Chapter 19
The outlaw of the backstreets—Zeke Califer.
He was only thirty years old, but already one of the most feared predators among the poor.
“Kuhuhuhu…”
His record was impressive.
Over 200 counts of extortion and blackmail.
More than 50 robberies on small and mid-sized merchant groups.
And that wasn’t all.
Slapping or insulting women and children who simply passed by was his idea of casual fun.
“Picking on trembling little weaklings is always the best entertainment.”
But after being caught dealing in forbidden interspecies trafficking to fuel his gambling addiction, Zeke became a wanted man.
Portraits bearing his likeness were plastered across the back alleys, and rumors spread that even the temple was after him.
Since then, Zeke had vanished, hiding himself in fear.
Had he saved any money, he could’ve fled abroad and laundered his identity. But every ill-gotten coin had already been lost to gambling.
So now he barely scraped by, living in a hidden hut in the mountains near the alleyways, surviving by robbing travelers.
Then one day…
“Hm, where is it supposed to be?”
He heard the voice of a clueless young woman through his alcohol-soaked stupor.
“What the—kekeke. Is this my lucky day?”
No one came around anymore thanks to Zeke’s recent robbery spree.
Yet here wandered a girl—alone.
A pumpkin rolled into his lap.
Silently creeping toward the voice, he found…
A woman?
Indeed, there she was.
Long platinum hair, large blue eyes, and skin so pale it looked like it hadn’t seen sunlight.
From her appearance alone, one could tell she was raised in comfort. She even wore a dress fit for nobility.
Kuhuhuhu. Foolish girl.
A noblewoman who went out on a walk and got lost, apparently.
Unlucky for her—running into him.
But hunger hadn’t dulled his mind—he had no plans to rough her up. A girl like that, handled properly, could fetch a fine price at the slave market.
“A girl like that? I’d earn enough to sail off to the Fallon Kingdom!”
Zeke grinned wickedly and pulled out the axe loosely tucked into his waistband.
He stepped threateningly into her path.
“Hm?”
…But the girl’s reaction was odd.
Most people screamed or fainted at the sight of his bloodstained clothes and the dried blood on his axe. She showed no fear.
“What’s with that blank stare, you crazy bi—”
“Oh. You look exactly like I imagined. You’re Zeke Califer, the outlaw of the backstreets, right?”
“What do you know? Are you a spy from the guards?”
“No. I want to make a deal with you.”
A deal?
He was confused, but something clicked.
“Ah… so you need someone for a dirty job, huh? Kekeke.”
Since becoming addicted to gambling, Zeke had taken every shady job under the sun for coin.
This noble-looking lady must have someone she wanted gone—someone she couldn’t risk going through a guild for.
Foolish noble girl.
Still, money was money.
“I’ll kill whoever she wants, and if she becomes a nuisance, I’ll blackmail her. She won’t dare report me. That way, I’ll secure my gambling funds.”
“Kuhuhu… So, who do you want me to kill?”
“No killing required. But it is illegal.”
“Illegal, huh?”
Clink!
A money pouch landed in front of him.
He snatched it up and checked inside—1,000 Darling.
“That’s your upfront payment. I’ll give you the same again once it’s done.”
Two thousand Darling.
Roughly three months’ living expenses for a commoner family.
She seemed stingy for a noble, but he could always squeeze out more later.
“Alright then. What’s the illegal job?”
At his question, Adelheid smiled sweetly.
‘It actually worked…’
I glanced at the criminal, Zeke Califer, following behind me.
‘I should’ve thought of this sooner.’
That same day—after returning from my failed grave digging attempt—I had no choice but to think hard.
The Spring Ball was fast approaching. Waiting on my cooldown time wouldn’t get my Sucker Score down in time.
Then it hit me.
I remembered hiring a wanted criminal during one of my earlier Ark playthroughs.
“Cheaper than a guild. Willing to do illegal work.”
After skimming various wanted posters, I found Zeke Califer’s.
He was someone I had once hired and discarded during a past playthrough.
The fool thought he was clever, planning to exploit me long-term.
But I turned him in to the Bregenheim Guard after using him thoroughly.
This time would be no different.
And honestly, the thought of robbing graves—even of fake ancestors—was pretty gross. Having a disposable criminal to do it made it easier on my conscience.
I arrived at the Ulmer family cemetery and tossed him the shovel Sophie had prepared.
Thwack!
Oops—my shovel hit him square in the forehead.
But Zeke, caught off guard, took the full hit without dodging.
“Argh! Damn it! What the hell?!”
Oops. Not intentional.
Still, I wasn’t sorry—only terrified someone might have heard the noise.
“Be quiet. Do you not want the money?”
“What?”
“I said, shut up.”
I snapped. Realizing he was my employee now, he swallowed his curse and nodded.
“S-sorry.”
Blood trickled down his forehead, but considering the things he’d done, I wasn’t too sympathetic.
“Now start digging.”
I gave him a lazy nod, and he obeyed.
He was probably planning to leech off me eventually.
We each had our own plans. A classic case of different dreams in the same bed.
“Well, it’ll work out somehow.”
While Zeke dug diligently, I sat by a random grave and waited.
After a while…
“It’s done.”
A lavish coffin decorated with glittering jewels appeared.
“Ohhh.”
If the outside was this flashy, what treasures awaited inside?
“Take everything valuable.”
“Understood.”
Zeke opened the coffin lid…
[SYSTEM] The resting ancestor of House Ulmer, ‘Emilia Ulmer,’ has awakened in fury!
At last, the inevitable had arrived.
[SYSTEM] The resting ancestor of House Ulmer, ‘Emilia Ulmer,’ has awakened in fury!
Zeke froze, his mouth agape as an icy gust surged from the opened coffin.
From within the casket, a pale hand—thin and withered—suddenly shot up, grabbing the edge of the lid.
“Wh-what the hell…?!”
The temperature plummeted. Even the air around us started crackling unnaturally.
Then—
Creeeeak…
The lid fully slid open, and an eerie figure slowly rose from inside.
She was draped in faded, moth-eaten funeral robes. Her hair, once likely golden, now hung in ashen strands. Her eyes, glowing faintly blue, locked on to us with a murderous glare.
“An intruder… desecrates my rest…”
Zeke screamed like a dying pig.
“AAAGHH! A g-g-ghost! What the hell is this?!”
He fell backward, the shovel clattering beside him.
Even I stumbled a step back.
“…Is this a quest?”
I knew it. The moment I saw the name Emilia Ulmer, it hit me. She was part of a hidden quest line in Ark.
The thing was, most players avoided it—because once awakened, the ghost would start haunting your character for an in-game week.
During that time, your luck stat dropped, NPCs would avoid you, and sometimes you’d trigger terrifying jump scares out of nowhere.
In short—it was hell.
“Why now of all times…!”
I groaned, gripping my head.
I had hoped for a clean robbery—grab some loot, lower my Sucker Score, and be done with it.
Instead, I triggered a nightmare event.
Zeke was already crawling backward on all fours, sobbing.
“I-It’s not my fault! She made me do it! That girl did it! I was just digging!”
“Huh?! Excuse me?”
He really was trash.
But to be fair, I had technically hired him for this. So… whatever.
Time to do what I do best—improvise.
“Lady Emilia Ulmer!”
I stepped forward, hands raised in mock reverence.
“I-I apologize! I didn’t mean to desecrate your rest. It’s just… I was curious about your legacy!”
She didn’t look convinced.
“You—desecrated my grave… out of curiosity?”
Yikes.
She floated upward, feet not touching the ground. The light around her shimmered with a sickly glow. I could hear whispers in the wind. My system pinged again.
[SYSTEM] A ‘Haunting’ effect has been applied. Luck -70%.
“Damn it…”
Then, suddenly—
The ghost’s expression changed. Her cold fury dimmed slightly.
“…You. What is your name?”
“I-It’s Adelheid. Adelheid Ulmer.”
For a second, her eyes widened.
“…Ulmer?”
“I-I’m the adopted daughter of the family.”
A long pause.
Then she chuckled—dry, rasping laughter.
“Heh… hehehe… What a joke. To think the Ulmer name would fall into such hands…”
Ouch.
But she didn’t attack again.
Instead, she began to fade, her body turning translucent.
“Leave. Take nothing. Speak of this to no one. And… beware. The dead do not forget.”
Then, with a gust of icy wind, she vanished entirely.
Whooooosh.
Silence returned.
I looked at Zeke. He looked at me.
We both burst into breathless laughter—his was insane and wheezy; mine was mostly relief.
“Hahaha… That was close…”
“I nearly pissed myself…”
We stared at the empty coffin.
Still, I noticed something glittering inside.
“…Wait.”
Carefully, I reached in.
Among the dust and faded cloth, I pulled out… a pendant.
It shimmered faintly with blue light.
[SYSTEM] You have obtained the ‘Pendant of Emilia.’
[SYSTEM] A new quest has been unlocked: [Emilia’s Regret].
A hidden item? Nice.
I grinned.
Well, this grave robbery may not have gone smoothly, but at least I got something out of it.
And now I had a haunting, a pendant, and a deranged criminal at my disposal.
What a night.
