I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game-Chapter 18: Vengeance

There didn’t seem to be any supernatural entities invading the school I was patrolling, moving between mirrors, when I heard the voices of some boys talking

The location was the boys’ restroom

Peeking out from the mirror, I saw Soo-ho and Kyung-min having a conversation

What are they talking about

“Thinking about it again... is Ella really a girl”

Eavesdropping, I heard something completely unexpected

What is this supposed to mean I’m not a girl

Could it be that they figured out I was originally a guy

“What do you mean by that”

Soo-ho, seemingly confused, asked that question I calmed my sudden panic and focused on listening

“The entities we’ve encountered They were mostly related to urban legends More specifically, they were linked to ominous thoughts or stories”

“...Go on”

“If we assume that the abstract concept of a story can gain power and take on a physical form then Ella might only appear to be a girl She might not actually be a girl at all”

“...That makes sense Kyung-min, you’re really smart No wonder you read so many books”

“Hmph”

I can’t believe these kids are thinking about such deep things

Even I start questioning my own identity They didn’t figure out that I was originally a man, but this is shocking in its own way

Am I—no, is Ella the kind of entity that originates from a ‘concept’

I thought about it for a moment

Which comes first, the urban legend or the supernatural entity

Someone sees a ghost, gets scared, and spreads the story In that case, the ghost has to exist first

It has to exist for it to be witnessed But the entities lurking in this place aren’t things that can exist under common sense

Since this world is a horror game, I’ll set aside the explanation of ‘it’s just because it’s a game’ and think about it

Now that this world has become my reality, I need knowledge beyond just in-game information

Hypothesis 1

Supernatural entities actually exist, and the ones wandering around this small world are the very creatures that people have spread stories about after witnessing them

But this doesn’t explain things like the Pursuing Policeman or the Suicidal Specter, which are more ‘phenomena’ than creatures

These entities can’t be ‘witnessed’ like ghosts They don’t have clear physical forms that could be spread as an urban legend

For example, the Pursuing Policeman is born from the fear of a police officer vanishing when you need them the most He isn’t something that can be ‘seen’

Unlike Slender Man, he is more of a phenomenon than a monster

This kind of entity is based on purely abstract concepts

Then let’s move on to the next hypothesis

Hypothesis 2

Supernatural entities don’t actually exist in reality Instead, they are just abstract concepts, like urban legends and ominous imaginations, that have been given physical form within the confines of this small world

This hypothesis explains everything

Slender Man, the restroom ghost, the Pursuing Policeman, even the cursed Mint Chocolate Pizza Monster—they are all just disturbing ideas taking shape

But

“But that’s just a hypothesis There’s no way to confirm it, right”

That’s right In the end, it’s just my theory and I have no way to prove it But it seems Kyung-min had an answer to satisfy my curiosity

“...I hadn’t thought about that Hmm If they’re just taking on a form, then maybe the parts that don’t need to be seen aren’t actually rendered”

“You mean like when you clip through a building in a game and find that the inside is empty”

Oh Ohhh So there’s a method like that It’s worth trying out

I started thinking about examples of how I could test this For instance...

“That’s right That’s exactly it Ella’s inside must be completely empty Like... her underwear”

Yeah Just like Kyung-min said, my insi—

????????

“That makes sense Her underwear Like her panties If we check Ella’s panties, then—”

Wait

What the hell are these kids even talking about Why are they suddenly bringing up my underwear

For a moment, I completely forgot that I was originally a guy and instinctively felt a crisis of modesty Before I realized it, I was clutching my skirt protectively

They’re not actually going to try this right No matter how perverted teenage boys can be, they wouldn’t actually do something like that right

If they really try it—how am I supposed to react

“...Huh Wait a second, something feels off”

Thankfully, Soo-ho was the first to realize that something was wrong

It seemed like they had no real intention of actually flipping my skirt

Their excited chatter suddenly died down, and they looked somber

...They look like they’re reflecting on their actions

Thank god they’re still pure-hearted kids

Just to be clear, I wasn’t mad Honestly, the slightly inappropriate conversation was kind of amusing

But... I could use this situation to my advantage

So, as the boys were about to leave, I stopped them

“Go on This is interesting”

At my sudden appearance, the boys’ expressions turned pale—like they had just seen a demon, not a ghost

I wasn’t angry, but that didn’t change the fact that they had done something bad Teasing a ghost like this They had some guts

“Aww, don’t be so scared I’m not mad Honestly, I’m more surprised than anything I never expected you to look at me that way”

“Ah no This is all a misunderstanding I swear we can explain Just give us one chan—...wait, you’re not mad”

Kyung-min, who had been stammering out excuses in a panic, suddenly froze in confusion

“That’s right But since you already said what you did, you’ll have to take responsibility for it”

“...Responsibility” Kyung-min adjusted his slipping glasses and looked at me nervously

“You just have to do me a simple favor”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

I smiled brightly and gave them instructions. The first requirement was that they stand apart from each other. The second was that they cover their ears so they couldn’t hear anything.

What I was about to conduct was a very simple experiment.

My body was fundamentally the same as the entities wandering outside.

If my body was something that took physical form from a man-made abstract concept, then wouldn’t it also be possible for it to change according to human perception? That was my thought.

First, I stepped out of the mirror and approached Soo-ho.

“Imagine that Ella has long fingernails.”

“Got it.”

Soo-ho squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating so hard that his face scrunched up. However, my fingernails didn’t change. Was it because they had already been observed?

Maybe it would be different for an area that hadn’t been previously noticed.

“Imagine that Ella has a mole on her wrist.”

When I checked, I didn’t have a mole on my wrist. But now?

...Still nothing.

Maybe it wasn’t just about people’s thoughts—it might also be that the areas I was already aware of weren’t affected.

I needed something that neither I nor they would be conscious of. Something that even I wouldn’t normally notice...

Scent.

A person doesn’t usually notice their own scent. Aside from Ha-rim and Eun-jung, no one had ever been in close enough contact with me to notice it.

Which meant that the boys had never smelled me before.

“Have you ever smelled Ella’s scent?”

“Huh?! No, never... Why?”

Perfect.

Hands would be affected by touching other objects, so they were out. That meant the best place was...

I loosened the collar of my outfit slightly and pressed the nape of my neck against Soo-ho’s nose.

“?!! Wait, Ella!”

A warm breath brushed against my neck, making me shiver. The sensation was strangely ticklish.

“Shh. Now, tell me. What kind of scent do I have?”

Soo-ho hesitated for a moment, flustered, but when he saw my serious expression, he stammered with a bright red face. Was it hot outside?

“...It smells... sweet, like cotton candy.”

“...I see.”

Did I really smell like that? I couldn’t smell anything myself.

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But was that truly my scent, or just the scent that Soo-ho expected me to have? I could confirm by checking with Kyung-min.

“You stay here.”

I walked over to where Kyung-min was waiting. As instructed, he had his ears covered.

“Did you hear what I was talking about with Soo-ho? Even if you did, I won’t be mad. Just be honest. It’s important.”

“No, I didn’t hear anything at all.”

“Good. Then you just need to answer my question. It’s very simple.”

“Okay!”

“Have you ever smelled Ella’s scent?”

“Huh?! No, never.”

Perfect. Just as I did with Soo-ho, I loosened my collar slightly and leaned in.

“?!!”

This guy! Don’t resist! I grabbed Kyung-min’s head and pressed him against me, making sure he had no choice but to take in my scent. Ugh, it tickled.

After confirming that he had taken a deep breath, I let go.

“What scent did Ella have?”

“...It was... a strong rose scent, mixed with a little bit of something sweet like cotton candy.”

His face turned bright red as he practically crawled away, embarrassed.

But I didn’t have the time to care about Soo-ho’s ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) or Kyung-min’s reactions.

Because the thrill of getting closer to the truth was intoxicating.

Their answers were different! A cotton candy scent and a rose scent were two entirely separate things.

Kyung-min must have assumed I smelled like roses because of my hair accessory.

Maybe the cotton candy scent remained because I had tested it on Soo-ho first.

Even though other people’s thoughts or beliefs wouldn’t shake my very existence, this experiment had proven that small, insignificant details—like scent—could be influenced.

This confirmed it. Supernatural entities were abstract concepts that could be affected by perception!

Of course, just thinking about weakening or exorcising an entity wouldn’t work. But this was still a remarkable discovery.

I smiled in satisfaction and called them back.

They hesitated, avoiding my gaze. Were they still thinking that I was angry?

I should throw in a joke to ease the tension.

“You’re not still curious about what’s under a ghost’s skirt, are you?”

I smirked playfully. They flinched.

Not enough?

“Getting it on with a ghost is bad for your health, you know?”

“Ella!!”

At my provocative joke, they both exploded. Their reaction was so hilarious that I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hahaha! I’m just kidding, just kidding!”

Since I was running out of time in my materialized form, I returned to the mirror to recover. It was time to resume my patrol.

“Uh... Ella!”

Just then, Soo-ho called out to me.

“Could you, uh... not mention this to Ha-rim or Eun-jung...?”

Ah. If the girls found out that they had said such crude things to a ghost, it was obvious how they’d see the boys afterward.

And as someone who was originally a guy, I completely understood that fear.

“Well... what should I do~?”

But I couldn’t resist teasing them again. I played with my hair and acted indifferent, watching their expressions crumble. It was too entertaining!

Still, I felt a little bad, so I decided to ease up.

“If you do what I say, I won’t tell them. This will be our little secret!”

“...Thank you...”

Finally, Soo-ho and Kyung-min let out a sigh of relief. They looked completely drained. Their faces were pale, their energy depleted. I felt a little guilty.

“See you later—”

“...You perverts~”

I giggled as I said my final words before vanishing into another mirror.

Ah, that was satisfying. I even got revenge for losing that argument with Ha-rim earlier. Does this make me unqualified to be an adult?

Well, ever since I ended up in this body, messing with people has become the most fun thing to do.

And it’s all your fault for being such easy targets.

-----

Even after Ella disappeared, Soo-ho and Kyung-min didn’t need to exchange words—they were thinking the same thing.

They would never say anything weird like that again.

It was a vow.

It took them a long time to return to the clubroom after Ella left.

Because for young boys, the mere act of catching the scent of the opposite sex was overwhelming, and they needed time to calm down.

Of course, they were living in an era where, thanks to sex education, even kids knew about these things.

But knowing something and experiencing it firsthand were entirely different matters.

When they finally returned to the clubroom, it was late, and they had to listen to Ha-rim scold them for taking so long.

They covered it up by saying they were busy completing the assigned task.

Ha-rim was surprised. “You’ve already finished the task?”

During dinner, as always, Ella joined them. Every time Kyung-min and Soo-ho made eye contact with her, they turned bright red and quickly looked away.

Ella, thinking they were still scared of her, started teasing them.

She subtly flicked the hem of her skirt or muttered about how itchy her lips felt.

In response, the boys panicked and scrambled to offer her drinks to appease her.

Somewhere inside them, a strange, indescribable feeling about Ella had started to form.

But along with that... a tiny bit of resentment for her relentless teasing had also begun to grow.

Still, would they even realize?

That their feelings toward Ella were very different now compared to when they had first met her?

Just like all friendships, their bond had unknowingly drawn closer.

As an extra note, Ha-rim, who had been watching from the sidelines, concluded that Ella and the boys had suddenly become much closer.

She hadn’t expected the task she assigned to be this effective.

But then—

[Wait a second... I talked to Ella the most, didn’t I? So why is...?]

Ha-rim pouted slightly.

“Hey, Ha-rim.”

Eun-jung leaned in to whisper to her.

“Ella’s scent changed. At first, she smelled like cotton candy, but now there’s a hint of roses, too.”

“Huh?”

“I only told Soo-ho about the cotton candy scent, but now it’s different. Does this mean... I accidentally lied?”

...Sometimes, Eun-jung was impossible to understand.