章 10: Sheriff Bradshaw, in an interview, addressed the concerning trend of disappearances in the area.

Chapter 10 – Tutorial (Survivor) - 10

The crimson tablet vanishes, leaving behind a panicking cat tattoo on his chest, followed by the reverberation of an archaic voice in his mind.

Vesper is left speechless, his gaze drawn to his chest as he purses his lips in astonishment.

'Well, that went better than I thought. Anyway, I'm finished here. No more risks.'

Feeling a wave of relief, Vesper turns to leave. He sees no reason to provoke the eight-legged monster guarding the remaining loot.

As Vesper exits the washroom, a sudden blaring siren pierces the air from outside. The streetlights intensify, casting an ominous red hue over the house and the neighborhood.

<Warning! You have pilfered an entity's possession. The stage's timer has been reduced by 10 minutes. A stage boss has been summoned to the area.>

The warning catches Vesper off guard, freezing him in his tracks as shock widens his eyes.

'That rune was a freaking Apparatus! Damn it all! Can't your trials be more original?!'

"KREEEEEEEEEE!!"

"KIHIHIHIHIHI!!"

As Vesper internally panics, monsters both inside and outside the house react to the siren with howls and screeches, commencing their stomping and patrolling. Their auras permeate his vision, casting red outlines of the two entities that can be discerned through the walls.

Avoiding the berserking entities, Vesper rushes back the way he came, flinging open the door and sprinting to the garage.

CLANK

However, the previously destroyed door suddenly repairs itself, blocking the rear exit. The light switch, untouched by Vesper, sizzles and explodes. The broken truck's anti-theft alarm blares, its headlights flashing.

The same spectral figure of the old man emerges from the ground, levitating in mid-air. It turns towards Vesper, entering its hunting phase.

Vesper senses the chilling aura and the ghost's presence instantly. Even when it becomes partially invisible, he can discern its silhouette clearly.

'How is it still alive?! I thought I killed him!'

Fleeing from the ghost, Vesper rushes toward the repaired shutter and delivers a powerful kick, but it remains immobilized.

Wheeling around, Vesper spots the ghost hot on his heels, brandishing its hatchet menacingly. Reacting instinctively, Vesper raises the crowbar in a defensive stance to parry the blow.

To his dismay, the hatchet effortlessly bypasses the crowbar's defense, slicing into Vesper's left shoulder with a sickening impact. He flinches and staggers backward, his back colliding with the shutter, creating a loud clang.

The spectral figure calmly withdraws the hatchet, raising it once more. As the blade leaves the flesh, blood spurts from the widening wound.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Vesper kicks off the ground, sprinting away from the ghost. Realizing the futility of conventional weapons against the ethereal entity, he abandons the idea of fighting the old man.

The ghost pursues, moving in a straight line, heedless of the truck.

Racing through the corridor, Vesper bursts into the main house area. His blood runs cold at the sight that greets him— a faceless lady in a grim reaper robe floats by the front door, brandishing a crimson knife.

That is the boss monster!

And behind Vesper, the eight-legged woman, drawn by the commotion, perches on the ceiling, her hair spilling out ominously.

With enemies both ahead and behind, Vesper finds himself surrounded.

"KIHIHIHIHIHIHI!!"

The chilling laughter from outside serves as a reminder of yet another threat in the yard—the spider lady, relentlessly battering the windows to no avail.

Undeterred, Vesper charges at the knife-wielding grim reaper, bringing the crowbar down on her head with all his strength.

This time, it connects! She's not a ghost!

But his victory is short-lived. The grim reaper lady remains unfazed, silently raising the knife and plunging it into Vesper's stomach. Agony courses through him as the blade is withdrawn, leaving a gushing wound in its wake.

With faltering steps, Vesper retreats, clutching his abdomen as his insides threaten to spill out. Collapsing to his knees in pain, he braces himself as the grim reaper lady advances, poised to strike once more.

"KURURURURURU!"

The eight-legged lady on the ceiling and the old ghost swiftly close the distance. The ceiling-bound woman extends her hair rapidly, entwining Vesper's arms and legs. However, the old ghost surprises everyone by slashing at the ceiling lady's body with his hatchet!

"KURURURURURU!"

The ceiling lady glares at the ghost, attempting to ensnare him with her arms, but he deftly evades her grasp.

Adjusting his hatchet, the ghost changes its target and aims a lethal swing at Vesper's neck to end the confrontation.

Though unable to see behind him, the pressure of the hair around his limbs informs Vesper of the dire situation. Summoning all his strength, he struggles to break free. In the process, he inadvertently evades the deadly blow aimed at his neck.

The ghost cut the ceiling lady's hair instead!

Frustrated by the miss, the ghost raises his hatchet high in pursuit.

However, the grim reaper boss has another plan. She suddenly pivots and thrusts her knife towards the ghost with casual precision. Unlike the ceiling-bound entity, her blade finds its mark, sinking into the ghost's back.

Wincing in pain, the old man twists to face the knife lady. Seizing his chance for revenge, he grabs her by the throat with one hand while raising his hatchet with the other.

With a swift strike, the hatchet connects with the lady's forehead. Yet, to everyone's surprise, it fails to penetrate her skin.

Undeterred, the knife lady conjures two blades magically into her hands. She drives them into the ghost's neck and withdraws them swiftly. The ghost convulses briefly before disintegrating into dust. A blue orb drops from the entity.

Having dispatched a fellow entity, the knife-wielding grim reaper raises her gaze. The eight-legged entity meets her gaze in return.

"KURURURURURU!"

The eight-legged monster takes two steps backward before turning and retreating into the kitchen.

Vesper watches as the faceless entity effortlessly dispatches the ghost and drives off the ceiling-bound creature. Summoning his remaining strength, he attempts to rise to his feet, but he stumbles and falls onto the floor.

Meanwhile, the knife-wielding grim reaper redirects her attention to Vesper. Twirling two knives with expert skill, she calmly approaches him.

Injured and drained, Vesper kicks the floor and crawls backward into the living room. His back collides with a nearby cabinet, knocking over a flower vase with a loud clang. The shattered pieces scatter, one cutting into Vesper's left calf, but he barely notices the pain.

Ignoring the broken vase, the lady steps on the shards, advancing toward Vesper. After three steps, she stomps on his stomach, pinning him to the floor. With eerie calmness, she settles on top of him, pressing the two knives against his neck.

Aware of his impending demise, Vesper grimly smiles. With his limbs immobilized and strength waning, he can only gaze at the lady's face in the darkness.

Upon closer inspection, Vesper discerns the faint outline of her face in the darkness. Contrary to her moniker, she isn't entirely devoid of features; instead, her visage is obscured by a veil of black mist. Her form is cloaked in a black hooded cloak and robe, barely concealing her skin, which hints at her feminine silhouette and alluring curves.

Her body is quite hot for a grim reaper. Vesper's body strangely reacts to it.

'Ah, it would have been nice if a beautiful woman were to end me. Too bad I can't even see her face.'

Meanwhile, the grim reaper pauses, tilting her head and giving Vesper a curious look. She also looks behind her as a hard stick is poking her butt, which is barely covered by a thin veil of robe.

Vesper also feels it. She doesn't wear anything down there except the thin robe.

'Um, I can explain.' Vesper inwardly laughs.

Mischievously, she leans closer to his face. Her voice resonates in his mind.

"Dear guest, you have an interesting kink. Would you like me to give you a quick death or a slow and painful death?"

Taken aback, Vesper hoarsely laughs, mentally responding.

'If possible, I don't want to get killed. But if I can make the choice, I would like the killer to be a hot gorgeous sexually-aggressive woman who doesn't hesitate to snu-snu me before sending me off, please."

The lady freezes, seemingly startled by his response.

BOOM!

The interruption comes from the garage, as the spider lady manages to breach the shutter door once more, making her way into the house.

Letting out a sigh, the grim reaper lady glances briefly behind her before refocusing on Vesper.

"I guess I'll choose you."

'???'

"Mr. Vesper Pallas, when you next visit my abode, kindly find the hidden rune and return it to me. Then, I'll grant you something special. If you dare to steal it again, I shall continue to end your existence until you become one of them."

Vesper is taken aback, unable to comprehend the situation.

A faint laughter escapes the knife lady as she twists her blades and swiftly slices Vesper's throat, the blood staining her black robe.