As the six of them stepped into the old school building, they were enveloped by a strange atmosphere that clung to them like a shroud. The air was cool and heavy, obviously colder than the autumn breeze outside, yet it felt strangely warm at the same time.
"Wow, this place feels like a dungeon," Randy remarked as he scanned their surroundings.
Hearing this, Corey explained that the building was indeed sometimes used for dungeon training exercises.
In the classes for swordsmanship and martial arts, students who volunteered could participate in hands-on training in real dungeons. Cecilia had mentioned this before, but it turned out that the old school building was often used for preliminary training sessions before venturing into actual dungeons.
This practice was intended to help students accustomed to dungeon-like environments, particularly in learning how to deal with undead creatures.
"Undead, especially spirit-type monsters, are among the most difficult to handle," Annabelle noted.
Coming from her, the statement lacked a bit of credibility—after all, she was practically a one-woman ghostbuster, capturing spirits in the old school building with ease. However, her point about undead creatures being troublesome was valid.
Physical attacks had no effect on them, so countermeasures were limited to enchanted weapons imbued with magical power, holy water, or specific spells.
There were also specialized weapons designed to counter undead creatures, such as those infused with dragon blood, which carried innate magical power.
But since dragon blood was exceedingly rare, these weapons were almost never seen in circulation.
"Simple layout, easy to monitor, and within the academy grounds… Makes sense. It's the perfect place for practice," Luke said with a nod.
Just then, a ghost appeared nearby, but it was swiftly dispersed by a spell cast by Luke.
"Lord Luke, you can use magic?" Liz, who was standing unusually close to Randy, asked in awe.
"Yes, though I'm a jack of all trades and master of none," Luke replied with a flawless smile.
"Oh, spare me. What jack of all trades?" Randy snorted. "This guy is straight out of a hero story," he added with a sly grin directed at Liz.
Randy wasn't wrong. In fact, Luke was competent in virtually everything.
Catherine had once sarcastically referred to him as a "discount Edgar," but in reality, Luke could be considered an upgraded version of Edgar in this world.
Having grown up alongside Randy—a monster—Luke had dedicated himself to excelling in every skill he could master.
He knew he could never surpass Randy in sheer power, so he honed his magic, swordsmanship, and other abilities to their utmost limits in an effort to keep up.
Now, Lucas Highland, also known as Luke—stood as a true jack-of-all-trades knight, capable of holding his own in almost any situation.
"Magic, swordsmanship—I've polished them both to the limit… but I'm still not on your level."
Standing beside Luke, who had taken up a fighting stance, Randy grinned as he pulled a massive sword from his magic bag.
"Of course you aren't. I'm a pure-hearted guy who's dedicated himself to his body alone. No way a cheating bastard like you is beating me."
As Randy smirked mischievously, the air in front of him distorted, and several ghosts appeared.
"Who are you calling a cheating bastard?! W-wait, milady, that's not what I—"
"Not the time for that! They're coming!"
Ignoring Luke's flustered protests, Randy swung his greatsword with ease.
The ghosts in front of him were slashed apart and dispersed into mist without even a scream.
"Hey, that sword…?"
"Ah, I mixed in a few things I picked up."
Randy grinned wickedly as he sliced through another ghost.
He was referring to the anti-undead longsword he had acquired from the underground temple.
After bringing it back in his magic bag, he had incorporated it into his beloved weapon through his [Craft] skill.
While the effect wasn't as strong as the original, it was still effective against spirits, which was more than enough for Randy.
The ghosts attacking them were swiftly obliterated. However…
"Senior Randolph… wouldn't capturing them be the whole point of this?"
Annabelle's shocked voice cut through the scene. She was right; killing all the ghosts rendered their efforts meaningless.
"Well, I thought it would be better to use something stronger, like a Wraith," Randy replied casually.
What he was referring to was Annabelle's earlier experiments.
She had tried various methods with ghosts, but they hadn't been able to withstand the demands of her trials.
The specifics of the experiments had been lost along with the documents, and with only one ghost container available, he figured it would be best to test it on a more durable entity.
Annabelle seemed satisfied with the explanation and suggested that wraiths— the stronger spirits—could be found further in.
She pointed down a dim corridor, and Liz, tugging on Randy's sleeve with a serious expression, pleaded, "Please don't leave me alone, okay?"
With Liz clinging to his side, the six of them ventured deeper into the old building.
When they passed through the entrance hall and stepped into the old training building, they were greeted by a swarm of ghosts.
The sight of the spectral figures drifting aimlessly caused Liz to instinctively cover her face, but then, the atmosphere shifted.
"Oh dear… what a helpless girl"
The quiet mutter was unmistakably Ellie's. She was replacing Liz, who seemed unable to endure the horde of ghosts presence.
"No time to waste. Let's finish this quickly."
With a snap of her fingers, lightning arced through the air, obliterating the swarm of ghosts in an instant. The area fell silent once more.
Naturally, Annabelle and Corey had no idea that it was Ellie's doing and instead assumed it was Luke.
"Lord Luke, that was amazing!"
"I-I'm so impressed! Knights can be so skilled with magic, too!"
They showered Luke with praise.
"W-well… I mean…" Luke stammered, unable to offer a proper response.
Even he couldn't replicate such precision and speed with magic. But it wasn't as if he could explain that it was actually Elizabeth (Ellie), so he let the misunderstanding slide.
More ghosts appeared, only for Luke to receive more praise as Ellie quietly cast her spells in the background.
"Ancient great magus… incredible"
"You should ask her to teach you some magic theory. I don't get it, but you might."
"Seriously? That'd be amazing. Make sure to put in good word for me, okay?"
While Annabelle and Corey praising Luke, Randy and Luke exchanged whispers, half-joking but serious in their shared desire to grow stronger.
In response, Ellie cast another spell, effortlessly clearing their path ahead.
The swarm of ghosts vanished in an instant, dissipating like mist.
Praise and admiration.
Envy and determination.
Amid this repeated cycle of emotions, the six of them quickly reached the staircase and decided to head straight to the third floor of the training building.
"I've heard that the third floor is mostly the home of wraiths. Also, one of the Seven Mysteries is located at the far back of the west side."
Annabelle swallowed nervously, explaining that it would be impossible for her to make it this far alone.
She typically stayed near the first-floor entrance to hunt ghosts.
The deeper areas of the first floor and the second floor both had a high chance of wraith encounters, and if she ran into one, escape was impossible.
In other words, the third floor, which was entirely the wraiths' territory, was unknown territory for Annabelle.
"Why do the monsters get stronger the higher up we go?"
Luke frowned, voicing his suspicion. Cecilia added, tilting her head, "Yes, it would make sense if it were underground, but this is rather strange."
(Ah… this is probably just a game mechanic.)
Randy thought but didn't say aloud. It's a common trope in games for enemies to grow stronger the further you go in. That same logic seemed to apply to this world. If there were a justification for it...
"Probably because of the influence of who caused the Seven Mysteries."
Randy speculated, suggesting that the "boss" causing the Seven Mysteries was affecting the upper floors more strongly. Everyone seemed convinced by this theory.
Just then, a long-anticipated wraith appeared before them.
If ghosts were translucent, monochrome spirits, wraiths were their vivid, semi-transparent counterparts.
They were easier to spot, either because their transparency was lower or because they were colorful.
The wraith, which looked like a student wearing a school uniform, stared at them intently.
"So, it's finally shown up, but…"
"The question is how to weaken it."
Randy and Luke readied their weapons. Though they'd defeated wraiths many times before, they'd never tried to subdue one without killing it.
"Might as well just punch it and see what happens."
Nodding at Luke's suggestion, Randy handed his greatsword to him, saying, "Hold this for a sec."
"Alright, then. Just a light tap."
Randy's figure vanished as he swung his right arm.
The sound of him kicking off the floor was left behind as he appeared before the wraith in an instant. His right fist slammed into the side of the wraith's face.
Randy's fist sunk into the wraith's cheek.
The wraith's face contorted.
The impact radiated outwards, and the wraith burst apart, scattering into mist like an explosion.
"Tch…"
Clicking his tongue, Randy muttered his frustration at having completely destroyed the wraith.
"What's with the 'tch'? You're the one who didn't hold back."
Luke sighed in exasperation, shaking his head at Randy's lack of restraint.
"I went easy on it."
"Yeah, right. That's just the kind of guy you are, huh? You forest gorilla."
"Who are you calling a gorilla?"
Luke and Randy glared at each other as another wraith silently appeared beside them.
"Alright, this time for sure—"
"Nope. It's clear that someone raised in the wild like you can't manage delicate control."
Pushing Randy aside, Luke sheathed his sword and turned to face the wraith.
"This kind of thing calls for someone with finesse—like me."
Just like Randy, Luke disappeared in a flash, closing the distance to the wraith in a single leap.
Luke's left fist drove into the wraith's stomach, and the spirit recoiled silently, its form became slightly blurred
Clearly weakened, the wraith struggled to maintain its shape, flickering between monochrome and colored. Watching this, Luke clenched his fist in triumph.
(Eventhough he put magic into his fist, it's still weakened from being hit..)
Randy's face showed a mix of disbelief and amusement. But then again, he'd just obliterated a wraith earlier with his own punch.
Despite his skepticism, Randy couldn't help but notice a clearer picture forming in his mind about the true nature of ghosts and wraiths as he observed the phenomena and their behavior when weakened.
Meanwhile, Annabelle was attempting to capture the weakened wraith using her Vacuum -like device with Corey's help.
Luke approached Randy with a smug grin.
"So? How about that? Did you see my delicate touch?"
"Tch. That's just because you're weak."
Randy scoffed, only for Luke to clap him on the shoulder with a mischievous smirk.
"Don't be jealous. Someone like you, a wild child, could never handle the city life."
Still grinning, Luke clapped Randy on the shoulder again.
"Time to head back to the forest where you belong."
"What does delicate control have to do with city life?" Randy asked, veins throbbing on his temple despite his forced smile.
"Oh, they're definitely connected," Luke replied with a mocking laugh.
While the two continued their banter, Annabelle and Corey's efforts to capture the wraith were finally successful.
"Everyone! We've successfully captured the wraith!"
Annabelle, beaming with joy, hopped excitedly. Her usual timid demeanor was nowhere to be seen.
"Anna… So, what now? Our objective is complete."
Corey pointed at the captured wraith, prompting Annabelle to look around at everyone as if seeking their opinions.
"W-We've achieved our goal, but… if it's alright with everyone, I'd still like to check out the Seven Mysteries… if that's okay," she said hesitantly, bowing her head apologetically.
The group exchanged glances. With Liz already withdrawn and Ellie taking her place, there was no one to oppose the idea.
"We're already here, so we might as well check it out!" Randy said, nodding enthusiastically.
Annabelle's face lit up with delight.
"Alright, then let's go!"
Leading the way, Annabelle started forward, and the other five followed. Ahead of them stretched a hallway, bathed in an eerie glow from the setting sun.