I Realized It Was An Academy Game After 10 Years – Chapter 37

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“…It’s creepy,” Karina remarked, rubbing her arms as if she had goosebumps all over her body.

Renny didn’t say anything, but she also frowned, looking displeased with the atmosphere of the 3rd floor.

Honestly, I felt the same way.

If the 2nd floor was just a cemetery, the 3rd floor was an eerie temple.

We gazed at the blood-stained altar located in the center of a room that resembled a pagan temple commonly seen in games.

The gray altar exuded an ominous atmosphere, as if demanding sacrifices.

“Whoever designed this dungeon iss not in their right mind,” I muttered.

“I want to give the owner of this dungeon a purification baptism…” Karina said, sounding slightly excited, which was unusual for her.

Perhaps it was because of the pagan theme.

Renny stood by Karina’s side, her hand resting on her sword as she surveyed the surroundings.

There was no need to worry about Karina’s safety.

I boldly approached the altar.

On the altar were five bowls, as if demanding offerings.

Another offering puzzle?

“Millia. Do you remember anything?” I asked.

…Millia?

When there was no response, I looked down at Millia, who was hanging from my waist.

Millia was staring at the altar with a pale, terrified face.

Judging from what happened on the 2nd floor, the 3rd floor…

“Millia. Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine…”

Millia’s voice was shaking to an indescribable degree.

A voice filled with a mixture of fear and anguish, painful to even listen to.

I placed my hand on Millia’s head, trying to calm her down.

The trembling sensation transmitted through my palm.

I turned my head and looked at Karina.

When our eyes met, Karina quietly approached me and picked up Millia in her arms.

“There, there. Calm down, Millia…” Karina soothed, holding Millia close to her chest with a benevolent smile.

“Johann, where should we start searching?” Renny asked.

“You take the left. I’ll take the right.”

“Okay.”

We immediately split up and entered the corridors on either side of the temple.

Long corridors stretched out on both sides of the temple, with doors lining the walls.

I opened the door closest to me.

Creak-

An eerie sound echoed through the quiet temple.

I winced at the sound grating on my eardrums.

It was irritating.

“…A storage room?”

The room was stained with various marks.

And a doll, torn to shreds with cotton spilling out.

I picked up the doll lying in the middle of the room and examined it from various angles.

The doll’s head, which looked like it would have had its skin peeled off and organs spilled out if it were human, was as red as blood.

Is this supposed to be Millia?

I turned my gaze and surveyed the room.

An old bed.

A desk with cracks and broken parts.

A quill pen with most of its feathers plucked out, rolling on the desk.

A notebook so worn out that it seemed like it would crumble with the slightest touch.

I walked over to the desk and carefully brushed off the dust accumulated on the notebook.

A small notebook that could be found anywhere.

What kind of contents would be in this little notebook?

My heart raced.

It felt like finding a clue to a hidden story in a horror game.

I carefully opened the notebook, afraid it might fall apart.

What greeted me as I turned the pages with a pounding heart was a diary.

Scribbled handwriting.

Could it be a diary written by a child?

A diary filled with pitiful complaints.

The content itself wasn’t much, but I could guess what kind of treatment Millia had been receiving.

I quietly closed the diary and left the room.

I slowly looked at the corridor.

There were still four doors left.

I immediately opened the next door.

With a grating sound, the door opened without any resistance.

“…Just what kind of household has this kind of room?”

I wondered what kind of household would have such a brutal room.

I looked at the iron bars and the doll beyond them.

The doll had the same appearance as the one I saw in the first room.

Based on the first room, it was probably a doll symbolizing Millia.

It seemed I wouldn’t be able to take it out this time.

There was a keyhole on the door attached to the iron bars, and I didn’t have the key.

Did it mean I had to find a key somewhere to solve the puzzle?

I turned my gaze away from the iron bars and looked down at the small table.

A brown stain remained on the wooden chair.

It must be dried blood, no doubt.

I picked up the whip lying on the table.

This was a completely messed-up household.

Upon closer inspection, there were brown stains on the whip as well.

It seemed someone had been beaten with it.

I tossed the whip back on the table and left the room.

There wasn’t much information to be gained there anyway.

I would have to come back after finding the key.

But should I try something before leaving?

I grabbed the iron bars with my hand.

The cold and rough sensation of the iron bars could be felt.

I activated a skill in a low voice.

“Crafting.”

…As expected, there was no reaction.

I guess they anticipated something like this.

I thought it might be a bit loose and allow for a loophole.

I left the room, leaving behind my disappointment.

Now for the third room.

What kind of horrific sight would be awaiting me in the third room?

I calmly turned the doorknob of the third door with a settled heart.

As the hinges creaked, a bright light enveloped me.

“…What’s this?”

Wondering if there was something wrong with my eyes, I looked at the corridor and then back at the room.

Unlike the previous rooms, this room had an excessively bright atmosphere.

Yellow wallpaper, warm sunlight streaming through the windows, and a room with a luxurious feel, as if a noble young lady would live there.

A bed that looked fluffy and a table in the corner of the room.

And dolls sitting on three chairs.

This time, the dolls seemed to be a bit older than the ones I had seen in the previous rooms, giving the impression of being middle school-aged.

I immediately examined the table.

Three teacups.

Each containing a yellow, vermilion, and red liquid.

I picked up a teacup and carefully observed it, trying not to spill the liquid.

“Nothing particularly special. Do I need to use the contents inside?”

I couldn’t just carelessly touch it.

If that liquid played an important role in solving the puzzle, it would be game over.

So for now, I’ll put it on hold.

I gently put the teacup down and approached the bed.

I pressed on the bed a few times, which looked fluffy, and lifted the blanket.

As expected, there was nothing.

“If I were to hide something in the bed, where would I hide it…”

I lifted the pillow.

Unfortunately, there was nothing under the pillow.

I thought it would be the most likely spot.

Maybe that’s why there’s nothing there?

Next, under the bed.

I placed the lamp on the floor, lowered my face to the ground, and looked under the bed.

A faint light illuminated the inside.

But all I could see was the floor on the opposite side and the wall.

After that, I diligently searched the entire room.

Under the table, the bottom of the chairs, the dressing table in the corner, and so on.

I searched everywhere, but I couldn’t find a single thing.

In the end, what should I do with the teacups on the table?

I approached the table again and examined the teacups.

Three teacups containing liquids of different colors.

And three dolls.

I looked at the dolls.

Red, yellow, orange… Did I overthink it?

I placed the teacups in positions matching the hair colors of each doll.

It was simpler than I thought… No, why is there no reaction?

What should I do?

Do I need to do something more? Or…

That’s when it happened.

The sound of something falling reached my ears clearly.

I immediately turned my gaze downward.

A notebook had fallen under the table.

Where did it come from?

There didn’t seem to be any space under the table for a notebook to be.

I tilted my head and picked up the notebook.

A familiar cover.

Is this also a diary?

I immediately opened the diary and started reading the first entry.

…What happened between the miserable childhood and this point in time?

The more I read, the more questions arose.

I continued reading the diary.

There were only five pages anyway.

The conclusion I reached after reading to the end was simple.

“…For some unknown reason, the treatment improved.”

What could that ‘reason’ be? I thought of the altar.

And the five bowls placed on the blood-stained altar.

Even with my not-so-great brain, I could make a rough guess.

It was probably…

“It’s still too early to be certain, so I need to find more evidence.”

Hasty certainty leads to misjudgment.

I looked around the room again.

Although it had become messy due to my rummaging, the room still had a peaceful atmosphere that young girls would like.

The inside was torn and tattered, but the appearance was tranquil.

“…I think I can check it now.”

First, I sniffed the yellow liquid.

It had a fragrant scent.

I didn’t know what kind of tea it was, but it seemed to be quite a high-quality tea.

The vermilion tea had a scent similar to black tea.

And the last tea…

“…Blood?”

I had thought it looked like blood because of its red color, but there was a faint metallic scent.

Whose blood could it be? It couldn’t be Millia’s blood.

I put down the teacup, feeling disgusted, and reached for the doll I hadn’t touched before.

Unlike the other dolls that were small stuffed dolls, this one was a large doll that seemed to be about 1 meter tall.

Upon closer inspection of the face, the mouth was slightly open.

As if asking to pour something inside.

I tried pouring the contents of the teacup into the doll’s mouth.

The blood that didn’t make it into the mouth flowed down the corners of the mouth, making it look like the doll was bleeding from its mouth.

As the doll drank all the liquid from the teacup, it started shaking as if having a seizure.

I immediately stepped back and gripped my shovel tightly.

I was ready to smash it if necessary.

But the doll, after shaking for a while, spat something out of its mouth and collapsed lifelessly.

Whoever made this dungeon was determined to create horror spots.

I picked up the object covered in a sticky liquid.

It was a key.

“Is it the key to the iron bars?”

I wiped the key on the blanket and put it in my pocket.

I grabbed the doorknob to leave the room.

And…

“Huh?”

What the hell, why won’t it open?

Rattle rattle.

The feeling of every hair on my body standing on end.

It was a very familiar but shitty feeling.

Yeah, with this kind of theme, something like this was bound to happen.

I gripped the shovel with both hands and swung it towards the approaching entity.

[T/N: Yeah nah Nuh uh nope I don’t fuck with dolls]

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