How a Nuisance Character Survives in a Horror Game

 

I hesitated for a moment and then quietly washed the soles of my feet with water. The blood that was on them fell and the water turned red.

 

As I noticed, I wiped the soles of my feet by pressing them to the floor until all the blood was gone, then slowly took a step away from there.

 

‘No one saw me, did they.’

 

I felt like the discomfort was going away a little.

 

Although it was smelly and scary, it was better than having bug corpses on the soles of my feet.

 

The stench lingering around me became increasingly unbearable.

 

Even though I covered my nose, the smell didn’t go away at all.

 

‘What on earth is that smell.’

 

I narrowed my eyes at the smell I had smelled for the first time in my life.

 

First of all, I had to go in the direction indicated by the arrow, but I couldn’t quite find my feet.

 

After all, it was the water I wanted to avoid the most.

 

When I didn’t go and just stayed there like a stone, the arrow started flashing wildly as if telling me to come quickly.

 

After moistening my dry lips with my tongue, I walked forward with a trembling sigh.

 

I froze as soon as I had gone a few steps, with my heart pounding as I wondered what kind of monster was going to surprise me.

 

This entire area was filled with water.

 

Although I don’t know how it was structured, in front of me was a staircase heading down.

 

That too.

 

Slock, slock.

 

A mix of black and green seaweed submerged in dirty water.

 

‘Was that the source of the smell?’

 

Even the unidentifiable material floating on the water was enough to make me feel sick to my stomach.

 

Even if the water was clean, I would have hesitated, yet it was getting increasingly dirty and dark.

 

This deep-looking space was giving me not only a fear of water that I didn’t have, but also a fear of the deep sea.

 

As I hesitated to take a step back, something quietly floated up onto the calm surface of the water.

 

“…?”

 

The thing looked like a human head, and through the black hair, bright red eyes were visible.

 

The monster began to roll its eyes here and there strangely without moving from its spot.

 

If these monsters made eye contact with me, they would throw a joke party at me so much that I felt like I was going crazy because I was too stimulated.

 

Suddenly, air bubbles began to bubble up on the surface of the water, centered around the monster.

 

The bubbles rose enough to fill the swimming pool, and then suddenly stopped.

 

I was seeing a scene right in front of me that was like something I would see in a horror movie.

 

Out of fear, I only bit my lip.

 

‘I have to run away, but… ’

 

The ghost, rolling its eyes strangely, stared at me. Those eyes followed me even if I moved even a little.

 

At the same time, one by one, heads rose to the surface of the water, and soon it was full of all of them.

 

I held my two trembling hands together as they rolled their eyes eerily, except for the ghost staring at me.

 

I didn’t know if the ghost looking at me would attack me at any moment, so I also backed away, keeping my eyes on the ghost without blinking.

 

F-First, after retreating…

 

Leaving…

 

Something, floating in the water, was in front of me.

 

That thing that touched my feet was covered in water, to the extent I couldn’t even guess its shape.

 

What helped me identify the thing that looked like it would crumble when touched was something that looked like a claw.

 

So, I mean, that… was a human leg.

 

“AAAKH!”

 

The moment I unknowingly screamed, belatedly covering my mouth with my hand because I wanted to avoid it.

 

Numerous red eyes floating above the water looked at me at the same time.

 

My heart started pounding uncontrollably. My whole body was trembling as the leg that had been washed up in the water kept tapping my feet.

 

The water stirred loudly once. Another body washed up.

 

I couldn’t let out a single cry, so I swallowed loudly and chewed the inside of my lips.

 

Now my tears were pouring down so much that I couldn’t control them.

 

W-What the hell is here? What is this!

 

I knew it would be like this.

 

‘Even though the scariest thing is the water ghost…!’

 

Although my throat was tight with fear, I lifted the nunchucks. Because they have sensitive hearing, I was afraid to make loud noises.

 

I didn’t know that the eyes of the ghosts that rose to the surface at the sound of a single scream would fall from me. I opened my mouth sobbing.

 

“H-Heeh-yaaaah…”

 

[You lack confidence!]

 

I don’t feel confident. Help me just a bit!

 

I tried to complain and get annoyed, yet the system just gave me a hard kick. No help was provided.

 

Is this because I said this was a damned game earlier? I apologize.

 

Giving up on relying on a system so petty that it wouldn’t even accept an apology from someone, I wiped my wet face and took a long breath and exhaled it repeatedly.

 

‘Stay calm, stay calm.’

 

Because of that ghost, even if I’m calm, it seems like it will cause a fight, but I have to stay calm.

 

I kept my cool as I looked at the ghosts that seemed ready to attack me at any moment.

 

There’s no guarantee that Suriel’s collection is in the water.

 

Even if the arrow flashes telling me to go into the water, there is no guarantee that it’s in the water.

 

I was talking gibberish and saying things that even I couldn’t understand.

 

All I have to do is destroy Suriel’s collection, so I can think of a way to avoid entering it.

 

I don’t know why it’s telling me to destroy it, but I have to kneel down when the king tells me to do so.

 

The system that could control me here and now was like a king to me.

 

Quite a dictator, at that!

 

So, if I go around here and find the room where the collection is placed…

 

However, I couldn’t continue speaking until the end.

 

The arrow pointing above the water gradually increased in volume to the point where it couldn’t be ignored.

 

It was clearly pointing into the water, as if telling me not to think about going anywhere else since I’m here.

 

What appears to be a swimming pool that has now lost its shape.

 

Why…?

 

Why are you hiding it in the swimming pool…?

 

If you hide it in there, won’t you even be unable to see it? Are you especially tempted to go into such a dirty place?

 

He was making such a fuss about aesthetics, but why is the swimming pool so lacking in aesthetics?

 

I was so deeply moved by the brilliant taste of Suriel, a perverted and crazy bastard, that I felt like crying.

 

[Suriel put everything he collected into the swimming pool.

 

Various body parts, including fingers, hair, and ears, that had been collected steadily since being sealed, swam leisurely in the water.

 

But don’t worry too much. Since you did not really play with the water, your body will not rot.]

 

Do I really care about that?

 

Looking at the window, which suddenly started talking, I realized that no matter how much I hated it, I had to go in there.

 

Wherever I go, into the arms of the water ghosts who stare intently at me.

 

Moreover, it’s a bit different from a game.

 

Hair, fingers, ears…?

 

In the game, it was definitely hair, nails, and fingers, though. Why were more added?

 

In addition to ears, it also had legs and arms.

 

No, they weren’t even stored in glass bottles in the first place, so they clearly didn’t fit his aesthetic sense, that’s why he just killed them and left them there.

 

…Wait. Then the strange material floating on the surface of the water is.

 

“Eugh.”

 

I felt nauseous without realizing it.

 

Why on earth are these demons so twisted?

 

Maybe it’s because they’re demons, but still…

 

No matter how optimist I am, even if I don’t understand the mood!

 

Even if I go straight ahead without any hesitation due to my earnest desire to live, it doesn’t mean I’m not scared, you know…

 

Perhaps a little frustrated that I was whining and not even thinking about going in, the system popped up a window.

 

[Since you arrived at Suriel ‘Collector’s Room’ without any damage, we will tell you an easy way to break through!]

 

[How to break the 09th story ‘Free Me’ more easily: The glass bottle containing the body parts breaks on its own when all the water is drained!]

 

I thought about scooping out the water with a bucket, but realized that would be crazy and quickly gave up.

 

The whole place was already a sea of water, like a sunken ship filled with water.

 

I couldn’t find a bucket and there was no place to put the water I had poured in the first place. The idea was to get in somehow. The water that was near the soles of my feet had already reached my ankles.

 

…The water level is rising.

 

‘I have to get out of here first.’

 

Rather than the quest. Living came first. I decided to get out of here and slowly find a way out.

 

The moment I turned around to leave, I bumped into the invisible transparent window and fell backwards.

 

“Ugh!”

 

Splash!

 

Without even having time to feel the pain, I jumped up and stretched out my arms. A transparent membrane was now completely blocking my path.

 

As if there was no escape hole.

 

No way…!

 

[Because you are carrying out a quest, it is impossible to leave this area.]

 

As I looked at that hopeless window, my hand slipped helplessly across the translucent membrane.