When the iron door fully opened, a staircase descending below revealed itself out of the darkness.Screeeeee—A chilling cold and keening wails poured up from beyond the steps.With a cold that felt like it would flay the skin and a sound like ghosts crying, it felt as if my mental strength were being shaved away before I even set foot inside."……."I looked down at the staircase sunk in shadow and thought:'Just as it was described in the game.'This was the [Spooky Dungeon], one of the Academy’s Seven Great Mysteries — the “Abandoned School Building Ghost Story.”The setting was that, in the early days of the underground city’s development, evil spirits driven out during the purification of a polluted ley line had clung to nearby ruins, creating this dungeon.Afterward, the dungeon was left alone for centuries until it was discovered as the Union gradually expanded.Eredor, the landlord of the area, had sealed it with an iron door of Eternal Cold-Iron for student safety, but—'The seal was imperfect.'Every night the school would echo with ghostly wails; specters would appear in the dormitory halls; during night study, ghostly figures would be seen beyond the window.Perhaps because of this unsettling mood, accidents supposedly happened here almost daily.In the end, Eredor abandoned this building and the surrounding area and began developing elsewhere, and the building naturally became an abandoned school no longer touched by human hands.That was in the initial days of the Union’s founding, so by now only the shell of the [Abandoned School Building Ghost Story] remained rather than the full story of events.So occasionally clubs would come for a little courage training, that sort of thing."Ugh, I’ve got chills."Chloe hugged herself as if shivering, and even Ciel narrowed her eyes quietly at the keening that rose from below the stairs."Still… since we’re here, I should at least take samples."Reluctant as she was, Chloe did her job.Click—She raised her camera to photograph the descending stairs, then gathered debris from the steps into a glass vial.It seemed she meant to analyze the exact era using mana-dating.Before we went inside, she handed each of ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) us a mask."Spaces sealed off from the outside for hundreds of years can harbor molds or spores that affect the body. Here."Judging by the mana-processing, they were masks used for ruin exploration."Thanks. We’ll use them well."We each put on a mask and pushed through the darkness, descending the stairs.Whooo—The farther we went down, the thicker the dark energy that seemed to constrict the whole body.But for some reason, that darkness and eerie aura felt cozy and warm to me.It was probably my Half-Human, Half-Demon trait reacting to the magi the dungeon exuded.Chloe, walking a little ahead, faltered and asked me:"Do— do I have to take the lead?""What good is an archaeologist if not for this?""I figured, right?""Don’t worry too much. Even if something unfortunate happens, I’ll make sure your remains are recovered.""Hey, don’t say that even as a joke. That’s bad luck.""If you’re truly scared, I’ll go first. Don’t overdo it."When I took her flashlight, intending to lead, Chloe stopped me."No, it should be me. It could be dangerous for a civilian."So we moved on with Chloe at the front, relying on the flashlight’s beam as we descended into the dark.Step— step—Footsteps rang sharp in the narrow, pitch-black corridor.Hweee—Even the wind sounded like ghostly weeping.Chloe swept the flashlight here and there through the passage and spoke in a trembling voice."…It feels different from up top. The iron door was clearly in a style from about four hundred years ago, but this interior style feels far older. And the energy I’m getting is more like a monster-inhabited dungeon than a ruin."'Quick on the uptake.'In truth, this was a dungeon wearing the skin of an ancient ruin.A dangerous place where terrifying evil spirits and all manner of monsters that dwell in darkness had settled.I didn’t bother to say so, though.'No need to scare her into turning back.'Chloe had a duty to record this dungeon exploration and turn it into an article that would spread widely.Whether she guessed my intentions or not, Chloe kneaded both shoulders and groaned like she wanted to go back."Ugh. The feeling is bad, and I keep hearing ghost sounds, and I’ve got the chills… How about we just go back?""Stop making a fuss and keep moving.""Fu— fuss? I’m telling you it’s really strange."Sweat beaded as Chloe complained of the strangeness.I could understand her reaction.'The yin energy and wails in here aren’t an illusion; they’re actually occurring.'In the game, entering this dungeon inflicted the status ailment “Mental Strength Decrease,” so that said it all.Even so, there was no need for great concern.If my expectations were right, the evil spirits in this dungeon wouldn’t be able to harm us.In fact, I was confident we could clear this more easily than any other dungeon.I accepted the darkness warmly wrapping around me and smiled.'This Spooky Dungeon has good affinity with me.'That was one of the reasons I’d dared to take it on.I reassured Chloe in a calm voice."Nothing will happen, so don’t worry. If anything does, Ciel will protect you.""Ehh."After a long descent, we had to stop."Ah, it’s blocked."A great stone door stood in our way.Chloe swept her light across the door that barred us.A large circular stone gate.It had a carving like an old man’s face, and at the mouth there was a hole large enough to fit a hand."There’s writing above it, too."As she said, glowing blue text floated above the gate.It was a script I’d never seen before, curly like Arabic, yet I could read it easily for some reason."It looks like Runic. Hold on."Chloe pulled out a notebook and began fumbling through a translation."Tru… th…"Impatient with her slow decoding, I translated the runes outright."It says ‘Truth’s Mouth.’""Way to ruin the moment. You can read Runic?"I shrugged.From the moment I fell into this world, I could converse without issue, and I could read writing without any trouble.'Knowledge of the world’s various scripts.'A kind of perk granted to players, apparently.Of course, I couldn’t say whether it applied to all scripts."Unexpected, that you know Runic. I heard you were terrible at studying.""Rumors are always exaggerated."As I deflected, Ciel, who had been quietly listening, answered firmly:"They are not exaggerated. You truly were bad at it."At this, Chloe wiped the sweat beading out and nodded."Ah… I see. Then it is true you were bad at studying.""……."No need to shine a red light of truth on that.Click—Anyway, Chloe photographed the stone gate and the runic phrase, then pointed back up the stairs."Well, we’ve recorded it, so shall we head back? We don’t know how to open the door."It seemed she’d decided this alone was enough for her next article.Or maybe she just wanted to flee from fear.But too bad. I had no intention of leaving before clearing this dungeon."Who said we can’t open it? There is a way.""Huh? There is?"I nodded, pulled off my glove, and gently bit the tip of my finger.A small wound, and a bead of red blood welled up.Then I pushed the blood-smeared finger into the mouth opening of the tightly shut stone gate.Chloe pursed her lips as she watched."Uh, have you been reading too many novels? A little blood won’t—"Rrrrr—"It opens?"As soon as my bloody finger went in, the passage trembled and dust drifted from the ceiling.The stone gate that had been firmly sealed opened as if it had been lying, as though inviting us to hurry inside.Clank—With the neat sound of a mechanism locking into place, the door opened fully, and a fierce energy surged out from within.Shraaa—A gust strong enough to whip our hair and hems blasted out.At the same time, a chilling scream echoed through the entire dungeon.Kyaaaaaaaaa—!The keening that drilled into the eardrums raised gooseflesh and made the fine hairs stand on end."Eek!""Kh."At the sudden gale and ghastly wail, Chloe and Ciel both reflexively stepped back.Kieeeeee—!The eerie screams echoed like a round in an empty space.A primal revulsion crawled up the spine.That shuddering reaction was from the human half of me.But my other half — the blood of demons — welcomed this bristling yin energy.Throb—Like the heart of a predator with delectable prey in sight, the blood rushed to my eyes and even made my pulse quicken.Meanwhile—"Haa, haa, th— this is genuinely dangerous.""Lord Loen, let us return for now. It would be best to assemble a proper expedition and come back later."Chloe was gasping under the oppressive yin, and even Ciel advised turning back.Chloe added her view:"Miss Ciel is right. We’re short on time and manpower. Going into a place like this with so few people is asking for a pointless death. The number of adventurers who go missing in dungeons each year is—""It’s fine. Nothing dangerous will happen, so follow quietly."I persuaded them calmly because I was certain.'What’s frightening about this [Spooky Dungeon] is that it contains evil spirit monsters with powerful mental-status abilities.'With the dungeon’s debuff lowering mental resistance, the constant “Fear” status inflicted by the spirits is a major nuisance.And when entering the dungeon, one party member’s blood must be offered to the stone gate, which inflicts a “Bleeding” status on that member with continuous damage.Linger even a little, and your health will trickle away.Because of these bad conditions, clearing the Spooky Dungeon usually demands either a status-ailment-immune artifact or a powerful party composition for a short, decisive battle.Of course, our party currently meets neither condition, but…'There is a way.'Step—I strode ahead of the two and planted myself at the threshold where the ghosts’ cries were pouring out.This stone gate was both a boundary and a barrier dividing the outside where I stood from that darkness.The two sides were magically distinct spaces.Shaa—With my hair streaming in the wind from within, I gazed quietly into that interior.A darkness so deep I could not fathom its end. From the edge of a world without a speck of light, an incomprehensible malice emanated.Amid the rampage of evil spirits, I could feel emotions that had settled for a very long time.I silently peered into the dark and thought:The evil spirits trapped inside by a door named “Truth’s Mouth.”Were they merely spirits that had accumulated in the ley line over long ages? Or were they grudging souls who died with resentment?What truth, exactly, does Truth’s Mouth conceal?Besides the setting I mentioned, there was another theory about how this Spooky Dungeon came to be.'…That it wasn’t spirits driven out during ley-line purification clinging to nearby ruins, but rather the vengeful dead of miners who perished during the underground city’s construction.'A tunnel collapsing without warning, hundreds trapped inside.For various reasons, they were never rescued and met their deaths.Whooo—Whichever was true, perhaps they had been waiting for others’ hands more than anyone.Like a wounded kitten hissing while still seeking someone’s warmth.Kieeeeeeek—!Even up to the moment I took a step, the evil spirits violently rejected outside intrusion.That malice surged beyond the threshold, as if it would bite me at any second.Slick—That made-flesh emotion grazed my cheek and left a thin red line.But I did not stop. Pushing through the deep furrows of feeling and the rebounding mana, I stepped into the darkness."W— wait! If you go in recklessly, it’s dan—!"At the same time Chloe reached out and shouted—Step—The tip of my shoe crossed the gate’s boundary and touched the floor.Fwoom—!An intangible wave started from the sole I’d set down.It spread in an instant, rippling across the entire dungeon-and-ruin space and gently enveloping those souls.And then, silence."……."The eardrum-tearing wails of the spirits, the skin-flaying cold, the constricting gale — all ceased at once.Only a gentle stillness remained.Resentments layered over long years, rage that seemed it would burn the world — all melted away like snow.No tremor, no noise… only complete quiet and silence lingered in this space."……."In that uncanny hush, I stared wordlessly into the dark.And then—Ting—.[You have acquired a new Title.][Comforter of the Restless Dead (False)]Your presence has laid countless souls to rest. But whether that was truly the right way is unknown.Mana +1[You have acquired a new Item.][Orb of Karma]Category: Equipment ItemGrade: [Ancient][A bead in which the deeds (karma) of souls have accumulated. It is not yet known what it is used for.]I looked at the notification window rising beyond the darkness and smiled faintly.

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