Chapter 087: The Girl and the Strange Entity

What should they do?

Refusing to act as bait to lure the female ghost away? That would mean severing ties with Lin Ye. If he still hoped for Lin Ye to lend him a hand in the future, that would be completely impossible.

But what if he accepted?

The otaku stared at the horrific appearance of the female ghost, her disheveled black hair floating around her like deadly threads from hell, each strand exuding a murderous bloodlust.

He was too scared to go near.

"Lin... Lin-kun, how about we return to the art classroom and come up with a plan?"

The otaku's idea was to find someone else to act as bait to distract the female ghost at least it couldn't be him alone.

He wasn't enough to fill the gaps between the female ghost's teeth with his 180 pounds of flesh.

"You two stay here and wait for me."

After saying this,

Lin Ye walked straight ahead.

Tap, tap...

The sound of his footsteps echoed clearly.

Ryou Fujibayashi clenched her hands, nervous, her eyes fixed on Lin Ye, terrified that something might happen to him.

The otaku, with tears in his eyes, realized that Lin Ye would rather face the female ghost alone than let him act as bait. Not even a brother would treat him this well!

Ten meters...

Eight meters...

The female ghost remained still, showing no signs of movement.

Lin Ye glanced at the president's office door, noticing that the black hair strands had crossed and connected, forming a dense web that blocked the entire door.

Unless he had a way to deal with the female ghost and the hair, even if time stopped, he wouldn't be able to get in.

At five meters,

Lin Ye stopped, his gaze fixed on the female ghost and the black hair scattered on the floor.

But the female ghost didn't react to his approach. She only turned her bloodstained, menacing face toward him, her eyes seemingly locked on him.

"I've actually been thinking about something,"

"Why do you show obvious aggression toward others, but toward me, the aggression is weak almost nonexistent?"

At this distance, if the female ghost moved a few steps closer, she could quickly attack by using her hair, and no one would be able to escape.

From a distance, Ryou Fujibayashi and the otaku froze, starting to think about why this was happening.

"And now I have a bold guess..."

Lin Ye slowly raised his right hand, wiggling his fingers.

"Ah, Honda, come here and walk over slowly."

"Uh!"

The otaku was startled, but faced with Lin Ye's request, he gritted his teeth and didn't refuse.

So, with a nervous heart, he slowly started walking over. Each step felt like it took all his strength.

Shh, shh, shh...

The sound of hair rubbing against the floor suddenly echoed, especially clear and sharp in the quiet night.

Many strands of hair began to move, slowly extending in the direction of the otaku.

He was even more afraid now, his face growing paler.

Why was this happening!?

Was it because I'm not as handsome as Lin Ye? Is that why you're targeting me? Wanting to attack me?

This was too much! It was bad enough being disliked and discriminated against by girls at school, but now, this female ghost in this eerie school was discriminating against me too!

The otaku couldn't bring himself to keep walking, but since Lin Ye hadn't told him to stop, he couldn't turn back.

"Lin... Lin-kun, should I keep going?"

His steps were now slower than a snail's.

"Keep going,"

Just those two words made the otaku grit his teeth and take a step forward.

Shh, shh, shh...

The rustling of hair grew even more intense, and the strands seemed to be standing on end.

"I... I'll keep going,"

The otaku braced himself and took another step.

The black hair swirled like it was dancing.

The otaku froze in place, too scared to move. His expression was completely frozen, and sweat poured from his forehead.

This was definitely targeting me. Is this what it's like to be an otaku in the second dimension, completely ignored and disliked?

"Go back!"

The voice was like an angelic sound from heaven. The otaku, having received the order, quickly and cautiously backed away. Once he'd put enough distance between himself and the female ghost, his steps quickened, and he rushed to Ryou Fujibayashi's side, exhaling a long breath.

Now, he was safe.

"Ryou, you come here too."

"Mm."

Ryou Fujibayashi, also nervous, tried to keep her fear in check. To avoid being too scared, she focused her gaze on Lin Ye, walking at a steady pace toward him.

Ahead, the female ghost's black hair had started changing again.

After this series of tests,

Lin Ye had already figured things out.

"Ryou, you can go back now."

But unexpectedly, Ryou Fujibayashi walked behind Lin Ye.

The girl with purple shoulder-length hair brushed aside her bangs, revealing a faint smile.

"It's safest by your side."

She trusted that, if real danger arose, Lin Ye wouldn't leave her behind. She also realized that Lin Ye must have come to some conclusion.

"Do you remember the information from the various notes?"

In the distance, the otaku was also listening closely. It seemed a little far away, so he took a few steps forward to hear better.

"Seeing her, don't panic, don't be afraid. Fear will make her..."

Lin Ye repeated one of the hints.

"The rest of it should be something like 'excited, thrilled, more aggressive.' At first, I thought this hint was to tell us to stay calm when we encountered her, to think of ways to escape more clearly."

"Now, it's obvious that she's more aggressive toward people who feel fear. If we were to describe it like a game, it's like characters who are fearful will be attacked more easily, with higher levels of hostility."

At this point,

Ryou Fujibayashi finally understood the purpose of the tests.

Because she and the otaku were both so fearful, their proximity triggered a stronger reaction from the female ghost.

Then...

She looked at Lin Ye, standing calmly without any fear, realizing that Lin Ye wasn't scared at all. So, the female ghost hadn't reacted strongly to him.

"I see now."

The intensity of fear was connected to attracting the female ghost.

The otaku thought of his friend and recalled why the female ghost ignored Kyozaki and came after him in the shoe locker room.

It was because, at that time, he and his friend Zeyano were the two most frightened people in the area, so the female ghost prioritized attacking them.

"As long as you're not afraid, you won't be attacked."

"As long as your fear is lighter than others, you won't be targeted first."

This also explained why the more people there were, the more likely the female ghost was to attack.

...

...

Now they understood the rules of self-preservation, but what should they do next?

The head was in the president's office, and they couldn't get in.

Ryou Fujibayashi looked at Lin Ye's profile, unable to stop herself from thinking.

"I have a way to distract the female ghost."

"I'll help."

Ryou Fujibayashi didn't hesitate at all.

"Ryou, with you as a teammate, I'm truly relieved."

"I... I just want to do my part. I can't let Lin-kun do everything alone. That wouldn't be right."

"You are truly a good girl, really. Whoever marries you in the future will definitely be happy."

Ryou Fujibayashi immediately blushed.

The timid girl had already shown courage in the eerie school building, but at her core, she remained an introverted and timid girl.

"Alright, you should leave here. Before trying to lure her away, I plan to try another method first. Maybe it will work."

Ryou Fujibayashi didn't leave right away.

"Your fear will affect her. I need you and Honda to stay farther away. No, just go to the nearest staff office!"

"I understand."

Since Lin Ye said so,

Ryou Fujibayashi had no reason to stay any longer. She had stayed with the intention of helping Lin Ye, and now, leaving would help him, so she naturally wouldn't stay here any longer.

After meeting up with the otaku, Ryou Fujibayashi spoke to him.

"Lin-kun asked us to go to the staff office."

"Okay, Lin-kun, let's go."

After receiving Lin Ye's signal, the otaku and Ryou Fujibayashi headed to the staff office on the third floor.

Meanwhile, on the fourth floor, Lin Ye, confronting the female ghost, quickly noticed that the ghost's hair had retracted significantly, until it was back under her feet.

However, the hair that had been entangled at the door of the president's office hadn't decreased at all; it was still densely packed, blocking any entry with no gaps.

Destruction was impossible.

He had already tried.

This black hair was harder than steel.

Lin Ye had considered using fire, but he understood that the rules of this instance and the "use water to deal with burning entities" were completely different.

He looked at the female ghost's face and could clearly feel that the malice had diminished, replaced by a hint of coldness.

Yes, coldness.

It was like the aloof temperament of the "tall, unattainable flower" at the beginning of a movie, or the proud aura in the portrait in the art classroom.

"My name is Lin Ye. I am just a visitor passing through this school. I know a lot about you, although it's incomplete, and many key pieces of information are missing, but I want to help you."

The female ghost in his line of sight stood still, motionless, with no response.

For a moment, Lin Ye almost thought his guess was wrong this female ghost could communicate.

Fear attracts the female ghost, and it also affects her rationality. Could it be that he was also afraid of her? Is that why the ghost was still unresponsive? Or perhaps, she didn't want to communicate?

Lin Ye rubbed his chin and suddenly noticed the problem.

"Sorry, I'm a bit far from you."

Five meters was definitely not a normal distance for communication.

He walked up, stepping onto the corridor that had been covered with hair.

"I want to help you."

He gazed at the female ghost's face, now only half a meter away, but her eyes were as calm as still water.

No response?

What now?

It seemed his words lacked persuasion.

[You have used the Persuasion skill (Level LV1).]

"I really want to help you."

Still no response.

Alright!

Let's do it this way then.

[You spent 1000 game points to upgrade your Persuasion skill.]

[Persuasion skill is now Level LV2. 45 seconds remaining until skill cooldown ends.]

...

"I can retrieve your lost head."

No response. Wait, there was a reaction the female ghost blinked. That was a reaction.

But that reaction wasn't enough; he hadn't convinced her yet.

[You spent 3000 game points to upgrade your Persuasion skill.]

[Persuasion skill is now Level LV3.]

The cooldown ended.

"I can help you get revenge."

She stared at Lin Ye.

In that moment, her reaction was obvious.

He guessed correctly.

The female ghost wanted revenge.

And the target of her vengeance was also within this school building.

Many things became clearer.

"I can help you. I can even find a way for you to personally get revenge. There is no falsehood or deception in my words."

Still... not enough?

'Rustling...'

The female ghost's long black hair swirled and floated in front of Lin Ye. Soon, it wove into a unique black bracelet with intricate patterns.

It silently floated in mid-air, and under the light of the streetlamp, it seemed to emit a faint, mysterious aura.

Lin Ye reached out to pick it up, and the information about the black bracelet appeared in his mind.

[Name: Girl's Bracelet]

[Category: Eerie Object]

[Quality: ???]

[Ability: Cannot be used]

[Usage Condition: ???]

[Background: From a high school girl named '??', woven with her own long black hair.]

[Note 1: Wearing it will bring either a blessing or a curse.]

[Note 2: If you break the agreement with her, the bracelet will transform into a cursed hair strand, binding you and consuming you to death.]

[Note 3: If you fulfill the agreement, the bracelet will assist you.]

[Special Reminder: If you gain the recognition of the creator of this eerie object, the mental strain and eerie corruption caused by using this object will be greatly reduced.]

It turned out to be an eerie object.

So this is how eerie objects are obtained.

If the other eerie objects can only be acquired in a similar manner to the bracelet, their rarity is unimaginable.

Ordinary people wouldn't dare face the female ghost directly like this.

Even players from the eerie game cannot face the female ghost with a calm mind.

His lack of fear towards the female ghost was based on his own strength. If it were someone else, there would be no chance at all.

Lin Ye looked at the bracelet in his hand without hesitation and immediately put it on his left wrist.

The next second, the bracelet tightened, adjusting to the perfect fit on his wrist.

"Can you trust me now?"

She still didn't respond, but the information her eyes conveyed answered Lin Ye's question.

"Now, may I enter?"

Lin Ye pointed at the president's office, but the female ghost seemed to have no intention of allowing him in.

"I suspect your head is inside the president's office."

She remained silent, with no response.

"Here's what we'll do. You should now be able to control the bracelet. If you agree, let the bracelet tighten. If you disagree, do nothing. If you're unsure, just blink. How does that sound?"

The bracelet tightened.

Communication was established.

It was only a matter of time before clearing this instance.

________________________________________

If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 20 advanced chapters available on Patreon

patreon.com/Leanzin