Messed With the Wrong Beginner Boss

I am the little boss of the beginner village in a horror game world.

Because I'm too useless, players never give me a hard time.

Until one day,

a group of new players smashed my altar and hung me on a rooftop.

When I stumbled back home, battered and bruised, having lost half my life

my older brother silently drew two butcher knives.

My sister polished her gun until it gleamed.

The aunt next door calmly put on her gloves.

Grandpa, the village chief, smiled gently and told me to go to bed early tonight.

That very night, the system alerts went crazy, blasting nonstop:

[Warning! SSS-level boss has come online. The Bone Collector instance has opened.]

[Warning! SSS-level boss has come online. The Thirty-Three Heavens instance has opened.]

[Warning! SSS-level boss has come online]

Overnight, every player was forcibly dragged into hell-level instance with a near-zero survival rate.

Only then did they start to question, "Who pissed her off???"

By the morning, the fog had completely lifted.

It was a surprisingly beautiful day.

I got up extra early, packed the little backpack my sister prepared for me, and happily headed to the villages shrine to wait for the newly arrived players.

The village I live in, Mistvale, is the lowest-difficulty instance in the horror game called "Descent."

Because I had never ever scared or harmed people before.

Other instance bosses often mock me as a worthless good-for-nothing, and there have even been plans to kick me out of the boss alliance.

But I dont care at all!

After all

having a warm biscuit in hand is better than anything else!

I settled onto the altar, unpacked my backpack, and took out the pancake my sister made, the BBQ ribs my brother cooked, the fish stew Grandpa caught and prepared, and the little floral handkerchief the neighbor aunt sewed.

I laid everything out, rubbed my hands together, and was just about to start my hearty breakfast.

Then, faint footsteps came from the end of the path.

Todays players had arrived unusually early.

I sighed.

But then it occurred to me that this meant I could head home earlier, and maybe even have time to fly kites with my brother and sister on this precious sunny day.

I immediately perked up.

Yay! Lets get the players their taskes out quickly, so we can go play!

I swiftly cleared the table just as the footsteps stopped right outside the door.

The leader was a guy whose voice sounded lazy and young:

"The boss is in here?"

Of course!

The aroma of the BBQ ribs wafted right up my nose.

I swallowed hard, staring eagerly at the door.

Come on in!

The moment you step inside, Ill hand over the key to leave!

But the people outside werent in any hurry to enter.

Instead, they knocked on the wooden door, as if testing something.

I was anxious but didnt dare make a sound.

"Finn, what are we waiting for?"

The player called "Finn" didnt answer.

Another impatient female voice cut in:

"Whats the rush? Are you worried that me and Finn would harm you? Remember who saved you all during the ghost attack last night from this boss!"

maybe I was hearing things.

Last night, I clearly didnt lay a finger on any of them!

Wait!

Ive never attacked anyone at night, have I?

My brother used to scare me with ghost stories when I was little, so I always hide under the covers as soon as it gets dark.

Blanket over my head, eyes shut tight.

My sister turns off the light, and I sleep soundly till morning.

I wouldnt have the guts to attack humans in the middle of the night!

Oh well, its a huge misunderstanding!

All I wanted was to hand over the mission item: Key ,as soon as possible!

Hurry up and come in!

Amid my silent urging, Finn finally moved.

He knocked on the wooden plank and said coldly:

" Ive played dozens of instances, big and small, and Ive never seen a boss bold enough to blatantly write their hiding spot on the wall. This has to be a trap."

As soon as he finished, the players outside took a step back.

A girl asked timidly:

"Finn, should should we still go in?"

I was racking my brain trying to figure out how to prove my innocence when Finn said firmly:

"Of course were going in."

"We need to teach her a lesson so she knows not to mess with Finn!"

The shrines door was violently kicked open.

I trembled, instinctively trying to hide, but a dagger flew toward me, grazing my cheek and pinning me to the half-height altar with a "thud."

My breath hitched.

Slowly, I lifted my eyes and met the gaze of the boy, leading the group.

He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow at me mockingly.

"Look, Lana, this statue can move."

Lana glanced at me impatiently:

"The ghost must be inside. Finn, tie her up."

Wait, wait!

No need to tie me up!

Ill come out on my own!

In the blink of an eye, Finn pulled a hemp rope from his backpack.

The rope was as thick as my wrist, stained with dried blood, and had yellow talismans and silent bells attached at intervals.

As it got closer to me, a strange headache started throbbing.

The nearer it came, the worse the pain got.

Bearing the agony, I frantically pulled out a key and handed it to him.

Trying to smile under his amused gaze.

Id never been in a situation like this before.

Since Im not aggressive, my sister never allowed me to talk to strangers.

Players in Mistvale just need to enjoy a three-day vacation hereeating, drinking, and relaxinguntil the fog clears.

Then, they can take the key I give them and leave.

So theyve always been polite to me, not like Finn and his group, who radiated malice as if they wanted me dead!

Maybe it was because of last nights misunderstanding?

If I give them the key to leave, they should realize they misjudged me, right?

But as soon as I reached out, the rope coiled around me like a snake.

It was covered in tiny, sharp thorns that bit into my skin, gnawing at my flesh!

I stood frozen, still holding out the key, my mind blank.

Then I felt the key vanish from my hand, and heard a player ask:

"Finn, is this the ghost that attacked us last night? She looks kind of cute."

"Yeah, Finn, she even gave us the key. With this, we can leave this horror instance, right?"

Lana glared at them and snapped:

"Shut up, all of you!"

The players fell silent, afraid of her.

Her eyes scanned the room and landed on my little backpack hidden in the corner.

My backpack had two kittens embroidered by the neighbor aunt, whos really skilled.

This morning, my sister packed my lunchbox and snacks while reminding me:

"Drink the fish stew while its hot, dont just eat the meat and skip the veggies, dont talk to the humanstheyre no goodand come straight home after sending the players off. I bought you a new dress."

But Lana walked over and stepped on by backpack.

"If Im not mistaken, this is a trap set by the ghost."

She rummaged through it and found the BBQ wings and fish stew I hadnt even tasted yet.

When she opened the lunchbox, the rich aroma filled the air.

"Smells amazing! Is this food?"

"This doesnt look like a trap. Is the food poisoned?"

"Who would be dumb enough to eat food left by a boss? Would a trap really be this obvious?"

The players murmured among themselves.

I blinked pleadingly at Finn, trying to show I meant no harm and that the so-called trap was just my breakfast.

Id already given them the key.

They could leave at anytime.

But the moment she saw the food, Lanas face darkened.

She turned slowly and stared at me expressionlessly for a long moment.

Then she said:

"Finn, kill her."

The rope tightened around me.

My head buzzed.

I watched Lanas lips move but couldnt process what she was saying at first.

Kill kill who?

Me?

As Finn approached, I panicked and blurted out:

"Ive never attacked anyone!"

"And I didnt set any traps in the shrine! That was my breakfast! My breakfast!"

"I already gave you the key! Just take it, turn left outside, walk a few steps, and youll see the way out! Why do you have to stay here and bully me?"

I was hungry, in pain, and humiliated.

Tears welled up as I spoke.

"Mistvale has been voted 'Easiest Instance,' 'Zero Casualty Instance,' and 'Players Paradise' for three years straight! Its even been chosen as the beginner village because its so easy!"

"The only people who come here are either total newbies or useless slackers! You Mph!"

The rope around my neck suddenly tightened.

A choking sensation, like an invisible hand squeezing my heart, cut off my words.

Luckily, the players caught the key point.

"Newbies? Slackers? Finn, is she talking about you and Lana?"

"But Lana said Finn said they were top-three ranked pro, and they came to this SS-level instance to save us. That doesnt add up, does it?"

"Youre all so dumb. Youd rather believe a ghost than Lana and Finn? We all saw what happened last night! Emily was almost taken by the ghost, and Finn fought it off. We all saw it!"

They fell silent for a moment. Then someone said:

"Whatever the case, shes still a ghost."

Those five words lightly, yet cruelly, sealed my fate.

My vision blurred between darkness and light.

Flashes of color from my memories surfaced.

I remember when the first group of players came to Mistvale during a heavy snowfall.

They were kind to mebraided my hair, filled my pockets with candy.

On the day they left, they gently asked if I wanted to go with them and leave this boring little village.

I refused, saying I wanted to stay with my brother and sister.

They didnt push it.

But after they left, I realized the locket my brother gave me was missing.

Oh no!

If he found out Id lost the locket, hed scowl and lecture me from dawn till dusk, in my dreams and out, before meals and after.

The thought alone terrified me.

I rushed after the players to ask if theyd seen my locket.

But as I got closer, I overheard them chatting excitedly.

"What a shame we couldnt trick the D-level boss into joining us. If we had her on our team, surviving A-level and above instances would be easier."

A rough-voiced man laughed and chimed in:

"Look at you, always so polite, Alex! 'Join the team'? More like a scout dog, right? A few lashes, and even the most stubborn person or monster will obey. Send her ahead to check for dangers. Her lifes cheap anywayno big loss if she dies."

"At least we didnt leave empty-handed. We stole that little ghosts item, didnt we?"

Someone daintily held up a red string with a white jade locket dangling from it.

"Who wouldve thought a D-level boss would carry an SSS-level item? If not for that, I wouldve killed her already."

I stood frozen.

The snow fell heavier, and fog rose in the mountains.

The figures grew distant and blurry.

But I remembered clearly

That gentle voice had taught me poetry.

The man with the hearty laugh grilled the best meat for me.

The prettiest woman in the group placed a flower crown on my head.

I grew colder and colder.

I dont know how much time passed before I heard a soft sigh behind me:

"Jodie, lets go home."

I turned around.

My sister stood in the snow, waiting for me.

I rushed into her arms.

She removed the flower crown, threw away the candy, undid my braids, and redid them neatly.

Then she said:

"Humans are selfish and skilled at sweet talk. Dont trust them, Jodie. Better yet, dont even speak to them."

""

My body felt weightless, as if Id been hung somewhere.

I could barely see, but I faintly heard the boy sneer:

"Worthless D-level trash."

"The newbies are trash too."

"If Lana hadnt said weve cleared most D-level instances and should train some scout dogs for harder ones, I wouldve killed them all last night."

He deftly tied the last knot and gave me a push.

I swayed gently from the rafters.

His smile was vicious:

"See ya, little ghost."

"Go to hell."