No Dark Secrets In This Book

Episode 129

“Is there a fire or something?!”

It clearly wasn’t. Judging by the mystical flames rising… uh oh, I think I know what this is. I’ve seen it in textbooks. Unlike Ryuseong’s, it’s a blue color with a subtle jade tint, the word that comes to mind when you see this…

“…Will-o’-the-wisp?”

“Kyahahaha! That’s right! Correct!”

As if confirming my guess, a tiny goblin appeared through the smoke with a toothy smile!

“Hello, I’m the goblin born from the scariest of scary stories!”

Its appearance was very impressive. Some kids went crazy saying the goblin was cute and adorable.

The goblin, who was enjoying such reactions with pleasure, shouted with a toothy smile,

“From now on, let’s have a time to spill your life’s most frightening, terrifying, and sad stories! Those miserable, desperate events that left trauma in your lives and make you unable to stop lamenting! Otherwise, you won’t be able to leave for the rest of your life!”

Some faces hardened in front of the chuckling goblin. And I just laughed.

Ah, the academy is doing all sorts of things.

This body knew very well for what purpose the academy did such a thing. Even though the abandoned house event was proceeding in a slightly different way from the original I read, I was well aware of the ultimate direction they were aiming for. Therefore, I was not afraid.

On the other hand, the other students didn’t seem to feel the fear yet because they didn’t understand the weight of these words. While everyone was dazed, the goblin added,

“But it’s still incomplete. There are only nine of you so far!”

Diedrich raised his eyebrows crookedly and said,

“One, two, three, four… What are you talking about? There are exactly ten people?”

But I soon realized one variable.

‘Logan Esteban.’

He was gagged and there was no proper tool for writing, nor could he use sign language.

Therefore, he was excluded from the number of people who could tell scary stories.

“Who gagged him?”

Hae Yuna thoughtlessly approached Logan to untie the gag. And right at that moment.

「Logan Esteban wandered around and threatened the existence of the courage experience. If the gag is removed, the mission allowance of the person who removed it will be deducted by -999999999999999999999 won. Never remove it. Hinting actions is forbidden. Absolutely forbidden! It can’t be helped even if it’s pitiful. Oh my, you shouldn’t have broken the taboo!」

A mission paper like a translucent veil with this message floated in the air.

Then Hae Yuna, who tried to save Logan, screamed and suplex slammed Logan.

Bam!

‘…Isn’t Logan dead?’

It wasn’t just me who was dumbfounded, the other members also had blank expressions. However, Hae Yuna, who stood in front of everyone’s gazes, shouted with conviction. As if she had something to believe in!

“I said there was something strange from the time Ryuseong was carrying this guy around! Logan must have done something terribly wrong! Seeing how the system is acting. I don’t know what it is though!”

What’s the use of suplex slamming him if you don’t know what it is?

But the heartless bastards just watched the situation without saying a word, despite Logan’s eyes getting damp. They were indeed rotten to the core.

Yihyang argued like this though,

“But if you put it that way, isn’t that Ryuseong guy suspicious too? Why is he carrying around a mission allowance bomb?”

“We-well, that’s true.”

However, the culprit was not with us, and I, who wanted to quickly escape the abandoned house and meet Ryuseong, ordered the latecomers to read the mission paper.

Although Logan couldn’t see it because he was tied up… so his eyes became even more moist, no one helped him up. Capone and Diedrich, who had finished reading the mission paper, communicated with each other through eye contact for a moment and asked,

“Uh, um, can we start… I mean, will you forgive us for asking for your permission to see if you are in a state to allow it?”

“…..”

Their voices are trembling. Are they scared? At least it’s cute. At least they’re being mindful. So instead of arguing what nonsense it was, I kindly just snorted at them.

“I am in the midst of contemplation. Wait until I make my choice.”

I have to think about whether to catch one more person or untie Logan’s gag.

I gathered these ten people with great difficulty. Will there be more people passing by after this? There’s a high possibility of just wasting time while trusting luck. On the other hand, I could immediately untie Logan’s gag. It’ll hurt since it’s duct tape, but it’s not attached to my body.

That’s not the only advantage.

‘I can also hear what kind of weakness Logan has in his heart.’

It’s not just any story. It’s a place to tell those ‘scary stories’ that left scars in life and trauma in the heart. Weaknesses. If someone is going to hang around me anyway, isn’t it better to be able to predict what they’ll do? And the easiest way to know that is through that person’s wounds.

While I was having these thoughts, I stared at Logan for a moment in front of him, and Logan looked at me with eyes that I couldn’t tell if they were fearful or desperate, then avoided my gaze. Even during that, the warning message fluttered in front of my eyes.

Yes, this is the problem. The penalty.

They said that while carrying out the mission, a way to call the helicopter would appear. And based on the feeling so far, wouldn’t the most likely means be the mission allowance?

But the moment I rip off this guy’s gag, my mission allowance goes into the red.

As I stood in front of Logan and pondered deeply, the goblin said,

“Come on, hurry up and do your best! Then you’ll be able to earn the mission allowance.”

Come to think of it, all of this is ultimately a school trip. The illusory currency of a school trip vs. exposing someone’s weaknesses. Obviously the latter, right? It was an opportunity second to none. I ripped off Logan’s gag.

「Cassice Demillang’s mission allowance has been deducted by -999999999999999999999 won! You better prepare to be last place!」

The mission paper’s wording is infuriating. Anyway, is it because I ripped off the duct tape? Logan looked at me with teary eyes. He looked a bit like a drenched puppy, which was even a bit embarrassing, but upon closer look, he also seemed to be grateful to me.

Well, I did free him from bondage while risking a huge penalty. It’s worth being thankful for. I didn’t expect to go this far though.

I smiled nonchalantly.

“How does it feel to be freed?”

“Sob, thank you. Boo hoo hoo…! Fi-finally free…! Three days, two days? I don’t know. What day is it now… Wahhhh…!”

‘…No way?’

My guess was right. From what I heard, it seemed Logan was kidnapped by the professors as a price for peeking at the preparations for the abandoned house horror experience.

“They were truly evil! They kept feeding me delicious food! Sob sob. Saying there were only bones in my body. I worked so hard to build my muscles! I lost muscle and gained fat. Boo hoo. I was on a diet.”

‘…Seems like he just ate well.’

Putting that aside, there was something I had to ask him, so while Hae Yuna was comforting Logan in a daze, I brought up a point.

“Then you never took a walk outside wearing a hanbok either, right?”

“What? Yes, that’s right. I couldn’t even go out. Boo hoo hoo.”

…Then the ‘Logan’ I met wasn’t Logan, was it?

I got all the information I needed. Now it’s time to collect weaknesses. Leaving the crying Logan behind, I turned my gaze to the villain followers who had sullen expressions.

They bowed their heads as if asking. I crafted a perfect smile and gave an eye smile.

“Why don’t you give it a try?”

And Diedrich began a story about the virgin ghost.

‘We told you to talk about what you experienced, what are you saying?’

They probably had a lot to hide, so they seemed to have started to see if only what they really experienced would count. Moreover, towards the end, he even tried to tie it to his own life as if glossing over it as a story about a lonely old bachelor.

‘You should enter a speech contest. This guy ties it together well.’

I gave a not-bad evaluation. But the goblin, as if unable to bear it, clenched its fists and began beating Diedrich. Bam! Bam! Bam!

“Boring! Useless! Worthless! Sorry, tree!”

“Ah, why are you doing that!”

“No-fun is a sin!”

The goblin’s strikes were unexpectedly strong. And its requirements and standards were also high.

“Tell a story that made your life despair!”

Diedrich, who got beaten up badly, glumly returned to his corner, and the goblin said seriously,

“Anyway, the stories you blabber will never remain in other people’s memories.”

At those words, the guys who looked like death earlier immediately made a strange expression. It seemed they didn’t want their own heartbreaking and heavy stories to be found out.

‘Clumsy fellows.’

At times like this, you should manage your expression, if you openly reveal your emotions like that, it’s no different from advertising that you have weaknesses.

Just revealing the fact that you seem to have weaknesses makes you vulnerable in the world of challengers.

‘But it’s too late. I’ll remember you guys well.’

By the way, this is big trouble. The most frightening, terrifying, and sad story. I’m confident about running my mouth, but nothing comes to mind right away with this topic. There were a tremendous amount of facts to hide, but when I try to recall the events that hurt me, nothing particular comes to mind. In fact, there just aren’t any, right?

‘No, that’s not it! If all the memories will be erased, why did I get a penalty?!’

* * *

While Cassice briefly forgot about Ryuseong, Ryuseong was closer than expected.