[Current Fear Points: 8,500]
[Location: Behind Dorm F - The Forbidden Forest]
[Time: 11:00 PM]
The celebration for Class F's victory was short-lived.
While other students partied, Ryan stood in front of the iron gates leading to the 'Shadow Dungeon'.
This wasn't a playground.
According to the Academy rumors, this dungeon was connected to a "crack" in the dimension. Students who entered often came back... wrong. Some lost their minds. Some lost their shadows.
"Boss," Grog whispered, hiding behind Ryan. "This place smells like... old graves. Grog does not like it."
Ryan looked at the dark fog swirling behind the gates.
"It smells like money, Grog. And Exp."
Before entering, Ryan opened his System Interface. He had 8,500 Points. It was time to spend.
"System, Upgrade [Ghost Eye]."
[Cost: 2,000 Points]
[Ding! 'Ghost Eye' evolved to 'True Sight (Level 1)'.]
Effect: Can see invisible spirits, detect traps, and read the 'Sin' of a target.
"Upgrade [Desert Eagle]."
[Cost: 3,000 Points]
[Ding! Weapon Evolved: 'Soul Shatterer (Rank D)'.]
Effect: Bullets now explode on impact, dealing Area of Effect (AoE) spiritual damage.
"And buy... [Spirit Bait Incense]."
[Cost: 500 Points]
Effect: Attracts all ghosts within 500 meters. (Suicide Item).
Ryan grinned. "Perfect."
He pushed the rusty gates open.
CREAAAAK.
Inside the Dungeon: Level 1 - The Whispering Woods.
The trees here were dead. Their branches looked like skeletal hands reaching for the sky. The ground was covered in grey mist that swirled around their ankles.
As soon as they stepped in, the temperature dropped to freezing.
The silence was deafening. No crickets. No wind.
Then, the whispers started.
...turn back...
...he will eat you...
...your sister is dying...
The whispers weren't coming from the trees. They were coming from inside their own heads.
Grog clutched his head. "The voices! They say Grog is weak! They say Grog's father hates him!"
Ryan's [Nerves of Steel] blocked the fear, but he could hear the voices clearly. They were trying to break his mind.
"Ignore them, Grog," Ryan said coldly, his True Sight scanning the mist. "They are just pests."
Suddenly, a shadow detached itself from a tree.
Then another. And another.
Dozens of black, humanoid figures rose from the ground. They had no faces, only glowing white mouths stitched into a smile.
[System Warning: Horde Detected.]
[Enemy: Shadow Mimics (Level 2 Spirit).]
[Ability: They feed on insecurity. They mimic your loved ones.]
One Shadow stepped forward. Its form shifted. It turned into a little girl.
Sarah.
The Shadow-Sarah looked at Ryan, her eyes bleeding.
"Brother... why didn't you save me? It hurts... the machine hurts..."
Ryan froze.
Even with the System, seeing his dying sister—even a fake one—struck a nerve.
The Shadow-Sarah giggled. Her mouth opened unnaturally wide, revealing rows of needle-teeth.
"JOIN ME IN HELL!"
She lunged at Ryan, her arms turning into blades.
BANG!
A blue explosion lit up the dark forest.
Ryan didn't hesitate. He shot the Shadow-Sarah right in the face with his new Soul Shatterer.
The shadow screamed—not like a girl, but like a demon—and dissolved into black smoke.
[Ding! Killed Shadow Mimic.]
[Fear Points: +100]
"Nice try," Ryan lowered his gun, smoke rising from the barrel. His eyes were cold. "But my sister doesn't have bad breath."
He turned to Grog. The giant was surrounded by shadows whispering insults.
"Grog! Wake up!" Ryan shouted. "They aren't real! Smash them!"
Grog roared, swinging his massive fists blindly. "GET OUT OF GROG'S HEAD!"
Ryan pulled out the [Spirit Bait Incense] and lit it.
A pungent, purple smoke rose into the air.
"DINNER TIME!" Ryan yelled.
Suddenly, every shadow in the forest stopped.
They smelled the bait. It smelled like the most delicious soul in existence.
Hundreds of glowing white mouths turned towards Ryan.
[System Alert: You have attracted the entire dungeon.]
[Enemy Count: 50+]
[Survival Chance: Low.]
Ryan grinned wildly. This wasn't a trap for him. It was a trap for them.
"Grog, cover my back! We are farming tonight!"
The horde charged. A tsunami of darkness rushed towards them.
Ryan dual-wielded his Soul Shatterer and his Crowbar.
BANG! BANG! BOOM!
Every shot caused an explosion of spirit energy.
CRACK!
Every swing of the crowbar shattered a shadow's skull.
It was a massacre.
Ryan moved like a dancer in the mist. His Agility (Updated: 15) allowed him to dodge the shadow blades by millimeters.
"Die! Die! Die!" Ryan laughed. The adrenaline (and the System suppressing his fear) turned him into a machine.
[Ding! +100 Points]
[Ding! +100 Points]
[Ding! Level Up!]
Within 10 minutes, the forest was quiet again.
Black ectoplasm covered the ground.
Ryan stood in the center of the carnage, reloading his gun.
[Current Fear Points: 8,500 -> 13,500]
[Host Level: 3 -> 4]
"Too easy," Ryan muttered, kicking a dissolving shadow corpse.
But then, his True Sight picked up something.
Deeper in the forest, there was a cave.
And from that cave, a thick, red aura was leaking out.
It wasn't a Shadow Mimic.
It was something real. Something biological.
"Help..."
A faint, human voice echoed from the cave.
Ryan signaled Grog to be quiet. They approached the cave entrance.
Inside, chained to the wall, was a girl.
She wore the Academy uniform. But it was torn and old. The style was from... 10 years ago?
She looked up. Her skin was grey. Her eyes were gone.
But she was alive.
[System Warning: Boss Detected.]
[Enemy: The Lost Student (Mutated Spirit).]
[Lore: A student who entered the dungeon 10 years ago and never returned. She has been corrupted by the Underworld.]
The girl's head snapped towards Ryan.
"Run..." she rasped. "He... is... coming..."
"Who?" Ryan asked, gripping his gun.
The girl smiled. A second mouth opened on her neck.
"The Headmaster."
CRACK.
The chains on the wall shattered.
The girl didn't stand up. She crawled on the ceiling like a spider, moving impossibly fast towards them.
"PLAY WITH ME!"
Ryan cursed.
This wasn't a regular ghost. This was a Mutant.
Physical attacks wouldn't work well. Spiritual attacks wouldn't be enough.
"Grog! Throw me!" Ryan shouted.
"What?" Grog blinked.
"THROW ME AT HER!"
Grog grabbed Ryan and hurled him into the air like a javelin.
Ryan soared towards the crawling monster on the ceiling.
Mid-air, Ryan opened his Inventory.
He pulled out the [Shard of Truth] (From the Mirror Ghost).
"Let's see your nightmare!"
He slammed the shard into the monster's forehead right as they collided.
FLASH!
Ryan fell to the ground. The monster screamed, clutching its head.
The Shard of Truth was forcing her to relive her humanity. It paralyzed her.
"Now!" Ryan aimed his Soul Shatterer directly into her open mouth.
"Class dismissed."
KA-BOOM!
The shot blew the back of her head out.
The monster fell from the ceiling, dead.
[Ding! Defeated Mutated Boss: The Lost Student.]
[Fear Points: +2,000]
[Drop Item: 'Academy ID Card (Expired)']
[Drop Item: 'Shadow Cloak' (Rare)]
Ryan stood up, dusting off his clothes. He picked up the ID card.
Name: Alice. Year: 2014.
Status: Missing.
"The Headmaster..." Ryan muttered, looking at the dead girl. "She said the Headmaster did this."
Ryan looked at the dark cave. There were more chains on the wall. Small chains.
This wasn't just a dungeon.
This was a torture chamber.
Someone in the Academy was feeding students to the monsters.
Ryan clenched his fist. The "Academy" wasn't a safe haven. It was a farm. And he had just walked into the slaughterhouse.
"Grog," Ryan said, his voice deadly serious. "Don't tell anyone what we saw here. We are going to find who did this."
"And then?" Grog asked, looking scared.
Ryan put on his new [Shadow Cloak]. He vanished into the darkness, his voice echoing from nowhere.
"And then... I'm going to introduce them to my System."