Romancing the Horror

In real life, I had been pushed to the brink by an online romance scam. Just when everything fell apart, I awakened something called the Devotion System, and before I could make sense of it, I found myself thrown into a horror game. Among all the players, I was the weakest, barely able to take care of myself. If I wanted to survive, I had only one option—find someone stronger and cling to them, no matter what it took. However, things did not go the way I expected. Every player avoided me like the plague. Not a single one was willing to team up. With nowhere left to turn, I made a desperate decision. I chose a ghost. I treated her as my bound partner and devoted myself completely to her, clinging to her as if my life depended on it. However, as I spent more time with her, I began to realize she was not just something terrifying. She was someone who had been hurt, someone deeply broken. Hence, I stopped pretending. I began to help her sincerely. In the end, we overcame everything together and cleared the game. However, when I returned to the real world, I discovered something I never could have expected. She had followed me back. From that moment on, all I could do was wait for the system to pull me into the next stage. Chapter 1 I got dragged into the Ghost Bride dungeon and ended up with a completely useless Devotion System. At first, I planned to stick close to the experienced players and let them carry me. Instead, they tossed me straight to the ghosts. Right then, the Devotion System issued a mission: [Please choose a target to pursue. Failure to do so will result in immediate elimination.] With no other choice, I lunged forward and wrapped my arms around the blood-covered ghost bride. Crying at the top of my lungs, I shouted, "Dear, why did it take you so long to get here? I've been searching everywhere for you!" … Under the eerie night sky, the elderly town mayor, George Porter, leaned on his cane and slowly addressed us, "Tonight is Ximena Ferguson's wedding. Dear guests, you wouldn't want to miss it." He paused, lowering his voice. "At 9:00 pm, the ceremony will be held at the manor. As for your wedding gifts…" The corners of his mouth curled up into a strange smile. "Each of you will offer one sacrifice. A human sacrifice." I gave Silvia White, the group leader, an awkward smile and asked, trying not to feel embarrassed, "Hey, um… Can I team up with you?" She glanced at me. "What do you have to offer?" "I… Uh… It's my first time in a dungeon. Does a pack of chips count?" I pulled out the unopened snack I had not had time to eat in real life. Everyone burst out laughing. "So, he's a newbie. Teaming up with someone like him gets you nothing." "If you ask me, he'd make the perfect human sacrifice." Their chatter made my chest tighten. In the end, Silvia said, "Stick with me for now. Just watch yourself later." At 8:55 pm, we walked into the town manor under her lead. The place felt as suffocating as a beast's cage. It was supposed to be a wedding, but white funeral drapes hung everywhere. Mournful music echoed through the dark. George smiled. "Guests, have you prepared your offerings?" His wrinkled face looked like it was crawling with countless wriggling worms. I shuddered and stepped back, whispering to Silvia, "Good thing I've got you. This place is terrifying." She snorted and suddenly shoved me forward, straight toward George. With an icy laugh, she said, "This pretty boy will make a great offering. You're going to love him." Before I could react, George gestured, and several eerie puppets stepped forward to pin me down and drain my blood. A sharp bell rang out, echoing through the night. A shrill voice announced, "The time has come. Let the bride enter!" A black carriage, lavishly decorated yet unsettling, rolled in slowly. The door opened, and a bride in a blood-stained wedding dress stepped out gracefully. "Where's my groom?" George hurried over, waving for the puppets to drag me away. He pointed at the players seated at a long table. "My lady, please take a look. Which one do you favor?" The bride lifted her veil. Blood slid down her face like melting wax. Her crimson eyes swept across the crowd. "I'm not satisfied with any of them. Not a single one looks pleasing." At that moment, my long-silent Devotion System suddenly activated again. [Please choose a target to pursue. Failure to do so will result in immediate elimination.] [Countdown: three seconds.] I had wanted to rely on the players, but they had no problem offering me up as a sacrifice. If I had to cling to someone, I might as well go for the biggest boss. In this dungeon, the ultimate powerhouse had to be the ghost bride. The system only said to choose a target. It never said the target had to be human. Before I could overthink it, I broke free from the eerie puppets. Sliding forward, I threw myself at the bleeding ghost bride, hugged her tight, and wailed, "Dear, why did it take you so long to get here? I've been looking everywhere for you!" The ghost bride's eyes widened. "Who are you?" "I'm Samuel Lynch from Brightwater Shore," I said without hesitation. "Your loving husband." Chapter 2 "Samuel? Who's that?" The ghost bride looked completely confused. "If you say you're my husband, then tell me… Do you even know my name?" I watched as her fingernails slowly grew longer, sharpening into blade-like claws. My heart jumped into my throat, afraid she would swipe at me any second. "Ximena. Your name is Ximena!" The ghost bride slowly retracted her claws, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "Well… it seems we really do know each other." Cold sweat soaked my back, but I finally let out a quiet breath of relief. Thank goodness George had mentioned her name earlier. "In that case, let's proceed with the ceremony at once. We must not miss the appointed time." The eerie puppet dressed as a master of ceremonies stepped forward and draped a dark red suit over my shoulders. "The witnessing begins." "Swear your vows." My body straightened on its own, like something was controlling me. On the raised platform ahead, two puppets with twisted smiles stared at me. Their hollow eyes made my skin crawl. "Exchange your vows." The ghost bride slowly lowered her head toward me. In that instant, a small piece of skull slipped loose from the side of her forehead and fell. Right then, I heard the system notification: [Ding! Congratulations on successfully selecting your target: Ximena Ferguson.] [Target has gifted you a blood-red formal suit. It has been added to your inventory. Bonus reward: one universal glue.] [Please remove the nail from Ximena's head and use the universal glue to repair her skull to increase intimacy.] [Survival is not easy. Please keep working hard.] The ghost bride's name really was Ximena. I glanced at the top of her head. There was a gaping hole, and inside it sat a rusty nail. A chill ran down my spine. However, that brief hesitation was enough for Ximena's expression to turn icy. "Guards. Cut this groom into pieces and serve him to the guests." Not far away, a bloated, grotesque puppet slowly sharpened the blade in its hand. The grinding metal sound scraped against my nerves. My eyes widened. "My lady, I'm your husband… Shouldn't we be spending our wedding night together?" A snort of laughter came from the players' table. A muscular man named James Gibson shook his head and said, "Never seen someone this stupid. You walked right into it. The ghost bride needs a human sacrifice, sure. However, she also needs a husband. And any player who becomes her husband gets chopped into pieces. She hates men the most." I had just escaped one death trap and walked straight into another! The players sat there like they were watching a show. No way they were going to help me. The butcher puppet was getting closer. Thinking fast, I suddenly raised my hand and slapped the ghost bride. Hard. Her head spun a full circle. The players were stunned. "Is he insane?" Ximena's anger exploded. Blood began to surge wildly across the ground. If I did not act now, it would reach my ankles any second. I moved first. I yanked out the pack of chips from my chest and threw it straight at her face. "Ximena, how could you be so heartless?! "I've searched for you through ten lifetimes. Not once did I forget you. I refused to let go of my memories. I crawled back from death again and again just to make it this far! "And after all that, I finally found a way to come to your world in my tenth life. I even brought you something to eat, thinking you'd never tasted anything good before! "And what do you do? You want to chop up your own husband and feed him to these monsters!" I bent down, picked up the piece of skull she dropped, and started wailing dramatically, slapping my thigh. "My poor Ximena! Your skull fell off and you didn't even notice! Isn't it because your husband wasn't by your side to take care of you? You don't even have someone to keep you warm or look after you. Girls like to look nice, you know. Look at what a mess you've become!" I went all in with the performance. As if by magic, her scattered hair settled back into place. She raised a pale hand to cover the missing piece of her head. Maybe… Just maybe… she was moved by what I said. Ximena hesitated, then spoke. "… I didn't know you went through so much. I don't remember any of it…" Not remembering was perfect. Her amnesia was a blessing. Before she could think too much, I rushed forward and hugged her tight, crying like my life depended on it. "You heartless woman. I thought once I found you, I'd comb your hair, wash your feet, cook for you, and take good care of you. And yet the moment we get married, you want me dead." I pulled out the universal glue from my system inventory and held it up in front of her. "Look what I brought you." Chapter 3 Ximena looked at me, clearly confused. I pointed at her head. "Do you get headaches a lot?" She nodded. "It always feels like something is stabbing into my head… like it's stirring around inside." No kidding. With a nail that big in there, of course, it hurt! I pressed on, "And sometimes, your skull just falls off, like it did just now?" Ximena nodded again. "That's right. George has tried all kinds of methods, but nothing worked." A knowing smile spread across my face. I lifted my chin and stood up straight. "See? That's why you need me. Watch this." I had Ximena crouch down before I reached out, ready to pull the giant nail out of her head. "Wait!" James suddenly spoke up. He turned to Ximena and said he could remove the nail instead. I pulled my hand back and looked at him, not quite sure what he was trying to do. He stepped closer and whispered in my ear, "A level-four soul nail… Huh. Almost let you take it." It turned out the nail in Ximena's head was actually a level-four cursed item. Too bad I did not have a player interface. I had no idea how they judged item levels. Honestly, I was a little annoyed that James cut in. However, I was not strong enough yet. Keeping a low profile was the smarter move. Instead of pulling it out directly, James took out a delicate pair of tweezers from his bag. I heard the other players whispering that it was a level-three item. Even so, removing the nail was still extremely difficult. He was only halfway through when sweat was already pouring down his forehead. Ximena did not look good either. It was obvious that the soul nail was affecting her badly. Meanwhile, I stood nearby, trying to stay relevant. I kept speaking softly, comforting her and cheering her on. "Ximena, hang in there. It's almost out. Ximena, does it hurt? Are you thirsty? Want me to bring you a cup of coffee and feed you?" She shook her head, so I used a handkerchief to wipe the blood and sweat from her face. James got irritated and snapped at me. "Damn it! Can you get lost? Stop messing me up!" "Ah!" A cry of pain. Right as he lost his temper, the tweezers slipped from his hand and fell straight into Ximena's head. Her eyes instantly turned blood-red. Inside her skull, the tweezers and the nail clanged against each other. James panicked, stumbling backward and collapsing onto the ground. "It's not my fault! It's him! He caused this!" Even then, he was still trying to pin the blame on me. I immediately ran to Ximena's side and added fuel to the fire. "Ximena, this guy is the worst. I was going to help you, and he insisted on taking over. Now he messed it up and still wants to make excuses. "If you ask me, he should be the sacrifice…" Before I could finish, Ximena had already plunged her hand into James's chest and ripped out his heart. She chewed on the fresh heart, bite after bite. Then, she ordered the eerie puppets to drag his body away and drain the blood to use for the wedding feast. The puppets carried out the command with excitement, like it were a holiday. They hung James's corpse upside down from a withered tree to let the blood drain. "You should do it, my husband." Gulp. I swallowed hard, gaining a new understanding of just how brutal Ximena could be. Meanwhile, Silvia mocked me for asking for trouble, calling me a fool who did not know my place. I forced a smile and asked Ximena, "If it hurts, just tell me. I'll adjust my strength. Ximena, you're the kindest woman in the world. You wouldn't get mad at me for pulling out a nail, right?" She did not respond. That made me even more nervous. The worst part was that I did not have any tools. After thinking for a moment, I tore open the pack of chips and handed it to her. "Ximena, you can eat this while I pull the nail out. It'll help with the pain." Then I rolled up my sleeves and reached straight into her head with my bare hand to grab the tweezers. Luckily, they were not stuck very deep. I gave a light pull. "Ow!" Ximena cried out. My hand shook, but I reacted fast and stuffed a few chips into her mouth. "Here, eat. They're spicy." Ximena chewed and commented, "Such a strange taste." I copied what James did and used the tweezers to grip the nail. To my surprise, it went smoothly. The nail came out with a pop. Right then, the Devotion System's voice rang out. [Great job, host. A proper devotee deserves official recognition. Have Ximena give you a token of love.] [The system will reward you with a super gift pack.] Chapter 4 Hearing the system's promise, I was instantly tempted. "Ximena, let me fix your skull." I used the universal glue to carefully attach the missing piece back onto her head. After it dried, I had her shake her head a few times to test it. "It's really fixed." Ximena broke into a happy smile. I seized the moment to make my request. "Ximena, today is our wedding day. Let's just forget all the misunderstandings from before. How about you give me that nail as a token of our love?" She waved her hand without a second thought. "It's just a nail. If you like it, take it." [Ding. Target Ximena has gifted the host a level-four soul nail. Stored in inventory.] [Ding. Host has obtained a level-three tweezer. Stored in inventory.] [Nail removal task completed. Reward pack has been issued. Please claim it in your inventory.] [Please keep up the good work and carry out your Devoting actions to the end.] I opened my system inventory and found four new items inside. A mask called Beauty Restoration Device. A wig called Three Thousand Silken Strands. A hand cream called Delicate Hands Recovery Miracle. A pair of blood-stained red satin heels called The Missing Shoes. I stared at them, completely confused. "Aren't these all girl stuff? What am I supposed to do with them?" I muttered to myself. Ximena gently tugged on my sleeve. "Hey, it's time to go to our room." She turned and told George to arrange accommodations for the guests, especially the three remaining players. I was escorted by eerie puppets into a brightly decorated wedding chamber. Right in the center of the room stood two pitch-black coffins. Ximena pointed to one of them. "Hey, you'll rest here tonight. No matter what you hear, do not leave the coffin." Something told me tonight was definitely not going to be peaceful. Sleeping alone in a coffin did not sound appealing. If anything, one human and one ghost together felt safer. Seeing Ximena lie down in her coffin fully dressed, I climbed in and lay down beside her. "My dear husband?" Her terrifying ghost face suddenly appeared inches from mine. My heart skipped a beat, but I forced myself to speak. "Ximena, on a night like this, how could I let you stay alone?" I cupped her cold face, making my voice as gentle as possible. "Ximena, the people taking care of you clearly don't care enough. Look at you now, everything's a mess. "Let me help you clean up a bit, then you can rest properly." I took the mask from my bag and gently placed it over her face, where it instantly melted into her skin. In the next moment, her appearance transformed. Her cheeks turned rosy and smooth, while her eyes grew bright and lively. "That feels so nice." Ximena touched her face. "I don't feel that burning sensation anymore." Next, I placed the wig onto her head. The moment it touched her scalp, it fused into place. "Ah… Why does my head feel heavier?" I handed her a mirror. When she saw herself, her eyes filled with tears. "This… This is how I used to look. I have smooth hair again." She gently ran her fingers through her long, silky hair. Honestly, I could understand. Before that, her hair had been a complete mess. Who knew what she had gone through to end up like that? I pretended to just notice her rough hands and frowned in anger. "What kind of terrible job were those servants doing? Look how rough your hands have become, Ximena. Quick, use the hand cream I brought for you." I squeezed out a generous amount and carefully rubbed it into her hands. In an instant, her bark-like skin turned into soft, delicate hands. No wonder it had such a grand name. The system really delivered. I noticed she was not wearing any shoes. "Ximena, where are your shoes?" She swung her feet lightly, looking troubled. "I haven't had shoes since the moment I became aware. I can't even go very far." Looks like every item the system gave me had a purpose. I asked her to close her eyes, then quietly slipped the red heels onto her feet. When she opened her eyes and saw them, her face lit up with joy. "You are the best person in the world." At that moment, Ximena had regained her appearance from when she was alive. There was a soft, girlish charm in the way she moved. She probably died at only 17 or 18. I gently patted her head and said sincerely, "I'll only ever be good to you." Chapter 5 After Ximena fell asleep, her entire body turned ice cold. There was no breath, no movement at all. Curled up beside her, I immediately started regretting my decision to share a coffin. Then, suddenly, I heard faint rustling outside the door. "Tonight's mission is to get Ximena's red heels. Be careful." "I heard those heels are a level-five item. Once we get them, we can walk through this dungeon like we own it." "Stay sharp. There's also supposed to be a hidden boss. The real win condition is fulfilling Ximena's wish." It was Silvia and the other two players. They quietly pried open the latch and slipped inside. I quickly shut my eyes and pretended to be asleep. Soon, I felt someone pushing against the coffin lid. "Give me a hand. There's a male corpse in the coffin next to it." A male corpse? I did not see one earlier. Where did that come from? One of them muttered, "Nothing useful here. Let's check the other coffin." The lid of my coffin, the one I shared with Ximena, was opened. "Look, that annoying guy is in here too." "Sharing a coffin with the ghost bride… Guess he's tired of living." Silvia let out an icy laugh. "He's smarter than James. The fact that he's still alive proves it. Didn't he get that level-four soul nail?" I heard someone suggest, "Why don't we take the soul nail and kill him too?" My heart jumped. I almost opened my eyes, but then they burst out laughing. "Silvia, there's no doubt about it now. He's definitely a newbie. He doesn't even know players can't kill each other." Someone said, "Get up. Stop pretending to sleep." They were trying to bait me. I kept my eyes tightly shut and did not move. "Forget him. Look at the ghost bride's shoes. Aren't those what we're here for?" "Wait… Doesn't she look different? She actually looks kind of pretty now." "Yeah, you're right. Let's take the shoes and run. We can pin it on this idiot later." I felt them shift Ximena slightly. "Why won't these shoes come off?" "Run!" Panic suddenly broke out among them. Then, I heard Ximena's voice. "So, it was you who stole my shoes? Die. Die. Die!" I opened my eyes just a crack. Ximena was floating in midair. Her long hair had wrapped around the players, binding them in place. That wig… She was using it like a weapon. The short-haired female player shouted, "Silvia, this hair is a level-four cursed item too!" I suddenly felt like I had lost out big time. Everything the system gave me was actually top-tier gear. Silvia did not hesitate. She pulled out a black dagger and cut through the hair binding her. I clearly remembered that at the beginning, Silvia had claimed her item was just a level-three spiked club. She had been lying from the start! After breaking free, she rushed to help the short-haired girl. The red-haired player was completely panicking, shouting nonstop, "Help me! Hurry!" By the time Silvia and the other girl tried to reach him, it was too late. Ximena's hair turned into sharp blades and pierced through his entire body. He was riddled with holes in an instant. That wig was terrifying! This petite ghost bride was absolutely vicious, chasing Silvia and the short-haired girl all over the room. Meanwhile, I stayed in the coffin, watching the chaos unfold. Suddenly, Silvia stopped and turned to stare straight at Ximena. Ximena's speed began to slow. Hypnotic Eyes. I did not expect Silvia's skill to actually work on Ximena. Her blade was about to stab into Ximena's head. I reacted instantly, jumping out of the coffin and shoving Silvia hard. "Ximena, don't look into her eyes!" No way I was letting my target get taken out that early. My interruption snapped Ximena out of it, and her speed returned to normal. With nowhere left to run, Silvia was forced into a corner. Just as Ximena's claws were about to tear into her face, Silvia grabbed the short-haired girl beside her and shoved her forward. The girl's throat was crushed instantly. She stared at Silvia in disbelief as she died. "Y-You…" Silvia's expression did not change. "Hmph. I saved your life earlier. Now, you can return the favor." Ximena was about to continue attacking, but I suddenly felt something behind me. A hoarse, eerie male voice sounded from the darkness. "Ximena… You're being disobedient again."