“What the hell is this?”
He more or less knew what it was. That was precisely why he was utterly dumbfounded, left speechless, his mind going completely blank.
In truth, he had realized immediately that this was the lord’s room. Where else would there be a place heavier, more suffocating in its dark, brooding atmosphere than Snake Rim’s quarters?
That was why he had been in the middle of fleeing—to avoid any potential disaster.
But what he had run into was a portrait, one that had been freshly painted and hung each year.
…of Kessler.
His front and back legs were trembling violently, and his tail was spiraling uncontrollably.
First things first… get out of here and think later.
As he bounded down the seemingly endless corridor, hopping along under the suffocating stares of countless Kesslers lining the walls like wallpaper, it happened.
A sturdy figure stepped confidently into view, blocking the light spilling from the opposite end.
The figure, standing there casting overlapping shadows from various angles, made him instinctively freeze in place.
Somewhere to hide, somewhere to hide.
Quickly putting his wits to use, he curled his body beneath a hallway display cabinet. His heart raced furiously. Thump thump.
[System]: The Baby Arctic Fox’s heart is pounding.
Why the hell was this useless notification even popping up?
Click clack. Sharp, composed footsteps echoed closer. They were getting nearer and nearer. If only they would just walk past… just walk past…
The footsteps stopped—so close he could feel it. Please, please.
[System]: An unknown threat has been detected. Skill ‘Protective Instinct’ is activating.
In an attempt to grasp the situation, he risked a quick glance backward. At that moment, his eyes met Kessler’s, who was bending down and peering beneath the cabinet.
‘Fuck!’
“How did you even find your way in here?”
Squeeeeak…
“And why the hell did you steal so many of my jewels?”
Cornered. As part of a desperate survival instinct, he tried to press himself tighter against the wall, but before he could, Kessler grabbed him and pulled him out with ease.
He was hoisted up to Kessler’s eye level. His body froze stiff, leaving only his tail free to move. In his panic, he instinctively swung his tail around, repeatedly smacking Kessler across the cheek.
“Hehe.”
At that moment, an unexpected laugh escaped from Kessler.
“How did you get even cuter?”
It seemed that the skill Protective Instinct had saved him. Reflected in Kessler’s dark eyes was his own figure, now utterly adorable, clumsily trying to act cutesy.
Leaving his life and death in the hands of the cuteness skill, he stared at Kessler as if studying him.
…Why hadn’t he realized it before? He hadn’t even entertained a shred of doubt. Just by looking at his extraordinary appearance and the equipment he wore, he should have been able to guess to some extent.
He should have questioned it back when the quest to find and eat the Jewel Ice on the very first day had been rated at the highest difficulty, but he had passed it off too lightly.
Even the fact that Kessler was unaffected by the ghosts—he had simply assumed Kessler was a capable player who had succeeded in obtaining the ‘Mark of Ownership,’ an item belonging to the lord, unusually early.
He recalled the day he returned after skinning the wolf, when Kessler had calmly offered him words of comfort.
“I was abandoned once too.”
Nyaang?
“But if you overcome it, you get to live a successful life like this. You should become a successful fox too. Actually, you’ve already succeeded just by ending up in my hands.”
He wasn’t a Seeker. He was even less of a Thief.
Kessler was the very setting of this horror game [Last Shadow]. Having once built small sandcastles while endlessly waiting for a guardian, Kessler had spent thousands of years gathering shadows to construct this ‘Shadow Castle’ and had crowned himself king.
The endless portraits filling the long corridor spoke volumes about his life.
Everything clicked into place. It felt as if the final piece of the puzzle had finally been set.
“Stop playing dumb now, little fox.”
Kessler carried him back into the room where he had stolen the goods.
“I know everything.”
He was seated in a blood-red velvet chair—the very same one from a recent portrait where Kessler had been sitting.
His mind raced furiously. Did Kessler know he was a user? If so, should he confess everything right now?
Was that why he was ‘the Black X’? A being capable of judging him at any moment?
‘Ugh…’
He stared at Kessler with a complicated mix of emotions. Kessler, standing before him, was pressing for an answer.
Kessler extended his hand. He blankly stared at it. Tension crackled between their locked gazes.
“Did you manage to get my birthday present?”
“…?”
“What if you can’t ever find it? Hiding it in this huge room?”
The developments were becoming increasingly unpredictable. He tilted his head in confusion.
“My birthday’s coming up soon.”
“On that day, make sure you act cute just for me.”
Right. He had said something about a birthday before. So then… when he had cheered him on with a proud look during the exhausting grind for perfume materials, was that because…
Looking around now, he spotted a few failed perfume attempts he had sold off, tucked inside the display cabinets.
On the last day, when business had been sluggish, someone had suddenly swept in and bought everything in one go. It was this guy who had done it.
Because he thought he was buying his birthday present?
Trembling all over, he frantically rummaged through his inventory bag, desperate to find something—anything—that could serve as a gift…
Half-eaten bread, moist wasabi, burnt sock, melted bead bell, overcooked conch shell…
This was insane. If he dared to offer something like that, Kessler might kill him on the spot.
More than anything… he desperately needed some time to sort out his thoughts alone.
“Where the hell did you even put it?”
Staring at Kessler’s back as he dug through his jewelry boxes, he bolted.
He sprinted down the endless corridor at full tilt, as fast as his legs could carry him.
At the end of the hallway, he was thrown back by the barrier and rolled over several times. Because of it, his soft, pink belly got completely covered in dirt.
Fortunately, Kessler didn’t chase after him.
He fled to a nearby men’s restroom, leapt up onto the closed toilet lid, and tried to catch his breath.
‘…Phew!’
This was the “Bathroom Where Heads Appear.” Nobody liked coming here because no one ever knew when or where a ghost head might pop out.
He slammed his forehead against the wall a few times. Then, using his short legs, he hastily splashed some water on his face. His brain finally started kicking into high gear.
Kessler was the lord. Whether this revelation would work in his favor or become his downfall would depend entirely on how he handled things from here.
Kessler was the master orchestrator of this game. Thankfully, [Last Shadow] wasn’t the type of horror game where you simply beat the final boss to death—nor was it even designed to be solved that way.
Instead, the one who built up the most “Reputation” by completing the multifaceted quests given by him—the ‘Final Achiever’—would be rewarded with a ticket to leave the Shadow Castle along with a mountain of gold and treasures.
Kessler is a man full of regrets.
Though he had never met him face-to-face before today, that was the impression he had gotten during the alpha tests while completing various quests.
He cherishes this Shadow Castle deeply, but at the same time, harbors a festering, desperate desire to destroy it… That contradictory craving is buried deep inside him.
If he could cleverly leverage the rapport he had built with Kessler up to now, clearing the game might become a lot easier. But it was a double-edged sword.
‘But what if he refuses to let me leave?’
Anxiety made his tail thrash uncontrollably. Come to think of it, something had felt wrong starting with the second Survival Quest.
‘The Witch Hunt had begun so suddenly.’
There, Haru noona, who was rumored to be the Baby Arctic Fox’s master, had been accused of witchcraft and killed.
Despite his efforts to save her, Kessler had crushed even the medicine he had procured to help.
“You’re the master of that fox?”
“From now on, I’m your master.”
‘Fuck. Isn’t this obsession?’
The “Black X” branded above his head was the thing that weighed on him the most. It was practically a declaration: betray even once, and death would be the judgment.
‘Wait a second. If that guy isn’t the thief, then who the hell is?’
The Seeker must have either already died early on or was still stubbornly lying low. Either way, it was clear he wouldn’t be of any help.
First, he checked his balance. After buying the quest item, the ‘Withered Fish,’ he’d have about fifty thousand won left.
It was nowhere near enough to buy a birthday present that would satisfy Kessler. Even though he had been naively sipping at the hope that he could meet those expectations, realistically… first step would be going to the bank and taking out a loan. He could probably use Snake Rim as a guarantor.
Such a crazy idea would have been unthinkable during the alpha test days, but now, since he had saved Snake Rim’s life, it wasn’t entirely out of the question.
‘My mind’s so fried I’m seriously considering everything…’
He shook his head furiously. No loans. Absolutely no loans.
Fortunately, the Shadow Night Market had just opened. If he wandered through it thoroughly, doing his best—no, radiating an air of having tried his absolute hardest—then maybe, just maybe…
But still, he had no money.
Sighing, he was reorganizing his bag when, out of the corner of his eye, a red emergency notification flashed up behind the window.
[System]: The murderer has found a clue about you. (4/5)
[System]: The murderer has found a clue about you. (5/5)
[System]: Your face has been exposed to the murderer.
Fuck, he nearly passed out.
‘What the hell is this now?!’
