Chapter 55: Cassia’s Weakness

“Are you afraid of ghosts?”

“I’m not good at dealing with monsters without physical bodies. You can’t kill them with a sword…”

You even dared to face Myut, who’s 20 levels higher, but you’re scared of ghosts?

How come I didn’t notice this in your First Playthrough?

Come to think of it, it was impossible for Cass in the First Playthrough to complete this quest at all, since it was a Side Quest of Death.

He never came to this Church, so the setting of him being afraid of ghosts wouldn’t be revealed.

That must be it.

The blackened Second Playthrough Cass, after being tempered in mind, just lay on the chair overnight without a care.

Siloque sighed as if finding it amusing:

“Your weakness is pretty two-dimensional.”

“Siloque, what’s with that smile… There’s a reason for this.”

“Reason?”

Cass paused, scratching his face awkwardly, and stammered:

“Before, with my bro… and little sister, we went to a haunted house at an amusement park. The blinding lasers and crazy vibrating floors messed with my nerves, and the ghosts in makeup by the staff were terrifying. Suddenly, a hand reached out from my chest…”

At this point, Cass wiped his sweat uncomfortably:

“Later I found out it was a Projection, but after that, I couldn’t stand that feeling of ‘you can touch me, but I can’t touch you.'”

Watching Cass tremble with fear, Siloque replied with a single word:

“Oh.”

Then, sneaking a laugh, he took out various Ingredients and Seasonings, a Pan, and even set up a big Umbrella from his ring device, looking like he was preparing to cook.

Cass didn’t really understand how others felt about Ghosts, but looking at Siloque…

Could it be that all guys aren’t afraid of Ghosts?

Then do I need to train myself to act braver, to play the big brother more convincingly…?

“…Siloque, I bought Convenient Rice that just needs hot water to soak. There’s no need to go through the hassle of cooking.”

“No, no, Cass, you don’t get it. Cooking yourself out in the wild is the real deal, that’s what being an Explorer is all about. It’s the romance of Explorers.”

Is that so?

Cass didn’t quite get the connection between cooking and romance.

But since Siloque liked to cook, he let him be.

“Speaking of which, Siloque, you’re the one who looks so much like a girl, and yet you’re not afraid of ghosts.”

Cass sat on a Half-rotten Bench beside Siloque, watching him peel potatoes.

“Who decided that girls are supposed to scream and cling to their boyfriends when they see ghosts? Be careful, or I’ll sue you for discrimination.”

“…If I had my original body, could I cling to Siloque’s arm…?”

“What are you mumbling about?”

“Nothing, nothing at all, ahahaha…”

With such chat, Cass felt his nerves ease a bit.

Yiiiiiieeeeeeeeeee…

A sound like the cold autumn-winter wind echoed through the ruined Church, making Cass freeze instantly.

Cass reflexively drew his sword, scanning for anything unusual.

Something seemed to rise from the floor in front of Cass.

It was a hand—thin as a withered branch, of indeterminate origin.

No no no no no no, disappear, disappear, disappear…

Cass screamed inside, but of course, this phenomenon didn’t vanish just because he wished it.

Then came a sound full of resentment, and then from the hand to the shoulder, and then a head emerged from the floor.

Long, disheveled hair, a body thin as bones…

It was a woman.

But where her eyes should have been, only ghostly flames flickered, and her mouth revealed a shattered jaw.

That floating, almost intangible form—

Cass could only think of one word: Specter.

As if purposely triggering Cass’s fear, the Specter took a long time to reveal her whole form, then swung her clawed hands, emitting a piercing scream:

“YIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE…”

So that sound was yours!

The entire Church began to shake violently. Benches toppled one after another, small stones began to fall from the walls and ceiling, and more Specters appeared, flying about the ceiling as if dancing.

You have to stand firm, or you’ll fall.

Though Cass thought this, his body wouldn’t obey.

His control over his body slipped away, and his stiff body fell toward the floor like a sandbag—

“Don’t tell me you’re still suffering aftereffects from Myut’s attack? Low blood sugar?”

A voice sounded in Cass’s ear, and then a slender but strong arm supported his shoulder.

Siloque had come to Cass’s side without him noticing.

“Relax, the Ghosts here can’t cause physical harm… They’re pitiful too, sacrificed and forced into vengeful spirits to guard this place…”

Siloque spoke, then noticed Cass’s abnormal state.

“Are you okay?”

Seeing Siloque’s concerned face, Cass wanted to say he was fine, but no words would come out.

Siloque seemed to understand, dragging Cass by the collar to sit against the wall.

He pulled up the ring device, took out a Barrier Tool, and activated it.

A semi-circular blue field expanded, blocking the Specters outside.

During this time, the Specters continued wailing and drifting about, but the shaking of the Church stopped.

Dozens of seconds later—though Cass felt it was several minutes—the Specters were still drifting, but their voices grew faint, eventually fading away.

Cass wasn’t opposed to all supernatural things.

Slimes, for example, he found cute. Zombie and Maniac Killer movies were even perfect for late-night snacks.

But what he really couldn’t stand were those intangible beings that could appear and disappear at will, passing through walls and floors.

“So you really are afraid of ghosts… Sorry, I didn’t realize it was that bad.”

Siloque handed over a White Mug filled with a brown liquid, gentle white steam rising with a scent between coffee and chocolate.

“Drink a little and calm down.”

Cass took the cup—it wasn’t too hot, just warm enough. He took a sip—

“Hot Cocoa?”

Cass’s eyes lit up, and he drank several more gulps.

“It’s delicious… better than any I’ve had before.”

“I used [Heating] to control the temperature, bringing out the aroma of the beans without losing the richness.”

“Amazing…”

Cass’s cheeks flushed, and he happily continued drinking the hot cocoa.

“Um, Siloque…”

“Hmm?”

“Please don’t tell anyone that I’m… not comfortable with spirit-type monsters.”

“Heh, of course I won’t. If I told anyone, I couldn’t use it as blackmail to make you cough up Gold Coins in the future, could I?”

“You…”

Cass smiled helplessly.

Siloque returned to the simple kitchen built atop a Portable Stove fueled by Crystal Core, pouring oil into the Pan.

He hadn’t ignored the marvelous uses of [Heating].

For example, the human body is 60% to 70% water.

If I put my hand on someone’s head, I could cook their brain.

Or heat the air until the enemy suffocates.

But later, after testing it in the kitchen, he realized it took 30 seconds to heat water from 14° to 60°—very fast, but nobody would stand still for 30 seconds in the middle of a fierce battle…

If you’re close enough, why not just use a knife?

“By the way, Siloque, why did you want to become an Explorer?”

Suddenly, Cass brought up the topic.

Maybe it was a sudden thought, or maybe he felt safe enough to care about other things.

Watching Siloque fry chicken in the Pan, Cass couldn’t help but ask:

“Bried likes the process of training, Kersey does it for money, and me—well, you already know. You said it was for the Veil Minotaur, right? Do you hate monsters on the second floor that much?”