Chapter 1: The Terrifying Legends of Kemo University
The sound of blood splattering seemed to grow faster, creating an atmosphere of death. Terrified, Sam repeatedly told himself that these were merely false legends, yet his mind involuntarily conjured various horrifying images. His trembling hand caused the light of the bullseye lantern to flicker erratically, inadvertently sweeping across the eternal ice, where a blurred human face flashed momentarily on the ghostly blue surface of the ice
However, the night watchmen earning meager salaries cannot comprehend who would be interested in a large ice block measuring 5 meters in length, 4 meters in width, and 3 meters in thickness
You ask why the term "suicide pact" appears in the singular form in the context of a game between couples
Sam, who had rolled and crawled his way out of the Grand Museum, felt as though the sound of blood dripping onto the floor echoed incessantly in his ears, as if it were right behind him, and getting closer... closer... closer!
Sam's footsteps came to a halt once more. He suddenly turned around, shining the bullseye lantern and shouted loudly: "Who is there? Come out! You little brats! The museum is not a place for you to play courage games!"
On the following day, when the other night watchmen, who had dozed off during their patrol, learned of this news, a young couple secretly meeting in the campus, with pale faces, claimed that they had "witnessed with their own eyes" a "one-eyed wailing banshee" devour the night watchman Sam near the Great Museum last night
Only those madmen who spend all day in the laboratory or library would consider this large ice block a precious treasure
It is unclear where the courage emerged from, but Sam bravely landed on all fours and, with astonishing speed, crawled out of the Grand Museum. As he left, he did not forget to take with him the bullseye lantern that provided him and the books with a semblance of security
Sam, terrified to the core, screamed in anguish as he ran frantically through the empty campus, calling for his fellow night watchmen to come to his rescue. However, despite the theoretical presence of a dozen or so night watchmen, not a single one could be seen!
The night watchman complained angrily: "Uncle Sam must resign from these damned bureaucrats tomorrow. They take a rat's salary while making me do the work of a bull... Uh, perhaps I should wait until the end of the month when the salary is paid before resigning? If I go now, those exploiters will definitely deduct half a month's salary from Uncle Sam... This time, Uncle Sam must resign; no one can stop me!"
Well, this is not important
Ah ... ...
This decision, however, has caused significant trouble for the unfortunate night watchmen of the "Kemo University". The college's security department had to urgently formulate a patrol plan, conducting round-the-clock cross patrols to ensure the safety of this precious ancient "Eternal Ice".
Yet in the empty museum, nothing appeared; the figures in the ancient portrait oil paintings hanging on the walls seemed to mock Sam's astonishment with their deathly, eerie smiles
Damn it, tomorrow marks the fifteenth day of the autumn main month [Book of Ryan], the 200th anniversary school festival of "Kemo University." Uncle Sam still has to build the stage, clean the auditorium, and arrange the venue... There are so many tasks to be done, yet poor Sam is left here to guard this big ice block
But what use is it, no matter how beautiful? It is merely a block of ice. If it were a gem, perhaps Sam could secretly chip off a small piece to exchange for a few silver gems at the old Grancy and the librarian's place, and then enjoy a few drinks of the not overly salted seaweed wine at the Fisherman's Bride.
The so-called "sealing treatment" is certainly not a desperate act by the school to silence witnesses, for shortly thereafter, among the students of "Kemo University", a new terrifying legend quietly began to circulate: the wailing banshee of the Grand Museum
Even if there are curious students who want to take some ice back to make a bowl of ancient shaved ice to taste, this substance known as "Hengbing" is said to be harder than steel. Not only is it impossible to shave off ice shavings with a shaving machine, but even the sharpest cutting tools cannot leave any marks on it. What is the necessity of arranging so many people to protect its safety
It is said that a necromancer apprentice killed her senior who had toyed with and abandoned her, along with her rival who had interfered, and hung them on a paulownia tree. Then, she conveniently used a coffin nail and her own tongue to hang herself as well. The necromancer only knew how she managed to nail herself to death while suspended in mid-air using her own tongue.
Behind this terrifying legend, what no one knows is that just after the poor Sam escaped, a beam of moonlight shining through the skylight of the Grand Museum fell precisely on that block of [Eternal Ice]
The theoretically eternal "permafrost" began to melt rapidly under the pale blue, cold moonlight of the autumn main month of the year 1714 in the Era of Revelation, with the terrifying "tick-tock" sound being the water from the melted permafrost flowing down from the display stand
Well, even if that foolish thief is filled with curiosity about this large block of ice and the * picture * book, how is he supposed to move this massive object weighing dozens of tons away
Certainly, the senior leaders of the institution are unlikely to understand the feelings of frustration experienced by the night watchmen. It seems they believe that only in this way can the institution demonstrate its importance attached to this academic exchange conference and show respect for scholars from prestigious universities across the seven continents
Sam let out a heart-wrenching scream with the greatest lung capacity he had ever mustered since birth, collapsing onto the ground. Warm liquid immediately soaked his pants, leaving an abstract mark on the black and white marble floor of the grand museum
The dim yellow light of a bullseye lantern held by a night watchman casually swept back and forth in the corridors of the academy's grand museum, while he muttered complaints about something, clearly expressing his dissatisfaction with the unexpectedly added night patrol duties.
Tick tock! Tick tock! Tick tock ... ...
Tick tock! Tick tock! Tick tock ... ...
A seemingly insignificant and lowly night watchman is not enough to elicit sympathy from the school authorities. However, the opportunity presented by the 200th anniversary school festival, which was to host the International Conference on Magical Studies from the Seven Continents, has been thwarted due to the disappearance of the important ancient artifact "Eternal Ice." This is undoubtedly the greatest disgrace since the establishment of "Kemo University"
Half a month ago, the faculty and students of the Archaeology Department at "Kemo University" discovered and opened a hidden chamber at the famous ancient "Kolan Fortress" site, located at the foot of the "Sea Wall Mountains" in "Kolanbang," southern "Jilagao Continent". They unearthed a piece of "Eternal Ice" left over from the "Dawn Era," within which an ancient humanoid creature, its form indistinct, was faintly encased in ice. This discovery immediately caused a sensation throughout the academic community of the entire "Star Continent".
A faint sound, barely perceptible, echoed in the vast space of the grand museum, abruptly interrupting Sam's rambling. He paused, tilted his head in curiosity to listen for a moment, shook his head in self-mockery, and prepared to leave this place filled with various bizarre artifacts that appeared somewhat eerie and frightening.
The clamor of the day is gradually fading from the land of [Koranbang], while the soft blue moonlight of [Shujileian] gently soothes the tranquil campus of the Koranbang Public School of Magic. Apart from the ancient castles serving as offices for some faculty members, flickering magical lights, both bright and dim, can be seen. This vibrant college town has completely quieted down.
Gulu ... ...
What?
( Hereinafter referred to as "Kelanbang Public Magic University" or "Kemo University" )
Shockingly, the precious "Eternal Ice" vanished overnight, and a pool of liquid was found on the floor of the Grand Museum. After testing by the professor of alchemy, it was confirmed to have originated from the night watchman named Sam
As Sam intermittently muttered about a decision he had been contemplating for over a decade, he swept the cow-eye lantern across the large ice block. The pure white ice, tinged with a hint of blue, was illuminated by the light, appearing extraordinarily beautiful, refracting dazzling rays like a precious gem.
This seems to echo the words of that young couple, who even speculated that the suddenly appearing "one-eyed wailing banshee" must be an ancient, unknown humanoid creature that was frozen in the [Eternal Ice], which escaped from its confinement in the middle of the night and devoured the poor night watchman
Tick tock! Tick tock! The sound of the library! Tick tock! Tick tock!
Moreover, the young couple who witnessed the "crime scene" vividly described the appearance of the "one-eyed wailing demon." She had a single eye as large as a bull's eye lampshade on her face, and it could emit a deadly light capable of melting human flesh
For example, the midnight scholar in the adjacent large library, the ghost party in the auditorium, the blood-stained operating table in the anatomy lab, the male student with student number 1683 in the women's restroom at the east end of the second floor of the identification department, ... and the twenty-three tragic souls said to be hanging from the thousand-year-old paulownia tree in the academy ...
In order to cover up this disgrace, the school authorities had to take urgent measures. They modified the main content of the seminar to "Exploration and Documentation of the Ancient Qur'an Fortress" while silencing the two witnesses. At the same time, they imposed severe penalties on the college's security department and dismissed the head of security for abusing his power to place relatives in the security department
Due to the current magical technology, it is still uncertain whether forcibly melting the "Eternal Ice" can prevent the rapidly decaying remains of this ancient humanoid creature from being preserved. Therefore, it has been temporarily placed in the Ancient Artifacts Museum of the "Science and Magic University," awaiting the arrival of scholars from the seven continents of the "Starry Continent" to participate in the research before further action is taken
The last shred of sanity shattered, the valiant Sam fled the academy in a frenzied rush, reportedly never to be seen again
Sam swallowed nervously, his lantern shaking wildly in his hand. Every historic academy has its own unique horror legends, and "Kemo University" is no exception
They must have been killed and eaten by the Eternal Ice Phantom! Only I remain ... ... only I remain ... ...