How a Nuisance Character Survives in a Horror Game

Author: lipzoldyck

“…Whew.”

I put away my halberd (a spear with a dagger and an axe attached).

I asked for a weapon, and indeed, I received a spear fit to stand against the First Tras… Emperor.

Moran took me to Cleta, and I dodged the pursuit, dodging it by jumping around.

Cleta must have been quite annoyed.

It didn’t take much effort for me to do anything, unleashing its impressive agility and destructive power. However, I was careful to conserve it, as its durability might be compromised.

Now, Holloway seemed to have truly caught on, as he didn’t comment on my maneuvers.

‘Actually, I was going to leave Holloway behind, though.’

He won because he wouldn’t let go of my grip.

As I descended into the underground, Dilaph, who had escaped from Celyr, followed me.

“Hey, when did you learn to use a spear?”

Did I learn?

Instead of answering, I blurted out something else.

“Why are you following me?”

We’ve never met before, except for the initial encounter.

I don’t like being this close. Honestly, I didn’t want to see his past either.

My heart feels blocked, and I feel suffocated, pitiful, and sad, and I find myself reaching out to them first.

This is separate from uncovering the island’s secrets and freeing them.

“I heard you found the Boss, Celyr, and Ectenron items. Find mine too.”

“Did you leave it?”

I found them by coincidence too.

No, come to think of it, there was no such thing as coincidence here.

I was being played to the point where I wondered if the system had guided me.

Then, perhaps I could have found the items before meeting the First Murde… Emperor, or after killing him.

But even though Celyr said I was able to see the past by vomiting it out myself thanks to my resemblance to Myers, their affection for each other wasn’t very high.

They still think I’m some crazy comedian.

I mean, I’m a serious person.

“Hey, don’t say that!”

Dilaph suddenly lost his temper and put his hand on his chest.

“If I’d left it to you, you’d have found it in no time.”

“You’re the fool. You’re the fool. You’re the fool.”

I trudged forward, muttering as if reciting a curse.

I had lost my map, and I was becoming incredibly vicious.

I had to find the Emperor quickly…

Crack, crack.

The demons wouldn’t let me go.

Ah, I wanted to ask where the Emperor was.

But I couldn’t bring myself to ask those who would be offended just by hearing his name.

“But Boss, why don’t you return to your true form? You can control the charm now, right?”

Since Dilaph already knew I’d seen Holloway’s true form, he didn’t bother to hide it from me.

“Even without the charm, he’s still bewitching, but still…”

Why does he look like that?

I deeply agreed with Dilaph’s muttering.

Really, why is he like that?

***

“Hey, you know? There are ranks among demons.”

“Strong demons, less powerful demons, like that?”

“Half right. The ones tortured here are the strongest.”

“What do you mean?”

“A food chain has been created.”

All the monsters above ground were dead, but underground, he said, there were still corpses, humans transformed into monsters, humans eaten by demons, and those who had directly assisted the warlock in his experiments.

The humans who had been transformed into monsters ascended to the upper levels of the hotel, leaving only corpses, humans transformed into demons, and those who had participated in the crime underground.

However, those who had been forcibly imprisoned mutated in that underground space filled with darkness, fierce hatred, and the pungent smell of blood.

They became evil spirits, filled with hatred and resentment. Their only motivation for survival was murder.

I knew this from my past experiences.

“I don’t know if it was instinct, but rather than kill the humans involved, I deliberately made them exactly like me.”

“So they could never die?”

“So they could kill forever.”

Thus, they all became evil spirits, and the victims gained immense power.

They harbored a deep resentment toward their perpetrators, and they tortured them to death in a variety of brutal ways.

The evil spirits who perpetrated the crime, feeling the pain, ran for a thousand years, unwilling to die, but to no avail. In the end, he was captured and killed, only to be resurrected.

The accumulated demonic energy and resentment underground combined, causing the underground to repeat itself as if time had stopped…

“Could it be that those evil spirits who suddenly appeared and then fled…?”

“They ran away, afraid they’d be killed by victim evil spirits. It’s useless. They’d probably be caught and harassed by now.”

Some evil spirits suddenly stopped attacking me when another evil spirit appeared and chased after them. Perhaps that was the food chain structure Dilaph had described.

In that situation, I had no choice but to use them. Even if I were present, if the perpetrator demon appeared, I’d immediately turn my gaze in that direction.

Wouldn’t the Emperor be the same?

So, using evil spirits because they can’t be killed…?

No, no, wait.

That’s a different phrasing. Evil spirits don’t die.

But the Emperor became an evil spirit.

But killing them…

I thought I understood why Holloway hadn’t killed them. They’d come back to life even if they were killed.

The underground was beyond Holloway’s authority.

“Would the evil spirits here come back to life if I kill them?”

“They come back no matter who kills them.”

The answer came from Holloway. Dilaph closed his gaping mouth gently.

“Sister, you forgot I was here, didn’t you?”

“No way.”

“You forgot.”

No way.

Since our eyes weren’t meeting, Dilaph was all I could see. Holloway seemed to sense this. And he said to Dilaph.

“Go.”

“No.”

Holloway was rejected.

“Hey, I told you so much, so find my item.”

“If you don’t kill me.”

“I won’t!”

[Dilaph, the ‘Demon of Anger’s affection level increases!]

[Dilaph, the ‘Demon of Anger’s feelings ( ´ 皿`*)✧: A good person who finds things.]

[If Dilaph’s affection for you isn’t ‘I Think It Would be Nice if Evelyn Lived Here?’, the story won’t be unlocked.]

“Is the item that precious?”

So his affection level can instantly increase.

“Everyone treasures their items.”

“But Holloway’s item…”

“It’s not precious because it’s the royal emblem. It’s precious because Mother secretly engraved it just for me.”

To think such a secret was hidden?

Do you always make people this sad?

“I see… I’ll definitely give it to you when I find it.”

Dilaph’s lips stretched out. He turned his face away from the man who seemed to be somewhat pleased, even as he touched his eyepatch.

“Who’s the most powerful evil spirit here?”

“Well, it’s all the same.”

The Emperor isn’t the strongest. Here, even if you die, you’ll be resurrected. In particular, the perpetrators are repeatedly killed by the victims.

If they’re asking me to kill the Emperor…

“It’s not possible with normal methods. The quest’s difficulty wasn’t high for nothing.”

There had to be another way to destroy the Emperor.

Then I have to find it.

While I was lost in thought, Dilaph muttered softly.

“If it’s the strongest, he’s sealed.”

“…Eh?”

The strongest is sealed?

No way, the Emperor?

A strange sound escaped me without me knowing, and Holloway’s spirit instantly grew fierce.

An ominous aura swirled around him, and Holloway’s voice dropped to a low pitch.

“…You.”

“Ah, ah! Uh, pretend you didn’t hear that!”

Dilaph explained urgently.

But I already heard it, so what can I do?

“Follow me.”

Holloway tried to leave with Dilaph, but I hurriedly grabbed his hand.

“Y-You’re leaving me behind? I’m here to act all brazen and show off because you’re here, though!”

He didn’t help or do anything, but somehow, having the final boss by my side gave me a sense of security.

It’s less scary than being alone.

I’ve become someone who can’t live without Holloway in this hotel…

But I will always stand tall.

My mind immediately changed. I let go of Holloway’s sleeve and shouted.

“No, go! Go away!”

I was leaning on him without realizing it. I’ve come a long way.

Holloway sighed as he watched me filming the play alone, then returned to his original form. He opened the door to a nearby lab, shutting me in, and warned me.

“Don’t come out.”

“Are you trying to lock me up?”

“If I really wanted to lock you up, I wouldn’t have used it here.”

I was stunned, yet he chuckled and closed the door.