I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game

Chapter 46

"Now there are only two artifacts left."

I drew a simple map on the board and circled two places to place them.

Following my hand, the eyes of James, Maria, the children, and the soldiers moved.

One place is the circus arena, which is Pierrot's stage. The other is a department store, which is Ms. Spider's stage.

We were thinking of meeting Pierrot, who might be our ally and ask for his permission to install the artifact.

The fact that a key item with the same properties as the artifact brought from the institute appeared from Mary bothers me quite a bit. And I can't help but think that installing all the artifacts might not have any relevance to the hidden ending of the game in the first place.

But if we don't do it, the forced ending will open.

"These two places are where two beings stronger than Mary appear. Among them, Pierrot is a communicative opponent, I'll try to convince him to let us install the artifact, but a fight can happen just like Mary. So let me explain the strategy in advance."

To be honest, I don't have the confidence to win even if they know the strategy.

It's not possible to teach movements from veteran players, and there are many patterns that depend on one's ability because of its strong irregularity.

"The only annoying thing about Pierrot is the relentless attacks and bothersome circus performers. There's also the quiz that randomly comes out in the middle of the fight."

Pierrot control circus monsters, just like Mary.

From monkeys to lions, to elephants and Ottogi. There are many others, but especially these four are the strongest among them.¹

A monkey pattern in which monkeys juggling with weapons quickly circle around and throw daggers.

A chasing lion pattern that relentlessly pursues the player through the ring of fire.

An elephant's charging pattern that instantly kills when hit.

A counter-attack type Ottogi pattern that launches a wide-are attack if it is hit or collide with even one object.

Moreover, while the four of them attack all at once, Pierrot approaches from the side with more patterns.

As expected of the strongest boss-level monster in the game, it's very annoying.

"Pierrot likes interesting shows. So, in order to have a fair match, he gives a quiz that, if answered correctly, he damages himself. If answered incorrectly, he'll deal damage to us. Of course, it instantly kills by human standards, so be careful."

Obviously, I know all the answers to Pierrot's quiz.

I intend to share it with everyone.

But, do you know?!

What I mean is we have another problem!

What if he shows behavior that is different from the original again!

If we show we know the pattern during the fight, it's obvious that we'll be put in a situation where he will give us a quiz we don't know and end up being defeated.

Using a comic book as an analogy, it's like when a villain says to the protagonist.

-Heh, I know all of your techniques.

And then, like an idiot, the villain falls for a new move and exclaims.

-Huh?!

That type of cliché.

"I'm not a combat power measurement device!"¹

"What's wrong with Ella?"

Ah, did I get too excited?

Lately, it feels like whenever a strong opponent appears, they start by beating me up first.

Like the Doppelganger or Mary... Somehow, it seems like I'll be in a lot of pain in the future.

I quickly came to my senses and explained the rest of the strategy.

Everyone took notes and wrote down. I'm glad we have enthusiastic students. That's how it should be, otherwise we'd be in trouble.

"Anybody has any questions?"

One of the soldiers raised his hand.

Oh, it's the first time one of them talked to me.

What are you curious about?

I was looking forward to it. They don't say anything expect James and Maria.

"Miss Spider... Was it? Knowing information about that monster beforehand seems like a good idea."

A straightforward question.

Well, it wouldn't hurt to let you know in advance. But since you betrayed my expectations, I have to play with you.

"Aren't you curious about Ella? Is that really the first question you ask her?"

"..."

The soldier glanced at James as if asking if he should be careful with his words.

James lightly smiled, signaling to ask any question without reservation.

Usually, James appears strict or even stiff with his group, but the soldier finally decided to speak.

"I heard that you are a demon... I wonder why you're helping everyone. Therefore... I am curious about the purpose."

Umm... Well, James did say that he only trusts me because of his past work experiences.

Maria also witnessed how I interacted with the children and we've had conversations, so she must have understood my intentions.

The soldiers who rarely have conversations with me might find it hard to fully understand.

And yet, just by the orders of James, they put their lives on the line, which is something I'm thankful for.

"To begin with, the purpose is to send these kids back home safely. That's my top priority. The secondary goal is to get outside."

"I see... I understand."

The goal of going outside is impossible to achieve because I did not think about the future after sending the children back.

To be honest, I'm not really eager.

Still, you know, don't you think that if I were to go outside, I might not end up in quarantine by the authorities?

I can practically hear the gears turning in his head.

Even you, a single soldier, wouldn't they catch and confine you once it's all over? It's obvious what the higher-ups would think if you let me roam outside.

...Let's stop thinking about it.

Even after the ending, I am thinking that it would be worth living if I was with the kids, even if it meant I couldn't go back to my world.

Please. Consider the possibility of me not being quarantined as soon as I go out.

it wouldn't turn out like that, right? Yes?

"Even if I honestly tell you the purpose and explain the reasons, believing in a half-demon like me would probably still be difficult for you."

It's embarrassing for me to explain everything, including getting close to the kids, step by step.

"From Ella's point of view, it doesn't matter whether you believe her or not... In the end, all you have to do is follow James' orders and Ella can prove her value with information."

I don't care if they believe me or not.

Honestly, no matter what I say, the other person won't believe me because it's just words.

"That's right."

His response became stiff.

It's something I brought up as a joke, but rather, it made the atmosphere tense.

Speaking in such a stiff manner brings back memories of my past self, making me restless.

"Still, you know... Being a soldier is a job that you have chosen with your own convictions and responsibilities, but that doesn't mean that mean your hard work is taken for granted. Umm..."

"?"

When I start speaking in a roundabout manner, the soldier gives me a skeptical look.

I turn my head slightly and continue speaking, avoiding eye contact.

"Risking your lives... I suppose I'm grateful for that. Because we are together for a while, I would be happy if you could trust me. Umm, did you get the answer to your question?"

The soldier paused for a moment, glanced at Maria and James, and nodded.

"Now I understand."

I asked for an answer. What do you mean by now you understand? The other soldiers seems strangely convinced too. Stop it, just stop!

I quickly moved on to the next topic to lighten the mood.

On the blackboard, I drew a woman's upper body connected to a spider-like lower body.

"Next is Miss Spider. It seems Pierrot call her Arachne."

There hasn't been any interaction with Ms. Spider so far.

Although we saw the spider monsters that occasionally parasitized other monsters and the spider attendant in the beginning.

Pierrot said that she had already been attacked by the Devil.

Just as Pierrot had his arm eroded by the Devil's attack, Ms. Spider seems to have suffered the same attack.

The difference must be that Pierrot is stronger, so Ms. Spider was defeated while Pierrot is holding on.

She's probably the type can't get along with words alone.

That's why I want Pierrot to remain as an ally so that the fight is easier.

"Ms. Spider's main attack pattern involves aggressively attacking with her giant body, and she has much more subordinates compared to other bosses. Additionally, she inflicts a curse that slows you down. Finally, her specialty is mind-type attacks."

Below the picture of Ms. Spider, I wrote down keywords such as [giant body],[numerous subordinates],[movement slowdown curse],[mind-type attacks], and so on.

Ms. Spider, being larger than other bosses, uses powerful psychic-type attacks and curses instead of simple physical attacks.

That's why it's essential to resist it by combining the item from the spider attendant with another artifacts for purification.

And that's the artifact Eun-jeong is holding.

Pierrot also has psychic-type attack patterns, and it's hard to say which is stronger. However, when the player is hit by Ms. Spider's mind attack, there's a mechanic where the player loses control of their character. How this mechanic will be implemented is the key point to consider.

The disturbed and terrified look the character has when hit by the attack is what worries me.

After explaining for a while, I started feeling a bit tired.

Speaking so much at once is hard on my mouth and mind.

"I'm going to see Pierrot in an hour. Everyone, prepare well in the meantime."

...

It is an hour later.

After leaving the school, we headed to Pierrot's circus tent.

Looking around, the number of monsters was much higher than last time.

As times goes by, it becomes more and more powerful.

On the 30th day when the Devil is born, it reaches its peak and becomes complete hell.

"Get lost."

As I spread my aura, some monsters retreated.

There's no need to hide anything. This body is from a boss, the mirror monster.

If we don't recklessly rush like the spider monsters or it isn't a trap, we won't get in danger.

"Ella, what is that?"

What Ha-rim is pointing at is the ghost tree seen in the distance.

Since ancient times, trees have been treated as containers for holding things such as spirits or ghosts.

A tree possessed by evil spirits was good material in old tales.

The monster is along those lines.

Monsters pretending to be human corpses are hanging from the branches of tall trees, giving off an unpleasant smell and atmosphere.

The reason why Ha-rim was interested in the ghost tree was because it suddenly appeared in her field of vision.

"It's a ghost tree. Sometimes monsters deceive our eyes and act as if they don't exist. Originally, you had to go all the way to the tree to see it, but thanks to my aura, I was able to shake off the illusion, so we can see it from far away."

"I see. But those corpses... Are they real people?"

"No. They're monsters pretending to be corpses. The only people here are those from James and Maria's side. There were no one here before you arrived either."

"...Then the corpse in Ella's mansion must have been a monster too?"

Huh? That's my corpse. If you misunderstand me like that, it's fine by me.

The past that I didn't bring out because I was reluctant was suddenly washed away. But what is this feeling of shame?

I could tell from Ha-rim's smiling face what she was thinking.

'You used a monster to scare us with a corpse! Did you pretend? Cute!'

-You really are thinking the same as me!!!

"It's rude to share the same thought?!"

There's a limit even to misunderstandings.

Because I overreacted as if my dark history has been exposed, everyone accepted it as a fact.

"Did you get pricked?"

"No!"

...

We proceeded as safely as possible by pushing back monsters with my aura or attacking and trapping the stronger ones in mirrors.

We then arrived at our destination.

It was more like an amusement park than a circus, with huge walls surrounding it in a circle and preventing people from entering the interior.

In the center was a huge door for entry.

It seems like we have to go inside, but... No matter how you look at it, it was too big to open with human power. Like a gate.

"It's like a fortress."

It seems that Pierrot has remodeled the stage.

He fought the Devil.

As if showing that, there were traces of battle on the wall.

I approached the huge door and knocked.

Knock knock.

Then Pierrot's voice was heard.

"Who's there?"

"Ella."

"Ella who?"

Do you know the Western knock knock joke?

If you knock on the door and ask who the other person is, they will answer.

It doesn't have to be your own name, so just answer when they ask who it is and reply with a witty joke to dodge it.

For example.

-Knock knock!

-Who's there?

-Delivery. It's Noodles.

-Noodles what?

-Enough with the cheesy jokes, just open the door already~

Same thing.

It's a classic play on words.

"It's Ella, just open the door."

But that's such a corny joke. I don't like it.

"...Ella who?"

"Hey, you corny clown. I've come all the way here, you know? If you don't open the door right now, I'll break in. You're even using such lousy jokes."

"Geez! Got it! I'll open it. Why so serious? A little wordplay wouldn't hurt, right?"

"Yeah, I don't like it."

"You should read a joke book. [Alice's Adventures in Wonderland] is full of wordplay and it's truly profound yet amusing."

With that, the door slowly opened.

Let's step inside, onto Pierrot's stage!