Weirdly Wholesome Pick-Me

[Welcome, players, to the SSS-level horror dungeon: Office Tower Urban Legends.[Dungeon rule: Lying is forbidden. Anyone who lies dies instantly.[Starting players: Ten.[Clear objective: Figure out why everyone in this building lost their memories. Restore all memories to beat the dungeon.[All ten players confirmed. Seven days left until New Year's Eve. Clear the dungeon before then.[Have fun.]A cold, robotic voice crackled in my ear. I had literally just finished sending in a vacation request, and the next second, I got dragged straight into a horror game.I walked out of one office building, only to wake up inside a different one.Yeah… Just my luck.Around me, a bunch of fully geared veteran players were sizing each other up.The game hadn't even officially started yet, and the livestream chat was already going crazy.[Office Tower again? That cursed dungeon shows up every year before New Year's. No one's ever beaten it… Everyone dies as trapped office workers.][Ye

"I'm Sam Mendoza. I used to be a martial arts instructor," said a bulky guy with massive arms, giving Lonnie a bored look. "I'm pretty solid in a fight. I've cleared one dungeon before, but that was pure luck.""I'm Joseph Payne. I work security," a guy with a buzz cut said, giving a short nod. "This is my first time, but I'm fast and strong.""Hi, I'm Alison Hodges. I'm a nurse," a girl in a white dress said, eyeing me carefully. "In horror dungeons, I can reduce the corruption damage teammates get from monsters. Helps keep your mind from snapping.""I…" Verda Stokes opened her mouth to make something up, then froze. The rules didn't allow lying. Annoyed, she muttered, "I'm an old player. I've cleared about four S-rank dungeons."Once everyone had finished introducing themselves, they realized I had already put a warm cup of tea in front of each of them.I smiled sweetly."You've been talking so much. You must be thirsty. My grandpa grows this tea himself. Go on, try some. Just

[Is she really from a dating sim? How is she handling corpses like it's no big deal?]Over the next few days, the bald GM and I got along surprisingly well.Honestly, we worked together better than anyone could have expected.All the dried, dark stains across the office floor? I had scrubbed them completely clean. I even spritzed a little perfume around to freshen the place up.The room's danger level kept dropping steadily, almost unbelievably low.Once I finished with the main office, I turned my attention to the GM's private bathroom. That was the one spot I hadn't touched yet.The bathroom was fairly tidy, except for a big clump of black hair sitting in the sink. It looked like it had been soaked in blood, and the smell was terrible.When I picked it up, I felt someone watching me, still and silent.The moment I turned, the GM's eyes darkened completely, until not a trace of white remained. The skin on his face twitched in weird waves, and his whole body started swelling.

"Don't worry."Alison kept her eyes locked on the bloody lady, her voice steady and calm."I know how to handle her. We go way back."Lonnie stiffened at that, staring at Alison like she had lost her mind.Alison gave the bloody lady a warm, gentle smile."Kat, do you remember me? We were super close. It's me, Alison!"The bloody lady stopped moving and gave a stiff little nod.Looking very pleased with herself, Alison walked toward her slowly and confidently."I heard that these dungeon monsters used to be real people who died. If they get their memories back, they can finally move on… Since we were such good friends, can you tell me how you can turn back into your real self?"The bloody lady tilted her head."I just need someone…to say my real name. But… I don't remember…what my name was."Alison's smile spread wide, like this was the easiest thing she had ever heard."That's simple. Katrina Windrow!"The moment she said it, the bloody woman standing in the elevator bega

Lonnie's expression shifted as he took in everything."What the hell? Are you showing me my crimes? Sure, I hacked into these cameras, even the ones in homes. So what? If these women realized their bodies could make money, they'd be so proud! Even if you show these to me, what could you do? I've got the pendant. You can't touch me!"[Damn, didn't see that coming! He seemed to be a real gentleman, but he's worse than an animal!][Argh! I'm so pissed! Why did that pick-me girl give him the pendant? Can the dungeon even break its own rules to punish him? Someone like him doesn't deserve to live!][I thought he was doing cool stuff when he said he hacked surveillance cameras and systems. Turns out he's just a sick creep!]The office was silent except for Lonnie's ragged breathing.Suddenly, the door swung open."There you are!" I panted lightly, pretending to wipe sweat from my forehead. "You promised you'd protect me! Why did you run off so quickly?"Lonnie froze. "You're still al