Chapter 17
Sssssss…
Only after he heard water running in the bathroom did Halloway sit down on the sofa.
He stared out the window for a long time, lost in thought.
Right now there were six people in the hotel, Evelyn among them.
Since they were a rare treat after a long time, the devils had been toying with them just enough that they wouldn’t die.
But their patience could run out at any moment.
That was just how devils were.
Halloway was no different.
If his patience ran out, Evelyn—who was showering in the bathroom—would become the sacrifice.
She might end up as a naked corpse, which she hated so much.
When the thought reached that far, the corner of Halloway’s mouth twitched up just slightly.
A voice sounded right in front of him then.
“What’s so funny?”
Dilaph hung upside down in the air, sitting cross-legged in midair, watching Halloway with curiosity.
With copper-toned skin and striking red hair, Dilaph had a black blindfold covering his eyes.
“Why are you here?” Halloway asked, pushing Dilaph nonchalantly to the side when the other leaned too close to his face.
Spinning in the air, Dilaph spoke.
“The Empress sent humans in again.”
Dilaph, looking thoroughly annoyed, snapped his middle finger out into the air in a repeated gesture.
“What the hell’s with that Valone Empire Empress constantly sending humans in? Why not send something else instead? Always sending worthless ones.”
Halloway replied without much interest.
“Who knows.”
“Suriel sprayed scent around. You can smell it, right?”
Halloway’s nose picked up the sticky, distinctive scent Suriel had left on the intruders.
With that scent, they could immediately find where the prey moved to.
The same scent was clinging to Evelyn’s group now.
Dilaph’s ears pricked.
When he heard the sound of water from the shower, he glanced at the bathroom and asked Halloway, “She’s not scared, is she?”
“Because I’m here.”
Halloway rubbed at the twitch in his lips. Dilaph tilted his head at that subtle change.
But there was nothing to find on Halloway once he lowered his hand.
‘Was I imagining it?’
Dilaph averted his gaze from Halloway and playfully counted the number of intruders.
“The Empress sent nine intruders this time. What’ll we do? Maybe cut their ligaments so they crawl around?”
Instead of answering, Halloway slowly stood up.
The little boy’s form grew taller until, when he fully straightened his legs, he was unmistakably male.
Tall and lean, and that face—unique and arresting.
Two vertical dots under his left eye accentuated Halloway’s allure.
No one could resist being captivated by that beauty.
Halloway’s suffocatingly beautiful looks entranced those around him without him having to do anything.
Even the devil Dilaph was affected.
Dilaph shook his head furiously to clear the spell.
Halloway swept his long silver hair—falling past his waist—with one hand.
A long earring that reached near his exposed collarbone gently jingled.
As always, the Valone Empress had sent people to this hotel to steal something.
Halloway left the room to handle it himself.
He had put measures in place so monsters could not approach the room, so Evelyn would be safe until he returned.
He’d finish quickly and then pretend to be waiting patiently.
As Halloway headed toward the scent of the intruders, Dilaph blocked his path.
“Wait. Let the boss kill them personally?”
“Finish it quickly.”
At those words, Halloway vanished from the spot.
The water was a little cold, but expecting hot water here was a luxury.
Still—this was a hotel—couldn’t they at least provide shampoo?
Is hotel management for real?!
No shampoo at all?
If they ran the place like this, no guests would come!
She angrily lathered soap and tried to calm herself.
At least there was soap, but her hair was going to become rock-hard.
Her naturally curly hair would look awful when it dried.
She kept telling herself it was better than feeling sticky.
Her cold had completely gone; the body ache that followed had already faded. That was something.
The cold water beating on her body washed away the blood that had been smeared all over her.
The red that flowed down to her feet looked eerie, and she instinctively lifted her head.
Even though she had left Fridel like that, she was still human.
With a little composure returning, the frightened screams Fridel had made flashed vividly in her mind and she squeezed her eyes shut.
“Think of something else. Think of something else.”
From the moment she realized this was a horror game, she’d known none of them would all make it back alive.
Better to think of the bastard who used Fridel as a hostage.
Fridel had nearly gotten her killed.
If she hadn’t left him behind, he would have certainly killed her somehow.
She wanted to survive.
She kept telling herself it wasn’t her fault that she left him.
To shake off all her thoughts, she scrubbed herself clean. Halloway said he’d guard outside, so no monsters should appear.
…Right?
If he’d wanted them dead, he would’ve done it already. And no other signs were showing, so she tried to relax a little.
When the soap suds built up, she closed her eyes—already feeling how stiff her hair would be.
Ding!
At the familiar notification sound she wiped the soap away and opened her eyes.
[Someone has intruded into the hotel. The number of people in the hotel increases to 15.]
…Intruded into the hotel?
Who?
She blinked several times, thinking she had read it wrong.
In the game, there had only been the seven people who had come into the hotel together—no others.
No other humans had come in. It was an isolated island, after all.
This island was hard to reach unless you were shipwrecked.
“How…?”
Did someone else unfortunate encounter a typhoon? Could such coincidences happen repeatedly?
Or maybe someone who had been on the same boat as them had been found later.
“I… don’t know.”
She stopped asking questions without answers and scrubbed her hair again.
She’d find out when they met.
With that many people, they would probably run into one another eventually. She tried to take it lightly.
But the notification sound that rang violently made her open her eyes again.
And seeing the alert windows that followed, she could do nothing but stand under the shower and stare blankly as water poured down on her.
[Two bodies were severed. Survivors reduced to 13.]
[Four necks were cut off. Survivors reduced to 9.]
[Three hearts had swords lodged in them. Survivors reduced to 6.]
The eerie system messages left her speechless.
The red text, as if soaked in blood, flashed horribly.
Her hair stood on end and goosebumps rose all over her.
She kept staring at the alerts without saying a word. Her breathing, involuntarily, began to quicken.
It felt like the brutal scenes she’d seen in the illustrations and the blood smell that had stabbed her nose when she’d fallen over Fridel’s spilled blood were rising up around her.
She covered her nose without meaning to.
Because the messages used numbers and not names, those victims weren’t from their group.
If a member of her party had died, a name would have shown up, like Fridel’s had.
Nothing else had appeared, which made it worse.
It felt like the system didn’t even treat them as people.
…Was it the devils? Or Halloway?
Shivering from the cold—or from fear—her body trembled.
“…Halloway?”
She found herself whispering his name.
But there was no answer. She turned off the water, wrapped a towel around herself in a hurry, and called more loudly.
“Halloway!”
Did Halloway really kill them all?
Since he wasn’t there, maybe he was the one who had just committed all those murders.
Thinking about him coming back to her covered in those people’s blood made her sag to the floor.
Her legs gave out and she collapsed. Her body trembled on the cold marble. She hugged herself and cried out for him again.
“Halloway!”
“…”
No answer again!
So he really had gone to kill them…!
She clutched her pounding heart and squeezed her eyes shut, then shouted.
“Hey!”
“Hey…?”
“Sorry.”
Halloway’s displeased voice echoed her words back, and she adjusted her throat instinctively.
That alone calmed her trembling a little.
“Uh, where’d you go?”
“I… I dozed off. Why are you asking?”
Halloway’s voice, far too calm, sounded like a child who knew nothing—more chilling because he couldn’t possibly be unaware of everything happening in the hotel.
She swallowed dryly and asked in a shaking voice.
“Did someone come?”
“…”
Silence flowed beyond the door.
An incomprehensible quiet hung in the air.
Then his bright voice rang.
“Nobody!”
“…Nobody?”
“No, nobody. But—”
His low voice from beyond the bathroom door lodged in her ears like a nail.
“Why are you trembling, nuna?”
[Halloway has begun to suspect you.]
[Danger gauge increased by 15.]
Her chest lurched at the sudden rise in the danger gauge.
Even if his affection or anything else had risen, it was only by a hair—Halloway remained merciless toward her.
She coughed loudly on purpose. Just as she was about to answer and opened her mouth—
[Halloway suspects you. You decide to dispel this suspicion.
➤What will you say?]
Huh? I already had excuses ready!
Does this damned choice window never go away?
She wailed inwardly at the sudden appearance of the selection window, but the system ignored her and presented the choices.
[1. “Did you wash with this cold water? If you don’t know, shut up!” (Shout angrily)
- (Burst open the door) “Look at me! Look at my state! Look at my blue lips! Do I look like I’m trembling?!”
- “You’re too scary! I know you killed people and came back! I can smell the blood!” (Like a madwoman)]
You’re the crazy one, obviously.
None of those options were sane.
Frozen, staring at the choices, she felt her heart race faster as another popup appeared.
[5 seconds remaining.]
Nooo, aaaahhh!
She tore at her hair and screamed silently inside.
How many… how many times do I have to—?
