PVCNC 03

Chapter – 03

Even Sudra, who had turned into a monster after being consumed by evil thoughts, lowered its momentum and hesitated for a moment at that sight.

Is it… still retaining some reason?

“Lilia, it’s dangerous, come here!”

Of course, no one knew when the corrupted beast—fallen due to the Main God’s mistake—might suddenly change.

So no one could afford to lower their guard even slightly.

What should I do now?

Looking around, I spotted a hole beneath Sudra’s left leg that looked just big enough for one person to crawl through.

A small blessing in misfortune.

But it was far too narrow for two people to escape together.

Sudra might be large and slow, but it wasn’t so sluggish or stupid that it would let two people escape.

Whoever went last would definitely get caught.

The corridor had already been completely destroyed when Sudra appeared, and if I remembered correctly, Wendy—

No, my room was on the 5th floor, the highest level of the mansion.

Either way, I’m going to die.

The best option would be to draw Sudra’s attention and use the time gained to escape together through the hole.

According to the original story, I was supposed to lure Sudra while it was off guard and crush it with a massive bookshelf.

Then I would receive a portal ticket as a quest reward.

“…Ha.”

But seeing those desperate eyes in person weakened my resolve.

If I suggested killing the nanny, I would feel like the worst person alive.

Well, maybe it’s okay to deviate from the story just once.

After all, gaining the trust of the female lead was one of the best ways to survive.

“Alright. I won’t hurt you, so just calm down first…”

The moment I took a step toward Sudra, unlike with Lilia, it immediately revealed its ferocity with a harsh scraping sound.

If I took even one more step, I would probably be crushed under its massive foot like dried jerky.

This feels a bit unfair. Is this discrimination?

“Nanny… I know you’re still in there. I know the kind nanny who loved and cared for us is still alive inside.”

Lilia placed her hand on Sudra’s leg, which had half-risen as if it might attack me, and spoke in a trembling voice.

“Please don’t do this, Nanny. We’ll find a way to turn you back into a human. So please…!”

At her sincere voice, Sudra lowered its hostility again and rolled its three eyes to look at Lilia.

Maybe it was my imagination, but for a brief moment, something like sympathy passed through its eyes.

But just as relief began to settle in, a question suddenly arose.

Did the original Lilia ever have an ability like this?

Sudra now seemed to have completely lost its will to attack and simply sat down with a heavy thud, scratching its head.

Huh?

I couldn’t take my eyes off the strange scene, my mouth hanging open in disbelief.

If I had killed Sudra according to the original plot, I never would have seen something like this.

[An abnormal reaction has been detected from the monster Sudra.]

Soon, a sharp warning sound rang out as if to shatter my thoughts.

Right. A world already heading toward destruction, filled with evil thoughts, wouldn’t allow such a peaceful moment to last.

The very will of the world itself was probably already tainted.

“Ha… damn it.”

[Due to the abnormal reaction, the tutorial clear condition has been updated.]

[Sudra has entered the ‘Forced Execution’ state.]

[Tutorial conditions have been updated.]

[Previous: Find and eliminate the weakness of the rampaging monster.]

》
[New: Escape from the controlled monster and enter the portal leading to the survivor base.]

As the messages appeared one after another, Sudra’s frozen body began twitching with a low groan.

Its three eyes became bloodshot, and ugly boils began swelling across its muscular body.

Startled by its painful convulsions, Lilia stepped closer.

“Lilia!”

The moment Sudra’s eyes turned blood red and it roared—

I stopped thinking entirely, grabbed Lilia’s wrist, and started running.

[Portal location: Mansion entrance]

[Time until portal closes: 120 seconds]

[Failure condition: All lifeforms in the mansion will die]

“Is there no beginner mode?!”

If we wanted to live, we had to run.

The path to the mansion entrance was far from easy.

The layered staircases were one problem.

But many of the servants had already been bitten by monsters and were in the process of turning into demonic beasts.

If we could reach the shortcut corridor from the original story, we might make it in time.

But that route only worked if Sudra had been killed.

If it still had its mind, it—and other monsters—would likely chase us down.

And we were at the very top of the mansion.

Only about 100 seconds remained.

Just descending one floor took over 60 seconds.

There was no way we could get down five floors in time.

This is basically telling us to die.

Despair filled my mind.

But despair was a luxury in the face of death.

Whatever happens, survival comes first.

I shook my head violently to clear my thoughts and shouted at Lilia, who was trembling behind me.

“Lilia, this might sound insane, but we’re going to jump from here.”

I pointed toward the railing of the 5th floor.

There was no normal way to reach the entrance.

So we had no choice but to take an abnormal route.

“See that huge chandelier below the railing? We’re going to use it to get down.”

If we could just reach the ground, the giant purple portal was right there.

We could make it in time.

“Better than becoming Nanny’s food, right?”

Lilia’s face turned pale, then blue, changing by the second.

She looked like she couldn’t believe what was happening.

Understandable. The world had practically ended overnight.

But soon, hearing the grotesque cries of monsters behind us, she nodded.

“Let’s go, sister.”

Lilia pulled out a shard of glass—I didn’t even know when she picked it up—and cut the hem of her dress without hesitation.

She tore the thick fabric into pieces and handed some to me.

Then she wrapped the cloth tightly around her hands.

“If we grab the chain with bare hands, they’ll get torn apart.”

Winter noble dresses were layered for warmth.

That meant the fabric was thick and strong.

It would help reduce friction burns while sliding down the chain.

I looked at Lilia in surprise.

In my desperation to survive, I hadn’t even thought about safety.

There was no time for thanks.

I quickly wrapped my hands and climbed onto the railing without hesitation.

[Time until portal closes: 19 seconds]

Enough time. Or maybe not.

I checked the floating countdown and looked at Lilia.

“Lilia.”

Her sweat-soaked face looked pitiful, knowing she would have to jump after me.

“When I jump, you jump right after me.”

[17 seconds]
[16 seconds]
[15 seconds]

No more time to hesitate.

All or nothing.

I stretched my arm forward, estimating the distance.

Good. I won’t die from the fall.

I rose onto my toes and leaped.

My body floated.

My hair whipped across my face, blocking my vision.

This is bad. I can’t see.

Didn’t expect this.

I couldn’t locate the chain.

Maybe I hadn’t jumped far enough.

“Sister! Reach further!”

At Lilia’s shout, I stretched my hand more.

Cold metal brushed my fingertips.

Just a little more.

I leaned forward.

A heavy chain filled my grip.

I grabbed it like a lifeline and hung on with my full weight.

Despite the cloth wrapping, my palms burned as if they were tearing apart.

Without Lilia’s idea, my hands would already be shredded.

My feet finally touched the ground.

I looked back up.

Lilia looked relieved but worried.

“I’ll catch you.”

A lie.

But I said it to reassure her.

“Hurry.”

About 10 seconds left.

It had taken me over 5 seconds just to descend.

[9 seconds]
[8 seconds]

Strangely, my words seemed to calm her.

She bit her lip and jumped.

Unlike me, she descended more steadily.

[5 seconds]

“You did well, Lilia.”

But the portal was already fading.

Luckily it was only a few steps away.

“Lilia!”

But she wasn’t moving.

“Why aren’t you moving?!”

I grabbed her arm.

“My nanny’s necklace…”

She murmured blankly.

It must have fallen while she descended.

I knew how important that necklace was to her.

But there was only one thing I could do.

[3 seconds]

I pulled her into my arms so she couldn’t resist and whispered:

“I’m sorry.”

[2 seconds]

Even as the portal disappeared, her gaze remained fixed on the ruined mansion.

On Sudra.

[1 second]

Sudra was crushed under rubble, coughing blood.

Its green skin was mangled, oozing yellow pus.

One eye had fallen out.

Other monsters looked the same.

One had metal piercing its skull.

Another crawled without legs.

Just yesterday, they had all been servants sharing laughs.

I gently covered Lilia’s eyes.

My palm grew wet with her tears.

[0 seconds]

The mansion began collapsing.

Monsters running toward the portal were crushed by the falling chandelier.

Yet the quest window cheerfully announced:

[Quest complete. Two survivors confirmed.]

[Objective achieved. Transporting to survivor base.]

We survived, so that’s enough?

No way.

Flowers fell on one side.

Blood splattered on the other.

My stomach churned.

Not relief.

The opposite.

Helplessness.

Fear.

Anxiety without reason pounded my heart.

The portal activated with a loud hum.

White light filled my vision.

“Goodbye, Mom.”

Lilia said her final farewell to the disappearing world.