics.

If I reached the ending—

I could go home.

Lost in thought, I glanced at Ha-rim.

"Ella? What’s wrong?"

She looked at me with concern.

"...It’s nothing."

I averted my eyes.