A Summer Night of Terror
It was summer.
“Luchel?”
There was no answer. Aila glanced back and forth between the mana panel lying on the floor and Luchel, who had collapsed weakly beside it. Just moments ago, the monster on the screen had been radiating an overwhelming presence. The silhouette that had only been hinted at finally revealed itself in full, and the instant Luchel faced it, he fainted on the spot.
Tap. Tap.
“Luchel, Luchel!”
Aila gently shook his shoulder.
“Hey, stop messing around.”
Still, Luchel gave no response. Who would have thought that Luchel, a veteran of countless horror experiences they had shared, would pass out so pathetically? While she stood there flustered, a sound crackled from the mana panel.
Zzt— Zzzt—
The character on screen remained frozen in the hallway, staring straight at the monster without breathing or running. A long, drawn-out hiss echoed, followed by slow, deliberate footsteps.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Contrary to its earlier swift movements, the monster now approached the character at a leisurely pace. The cracked corner of the screen made the sight even more grotesque than before.
“Ugh…”
This is no joke.
Aila licked her dry lips. She could just turn it off. The screen was broken anyway, so she would have to get it repaired. Then she could wake Luchel, have some water, and go back to normal life. That would be the sensible thing to do. And yet… for some reason, her hand refused to reach for the power button.
…Just a little longer.
She would watch a bit more and then stop. With trembling fingers, Aila picked up the panel. Maybe it was the cold sweat on her palms, but the device kept slipping. She gripped it tighter and met the monster’s gaze on the screen. It looked almost human, yet every crucial detail was horribly wrong. Its body was far too long and twisted, mouths gaping open all over as if screaming, yet the only sound was the steady rhythm of its footsteps. The silence sent a chill down her spine.
“I-I have to hide.”
Without thinking, Aila held her breath and opened the door beside her, slipping inside. A moment later, the footsteps stopped right in front of the door. Thud— The door rattled, and Aila immediately hit pause.
“This is insane…” Only then could she breathe again. She had been so focused that her ears felt muffled and her heart pounded painfully against her ribs. “Oh, right. Luchel.”
She called for a servant through the mana panel and tried to stand, only to realize her legs were shaking. Using the edge of the bed for support, she finally managed to grab the panel and turned to look at Luchel.
“Luchel.” Still no answer. Aila pressed a hand to her forehead, then let out a helpless laugh. “You were acting all brave by yourself earlier.”
***
“Ugh…”
His eyelids were heavy, and his neck ached. Did I sleep in a weird position? When Luchel opened his eyes, parched and thirsty, he found Aila and his family gathered around his bed, all staring down at him with worried expressions.
“You’re awake?”
“Brother! You finally woke up!”
Luchel blinked for a long moment.
“Everyone… why are you here…”
Did he not remember what had just happened? Aila chuckled and handed him a glass of water.
“You fainted. While playing the game.”
“…What?”
A heavy silence fell over the room. Then the floodgates opened.
“Brother, your face was completely white! I thought you were dead—ack!”
“Luchel, really… Do you know how worried I was?”
“Haha. Fainting while gaming? You must still be lacking in training.”
“Oppa! If it’s a game made by GameDevChoa, it can’t be helped, right?”
Luchel’s face turned bright red in an instant.
“No, that wasn’t fainting, it was just a short—!”
“Pfft, you’re hopeless.”
Laughter filled the room. Luchel stared blankly with the cup in his hand before gulping it down. It was the only way to cool the burning embarrassment.
“Anyway! That’s enough, everyone! I’m fine!”
“Mother, since Luchel is awake, why don’t you go rest?”
“Oh dear… I’m sorry. Please take good care of our son.”
One by one, the family left the room with smiles. Once the door closed, only Aila and Luchel remained.
“…”
“…”
Luchel buried his face in the pillow and grumbled.
“Haah. This is so embarrassing.”
“I know. You were so full of bravado at the start, too.”
“…Noona, can we talk about something else?”
Aila shrugged, though the smile still lingered on her lips. Luchel stared up at the ceiling as if he had given up on everything.
Am I even going to be able to sleep tonight?
Now that his memories had returned, he could clearly recall the monster’s form. It was vivid enough to appear the moment he closed his eyes. Worried, he glanced at Aila and noticed her rubbing her arm with a strange expression.
It’s been a while, but she’s still getting goosebumps? Even Aila noona?
Their eyes met in the awkward silence.
“Well, still…”
“Hm?”
“It was more doable than I expected.”
Aila let out a dry laugh.
“Says the guy who fainted.”
“I didn’t faint.”
“Right. You were just taking a short break?”
“Sorry, noona…”
Luchel rubbed his face repeatedly before picking up the cracked mana panel beside him. The corner was broken, but fortunately the screen still worked.
“…Anyway, the game isn’t over yet.”
“You want to keep going?”
“If we stop here, it’ll just feel worse.”
At his stubborn words, Aila sighed but eventually sat down beside him.
“Don’t do whatever you want this time.”
“Got it, got it.”
“I mean it.”
“I said I got it.”
***
As expected, even past midnight, Luchel and Aila still hadn’t cleared the game. Once they managed to grab the objective but missed their hiding timing and died. The moment the character squeezed through the door, a twisted hand reached through the gap and grabbed it.
“No, you have to give some reaction time!”
“The records said to be careful with sound earlier.”
“If I could remember all that, I would’ve been top of the academy already!”
Another time, they successfully shook off the monster and reached the exit, only for Luchel to carelessly run once he felt safe. Bang. The exit had been right in front of them… but the sound of the door closing was far too loud. Footsteps immediately turned and rushed toward them.
Luchel leaned his head back and sighed.
“Wow, does the developer really have no heart?”
“That’s why I told you to be careful with sound.”
“Aren’t you scared, noona? How are you so calm?”
“…I am scared.”
Aila shot him a glare.
“But if we’re doing this, we might as well see it through.”
At her words, Luchel began playing more seriously. The bickering in the room died down. He still reacted sharply to every small sound, and the bed grew damp with their sweat. Yet they were making progress. The badge they picked up early opened locked doors, and notes from the records room revealed hidden paths. Through repeated deaths, they advanced to the next chapter. It was frustrating. Terrifying. Infuriating. Unfair. Countless negative emotions rose and faded, but the feeling of gradual improvement kept them going.
Luchel gripped the panel tightly, teeth clenched, while Aila leaned so close to the screen she was practically touching it. They hid, ran, and repeated the process of luring the monster away, wedging doors to buy time.
“Open, please open, please…!”
“Please… it has to end soon…!”
And finally, the door creaked open, and the character threw themselves outside.
“Huh… Did we… actually succeed?”
“Ha, haha…”
Aila tried to stand but sat back down, dazed.
“Ah—”
“What’s wrong?”
“My legs won’t move.”
At her words, Luchel checked his own body. Cold sweat clung to his skin, and his arms and legs trembled like leaves.
“So everything I’ve faced until now was child’s play.”
Aila blinked, apparently sharing the same thought.
“…”
“…Pfft.”
“Why are you laughing?”
“Ahaha! No, it just feels so refreshing now that we cleared it.”
“You still won’t admit it was scary, huh.”
When Aila poked his shoulder, Luchel quickly changed the subject.
“But isn’t it a shame if we’re the only ones enjoying something this fun, noona?”
“Be honest.”
“What?”
“You just don’t want to suffer alone, right?”
Luchel looked caught, then decided to own it.
“…That might be part of it. Actually, yeah.”
“Hmph. I knew it.”
“But it really was fun! You were super into it too!”
“…”
That was enough. Luchel immediately opened the Grace Academy bulletin board—now practically the GameDevChoa board.
“Alright. Let’s do this.”
“Honestly…”
He opened a new post window. His fingers paused briefly over the title field, then he grinned and started typing rapidly.
[Retrieval ERROR Guide]
1. Don’t play alone
2. Turning the sound off is an option. Just know it reduces the fun.
3. Don’t make noise
4. Prepare yourself mentally before entering the first room
5. Play with a friend
6. The more people, the better
7. Seriously
Aila peeked over and let out a snort.
“That’s not a guide, that’s a warning.”
“These are the most important points.”
“From a very subjective viewpoint?”
“…”
Luchel hit upload without another word. Then they scrolled through other players’ posts.
🌟 [Retrieval ERROR Guide (Final Version)]
1. Buy the game
2. Don’t enter the storage room, just enjoy the atmosphere
3. Turn the game off
This new release is really fun
🌟 [Is GameDevChoa Even Human?]
(Screenshot of the blood-covered storage room)
(Screenshot of the monster right in front)
(Screenshot of the character being crushed by the monster)
What on earth is he thinking to draw something this grotesque? And why does this monster have mouths all over its body yet is sensitive to sound? Why? Why? Why why why why!!!
Luchel scrolled for a while before finally bursting into laughter.
“Look at this.”
“Pfft—”
“We weren’t the only ones who got wrecked.”
“Well, GameDevChoa’s reputation is something else… Everyone probably started playing lightly and got destroyed.”
Then a flood of notifications rang out. Luchel opened the comments on his own post.
“Whoa. The reactions are no joke.”
“It just means everyone relates.”
Even at 4 a.m., the community was still buzzing. New posts appeared every minute, new comments every second. The speed of new posts was so fast that Luchel gave up trying to read them all and leaned back against the bed.
“Ha…”
“Are you hurt somewhere?”
“Now that it’s over, all the strength just left my body.”
“Hehe. Me too.”
“Haaam— Ah, I feel gross… but I’m so sleepy.”
“Then sleep. You must be exhausted.”
“Mmm… Ah! Noona!”
“Yeah?”
“Can you turn on the light when you leave?”
“…Sure.”
Aila frowned but left the room without turning on the light.
“Noona!!! My legs won’t move!!!”
It was summer.