Chapter 03
For some reason, the original Christine Hilton I possessed had made the same choice as me during her vacation period.
That is, choosing Green Lake Camp as a part-time job.
‘Could this be some kind of original work causality?’
The slight difference was that unlike me who departed on the same day and had car trouble, she had arrived earlier and was already working.
Anyway, she met her end by setting off massive death flags in the middle of the story. Thanks to her ridiculous antics in the beginning, her death was particularly gruesome.
The killer, Jack, shoved his knife through the cabin wall, piercing Christine’s eye as she leaned against it after finishing some chores…
Ugh, it’s too horrifying to dwell on. Let’s stop imagining that.
Anyway, there’s no way I’m letting that become my future.
‘But wait—there weren’t any bats like these in Midnight Scream Camp.’
And, of course, there was no system message either.
“Get out of the way!”
Student Council President Liam jabbed a baseball bat into the bat’s snout that was peering through the window. As expected of the male protagonist who died last.
Still, he died relatively intact with just his chest slashed while protecting Bella. Christine, being a supporting character, was in a terrible state. It feels unsettling to compare these things and feel unfair.
“Hey! Hey hey hey, Christine! Front! Front! FRONT!”
Ack! I was busy glancing at the situation through the rearview mirror and missed the road in front of me.
[You have arrived inside the dungeon.]
[System recognizing user Christine Hilton. Awakening.]
With system messages flooding my vision, I slammed on the brakes in a panic.
Screeeeech!
Thud!
Despite my best efforts, I ended up slightly hitting a tree.
My face hit the steering wheel, causing the car horn to sound briefly.
The crash wasn’t severe, so the kids were all fine, but every single one of them turned to yell at me.
“Thought I was gonna die!”
“Can’t you drive properly!”
Wow, what a lovely show of unity!
Probably because I’m the common enemy, second only to the bats?
Without me, they’d all have been dinner by now, but sure, let’s ignore that.
Anyway, according to the system message, we’ve entered the dungeon.
I wonder what happened to the swarm of bats?
Should I open the window and check?
“Definitely. Can’t see them above or below.”
Time to try reversing the bus.
But no matter what I did, the engine sputtered, and the bus wouldn’t budge.
“Christine Hilton, you know something, don’t you?”
It was Stanley Parker, the football team’s center and second-in-command.
‘Of course, I know. You’re the stereotypical deadweight character—huge, aggressive, and all about showing off your strength. But when push comes to shove, you’re a bundle of nerves, constantly arguing with the group, only to get hurt and end up whining for help before dying in a useless, loud, and overly dramatic way.’
Perhaps when a nuisance character is both quick to anger and physically strong, it maximizes the tension in the story.
He looked exactly like that kind of guy.
Unlike my inner thoughts, I smiled brightly.
“What nonsense are you talking about? I just had good reflexes.”
“You definitely acted like you knew something before everything happened! Why did you ask to get off the bus?”
Whoa, whoa! Are you seriously about to hit me with those giant fists?
“Stop it, Stanley Parker.”
The menacing vibe Stanley gave off was enough for Coach Bill and Liam, the student council president, to intervene.
“But Coach!”
“Still, Stanley’s not wrong.”
“I think so too. She was always weird, but today she was a different kind of weird. Maybe she deliberately broke down the car and waited for us by the road? It could be a trap.”
The gazes around me became tinted with suspicion.
It wasn’t exactly a pleasant feeling.
“Enough. Do you seriously think she planned all this?”
Surprisingly, it was Alex who stepped in to mediate.
“No, I just…”
“Stanley. Go back to your seat.”
Alex’s cold glare made Stanley back down, albeit begrudgingly.
As I mentioned before, Stanley is no match for Alex.
It was striking how his eyes were full of discontent as he retreated while looking at Alex.
“Has anyone received system messages?”
It was Student Council President Liam, who had been quiet until now.
Silence fell.
One or two people gathered courage, and soon everyone raised their hands.
“Wow, I thought I was going crazy and seeing things.”
“Actually, I didn’t say anything because I thought the same.”
“Then who here is an Awakened?”
When Liam asked once more
“Me!”
Original protagonist Bella raised her hand first.
“Me too.”
Quarterback Alex was next.
“Me.”
And Stanley, of course, joined in.
“Us too!”
The cheerleading girls raised their hands together. Honestly, I forgot their names since they all die early in the movie.
I raised my hand last. Since I’m Christine Hilton, I won’t bother saying anything.
Looking around, about half of the people on the bus were Awakened.
Awakened ones in a horror movie possession…
This means the remaining people, including the coaches, can only hear system messages.
Oh dear. In these kinds of movies, adult teachers always die early, so they have no abilities here too? Coaches, please be careful of death flags.
“Status window!”
When I copied what I’d read in a web novel before being possessed, it really opened.
[Christine Hilton]
[Primary Trait: Locked]
[Secondary Trait: Buffer]
Seeing me, the other awakened kids tried copying my actions, and their startled reactions told me they could see their own status windows too.
The concept of a status window seemed unfamiliar to them, probably because it wasn’t something that existed in their world.
I confirmed this through the passive skill ‘Sage’s Eye’. Because of this, I could see other kids’ status windows. I was just curious about the protagonist’s characteristics since she holds my lifeline, and it opened right away.
[Bella Carpenter]
[Primary Trait: Long-Range Dealer]
[Secondary Trait: Locked]
[Liam Curtis]
[Primary Trait: Melee Dealer]
[Secondary Trait: Locked]
[Alex Ramey]
[Primary Trait: Tanker]
[Secondary Trait: Locked]
[Stanley Parker]
[Primary Trait: Tanker]
[Secondary Trait: Locked]
And for the cheerleading girls…
[Selena Rodriguez]: Buffer
[Anna Harper]: Healer
[Jean Devois]: Long-Range Dealer
…I confirmed this.
I could also see their skills, with hints in their skill names.
Among long-range dealers, Bella was specialized in guns and bows, while Jean was magic-specialized.
Since Bella was a ranged dealer, her position was usually quite good, no matter where. It was just as expected—main character’s privilege.
Compared to that, being a buffer doesn’t feel good. A buffer is basically a supporter—depending on the world, you might be treated well if you’re lucky, but you could also end up just doing good things for others without getting recognition.
And while other kids had their main characteristics opened first, why was my secondary characteristic the first to open? There’s definitely discrimination from the system.
The coaches butted into the conversation among the awakened.
“You’re not playing some kind of game in this situation, are you?”
Since the coaches could only see system messages and not status windows, their suspicion was understandable.
“No, we’re not.”
Liam, the model student, responded seriously, and the coaches closed their mouths.
Well, considering that giant bat-like monsters were wandering around in human form, there was no rule saying awakened ones wouldn’t exist with system messages.
Hmm, I guess everyone is too scared to move, so it’s my turn now.
“The bus started but seems stuck and won’t move…”
“Oh, Christine was driving? I was really surprised. Suddenly driving a bus. Next time, don’t take the initiative and leave it to adults. Anyway, if what you’re saying is true, we should go out and check.”
The kids were terrified.
“But! What if bats are still outside?”
Amid the noise, the coaches exchanged glances.
No way.
“We’ll go check. Stay inside and wait.”
No way! That’s a death flag for the coaches!
“Please wait a moment. As an Awakened, I’ll take the lead.”
I made the suggestion because I’d feel guilty if I let them go out and die with an obvious death flag.
Bella and Liam looked slightly surprised. Their expressions suggested they never expected the eccentric Christine to step forward.
‘My guess is that based on the system messages, the bats should have passed by now.’
Though other dangers might be waiting.
After getting the coaches’ approval, I prepared to step off the bus. Before leaving, I turned to Bella and asked,
“Bella, can I borrow that gun?”
For a moment, I almost felt embarrassed when she shook her head.
“I’ll just come with you.”
“I’m coming too.”
“Me too.”
With Bella deciding to go, Liam and Alex also moved. Just like in such movies, do they all have a crush on the female lead?
Staying close to the main character definitely increases survival chances.
“We’ll come too!”
The cheerleading girls decided to tag along as well.
“Go ahead. I’ll stay and guard the bus.”
It was Stanley, predictably, who made this comment. He clearly wasn’t willing to take any risks.
How utterly cowardly!
He was the one who quickly closed the front door after we got off.
Examining the front of the bus, the coaches discussed their options.
“Damn it! The tire’s blown, and the wheel is wedged tightly in a rock crevice.”
“This is hopeless.”
Everyone groaned and pretended to push the bus, but naturally, it didn’t budge an inch. They were just putting on a show, knowing it was futile.
And then, the system message chimed again.
[Creatures will appear soon. Defeating the boss creature will close the dungeon gate.]
10
9
…
“What… what the hell?”
“Creatures?”
I quickly ran to the bus door and pounded on it with my fists.
“Open the door!”
But Stanley just stood there, staring blankly, refusing to budge.
Huh? Why does this feel like things are about to take a terrible turn?
Thank you for reading! ♡
