...
[ Congratulations upon upgrading the "Thick Candle and a Match" to "Thick Candle and a Match +1." ]
"This, that's it?"
Seeing the speck of lights vanishing within the depths of the thick candle and matchbox—momentarily flickering with sparks of flames and transforming their appearance by a small amount...
Making them look old and slightly ancient, as if about to crumble in any moment if he had used little force, Clark, half disappointed, couldn't help but mutter to himself, feeling that the courage he had mustered earlier seems to be useless.
"I thought they were going to transform into a flashlight or lighter; I almost puked earlier for nothing."
Although he wasn't satisfied with the upgrade, Clark still inspected the upgraded items within the character's hand, gazing at them for a few seconds as their description soon appeared on the dim screen.
[ Thick Candle and a Match +1; The glow it could give was equivalent to a lamp. Although it could be extinguished by the breeze, the flame within the candle can no longer be easily extinguished by excessive movement.
In addition to that, upon igniting a match, the flame within could remain for 3 seconds without being doused, making it easier to light up the candle.
Additional effects: Melting of the wax reduces by 25%. ]
...
Hmm?
In an instant, after reading the description of the items, Clark's brows couldn't help but perk up; his disappointment vanished without a trace as a smile appeared on his pale face.
Although the item's function only increased substantially and still beyond his initial expectation, the two items within can actually no longer be compared to earlier, where the candle flame could be easily extinguished by simple movement or any external factors...
Moreover, a matchstick can actually stay ignited for a few seconds without extinguishing, making it quite useful!
"Upgrading the two items might be the key to clearing this extreme difficulty.
"I need to quickly explore the mansion and find other similar items before the unknown entity finds me!"
Thinking of it, Clark's eyes couldn't help but reveal a faint brilliance, feeling the initial fear he had experienced earlier fade into the unknown and being replaced by excitement and anticipation.
Although the game's realism still makes him feel uneasy, to the point that he has an illusion that everything he saw in the game happened in reality, Clark still can't stop playing the game, wanting to see what would happen in the end.
Wanting to finish what he had started!
Moreover, even if he stopped playing, he might not be able to sleep peacefully since his mind would constantly think of the game's plot, making him annoyed for the rest of the night.
A sensation that he hated the most.
Ding!
At this moment.
As his mind was pondering deeply, thinking about how he could survive in this mansion for a whole night, a notification, carrying a familiar context, soon appeared within the dim screen, causing Clark to instantly wake up from his thoughts.
[ Do you want to consume one matchstick in order to light up the candle? (Current matchstick left *24) ]
"Heh, wanting to scam me with matchstick? I refuse.
"Even if the item upgraded by 1 level, I'm quite sure that it would snuff off in a matter of seconds after being ignited."
Although Clark couldn't wait to see the effects of the newly upgraded items.
With the wind still continuously entering through the opened balcony, in addition to the dampness they carried, he knew that he would only waste a matchstick if he accepted.
Hence, without further ado, upon taking a final glance at the corpse on the wet ground—watching the unending fat maggots gnawing its decaying flesh with mixed emotions—Clark finally decided to start exploring the 2nd floor.
Controlling the character within, Clark slowly shifted his gaze to the left direction of the corpse, gazing at the endless darkness as the silhouette of countless rooms, with tightly closed doors, soon reflected in his brown eyes.
This!
Just by staring at them, Clark could already sense a sensation of foreboding enveloping his being...
Instinctively making his heart beat fast.
However, despite this, he still controlled the character to slowly approach the first room near the right staircase, touching the door's rusty yet cold handle before twisting it in an unhurried manner.
...
Click~ Click-
Soon, the sound of metallic clicking, originating from the rusty knob of the first room, echoed through the chaotic night, instinctively causing Clark's character to tense up.
Making Clark's expression change as he instinctively glanced at the dim staircase, toward the blurry first floor of the mansion in silence, afraid that the unknown entity heard the noise that he had just created.
Huff~
Fortunately, after 10 seconds of waiting in anxiety—his heart beating fast and seeming about to escape from his chest—the unknown entity he was expecting to show up never appeared, causing Clark to heave a sigh of relief before finally pushing the old door.
CREAKKK!!!
However, as the character pushed the old, aging door, a sudden deafening sound of creaking, originating from its within—enough to momentarily hide the noise coming from the raging storm outside the mansion—suddenly and loudly echoed throughout the second floor, instantly causing Clark's eyes to go blank as he couldn't help but curse to himself.
"F*ck! I should have known that this would happen."
BANG!
Thud—thud—
In an instant, time seems to freeze...
Only to be broken by the heavy yet frantic sounds of movement that were rapidly approaching the character's location, instantly making Clark's face pale in fear as he hurriedly entered the room.
Although Clark initially wanted to control the character to run toward the depths of the second floor—finding a safer place to hide—he knew that he wouldn't be able to outrun the unknown entity.
A law that he understands after playing countless horror games.
Of course, some horror games could outrun monsters or ghosts; however, considering the difficulty he chose, attempting that would only end in the character's death.
...