I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game

Chapter 21

Mary.

It is one of the most famous ghost stories. If you search Mary's Phone on the Internet right away, you will find out what it is.

There are many variations, but there's something they all have in common.

[Hello, it's Mary. I'm right at XXX now.]

Mary calls the person in the ghost story.

After telling the person who answered the phone her location, she hangs up.

[Hello, it's Mary. I'm right at XXX now.]

Another call.

The main character of the story, who thought it was a prank call, realizes that the location Mary is talking about is getting closer to him.

When the terrified protagonist gets the last phone call.

[Hello, it's Mary. I'm right behind you now.]

It is said that the person who receives the last call dies.

What was surprising was that this vicious monster who kills people greeted me.

It's a different reaction from the monsters who have attacked me because of invading their territory, and the atmosphere is also different from those who just say what they want without letting you talk.

She even knows my name.

There shouldn't have been any way to talk to Mary, but maybe a boss-level monster is something different?

Come to think of it, Ella also talked to me normally.

I said something safe to Mary, who stared blankly at me.

"Long time no see..."

I glanced at Mary's eyes. It is difficult to read because she's expressionless.

Fortunately, Mary nodded her head in agreement.

"Yeah. It's been a while since we've talked. And now Ella can get out of the mirror."

Apparently, Ella and Mary are acquaintances.

How did the two of them knew each other? What they both have in common is that they are bosses in charge of chapters one and two.

Quite interesting.

"Huh? Ah, I can do it now..."

"That's right. That's great. One of Ella's wishes has come true."

"What Ella- I wished for?"

At my question, Mary's expression showed a feeling of doubt. So it wasn't all that expressionless.

"Ella sometimes forgets. But has Ella even forgotten her wishes?"

I felt a strong pressure from the face that seemed indifferent to everything in the world.

It's a reaction to seeing something that could never happen.

It's a landmine. I hurriedly dismissed it.

"Of course I remember. I'm just surprised that you remembered."

"So it's like that. Ella and Mary didn't talk much. But Mary still remembers what Ella said."

Hmm? We aren't that close? The more she talks, the more riddles come out. It's like a sphinx.

"Why didn't we talk a lot~?"

At my question, Mary puffed out her cheeks, looking a little angry.

"Ella has a bad personality. Ella told Mary not to call because it was annoying. Doesn't Ella remember that?"

Said Mary, pointing to the receiver in her own hand.

Ella, this bad-tempered girl. She even had a temper with other monsters.

Judging from the emphasis on the receiver, it seems that she was using the phone rather than meeting her.

"That... Was it? Ahem, ahem... Why is Mary here?"

"Mary felt the monsters rejoice. So she came out for a while to find out. It's awkward to leave 'home', but Mary thinks she has gotten better lately. Ella too?"

What does she mean? The monsters are happy? I want to ask, but I think it's better to end this. I don't want to take any further risks.

"Yeah. Right... Will Mary still be here? Ella is about to leave. By the way... Isn't awkward being out of 'home' for too long?"

"I see. Then Mary will go back too. I'll call you from time to time, so answer it. Don't get angry at Mary again..."

"Okay, I won't get angry."

I'm glad to hear you're going home.

But I don't even have a phone, so how can I contact you?

No, let's not think about it too deeply. Any more riddles and I'll get a headache.

I waved and said goodbye to Mary.

Then she turned her head and went back to where she came.

Chapter two boss Mary... She's a person of interest.

I watched her as I signaled to the children to come out quickly.

They rushed off and went out of Mary's perceptible range.

I barely caught my breath and followed the kids.

At Ha-rim's eyes asking who that monster was, I quietly said "I'll tell you at school, so let's just go for now."

Phew. I'm getting really tired.

I have to go back and rest.

...

Back at school, I explained to Kyeong-min about the red notebook. It's not a finished artifact yet, but it should be usable.

If Eun-jeong's artifact is in charge of purifying and buffing, Kyeong-min's one is in charge of debuffing.

Before acquiring [Evil Beast's Eye], you can use [Slow], which is a downgraded version of [Restriction].

With Eun-jeong's [Speed], the compatibility is good.

Kyeong-min didn't like the fact that the notebook was stained with blood.

However, being able to use a magical artifact was too attractive.

When I sat around having dinner with the children, Ha-rim brought up the topic of what happened during the day.

"Ella. Who is that monster called Mary?"

"Hm... Have you ever heard of [Mary's Phone Call]?

At this moment, Kyeong-min took out his notebook, flipped through the pages and read the information he knew. Most of the contents matched the information I had.

"The girl you saw during the day is Mary, the monster of that story."

"As expected."

Ha-rim herself had an idea about Mary's identity, as it was a famous story. But the real question was something else.

"Is Ella close to Mary?"

Eun-jeong asks me. This is what I was curious about. Friendship between monsters is a new information even for me to hear.

However, if I recklessly say that I am close, wouldn't my position become ambiguous...

"It's a familiar face. But we're not very close. Even if I tell not to, she would kill you if she saw you?"

I said while staring at Suho in particular.

In each chapter, one child dies, and in the last chapter, only Ha-rim survives and fights the last boss.

Originally, if Kyeong-min died in chapter one, Suho would die in chapter two.

While trying to protect Eun-jeong from Mary, who suddenly appeared behind, he is stabbed instead.

Suho has the shield, and I'm present, so it won't go the way it was originally.

Still, the risk is unavoidable.

"Ella will warn you in advance, if Mary decides to attack, it isn't guaranteed that even she can stop it."

The words made the children nervous. I showed them a brute force to deal with even the largest monsters without getting hurt.

Even with the body of a delicate girl, no one will think that I am weak.

Because of this, my words will sound heavier.

After all, the difference in strength between me, the prologue boss, and Mary, who was weak and was barely able to attack, was too great.

No matter how much I absorb monsters and become stronger little by little, I can't win while protecting everyone.

Our only option is to avoid and hold out as much as possible until "they" arrive.

"If Mary attacks, don't intervene and run away. We're not ready to take her down. The situation is different from last time, so don't even think that you can survive if you do well. If you don't follow my words, I will not help you."

If they intervene like last time, one person will definitely die.

But if I fight alone, I will be able to survive by wasting time.

Assuming that there is a marked mirror left, if I hide in it, Mary can't harm me.

"The answer?"

"...Okay."

After hearing Ha-rim, I put the remaining macaron into my mouth, Hmm! What an amazing sweetness.

"Come on guys, don't be too nervous. Mary went back without doing anything, and we've been doing great so far!"

Ha-rim brought an object to relieve the heavy mood. It was something like wooden sticks in a circular cup, and it was used for drawing lots.

"Oh, was that in the teacher's office?"

When Suho asked, Ha-rim nodded.

"It's used when choosing someone to stay on duty, and the person who draws the special stick loses. But today's game is not that, but a king's game!"¹

King Game. A game in which the person who draws the prize becomes the king and gives orders. You have to give orders by naming them by number, and the king cannot know the number.

I heard that it's often done at drinking parties, but since I was always bullied, I had no reason to play drinking games.

I might be a little expectant.

Ha-rim put the cup in the middle of the group, and everyone pulled the sticks at the same time. What I held in my hand was the winning stick.

I was thrilled inside. I, who was called the ghost of misfortune, won the prize! It was nothing short of a miracle. This is because the unlucky constitution disappeared when the body changed.

If you look at it differently, it would be strange if I was still unlucky.

I gave the order while shaking the winning stick in triumph.

"Number one, imitate a dog."

Then, Kyeong-min sighed and stood on all fours.

"Woof..."

As if embarrassed, Kyeong-min lowered his head. I couldn't hold back the burst of laughter and made fun of him.

"Ahahaha! He said woof woof! Aren't you quite good at this?

"..."

It looks like his hands are shaking, but I'm sure he isn't angry, right?

We put the sticks back in the cup. Ha-rim closed her eyes and mixed them around.

We pull out.

Another winning stick! I said with a relaxed smile.

"Hm... Number two, handstands for one minute."

"Eek!"

Is it Eun-jeong this time? Seeing her like that, I laughed.

She leaned against the wall and grunted.

After the hard work, she was out of breath.

"Hm... Eun-jeong, didn't you need to exercise? Shouldn't you thank me?"

"..."

I continued to draw the winning stick after that. Even I felt uncomfortable with myself.

But it was purely accidental, so the children were speechless.

Me, who became king, made Suho and Kyeong-min hug, made Eun-jeong jump like a rabbit, and made Ha-rim tell her embarrassing dark history.

Finding out what the children disliked, I persistently dug into that weakness and ordered it.

And at the end, I couldn't stand still and made fun of them.

A situation where the head is dominated by the body.

POV Switch - 3rd Person

The kids planned to give only light penalties, considering that if they became king, Ella would be angry with the punishment.

Even though they became quite close, they still had fear of the monster named Ella.

"Ahahaha! Aren't you guys really luck? Without me, you wouldn't be able to live even one second in this world? Hmm... What would be the cause of death? Accidentally hit by an old chandelier and die? Something like that~?"

But now, in the hearts of the children, they were filled with only the desire to take revenge on Ella's depravity, which was fueled by her excitement.

Ella, who had been babbling according to her bodily instinct, did not stop mocking until the moment she put the stick back.

POV Switch - Ella

"Um~ Let's see."

I checked the stick. Tsk, number three. Not the king this time. Well, it's not like I'm being punished for not being the king, so I regained my relaxed smile.

It was Ha-rim who held the winning stick.

However, Ha-rim's expression was strange. It was the first time I saw such a cruel expression. She was looking at me as if she was looking at her enemy.

Did I mess around too much? Looking back, maybe I was too immersed.

Being excited while playing is no different from a child.

I will have to restrain myself.

But she doesn't know my number, so even if she wants to take revenge, she can't.

As soon as I realized that, ridicule came out without my knowledge.

"You want revenge? But what? You don't know my number, so you can't punish me."

Oops.

...It doesn't matter.

Originally, the strong enjoy many things.

Today is a lucky day.

No chance for revenge.

I was proud!

[Luck].²

Until Ha-rim's necklace shines.

"Number three."

It was a voice colder than a Yuki-onna breath.³

I involuntarily shuddered. It must have been quite a shock to have her dark history exposed.

Was it too embarrassing to go to a supernatural spot for the club leader assignment and get startled multiple times by animals that jumped out?

I waited patiently for the punishment.

"Get tickled by everyone."

"Pft."

What is this? Tickling doesn't hurt, and I can't feel it very well.

You call this revenge? Is it because they are kids?

However, the eyes of the children approaching me were unusual.

I gulped and stepped out of the mirror.

I raised both my arms as a sign to tickle me.

Ha-rim came up behind me and touched my armpit.

"Kya?!"

Ah. What happened? Even if it just brushed by?

"Wait a moment..."

Alas, Ha-rim didn't stop. I knew for the first time that tickling can be painful.

"Hu! Ha! Ahahahaha! Stop! Ahahahaha!"

After making a lot of embarrassing noises, Ha-rim let go of me.

I shuddered. I never thought tickling could be this scary.

I didn't know because I had never been tickled by anyone.

"Phew... Is it over?"

But this time, Suho grabbed my shoulders from the back and Eun-jeong pulled me down.

Kyeong-min was looking at my body and estimating where I would be weak.

Ah.

All of them are angry.

"Wait a minute. Ella admits she was playing too far. But Ella doesn't think she'll be very happy if it continues."

"..."

"Even a monster can make mistakes. It's a game for Ella in the first place, so shouldn't Ella have fun?"

"..."

"Are... Are you angry? Are you going to get mad? Hm? I'm going to pull the knife and swing it. If you quit now, I will forgive you... Huh?!"

At that moment, my head was hit with a stimulus that would cause my body to squirm. Why? Why aren't you guys afraid of me yet?!

"Ahahahahaha! Heh! Ah! Hahaha!"

Foot, waist, and armpits are trampled. It was even more ruthless because they were children.

These guys are demons. Devils! My lungs hurt, and one second equals one year. Why the hell did they do such a nasty thing!

Especially Kyeong-min and Suho! Are you guys getting revenge for the teasing from the last time.

Please make this hell end.

POV Switch - 3rd Person

"...He... Ha... Ahaha... Uhh..."

As a result of the revenge, Ella, who had been tickled until the children's anger were relieved, was limp. Eun-jeong looked at her anxiously.

"Ha-rim, Ella is broken..."

Ella was staring into space with dead eyes.

It was shocking that Ha-rim had made Ella, who was terrifying even to herself, get to this point. What if she got up and slashed with her knife.

But if she really didn't like it, she could just stab everyone and get out.

Letting herself get pranked like this means Ella must think of them as true friends!

Realizing that, Ha-rim said with a pleasant smile.

"Hm... Let's end the game with this."

Ha-rim helped Ella return to the mirror by raising her up, helping her recover quicker.

And, of course, she gave Ella chocolates of apology.

With today as an opportunity, Ella and the children have became friends who could exchange pranks without realizing it.

On one hand, Ella flinched and was startled at the mere sight of the bending motion of their fingers, but she couldn't bear to be mad at the kids.

And on the other hand, it was the first time of her life that she laughed so wildly while afraid of tickling, so it's a secret that she felt a strange sense of relief.