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.

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."