After a brief moment.
The Corner Game started again.
Thump.
The light was switched off, the door was shut, and darkness enveloped the clubroom completely.
Tick, tock.
In the silence where only the ticking of the clock resonated, the first runner of the Corner Game soon began to move slowly.
Peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-
Thump.
The first runner, who started the game, moved slowly and reached the next corner before touching the person there.
Then, the person there began to move to the next corner as the second runner.
Peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-
Thump.
The third runner in line began to move from the third corner after getting touched by the second runner.
Peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-
Thump.
Finally, the last runner was touched by the third runner.
The last runner slowly began to move to the first corner, which had long been emptied.
Peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-
The last runner returned to the corner from where the game first started.
That corner was now empty because the first person who had been staying there had already moved to the next corner.
The last runner slowly approached the corner and hit the empty wall.
Thump.
The game finally reached its end. Silence stretched for a moment after that.
The participants, who were playing the game just now, had their heads decapitated in the darkness without a sound.
Snap. Snap.
However, the person in the last corner stayed still without panicking even a bit. Snap.
Soon, everyone, except for the last runner standing still in the corner was beheaded.
The last survivor was still waiting quietly in the darkness.
All of a sudden, a girl's voice echoed in the pitch black darkness.
"The head of a woman floated in the darkness, giggling at her poor prey. The head of a woman floated in the darkness, giggling at her poor prey."
A little girl's voice babbled happily as she sang in a rhythmic way.
Despite those ominous words, the person standing in the dark corner stayed still in their place without moving a little.
"The head of a woman floated in the darkness, giggling at her poor prey. The head of a woman floated in the darkness, giggling at her poor prey."
Soon, the sound of the last person having his head decapitated was heard in the darkness.
"And she beheaded him."
Snap-
After a while.
The sound of someone frantically running around the clubroom was heard.
The person ran around everywhere crazily, stumbling into the things that had been pushed into the middle.
The ghostly woman with only her head hovering in the air.
She decapitated the head of the last runner and occupied the headless body.
Using her vocal cords, the ghost finally spoke up.
[Hello, my lovely friends. What kind of games would you like to play today? Anything is fun when you're with the hula-dancing duck!]
However, what came out through the mechanical voice was an automated self introduction.
At that sound, we, who had been hiding under the desk until now, slowly poked our heads out.
"It's really working."
I nodded at Jinhee's words while fiddling with the remote control next to her. She muttered lowly while holding a baseball bat in her hand.
* * *
"The most important thing isn't that we have to catch the female ghost, but everyone has to survive and clear the game."
After coming back in time and explaining everything that unfolded during the Corner Game in the previous timeline, we decided to play the game once again.
Therefore, while preparing for the spirit communication in the 6th period, we reviewed the plan again.
"It would be a problem if the checkpoint is set to a different timeline. Understood?"
I emphasized that point and slapped the whiteboard loudly as I explained.
The members all nodded.
"If I turn the time back a few times, we might discover a way to catch that ghost somehow. But!"
I slapped the whiteboard loudly once again as I emphasized each information.
"If even one person dies while clearing the game, all our preparation will be for naught. But everyone dies in silence without even making a sound as soon as the game starts. So we have to come up with a thorough plan before starting the game."
"I understand, stop hitting the whiteboard, Prez."
Gyeongwon raised his glasses as he said in an annoyed tone.
Letting out an embarrassed cough, I continued.
"Anyway, we have to think of a thorough plan. We can play the Corner Game and summon the ghosts with the help of spirit communication as much as we want as I've said before. But if all the members participating in the game die…"
"H, how about someone else playing the game instead of us…..?"
Sunah offered her opinion with hesitation.
"Someone else playing instead of us…"
If that were to happen, those people would be beheaded by that ghost and die.
I could understand Sunah's way of thinking, however, I couldn't act on that.
"Why would someone do such a dangerous thing for us?"
Sunah showed a dispirited look as Dukhun crossed his arms and snorted as he asked. But something clicked in my mind at
Sunah's words.
'Instead… instead.'
Without wasting any time, I told the members what I had just planned.
"How about we use a doll, or a robot to do it for us?"
"Doll?"
The members tilted their heads in puzzlement.
"There are toys or dolls that walk on two feet and can be controlled by a remote control. We can buy four of those and put them in the corners so that they can move from corner to corner instead of us…"
I explained with wide eyes while gesturing excitedly with my hands.
The idea was amusing to the members, so a few of them burst into laughter.
"Using dolls… hilarious…"
"But, didn't you say we can't have electronic devices? That's why you took all the cell phones away earlier."
"That's not necessarily true."
When Jinhee raised a question,
Gyeongwon quietly folded his arms before answering.
"It's true that the general rule for rituals to summon ghosts, which is commonly known as spirit communication, is to not have any electronic devices, including cell phones, around."
"Is there a reason for that?"
"...Well, there are many reasons, but the biggest one is that it hampers the creation of an atmosphere of fear."
"So creating an atmosphere of fear is important for spirit communication?"
"Of course."
I expressed my doubts to Gyeongwon who was firmly nodding.
"But why are dolls and toys an exception? They not only walk on two feet, but they also run on batteries. They should be considered electronic devices, too."
"Well, the reason is a bit ambiguous… a ghost story related to that is coming to mind right now."
"What is the ghost story about?"
"Has anyone heard of 'HANS'?"
"HANS?"
[T/N: HANS is the abbreviated form of Hide and Never Seek, a Korean horror drama about a girl who goes missing while playing a ghostly game of hide-and-never-seek. The drama is based on the ghost story, hide-and-never-seek.]
I raised my hand as the members tilted their heads in confusion.
"I think I've read about it. Isn't it about playing hide-and-seek alone?"
"That's right, Prez. I guess you've been studying a bit lately."
"A little."
"To be precise, it's an abbreviated form of hide-and-never-seek. HANS. This is also a kind of spirit communication. If you're curious about the content, search it on the Internet or ask me later. For now, I'll just get to the conclusion since the solution is urgent."
Gyeongwon shone his glasses as he spoke.
"Dolls are an exception in spirit communication. Since dolls are often used in spirit communication or various curse rituals. I think that's why even if they have a little electronic equipment, it won't have a big effect on summoning ghosts."
"...Really?"
"The ghost story we encountered just now. The science teacher tried to kill Prez using a curse but he used an electronic device, which is a phone, to do that. Even in those curse-related ghost stories, dolls sometimes appear. I think this is because dolls are probably an exception."
After listening to Gyeongwon's words and thinking about it carefully, I felt it was true.
If you think of curses, the image that usually comes to mind is.
The picture of someone hammering nails into a straw doll.
"That's right. Come to think of it, there seem to be a lot of ghost stories featuring dolls as cursed objects."
"Right?"
Everyone nodded with an expression of understanding.
"But where can we buy such dolls in this situation…"
"I can just use the system store."
Quickly opening the Store window, I went to the 'Sports/ Toys' category.
"Let's see. Moving dolls, moving dolls…"
[Clover Enterprise's Reliable and Safe Toddler Toys - Automated Animal Doll Hula-Dancing Duck - 2 points]
"Wow, it's cheap."
2 points with a free remote control.
The toy not only can move around but you can also make it dance using the remote control.
'...Clover. There's nothing these people don't make.'
"Okay. Let's buy it!"
Without hesitation, I ordered four toy ducks using a total of 8 points. Soon, we heard the sound of something falling down in the hallway.
"Let's go and pick them up quickly."
Squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-
[The end of the human era has arrived~]
"Good. It works perfectly fine."
In front of my eyes, duck-shaped dolls the size of my knees were running around the clubroom, each making a squeaking sound while delivering previously recorded messages.
"They're cute."
Sunah smiled as she tried to pat the head of one of the ducks, but it quickly ran away.
[A rolling stone gathers no moss~]
[T/N: 'A rolling stone gathers no moss', is an idiom which means someone or something that does not know how to settle down or stay in one place.]
"Perfect. Now that I've got the dolls."
The club members gathered around the desk again and sat down.
"Is there anything else we need to prepare?"
"First, I think we need to decide who will stay."
"Huh?"
"Even if we use the dolls to play the game, there has to be someone who will have to stay to operate the dolls and catch the ghosts."
"Hmm…"
Who would be better off staying?
Since the ghost story was quite dangerous itself, I would definitely have to stay but it would be better to have one or two people, who are courageous and can stay with me to help.
"First of all, as the president, I will have to stay without any question. I don't want you guys to be dragged into the mess but it will be really helpful if someone else volunteers to participate…"
As my words trailed off, my eyes landed at Jinhee.
"What?"
The three ghosts we were about to face.
A ghost that can imitate the ticking sound of a clock, the ghost of a little girl that relays the situation, and the most dangerous ghost with only a head.
Since we only have fragmentary information, it was impossible to come up with a thorough plan.
For now, we just thought of catching them.
And if we were fighting against a dangerous entity, who would be better other than Jinhee?
"But even if we put the dolls in each corner, where will the people, who will be operating the dolls and monitoring the situation, hide?"
When I voiced out a possible problem that could hinder us, Gyeongwon answered as a matter of fact.
"In the middle."
"What if our presence in the middle affects the ritual?"
"In the ghost story where mountain hikers got lost and one of them died, they put the dead body in the middle. And in the Rothstein Corridor, the word corridor means hallway. Which means they performed the ritual in an open space, not in an enclosed room. So I think your presence in the middle wouldn't affect the ritual."
"Then that's fortunate."
I nodded in satisfaction before looking at Jinhee.
"Jinhee, do you wanna beat up some ghosts?"
"...I have to stay?"
Soon, Jinhee and I packed our things and crawled under the desk together.
Since the ghost with only its head floated in the air, I concluded it wouldn't bother peeping under the desk.
"Would only a baseball bat work? How about a chainsaw or a flamethrower…"
"I don't know how to use them."
While I and Jinhee were preparing our equipment, the club members left the clubroom one by one, not before giving us, who were hiding under the desk, words of encouragement.
"Joon, be careful…"
"Thank you, Sunah."
"Fighting, both of you."
"Thank you, Dukhun."
"Good luck."
"Yeah, Hayoon."
"I don't know what you are thinking and what will happen, but please shout for our help if any problem arises, okay?"
"Yes, sir."
Gyeongwon was the last to leave. But before leaving, he left more advice for us while pushing his glasses.
"I have one more thing to tell you. Ghosts usually take the appearance of the moment they died. That's why, even if a ghost looks young, it could actually be a vengeful spirit from decades ago. For now, the only dangerous one seemed to be the ghost with its head floating around. However, don't let your guard down around that little ghost girl."
"Thanks for the advice. Please switch the light off when you leave."
"Okay. Hope I'll see you again alive and well."
Click.
Turning off the light, Gyeongwon gave us one last look before leaving and closing the door. As soon as the door closed, the clubroom was completely enshrouded in darkness.
Tick, tock.
"....it has started."
"Uh-huh."
In the silence, where there should be no sound, the sound of a clock ticking loudly resonated in the whole clubroom. Without wasting any time, I started operating the remote control to move the duck dolls that were placed in the four corners. As I pushed the levers on the remote control, one duck toy in one of the corners began to move unsteadily.
Peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-
* * *
[Hello, my lovely friends. What kind of games would you like to play today? Anything is fun when you're with the hula-dancing duck!]
The female ghost occupied the body of the toy duck but ended up introducing itself in a mechanical voice while beeping in the dark.
Hearing such a funny introduction from a ghost, Jinhee, who was kneeling beside me, burst out laughing.
"How funny. And we thought it was gonna be extremely dangerous."
"Here, a glow stick."
While looking for a tool that could be used as a substitute for an electronic device to emit light, I got a glow stick from the Store.
I handed it to Jinhee who was kneeling beside me.
Tak.
The moment she bent the stick, the chemicals inside the glow stick burst and began to emit a bluish light.
"A glow stick is shining, a glow stick is shining."
Even the small movement was relayed by the little ghost girl.
Tick, tock.
Tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock.
Besides the voice of the little ghost girl, the sound of a clock ticking and a duck doll moving around frantically was also heard in the darkness.
"Oh, man, it's so noisy."
Although it was pitch black, a lot of commotion was happening around the clubroom.
Grumbling to herself, Jinhee waved the glow stick around.
"....There's a total of three of them."
There were three ghosts in the enclosed clubroom.
The first ghost we saw was of the little girl who had been relaying the situation.
She didn't seem much older, perhaps the age of around elementary school children.
A yellowish short-sleeved T-shirt with some English words written in the middle adorned her small frame. Her eyes looking at us glowed with excitement as if she was glad to see us.
Fortunately, she didn't look as scary as we thought. Rather, with a little bit of baby fat on her face, she looked quite cute, except for the fact that her clothes looked a little old and worn out.
"...What kind of clothes are those? They look strange."
As I asked while looking closely at the clothes worn by the little girl, Jinhee answered coolly.
"It's a baseball uniform."
The clothes must have belonged to the little girl and it was also the cloth she had while dying. But perhaps she had been dead for a long time, the color seemed to have faded and looked worn out.
"We can't judge the little girl based on her appearance. Just as Gyeongwon said, they may look young on the outside, but actually be quite vicious. We should be careful."
"Hmm."
"Move it to the left. Shine the glow stick in the direction where the ticking sound of a clock is coming from."
Following my order, Jinhee extended the glow stick to the left.
There, we saw a little boy standing there who looked younger than the little ghost girl.
He seemed to be about the age to enter kindergarten.
When we shined the light on the little boy, he closed his mouth tightly and stared at us expressionlessly for a while. But soon, he pursed his lips and began to make the ticking sound of a clock.
Tick, tock.
"Wow, it sounds so freaking similar."
Jinhee exclaimed in admiration.
"Jinhee, shine it on the back this time. This is where the head ghost should be."
"Okay."
"Don't shine directly on it, that thing is scary. Slowly…"
"Shut up, idiot."
Although she called me an idiot, Jinhee still listened to my order and shined the glow stick behind us. There, the decapitated female ghost, which was our main target, was revealed.
Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-
A duck doll about the size of a person's knee.
On top of the doll's neck, instead of a duck's head, a woman's head with disheveled hair was attached.
Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-
The duck doll was facing the wall and couldn't turn around without the help of the remote control. So it was just standing still, making a squeaking sound.
"Hey. Turn it around with the remote. Let me see its face."
Even though so many days have passed and we had been interacting with each other quite well, Jinhee still called me with 'hey' and 'you' rather than my name.
"Wait a minute."
Quickly picking up the remote control, I pushed the levers and began to operate it.
The duck doll slowly began to turn around, and the face of the female ghost with only its head, slowly began to appear.
"Oh, the face is freaking scary…"
Disheveled hair, swollen face, white eyes. And a mouth that had been split open all the way to the ears in a happy smile.
[Be careful of my laser eyes! Shooting laser light!]
The LED flashlights on the doll's body turned on with a click, and the ghost's white eyes shone with red light, as if shooting us with lasers.
[This is a mischievous hula-dancing duck!]
Every time the head of the ghost moved its lips, the recorded automated dialogues on the doll were played instead, adding to the bizarreness.
I tried reading the movements of the ghost's lips with the Lip Reading ability, but all I got was meaningless mutterings about cutting off people's neck and occupying the body.
The grotesque ghost with only its head attached to a toy duck's body began to walk toward us, moving its flippers in a clumsy manner.
Waddle, waddle.
[I want to play with my friends!]
Jinhee smiled darkly, not seemingly scared of the bizarre appearance of the duck, and lifted the baseball bat over her shoulder.
"Stop talking nonsense and dance your hula."
Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-
A grotesque monster with a ghost's head attached to the body of a duck doll frantically walked toward us.
Jinhee stared at it indifferently and kicked it away when it got close.
Squeak-
[Ouch! It's bad to hit your friends!]
The doll with the head of the ghost attached on its neck, rolled away in the distance as it spoke in a mechanic voice.
It seemed Jinhee's words that she wasn't afraid of anything weren't only an empty boast.
'Come to think of it, during the incident with Fourincess, Jinhee was perfectly fine for a long time even after listening to the song many times in the place she works…'
Perhaps she was mentally extremely strong.
"Bunting. It's a bunting. What a shame."
[T/N: In the game of baseball, bunting is an act by the batter of hitting the ball fairly slowly and only a short distance, to put it into a position that causes difficulties for the fielders (the players on the opposite team whose turn it is to throw and catch the ball), and helps the batter's own team to score.]
The little ghost girl put her hands on her chest with a regretful expression.
"That's amazing. Ghosts really do exist."
Jinhee muttered, holding the glow stick in her left hand and the baseball bat in her right, while staring at the ghost girl with a surprised expression over her shoulders.
'Ghost?'
My mouth that opened to let out a remark stopped as I remembered something.
Since they were ghosts, it means that they were originally people, living breathing people just like us.
Then, is the Demon King a kind of ghost as well?
[Fun- Creek- Hula- Click- Exciting. Anything is fun♬ Fun- Creek… Fun- Click…]
The body of the duck that had been kicked by Jinhee, was struggling on the floor, trying its hardest to get up.
The head attached to the neck rolled side by side, such a bizarre scene made me think of the movie Frankenstein.
The creepy image of the duck doll with a human head on its body looked more like a monster than a ghost. It seemed like a creature of someone's crazy imagination.
However, since Jinhee's understanding of this situation was still low, I didn't bother to ask her to attack it instantly. I thought it would only make things more troublesome than helping her.
'...I'll have to ask Gyeongwon once I'm done with this mess.'
Thud.
The head of the female ghost was kicked by Jinhee once again. This time, it hit the wall and rolled on the floor.
Perhaps it finally understood that it couldn't move its body without the help of the remote. So it began to move its hair like tentacles and tried to separate its head from the toy's body.
[Gaaaah…]
As I had predicted before, it couldn't speak when it wasn't attached to a body and only had its head. After detaching itself, the head slowly rose into the air, making a groaning sound.
It soon turned to us and laughed loudly.
"I think it's pissed."
Jinhee snickered as she gave it a provoking glare. Before we could be prepared, the head suddenly flew towards us with a snapping sound.
Bang!
Jinhee was quick to respond. With a grunt, she hit the side of the head with the baseball bat like lightning and made it fly away far.
"Ah! A direct hit! A direct hit!"
The ghost girl screamed excitedly at the cool display of strength and cheered loudly.
I was also astonished at the scene that unfolded before my eyes.
Jinhee's strength and instincts were truly animalistic.
[Grrrrrrr.]
The head of the ghost let out a strange, deflating groan as it flew through the air.
Just before hitting the wall, it found its balance in the air and floated up before glaring hatefully at Jinhee.
"How many times do I have to hit it?"
"....I don't know. You're thinking of hitting it again?"
[Grrrrrrr…]
Swish.
The ghost with only its head opened its mouth wide before rushing at Jinhee again. The speed of rushing towards her was twice as fast as it was before.
"Jinhee, watch out for the hair! That thing's hair is very sharp!"
"I know!"
Just as I warned Jinhee, the hair of the ghost stretched out towards her, aiming for her neck.
However, Jinhee ran straight at the ghost in response.
"It's dangerous Jinhee!"
She was heading straight for the ghost!
But I was worried for no reason.
Swish.
Bending her waist backwards just when the head of the ghost reached her, she narrowly avoided it.
"Safe!"
Swish-
While Jinhee slid on the floor bending her knees, the little ghost girl shouted excitedly from the other corner of the clubroom.
"She dodged the head in time! Safe!"
It seemed that the ghost girl was taking the current fight as if witnessing a baseball match.
Jinhee bent her waist once again, leisurely dodging the head floating in the air towards her before turning her body around.
Before the head ghost could get its balance, she hit the back of the ghost's head with the baseball bat once again. Baaaaang!
[Grrrrrrrr!]
The head ghost began to spin in the air like a baseball ball going for a homerun.
"It's troublesome to use the bat and hit the head with one hand. Hey, catch it."
Jinhee threw the glow stick she was holding into the air before grabbing the bat with both hands.
"Uh, uh."
In a panic, I flapped both of my hands to catch the glow stick flying towards me in a shaky posture. However, thanks to my poor athletic ability and bad eyes-to-hand coordination, it bounced off my hands.
The glow stick, which I couldn't catch, bounced off towards the direction of the ghost girl who was relaying the situation like a baseball commentary.
Clench!
The ghost girl caught the glow stick with both hands before shouting with a determined and excited expression.
"The! Strongest! Korean! Team!"
[Grrrrrrrr-]
The head ghost regained its balance in the air as if it was not affected by gravity.
After finding its balance in the air, it glared hatefully at Jinhee as it took its stance for attacking.
[Grrrrrrrr-]
It charged forward again, waving its hair around frantically like tentacles.
"Huh, sh*t!"
This time, it flew downward, above the ground but lower than the waist. So that Jinhee couldn't duck down to dodge.
"Ah! It's flying down! Flying down! Flying down!"
Seeing no way, Jinhee had no choice but to turn around and run away.
Thud, thud.
"Huuuh, huff, huff."
Steadying her breathing like a professional athlete, Jinhee ran around the enclosed clubroom, turning in every direction in every corner of the clubroom.
[Grrrrrrr-]
"It's chasing fast! It's fast, but you can do it!"
Seeing Jinhee changing directions several times to dodge it, the ghost suddenly increased its speed as if it was angry and rushed forward with full speed.
Swish!
As if she had been waiting for this exact moment, Jinhee also increased her speed and ran towards the sofa in front of her.
Thud, thud.
Stepping on the sofa, Jinhee jumped upwards before doing a big backflip.
Swoosh-
[Grrrrrrrr-]
Because it was flying down, the head ghost hit the sofa squarely while Jinhee dodged the ghost in the dark with a backflip.
Thud.
Soon, Jinhee landed safely behind the head ghost that looked disoriented after hitting the sofa hard. Bending her knees with her hands touching the floor for balance, she took the standard pose of a superhero.
Bang!
"Ah! As I've said many times! The Korean professional baseball team has reached the 8 million mark, and now we've reached the era of spectators! This is the first time that we're seeing such a spectacular match in a long time!"
Jinhee swung the baseball in her hands once again, aiming for another homerun.
[Grrrrrrrr!]
"Jinhee, you're awesome!"
I also spread my arms and started cheering beside the ghost girl, who had been doing so from the very beginning.
"The strongest Korean team!"
"Jinhee is the strongest!"
The head ghost was disorganised after hitting the sofa and couldn't regain its balance for a moment. Taking the time it was trying to come to its senses, Jinhee swung her bat and sent it flying towards the ceiling.
Baaaaang-!
"Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!"
[Grrrrrrrr.]
The head ghost got stuck on the ceiling, but it still glared at Jinhee resentfully before taking its position to fly down.
"It only has a head, but it's still so strong."
Wiping the sweat off her forehead, Jinhee picked up the cushion on the sofa, before throwing it at the head that was rushing towards her.
Smack.
The sharp hair ripped the cushion into pieces, and the cotton inside scattered throughout the dark clubroom.
Through the darkness, I saw Jinhee swinging the baseball bat at hand and hitting the head for another homerun.
Baang-!
[Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah-]
"Awesome!"
When I jumped and cheered loudly, the ghost girl beside me also jumped up excitedly.
"Awesome game!"
"Lee Jinhee, fighting!"
Jinhee, who was wiping her sweat after hitting another homerun and panting, glared at me.
"Oi, stop cheering. Have you lost your mind?"
"Uh, sorry."
At the strong distaste, I immediately put my hands down and stood up straight.
However, the ghost girl didn't seem to hear her and swung the glow stick as she jumped around the clubroom and commented at every movement like doing a live commentary.
"As you can see, the fight is happening in an enclosed space. The situation is very disadvantageous for the player. But the player is strong in her resilience and fighting with all she has got!"
In the meantime, the head ghost, that had been once again sent flying away, opened its eyes wide and took the stance to attack again.
The moment the ghost was about to attack, something clicked in my mind and I hurriedly shouted at Jinhee.
"Jinhee, hit the front side of the head!"
"Hmm?"
Jinhee stepped sideways as the head flew towards her and leisurely dodged it as she threw a question at me.
"Front?"
"Yeah, the front!"
Until now, Jinhee had been hitting the back or side of the head where the hair was gathered.
I thought the reason the ghost was still able to attack her after being hit by a baseball bat and sent away flying like a homerun was because those tentacle-like hairs protected the impact.
"It will be hard to hit the front side. Unless it got stuck somewhere."
I grabbed the remote before declaring.
"Just make it fly down one more time! I'll make it get stuck!"
"Okay."
Grabbing the bat tightly, Jinhee stepped forward again, facing the ghost.
The ghost girl smiled brightly as if she was glad to see her determined expression.
"She's determined to do this. Even though she is facing a ghost with only a head, her courage and determination as she fought without even blinking an eye is really amazing, she's so cool. She's really so cool…"
[Grrrrrrr-]
The head ghost flew towards her again with tremendous speed while groaning along the way.
Having already done all the moves she could do, sliding down on the floor, backflipping upward, and throwing an obstacle, Jinhee couldn't understand what else she should do.
"Front… F*ck, huff."
[Gaaaaah.]
Not finding any solution, she quickly started running toward the opposite wall.
The head ghost chased after her at a frightening speed, murderous intention dripping from it as it rushed forward.
[Grrrrrrrrr.]
"Huff, huff."
"Although it won't help telling this, the enclosed space is too narrow for the player to proceed for a smooth game. If this space was spherical, that head would have already won. This is why the shape of the field is important."
[Gaaaaak.]
"Hiyah!"
Jinhee ran straight toward a blank wall.
Using the speed and recession she gained, she kicked the wall and jumped up.
"Oh no!"
Was she trying to do another backflip?
However, the head ghost already suffered this trick before, I didn't think it could be fooled once again.
Just as I thought, the ghost didn't stop and flew upwards to Jinhee, who had jumped up!
[Grrrrrrrr!]
But Jinhee, who jumped up using the wall, twisted her waist in the air and performed a double side kick.
Jinhee's bare feet, flying straight into the air, slammed on the head from the front.
Smack!
[Geaaaah.]
"A clean shot!"
It was indeed a clean shot. However, instead of weapons, what she used was her bare feet wearing only socks, not even shoes. She didn't even have any protective gear and was wearing a school uniform and a skirt.
The ghost seemed to be going crazy in anger, as it began to wave its sharp tentacles-like hair everywhere, cutting through Jinhee's stockings.
"Aaahh!"
Jinhee frowned in pain.
But the kick she just threw at it from the front seemed to do some damage as the head looked disoriented for a moment before tumbling down on the floor.
[Grrrrrrrr….]
The swollen face rolled on the ground with its hair spreaded around.
Quickly pushing the levers of the remote control, I moved the duck doll that had its head beheaded toward the ghostly head that was rolling on the floor.
Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-Squeak.
The duck doll walked towards the ghost with only its body.
The doll's head was stuffed with cotton and was designed cutely for the children, and the core mechanical devices that operate its movements were all inside its stomach. That's why, although it lost its head, it could still move properly even in its current state.
It was a perfect plan.
[Grrrrrrr.]
I made the duck doll approach the ghost head rolling around on the floor. I thought it would be a hassle to get the head attached to the doll's body, but the doll's body was pulled toward the head and slowly merged together as if they were magnets.
[I'm small and cute, so you can take me anywhere you want~]
The moment the head opened its mouth, an automated message resonated through the clubroom.
"Hey! Don't let it go!"
Jinhee shouted at me and grabbed the bat with both hands before taking her stance.
In a panic, I quickly pressed the button to make it dance hula.
Squeak.
A cheerful melody rang out, as the duck doll began to flap its wings and shook its butt. The head ghost also had no choice but to move along the body and dance.
[Let's dance together every day!]
The head ghost desperately tried to move and detached itself, but the commands from the remote control and the commands from the head overlapped. In confusion, it could only stay in its place and shook its body and butt.
"Direct hit!"
Baaang---!
"Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!"
The baseball bat in Jinhee's hand hit the ghost straight to the face!
Boom~!
At just one single hit, the head ghost exploded like a bomb, scattering flesh and blood everywhere.
[You have come across and survived a B-rank ghost story - Resentful Head Ghost.]
[You have earned 15 Ghost Story Points.]
[Your member have displayed extraordinary strength and succeeded in defeating the Resentful Head Ghost!]
[You have earned 70 Ghost Story Points.]
[You will receive 10% bonus points for each contributing member.]
[Contributing Member (1 member): Lee Jinhee]
[You've earned 85 ghost story points.]
[You have received an additional 10% bonus point, 8 points.]
[Current Ghost Story Points: 217 + 85 + 8]
Ding~
[Current Ghost Story Points: 310]
"Yes, we did it! Yes~ Let's go, let's go… everything is over."
The little ghost girl next to me, who had been jumping up and down and doing a live commentary of the whole situation began to fade away.
"19 years, it's been 19 years since I left this world and waited to see my favorite team win… Now that I've witnessed such an excellent performance, I feel like my dream has been accomplished…"
The English letters on the girl's white uniform, 'Eagles', slowly began to fade as well.
"Not trying to be rude but….. seeing a young highschool girl such as yourself fighting against a scary ghost… is amazing….. really amazing…"
[You have come across and survived a D-rank ghost story - Fangirl of Korean Team.]
[You have earned 5 Ghost Story Points.]
[Your member has shown a spectacular performance and succeeded in making the Ghost Fangirl pleased!]
[You have earned 20 Ghost Story Points.]
[You will receive 10% bonus points for each contributing member.]
[Contributing Member (1 member): Lee Jinhee]
[You have earned an additional 10% bonus point, 2 points.]
[Current Ghost Story Points: 310 + 25 + 2]
Ding~
[Current Ghost Story Points: 337]
The Korean baseball team last won in 1999.
Which means the little fangirl has been waiting for 19 years since then.
"...I hope you go to a good place."
Soon, the girl disappeared and the glow stick fell to the ground.
Jinhee approached the glow stick and picked it up.
"The last one?"
In the clubroom where only silence flowed after two out of the three ghosts disappeared.
We slowly looked around.
"Here he is."
The little boy was hiding behind the sofa, crouching on his knees.
He was really young, a little bigger than the duck doll.
Without hesitation, Jinhee walked briskly towards the boy.
"How old are you?"
The little boy who had been quiet up till now slowly opened his mouth.
"Tick, tock."
"This guy."
Annoyed but frustrated, Jinhee lightly patted the little ghost boy on the head with the glow stick.
"Is that all you can say?"
"Tick."
[You have come across and survived a D-rank ghost story - Clock Imitator.]
[You have earned 5 Ghost Story Points.]
[Your member has shown incredible skill and succeeded in repelling the imitator ghost!]
[You have earned 20 Ghost Story Points.]
[You will receive 10% bonus point for each contributing member.]
[Contributing member (1 member): Lee Jinhee]
[You have received an additional 10% bonus point, 2 points.]
[Current Ghost Story Points: 337 + 25 + 2]
Ding~
[Current Ghost Story Points: 364]
After all the ghosts were repelled successfully, light slowly began to leak in from somewhere into the clubroom.
"Look over there."
The door and window, which disappeared during the game, reappeared in the enclosed room that had been nothing but a completely sealed space.
The empty paper boxes that we put on the window perhaps weren't stuck properly, so the corner became slightly loose before falling down completely, letting the bright afternoon light shine in the dark clubroom.
"The door appeared."
"Huuu. It's been a while since I've run around this much."
"You worked hard, Jinhee."
"You did too."