[2019, May 17th | Friday, 1:00 PM]
[Lee Joon: Number of Attempts- 2]
[Ghost Story Points: 781]
[Causality Rate: 32%]
After the long, exhausting incident on Monday, we had three peaceful days off, and then came the fifth period on Friday.
“Hi, kids~”
“Hello, teacher.”
With Teacher Hwaeun’s entrance, all the club members were finally gathered in the clubroom for 5th period CA session.
“How are you all? It seems like it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you all~”
“Ahaha……”
The club members laughed awkwardly.
For Teacher Jang Hwaeun, aside from briefly passing by us in the hallway since last Friday’s latex rampage incident, this was her first time seeing us again.
Since Teacher Jang Hwaeun usually teaches upper-grade classes, it’s naturally difficult for her to have any interaction with us first-years who stay mostly on the first floor.
So she was still unaware of the major incident that happened on Monday.
‘Well, we can just tell her now.’
That’s what CA session was for, after all.
“Then let’s begin the third CA session of May.”
In front of the members who were exchanging greetings and chattering noisily, I stood in front of the whiteboard and cleared my throat.
Soon, the club members gave a token round of applause.
“Clap, clap, clap,”
“Wow……”
The CA session, now held more than ten times.
As I was met with the mechanical clapping that has become routine, I began explaining today’s topic.
“In this CA session, we’ll be discussing four topics. First, the incident that happened on Monday. Second, the complications with the checkpoint. Third, about the investigation of teachers of Dogma of Void by Teacher Jang Hwaeun. Fourth, and finally, discussion about our future goals and wrap it up.”
“Waaah……”
Sunah was clapping while staring into space, so I gave her a thumbs-up to show she was doing well.
“First, about the incident that happened on Monday.”
① The Monday Incident
“Since Teacher Jang Hwaeun wasn’t there at the time, let’s summarize it briefly. The Demon King sent two ghost stories at the same time.”
“I see~”
Teacher nodded indifferently.
Even though two ghost stories attacked at the same time, her expression showed she still couldn’t quite grasp what kind of chaos it caused.
That’s understandable since, although the Teacher has spent quite a bit of time with us, the only thing she had actually experienced firsthand during this period was the Kim Eunjung incident.
Even during the other incidents, she was always with us, but due to things like time rewinding or memory loss, she has very few experiences of actually being involved fully.
‘Even when we played the Corner Game, all she did was stand quietly in the hallway and saw the clubroom door disappear; and during rock-paper-scissors, all she did was wear the latex suit and break a mirror, so she didn’t even see the tip of the nose of the ghost story…..’
Still, since she needed to know what had happened, I gave her a brief summary for now.
“The Demon King sent a B-rank ghost story first to distract us, and while our attention was diverted, he activated an S-rank ghost story and messed up the checkpoint. I then turned all the events of that day into a dream and returned to this point.”
“I see~”
The story was so far outside the realm of common sense that the Teacher just let it slide.
I moved on to the second topic.
② The Checkpoint Complication
“So, we managed to resolve that day’s problem, but since something like this could happen again, I thought it’d be good for all of us to go over and clarify what exactly the checkpoint complication is.”
The members nodded.
This part was important, so everyone’s faces showed their focus.
“First of all, it seems that a checkpoint isn’t simply redesignated when you solve a ghost story. It’s like in games—when you kill a mob, the game doesn’t save every single time.”
Dukhun, who had reviewed it in advance, nodded his head.
“This is just my opinion, but first, the checkpoint seems to apply only to independent ghost stories, not to derivative ghost stories… Also, merely surviving doesn’t trigger it; you have to completely defeat the ghost story for it to become a turning point. Aside from that, the everyday parts unrelated to ghost stories seem to save periodically on their own… like every day or two…”
“Prez, a question.”
Suddenly, Gyeongwon raised his hand.
“What if a ghost story comes and you immediately commit suicide?”
“I don’t think that’ll work. If that had worked, I would have cut off one of my legs and committed suicide, then one of my arms and committed suicide, and kept repeating it.”
If such a loophole were possible, there wouldn’t have been a need for all the hassle like on Monday.
“Let’s look into why that’s not possible. First of all, ghost stories are usually things that pop up in people’s imaginations, right? They’re stories that are meant to threaten someone. So I don’t think they’d be able to walk up calmly right in front of me and let me kill myself.”
“I’ve never heard of it either.”
Gyeongwon nodded as if convinced.
“Anyway, to sum it up, I’ve found the solution to untangle the checkpoint complication. So from now on, we don’t need to worry about that when dealing with ghost stories. Because I’ve found the fundamental solution.”
“Wow……”
I gave Sunsh, who was responding weakly, a nod to let her know she was doing well.
“Checkpoints and what happens under certain conditions… then us being careful about this and that, and so on… That kind of stuff, you don’t have to worry about it anymore. I’ll handle that anyway, and the important thing is that we’ve found a way to reset when things get messed up. No matter the situation, there’s a ‘solution’ to turn everything back.”
“But isn’t there some kind of side effect……”
Dukhun muttered with a worried look, but I waved my hand dismissively.
“Of course, if we overuse this kind of reality manipulation, the side effect is that the Causality Rate increases. But just like you said, Dukhun, sending out two ghost stories at the same time must definitely have some side effects for the Demon King as well. For example……”
I thought for a moment and answered.
“Since he used too much power, things will be quiet at least until summer vacation.”
“Summer vacation?”
Jinhee chimed in, lifting her chin, so I nodded at her.
“Yeah. About a month or so.”
“Is there a reason for that period?”
“Probably.”
I recalled the period of about a month of peace after resolving the A-rank ghost story, Fourincess, during which the Demon King hadn’t sent any ghost stories.
Of course, there was the Psychology Test and the midterm ghost story in between, but those were the work of the system and the teachers of the school respectively.
The Demon King had been quiet until the incident of the Corner Game.
‘At that time, I thought he was simply trying to make us loosen our guard, but that was completely from our perspective……’
If the Demon King had a reason to stay quiet for that entire month, then it must have been due to overusing his power.
In other words, mana depletion.
“I’m thinking that starting from A-rank ghost stories, it probably takes a lot of power even for the Demon King to bring them into reality.”
The recovery period for that power is probably at least a month.
So, from a certain point on, if you look at the pattern of the Demon King sending us ghost stories, there were more of them that attacked me mentally or deceived my perception rather than the kind that physically killed me.
The three ghost stories I experienced during the week of my entrance ceremony are– head explosion, Laughing Woman, and Mom ghost.
Compared to those that tried to physically kill me, the ghost stories that have been coming at me lately were definitely different in nature.
Each one was more precise, sharp, and aimed at exploiting the weaknesses of the system and the time loops.
‘Eventually, it even led to the checkpoint complication.’
What did that mean?
There was only one answer.
“The Demon King’s attacks are becoming more and more efficient. You all felt it too, didn’t you?”
“Yeah……”
The club members nodded with fearful expressions.
But I waved my hand, meaning they didn’t need to worry.
“That doesn’t mean you need to be scared. Think of a martial arts fighter. Doesn’t their fighting style become more efficient with every match? Then wouldn’t a being with infinite power really need to worry about something like that?”
“…That’s true.”
“They use up calories and energy every time they attack. Fatigue builds up in their muscles.”
That’s why they try to be more efficient.
“The Demon King is the same. No matter how strong he seems, he has a limit to his power when buried in the ground, and there are penalties he has to face.”
Since he has finite strength, he changes his methods and waits for an opportunity.
Every time he creates a ghost story, some form of energy consumption is imposed on him.
That was the reason for the month-long silence after the A-rank ghost story, Fourincess.
In fact, excluding the ghost stories collected by the system or were related to Dogma of Void, the Demon King’s attack interval was surprisingly longer than we thought.
“So, since this major incident happened, I think he will be quiet for at least a month. That’s why I think it’s not worth sending two ghost stories at the same time to mess up the checkpoint again. Both in terms of causality and power, it would be an extremely taxing move for him, especially since I already know the solution, it’s pointless for him to try again.”
“But it’s still a pretty important point, is it really okay if we don’t worry about it……”
“Even if you worry about it, it’s my problem since I’m directly connected to the system. Making you dig into this now, you would just end up saying, ‘Hey! A ghost just appeared right in front of us, can we deal with it now? If we solve it without thinking, wouldn’t the checkpoint get messed up? We have to get permission from the President first.’ That’s how it’d turn out.”
When I mimicked Gyeongwon’s tone and gave an example, the members nodded in agreement.
“Act first, report later. Got it? If you have time, it’s better to tell me first, but if it’s urgent, take action first and report back later. Those who’ve experienced it know that when you encounter a ghost story, hesitating even for a moment can have your limbs fly away in an instant. Always trust your quick judgment. Trust your instincts. Understood?”
The important thing is that we have the fundamental solution to turn things around even if everything went wrong.
“Okay.”
“Yes……”
In the end, the club members nodded.
After reassuring them one last time, I concluded the checkpoint topic for this session.
“You’ll know when you see. When the Demon King sends a ghost story next time. When that moment comes, you’ll know how much of a burden it was for him to send a B-rank and an S-rank ghost story at the same time.”
Since it was the month he sent an A-rank ghost story, it means the next time would be at least that long or longer.
That guaranteed us a safe period of at least a month ahead.
I assured them of that. Only then did their expressions slightly ease.
“So we can relax for about a month, then.”
“Honestly, I was scared whenever I walked alone at night. Every little sound made me worry I might be involved in something……”
“Yeah, yeah…”
Free from those worries, even if just for a month.
Somehow, our mind felt relieved.
“Okay, then let’s wrap up the checkpoint issue here. Even if the time comes when you need to worry about it again, I’ll tell you in advance, so you just do as I say and focus on solving the ghost stories I assign to you. Next topic!”
③ Investigation of the Cult Members at School by Teacher Jang Hwaeun
“How’s it going, Teacher?”
During the last CA session, we had agreed on bringing Teacher Han Ari over to our side.
That was because Teacher Jang Hwaeun was too entangled with us to infiltrate the cult herself, and there was also evidence that the Dogma of Void was trying to convert Teacher Han Ari.
“Here’s what happened!”
The teacher smiled and made a V sign with her fingers.
“We’re going out for a meal together this weekend!”
“Waaah, applause~!”
Clap, clap, clap-
The club members laughed and clapped for the teacher.
She smiled and waved her V sign.
“I’m thinking of getting a bit closer over the meal and finding out a few things. I heard she already had dinner once with the new teachers from the cult’s side. I want to know if anything came up during that. Also, whether she’s been invited to any gatherings or clubs.”
“Let’s hope for some good news!”
Feeling pleased, I joined in the applause before moving on to the final topic.
“Alright, now for the last topic. About future goals.”
④ Future Goals of the Ghost Story Club
“Actually, if we were sticking to our usual routine, we were supposed to do this today, right?”
I pulled a purple envelope out of my pocket and waved it in front of the club members.
Judging by the color, the envelope likely contained an A-rank ghost story.
“A ghost story card collected through the system’s ability. Normally, this is what we’d be doing. During our usual CA sessions, we’d gather and take on one of these stories.”
“Yeah, we would be.”
“That’s right.”
The club members nodded in agreement.
I put the envelope back into my pocket.
“But then I thought about it, there’s really no need for us to do this right now. We’ve already solved so many ghost stories up to this point. But has there been any real progress?”
The members remained silent.
They could sense it too.
That we weren’t making any progress.
“We’ve solved plenty of ghost stories and racked up a lot of points, but when it comes down to our most important mission, ‘how to defeat the Demon King’, we still haven’t figured out a single thing.”
The members nodded their heads in agreement.
At some point, our strategy for defeating the Demon King just stopped making any progress.
“We already have plenty of points. Even now, just from solving a B-rank and an S-rank ghost stories on Monday, we’ve accumulated over 700 points. I might use them later to acquire new abilities or level up a few things when there’s time, but the real issue is, will any of that actually help us defeat the Demon King?”
More abilities, a bigger club room, more allies.
The question is—what are we supposed to do with all that?
Of course, the direction the system gave us was probably necessary, but when it came to the truly important thing, the identity of the Demon King, we still didn’t know anything.
“Even in the game, just because you have high stats and a lot of raiders doesn’t mean you’ll always succeed in a raid. The important thing is information. If you don’t know the boss mob’s tendencies or attack patterns, no matter how many points you pour in, it’s like pouring water into a bottomless pit.”
It’s like training your muscles thinking you’re preparing for a fight, only to step into the battlefield and get taken out instantly by a single bullet.
‘On the other hand, if you anticipate that guns will be involved in the showdown, you can prepare a bulletproof vest instead of wasting time building the wrong muscles.’
“In the battle against the Demon King, if I die even once, I’m sent back three years. There’s no chance for multiple attempts. That’s why the most important thing is information about the Demon King.”
“That’s right.”
The club members nodded again.
“The situation won’t change even if we solve another ghost story right now. The important thing is information. We need to gather that information.”
The club members nodded their heads.
Besides, from the members’ perspective, after all the chaos on Monday, jumping straight into an A-rank ghost story by opening another envelope would be a heavy mental burden.
“That’s why we’re not going to tackle any ghost stories today. Instead, we’re going to decide on our Ghost Story Club’s future goals.”
What short-term goals should we set in order to find information about the Demon King?
“Well, when it comes to information, rather than running into walls alone, the fastest way is to find someone who might know and just ask them. So at this point, who’s the most likely person to know something about the Demon King?”
“…The Dogma of Void cult.”
“And Clover.”
Adding a word to Sunah’s answer, I continued my explanation.
“But the Dogma of Void cult is already being handled by Teacher Jang Hwahun, so let’s leave that aside for now. The real issue is Clover.”
I drew a clover pattern on the whiteboard.
♣
“The school is crawling with the cult’s followers, so if we hit a wall trying to get information, we can always fall back on hardline tactics like tailing them or storming their base. But Clover, we have no contact with them. They’re just too big and too far removed from us.”
In the case of the Dogma of Void cult, Teacher Hwahun was already working hard on it.
And most importantly, the cult’s young miss herself, In Hayoon, was actually on our side.
If we could successfully work with Hayoon and Teacher Hwahun to get information, that side should be handled for now.
The real problem was Clover.
As we saw during the MineCraft ghost story, there are signs that Clover is conducting various studies related to ghost stories. And during the Wiggle Wiggle ghost story, I witnessed them deploying private soldiers to eliminate a ghost story.
But the problem was social distance.
The social distance between a global corporation that dominated the world and an ordinary liberal arts high school club in Korea was just too great.
I wanted to approach secretly and investigate, but no matter how hard I tried, there was no way to get any closer.
“So there’s one thing I’ve been paying attention to. Gyeongwon, bring that out.”
As if he had been waiting for this moment, Gyeongwon handed me a rolled-up poster.
I unrolled the poster and attached it to the whiteboard with magnets so everyone could see.
[Clover Science Exhibition]
“…Clover, Science Exhibition……?”
“Yeah”
I nodded.
“It’s a poster I stole from the class next door.”
* * *
“Ha… this is really… where did the poster go…?”
The homeroom teacher of Grade 1 Class 4, a math teacher, scanned the classroom bulletin board with a troubled expression.
“I’m sure I put it up this morning..…”
* * *
“To put it simply, the Clover Science Exhibition is a nationwide science competition jointly hosted by the Clover Corporation and the government. The team that wins this competition even gets to tour the company’s headquarters. Gyeongwon will explain the details. Gyeongwon.”
At that, Gyeongwon stepped forward while clearing his throat.
I stepped aside so that he could explain while looking at the poster.
“Hello. I’m Ahn Gyeongwon.”
“Hmph…..”
When Jinhee raised her chin and let out a quiet snort, Gyeongwon’s eyebrow twitched.
“Hmm, let’s see. Where should I start explaining… First, has anyone heard of this competition?”
At that, Hayoon and Teacher Hwaeun raised their hands.
The rest, Sunah, Jinhee, and Dukhun looked completely clueless.
“The Science Exhibition. You’ve never heard of it before? It’s super famous among the top students.”
“First time in my life hearing about it.”
“Then I’ll explain everything from the very beginning. The Clover Science Exhibition is, first of all, the most famous science competition for students nationwide.”
“Nationwide… even foreigners come……?”
“What?”
Gyeongwon looked at Sunah with a dumbfounded expression for a moment.
Then, clearing his throat again, he continued his explanation.
“Nationwide means the entire territory of the country. In other words, it’s famous everywhere in South Korea. Not the entire world, but the entire country. It’s the most famous in Korea. That’s what it means. Foreigners don’t participate.”
“I see……”
Sunah, who didn’t know the meaning of ‘nationwide,’ nodded while staring into space.
“If it’s so famous, why have I never heard of it?”
“That’s because the participants are very specific.”
Gyeongwon pushed his glasses and continued explaining.
“Technically, the qualifications are open to everyone, but in reality, it’s a competition for science high schools. In fact, the research contests mentioned in the book we read a lot in middle school, ‘If You’re Poor and Even Your Dreams Are Poor, You’re a Complete Loser,’ are actually referring to this very Science Exhibition.”
[T/N: Readers, I’m as confused as you….. (｡ŏ﹏ŏ)]
The pride and symbol of science high schools.
When ordinary people think of science high schools, the scene they imagine of students working hard preparing for competitions is exactly what the Clover Science Exhibition is.
Only those top-tier, elite students participate in such a prestigious competition, yet we, ordinary humanities students who didn’t even know the meaning of ‘nationwide,’ were intending to join with our club members.
Our goal was first place, the Presidential Award.
“The President gives it?”
“Of course. He even shakes your hand in person.”
“Whoa, no way…”
Jinhee’s mouth dropped open.
Gyeongwon adjusted his glasses and chuckled softly.
“When I was in middle school, my goal was to get into a science high school, so this competition was a real dream for me. I never thought I’d be participating like this… Anyway, to continue the explanation, the President isn’t the important part. The key is the Chairman of Clover.”
Chun Seungjae.
A mastermind with an insane intellect who started a business and built a global corporation at the edge of 20.
“There’s a high chance that he’ll attend the awards ceremony along with the President.”
“Wow, crazy……”
Jinhee makes a disgusted face.
“First place in that? Isn’t the scale way too big?”
“Just hear the rest.”
What Gyeongwon explained next was as follows.
The Clover Science Exhibition accepts applications until May, and a regional competition is held just before summer break.
The team that wins at the regional level competes again after summer break, in the second semester, at the national finals, the main event of the competition.
The team that takes first place in this national competition will receive the Presidential Award.
Not only can the winning team receive a prize of over 10 million won, but they also get to tour the headquarters and shake hands with the President at the award ceremony.
They gain the honor of being featured in newspapers as outstanding students and also receive preferential treatment when applying for a job at Clover Corporation in the future.
“Of course, things like money, fame, or job opportunities have nothing to do with us. What really matters is the chance to tour the headquarters and meet Chun Seungjae, the owner of Clover Corporation, in person at the award ceremony. Oh, but he doesn’t usually attend. Last year, for example, he was busy with an overseas schedule, so the Vice Chairman attended in his place.”
Even at the national award ceremony, where the President always attends, the head of Clover, the co-host of the event, only shows up when he feels like it.
It was a clear sign that, at this point, Clover’s status surpassed that of the President of South Korea itself.
“The content of the competition is to create a very scientific and creative exhibit to summit, and explain its merits in front of the judges. The Club Prez will take care of it, no one has any questions?”
The members nodded with uncertainty.
For now, they just looked like they were going along because it sounded like something impressive.
After praising Gyeongwon for his hard work and having him sit down, I stood again in front of the whiteboard.
“And everyone—oh, right. Our instructor will be Teacher Jang Hwaeun. We will participate in the competition under our club’s name.”
“Uh, okay? I, I guess…”
Teacher Jang Hwaeun nodded with a reluctant expression.
“Y-yeah, I’d appreciate it if you……”
Then, seeming a bit concerned, the Teacher looked around at all of us and hesitantly trailed off.
“Of course, I’d be happy if you can bring back a prize using my name. B-but… aren’t you guys counting your chickens before they hatch a bit too much…? As you all know, I’m not a science teacher but an English teacher. Even if you ask for help, I probably won’t be able to assist much… Also, I know some of you are good students, but this is a nationwide competition where specialized high schools participate. The level there will be completely different…..”
“You don’t have to worry about that.”
I smiled reassuringly as if to say there was nothing to worry about.
“We’ll definitely get the first place.”
“R-really? Since you’re confident, I won’t say anything… But even if you win first place and get to meet that person directly, what exactly are you planning to do…..”
“Now, now, let’s talk about those things little by little as we prepare for the competition. Here, this is an official document with more detailed information than the poster. I’ll pass out one copy to each of you, so please read through it. Ask if you don’t understand anything.”
* * *
“Teacher Ari, did you happen to see the official documents about the science competition?”
“What? Wha!? Official documents!?”
Teacher Han Ari, busy with work in the faculty office, was startled at the sudden call and looked up.
“W, weren’t they on the fax machine? I haven’t touched anything…”
“Exactly. I saw it printed out and delivered this morning, but later it was gone, so I thought Teacher Ari must have taken it.”
“I, I’m not really familiar with those things yet, so I usually avoid touching them…”
“Then maybe the second-year teacher took it? Those documents shouldn’t have been sent out since the team for the competition has already been decided.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“We decided to send only the 2nd and 3rd-year students. I get it. I’ll look into it.”
“Yes, yes……”
Leaving the third-year science teacher’s nod behind, Teacher Han Ari lowered her head and returned to her work.
T/N: As the readers are all aware, Moonlight Novels is closing soon and merging to originals only novel site, Novel Reads. Which means I can no longer post the future chapters of this novel to this site. This novel is being migrated to Jade Scroll. Although the chapters will remain here till the site closes, future chapters can only be found in Jade Scroll.
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