NOVPUBThe morning after the children woke up, I spent my time moving around, gathering security items.
If we were attacked again, someone might actually die this time.
The first thing I obtained was the Cheshire Cat’s Bell—an item dropped after hunting a mysterious cat that appeared and disappeared at will. It would ring when a designated enemy entered the area.
"Designate all ghosts except myself as enemies."
The bells jingled softly as they scattered throughout the school, taking their places.
Ssshhh...
They also had a concealment feature, so they didn’t look out of place.
Next was the Soldier Doll—an item obtained by defeating a ghost resembling a North Korean soldier.
It could attack designated enemies, though the damage wasn’t enough to be a decisive weapon.
Still, if the hits stacked up, it could at least wear down a target.
This game wasn’t designed for exorcising ghosts directly—it was about surviving by running away. Tools that dealt strong damage to ghosts were rare.
Lastly, I gathered Purifying Salt and spread it throughout the school.
It was highly effective against ghosts and easy to farm, so I planned to use it liberally—as casually as tissues.
After working hard all morning to gather these items, I explained the current situation to the children.
I told them roughly what happened—that a demon had attacked us.
"A demon...?"
Kyung-min, being the most knowledgeable, might know something about demons.
But he only frowned.
"Honestly... we focused mostly on urban legends. We've come across a few mentions of demons, but if you're asking if I know much about them... not really?"
A real demon, straight out of mythology, was enough to shake them.
Some started asking, "If demons exist, do angels exist too?" Others debated whether demons counted as ghosts.
A lot of opinions—but no useful information.
If my guess was right, this demon was supposed to appear only after the ending.
In the original game, whether the protagonist defeated the boss or not, the demon stayed out of it, only appearing at the very end.
So why was it targeting us now?
Did we disturb it somehow?
But how could someone like us possibly affect a demon?
All we’d done was move around to survive...
...Wait.
Could it be because the children are still alive?
The two biggest differences from the original story were:
The Slender Man that appeared early on... could that have been sent by the demon?
The demon was clearly targeting the children.
Did the children’s survival offend the demon?
I stopped thinking there.
Asking "Why?" wouldn’t get me any answers.
I sighed and turned back to the children.
"Got it."
Then, I pulled out an item.
"Ugh..."
The item I retrieved was [The Evil Beast’s Eye].
It was needed to upgrade Kyung-min’s notebook into a fully-fledged artifact.
Normally, it had to be obtained by seeking out Jangsanbeom, but since it attacked us directly, we saved ourselves the trouble.
I embedded the item into Kyung-min’s notebook.
The red-stained pages transformed into a mystical-looking grimoire.
In the center of the cover, Jangsanbeom’s eye was embedded.
The artifact’s effect upgraded from [Slow] to [Restrain].
It could now temporarily bind ghosts, greatly increasing survival rates.
With this, we now had all the essential artifacts.
"Ella, what’s our next step?"
Ha-rim asked me.
She probably thought knowing what comes next would help them prepare.
Should I tell them in advance?
"The ghosts will only get stronger. Our first priority is survival."
Kyung-min scribbled notes. I glanced at him and continued.
"And we have to defeat the strongest ghosts."
"The strongest ones?"
"There are three major ghosts we must defeat. You’ve already met Mary. Next, we’ll face Madam Spider and The Clown. We must take them down."
Of course, we can't do it alone.
"They" have to arrive first.
Until then, all we could do was gather items and wait.
It felt like wasting time, but there was no other choice.
"We’re preparing for battle. Those ghosts are incredibly strong—we can’t face them yet."
Even against seemingly foolish Mary, we couldn’t guarantee a victory.
Besides, the later a boss appears, the stronger they are.
"If we defeat them... can we go home?"
Ha-rim asked.
If she meant "Will we be free after killing them?", the answer was technically no.
But exorcising ghosts was still necessary, so I nodded.
"...Yeah. We can go home."
The children visibly relaxed.
They clung to that hope, calming themselves down.
In contrast, I felt the weight of guilt pressing on me.
But I was used to it now.
It wasn’t like they couldn’t go home.
Just like clicking a dialogue choice in a game—I simply pressed [Yes].
[Will you accept this fate?]
[Yes]
I pretended not to care as I gave a stern warning:
"We’ll keep defeating ghosts and gathering useful items. Don’t act like this is over."
"Got it!"
Ha-rim responded energetically.
At least she had spirit. 𝓃𝓸𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
I had finished my business, so I prepared to move through a different mirror to collect my thoughts.
But—
"Wait, Ella."
Eun-jung called out to me.
"Hm?"
"Ella... will you sleep with us again tonight?"
If they weren’t uncomfortable with me, then I didn’t mind.
Besides, even with security measures, having me nearby was the safest option.
"If that makes you feel safe."
"It does! It feels so reassuring when you’re here! I really hope you’ll stay."
"......."
It felt nice to be wanted.
But I didn’t know how to respond to such pure sincerity.
How would the real Ella have reacted?
"Guess you’re not scared of me anymore?"
I smirked playfully.
"Nope!"
That sounded like something an oblivious kid would say.
"Ella is beautiful, strong, and she protects us. There’s nothing scary about you. I actually want you to stay with us forever!"
Eun-jung’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.
I understood how she felt.
If a bear protected you from wolves, you’d feel safer despite the danger.
Now that she knew the school wasn’t safe, sticking with me was the best option.
"Oh... I see."
Even though I understood it logically, it still felt embarrassing.
Her staring was overwhelming.
Eun-jung had completely forgotten all the times I had threatened them.
"Ahem. Fine. I’ll guard you while you sleep. Happy now?"
"Yeah! Thanks, Ella!"
Eun-jung beamed.
I couldn’t help but smile too.
And then—
I suddenly felt strange.
Since when had I become so emotional?
Every time I talked to these kids, something inside me kept changing.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
But it was warm. Comforting.
And I couldn’t reject it.
-----
After about two days passed,
I suggested to the children that we go gather some daily necessities.
"You guys probably need clothes, detergent, and other things by now, right? We'll take some time to drop by your homes. I'll take you one by one, so think about what you need in advance."
For now, we had to wait until they arrived. That would take a few more weeks, so it was best to stock up on supplies.
Moving as a group would be too inefficient.
So, I told them to decide the order.
They played rock-paper-scissors, and Eun-jung, who won with scissors, got first place.
I took Eun-jung with me outside the school.
Her house was less than a ten-minute walk away.
She unlocked the door effortlessly and led me inside.
The interior was cute and cozy. The walls were pink, and there was a pleasant scent, probably from air fresheners.
Eun-jung looked at me and said,
"This is the first time I’m alone with you, Ella."
Now that she mentioned it, she was right.
I had unintentionally ended up spending private time with each of them.
Eun-jung skipped lightly into the bathroom and held up the hand mirror I was in, reflecting it against the bathroom mirror.
Marking successful.
After traveling through the bathroom mirror, I stepped out and looked around Eun-jung’s room.
There were plushies everywhere.
Among them, a large stuffed animal sat on the bed—it looked like something she probably hugged while sleeping.
"Now that I think about it, Ella, you’re pretty like a doll. You and this plushie are kind of similar."
She looked between the plushie and me.
"Sounds like you’re saying you want to hug me while sleeping."
"...Is that not allowed?"
"........"
I didn’t bother answering.
I am not a plushie!
Eun-jung pouted and started packing the things she needed.
She gathered basic clothes, a plushie, and bath supplies—shampoo, conditioner, towels.
Some of these were available at convenience stores, but it seemed she preferred using her own.
"Done?"
"Yep! Ah, wait a sec."
Eun-jung grabbed a book.
Its title was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
A fairy tale?
Of all the kids, Eun-jung was the most childlike.
"Do you like fairy tales?"
"Mm... My mom said they help with creativity, so she bought it for me. I read it when I’m bored!"
A fairy tale...
It reminded me of something.
("Why are you reading a fairy tale? You’re an adult.")
("This is for inspiration. If you wanna create stories, you have to read stuff like this.")
("Ha! Just yesterday, you were stealing money from people, and now you wanna be a writer? What’s next, making a video game?")
("Hey, guys like me do whatever we want. If I ever make one, I’ll create a masterpiece that’ll make you cry your eyes out.")
("Yeah, right.")
("I’m serious. I’ll make you bawl like a baby. And obviously, I’ll load it with my own taste.")
("Pfft.")
("Just wait and see.")
Not a pleasant memory.
I silently watched Eun-jung pack a few more books when a question popped into my head.
"Why did you join the club?"
From what I had observed, Eun-jung wasn’t the type to enjoy scary things.
She also hated physical activity.
She didn’t seem like the kind of person who would hang out at haunted locations.
So why did she join?
After thinking for a moment, she answered.
"Because I’m friends with Ha-rim."
"That’s all?"
"Yeah. Ha-rim is really mature! I like that about her. But I didn’t know we’d actually go hunting ghosts..."
It made sense.
Eun-jung, who liked relying on others, and Ha-rim, who was more mature than her age, were probably a good match.
But still—joining a club without knowing what it did?
"Then why did Ha-rim make this club in the first place?"
"I dunno!"
Her answer surprised me.
Sensing my curiosity, she added:
"Ha-rim avoids talking about it sometimes. Like, she’ll answer, but it always feels like she’s dodging the question."
That... was interesting.
What kind of secret would a kid need to hide?
Even from someone as close as Eun-jung?
Ha-rim was a strange child.
When we got trapped in this world, she didn’t cry or panic.
She even took down a ghost on her own.
And now... she had secrets?
"All done?"
"Yep!"
Next in line was Soo-ho.
His room was neat.
Well-organized. But... too empty.
I couldn’t help but ask.
"Your room feels kinda... barren."
"My little sister is still young. If there’s too much stuff, she might mess with it and get hurt."
Ah. Another younger sibling.
I would’ve just warned the kid instead.
"Do you really need to go that far?"
"I don’t want my family to get hurt. Simple as that."
"Huh... family..."
I must have looked unconvinced, because Soo-ho gave me a wry smile.
What?
Since it was just the two of us, I asked him the same question.
"Why did you join the club?"
"Ha-rim convinced me."
Ha-rim.
Again.
So she was the one who roped them all in.
Maybe it was her protagonist charm.
I asked for more details.
"Kyung-min and Ha-rim are my friends. I joined because of them. At first, I didn’t plan on staying long—I just needed a club. I was gonna leave after a while, but..."
"So you just... decided to stay?"
"Well, Kyung-min and Ha-rim always get into all sorts of risky situations. They're constantly wandering into dangerous places. If I wasn’t there, they might actually get hurt, so I couldn't just sit back and do nothing."
So he joined the club out of a protective instinct?
This guy had a serious case of guardian complex.
Soo-ho only packed some clothes and basic medical supplies before we moved on.
Next was Kyung-min.
He was the one I talked to the least.
It was understandable—after all, I had personally threatened him early on.
I had even heard from Ha-rim that Kyung-min still felt guilty for throwing a wine bottle at me.
He probably thought I was holding a grudge.
The awkward atmosphere between us was almost suffocating.
His room was neat.
So far, Eun-jung’s room had been the messiest.
Maybe boys were just naturally tidier? My room had never been particularly messy either.
Kyung-min quietly packed a spare notebook, some clothes, and other essentials.
Then, he walked over to his bed.
At first, I thought he was grabbing a blanket, but instead, he pulled out a game console from under the bed.
Since we hadn’t spoken at all since arriving, I took the chance to ask.
"What’s that?"
"Oh, this? It’s a game console."
...I know that, idiot.
I only asked because I didn’t recognize the model.
Even while explaining, Kyung-min kept stealing nervous glances at me.
For some reason, it bothered me.
I didn't know why, but I didn’t like this feeling.
So I asked, bluntly:
"Are you scared of me?"
The moment I said it, I regretted it.
Kyung-min’s glasses nearly slipped off his face from how startled he was.
But his response surprised me.
"No, it’s not that... It’s just... awkward."
So he wasn’t scared of me.
...Looks like I jumped to conclusions.
But if I wanted to ease the tension, I needed to do something about it.
So I said—
"I’m sorry."
"...Huh?"
"I mean... I’m sorry for how I treated you at the mansion."
Kyung-min’s eyes widened.
I immediately looked away, feeling uncomfortable.
He looked so shocked that he could barely form words.
Well, of course he was shocked.
Just a few days ago, I had been holding a knife to his throat.
Even I knew that this was an awkward thing to do.
But I hate lingering unresolved tension.
Kyung-min was still frozen, staring at me.
...Maybe apologizing wasn’t enough # Nоvеlight # after what I did?
I flopped onto his bed, lying on my back.
Maybe I should tell him to hit me until he felt better?
Then again, he’d probably just hurt his own hands...
"You can mess with me until you feel better."
I spread my arms wide, as if I were surrendering.
"...What?!"
Kyung-min’s face turned bright red.
...What’s with that reaction?
He looked completely flustered for a moment.
Then, after regaining some composure, he asked,
"Ella... Can I ask why you're saying this?"
"I bullied you. So you should be able to bully me back."
"Ahh... I see. And... how exactly should I do that?"
His question caught me off guard.
I hadn’t really thought that far ahead.
"Uh... maybe tickling...?"
"Like this?"
Kyung-min curled his fingers, and I instinctively shuddered.
Just seeing that motion was enough to make me tense up.
The dread—the fear of being tickled—only people sensitive to it would understand.
The worst kind of torture.
I started sweating.
Still, I braced myself, shutting my eyes tightly.
...But nothing happened.
Was he not going to do it?
"Honestly... I don’t care about that anymore. Yeah, I almost died, but you saved us. So it’s fine."
"...Oh."
"I wanted to say thank you. It was just... awkward."
"...Really?"
A small smile formed on my lips.
That was unexpectedly satisfying.
For a second, Kyung-min stared at me, stunned.
Then, he cleared his throat, quickly turning away to continue packing his things.
I suddenly remembered—I still had a question for him.
"Why did you join the club?"
"Well... mostly because Ha-rim told me to. But also..."
He hesitated.
"My mom was obsessed with early education. She made me study middle school subjects in advance. It was suffocating."
"And?"
"My parents didn’t care about club activities. So, when Ha-rim dragged me to haunted locations, it was a way to escape studying."
So he hated feeling trapped.
If I had been in his position, I might have enjoyed it too—since it was a type of attention.
"You and Soo-ho were the first to join, right?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
A club with only four members didn’t really need "founding members", but...
Maybe he knew why Ha-rim started the club in the first place?
"She probably just likes scary stuff? When I asked her, she just said she 'liked it.' It felt kinda vague, though..."
So even Kyung-min didn’t know the truth.
Not even one of her closest friends.
That was unexpected.
Shin Ha-rim.
The playable protagonist of this game.
Ever since she took down Jangsanbeom, I had started looking at her differently.
I had been watching her closely whenever we went out to collect items.
And I had noticed some peculiar things.
For one—she was suspiciously good at finding keys and key items.
Whenever I was about to break a door down, she just happened to have the key.
And her evasion skills—almost supernatural.
Even when she could have taken a hit, she instinctively dodged.
Even considering her survival-based artifacts, her abilities were far beyond normal.
For a child, she was too composed.
She didn’t panic when we got trapped.
She even fought a ghost alone.
And now, she had a secret—one that not even her closest friends knew.
...That was too suspicious.
Should I ask her directly?
