Chapter 1

My boyfriend and I were playing one of those honesty games when he suddenly claimed he made money by working as an NPC in a horror game, killing players for cash. I laughed immediately. Looking at his clear, puppy-like eyes, every blink just made me want to hug him.

A killer? Please. What kind of killer would spend every day cooking, doing laundry, handing over all his money, and constantly begging his girlfriend for cuddles? He was more like the perfect boyfriend straight out of a dating sim.

That was until one day, I found different strands of hair on him. There were long black hair, short curly blonde hair, and even coarse, short hair that clearly belonged to a man.

Enraged, I slapped him hard across the face.

“Lucas, seriously? I didn’t know you were into playing around like this.”

He covered his cheek, looking innocent as he hurried to explain, “No, babe! Those are from the players I killed!”

The excuse was so ridiculous that I packed up and stormed out that very night.

Darkness swallowed the streets as I walked alone down the empty road. Tears blurred my vision, and my mind felt blank. All I could feel was the twisting pain in my chest. Then, in the distance, headlights rushed toward me. Before I could react, everything went black.

When I woke up again, thick fog surrounded me. The darkness was so dense that I couldn’t see anything clearly. Just as I wondered if I had somehow ended up in the afterlife, a cold mechanical voice echoed around me.

“Welcome, players, to the horror game, Spring Manor. You must escape within twenty-four hours. Failure to complete the mission will result in permanent confinement within the game world.

“Number of participants: 10. Difficulty: S-Rank. We wish all players an enjoyable experience.”

As soon as the voice faded, the fog slowly thinned before disappearing completely. A massive old-fashioned building appeared before us. Wildflowers grew chaotically around the entrance, each bloom as large as a human hand, its colors unnaturally vivid. Scarlet lamps hung from every floor, while an eerie blue glow seeped through the windows.

The cold wind brushed against my skin, making my scalp tingle. Suddenly, several strangers had appeared beside me. Every one of them looked confused and uneasy.

Then, a tall, heavily built man stepped forward and started cursing loudly. “Screw this! I don’t have time to play games with you freaks! Whoever dragged me here, get your *ss out right now!”

No one answered him.

“Oh, so you won’t come out? Fine. Then I’ll smash all your d*mn flowers!”

He stormed forward and stomped the flowers into pieces. At that moment, I suddenly remembered something Lucas once told me. In horror games, players who refused to participate usually died horribly. Back then, I thought he was just making up stories, but it seemed like maybe I really should’ve believed him.

“Sir, wait, don’t–”

Before I could finish my sentence, the crushed flowers suddenly regenerated. On top of that, they grew larger and larger until the enormous petals swallowed the man whole. A scream rang out, and then silence fell. All that remained on the ground were two severed limbs and a pool of blood.

Nearby, a short and skinny guy collapsed onto the floor, trembling violently. Lucas used to joke about how many people he had killed. I always thought he was kidding. Now, though… it suddenly didn’t sound so fake anymore.

I quickly warned the other players not to refuse the game. Otherwise, they’d probably end up just like the big guy.

The skinny guy looked at me desperately, his voice shaking. “Then what are we supposed to do? I don’t want to die here!”

I looked around. Beyond the endless darkness, the only thing standing before us was that ancient building. At this point, entering it was our only option.

“It looks like we have to complete the mission and find the exit within twenty-four hours if we want to survive.”

The skinny guy started crying. “I don’t want to go in there! It’s too scary! I want to go home. I want to go home!”

I sighed helplessly. “We don’t have a choice. Stop wasting time, and let’s go inside.”

Supporting him by the arm, I slowly walked toward the building. With every step forward, the cold around us became sharper.

…

At the same time, in a dimension unknown to the players, the livestream chat was already exploding.

“No way. Are they all newbies? This is an S-rank dungeon! Nobody’s ever made it out alive!”

“Say a prayer for these players. They’re definitely getting wiped out.”

“The boss in this dungeon is insanely twisted. The last group of players would rather commit suicide than die by his hands.”

“This is boring. A bunch of idiots challenging an S-rank dungeon? They’ll probably all die immediately. There’s no thrill at all. I’m leaving.”

“That calm girl is actually pretty cute. I kinda want to see her head get twisted off. I bet she’d look even prettier.”

“Seriously, though, she’s gorgeous. Please survive a little longer. Boss, have mercy and at least leave her body intact…”