Chapter 59
59fury
Interlude - Summary of the situation (2)
Soon the delivery driver came, put down the iron bag and started taking out the food to the club room..
I guess I was able to get into the main building without the guards because everyone had left school and the school was quiet..
“Detective, I will eat well.~”
“thank you!”
“Okay, enjoy it. I have a feeling that I will continue to see you guys in the future..”
Jjajangmyeon, grilled dumplings, sweet and sour pork, and kkanpunggi are all piled up on the table..
“Please put some in front of me. Let me explain and then eat..”
“It's ugly. Let's sit down and eat, just.”
When the detective stops me, I just stop explaining and sit down to pick at my chopsticks..
“Let’s order Jjamppong one by one. It's all Jajangmyeon.”
The detective's eyes lit up at Jinhee's grumbling..
“you smoke?”
Jinhee flinches.
“I know how to pick up chopsticks, man. Eat quietly.”
After our late meal, I explained everything else I had experienced..
The first announcement was a ghost story, ranging from people dying from their heads exploding to a smiling woman, a fake mother, a dream, etc..
“I'm glad I didn't hear it before lunch..”
Gyeongwon’s heart sank at the cruel contents..
“There is something called a ghost story point. You can do a lot of things with this..”
After a brief biography of my life, an explanation of the system followed..
After explaining all the various abilities and the use of points earned by fighting ghost stories, I looked at the status window and saw that it was now 5 o'clock..
“The manager lived for 3 more years.……
Gyeongwon is muttering.
This is something I was also wary of..
So far, we've been getting along well as friends of the same age, but he's actually 20 years old..
“···Well, there is no need to feel burdened by your age. I would be grateful if you thought of me as comfortably as you have so far..”
“No, it's not because of that... I thought I knew all the answers to the college entrance exam questions, but I thought it was unfair - yay..”
Hayun, who was next to him, pinched Gyeongwon's thigh due to the useless noise..
I nodded quietly..
“Take it realistically. In three years, the Demon King will be resurrected and the world will be destroyed. Entrance exams are actually a good thing..”
“I agree. we have to protect the world.”
Deokhoon nods his head loudly and speaks of grand ambitions..
He looks like he's enjoying himself with excitement, perhaps because he feels like a character in a cartoon..
[Your understanding of the character Oh Deok-hoon has increased by 10..]
“so. The reason this sofa suddenly appeared just now is because you used those points?.”
“yes. that's right.”
I nodded to the detective..
“But there are really many ways to use points. It would be a waste to use something like this..”
“It's an expensive sofa.?”
“You can buy it with real money, right? It was a waste since you can do surreal things with points that you can't do with money..”
“That's definitely true.”
“Gain abilities, expand the club's functions, or……
The detective looked at the whiteboard with a thoughtful expression and then asked something again..
“What is causality??”
causality.
Now that I think about it, what is it?.
“I’m curious too, manager. It's written like this in the status window, but there's no mention of it since a while ago..”
“···Well, actually, I don't know..”
“ I don't know?”
“huh. I heard it goes up every time you solve a ghost story one by one.……
“hmm ·
Members tilt their heads while looking at my status window drawn on the whiteboard..
“I can’t remember anything, Deokhun.?”
When I ask Deokhoon, he twitches his chin..
When it comes to game systems, this guy is probably the fastest here..
“Causality, causality... Hmm.”
Deokhoon thinking deeply.
“If the number increases as the game progresses, the first thing that comes to mind is the level of completion or progress.….”
“Completeness? progress?”
“Usually, in single-player games, a percentage is displayed in this way to show how much progress is left until the ending. If you are halfway through the game, it will display 50 percent..”
“But in the case of endings, the period is definitely set. February 2022, the date of the Demon King's resurrection.”
“···Yeah, that's right. Well then.”
Deokhoon is worried.
Yes.
The end point of the game is clearly set..
2022year, February 15.
graduation day.
On that day, whether or not you can stop the Demon King's resurrection becomes the deciding factor in the ending..
“Outside of games, isn't there a need to think about the concept of the word itself?.”
This time, Kyungwon, who is well versed in general knowledge, gave his opinion..
“concept of words?”
« huh ”
Kyungwon shines his glasses.
“Can I use the whiteboard?.”
“Hurry up and write it.”
He got up from his seat and came next to me, took a marker pen and started writing something down..
causality
As a result
“···What is this??”
“The causality is written in Chinese characters. Fruit and fruit (果), law and law (律)）
“hmm.”
“It means the law of cause and effect. It is a word originally used in physics or philosophy..”
“···This is my first time hearing it.”
“It's not a word that's used a lot in everyday life..”
At those words, the detective who was quietly watching said something..
“How about explaining in detail what the concept is?.”
“… Is that so??”
The guy cleared his throat and started explaining..
“You all know the saying, “If you don’t, there will be smoke in the chimney.”?”
“You know.”
“It's the same thing. There is always a cause for everything. Expressed in one word, it is called causality..”
“Why do such difficult expressions continue??
Gyeongwon looks troubled at Suna’s question..
“I think the person who first added the word just wanted to appear knowledgeable. It's a word that's never used in everyday conversation, so just know that it's just a concept. What's more important than that right now is……
The guy who says that and then quickly erases the letters on the whiteboard..
“Causality in the manager's status window. I think it's a ratio rule, not a law rule..”
“ ratio?”
“The rising number next to the causality rate in the status window. Because it is displayed as a percentage.”
The guy who said that started writing down the meaning under the newly written Chinese characters..
因果率
Discount discount (因)）
Fruits and fruits (果)）
Ratio rate（率）
“It's a word that doesn't exist originally, but I guessed it. If you break it down, it means it's a ratio of causality..”
Proportion... that's for sure..
This figure called causality.
I don't know what it represents, but it definitely represents a ratio of something in percentage..
So, did you try expressing it as a ratio rate (率) instead of a law rate (律)?.
“This is my interpretation. The manager's actions so far have become the trigger for some outcome, and that is steadily building up..”
“ Hmm?”
“In other words, the causes are gradually accumulating toward a certain result. Since the causality rate is now 12%, we can say that about 12/100 causes have accumulated..”
“…Can you give me an example??”
As Seona looked confused, I asked Gyeongwon again..
“hmm. For example, manager.”
“huh ”
“What are the chances of the manager surviving if he jumped out of the window right now??”
“···well.”
This is the 5th floor.
If you jump, you are guaranteed to be at least half-body crippled, but it is an ambiguous height to say that you will die 100% of the time..
“···Do you think you can survive with a 20% chance??”
“So this time, if you put a mattress on the floor and jump?”
“Still, it must be dangerous because it is 5 stories high. hmm.”
While I was thinking about it, the detective answered for me..
“If you use a mattress prepared for jumping, you have a 90% chance of surviving unless you land on your head and break your neck..”
“okay.”
Gyeongwon nodded and asked the last question..
“So, this time, if you put a mattress on the floor and jump with a parachute.?”
“…Then there is a 99% chance that I will live..”
“That's it.”
A guy who talks about conclusions with his glasses shining.
“5A causal relationship that states that if you jump from a floor to the bare ground, you have a high probability of dying. If you change the conditions, such as changing the bare ground into a mattress or carrying a parachute, the probability changes..”
“yes.”
“Ratio of cause and effect. I wonder if causality is such a concept. To put it simply, it's probability. probability of an outcome occurring.”
It's not that hard if you say it that way..
Probability is just a twisted word..
“The important thing is, Manager..”
The guy whose glasses shine.
“Numbers in the manager's status window. Is this really the ‘causality of what’?.”
“what, for, causality……
“What is certain is that something happens when it reaches 100 percent. I see it stacking up separately from the demon lord who resurrects when the time comes..”
“Hmm.”
The demon king who resurrects when the time comes.
And regardless of time, the causality rate accumulates every time a ghost story is exterminated..
What result am I building up the causes towards?.
“I think this roughly explains everything.?”
“I need to tell you more?”
“eww ”
I thought about it carefully, but I think I said it all..
“I think I shared everything for now..”
“I see..”
“…By the way, I also want to ask you some questions..”
Members tilting their heads.
I also had a few things I wanted to ask someone for advice about these incomprehensible situations..
“cucumber! Tell me everything clearly, Manager.!”
Deokhoon bangs the desk and snorts..
Members listening with serious expressions.
“good. First of all, the word 2nd round. what do you think about it?”
“ Hoo······
As expected, Deokhoon is the first to open his mouth..
“Usually, the second play in a game refers to when the gamer starts from the beginning again after seeing the ending once..”
“…yes? That's probably it too?”
It was an answer I had heard before, but thinking about it again, it was astounding..
Wouldn't it be boring to play a story game that flows the same way from the beginning instead of playing against other people??
“It is said that among single games such as Souls games, roguelikes, etc., it is common for perverts to intentionally start over from the beginning after watching the ending. Sometimes it's for fun, sometimes it's to see the true ending.”
···To me, who has only played LoL or PUBG, this still doesn't make sense..
“How many times did it appear in your past life??”
“In my past life……
I try to recall the memories, but I can't remember them..
Come to think of it, in my previous life, I couldn't even open the status window and got a bad ending..
“···In my previous life, I had never checked the status window. I just lived a normal life and died..”
“A status window pops up, but you're leading a normal life? Oi oi, jokes are just as good-”
“I didn't mean to do that, but when I left school, the tutorial wasn't broken and the status window was locked. That's why I couldn't confirm it.”
“sodesne.”
In response to my answer, Deokhoon quietly grabbed his chin and thought about it..
“I confirmed that it was episode 1 in my previous life, and if it says episode 2 after watching The Demon King, I would think that since I saw the ending once, the number of episodes has increased... If you haven't confirmed it in your past life, hmm..”
The guy tilting his head.
“It may not be clear whether this second round has the same meaning as the term used in the game. First of all, causality and ghost story points are terms that are not used in general games..”
This system seems similar at first glance to the sensibility of a single game, but there are many different aspects, so it is impossible to say for sure..
“In addition to simply meaning that you are the second person, it can also be used to mean that you have inherited the baton. It is sometimes used to say, “Let’s run it a few times.”…”
“···I feel like I've heard this a few times during relay races..”
“Anyway, it still looks like the index is unknown as to what it means. That's enough for now, let's move on to the next topic..”
“Then.”
2After summarizing the episode like this, I moved on to the next topic..
“good. Then the next thing I was curious about was what happened when I fought with the smiling woman..”
“It's been a while.”
I told him about the seat assignment that happened that day when I was fighting with the laughing woman in the ghost story in the manual..
That day, I was always curious as to why I randomly selected Deokhoon and Deokhoon, even though I randomly selected them several times..
“Otaku, didn’t you fabricate something? I want to sit together.”
“Masaka!”
When Jinhee giggles and makes a joke, Deokhoon gets angry..
“Didn't you clearly say that there are no BL elements?!”
“The homeroom teacher did something……
Seona also tilted her head and expressed her opinion..
“Hmm, homeroom teacher?”
It was a possibility.
It was my homeroom teacher who ordered the drawing of lots to allocate seats..
“···But I can't guess what my homeroom teacher's intention was in having me sit there. What good is there for him by having me sit down with this guy?.”
“That's right. Whoosh, whoosh.”
Deokhoon nods his head quickly..
“And in the end, I was the one who chose the paper. There doesn't seem to be any room for manipulation..”
“Manager, maybe.……
Open your mouth to see if something comes to mind
is Gyeongwon.
“If you think about it in connection with the word causality... I think what happened then was something like the opposite of the butterfly effect.……
“butterfly effect?”
I've heard of it.
I think I've seen it a few times on the internet.
“The concept is that the flapping of a butterfly's wings on the other side of the world can cause a tornado here..”
The members tilt their heads at Gyeongwon’s explanation..
“that's possible?”
“It's a metaphor, a metaphor. It means that a very small action can lead to unexpected results..”
“Hmm, I see. Then, it means the opposite. “The opposite concept of the butterfly effect is the causality in the manager’s status window..”
The concept of the butterfly effect, in which small actions lead to completely unpredictable chaos..
And opposite to that, the causality of the concept of ‘what will happen will definitely happen’..
“···That's right. It's the exact opposite word..”
“yes.”
If the butterfly effect is a theory that a small change in choice can lead to enormous, unpredictable results, causality is the opposite concept that states that if certain conditions are exceeded, a certain result will inevitably occur..
“When the manager first drew the seat assignment note and then without thinking, the same seat ended up being selected. And, regardless of whether I talked to Suna or not, the two ended up at the snack bar before I knew it..”
Kyungwon adjusts his glasses and points out the main points of what happened that day..
“That's not all. I remembered it while listening carefully to the manager’s story. It was the same during Porincess and the incident just now..”
“···hmm? During the Porinses?”
Was there something there??
“In the case of the Porincess incident, a similar situation was recreated in the music room when the manager returned in time. A male student plays a new song on his cell phone and the music teacher points it out..”
“···That's right. Immediately after that, even though I couldn't hear the song, I had a similar mistake..”
“huh ”
·
Kyungwon nods his head.
“The same goes for the incident just now. No matter how many times she came back, Sun-ah asked the manager if his preparations for the exam were going well. At least once, I might have noticed something odd on my face and reacted differently..”
“···That's also true.”
Gyeongwon accurately points out the parts that I ignored without notice, using logic..
“I think that situation itself is ultimately related to causality. Since Suna had already thought and decided in her mind that she had to say that, to make a leap, we could say that the causality of Suna asking the manager if his exam preparations were going well was 100%..”
“ causality……
Certainly, there were many times when people's behavioral patterns were quite similar no matter what I did..
“Probably, Manager. This world seems to be driven by ‘causality’ rather than ‘me-ineffectiveness’. No matter how many small actions change, what will happen will happen in the end. Not in this school. The world itself.”
“Hmm!”
It was a complex and huge story..
A story about the order of the world, deduced from the game system.
“···By the way.”
After thinking about it carefully, I immediately had a question..
“It seems like a pretty big story... How will it benefit me to know this now??”
That's right. This concept of causality. In the end, what happens happens happens.
It seems important, but how and where should it actually be used??
“It means a lot, kid..”
The detective, who had been sitting quietly until now, spoke heavily..
“2022Tell me who will be president in March.”
president!
I was shocked for a moment.
“National- level events, such as the presidential election, are events of such great causality that they do not change even if you, a student, act a little differently. You can probably say that it goes 100% the same as the previous life..”
“Well, that's right. I guess so..”
“Jun died in February.……
Suna's muttering.
The presidential election is in March, but I died in February.
“It was just before. You probably know the atmosphere, right?.”
Detective urging you to answer.
I recalled the memory carefully..
“First of all, the presidential election took place not in 2022, but in early 2021, when I was in my third year of high school..”
“···what? Elections occur every 5 years. Why 1 year early-”
“It's an early election. The current president gets involved in an accident and goes missing..”
Detective with a serious expression.
“So who is it?.”
“He was a gray-haired old man, and there was a lot of talk about him being the leader of some religion. That person was elected because of some maneuver he took in a chaotic situation..”
“What is your name??”
The detective tilted his head when I told him the name of the religion and the name of the president..
“The beginning of the doctrine of emptiness... This is my first time hearing both the name of the religion. For a detective, I have been in charge of a lot of important matters, so I have a lot of contact with the political world.……
“That was the first time I heard it too. In fact, there was a lot of controversy, but he was elected anyway, and things went smoothly after that, and he came back in February 2022..”
“···I see.”
After that, everyone spent time asking questions..
“Cucumber, what a joke! Death Stranding produced by Hideo Kojima! Have you really never heard of it?!”
“I don't know, man. wait and play later.”
“What about the vertically folding phone released by Clover Corporation? I have a lot of fold phones now.] I?”
“···you. There are still two days left for the exam. I have to leave to study soon.
“If you remember any serial murder cases or other news articles, write them down..”
“I am also human! I just want to go home!”
“Fuck, what is the minimum wage next year?.”
The detective asked about incidents and politics surrounding the news, and Deokhoon's questions were mainly about Japanese games and animations..
Jinhee asked about things like lotto or Toto, but she couldn't answer because she didn't know anything, and Hayun was just listening as if she was interested..
I was concerned that Suna's expression turned white at some point, but we managed to finish the explanation and by early evening, we slowly began to organize our opinions..
After a while, we left the main building and walked to the playground..
“okay? Three years later, a strange being called the Demon King will be resurrected and this world will be destroyed. Until then, we have to grow by killing as many ghost stories as possible..”
“···Manager. As expected, it was a lie that I initially created a club for the entrance exam..”
Gyeongwon mutters in a burdensome tone..
“···Sorry. By arbitrarily dragging you in. But I'm not here because I want to either..”
“Well, I guess so.……
I slowly began to tell the truth, hoping they would accept it..
“At first, all I wanted to do was run away. but… It didn't work out like that. I ran away for 3 years but eventually came back, even if I ran away for a day I came back.”
uy〉
“Even though I was pushed and driven like that, I had no choice but to start... But now that time has passed, I think a little differently..”
The school has suddenly become dark.
Our ghost story club gathered in the middle of the playground.
I clenched my fist and held it out to the guys, as if giving a speech..
“This is not something we should do because it is just or moral. There is no way for us to survive. I have to do it. I'm sorry, I dragged you into it on your own. How many times have you died? but… Will you join me??”
“···Juna.”
“I could never do it alone. I can't even think about it. But if you join us... I think I can act brave and take the lead.”
“···manager.”
“I'll work harder. I'll carry a little more, so will you help me out? Will you join me??”
Someone's soft hand gently placed itself on the back of my hand, which I quietly held out..
“There's no reason you should have to deal with something like that alone, Jun.……
“··.Seonya.”
Suna smiles softly.
“Let's do it together. I'll help you.”
“thank you.”
Eventually, Gyeongwon also shook his head and held out his hand, which was handsome for a man..
“Although I think it is unreasonable. Well, it would be useless to ask the manager about that. I'm not the one who did this.”
“Gyeongwon-ah……
“I'll help you. There is no way. Whatever, let's try it.”
The next thing that came up was a slender woman's hand with transparent skin..
“···Hayunah. It'll be okay?”
A mysterious pretty girl with a slight smile.
“curious. How will you navigate the future?.”
[The understanding of the character In Ha-yoon has increased by 5..]
You're serious..
I smiled at her.
“good. Feel free to watch.”
Deokhoon’s thick hand came up next..
“Cucumber, let's save the world.”
“Fuha, okay, let’s see.” There is silence for a moment, and Jinhee finally can't hold back her gaze and places her hand, which has many residual scars..
“The dog is creepy……
“thank you. For being with me in childish things.”
As the six members of the ghost story club joined hands, a message appeared before their eyes..
Paat-
[I received the quest.]
quest.
It was a word I hadn’t seen in a long time..
『Congratulations! You've finally shared your secret with your teammates! A journey to prevent the resurrection of the Demon King. There, strong camaraderie in the party is essential. Starting today, you begin to try to understand more about your members..』
[I received the quest.]
〈Quest - Camaraderie〉
Raise the understanding of one member of O team to 100..
O Reward: School education policy ability added.
“Let’s go, let’s go, ghost story club fighting!”
“Go for it!”
In the middle of a dark playground, we stand in a circle, put our hands together and shout.
Suddenly, Jinhee jumped into the center of the circle and caused a scene..
“Argh, fuck you! The dog cringes!”
“ha ha ha.”
“Hahaha.”
“Don't split it!”
Jinhee slaps Gyeongwon, who was laughing heartily, on the head and runs towards the front door..
“Fuck, so fucking childish.!”
“Oi oi! Where are you going! Let's protect the earth!”
“Fuck off, fuck it.！”
Deokhoon chases after him, singing the animation theme song as if he's finally found his weakness..
“Ghost story club friends! Let's save the world! Victory is always ours~♬”
“Hahaha.”
We laugh when we see that.
The detective watching from behind lit a cigarette and laughed..
“Are you filming a youth movie? Guys, really.......
He soon puffs out a puff of smoke and mutters to us as we run towards the front gate..
“When I was young.”
♧◇♧♤◇◇♤♧◇♧♤♧♧♤◇◇◇♤◇◇♧◇
double sided
ghost story club
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