Three young men were nonchalantly walking around the campus grounds trying out the various foods and seeing the random sights. One was really tall, over seven feet, the second was rather short, not even 4 feet, while the last was of normal height and had slightly pointy ears with an unfortunately obvious under bite.

Dale the Giant Halfling, Erik the Dwarf Halfling, and Kayne, the Elf Halfling were probably the most average of all of the visitors at the festival. They were just some guys from the city and were also low leveled adventurers. Even though they were halflings, they still held the racial traits of their parents.

That is to say that Dale was a warrior, Erik was a fighter with magic spells and a part time engineer, and Kayne was a magic archer. They were around eighteen and were really close friends, deciding to stay beside each other.

Though people were lenient of different races and even interracial marriages, mixed children were still treated a little…subhuman. Dale was the smallest giant and Erik was the tallest dwarf. They stuck out and you know what they say about the nail that sticks out and all that…

But Kayne didn’t really inherit his mother’s appearance, save for her ears. He was not visually attractive, so he was regarded as a faker. Even though he had the racial advantage in magic, he was demotivated due to his face.

However, if Nolan was here, he would have shared all the fantastic little tips and free knowledge they shared in the game. The trio usually hung out in the bar next to the adventurer’s guild hall, so they always shared information with newbies.

They were nice and cooperative, regardless of their past. With their united friendship, they were resilient.

“Hehe, so are we going to see what that last kid can do with that strange maze?”

“Dale, come on, the only good part was the traps and scares in the halls, the last room is always a disappointment.”

“True. All that Zack guy did was talk about his troubles with women. Even that idiot Bucco did a better job as an enemy, even if it wasn’t scary.”

“Right? I get the feeling these kids don’t understand how to be scary. Well, even that archer girl tried to use something, but it was just a cheap puzzle. I feel like this thing is meant for kids.”

“Sounds about right, Erik. I mean, look. They think it is some sort of gag, right? A real labyrinth is nothing like this.”

“Ah, Kayne, that might be the whole deal! Maybe it is a manmade dungeon!”

“Nice thinking, Dale.”

It was the first day of the festival and the only people who were making a lot of money were the ones with attractions. They could be done multiple times, but the money would just rise.

The three walked up and spotted a pretty young girl wearing a sorceress’ outfit. Her oversized conical hat and baggy black robes was very cliché and of no use in actual combat, but her cute body made her look like she was playing dress up.

“Hey, Yidris, you working the counter now? It’s pretty late.”

“Haha, I know. Hey, why are you always coming by?”

“Just helping out.”

“Alright~.”

Suddenly, out in the dark…

“AAAAAH! GET ME OUT OF HERE!”

The trio looked at each other and shrugged, but they turned to see a couple of pale kids come running out of the exit with wet pants and a strange smell.

“Huh?”

The first guy ran up to Dale and grabbed desperately onto his leg.

“We thought it was just another joke, but this time, it’s really haunted!”

Kayne squinted his eyes and calmly pulled the kid up. It was getting late and the moon was starting to rise. However, there was still over an hour and a half until the festival was officially over. And even then, people would slowly exit the grounds.

The trio nodded, handed Yidris a couple of coins, and entered the maze.

Already, they noticed something different. The air was cold and damp, and the surroundings felt…suffocating. The pale blue lights had turned grayish, somehow, but the three couldn’t be bothered. They looked at the place where the paths were supposed to separate, but there was only one, which was different from before. There was only one way to go this time.

The three adopted a formation they commonly used in real dungeons without even saying anything. Dale was in the front while Kayne was in the back. The path was winding around, but the walls had changed from their charred black to a strange plaster that looked like an old house.

Just when they thought there was something ahead, Erik spoke up.

“Hey, there’s no traps.”

It was true. There was nothing for them to be weary of, but if there was a real ghost, then there might be something dangerous here. Dale reached for his broadsword, but realized he left it since he wasn’t going to a real dungeon, and scolded himself for not being prepared.

Thankfully, Erik and Kayne could still cast magic, so they weren’t completely useless.

However, something was ahead of them, appearing to walk out from a hallway. Whoever it was hadn’t been there before, anyway.

A white figure that was carrying a long thin blade that looked like a fang of a snake.

“I can’t find them…”

“Who?”

Dale spoke up, prepared to take the brunt of an attack if need be. They had all dealt with vengeful spirits, and the quickest way to get rid of them was to resolve their grudges.

“Ah, the one who did this…”

“Did what?”

Suddenly, the figure stopped and stared straight into Dale’s very soul.

Then the figure disappeared and Dale’s vision was filled with a pale face and two dreary looking blue eyes.

“The one who killed me, of course…”

Then, the figure disappeared, but Dale felt that his heart was gripped in ice. He collapsed and felt his shirt stick to his back thanks to all the sweat.

Erik ran forward to see where the ghost had come from, but he put his hand up and felt the hard wall all over, not finding a switch for some sort of gimmick.

“That…was that really a ghost?”

“Whatever it was…it’s dangerous.”