Dingdingdingding.
Dingding dingding dingding!
The endless notifications gave me such a headache that I opened my eyes with a faint groan.
My entire body hurt as though someone had beaten me with a club.
Even moving was difficult.
Yet the notifications continued screaming as though demanding I look at them immediately.
I inhaled deeply and tried sitting up.
A sharp headache made me grab my forehead.
Half-dried blood smeared across my palm.
“……How long was I unconscious?”
I tried using my arms to push myself upright.
They had no strength.
I swayed badly.
Still, gritting my teeth, I pressed my hands against the floor and managed to raise my upper body.
Throb.
Throb.
I held my aching head and wiped away the blood covering my eyes.
Come to think of it—
Holloway……
He wouldn’t leave me behind.
Did I hallucinate him?
Before I could even inspect my surroundings, system windows filled my vision.
My sight was blurry, probably because I’d struck my head so hard.
I kept blinking unconsciously, trying to clear it.
Fortunately, the text gradually sharpened.
[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!]
[ε=ε=(っ*´□`)っ]
Everything around me flashed violently red.
Alarm sounds rang one after another as though some enormous danger had arrived.
WEE-OOO WEE-OOO!
[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!]
[ε=ε=(っ*´□`)っ]
……Warning?
I wiped away the remaining blood and examined it properly.
The sound faded.
But the frantic red flashing continued.
[You have trespassed into the vengeful spirits’ nightmare without permission.]
……Their nightmare?
[A vengeful spirit smells your strong scent of blood and begins targeting you.]
Ah.
Blood……
Fortunately, the bleeding had stopped.
But fresh blood I’d already spilled pooled across the floor.
My face and clothes were covered in blood flowing from my forehead.
[Hotel Difficulty has changed to ‘Death Is Right in Front of You.’]
[Please hurry and escape the basement!]
……Basement?
This is the basement?!
My hazy mind instantly cleared as though someone had thrown cold water over me.
The spirit’s attack must have sent me flying down into the basement.
Was that what ‘trespassed without permission’ meant?
[Leave this place immediately.]
……Why are you repeating yourself?
―Hssss. Hhk……
Irregular breathing echoed through the basement, as though the creature’s lungs were full of holes.
[Leave this place immediately.]
Again.
―Hhk. Hhk……
The breathing steadily drew closer.
[Leave this place immediately.]
O-Okay.
I just need to go back up.
Since I rolled down here, I should only have to climb back up……
“……There are no stairs.”
Impossible.
I definitely rolled down before fainting.
I hadn’t moved afterward.
There should obviously be stairs leading up.
So why?
Why is there nothing?
Maybe I’m facing the wrong direction?
I turned around.
Left.
Right.
Back and forth.
I searched everywhere.
No stairs.
My fist clenched hard enough that the color drained from my knuckles.
‘The location changed.’
I hurriedly opened the map.
[Map level is insufficient. The basement structure will not be displayed.]
―Hhk, hhk……. Hssss……
The torn breathing closed in.
Then the disorienting red lights suddenly vanished.
The only light disappeared.
A silence terrifying enough to raise goosebumps settled over everything.
My legs moved instinctively.
Even though I had played the horror game, this basement was an unknown space I knew absolutely nothing about.
The only thing I could do was follow the unreliable system’s warning.
The basement was even darker than the hotel.
I genuinely couldn’t see an inch in front of me.
While wandering without knowing where to go—
my foot kicked something.
CLANG.
‘What is that? Metal?’
Anything in my hands would make me feel safer.
I groped around and grabbed it.
[Obtained ‘Unextinguishable Lamp’!]
[Unextinguishable Lamp
Feature: Illuminates the dark basement. A super-powerful candle that will not go out even in wind!]
Good.
I obtained a super-powered lamp.
Much better than that lamp whose feature had basically been ‘see where you’re going.’
The instant I held it, the candle lit automatically.
At last, I could see.
Its range wasn’t huge.
Still, this was enough.
The basement was built from uneven bricks.
It smelled like cold iron.
Cold air constantly seeped from the walls.
Everything was damp.
There was even mold.
After a moment, scattered tiny candles began lighting around me.
It remained dark.
But slightly less so.
―Hssss……
The breathing had moved farther away.
I wandered through the maze-like corridors.
I had no idea where I was going.
Eventually, I saw a thick iron door.
‘Laboratory 22’ was written across it.
―Hssss……
There was no time to hesitate.
The spirit was approaching.
I turned the heavy handle.
The shriek of badly rusted hinges echoed through the basement.
CREEEEAK.
―Kirik……?
That was a different spirit.
I quickly scanned the laboratory first.
Once I confirmed nobody was inside, I slammed the thick door shut and locked it.
Panting unevenly, I sank against the door.
It had only been a few moments.
Yet cold sweat drenched my entire body.
My body screamed with pain.
But fear was so overwhelming that for a moment I barely noticed it.
This place was different from upstairs.
Even the air itself felt different.
And the system called these things ‘vengeful spirits,’ not monsters.
That alone was strange.
So there was some difference between monsters and vengeful spirits?
I barely knew anything about the basement except that most of the human experimentation had occurred here.
The lack of information made me even more nervous.
And the underground vault key was supposedly obtainable only through a difficult quest……
If that quest triggered here—
I had no confidence I could handle it.
Absolutely none.
My map was only Level 6.
I needed to raise it to 10 quickly.
To reach the next level, I needed demon blood, monster blood, and the blood of one party member.
A monster and party member were manageable.
The demon was the problem.
Like they’d willingly give me their blood……
And if this basement had only vengeful spirits, I couldn’t even obtain monster blood down here.
For the sake of upgrading my map, I needed to escape.
Normally, I should’ve entered the basement only after preparing thoroughly.
But because of that monster……
It attacking Holloway had been strange too.
“…….”
No.
Don’t think about something else right now.
Focus on the problem directly in front of me.
If I wanted to escape—
I had to move.
I couldn’t remain hidden forever.
Humans were creatures capable of adapting.
And at least technically, I was human.
The smell of rusted iron and the basement’s distinct cold made me tremble.
Still, I forced my battered body upright.
‘My survival instinct is seriously strong.’
I was proud enough of myself for continuing to move despite being badly hurt that my nose began stinging.
Don’t cry.
It’s not time yet.
I pinched the bridge of my nose to hold the tears back.
Then extended the arm holding the lamp and inspected the laboratory.
Every wall was made from cold metal.
As though it had been constructed specifically so no one could ever escape.
Plop.
“Eek!”
A cold drop landed from the ceiling.
I jumped.
Wait.
That isn’t water……
A dark-red droplet of blood landed precisely on my collarbone and ran downward.
Plop.
Plop.
Plop.
I took one step backward.
Blood continued dripping onto the same spot.
Only that area had formed a puddle.
I was afraid to look up.
“I-In horror stories, curiosity gets me killed.”
I repeated it like a spell.
Then licked my badly cracked lips.
Maybe if I didn’t confirm what was there, it wouldn’t attack.
Usually the moment you check is when something hits you from behind.
No need to investigate.
I lifted the lamp farther into the room.
Then sharply inhaled.
One wall was covered in bloody handprints.
The floor held stagnant water mixed with blood.
This was on an entirely different level from upstairs.
My stomach churned.
I pounded my chest but continued looking.
A blood-soaked metal bed stood in the center.
A knife was embedded in it.
Across a long workbench lay torn handcuffs, saws of different sizes, and all kinds of horrifying implements.
“Laboratory……”
The place where biological experiments had been carried out on the island……
The instant I fully recognized it, a terrible stench stabbed into my nose.
The smell of blood and rotting corpses filled the laboratory.
“Ugh……”
I-I need to leave.
Unable to endure it, I moved toward the handle.
Click.
The handle turned from the other side.
My heart dropped.
Click-click.
Clickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclick!
The handle rattled violently.
Thank God I locked the door.
When it couldn’t open the door—
something began pounding on the iron.
BANG!
BANG-BANG-BANG!
The entire door shook.
Blood rained from the ceiling.
Directly onto me.
SPLASH!
The revolting stench soaked my entire body.
Where did you learn such terrible manners?!
I desperately wanted to shout that.
But this coward merely clasped her hands together and prayed the spirit would leave.
However—
―Come outside, dear. I’m not going to hurt you.
A gentle, warm voice completely at odds with this terrifying place came from outside.
―I won’t hurt you. I came to save you. You’re alone too, aren’t you? I’m alone……
You came to save me?
Is this how you knock when there’s a person inside?
I didn’t answer.
I bit my lower lip.
―You know……
“…….”
―My stomach really hurts.
Why are you suddenly telling me that?
―So could you check my stomach? If you just tell me what’s inside, I’ll leave.
Like hell I almost fell for that desperate voice.
Please fuck off.
I am not kind enough to inspect strangers’ stomachs.
[Sub Quest Triggered!]
Don’t make me check it.
[Sub Quest <A Warm Hand Is the Best Medicine for a Child’s Stomachache!>]
Don’t say that.
Cancel it!
[Objective: The vengeful spirit outside is crying because its stomach hurts.]
I’m crying too.
Because I’m terrified.
I don’t want to touch its stomach!
[Please check what is inside the vengeful spirit’s stomach!
However, do not show surprise or disgust after seeing its face. It is a sensitive spirit.
Time Limit: Until another vengeful spirit appears
Clear Reward: Hammer
Failure: Your throat will be cut.]
How disgusting does it look that you’re warning me not to react……?
I’m scawed.
So scawed……
Before opening the door with my pale hand, I hesitated.
It said the limit lasted until another spirit appeared.
So whatever was on the ceiling probably wasn’t a vengeful spirit.
……Should I look?
Why is blood dripping down?
I was a curious person.
Unable to resist, I raised the lamp and tilted my head back.
The moment my curiosity won, I regretted it deeply.
“……Oh, God.”
As though someone had exploded up there—
chunks of flesh and blood were dropping from the ceiling.
I started to wipe my face.
Then froze.
My palm was already sticky with dark blood.
Damn it……
Profanity slipped out regardless of my fear.
What the hell did they do here……?
I was sick of human cruelty.
My jaw tightened.
I didn’t know why she had become a vengeful spirit.
But she was still probably one of the victims of this shitty island.
Don’t react.
Check her stomach and she’ll leave……
As I carefully controlled my expression and prepared myself—
the spirit tapped weakly against the iron door.
Tap.
Tap……
―You only have to look at my stomach……. It hurts so much……
“I will. Sorry. Just give me a second.”
―……You’ll look?
“Y-Yes!”
―Thank you! Thank you!
Apparently excited, the spirit began jumping.
How do I know?
Every jump shook the entire laboratory.
Mm.
So first of all—
she’s big.
Very big.
I might have a lot of stomach to rub.
With my preparation as complete as it would ever become, I gripped the handle.
―She’s coming out! She’s coming out!
Don’t react like you’re waiting for a celebrity to appear on a TV show……
Finally, I turned the handle.
Click.
Creeeak.
As I slowly opened the door—
a ripped-open abdomen filled my entire vision.
Oh, God.
……You didn’t say you’d show it to me immediately.
You never told me the first thing I’d see after opening the door was a completely exposed stomach cavity.
Before I could recover—
a spirit whose face was hidden by black hair suddenly lunged toward me.
She smiled so widely it looked as though her face would split.
―You came?
I still need more preparation.
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