I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game.

A day had passed.

Just one day.

Yet, a precious day.

It was still early morning, long before the kids would wake up.

I materialized and wandered through the school alone.

As I scouted the area, my eyes locked onto a figure watching me from beyond the school’s outer wall—

A Hachishaku-sama.

[Po. Po. Po. Po. Po.]

“...Get lost.”

[Po. Po. Po.]

Without hesitation, the entity averted its gaze and wandered away.

It seemed aware of the barrier.

Good.

I swept my eyes across the area once more.

It should be around here...

Found it.

This game had special items.

The item from [Suicidal Specter]—[The Luckiest Failure]. A severed rope.

The item from the Rabbit Ghost the kids had defeated—[Rabbit’s Front Paw].

And lastly, the [Four-Leaf Clover] I found in the school garden.

These three combined...

Would create something interesting.

I placed the materials together.

A flash of light.

And then—

An [Artifact] emerged.

A necklace shaped like a wooden rabbit’s foot, embedded with a green gemstone.

This was the essential artifact—[Shining Will].

Its effects?

[Luck] and [Survival].

Since it required three materials, it had two abilities.

I secured it.

This was the bare minimum preparation.

Now, time to return to the kids.

I reappeared in the mirror inside their clubroom, just in time for them to wake up.

The moment their eyes met my red ones, they jumped.

Well, too bad.

Early morning was the best time to get moving.

Where?

Outside.

After giving them a little time to wake up, I got straight to the point.

“So, you’re saying we need to go outside the school to hunt ghosts?”

“Exactly~”

Their expressions said, Why the hell would we do that?

And, well, it made sense.

They must have been wondering why they had to deliberately go where the monsters were.

I dropped my usual smile and spoke seriously.

“This world isn’t kind enough to let us survive just by hiding behind a barrier. If you don’t risk your life—”

“You won’t survive.”

Silence.

Cruel?

Yes.

But it was the truth.

With the limitations of my existence, I couldn’t protect them from everything.

Even if I knew the strategies, even if I had the walkthrough,

If the kids couldn’t at least protect themselves—

They’d die before they even reached the ending.

Meaning,

They couldn’t afford to only be people I had to protect.

I knew it was selfish.

I knew it was unfair.

But I needed allies.

From here on, I couldn’t do it alone.

Even with my ability to absorb ghosts, I had no idea how effective that would be against the upcoming bosses.

If they didn’t take risks, they would become helpless spectators—

Forced to watch their own bad ending.

“...Choose.”

“Risk your life to return home—

“Or stay here and die.”

A heavy silence.

I could hear them swallowing nervously.

They had barely started feeling safe, and now, I was telling them to step into danger again.

They had been holding it in, but—

I could see it.

The faint traces of tears in their eyes.

Tears they had hidden from each other.

Tears they had swallowed to keep from scaring one another.

It shook me.

Please.

Don’t let this stupid game world break you.

Don’t let it win.

Fight.

Survive.

For yourselves.

For me.

I waited patiently for their answer.

“...Ella.”

Ha-rim was the first to speak.

“You’ll help us, right?”

“You’ll help us survive and go home?”

I met her eyes.

“...That was the promise.”

A contract sealed in blood.

“Then I’ll do it!”

Her small fists clenched tight.

I didn’t know if it was innocence or recklessness.

But it didn’t matter.

Because her answer was enough.

She turned to the still-hesitant club members.

“Guys, listen.”

“Even though we fell into this weird world, nothing has actually changed for us.”

“We’re the Mystery Exploration Club.”

“Our job is to explore scary places and come back alive.”

“And Ella—”

“She’s helping us get home.”

“So we can’t hesitate now.”

The doubt wavered.

Ha-rim.

Just how much are you trying to get on my good side?

This kid—

This tiny kid—

Had a determination that kept shocking me.

Was she this strong because she was a main character?

Or was she chosen as a main character because of this strength?

Fear was contagious.

But so was hope.

I realized—

I was witnessing a small ray of light piercing through the dark future ahead.

“You’re right! We’re already used to scary places!”

Kyung-min was the first to agree.

“I don’t want to be the weak one here.”

Soo-ho followed.

“If I’m with you guys, I think I’ll be okay.”

Eun-jung nodded.

One after another,

They all chose to fight.

“Alright! Mystery Exploration Club, let’s do this!”

A battle cry.

Energy reignited.

They stood together.

Comforted each other.

They were unlike anyone I had met outside this game.

If I had been their age,

I might have desperately wanted to be their friend.

“It’s decided, then.”

“Ha-rim.”

“Take this.”

I smiled.

For once, a genuine one.

And handed her the [Shining Will].

She looked at it curiously.

“...Can I ask what this is?”

“It’s called [Shining Will].”

“A talisman that strengthens your will to survive.”

“Think of it as a lifeline.”

She put it around her neck.

It seemed comfortable to wear.

Good.

Now that they had resolved themselves,

It was my turn to do my best.

I started explaining the mission.

-----

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

I led the kids outside the school.

At a glance, the world looked no different from the real one.

But there was a silence.

A heavy, unnatural stillness—no cars, no people, no sounds except our own footsteps.

That was the only difference.

The first ghost ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) we would hunt today—

[Turbo Granny].

An entity originating from Japan.

Her defining trait? She runs fast.

That’s it.

Sounds easy, right?

Except—

The tunnel where Turbo Granny appears has other ghosts.

Tunnels, despite being open-ended passages, can feel as suffocating as enclosed spaces when they’re long enough.

The game developers knew this.

Every tunnel in the game had 2 to 3 ghosts lurking inside.

The one we were heading to had only two.

With my help, it wouldn’t be too dangerous.

“Hey, Soo-ho. Isn’t that heavy? Want me to carry it?”

“Nope. It’s lighter than I thought.”

Currently, I was being carried in a mirror.

A full-length mirror was too big, so they were carrying one of medium size.

Inconvenient, but I could still materialize properly.

“Stop.”

I suddenly halted the group.

A bad presence lingered near the street corner.

What ghost could it be...?

Ah.

That one.

The moment it entered my view, I slashed it from inside the mirror.

Before it dissolved into smoke, I caught a glimpse—

A frog the size of a child.

One of the mass-produced, low-tier monsters known as [Disgusting You].

A common nuisance.

It cursed whoever it touched, momentarily transforming their body.

Despite looking like a frog, it didn’t croak or do anything particularly menacing.

“Oh? Got the item in one shot? Lucky.”

The ghost had dropped an item.

Not a guaranteed drop—this one was based on probability.

A round, frog-egg-like orb.

If thrown at a target, it wouldn’t transform them but swap their position instead.

Annoying monster, but useful item.

“Gross...”

Eun-jung made a face.

Most girls weren’t fond of frogs.

But Ha-rim picked up the tadpole egg.

She didn’t seem to like it, but she was the type to act if she thought something was useful.

I let her hold onto it.

“Let’s move. Keep walking straight. Don’t look at the walls.”

No one disobeyed.

The Hachishaku-sama, who had been watching us, lost interest and left.

We saw a few other ghosts on the way to the tunnel,

but unless they were weak like the frog ghost,

I didn’t attack.

This game was about survival, not combat.

Fighting recklessly, even in broad daylight, would get us mobbed.

We finally reached the tunnel entrance.

The ominous air was thick.

The kids hesitated—

But Ha-rim steadied them.

Her nerves were steel.

There was no way an elementary schooler should have this kind of mental fortitude.

“...Are we going in now?”

Ha-rim’s voice wavered slightly.

I shook my head.

Instead, I pointed to the ground near the tunnel entrance.

“There’s a shovel over there. Dig.”

They unearthed a box wrapped in protective talismans.

Oh?

The game didn’t let you reuse talismans before—

It was just a [Do you want to open it? Yes/No] option.

Well, whatever.

I peeled off the talismans and stored them.

“Open it.”

Inside—

A pile of white powder.

No, not that kind of white powder.

[Purifying Salt].

A strong deterrent against ghosts.

If sprinkled on your body, it was a huge help.

“Alright. Cover yourselves in this.”

Everyone followed my instructions.

Eun-jung, smiling brightly, commented—

“This... feels nice.” _{𝚗o𝚟pub.𝚌𝚘𝚖}

...I really hope that’s just normal salt.

With that, we entered the tunnel.

Though open at both ends, the tunnel’s interior was shrouded in darkness.

It should have been bright inside,

but as we walked deeper, the darkness devoured the light.

Until only the space immediately ahead was visible.

I gave the command.

“Everyone, say it: ‘Grandma, we want to run with you!’”

Hesitating at first, they all chanted together.

[Grandma, we want to run with you!]

A chill ran through the air.

The sudden cold made them shiver.

Then—

Kyung-min noticed something beside him.

Soo-ho?

No.

Too small.

Too thin.

He turned his head—

And saw an elderly woman staring at them.

A withered, near-death face.

[If you’re... slower than me... what should I do...?]

I answered calmly.

“Take my legs.”

The kids' faces drained of color.

Oh.

Did I forget to explain?

It’s fine.

I’m a ghost.

I can recover somehow.

...Probably.

Turbo Granny let out a disturbing laugh.

Then, a starting line appeared beneath her feet.

“When you step past that line, the race begins.”

“You all remember the plan, right?”

The kids nodded.

Turbo Granny was normally too fast to see.

But if you challenged her to a race, she would adjust to match the player’s speed.

Theoretically, you could win by just running faster.

But.

This tunnel had another ghost—

[Hell Hands].

A collection of black hands that emerged from the walls, trying to drag players into hell.

That’s why we used the salt.

With it, they wouldn’t get pulled in.

Only hindered.

So, the plan was simple: