The Attendant in the Horror Game C42

Chapter 42

Jade froze in the middle of the passageway and strained his ears toward the source of the sound.

But he couldn’t tell where it was coming from. It felt as though it echoed through the entire underground tunnel—far away and yet somehow right beside him.

Uoooorgh—

The noise came again. It resembled a groan of pain, yet also sounded like something attempting to intimidate him. Jade lifted the wall-mounted lantern and swept its light across the surroundings. Whatever it was, it seemed to be in the same space—yet nowhere to be seen.

“Ha… what now…”

A sigh escaped him along with a chill that ran down his spine.

It felt like there wasn’t a single peaceful day in this villa. Just when a quiet moment began, some new trouble appeared—monster, mop ghost, Bluewood, shadow wolves… every strange creature imaginable.

At least Soondol, the mop ghost, and Parang had become housemates after a series of battles. But when he faced the shadow wolves, goosebumps rose down his spine. Not only were both his and Ian’s lives in danger, but he still couldn’t use one arm because of that incident.

“If something’s going to come out, then come out quickly.”

He issued the warning sharply, back muscles tightening. His vigilance had increased after the fight with the shadow wolves. Once he’d brushed against death, new encounters no longer felt like adventurous curiosity. His body tensed instinctively, his injured arm throbbing with each breath.

Holding the lantern out in front of him, Jade examined the tunnel. It split into three directions: toward the villa, toward the storage room, and toward the outside.

A few days ago, Jade had sealed the passage leading outside. He had locked it thoroughly and blocked it with multiple layers of planks after people from the Linwood family had visited. The fear that someone might suddenly barge in made him take extreme precautions. At this point, no ant could squeeze through the barricade.

But the strange sound seemed to be coming from behind that sealed path—from the far, blocked-off end.

Jade’s lantern light stopped at the mouth of the corridor. Slowly, he stepped deeper into the passage.

Something was inside the darkness. A shadow? As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the shape flinched. Jade’s shoulders jerked at the same time.

What looked like a large lump of darkness initially resembled a sack—but the closer he got, the more it resembled the curled-up shape of a person crouched on the floor.

Should I run?

He couldn’t deny that the thought crossed his mind. His left arm throbbed with even the slightest movement, he might have an infection, and his fever was rising. In this condition, he wouldn’t win a fight.

But he couldn’t ignore it either. Jade was the one handling everything in the villa now. A mysterious being lurking in the tunnels meant it could enter the villa at any moment.

“Who… are you?”

He forced out the words. The dark lump moved—slowly, awkwardly.

A cold shiver ran down Jade’s neck. Was it a person? That would be bad. Something else? Equally bad. If it was a person, it was likely sent by the Linwood family. If not…

Uooorrrgh—

The black shape emitted that eerie sound as it rose. The crouched form slowly lifted, growing taller. It was clear now—this thing was the source of the noise.

As it shifted, the air changed. A faint smell of rotting flesh drifted toward him. Jade’s hand trembled wildly, the lantern shaking. He couldn’t force himself to go any closer. His body was in no condition to deal with an encounter like this.

Still, Jade stretched his arm out, pushing the light forward. He had to identify it.

“Are you… human?”

The silhouette twitched in response—as if it understood and nodded.

Relief washed through him despite himself. Strange, considering that if it was a human, that meant intruder. But after dealing with too many non-human beings recently, a person sounded preferable.

Jade stepped closer. If it was human, it would attack physically—and from here, he could dodge.

But something was off. It was a person… yet not quite.

The figure wore an extremely old and tattered servant’s uniform. His neck sagged unnaturally as he stared at the ground. His arms hung limp, unnaturally long, and his posture was horribly hunched.

That wasn’t a person.

Jade knew it the instant his instincts screamed at him.

The silhouette froze the moment it sensed Jade’s presence. Then, ever so slowly, it lifted its head. The lantern light caught its face.

“……!”

The lantern dropped from Jade’s hand with a clatter, rolling away. He snatched it up again while stumbling backward, but the terror clinging to him did not fade. Every hair on his arms stood on end.

There were no eyes. The man’s face lacked eyes entirely—just gaping, hollow pits where they should have been. The edges of the holes were blackened and decaying.

Jade’s gaze drifted downward. The man’s mouth had split unnaturally wide, exposing rotten teeth jaggedly scattered inside. Drool oozed from the limp jaw.

Worse yet, his skin was gray, marred by blackened patches. He looked like a zombie—if this world had suddenly merged with every horror genre imaginable.

And the clothing… something about his servant uniform felt particularly strange. Jade wasn’t from this world, but after seeing Ian’s clothes, the clothes left in the villa, and the outfits of visitors, he knew this outfit was far too outdated—and decayed as though centuries old.

The beings inside the villa can’t be helped, I guess.

Ian’s words drifted through Jade’s mind:

‘Eyeless servants. Old monsters or ghosts that have lived in the villa for ages. Spirits, maybe.’

Eyeless. Servant uniform. The resemblance was unmistakable.

Uoooorgh—

The thing groaned again. Though eyeless, Jade felt its attention fixed on him. Fear seized his legs. Then, as if triggered by their awareness of each other, a system window appeared.

System <<
The Blind Servant’s Wraith has appeared.

A wraith. Not a standard monster nor a typical ghost—a wraith.

Wraiths were the souls of the dead, wandering the mortal world far beyond their time. If this one had been haunting the decaying villa for ages, it was no ordinary entity.

“Urrgh…”

A guttural noise escaped the wraith’s split mouth. Click—creak. It moved toward him. Every step made its joints grind unnaturally. Its arms dangled too long, rocking out of sync with its stride. It dragged its foot along the ground, emitting a scraping shhhrrrk.

“…….”

Jade retreated quietly. This wasn’t something he could fight—not injured, not like this.

Come to think of it, Ian had spoken of these wraiths rather calmly. Maybe because they’d never actually harmed him.

Convincing himself with that thought, Jade carefully backed away.

Just a few more steps. Then he could round the corner, climb the stairs, and close the villa door behind him.

Clatter.

But things never went Jade’s way. The lantern fell again, the earlier drop having loosened its handle. This time, it bounced across the ground loudly—too loudly—rolling straight toward the wraith.

The wraith’s head snapped sideways. Its neck twisted with a grotesque crack, its distorted face turning toward Jade.

Shrrrk—click—shrrrk—

Its pace suddenly surged. Dragging one foot, keeping its hunched posture, its dangling arms swayed unnaturally as it lurched forward. Even its joints seemed to move in opposite directions, doubling the horror.

“I know what this is—I KNOW THIS ONE!”

Jade shrieked as he broke into a sprint. He’d seen this scene in horror movies countless times. Long-armed ghosts always moved exactly like this.

He whipped around and ran with everything he had. He needed to get back to the villa. The lanterns on the wall swayed violently as he passed.

Click—shrrk—click—shrrk—

The wraith’s sounds grew closer. The stench of decay hit the back of his throat. It was right behind him—right at his neck. He could hear it, feel it. Too close.

“Waaaah!”

Three meters. He only needed three meters to reach the villa door. Just as he reached the end of the corridor and prepared to leap up the stairs—

Click—shrrk—URRRGH—

Cold air brushed his neck. And then—

“Huh?”

The eyeless wraith brushed past him.

It slid soundlessly into the door leading to the villa and vanished as if absorbed into it.

Now only the stench, Jade, and the lantern remained in the underground passage. He felt ridiculous for running as if his life depended on it.

Dtirorong—

A system window popped up with its most annoying sound.

He’d noticed the pattern—the more irritating the sound, the more annoying the situation. And this time, it was definitely in that category.

Reward for defeating the Blind Servant’s Wraith <<
Healing Potions ×3

“What?!”

His eyes widened. There was a reward? And healing potions, of all things? Right when he needed them most?

“You should’ve told me that earlier!”

He yelled at the empty air. If he’d known there was such a valuable reward, he would’ve fought with everything he had! He would’ve thrown himself in even if a tiger showed up!

“I’m finding him. I’ll find him no matter what.”

At this point, the wraith was no longer a terrifying monster.

It was a lucky charm—an opportunity delivered straight to him.

Jade’s eyes blazed with determination.