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Quest — Complete the Tutorial
Sub-quest — Escape from the School!
Description — You've made first contact with another human without exposing your true identity. Impressive! But do you have what it takes for the next stage?
There's no meaning in staying trapped inside this fake world for long. You must escape the academy and free yourself before the night ends.
Of course, it won't be easy. The academy is surrounded by a powerful barrier. Even if you try to jump the wall, it won't work—you'll be caught instantly.
Hint: One of the teachers has left the key to the main gate in their desk. Find it.
Rules:
• Do not get caught by any teacher or disciplinary student.
• Escape before the next day begins.
• Failure to escape before midnight—or getting caught—will result in death.
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'We have six hours or less… and failure means death.' Hiru clenched his fists.
It had taken him two whole weeks to complete just one Sub-quest. Sure, he had taken his time… but this? This sudden urgency felt unfair. Now he had to solve something this big in just six hours?
'So this is how the Ghost Realm plays with us…'
Reading about the cruelty of this world had been one thing. Facing it head-on was something else entirely.
'No… I have multiple variables on my side. The situation's not that bad yet. And more importantly…'
His eyes turned to Miami—who had just finished checking her own System and looked toward him in response.
"You got a plan?" he asked, testing the waters. She looked much calmer than he expected.
"At the moment, no," she replied, shaking her head. "But before that, we have another problem we—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Both of them turned their heads sharply to the side.
Tip. Tap.
The sound of footsteps echoed from the terrace entrance, and a new voice followed, sinking both of their expressions.
"What… are you two doing here?"
It was a low and eerie voice.
A thin yet abnormally tall figure stepped onto the terrace, his eyes sharp as they scanned the two. In one hand, he carried an old, rusted lantern that flickered dimly.
'The disciplinary student…' If there was one group Hiru always avoided, it was them.
"Do you both not know the punishment for being out at night?" the student asked with his tone cold and stern.
But Hiru had prepared for a situation like this.
"Ah! We're not doing anything suspicious. Actually, Miss Suzume called us out after school for a scolding," Hiru replied quickly, forcing a casual tone.
It wasn't a complete lie… if he just excluded the part about Miami.
The tall boy went silent for a moment, then narrowed his eyes.
"Then why are you still here… and not headed straight to the hostel?"
"You won't believe me, bro…" Hiru began, forcing an exaggerated expression of heartbreak before continuing, "Those girls… the ones I tried to show my love to… they—" he paused dramatically, "they not only turned me down, but they threw my bag on the terrace after I went to Miss Suzume's cabin! Can you believe it? How heartless can they be?!"
Hiru put on his best performance, trying to navigate through the situation with a well-practiced mixture of desperation and charm.
"Can you please let us go this one time? I don't want any black marks… on my student record…" He tried but his voice trailed off as his words suddenly caught in his throat.
There was something he hadn't noticed before, something that had been impossible to pay attention to amidst the chaos.
The sun had completely set. Darkness had taken over, and the entire world around them was blanketed in dark.
The disciplinary student's lantern was the only light in the otherwise pitch-black night.
Hiru and Miami were just standing there, looking as calm as they could manage, but there was something off about the disciplinary student.
Something about him didn't sit right.
So, he focused on him.
He was already too thin—but as the lantern's light cut through the night, his real form was revealed.
His skin was stretched tight, grey and paper-thin, clinging to his bones like old parchment. His eyes were pitch-black voids, as if they didn't exist at all.
[You have encountered a Malicious-Rank Ghost: Disciplinary Boy]
'This is not good…'
As the academy slipped fully into night, the true nature of everything surfaced—and the same went for Hiru and Miami.
"You… are not ghosts… Not Ghost… not Ghost… Not Ghost? No Ghost? NOT GHOST!?!?!?" The thing spoke in a warped, broken voice—like a machine glitching out.
'This is why they told us not to roam at night!!' With their human identities exposed, Hiru's instincts screamed at him to act fast.
"Leave this to me—!"
Before he could finish, a hand yanked him back.
Hiru turned in confusion toward Miami.
She didn't speak. Instead, she pressed a finger to his lips, urging silence.
'What is she thinking?' He watched in confusion, but then turned his gaze back to the ghost—and froze.
"Where? Where? Where? Where?"
The ghost was now stumbling around in circles, searching… blindly.
'It can't see us…?'
Just then, Miami gave him a tiny smirk and pointed to her hand—the one still clutching his.
[Cursed Tool: Invisible Bracelet]
He was surprised—how the hell did she find something that rare, that quickly?
Sure, his System had a Store feature too, where he could use Ghost Currency to buy items… but in the middle of all that tension, he didn't have the luxury to scroll through everything.
'She really came prepared…'
Miami signaled him again—stay quiet—before slowly pulling him toward the terrace exit.
"Where… Where… where… Where…."
The malicious ghost was still pacing, its voice cracking like a scratched record, searching blindly for them in the dark.
Carefully, step by step, they slipped past him—heartbeats pounding, breaths held—and made it out of the terrace without a sound.
They quietly secured themselves inside the dimly-lit Female bathroom on the lower floor.
Hiru leaned against the wall, exhaling sharply. "I can't believe that worked so easily…"