A Horror Game Steeped in Immorality - Volume 2 - Part 16

My throat felt as if it was on fire. Walking down the eerily quiet corridor of the main building, the beep! beep! beep! of the alarm was still audible. Had Lionel followed me? I looked back, but there was no sign of anyone. The radar still displayed the message that the murderer was very close.

 

 

 

“…What now?”

 

 

 

I lifted my head. Moonlight penetrated through the window, faintly illuminating the dark corridor. A robust servant stood in front of me. Then, his head was cleanly severed, rolling on the floor like a soccer ball with a thud, clunking along. The decapitated body flailed as if dancing before collapsing to the floor with a thud. I watched the servant gradually stiffen with terrified eyes. Instinctively, I raised my camera.

 

 

 

‘Click!’

 

 

 

It was the perfect crime scene. The sense of achievement from finally capturing the scene of the crime was fleeting. The alarm blared harshly, tearing through my ears. I slowly lowered the camera I was holding. The murderer captured in the camera was not Lionel.

 

 

 

“…It’s me.”

 

 

 

Leah Albert, covered in blood, stood there. Behind her, numerous corpses were strewn about. Thud. I dropped the radar I was holding.

 

 

 

Leah Albert looked at me with wide-open eyes and smiled deeply. Then, suddenly, she began to clap her hands frantically with her elbows bent at right angles.

 

 

 

Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap.

 

 

 

“What the. What… How did this happen?”

 

 

 

[You have accurately captured the crime scene! Decisive evidence obtained!]

 

 

 

“What?”

 

 

 

[Please shout out loud who the final culprit is to clear the game!]

 

 

 

“……”

 

 

 

Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap.

 

 

 

[Please say the final culprit out loud!]

 

 

 

“……”

 

 

 

Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap.

 

 

 

Faced with the eerie appearance of Leah Albert, my tongue and lips stiffened. As I stammered, unable to speak, the system created a dialogue box around Leah Albert, who was laughing and clapping her hands until they nearly broke.

 

 

 

[Please say it!]

 

 

 

[Who is the culprit?]

 

 

 

[Miss, you have secured decisive evidence!]

 

 

 

[Please, say it quickly!]

 

 

 

System windows emerged one by one, eventually filling the area around, excluding the murderer Leah Albert.

 

 

 

[Quickly]

 

 

 

[Quickly]

 

 

 

[Quickly!!!]

 

 

 

Due to the alarm, the clapping sound, and the system’s incessant prompting, I forced my stiff mouth to move.

 

 

 

“The murderer is……”

 

 

 

[The murderer is?]

 

 

 

A giant speech bubble with the words “The murderer is?” filled the entire corridor like a wall.  Feeling the end was near, I clenched my hand.

 

 

 

“You, White.”

 

 

 

[……]

 

 

 

A crack appeared in the speech bubble and eventually, it crackled and fissured, then burst into pieces with an explosive sound. Behind it, the laughing murderer stopped her clapping movements. Her large pupils rapidly moved as if searching for someone. Then she began to thrust the knife she used to stab the servant into her own face. Blood and flesh splattered, sticking to the dialogue box. Onto the same dialogue box, which had been unaffected by anything in the game.

 

 

 

I turned my head away from that horrific scene. As the sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh finally ceased, a buzzing electronic sound was heard.

 

 

 

[Congratulations, المستخدم. You are the first to successfully clear ‘The Ugly Secrets of the Albert Family’!]

 

 

 

The dialogue box shattered, mixing unknown languages.

 

 

 

[Freedom 플भीड़어 is yours. You may end the game.]

 

 

 

[Continue/Logout]

 

 

 

[This homeלָנֶצַח is destined toלְהַמשִׁיךperish.]

 

 

 

The dialogue box ignited, disappearing along with a terrible scream from a man. Then, light filled the corridor, illuminating the mutilated corpses. And among them, I stood.

 

 

 

My legs gave out. What in the world happened? I collapsed as if crumbling. The alarm and the murderer Leah Albert disappeared along with the dissolution of the system, White. Silence followed, then the sound of people running through the corridor came through. But I couldn’t react.

 

 

 

Then, someone’s warmth was felt. Their hands thawed my pale ones, and their strokes on my back tried to calm my shaky breaths.

 

 

 

“Leah… Shh… It’s okay. It’s okay.”

 

 

 

The one embracing and comforting me was Lycan. Despite the numerous corpses, he soothed me familiarly.

 

 

 

“That madman Daymond locked me in the tower. Sorry, it took so long. But I’m here now, so it’s all okay. Leah.”

 

 

 

…I was relieved that Lycan was not hurt. Listening to his heartbeat, I let my body relax.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Happy birthday, Lionel.”

 

 

 

It was Lionel’s birthday.

 

 

 

I hadn’t been reset, and Lionel had turned twenty-one.

 

 

 

“Here, this is your gift.”

 

 

 

“Sister, thank you so much.”

 

 

 

I handed Lionel a pink box. Across from me, Lycan cursed under his breath, and Daymond buried his face deeper into his hands, shooting sharp glances.

 

 

 

I extended boxes to them as well.

 

 

 

“This is for Lycan, this is for father.”

 

 

 

Lionel’s rising joy seemed to falter a bit. However, the expressions on Lycan and Daymond’s faces relaxed enough to change the air around them.

 

 

 

Today was Lionel’s birthday, but to me, it felt like an anniversary of safely clearing the game.

 

 

 

The numerous murders that took place in the mansion were committed by ‘Leah Albert,’ who bore my exact appearance.

 

 

 

At the critical moment, the reason I called out the system’s name instead of ‘Leah Albert’ was exactly that. Leah Albert is me, but… I did not commit the murders. Therefore, I could not be named the murderer.

 

 

 

The system’s frantic urging and the murderer who took on my appearance. The only one capable of orchestrating this bizarre event was the system, not a human.

 

 

 

It was fortunate that the real name of the system miraculously came to mind at that crucial moment… I shivered slightly and then drank water gulp by gulp.

 

 

 

“Leah, are you feeling unwell?”

 

 

 

“Sister, your hands are cold. I will call the doctor.”

 

 

 

“Lionel, don’t bother with Leah’s hands. It’ll be faster if I carry her.”

 

 

 

My family, who loves me, thought the murderer who impersonated Leah was me. They were thoroughly keeping their mouths shut to prevent the crimes ‘Leah’ committed from leaking. To suspect these family members of being the murderer in turn. This gift was a token of my gratitude and apology.

 

 

 

After the murderer was revealed, no murders occurred again. Has the system truly been dissolved? One thing is clear: the system’s dialogue box has never appeared since the culprit was found. However, the words [Logout] appear whenever I wish.

 

 

 

Yet… I am still here. And it seems I will be for quite some time.