I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game-Chapter 35: Moving Mountain

“Run!”

We bolted without hesitation.

When you don’t know what’s going on, running is always the best option.

A perfect reaction for a horror game!

“I’ve never seen anything like that before. Or more specifically... I’ve never seen monsters combine like that.”

Was it similar to how the Spider Monster parasitized the Buddha Statue Monster?

No... that was more like a symbiotic relationship, not a fusion.

Could creatures of the same type actually merge together?

No way.

As I struggled to make sense of it, an odd beeping sound came from inside James’ coat.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

That sound was familiar.

James pulled out the same device he had used on me before.

The demon detector.

Why was he using that now?

His voice was stiff as he spoke.

“That’s a demon.”

“...What?!”

That thing is a demon?!

“The machine is reacting. It doesn’t have a soul, so it’s not a complete demon, but it definitely falls under the category.”

Then it’s not just a monster.

The unexpected revelation made my head pound.

“A demon...? Why is it here? And what does it have to do with those fused monsters?”

James knew far more about demons than I did, so I bombarded him with questions.

“I don’t know why it’s here. Maybe... it was born in this place.”

“A demon being... born?”

James must have noticed my confusion because he gave me an example.

“If a kingdom performs a coronation ritual properly, a ‘Crown Demon’ is born.”

“If a regular snake is mistaken for a dragon, and an appropriate ritual is performed, a ‘Dragon Demon’ emerges.”

So demons in the outside world could be created that way?

...Damn this overcomplicated lore.

The developers should’ve stuck to what was in the game!

This is why lore-obsessed writers ruin everything—!

Calm down.

Let’s summarize.

“...So as long as the right story and context are established, a specific demon can be created?”

James nodded in approval.

“It’s only a theory. The full details are unknown. And the cost of doing it isn’t small.”

“But if my guess is right... this world’s ‘monsters’ are incredibly efficient at demon creation.”

“I don’t know what kind of context was established, but that thing’s power is immense.”

Anyone could see that just by looking at its massive form.

It might even be stronger than Mary.

At the very least, we couldn’t win in a direct fight.

Shhhhhh

The cold rain soaked us completely.

I couldn’t read its expression since its head was a radio, but I could tell it was smart enough to take out the firepower team first.

Even this rain—there was a reason for it.

Crackle—

“Damn it! Ha-rim, get the white doll from my bag!”

[Breaking news. The rain contains high levels of acidity. Citizens, please allow your brains to melt. Let your bones form a mountain. Surrender your souls and become discarded flesh.]

Raindrops, laced with pure malice, cut through the air, aiming straight for us.

But they never reached us.

Because of Ha-rim’s doll.

It was a teru teru bozu, a weather charm.

The kind that was called “sunshine dolls” in Korea and Japan.

It had the power to clear the weather, blocking the rain’s effectiveness.

Kyung-min shouted.

“The raindrops are floating in midair!”

The acid rain was suspended, moving as if it were trying to return to the clouds.

Even with the doll, the sky wasn’t completely clearing up.

“It’s a battle of power.”

The demon’s force, trying to make it rain—

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Versus our weather charm, trying to clear the sky.

Since the charm only worked on weather, we probably wouldn’t lose.

As the mist evaporated, the demon’s true form became clear.

“...Are we supposed to defeat that thing?”

Eun-jung’s voice trembled.

I patted her shoulder to reassure her.

“We don’t have a choice.”

[Back.]

A floating sign suddenly appeared in midair.

It forced our bodies to turn around.

“I can’t control my movements!”

We were now heading straight toward the Radio Demon.

It was pulling us in.

[Right. Left. Forward.]

“I’ll use the cross!”

Maria’s holy cross shone brightly.

The malicious force manipulating our bodies disappeared.

Her cross was incredibly powerful, but it had limited uses.

We needed a real solution before we ran out of options.

Seeing that its sign-based attack had failed, the Junk Demon changed tactics.

Crackle—

What’s it planning now?

[Attention. The train to Seoul is now departing.]

BAAAAAAAANG—!

A train came barreling toward us from the right.

Even if I got hit, it would be a fatal wound.

“Dodge!”

The kids screamed, barely twisting their bodies out of the way.

That ability was way too dangerous.

We had space here, so dodging was possible.

But if we were in a tight area, there was no way we could escape.

Not just the kids—even James and Maria would be at risk.

Radio broadcasts...

More dangerous than I thought.

Since its abilities were made from fused monsters, there had to be a weakness.

We needed to find it.

[We are junk. Empty, discarded junk. By becoming one, we gain meaning. A father’s recognition is a son’s primal desire. Our girl is no longer relevant.]

My body tingled.

Another curse.

I could feel it.

A curse of instant death.

If it hit me, my organs would spill out, leaving my body completely hollow.

[Does the father also seek his grandfather’s recognition? The first question. Pain.]

“Ugh, can you shut up already? Also, trains don’t honk their horns like that.”

Ding-a-ling— Ding-a-ling—

Eun-jung rang her bell, dispersing the curse.

Then—

Ding!

She rang it differently, and our bodies felt lighter.

A speed buff.

Now we could outrun it.

With more room to breathe, we started discussing our escape.

“Where do we go?”

“...No idea.”

The school was too far away.

If we ran into a dead end, we’d be trapped in close quarters with the Radio Demon.

That’s when Ha-rim spoke up.

“Ella. You said there was an art museum nearby, right?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“I saw a promotional poster before. There were two huge artworks—one shaped like the sun, the other like the moon.”

Now that she mentioned it...

I had seen something like that in the game, but they were just background objects.

BAAAAAAAANG—!

A train interrupted us again.

But this time, I noticed something.

“They were made of mirrors.

Huge enough for a train to pass through.”

“...!!”

A mirror... big enough for a train.

“We can use its own attacks against it!”

A brilliant idea.

Ha-rim was a true protagonist.

But could I actually pull it off?

It was worth trying.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"It might be possible. But how do you plan on luring it over there?"

The Junk Demon wasn't moving.

It acted leisurely, as if catching us was only a matter of time.

“...Maybe like this?”

Ha-rim pulled out her phone and blasted loud music.

The deafening sound drowned out the demon's radio noise, making it difficult to hear.

[...]

"Not bad. Its power is based on sound, and you disrupted it with more sound."

James seemed impressed.

And honestly? So was I.

"We defeated a sound-based monster at school before. If this works, then maybe—"

[Gggiii...ggggkk...]

Before she could even finish speaking, the demon moved.

The ground trembled.

From its massive body, scythe-like legs shot out, lifting it up.

[GGGGKkkkkk!]

It let out a sharp metallic screech and charged straight at us.

It looked like a centipede.

Not in length, but in the way its many legs carried it forward, swarming toward us.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

"-I expected it to come after us, but seeing it up close is terrifying!"

"Ella, separate from us and head toward the museum. We need to hear the broadcast to lure the train."

"Are you sure about this, Ha-rim? The demon will ignore Ella since she can resist the broadcast. It'll come after you instead."

"Leave it to me!"

Her face wasn’t afraid.

It was filled with adventure and excitement.

Seeing that, I felt an unshakable trust in her.

"Then I’ll move ahead and clear out any weaker creatures."

I rushed forward, far ahead of the others.

Absorbing creatures had made me faster than anyone.

There! A weak monster ahead.

"Out of my way!"

-----

Seeing Ella’s blinding speed, the others couldn’t help but admire her.

The asphalt cracked beneath her steps.

If she collided with something, there’d be nothing left of it.

"Let’s speed up too."

"This is already our max speed!"

Crack! Crack!

Buildings collapsed as twisted trees sprouted from the ground, only to be sliced apart by the Junk Demon’s blade-like legs.

The sound of destruction cut through the music.

Even though they couldn't see it, they could feel it getting closer.

"Eun-jung, keep shaking the bell! Make sure we don’t slow down."

"Ugh, my arms are killing me, but okay!"

"Soo-ho, block the debris with your shield!"

"Got it! I’ll protect us!"

And then—

"Kyung-min, can you stop it with your book?"

"I’ll try!"

Kyung-min opened his notebook and moved his hands in a strange pattern.

Suddenly, chains burst from the concrete, grabbing the demon's legs.

It stumbled.

"Did it work?!"

Crack.

The chains ripped free from the ground.

I didn’t expect it to hold anyway.

"That’s impossible!"

Even so, it had bought them time.

The demon had relied too much on its radio power, letting them get this far.

Now, that overconfidence would be its downfall.

They were already too close to their target.

But then—

“...Something’s wrong.”

James turned back.

The Junk Demon had stopped moving.

"What's it doing?"

Its body twisted, bulging unevenly.

“...Wings?”

From its misshapen body, hundreds of objects sprouted bat-like wings.

Desks.

Erasers.

Random junk with wings.

And then—

The demon started chasing them again.

"It’s trying to slow us down."

Soo-ho bashed the flying debris aside with his shield, but it wasn’t enough.

"Ha-rim, they’re targeting you!"

The flying creatures swarmed past Soo-ho’s defense, closing in.

Maria ran toward them, cross in hand.

I really don’t want to waste that! Can I avoid them...?

"Don’t worry! Sister, save your cross!"

I pulled out a bamboo sword from my bag.

This wasn’t ordinary.

Ella had told me it had a strange exorcism effect, pushing creatures away.

If they were weak enough, it could even deal damage.

I dodged every single attack by a hair’s breadth—then swung my sword.

[Luck] [Survival]

Crack! Crack!

"You dodged all of them?! Ha-rim, are you sure you’re just a grade schooler?"

The flying junk was flimsy, crumbling easily.

Maybe their weak connection points were the demon’s weak spot.

Creak!

"Ah."

A desk with wings lunged at me.

I couldn’t deflect it in time.

James pressed a button on his glove and stepped in.

"Your reflexes are impressive. A waste of talent, really."

Boom!

He punched the desk creature out of existence.

"Thanks!"

Almost there.

The massive moon-shaped sculpture, made entirely of mirrors, stood before us.

Shattered decorations scattered around the area—evidence that Ella had already passed through to the other side.

"It caught up. Dodge!"

James shouted at me.

I turned—

And the demon’s scythe-like arm was already swinging down.

"Tch!"

Soo-ho rushed in, raising his shield.

I nearly screamed.

This wasn’t like the previous attacks—

This one had weight behind it.

I could already see it happening—

The shield failing, Soo-ho getting gravely injured—

"Maria!"

"On it!"

Maria lifted her cross—

And Soo-ho’s shield glowed.

At the same time, James placed his hand on the shield from behind, reinforcing it.

BOOOOOOOM!

A thunderous crash shook the area.

But...

Soo-ho and James were unharmed.

"Half of my gloves’ suppression power is gone."

[Gggkk...]

The demon staggered.

"What did you just do?"

"I simply returned the favor."

As the demon wavered, we rushed into the building behind the moon sculpture.

Now, all that was left was for Ella to get into position.

But she wasn't here yet.

The museum was huge, and getting from the front to the back took time.

It wasn’t impossible, but—

"Let’s hide inside!"

"No!"

I immediately refused.

Going into the building would ruin the entire plan.

If we hid, we’d lose our chance to use the train against it.

And the museum wasn’t even safe.

If we were going to win, we needed the train.

"I can’t hold out anymore. My arms... they’re done."

Soo-ho’s voice was strained.

He couldn’t block another attack.

We were out of time.

My mind felt clouded.

Fear was blurring my judgment.

I took a deep breath—

And sharpened my focus.

Humans wander as long as they struggle to survive.

But even in uncertainty, we must never abandon the will to fight.

I snapped my eyes open.

"We hold our ground!"

"How? No one can block it anymore!"

"Hmm..."

...Wait.

Does it have to be a person blocking it?

"Kyung-min, use your book to anchor the shield!"

"Huh?"

"Chain it to the museum’s pillars and walls! Turn it into a barrier!"

"Got it!"

If the recoil from the impact transferred into the building, we wouldn’t need someone to take the brunt of it.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Chains wrapped around the shield, securing it to the pillars and walls.

The shield’s strength didn’t come from its material.

It was imbued with spiritual energy—

Meaning, even just sitting there, it would still serve as protection.

[Gggkkkggkk...]

BOOOOM!

The demon attacked again.

Luckily, one hit wasn’t enough to break through.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Crack. Crack.

The pillars and walls supporting the barrier began to crack.

I didn’t think of this as a failure.

If anything, the demon now recognized the shield as a threat.

If it knew one more hit would destroy the wall,

Why wasn’t it attacking the empty space on the left?

This was a waiting game.

It was all up to whether Ella made it in time or not.

"One more hit and the wall’s gone."

James adjusted his gloves.

"Maria, we hold the line. The rest of you, run."

"I’m sorry we couldn’t protect you until the end."

Before I could argue, James and Maria stepped forward.

James pressed a button on his glove.

Maria raised her cross.

The demon's arm swung down.

And then—

The mirror sculpture trembled.

Ella!

-----

Standing in front of the sun-shaped mirror sculpture, I locked onto the moon mirror in the distance.

BAAAAAANG!

This damn train had chased us relentlessly.

It had been useful for dealing with other creatures, but now?

It was time to say goodbye.

I stepped into the mirror.

And faced the oncoming train.

Failure wasn’t an option.

I knew I was attempting something beyond my usual ability.

But I was going to force it to work.

I wasn’t going to follow the rules.

I was going to bend reality itself.

I summoned my inner instinct—not as a monster—

But as something ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) even more fundamental.

A whisper filled my mind.

Do as you please.

Demons are meant to be willful.