Trapped in a Game That Flopped

Chapter 12

Episode 12

"S-Sir!"

Only then did I remember what I had forgotten.

The fact that I had been so rushed for time that I'd roughly shoved the gun muzzle into the mouth of the Male Lead, who needed to be handled like a baby bird.

I immediately ran to Kassel.

"Sir, if my actions made you uncomfortable, I sincerely apologize. From now on, I will be a little more careful when using the potion magical tool..."

As I knelt in front of him, begging for all I was worth, and hurriedly put away the tranquilizer gun, I suddenly saw my pale, bare hands and my face went white.

Come to think of it, I was in such a rush I forgot to put on my gloves, too.

'You must really be crazy, wanting to live in this game for four years.'

A chill ran down my spine.

I hurriedly apologized for that as well.

"I'm also truly sorry for not wearing gloves... If you've regained the ability to move your facial muscles, could you perhaps keep your mouth open in advance from now on?"

"..."

"That way, I can shoot the... without making as much contact..."

The Lord of Nightmares feels strong resistance to your words.

The Lord of Nightmares finds the current situation very dissatisfying.

But I was at a loss for words at the system windows popping up one after another.

'No, XX, what do you want me to do!'

His gaze, glaring as if to tear me to death, was intense.

One wrong move and he might shoot up with that 'superhuman strength' stuff and try to kill me.

Insomnia-Inducing Awakening Potion Duration: 00:50

I became insanely anxious, checking that 10 minutes, the time I had to do another quest, had already flown by.

In that moment, a flashing thought crossed my mind.

"...A h-health potion. Should I give you one?"

"..."

One of Kassel's eyes twitched.

From that reaction, I knew this was the right answer.

In the game, it took several more hours for Kassel to be able to move his body.

Because the awakening effect in the Insomnia Potion needed to accumulate a bit more in his body.

A health potion could speed this up.

However, most users didn't think to give Kassel a health potion.

They wouldn't have the money or ingredients for it.

But who am I?

A wealthy apothecary NPC who always keeps health potions stocked on her person!

"Once your body recovers enough to move, you'll be able to drink the potions yourself. Then I won't have to be rude to you, Sir!"

I worked hard to persuade the sociopath-like guy not to try to kill me.

As if that commendable effort worked, Kassel's eerily shining gaze softened a little.

"B-But, to do that, I'll have to use that... potion-injecting magical tool one more time..."

But at my following words, the guy's brow furrowed menacingly again.

But it couldn't be helped.

Whether it was a health potion or an Insomnia Potion, he had to drink it for the effect to occur.

I did have the spoon I'd gotten just in case, but I wasn't confident I could feed him without spilling it while also avoiding contact as much as possible, and time was tight.

Honestly, using the Monster Tranquilizer Gun was the easiest.

I had no idea what he was so dissatisfied about.

"I-I'll give you a High-Grade Potion!"

"..."

"If you'll just allow it this once, you'll be able to take all your medicine yourself from now on, even without me..."

I was practically begging the Male Lead for permission to use the gun.

As if he could move his facial muscles a fair bit now, Kassel scowled and glared at me.

'Is a High-Grade Potion not enough...?'

I held back a tear and thought of the S-grade elixir I had intended to use in an emergency.

It was then. Kassel, who had been staring at me with burning eyes, suddenly whipped his head away from me and...

'Ah.'

...he opened his mouth slightly.

The Lord of Nightmares finds you unreliable.

It was a silent permission.

Looking at the guy holding his mouth open with his head turned away coyly, and at the system window.

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

"I really can't do this..."

By the time I trudged down the tower stairs, I was completely drained.

In conclusion, I used the Monster Tranquilizer Gun one more time to feed Kassel the High-Grade Potion.

He gave permission himself, but the moment I stuck the muzzle in his mouth, he threw such a fit.

If he could shoot guns with his eyes, I would have been turned into a honeycomb by now.

Insomnia-Inducing Awakening Potion Duration: 00:41

In that time, 20 precious minutes had already passed.

Me: D-Eating-C

I immediately opened the chat window and asked where the Darkness-Eating Centipede was.

GM Ari: We were waiting, Shari-nim!

GM Jinu: Nim, you're not dead yet?

GM Sera: Your skill in handling that bastard Kassel is pretty good.

I was dumbfounded by the flood of chats from the developer bastards the moment I opened it.

But thanks to them, I was able to find the source of the parasitic monster quickly this time, too.

GM Jinu: The patrolling knights will be there soon.

Just as he said, it wasn't long before three knights appeared from the bushes near the tower.

"What. Who are you?"

"Ah, it's the witch wench the master let in."

"Bill was cursing up a storm, saying her getup with the robe pulled down was gloomy."

As soon as they saw me, the bastards' pupils dilated and began to fill with pitch-black malice.

'If it's Bill, that Adjutant? I'll have to wreck that bastard, too.'

No wonder he was overly hostile to me from the beginning.

While I was thinking that, the bastards cackled and closed the distance to me.

"Come to think of it, you're a potion junkie who makes potions, right? Hand over the health potions you have. If you don't, you won't have any fun while you're here."

"What? You have health potions? Hey, give them to me first! I have a sparring match with the second squad guys next week!"

"What are you talking about! I was first!"

"I will pay the price! How much is it?"

"These bastards...!"

Seu-reu-reong—

'Well, well.'

Now they were drawing their swords one by one and pointing them at each other.

"I challenge you bastards to a duel!"

"Same here! When I think of all the selfish crap you've pulled...!"

"You'd point your sword at a comrade over a measly potion? You trash! I'll dispose of you corrupt bastards and that witch myself, and offer the potions to the Count...!"

I hadn't even said a word, but the situation was deteriorating into the worst-case scenario all by itself.

I suddenly felt bad at being treated like a backdrop.

It was because I remembered that even though I'd finally steeled myself to play the game, I'd never gotten to say a single cool line like the famous users.

"Everyone shut up! Let me say something too!"

To get their attention, I took out a potion and threw it at the bastards to attack.

But unfortunately, I didn't have time to say a cool line.

Peok!

"Ueuk!"

"Kkie-e-ek!"

You have defeated three Lv.1 Darkness-Eating Centipedes using Potion Containing Sunlight.

Because they all just fainted, just like that.

"Is it just the low-level ones for now..."

All monsters only drop items commensurate with their level.

I glanced at the system window with a look of disappointment, then gathered up the three Essences of Darkness.

It was then.

Bu-seu-reok.

Suddenly, I heard a presence nearby.

I quickly turned my head to check, but just as game progression always goes, there was only an empty thicket.

I didn't panic and immediately opened the chat window.

Me: Who is it?

GM Ari: It's the Count's Adjutant.

Me: Aha. ty.

I replied curtly and nodded inwardly.

'Could the Adjutant be the leader?'

For the D-Eating-C, one leader controlled all the other clones.

Although I was using the operators to find their locations one by one right now, if I caught the leader, the remaining hidden clones could also be exposed, making them easy to defeat.

Then I could also get a ton of 'Essence of Darkness'.

But that leader is a whopping Level 25.

'Crazy broken-balance flopped game.'

Users at this stage were mostly low-level, and it was obvious they'd be equipped with low-grade weapons at best.

That being the case, catching the leader was practically impossible.

In other words, it meant that completing the Greatsword Restoration quest was almost impossible.

While I was thinking that, the crazy bastards who made this 'broken-balance flopped game' spoke.

GM Sera: Are you not chasing him right away?

GM Jinu: You still have a lot of time left, why aren't you chasing?

Insomnia-Inducing Awakening Potion Duration: 00:32

As they said, I had caught them easily near the tower this time, so I had quite a bit of time left.

Besides, I'm not a low-level, so if I chased him right now, I could kill the leader.

But I hadn't even reached the halfway point of the greatsword's restoration, so there was no need to act impatiently.

Me: Well... there'll be another chance.

I mumbled vaguely and immediately closed the chat window before I could hear another earful.

I needed a break.

Of course, not because my stamina, which was always at full health, was lacking, but for my mental health, which was exposed to all kinds of stress from being trapped in this game for so long.

I had plenty of time, and I'd also gotten three 'Essences of Darkness', so I climbed to the top of the tower with a slightly lighter heart.

After remembering to put on my gloves, I entered the prison, but Kassel was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh? Where..."

He was bound in chains, so there was no way he could have escaped.

The story wouldn't progress like that, either.

As I was casually looking around, I saw a long shadow stretched out in the corner.

At the two crimson dots flashing in the darkness, I let out a convulsive scream.

"Eu-heo-eok!"

For a second, I thought it was a ghost.

I knew it couldn't be, but I was so shocked I forgot I was in a game.

As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I saw the Male Lead bastard standing, leaning against the wall.

'Why the hell is he standing like that?!'

My wonder at how the guy who couldn'To complete the task even budge earlier was standing tall for only a moment.

Remembering that I had fed him a High-Grade Potion before I left, I carefully approached him.

"S-Sir. What are you doing over there?"

"..."

There was no reply.

The sight of him silently watching me, like a corpse with its eyes open, was a bit eerie.

'Did the bastard try to stand up and go wild and get hit with a status abnormality?'

Maybe the chains' magic that seals his power is stronger than I thought.

Tilting my head, I reached out my hand to support Kassel, who was still motionless.

"Sir. It's almost time to drink your potion, so please lie d—Eok!"

And in that moment.

Hwi-ik, Cheol-keong!

A strong grip snatched my arm.

Before I even realized it, my vision was forcibly flipped.

"Keo-heok!"

"You, who are you?"

By the time I came to my senses, a chain was already tightening around my neck with a sharp 'Kwa-deuk!' sound.