From the moment he killed the white-collar worker, Anna was certain of the purpose of Joseph's pen. Grace confirmed this during their last conversation.
"Joseph's pen," Anna explained, "Will only attract the mirror ghost if the person carrying it is already being chased by one."
"Only if they're being chased by the mirror ghost?" Beom Seok immediately grasped the significance, his eyes lighting up. Given the current conditions, which weren't favorable for the mirror ghost to kill, this pen was a golden ticket to avoid death—as long as its bearer was careful.
"Can you take this thing out? We don't mind if you carry it yourself," Ling Yan said.
"Of course, I won't hand it over directly; I'm just explaining its purpose. Tomorrow, each of us might encounter a situation where we need to swap out the item we're holding. This is just in case."
Anna tossed the Mask of Nothingness to the couple, put away the other items, and stood up. "During this final stretch, we'll familiarize ourselves with the main house's escape routes, and I'll show you the laboratory's location. Once everything's ready, we'll rest early. Tomorrow, we'll have to hold on for 24 hours." At this, the remaining nine people finally reached a consensus.
Amidst a whirlwind of emotions—anxiety, fear, excitement, and anger—the sixth day of the countdown drew to a close.
Anna stood at the staircase between the first-floor lobby and the second floor. She was alone; everyone had moved to their pre-arranged positions. Anna waited there.
A figure appeared at the hall's entrance. It was the doctor. Despite the heavy rain outside, not a single drop of water stained his body. His face, no longer humble and subdued, now bore a wicked smile as he stared up at Anna. On the final day, ghosts no longer needed to conceal themselves.
The substitute ghost raised a hand, drew his thumb across his neck, and laughed maliciously. Anna merely sneered in response, drawing the sacrificial dagger from her waist.
"Stop pretending; you can communicate."
Ever since she had killed the upstart, she knew these ghosts could talk. However, she never believed she could persuade them to spare anyone, nor did she trust anything they said, so she had long abandoned that approach.
Today, though, a verbal sparring match, with them on opposite sides, seemed like a good option. Before the designated time, the ghost couldn't kill her, and she couldn't close such a distance to stab him. What else was there to do but engage in a war of words? Besides, Anna was almost suffocating these past few days.
"So, my dear lady, which one of us will be your farewell?" The substitute ghost truly spoke.
"You already know, today only two of your companions will awaken, and it's uncertain whether I'll die or not."
The substitute ghost raised his index finger and sighed, "It's time now, and you're still so naive, little lady. Have you forgotten the three-hour correction principle so quickly?"
Anna was stunned.
"Each of our companions will wake up three hours earlier. This compensates for your initial three hours of safety. You clearly discovered this, yet you paid no attention?"
Now, the substitute ghost's smile shifted to a polite, gentlemanly one, but his words sent a chill down her spine. Grace was killed by the timeline that had just passed into the next day. If the compensation principle was fully applied, Grace would awaken as the last evil ghost before the next dawn!
"No! I resurrected her with the blood of the sacred bird later, and the time should not..."
"Do you still think it will reset? Do you believe that yourself?" The substitute ghost, a grotesque amalgam of countless memories and lives, easily preyed on Anna's psychological weakness.
"Becoming a ghost doesn't eliminate wisdom and experience, but it permanently severs emotions and heart. The price for this is the immense power only ghosts possess." The substitute ghost spread his arms.
"By the way, let me tell you, the dagger in your hand is indeed a tool to seal me, but pay attention to that word: 'seal.' From ancient times, seals are meant to be broken. With just a dagger, I can leave in no time."
"So what are you trying to say? Are we hopeless?" Anna frowned.
"No, only souls that have struggled are more likely to become high-quality companions. Your performance has satisfied us, so you may exist forever."
This sentence seemed to hint at something. Anna's thoughts raced, and she immediately grasped the key: "Eternity? You mean..."
"Although we hold an absolute advantage, it's not bad to conserve some energy. Miss, you might not know that becoming a fierce ghost isn't the end. We might even become companions. Ghosts exist forever. While you'll no longer feel close to your friends then, you can be together again. Isn't that wonderful?"
The substitute ghost's voice gradually deepened, laced with infinite temptation. "It's just a different way to live. Instead of dying in terror and pain, wouldn't it be better to gain eternal life with us? Isn't this what people have always pursued? Power, eternity—don't you want these?"
"I don't want it." Anna interrupted the substitute ghost's persuasion. "Just now you said that only struggling souls become high-quality companions, and now you're trying to persuade me to give up resistance. I really can't trust you, Mr. Mensal."
Exposed, the substitute ghost showed no annoyance, maintaining his smile. "Your mind is remarkably clear, which is admirable. I look forward even more to your life after you become our companion."
"It's too early for you to be careful not to take it back."
The substitute ghost laughed again, waved his hand, turned, and walked out the door.
"Mr. Mensal," Anna called out suddenly.
"Do you regret it?" The substitute ghost didn't look back, clearly knowing it was impossible.
"Whether you can come back or not, I will definitely send you to hell first."
Anna put the dagger back on her waist, and the substitute ghost's figure slowly disappeared amidst his fading laughter.
"Killing people isn't terrible, but these guys are now starting to kill their hearts..."
Before the battle even began, Anna realized this final day would be anything but easy.
[Dear visitors, the seven-day trip to the ghost villa has concluded. I hope this unforgettable memory remains etched in everyone's mind forever. At 7 o'clock tomorrow morning, the return carriage will arrive at the main house's door. That will mark the end of this journey. I hope you have a good time on this last day.
Additional tips about ghosts:
7. Ghosts cannot be killed; they can only be sealed or exiled. Destroying a ghost's corpse can cause them certain damage, hinder their movement, and provoke their hatred. Additionally, in specific situations, ghosts will harbor greater hatred for certain individuals, including: using collections; disrupting a ghost's killing actions; and escaping from a ghost's pursuit. The following three collections will also cause additional ghost hatred: stabbing a ghost with the Wooden Sword; being discovered by a ghost at close range while using the Mask of Nothingness; and hindering a ghost's actions with the Memory of Pain.
This rule reminder concludes. Wishing you all a happy journey! ]
The last message was received, and everyone read the text within a minute. The couple, who had been squatting in a second-floor room, rushed out immediately after reading it.
"Why did you come out?" Anna, who had been walking outside, asked as soon as she saw their expressions.
"These things... can't be used carelessly!" The couple was a little flustered. Anna had already finished reading the message, put her phone in her pocket, and immediately started walking to the balcony as planned.
"It's the last day; are you waiting to be killed? There's no need to consider the side effects. Do what you need to do. We have to leave alive."
The black fog seeped in from the roof and soon solidified on the third floor. It went straight for the stairs but found a figure at the other end of the third floor. Noah held the wooden sword, adopting a fighting stance, and stared at the black fog with a serious expression. However, the ghost showed no fear, letting out a guttural roar as it slowly floated towards Noah.
With this as a signal, the battle began.
Ling Yan flipped out of the window. Behind her, dense, hair-like black lines emerged from the shadows, launching a frenzied, shredding attack. After just one or two attempts, Ling Yan discovered the ghost's mobility was very poor. The kind of attack that lurked in the shadows was clearly an ambush, and once it started such a crazy attack, it would expose its own direction.
Among everyone, Ling Yan was the only one who had stabbed a ghost with the Wooden Sword. She was the ghost's primary target of hatred. She didn't waste this opportunity and was the first to lure the most difficult-to-guard-against ghost out of the main house.
"Everyone, you're on your own later!" Ling Yan shouted, running outside with a mud-like black shadow in pursuit.
In the kitchen, Wyatt leaned on a simple chair, holding a shotgun and gently wiping its butt and barrel. His expression was intensely focused, and the wrinkles on his face gathered around his slightly narrowed eyes, making him appear even older.
Suddenly, the wall behind Wyatt began to writhe slightly, and a human figure started to emerge from it. Two sharp claws poked out from the wall, approaching quietly.
Boom!
The shotgun roared, and the muzzle flash instantly illuminated the room. The ghost that had drilled out of the wall was blasted back into it, emitting a howling sound like scraping metal.
"Aka..." Wyatt muttered, no complete sentence escaping his hoarse throat. However, when he raised his head, his eyes seemed to reflect the firelight.
That was the battlefield.