06.
It was a square stone about the size of a palm, slightly protruding from the ground. Most likely, if she lifted the stone slightly, a flat metal box would be revealed beneath it.
However, there was a problem. Back then, she had discovered it on her own, but now Yulian was with her.
Luda suddenly found herself looking at the hand that was still resting on her shoulder.
“Is it alright to let go of my arm now?”
“Oh, right. I apologize.”
Yulian quickly withdrew his hand, and Luda’s attention returned to the stone on the ground.
‘Should I go pick it up now?’
No, she thought that would be too obvious.
‘But is it impossible to pick it up while he’s not looking?’
She needed to send Yulian somewhere else. Or maybe pretend to stumble upon it by accident. Making a quick decision was difficult.
‘In any case, it can’t be helped. Let’s just pretend to find it by accident.’
With that thought in mind, Luda took a few steps forward. Then, she suddenly exclaimed as if she had discovered something new.
“Doesn’t the ground here look a bit strange?”
She quickly reached the stone marker without hesitation. Without wasting any time, she dug out the square stone and moved it aside. Just as she had expected, beneath it lay a small flat metal box.
The box was closed without a lock, and when she opened it, she found a small key inside.
Yulian’s voice came from right behind her.
“It’s a key.”
“Yes, it is. Would you like to take a look?”
Luda said something she didn’t really mean, just to make it seem like it was her discovery.
“No, it’s something Miss Luda found, so Miss Luda should use it.”
Yulian refused with a slight smile. For a brief moment, Luda found herself appreciating him, even if it was just for a moment.
She held the key firmly in her hand, stood up, and surveyed her surroundings. The garden was eerie and silent under the dim moonlight.
“Now that our conversation is over, shall we head back?”
“Let’s go a bit further ahead.”
“Would it be better for Miss Luda if I stayed with you?”
Yulian unexpectedly uttered these strange words while gazing at her with affectionate green eyes.
‘What a nonsensical thing to say.’
It wasn’t pleasant at all. She didn’t dislike it either; she just wanted to return to her room. Luda answered, trying to endure it for the sake of the quest.
“I’m fine like this.”
“That’s a relief.”
Luda continued to walk slightly ahead of Yulian. When they turned another corner, the system window finally appeared. It was unexpected but rather welcome this time.
[Congratulations! You’ve completed the special quest ‘A Stroll in the Maze Garden with Yulian.’]
[As a reward, Yulian’s affinity has increased.]
[As a reward, Esteban’s danger level has increased.]
[As a reward, Kyren’s danger level has increased.]
[Yulian (Capturable)]
[Affinity: 9 (2 ▲)]
[Esteban (Capturable)]
[Danger Level: ??? (Currently unavailable)]
[Kyren]
[Danger Level: ??? (Currently unavailable)]
Luda couldn’t help but notice that this time, there was even a congratulatory message attached to the special quest, unlike the subquests which simply stated their completion.
“A slight increase was 1, but just an increase is 2?”
She didn’t expect a massive increase, but the rewards felt disproportionately small.
Quickly scanning the danger level section, Luda turned away. There was nothing more to see since it was currently unavailable.
‘That’s enough. I don’t want to be here for even a single more second.’
Luda could finally speak to Yulian.
“Now let’s go back.”
—
As Luda entered the mansion, she couldn’t shake a sense of unease. She had asked what color the paper was, but didn’t receive an answer. It could have been because of the appearance of the ghost she was looking back at, but considering Yulian’s character, he should have answered.
‘Is it just because of the timing?’
While walking side by side with Yulian, for a moment, the wall looked strange. This place felt very old and worn.
Staring up at the cobwebs hanging under the candlesticks and blinking, everything returned to normal.
‘What’s this? Did I see it wrong because I’m tired?’
Luda shook her head and looked ahead again. It felt like the dark corridor stretched endlessly.
For some reason, even though she was walking on two legs, it felt like she was struggling as if she was walking in a dream. Luda felt a little panicked, but she deliberately walked with her back straighter.
“Miss Luda.”
Only after Yulian called her did Luda realize that she had reached the door.
“Have a good dream.”
Yulian greeted her. His voice was polite and gentle.
‘Yeah, I’ll get to bed quickly.’
Just as she tried to shake off the uneasiness she had felt so far, Yulian’s face, lit by a faint light, suddenly looked very unfamiliar and strange. Pale and beautiful, with bloodshot eyes.
Of course, it was only for a moment, and he returned to normal quickly.
Luda watched as Yulian opened the door and then took out the key to her room. The room was darker than during the day, making it hard to distinguish. She walked straight to find the nightstand. After fumbling around, she lit a candle.
Only when the dim candlelight flickered to life did the room become properly visible.
Luda headed towards the wardrobe. Inside, she found another dress identical to the one she was currently wearing and a comfortable pair of shoes.
As she thought about changing, a system prompt appeared.
[Would you like to change your attire?]
[1. Everyday clothing (currently wearing)]
[2. Pajamas]
[3. No]
She selected “2,” and the dress transformed into comfortable pajamas.
“That’s more comfortable.”
Luda looked intently at her changed outfit and then stood in front of the mirror. There stood a woman with long brown hair and brown eyes. She had a similar aura to her original face, but it had transformed into something that caught the eye a little more.
She had been looking at the mirror for quite some time, but nothing strange had happened to her face.
—
Luda checked the wall clock as soon as she woke up, even in the darkness, she could easily distinguish the clock hands, which had undergone special treatment.
Seven-thirty. It was past-sunrise but the room was still dark.
Now, she will never again see the sun shining like she did on the first day.
That’s because after the ghost’s night begins, it remains dark even during the day.
She blinked in the darkness, then lit the candle she had put out before going to sleep. The candle, strangely, hadn’t shrunk at all.
“Today, I should go look for the underground passage.”
If it was in the place she remembered, she should be able to find it relatively easily. While thinking about it, she picked up the key that she had left on the bedside table.
The key she had found in the labyrinthine garden looked very old and had even started to rust.
‘Could it have looked so strange because I had it with me?’
Of course, she couldn’t know the answer.
‘But it might be better to carry it with me than just having it in my hand.’
Clearly, the inventory function had opened when the tutorial ended. However, the system hadn’t explained how to use it.
“Show me how to use the inventory.”
Nothing appeared before her.
However, just as she thought, ‘It can’t be that the system won’t even let me know about the quest rewards when they’re as small as fingernails,’ a familiar system window appeared.
[Inventory Function Guide]
[Hold the item you want to store in your hand and think about moving it to the inventory.]
[You can check a brief description of each item inside the inventory.]
[You can open the inventory window and take out the items you want.]
[You can take them out and put them back in whenever you want, and there is no limit to the storage quantity.]
Luda immediately held the rusty key and thought about wanting to store it. Then, within seconds, the key disappeared from her hand.
“Convenient.”
She also added white and black paper that shouldn’t be seen by others to the inventory, as well as the cumbersome wall clock. She wanted to take the candle as a precaution against the darkness, but it was firmly fixed on the bedside table, making it difficult to remove.
When she tried to grab it with her hand and ask the system to store it, a system window appeared.
[This item cannot be stored in the inventory.]
It seemed that it had been designed so that it couldn’t be taken out of the room.
In the end, she gave up on the candle and changed into her dress. As she was about to go outside, a door in the adjacent room also opened.
Luda met Kyren’s cold face as their eyes met.
“Hello.”
“Yes.”
When she first greeted Kyren, she received only a brief response. Luda watched Kyren move away in the direction of the central hall and then locked the door behind her.
Next, she discreetly stored the room key and proceeded to the dead-end wall. As an experiment, she opened the inventory window, and the list of items she had placed there appeared unchanged.
[Inventory]
▶ Wall Clock
▶ Room Key
▶ Rusty Key
▶ White Rulebook
▶ Black Rulebook (Fake)
When she selected the rusty key, the key reappeared in her hand. The difference from before was that it was emitting a faint glow.
“I think I just needed to press somewhere on this wall.”
Luda began to run her fingertips over the wall, starting from the floor and working her way up to about waist height. As she reached a certain point, she discovered a different, subtly recessed area.
She pressed firmly on that spot, and the wall slowly moved inward and the door opened.
Inside was complete darkness, but the faint light emanating from the key provided some illumination.
Luda held the end of the key and extended her arm. She could see a steep staircase leading downward..
