Ch.160160 – Possessed by a Ghost

<160 – Possessed by a Ghost>

“I’ve heard that students are being disturbed by some unsavory rumors spreading around campus recently. As a professor of the senior class, let me say a few words to you all.”

During Professor Platton’s senior class physical training lecture.

The senior students looked expectantly at Professor Platton, who was showing a surprisingly professional demeanor for once.

It’s not true, right, Professor?

It’s just a false rumor, right?

Faced with the bright-eyed first-years’ gazes, Professor Platton laughed heartily and struck a Front Double Biceps pose, a bodybuilding stance that emphasized his front biceps and lats.

“The rumor that students might die during midterms is incorrect!”

“Hooray!”

“That’s our Professor Platton!”

Flex!

The professor dynamically flexed his muscles and continued with a gleaming white smile.

“‘Weak students will die.’ That is the correct truth, so never misunderstand about the midterms!”

“Wow…”

“That’s our Professor Platton…”

The first-year senior class students were deflated upon learning that the rumors weren’t exaggerated at all.

However, among the first-years, the skilled students didn’t show any signs of fear.

Simply put, if you had the skills, there was no reason to fear no matter how ominous the rumors were.

“Please move!! I’ll give you 5700 pieces of carrots, so move, I said!!”

“Heeheeheeheehee!!”

Even those without skills in the senior class had no luxury to harbor fear.

The triathlon, culminating in the equestrian course.

A test where students had to cover a set distance using a mount they had tamed.

To pass the test, they needed to tame their mounts and train them to run quickly.

Rather than fearing the actual exam three weeks away, these students were more terrified of the mounts right in front of them.

“Aren’t you scared, Irene?”

“If something gets in my way, I’ll just freeze it all.”

“…What will you do if you freeze your mount?”

“I’ll call it an ice otter.”

“Irene’s mount really needs to behave…”

While some students had training methods so frightening that they impressed their classmates, their mounts were terrified of them.

“Oknodie, you chose a golem, right?”

“Yep!”

“How are you going to train it?”

Isabelle, holding a disc in her hand, was trying to push back a large dog that was jumping up and down, but finding it difficult, she threw the disc as far as she could.

The excited dog ran after it, then whined when it saw the disc stuck in my golem’s leg in the middle of the plain.

“Why do I need to train it?”

“…Is that where the difference starts? I can really feel the gap between the top student and regular senior class students.”

“Come on. Golems are gentle mounts, that’s why. Isabelle, you can easily handle your dog just by throwing a disc.”

“But my arm hurts so much from throwing discs all the time. I’m completely exhausted from making time on weekends to increase our bond. It feels like physical training too.”

“Still better than that over there.”

Son Ocheon was clinging to a giraffe that was jumping frantically, trying to shake off the annoying monkey. It ran toward the mountains, ramming into trees and rocks with its entire body in a complete frenzy.

As several trees fell with loud thuds that shook the ground, more students sighed in relief that they hadn’t chosen giraffes.

“I’m just going to train.”

“I envy you. I wish I had that luxury.”

“Good luck!”

After seeing Isabelle off, I did some light warm-ups, rotating my shoulders and stretching my legs to increase my range of motion.

The most efficient training is skill experience training.

And skill experience points are awarded based on specific actions.

Like drawing a bowstring for archery.

Or making cutting motions for swordsmanship.

Once experience reaches a certain level, simple actions no longer earn points, and more difficult, complex, precise, or challenging actions must be repeated or performed in sequence.

People who don’t know these tricks just work hard randomly and feel like “I worked hard and somehow my experience increased!”

Of course, veterans who know the judgment triggers don’t waste time with such inefficient training.

“Hey! I told you to stay still. Curl your legs more so you’re easier to roll, and keep your arms tucked in so they don’t stick out!”

My efficient skill training method was golem rolling.

Pushing and pulling a heavy object simultaneously trains <Archery>, <Swordsmanship>, and <Physical Arts>.

Additionally, depending on the distance pushed, it partially fulfills conditions needed for titles like <Strongman> and <One Who Lifted a Golem at Age 11>.

“Heave!”

As I strained like a weightlifter, rolling the golem like a boulder, it was natural that bewildered stares poured in from around me.

Since this was riding training time.

Even if I tried to gain favor to ride it later, tormenting a golem when time was short might look quite bizarre to onlookers.

“Oknodie. What’s good about doing that?”

“It’s good for many things!”

“Then should I try it too?”

Somehow Hestia, another golem owner, started rolling her golem beside me.

The stares from around us grew even more bewildered, but I deliberately ignored the piercing gazes.

“I’ll give you feed! I’ll advance your winter feed and give it to you now, so please run! I’m not even asking for an S grade, just help me get at least a B+ grade!”

Compared to Honer FriedChicken, who was being dragged around while desperately begging his horse, whatever I did looked relatively normal.

* * *

[You have performed comprehensive training of various skills by rolling, pulling, and throwing a golem.]

[Archery experience +15]

[Physical Arts experience +10]

[Swordsmanship experience +5]

[Fear Inducement experience +3]

[Strength increases by 1 point.]

[You acquire the title <One Who Lifted a Golem at Age 11>.]

[Title effect: Strength increases by 1 point.]

[You acquire the title <Developer of Golem Kettlebell Training Method>.]

[Title effect: Strength increases by 1 point.]

[Sharing this training method will significantly increase your reputation.]

As I was busy pushing, rolling, pulling, and lifting the golem for training, I felt a gaze much hotter and more intense than the students’ stares.

It was so intense that I couldn’t ignore it, and I turned around in surprise, wondering if something was actually on fire, to find Professor Platton standing behind me.

“Oknodie. Would you like to join the Superhuman Strength Club? I’m the faculty advisor, and that strength of yours seems more than sufficient for membership!”

“I-I’m sorry. I was thinking of joining another club…”

“Who dares to set their sights on you! Just tell me. Before summer vacation, I’ll crush that club!!”

“…”

Would you tell him if you were me?

He’s saying to my face that he’ll crush that club.

“Um, I have another lecture to attend, so I’ll be going now!”

Thankfully, I was attending Professor Destroyer’s lecture. Thanks to that, Professor Platton reluctantly let me go.

If I hadn’t had a lecture to attend, or if the professor of that lecture had been even slightly weaker or less intimidating, I might have been captured by Professor Platton and dragged to the Superhuman Strength Club…

The mere thought is terrifying.

“Professor, can I lift that too?”

“Hestia? Hmm, you were handling your golem well too. Good. I’ll let you observe once!”

Oh dear…

I pray for Hestia who has made the wrong choice.

* * *

Destroyer felt awkward.

Last Sunday.

He had directly interfered with the reunion between Oknodie and her butler.

Even though Oknodie knew about his actions.

For some reason, Oknodie didn’t blame him at all.

Sometimes issues that aren’t addressed become more uncomfortable.

That’s how he felt now.

‘This is driving me crazy. If she were a male student, I could just grab him and ask what’s bothering him.’

Oknodie is a female student.

And only 11 years old.

Even if he had tormented a despicable foundation official, she’s still a student young enough that it wouldn’t be strange for her to have a stuffed animal in her bedroom.

The blanket she always uses might be her comfort blanket.

There’s no reason she wouldn’t have a comfort butler.

People get upset when someone touches their cherished possessions, so how would they feel about a cherished butler?

‘I acted terribly because my emotions got ahead of me.’

Hiding the awkwardness that was difficult to express, Destroyer tried to lighten his burden by giving hints about the upcoming exam.

“You might be worried about the midterms soon, but don’t worry too much. My lecture automatically awards points just for attendance.”

“I wasn’t particularly worried!”

“Well, I suppose midterms wouldn’t be much of a concern for a student who easily answers questions from the Hero’s Adventure Tales, even if it was just a mock exam.”

To ease his guilty conscience, he needed to provide more substantial information.

“About the negative energy spreading on campus?”

“I know about that!”

“And about parents appearing as ghosts?”

“I helped one find peace and even received a reward!”

Seeing the ring on her finger, he couldn’t help but admire her proactive nature.

“Then do you know there’s more than one ghost?”

“Huh??”

“I see you didn’t know that.”

Now I can finally clear my conscience.

Destroyer happily shared the information.

“Negative energy attracts ghosts, and ghosts disguise themselves as beings close to the living to absorb their vitality from nearby. Usually, people notice something off and distance themselves from ghosts or become hostile, but sometimes that’s not the case.”

“Like Titosoga’s ghost papa, appearing in the form of loving parents?”

That’s correct.

Even knowing it’s a ghost, not wanting to get rid of it.

Wanting to keep it close, even if it’s fake.

Listening to and compromising with the ghost’s demands.

That’s how <One Possessed by a Ghost> is born.

“There’s a first-year student who’s becoming possessed by a ghost. Today’s lecture will be replaced with freeing that student.”

“Can you tell me who it is?”

“No problem. You probably know them, Oknodie. They’re in the same senior class and quite noticeable.”

Even among the unique students in the senior class, this student was particularly distinctive.

“It’s definitely that sword-wielding student from the East.”

“Ugh.”

Oknodie, who hadn’t been intimidated even when discussing corpses in sheep during the adventure tales, visibly grimaced and hunched her shoulders.

The Eastern swordsman Sing.

Unlike most people these days, he was quiet and serious, showing some qualities of a hero.

It seems they already knew each other as classmates.