NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9-Can I go out for
Can I go out for
Episode 9
First, the “Mansion Maze” skill.
This skill allows temporarily rearranging parts of the mansion to create entirely different environments or winding paths. Simply put, it can make the interior of the mansion look like a dungeon.
There were ways to quickly rearrange the mansion’s interior. For instance, restoring the ruined dining hall to its former luxurious state or twisting an ordinary hallway and covering it with darkness.
However, those were more like illusions created using my Illusion and Poltergeist skills. They looked convincing on the surface, but if you touched them, you’d feel the reality…
But the “Mansion Maze” skill truly changes the interior of the mansion. This means I don’t have to worry about being caught bluffing like before with illusions.
But the cost-effectiveness…
Through the process of coming up with the idea and researching it, I realized that the cost-effectiveness is terrible. It’s not a permanent change to the mansion’s interior; it’s just a temporary one, and yet it shows dismal cost-effectiveness.
If I were to use this skill, likely, calling in just 3 to 4 people a day wouldn’t be profitable.
To use this, I’d need at least 10 ordinary people… or 3 to 4 strong ones.
The souls of those who have gained enlightenment or trained their spirits through long practice are incredibly strong, and the soul fragments they expel when they faint are also significant. However, such individuals don’t easily feel fear and wouldn’t entertain the antics of a mediocre ghost like me. I’ve only succeeded once.
That said, dealing with around 10 ordinary people at once is also a stretch…
For now, I’ll put this skill on hold.
Next is the “Unknown Mirror.”
The name suggests an unknown mirror, but if you think about it, it’s more like a “portal using mirrors.”
Limited to the interior of the mansion, this skill creates a certain space between mirrors, allowing movement through all the mirrors inside the mansion.
It’s similar to how I startled the man earlier by mimicking his appearance in the mirror.
However, while that was close to bluffing using illusions, this skill allows for actual physical play by popping out of the mirror.
This seems usable…
The cost-effectiveness is decent, and depending on how I decorate the mirror world, I could design various attractions.
However, for now, there’s no real way to utilize this skill effectively. Since this skill focuses on “moving physical objects,” it feels like a half-baked skill for ghosts.
Right now, the only physical object we can utilize is the Possession Doll…
It’s not that ghosts can’t use portals, but if I’m going to use a portal, I might as well just pass through walls, right? Using a portal just to save less than a minute seems pointless.
I’ll put this on hold too.
Lastly, there’s the “Inducing Madness” skill.
As the name suggests, this skill temporarily drives the target insane. Looking at the preceding skills, the inspiration comes from “hypnosis.”
Not the kind of hypnosis that would appear in an adult film, but a technique that continuously gnaws at the target’s mind, breaking their psyche.
In simpler terms, it’s a technique for persistent gaslighting…
Gaslighting is indeed scary.
Having lived in Charlotte for 18 years, I experienced how terrifying gaslighting can be. And that experience helped a lot in developing this skill…
Anyway, due to past PTSD, I hoped I wouldn’t have to resort to this skill…
But it can’t be helped.
This is the only usable option.
I began to implant the skill into my body—I mean, into my spirit—consuming 700 energy.
Ah, this chilly and heavy sensation…
No matter how many times I experience it, it’s not easy to get used to. This feeling, as if new veins are being etched alongside my entire body’s veins…
I can’t express this feeling in words.
Anyway, something feels like something… ah, forget it!
After taking some time to implant the skill, I confirmed that it was properly integrated into my spirit and disconnected from the mansion.
– Hah… I feel strangely stiff.
Why do I feel sensations even though I don’t have a body? Is this a kind of phantom limb sensation?
As I gently tapped my shoulders and stepped outside the storage room, Sebastian, who had been waiting all this time, lightly bowed.
Thank you for your hard work, Miss.
– Yes. Thank you for waiting, Sebastian.
Waiting for my master is also my duty.
Wow. No matter how many times I see him, he’s the quintessential butler I imagined. Looking at Sebastian now, I can’t even think of him as the old man from our first meeting.
As I led Sebastian to the central hall, Philip, who had gone scouting, returned.
We need to escape quickly. It seems the temple side has caught a scent.
– What?!
He brought along an incredible piece of information.
I mean, it’s only been about two days since I arrived here. How did they notice? Besides, the so-called victims are just a bunch of lowlifes lying outside the mansion, so how? Oh, come on!
Let’s run right now.
– Understood.
I hurriedly took out a doll and possessed it.
The wooden doll grew rapidly and transformed into my appearance in an instant.
I quickly used my energy toward the mansion. The large mansion shrank in an instant, transforming into a small dollhouse the size of a 007 bag.
Grabbing the handle that appeared on top of the mansion, I muttered.
“Ready to bounce. Let’s go!”
Zoom!
I quickly started running away from the crime scene.
It’s best to avoid dealing with filthy beings like the temple folks altogether.
What? Am I scared?
Yes, I am scared.
Do you think I wouldn’t develop PTSD after seeing countless ghosts being chopped up before my eyes? Since then, I decided not to even glance toward the temple side.
“Philip. A place to hide!”
Yes, I understand, Miss.
Philip, who emerged from the miniature mansion, tipped his hat and began to lead the way.
I followed Philip while glancing back.
In the distance, four lowlifes lay huddled together.
Although they are definitely the lowest of the low, no one would believe them if they spread rumors about what happened today. But still, the spreading of rumors itself cannot be stopped.
If I had just killed them, I could have minimized the spread of rumors, but since I can’t do that… sadly, I have no choice but to make a quick getaway before the news spreads.
And because of that, the temple side will come looking for me with their eyes ablaze.
“Tsk.”