Chapter 3
I couldn’t tell whether he was joking or serious.
I tried to read his intentions. A sharp glint passed through his eyes as he looked at me. When I swallowed nervously again, a clear laugh slipped through his teeth.
“Hahaha. I’m kidding, Rachel.”
“…!”
“There’s no way I’d do something like that to you, right?”
Then Sren loosened his hold on me.
Only then could I breathe properly again.
With a deep smile on his face, he suddenly narrowed his brows slightly, as if he had sensed something.
“Oh. Looks like I should step out for a bit. I think there’s an intruder in the mansion.”
He gently patted my head and spoke softly.
“I’ll take care of it quickly, so could you wait just a little?”
“Mmh. Be careful.”
He really was different this time.
I could clearly feel that he was kinder to me than before.
After hearing my answer, Sren left the room.
Still, I didn’t relax. I pressed myself against the door and listened carefully. I could hear his footsteps moving. They stopped at one point, then, when I didn’t move at all, they resumed and slowly faded away.
“Phew… I almost died.”
Only after confirming he was far away did I finally let out a breath.
“I need to stay sharp.”
But the real game was only just beginning.
If I waited for Sren to come back, all that awaited me was death. But if I left through the door, it felt like he’d appear again at any moment.
I turned my head and scanned the room. A small window, a bookshelf packed with books, and an old bed came into view. This looked more like a prison than a bedroom.
I rubbed my chin, thinking.
“I really want to escape on my own… but if Adenhar dies, the game won’t progress again.”
So for now, completely leaving Sren’s side didn’t seem possible.
“But this time, he didn’t tie me up?”
Until now, Sren always left with me bound.
“Does that mean it’s okay for me to move? Or… did he untie me because he was confident I wouldn’t run?”
If that was the case, then why act suspicious at all?
I confidently opened the door.
But the moment I did, I squeezed my eyes shut.
I was afraid Sren might be standing there with a knife, asking why I came out and stabbing me again. My heart raced wildly.
Fortunately, there was no sound.
I slowly opened my eyes.
No one was there.
Something had definitely changed this time.
Just then, I heard a clunking, chugging sound, like a train running. I rubbed my eyes, but there was no train. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I noticed toy train tracks.
A small train was running along them.
Smoke was even coming out, making it far too realistic for a toy.
As I crouched down to look more closely, the train stopped right in front of me. The door opened, and a gentleman in a black suit stepped out.
He moved too smoothly to be just a doll. He looked almost human.
…A little person?
As I wondered, the small gentleman approached and bowed politely. He wore a golden mask that covered half his face.
“Greetings, Miss Rachel Faminion.”
He lifted the corner of his lips slightly and continued calmly.
“My name is Phantom. I am the NPC who will assist you with progressing the game.”
“Ah…”
No wonder he felt familiar.
Even his name was Phantom.
“First of all, congratulations on passing the first gate.”
I didn’t feel happy at all.
When I really needed help, he never showed up. Now that I barely survived, he suddenly appeared as an NPC? That felt unfair.
If he was going to help, he should’ve shown up before I got brutally killed by Sren.
I let out a hollow laugh, then spoke with suppressed frustration.
“Forget that. If you’re an NPC, then get me out of here.”
“That is not possible.”
Wasn’t that answer way too fast?
He rejected me without even thinking. But I truly wanted out of this insane game. Images of my three deaths flashed through my mind.
“Why not?! I never wanted to play this game in the first place!”
Phantom looked at me with regret.
“Once you begin the game, you cannot leave until you see the ending.”
“I didn’t start it!”
“But you are already here, are you not?”
“…!”
“Congratulations! You are the chosen one.”
I almost grabbed him by the collar.
Phantom clapped expressionlessly.
Is it okay for an NPC to talk like this?
No, more importantly, this NPC is impossible to reason with.
Even so, I forced myself to calm down and asked the questions that bothered me. If he wouldn’t let me leave, I might as well get as many hints as possible.
“They said if I die seven more times, I’ll be trapped in the game forever. What does that mean?”
“It’s simple. After ten deaths, Lord Sren will realize that you are rewinding time. And just like the many players before you, you’ll become another corpse decorating this mansion.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the hallway briefly lit up.
What lined the corridor weren’t paintings, but frozen corpses skewered on stakes.
A chill ran down my spine.
“Those… are all players?”
“Yes. Humans who came to conquer Lord Sren.”
I was speechless.
Phantom continued explaining kindly.
“You will remain Lord Sren’s friend forever. With so many friends gathered here, you need not worry about being lonely if you fail.”
You bastard.
I felt dizzy. Holding my aching head, I asked,
“So how exactly are you going to let me out? Or… do I just need to leave this mansion?”
“Yes.”
At that answer, I wanted to leave immediately, forgetting everything else. But as if he read my thoughts, Phantom clicked his tongue.
“However, if you fail to save Adenhar, you will be haunted by his vengeful spirit after escaping. After all, he foolishly came to save you and ended up like that.”
…Hey.
Isn’t his tone getting rude?
As if nothing happened, Phantom smiled sweetly.
“Lord Sren is very lonely. I hope you can soothe his heart. If you do, you will gain perfect happiness beyond compare.”
“And what kind of happiness is that?”
I asked flatly.
Phantom looked at me like it was obvious.
“Becoming Lord Sren’s happy bride!”
“If that happens, I get logged out of the game, right? Since that’s a happy ending?”
Phantom frowned deeply, clearly offended.
“How heartless! Shouldn’t you marry Lord Sren, have children, and live happily ever after?”
I grabbed Phantom immediately. His small body fit in one hand.
“Are you kidding me? You said I’d escape after the ending! What? I have to live here forever with that crazy bastard?! You’re joking, right?”
I tightened my grip.
Phantom flailed, his face turning pale as he shouted.
“I-If you kill me, you’ll never be able to leave the game!”
I stared at him suspiciously, then reluctantly loosened my hand.
Still… something felt off.
Gasping and coughing, Phantom rubbed his neck and complained bitterly.
“You have a nasty personality.”
“My life’s on the line, and you keep joking.”
“Ahem. Anyway, if you want to leave this mansion, you must find the key. To do that, you need to collect six Door Stones hidden throughout the house and combine the letters engraved on them. They reveal the key’s location.”
I expected it to be hard, but I already felt exhausted.
So basically, I had to steal six items.
Phantom nodded as if he could read my mind and snapped his fingers.
“That’s right. Six Door Stones. Just be careful not to get caught by Lord Sren. As always, if you die, you’ll start over.”
“….”
“And when that happens, the Door Stones you found will reset, and their locations will change. The closer you are to death, the harder the difficulty becomes. Please keep that in mind.”
A curse slipped out of my mouth.
My chances of survival felt further away than ever.
At this rate, it felt like becoming one of the corpses hanging in this hallway would happen in no time.
