Chapter 1
It was a night of violent wind and rain.
The window rattled loudly as pressure pushed through the loose gaps. The cold cut into my skin, making my whole body tremble. My mouth was gagged, so I couldn’t make proper sounds, and my hands and feet ached from being tied up for so long.
“Mmm… mmph!”
I desperately wanted to escape, but unless he untied me, there was no way out.
And whenever he did set me free, I would end up trapped forever in the deep underground of this mansion.
I had possessed something.
Not a normal novel.
I had possessed the heroine of the horror game Hallucination of Tracker, a so-called hell-difficulty game that still had no successful walkthrough.
The game was about vampires ruling over humans. It was famous for its huge world, flashy graphics, first-person open-world fantasy ARPG system, and magic mechanics. Players said it was incredibly fun.
But of course.
Of course I had to end up inside it.
The man who kidnapped me was the game’s hidden villain, Sren Crochet.
He was the head of a grand ducal family, with a face prettier than most women’s. No one knew whether he lacked emotions or was a psychopath or a sociopath.
The story itself was simple.
Born an illegitimate child of the Crochet family, Sren became the official heir because the Duchess had no children. After a miserable childhood, he slowly twisted, becoming obsessed with Rachel Faminion, the eldest daughter of the Faminion Count family, who was the first to show him kindness.
The plot was cliché, and the difficulty was brutal.
Still, Sren was insanely popular. So many female players challenged this terrifying game just to see the handsome villain.
And unfortunately, I had possessed the heroine of this insane game.
Since no one had ever cleared it, I kept failing too. I was stuck repeating the very first day over and over. With my eyes covered by cloth, I couldn’t see anything. It felt like being trapped in complete darkness.
The worst part was that I still hadn’t found a way to escape.
Then—
Dong. Dong. Dong.
The bell of the clock tower rang through the rain. My lips twisted into a bitter smile.
It’s starting again.
This was the BGM that signaled the beginning of the game.
The scene where the heroine wakes up after being kidnapped. Even though I had repeated this countless times, cold sweat ran down my back.
He would come soon.
“Three… two… one.”
Footsteps.
Slow, heavy footsteps drew closer. They stopped right in front of the room. Click. The rusty doorknob turned. At that moment, the rain grew louder, and thunder crashed violently.
“Mmm… mmph!”
My body shook uncontrollably. My heart pounded as if it would fall straight through the floor. Just as the fear became suffocating—
Creeeak.
The door finally opened.
I held my breath. Since I couldn’t see, every nerve focused on his footsteps. He stopped right in front of me.
The room was silent except for our breathing.
I already knew what he was going to do next. Still, even knowing it was pointless, I begged desperately in my heart.
“Please… don’t untie it. Don’t let me see your face. I’d rather go blind.”
Cruelly, the cloth covering my eyes was removed.
The first thing I saw was a pair of cherry-blossom-pink eyes. His emotionless gaze slowly curved into a smile when it met mine. He dropped the white cloth and spoke in a sweet, soft voice.
“Good morning, Rachel.”
You bastard.
Do you seriously think this is morning?
Heavy rain and constant thunder filled the night. Beyond the iron bars, the outside world was pitch black, with not even moonlight visible.
I had already grown used to the gloomy weather, so telling day from night wasn’t hard.
What I still couldn’t get used to was his perfect face.
Delicate, beautiful, like an angel that had descended from the sky. There was a subtle masculinity mixed in, enough to leave people staring without realizing it.
No. This is not the time to be distracted by his looks.
I tried to pull myself together. He frowned slightly, looking disappointed.
“I wanted to spend some quiet time with you, but a pest snuck into the mansion.”
Sren casually ran a knife along his index finger. I was the only one nervous about the blade drawing blood. He muttered calmly.
“I hate interruptions. I’ll deal with it quickly, so wait here, okay?”
His red eyes gleamed faintly.
The “pest” he was talking about was Adenhar Seperta.
The sub-male lead. My childhood friend. The person I absolutely had to save to escape this mansion.
But I had never even made it that far.
Because—
Just as Sren turned away, he suddenly stopped.
“You won’t run away while I’m gone, right?”
His sideways glance was chilling. I shook my head hard. His cold expression softened into a smile.
“Good. Be a good girl. I’ll give you a special reward.”
Yeah. That “reward” would be Adenhar’s head, right?
I felt sick.
The first time, I had foolishly waited, thinking he would really free me. Instead, he brought back Adenhar’s severed head, blood still dripping. When I cried in terror, he asked if I still liked Adenhar that much… then killed me.
The next time, I tried not to react.
He crushed Adenhar’s face under his foot right in front of me, saying we should have a festival.
I died of a heart attack.
This was my third time.
I would not wait like an idiot again. Waiting only led to death.
When I nodded quietly, Sren lifted my chin and kissed my forehead. His lips were cold, like a corpse.
“I’ll be back soon.”
After he left, I waited about five more minutes. When his footsteps completely disappeared, I struggled to untie my hands. The knots were surprisingly loose. I removed the gag and let out a breath.
“Damn… I almost died.”
I should’ve run earlier. Why did I let myself see him twice?
The moment I opened the door—
The rain grew louder.
And there he was.
Sren stood there with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall, watching me.
“…!”
My breath caught.
Was he hiding on purpose? Waiting to see if I’d escape?
Before I could think of an excuse, his low voice reached my ears.
He was smiling.
“Didn’t I tell you to wait?”
That was even scarier. His eyes were completely cold.
“Why did you come out?”
My heart pounded wildly. He pushed off the wall and walked toward me. His pupils turned bright red.
A sign of killing intent.
“Did my warning mean nothing to you?”
I was done.
He grabbed my shoulder violently.
“I told you to wait!”
“Ugh…!”
His anger kept rising.
“S-Sren, that’s not—!”
I had to say something. Anything.
But my voice shook, and my words tangled.
Suddenly, he calmed down and smiled strangely.
“Rachel. Let’s play dolls.”
“D-Dolls…?”
“If we do that, you’ll smile beside me forever, right?”
He wasn’t listening anymore.
That meant—
He was going to kill me and keep my corpse like a doll.
My heart dropped. Then pain exploded in my stomach. My vision turned red. The last thing I saw was Sren smiling brightly as he stabbed me again and again.
And in my fading consciousness, I heard his voice.
“Rachel. I really love you.”
Bastard.
A familiar message window appeared.
[THE END]
[BAD ENDING (6) – Doll Play]
[You have died.]
Be careful not to provoke Sren. If you die 7 more times, you will be trapped in this game forever.]
What kind of horrible game is this?!
Just kill me forever already!
And so, I met my ridiculous third death.
