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Translator – Zack

Editor – Asdf

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She lifted the child from her prone position and brushed the dust off her body, leaving a small translucent window next to her.

「Name: Russell」

The window with a simple name on it appeared quickly. Fidelis asked, looking at Russell who was sniffing.

“Why are you here? Are you lost?”

“… Moo, I don’t know. When I woke up, Woo! Mom!”

Russell almost burst into tears at her sudden question. The child’s body wasn’t very cold, but it was the body temperature of a human she had not felt in so long.

Fidelis hugged Russell tightly without realizing it.

A sense of relief was rushed into this one little child to the point that the tip of her nose wrinkled. Sniffing also her little nose, Fidelis patted Russell on the back and tried to hug her longer, but stopped when she saw the child’s ankle. Russell’s ankles were cut with flesh as if someone had gnawed them.

Maybe that sound… .

My back shivered. The moment I realized it, I heard a sound intermittently from behind which started coming out again.

scallops, scallops, scallops.

She didn’t want to look back, but she had to. There might be another victim.

To be honest, running away with only Russell right now was the best way to survive, but what if another child is being eaten now?

Fidelis held Russell in her arms and got up with the child in her arms. And then, she turned her body and looked behind her. A grotesque creature crawling on the floor was slowly approaching Fidelis, scratching its’ own arm with its teeth.

Fidelis gave strength to her arms as she held the child while contamplating her thoughts. Perhaps because she had seen Russell, Fidelis had stopped crying and held her breath.

 

Her palms were already drenched with sweat, and the cold sweat that had stopped from before began to wet her body. But, she still held her breath as much as possible.

She didn’t take her eyes off the odd creature and began to retreat slowly with the child. Fortunately it didn’t seem to care about it.

As she tried to turn her face to look behind her to see if there’s something, the rattling stopped abruptly. Fidelis and Russell’s bodies stiffened.

The bizarre creature stood still with a crackling sound. A blood-drying silence enveloped between them, and the heavy air seemed to suffocate Fidelis.

“… … .”

Fidelis bit her lip so tight that she bled. As if it were a signal, the bizarre creature rushed towards Fidelis at a very fast speed. Startled, Fidelis screamed as her neck was ripped apart.

“Ahhhhhhhh!”

When Fidelis’ loud scream was heard, the running monster let out a strange scream and then drooped.

[Keeeeeeek!]

“… Heh heh heh… What, what?”

Breathing heavily, Fidelis and Russell looked into each other’s eyes and looked at the monster that looked like it had already disappeared. Then a familiar voice pierced my ears again. “You have acquired the skill, ‘Lion’s Breath’.”

… What?

Fidelis was just staring down at the motionless monstrous creature with a bewildered look on her face while gasping for breath.

“Uh, how did you do?”

“Uh… That’s ah,mm… … .”

“Yes?”

As Russell tilted her face, Fidelis simply smiled faintly and patted the child on her back and ready to leave this place. I had no way to explain that.

 

How can I say that after I screamed once, I acquired the skill ‘Lion’s Breath’? Obviously, in the window introducing the mansion of the dead, it was said that skills only applies to me. I thought it would be better not to say anything since she couldn’t understand even if I said it.

 

But it’s a really random skill. As I was thinking about it, I suddenly remembered my younger brother who explained the game to me.

‘Especially the skills are really funny! Have you ever seen a skill that someone turned into iron just because they kicked a can?’

Then, my younger brother even laughed. Perhaps this skill was one of those goal-striking skills. Fidelis took Russell with her and went under the stairs she just saw and hid. It was a big deal if the ghosts gathered due to my loud scream.

And, this was the only place I thought that was safe. She put Lantern and Russell down on the floor and tried to rip her pajama pants, but it wasn’t as easy as she thought.

“Hngh…”

As she moaned because her clothes didn’t rip as easily as she seen on tv, the child gave her a sharp wooden plank.

“Ah, thank you.”

She made a hole in her pants and ripped it along with the center. And then, she wrapped the child’s ankle wounds with her ripped clothes.

She didn’t even care about one side of her pants being asymmetrical and unsightly. Exhaling her pale breath, Fidelis looked at Russell, who was sniffling.

She was very anxious about the current situation for a child who did not know what route she had taken, but it was more dangerous than she expected. After giving a stroke on herr lttle head, Fidelis decided to carry Russell along.

She couldn’t left the little child behind and go alone. She longed for her more than anything else now that she realized that it  would be better to have someone by her side, even if she was a small child.

‘No, wait.’

Fidelis looked at Russell at her strange feeling.

Wasn’t the term ‘protection’ in the game event referring to Russell? I thought I had to protect this child, but is it something or someone else?

Fidelis was puzzled as she still did not hear the machine voice telling her that the event was complete.

‘Is it different from the protection I know?’

Fidelis wrinkled her eyebrows slightly because she couldn’t go downstairs if she didn’t clear the event.

What if she had someone else to protect?

She held back holding her sigh. If she sighed in front of the child, and it would do nothing good. Fidelis smiled softly after she pinned her narrowing eyebrows.

“Would you like to be lifted up by your Noona?” She couldn’t let the child walk with her leg hurt.

“Ah, but… … .”

Russell looked at Fidelis’ small body and pondered. Noona is a lot older than me, but she looked so fragile that she seemed to need more help than me.

“Even if I looks like this, I am strong. Haven’t I carried you before.” “Ah.”

When she saw Russell still hesitated even though she assured her, Fidelis lifted the child in front of her with her arms.

“I would rather do this. You look back and I will look ahead.”

“Yes, Yes!” “Great! Let’s go!”

Fidelis, cheering her up, took the child with one hand and held a lantern on the other hand. It wasn’t that she wasn’t strong. However, her mind felt more comfortable with this.

‘And because I have a ‘Lion’s Breath’.’

Although it was a strange skill that she acquired accidentally, Fidelis tried to find peace of mind by thinking about the monster that fell out with a single sound with that skill.

I felt like I had a little bit of room for escape because I also had a skill called ‘Lion’s hoop’ that could protect my body from being shot with something. Russell is by my side, too.

And, I couldn’t go downstairs, so I decided to look around the current floor. I grabbed the nearest doorknob, thinking that the room might have some shoes, and it opened easily this time. Squeaky… .

Carefully opening the door, something reflected in the moonlight and shot Fidelis’ eyes with a bright light. When she clearly opened her eyes again with a slight frown, she saw the countless knives hanging from the ceiling dangle threateningly. Fidelis closed the door without hesitation.

“That’s so many.”

Okay, don’t be scared.

Fidelis nodded her head and turned her body around, pretending to be calm, but the tears welling up in her eyes couldn’t be helped. There was no ordinary things in every room that she has opened.

“Oh, wait, Noona!”

“Huh?”

As Fidelis stopped her steps, Russell pointed to her black feet.

“Your feet, are you okay?”

“It’s okay.”

“That… I think there were shoes in the room noona opened earlier… .”

Russell hesitated and spoke softly, and Fidelis nodded her head. She saw them too. But she chose not to go in.

‘It’s better to have only her feet mangled than her whole body.’

Either way, the former was much better. Thinking about that, Fidelis smiled slightly.

“It’s too dangerous to go there to pick up a pair of shoes. Thanks for letting me know.”

The child bowed her head and nodded slightly when Fidelis looked at Russell and praised her. The corners of her ears, Russell’s, were a little red. bang bang bang.

“… ?”

Russell screamed in haste as Fidelis stopped her mouth to listen to the sound of someone running and heard the blunt footsteps rumble through the floor.

“Run away, Noona!”

Fidelis didn’t ask why. She grabbed Russell tightly and started running at her full speed. As she gasped for the wild breath and though her brain was running low on oxygen, Fidelis looked behind her as she turned her corner.

A man in a large teddy bear mask with a saw in one hand was following them with a frightening force.

The clothes and the bear mask were thickly covered with blood which turned brownish due to a long time, and the saw was covered in chunks of flesh and blood.

He steered his body at the corner Fidelis has turned and tried to chase her. But, unable to overcome his weight and speed, he slammed his heavy body against the wall and fell. The bear jumped up from his seat, not paying any attention his hit with the wall earlier, and rushed to Fidelis at his full speed.

Fidelis’ face turned white. She started running, pretending not to notice while pulling her legs quickly and holding her breath which was rising to the tip of her chin.

Running in front of the bear, the system’s voice beep sounded in her ears. Her stamina had already hit the floor, but she knew the moment she stopped, she and the child would be cut to death by that big saw.

Despite her peril, Fidelis patted Russell on the back and repeated the words, ‘It’s okay, it’s okay’, trying to reassure the child.

Fidelis ran and ran with her feet staining with the blood, but her efforts were in vain and the distance from the one chasing her was getting smaller.

The 0% blood red bar flashed in front of her eyes. She looked like she was about to fall after a few seconds, but she clenched her teeth and held on.

“Please,..Please.”

Fidelis bit the tender flesh of her mouth, begging and praying.

“Oh, Noona!”

At the sound of the child’s call, Fidelis pulled Russell’s head into her arms and walked over to the nearest wall. When she reached the wall, her whole body collapsed and trembled.

The teddy bear masked man who followed her behind with threatening footsteps swung his saw towards Fidelis. At that moment, he suddenly slipped his saw by passing her and, unable to hold his balance, he tumbled down the stairs.

She was simply lucky, but her shoulders had been trembling while shaking her body. Perhaps because she ignored system’s warning and ran, her whole body throbbed, her lungs ached, and her legs felt like they were about to break as if someone had twisted them forcibly.

Even though they were common ghosts and killers and I have to experience them face to face, it wasn’t a problem at all. It was just that I was scared. Even if it was a game with a typical horror movie cliché, I thought I would die of fear when I faced them.

Even if I didn’t want to recognize this unrealistic situation, I felt choked by the constant feeling of despair from how realistic it was. The lack of oxygen made me even mentally hazy.

“… you.”

A faint call could be heard, but Fidelis was now dazed. She couldn’t hear a single sound nearby. She was only gasping for breath.

Why, why am I like this… .

As her defocused eyes began to close, Russell tapped Fidelis on the cheek.

“Unnie! Unnie! Calm down!” “… Ah.”

Then, her lost focus gradually returned. Seeing Russell with her shaky pupils, Fidelis scoured the child with her trembling hands.

“Are there any injuries?”

“No, nothing. Unnie took care of me. Thank you.”

“All right, I’m happy. Let’s get out of here for now.”

I didn’t think he would die even if he fell down the stairs. I hurriedly tried to get up with the child in my arms, but my legs didn’t have the strength to carry the child anymore, so I just collapsed.

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