THGA 01

Chapter 01

A night of violent wind and rain.
The window, pressured through loose gaps, rattled loudly. The biting cold made my body tremble uncontrollably. With a gag stuffed in my mouth, I couldn’t even part my lips, and my hands and feet ached from being bound for so long.

“Mmph… mmph!”

I wanted to escape somehow, but there was no way unless he untied me himself. And when he did free my body, I would be trapped forever in the deep underground of this mansion.

I had transmigrated.
Not into some common novel, but into a horror game infamous for its hellish difficulty and the fact that no one had cleared it yet—Hallucination of Tracker: The Tracker’s Delusion—as the female lead.

It was said to be a story about vampires ruling over humans. Unlike typical horror games, it boasted an expansive worldview and dazzling graphics: a first-person open-world fantasy ARPG, complete with magic and various fantasy elements. Players praised it endlessly for how fun it was.

And yet—of all things—I had ended up inside it!

The bastard who kidnapped me was the game’s mastermind villain, Sren Crochet.
The head of a ducal house, beautiful enough to outshine most women, and a man whose emotional emptiness made it impossible to tell whether he was a psychopath or a sociopath.

It was a cliché story. Born an illegitimate child of the Crochet ducal family, he became the official heir because the duchess had no children of her own. After a miserable childhood, Sren gradually twisted, eventually becoming obsessed with Rachel, the eldest daughter of the Count Famignon—the first person who ever reached out a hand to him.

The storyline was trite and the difficulty brutal, yet the character’s popularity was immense. So much so that many female players challenged this terrifying, cruel horror game just to see the handsome villain, Sren.

And of course, I had transmigrated into the female lead of that insane game. Since there was no established route, I kept failing over and over, stuck on the very first day of transmigration. With cloth covering my eyes, I couldn’t see my surroundings. It was like being trapped in total darkness.

The worst part was that I still hadn’t found a way out of this situation.

That was when it happened.

Dong… dong… dong—
The bell of the clock tower rang through the rain. My expression twisted into bitter self-mockery.

So it begins again.

This was the BGM signaling the start of the game. The moment when the female lead wakes up after being kidnapped by the male lead. Even though I’d repeated this situation several times, cold sweat broke out from the tension. It was time for him to come.

‘Three… two… one.’

As I counted in my head, footsteps echoed—step, step—drawing closer. They stopped right in front of the room where I was imprisoned. Click— the rusted doorknob twisted. At that moment, the sound of rain grew even louder, followed by a violent crash of thunder.

“Mmph… mmph!”

You’d think I’d be used to this by now, but my body shook like a leaf. My pounding heart felt like it was dropping straight to the floor. Just as the suffocating fear reached its peak—

Creeeak—

The door finally opened. I swallowed my breath, silent as a dead mouse. Unable to see, I focused every nerve on the sound of footsteps. Heavy steps approached, then stopped right in front of me.

Only his breathing and mine echoed quietly in the room. I knew exactly what he would do next. And so, even knowing it was hopeless, I prayed desperately in my heart.

‘Damn it… don’t untie it! Don’t untie it! I’d rather go blind than see your face!’

Cruelly, the cloth covering my eyes was removed at that very moment. What filled my vision were cherry-blossom-pink eyes. His expressionless gaze, dry of emotion, slowly curved as our eyes met. Dropping the white cloth from his hand, he spoke in a sweet, gentle voice.

“Good morning, Rachel.”

You crazy bastard.
Do you really think this is morning?

Relentless torrential rain and ceaseless thunder and lightning poured outside. Beyond the iron bars, the world was pitch-black, not even moonlight reaching it.

I’d grown used to the perpetually gloomy weather, so telling day from night wasn’t difficult.
What I still couldn’t get used to was his flawless appearance. As if an angel had descended from the heavens—delicate features, breathtaking beauty. And within that elegance, a subtle masculinity that left people dazed.

Wait—this is no time to get distracted by his looks!

I forced myself to regain composure. Just then, he frowned slightly, disappointment in his voice.

“I wanted to spend some quiet time alone with you, but of all times, some small fry had to sneak into the mansion.”

Sren casually traced the blade in his hand along his right index finger. I was the only one worried he might draw blood. In a flat tone, he muttered,

“I hate interruptions. I’ll deal with it quickly, so could you wait here for a bit?”

His crimson eyes shimmered faintly.
For reference, the “interruption” he was talking about was Adenhar Seperta, the sub-male lead who had come to rescue me. My childhood friend—and someone I absolutely had to help escape this mansion. Yet I’d never even reached that stage before.

And for good reason…

Just as Sren seemed about to turn away, he suddenly stopped and spoke.

“You won’t try to run while I’m gone, will you?”

The way he asked, glancing sideways, was chilling. I shook my head violently to say no. Only then did he erase his cold expression and smile sweetly again.

“Good. Be a good girl. Then I’ll give you a special reward.”

Ah, that reward—Adenhar’s severed head, right?

I felt sick. Goosebumps erupted all over my body.
The first time around, I’d naïvely believed that if I waited obediently, he’d really reward me by freeing me. Instead, he brought me Adenhar’s decapitated head. The blood still dripping from that pale face… the moment I saw it, I froze. And when terror overwhelmed me and I cried, Sren asked if I still liked Adenhar that much—then killed me.

The next time, I tried not to react at all when I saw Adenhar. I thought he’d spare me then. But this lunatic suddenly suggested holding a “festival” and crushed Adenhar’s face under his foot right in front of me… and I died of cardiac arrest on the spot.

And now, this was the third time.
This time, I absolutely would not stupidly wait for him. No matter what, waiting only led to death.

When I silently nodded, Sren lifted my chin with his fingertips and lightly pressed his lips to my forehead. His touch was as cold as a corpse.

“I’ll be back soon.”

With that, Sren finally left. I stared at the door after him and waited quietly for about five more minutes. Once his footsteps completely faded, I struggled to loosen the ropes. Whether intentionally or not, the knots were slack enough to undo once my strength returned. I removed the gag and let out a breath.

“Ha… I thought I was going to die.”

If this was going to happen anyway, I should’ve run sooner. Why did I let myself see that lunatic twice?

Without any suspicion, I opened the door.

The sound of rain grew louder, breaking the silence. And then I saw him—Sren, arms crossed, leaning against the wall, watching me.

“…!”

I gasped.

Shit—did he deliberately silence his footsteps and wait? To see if I’d try to escape?

My mind, scrambling for excuses, had already short-circuited. Then his voice reached my ears—low, terrifyingly calm. Contrary to my expectation that he’d explode in anger, he was smiling.

“Didn’t I tell you to wait?”

That was even scarier. His eyes were ice-cold. Soon, his face went blank as he questioned me like an interrogator.

“Why did you come out?”

My heart hammered wildly. Pushing off the wall, Sren slowly approached me. His irises, soaked in madness, gradually turned a vivid red. When his eyes changed to crimson, it meant one thing—

He intended to kill me.

“Did my warning not sound serious?”

I was done for.

Sren grabbed my shoulder in an instant and snarled,

“I clearly told you to wait for me!”
“Ugh…!”

His emotions were rapidly drowning in rage.

“S-Sren, th-that’s not—!”

I had to say something—anything. I needed an excuse he’d accept. But my fear-stricken voice trembled uncontrollably, words tangling together.

Suddenly, Sren calmed down. He smiled grotesquely.

“Right, Rachel. Let’s play dolls.”
“Sren… d-doll play…?”
“Then you’ll smile by my side forever, won’t you?”

It was as if he could no longer hear me.

That meant…
Was he planning to kill me and keep my corpse like a doll?

The moment that thought crossed my mind, my heart dropped. I couldn’t think anymore. A sharp pain pierced my abdomen. My vision blurred red. The last thing I saw was Sren, smiling blissfully as he continued to stab me. And as my consciousness faded, his voice echoed in my ears.

“Rachel. I really like you.”

You bastard.

As my vision clouded over, a familiar message window appeared.

[THE END]
[BAD ENDING (6) – Doll Play]
[You have died.]
[Be careful not to provoke Sren. If you die 7 more times, you will be trapped in this game forever.]

What kind of horrific game is this?!
At this point, you might as well just let me die forever!

And so, I met my absurd third death.