SWNOVELXO Chapter 31: DSMW [31]
The deeper they went, the more the abnormality of the dark environment behind the academy became palpable.
By day, it was just an ordinary mountain viewed from the academy. But at night, it transformed into a beast of the old world, eager to devour all.
Every step forward felt like a direct assault on one's sanity.
No wonder that guy named "Ron" was found being carried out of the back mountain, completely deranged.
An unspeakable fear from the depths of the soul relentlessly assaulted every nerve of anyone within this endless darkness.
Coupled with the dimmer-than-usual full moon hanging overhead, a strong and overwhelming sense of dread surged in Aisha's heart.
"Ren-chan... maybe we should go back. I have a really bad feeling about this..."
Trailing behind, Aisha tugged at Irene's sleeve, trying to persuade her best friend—perhaps turning back was salvation before stepping into hell.
But Irene wasn't paying any attention to the terrifying surroundings.
"This is weird. The footprints are gone." Irene's delicate brows furrowed deeply.
Leading the way, she had been following the footprints left by whoever entered the back mountain earlier.
However, without warning, the tracks vanished at this very spot.
Even stranger, the way the footprints disappeared was downright bizarre... as if space itself had been sliced off. The last footprint was missing its front half, leaving only the heel.
This uncanny sight made Irene hesitate—should she take the next step forward?
Maybe nothing would happen.
Or maybe... the worst would occur. Her own footprint would be cut in half, and she'd vanish too.
Turn back?
No!
A HERO never runs away!
Irene mustered her courage and stepped forward.
...
Nothing happened.
"Phew... guess I was overthinking."
Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Irene finally felt a little relieved.
"Looks like I scared myself for nothing. How embarrassing... Let's keep going, Aisha."
She subconsciously reached back to pull Aisha forward—only to grab at empty air.
"No... no way..."
A primal fear from deep within the warped space closed in around Irene, forcing even this usually fearless girl to gulp nervously as she slowly turned her head.
Behind her... everything looked exactly as it had when they came.
Except... Aisha was gone.
At the same time, the scenery Aisha saw hadn't changed at all either. The strange thing was, the moment Irene stepped forward... she simply vanished from sight.
"W-W-What the heck is going on here?!"
The poor girl was so scared she could barely form words.
Stammering uncontrollably, Aisha was instantly gripped by panic and helplessness at the realization she was alone.
No... maybe she wasn't alone.
"Miles... Miles, are you there? Please, answer me! I'm begging you, please!"
Aisha's voice was almost desperate. Trapped in this horrifying unknown, the mere idea of being alone was enough to shatter her mind.
At this rate... she'd be the next Ron.
"Yeah, I'm here."
In that instant, Miles's calm voice was like divine salvation piercing the abyss—a lifeline for the soul, a ray of hope in despair. It was so pure, so sacred, Aisha couldn't help but burst into tears.
"Waaahhh!"
Perhaps it was because of Miles's presence, but the overwhelming fear seemed to loosen its grip. Aisha's slender legs gave out entirely, and she collapsed onto the ground.
"Thank goodness... Thank goodness you're here, Miles. If I were really alone, I would've died on the spot."
"Sorry. This is my fault, too. If I hadn't said I was curious, you wouldn't have come here."
It was to satisfy Miles's curiosity about the legendary Egyptian God Cards that Aisha had summoned the courage to venture into the back mountain with Irene. The safest choice would've been to leave the moment the Millennium Puzzle began acting strange after they stepped in.
And whether the God Card rumors were real or not, something dangerous did exist here—that much was certain.
Yet, Miles hadn't told her to leave... and that made him feel guilty now.
"Miles, did you see where Ren-chan went?"
"Don't forget, I see the same things you do."
From Miles's perspective, Irene had simply taken a step forward—and vanished.
The only noticeable change after that... was the Millennium Puzzle, which had been acting up since they entered the back mountain, suddenly calming down the moment Irene disappeared.
That overwhelming, mysterious pressure also vanished with it.
"Strange... did Irene disappear, or... were we the ones moved?"
"Moved? What do you mean, Miles?"
"AAAAAAHHHH—!"
While the two were puzzled, a scream echoed from deeper within the forest—not unlike the scream one makes when losing a duel and their Life Points hit zero.
Definitely not Irene's voice—it sounded like a man.
"Could it be... the student Ren mentioned? The one who entered ahead of us? Quick, let's go, Aisha!"
"Ugh... I'd love to, Miles..."
Wearing a pained, helpless expression, Aisha patted her trembling, utterly useless snow-white legs.
"Sorry. I can't even stand."
"Then I'll do it for you."
"Okay."
Aisha nodded obediently.
At a time like this, she couldn't worry about handing her body over during a duel anymore.
—Soul Exchange.
As Miles's soul fused into Aisha's body, the first sensation was... soft. Way too soft.
These snowy white legs... were so weak they couldn't even stand properly.
It really showed just how terrified the poor girl had been.
Aisha secretly sighed in relief. 'Good thing... I didn't wet myself... or I'd have to die from embarrassment.'
Taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, Miles gradually regained control over the trembling legs. The moment he managed to stand, he immediately sprinted toward the source of the scream.
It was Miles's first time running in a girl's body.
Logically, with a lighter frame, it should've felt easier—but for some reason, it felt even harder.
Thankfully, the scream hadn't come from far away. Pushing through the sparse trees, Miles arrived just in time.
Aisha gasped. "Isn't that... Mizuki from our class?"
Mizuki, also a first-year student at Fusion Academy, lay collapsed on the ground—his Life Points clearly having hit zero.
Standing before them was a mysterious man in a black cloak, wearing a similar gold accessory on his chest as Aisha.
...
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