I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game-Chapter 48: Escape Room

“How are the kids?”

“They haven’t woken up yet. We’ll have to keep watching them.”

“...”

“Stay strong. Thanks to the nun’s cross, there’s no immediate danger. Honestly, I didn’t expect even purification artifacts to be useless... If she weren’t here, we would’ve been in serious trouble.”

“I need to thank Maria... and you too.”

“No need for that. I promised to help. Though, I’ll admit, my leg still aches from kicking away that massive arm.”

“Most people wouldn’t even be able to knock that thing away. It felt like the whole building was about to collapse...”

“Haha... Well, I do consider myself quite capable. Still, even with my strength, all I can do is support the kids. Arachne’s mental attacks are beyond my level.”

“In the end... we have no choice but to trust them.”

-----

“Ahhh!”

I jolted awake.

The giant eyes... They were still vivid in my memory.

There was someone to my left—at least, I thought so—but I couldn’t quite remember who.

I was lying in bed.

I didn’t remember the school having beds. Was this the infirmary?

“You’re finally awake, Ha-rim.”

“Huh? Oh, Kyung-min.”

Kyung-min greeted me cheerfully.

I asked him what had happened.

But he simply tilted his head, as if he had no idea what I was talking about.

“Nothing happened. Everything’s normal. We played at home, ate, and slept, just like always.”

Something about him seemed off.

Well, considering everything we’d been through, it wasn’t surprising if he was in shock.

Maybe I should ask the others.

“Where are the others?”

“They’re over there, playing gonggi in the corner. Hey, guys! Ha-rim’s awake!”

(T/N: Gonggi is a traditional Korean game played with small stones.)

Soo-ho and Eun-jung, who had been huddled together in the corner playing, turned toward me.

That’s when I noticed—this wasn’t the infirmary.

There were four beds. One window.

A single door leading to what seemed to be a bathroom.

Scattered across the floor were various toys, and a few sheets of paper lay here and there.

“You’re such a sleepyhead, Ha-rim. But you don’t look too good after waking up.”

“If you’re tired, you should rest more. Don’t push yourself.”

“Thanks for worrying about me, but... where are we?”

“What do you mean? We’re at home. Did you forget that too?”

“Oh... right.”

Something’s wrong.

Home? What is he talking about?

Why isn’t anyone questioning this?

Even the others... they’re just smiling. Their expressions haven’t changed. It’s like their faces are hollow... empty.

Suppressing my unease, I got out of bed.

I walked past my clubmates and peered out the window.

What I saw was a small village, built in an old Western architectural style.

Bright lights illuminated the streets, as if a festival were in full swing.

“You want to go outside?”

Soo-ho asked.

“Right?”

“No.”

“...Why not?”

“Because Mom said the village is dangerous.”

“...”

Hearing that, I hurriedly started rummaging through the room.

The others must have been affected by a supernatural entity.

When people start saying things that don’t make sense like this, Eun-jung’s bell is usually effective.

I needed to find it.

“What are you looking for? A toy?”

“Eun-jung, where’s your bell?”

“Bell? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I was going to lose my mind.

Maybe a good smack would snap them out of it.

In a life-or-death situation, you can’t be picky about your methods.

I raised my hand and walked up to Eun-jung, who was still smiling.

“?”

“Sorry, Eun-jung!”

Whack!

I flicked her forehead hard.

She wobbled slightly.

But that was it.

As if nothing had happened, she kept smiling.

She didn’t even question why I’d suddenly hit her.

Chills ran down my spine.

I felt like I was going insane.

...Calm down. Think rationally.

The last thing I remember was the classroom.

And then I woke up in this bizarre place, with my clubmates acting strangely.

It’s highly likely we were abducted.

That would explain why we don’t have any of our belongings.

There doesn’t seem to be any immediate danger, so I need to focus on gathering information.

“...Where’s Mom?”

“Mom is upstairs, in her room. If she was awake, you would’ve heard the noise of her eight legs scuttling down the hall.”

“Eight legs... Sounds like a spider.”

A spider, huh...?

I stepped away from the window and headed for the door.

First, I needed to investigate.

I had to figure out the layout of this house.

I carefully opened the old wooden door and peeked outside.

To my surprise, the hallway was spotless.

Whoever lived here cared about cleanliness—it was immaculately polished.

“Mom doesn’t like it when we’re outside our room. You should come back before she notices.”

I stepped into the hallway and scanned my surroundings.

Left or right... which way should I go?

That’s when I caught a whiff of something.

The smell of cooked meat... coming from the right.

That must be the kitchen.

‘I’ll check it out.’

The kitchen didn’t have a door, so I cautiously peeked inside.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The kitchen was spotless.

On the table, plates and utensils were neatly arranged. A menu was written on a piece of paper. I read it.

Tonight’s Dinner Menu: Potato soup. Flour porridge (For Emily only). Fruit. Roasted... villager.

Wait.

“Roasted... person?!”

I turned to the oven in panic.

Inside, something vaguely human-shaped was half-burned, taking up space within.

Deep, clawed scratches on the oven walls stood out, clear even to the naked eye, sending a wave of nausea through me.

I swallowed hard.

I could not leave any evidence that I had been here.

I had seen enough horrifying things already.

Forcing down the urge to vomit, I continued my search.

What could I take from here? A kitchen knife, maybe.

I grabbed a knife. Something sharp might come in handy.

Thud.

“A note?”

A piece of paper had fallen.

It must have been behind the cutting board I had moved while grabbing the knife.

It’s always best to read things like this.

I reached for it.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!

“?!”

A thunderous sound of multiple footsteps echoed from above.

Eight legs.

That thing the others had called "Mom" was coming.

But she was too fast.

It was already too late to run back to the room.

I had no choice but to hide.

The footsteps descended to the first floor.

Holding my breath, I gripped the knife tightly.

...Click. Click.

Creak... BAM!

The heavy steps stormed through the house.

And then...

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

Silence.

She had moved away to the left.

If she hadn’t stopped, she must have gone outside.

So the front door was on the left. The stairs to the second floor must be right nearby.

And... I heard the sound of a lock.

That meant the front door required a key.

Too complicated. A window would be the better escape route.

I slipped out of the kitchen and returned to the room.

Carefully, I unfolded the note.

I felt guilty, but... those smiling faces weren’t them. I couldn’t trust them.

[I'm scared! Kyung-min and Soo-ho... they’re both acting weird. There are bones in the kitchen too... Ha-rim, please wake up soon. I feel like I'm going to die from fear.

I saw a note on Soo-ho and Kyung-min’s beds. I’m heading to the storage room on the second floor.

But that ‘Mom’ person keeps watching.

If I make it back, I’ll leave a note under my pillow. —Kim Eun-jung]

“?!”

Eun-jung... wrote this?

The same Eun-jung who was now smiling and playing gonggi in the corner?

I turned to her.

She waved at me with that unnerving smile.

I gave a small nod in return.

So... she was herself at some point.

According to this note, I had been asleep, and Eun-jung had noticed something was wrong before I woke up.

She was experiencing the same thing as me.

I lifted her pillow.

...No note.

I searched Soo-ho and Kyung-min’s beds and found two more notes.

I read Soo-ho’s first.

[I woke up and saw you all still asleep. You wouldn’t wake up, no matter how much I shook you.

So I’m leaving this note. This place isn’t right.

There’s a woman with multiple legs, like a spider, pretending to be our mother.

She doesn’t attack as long as we obey her.

I’ll keep playing along as her ‘child’ for now. I’ll write more after I figure things out. —Yoo Soo-ho]

Soo-ho woke up first.

That meant the order was: Soo-ho, Kyung-min, Eun-jung, then me.

She doesn’t attack if you ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ obey her?

So... her goal isn’t just to eat us like the roasted body in the kitchen?

That’s valuable information.

Next, I read Kyung-min’s note.

[If you're reading this, it’s either Ha-rim or Eun-jung.

Did you read Soo-ho’s note first? You should.

I know this is overwhelming, but listen carefully.

First—don't trust anyone who’s smiling.

They may look like Soo-ho or someone else, but inside, they’re completely empty.

Second—don’t get caught leaving the room. I haven’t been caught yet, but ‘Mom’ watches sometimes. It won’t end well if she finds out.

Third—don’t try to escape through the windows. There are traps. I almost died.

Finally—remember the token Piero gave us? That clown guy? It’s important.

The moment ‘Mom’ saw mine, she snatched it away.

I think she put it in the storage room on the second floor.

I’ll write more if I learn anything.]

Kyung-min, you’re amazing.

So much useful information.

If I had tried to escape through the window, I would have died.

The Piero token... that was taken.

There were four of them.

I checked. Mine was missing too.

“...I’m the last one to wake up. Should I even bother leaving a note?”

There was no one left to read it.

Once again, I was alone.

If ‘Mom’ had left the house, would she stay out for a while?

None of the notes mentioned her leaving before.

This might be my only chance to search the storage room.

I swallowed hard.

I had to do it.

My hands trembled—not from fear alone, but from something deeper.

Before, even if we were separated, I knew we were all fighting together.

But now...

That certainty was gone.

If these smiling figures were fakes...

Then where were the real ones?

Had they already died?

Had I been left alone again?

Being alone is unbearable.

After school, I was always by myself.

It was the time I feared most.

Fear is no longer fun when you have to face it alone.

After experiencing fear together, we should be able to laugh about it later, saying, "That was scary, huh?"

But the thought of not being able to do that terrified me.

I was afraid of being the only one left when everything was over.

I was afraid that our adventure... wouldn’t end as just an adventure.

“...”

—Especially you, Ha-rim. I promised to show you an adventure.

...Who said that?

I stepped out of the room again.

Now wasn’t the time to hesitate—I needed to move quickly.

I strode down the hallway.

Doors. More doors. So many doors flashed past me.

Every single one was marked with an X. Rooms that were no longer in use.

This house must have once been full of people.

I stopped in front of the entrance. The staircase was right beside it.

A staircase leading upstairs... and another leading down to the basement.

Up first.

It was strange. Everything we had was taken away, yet the Piero badge was still here.

I had to find that hat-shaped token in the storage room.

I climbed the stairs.

The second floor hallway was noticeably less clean.

It was also spacious.

There was only one private bedroom, likely belonging to the fake mother.

The rest of the floor was storage rooms, bathrooms, and windows.

That made things easier.

I walked past the bedroom and headed straight to the storage room.

I turned the doorknob.

Clunk.

Locked.

“...Maybe.”

I spotted a flower pot beside the door and moved it aside.

If the others had been here before me, they might have left a clue.

Sure enough, a note was hidden underneath.

[The key is in the second-floor bathroom, on the shelf. —Kim Eun-jung]

I retrieved the box from the bathroom shelf and found the key.

No time to waste. I immediately unlocked the storage room door and stepped inside.

“Cough... cough...”

The room was filled with dust.

But no cobwebs.

That was odd.

Most media used cobwebs to symbolize decay, yet this house belonged to a woman with spider legs—and there wasn’t a single web?

...There were a lot of items here.

Most of them were childcare supplies.

Children’s clothes, toys... even prosthetic limbs and crutches.

It looked like this place had once cared for sick or injured children.

“Now... where would the token be—oh, a box.”

Two small boxes caught my eye.

One was open.

The other was tightly wrapped in cloth.

I checked the open one first.

“Got it!”

Three Piero hat-shaped badges.

...Three?

One was missing.

Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy.

I pocketed the three badges and turned to the cloth-wrapped box.

It was tied too tightly to undo by hand.

“...This knife should help.”

Slash. Slash.

I cut through the fabric with the kitchen knife and opened the box.

Inside were old papers.

They looked like newspapers from an earlier era.

The text was written in difficult English, making it hard to read.

The only thing I could understand were simple phrases, like "Dolls for Sale."

There was also a photograph.

It showed a storefront with a sign featuring an apple.

A toy shop?

“...Maybe it’s in the village.”

I had seen a small town through the window.

But for now—I had what I needed.

Time to go back.

I stood up and walked through the second-floor hallway.

Clunk.

A door opened.

Thump-thump-thump-thump!

And the footsteps were coming this way.

I rushed to find a hiding spot.

The fake mother’s room was the closest option.

I bolted inside.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

She was right behind me.

Where could I hide?

...A box.

A perfectly-sized box.

I lifted the lid to climb inside—

But then I saw it.

A note.

[DON’T HIDE HERE!]

The words were written in frantic, rushed handwriting.

Clank!

Creak...

She had entered the room.

Rustle... rustle...

She opened a box.

“...Strange.”

Creak... clank.

Thump-thump-thump...

She left.

She was gone.

"I had survived."

But for some reason, I didn’t feel relieved.