Chapter 90: The False Haunting

Inside the rumbling train, Rudra leaned back lazily against his seat, his gaze drifting out the window as the landscape blurred past.

"I didn’t expect her to take the news of your demon nature like that," the System’s voice echoed in his head.

Rudra merely grunted a soft, uninterested "Hmm."

Silence stretched for a moment before the System spoke again. "Lucy found out, which means it’s only a matter of time before the others do too. What will you do then?"

"Nothing," Rudra replied dryly.

Noticing his reluctance to engage, the System went quiet. Just as the silence settled, Rudra added calmly, "It’s entirely up to them how they react. If they don’t want a demon in their guild, I’ll simply leave. It’s as simple as that."

With nothing left to say, the System fell silent, leaving Rudra to return to the quiet view outside.

By evening, the train finally ground to a halt at its terminal station—the easternmost edge of Fiore.

Rudra stretched, grabbed his belongings, and stepped out onto the quiet platform. A quick scan of his surroundings revealed almost no activity; the station was nearly deserted, saved for a pair of railway workers chatting near the exit.

Without wasting time, Rudra walked over to the staff and pulled out the job flyer. "Excuse me. Do you know where this address is?"

The attendant took a glance at the paper and nodded. "Ah, that place. Just head straight down the main road until you hit the treeline, then follow the eastern trail. Though, you’ll have to walk—hardly anyone comes out this far, so there’s no carriage service or public transport."

Rudra didn’t mind. "Which way?"

The worker pointed toward a faded dirt path veering off into the distance. "That direction."

"Thanks," Rudra said with a brief nod. Turning on his heel, he began a leisurely stroll down the path, completely unbothered by the quiet walk ahead.

As he followed the dirt trail toward the outskirts of Oakhaven Village, the System’s voice chimed in. "So, what’s this job actually about anyway?"

"Investigating an abandoned house past the village," Rudra replied casually. "Locals reported hearing strange noises coming from inside, and a few dead animals were found nearby."

The System’s voice instantly brightened with excitement. "Ooh! So it’s a ghost?"

"That’s my guess, but it—"

"Yooo! Ghost hunting time!" the System cut him off thrilled, and a loud, upbeat version of the Ghostbusters theme song immediately started blasting inside Rudra’s head.

Rudra let out a soft sigh. Choosing to completely ignore the full-blown musical concert playing in his mind, he simply kept strolling forward at his own lazy pace.

The sun was just dipping below the horizon as Rudra reached the edge of Oakhaven Village. Long shadows stretched across empty streets, and the quiet here felt entirely different from the peaceful silence of the forest trail—it was tense, heavy with unease.

The Ghostbusters tune inside his head finally faded to a quiet hum as the System chimed in again. "Well, this place sure knows how to set a spooky mood. Not a single person in sight."

Rudra didn’t answer, his eyes casually scanning the shuttered windows and locked doors of the houses lining the path.

Down the main street, a lone tavern sign creaked softly in the evening breeze. Pushing the heavy wooden door open, Rudra stepped inside. A few locals huddled over drinks at distant tables, their hushed conversations dying out instantly as all eyes shifted toward him.

Walking straight up to the counter, Rudra placed the job request paper on the polished wood.

The aging tavern keeper glanced at the paper, then up at Rudra, a mixture of relief and hesitation in his weathered face. "You... you’re a wizard from the guild?"

"Yeah," Rudra replied smoothly. "I’m here for the house on the outskirts."

The tavern keeper let out a heavy breath, shaking his head. "Be careful, son. Whatever is in that place... it isn’t normal. It started with noises at night, but lately, livestock’s been turned inside out, and anyone who gets too close hears voices calling their name."

"Ooh, spooky," the System snickered in Rudra’s mind. "Definitely ghost material."

Rudra remained entirely unfazed. "Just give me the directions to the house, and I’ll take care of it."

"It’s about ten minutes past the village square, up on the eastern hill," the man said, pointing toward the back door. "You can’t miss it—it’s the only estate up there. But at this hour? You ought to wait until morning."

"No need," Rudra said, turning toward the exit. "Darkness makes no difference."

Leaving the uneasy whispers of the tavern behind, Rudra walked past the village square and headed up the winding dirt path leading to the eastern hill.

As he crested the ridge, the abandoned estate came into view—an ominous, decaying mansion silhouette against the moonlit sky. Surrounding the entire house was an sprawling, overgrown graveyard, its ancient tombstones tilted at crooked angles amidst a thick blanket of creeping fog.

"Okay, a creepy abandoned mansion surrounded by a giant graveyard?" the System piped up, sounding thoroughly entertained. "That’s practically begging for a boss fight."

Rudra paused at the rusted iron gates, looking over the sea of gravestones. "It’s certainly thorough."

He pushed the gate open with a low, agonizing groan of metal that echoed across the quiet grounds. As he stepped onto the hollow earth of the cemetery path, a chill swept through the air, and a faint, distorted whisper seemed to rustle through the dead trees.

"Did you hear that?" the System asked, its tone dropping to a whisper. "Sounds like someone calling out."

"Just wind," Rudra murmured back calmly, his hands resting casually in his pockets as he stepped over a fallen tombstone. "Or something trying too hard to be scary."

He didn’t bother drawing a weapon or raising his guard. Step by step, he strolled through the dense fog and tombstones, heading straight for the looming front doors of the mansion.

Arriving at the entrance, Rudra stared at the massive, weather-worn double doors for a few seconds. Just as he reached out to push them open, the System’s voice rang out in his head with eager authority.

"Wait! Shouldn’t we equip our ghost-hunting gear first?"

Rudra paused, letting out a tired sigh at his overexcited companion. "And where exactly are we supposed to get ’ghost-hunting gear’?"

"Relax, I’ve got you covered."

A split second later, a flash of light materialized a stack of paranormal equipment directly into Rudra’s arms—an EMF reader, a spirit box, a night-vision camera, and a UV flashlight.

Rudra stared down at the pile of gadgetry in his hands, completely speechless.

"Now then!" the System announced proudly. "Let the official paranormal investigation begin!"

"Hell no," Rudra deadpanned, dropping the entire load onto the porch floor with a dull thud. "I’m not wasting my time playing with toys."

"Hey! That’s state-of-the-art equipment, you uncultured bastard!" the System shrieked.

Ignoring the furious protest in his mind, Rudra pushed open the front doors and casually stepped inside. "Let’s just crush whatever is in here so I can go home."

With that, he began scanning the dark, dusty foyer of the mansion, completely unbothered by his sulking System muttering grievances in the background.

Step by step, Rudra walked into the grand foyer. The air was thick with dust, and high above, an old iron chandelier creaked ominously as it swayed back and forth. Right on cue, a bone-chilling wail echoed through the hall, followed by the heavy clanking of chains coming from deep within the walls.

"Ooh! Did you hear that?!" the System perked up instantly, forgetting to sulk. "Class-four spectral entity, for sure! I told you we needed the spirit box!"

Rudra didn’t answer. He simply walked over to the base of the main staircase, reached his hand into a dark decorative hollow behind a wooden panel, and pulled hard.

Snap! Crackle!

With a spark of friction and a loud snap, the eerie wailing abruptly cut off into a mechanical squeal, replaced by the sound of gears grinding to a halt.

"A spectral entity, huh?" Rudra asked dryly, holding up a frayed pulley wire and a hollow brass sound-pipe connected to hidden bellows inside the wall. "Must be a pretty low-tier spirit if it runs on copper gears and counterweights."

The System went dead silent for two whole seconds.

"...Are you kidding me?" the System finally groaned, sounding utterly heartbroken. "It’s fake? It’s just a glorified carnival trick?!"

"Pretty much," Rudra replied, tossing the broken wire aside. "Whoever set up these mechanisms wanted people to think this place is cursed."

"Unbelievable. My ghost hunt is ruined!" the System whined.

Rudra chuckled softly under his breath, dusting off his hands as he peered deeper into the dark hallway. "Well, fake ghosts mean a real person put a lot of effort into keeping people away. Let’s go see what they’re actually hiding."

He searched the mansion room by room, and every strange sight lifted the System’s hopes until Rudra ended it in a few words.

"A floating candle!"

"Fishing line."

"Blood running down the walls!"

"Dyed water and a pump."

"A ghost in the ballroom mirror!"

"Projection lens. Oil lamp."

By the time he finished the upper floors, he had exposed every trick in the building and found nothing of value.

"This is an outrage!" the System wailed dramatically in his head. "A scam! A complete trickster fraud! My spectral dreams, thoroughly shattered!"

Rudra ignored the theatrical weeping and turned toward the exit, ready to call it a night. But as he passed through the main hallway, a large, ornate mirror mounted flush against the wall caught his eye.

It wasn’t the ornate frame or the antique glass that caught his attention, but the subtle difference in light reflection. He tapped the surface gently—the sound was far too hollow, and the glass had the faint tint of a one-way mirror.

"There’s a hidden room behind this," Rudra murmured.

Without hesitation, he raised a fist and shattered the glass in a single strike. Shards cascaded onto the floor, revealing a reinforced secret doorway built into the stone wall, with a pitch-black staircase leading down into the depths below.

"Oooh!" the System instantly bounced back, forgetting all its earlier grief. "Secret underground lair! I knew this place was hiding something good!"

Rudra stared into the dark abyss, a small, wry smirk playing on his lips. "Well... that doesn’t look ominous at all."

With a casual step, he descended into the pitch-black staircase. The air grew cooler and damper with every step down, until the narrow steps finally opened into a vast underground basement.

Rudra raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Snap!

A brief spark ignited in the air, instantly cascading across the room as every torch and candle along the stone walls flared to life. Bright illumination washed over the massive vault, revealing chest upon chest overflowing with gold coins, stacked bullion, glittering jewels, and rare artifacts.

The System let out a low whistle in his mind. "Looks like we hit the jackpot after all. Forget ghosts, this is a full-blown treasure hoard!"

"Store all of it," Rudra instructed casually.

In a matter of seconds, the glittering mountain of wealth vanished into his system inventory, leaving behind a clean, empty hall.

With the loot secured, Rudra turned his attention toward the far wall.

Unlike the polished masonry of the vault, a massive breach had been forcefully torn through the solid stone. The jagged, crumbling rock edges clearly weren’t man-made—it looked as though something massive had smashed its way through from the other side, leaving behind a dark, subterranean tunnel.

"Well, that certainly wasn’t built by a mason," the System remarked, its tone shifting to mild curiosity. "Whatever dug that, it definitely didn’t use a pickaxe."

A faint smile touched Rudra’s lips as he gazed into the quiet gloom. Without a second thought, he stepped over the shattered debris and vanished into the dark, winding cave system beyond.