The Attendant in the Horror Game C22

Chapter 22

Jade woke up early in the morning, packed his bundle, and dressed warmly.

The bundle was something he had found in the villa’s storage room—patched up where it had been torn. The clothes, too, were taken from a wardrobe that clearly didn’t belong to him. The shoulders had worn thin with age, but after washing and sewing them up, they were passable enough.

Today was the long-awaited day—the day he would finally go searching for root vegetables. Fully dressed, even in boots, Jade slung the bundle over his shoulder and headed down the stairs.

If only he had fur-lined shoes, that would’ve been perfect—but, unfortunately, no such luck. The boots he’d found a month ago were slightly too large and slipped around when he walked, but they were waterproof, which made them invaluable against the snow.

“Kkiaeaaah…”

The mop ghost was wiping down the stair railing under Jade’s orders. Without eyes, nose, or mouth, it was hard to tell which side was its front or back, but somehow, it still managed to look as though it were pouting.

“Stop whining and get back to work, huh?”

Jade placed both hands firmly on his hips and struck an exaggeratedly strict pose. He still couldn’t get over the loss of his broken broom—or the skill experience he’d nearly leveled up with it.

“Kkiii…”

Swish—scrape—swish—

The mop ghost moved sluggishly along. The sound, which had once made his skin crawl, now simply blended into the background. Jade tapped the railing sharply with his palm.

“Look at that form! You’re too slow. Do you want to be hung on the hook all day?”

“Kkiieeeh!”

The ghost wriggled its body in protest but immediately increased its pace, scrubbing more diligently. It was surprisingly useful, all things considered. Jade nodded in satisfaction and continued down the stairs.

“Myang!”

“You’re awake?”

At the bottom stood Ian and Soondol, waiting for him. Over the past two months, Jade had gotten into the routine of heading into the forest every two days to gather food. Eventually, the two began seeing him off at the door each time he left—and sometimes even welcoming him back. Occasionally, Ian would accompany him to collect mushrooms or firewood.

Having someone see you off or welcome you home was a simple thing, yet it felt unexpectedly good. He used to imagine such scenes back when he lived alone in his tiny one-room apartment, but experiencing it here felt surreal. Whenever he returned from gathering mushrooms and saw the two running to the door, his heart warmed in a way that was hard to describe. For someone who’d never had family, it was something entirely new.

Still… why hasn’t the supply arrived yet?

He’d expected to eventually encounter the messenger sent by the Linwood family. That would’ve been a good chance to learn more about his own situation. The lorebook said only that he’d received an advance payment. The exact amount mattered—it would determine just how angry the client would be.

He had already thought of an excuse: that everything had been part of a “natural process” leading to Ian’s death. Whether such a flimsy lie would hold up was another matter.

Anyway, first thing’s first—food.

Since the Linwood family’s carriage never came, Jade had focused all his efforts on securing supplies himself.

“Soondol, want to come?”

“Myang, myang.”

He asked out of courtesy, knowing the answer already. As expected, Soondol shook his head and crossed his little arms into an X.

Soondol hated the cold. Maybe because he resembled a cat, he loved curling up in front of the fireplace and often purred contentedly.

“Should I go with you?”

Jade had been talking to Soondol, but Ian answered instead. There had been a time when Ian avoided Jade as much as possible, but now he didn’t seem to mind going out together. It was a small victory earned after two months of steady effort.

Whenever Jade left alone, Ian would glance out the window after him, his face faintly anxious. Lately, he’d been doing that more often—whenever Jade went to gather mushrooms or firewood, that same uneasy look would appear.

Sometimes, Jade let him tag along because it was both endearing and worrying to see, but not today.

If another weird incantation activates like last time, I’m doomed!

He still hadn’t recovered from the trauma of having to shout “Obey me!” like a lunatic in the forest. Who knew what other traps might be out there?

“Young Mast—no, I mean, Ian, not today. I’ll go alone this time.”

Jade grinned as he declined. There was no way he’d risk chanting ridiculous spells in front of Ian. They’d just gotten closer recently; he didn’t want Ian thinking he was insane.

“……”

Ian’s expression turned unreadable as he stared out the window, then lowered his gaze.

“Please be careful.”

“Myang.”

“I won’t go far, so don’t worry!”

Cheerfully waving, Jade stepped outside into the cold, the door closing behind him. Ian and Soondol pressed up against the window, watching as he disappeared into the distance.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

After walking quite a while from the villa’s entrance, Jade reached the edge of the Ellovan Forest and opened his skill window.

>> Exclusive Skill <<
Lv.1 – Root Vegetables, Here I Come!

The new skill gleamed brightly at the top of the list. With excitement pounding in his chest, Jade activated it. For root vegetables, he was even prepared to chant something ridiculous again—there was no one around anyway. But thankfully, this time, there was no embarrassing incantation.

Of course, he would still have to dig through the frozen ground himself—but what mattered was the potential for fresh food.

>> System <<
Lv.1 – Root Vegetables, Here I Come! has been activated.
You can now detect root vegetables within a 5-meter radius.
Activation Time: 60 minutes / Cooldown: 20 hours

“Oooh!”

A five-meter range and an hour duration at level one—that was incredible. Best of all, there was no cringe-worthy chanting involved. Jade immediately dashed into the forest.

“Arrows?”

A few steps in, he noticed faint arrows floating midair, pointing toward certain spots—as if to guide him directly to where the roots were. This was, by far, the most helpful skill the system had given him. Far more useful than “Identify Poisonous Mushrooms.”

Crunching through the thinning snow of early spring, Jade’s boots sank deep with every step, but he didn’t care. His heart felt light.

>> System <<
Barren soil. Root vegetables detected.

When he reached a certain spot, the system chimed brightly. His heart pounded with excitement.

It felt almost ridiculous to be this happy over root vegetables—but joy easily outweighed the absurdity. Jade crouched down and poked the snow with his boot.

“Here? This must be it, right?”

He pulled out his small trowel and brushed away the thin layer of snow. Soon, thick green leaves branching from a sturdy stem emerged.

>> System <<
You have discovered “Winter Radish.”

“Radish? Radish!”

The radish leaves looked slightly wilted and frostbitten, but who cared? It was food—a new kind of food!

Back in Korea, wilted radish greens were dried and cooked into siraegi-guk (dried radish leaf soup)—one of Jade’s absolute favorites. The radish was a vegetable with zero waste.

“Perfect. Tonight, we’re having radish soup.”

He began digging around the base enthusiastically. The frozen earth clumped and broke away with a heavy thud. It was hard work, sure, but the thought of steaming soup fueled him on.

Once the frozen layer gave way, he began scraping the soil carefully by hand until the round top of the radish peeked through. Gripping the leaves tightly, he pulled—but the stubborn root refused to budge, locked by the icy ground.

“Come on, come out already…! I’m going to make soup out of you!”

The thought of eating something that tasted remotely like home gave him strength. With one final heave, the radish came free with a satisfying pop.

“Yes!”

Soil crumbled from its thick, white body. The radish was so big it was thicker than his own calf—fresh and heavy in his hands.

This one radish alone could make two full pots of soup. And since radish could also be eaten raw, it was a perfect, versatile find.

He even noticed his skill experience rising slightly. Grinning from ear to ear, Jade stuffed the sturdy radish into his bundle and scanned the surroundings eagerly. He wanted to harvest as many as possible. They stored well, after all—he could bury them near the villa and dig one up whenever needed.

“There’s another one!”

He brushed aside more snow and found another bunch of leaves. These looked even fresher than the first, vibrant and green as if kissed by sunlight. Judging by their size, a large radish must be buried beneath.

Without hesitation, Jade grabbed the leaves and pulled with all his might.

“Huuaaaah—!”

“…?!”

But what followed wasn’t the sound of roots tearing free. It was a cry.

A child’s wail, faint but unmistakable, rose from beneath the ground. Startled, Jade’s grip slipped, and he fell backward into the snow with a thud.

“What the—?! W-what was that?!”

His throat went dry as a strangled sound escaped. Whipping his head around wildly, he scanned the empty forest. There was no one.

“What the hell—what was that?!”

No way… Jade hesitated, yelling into the air as if to deny what he’d heard, then cautiously grabbed the leaves again.

“Uwaaaah—!”

The same cry echoed once more.

“Argh!”

A child’s voice—crying from underground. Jade, normally fearless, felt cold sweat run down his back.

>> System <<
You have discovered Bluewood of Healing. Do not touch.

“Bluewood…? That’s a tree?”

Its entire body was buried underground with only its leaves sticking out—and that was supposed to be a tree? But more importantly—

“Wait, don’t touch?”

Jade stared blankly at his hands. Too late—the damage was done. The “kind warning” from the system came after he had already touched it. No, not just touched—he’d been yanking on it, trying to pull it free.

This can’t be good…

His soaked pants clung to him, but he barely noticed.

“Uwaaaah! Waaaah!”

The mysterious plant, called Bluewood, kept crying—a wailing, pitiful sound echoing through the silent forest.