1 – Urban Legends Are Scary~

I usually think this house is a bit too big for one person, but for some reason, the empty spaces in the house felt even larger today.

In the middle of the living room, where the moonlight was a little fainter than usual, sat a grotesque Violin made of the bones of young boys and girls.

From afar, it looked like a work of art.

Up close, it was a cursed artifact.

It didn’t seem like just an instrument for playing music, but like an incarnation of pain and anxiety.

The Violin’s body was made of a boy’s ribs, which gave off an eerie sheen as they reflected the light.

Cruelly, the spaces between the ribs were finished with muscle and flesh, adding to the bizarre feeling that it still contained traces of living life.

The neck of the instrument was a long string of vertebrae, each joint connected in a twisted and distorted manner.

The strings were made of the muscles and tendons of girls, stretched taut and ready to produce a chilling sound.

It was no wonder the atmosphere of the house felt ominous, with David’s Violin, a cursed artifact that radiated such a hideous and eerie energy like radiation.

“Everyone, what are you so dissatisfied with?”

-Screech….

-Creak….

-Ugh….

-Oogock….

The combination of the Succubus’s allure that I unconsciously emitted and the evil energy of the Violin made from the corpses of 187 children caused even a normal house to exude a ghostly aura.

The Vengeful Spirits of the children dwelling in the Violin had probably been released.

After all, I, a Succubus Empress, had personally witnessed, caressed, and comforted the children’s lives and Vitality.

I had promised to remember them through the act of playing, and I had resolved their curses and hatred through melody, so this curse would not spread to others and harm innocent people.

Even the appearance had changed.

At first, it was closer to a grotesque form with the bones exposed, but now the level had been lowered to a shape that only seemed to imitate human bones or body parts.

But apart from that, the materials used for the Violin were 187 ‘children.’

They weren’t like mature adults who would think, ‘Ah, I’m satisfied. I should ascend to heaven now.’

So, even when the Violin was still, I could feel the irritable energy of several children who couldn’t overcome their boredom and restlessness.

Eventually, I couldn’t stand it anymore and crept closer to the Violin, whispering.

“Are you bored?”-Yes!”

I’m bored!

I want to see the world!

I want to drink alcohol!

-Sex!

I want to eat!

I want to see the streets!

I want to climb the Himalayas!

I want to crack a Emperor penguin’s egg!

“….”

I got a bit of a headache when I heard the voices of various children all at once.

Sex… well, sexual curiosity is natural for a growing child, but what’s with the penguin egg?

“Okay, I see.”

Well, there’s nothing I can do about it.

Children are curious and full of questions and interests about the whole world.

They were sacrificed to a wicked murderer without even seeing the light of the world properly. Their consciousness, clouded by hatred and curses, only became clear when it touched my hand.

The clarified consciousness now clamored to see a wider world, more people, and more sights, just like children of that age.

Because it’s an Ego Violin, I can’t separate it from me unless I destroy it. And I have no intention of destroying this Violin.

I don’t know if my impulsive and unplanned ‘nature’ wanted to give me the Violin as a gift or what, but I’ve already got it in my hands.

‘Well, I honestly think I look incredibly beautiful playing the Violin.’

I don’t major in music or have any related knowledge, but as a Succubus Empress, I receive a certain amount of correction for my beautiful appearance, so I can’t help but give a good performance.

Do you know how emotional and beautiful a sight it is when the beautiful me plays the Violin and performs in a stylish way?

Me playing the Violin.

Perfect.

Perfectly beautiful.

For the record, I’m not a narcissist.

It’s an objective and clear fact, and as a Succubus Empress who loves beauty, I just like ‘beautiful me.’

‘I don’t know what my Succubus nature inside me was thinking, but it is beautiful.’

David’s Violin.

No, it’s my Violin now, right?

Then should I give it a separate name?

Lee Jae Hee’s Violet… well, I don’t like this because I’m used to Korean.

Then, Agnes’s Violin?

It sounds fancy, but no one knows the name Agnes itself, right?

Does it have any meaning?

“I’ll give you your names later. But for today… shall we take a walk in the wind together?”

As soon as I gestured to the Violin, as if it had been waiting for my gesture, the Violin immediately floated into the air and began to follow me.

This is the characteristic of an Ego Weapon. No, an Ego Violin.

It follows its master’s orders, can be summoned back, and has a certain amount of will to become one with its master.

But since they have too much will and ego, it could be another accident, but I think it’ll be okay since I’m the master.

I put on the veil on the dressing table.

There’s no need to put on makeup.

There’s no need to apply even simple things like lotion or skin.

The appearance of a Succubus Empress is beautiful and outstanding even without makeup, more so than with makeup.

I cover my face with a veil and check if there are any unbuttoned parts.

Good.

Perfect.

As soon as I opened the front door, the Violin started following me.

There weren’t many people on the streets today either.

But, I might run into people… well, should I go to the rooftop?

“It’s cool.”

I spread my wings and lean slightly against the railing.

And as I lean back, I feel like the empty air is holding me.

I was flying even though I wasn’t flapping my wings.

Every time I see these wings, I feel like it’s quite amazing that I can float in the air just by spreading them without flapping or anything.

As I fell off the railing and floated in the sky, the Violin also started following me.

“It’s a familiar and ugly city today too.”

The air wasn’t good.

Perhaps the city as a whole was constantly burning Mana to operate Barrier sensors in every building and safety zone, so there was a strange smell of burning.

Is it because it’s 1 AM?

I deliberately come out at times when there are few people, but it’s probably closer to people refraining from going out because of the Night Sea Phenomenon that happened recently.

Night Sea activates Dungeons and Gates throughout the entire region, and the degree of activation is so great that the expression ‘flood’ is appropriate.

Dungeons where goblin tribes used to live instantly grew to the point where the word ’empire’ was appropriate, and Monsters that were originally infertile mated and increased in number.

Dungeons that used to be plains became lush green hells like jungles, and some Monsters even gained cunning intelligence like humans, going beyond the level of upgrading their ranks.

But the biggest problem is….

-Kekekekekekekeke!

“Oh my. Is it already that time?”

I raised my head at the laughter that came from somewhere.

Of course, it wasn’t human laughter.

It was a sound that was more chilling and full of malice.

It was definitely a scary sound… but at the same time, I felt curiosity and interest.

“Hmm, what can I meet today?”

In the old days, there was something called ‘Creepypasta’ on the internet.

Its characteristic was that it focused on the fear of monsters and strange creatures that physically harmed people rather than spiritual ghosts, and it had stronger gore elements than mental horror.

For example, Slender Man, Tic Toc Man, a woman without a face, a skinless bastard, and even famous cartoon characters like Hi Kitty became murderers who carried knives and stabbed people to death.

Of course, it was just a fictional story, an urban legend or lore horror, and most of the testimonies of witnessing monsters were just mistakes and manipulations.

But now, such things existed in this world.

Things that physically existed and tried to kill and devour innocent people.

-Kekekekekekekeke!

-Clatter clatter clatter clatter clatter clatter clatter clatter clatter clatter clatter clatter…

-Kieeeeeeek…!

I can hear the sound.

Footsteps.

The sound of drizzling rain.

The sound of stepping on mud and sand at the same time.

They seeped into the depths of the city like shadows, quietly but with a hideous murderous intent. The faint light of the streetlights could not fully reveal their presence.

And taking advantage of the darkness and the boundary of night at 1 AM, fog began to spread throughout the city.

Of course, this fog is not natural fog.

Mutated dense Mana.

The fog, combined with toxicity like poison gas, flowed into the city, and the Weirdness and Monsters, the unidentified things, brought the air from their habitats with them.

“Heu, scary~”

In some cases, what flowed out of the Night Sea was influenced by human fear or urban legends and actually took on the reality of urban legends, and the existence of Monsters or Weirdos themselves hid in the city and our reality like Creepypasta, tormenting and killing humans.

This is the biggest problem with Night Sea.

Monsters that have escaped from Dungeons and Gates and hidden in human cities.

If they were ordinary Monsters like goblins or shark wolves, I would have asked a Hunter, but those who were covered in urban legends or Creepypasta are difficult to deal with, and if they are missed, many victims will occur.

-Heeheeheehee

-Eheeheeheeheehee

-…….

-Woo, oh, ah, aah….

Footsteps are heard in the distance.

Like a Hyakki Yagyō, a Wild Hunt, or even more hideous and chilling things are slowly crawling into the city where there are many humans.

Those things hide in the back alleys, sewers, and ruins of crowded cities, build nests, and gradually increase their habitats by hunting victims like urban legends.

However, today it doesn’t seem like a large-scale march, and at best, strange things from one or two Dungeons are trying to enter the city at 1 AM, taking advantage of the time when there are few people.

It’s not that great of a march compared to usual.

They won’t attack people or invade houses right away.

“…Hmm, I can’t just leave it alone, can I?”

If that happens, convenience stores or people who do business at night… or those who come out for a night walk might have an unlucky experience.

I wouldn’t know if I hadn’t seen it, but since I saw it….

I folded my wings and went down to the ground.

The fog is coming.

It was a thick and toxic fog, but it was okay for me.

After all, I don’t see the world with human vision, and even if I close my eyes, I can sense and distinguish everything with Vitality and Life energy, so it doesn’t matter.

At the front, a person with a face without eyes and only a constantly smiling mouth walks.

He walks tottering with a grotesquely twisted body, but his smile creates a horror that can never be forgotten once seen.

Following him is a being that looks like a person, but whose head is turned upside down, filled with voices that constantly whisper to itself. The voices sound somewhat familiar, but they sound like fragments of the self that one never wants to remember.

Following them, pale beings crawling on the walls with long arms and legs advance as if devouring the city. They slowly but surely disappear from people’s sight and reveal their presence without a place to go. Their fingernails shine sharply, and their eyes are stained with despair and fear.

With grotesque whispers, headless torsos march in a row. They move silently for a long time, and the places they pass are covered with a rotten smell and ominous energy. These beings chase those who have seen them and become the masters of nightmares in their dreams.

But here I am.

The dreams of humans.

The owner of Lustful Dream, good dreams, and sweet scents.

Thinking about it, it feels bad.

The dreams of this land and the people of the city… we decide, we manage, and we make them good… and you’ve invaded that?

I feel bad.

“Nightmares are not my taste.”

You must have been full of dreams.

You were going to feast on human fear and savor their blood and flesh like desserts, right?

Unlike ordinary Monsters or Beasts, fear is your real food, and it will fill your souls.

“But there’s already an owner here.”

Peaceful and good dreams for everyone instead of nightmares.

Lustful Dream for someone, a dream where desire is shaped.

“So tonight… there is no empty space for dreams for you ugly monstrosities.”

If there was even a slightly beautiful and pretty child, my mind might have changed?

But it’s a pity.

You are hideous, ugly, and ugly.

I raised my hand.

Then it gathers.

A huge life force.

It is not something with physical destructive power, but a force that only aims at all living things and Vitality, slaughtering and massacring them, sharpened sharply.

“Everyone, everyone, eat. Eat the blade. It’s a gift from me.”

Those who try to stab a knife into the necks of humans.

Today is the day when knives will pop out of your mouths.