Echoing Love Letter
As soon as Kael saw the sentence, cold sweat poured down his spine like a waterfall. The air behind him suddenly felt frigid. A chilling sensation, as if someone was staring right at the nape of his neck. Before his reason could even warn him, his survival instincts kicked in first.
"You fucking bastard!"
Kael spun around like a wild beast, curse flying from his lips. The sword in his hand sliced through empty air. Nothing was there to cut. An empty room. Behind him was just the bed.
"...There's nothing here."
Was it just his imagination? Or some asshole's sick prank? Maybe he was just exhausted. Kael scanned the room, breathing heavily. The window was shut tight, the door securely bolted. No signs of anyone breaking in anywhere.
"Phew."
A flicker of relief washed over him. That's when it happened.
"...!"
His gaze froze on the bed.
"...A doll?"
There was a doll sitting on the bed. Had that always been there? No, it hadn't. In fact, that doll was...
"Isn't that from the dungeon?"
It was the exact same doll he'd seen in the dungeon. In an instant, Kael's mind went blank. How? Why is it here? A doll abandoned in the dungeon, now perched on his bed in a locked room. His reason started to creak under the illogical impossibility. Without realizing it, he backed away.
The doll's hollow glass eyes seemed to stare up at him, as if it were alive. And right then, the doll's head moved. With a creepy creeeak, it tilted ever so slightly.
"Gaaah!"
Kael's sanity snapped completely. He screamed and lunged for the door. He had to unbolt it, fling it open, and bolt down the hallway. He didn't know why, but it felt like the only way to survive. Staying here even one more second would drive him insane.
But as his hand touched the doorknob, a eerie voice came from behind.
"Where are you going?"
A little girl's voice. But it was bone-chillingly cold. Kael couldn't bring himself to turn around. Not when the Adventurer Gallery window floating before his eyes was filling up with real-time comments.
"Eek!"
He absolutely couldn't look back. Looking back meant death. Every fiber of his body screamed the warning. Kael desperately twisted the knob.
Click.
The door wouldn't budge. He'd unbolted it, but it felt like a massive boulder was blocking it.
"Open! Open up, please!"
As Kael pounded and wailed at the door, small footsteps approached from behind. Tap, tap—slowly, without hesitation. The footsteps stopped right up against his back. Then the doll's face loomed over his shoulder.
* * *
A short while later, the owner of the Silver Bellflower Inn knocked on the door.
"Guest, I've brought dinner."
No response from inside.
"Guest? Guest?"
No answer even after calling several more times. A sudden bad feeling gripped him, and as he pushed the door open and stepped in, he froze. The room was a sea of blood. In the center, adventurer Kael's limbs lay scattered in pieces. His face was frozen in utter terror.
"Wh-what the hell...!"
The innkeeper's legs gave out in shock. He looked around, but there was no one else in the room besides the guest. No signs of intrusion. The only witness to the crime was the doll sitting on the bed.
* * *
A lavish yet dim chamber. The air was thick with sweet rose scent mingled with faint blood.
"Hoo..."
The woman lounging sideways on her throne murmured in admiration, eyes closed. Her name was Lilith. Apex of all dream demons, the Succubus Queen. She had just witnessed a mortal's final moments. Eyes shut, but her senses were sharper than anyone's. The creaking inn hallway. The man's trembling hand desperately twisting the knob. The cold draft at his back. And finally, the doll's head touching his shoulder. Every ounce of the victim's terror soaked into her mind like fine, aged wine.
Not just a simple chase.
Lilith savored the victim's heart bursting from fear in its last beat, then slowly opened her eyes. Deep satisfaction gleamed in her red pupils.
"Love and obsession... expressed so cruelly and beautifully. Truly the finest."
Countless dungeon makers had offered her works. Some wove illusions with powerful magic, others bound minds with seductive curses. But they were all fakes. Mere imitations.
They only sought to subdue, never grasping the true essence of obsession.
But this dungeon was different. Human or not, fleeing the dungeon meant nothing. No escape, no sanctuary from the relentless brand. A pursuit that followed to the soul's depths. To Lilith, it was the pinnacle of love's expressions.
"Belial Enterprise..."
Lilith rose from her throne, feeling like she'd found a delightful new toy after so long. She didn't know who made it, but she wanted to see their face.
"First, I should post."
With a wave of her hand, the Dungeon Gallery window appeared.
A while ago, a certain Dungeon Master's post piqued my interest, so I contacted Belial. I conveyed my discerning tastes and commanded them to create a work worthy of it.
To conclude upfront: It exceeded expectations. Praise is inevitable.
I adore tales of love. Especially pure obsession, where one loves so deeply they claim the other's very existence as their own. This dungeon perfectly embodied that emotion.
The poor soul who entered my dungeon could never leave of their own will. Even outside the dungeon, fleeing to a safe village, hiding in a locked inn room... obsession whispers right into their soul's depths.
As a dream demon's privilege, I watched their final moments up close. A rare delicacy after so long.
I know not who designed this, but their talent is genuine. Belial has unearthed a true craftsman. I vouch for their skill.
The Succubus Queen Lilith's Dungeon Gallery handle was SuccubusQueen. And she was a community addict.
* * *
A sweet yet chilling fragrance preceded Team Leader Liliane's approach.
"Ah, Team Leader."
The atmosphere was worlds apart from before.
"Aiden."
She placed a pitch-black card on my desk. Smooth material etched with silver motifs of a sleeping moon and rose vines—clearly no ordinary item.
"A gift from Her Majesty Lilith herself, along with a thank-you letter. For you."
No numbers or text on the card. Just the emblem proving its worth. I knew exactly what it was at a glance. But feigning ignorance, I asked Liliane,
"What... is this?"
She gave a knowing look and explained.
"A VIP membership to 'Blooming Night.'"
Bingo!
A faint excitement laced her voice.
"Nothing like petty points. A place money alone can't buy. Aiden, just being allowed in is Her Majesty's greatest gift."
She perched lightly on the edge of my desk—an unthinkable act before.
"Shall I be frank? I thought you'd fail. A mere 10,000 points—the bare minimum budget to appease her without offending."
Surprise and genuine admiration mixed in her tone.
"Yet you moved her deeply with that pittance. She holds your sensibilities in high regard."
Damn.
They knew too. That 10,000 points was chump change for crafting a dungeon for the succubus apex.
I nearly fucked up big time.
Lucky she liked it. If not?
Don't even think about it.
The company might've used this as an excuse to fire me. I was just a background-less half-demon, after all.
Liliane lightly placed her hand on my shoulder—a clear gesture of approval.
"Thanks to you, I got a fun show too."
Her gaze shifted to Zartus's desk.
"Some pureblood demon barely scrapes by with clan backing, yet you surpass that."
Her whisper was for my ears only.
"Well done, Aiden. This isn't empty praise."
She met my eyes squarely.
"More opportunities await you—and the trials that come with them. To survive, keep exceeding expectations like this."
She turned to leave with a meaningful smile, then paused.
"What did you name this dungeon, by the way?"
Her sudden question gave me pause. Come to think of it, I hadn't named it.
Hm.
Obsession turning love to horror. Endless pursuit. Madness claiming the other as one's own. A name to encapsulate it all.
I replied flatly,
"'Echoing Love Letter.' Yes, 'Echoing Love Letter.'"
"'Echoing Love Letter'..."
Her eyes narrowed with interest at my answer. She savored the name a moment, then smiled in satisfaction and turned away.
"A name Her Majesty would love."
As Liliane left, my gaze returned to the black card.
'Blooming Night...'.
Blooming Night. A bar run by dream demons. Seemingly just a tavern. But add their pleasures?
The game's lore called its addictiveness insane.
Thus, no one could just waltz in.
Not that I could go now anyway.
Why? Obvious. Succubi and incubi feed on vitality. Blooming Night doesn't take cash. Even a glass of wine costs your essence.
Showing up like this? I'd be a mummy by morning.
But.
As Liliane said, Blooming Night was no ordinary spot. A social hub for top execs and elite Dungeon Masters, buzzing with premium intel.
Unexpected harvest.
Not useful now, but someday. Plus, this card meant the Succubus Queen's backing.
I pocketed the Blooming Night membership card.