Chapter 1

I was always sick as a kid. My parents were desperate. They’d try anything. So they got me a bunch of "guardian angels."

Next thing I know, I'm set up and tossed into a horror game.

Turns out, Medusa is my godmother. The ghost girl? My childhood playmate. And the final boss, a vampire? He's my fiancé.

The first time we met, I was in a blind panic. I tripped and fell right onto his chiseled chest.

"Oh—I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking—" I gasped, looking up at him. The words tumbled out in a rush. "And you're really handsome—but I didn't mean to fall on you! I have a heart condition!"

The boss let out a laugh. He wiped the blood from his hands and swept me up into his arms.

"Don't you worry," he purred, his voice dangerously smooth. "As your fiancé, I promise... I'll fix you right up."

...

[Nightmare Scenario: Midnight Manor... Activated]

[Survival Time: Seven Days]

[Current Players: 40/40]

[Death is Eternal Oblivion. Have Fun.]

A robotic female voice echoed in the void. It sounded cheerful. It was terrifying.

I blinked. I was standing in front of a huge Gothic manor. Black spires clawed at the gloomy sky. Gargoyles with twisted, screaming faces crouched on every corner. Their eyes glowed an ominous red.

The air smelled like rot and blood.

"Is... is this hell?" a girl's voice trembled beside me.

"Let me out! Let me out of here right now!" a muscular guy yelled. He punched the air, but his fist hit an invisible wall.

I clutched my chest. My heart hammered against my ribs.

I have a heart condition. Sudden shocks could kill me. But this was strange. The place was creepy, sure. But it also felt... familiar.

Like... coming home?

"Everyone, calm down."

A man and a woman stepped out from the crowd. The woman had dazzling blonde hair, and the man was built like a tank. Both wore the confident smiles of seasoned players.

"I'm Jessica, and this is my partner, Brad. We're veterans at this. Stick with us, and we'll get you through it." Jessica's voice was gentle, like she was calming a frightened animal.

"A game?" a woman dressed as a nun asked.

"That's right. You're dead. Your souls were dragged into this death game." Brad shrugged. "But don't lose hope. If you clear the game, you get to live again."

The screaming and shouting stopped.

All eyes turned to them, filled with a new sense of hope.

"To be resurrected, you need to collect 'Redemption Points.' 9,999 of them, to be exact," Jessica continued. "But here's the catch: the points you get are tied to your fear. The more terrified you are, the fewer points you get."

"How does that work?" a man who looked like a retired soldier asked.

Brad's smile turned cruel. "Fear level at 90 percent? You get 10 points. 99 percent? Just one. If it hits 100 percent..."

"Your soul is shattered," Jessica finished. "Gone forever. No chance of reincarnation."

The sound of hopeless sobs filled the air.

But I raised my hand.

"What if your fear level is zero?" I asked quietly. "How many points do you get then?"

The whole place went silent.

All forty people, Jessica and Brad included, stared at me like I was insane.

Jessica stared at me for a long moment, then snorted. "Oh, sweetie. You're just too naive."

"Zero fear?" Brad slapped his thigh and howled with laughter. "This is an SS-Class nightmare scenario! Even the top guild aces get wiped out here!"

"Is this girl nuts?"

"She'll find out what real terror is soon enough."

"Poor kid. Still living in a fairytale."

"Time to assign rooms!" Jessica clapped her hands, getting everyone's attention.

An old wooden table appeared in front of us. Forty room cards were laid out on its surface.

A gaunt figure in a butler's uniform stood behind it. His eyes were empty black pits, his face a perfect blank.

"Alright, listen up, everyone." Jessica's voice went dead serious.

"This manor has thirty floors. The monsters on the lower floors? They're simple. Predictable. They work on pure instinct. Learn their patterns, and you can survive. Treat them like traps. But the higher you go... the ones at the top are a different breed entirely. They won't just kill you. They'll shatter your sanity in seconds. They'll show you what true terror really is."

"She's right," Brad chimed in, his smile turning predatory.

"Let me give you an example. 'Mom' on the third floor will gut you if you don't eat the spoiled meat she cooks. Purposeful. Quick. But 'Father' on the top floor... he'll spend six days making you feel like his beloved child again. Then on the seventh day, he'll strap you to a chair. He'll play a slideshow of your happiest childhood memories... and then he'll flay you alive, piece by piece, with a surgical scalpel."

The moment he finished speaking, everyone scrambled for the table.

"Give me a lower floor! Any lower floor!"

"I'll pay double for a room on the second floor!"

"Please, don't make me stay up high!"

Jessica and Brad were the first to grab their cards—a servant's room on the first floor.

The other players followed, swarming the table like a pack of starving wolves.

I tried to follow, but a sharp pain shot through my chest. I had to stop, force myself to breathe slowly.

Useless body. It always fails me when it matters most.

By the time I finally reached the table, thirty-nine cards were gone.

Only one was left. It was black as night. In blood-red Gothic script, it read:

[30F - The Prince's Suite]