NOVEL NEXT chapter 15- take a good look at your opponent's hand.
take a good look at your opponent’s hand.
Episode 15
Then for now…
I used the Poltergeist skill to close and lock the door the man had just entered.
Bang!
Click!
“Eh?”
The man’s face suddenly stiffened as if he finally understood the situation. I looked down at the frozen man and began to time my actions.
– One.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Open the door!”
– Two.
“Damn it! Why won’t it open?”
– Three.
“Shit! That bitch! How dare she deceive me?! How dare a whore like her!!”
– Now.
Creeeak!
The man, who had been raging, frozen again.
Well, of course. If a door suddenly opened with a loud noise, anyone would be startled, including me. Moreover, my mansion was so dark that you couldn’t see an inch ahead, yet I had cleverly adjusted the light levels in each room to create the illusion of “it’s dark, but you can see a little bit.”
Right now, the man could see a certain amount inside the reception room, but the area across the suddenly opened door was completely invisible, which must be driving him crazy.
“This, this, this… Damn bitch! You’re in for it now!”
Immediately, the man picked up an old wooden plank lying nearby and started stomping toward the opened door.
… What bravery. Or is he just brainless?
‘It’s a trap, but he’s walking right in.’
Well, there was no other way to go, so he had to enter. However, if he just walked in, he would naturally have a hard time.
‘If he had searched the reception room a bit, he could have found some useful items… Tsk tsk.’
Despite appearances, I’ve been managing a ghost house for 30 years. It’s third-rate to simply trap guests and leave them trembling in fear without doing anything! As the master of this mansion, I prohibit any mediocre haunted house experiences!!!
… Though, in reality, it’s more of a ‘constraint’ to strengthen my powers within the mansion.
‘If a guest clears the attraction to the end, they can escape the mansion or meet me directly… that’s the deal.’
To put it simply, it’s like a ‘dam.’
A ‘dam’ is a facility for holding back water, but if you just hold it back indefinitely, one day it will either break or overflow due to the water pressure. Therefore, dams let some of the collected water flow out to manage the pressure.
What I did is similar. By creating an escape route, I ensure that the prey—I mean, the guests who entered the mansion—can never escape through any means other than that route.
‘Well, in reality, no one has ever cleared the attraction.’
People in this world are surprisingly weak against horror. Is it because they can just ‘physically’ beat most monsters or ghosts? Or is it because the existence of magic makes their feelings different from those on Earth?
But still, they seem to feel fear in similar situations to Earth. They fear ghosts just the same, and phenomena like poltergeists are equally terrifying.
‘…Is it because only a small number of nobles are born with mana? Is that why their feelings are similar to those on Earth?’
In this world, only a few nobles can use mana. I’ve heard there was a royal family blessed by the gods, and those with their blood are considered nobles.
Thinking back, my half-brother was quite an elite. His personality was trashy like a count or a baron, though.
I’ve digressed a bit, but anyway, due to that constraint, all my attractions hide various clues or helpful items throughout the mansion.
To be honest… I did take some inspiration from horror games that streamers played on Earth. Did I ever play horror games myself? I’m weak against horror, gore, and thrillers. I hate that stuff.
‘It’s ironic that I’m designing a horror attraction given that.’
However, experiencing it directly and designing it are different genres, right?
Anyway, from my perspective, that man is failing. But this reception room is the first facility of the first attraction, and the hints are very obvious.
For example, the writing on the wall is written in blood. Even though it’s a bit dark, I’ve adjusted the light so that it’s still visible.
‘Well, if he wants to enjoy it in hard mode.’
I used a poltergeist to open the ceiling and quickly activated something I had hidden up there.
And I cast an illusion in the room as well.
I recalled the memories of when I lived a life not much different from that of a maid before I died. I thought of the most splendid memory of this reception room.
And I spread that memory through my spiritual power.
– Hoit!
Vroom!
In an instant, the old, dark reception room regained its splendid former appearance.
The preparations here are all done…
Why do I prepare it like this? Because this will be used again in the final part of this attraction.
Didn’t famous zombie horror games with names like “Nugleman” make players traverse a limited map while reusing parts? I’m just following suit.
After all, the internal space of the mansion is limited.
“Ahhhhh!”
– What? Did it start already?
I hurriedly flew toward the source of the scream, breaking through the wall.
What I saw was a man trembling on the floor, having fallen over, and in front of him, a spring-loaded puppet doll bouncing up and down. Behind that doll, Miira appeared with an expressionless face, opening her mouth.
= Hee hee hee! Hello, hello!
“Ugh… Ah… Aah!”
– ….
Now, what’s happening is…
First, the man enters this room, that is, the servant’s quarters.
Second, the surprise doll, which was preinstalled, is activated by opening the door.
Third, the man screams as the doll suddenly springs up in front of his face.
Fourth, realizing that the cause of his shock is the doll, the man takes a breath, and Miira, controlling the doll with a poltergeist, whispers to the man.
And that’s the result.
A mysterious doll that moves on its own and even speaks has startled the man.
I subtly closed the door to the quarters and locked it.
Naturally, the man began to freak out at the suddenly closed door, but Miira again pretended to be the doll, speaking to further provoke his fear.
Why so scared? Don’t go. Let’s play. Let’s play together.
“Aaah!! Let me out! I want to get out!!”
A smiling puppet doll that shakes its body… Even I find that a bit scary.
But that will soon break. When fear reaches its peak, humans tend to resort to extreme actions.
Typically…
“Die!”
Crack!