"So, have you found any clues yet?" Akiyuki sat on the bed, handing Saiki a bag of ghost coins as he asked.
[Didn't I just say earlier? Just ran into that boring stuff.]
Saiki casually took the bag, tapped the ghost coins with his hand, and asked,
[How come there's even less today than yesterday?]
These past couple of days, Saiki had been spending his free time going downstairs to collect some ghost coins. Because down there, in the place that really sold items, there were actually a ton of weird props.
Saiki was very interested. The potion he used yesterday to undo Medusa's petrification was also bought from there.
He had even asked Akiyuki to help him collect them before. In exchange, he would agree to take her out exploring at night and guarantee her safety.
But Akiyuki had refused, saying she didn't want to go out for the time being, though she would still help him collect ghost coins.
"I did my best."
Akiyuki pouted and said, "There used to be so many because I also asked the other two guys who came with us to collect them, but they died today."
[Two guys…]
"The one named Zhao Gao, and that Li Ming… I think…"
Saiki also vaguely recalled that there seemed to have been such people.
(Yare yare, I actually forgot. It's all the author's fault for not giving them any presence at all…)
[I get it. Looks like they went back to that village.]
Akiyuki suddenly looked at Saiki and asked, "You're so sure they'll really revive in the village?"
[Yeah!]
"Why… why are you suddenly making that cross-eyed face?" Akiyuki had originally wanted to ask how he knew, but then she saw him putting on a ridiculous cross-eyed stare straight ahead.
[Don't worry about it.]
Saiki closed his clairvoyance. He had already checked earlier—they really were in the village, still chatting with the village chief.
"…"
It was night now.
They could only stick together again. Saiki learned what Lin Fan and the others had obtained when they reached the second floor yesterday.
It was an item called holy water.
Apparently, sprinkling it on those ghosts and monsters would make them feel pain, and pouring enough could even kill them outright.
The only thing was, it was actually bottled in mineral water bottles, which felt a bit mismatched with the name "holy water."
Originally, Saiki had planned to take the elevator down to the underground second floor to check it out at night, but he waited at the elevator entrance for ages.
The elevator acted like it was broken, staying in complete darkness, like some old, rundown elevator that had never been used.
Saiki had no particular thoughts and planned to hear everyone's opinions, but unexpectedly, they decided to split up.
Yao Yao said she wanted to follow Saiki, and no one else had objections, so it became Saiki and Yao Yao heading to the third floor, while the rest went to the fourth.
Walking down the third-floor corridor, only clear footsteps echoed. The third floor was strange—there wasn't a single room.
Walls lined both sides. After Saiki walked a full circle and was about to head back, Yao Yao suddenly tripped and fell, banging her head against the wall. The wall instantly caved in.
(Your head's really tough.)
The caved-in wall acted like a triggered switch. Suddenly, a wooden door popped out on the right.
"Ouch!" Yao Yao clutched her forehead, looked at the wooden door, and said to Saiki, "Saiki-kun, there's a door!"
Saiki: …
Once inside, it felt a bit different. The layout here was extremely similar to a morgue.
[What the heck is this!]
"Saiki-kun, look at that!" Yao Yao tugged at Saiki's sleeve and pointed to the right. In the darkness, there were quite a few blurry human figures standing there.
[This is…]
Saiki walked over to take a look.
Yep, Medusa… stone statues.
And not just one—there were minotaurs, werewolves, horned monsters, and all kinds of various ghosts and monsters. Even statues of many normal people.
Saiki tapped them with his hand, felt them. The texture was exactly like ordinary stone.
Yao Yao thought for a moment and suddenly said, "Saiki-kun, these stones couldn't be the kind that revive if you wait until very late at night, right? We… what are you doing?"
Saiki suddenly pulled out the exact same potion as the one he used yesterday on the blue general and poured it over the Medusa statue.
Saiki just stood there watching.
A minute passed.
No change.
[What a waste again!]
Under Yao Yao's shocked gaze, Saiki pulled out more than a dozen more bottles of potion and poured one over every single statue. Not a single one showed any change.
[What? So they're fake.]
System: "No, not necessarily. It might be because it's been too long. Your potion can only undo petrification from the recent period. These ones obviously have been here for ages."
Saiki looked at the system speechlessly.
[Then why didn't you say so earlier!]
The system bear spread its hands and said, "You didn't ask?"
"Saiki-kun, look… look at those." Yao Yao pulled Saiki's hand and pointed at the wall.
Saiki turned his head. The wall, which had originally been snow-white, had turned completely red, as if dyed with blood.
And strange, eerie patterns appeared on the wall.
Under the blood-red style, the first scene that appeared was inside a hospital.
A normally functioning hospital. Suddenly, many bizarre black holes appeared in the morgue, and ghosts gradually crawled out from them, along with black aura.
People touched by that black aura also turned into ghosts.
Some of the infected lost themselves completely and became full monsters, while others retained their sanity.
The scene changed again, arriving at a village.
The same black holes and ghosts appeared all at once, but many people with different abilities blocked them.
But after a few more panels.
Those who had originally protected the village suddenly joined forces, took out a strange stone, and sealed the entire expanded boundary of the village together.
The people inside the village pounded on the barrier, but they couldn't get out.
And those who had sealed the village showed no attachment and simply left.
After a long time, the ones who came out from the hospital found the village chief and talked about something unknown with him.
Some people whose bodies had turned into monsters were sent to the hospital. After a long time, they recovered to look like normal people.
But the number of people in the village turning into monsters kept increasing.
The scene arrived at the village.
People from outside who accidentally entered the barrier couldn't leave either and could only stay in the village.
But the situation wasn't optimistic. After those outsiders arrived, after a long time, their bodies also started having problems.
People who stayed long in the village developed very severe symptoms and were sent to the hospital along with the outsiders.
However, most of those who came out of the hospital were the outsiders. Very few original villagers came out—it seemed they died inside.
Suddenly, in the village, there was a young girl whose body also gradually became strange, but she refused to go to the hospital.
No matter how the villagers persuaded her, she maintained the same attitude. In the end, the villagers had no choice but to lock her up.
The ones who mostly accompanied her every day were those outsiders. They seemed to also try persuading the girl to go to the hospital.
But the girl wouldn't listen. One day, the girl, looking very strange, even dragged an outsider and ran toward the outside of the barrier, as if trying to escape the village. Unfortunately, she couldn't—she couldn't open the barrier.
The villagers caught the girl and rescued that outsider as well. The girl was locked in solitary confinement.
And that outsider's body gradually became unwell and was sent to the hospital. The door to the solitary room where the girl was confined was forcibly opened. The one who walked out wasn't the usual normal-looking girl anymore.
She had become Medusa. She went to the hospital. After arriving at the hospital, she saw the outsider she used to have a good relationship with, but when the girl saw him, her expression was extremely furious, and she turned him into stone.
For a period after that, the girl… Medusa would often come out at night to hunt the people in the village.
The mural on the wall ended. The blood-dyed wall turned pure white again, just like before, as if those scenes had never appeared.
Yao Yao walked beside Saiki appropriately, grabbed his arm, showed a scared expression, and said, "Saiki-kun, I'm scared. What was that scene just now?"
Saiki ignored Yao Yao. After putting away the camera on his phone that he had been using to record, his gaze switched back and forth between the wall and Medusa's stone statue.
(That's all there is? No stories for the other statues?)
(And that scene just now was really strange. This is clearly…)
Saiki originally wanted to take Yao Yao and leave, but as he reached the door, Yao Yao suddenly pointed at a chair nearby and said, "Saiki-kun, there's a book here~"
Saiki turned his head and looked at the table and book that he definitely hadn't seen when they came in, falling into deep thought.
"What's wrong?" Yao Yao looked at Saiki standing there dazed and waved her hand in front of him.
Saiki looked at Yao Yao, whose eyes were full of clarity and confusion, and asked,
[Just… look around again. Is there anything else nearby? Look carefully.]
(When we came in earlier, there was clearly nothing. In front too. I really give up on you, kid!)
Yao Yao giggled and said, "Nope."
Saiki stepped forward, picked up the notebook, opened the first page. It read: Director's Diary.
(Another diary!!)
＜Good good good!!＞ super loud emphasis
August 7.
Today is my first day on the job. Although I'm just an assistant doctor, I'm still full of expectations for the future.
"…"
August 19.
It's been a month and a half on the job. Seeing the patients' "smiles," I feel like I'm getting better myself. The feeling of saving others is really great.
August 20.
Something happened today. A patient with massive bleeding was suddenly sent in. The hospital was short-staffed, so they had me step in.
I'm just an assistant doctor!
It was my first time witnessing an entire surgery process. My hands were shaking the whole time. I hope he's okay!
"…"
September 1.
Another patient was sent in today—the same one from last time. Sure enough, something went wrong.
I… should come clean to the hospital.
September 2.
I heard that patient has been taken care of.
The director found me. It seems she doesn't plan to punish me and even said she has high hopes for me.
Honestly, I feel a bit guilty.
"…"
October 20.
Today I was transferred to the emergency department.
The director even wants me to be the lead surgeon. What a joke!
Even though it's just a minor surgery, isn't this a bit too…
November 21.
Damn it, I knew something would go wrong!
I accidentally made a cut. I… my whole body was shaking.
Afterward, the director came to comfort me, saying I'm her future successor. What the hell is going on?
November 22.
That person died!
I'm done for!
The director found me and said there's an important task for me.
If I complete it, I can keep working. If I can't, I'll be fired…
I agreed!
December 7.
I never imagined the task would be this!
I can't even imagine how I felt at the time. I angrily stormed into the office.
But the director told me the hospital had already been doing these kinds of shady dealings.
"…"
January 7.
I gave in. My hands haven't moved in a long time.
He was covered with a white cloth and not sent to the morgue yet.
Do the dead… feel hatred too?
"…"
March 18.
Damn it, I heard it. That old hag wants to kick me out.
She can't succeed.
Hmm————"The Old Director Unfortunately Got Hit and Seriously Injured" sounds like good news, right?
"…"
March 24.
Just lie there.
Now… I'm the director.
...
After flipping to another page, Saiki, who had originally been frowning, suddenly shrank his pupils and showed a surprised expression.
On the notebook, it was written: Volume 1 — End.
In the bottom right corner, there was a small line in blood-red letters, thoughtfully added: Next part on the 7th floor. Please find it yourself.
Saiki made a constipated face.
[Good good good!]