Chapter 49: Horror games

VR games usually have their devices and accounts linked, but the game we’re about to play operates its account independently, allowing it to be played here as well.

Nightshade Forest

*Exploration Mode

*Standard Mode

*Hardcore Mode

“There are three modes?”

-We did standard yesterday

-Go hardcore

-If you’re not scared, hardcore it is

-I can’t acknowledge the changed Karen unless it’s hardcore

“Alright.

Let’s see how hard it can be.”

-Why are you so confident lol

-Did you study while watching Karen’s broadcast?

-It’s no fun if you studied

“I swear on the honor of the elves, I’ve never played this game before.”

-Yeah, it’s hard to maintain your concept while playing horror games, right? lol

-Wow, if Ria swears on the honor of the elves, it seems like she’s never played it before

“Psychics can also swear on the honor of the elves.

Ria allowed it.”

-Ah, are you still maintaining the Karen persona?

-You’re so stubborn

-How long can you keep that up…

When I entered the game, the view changed to that of a man standing at the entrance of a forest.

A monologue is heard in the man’s voice.

“Melanie.

It’s been a week since you disappeared.

But yesterday, that dream… I was sure it was your voice.

That’s what led me here.

I believe you’re here.”

It was recorded in English, but there were subtitles at the bottom.

After the monologue, he looks down at a picture of himself with a woman, taken affectionately.

After that, I could control the man’s body.

I moved his arms around and walked lightly.

“So he came to the forest to find his missing girlfriend, and his basis is his dream?

Is this guy an idiot?”

-We don’t understand either lol

-He should have just reported it to the police lol

-The game won’t start if he doesn’t come

-If you’re stupid, you die..

“He won’t die since I’m controlling him.

I’ll try to keep him alive as much as possible.”

It was a sunny forest in broad daylight.

The sounds of birds and a gentle breeze could be heard.

Amidst the tranquility, the sound of footsteps on the dirt path was mixed in.

As I walked, I saw a sign at the entrance of the forest.

Welcome

↑ Campsite: 300m ahead

“There’s even a campsite.

This forest doesn’t look dangerous at all…”

Following the direction of the sign, I walked silently.

As I went deeper, the sound of birds faded away, and only the man’s breathing and footsteps could be heard.

Thud.

Thud.

I immediately noticed a sense of discomfort.

The footsteps are overlapping?

I turned around, but only the forest path I had passed was spread out.

“Ah, so this is how they threaten you.

I understand.”

-Slowly…

-It hasn’t even started yet, Ria

-Ria is regretting playing a horror game now…

“I don’t regret it.

So far, it’s just a walk in the woods, right?

It feels like a healing game.”

As I continued to walk and entered the campsite where tents and supplies were scattered.

Whoosh.

Suddenly, a blurry figure of a woman appeared.

She had long straight hair, and her empty eye sockets were filled with darkness.

“Turn back now…”

-??

-Didn’t something pass through the eye sockets

-Ria threw a pebble lol

“…while you still can.”

-What’s with that reaction speed

-Before the line even finished lol

-Does the ghost look kind of wronged for some reason?

“The attack doesn’t work.

She’s warning me.

Could she have been a good entity?”

Still, I got some valuable information.

If objects like pebbles can interact and be thrown.

There must be an opponent that can be attacked.

“I can’t turn back.

Not without her.”

The man said, breathing heavily.

“This guy, I have to give him credit for his determination.”

-You said he was an idiot earlier

-Isn’t he just a moron??

-I would have run away immediately

-You should run when you see a ghost lol

“No.

If a ghost appeared, the credibility of the man’s dream also increases.

It means that there’s a magical effect flowing through the forest itself.”

I said as I rummaged through the campsite.

I found scratch marks on a tree, bloody footprints, and I took some herbs, a water bottle, and a flashlight.

-Ria is so calm…

-What’s with that reasoning

-This is the first time I’ve seen someone connect it to the dream already..

-(That’s right.

The dream itself was the forest luring the man) [Message deleted by manager]

-Ah spoiler f*ck

-Are you sure you’re playing this for the first time??

“Ria… what are you doing right now?”

From behind, I heard Karen’s slightly hoarse voice.

-Gasp

-The real Karen appears

-Finally crawled out…

-It seems like Karen didn’t know?

lol

-You did this without telling her lol

“Karus.

This game is really scary.”

-Suddenly acknowledging it?

-It’s not that scary yet, though

-Don’t tell me you’re planning to run because Karen is here?

“How could the game reflect my memories?

I hear the hallucination of a doppelganger from behind.”

“What are you talking about!”

-It’s being treated as a hallucination lol

-Ah it’s really me, Karen lol

-Karen, that’s how it is…

“And why are you playing this game.

I had a really hard time yesterday.”

“The doppelganger doesn’t seem to have all the memories.

I’m playing it again to show the changed Karen.”

“Hmph… No matter how much it’s Ria, it won’t be easy.

I’ll enjoy watching you get surprised from the side.”

As if she understood the situation through the chat, Karen brought a chair and sat next to me.

-I keep hearing hallucinations..

-This game is god-tier

-Isn’t it cheating to have someone next to you when playing a horror game?

“It would be better for the doppelganger to go into the room and watch the broadcast.

I need to show that I’m doing this alone.”

“Eh?

It’ll be scary if I can’t see Ria’s face.

But I roughly know where the scary parts are… so I’ll go inside.”

-What are these two doing lol

Karen went inside, and I focused on the game again.

I tested the flashlight I just got.

Flicker, flicker.

“Huh?

I can only see something when I turn on the flashlight.”

When I turned on the flashlight, two shining eyes were looking at the man from behind a tree in the distance.

At first, it looked like a simple light source, but as it went on, I could see that it was a large eyeball with red blood vessels spreading.

And every time I turned the flashlight on and off, the surroundings got darker.

And the eyeballs got closer and closer to the man.

I picked up a branch with my other hand.

“If it’s not a spirit, it might be a fairly easy enemy.

It’s only revealing its vulnerable weak spot, the eyeballs.”

Ugh it’s creepy

-Where did your screams go, Ria…

-Are you going to stab it with a branch?

-Wow, look at her flickering the flashlight until the end lol

-This kind of reaction shouldn’t be coming out here..

-The new Karen is really fearless??

The eyeballs that had slowly approached right in front of me suddenly disappeared.

“It’s clever.

It would have been in range if it came one step closer.”

-???: What the hell is this guy

-Since when did you think you were the one hunting?

-It’s supposed to just disappear.. lol

-It sounds like it ran away because Ria said that lol

“It doesn’t seem like there’s anything different even if I turn it off and on.

I’ll move.”

Relying on the flashlight, I walked along the completely dark forest path.

It was more serious when night came.

Not Karen, but I really started to hear hallucinations in the game.

“Kyaaaaaaaah!”

“Save me.

No, kill me.

No, save me.

No, kill me.

No, save me.”

“I’ll find you.

And I’ll tear you apart and hang you on a tree.”

“It hurts so much… it hurts so much… it hurts so much… it hurts so much…”

A sharp, screaming voice.

And a whispering voice right next to me.

In addition to that, the sound of rustling bushes.

And the sound of overlapping footsteps started to be heard again.

“Huff… Huff…”

The man’s breathing gets heavier.

“Why is this guy getting scared now, of all times?

If he decided to stay in the forest, he should have been prepared for this.”

Bang!

With a sudden sound effect, an arm that rose from the ground tried to grab my ankle.

I lifted my leg slightly to avoid it.

That was the beginning.

From between the bushes, or as the branches transformed.

Hands suddenly popped out.

Their sizes and shapes varied.

Some had gray skin and sharp claws.

Some were decayed and withered, and some looked like the arms of a living person, but covered in blood.

Some were very large, and some were of normal size.

Anyway, they all came out once and went back in.

There wasn’t much time to counterattack.

I just had to avoid them as they came.

-Why are the hands popping out already?

-It’s probably because it’s hardcore mode

-How can you not be surprised even once..

-Wow you dodged everything..

-Is that reaction speed real?

lol

-Ria is definitely good at games

After dodging for a while, the hands stopped coming out.

“Hmm.

Were the hands guiding the direction?

But it doesn’t feel like I’ve gone deeper.

Rather, it feels quite familiar…”

I stopped for a moment and looked around.

“That’s right.

I never turned back, but I’ve returned to the entrance of the forest.”

Why?

It would be easier to escape the forest if it’s the entrance.

↑ Campsite: 300m ahead

I shined the flashlight on the sign.

“Losing your sense of direction and distance.

It’s one of the basic illusion formations.

I wouldn’t have been fooled if I had a spirit, I envy Ria.

It’s a bit inconvenient for a psychic.”

-Ah the background music is creepy

-Are you going to act as Karen in this situation?

-Did Ria get a whale heart transplant?

-I’m so scared that I’m squinting..

I point the flashlight a little higher.

There was one more sign.

The one that said Welcome.

“…It’s different.”

Instead of letters written in paint and hardened, bright red letters, as if they were just written in blood, were slowly dripping down.

Run

Dudududu –

At that moment, the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps from behind echoed.