I Think I’m a Horror Game Villain - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

The heart-pounding excitement unfortunately didn’t last long. As soon as we got back to the room, Zion asked me about Tommy’s whereabouts with a serious expression.

“Did you happen to see Tommy on your way back?”

“Tommy? I didn’t see him.”

“Me neither. I went to the bathroom to wash my hands and he wasn’t there.”

“I didn’t see him either. Wasn’t he in the room?”

“I thought so too, but…”

Zion pointed to the bed where Tommy was lying.

“I just found out when I lifted the covers. Tommy’s gone.”

The space next to the neatly folded covers that Zion had arranged was completely empty.

“We came back to the room 30 minutes ago. And Tommy still hasn’t come back, which means…”

Zion trailed off and I continued his sentence.

“He went off somewhere by himself.”

“Yes, I think so.”

“….”

For a moment, the room fell silent.

We were all thinking about where Tommy, who had suddenly disappeared, had gone.

‘Tommy wasn’t very cooperative, but he’s not the type of character who would act alone.’

As soon as I finished that thought, a message appeared, signaling the start of a new chapter.

[Chapter 2. Time Doesn’t Wait.]

[Mission] Find your lost companion within the time limit.

*Chapter 2 takes place on the 2nd floor.

“The chapter has changed…”

“Find the lost companion? This is about Tommy, right?”

This time, it seemed like everyone had received the same message as me.

“The time limit is…”

[If you fail to find your companion within 1 hour, he will never be able to return.]

1 hour? That’s too short!

It took us almost half a day just to look around the 1st floor.

“How are we supposed to look around the entire 2nd floor in 1 hour?”

This is too much without any clues.

Everyone had serious expressions on their faces, probably thinking the same thing as me. Zion, who was the first among us to regain his composure, spoke calmly.

“Let’s go up to the 2nd floor first.”

* * *

We went up to the 2nd floor via the central staircase on the 1st floor. The 2nd floor had a different structure than the floor below.

The 1st floor was structured like a lodging facility. There was a long hallway on each side of the large main entrance, with windows on the left and rooms sporadically located on the right.

On the other hand, the 2nd floor was―

“This place looks like it used to be a banquet hall.”

As soon as we went up, we saw a large hall. As we stepped onto the floor covered with a red carpet, the lights around the large chandelier hanging from the ceiling turned on simultaneously, as if to welcome us.

In the middle of the spacious banquet hall was a fountain made of gold. Behind it were exquisite marble statues that showcased the artisan’s dedication.

‘This is…’

A man and a woman was standing under a widely branched apple tree. A snake with its head wrapped around the tree branch was whispering something into the woman’s ear, its mouth agape.

‘Adam and Eve?’

Elegant classical music began to play from somewhere. At the same time, water gently started to fall from the large fountain that stood tall in the center of the banquet hall.

‘Wait a minute. There’s something in there.’

“Isn’t there something in the fountain?”

Upon hearing me, Zion and Dekir quickly ran towards the fountain. Rose and I followed them.

“…This is.”

There were many small keys and a box inside the fountain.

“I think there’s a clue in this box.”

Zion pulled out a box with the word HINT written on it from inside the fountain.

“Fortunately, it’s not locked.”

When he opened the box, there was another locked box and a piece of paper inside.

[The key to finding your companion is inside this. Only those who are not deceived will be able to reach the truth, so not everything you see is the truth.]

“What does that mean?”

Zion patiently explained to Rose, who was squinting her eyes in confusion.

“I think it means that only those who are not deceived will be able to reach the truth. Don’t believe what you see.”

‘Not everything you see is the truth…’

I pondered over the contents of the paper.

“It says not to be deceived. So, maybe it’s telling us not to waste time trying to open this box?”

As if to tell me that I was wrong, a window appeared with the mission.

[Mission] Open the box to find out where ‘Tommy’ is.

Read ahead eight chapters here.