Rion arrived on the first floor.
“This location is not safe.”
The AI’s voice echoed again.
The basement and the stairs were separated by a reinforced glass wall. Through the glass, Rion could see the horror of the first floor.
There were bloodstains splattered everywhere. Chairs were toppled over, and shattered lightbulbs littered the floor. Zombies roamed around aimlessly.
[NormalDesire donated 1,000 KRW] [Wow, that’s hot.]
“Ugh...”
Rion gagged unconsciously. Like most people, she had a weak stomach.
Peeling skin, exposed guts spilling from torn bellies, and eyes hanging loose. Skeletal bones poked through decaying flesh.
‘I hate this so much...’
She never really liked zombies or horror games. The only reason she ever played them was to gain popularity.
Especially with Dead Rows being the developers, the zombies in this game were disturbingly realistic and grotesque. Combined with the vivid VR experience—down to the stench and the air’s texture—it heightened the horror to an almost unbearable degree.
Rion swallowed hard.
“Amazing sight from the get-go.”
Suddenly, a relaxed voice cut through the tension.
“Unni...”
“Don’t just stand there; come over here. There’s no point in letting them see you.”
Laura beckoned her over. Right... this whole thing was her idea in the first place...
Rion had tried to decline initially. But since they couldn’t find anyone else to fill the last spot, she ended up here.
Filling the numbers was part of it, but more than anything, Rion had a personal reason to be here.
Probably no one in this world wanted Laura’s success more than she did. Even more than Laura herself.
“...Alright.”
Rion took Laura’s hand and pressed herself against the wall to avoid the zombies’ sight.
While Laura kept an eye on the zombies beyond the glass, Rion held her breath. Not long after, footsteps echoed from the stairs below, signaling that the other two had finally logged in.
“Mom! Auntie!”
“Do you want to die, nya?”
Rion muttered under her breath as soon as she was called “auntie.” It was Ainatsu. With her inability to drink lately, her mental sharpness had plummeted, and now she’d even started calling Rion “auntie.” Maybe it was time to give her a proper beating.
“Wow... what is this place? I really hate this atmosphere...”
The other one was Sora. She glanced around and muttered in disgust.
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[‘The Great Duchess’ Party Status (4/4)]
Laura, Rion, Ainatsu, and Sora made up the Great Duchess party. Naturally, the party name was Laura’s idea. They were playing roles: the Duchess, the family’s head maid (allegedly a distant relative), the family’s prisoner, and a not-so-important noble guest (who sometimes did menial tasks). If any of that sounds confusing, feel free to ask Laura unni.
Rion was here to support Laura’s stream and round out the team. Ainatsu, as someone charged with insulting nobles, had no choice but to obey Laura. She also happened to have some resilience to horror games.
And Sora had reluctantly agreed to join:
[I hate horror games... but this is by Dead Rows?]
[Alright, if it’s from them, I’ll join.]
It wasn’t unusual for Laura and Sora to hang out, but it seemed like Sora had another motive this time, though Rion couldn’t guess what it might be.
“Are we seriously going through there? Zombies are all over the place.”
“If that’s the only way, we’ll have to go,” Laura replied, folding her arms.
“Let’s search the basement first. Maybe there’s another route.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Oh, the duchess doesn’t do anything strenuous. That’s your job.”
“Wow! Heavy bottom! That’s so lewd!”
[DduDdae-ee donated 1,000 KRW] [Ainatsu, are you really a child? lol]
Ainatsu yelled out as if she’d lost her mind. Laura, for her part, clearly had no intention of doing any grunt work. Just how pampered had she been growing up?
Perhaps it was for the best. If the glass wall were to shatter and the zombies poured in, no matter how realistic it was, that wasn’t an experience Rion wanted. Laura, on the other hand, wouldn’t flinch even if a hundred zombies charged her. In a way, Rion felt reassured with her staying behind.
So, Laura stayed on the first floor while the others went back to the basement to explore.
“But, Rion sunbae, can’t we just stay here?” Sora approached Rion right after they went downstairs.
It seemed like Sora found Ainatsu a bit difficult to deal with, which made sense. Ainatsu hadn’t left the best impression. She’d recently started speaking casually with Rion, as they’d gotten to know each other a bit.
“That won’t work, nya. We need food, so we have to get out eventually.”
“Yeah, I guess...”
“Also, the safety timer only gives us 50 hours.”
After 50 hours, this place would no longer be safe. They had to get out before then. Soon, Rion and Sora discovered a compelling reason why they needed to leave.
“...Rion sunbae, there’s a zombie in here.”
Inside one of the cold sleep capsules was a body, its flesh discolored but still mostly intact. It was frozen, so it retained a vaguely human form, unlike the zombies upstairs.
“Hmm... I get it now.”
Ainatsu clapped her hands, seemingly piecing it all together.
“So, I guess we’re the only ones immune to the zombie virus? The cold sleep devices must have been set to release everyone after 50 hours, but the AI woke us up early since we’re immune!”
“...Ainatsu sunbae, why are you suddenly so knowledgeable?”
“UwU? Ainatsu is just a baby! UwU!”
“Please stop that, nya. It’s creepy.”
Ainatsu kept flipping between sanity and insanity, making it hard to keep up. If only she could pick one. Rion and Sora also found a few items after exploring more:
“These items are conveniently placed.”
“That’s just how horror games are.”
In horror games, it was normal to find random weapons and supplies lying around. As expected, they’d have to use these items to get through the first part.
“Over here! I found a ladder going up!”
Ainatsu had found their escape route.
“Alright. Sora and Ainatsu, you go up first. I’ll get Laura.”
With that, the Great Duchess party members escaped through the secret passage from the basement.
Well, most of them.
When Rion reached the first floor, she found the glass barrier opened for some reason.
“Oh, you’re late?”
Laura stood beyond the glass, smiling slightly, as she gently caressed a zombie’s head.
“G-gngh...”
Laura casually drove a survival knife into the zombie’s neck, cutting through it smoothly as if slicing paper or meat.
In a single fluid motion, she severed its head. The zombie flailed, but it was a futile struggle. Without consciousness, it was merely acting on animalistic instinct. Now, it was nothing more than a rotting hunk of meat.
Thud.
The headless corpse fell, leaving Laura holding its decayed head, which she promptly tossed aside as if it were nothing but garbage.
“Unni... what are you doing?”
“I noticed a knife nearby, so I put it to use.”
Laura tapped her foot on the floor.
“Aren’t horror games fascinating? Weapons are just lying around everywhere.”
She gestured around her. Discarded heads and severed corpses littered the floor.
“Call Sora and Ainatsu back. This area seems safe now.”
“They’ve already left through the secret passage...”
“Oh, have they?”
Laura touched her cheek in mock dismay, not caring about the rotten blood now staining her face.
“Well, I’ll clear out a bit more around here. Bring them back when you can.”
“...”
So, she wasn’t planning to use the secret passage at all.
Rion let out a small sigh.
It seemed that the duchess had a natural affinity for the apocalypse.