The Elevator Game
“An illusion. This has to be an illusion…!”
Sebastian screamed, veins bulging in his neck. He gnawed at his fingernails, glaring at the yellow wallpaper. How long had it been since they entered? Two days? No, a week? A month? He had no idea. Being here made all sense of time vanish. And no matter where he went, endless yellow rooms stretched out forever.
“Time distortion… spatial isolation…”
Sebastian didn’t want to admit it. That a mere abandoned mansion could be laced with magic this close to a god’s power. He summoned his mana and blasted it at the wall.
Boom!
The wall crumbled, dust billowing up. But beyond it wasn’t an exit. Another yellow room. And another beyond that, and another beyond that. Like being trapped in a mirror, an infinite yellow hell repeating endlessly.
“Aaaargh!”
Sebastian howled in despair. Frustration boiled over, but there was nothing he could do. He glanced back at his subordinates—they were in the same boat. If anything, they were on the verge of losing their minds without blood.
“S-Sir butler… what do we do now—”
“Shut up! Don’t jinx it!”
To a vampire, blood was life itself—their very reason. The problem was, there was no prey here. Not even a rat. Nothing but yellow rooms. Tormented by extreme thirst, they were unraveling.
Sebastian eyed them. His own throat burned too. In moments like this, a vampire’s body was no blessing—it was a curse. Doomed to wander these yellow rooms forever, hunger and thirst eternal.
No, there is a way.
Sebastian’s eyes gleamed. He approached his subordinates slowly.
“Yes… you’ll have to lend me your strength.”
“S-Sir butler?”
Sebastian seized the nearest subordinate by the throat. Without hesitation, he sank his fangs in.
Stab!
“Gaaah…!”
The subordinate screamed, but Sebastian ignored him, sucking down the blood. Fishy, sticky kin-blood. Revolting, yet sweet. Life surged through his parched veins.
“Sir butler! What are you doing?!”
The others recoiled in horror. But Sebastian wiped the blood from his lips and smiled coldly.
“Your sacrifice won’t be in vain. I must survive… I will survive and report this to Master.”
The justification was perfect. This dungeon was dangerous. Inhabited by unimaginable monsters. For the sake of informing Lord Baal, a few worthless subordinates were a small price.
“Come. Serve me with your blood.”
As Sebastian extended his hand, crimson blood magic enveloped them. Overwhelmed, they couldn’t resist becoming his prey. One, two, three… With each subordinate withering like a husk, Sebastian’s power grew. But his mind frayed further.
Then—
“…!”
A chill prickled his back. That gaze again. Someone was there. But his subordinates were all dead—who?
Sebastian turned slowly. Nothing. An empty room. Just the fluorescent hum. But the gaze lingered.
Yes, if it had only been endless yellow rooms, he wouldn’t have been this paranoid. But that damned gaze needled his nerves. Like thousands, tens of thousands of eyes watching him.
“Who’s there?! Show yourself!”
Sebastian bellowed at empty air. His vampire senses were sharp. He knew—even if invisible—this space itself watched him like a living thing.
“Urgh… guh…”
He clutched his head. Wherever the gaze touched, his skin burned. His mind eroded. The refined butler’s mask had long shattered. Blood-smeared lips muttered.
“Aiden… what the hell are you…”
No mere half-demon could craft this hell. But no answer came. Only the fluorescent buzz echoed in his ears.
“…”
Time dragged on endlessly. How long? Months? No, at least a year felt gone. To Sebastian, trapped in yellow, time meant nothing anymore.
His state was wretched. Neat slicked-back hair now a tangled mess. Fine tailcoat torn to rags. Worst, his eyes—once glowing red, now dull and unfocused.
“Heehee… heehehe…”
He slumped against the wall, muttering nonsense. Thirst. He craved blood. Sustaining on his own was tiresome. The thirst worsened. Biting his arm brought no pain now.
“Heeheehee.”
Then the gaze returned. From wallpaper cracks, ceiling stains. Thousands of eyes upon him.
“Haha…”
But Sebastian didn’t scream anymore. No anger, no fear.
“Heeheehee… hello?”
He waved at empty air. Gazes no longer bothered him. He was that broken. No—this one felt almost welcome. The only thing acknowledging him in this infinite solitude.
“I want… I want to see too!”
Sebastian staggered up. His shadow stretched grotesquely across the wall. He already knew. No way out. But he could become part of this place.
“Yes… I’ll be the master here.”
His body began melting. Solid flesh turned to black, sticky liquid, seeping into the floor. Vampire body, butler self—all gone. Only one thing remained.
Eternal, unquenchable thirst.
Core kernel Yellow Room devours Sebastian's grudge.
Dungeon programming auto-configured.
New horror tale generated successfully.
Horror Name: The Starving Shadow
Nothing remained where Sebastian had been. Instead, a black shadow slithered across the yellow wallpaper. It was starving. Waiting for new prey to enter. Doomed to wander the yellow rooms today as well.
Warm sunlight filtered through the broken window, tickling my face. I stretched and woke up. Slept like a rock for once. After that Sebastian guy’s threats yesterday, things had been suspiciously quiet.
“Hm.”
I peered out the window. The Fog Forest was still silent. I’d expected trouble overnight, but not even an ant stirred.
What, just scared me off and left?
I’d figured Diendi Maker’s head butler would come in guns blazing, but it fizzled out anticlimactically. Or maybe my vibe cowed him into backing off? Either way, no complaints.
“Good, nothing happened.”
I shrugged and got ready for work. Time to focus on the job again. Promotion was right around the corner.
Quick prep done, I grabbed my bag and headed out. The rusty gate creaked shut with an oddly cheerful squeak.
“This client… is a total cheapskate.”
Team Leader Liliane clicked her tongue, tossing a razor-thin binder onto the desk.
“Budget’s peanuts, but the demands are a mountain.”
“How skimpy we talking?”
At someone’s question, Liliane held up one finger.
“A thousand points.”
“…A thousand? Barely enough for a single D-rank dungeon.”
In other words, upgrade and you’re footing the bill yourself.
“Exactly. And the demands? Even worse.”
Liliane flipped open the binder.
Requirements
1. Space-saving: Dungeon size must not exceed 1 pyeong.
2. Efficiency: Must handle multiple intruders simultaneously or isolate them permanently.
3. Terror: Intruders must feel extreme fear and regret entering the dungeon.
“1 pyeong… even a closet’s bigger.”
The team buzzed. No room for monsters or traps in 1 pyeong. And handle multiple intruders? Physically impossible.
“Jeez…”
Even Zartus stuck out his tongue. He’d self-fund normally, but this was too tiny. No space at all.
“…”
I propped my chin, deep in thought. 1 pyeong. Cramped, sealed space. What horror could flip these constraints?
Red tissue, blue tissue? Stall door’s plenty in 1 pyeong. But multiples? No—single file, inefficient.
Coffin? Buried alive terror. Scary, sure, but more torture than dungeon. No fun.
13th Step out—space issue. Same for crying statue or hide-and-seek solo. What hide-and-seek in a 1-pyeong box with no hiding spots?
As I pondered, Liliane continued.
“Of course, tough conditions mean solid rewards. The employee who takes this and succeeds gets a special HR score bonus of 20 points from the company.”
20 points. Normally, we’d claw for it. But heavy silence blanketed the office.
“…”
No hands raised. Even Zartus looked away, pretending not to hear. Failure risk was huge. Block multiples in 1 pyeong? Impossible, even for a wizard grandpa.
Who requested this, dangling points like that? With insane conditions, no less.
“No takers?”
Disappointment tinged Liliane’s voice. Her gaze landed on me. Like, You can do it, right?
I spun my pen, brain churning. Tiny space, infinite terror. Physically closed, but psychologically linking anywhere.
Then—a flash.
“…!”
A narrow box sliding up and down. Scenery shifting per floor. Rule: never look back.
Elevator…
Earth’s urban legend: the elevator game. Press floors in sequence to shift dimensions. Perfect—1 pyeong box simulating infinite hells.
“Team leader.”
I raised my hand. All eyes on me.
“I’ll do it.”
“Aiden? For real? In 1 pyeong?”
“Yes. The smaller, the better. Fear maximizes in confinement.”
Even better. Space shortage? Exploit bugs like the yellow room.
Wonder if it’ll work.
Core: dimension shift. Sequence unlocks otherworld. Challenge: implementation.
Can’t make real dimensions.
Could, but points would bankrupt. Defeats low-budget point.
One option left: trickery.
Hypnosis? Hallucination? Too pricey. Against cheapskate vibe, and I’m broke anyway.
Hm.
Another trick, then. Moment’s thought.
Right, that’s it!
The membership card in my pocket. Her Majesty Lilith’s Blooming Night VIP pass came to mind.