The Servant in the Horror Game is Suspicious Chapter 22

Early that morning, Jade woke up, packed his bundle, and dressed warmly.

The bundle was something he’d found in the villa’s storage and patched up himself, while the clothes came from a wardrobe belonging to someone unknown. Though the fabric was worn thin at the shoulders, it was serviceable enough after a good wash and a few repairs.

Today was the day he had been waiting for since yesterday: the day to go hunting for root vegetables. Wearing a pair of boots he’d scrounged up, Jade threw the bundle over his shoulder and headed downstairs.

It would have been nice to have a pair of fur-lined boots, but unfortunately, he couldn’t find any. The rubber boots he’d discovered about a month ago were a bit too big and clattered when he walked, but they were waterproof and kept the snow out, which was a blessing.

“Kieee…”

The mop ghost was busy scrubbing the stair railing since dawn, just as Jade had ordered. Since the ghost lacked eyes, a nose, or a mouth, it was impossible to tell its front from its back, but it somehow radiated an air of total misery.

“Stop whining and get to work, alright?”

Jade planted his hands on his hips, striking a stern pose. He still hadn’t quite gotten over the heartbreak of his broken broom—or the skill that had been so close to leveling up.

“Kieee…”

Shh—shhh—

The mop ghost moved with sluggish, reluctant wiggles. The sound that used to give him goosebumps was now just part of the background noise. Jade tapped the railing with his palm.

“Look at that form! You’re slow, way too slow. You want to spend the whole day hanging from those tongs again?”

“Kieee!”

The ghost writhed its entire body in protest before picking up the pace and working diligently. It was a pretty useful fellow in its own way. Jade felt a swell of pride as he finished descending the stairs.

“Myang!”

“Are you up?”

Ian and Buster were waiting for Jade at the bottom of the stairs. For the past two months, Jade had headed into the woods roughly every other day to forage for food. Since this had become a routine, the two of them had eventually started seeing him off at the door every time he left. Ian would even join him occasionally to gather mushrooms or firewood.

Having someone to see you off and welcome you back was a better feeling than he’d expected. It was a scene he used to only imagine back in his tiny studio apartment, so experiencing it for real here felt a bit strange. Every time he returned with a haul of mushrooms and saw the two of them scurrying to the door to meet him, he felt a secret sense of satisfaction. It was a new experience for Jade, who had no family of his own.

By the way, why hasn’t any supplies arrived?

He’d expected to run into someone sent by the Linwood family at least once by now. He’d intended to gauge Jade’s current standing when that happened. The setting guide only mentioned he’d received a down payment. What mattered was exactly how much he’d been paid—the client’s level of fury would likely depend on the amount.

He’d even prepared an excuse, claiming this was all part of a process to kill Ian naturally. He wasn’t sure if such a flimsy lie would hold up, though.

Let’s just get some food first.

Since the Linwood carriage wasn’t coming, Jade became even more obsessed with finding food.

“Buster, do you want to come too?”

“Myang, myang.”

Jade knew he wouldn’t go, but he asked out of politeness. As expected, Buster shook his head and made an ‘X’ with his arms.

Buster hated the cold. Perhaps because he looked like a cat, he actually loved rolling around in front of the fireplace. He even made purring sounds sometimes.

“Shall I come with you?”

Jade had directed the question at Buster, but Ian was the one who jumped in to answer. Though Ian had spent a long time avoiding Jade, he no longer minded going out together. It was a triumph earned through two months of hard work.

Whenever Jade went out alone, Ian would steal glances out the window, looking strangely anxious. He wasn’t sure why, but Ian had been acting like that lately whenever Jade went out for mushrooms or firewood.

While it was cute to have Ian trailing along behind him, and his anxious expression tugged at Jade’s heart, today was a no-go.

What if there’s an activation incantation like last time!

The trauma of having to grandly shout a sentence about “obeying me” hadn’t faded yet. There was no telling where a trap might be lying.

“Young mas—I mean, no, Ian. You can’t. I’m going alone today.”

Jade refused with a grin. There was absolutely no way he was going to recite a ridiculous spell in front of Ian. They’d finally gotten close; he didn’t want Ian looking at him with total pity.

“…”

Ian stared out the window with a look of dissatisfaction. Then, casting his eyes down, he spoke.

“Be careful.”

“Myaaaang.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t go far!”

Jade shouted cheerfully and waved as he left the villa. Ian and Buster pressed themselves against the window, watching Jade as he grew smaller in the distance.

∞ ∞ ∞

“Now, let’s see.”

Having walked quite a distance from the villa to the edge of the Elloban Forest, Jade opened his skill window.

[ >> Exclusive Skill <<

Lv 1.

‘Root Veggies, Here I Come!’ ]

The new skill was shimmering brilliantly at the very top. With a racing heart, Jade tapped the skill to use it. If it was for root vegetables, he was confident he could shout even the most ridiculous incantation. There were no people around, so there was nothing to hold him back. Having done it once before, he didn’t feel as mortified as he had back then.

Of course, digging through the frozen ground would be his job, but the important thing was the new source of food.

[ >> System <<

Lv 1.

‘Root Veggies, Here I Come!’ skill has been activated.

While active, the location of root vegetables within a 5m radius will be revealed.

Duration: 60 minutes / Cooldown: 20 hours ]

“Ohhh…!”

A 5-meter radius for 60 minutes at Level 1 was a pretty good deal. And there wasn’t even a crazy incantation this time. Jade immediately dashed into the forest.

“An arrow?”

As he ventured a bit deeper, an arrow began to float in the air as if to guide him toward the vegetables. It was the kindest and most useful skill the system had given him so far—even more practical than the Poisonous Mushroom Identification skill.

Jade ran across the snow, which had thinned out with the coming of early spring. Still, his feet sank deep into the drifts. The oversized boots made it hard to run, but his steps were light because he was heading toward food.

[ >> System <<

Barren land.

A root vegetable is buried here. ]

Upon reaching a certain spot, the system chimed to announce the vegetable’s location. He was so excited his heart was pounding.

He felt a brief moment of self-reflection at how much he was geeking out over a simple root vegetable, but the joy quickly overwhelmed the embarrassment. Jade poked at the snow with his boot.

“Here? You mean right here?”

Jade pulled out a trowel and cleared away the thin layer of snow. There, he saw leaves branching out from a thick stem.

[ >> System <<

You have discovered “Winter Radish.” ]

“A radish? It’s a radish!”

Because it had been buried in the snow, the greens looked a bit frozen and wilted, but who cared when it was a new food source?

Besides, back in Korea where he grew up, people dried wilted radish greens to make radish leaf soup. That was one of his favorite dishes. There was absolutely nothing to waste on a radish.

“Great. Dinner tonight is radish soup.”

Jade began to dig around the greens in earnest. Chunks of frozen, hard earth broke away. It would be a lie to say it wasn’t hard work, but the thought of hot radish soup made his hands move faster on their own.

Once the frozen top layer was cleared and the soil was loosened, he gently scraped the dirt away with his hands. Soon, the top of the radish below the greens became visible. Jade gripped the leaves firmly and pulled. Because the ground was frozen, he had to struggle with the radish, which seemed to have no intention of coming out.

“Ugh, come on out…! I’m going to turn you into soup…!”

The thought of finally having a proper Korean-style meal gave him a surge of strength. With one more powerful tug, the radish popped out with a plop.

“Yes…!”

Dirt showered down from the root. In his hand was a fresh radish thicker than his calf.

This was enough for at least two helpings of soup. Radishes could even be eaten raw, so they were versatile in many ways.

[ >> EXP <<

5 / 1,000 ]

He saw the experience for the new skill go up as well. Jade quickly tucked the sturdy radish into his bundle and scanned the area. He wanted to pull up as many as possible. Radishes kept well, didn’t they? If he pulled them all up and buried them in front of the villa, he could dig them out whenever he wanted.

“There’s another one!”

Clearing the snow nearby revealed more radish greens. They looked even fresher than the one he’d just pulled.

Even though they were buried in the snow just like the others, these greens looked lush and vibrant as if they’d been soaking up the sun. Judging by the size of the leaves, a fairly large radish seemed to be buried there.

Without a second thought, Jade grabbed the greens. He braced himself and pulled with all his might, just like before.

“Waaaaah—!”

“…?!”

That was when he heard a sound that should definitely not be coming from the ground. His hands lost their grip on the leaves. Terrified, Jade tumbled backward and landed hard on his butt in the snow.

“What was that?! Wh-What just…!”

A high-pitched squeak escaped his throat from the shock. Jade’s head whipped around. He’d clearly heard something that sounded like a young child’s cry, but there was no one around.

“What is it? What’s going on!”

Could it be…? Jade shouted into the empty air and grabbed the greens again. And then…

“Waaaaah—!”

He heard the same crying sound as before.

“Ack!”

The sound of a person crying from underground? And the cry of a child, no less? Jade wasn’t usually a coward, but at this moment, he broke out into a cold sweat.

[ >> System <<

You have discovered ‘Healing Bluewood.’

Do not touch. ]

“Bluewood…? You mean this is a tree?”

It was a tree even though the entire trunk was buried underground with only the leaves showing? No, more importantly…

“Do not… touch?”

Jade looked down at his palms in despair. Contrary to the helpful warning, he had already touched the Bluewood. No, had he just touched it? He’d been yanking and pulling on it with everything he had to get it out of the ground.

I have a bad feeling about this…

His backside was getting soaked from the snow he was sitting on, but he didn’t have the luxury of worrying about that.

“Waaaaah! Waaaaaaaah!”

The mysterious plant called Bluewood continued to wail.