Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
11. Qingming – the sky gradually clears (2)
The weekend ended, and it was a new week after classes.
In the central zone, the general club hall, one of the Newspaper Club’s freshmen rooms.
“Saeron, what are you going to write about? Your clock tower stakeout failed.”
“Ah, I don’t know. It’s ruined. I’m just going to investigate Eungwang School’s ghost stories and write an article about them.”
At the question of the freshman newspaper club member, the defeated Mun Saeron replied with hollow eyes.
Mun Saeron even had a tracking type skill, so she put all her skills and brains into a full swing to catch the culprit through the weekend.
‘For even someone of Mun Saeron’s league to fail… I wonder what culprit-guy is doing.’
I figured that the guy was wasting his abilities, supernatural powers, and time for useless crimes.
“Hwang Jiho, what are you going to write about?”
“About the levitating taxi at the main gate.”
Looking at the hologram floating before Hwang Jiho, there was not even a word about Ho tribe, Ung tribe or descendants, so a wonderful fake article was being written there.
And he covers up the incident while eating the article raw.
Even Hwang Jiho had a schemer-like corner.
“Jo Uisiiin! Investigate the Eungwang School’s ghost stories with me. I’ll investigate the one from the last page of the previous year on the general bulletin board. You start from the first page, good?”
“Okay. I’m looking at the first page right now, so that’s great.”
I nodded at Mun Saeron’s suggestion.
The Eungwang School’s general gossip board page was updated at a frightening speed every break.
Even during classes the school bulletin board was very actively updated, as it could be also used by students on the leave of absence and graduates.
‘There is also an exclusive board for enrolled students, however most of the information is gathered at the general gossip bulletin board.’
I thought from the beginning that checking everything alone would be difficult.
If I investigate with Mun Saeron, it’ll save me a bit of trouble.
‘Let’s start with the two most recent ghost stories.’
First, the red lightning striking at the dormitory.
In the ghost story, Jeok-ho’s Red Lightning skill was treated as a curse.
The opinion was that it was a supernatural phenomenon calling out an vengeful ghost of a student who committed suicide in the dormitory.
‘If you combine facts and imagination, this kind of ghost story will pop out…’
Second, two students who were possessed by a ghost.
The two students didn’t come home all night.
At the request of the students’ parents, the device location of the two was tracked, and they were found in the off-limit zone, in the old school, passed out cold.
They didn’t know why they were in that place.
The management team checked the recording devices installed at school in response, but they said there was not even one cut of them entering the off-limit zone.
The interpretation said the two summoned the ghost of a teacher, who faced false charges and died in the off-limit zone’s old school.
‘The reason why it wasn’t recorded was because they chose the path without recording devices, so they wouldn’t get caught. And so did I.’
If facts are distorted, it’s common for ghost stories to be created.
The cause of most urban legends that appeared in this world were supernatural powers and things related to them, but just like before, there were many people who believed and feared ghosts.
It was true even in this prestigious Player specialized highschool.
‘Superpowers appeared barely 100 hundred years ago. It would be impossible for the ghosts and related stories to completely disappear, since they existed way before.’
“Whoa…. These are more scary than I thought. No, they aren’t that scary. Yeah, not scary. But is there someone among the girls staying at the dormitory that wants to come to my room to play today? I’ll buy food, I beg you. Ah, I’m not scared, so it’s absolutely not related!”
Beside me, Mun Saeron who read through the ghost stories, hanged on the female club member and mumbled to herself.
I guess Mun Saeron, who wasn’t afraid to stakeout for an entire night at the main gate’s clock tower, was scared by ghost stories.
‘Should I search for other ghost stories besides these two?’
If you go to the research zone at midnight, there will be one more mysterious building leading to the underworld.
Each month, in the Silver Light Building’s basement, the directors perform a ritual, trying to revive a corpse.
In the moonless night, every road at the Heavenly Wings Mountain leads to the Ghost Gates.
If you’re at the old school incinerator at 6pm, the time which was previously designated to incinerate trash, you will hear shrieks of a screaming ghost.
When the fog covers Clear Blue Lake, the ghosts who lost their parts[1] during a war wander around the shore, looking for them.
If you enter the central library in the central zone after midnight, you can enter the secret cursed section.
The Student Council and the Guideline Club hold a secret gathering and offer wild animals as a sacrifice in a suspicious ceremony.
Etc.
‘The school has many ghost stories, huh?’
When I roughly organized plausible stories…
Hwang Jiho, who finished writing the article, looked at the hologram I was writing on and said:
“Uh, there are rumors about it? Where did the information leaked out?”
What?
Hwang Jiho was smiling with a meaningful expression.
I wanted to think he was joking.
Among numerous of those ghost stories, some may be real?
‘… Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that.’
Seeing me diligently looking away, Hwang Jiho smiled innocently.
He may have just been teasing me.
It seemed like a lie that he was depressed not so long ago.
“Hey, eat dinner at my house.”
Hwang Jiho was set up as Hwang Myeong-ho’s close relative.
He was recorded to live at the chairman’s house, so ‘my house’ meant Hwang Myeong-ho’s mansion.
Hwang Jiho’s voice became a bit quieter.
“Don’t you have a lot of stories to hear?”
I nodded my head at Hwang Jiho’s words.
***
Woof! Woof!
Cotton Ball. No. Snare, happily ran straight at me the moment it saw me.
As if the rehabilitation training was going smoothly, it ran more naturally than the last time I saw it.
It must have been difficult, but Snare endured rehabilitation which was worthy of praise, so I hugged it and petted it straight away.
‘This cute thing is said to be a divine beast.’
The cotton-like puppy which was dying out of happiness, because I tickled its tummy, was a divine beast recognized by the Ho tribe.
‘I hope it stays friendly with me even after it awakens as a divine beast later.’
While thinking so, I lightly rubbed Snare’s ears.
“… You follow Jo Uisin more than me.”
Hwang Jiho made a dissatisfied expression, so it was much more healing.
After that, we attended the dinner served by an automatic maid.
There were me, Baek Ho-gun, Hwang Jiho, Jeok-ho and three kids that looked to be Eun-ho’s descendants.
The main menu was chateau potatoes and chateaubriand steak with bearnaise sauce.
After the dinner ended, a limited blend of the Assam black tea and black tea commemorating the queen’s ascension to the throne, Yunnan Tian Hong was served.
It was served in a tea set designed and sold specifically for black tea.
“Looks like you are knowledgeable about tea.”
“What?”
“I saw you drink tea three times. You look experienced. And you even recognize the value of the tea set. Your manners are also perfect.”
Hwang Jiho’s eyes were sparkling a little.
Once in the chairman’s office, once on April Fool’s Day and once now, so three times.
I put down a teacup on a saucer and recalled the university junior who was not here.
‘I studied diligently because of Seong-heon.’
Cheon Seong-heon was a bastard son of the 3rd generation chaebol.
I had been invited to the mansion he was staying at a few times before Cheon Seong-heon decided to mess up with his house and storm out to go his own way.
To not humiliate him, who invited me, because of my ignorance, I did my best to familiarize myself well with table manners and to develop an eye for brands.
‘But it wasn’t needed in the end.’
Cheon Seong-heon’s smile, who was a tea lover, when he said that he likes and is much more comfortable with the coffee mixes he drinks at a gosiwon, was still fresh in my mind.
‘Are you doing well?’
If I ask Transcendent Universe, will they give me an answer?
However, it would be difficult when I think about the communication method.
All I could know was whatever he was ‘doing well’ or ‘not doing well’ and… There was nothing I could do, even if I knew.
“I like tea. I like coffee and black tea, and I also like traditional tea.”
“… Okay?”
Hwang Jiho made a dubious expression.
I was the eldest son of a family with three children, which barely made their ends meet while working double jobs, and currently, an orphan.
He obviously did a background check on me, so he would find it a bit strange that I was familiar with high-level culture.
I beat around the bush, so he ceased his questions and got to the point.
“In conclusion, as you said before, there must be a traitor in the 12 Zodiac Alliance. The protection barrier, which was a joint work of the 12 Zodiac Alliance, was disabled. If not for the intervention of the higher being Śakra, the To tribe would have been annihilated.”
An awful story came out.
I think he decided to eat everything first and then speak in case I would get indigestion. Though, he considered only that as the food still wasn’t digested.
‘There is almost no chance of the To tribe being a traitor. If the To tribe made up their mind, then they could live without knowing whether Eun-ho’s descendants are alive or not.’
The To tribe and Moon Rabbit were famous for being friendly.
Even in the game, there was no sign of hostility between them, so it was difficult to think that someone inside betrayed them.
“We and the To tribe decided to collaborate in the search for the traitor with ‘a long tail’. And those kids are going to be homeschooled and under our protection in the mansion. Do you have anything you want to ask besides this?”
It was enough in the current situation.
After I shook my head, Hwang Jiho asked me a question again.
“I’m curious, why did you ask to hold a 12 Zodiac Alliance meeting?
“To catch the culprit.”
“… The meeting is conducted in a special way. You can only check the voices and silhouettes. But you’re saying you’re going to catch the culprit? Is there a clue besides a long tail?”
There is a clue.
Still, in this world, only I knew about this clue.
“There is a clue.”
I glanced at Jeok-ho, who had been quietly listening.
Before Jeok-ho died, he caught a clue.
But he couldn’t pass it to the main characters’ party and died.
It was a character commonly appearing in fiction, who after obtaining an information is murdered and cannot pass it on.
“Please let me observe the 12 Zodiac Alliance meeting.”
And it was also information I, the national hypewreck addict who rotted and turned into fossil, remembered.
Seeing my confident expression, Hwang Jiho’s eyes sparkled.
“Okay, got it.”
It was really like him not to ask what the clue was.
Kuuung….
“I’m sorry, I’ll come again next time.”
After I finished a tearful farewell with Snare who held onto me with all its charms and was about to cross the door…
Eun-ho’s three descendants approached me in small and quick steps.
The first two looked to be around 16 years old, but the youngest child barely reached my waist.
“That… We are very sorry. At that time we couldn’t express our thanks. We heard that if Jo Uisin-nim hadn’t been there, the sacred tigers wouldn’t have been able to help us. So thank you very much for saving us…!”
The one thanking me was the child I saw on April Fool’s Day.
He was just sixteen years old, but he had very good manners.
“I didn’t do anything. Even that taxi was saved by Sawol Seeum. And what is that ‘nim’? Call me hyung.”
The April Fools’ Eun-ho’s descendant’s assassination incident was really done without me putting in any effort.
I did nothing but use Flight skill and a stealth item to follow after the taxi.
Because all the Ung tribe members were dealt with by the Ho tribe and Sawol Seeum finished it.
“However, Hwangho-nim and Jeokho-nim said this is what happened. And that’s thanks to Unknown Supernova.”
“Our late mother often said that we must become descendants who never forget kindness.”
“We will someday repay this kindness by all means.”
The three small and cute Eun-ho’s descendants gathered together to look up at me.
They were descendants connected by blood to the leader of the Ho tribe, Eun-ho, however they were still just little kids.
Looking at those three, I thought about my younger siblings, who departed on a long road a long time ago.
“… Okay, thank you. Even so, what kindness? Don’t bother with it. You’re safe, so it’s good.”
Unknowingly, I stretched out my hand and stroked each of Eun-ho’s descendants’ heads.
As if they didn’t dislike my touch, they slightly closed their eyes and stayed quiet.
Next to my feet, Snare asked to also be petted, while whimpering and showing its tummy.
Baek Ho-gun, Hwang Jiho and Jeok-ho, who came to send me off, observed this scene without a word.
They didn’t say anything about touching descendants a little, so it was fortunate.
***
The next day after my visit at the mansion, after classes.
Mun Saeron whined that she hates investigating the ghost stories as she was afraid.
It looked like she planned to invade another friend’s room today and sleep together.
After finishing the Newspaper Club activities in an uproar, I came to the Wings Hall.
Among the places I visited at the Wings Hall was the Wings Council room, the autonomous dormitory organization.
“Uisin, welcome! Do you want snacks? Among the snacks that came today, the black sesame pancake cookies[2] are delicious. The pancakes filled with almonds are also delicious.”
The moment I came, Wings Council president, Seong Siwan came to greet me.
At the conference table in the center of the Wings Council room, what I assumed were snacks boxes thrown by graduates, piled up like a mountain.
Here and there I saw Wings Council members eating snacks while self-studying or chatting.
Among them, Seong Siwan was watching a reality variety show at the hologram, but the moment I entered, he turned it off straight away and came to me.
I felt sorry, so I should quickly look for the case and leave.
“Hello, senior. It’s still before dinner, so snacks are a bit… I wanted to look something up.”
“Okay? What is it?”
Because the Wings Council had a bit of a special establishment background, all meeting records and information about them were available for all school students and faculty members to check.
It could be viewed with the school device on the Wings Council webpage or anyone could come visit the Wings Council room and check.
‘I’m friends with Seong Siwan, so it will draw less attention and be more natural if I come to the Wings Council in person. I don’t want to leave related records on the school device.’
“The Newspaper Club’s task this time is to investigate Eungwang School’s ghost stories. Many of the ghost stories are related to the Heavenly Wings Mountain and the dormitory, so I wanted to see Wings Council’s meeting records… Is that okay?”
“Naturally, it’s okay. The cabinet with hologram chips is over there and the paper meeting records requested by teacher Kim Sinrok-nim are on the bookshelf there.”
Didn’t Kim Sinrok imply he often goes around like this and prepares this and that, because other faculty members and students prefer analog?
I guess he does it, because he likes paper.
“Thank you very much.”
“Tell me if you need anything else, Uisin.”
I thanked Seong Siwan and headed to the bookshelf.
I checked the records of the previous years.
‘Most of the meetings in the previous year were about settlement and dealing with the 1st year class 0!’
It was much more than I thought.
It was much more than what appeared in the game.
‘Teacher Jegal Jaegeol-nim… I think he was a class 0 homeroom teacher even during the previous year, but I’m worried he is losing hair.’
As the class 0 guys caused too many incidents, Jegal Jaegeol seemed to have difficulties and it was decided to change class 0’s homeroom teacher in the 2nd year.
However, once the class 0 learned about it, they began a very nasty dog-fight.
Because the class 0 students occupied and laid down in the residential zone, teachers’ dorm 1st floor’s lobby, the records of the Wings Council coming to rescue remained.
In the end, the case came to a close, when Jegal Jaegeol personally declared: ‘I’ll be your homeroom teacher until you graduate’.
‘Anyway, I found what I wanted.’
After reading all the colorful biographies of the class 0 inside the previous year Wings Council’s records and bidding Seong Siwan farewell, I left the Wings Council room.
***
I arrived at the Wings Hall cafeteria and examined the dormitory dinner menu.
Today Korean, Western and Chinese food was prepared, but Western food was the most appetizing.
It was plain like kalguksu noodles, but the pasta of the thick Tagliatelle noodle strips full of mushrooms and bolognese sauce caught my fancy.
‘Let’s eat pasta today!’
Thinking like this, I passed the hologram with the menu installed in the cafeteria lobby and entered inside.
In the dormitory cafeteria I saw people I couldn’t have expected, wearing unexpected attires.
“… Maeng Hyodon. Lee Lena. What are you doing here?”
Maeng Hyodon and Lee Lena.
The two people wearing aprons with sanitary hats, were serving dishes at the dormitory cafeteria’s buffet.
*~*~*
[1] parts – the word in raws would just mean ‘something out of set’, so I assume they could mean parts of their body, their companions … it’s also a word which could mean partners, second halves.
[2] pancake cookies – they are talking about jeonbyeong pancakes to be exact.
Translator’s note: Please note down these ghost stories, they will be on the test.
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