011 The doctors were still gathered around Darius Kane’s hospital bed, continuing the discussion that had begun at the end of the previous day.
A heavyset middle-aged physician looked toward the hospital director with obvious envy and said, “Director Harris, if this case develops the way everyone expects, your hospital is going to become famous.” Another senior doctor nodded in agreement, adding that once the research papers were published, institutions across the country—and possibly overseas—would want access to the case.
Director Harris waved a hand modestly and replied, “Nothing is certain yet.
I know exactly what our hospital is capable of, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” His words sounded humble, but the smile he couldn’t quite suppress betrayed how pleased he really was.
The other physicians could only exchange amused, slightly jealous looks.
An unprecedented patient who had been declared beyond recovery before suddenly regaining neurological activity was exactly the kind of case doctors spent entire careers hoping to encounter.
After discussing several more details, the group finally gathered their notes and left the room together.
Silence returned to the private ward, and Darius prepared to return to Horror Town since there was still nothing he could physically do here.
Before he activated the transfer, however, the door opened again.
A young woman stepped inside.
She looked around twenty and stood roughly five-foot-five, with a slim, balanced figure and dark hair tied into a simple ponytail.
She wore a black-and-white raglan shirt, faded blue jeans, and clean white sneakers, with no noticeable makeup beyond her naturally youthful features.
The woman walked directly to Darius’s bedside, carefully pulled the blanket higher over him, then brushed a loose strand of hair away from her forehead.
Afterward, she sat beside the bed without saying anything and quietly stared through the window.
Darius watched her from the corner of his eye, confused.
He had absolutely no memory of this woman, yet everything about her behavior suggested that she had come specifically to see him.
She didn’t look lost, didn’t check the room number, and didn’t show the hesitation of someone who had accidentally entered the wrong ward.
For several minutes she simply sat there, occasionally checking her phone before looking back at Darius.
The familiarity in her movements made it obvious that she knew the original owner of this body.
Who are you?
Darius searched through the fragmented memories he’d inherited, but no name or face surfaced.
The woman remained for roughly ten minutes before standing, checking his blanket one more time, and quietly leaving without speaking.
Her arrival had been strange, and her departure wasn’t much clearer.
Still, if she had taken the trouble to visit him alone, their relationship probably wasn’t casual.
Darius didn’t waste too much time worrying about it.
If he couldn’t remember her now, he would eventually learn the answer once his body recovered enough to communicate with people.
He activated the return function and reappeared inside House 666 a moment later.
Once he settled in, he turned on the computer and checked the forum posts he’d made earlier.
There were far more replies than before, but unfortunately, none contained useful information about his missing childhood friend.
Most of the new messages were asking about Terrifier.
Residents wanted to know how Darius had survived Art the Clown, what precautions they should take if they entered the same world, and whether he could provide a complete walkthrough.
Darius originally began typing a free explanation out of goodwill, detailing the most important survival rules from his own experience.
After writing several paragraphs, however, his fingers stopped.
He stared at what he’d written for a moment before deleting the entire thing.
Why am I giving valuable information away for free?
Exchange Points were difficult to earn, and useful information clearly had value inside Horror Town.
More importantly, Darius couldn’t guarantee that someone following his advice would survive, because every resident could receive a different identity and starting position when entering the same world.
Darius had spawned as a Deer Mountain Pizza employee and immediately encountered Tara, Dawn, and Art, while another resident might enter as a random pedestrian, police officer, building worker, or completely unrelated victim.
The core world and killer remained the same, but the circumstances surrounding each resident could change.
That meant no guide could guarantee success.
If Darius posted everything for free and someone died while trying to follow it, there was always a chance others would blame him anyway.
People were complicated enough in normal society, and Horror Town certainly hadn’t made them more reasonable.
After considering the problem, he rewrote the guide as a paid post containing his observations about Art, his habits, useful precautions, and the mistakes newcomers should avoid.
He set the access price at 66 Exchange Points, roughly in line with similar beginner guides.
If people bought it, great.
If they didn’t, there was no rush.
Another week passed quietly after that.
Darius occasionally returned to reality to check whether his physical condition had improved, but each visit ended with the same frustrating result—his mind was awake while his body remained almost completely unresponsive.
Two more groups of specialists from other hospitals arrived during the week to examine him and study the unusual case.
The young woman with the ponytail never returned, leaving Darius no closer to discovering who she was.
Back in Horror Town, he also visited the trading district again and looked for the vendor he’d spoken with before.
The man’s stall was empty, and the automated sales system connected to it wasn’t active either.
There was a small possibility he’d simply taken some time off, but in a place like Horror Town, there was an equally obvious explanation.
He might currently be inside another trial.
That evening, Darius ate dinner while browsing the forum and eventually stumbled across an argument that caught his interest.
A resident was loudly claiming to have watched practically every horror movie ever made, from obscure silent-era films to modern releases.
According to the boastful post, there wasn’t a horror franchise, director, monster, killer, or release date the man couldn’t identify.
He even offered 100 Exchange Points to anyone who could defeat him in a horror-trivia challenge.
Normally, Darius would have ignored obvious online bragging.
People made ridiculous claims on the internet every day, and there was no reason to believe someone would actually pay after losing.
What changed his mind was the small badge attached to the challenge: Horror Town Assistant — Official Referee Enabled.
The Assistant was essentially Horror Town’s system AI, and once it judged a winner, the promised Exchange Points would be transferred automatically.
No excuses.
No refusing payment.
No disappearing afterward.
That made things interesting.
Several residents challenged the poster before Darius’s turn arrived, but the self-proclaimed horror expert proved surprisingly capable.
He answered questions about famous franchises, obscure European movies, forgotten slashers, and old supernatural films without much difficulty.
Most challengers were eliminated quickly.
Darius patiently watched until the Assistant finally paired them together.
The other resident went first.
Challenger: “What Universal horror movie produced by Blumhouse and Atomic Monster opened in U.S.
theaters on January 5, 2024?” Darius barely needed to think.
Darius Kane: “Night Swim.” Challenger: “Correct.
Exact U.S.
release date?” Darius Kane: “January 5, 2024.” [Answer Correct.] Now it was Darius’s turn.
Darius Kane: “Let’s keep it simple.
How many theatrical movies are in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise if you count Freddy vs.
Jason and the 2010 remake?” The challenger responded almost immediately.
Challenger: “Nine.” Correct.
Darius followed with another question.
Darius Kane: “Who is the killer in the original 1980 Friday the 13th?” The other player began typing quickly.
Challenger: “Jason Voorhees—” A pause followed.
Challenger: “No.
Pamela Voorhees.
Jason’s mother.” Darius smiled slightly.
The man really did know his horror movies.
The challenge continued until it switched back to the other resident.
Challenger: “All right, harder question.
What movie is generally recognized as the first horror film?” Darius’s answer appeared almost immediately.
Darius Kane: “Georges Méliès’s Le Manoir du diable, also known as The House of the Devil.
1896.” The challenger responded with confidence.
Challenger: “Wrong.
It’s The Cabinet of Dr.
Caligari.
Next person.” Darius raised an eyebrow.
Darius Kane: “No, you’re wrong.” Challenger: “Come on.
Everyone knows Caligari.
Losing isn’t embarrassing.” Rather than argue, Darius simply requested an official ruling from the Horror Town Assistant.
A system message appeared seconds later.
[Official Review Complete.] [Darius Kane’s answer is correct.] [Le Manoir du diable (1896), directed by Georges Méliès, is generally recognized as the earliest horror film.] [Challenge Victory.] [100 Exchange Points transferred to winner.] The other resident went silent.
Then the public chat exploded.
Spectators immediately began mocking him for confidently correcting the right answer, while others posted laughing reactions or repeated his earlier claim that he’d seen every horror movie ever made.
The loser insisted for several messages that The Cabinet of Dr.
Caligari had to count because it was one of the earliest major horror landmarks, but the Assistant’s ruling had already settled the wager.
Darius didn’t bother joining the pile-on.
He collected the hundred points and quietly left the thread.
The mistake wasn’t particularly surprising.
The Cabinet of Dr.
Caligari was one of the most influential early horror films and a major landmark of German Expressionism, so plenty of people casually associated it with the beginning of the genre.
Darius only knew the older Méliès film because he’d once gone through a phase of watching silent cinema and reading about the earliest years of filmmaking.
The useless trivia he’d accumulated back then had finally earned him something tangible.
“One hundred points for answering a movie question.” Darius leaned back in his chair, quite pleased with himself.
“Not bad.” Before he could decide what to do next, a translucent panel suddenly appeared in front of him without warning.
Darius’s relaxed expression vanished.
He immediately sat upright.
A familiar system notification was flashing across his vision.
After waiting an entire week, the moment had finally arrived.
His placement trial was over.
Now came the real thing.
[First Official Trial Incoming.] Darius stared at the message, excitement and tension rising together in his chest.
“Finally.” (End of Chapter) Enjoyed the chapter?
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