"Finally! Someone! Someone made it out alive! I can finally get out of here!"


    A girl''s voice startled Ren. He had looked around when he reached the shore, but he hadn''t seen anyone.


    Once again, he scanned his surroundings and found no one.


    "Up here!"


    Ren reflexively looked up and saw the voice''s owner — it was a weird girl suspended mid-air.


    Both her eyes and hair were dark, and her skin was deathly pale. She was also translucent, which screamed, ''I''m a ghost.''


    Thest thing Ren noticed was her maid outfit . . .


    Ren raised his guard and used [Probe].


    [A L I C E


    "The Ghostly Apprentice"


    Alice was once a human with a little talent for magic. When she was discovered, she became the ''apprentice'' of a mad wizard — the one who summoned Jibblinplip. Unfortunately, instead of fostering her talent, the wizard made her just a little more than a janitor and ingredient fletcher.


    Regardless of the details of her employment, Alice had been there when Jibblinplip was summoned and became one of its first victims.


    Since then, her ghost became trapped inside the Spillway of Doom, wandering along its voluminous depths, forever trying to help the ooze''stest victims but forever being doomed to fail.


    Alice would always tries to help yers if she can, but she is easily confused, so she doesn''t remember much about Jibblinplip''s inner sections. She also doesn''t understand what it means when she is offered help to ''move on'' or y to rest,'' but if they suggest getting her promoted beyond being a scullery maid, she will leap at the chance to help.]


    "Finally! Someone who made it through the hellish pit. Someone who can save me from this eternal doom of acidic galore!" Alice said with a very hyper voice, which was surprising for someone who had been dead for a long time.


    "Who are you?"


    "Me?" Alice flew towards Ren, and thetter backed a little when she zoomed in on his face.


    "My name''s Alice!" She excitedly reached her hand out to grab Ren''s but found her hand went past his.


    "Ara?" Alice was genuinely baffled. "I wonder why I can''t touch people anymore."


    Ren was blunt and straight to the point. "It''s because you''re dead, and you''re just a ghost."


    ". . ." Alice stared at Ren with her dark obsidian eyes beforeughing a bit. "Teeheehee. That''s a good one. I''m merely trapped in here for who knows how long. I see you, you see me. We can talk to each other perfectly well, and I function just as well. See? I can even touch myself!"


    She then put a finger over her chin and thought for a moment. "Maybe because I''ve been inside this creature for many days. It must''ve had an effect on me."


    Days? Ren raised a brow. How about a century?


    ". . ." Ren was worried all of a sudden. A ghost who didn''t even know that she died nor understand that being a ghost meant that she couldn''t touch anything


    "Anyway," Alice zoomed on Ren''s face once more, "are you here to set me free? It''s about time."


    Ren shook his head. "I''m here to set myself free."


    He ignored the troublesome girl and then went on his way. Since she wasn''t an enemy and seemed to just be a random encounter with no quest to give, then he might as well be on his way.


    "Wait!" Alice flew to Ren''s back, intending to embrace him from behind, but all she did was tumble forward as she went past his body.


    Alice smacked on the ground, face first, but quickly rose and rubbed her nose. "Darn this condition! I wish I could get out of here so I could find someone who could cure me."


    ''More like they''re going to exorcise you,'' Ren thought.


    "Please, don''t go! Take me with you!" Alice begged when Ren was about to go past her again.


    "My help isn''t free, you know," he told her. "What will you offer me in return if I get you out of here?"


    "Return?" Alice cocked her head to the side and thought for a moment. "I don''t have any money if that''s what you mean."


    And within seconds, she suddenly became overly optimistic, disying a huge smile on her face. "But, I''m very handy as a maid! My previous master even praised me for being an excellent errand girl and for keeping the tower nice and tidy!"


    Ren wasn''t amused. "I think that''s not something to be proud of."


    "I''ll work my fee off," Alice bargained. "We can draft a contract if you like. Just take me with you!"


    She was trapped in here from the looks of it. And it seemed like only a yer could release her from this room''s grip.


    Ren grumbled under his breath. Her voice was piercing and really rang in the ears.


    "Fine . . . ," he finally said. Their HQ could use a full-time maid. And besides, she''s already in a maid''s uniform. What''s more to ask?


    Alice''s eyes shone with delight, and she leaped forward to embrace Ren, only to stumble again when she went past him, nting her face on the ground.


    Talk about being a hugger and a klutz. Ren mused to himself.


    [CONGRATULATIONS for Saving Alice the Ghostly Apprentice!]


    [New Additional Information Acquired!]


    [ A L I C E


    Once you have sessfully brought Alice into your team, she could do the following:


    ? Guard with her Life


    As long as Alice is within your headquarters, she will make it her duty to guard your HQ. She would consider it as her new home and wouldn''t take trespassers kindly.


    ? Overqualified Maid


    What shecked in magic, Alice made up for with her skills with a broom and a mop. Expect a clean and organized HQ with her around.


    ? Gatherer of some Sorts


    Alice is knowledgeable about certain materials and ingredients from spending her years as an ingredient fetcher for the wizards in the tower. You can ask her to gather ingredients for you, but consider that it would leave your HQ unguarded.


    ? A Distaste for Magic


    Alice hated magic now. For some reason, she had developed an aversion towards the craft after dying from being swallowed by Jibblinplip. She could tolerate magic around her allies, but enemies beware, for all Magical Attacks will be nulled when Alice is around. ]


    ". . ." Ren couldn''t find the logic as to how a ghost girl with deathly pale skin, skinny limbs, and a weak personality had such an overpowered buff for an HQ. ( . . . continuation on NOTES)