I want to avoid the bad ending - Chapter 1

▶Confront.

▶Run away.

A choice window popped up as the psychopath approached.

How can I confront him? He’s holding a knife, and I’m empty-handed!

I was staring at the stupid choice window when I snapped back to reality, just as I was about to select “Run away”.

“Huh? Hey, where are you going?!”

But the choice window disappeared. Is this really how I’m going to die?

The psychopath, holding a knife in his right hand, was nearly within reach.

It’s too late.

My back hit the wall, and my legs were trembling, glued to the floor.

At this rate, I’m going to die…!

I didn’t even try to fight back and just closed my eyes tightly. Dying like this because I hesitated over a choice in the game? Seriously?

[ED 4: Miserable death.

Type – Bad Ending.

Achievement conditions – Be killed by the psychopath.]

Thinking it was all over, I shut my eyes tight, but when I cautiously opened them, a familiar noise was already ringing in my ears.

“Hurry up, we have to find it. What are you doing just standing there?”

“He must have been startled for a moment. Why are you rushing him like that?”

The NPCs, Park Sena and Seo Daejin, turned to look at me.

What’s going on?

As if getting stuck in the game wasn’t unlucky enough, I thought I had died a meaningless death at the hands of a psychopath.

Is this a complete restart? Does this mean I’m actually trapped inside this game?

“Hah..…”

I was so taken aback that I let out a sigh.

I’m glad my life didn’t come to an end in this game, but the frustration of having to start all over again on hard mode made me rest my forehead in my hand with a sigh.

The reason I’m stuck in this damn loop is really nothing extraordinary.

Three days ago, my classmate Yeongwoo showed me an escape room RPG called “The Black Mansion” on his laptop.

He told me it was a free game released on some site, where the goal is to escape the mansion while avoiding a psychopath. The difficulty wasn’t too high, and the puzzles were easy enough to solve. But the problem was…

“But there’s this rumor that if you get the bad ending, the player actually dies in real life. Apparently, every single one of them either had a major accident or ended up dead.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“I’m serious! You know senior Park Jungtae, right? He suddenly disappeared. My friend said they were on the phone with him while he was playing the game. But then, mid-game, the call suddenly cut off. So… doesn’t that mean he got the bad ending and died?”

“Come on. Maybe he just hung up because he was sleepy?”

“No, he was completely awake. Another senior who was close to him was worried because he suddenly disappeared. They even thought about filing a missing person report. I’m telling you, he probably died after getting the bad ending.”

I scoffed at his words. As if such stories are real.

So, to prove a point, I made a copy of the game right in front of him and transferred it to my USB.

“Give it to me, I’ll give it a shot. If the rumor’s fake, you’re buying me dinner, deal?”

“Me? Why should I buy you dinner?”

“Because you’re the one who told me to try it. If the rumor’s real, I’ll disappear while playing it. But if I don’t, that means I’m right, so you owe me. Oh, and if you don’t hear from me in a few days, maybe call the cops.”

Startled for a moment, Yeongwoo grinned and said, “Fine! Give it a go! If you disappear, I’ll be the first to report you missing!” as he peeled an orange.

Looking back, I regret getting involved. I should’ve just kept my mouth shut.

To get in the right mood, I started playing “The Black Mansion” at dawn, and that turned out to be a terrible decision. The game began immediately inside the mansion.

After meeting the NPCs, Seo Daejin and Park Sena, I began unlocking the rooms one by one.

“Ah, this is way too easy. Seo Yeongwoo was just trying to scare me for no reason. Easy peasy.”

I was even humming, acting all smug.

Suddenly, the game screen turned completely white, and light started pouring out of the monitor.

“W-What the…!”

Before I could even react, a bright light burst from the monitor, and I instinctively shielded my face with my arm. My body felt like it was floating, my head spinning, and with a heavy thud, I landed alone inside the mansion.

Rubbing my aching head, I lifted my gaze to see the game screen pop up in front of me.

[Welcome to The Black Mansion.]

I squinted my eyes instinctively.

Am I seeing things? Or have I played so much that the game text boxes are floating in front of me like I’m some kind of addict?

But, unfortunately, it wasn’t a hallucination. The text in front of me disappeared, only to be replaced by new words.

[To complete the game, you must escape the mansion and unlock the happy ending.]

[There are two types of endings: Happy Ending and Bad Ending.]

[Collecting the happy ending will let you escape the mansion safely and clear the game. However, if you collect the bad ending, where you either die or remain trapped in the mansion forever, the game won’t end.]

This is crazy, are you saying I could die?

I waved my arms, hoping I’d just gone crazy, but annoyingly, the system window passed right through my hands like a hologram.

Something wasn’t right. When I played the game in real life, all I had to do was escape the mansion. There was no specific requirement to collect a happy ending to clear the game.

But there’s a condition now?

[Inside the mansion there’s a psychopath. You must avoid the psychopath and manage your health to escape safely.]

[If you fall into a trap or your health reaches 0%, you’ll return to the last save point.]

Just like when I played in real life, there’s a psychopath here too. Basically, I have to avoid the psychopath and collect the happy ending to escape this mansion and finish the game.

This is insane…!

As Park Sena and Seo Daejin approached, I remembered what Seo Yeongwoo had said—if you get the bad ending, you’d die.

It was only after seeing the NPCs replicated exactly as they were in the game that I admitted to myself I had been transported into The Black Mansion.

At this point, I should have been relaxing and peeling a tangerine, but instead, I found myself grinding my teeth in frustration, cursing Seo Yeongwoo.

As with most RPGs, this one also allows you to stop and save your progress when you encounter a statue. Then, if you lose all your health or fall into a trap and die, you’ll be sent back to the last save point.

Turns out, the game resets if the psychopath kills you, which I didn’t realize until now.

“There’s nothing here. How about your side?”

“I haven’t checked yet.”

Still flustered from being back at the starting point, I quickly glanced around, only to see Seo Daejin glaring at me, the veins in his neck bulging with anger.

“Then hurry up and start looking. You’re the only one doing nothing.”

Always in such a rush. I pretended not to hear his impatient voice and looked down at the dresser drawer.

The bloodstained dresser looked perfectly fine to anyone who saw it.

But I know. As soon as I open this drawer, a knife will suddenly fly out and pierce my body, sending me back to the last save point. That’s what happened to me before, and I got sent right back…

Luckily, I get to keep my memories every time I restart. I suppose it’s a system feature meant to help players clear the game.

I pulled open the bottom drawer of the bloodstained dresser.

[You have obtained the Small Room Key.]

Fortunately, the key appeared right away. When I waved it in the air, both of their faces lit up.

“I found the key.”

“Oh, so it was in this room after all. Which room does it unlock?”

“Maybe the room next door?”

The next room is likely the small room since it’s beside the “big room”.

“Maybe. Let’s go check it out.”

Park Sena said as she opened the door. I was on edge before following Seo Daejin. I had run into the psychopath here before.

And then I waited for the choice screen to pop up, but…

…The choice window isn’t showing up?

Usually, there’s supposed to be an option to choose between ‘leave’ and ‘stay.’ But it’s not appearing this time.

Why?

I quietly trailed behind the two as we stepped outside, but the hallway was deserted, with no one in sight.

Could it be that the game changes when it restarts?

It seemed like starting over from the beginning slightly altered the game’s content.  

What a hassle.

I sighed heavily at the game’s even harsher difficulty. This damn game just won’t give me a break.

Park Sena slid the small room’s key into the doorknob and gave it a twist.

Click.

[You have unlocked the Small Room.]

The sound of the door unlocking was followed by the system window popping up.

We cautiously opened the door and peeked inside.

Since I could die if something like a blade came flying at me, I subtly stayed a bit behind Seo Daejin and Park Sena. You guys are NPCs, so you’ll be fine. But I won’t.

It was a little selfish, sure, but I didn’t want to die again and be sent back to the last save point. After all, between a living player and mere data like the NPCs, the former is clearly more important. Obviously.

“Ah.”

Seo Daejin flinched, freezing in place. Park Sena, too, took a step back with a startled gasp. What’s going on? I pushed the door fully open and stepped into the room after the two of them.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Well, it’s just…”

Aside from its size, the small room wasn’t much different from the larger one. A small desk, a small bookshelf, a small bed…

And sitting on the bed was a man.

“Huh?”

There’s no character like this in the original game. The only NPCs are Park Sena and Seo Daejin.

Could it be a system glitch? Or is this game different from the one the developer originally made?

While I was lost in thought, I made eye contact with the man. He looked at me and gave me a bright smile.

“Hi. We finally meet.”

The man who was sitting on the bed stood up and approached us, locking eyes with me with unyielding intensity.

“Who are you?”

“….”

With clear wariness, Seo Daejin questioned him. However, the man ignored him completely, smiling as he continued to look at me.

“….”

How do I describe it? For an NPC, the guy was almost unnaturally handsome. Honestly, “beautiful” might be more fitting.

His pale skin stood out even more against his black hair, and with his sharp nose, large, clear eyes, and full, alluring lips, he seemed like he could captivate anyone, man or woman. Even the black turtleneck and dark jacket he wore suited him perfectly.

In a way, he was almost breathtaking. His strange, captivating aura made me think he was the most attractive man I’d ever encountered. I couldn’t help but wonder if the game developer had created him out of personal preference.

To think that a man with a face like this only exists inside a game. It really makes you realize that, after all, a game is just a game.

“Are you trapped in this mansion, too?”

“Yes.”

When Park Sena asked, the man nodded in response. As he spoke, he locked eyes with me again. For some reason, the way he kept staring at me made me uncomfortable, so I subtly averted my gaze.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Translator’s note:

Hello, this is Silver o/

I’ll be translating this once a month, maybe twice. If you want to support me here’s a kofi link, click here.

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