Ch.42042 – Hallway Conquest Strategy 2

# 042 – Corridor Attack Strategy #2

I didn’t invite Yu Dahui to the corridor.

But Yu Dahui was in this “Nightmare Corridor.”

And now she was shouting at us to get out of “1-4” quickly.

Having turned many crises into opportunities before, I understood exactly what was happening.

Yu Dahui’s true identity.

It was probably…

“Dahui. Yu Dahui. I have a favor to ask. Would you come into classroom 4?”

I invited Yu Dahui into classroom 4 to confirm her true identity.

Ghosts couldn’t enter this classroom 4 filled with talismans.

If Yu Dahui was a ghost, then she wouldn’t be able to enter either.

The clever Jeongseok seemed to read my thoughts and added:

“Yeah! Yu Dahui! Come in here quickly!”

“Come in! Come in!”

“…You guys, this isn’t the time to be doing that! You need to get out of there quickly!”

We were trying to make Yu Dahui come in while she was trying to get us out of the classroom.

The meaning of this situation was very clear.

“The third ghost’s identity was Yu Dahui all along! The reason she knew about the ghost that no one had ever seen because everyone who met it died was because she herself was the third ghost!”

Yu Dahui’s identity.

She was definitely the third ghost, “??? Ghost,” that appears in the corridor!

The third ghost’s identity was the “High School Girl Ghost”!

“Yu Dahui, how could you deceive us! I trusted you! I trusted you! You bitch!”

“G-get away!”

Both Jeongseok and I shouted angrily at Yu Dahui, expressing our fury at being deceived and our fear.

Please go away!

If Yu Dahui stays in front of classroom 4, we can’t escape!

If she keeps guarding this place, we’re trapped like mice!

“……”

At that moment, Yu Dahui looked around.

Then, as if something caught her attention or she noticed something, she suddenly ran off somewhere.

“She’s gone!”

“Yeongwon! We drove the ghost away!”

Just as Jeongseok and I were hugging each other and jumping for joy, we heard a jingling sound—ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling. Jeongseok’s body stiffened.

“Hey. This sound is…”

“Yes. It’s the Shaman Ghost we met during the feng shui ghost incident.”

Ding-a-ling.

Ding-a-ling.

Something approached from the end of the corridor, shaking a bundle of bells in its hand.

Its appearance was quite visible because it held a candle in its other hand.

It was a woman wearing colorful traditional clothes.

Even from a distance, her face was visibly hideous, with a long, protruding tongue.

“Ugh, shit, that’s scary.”

Rattle.

I closed the classroom door.

I knew the Shaman Ghost couldn’t enter “1-4,” but I did it just in case.

Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling.

The bell sound grew closer.

The Shaman Ghost’s creepy muttering became audible as the distance narrowed.

“Where is it can’t see can’t see where is it can’t see can’t see where where where.”

It still sounded like it was searching for something.

What could the Shaman Ghost be looking for?

While I was thinking about this, Jeongseok, who was hiding under a desk, whispered curiously:

“But Yeongwon. Yu Dahui just ran away somewhere. Didn’t it look like she was fleeing from this Shaman Ghost? I thought ghosts didn’t harm each other?”

Was that it?

Come to think of it, Yu Dahui’s actions did look like she knew the Shaman Ghost was coming from far away and left because of it.

I didn’t know what that meant, but what mattered was getting rid of the Shaman Ghost and meeting up with Yang Juhui.

Rattle.

Just then, the door to “1-4” opened.

A chill ran down my spine, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

“Here it is here it is here here here it is here.”

The Shaman Ghost opened the door to 1-4…?

Weren’t ghosts unable to enter 1-4?

Even Yu Dahui didn’t come in earlier!

While I was panicking—

Jingle-jingle.

The Shaman Ghost entered classroom “1-4” one step at a time, making bell sounds.

Jeongseok and I must have thought the same thing.

We’re fucked.

We both crouched under desks.

We held our breath, covered our mouths and noses, and remained completely still to avoid making even the slightest sound.

Jingle-jingle.

“Where is it here it is where here it is can’t see can’t see dark come out now.”

Softly. Softly.

The Shaman Ghost circled around the classroom in her sock-covered feet.

I couldn’t understand how she avoided bumping into desks and chairs when it seemed like she couldn’t see.

Jingle-jingle.

The Shaman Ghost finally brushed past the desk where I was hiding.

I felt a tingling sensation run from my tailbone to my head, and the excitement from the tension made me dizzy.

It truly felt like a near-death experience.

The one fortunate thing was that, as we expected, the Shaman Ghost “couldn’t see.”

Please just leave—

As I was thinking this, something unexpected happened.

“Ugh.”

A stench so strong it made me want to vomit began to assault my nose. This was similar to what happened with the various lockers and trash cans that had talismans attached to them.

I tried my best to hold back my nausea.

But the problem was Jeongseok, who had grown up as a rich young master and had no tolerance for such foul odors.

“Bleeegh!”

Jeongseok made a loud noise as if he couldn’t bear it any longer and vomited.

That’s when it happened.

Jingle!

The bell sound rang loudly, and the Shaman Ghost, who had been moving as if about to leave the classroom, turned her shoulders dramatically, looked at Jeongseok, and smiled with her creepy face.

“Foooouuuund yoooouuuu! Kihihihihihi! Hihihihihihi!”

It was a truly horrifying situation.

A woman with a mouth split to her ears, sticking out her long tongue, charging at Jeongseok.

Jeongseok was so startled that he fell over with a thud, and I had no idea what would happen if we stayed like this.

I… had to make a decision.

“Hey! Hey! Hey! Over here! Here! You shaman bitch! You fucking bitch! Over here! Waaah! Waaah!”

I stood up and deliberately made a lot of noise.

I banged on the desk and screamed terribly.

Honestly, I was terrified.

I felt like I might have a heart attack at any moment, but thanks to my new trait “Strong Heart,” I was somehow able to endure.

“Why did you kill yourself at school and become a ghost, you fucking nuisance! Aaaaargh!”

Jingle-jingle-jingle!

“Kihihihihihi! Hihihihihihi!”

The Shaman Ghost started running toward me. With her mouth wide open. Her mouth, split to her ears, looked big enough to swallow my head whole.

How could a woman with no eyes run so fast!

I immediately started running too.

If I stopped even for a moment, I’d be caught, and I couldn’t imagine what would happen then.

One thing was certain: if I stopped, I was fucked!

“Aaaaargh! Aaaaaaaaaaargh!”

I screamed wildly while desperately trying to hold back the feeling that I might wet my pants.

Right now, I was like a walking siren.

Of course, there was a reason I was screaming like this.

“Hey! What! What is it! You’re Ha Yeongwon, right! What’s going on!”

Yang Juhui!

Yang Juhui appeared in the corridor!

Yang Juhui with a lighter in her hand was like light itself!

I could now understand how the people of Gondor felt when they saw Rohan’s cavalry!

“Hey! Juhui! Help me! Help me! Stab her with your knife! Stab the shaman bitch with your knife!!!”

I was screaming not only to draw the Shaman Ghost’s aggro away from Jeongseok but also to bring Yang Juhui over to us.

I thought Yang Juhui would definitely come toward us if she heard the noise!

“Y-y-you fucking bitch!”

Padadadadat—

Yang Juhui seemed to be running toward me but then lunged at the Shaman Ghost and forcefully slashed her face with a box cutter!

Jingle!

“Aaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!”

The Shaman Ghost screamed in a voice filled with anger and pain, clutching her face.

“It worked! Juhui, good job! Let’s go! Quickly! Let’s get Jeongseok and go!”

When Yang Juhui stabbed the Head Ghost in the elevator with a knife, the ghost suffered for about 20 seconds. We needed to use these 20 seconds to retrieve Jeongseok and escape to the safest place possible.

Of course, now that “1-4” was ruined by the stench, where could be safe!

“Hey! Jeongseok! Are you there!”

“Y-yeah!”

Jeongseok had fallen down near “1-4,” unable to properly escape.

He was a total coward.

But that was fortunate for us!

If he had run too far, it would have been difficult to regroup!

Flap!

After Jeongseok joined us, I unfolded the map using Yang Juhui’s lighter as a light source.

First, we needed to find a place to hide!

“The faculty office! There’s a faculty office!”

Jeongseok pointed to the faculty office marked on the map.

But as I remembered, the faculty office was locked.

“The faculty office is locked!”

“Locked? Then nearby… the broadcasting room! There’s a broadcasting room!”

Thanks to Jeongseok quickly reading the map, we were able to set our target.

# # #

Fortunately, the broadcasting room wasn’t locked.

It was a place with various soundproofing setups, so when we closed the door, it felt like the surroundings became quiet for a moment.

Ring-ring-ring!

“Aaaaaaah!”

But outside, we could still hear the maddening bell sounds and a woman’s screams.

The muttering that had seemed like searching for something was now filled with screams full of malice, hatred, and murderous intent after being stabbed by Yang Juhui’s knife.

If we were discovered… we’d be fucked.

“Ha Yeongwon. I’ve been looking at the map, and it seems like the parts with red lines indicate locked doors. The faculty office has a red door, right? This broadcasting room has a blue door.”

“Oh. Now that you mention it.”

Jeongseok wasn’t much help when we encountered ghosts, but when it came to planning strategies or analyzing situations, he was almost flying-level helpful.

Looking at this map, we can know in advance which doors are locked and which are open—that’s what it means.

Maps are fucking awesome! From now on, I should send class president Jeong Sojin into the corridor more to bring back good items!

“Phew…”

My legs gave out, and I slumped down in the broadcasting room.

Soon, Yang Juhui asked:

“Hey. What happened?”

“We don’t know the details either. A ghost entered ‘1-4.’ Before that, Yu Dahui was there.”

I explained the situation briefly.

Yang Juhui became very angry.

“That fucking Yu Dahui! She was a ghost? I had a feeling she might be!”

Yu Dahui was a ghost…

It was an important revelation, but there was something even more important to consider.

Why did the Shaman Ghost enter “1-4,” and why did the stench start spreading?

That was more important to me.

“…Maybe the talismans aren’t like a barrier?”

I had imagined that with talismans, ghosts would think “Tch, a barrier” and not approach.

But the Shaman Ghost just entered “1-4” despite all the talismans.

Jeongseok said:

“Yeongwon. I think it might have an effect similar to the ‘Subtle Perfume’ you had before. Maybe talismans have the effect of minimizing our presence as much as possible? They weren’t perfectly hiding us.”

So talismans don’t block ghosts… they hide our identity when we’re nearby—that’s what it means.

I thought we were invincible with talismans, so I made a lot of noise in “1-4” to call Yang Juhui, and as a result, the Shaman Ghost’s aggro was drawn, and it entered despite the talismans.

It was a plausible theory.

“It seems like talismans emit a stench when ghosts are nearby. Like the trash can we hid in before. So it would have been better not to let ghosts into ‘1-4’ from the beginning.”

Jeongseok concluded.

I agreed with his conclusion and felt like I had done something very regrettable.

Thinking talismans made us invincible, I did something stupid and unnecessarily lost one safe zone.

“…Then did Yu Dahui know about this? Is that why she tried to get us out?”

I recalled when Yu Dahui told us to get out of “1-4.”

What if her actions weren’t meant to lure us out to kill us, but to help us because she knew what was going to happen?

Ah—I don’t know.

Just then, Yang Juhui, who was always rummaging around, seemed to have found something.

“Hey, you guys. Have you seen something like this?”

Yang Juhui was pointing to a large hole.

A hole in the floor.

A hole leading underground.

Whether by coincidence or fate, it was just big enough for one person to fit through!