---

Fortunately, Jang Chae Yeon, who had heard my plan, didn’t seem to be outright rejecting it. If I were to interpret her somewhat indifferent expression, it was more akin to welcoming me with both hands raised.

With her arms still around me from behind, Jang Chae Yeon asked, “…Is this okay?”

“It’s fine.”

Behind me, a little child was following along with quick steps.

It was a situation of being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

A monster that I couldn’t run away from while needing to run away from another monster… How on earth are ordinary people supposed to deal with this?

Or maybe, it’s something they couldn’t deal with at all.

I recalled the countless skulls I had seen in the nest.

Many had flowed here, and how many had lost their lives in this place?

“Is it really true?”

“Don’t scream.”

As I spoke, Jang Chae Yeon peered out from behind me.

“Are you worried about us?”

“Of course I’m worried that the two of us might get caught.”

“…”

With a pouty face, Jang Chae Yeon looked at me and tightened her grip.

“You know I can’t just keep holding on like this.”

“I know.”

I was well aware of the details regarding Jang Chae Yeon’s abilities and their limitations, having fought alongside her.

“Is it getting harder to use your ability or something?”

“A bit.”

“How much of a difference?”

“I could originally lift something as heavy as a small car, but now it’s probably more like half a small car.”

“Then that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Fortunately, my weight should be less than half of a small car.

She slowly shook her head.

“Alright. Then let’s get going.”

The plan was simple. Jang Chae Yeon would cling to me from behind and become a human rocket, then we’d fly.

Like ice skating in the air, we’d push off with strength and repeat the descent. Passing through completely silently.

Perfect.

I tapped Jang Chae Yeon’s arms that were wrapped around my waist.

“!”

An overwhelming force of gravity pressed down on my back.

This wasn’t flying; it was being launched.

I jumped a long distance like a leap and, just before my face kissed the ground, Jang Chae Yeon somehow managed to quietly set me down.

“…That didn’t go well.”

“Yep.”

I turned to look back at the little child.

They were running after us in the distance.

“But this should be enough for now. Shall we jump some more?”

“I’ll hold on tight.”

Shouldn’t that be something I say?

As if to enforce her declaration of holding on tight, Jang Chae Yeon gripped my waist even harder.

It was still just the strength of a little child, though.

Soon, we were soaring down the school corridor again.

I felt like a human flying around with Jang Chae Yeon as my jetpack.

The old, bleak classroom scenery rushed by us, and when I looked back, the little child had vanished from sight.

This was too easy.

How many times had we jumped? Before long, Jang Chae Yeon and I stood in front of the massive gymnasium doors.

Fortunately, the door was half-open, and inside, Yu Da On and Song Ah Rin were deep in conversation about something.

“So, um—”

“But wait—”

What were they discussing that was so serious?

As I opened the door to go inside, Song Ah Rin quickly turned around and reached out with her hand.

Still slightly dizzy, she waved her hand as if to shush us, covering her mouth with her index finger.

“…Nothing’s happened.”

Seeing me, Song Ah Rin sighed in relief and approached.

“Shh. Be quiet.”

“…Why?”

After calling over the straightforward Song Ah Rin and the cheerfully waving Yu Da On, I began explaining about Arakne.

“…So the sound…”

“But the problem is, don’t we have to sing?”

“…”

At Yu Da On’s words, we all exchanged awkward glances.

Can we just quietly sing?

If we get caught, it’d be a huge problem.

The more I heard, the more this escape method felt like cruel hope.

Putting contradictory objects in place, and in the end, we have to sing while burning hair?

“Song Ah Rin, can you pass me the escape method from earlier?”

At my words, Song Ah Rin took out the escape method and handed it to me.

[Escape Method]

First, gather its hair.

Head to the gym and burn its hair.

If the little child follows you, somehow shake them off.

Physical shock doesn’t work properly.

After burning the hair, open every classroom door and sing the hide-and-seek song.

If everyone isn’t in their place, the remaining ones will wander this place forever.

The more I understood about this school, the more ominous that sentence felt.

“What if this is fake?”

“There’s no need to worry about that.”

Reading this and realizing the truth, the more I grasped it, the more I realized this escape method was likely closer to the reality.

It’s just too malicious.

If it were absurdly easy, that would be one thing, but this escape method felt like the malice of whoever came up with it was etched into it.

Making people think, “I can probably do it,” then leading them to death.

It was so easy to understand that it felt bad.

[Critical: 1]

Something flickered and then disappeared before my eyes.

I couldn’t see it because it was too fast.

“…Let’s do it.”

Borrowing a lighter from Yu Da On like last time, I took the hair from my pocket and set it on fire.

Thick black smoke billowed, exuding a terrible stench.

Soon, the hair was completely charred and disappeared, and as I confirmed this, I looked at the others.

“Let’s open the classroom doors now.”

“What about the hide-and-seek song?”

“I think it should be fine to sing it after we’ve opened all the doors.”

Feeling uneasy about the final phrase, we ultimately decided that the four of us would open the doors together.

We walked through the eerily quiet hallway, relying on the moonlight, and quietly opened each locked door.

A hallway so quiet that it was strange not even to hear footsteps.

From the first floor to the third, during our rounds, not a single incident occurred.

After opening the last classroom door, I turned around to look at the other three.

“Shall we sing here?”

“…Should we maybe go to the gym just in case?”

Song Ah Rin’s anxious expression reflected my understanding too. After all, she and I had encountered this thing the most.

In the end, we had no choice but to shuffle towards the gym, barefoot.

“By the way, why are you all wearing those outfits?”

That thought crossed my mind as I looked at the three people.

There was no sense of unity whatsoever in the clothing.

“…I used to wear this a lot when I was younger.”

“So did I.”

Thinking about it, I too had worn those quite a bit during my childhood.

I looked at Yu Da On after hearing Jang Chae Yeon and Song Ah Rin’s words.

“…Haha…”

With a wry smile, Yu Da On shrugged as if to point to her hospital gown.

“I had some health issues when I was little.”

“You’re not dead, are you?”

“…”

At Song Ah Rin’s pointed remark, Yu Da On closed her mouth and looked away.

“…Alright, enough of that.”

A dreadful thought flashed through my mind, but I hurriedly brushed it aside and quickened my pace.

*

Does time still flow here? The moonlight seemed even stronger than before.

Where it once bathed us in a soft glow, now it felt like the moonlight clearly illuminated us from above.

We gathered around the remnants of the burned hair, looking at one another.

“Then let’s sing, but if anything comes, Song Ah Rin and Chae Yeon will handle it.”

“How long are we supposed to sing?”

“Until we leave?”

Isn’t the hide-and-seek song just one line?

After a brief discussion, the four of us synchronized our singing.

– “Hide, hide, your hair will show…”

– “Hide, hide, your hair will show…”

Under the painfully bright moonlight, the four of us sang with heightened senses.

– “Da-da-da-da-da!”

Even singing so softly, it seemed someone was coming; perhaps singing was indeed a condition for summoning the monster.

Continuing to sing, I signaled Jang Chae Yeon and Song Ah Rin, both of whom turned their gazes towards the gym’s door.

– “Bang!”

“Yummy!!”

With a loud shout, Arakne burst in, and like a reflex, Jang Chae Yeon reached out, pushing it back out the door.

Then, with a quick twist, Song Ah Rin managed to flip it again.

It was a fluid chain of movements.

“Hide, hide, your hair will show…!”

As Arakne got back up and swung its hair, unseen forces twisted it, causing it to crash into the wall, before it stumbled and fell again.

Damn, when is this going to end?

With my eyes tightly shut, I sang louder along with Yu Da On, hoping it would finish quickly.

But there was no sign of it subsiding,

“Push, away!”

Jang Chae Yeon shouted with gritted teeth as she pushed Arakne, but it kept advancing toward us without caring.

“…Huh!”

Yu Da On, who had been singing so earnestly, suddenly opened her eyes wide.

“What’s happening?”

“It’s back!”

“What’s back?”

“Regeneration!”

She said hurriedly, looking at me.

It came back?

I quickly turned to look up above it.

The translucent window I’d been waiting for appeared above its head.

[Name: Arakne]

[Age: Created 20 years ago]

[Feature: Speed]

[Talent: Man-eating]

[Background: This school was undeniably a place for people to reflect on their past and search for everyone’s happiness. At least until it was created.]

[Weakness: Sadly, its way of thinking is still similar to that of a human.]

[Critical: 1]

I gripped the gun tightly.

We win.

I lowered my gaze again.

“Da On! Hurry and sing!”

At my words, Yu Da On began singing once more, and I quickly aimed the gun at Arakne.

Its thinking is human-like. What a simple weakness to exploit.

“Chae Yeon!”

At my call, Jang Chae Yeon again pushed it back, looking at the cold sweat dripping from Song Ah Rin.

“Song Ah Rin. Make it think it can see.”

“…Seriously.”

With those words, Song Ah Rin looked back at it, and soon, it began scanning the surroundings with a horrified expression.

When a person loses something they feel they possess, they invariably panic. Especially if they consider themselves a normal human.

With both hands, I held the gun.

[Critical: 1 -> 0]

I saw a hint of red light in its torso.

As I pulled the trigger, I fell deep into thought.

What on earth is critical? It’s my ability, yet there are still so many things I don’t know.

Initially, I thought it indicated hitting a vital spot. But it feels like it’s something more complicated than that.

It’s more like the ability to hit something more fundamental. But it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s fatal…

While I was pondering, the bullet lodged itself into its torso, almost as if it was being sucked in.

– “Aaaah!”

It screamed and collapsed.

“Hide, hide, your hair will show!”

In time with that, Yu Da On transitioned from singing to screaming,

And with a loud bang, the four of us found ourselves back in the duty room.

“…”

I looked down at the floor.

The familiar height.

As I looked around, I noticed the four of us were staring at each other in shock.

“…Hah.”

“…Uughh…”

“I’m going to die.”

“…”

Like this had been a silent agreement, all four of us flopped down onto the bed.

“Let’s rest a bit.”

Touching my throbbing temples, I lay down as if collapsing onto the bed.

While the sounds of the three chatting buzzed in the background, I fell into thought.

What kind of sin must I have committed in my past life to encounter containment objects so often like this?

More than that.

Thinking of Yu Da On in her hospital gown,

What exactly is she hiding?

I made a resolution. When I return this time, I should definitely meet that sunglasses guy.

At least once the job is done, there shouldn’t be any trouble.

*

“…”

On the bus ride back, a thin man blocked my way and stared at me intently before speaking.

“Hello.”

Naturally, my gaze drifted upwards, above the man’s head.

[Name: Kim Wan Woo]

[Age: 28]

[Feature: Regression]

[Talent: -]

[Background: 358th round]

[Weakness: You have already been warned.]

A chill ran down my spine.