I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game-Chapter 49: Gathering Clues

I never expected it to come back at this moment.

And it's moving far too quickly.

It would be impossible to run away using conventional methods. I pressed my ear to the floor to pinpoint the enemy's position.

To the right... it’s heading toward the kitchen. I heard the sound of something being dragged—it seems it’s fetching some ingredients.

I thought to myself that I must return to the room before the cooking is finished.

But now that I’ve stepped into the room, I should at least conduct a rough investigation.

I give the room a swift survey.

The first things that caught my eye were a large bed and a dressing table.

Since there’s nothing special on the bed, I decided to examine the dressing table.

There are only a few cosmetics.

Other than that, nothing appears particularly out of the ordinary... yet an unsettling feeling creeps in.

What could it be?

Sss...

A note dropped.

It seems that some of the others have also entered this room.

[Isn’t this dressing table odd?

I keep feeling an unease, but I can’t figure out why.

What purpose does that hard metal, facing one’s face when sitting, serve?

I feel that way too! It seems like something is blocking my thoughts.

I felt the same way in the bathroom... I really don’t know.

By the way, I found a suspicious-looking medicine in the dressing table drawer. —Kyung-min—]

Did Eun-jung fail to notice the note?

Or perhaps Eun-jung was the one who hid in the box and just got caught.

“...We don’t have much time to ponder.”

First, I opened the drawer and grabbed the medicine. It’s my habit to always take anything I can.

I'm not a thief, you know!

What exactly is this medicine?

There were a lot of them; it seems to be something taken regularly.

It can’t be just cold medicine... is it something indispensable for daily life?

But that doesn’t mean the monster is in poor health. A condition that requires medicine without being life-threatening... I’ll remember that.

I returned to the room.

As soon as I came down, I found something like a bag.

There was also something resembling a laundry basket for clothes.

I put all the items I had gathered so far into it, wrapping them in cloth so nothing would fall out when I ran.

...I should also pick up the few sheets of paper and that pencil-like object lying on the floor.

If I gather more information, I might need a place to take notes.

“Haah...”

I let out a sigh. It’s natural to feel exhausted when you’re constantly on edge.

The worst part is that I still can’t afford to let my guard down.

That creature called Mom is currently cooking.

We’re supposed to be her children, or so the setting goes...

What comes next? Judging by the circumstances, it must be time for a meal.

“...”

Step, step, step, step...

It’s coming.

...The door opened.

“Eat... your meal...”

I decided to follow the monster’s orders.

The fake club members and I sat at the dining table.

I hope they didn’t notice we didn’t have a knife...

I looked at the monster carrying the food.

The monster gave a sly smile in response to my gaze.

At first, it was potato soup... everyone seemed to be in the mood to eat.

I took a bite. It was bland, but not inedible.

Naturally, I wasn’t in the mood to eat much, so I only pretended to.

Next...

“...”

Aren’t you eating?

Absolutely not. I absolutely refuse. On closer look, it isn’t even human.

Normally, people don’t have such strange, tentacle-like things attached to their necks.

When I didn’t eat, the monster’s neck stretched out and it leaned its face toward me.

“Don’t get nervous.”

I’m the only one who can navigate through this situation.

If I hesitate, all the efforts of those who have suffered so far will be for nothing.

Should I stab with a knife? No.

I don’t have the means to defeat that monster.

There’s no way a girl could just slaughter that monster with her fists or a knife.

Clue. Think about the clues I’ve gathered so far.

Every monster I’ve encountered had its own strategy. There was always a clue to decipher that strategy.

...Dinner Menu List!

Certainly, aside from the dishes served so far, there was also a dish called Flour Porridge (for Emily only).

I requested it.

Just as I was about to speak, I realized that the monster’s face was uncomfortably close.

“Flour porridge... p-please give it...”

This is dangerous. I can barely get the words out.

“...Ah. I’m sorry, Emily.”

Emily? That’s the name written on the note.

I must have mistaken her for the person who occupied those many rooms.

To be mistaken so simply.

That monster didn’t exactly seem capable of normal thought.

If I refuse to eat, it might suddenly bash my head with the spoon it was holding.

The monster brought me the flour porridge.

I nibbled at it.

After the meal, when it was time to leave, the monster stayed behind to eat its own meal.

It would have been an ordinary scene—if only it weren’t a monster known as Village Person.

I only managed to see the monster’s head split open, exposing its tongue and teeth, before quickly fleeing the scene.

“...I wonder if this will be useful.”

A bag of flour in hand.

Since the monster had left the leftover ingredients from making the flour porridge on the spot, I managed to take the bag without being noticed.

It’s good to grab anything you can if it catches your eye.

It might come in handy!

I’m not the type to head straight back to the room after a meal.

Let’s explore another room.

From our adjacent room all the way to the front door, every room was marked with an X.

They all appear to be locked, but it might be worth trying to open them.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"Click.

It still won’t open.

There was someone nearby who was always ready to break down any locked door... was it Soo-ho? In any case, it’s really inconvenient.

Just when I was about to return to the room empty-handed... I noticed a piece of paper subtly jutting out from under the door gap.

[Perhaps, Ha-rim, you’ll be reading this. You’re incredibly meticulous—keep looking just like that. I’ve learned two more things. That monstrous woman sometimes goes down to the village to procure ingredients. And though I don’t know what she does behind the house, she does spend time there. If she intends to do something, that will be her chance. However, since she doesn’t linger for long, following her down to the village might be difficult. And maybe it’s just my imagination. Don’t you hear something coming from the hat-shaped badge (token) that Mr. Piero gave you? It sounded ominous enough that I hid it in my pocket. Check it out later, too.]

"...!"

I went into the room, pressed my ear against the three badges, and focused.

...I can really hear a murmuring sound. It isn’t clear, but it seems that if I obtain the final one, it will come through distinctly. Mr. Piero wasn’t an ordinary man, so it appears there’s something concealed within the token. It was also suspicious that the monster snatched Kyung-min’s token as soon as it discovered it. Soo-ho managed to avoid having his badge taken by the monster, so he was able to confirm it. You said you hid it in your pocket, didn’t you?

"Uh... Soo-ho?"

"Hmm? Why are you calling?"

"Do you have something in your pocket?"

"I don’t..."

"By the way, where’s your coat?"

"My mom left it in the laundry room to have it mended."

So the last token is in the laundry room...!

I wanted to dash over immediately, but after hearing the monster finish its meal and head back, I decided to wait a little.

Once I’m completely up on the second floor, let’s go in a few minutes.

I placed the bag of flour into the basket and sat on the edge of the bed.

...I couldn’t afford to waste even a moment, so I pondered what to do for a short while.

I took out a piece of paper and began to draw.

It was a sketch of the monster I had just seen.

I figured it would be good to remember its features.

It has four arms... eight legs... and its entirely black outfit looks like something out of a funeral parlor.

It’s fast...and its head splits.

Before long, I realized I had become completely absorbed in drawing.

After tucking the drawing into the basket, I slightly opened the door to check the hallway.

...There doesn’t seem to be any surveillance.

Since there might be something useful in the laundry room, I decided to take the basket along.

The laundry room should be to the right of the kitchen, so I should see it once I turn the corner.

I moved forward with that thought when suddenly...

“Where are you going...?”

"..."

Mom doesn’t like kids who don’t listen...

Cold sweat began pouring down my face.

It’s right behind me!

Could this be what Eun-jung meant by feeling watched in her note?

Soo-ho wasn’t just acting on a whim when he waited for the monster to leave the house.

Regret, of course, only rears its head after something has happened—and that was especially infuriating.

I should have noticed beforehand that there might be some means of surveillance even on the second floor...!

I shouldn’t go down to the village... I’ve told you so [N O V E L I G H T] many times that the village is dangerous... that people there might poison you...

Think. The clue must be nearby. I must not lose hope.

I have to recall everything that’s happened so far. Everything. Everything...

A blonde girl flashed through my mind.

—To put it metaphorically, she’s an enigma.

"..."

...Who could it be? Somehow, I felt reassured and calm.

They say that kids who don’t listen get locked in the basement... Come on, speak up. Why did you try wandering around the hallway? If you needed the bathroom, there’s one inside the room...!

"..."

I took the doodle of the monster I had been drawing from the basket and showed it to the creature itself.

"I came out because I wanted to show it to my mom."

"..."

Gulp. If you can come up with a suitably mysterious excuse, that’s enough.

If it sounds plausible, you just go with it.

I wondered—would this work?

"That's a pretty drawing, Charlotte."

The monster ascended to the second floor, and I returned to the room.

—Not bad, Ha‑rim~

It felt as though someone from my past was praising me.

I wanted to know who that was, but some unknown force seemed to bar my thoughts.

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As I recalled that person, I realized it was time to sleep, so I lay down on the bed.

Though I felt like roaming the hallway, I decided to stop, not knowing how the surveillance was being managed.

...I wonder if that monster is sleeping too?

The presence of a bed suggests it might be.

Sure enough, from above I heard the sound of a large body shifting.

Then, after a moment, came the sound of something eating, and the rustling ceased.

I felt that I was about to understand what exactly the medicine on the dressing table was.

And then came the next day.

After barely making it through breakfast, I observed the state of the monster.

From the window, I saw that the monster had gone outside and was standing—

In front of countless graves.

Her back looked incredibly sorrowful.

I left her behind and headed for the laundry room.

There, I found Soo-ho’s coat. There were also things like thread and a needle—items that looked useful, so I took them.

Searching through the coat, I discovered the final token. With that, all four tokens were gathered.

Then, something astonishing happened.

The four hat-shaped badges merged into one and transformed into a real hat.

From the hat, Mr. Piero’s voice rang out clearly:

"Find the doll. Find the doll. The doll..."

Find the doll. It kept repeating.

I recalled seeing an advertisement for a shop that sold dolls in the newspaper I had found in the storage room.

...I must go to the village."