How a Nuisance Character Survives in a Horror Game

 

If he doesn’t want to, can I just leave?

 

It was time to exchange meaningless glances.

 

Ring!

 

[Holloway thinks, ‘Aren’t there too many people?’]

 

…Hmm?

 

Why suddenly…

 

[Holloway decides to have some cleaning time!]

 

The notification window instantly turned red and started flashing wildly like an emergency light.

 

W-What? Why is it like this?

 

Soon, the screams of the group on the first floor and the howl of monsters were heard.

 

“Aaaah!”

 

“Monsters, it’s m-monsters!”

 

—KEUAAAGHH!

 

Booom! Bam!

 

Even if I couldn’t see it, I could tell that the lobby was becoming a mess.

 

The screams of the fleeing group and the sound of monsters smashing all over the place were loud.

 

“…?”

 

I looked at Holloway with a puzzled face.

 

I couldn’t see his face because he was facing the opposite hallway with his back to me.

 

He slowly turned his head and looked at me with fear in his eyes.

 

It was a face that stimulated the protective instinct so much that no one would have thought that this child was the final boss. Transparent tears were reflected in the corners of Holloway’s eyes.

 

“S-Sister… They said monsters appeared. Are you going to leave me alone?”

 

You’re the one who called them, you know…

 

I was very bewildered by the monsters’ appearance faster than I expected, but I decided to first get out of the second floor and look for a place to hide.

 

“Sister.”

 

When I didn’t answer, Holloway called me again, and I cried and ate mustard, holding his small hand.

 

(to cry and eat mustard: when someone is forced to do something they would rather not do, but pretends to enjoy it, anyway. source: koreanwikiproject)

 

His small hand wiggled in my hand.

 

‘Ah, really! Why a child’s appearance, of all things.’

 

The warmth I felt from his wriggling hand made me afraid to let go of his hand.

 

If he were an adult, I would have kicked his ass so he could survive on his own.

 

Even though he looked like a child, I couldn’t bear to be mean to him.

 

It seems like he has no intention of letting me go either.

 

I couldn’t help it.

 

Now that the monsters have appeared, the safer place than ever is next to Holloway.

 

More than anything, I feel like if I leave him behind, he will destroy me first….

 

“Let’s avoid the monsters first. It’s dangerous.”

 

“Aren’t you going to help?”

 

I was flustered to hear those words come out of your mouth.

 

“Who am I supposed to help? Or am I going to be helped?”

 

It was fortunate that I didn’t cause any inconvenience by going out of my way to help with my body, which wasn’t yet healed.

 

And even if I don’t do anything, I’m sure they’re going crazy and running away right now, so just see if I’ll show up and say I’ll help them.

 

On the contrary, Cleta and Werner could have gotten hurt while complaining and trying to protect me. Because it was like that in the game too.

 

So, instead of saving others, it was better to take care of my own body.

 

Especially since it’s so early in the game, no one will die yet, won’t they.

 

…Hmm. Right?

 

I’ve never seen monsters come out since the beginning like this, so I’m a little anxious…

 

At that time, Holloway’s lively voice broke me out of my anxious thoughts.

 

“It’s like we’re going to die any minute!”

 

You know.

 

Just because I’m talking while smiling doesn’t mean I’m not in a bad mood, you damn demon.

 

Holloway clearly believed that if he behaved well, everyone would think he was a kid and no one would suspect anything.

 

I held Holloway’s hand and held back my tears as he made an eerie noise that I didn’t know whether it was a prophecy.

 

Still, there was no way to stop the tears from falling.

 

“Sister, are you crying?”

 

“Because I’m scared…”

 

Because I’m scared of you who unleashed the monsters.

 

I wiped my eyes with my arm.

 

There wasn’t much time to chat.

 

If things change like this from the beginning of the game, what else might be different?

 

First of all, it was better to wait two hours after my body had fully recovered before doing anything else.

 

There is no safe place here, but it was when I went go upstairs to get away from the monsters.

 

“Uaaaaghh! S-Save me!”

 

I came face to face with Friedel, who was running up the stairs in great fear.

 

Why is he so fast?!

 

Friedel found me and welcomed me with open arms.

 

“M-Miss Evelin!”

 

Friedel was one of the villains in the horror game’s original game.

 

Most of the complaints weren’t made without complaining about how frustrating he was.

 

He was also a guy who would do anything to survive.

 

He was also a bastard who put Moran in danger several times in order to survive in the game and was almost killed by the enraged Cleta.

 

This was a dangerous situation, and what did it mean for a guy like that to find me and come running?

 

“P-Please save me, Miss Evelin!”

 

He’s trying to use me as bait!

 

How well he pushed Moran away while crying like that!

 

I was about to grab Holloway’s hand and run in the opposite direction from him.

 

—Keuggh…

 

The monster that Holloway called appeared a few steps ahead.

 

An unknown red liquid flowed from the sunken black eyes.

 

It had abnormally long legs and arms, and a strangely bent body.

 

The arms and legs supporting the floor were curved and bent, as if they had no bones.

 

The monster slowly walked towards us with a strange gait.

 

Friedel started to freak out because of the unimaginably bizarre appearance.

 

“U-UAAAAAKH!”

 

To be honest, I felt like I wanted to scream like Friedel.

 

But I couldn’t, so I did my best to cover his mouth with my hand as he tried to scream.

 

I knew very well how sensitive the monsters in this hotel were to their hearing.

 

Basically, in dark places, one’s hearing is more sensitive than sight.

 

…was the setting of the game.

 

In short, you shouldn’t scream like that.

 

I hesitated and took a step back.

 

We shouldn’t have provoked that monster.

 

“Who…”

 

“Shh.”

 

“M-Monster…!”

 

—Grrr!

 

The monster tilted its head as if responding to Friedel’s sound. A crackling sound came from the half-broken neck.

 

Friedel jumped up and freaked out.

 

“W-What is that? What on earth!”

 

“Please be quiet! This monster seems to react to sound!”

 

I couldn’t bear it anymore and got irritated with Friedel, but he didn’t care and continued to spout bullshit.

 

“Do you understand! What reaction and why are you so quiet now?!”

 

Once he was happy to see me and now he lost his temper.

 

—KEUAAAGHH!

 

Because Friedel screamed loudly, the monster opened its mouth wide and roared.

 

The mouth without any teeth was black.

 

As if that was the beginning, the monster started running towards me, shaking in a way that I couldn’t explain in words.

 

To each of the monster’s reactions, Friedel showed a reaction comparable to that of the audience.

 

“U-UAAAKHHH!”

 

Please! Watch that snout out!

 

I held Holloway’s hand and started running. The monster has already noticed our presence.

 

Because of that damned Friedel!

 

Bam, bam, bam!

 

With a dull run from behind, the monster’s long hand swung like a whip and smashed the wall.

 

The remains of the wall that the monster had destroyed rolled all the way in front of me, and the soles of my bare feet were ruined when I stepped on them.

 

But that pain wasn’t a problem now.

 

The problem was the long, rope-like hands of the monster that were getting closer and closer.

 

If this continues, it’ll soon catch up!

 

I gritted my teeth and ran, yet Holloway was too slow, and on the other hand, the monster’s speed was getting faster.

 

The distance was narrowing enough to catch Friedel quickly as he passed us.

 

I could clearly feel the creepy presence of the monster behind my back.

 

Cold sweat flowed down by itself.

 

It was clear that if it swung that hand one more time, my back would be torn to shreds.

 

“Excuse me for a moment.”

 

“Yes?”

 

Rather than explaining the situation to Holloway, who asked questions, I put my hands in his arms and hugged him.

 

“Sister?”

 

“Sorry, you’re too slow.”

 

Although he was heavy, my running speed became faster. It was a little difficult because my body wasn’t fully healed yet, but I put my mind to it.

 

Friedel, who was walking ahead, glanced behind and made direct eye contact with me, who was following closely behind him.

 

As I was breathing heavily and running, I caught a glimpse of something strange in his eyes.

 

It felt like an uneasy feeling was creeping up from beneath me and wrapping around my neck.

 

There’s no way, that bastard!

 

I hastened to warn him.

 

“Just try and see!”

 

Because I won’t stay still either!

 

Despite that warning, Friedel let out a laugh as if it was ridiculous.

 

And he pushed me hard, just as I was holding Holloway.

 

Even in that state, I reflexively hugged Holloway tightly so as not to hurt him.

 

“Uaaah!”

 

“Sister!”

 

My body tilted backwards and I fell, hitting my head on the floor.

 

Thud!

 

For a moment, my vision went dark and I felt dizzy. I couldn’t come to my senses.

 

After that, Friedel screamed like he was crazy.

 

“Do you want me, Friedel Akrotic, to die here?! I will never die! Die!”

 

That crazy guy…

 

“Sister, Sister!”

 

Holloway quickly shook me, and I bit his lip and glared at Friedel as if I were going to kill him.

 

“You…!”

 

“It’s better for me to live than for you! I just became the heir, I can’t die!”

 

Since I’m not the heir, you’re saying I’m a loser or what.

 

When the monster discovered us and slowed down, Friedel took advantage of the opportunity and quickly ran away.

 

“That f*cking bastard!”

 

A swear word came out spontaneously and I stood up staggeringly. There was no time to argue.

 

I had to live. Somehow.

 

If I was to survive, the final boss had to be left behind.

 

He’s the final boss anyway, so the monster will die, but not him.

 

Did he notice my conflict?

 

“Sister!”

 

The moment I saw Holloway crying and desperately stretching out his arms towards me, I couldn’t think of anything.

 

The monster stretched out its hand toward us, and I instinctively wrapped my arms around Holloway and lowered myself to the floor.

 

At that moment, he really looked like a child…

 

I didn’t feel like he was the final boss of this game.

 

…Damn it! This pitiful sympathy kills me!

 

I closed my eyes tightly and waited for the pain I would feel, yet it was strange.

 

There was no pain in my body.

 

When I slowly opened my eyes, I made eye contact with Holloway, who was smiling.

 

Seeing that smooth face in this serious situation, I couldn’t help but say harsh words.

 

“You smiling?”

 

“Pft!”

 

Holloway burst out laughing and hugged me tightly.

 

“No. I was just relaxed….”

 

It was already too late.

 

I slowly turned my head to figure out what was going on.

 

The monster passed us and attacked Friedel.

 

Is it because of the sound? Or is it because I have the final boss?

 

I don’t know what it was, but I lived…

 

The tension eased a little. I gave strength to my shaking legs and helped Holloway up.

 

My head still throbbed.

 

Friedel was eventually caught in the monster’s clutches and struggled to escape.

 

Friedel, who discovered that I woke up fine, cried out earnestly.

 

Unlike before, when he was mean, he was now begging me for life.

 

“P-Please save me, Miss Evelin! Please help me!”

 

He was already captured and he didn’t have any weapons.

 

Since there was no way to defeat the monster, Friedel used me and Holloway as bait and pushed us away to escape.

 

In such a situation, are you asking me, who has virtually zero combat power, to help you?

 

“…How?”

 

When I asked awkwardly, Friedel looked at me in bewilderment even though he was being captured by the monster.

 

…No, I mean, I asked because I really didn’t know.