On Valentine's Day, my cousin slept with my boyfriend for money. He was so into her that he decided to get rid of me—by tossing me into a horror game.

Too bad for her, he wasn't actually rich. And too bad for me, because the second I stepped into the dungeon, I got snatched by the game's final boss.

He smirked and said, "So, after all that running, you finally came back? Let’s see who you ditched me for."

Meanwhile, my cousin and my so-called boyfriend just stood there, completely stunned as I got held in the boss's arms.

——

Watching the two of them kiss, completely frozen. My whole body shook with anger. I had been nothing but good to Sean, so why the hell did he cheat on me? And with her—Miranda Boone, my own cousin.

When did this even start? I only introduced them once. My mind was spinning with a hundred different thoughts, but none of them gave me answers. All I ever wanted was a normal relationship, why did that feel impossible?

I turned away, numb. I was exhausted. I didn’t have the energy to fight or call them out. I just wanted to walk away and end things.

But the second I moved, I felt their eyes on me and when I glanced back, they weren’t just watching, they looked dangerous.

Before I could react, someone grabbed me, a hand clamping over my mouth and nose. My vision blurred, my body went weak and the last thing I saw before everything faded to black was Sean and Miranda, standing over me with eerie, twisted smiles.

A bad feeling settled deep in my gut, but before I could process it, I was gone.

The next thing I knew, I was waking up to a mess of sounds; whispers, bones crunching, distant screams.

I snapped my eyes open, dazed. Around me, people were stirring, all looking just as confused and terrified as I felt.

Then someone gasped. "What the hell is this place? I just took a nap and now I’m here?"

We were standing in the middle of a street, a place that should have been busy and full of life. However, it wasn’t.

There were walls covered in bloody handprints. Piles of bones were stacked in the corners, skulls grinning at us.

I had no idea if they were real.

The moment we took a step forward, a swarm of bats shot out of the building. It was still broad daylight, but this place felt anything but normal. Dark, eerie, suffocating. The kind of place that sent shivers down your spine.

Then I saw it, a place I never wanted to see again. My stomach dropped. This was Severin’s territory.

Severin Kovacs, the final boss of this horror world. Every monster in the game obeyed him without question.

I had been here before. Years ago, I got trapped in this world by accident. I did everything I could to escape, fighting through level after level, only to get caught by Severin at the very last stage.

He told me he liked me. That I belonged to him.

I had no choice but to play along. At first, it was just survival. But somehow, little by little, I actually started falling for him.

To everyone else, he was the most terrifying boss in the game. But with me, he was different. Soft in ways no one would believe.

For a while, I even thought about staying… until I heard the truth. To him, I was just a game. A toy to pass the time.

Heartbroken, I broke things off and ran, leaving this world behind, vowing never to return. And yet, here I was, tossed back into this nightmare because my boyfriend betrayed me for my cousin.

Hardly anyone knew about this world, which meant one thing; he had been here before, too.

I scanned my surroundings, my stomach twisting. This was Severin’s world. If he found me, I would be screwed.

Not only did I had run away, I had wrecked his castle before I left.

The scenery around me suddenly shifted. The towering buildings of the central street vanished, replaced by a quiet village with thatched houses. The mission had officially started.

I shrank into the crowd, heart pounding. An NPC calling himself the village chief started his usual spiel, explaining the mission and sorting out accommodations.

There were eight of us in total and three were veterans. They immediately took charge, acting like they owned the place.

I barely paid attention. I was too busy glancing over my shoulder, half-expecting Severin to appear out of nowhere.

Scarlett Lawson, one of the veterans, took one look at me and sneered. She had already decided I was dead weight, whispering to the two guys beside her that I would be the first to go.

For experienced players, this B-level dungeon was a joke. But for newcomers, it was practically a death sentence.

Scarlett’s attitude wasn’t just because she thought I was inexperienced—she was jealous. The second she saw me, I could tell she hated that I was the prettiest one here.

That night, everyone huddled in bed, too scared to sleep. But I couldn’t afford to close my eyes. I needed to leave. No one could fight Severin and win. The central street had been the safest place, I had to get back there.

Since sleep wasn’t an option, I got up to search for clues. I had played through every dungeon before New Year’s. I knew how this one worked.

The small boss in this world was a grotesque, almost-human creature sealed inside the altar. If I granted his wish, I could clear the level and get out of here, or so I thought.

Because when I reached the altar, I wasn’t alone, the three veterans were already there. Their shock was almost funny. Especially Scarlett, her face twisted like she just swallowed something rotten.

To them, I was just some clueless newbie. No way I should’ve found this place on my own. However, they were in the middle of a problem and lucky for them, I had just walked straight into it.

More than twenty jars sat in front of them. Three held the key to beating the boss. The rest were either cursed corpses controlled by the boss or the boss himself.

No one wanted to risk opening the wrong one, so they made me do it.

Scarlett and her guys didn’t even try to be subtle. They pulled out knives, making it very clear; open the jars, or else.

I didn’t flinch. I had spent enough time in this horror world to know people like them. They weren’t the first to pull this kind of stunt and they wouldn’t be the last.

Honestly, I wasn’t too worried about the boss here. We went way back.

When I was with Severin, he introduced me to nearly every major boss in this world. There was no way they didn’t recognize me.

That was supposed to be my ticket out of here. Just a quick appearance, call in a favor and pass the level without trouble.

But now these three had completely messed up my plan, I had no choice but to go along with it. Only three jars were safe.

I let them choose, then cracked each one open. Nothing happened. No monsters. No attacks. Just three perfect clues.

The trio stared at me, stunned. I faked a clueless expression, but inside, my mind was racing. This wasn’t luck. Someone was helping me.

I just had no idea who and I really hoped it wasn’t Severin.

Once we had all the clues, the trio didn’t push me to keep going. But Scarlett’s expression twisted with frustration, she hadn’t expected me to be this lucky.

She wasn’t about to let it slide.

I glanced away, casually edging toward the innermost jar. While they were still distracted, I gave it a light tap and whispered, "Kamden, it’s me. Let me out of here."

The jar shifted slightly before a weak voice muttered, "Reina… no can do. Boss gave strict orders, no exceptions, not even you. Guess our friendship doesn’t count for much, now. But since I am your old pal, I’ll give you a heads-up. He’s been looking for you in every level. Just sent word you’re here."

My stomach twisted.

Severin was still hunting me in every world. I should’ve known. After all, I had blown up his castle and dumped him, leaving his world in ruins. If he ever got his hands on me, it wouldn’t end well.

I gritted my teeth. “Sorry, Kamden. You’re not dragging me down with you. I’ll make it up to you later,” I murmured, then took a deep breath and knocked the jar over.

A sickening crack split the air. Scarlett and the others spun around just in time to see the horror unfolding before them.

Kamden’s real form stood there; hulking, bloodstained and monstrous. His gaze flicked to me, first in shock, then in understanding.

And then, his expression darkened, anyone who saw him like this had to die. Three unlucky souls stood right in front of him.

With a guttural snarl, Kamden lunged. Scarlett and her crew barely had time to react. Panic took over as they fumbled for their life-saving items, but I was already moving.

While they fought for survival, I reached into Kamden’s jar and snatched the final clue. The world around me blurred, shifting in an instant. I had cleared the level.

The last clue was always inside the boss’s jar. The problem was, no one ever dared to open it. I didn’t want to do it, but I had no choice. I had to get out of this horror world as soon as possible.

Right before my vision blurred, I was hoping—praying—that I would wake up in the real world.

But when I opened my eyes again, I was still trapped in a nightmare. The scene had changed. Now, I was standing in an apartment. Before I could make sense of anything, a familiar voice called out. "Reina… you’re alive?"

I turned with no expression and there they were; Sean and Miranda, standing hand in hand.

A smirk tugged at my lips and Sean immediately panicked. He took a step forward like he wanted to explain, but Miranda tightened her grip on his hand, stopping him.

She shot me a smug look. "Reina surviving might just be an accident," she said sweetly. Then, turning to Sean, she added, "Or have you already forgotten what you promised me? You said if I helped you clear this level, you’d marry me."

Sean stiffened and just like that, he looked away. I got the message loud and clear.

Compared to me, a clueless newbie, Miranda was the better choice. She was experienced, she knew how to win and Sean needed her.

After all, if he could just clear this world, his wish would come true, he would finally be rich. And money was what really mattered to him.

I used to think he cared about me. That I meant something, but in the end, he wanted wealth more than anything.

That was why he threw me into this horror game, expecting me to die. Yet, I didn’t. And now, in this S-level dungeon, he was sure I wouldn’t make it out alive.

I met his eyes one last time. I had been betrayed once, it wasn’t going to happen again.