1-Second Invincible Player in the Game

62. The Restless Spirit (1)

The sound of scratching pens occasionally breaks the silence.

Even as the professor conducts the class from the podium, the seated students merely whisper among themselves due to the recent events.

“This is where we describe the magic before the Age of Change… Hm, hm.”

The professor scanned the students, then let out a deep sigh.

“It seems the recent happenings have made it hard to concentrate.”

It all began with a first-year from Adel Hall.

Then, a second-year from Bürger Hall went missing.

Today, we were the third-year students of the Schlaphe Academy.

Rumors had spread of a strange, ghostly figure seen outside the dormitory, and the commotion showed no signs of abating.

“Rest assured, our professors are handling that matter. Well, it’s just one of those things that happen sometimes.”

As the professor spoke nonchalantly, Rix, sitting beside him, shot his hand up.

“Just one of those things? Then what happened to the people who went missing before?”

“Usually, they return.”

“Usually?”

“Let’s see… Last year, about seven people went missing, but six of them were found.”

“Then, what about the one?”

The professor replied in a voice as calm as the stillest waters.

“Found as a corpse, that’s all.”

The students’ reactions grew colder.

Only those who had taken the third exam remained unfazed by his answer.

They had learned early on that the humans who put them through such perilous tests cared little for whether they lived or died, that the outside world’s logic held no sway here.

“Don’t worry too much. Everyone knows the professors are sleepless in their search, right? And that thing you call a ghost isn’t as dangerous as you think. Its essence is closer to a natural phenomenon that can be explained.”

Was it said that the thoughts of the dead combined with mana, or perhaps magic, to create something?

Surely, they had investigated such peculiar phenomena from an academic perspective.

The professors, knowing it was not to be feared, did not tremble at the thought.

“Without a body, all they can do is influence the mind. They worm their way into the cracks of a weak psyche to brainwash, but what they achieve is merely the fulfillment of desires unfulfilled in life, and then it ends.”

A student in front asked.

“Desires? So, is that alive?”

“No, it’s merely a memory, not a living being. Think of it as a diary. Usually, it’s where plans or hopes are written down.”

The professor scratched his head as he surveyed the students.

“Still, keep your wits about you. Especially those with fragile minds should be cautious. Even the professors can’t guarantee they can deal with them.”

It was a different matter from exorcising monsters, and the methods were intricate, but for a professor, it was certainly manageable.

…Though this time, the spirit’s owner was a bit special.

【Pheldira of Loss】

Pheldira was the troublesome student whom the founder of Frost Heart had confined in a special chamber.

A woman so twisted in spirit that her master had no choice but to do so.

Her end was a suicide steeped in despair.

But Peldira would not exit quietly; she vowed revenge against her master just before death.

The method she chose was a bizarre act of splitting her soul with forbidden magic, hiding it within a cherished object, hoping one day to be reborn.

This was the dark and grotesque thought that sparked the current scenario, and the catalyst was Lethe, who, under Luon’s lead, was stirring chaos within the academy.

“Ahem, speaking of which, there was a scale in the apothecary. I heard it’s broken. Please, when you have classes, handle the items here with care. They are all artifacts of great significance, you know? If you understand, let’s proceed with the lesson.”

Still, what could possibly go wrong?

Who knows how strong it was in life, but it was merely a common specter without a physical form.

The reason for this disappearance act was to find a suitable host, but it would need to be at least a playable character to satisfy its whims.

Those armed with strong willpower would not be easily brainwashed, and when the time came, the professors would simply seal it away again—just a mere happening.

In the first place, this was not a scenario meant for playable characters; it was merely a device to allow that Luon, under the watchful eyes of the professors, to move about freely.

* * *

A large barred gate blocked the corridor.

As the professor inserted the key into the hole on the gate’s handle and turned it, the lamp hanging on the wall abruptly extinguished.

This was a special chamber for those admitted through donations.

Scrape—

Luon sat in a private room, carving stone with a chisel.

As he infused it with aura, the surfaces were sliced away like sawdust.

Despite the darkness, he meticulously expressed the four long legs, muscular chest, mane, and tail with vivid detail.

Scrape—

Gradually, it began to take the shape of a horse.

With even the eyes crafted in three dimensions, Luon carried the finished piece toward the living room.

Swoosh—

The thick scent of mana pricked at his nostrils. It emanated from beneath the carpet.

Cautiously, he lifted it, and a faint metallic scent of blood spread…

“I’ve finished, Peldira.”

As he spoke, red blood rose from the stone floor, writhing.

It soon formed lines, transforming into letters.

[Thank you, Master.]

“I told you I am not your master.”

[Liar. You are the only one who would come to see me, Master.]

Luon set the horse statue down on the floor and began to organize the facts he had gleaned from their conversation.

The special chamber was originally a prison solely for this woman.

What crime she committed remains unknown.

She herself is unaware, thus cannot provide an answer.

What little has been gleaned is that she was a disciple of the Grand Sorcerer, the founder, and that she bled and took her own life in this very place.

And…

“What gift would you like to receive next?”

[Well, a horse with a mane, of course.]

The inability to refresh her memories.

Thus, the range of information she can provide is limited to the memories she held until the moment of her death.

“Alright, I’ll prepare it for you. But could you grant me one request in return?”

[Of course, it’s your request, Master.]

Last time, she had asked where another thought was sealed away.

It was the scale in the apothecary.

Now that it was broken, she needed to extract another piece of information.

“The necklace you hid. Where is it?”

The answer came after a long pause.

[…I don’t know either. I’m sorry I can’t be of help, Master.]

It was the same response as yesterday.

Yet, through their previous conversations, Luon had come to know this was a lie.

“Pheldira, you have a habit of hesitating when you lie.”

[Are you branding me a liar?]

“Branding is not the term for such a situation. Because, you are indeed a liar.”

[Master, that’s cruel.]

The blood on the stone floor began to fade.

‘Pressing her won’t work. I’ll need to approach this differently next time.’

Luon rose from his seat, unfazed.

After all, once he placed the horse statue back on the stone floor, she would respond as if nothing had happened.

Forgetting the conversation they had just shared…

“Well then, shall I take a look at the happenings outside?”

Luon approached the window, peering down at the ground beyond the iron bars.

High atop the fortress, this place looms.

Below, it seems an abyss, unfathomable.

Yet, thanks to the stark white backdrop, the professors scurry about like a swarm of black ants, their movements starkly visible.

‘The watch has grown lax.’

The professor, once shadowing closely, now takes on two alone.

This is due to the influx of manpower for the search of the missing.

Luo etched their paths into his mind.

They were not headed to a common place.

If it were ordinary, it would have been found long ago.

Thus, it must be a location seldom trodden.

The likelihood of it being a secret space, known only by rumor, is high.

Those professors who have lingered here long would surely know, and they would investigate even that.

As expected.

Several groups turned toward the castle walls, then vanished from sight.

That direction was certainly an inconsequential clearing I had visited before while surveying the academy.

Yet, time passed, and they did not emerge.

‘Perhaps there is something there after all.’

Luo traced the professors’ movements, sketching a map in his mind.

From the storage shed where a professor had emerged after fifteen minutes, to the door leading underground, to the small buildings nestled along the dense wooded path.

He marked every spot that seemed to require a longer search than the area warranted.

Once the task was complete, the pen rolled off the desk with a soft thud.

Starting tomorrow, he could delve into the investigation with greater vigor.

* * *

Today, the lobby of the Shulafe Hall remains tranquil.

The lazy upperclassmen, claiming to wield purification magic, demanded escort fees from the underclassmen.

“If you get brainwashed by a malevolent spirit, I’ll save you with my purification magic, you know?”

From afar, I was taken aback.

Perhaps if he were the head of the Adel Hall, it would be understandable, but a third-year in Shulafe Hall doing that?

It was blatant fraud, clear as day.

“Are you going to scam us again like last time?”

“What, what?”

“If you know how, then show me right here and now.”

“Ha ha, I’ve used up all my mana today. I’ll show you next time.”

“Tsk, tsk.”

The new student, slowly adapting, gazed at such a senior as if he were refuse, a truly beautiful sight.

And then the next piece of trash, Makdal, must have stepped on a greased floor, for he fell back with a loud thud.

“aaaH!”

The group hiding behind the desk and the potted plant burst forth like a swarm of bees, brandishing their staffs and wooden swords, rushing toward Makdal, who clutched his head with both hands as if to shield it.

“Makdal!!”

Seeing Rix swing his staff with the face of a righteous apostle, Donathan spoke.

‘Nothing is as terrifying as a man lost in blind conviction. Yet, at first, he only appeared to be a man walking the right path. How did he become such a wicked fellow?’

‘Indeed?’

He hadn’t always resorted to such means and methods; what had brought him to this state?

‘Surely, it must be your influence.’

‘No way that could be true.’

I am a man like a walking moral textbook.

Then he would have become even kinder.

At that moment, the armored representative of the Shulafe Corps, Atra, clapped her hands sharply in front of the lobby.

“Now, pay attention. Rix’s gang will be dealt with shortly.”

“Yes, senior.”

As Rix sheathed his staff, Makdal let out a sigh of relief.

“You all know the atmosphere around the campus has been quite unsettling lately, right? Especially for this year’s new students, it must be quite bewildering. With strange phenomena abounding and even malevolent spirits roaming about, it’s only natural to feel fear. But that’s right. You must continue to be afraid.”

Those listening expressed their confusion with a collective, “Huh?”

“This time, it’s definitely not normal. Professors who usually excel at finding those who are hiding have yet to locate a single missing person. Such a situation is exceedingly rare. The second and third years should know well what I’m talking about.”

The seniors nodded in agreement.

No wonder there were so many seniors around; this was the reason.

They must have sensed that this incident was different from those they had previously experienced.

“So what I want to say is, from now on, whether in the dorms or elsewhere, you must travel in pairs. It will increase your chances of survival.”

Atra, as the representative, made a rather practical statement.

Yet she was already a fallen specter, corrupted by the power that had returned to her.

—

“So, I was thinking we should start a fundraiser now. The truth is, I gathered you all here for that reason.”

“F-fundraiser?”

“Yeah, as the representative, I’m the most important person here, right? I heard there’s someone in the Adel Hall who can use purification magic, but they’re asking for quite a hefty sum. So, show some goodwill.”

That woman is just as lost as the rest.

After all, coming down from the Bürger Hall to enjoy life with a snake’s head is a sign of a twisted mind.

Naturally, not a single person stepped forward to contribute to the collection box she held out.

“Nothing? Oh come on… Is there really no one here who cares about the representative’s life?”

Atra continued, her voice deflated and sulky.

“Anyway, especially us from the Shulafe Hall, we’ve got to be extra careful since we’re all a bunch of rotten minds. Remember to stick in pairs. The curfew for the dorms has been moved up to 7 PM, so make sure to come back on time.”

Now, perhaps feeling annoyed, she yawned and scratched her backside.

“Ugh… Ah, what else was there? Right, club activities are banned for the time being. And no requests can be made either. I hope you all find your own way with the coins we’ve collected. Well then, dismissed.”

The disregard for anything beyond the pair system was palpable.

The students of Shulafe Hall wore expressions of disbelief at the hopeless policies.

“Is there only debt to be found, and now requests are blocked too?”

“…What is this? Do they even know when it’ll end?”

“What about people like me who live day by day?”

Well, they should have started saving up earlier.

* * *

At this moment, in the Adel Hall dormitory.

Leana closed the door with a fluttering heart.

In her hand was a letter from her father, declaring his disownment.

…She never expected a reply.

She had been feeling down, with nothing going right.

Last time, she forgot to buy armor because of Hessel, and now that she wanted to today, the clubs were closed for the time being…

In the end, she returned empty-handed, but a single letter filled her with renewed energy.

Leana carefully set down her old armor and opened the letter.

What could it possibly contain?

She hoped her mother, who had cast her out, would be welcomed back, and she wished for a bit of acknowledgment for her budding aspirations as a knight… It was a moment filled with tension and anticipation.

However, as soon as she read the first line, her grip tightened.

[It’s good news that he has enrolled in Frost Heart. If he seems unbothered by wielding a sword, I assume you are satisfied as well. But do not let your guard down. You must strive to ensure his eyes do not wander to other daughters.]

—

Crackle—

The subject of the tale was neither the mother nor herself, but an absurd man.

It had always been so.

Even during meals, it was about going to meet him; when choosing clothes, it was about how he would dislike this or that; whatever she did, it was always hushel, hushel, hushel.

Now, even in letters… hushel.

Gradually, the memories of the father she once loved seemed to shrink away.

What shape did that proud smile take? What timbre did that voice, filled with pride, possess? Now, she could not recall.

Even when she tried to remember, all that surfaced was a face as cold as ice and a voice devoid of warmth…

“I was a fool to hope.”

Thus, Leana stifled her emotions.

To expect freely was to be disappointed freely.

If that were the case, it was better to become numb.

“Ah.”

Her clothes clung to her skin, soaked with sweat.

Leana wiped the expression from her face and gathered her washbasin.

As she stepped into the private shower room and closed the door, the curtain fluttered.

Thud—

A red glow flashed beyond the window.

It was fixated on the old armor that lay in the corner, staring with relentless intensity.