"Courtney. It's time to go outside!"
Going to our flowery house, I went to Courtney's room, seeing her on the computer. Courtney's enthusiasm to go outside had died. I had to make sure that the outside world wasn't something useless.
"Charles? Can I finish this game first?"
I was watching her play a gun game. It was a close game where anyone could win. Since I didn't want to ruin it for her, I let her play it out while watching her play the game.
Ten minutes later, the game was finished. Just to let you know, I could have distracted her. But as a great person, I didn't.
"Sorry, everyone. I have a date, I will play with you all later."
Online friends were something Courtney preferred. After saying goodbye to them, Courtney got up and changed before me.
"Charles. Which dress do you prefer?"
Courtney gave me three choices. A casual white dress, a frilly blue dress, and a fancy black dress. All three choices were great, no matter what she wore.
"It's close, but let's go with the black one."
"You know, you look stunning no matter what you wear."
I spoke into Courtney's ears with a teasing tone. She blushed at my compliment and looked away, flustered.
"Let's go."
Before Courtney stayed holed up in the house, I quickly dragged her out and went to where she would likely be interested.
"This place seems like something you would be interested in. How about it?"
Right before us, there was a game store. While physical games might not be Courtney's strong suit, it was still a game she might be interested in.
"..."
"There's a place like this?"
What was before us was an illusion game. An illusion game was what it sounded like. You can create a game through your imagination by creating an illusion through someone's power or artifact.
While it may be dangerous, you had to find a credible place, and from what I saw, many people visited this place for their enjoyment.
"Yep. It's popular. Why don't we check out what's great about this place?
Listening to my words, Courtney agreed and went in. I followed her in and searched around the place.
"Are you new here? I have a suggestion for which games you might enjoy."
As we entered the store, an employee offered her assistance. I don't know why, but I felt she wasn't as great as she seemed.
"Sure, go ahead."
I will play this woman's game. The crowd suddenly stared at us when we agreed to the employee's request.
"To think Jill will trick a newbie into playing his game. How cruel."
"Her taste is terrible, but seeing what she does to these noobs is entertaining."
Courtney couldn't hear their voice, as she was too immersed in this store. I can't tell whether these people are idiots for speaking so loudly.
"We have a new game today. It's a horror game. Want to test it out? It's perfect for couples."
"Couples?"
"Yes, couples. Don't you think playing a horror game with your lover is romantic?"
Courtney's interest had risen just like that; Jill had convinced her easily. She looked at me, begging me to play with her. Horror games were something I never had much interaction with. So it might be interesting to try.
"Sure, how much is it?"
"It's not that expensive. 5000 credits."
I handed it to him without much thought. Jill then led us to the illusion ground and started doing her thing. Before she started, she told us about this game's premise.
"This new horror objective is to escape a standard for most horror games. There are many options to escape, but there will be conditions you need to fulfill. Don't be discouraged when you fail, as this isn't an easy game."
After explaining what was needed, an illusion appeared. Instead of the game room where we were, we were now in a dark forest with the two of us alone.
"Charles. This looks so realistic!"
Courtney's eyes shone brightly, watching her surroundings. Instead of being scared, she looked around, happy with the setting.
"Courtney, do you want to lead the way? You seem familiar with these types of games."
"Gladly!"
Since there was no path for us to follow, we could only rely on our instincts. What made this experience unnerving was the sound this illusion produced. The trees and ground make sounds even when no one should be there.
With Courtney leading the way, I followed her around. The scene never changes as we progress, but more sounds appear before us. We wouldn't let these stifling sounds stop us.
"Courtney. There's something inside that bush."
The bush I stared at was rattling. Was this our first adversary? I wonder if I can punch these monsters to death.
It was foolish to go to the bush and try to uncover it, so we stayed still, ready for an attack. Waiting for it to appear, it didn't seem like it would appear unless we went near it.
"Should we slide past it? There's no reason for us to go near it."
Courtney agreed to my idea, and we slid past the bush. But in doing so, a deformed monster appeared before us.
"Don't you think this thing is too ugly?"
"Yeah... It's pretty disturbing to look at."
Looking at the monster's skin, it only had the outer layer ripped off of its body. Its eyes were gone, leaving two black holes in each eye socket. Some notable features were the black blood splattered on his body and a tentacle for its arm.
"RRZZZZZ!"
Making a weird-sounding screech, it charged at us. This monster didn't look powerful at all. Since it was coming at me, I resisted and fought back.
Punching it in the face, I felt that it was too easy. The monster fell down as I smashed my fist into its face.
"What's so scary about something weak."
"Charles. I don't think we're allowed to do that."
~
[Third Person POV]
Jill and the rest had their eyes wide open at the scene. They thought a scream would have already been heard in a horror game. The disfigured monster made some people here shiver, but seeing Charles take one shot made them less fearful.
"Jill, you didn't make all the monsters here weak, did you?"
One of the customers asked while spectating the scene. Jill thought there might be some bug in the illusion that she had created. Any of the monsters in the game weren't supposed to be killed.
"They weren't supposed to die. Maybe it was faulty. I will have to check it out later."
When Jill said everyone's conclusions were the same, the game had to be faulty if the monster died. Jill was somewhat regretful, letting everyone see what would happen next. Usually, it would take a few days for someone to complete the new game.
Both Charles and Courtney had gone through the isolated forest. Eventually, they reached an abandoned house.
"If we aim to escape, why should we enter the mansion? Isn't it better if we go past it?"
"But that won't be exciting. Charles, we're here to experience what this game could do."
Because of Courtney, Charles had gone into the house. Jill thought Charles was too much of a game-breaker and was not the noob she sought.
Unlike the forest, the house gave off a much creepier vibe. What made the house more unsettling was its presence. Charles felt much more presence here compared to the forest.
Every corner of the house had monsters that could attack. Since his skill wasn't helpful in this illusion, all he could do was wait for these monsters to appear.
Charles and Courtney searched everywhere in the main hallway for clues to escape. It had only been ten minutes since they entered the illusion, and only one monster had shown up.
The hallways had many paintings, and Charles could see that these paintings had eyes of their own. He wasn't sure if he should destroy everything.
"Courtney, do you want me to lead?"
Unlike the forest, Courtney was shaking uncontrollably. The atmosphere had settled in, and Courtney had taken a blow from it. When Charles asked, the scared girl followed him and allowed him to lead.
[Charles POV]
"Is it me... Or did the eyes move?"
"They did. They have been moving ever since."
I may have no tact, but I wasn't going to lie. By the time we reached the end of the hallway, a screech had appeared.
"KYAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"
Courtney screamed from a jump scare. A shadowy figure with a bloody face had randomly appeared. This humanoid entity had no facial features—only blood and a mouth-like arm.
When the monster pounced on us, I kicked it in the head, sending it flying away. For me, it was not scary at all. I believe in the mentality that being scared is pointless if you can beat it.
After beating the hallway, we then went to the living room.
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