The Last Vacation
Before the final vacation dungeon was complete, I agonized over it again and again. I had no choice.
"Hmm." I rested my chin on my hand, staring at the monitor. On the screen was a bird's-eye view of the virtual dungeon resort I'd just designed: Emerald Beach. A peaceful beach, a lavish resort. And speakers installed everywhere. All the preparations were done. Now, if I just overlaid my own rules, it would become the perfect dungeon.
But something's missing.
Applying an urban legend would make it scary, of course, but it felt 2% short of the client's request for an "unforgettable last vacation." Horror needs a narrative. The clearer the cause-and-effect—why the victims have to die—the deeper the terror sinks in.
Come to think of it, Team Leader was about to say something earlier...
Knock knock. A light rapping came from beyond the partition. I turned to see Liliane standing there, holding a small box in her hand.
"Team Leader?"
"How's the work coming along, Aiden?"
Liliane carefully set the box down next to the dungeon editor I was using, handling it like a priceless, fragile treasure.
"Yes, the big picture's set, and I'm just finishing up... What's this?"
I pointed at the box.
"Actually, I meant to mention it earlier but missed the timing." Liliane's expression darkened, unlike her usual poise. "The client... asked us to use this as the dungeon's core."
"The core?"
I cautiously opened the box. Inside was a small glass vial filled with white powder and a worn, ragged rabbit doll.
"This is..."
"The client's daughter." Liliane's voice dropped low. "More precisely, part of her remains and the doll she clutched until the end."
I flinched and looked at Liliane. I'd assumed the employees were being killed for simple betrayal. But there was more to the story.
"It's... a tragic tale." Liliane slowly began. "Not long ago, the client left the dungeon briefly for business and left defense to his subordinates. But they... took advantage of his absence to throw a drunken party."
"No way."
"Yes. Adventurers slipped in through the lax defenses and discovered his young daughter hiding deep in the dungeon."
Liliane's gaze lingered on the rabbit doll. "She begged for help, but no one came. In the end, she died alone on the cold floor, her legs severed, clutching this doll."
Now it made sense. Why the client insisted on a resort format. Why he wanted his employees gathered and massacred together. It wasn't a purge—it was revenge.
Well, karma's a bitch, isn't it?
"The client said this," Liliane met my eyes squarely, relaying his words. "He wants his daughter to watch them die from the closest possible vantage. To etch their despair into her memory with her own eyes."
"......"
I silently stared at the vial of remains and the doll. A chill settled in my chest. This wasn't your average dungeon commission. It was a dungeon to embody a father's grudge and a dead girl's sorrow.
This makes the story easy.
I scrapped my plans entirely. Fabricated horror can't beat real resentment. The star of this dungeon wouldn't be some made-up ghost—it had to be this child, the client's daughter.
"Got it." I closed the box. "I'll fully incorporate the client's requests."
"Thank you. He'll be pleased." Liliane smiled with relief and returned to her seat.
I turned back to the dungeon editor. Time to fill in the missing piece.
The dungeon was finished quickly and delivered to the client. And now, the present. The client's employees had entered the dungeon—under the pretense of a vacation at the resort.
"Sachiko, that's me, they call me Sachiko~"
"Isn't she just so cute?"
"But Sachiko's just a little girl~"
"She can't even say her own name right~"
The song ended. The upbeat melody faded, leaving a brief silence.
"What the hell? That came out of nowhere."
"Who's Sachiko anyway? The boss's secret daughter? Not the one who died before, right? Another one?"
"Huh, that tracks."
The monsters guffawed, clutching their bellies. Nothing happened. Just a random children's song that didn't fit the peaceful resort vibe.
"Ruined the mood for nothing. Hey, keep drinking!"
They shrugged it off and clinked glasses again.
"Ahh, this booze hits right!"
The orc warrior Krag tossed his empty beer mug to the ground and belched. He was on cloud nine. Free booze, free food, beautiful beach. Couldn't get better.
"Wait, what was the boss's daughter's name again? The little brat who died last time."
"Oh, that kid? Sasha... or something?"
Krag snickered. "Who cares about the name. She's dead anyway. Honestly, her disappearing let us party like this, right? Suck up the honey while the boss is moping."
"Yeah, yeah. Such a dutiful daughter! Giving us vacation from the grave!"
The monsters mocked the dead girl over drinks, their shamelessness piercing the heavens.
Then—
Static crackle. Noise hissed from the speakers again.
"Sachiko, that's me, she loves bananas~"
"Loves them so much~"
"But Sachiko can't eat them anymore~"
"Because Sachiko's gone far, far away~"
"Huh? It's back."
"Loves bananas. Heh."
The monsters still didn't get it. But the next verse turned the beach air icy.
The voice had changed subtly. No longer innocent—it carried a hint of resentment.
"Hey... this song's kinda creepy, right?"
Krag frowned. The sea breeze felt suddenly cold. The booze lost its appeal.
"Why ruin the vibe? Hey, let's head inside!"
"Yeah, it's getting chilly. Second round in the rooms."
The monsters hurriedly packed up, shaking off the unease. They left the beach for the brightly lit resort building.
"Phew, warm inside."
"Indoors is best. Cheers again!"
The lobby welcomed them with bright lights and comfy sofas. They relaxed, uncorking more bottles. The creepy song from outside faded. Peace returned.
But—
Flicker. The lobby lights blinked.
"What? Power outage?"
Flicker. Flicker. The lights died completely. The entire resort plunged into pitch black.
"Hey! Lights on! Quit screwing around!"
"Who touched the switch?!"
Monsters grumbled in the dark. Then—
The lobby speakers, thought dead, whispered a song. Soft, like a murmur in the ear.
"Sachiko, that's me, needs a friend~"
"Needs one so bad~"
"......!"
Everyone froze. The child's voice in the darkness was chillingly clear.
Static screech. The speakers shrieked. A grotesque, machine-laced voice slammed the lobby.
"......!"
In that instant, Krag felt it. Cold fingers gripped his ankle from the dark floor.
"What the—? Let go! Get off me! Whoever's pranking, cut it out!"
"Yeah! When I catch you, you're dead! This ain't funny!"
Before they could thrash, the song continued.
"Sachiko, that's me, wants your legs~"
"Wants them so bad~"
Red eyes glowed in the dark. A girl with a massive scythe materialized among them. Tears of blood streamed down her face. She clutched a ragged rabbit doll.
"Hide under the bed, under the covers~"
"Sachiko sees you~"
The girl raised her scythe high. Her mouth tore to her ears as she spat the final line.
Schwick! A gruesome tearing sound. Krag's vision flipped. His legs severed cleanly below the knees, tumbling onto the sandy floor.
"GRAAAAAH!!"
"My legs! My legs!"
The screams didn't end with one. Legs flew across the lobby. The joyful resort turned hellish in seconds. The floor ran red with blood, severed limbs scattered.
"Someone help!"
Krag clutched his stump, crawling desperately. At least the thing that cut him was gone. He might live.
Bang! The resort's front doors burst open. A massive shadow loomed.
Over two meters tall. Body clad in black iron. Two enormous horns on its head.
The client who commissioned this resort.
"B-Boss!"
Krag cried out like he'd seen a savior. He dragged his bloodied body to the boss's feet.
"Boss! Save us! There's a monster here! Our legs... our legs got cut off!"
The other monsters reached for him, begging. But the boss's face was stone. His red eyes held no pity—only cold killing intent.
And in his hand: a small hand axe.
"A monster, huh..."
The boss breathed heavily, advancing slowly. He stopped right before Krag and asked icily,
"In my eyes, you look more like monsters."
"W-What...?"
Krag stared blankly up. The boss's lips trembled as he spoke.
"My daughter... crawled like that to escape."
"......!"
Krag's eyes shook. The boss's daughter, killed by their negligence.
"You were drinking then. Just like now."
He raised the axe high. Veins bulged on his thick forearm.
"Does it hurt? Scary? My girl felt worse. Much worse."
"B-Boss! We were wrong—!"
Crunch! Krag's head exploded in a sickening burst. Blood and brains splattered his fur.
But he didn't stop.
"Next."
He dragged the bloodied axe toward the next employee.
"B-Boss, mercy!"
"Stay back! GRAAH!"
Legless, the monsters could only sit and await death. The boss swung methodically, one by one.
A father's desperate revenge. A dirge for his daughter.
Crunch. Thud. Grind.
With the last scream, the lobby fell silent. The boss stood amid the gore-soaked corpses.
He pulled a small urn from his bosom. His rough hands cradled it with infinite tenderness.
"Did you see, baby? Rest easy now."
Thick tears fell from the giant monster's eyes, wetting the urn. He rubbed his bloodied face against it, sobbing.
"Daddy... took care of it all. I'm sorry... so sorry I couldn't protect you..."
Only the monster's mournful wails echoed emptily in the lobby.
The office was quiet. Only the ticking clock on the wall.
I checked the time on my dark monitor.
The song should be over by now.
I couldn't see the scene. Dungeon interiors are strictly the client's private domain.
But I knew without looking. The screams that rang out. The silence that followed.
Dungeon ‘Emerald Beach’ has successfully repelled the invaders.
Dry notification text. The system saw them as invaders. Meaning the client's purge was perfectly complete.
Not bad.
My job ends here. Setting the stage. The tragedy on it is theirs alone.
And I've got mine.
The client's daughter's remains. I didn't use them all in the dungeon. Pure resentment like this is rare horror fodder.
Save the rest for my own dungeon.
I know it's insane. Using a father's vengeance and a dead child's grief as tools.
But to survive this hell, I have to become a monster too.
I left the dark office. The evening air on the way home felt especially cold.