LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 44
To put it simply, my concern about whether I should intentionally act scared for the viewers turned out to be pointless.
Seeing it in person like this, it was already scary enough without any acting.
Wow… technology has really advanced.
After all, it’s just a bunch of graphics, yet they manage to make my heart thump and send chills down my spine.
Well, the people who made this game are probably experts in the field. They must have spent their meals researching how to scare people.
It would be impossible for a mere commoner like me, who hasn’t watched many horror games let alone horror movies, to not feel fear.
After all, it’s a game they painstakingly crafted, so considering their efforts, shouldn’t I jump and scream out of fear once in a while, out of courtesy?
How boring would it be to play it with a straight face saying, “Oh look, a ghost is here.”
I can only imagine how the developers would feel seeing me dodge here and there with a deadpan face.
“Oh, we put so much effort into this terrifying point, and they’re so unfazed. How disappointing!” That’s what I’d think.
[Your tongue is on fire today, Teacher.]
[Hmm… it kind of makes sense, but also doesn’t.]
[So you’re saying it’s scary, right?]
[What excuses, just say it’s scary!]
[??? : I’m so brave that you guys will find it boring to watch me!]
[Seriously, that comment earlier was so arrogant.]
[Crushed by the disaster I brought upon myself.]
[The effort to excuse herself is so cute.]
[It’s just disgusting! Kayak!]
“You all would understand if you tried it too. It’s not just scary—it constantly gives you jumps. The background music subtly puts psychological pressure and scares you with sudden surprises. How could you not be startled?”
While I carefully explained, the viewers busily teased me.
It was a bit irritating, but what can I do? This banter between the broadcaster and the viewers is probably one of the scenes they wanted to see by requesting a horror game.
Mumbling and whining here while clinging to the viewers is amateurish.
Seeing is believing. A true high-skilled player shows more through actions than words.
Without further ado, I took action. From my hiding spot in the corner, I moved slowly towards the dark hallway—the target point.
“Eek…!”
I couldn’t do it.
As soon as I approached the hallway, I was met with a disheveled woman standing at the end.
Upon witnessing that, I let out an embarrassingly pathetic scream and dashed back to the corner.
I leaned against the wooden pillar I was hiding behind and took a deep breath.
[There’s space behind the pillar!]
[Your scream is so lame it’s cute lol.]
[Where’s the killing spirit Kayak from the Abyss? Now it’s just scaredy-cat Kayak…]
[Please hug me, ghost!]
[I’m on hard mode, can’t help it lol. Meeting the ghost head-on means a guaranteed game over.]
[Seriously, why go for hard mode?]
[The host seems to have a bit of game pride.]
[Lol, no one told you to go hard, you chose it yourself.]
[From what I see, going hard seems right. If we went easy or normal, it would’ve ended too quickly.]
[Wow, but did you see anything? That is intense!]
[That breathing, oh my goodness….]
[Please get the mic closer to your mouth, thank you, thank you!]
The game recommended by the viewers with a hefty price, “Dark Temple,” followed a structure not much different from other horror games.
It had a structure not much different from that of the others.
During a company trip, the protagonist wakes up inside a temple he’s never seen before.
The primary objective is to escape the temple by activating triggers located inside the building and solving puzzles while evading a ghost that is vaguely chasing him.
To be honest, I was expecting a bit, since the person who recommended it kept calling it a “god game,” but it didn’t quite meet those expectations.
From the beginning, being thrown in front of a ghost without any explanation didn’t sit well with me.
Was I supposed to just figure out how to run away?
The immersion during the chase with the ghost, thanks to the music and the trembling screen, was high, but that’s all there was to it.
The story above was merely a rough guess I made while playing the game.
[Still, it’s got a relatively high rating among public games…]
[Kayak’s bold statement ㄷㄷㄷ]
[You don’t like the game, huh?]
[Teacher, stop making excuses and clear it already!]
[Kayak/Controversy/I could make this better]
[You’re thinking the same as me, I just don’t get why this is popular]
[Looks like it’s just made really scary when being chased by a ghost]
[Nowadays games are such a mess, so even this is considered a goat ㅋㅋ]
But whether I liked the game or not, I had to play it.
After all, I was getting paid, and now I even had a bit of resentment, so you could say it was a matter of stubbornness.
And it wasn’t all bad news.
They say humans are creatures of adaptation. It had already been over an hour of playtime, and I was getting used to this game in my own way.
Though I still jumped and got goosebumps every time I faced the ghost directly, after a few hardships, my gameplay had become much smoother than before.
“Hmm….”
I fell into a moment of contemplation. It was because of the ghost blocking the end of the hallway when I had just headed that way.
Based on the clues I gathered while playing, there must be some kind of trigger installed at the end of that hallway.
I would need to activate that trigger to clear the game.
But just look at that, it’s right there blocking the way.
“How am I supposed to get through that?”
Should I lure it somehow? Or just go all the way back around?
The latter didn’t sit well with me at all. After all, getting here had already been quite the ordeal. And going back felt like running away.
So I decided to go with the former. I’d try to lure it in and, if the opportunity arose, slip into the room at the end of the hallway.
[Declaring a frontal confrontation ㄷㄷ]
[10-level woman Kayak’s frontal breakthrough]
[It’s hard, so you won’t be able to run on a straight path]
[Let’s save first]
[If I hear that scream already, it’s a definite thumbs up ㅋㅋ]
“I’m going…!”
After shouting that single phrase, I stepped back into the dark hallway.
As soon as I moved, I spotted a pale figure standing at the end.
I paced back and forth in plain sight as if to lure her. I intentionally teased by moving back and forth in place a few times.
The ghost began to approach slowly.
“She’s coming!”
[Ahhh]
[Dom Hwangcha!]
[Ghost girl conducting a one-on-one fan meeting with Kayak]
[Why is she crying?]
[I wish someone would follow me like that]
[But if you get caught, you’ll die?]
[Let’s go, let’s go…]
[But that ghost is ugly…]
[It’s a chicken coop, right?]
It was definitely just a programmed AI, but the ghost, as it read my movements and charged at me with fiery eyes, felt too real and utterly chilling.
But I had adapted through several confrontations. It wasn’t like I was playing this game for the first time; there was no way I’d fall for such predictable movements.
-Uuuh…
A woman charging at me with blood streaming from her eyes.
I had already collided with her several times, and maybe that’s why the thought crossed my mind.
Somehow, this felt dodgeable? – An instinct close to survival.
I had no reason or time to hesitate. I executed the command from my brain without a second thought.
As a result, a somewhat surprising outcome unfolded. It was a skill I slightly surprised myself with.
[??? What is this?]
[Is this not a death sentence?]
[What moves! Haha, the physical skills are insane!]
[No way, this area wasn’t designed to be cleared like this, right?]
[Aha, the broadcast host has no clue and just did it because the vibe was there!]
[Even just brushing against her clothes makes the ghost show its face, this is some crazy courage! Haha!]
[I’ve seen someone clear like this on Vtube, but this?]
High risk, high reward; the outcome of this risky gamble was delightfully sweet.
I successfully evaded the ghost and entered the room with the trigger.
*
After that, it was all smooth sailing.
The first time is always the hardest; the second time is easy. After a few attempts, I had leveled up to a point where I could completely dismantle the ghost.
Eventually, I was even at a stage where I could giggle and toy with her right in front of her, so you can imagine how that looked!
“Good job, come here. Yay!”
[This isn’t the vibe…]
[Where did the kayaker who screamed at first go and suddenly became a ghost tamer?]
[Seriously, am I training a dog?]
[I wish someone would treat me like a dog!]
[Hey ghost…looks like this is it for you.]
-Uurgh…!
“Good good. Go in there and don’t ever come out. Don’t scare people unnecessarily.”
Following the clues written within the temple, I managed to trap the ghost in a room with a giant mirror. If I did it like this, it should be sealed for sure.
As expected, after isolating the ghost in the mirrored room, the ending cutscene began to slowly unfold.
-What on earth was that terrible temple? Even after several years, I still occasionally think about that place.
-Not that I deliberately conjure it up; there are specific times I periodically dream of the temple, and when that happens, I wake up at dawn drenched in cold sweat.
-The eerie laughter distinctive of the ghost echoed in my dreams, making it feel like what I experienced in the temple was no dream at all. It replayed in my mind, reminding me that those times were indeed reality.
-On nights when I dreamt of the temple, I often went out for walks, tossing and turning in my sleep. Breathing in the night air helped me forget about the temple.
-Then one day, after dreaming of the temple again and being restless, I wanted to take a rather long walk. It was as if there was an irresistible pull, leaving me unable to turn back.
It was.
At this point, I felt something strange and spoke to the viewers.
“Uh… the ending feels weird? Let’s keep watching for now.”
– …When I came to my senses, I found myself in the middle of a mountain. It was an autumn night. Even though the weather was chilling to the bone, I had walked all the way here without a coat on.
– Feeling strange, I turned around. When exactly had I made it this far? I had to turn back before it got too late. I had to wake up early for work tomorrow.
– However, I couldn’t go back. To be exact, my whole body was frozen and I couldn’t move at all. It felt like a frog caught in front of a snake, my limbs cold and stiff.
– In front of me, there was a shrine. It shouldn’t have been possible. That shrine was supposed to be at least 100 km away from my house…!
– I was in despair, feeling more and more hopeless. I thought I had escaped, but I hadn’t. My vision slowly darkened. I could hear the ghost’s eerie laughter echoing in my ears…
The ending cutscene was the end. Is this really the conclusion? I felt a bit dumbfounded as I asked.
“No way, is that it? Didn’t we escape?”
[Right?]
[I thought we escaped, but it turns out we didn’t, lol.]
[A captured ending again… ]
[Living with a ghost for life.]
[Yandere ghost, oh no!]
After that, the ending credits with the names of the production team and staff began to slowly roll up.
Seeing the ending credits meant it was really the end.
“The ending is a bit unsatisfactory, hmm…”
[Unsatisfactory, goat.]
[Some say this kind of ending makes it a masterpiece.]
[Is it hinting at a sequel?]
[They made everything bizarre except a real ghost chase.]
[Is this really a god game? The god games I know definitely…]
[Sounds like an ending for Hongdae syndrome fans.]
[What is this, not Mist, lol.]
The fact that the ending left an impression is why it’s popular – I thought as various ideas crossed my mind.
Impressionable endings, seeds for sequels, endings that leave you wanting more…
A good idea struck me. The viewers who just saw the ending of the game would surely like it.
Before the ending credits were fully up, I hurriedly spoke.
“Thank you everyone for watching today’s broadcast; I’ll be back tomorrow for team practice. See you all tomorrow!”
And before more chats could come up. As the ending credits finished scrolling and the “Thank you” message appeared, I ended the broadcast.
“Heh.”
A chuckle escaped me. Maybe because it was an unusual ending method I’d never tried before. A unique ending fitting for a unique game.
I chose this method to leave the viewers feeling a little disappointed, just like the saying ‘leave while the applause is still ringing’.
That way, more people would come back for the next broadcast, right?
Though I felt a bit bad for not greeting them properly as usual, days like this are okay too.
[Huh?]
[Where are you going?]
[Ending the broadcast right after the game?]
[And suddenly, what is this?]
Seeing the chat coming in late as they understood the situation, I stood up satisfied.