Overworked Nurse in a Horror Game

I am a miserable nurse.

During the Halloween season, there was a three day break but I was not given any days off.

Upset, I decided to join a game featuring a haunted hospital.

There was an old man wrapped in IV tubes chasing after a player.

I sprinted forward and shoved him into the chair. After effortlessly jabbing the IV line back in him, I told him off, "It’s just an IV drip, not an action movie. Sit. Down. Move again and I’ll strap you to the chair!"

The old man did a double take before blinking in a flustered manner. "Sorry for causing you trouble, ma'am."

At night, children ghosts began to run and laugh wildly in the corridor.

I grabbed one in each hand and hauled them up. "If you’re not going to stay put in the ward, I’ll give you an injection!"

Why did I still have to work in a game? I was so tired.

The other players cried out, "Clem! That's a ghost. Are you not scared?"

I sneered, "Sorry, but burnt-out workers hold more grudges than ghosts ever could."

"Welcome to the Hospital of the Dead.

"Current Session Number: 20

"Sixteen years ago, the hospital was abandoned. However, some people report seeing the lights being turned on at night and how it appears to be bustling with people. Doctors and patients, who had died a long time ago, would appear again…

"Quest: You have seven days to find out what happened sixteen years ago in the abandoned hospital.

"Enjoy the game, and remember, the earlier you die, the earlier you will be reincarnated."

After hearing an eerie electronic chime, I was spawned in the outpatient hall of a hospital.

At first glance, it looked just like my workplace in real life, only a little more worn down. The walls were stained yellow while the dim lights above flickered.

All around me were players who were also spawned here like I was. By the looks of it, they had arrived before me and had already formed their cliques. They eyed me warily.

The last time I found myself surrounded like this was when a patient bled out after I removed a needle. The patient's family had been upset and demanded an explanation, refusing to let me go.

Surely I wouldn’t have to deal with something like that even in a game, would I?

Please, no more! I’m just a poor soul who got the unlucky end of the draw and got three night shifts in a row during Halloween season.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, in a spectator stream above us, there was a barrage of comments.

"What's going on? Is she an NPC or a player?"

"She has to be an NPC. Look, her clothes look just like the ones the NPCs are wearing."

"She came out of the player tunnel, didn’t she? There are twenty players, including her."

"What kind of moron would dress up as an NPC? Does she truly think that gives her an edge in surviving? Careful she doesn’t end up as bait for the boss."

A player, who looked like the leader of the group, eyed me warily. "Are you a player too? Why are you dressed like that?"

Heh. Here it came.

I had to deal with the nursing departments breathing down my neck, conducting spontaneous inspections every day.

He wanted to instigate me? Not a chance!

"Undershirt, no skin exposed! Hairnet, check! And last but not least, white socks, check!"

The leader suddenly remarked, "Your hat is crooked."

I was struck speechless for a moment.

The system was setting me up!

"Wait, there’s no reason I should be bickering about this with you! You’re insane!"

After all, there was no nursing department breathing here.

"Now that we’re all here, let's start searching for clues in pairs. It’s safer that way."

Then, a girl in a white dress timidly tugged at the leader to get his attention. "Are we sure she’s not a ghost? She’s dressed in such a creepy getup. I don't want to be in a group with her."

I was fixing my nurse’s cap when I heard the audacious comment.

How dare she! My outfit was polished enough to pass any inspection. Even the Nursing Department would not have any qualms about it!

What a tasteless bunch.

The others began to shun me upon hearing the girl’s remark as well.

With that, they formed pairs with a single outlier group of three, effectively ostracizing me.