VIP Chapter 175: Witch’s Box (3)
Will pushed open the icy door, expecting to “walk out” into a terrifying and strange place…
He suddenly remembered something.
That ghost story from the book…
It seemed…
Besides Shuna, who had read many books, and himself, there was someone else who knew the original text.
On an afternoon spent waiting for experimental potions to be brewed.
The weather in Entak Capital was always blue skies and white clouds, exceptionally beautiful. Under such wonderful weather… Will and Liya still had to carry out scientific research in the Laboratory.
However, in the warm Sunlight, while waiting, free time always felt leisurely.
“Ugh… Teacher~ This book is quite scary.”
Will threw “Dungeon Ghost Stories” onto the table in front of him like some cursed, terrifying thing.
“Hmm? What book is scary? Let me, your teacher, have a look.”
Liya, who was across the table, looked very curious. She tiptoed and reached out to pick up the book.
“It’s nothing. Just some unverified Dungeon legends. It’s just… I really can’t handle scary and ghostly things. I tend to get too immersed. Even parts that are obviously written to scare you will make me jump.”
Will said, backing away three feet from the book.
“Will, since you’re afraid of such things, why… did you borrow this book to read?”
Liya picked up the book. Without even asking Will which page to start from, she very naturally found the page Will had just been reading.
She even read with great enthusiasm. However, compared to Will, who was even scared after reading it, Liya just frowned slightly in confusion.
“Heh heh… Li-ya! Tea-cher!”
“Huh?!”
Liya wasn’t scared by the book, but by Will suddenly leaning in. Her golden Twin Tails even bounced with her.
“You deliberately tried to scare me while I was reading, didn’t you?”
“After all… in a ‘terrifying’ or ‘strange’ environment, people are easily focused and let their guard down. Even if you’re not that scared of this thing, you’ll still be startled by external factors.”
“Thank you very much. I’ve learned something… though I don’t know where I’ll ever use this knowledge.”
Liya crossed her arms, but her eyes were still fixed on “Dungeon Ghost Stories.”
“Easily… let their guard down? Speaking of which, Classmate Will…”
A rare mischievous smile appeared on Liya’s face.
“I think this is the first time I’ve seen you scared by something.”
“You… what are you going to do?”
“Cough, cough.”
Liya cleared her throat.
She slightly lowered her voice, which was usually that of a cute little girl, making her sound like a ghostly child encountered in a forest in a dark fairy tale—
“They finally finished their exploration and reached the end of this layer. In the depths of this layer…”
She began to read word by word from the thing on the table!
“The Adventuring Team discovered a door leading to the next layer…”
“There were surprisingly…”
“Two doors!!”
“Stop, stop, Teacher Liya, don’t read anymore.”
Will hugged his head. He felt a tingling sensation—he, whose body and mind were well over thirty years old, was still scared by such a story.
“Okay.”
“Hmm? You really aren’t going to read…”
Will raised his head and found Liya sitting across the table, propping up her chin. Her fingers were on the pages of the book, but her eyes weren’t on the book; they were on him.
The warm Sunlight illuminated her bright red eyes. Her already very cute eyes seemed even more dazzling under the Sunlight.
“Yeah. After all… I was just curious. What would the normally fearless guy who seems to have everything under control look like when he’s scared.”
“Quite cute, actually…”
Liya smiled slightly, her lips pursed.
“Will.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Will.”
Two words, so similar to the voice in his memory, yet spoken with a completely different tone and feeling, echoed in his ears again.
“…?”
Will felt his whole body go limp, as if he had slept a terrible sleep and didn’t feel relaxed upon waking.
His brain felt waterlogged and heavy.
It was as if he had inhaled some gas that made his consciousness unclear…
Where was he?
Who was the person calling his name?
What had he encountered and what had happened?
“Li… Liya… Tea…cher?”
He opened his eyes, but the vision was blurry, as it was when he wasn’t wearing his glasses.
His body seemed to be sitting, but he couldn’t move at all—whether it was because he lacked the strength or because he was controlled, he twisted his wrist, but couldn’t move…
And…
Standing in front of him…
The very familiar her.
“Mmm… It seems even after inhaling that spray, you can still maintain some consciousness… It’s truly your strong will that allows this.”
She was still wearing her purple Witch Hat.
Her Twin Tails, exuding an almost overwhelming cuteness, and her dazzling blond hair were even more striking in this dim environment.
And her small frame…
“Come, sit up properly…”
She was only two or three steps away from him. In Will’s blurry vision, she quickly approached him and stood in front of him.
“Come on, look at me properly…”
A small hand—though he didn’t know when it had been painted with nail polish the color of blood—gently lifted his chin.
As she drew closer, Will could finally see her face clearly.
No…
Although his head was a little fuzzy, he wasn’t foolish.
Yes.
He should have realized it long ago.
Even if he had truly encountered a ghostly legend, how could it be exactly like what was written in the book he had seen?
And how could it have coincidentally happened right next to him?
So…
From the moment he saw the Two Doors of the Dungeon, he had walked into this trap—no, perhaps from the moment he entered this Dungeon, he had already fallen into this trap.
He looked up and saw Liya…
Her witch’s eyes, which should have been red, were completely filled with pink hearts.
Her gaze, passionate like the Fire attribute magic she researched, was fixed on him.
“Come on, say my name properly…”
In her eyes, he had already become the reflection in the center of the heart.
“Will… Will—Will!”
Her voice rose from restrained to slightly exultant. The hand that wasn’t holding his chin caressed her own face. The uncontrollable joy, bordering on madness, climbed to the corners of her lips along her fingers.
“Come on, come on, come on, shall we do it again?”
“After all… it’s been a long, long time since I last heard you say my name…”
“Using your”
At this distance, it shouldn’t have been audible, but Will clearly heard her heartbeat.
It was like an intense drumbeat in his ear.
Her small hand gently pinched his chin. She didn’t apply much force, just lifted it as if flirting.
“Looking at your eyes, you must recognize me. Because they’re clearing up a little. Mmm, good boy…”
“Liya… Liya…”
Will tried to overcome his fatigue, widening his eyes. Facing the unfamiliar her, he called out the familiar name he had uttered so many times.
