I’m Just Cannon Fodder NPC in a Horror Game

For seven years, I was nothing but a disposable NPC wife in a horror game, dragged along by the monstrous Boss who kept me caged. Then, out of nowhere, a player killed him.

The player, who bore a striking seventy-percent resemblance to my late husband, sheathed his sword and held out a hand to me.

"Your husband is dead," he said. "Come with me."

Right then, glowing lines of text flashed across my vision like a live stream chat.

[The BOSS knew she was unfaithful all along. He faked his death just to test her.]

[But the BOSS is still gravely wounded. Don't worry, our brave female lead is about to rescue and heal him!]

[This cowardly side-character NPC is running off with a player, thinking he actually cares about her. She has no idea he's just using her unique NPC biology. Every time players get hurt, they're going to carve pieces of flesh off her to heal. It's going to be brutal!]

[Oh, I remember this part! At the very end, she crawls to the BOSS, begging him to save her, but she ends up getting dirt on the female lead's dress. The BOSS disintegrates her soul without even blinking.]

[Wait... is that player supposed to look like that? Why does he look different from what I remember?]

I was a throwaway NPC wife in a horror game. My daily routine consisted of following the BOSS around to trigger the plot.

By day, we had to play the part of a deeply loving couple in front of the players.

"This is my thirteenth wife," the Count would say, wrapping an arm around me while viciously pinching my waist from behind. "I adore her."

Biting my lip, I would nod meekly.

By night, I had to "accidentally" cross paths with the players and weep to them about how terribly the Count treated me.

"Yes, he beats me constantly. These bruises on my arms are proof of his cruelty." I would sob, displaying carefully painted-on marks. "Every night, he locks me in the very last room on the second floor to torture me. Please, I beg of you, save me."

"But the BOSS told us to stay away from the last room on the second floor," the players would mutter, thrown off by the conflicting rules.

"He's lying to you! If I'm not out by midnight, please come in and rescue me. I will reward you handsomely!"

Naturally, driven by the promise of a rich reward, there were always players foolish enough to take the risk.

None of them ever made it out alive.

To be fair, I wasn't entirely lying.

While they were being torn apart and consumed by monsters in that room, the BOSS was tormenting me on the other side of the wall.

The walls were thin. He loved pinning me against them. The louder the screams from next door, the more violent his touch became.

"You stared at the second man from the left a second too long today," he whispered, biting my earlobe. "Do you like him?"

"No," I gasped.

The cold, slithering tentacles rising from his shadow wrapped around my thighs, freezing my skin.

"Traitors end up just like the first twelve."

I turned around, plastering on a compliant smile to appease him. "Never. I would never betray you."

As if. Where else am I going to find someone who looks so much like my long-lost first love?

But then, a player arrived who completely threw me off my game.

Oh my god.

A man showed up looking exactly like my lost love.

I ran through my usual routine, weeping in front of him under the cover of night.

He listened, then let out a soft laugh. "He treats you badly? How about I kill him for you, and you come with me?"

I froze.

Usually, at the start of a run, players didn't immediately go after the BOSS. Some overly sympathetic players had tried in the past, of course, and their deaths were spectacular.

My Count husband was ridiculously overpowered.

That was why the survival rate of this dungeon was a flat zero.

I kept up the act, sobbing, "My husband is incredibly powerful. You shouldn't..."

Thirty minutes later, the entire second floor was engulfed in raging flames. The player walked out of the fire, dragging several twitching tentacles and tossing them at my feet.

"Your husband is dead. That's fantastic... I mean, I'm so sorry for your loss."

I stared at him, utterly dumbfounded.

"Don't believe me? Look at the system log." He swiped his hand, bringing up a glowing interface only players could see.

There it was, in bold text: [Warning: Count Alistair of the Dread Castle has been slain. Congratulations on clearing the dungeon!]

I stood there, a sudden, strange hollow feeling blooming in my chest.

The man sheathed his sword and offered his hand. "Come with me."

I hesitated.

Sure, the Count looked seventy percent like my first love.

But this guy looked a hundred percent like him.

Sure, the Count had great stamina and a wild imagination in bed.

But this new guy looked like he wouldn't disappoint either.

Sure, the Count was strong.

But this guy was strong enough to turn the Count into calamari.

Actually, I couldn't think of anything else in the Count's favor.

Rest in peace, dear ex-husband. Your death brings me great sorrow, but a girl has to look to the future.

Just as I reached out to take his hand, the strange, glowing chat logs flashed before my eyes again.

[The BOSS knew she was unfaithful all along. He faked his death just to test her.]

[But the BOSS is still gravely wounded. Don't worry, our brave female lead is about to rescue and heal him!]

[Wait... is that player supposed to look like that? Why does he look different from what I remember?]

Wait, I was just a tragic side character?

I suppose that made sense. I was just the BOSS's possession. There had been twelve others before me.

But... carve my flesh?

It was true that an NPC's flesh could rapidly heal players.

Suddenly, the way this handsome player was looking at me felt entirely different.

Shuddering, I yanked my hand back and squeezed out a few pathetic tears. "You have to understand... my husband just died. His soul hasn't even crossed over yet. I cannot betray his memory so soon."

"So you can after the mourning period is over?"

"..."

Was that seriously his takeaway?

The player actually seemed to ponder this. He picked up the charred tentacles, stuffed them into a small jar, and pressed it into my hands.

"Think of this as your husband for now. Keep him close so you feel he's still with you. I hate seeing you cry."

As he spoke, his gaze was incredibly intense, dripping with affection.

Can you blame me? Imagine a man who looks exactly like your first love staring at you with eyes full of absolute devotion.

Suddenly, holding my dead husband in a jar felt a bit inconvenient. It was keeping me from wrapping my arms around this new guy.

I wiped my tears and nodded.

Whatever. Let him carve my flesh. To die in the arms of beauty is a worthy death.

"Ah, the system says the next instance is opening. This place is about to collapse. Let's go." He wiped the blood from his hands and took mine, leading me forward.

Honestly, the jar was just in the way.

As we navigated the crumbling ruins, I "accidentally" dropped it into a fissure. A burst of flames swallowed it instantly.

Finally, I had both hands free to cling to his arm.

But why did the back of my neck suddenly feel so cold?

It was my first time in the players' safe zone, a cozy, tavern-like lobby. We sat across from each other at a wooden table.

"This next dungeon is notoriously lethal. Word is, no one has ever cleared it. We need to recruit more members." The players at the neighboring table whispered, their eyes drifting toward us.

Specifically, they were looking at the man across from me.

My current appearance was a mess: a simple white dress, eyes swollen like bruised plums, and hair looking like a bird's nest. I looked exactly like the kind of dead weight that gets everyone killed.

Sure enough, a burly player walked over. "Hey there. We're all ranked in the top thirty. Want to party up with us?"

Addison didn't even look up. He kept his chin resting on his hand, a lazy smile playing on his lips as he looked at me. "Esme, what do you think?"

"How do you know my name?"

"Heard your husband yell it."

A female player nearby couldn't help but chime in. "Wait, you two aren't a couple?"

"Nope," Addison replied, his tone entirely casual. "Her husband just passed away, and I'm just looking after her."

"..."

The tavern went dead silent.

After a long, awkward pause, the woman managed a weak, "My condolences."

"So, what's your name?" I asked, looking up.

"You don't even know his name?" the female player blurted out. "Is this really just 'looking after' her?"

"Addison," he said.

"Addison?" The burly man frowned. "That sounds incredibly familiar. I feel like I've heard it somewhere..."

Realizing Addison took his cues from me, they eagerly invited us to join. I couldn't find a way to refuse, so I agreed. As soon as we joined, the female player, Julia, crept over to gossip.

"Was your husband good-looking?"

I pointed at Addison. "He was alright. Looked pretty much like him."

Julia: "..."

"He must have treated you well, right?"

I pointed at Addison again. "He was okay. A bit worse than him, though."

Julia: "..."

"How did he die? You must be devastated."

I pointed at Addison a third time. "He was alright. This guy killed him."

Julia's jaw practically hit the floor.

Just then, the glowing chat log popped up again.

[Is this side-character really using him as a rebound?]

[Oh my god, the female lead already found the BOSS! He's acting like a tame little puppy around her, it's so cute!]

[If the BOSS finds out the songbird he caged for seven years ran off with another man, he's going to lose his mind, haha.]

[Not necessarily. The BOSS wanted her dead anyway. She was just too good at playing innocent, and now her true colors are showing.]

[When is this player going to start carving her up? I can't wait to see her face when she realizes she's been played!]

[Soon, definitely soon. Look at the way he's staring at her like a predator. I bet a pack of spicy strips he starts carving tonight!]

As that last line vanished, Addison stepped between me and Julia. He caught my wrist, his grip firm but gentle. "You must be exhausted. Let me take you to a room to rest before the next dungeon starts."

He cast a brief glance over his shoulder at Julia. I couldn't see his expression, but Julia took several trembling steps back, looking terrified.

Oh god. Is he taking me to the chopping block?

I remained silent as he led me down a dimly lit corridor, away from the bustling lobby.

To be honest, my memory of my first love was incredibly blurry.

Perhaps spending so much time in the horror game had eroded my past.

The earliest memory I possessed was of a man holding me tightly, weeping, promising he wouldn't let anything happen to me.

Seeing him cry had torn my heart apart. Even with only that fragment, I knew he was the most important person in my life.

But when I next opened my eyes, I was staring at a throne made of blood and bones. A man draped in shadows sat upon it, eyes closed, resting.

He looked seventy percent like the face in my memories, but his aura was entirely different. When his eyes snapped open, they were a deep, crimson red.

Sensing I was awake, a long black tentacle slithered from his shadow, gently tilting my chin up.

"You're quite beautiful," he murmured. "How would you like to be my thirteenth wife?"

And so, I became his thirteenth wife.

He claimed he couldn't stand a marriage that wasn't real, routinely ignoring the game's boundaries just to tease and torment me.

And now, a man who looked identical to my memory had appeared, bearing the exact same temperament.

I couldn't help but ask, "Addison... have we met before?"

Addison pushed open the door to a bedroom. As I stepped inside, he turned, his arm brushing past my cheek to click the door shut.

"Why do you ask?"

The room was dark, but his eyes caught the faint light from the hallway, gleaming with a dangerous intensity.

"Nothing. You just feel very familiar."

He leaned in, his breath smelling of cold cedar enveloping me. "Because I look like him?"

"What?"

Which "him" did he mean?

Before I could process it, his hand slid down to my waist, slowly tracing upward. The warmth of his touch sent a shiver straight down my spine.

"Did he touch you like this too?"

As our breath mingled, he let out a low, husky laugh. His lips brushed against the shell of my ear before he pulled back.

"Get some rest," he murmured, leaving me flushed, breathless, and utterly confused as he slipped out the door.

Well. He was a professional tease.

I took a cold shower to calm down, then crawled under the covers and drifted into a heavy sleep.

The bed felt strangely similar to the one back in my castle.

In the middle of the night, I vaguely heard the door click open. A dark shadow swiftly moved toward me.

He stood by the bedside, watching me for a long time, before leaning down to press a fierce, almost punishing kiss against my lips.

"Mmh..." I whimpered, struggling against the intensity of it, but my eyelids felt like lead.

A pair of dark, possessive eyes stared down at me through the gloom.

Surprisingly, the familiar gaze put me at ease. I reached up, wrapping my arms around his neck and hooking my legs around his waist. "Stop playing... go to sleep."

"Esme, who exactly are you calling?"

His hand slid beneath my nightgown, his fingers digging into my waist with bruising force. Exhausted, I patted his wrist weakly. "My husband just died. Not yet..."

"..."

I could hear the sound of his teeth grinding. "You little witch. So you do remember your husband just died."

"You swore you'd never betray me. Yet the moment I close my eyes, you throw yourself into the arms of a lover? Hmm?"

He seemed genuinely furious. Pulling my gown up, his lips trailed fire from my waist upward. "Where did he touch you? Here? Or here?"

He bit down hard enough to sting. I kicked out in irritation. "Leave me alone!"

But my foot hit nothing but empty air.

I snapped awake. The room was pitch black, and I was entirely alone.

I shrank back against the headboard, my hand trembling as I touched my waist. The faint, red marks left on my skin were painfully real.

Oh my god. My dead husband had come back from the grave to claim my soul.

分享到：

I’m Just Cannon Fodder NPC in a Horror Game

相关推荐