“Puhyaat!”
I was jolted awake by a sudden splash of water on my face.
The sensation of droplets dribbling down my neck was intensely unpleasant, making me furrow my brow.
Half-awake, I thought of my college roommate, but then I remembered that I was well past my graduation years.
So who would be rude enough to splash water on a sleeping person?
Feeling bewildered, I glanced around and saw steel bars right in front of me. I realized I was in a room with three walls made of bricks.
Beyond the bars, there was just a dim corridor made of pebbles, literally darkness itself.
“Eh.”
Sure, I lived in a bit of a mess, but it wasn’t this gloomy.
No, let’s be honest; this prison was unmistakable.
Why, why is this happening?
I hadn’t committed any crimes! I was more of a recluse than anything, and my mom even told me to create some scandals once in a while.
Okay, calm down.
Let’s try to remember what I was doing before this.
I had just cooked up some incredibly challenging soft tofu ramen after a long time and, feeling a bit sluggish, started writing a scathing review of a post in the community.
Then, suddenly, a comment recommending a mod appeared.
The name of that mod was “Super Coward Mode.”
Right, I definitely installed “Super Coward Mode” to enjoy “Snow Castle” in a more delightful way.
And then I booted up the game for a mod test.
From the lack of memory, it seemed something must have gone awry.
First, I needed to figure out where I was to think more deeply, so I began to survey the prison. A strange sense of familiarity sent a shiver down my spine.
Why does this prison feel oddly familiar?
As I tried to rise and take a closer look, I found my body uncooperative.
When I shifted my gaze to my wrist, I saw that wooden handcuffs had been secured.
“What is this?!”
In this day and age, it’s wooden, not iron?
The absurdity of the situation left me speechless, and I unconsciously raised my voice.
I was startled by how loud my voice turned out to be and quickly covered my mouth.
You idiot, what were you thinking, raising your voice like that? You might alert whoever’s outside!
Fortunately, there were no sounds of footsteps, making me breathe a sigh of relief. Yet just as I was distracted by the wooden handcuffs, I sensed a strange presence behind me.
Had I missed the fact that someone was there because it was too dark?
I was getting anxious, but instead of retreating, I slowly turned my head to see a dimly outlined figure of a person.
And I could tell they were trembling slightly.
Thinking they were angry, I instinctively lowered my stance, but weirdly, I felt no hostility coming from them.
So as I looked closer, I could even hear faint breathing.
They were chuckling at something.
“Puhuh, you’re finally looking over here?”
“A woman…?”
“Yes, I am. I see you’re quite pleased about it?”
Caught off guard by her random nonsense, I couldn’t think of a response as she continued to laugh.
It was only after my eyes fully adjusted to the darkness that I could see she was dressed in black with her hair tied back.
It appeared she was laughing at my startled reaction after I had shouted.
But why hadn’t I sensed that there was someone there?
If she was laughing hard enough to shake her body, you’d think I would have recognized someone was around.
I wanted to initiate a conversation, but watching the woman struggle to contain her laughter made me feel my cheeks flush slightly.
Well, I guess it’s understandable to be surprised; she’s just mocking me way too much.
While I quietly observed her, my gaze finally fell on something she was holding.
Upon closer inspection, it looked like a water bottle… and the cap was open with droplets forming at the nozzle.
Oh, no way.
Shifting my accusatory looks between the water bottle and the woman, she waved her head and her immobilized hands simultaneously.
“Puhee. Ah, no, I wasn’t trying to tease you! Never! Hehe…”
That little vixen?
I didn’t know who she was, but splashing water on someone you don’t know is just wrong.
As I thought that, I couldn’t shake off the odd déjà vu I felt looking at the continuously laughing woman.
What was this feeling?
It kept creeping in like something I had genuinely seen before.
Why couldn’t I place the source of this déjà vu?
I struggled to recall its origin, but nothing came to mind.
“Shut it. Thief.”
“What? Another one….”
“Hehe, sorry! It’s just been a while since someone fun entered.”
This time around, it felt less like I hadn’t noticed; it was more like he had been stifling his breath cleverly, hiding from me.
“Wait, this voice sounds familiar…”
Suddenly, an unsettling chill crawled down my spine, as if my brain had been forced into wakefulness, unleashing a tsunami of memories.
My head creaked as I turned it, and the presence of someone leaning against the adjacent wall hit me like a ton of bricks.
Outsider Slayer.
Outsider Gangster.
The One Who Kills Outsiders.
The protagonist of Snow Castle, the Hunter.
That Hunter was slowly moving his head in front of me, breathing deeply through his cloak, as if assessing whether to drag us along in the escape or abandon us instead.
The Thief, oblivious to our precarious position, decided to strike up a conversation with me, the new recruit.
“Why the long face so suddenly? Though, I suppose it’s weird to be laughing in a prison, isn’t it? Hehe.”
Next to me was the Thief, who introduced herself as Agartha.
Realizing that we were in the world of Snow Castle, I was finally able to identify her.
She was the Thief who had a chat with the Hunter in the prologue; it must be her.
Since she was the extra who dies in an instant during the escape, it took me a while to recognize her.
“By the way, what are you in for?”
After rambling on about herself, was she finally curious about me?
But I couldn’t answer.
Rather, I wanted to ask.
Why on earth am I in prison when I’m not even the protagonist?
She must have taken my silence as a sign that I didn’t want to answer, as Agartha leaned in closer.
“Are you ignoring me? I’m genuinely curious about you.”
As she got closer and I could see her properly, I got a tangible sense of her femininity.
Um.
This is awkward.
And even if I wanted to answer her, what would I say?
“I don’t know.”
“Huh? How can someone not know who they are?”
Surprisingly, here I am!
It would be nice to at least know who I’m supposed to be possessed by.
After all, the prologue starts with just the protagonist and Agartha chatting away.
Meaning, there were no other characters present.
“Oh, no way?”
I wondered what nonsense she was about to say, and suddenly she struck a very embarrassing pose with her fingers.
“Looking all innocent while you’ve got some dirt behind you or something?”
I wanted to retort that she was talking nonsense, but I couldn’t help but acknowledge that it might actually be true.
Normally, such information would pop up on a status screen, revealing at least some details about me.
Oh, could it be that I really need to shout “status screen” for it to show up?
“Status screen.”
I whispered it as quietly as I could, but nothing appeared.
Damn, what a crappy game.
“What did you just say? Status screen?”
No way, did she hear that?
I had barely whispered it!
Is this what being a Thief is about?
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You definitely did. My ears don’t lie.”
Despite her words sounding serious, her expression was that of someone who had just found new ammunition to tease me.
I felt sorry for her when she died in the first chapter, but now I really want to give her a smack!
As I was simmering with irritation, Agartha suddenly gasped and pointed at me.
Curious, I tilted my head, and the Thief said.
“Oh? You’ve got a piece of paper in your pocket!”
Could it be something related to my identity?
Thinking that, I reached into my pocket to check, but it was empty.
“What? There’s nothing…”
Or rather, there was something!
She had snatched it right out of my pocket without me noticing.
With a smug look on her face, as if she had just stolen some precious treasure, she started unfolding the paper.
The expression on Agartha’s face morphed into something serious as she read the contents, her eyes darting around.
What does it say? What could possibly be written in it?
Did I, by some chance, become a dangerous murderous fiend threatening this game’s world?
Sweat trickled down my wrist from the handcuffs.
The tension hung heavy as silence passed until Agartha finished reading, dropped the paper, and began to shake.
Her lips trembled as if she were holding back something.
I swallowed quietly.
As her trembling intensified, a laugh burst forth, echoing loudly in my ears.
“Hahaha! Cough! Huh, with this kind of content, it’s no wonder you’d want to hide it.”
Agartha clutched her stomach and laughed uncontrollably.
She was laughing so hard that she lay back, her feet flailing.
What could have possibly been written that made her want to give me a whack on the head?
I snatched the paper from Agartha.
Let’s see what’s so funny.
Quietly reading the note, I crumpled it in both hands and tossed it into the corner.
“Sorry, I have a condition called mental illness. Even if you suddenly get freaked out, please understand. ”
“- Leydan Tanton”
Damn it.
Out of all the things, a psychopath?
Wiping away tears of laughter, Agartha placed her hand on my shoulder.
“Well, mental illness is a good enough reason to get locked up. Did you go running around naked in the city, Mr. Leydan Tanton?”
I pushed her away gently, wearing an expression of disbelief that I didn’t want to accept, but Agartha’s grin didn’t fade.
No, that can’t be true.
Sure, this paper somehow ended up with me, but that doesn’t mean I’m this Leydan Tanton guy, right?
Maybe I killed Leydan and stuffed this paper in my pocket?
Why does it feel like the more excuses I make, the more pathetic they sound?
As I remain silent, Agartha looks at me as if I were a true psychopath, laughing at my predicament.
“I’m not a psychopath!”
Did my desperate protest resonate? Agartha nodded her head in understanding.
“People who are often like that tend to say just that.”
“Why don’t you think this paper might be lying?”
“Then what about that ‘status screen’ you yelled out earlier?”
“Well… ugh, I didn’t mean that!”
“Oh really? Mr. Tanton, I’m also someone who was dragged into this prison without doing anything wrong.”
Is what I said really that funny?
Just then, the Hunter, who had been observing us from his chair, frowned and shifted his gaze to the Thief.
“Even if it’s a joke, couldn’t you come up with something a bit more believable? It’s not like a woman strolling around with the stench of rotting corpses should be the judge here.”
“Uh, you’re being way too harsh.”
Agartha looked like she’d been hurt by the Hunter’s comment and suddenly leaned against me, pouting.
I felt a chill at the possibility of the Hunter’s words being true but, surprisingly, there was no foul smell at all.
In fact, it was more of a gentle perfume-like scent coming from her.
With a quivering voice, Agartha mumbled,
“Do you think so too, Mr. Tanton?”
Normally, I would’ve responded honestly, but since she had just teased me, I decided to lie.
“Well, it’s not like it’s too bad, but it is a bit bothersome…”
Agartha’s eyes widened in shock, her pupils narrowing, which was oddly amusing.
“Is it that bad?”
“When people douse themselves in perfume to cover up an unmaskable stench, it’s pretty clear something is off.”
The Hunter nodded slightly and recited, while Agartha appeared to be more offended and replied in a sulky voice.
“Well then, what about you? You’re here because you committed a crime, aren’t you?”
“I don’t want to be treated the same as you.”
“Then why are you here?”
“I don’t owe you an explanation.”
I knew why the Hunter was locked up in this prison.
There was an Outsider buried down here.
He had intentionally gotten himself caught to catch that Outsider.
“Hah! So we’re all gathered here as innocent people wrongfully imprisoned!”
Me, the Hunter, and Agartha pointing at herself.
Clap!
I clapped my handcuffed hands together to draw attention and gather focus.
Is this the natural way to build-up?
“If that’s the case, we shouldn’t stay here. How could we possibly transcend if our heads are on the chopping block for no reason?”
The mention of decapitation was pretty chilling, but it was a daily reality here.
After all, Snow Castle’s theme was dark fantasy.
As the Hunter sank into thought, Agartha flashed a smile between us.
“So, how about we escape?”
It was an extreme, unplanned suggestion, but her unique smile inexplicably drew me in.
And thus, it began.
The story of the Hunter, the Thief, and the Psychopath.
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