Widowed Innkeeper NPC

I am the widowed innkeeper NPC in a horror game.

Ever since my husband went missing, the loneliness has been unbearable. To cope, I try to trap players in my dungeon to keep me company.

The only problem? My IQ is terribly low. The trials I design are childishly simple, and I can only watch in dismay as players breeze through them.

They even started calling my dungeon the "Toddler Zone," claiming a three-year-old could beat it. Worse, they flooded the community forums with warning posts, telling everyone that my trial is a low-difficulty, low-reward waste of time, begging new players not to bother.

Eventually, the Game Master delivered the final blow: because my success rate is too high, my dungeon is being permanently shut down.

Heartbroken, I swept the guest rooms of my inn and locked the doors for the last time.

But on the night of the shutdown, a series of heavy knocks rattled the tightly shut doors of my inn.

One after another, the very players who had easily conquered my trials stood outside, calling my name in excited, breathless whispers:

"Holly, it's me. Your man. I'm back."

01

Dungeon Announcement:

"Attention all players! Due to an overwhelming number of negative reviews and a lack of active participants, the Rosewood Inn trial is releasing its final seven slots. After this round, the dungeon will be permanently shut down."

This notice quickly pinned itself to the top of the horror games community forum.

Beneath the announcement, the comment section exploded with remarks from players who had previously cleared the inn trial.

"Finally, it's closing."

"I absolutely despised that innkeeper boss."

"Thank goodness. Who even plays such an outdated, clich trial anyway? I went once, my heart was pounding the whole time, but the rules were just way too simple."

"Exactly. That widow boss was so incredibly annoying. I cleared her dungeon months ago, and I still can't get her out of my head. It's infuriating."

"Good riddance. Don't let anyone else waste their time. They shouldn't even release those last seven slots, just close it now."

"Agreed. If nobody applies, I bet Holly will cry her eyes out. Annoying."

"Wait, is that the entire leaderboard in the comments? Screenshotting this!"

"I didn't even notice at first. The comment section is literally filled with the top-tier grinders who survive on points."

"Carry me, legends! What does it even feel like to have a nine-figure point balance?"

"Do the gods of the leaderboard get their hearts racing because of a minor boss too? Haha."

"I was planning to check it out, but if the veterans say it's trash, I'll pass."

"Same, sticking to my four-star trials."

"Yeah, let's focus on other dungeons. Ignore this minor boss."

At that moment, a player holding the number one spot on the global leaderboard, whose avatar was a simple black-and-white lucky cat, posted a comment.

"Oh my god, Tony! He only ever posts strategic guides. This is the first time he's ever left a comment in a public thread!"

"The pros are so nice, saving us from the trash tier."

"Actually, Tony was the one who wrote the very first warning post about this place."

"And the other pros all upvoted him!"

"I'm crying. They care about us so much."

02

I was shaking with anger, clutching my cheap phone. It was an NPC-exclusive model I had saved up my meager points for years to buy.

Logging into the player channel, I pointed my screen at Shadow, the owl who was currently forced to pose as a lucky cat on my counter.

"I know this guy! When he cleared my dungeon, he stole my gold lucky cat ornament!"

Hearing this, Shadow stopped flapping his wings and landed on my shoulder, squinting at the screen. He was tired of doing double duty as both an owl and a lucky cat ever since my ornament was stolen.

I remembered the thief's arrogance when he cleared the trial.

"The rules of this place are incredibly stupid," he had sneered. "Who could this possibly eliminate? You silly little ghost."

The memory made my ghostly form flicker with rage.

"I only let him win because he looked so pathetic and miserable!"

Shadow sighed, his voice low. "Holly, your rules are already incredibly easy. You don't need to let anyone win."

I pretended not to hear him, tapping the screen with my long, sharp nails.

"And this one, and that one! I only let them through out of the goodness of my heart! Now they talk trash behind my back? I'm going to eat them!"

Shadow gave up, flying back to the counter to resume his stiff, lucky-cat pose.

Then I remembered the system notification. My dungeon was closing forever. There would be no more new players to keep me company.

In a fit of pique, I turned off the phone and threw it onto the counter. I floated up to the ceiling beam, hanging upside down with my long red tongue sticking out, closing my eyes to wait for the final batch of players.

Because of that, I missed the flurry of new posts that immediately began to flood the forum.

03

Justin had just cleared a brutal four-star dungeon when he saw the notice about the Rosewood Inn. It was rated negative stars by the veterans.

Ever since he started playing this survival game, he had known about the notorious "trash dungeon" that the top players warned everyone to avoid. He had planned to visit it one day out of sheer curiosity.

Now that it was closing, he had to act fast. As a dedicated completionist, his fingers flew across the screen, instantly hitting the application button.

Before he could even log out, his inbox began to flash violently.

"Bro, are you selling your Rosewood Inn slot? I'm serious. Name your price."

Justin figured it was another completionist.

"Sorry, man. I'm trying to collect all the dungeon achievements. I want to experience it myself."

Almost instantly, a voice message popped up.

"Bro, I have the completionist trophy for this dungeon. I can trade it to you right now, and I'll throw in ten thousand points. Just don't go in."

Justin paused. If the guy already had the achievement, why was he buying a slot? And why was he offering such an insane amount of points?

Something felt off.

He exited the chat, only for his screen to freeze. In a matter of seconds, his pending messages and friend requests skyrocketed to 99+.

He scrolled through the requests. Every single one was trying to buy his slot for the Rosewood Inn, with each offer more absurdly high than the last.

What was going on? He had assumed he would be the only player in this dead dungeon.

If the reviews were so terrible and the widow NPC was so annoying, why was everyone desperate to get in?

He navigated back to the community main page.

The forum was flooded with high-value bounty posts. The authors were all top-ranking players on the global leaderboard. Their words were frantic and polite, a stark contrast to their previous cold warnings.

They didn't sound like players looking for a quick trial. They sounded like frantic husbands offering rewards for a missing wife.

The top pinned post, which must have cost a fortune in points to secure, caught his eye.

"Trading my entire point balance for a slot in the final round of the Rosewood Inn. Beyond points, I will fulfill any condition, or carry you through any five-star dungeon of your choice."

The author of the post was Jimmy.

04

Jimmy was the rank-two player on the leaderboard.

He and Tony were the only two players in the history of the game to clear every single five-star trial. They were legends, untouchable gods to ordinary players.

While Tony occasionally posted guides, Jimmy was a complete mystery. He never participated in community discussions, focusing entirely on grinding points and uncovering hidden game mechanics.

The community was in shambles. No one could understand why these gods were suddenly begging for a low-tier slot.

The comment section of Jimmy's post was already thousands of pages long.

"Just got out of a trial. What did I miss? Why are the top dogs begging for a Rosewood Inn slot?"

"Check the announcement. The dungeon is closing."

"What kind of riddle is this?"

"Didn't Tony tell us to stay away?"

Jimmy had replied to that last comment just a minute ago:

"That absolute bastard."

"Is Jimmy always this aggressive?"

"Wait, did they lie to us? Is there some legendary loot in there?"

"Oh my god, I knew it! They wanted to keep the treasure for themselves!"

Justin checked his lobby team list. The other six players assigned to his round were all in the top ten. Some of them were the very ones who had left the worst reviews.

"Wow," Justin muttered, a smug grin spreading across his face. "Completionists really do win in the end. These pros have been playing 4D chess for years, coordinate-bombing the reviews to keep people away. Absolute geniuses!"

Even if he couldn't get his hands on the secret treasure, watching the top players fight would be worth it.

His game bracelet suddenly vibrated.

"Player, where is Holly's husband? The trial is starting. Transferring in ten seconds. Please prepare."

Justin took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

"Ten."

"Nine."

"Eight."

A cold, smooth sensation suddenly wrapped around his wrist.

"Take me with you," a voice whispered.

Justin opened his eyes in shock. A small, snow-white snake was wrapped tightly around his wrist like a bracelet.

"Six."

A notification popped up. A massive sum of points had been transferred to his account.

"I'm Jimmy. This is your payment."

"Three."

The snake spoke, and a co-op entry request popped up on his screen. Only those who had cleared the game had the authority to force an entry like this.

"Accept it. Quickly."

"Two."

Justin felt a sharp pinch on his wrist. He quickly tapped accept.

"Transferring!"

05

The world spun, and when Justin opened his eyes, he was standing in front of a dilapidated, eerie inn.

The white snake on his wrist had gone completely still, mimicking a realistic leather bracelet.

Around him stood six other players. They were indeed the top players from the leaderboard.

None of them looked at Justin. In fact, they didn't even look at each other. They seemed incredibly tense, their faces slightly flushed despite their calm expressions.

While Justin was wondering if he should introduce himself, his bracelet buzzed. It was a private message from Jimmy: "Start a public stream."

Was Jimmy planning to expose the others?

Justin quickly enabled the streaming function.

The player closest to him let out a cold snort. It was Barrett, ranked fifth. He was famous for his aggressive, brute-force playstyle. Rumor had it he was searching for a legendary item to revive his deceased wife.

Was the resurrection item hidden here?

Before Justin could think further, Barrett stepped up to the wooden door and knocked loudly.

"Holly! It's me! Your man! I'm back!"

06

I had assumed no one would show up for the final round.

After telling Shadow to sweep the guest rooms, I locked the front door. Then, holding Shadow in my arms, I swung back and forth on the ceiling beam.

Once midnight struck, my dungeon would close, and I would be left to wander this empty inn for eternity.

When the knocking started, I was actually feeling relieved that I had saved enough points for a phone. At least I would have something to do while floating around.

But then a voice called out: "Your man?"

Could a ghost experience auditory hallucinations?

I checked the dungeon interface. To my surprise, seven players and one snake had arrived.

Well, I was a professional NPC. If players were here, I had to play my part.

I shook my shoulders, smoothed down my red dress, and prepared to work.

At the same time, a notification popped up on the global player forum:

"Rosewood Inn trial is now live. Justin is broadcasting."

The forum was already buzzing with speculation. When the stream link appeared, players flooded the channel.

"What's going on? Are those the top players?"

"Who is brave enough to stream in front of the gods? Are they going to show us how they bully the boss?"

"Maybe they all suffered a defeat here before, and they're back for revenge before it closes?"

"Look, Barrett is knocking on the door."

"Wait, is this boss the wife Barrett has been trying to save?"

I adjusted my collar. It had been so long since I used my human form that walking on two legs felt a bit strange.

The knocking outside continued, and I hastened my steps.

07

Justin watched the viewer count of his stream climb rapidly. The chat was a blur of frantic questions, making him feel a bit nervous. If the pros found out he was streaming, he would be in deep trouble.

Barrett was still shouting at the door, calling Holly's name, while the other pros stood by with dark, tense expressions.

Creak.

The heavy wooden door slowly swung open.

"Welcome to Rosewood Inn," a soft, ethereal voice drifted out.

Justin looked up, and the stream camera automatically focused on the doorway.

The chat went dead silent for a fraction of a second before exploding.

"Is this the widow boss? Why does she look like... that?"

"Is she a ghost or an angel?"

"Why did the stream quality suddenly jump to ultra-HD? She is absolutely stunning!"

"I'm a veteran player who quit years ago. Why does she look so familiar?"

"Me too! But seriously, she's gorgeous. I can hear my own heart beating."

I could feel someone's heart beating furiously.

I quickly turned off the voice chat, wondering whose racing heart was echoing so loudly in the quiet night.