The Attendant in the Horror Game C43

Chapter 43

After leaving the underground passage, Jade headed straight for the study. This was usually the time when Ian would be reading. Whatever reason he’d had for going to the storage room had long since vanished from his mind.

Healing potions…!

That single phrase dominated his thoughts. Even that morning, he had struggled for ages trying to wash himself while relying only on one functioning arm. An arm injury was far more troublesome and exhausting than one might expect.

They must be real, right?

He’d never used potion-type items during gameplay. It wasn’t an RPG but a story-driven horror game, so such items were unnecessary.

Still—they had to be real. Who knew? In this world, potions like that might genuinely exist.

The system window had never lied before. Annoying, petty, and dramatic though it was, it always displayed truthful information.

Meaning: that unexpected gift—no, that wraith—would drop healing potions when defeated. And three of them at that.

“Ian!”

“Jade…?”

Ian flinched, quickly hiding the thick book he’d been reading. His small hands scrambled to grab a thin children’s storybook instead. But Jade was far too distracted to notice that detail right now.

“You didn’t even knock… What’s going on?”

Clutching the storybook, Ian asked in confusion. Jade was normally very polite about entering Ian’s room or study. He always knocked first. He had never burst in like this, so Ian assumed something serious had happened.

“Do you remember what you said before?”

“About what…?”

“You know, that thing—what was it? When you said the villa had monsters or things like that living in it.”

“Oh… from when we were in the forest?”

Ian nodded casually. He remembered everything Jade had ever said to him. The content, Jade’s tone, his expressions, the way his eyes folded gently, even tiny mannerisms—he remembered all of it perfectly.

Back then, Jade hadn’t seemed particularly interested in the topic. But now he looked breathless and frantic. Ian’s brows rose slightly in surprise.

“Yes. At that time you mentioned the blind servant. Do you remember?”

“Roughly. Why? Did it show up?”

Maybe it had come near the study? Ian stood up, ready to check the door. But Jade quickly waved him off.

“No, no, nothing like that. I just wanted to ask something. Ian—have you ever seen that blind servant yourself?”

“I’ve never seen it in person.”

“Not even once? Then how do you know about it?”

“I read about it.”

Read about it? Jade blinked. What did that even mean?

“Sorry? There’s a book about that?”

“Well… it’s not exactly a book…”

Ian trailed off. After glancing between Jade and the bookshelf, he toddled over and pulled out a leather-bound notebook.

“It lists the strange creatures in the villa. Judging by the signature embossed on the inside cover, I think the first head of our family wrote it.”

“C-Could I have a look?”

Ian shrugged as if it were no big deal. Jade began flipping through the notebook. As Ian had said, the pages documented the non-human beings and supernatural phenomena inside the villa.

Some entries matched things Jade had read in the game’s setting guide. Others matched things he had personally experienced.

For example: the fifth stair in the villa, which wasn’t even made of wood, yet creaked like old timber whenever stepped on. The mop ghost. The grandfather clock-dragging old man he’d seen in the guidebook. All of it was written here.

Handwritten notes recorded what the first family head had personally witnessed while living here. Some pages included rough sketches of monsters he encountered; others described their traits in great detail. The writer seemed to have meticulously observed the villa’s supernatural phenomena and creatures.

When Jade turned a few more pages, he found the entry on the blind servant. The first family head categorized it as a ghost. It must have appeared often back then—there were far more details listed than in any other entry.

And one line caught Jade’s eye.

Weakness: Fire
Usually Appears: Dark or damp locations
······

Fire. It definitely said fire. This felt like destiny. After all, the skill he’d gained after killing the shadow wolf was a fire-type attack skill.

So the blind servant was also weak to fire—typical of northern creatures. Jade hadn’t expected that weakness to apply to ghosts too, but the timing was perfect.

“Ian, may I read this through properly?”

“I don’t mind… but why do you need it?”

Ian’s puzzled look practically asked, Why would you need something like this?

“I need to know if I’m going to keep maintaining this villa. What if you kick me out for being incompetent? I need to prepare for encounters with monsters or spirits.”

“…Take it.”

Hearing that Jade wanted it so he could keep staying here, Ian handed over the notebook without hesitation. Jade clutched it tightly. The thought of defeating the wraith and earning healing potions made his heart thump with excitement.

“Then I’ll get going. See you at meal time!”

“Jade.”

“Yes, Ian?”

Jade was about to leave when Ian called out. For a moment, Jade suspected Ian wanted the notebook back. He reflexively hid it behind his back.

But Ian’s words were completely unexpected.

“I won’t kick you out.”

“Ah…”

“Even if you become incompetent, I won’t kick you out.”

Something tightened in Jade’s chest. Since when was Ian capable of saying things like that? Jade, always so easygoing and playful around Ian, suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

After a moment, he managed a simple, neutral reply.

“Haha… I’m honored. Please continue reading. I’ll make something delicious for dinner.”

Jade slipped out of the study and leaned against the hallway wall.

What was this strange feeling?

Was it because someone he was originally supposed to kill was showing him kindness? Or because the day of his departure was approaching?

Neither reason was good. Jade’s relationships had always been uncomplicated—friendly but shallow. He had friends to joke around with but no one to confide in, no one he truly depended on.

Not by choice. Without even a basic family to rely on, he had never learned how to build deep connections. He didn’t know how. It wasn’t uncomfortable—it was easier, actually. A light, pleasant dynamic kept things simple.

But now… he felt too close to Ian. And to Soondol. And to Parang. His once-quiet life had become chaotic ever since he arrived here.

What was the right distance to avoid hurting each other? How close was too close? How far was far enough that leaving wouldn’t leave a void?

Jade didn’t know. He’d never experienced a relationship like this. And that uncertainty tangled his emotions.

Starting the next day, Jade began searching for the blind servant’s wraith. Since it had slipped through the door leading from the underground passage to the villa, it was probably inside.

But he couldn’t be sure. Being a wraith, it could pass through walls and doors. It might have returned to the passage.

Jade glanced at the wooden club in his hand and smacked his lips. It wouldn’t be much use if the wraith could pass through physical matter. But he had a skill.

Special Skill <<
Lv. 1 Fireball
※ Offensive skill. Can throw up to three fire-shaped projectiles.

Jade read the skill description thoroughly. After his past mishaps, he even checked the warning notes. Activation was simple: just recite the skill name mentally.

The problem was the cooldown. Honestly, a full day was ridiculous. Most skill cooldowns in games were around 30 seconds. A 24-hour cooldown was absurd. The root-vegetable skill had a twenty-hour cooldown too. Truly stingy.

And the name was so uninspired—Fireball. The most generic skill in every game ever made.

Even carrots had exotic names like “Shade Carrot,” pumpkins like “Old Snowflake Pumpkin.” And yet his skill was simply Fireball. If he accidentally mentally recited the name, he’d have to wait another day.

Still, he didn’t care. The cooldown didn’t matter. Having the skill mattered. He intended to end this in one clean strike.

A part of him regretted that the wraith wasn’t a monster. If it were a monster, he could just use his obedience skill and avoid fighting altogether.

For healing potions, Jade wouldn’t hesitate to chant humiliating lines ten times over. He was desperate—desperate in a survivalist, capitalism-fueled way. Anyone trapped in this remote northern villa without medicine would feel the same.

“Dark and damp places…”

Jade muttered to himself. He was currently sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bathroom, lights off, waiting for the wraith.

The logic was simple. The notebook said the wraith favored dark and damp locations. And the villa had plenty of bathrooms to choose from.

“Let’s see who wins.”

Jade settled in, straining to catch any noise. Hours passed. Then, just as if the wraith had read his thoughts, a chilling sound scraped at the door.

Scratch, scratch.

Something was dragging its nails across the bathroom door.

It was here. Jade swallowed hard and gripped the handle. The moment he saw the wraith, he needed to mentally chant the skill—immediately. His body tensed as he threw the door open.

“Fi—!”

“Myaang?”

But the figure in front of him wasn’t the wraith.

It was Soondol.