Myles Holms.
He didn't register in my mind immediately. It wasn't because I had forgotten about his character or anything of the sort.
Myles wasn't a character that I could easily forget. How could I not with the way he was designed?
He was ruthless, psychotic, and two-faced. He was the type of character who took advantage of others, stealing their credit in order to push himself forward. This sort of setting made sense considering the game he was in.
It was a ruthless zombie survival game where he had to steal and take from others in order to survive.
There were several reasons the game didn't succeed, but if I had to pinpoint one, I'd say it was the graphics. They... weren't exactly impressive. A lot of the game's budget was invested in the storyline, neglecting the graphics as a result.
I had brought up the problem several times with management, but they all responded the same way: 'The story will make up for the lack of graphics. Don't worry about it. Just do your job.'
I could only retreat in silence then.
"...No wonder I couldn't recognize him immediately."
Zoey was a lot easier to recognize since she was the direct result of 'Dead Rising' failure, prompting the company to shift to a more graphic-based based design.
But even that failed.
"Well, it's not like all the games failed, but why are the main characters of the two worst games here?"
I was really struggling to understand this.
Not only was Zoey present, but so was Myles. Just one was enough to give me a headache, but two?
"And Myles of all people..."
If previously I had any lingering thoughts about joining the Guild, such thoughts quickly faded.
There was simply no way I would join the Guild with him here.
I didn't want to work in a place where I had to worry about getting backstabbed at any given second.
Never.
***
"...I'm telling you he didn't mean his words. Seth... he just recently got fired, so he might be a little moody. He might also not know."
"He recently got laid off?"
"Yes. That's why I had him come here."
"I see."
"...You're not going to do anything to him, are you?"
Zoey looked at Kyle's stiff expression and didn't answer immediately. However, after a brief pause, she shook her head.
"I won't be."
"Oh, good."
Kyle looked visibly relieved by her words.
"I know Seth well. He can be a little careless at times, but he doesn't mean any harm. You also won't have to see much of him since he won't be working with us directly."
"Mhm, I figured."
Zoey's tone was light. Her voice didn't carry much emotion. This seemed to ease Kyle somewhat.
"....That's good. I'll go check up on him. He probably was also shaken up from the trial."
"Alright."
Zoey watched as Kyle left. Her mind drifted towards his last words, and her expression turned dark.
Shaken from the trial...?
That was laughable. Not only had he cleared the trial faster than anyone before, but the moment he came out, he looked completely unfazed, as if he hadn't just beaten some of the best recruits around.
He was anything but shaken.
Suddenly, her stomach started to twist.
—I don't get to rely on my rich parents when things don't go my way.
The man's words echoed in her mind again, forcing her stomach to twist further. It wasn't long ago when the helicopter crashed, stranding her and her family on that darned island. Those were some of the darkest days of her life.
Every day was hell, with her fighting for survival in hopes of finding her parents.
But unfortunately, she wasn't able to make it in time. The moment she arrived, it was already too late. Her parents were dead.
No, they were...
"...."
Zoey clenched her teeth, her calm expression almost crumbling. It was hard for her to quell her anger.
Especially since she felt mocked.
Their death had made the news all over the world. Given her parents' influence and power, there was no way he wouldn't know. She didn't buy Kyle's story.
He was too nice for his own good.
His name was Seth, right?
Zoey quietly nodded her head, memorizing his name.
"It's a pity he won't join the Guild..."
***
The moment the orientation was over, everyone was brought back to the -5th floor. As opposed to when we first arrived, there were quite a lot more people, each moving towards different areas as the chairs and projector screen were long gone.
Instead, the place now looked like some sort of office lobby. In fact, even the lobby from my previous company was better.
The Section Chief paused and looked in our direction.
"The general results of the trial were quite good. Most of you managed to pass with a few failures. There's no harm in failure. So long as you learn from his experience, everything will be fine. However..."
Quickly scanning a few documents in his hand, he turned his attention back to us. This time, his voice turned grave.
"....I won't be able to guarantee you'll be able to live if you fail again."
His words brought the atmosphere to a standstill. I stood at the back of the group, taking in their reactions.
It didn't really have anything to do with me.
As of this moment, my entire attention was focused on my mission.
Game... Game... I had to develop a game quickly, and I needed to make it scary enough to scare the people of this world.
The more I thought about my situation, the more bitter I felt.
'How the hell am I supposed to do this?'
Not only was I by myself, but I didn't even have that much time to develop it.
"Well, now that we have sorted out the hard part. I'll quickly allocate all of you to your teams."
Once again, all attention fell on the Section Chief. I was also intrigued, but since it had nothing to do with me, I could only watch in silence as one by one, the people around me were allocated into different teams.
"There's no real distinction between each team. They're all equally good, so don't think too much about the team you've been put in."
By the time he was done allocating each member, a total of seven groups had formed.
"A team leader will be here with you shortly. In the meantime, do whatever you want. Get acquainted with your future colleagues or doomscroll on your phone. You've already done the hard part. Today is the end of your first day."
And with those final words, the Section Chief excused himself and left for a different area.
It was only after he left that the noise started.
I just remained standing at the back, calmly observing my surroundings.
Until...
"What are you doing?"
Kyle's voice reached my ears.
Turning my head, I saw him beckon me with his hand.
"Going where exactly...?"
"What do you mean, where? To your office, of course."
"Uh?"
Office...?
"I'm getting an office?"
-x-X-x-
"So...? What do you think?"
We stopped in front of a small room. Staring at the space that could barely fit a single desk and chair, I looked at Kyle.
"Is this your idea of an office space?"
"....."
Kyle's face twitched as he looked away before bringing his fist to his mouth and coughing.
"Well, I may be doing well recently, but this is the best I can do given that you're not officially part of the Guild. And it's not like this place is bad at all. Sure, it's small, but at least it's isolated, so you'll be able to work on your game without any distractions."
"...I guess."
I looked at the gray carpet beneath and the flickering light above, casting a dim light over the room. There was no window, and the wooden table looked a little worn out.
This felt more like a janitor's room than an office.
Then again, who was I to complain?
"This will do."
I sat down on the chair and retrieved my laptop from my bag.
Time waited for no one. I needed to get started with my project before it was too late.
I also recalled something.
"About what the—"
"Do you really not know?"
"What..?"
"...About what happened to Zoey?"
What happened to Zoey? Did something happen to her? Or was he talking about what happened before?
"Haa."
As if noticing my confusion, Kyle sighed.
"Knowing just how out of touch with reality you are sometimes, I can probably guess you didn't know."
"Didn't know what?"
What the hell was he talking about?
No, wait...
"Zoey..."
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
"...Her parents are dead."
I felt the words get stripped out of my mouth the moment I heard Kyle's words. Whipping out my phone, I quickly searched for any related information. It didn't take long for me to find several related articles.
— [Breaking : Tragedy Hits Terlin Corporation: Chairman and Family Reported Missing After Island Accident; Daughter Survives]
<8 News> — [Terlin Corporation Faces Collapse Amid Ongoing Crisis]
I closed my eyes after reading the first two headlines.
'Shit.'
I wasn't even surprised at this point. In fact, I should've seen this coming. There was nothing that said the character setting of those that entered this world was going to be the same as in the games.
"As expected, you really didn't know."
Pulling my attention away from my phone, I looked at Kyle, who sighed.
"I already told her that you probably didn't know, but it's best if you clear up the misunderstanding yourself."
"There's no way she—"
I cut myself off mid-sentence, just before saying, 'There's no way she'd take my apology seriously.'
"Eh? What did you say?"
"Ah, no, nothing. I'll try to do that when I have time."
"Alright."
Kyle nodded with visible relief.
"I'm not asking you to get along with her, but she's quite popular here. You won't have trouble with me here, but it's never good to get on her bad side."
"..Oh."
My lip twitched.
I already knew that.
I knew that better than anyone else. She was petty. Really petty. To the point where I found myself questioning some of the choices that the design team had made during the game production.
Nonetheless, it did seem like her personality was quite well-received by the audience. The real failure stemmed from the ending.
"Well, since it looks like you've got the message, I'll get going."
Kyle turned his wrist and checked the time.
"I have to leave since I still have some work to do. I'll see you later."
"Alright..."
Kyle turned around and made his way towards the door of the room. After a little thought, with his hand hovering over the doorknob, he turned around with a concerned look.
"Another thing."
"What is it?"
"....You need to get some sleep."
"Hm?"
Kyle opened the door and shook his head.
"You look like a walking corpse."
Clank—
The door closed right after as he left. I sat in silence, unsure of what he meant. That was until I stared at my reflection in the computer screen and saw the deep bags beneath my eyes.
'Oh, I guess he isn't wrong...'
"Shit!"
That also suddenly reminded me of the thing that I wanted to ask him.
It was regarding entities that entered the human world. He said it would take a week for them to adapt to the world. Was that the case for all of them?
"Whatever, I'll ask him about later."
I still had time left.
For now, my main priority was creating the game.
"Now then..."
Booting up the laptop, I leaned back against the chair and sighed.
"...How exactly am I going to go about this?"
***
The moment Kyle stepped out of the cramped 'office' where he had left Seth, he found himself in the corner of a spacious room bustling with activity. Dozens of people moved about, surrounded by cubicles, some hunched over desks as they scribbled away on reports.
As odd as this scene looked, this was the Field Agent Section.
In other words, it was the area where those who entered the Gates were found.
Because the nature of their job required heavy research and analysis, most of them actually spent more time investigating gates and reading reports than actually entering gates and dealing with anomalous entities or objects.
This was the primary reason why the place looked like a regular office space.
"Kyle."
Just then, a figure walked up to Kyle. He was a tall man with asian features, about the same height as Kyle, with his hair neatly trimmed, and a mole by the side of his chin.
Terrance Li had only neared Kyle when he stopped and stared at the small door next to Kyle. His brows raised.
"Is the guy you brought in there?"
"...He is."
When Terrance asked about Seth, Kyle tensed slightly. Though they got along well, both being part of the same unit, Delta Squad, the question made him a little alert.
Contrary to what Kyle believed, Terrance just laughed.
"I'm still surprised you managed to convince that stingy team leader to let you have that room. Then again, it was just a smoking room before, so I guess it makes sense."
"You make it sound easy."
Kyle gave Terrance a wry smile. He made it sound easy, but he really had fought hard to convince the team leader to give him that room.
Their team leader... How could a person be so greedy?
"Putting that aside, I'm hearing a lot of things about the guy you brought."
"You are?"
After the initial surprise, Kyle calmed down. By now, almost everyone should've heard of what Seth had done.
Kyle was almost sure everyone within the company already knew.
What Seth had achieved was nothing short of astonishing. Setting a new record in the beginner trial—doing so in a completely unprecedented way and without any powers—was bound to make waves. There was no way the news of it wouldn't spread.
"Of course I did. All the rookies were talking about him."
"Oh...?"
Kyle felt a little intrigued.
"What did they say about him?"
"....That he was lucky."
Kyle's face stiffened upon hearing Terrance's words.
"Lucky? What do y—"
"Come on, Kyle. Don't tell me you actually think it wasn't just dumb luck that got him through?"
Terrance gave Kyle a weird look as his gaze swept the door to Seth's office. Kyle could see from Terrance's eyes that he meant no malice, but even then...
"I don't."
He shook his head.
There was simply no way it was dumb luck. He had been present when he had heard Seth's explanation.
He—
"Seeing your face, it really does seem like you believe it wasn't luck."
That's because it wasn't...
Kyle forced a smile.
Seeing him act like this, Terrance shrugged his shoulders and changed the topic.
"That aside, I heard that he's some sort of game developer?"
"He is."
"...And he's here to study and research for his game?"
"Pretty much."
Kyle nodded, and Terrance's look turned even more peculiar. With his attention directed to Seth's door, he sighed and shook his head.
"I heard that he got offered a position by the Section Chief. He should've taken the offer."
Hearing his words, Kyle frowned.
"Why?"
"Why else?"
Terrance looked at Kyle with an expression that seemed to say, 'Are you seriously asking me the obvious?'
"...There's a reason why most horror games are failing these days. Nobody gets scared by them anymore. I mean, who the hell gets scared by that stuff anyway? We go through things that are far more scary than that nonsense."
"No, but..."
Kyle wanted to argue, but found himself unable to. Terrance made valuable points. Points that even he himself agreed deep down.
Nonetheless, he still believed in Seth. He definitely was capable of developing a good game.
"Your friend is setting himself up for failure. You should talk to him about taking the offer before it's too late."
"....."
Kyle but his lips, and was just about to shake his head when Terrance raised his hand to stop him.
"How about this?"
Terrance looked in the direction of Seth's room.
"Call me up when your friend finishes his game. I'll be the first beta tester."
"What, that's—"
"What? You don't believe in your friend?"
"I..."
Kyle didn't know how to reply then. It wasn't that he didn't believe in Seth, but it was just that Terrance had been in this industry for quite a while.
While Terrance's rank was lower than his, he was still quite reputable among their team.
If someone like him tested the game, then...
"Don't worry about it, Kyle."
Terrance patted Kyle on the shoulder with a laugh.
"...Think of it as me doing a favour for your friend."
"You just want the room, don't you?"
Terrance just smiled and let go of Kyle's shoulder.
"Just let me know when he's done. I can't wait to test out his game!"
And with that, he bid Kyle goodbye and left. Kyle could only watch as his back retreated before he closed his eyes and sighed with a complicated look.
"....Maybe this isn't a bad thing."
What makes a good horror game?
Is it the constant jump scares or the blood and gore that come along with the scares?
"It's none of that."
I sat in a daze, staring blankly at my computer while the hum of the fans echoed through the otherwise silent room.
Several hours had slipped by since I first sat down and opened my computer, yet in all that time—two long hours—I'd done nothing but stare blankly at the screen.
Developing a game wasn't difficult.
With the current available tools and applications, I was confident in developing a playable game.
But that wasn't the issue.
The issue was making the game scary. Especially in a world where scary games had less effect on the normal folk.
"...This is so much harder than I expected."
I scratched the back of my head, feeling a headache coming.
For a horror game to truly be good, it needed to perfect several elements.
1. The atmosphere.
Tension was needed to build up before the jumpscare.
2. Sound and visuals.
Perhaps some of the most crucial elements lay in how the game engaged the five human senses. Tapping into these, especially sound and music, was essential for crafting the perfect horror experience. The right audio could unsettle, mislead, or completely immerse the player in dread.
3. Storytelling.
This was crucial to instill a psychological seed in a player's mind. It was a developer's job to use that seed and grow it into something bigger.
There were other elements that one needed to take into account when creating a horror game, but these three were generally the most important.
"Hmm."
Click!
I pressed onto the mousepad and opened U-Engine. This was the main developer app that I used back at the old company to develop and program the games.
"...Considering that I need to get this done as fast as possible, I should settle for something simpler."
The good thing about U-Engine was that it had a lot of available templates that I could use to develop the game. The coding could also be kept to a minimum.
"Regarding the game mechanics..."
In order to save time, those also had to be kept to a minimum.
However, it wasn't necessary for the game to have complicated mechanics.
"All I need the character to do is move forward and run."
I tapped my fingers against the table, deep in thought. The engine already provided sound and music, which meant the only pieces I was missing now were the storyline and the overall direction of the game.
"Should I use my most recent experiences as the baseline for the story and direction?"
I sat in silence for a few seconds before pursing my lips.
"Yes, that could work."
There were two scenarios in my head. The first scenario was with the orchestra, and the second scenario was of the most recent trial.
Of the two, the easiest one to develop was the second experience.
The mechanics were simple, and so was the 'monster'.
With my current skill level, developing a monster on par with the conductor was almost impossible. In fact, I was still having trouble handling said conductor.
For now, I could only settle for the second scenario.
With everything planned out in my mind, I cracked my fingers and got to work.
I had no time to waste.
*
Like that, four days passed.
Takakakakaka—
The rapid clatter of keyboard keys echoed loudly through the room. My eyes began to strain from the relentless glare of the computer screen, my head starting to hurt as a result.
Nonetheless, my gaze never wavered from the computer.
And then—
Tak!
"Done!"
With the last press of the keyboard, I pulled my hand back and stared at the product before it.
"...It's still not done, but it should be playable now."
I had incorporated everything I'd learned from my recent experiences. While it wasn't an exact replica, I did my best to recreate the same atmosphere and tension I had felt, capturing as much of that essence as I could.
The overall result was something that I was pleased with.
"Surely this will be enough to scare some people."
I hoped that'd be the case, and...
To Tok—
"Just in time."
The door opened, and Kyle came in.
"Seth, it's already eight. I'm done with work. Are you going to go—"
"Kyle, you came at the perfect time."
I stood up from my seat and walked towards Kyle, grabbing him by the shoulders and pushing him into my chair.
"Wait, what are you...!?"
"Quiet down. I just need you to help me out with something."
I pushed him down and clicked on the mousepad.
"Here."
"This is...?"
Kyle's brows furrowed for a brief moment before they suddenly widened as he realized what was going on.
His neck snapped in my direction.
"You're already done? This quick? Don't games usually take a lot longer to develop?"
"The game isn't finished yet. This is just the framework, but it should still be playable. I want your honest feedback, no matter what."
This was crucial.
Given that Kyle was someone who dealt with this kind of thing regularly, he was the perfect test subject for the game. If it scared him, I was confident it would have the same effect on most people.
Then again...
His tolerance for fear was higher than most, so there was a chance he might not get scared. Still, I figured he'd be able to tell if a normal person would feel anything. If he so much as fliched, that'd be enough for me.
"...Alright."
In some way, Kyle also seemed a little excited to try the game.
"How should I play this? What do I do?"
"Here."
I gave Kyle a quick rundown of the game and started it. Soon, the room fell into silence as I watched Kyle play the game.
'He's going to get scared, right?'
The screen flashed, and Kyle's fingers moved.
I stared in silence, watching Kyle attentively. I wanted to catch even the smallest glimpse of a reaction from him.
I had put a lot of effort into the game.
To the point where I hadn't slept much in the past few days. I was somewhat happy with what I had developed, combining every aspect of my recent experiences.
And yet...
[Game Over]
".....Oh, I lost."
Not a single reaction.
My heart sank as I stared at Kyle. He had a wry smile on his face as he looked at me and mumbled, 'Let me try that again.'
I gave him a small nod and watched him try the game again.
Like before, I stared intently at him, waiting for a reaction from him. Just a flinch. Some sort of trembling. Hesitation.
But—
[Game Over]
It was the same. No reaction whatsoever.
Silence settled over the office as Kyle stared at the screen, trying to start the game again.
"Let me turn up the sound."
"...Oh."
I closed my eyes and nodded, feeling a tight knot in my stomach.
This time, I didn't look.
I didn't need to.
His reaction spoke volumes. Even if I had someone else try it—someone who wasn't Kyle—I feared the result would be the same.
The game...
It wasn't scary at all.
'Shit.'
"....."
I sat in my office, lost in a daze, replaying Kyle's reactions over and over in my mind. I had no idea how long I stayed like that, but eventually, I rubbed my face, a groan slipping from my lips.
"...Not even a single flinch."
Kyle...
He played the game a total of fifteen times. And yet, not once in all those attempts did he flinch, make a sound, or show even the slightest hint of fear.
I knew because I stood by his side the entire time, hoping for something.
Anything.
But nothing. In the end, Kyle showed not one single reaction.
The next part was awkward—he glanced back at me, clearly struggling to muster some words of encouragement, but in the end, what came out felt more like an insult than anything else.
'It's not bad.'
He obviously meant no harm, but his eyes told me everything that I needed to know.
"Maybe it's just him... He is, after all, used to dealing with scary scenarios."
I tried to convince myself that the problem was Kyle, but playing the game again, the previous emotions that I felt for it were no longer there.
"There's something missing..."
There was something about the game that was fundamentally missing. It wasn't because it was still just a framework, but more because the game itself lacked the quality to elevate it to a level where it could scare people.
But what?
What exactly was missing?
'I wonder if I can check what sort of rating the current game I've developed is.'
I scanned through my computer and eventually opened the system app.
─────
Game Developer : Seth Thorne
Status : First Order
▪ Basic Node : Containment Vessel
Items :
▪ Blank Mask.
▪ Spectral Glasses.
Shop : Locked
Quests : Unlocked (Available : 1)
▪ Develop a game with a 1-star rating.
- Reward: Unlocks the Shop
Developed Games :
[Gentle Whispers] Rating : ⯪☆☆☆☆(0.5)
[Work in Progress] Rating : ☆☆☆☆☆(?)
─────
"Work in progress...?"
Immediately, my eyes fell on the bottom of the app. That was where I saw the 'work in progress' area, alongside the '?' rating.
"Ah, it looks like it doesn't give a rating unless the game is fully completed."
It was a bit disappointing to see. It would've been really helpful if it had a feature that showed the game's rating as I progressed.
"Wait."
A thought suddenly occurred to me, and I started to type in the chat box beneath the interface in the app.
[Is it possible to tell the progress of the game that I'm developing?]
Ever since the first scenario, the system had rarely revealed itself. The only way I could communicate with it was through that strange app.
And sure enough, I received an answer not long after.
[Yes, such a feature is available.]
"That's nice."
I was pleasantly surprised by the piece of information.
"If that's the case..."
[What is the current rating of my game?]
[You don't have the clearance available for such a feature. Please try again in the future.]
"....."
I opened my mouth, but soon closed it.
Why did I even expect anything from this?
[Can you at least tell me if my game currently meets the criteria?]
[It doesn't.]
The reply came out blunt, but at the very least, I knew that my previous feeling wasn't wrong. The game... it wasn't scary at all.
But what exactly was it missing?
"I wonder if I can ask the system for any clues."
I began typing on the laptop, asking all sorts of questions, from what was lacking to ways to make it better.
However, the system made its stance very clear from the start.
[You have all the tools necessary to create such a game. Please keep working hard!]
"...That doesn't help me at all."
I ruffled my hair in annoyance.
It became obvious to me that the system wasn't going to help me out at all with the game development aspect. However, it wasn't as though it was completely useless.
"You have all the tools necessary to create such a game..."
The system judged that I was capable of creating such a game with what I currently had at my disposal.
What I needed to do was figure out how to use such tools to my advantage.
'A mask, sunglasses, a strange app...'
I began listing everything I'd received from the system, and as I quietly reflected on it all, my expression grew increasingly grim.
Regardless of how much I tried to think about it, nothing really seemed to be useful.
My mind was completely blank.
But then—
"What about you? Can you help me?"
I looked directly towards the marking on my arm as it wiggled the moment I brought my sleeve down and exposed it to the light from above.
Indeed, ever since the trial, the 'Nightwalker' had continued to remain with me, stuck as a thick black marking that circled across my arm, seemingly looking like a tattoo. I had yet to release it in the open like in the trial, but I felt it in my mind that it would listen to most of my commands.
It also made me wonder about this 'node' thing.
What exactly was a node?
"It almost feels like a skill, but at the same time, I'm not too sure."
I was also not entirely sure about what the Containment Vessel node did. My best guess was that it allowed me to capture anomalies and turn them to my side.
However, I was still unsure of how it worked.
What was the criteria for acquisition, and was there a limit to how many I could acquire? What about the strength limit? Could I capture any anomalies regardless of strength?
There were too many questions and too few answers.
"Haa."
Letting out a long sigh, I once again shifted my attention towards my computer. It was already late into the night, and the hum of the fan was louder than ever. I could feel my computer starting to overheat as I closed down the app and once again shifted my attention towards the game.
'I don't think there's anything wrong with the game. It's more like there's a lack of tension.'
There was no music in the game—only a few sound effects, the most prominent being the sound of footsteps and the increasingly labored breathing that worsened as time went on.
I felt that music—or anything similar—was completely unnecessary, given the nature of the game. It was meant to recreate the scenario I had experienced, and the lack of sound served to make it more authentic. To build up tension.
But was that the right way of thinking?
Did I have to make it exactly like my experience?
"No, not exactly..."
I felt my brows furrow.
However, I shook my head shortly after.
"...Even if I do want to add music, I can't."
The biggest and most important reason for the lack of music was simple. It was because I was afraid that the conductor would once again appear.
For the past several days, I'd kept my distance from anything that could produce even the slightest hint of music, afraid 'it' would show up.
And now that three days had passed?
"Yeah, no way. I'm not sure if it's worse than a few days ago, but I'm sure that if someone hears the mu—"
My words came to an abrupt halt as a thought crossed my mind.
...Just a thought.
And yet, the moment the thought crossed my mind, my entire body froze. It felt as if I'd been plunged into the coldest depths of the sea, every muscle stiffening with sudden dread.
"No."
I shook my head, my lips quivering.
"...D-definetly not."
Anything but that.
The answer to my solution was right under my nose.
The more I thought about it, the more likely it felt that this was the missing piece to my game.
And yet...
I desperately wanted to be wrong.
"I feel like puking already."
Taking a deep breath, I stood up and walked towards the door of the room, opening slightly and peeking my head out.
There was no one outside. The office space lights were off, leaving everything submerged in an oppressive darkness. The silence felt heavy, stifling the air. Clearly, everyone had already gone home, and when I checked the time, I realized it was already 1:07 a.m.
....I was the only one left at the Guild.
"Hoo."
I took a deep breath and looked back at my desk.
My lips quivered as I tried my best to think of other ways to solve my situation, but the more my thoughts lingered over the solution I had found, the more I felt that it was the only way for me to move forward.
"....Alright."
Every part of me wanted to refuse the situation.
To look for another solution.
However, I didn't have the luxury to think of another solution. This felt like the most likely solution, and I had no other choice but to commit to it.
It was just that...
"I might die."
Indeed, there was a very real chance that my actions could lead to my own death.
And yet...
Remaining passive would also lead to my own death.
I had no other option but to go through with my plan. At the very least, this was better than just waiting for an inevitable death.
"There are a few things that I need, first."
I stepped out of the 'office' and into the Field Agent area, weaving my way through the cubicles, the shadows seeming to stretch and shift with every corner I turned. The eerie emptiness made the space feel like it was closing in on me.
"Here."
Eventually, I found what I had been looking for.
"This should do."
It was a long and thick rope.
I pulled it a couple of times to make sure it was durable enough. It was only after a couple of tries that I nodded in satisfaction.
"...Okay."
Though I felt a little guilty for taking the rope, I planned to return it later. Even at a glance, I could tell this was no ordinary rope.
This was probably what the field agents took with them during their gate missions.
"This place sure does look creepy at night."
The silence alone was unsettling, but what truly disturbed me was the absence of anyone in such a vast, empty space. The stillness made it feel like the entire building was somehow... growing. Expanding, as if it were alive.
The longer I stayed, the more uneasy I became.
Once I'd gathered everything I needed, I hurried back to my office.
Click!
I locked the door behind me, the metallic click echoing louder than it should have. Taking a deep breath, I prepared myself for what was to come.
"...Here goes nothing."
I pushed the table away from the chair and placed my hand over the light switch. Taking a few deep breaths, I turned off the light.
Click.
My hands tingled as the darkness swallowed me from all sides.
Turning on my phone, I made my way towards my seat and sat down. After which, I opened the recording device on my phone and set the recording to last for five minutes.
"...This should be enough time."
I took a nervous breath while setting the phone down.
The plan was simple.
I planned on recording the conductor's music in order to then attempt to use the soundtrack for the game.
This was the solution that I had come up with after a lot of thinking.
Thinking back to the cab ride a few days ago, it hit me—if I could channel that music and weave it into the game, I could create something truly remarkable.
The thought made my heart race, but at the same time, it was incredibly risky.
Not only was I unsure if I could record the effects of the music onto my phone, but I was also unsure if I could even survive the entire ordeal. It was for this reason that I set a five-minute time limit.
That would be enough for me to work on the game.
"Okay, I think I'm ready."
I glanced down at my wrist and pressed on my arm.
A cold wind swept past as a dark figure appeared before me. I quickly handed it the ropes I'd gathered just moments earlier and rested both hands on the armrests of the chair.
"Tie me up and make sure I can't harm myself."
The shadow obeyed without question, moving silently to my side and securing the ropes around each of my wrists and ankles.
By the time it was finished, I gave a few tentative tugs—but quickly realized I could barely move my body at all.
It was very secure.
'...Okay, this way I don't have to be afraid of harming myself.'
I still felt chills recalling the scenes from the first scenario.
Lowering my head, I stared at the phone resting on the armrest. With a few swipes, I connected the music app to my computer. At the same time, I chose a song that lasted for approximately five minutes while turning off the 'continue play' feature.
The phone was like the last source of light in the dark room.
It felt like the only thing keeping me grounded and in place.
"Everything is ready..."
I licked my lips while shifting my attention towards the Nightwalker. A part of me was scared it might affect it as well. If that were the case, recalling it now was the safest choice.
And so I did.
The silence deepened, thickening in the air until it felt suffocating.
"....."
I looked at my phone and took a deep breath. Then, after what felt like an eternity, I pressed play and started the recording.
Ting, Ting—
It wasn't long before the music started playing.
The melody from the song I was so familiar with reached my ears as I sat in silence, my limbs bound to the chair.
I was waiting.
Waiting for the inevitable shift that only occurred when I was present.
The wait felt like an eternity, each second stretching into what felt like hours. It was scarier than death itself, knowing that something was coming, but never knowing when.
But then—
Tiiii—!
It came.
The inevitable shift.
...And the start of my five-minute-long nightmare.
The darkness swallowed me from all directions.
Then the music slithered into my ears—soft at first, almost hypnotic—but the more I tried to block it out, the louder everything else became.
Every sound exploded in my mind: the slow, splintering creak of the wooden chair beneath me, the strained groan of the rope, the shallow breaths escaping my lips.
Each noise scraped against my nerves, crawling beneath my skin, until it felt like the only thing I could focus on.
But soon, the music changed.
Tiii—
A familiar melody started to play, and my entire body started to shiver.
The temperature in the room dropped so suddenly that it stole the breath from my lungs. I turned my head, heart racing, half-convinced I'd left a window open.
But the moment my head turned, a deeper chill settled over me.
There were no windows.
There never had been.
'It's coming!'
I squeezed my eyes shut, gripping the armrest of the chair, my hand trembling as though something was creeping into my thoughts, threatening to take over.
'I just need to hold on for five minutes. Five minutes...'
The rhythm began slow—almost gentle—but that only made it worse. The slower it pulsed, the more insidious it became, like it was lulling me into a trance. Each beat slipped deeper, weaving its way into my mind, pulling my thoughts along with it.
I could hear my heartbeat now—loud, uneven, as if it were echoing from somewhere outside my own body.
Thin, cold streaks slid down my face. Sweat? Tears? I couldn't tell. But the sensation felt amplified in the darkness.
Each second that ticked felt agonizing.
'How long has it been...?'
I wanted to check the time, but it was just as I was about to open my eyes that I heard a subtle clicking sound. My heartbeat accelerated.
Click!
The sound came from the direction of the door.
'Someone unlocked the door?'
The handle creaked as it turned, followed by a dull thud—the door slamming against the table I'd shoved in front of it.
Clank!
A pause followed.
And then—
The door violently struck the table again.
BANG!
This time, it was louder than before, making my entire body flinch.
But as if that wasn't enough.
BANG! BANG!
Once. Twice. Again. Each attempt more violent than the last, each thud echoing like a gunshot in the tight, airless room.
The table rattled under the pressure, wood groaning, legs scraping across the floor.
Whoever—or whatever—was out there wasn't just trying to get in.
My eyes had already been open, and yet, I couldn't see a thing. It was dark. Too dark for me to see.
'...I feel like puking. I really need to puke.'
My entire body trembled, seized by a fear so raw it made my skin feel too tight.
With every slam of the door, my stomach twisted, flipping like it wanted to crawl out of me.
'The one trying to enter the room is most likely someone affected by the music or the conductor itself. Thankfully, it doesn't seem strong enough to break the door apart.'
...It was unfortunate that I was sure there was no one else in the vicinity.
This meant that...
Clank!
I flinched, and the pounding stopped.
Silence.
Then, the music crept back in, louder now as the tempo switched.
My arms began to twitch. Small at first, then sharper, more erratic. As if the melody was pulling strings buried beneath my skin.
Pulling it to move in ways that were beyond my control.
I suddenly started to recall the horrifying scenes in the first scenario, and my heart nearly leaped out of my chest.
'It's starting.'
It first started with a subtle itch on my face. It was subtle enough for me to ignore at first, but that quickly changed with the passing of time. The itchy sensation became even more pronounced, and I started to be unable to resist.
"H-ha."
Each breath was shakier than the last as my hand unknowingly pulled at the ropes in an attempt to scratch my face.
Thud!
But the ropes stopped me before I could do that.
I tried to steady myself, to breathe, but my body wouldn't listen.
The longer I sat there, the worse it got. The itch beneath my skin intensified, spreading rapidly, like something was writhing just beneath the surface.
Every second stretched, dragging a fresh wave of discomfort with it, until my entire body felt like a thousand different insects were crawling beneath the skin of my face.
'I need to scratch... I need to scratch...'
I started to feel desperate. The itch didn't step. It only grew with time, and my hand started to pull at the ropes as I instinctively tried to bring my hands to my face in an attempt to scratch it.
"Ukh...!"
The discomfort intensified with the music. As time dragged on, the itch grew more unbearable, gnawing at my insides relentlessly.
'...Two more minutes. I just need to resist for two more minutes.'
The timer next to me never stopped counting.
I just needed to persist for a little longer.
I just—
"....!?"
A cold sensation swept across my face, sending a shiver down my spine. It felt like a cold and lanky hand had just brushed against my face.
The sensation threw me off completely as it continued to brush against my face.
'No, no, no...'
I slowly turned to stare in the direction of the door. However, the darkness prevented me from seeing anything.
And yet...
Even though it was dark. I understood perfectly that the door was now wide open.
My breath left my lungs as the realization hit me.
And then—
"Ukhe!"
The sickly hand grasped my face, holding it tight as it kept me rooted in place. A warm breath whispered next to my right ear as shivers ran down every part of my body.
'This is really bad!'
The door shouldn't have been able to open. And yet, there was someone standing behind me. My breath quickened, and my heart pounded in my chest, its beat thundering in my ears.
The hand squeezed my face with even more force, blocking my mouth and nose, as though it was trying to suffocate me.
'At this rate, I really will die! I need to do something!'
I hurriedly lowered my hand to stare at my forearm, where I felt something wiggle.
'Go!'
BANG!
A loud crash echoed as the hand yanked away, leaving me gasping for air.
"Haaa... Haaa..."
My chest heaved with each breath, but the room was shaking now, a series of deafening crashes echoing through the darkness.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
I could only sit in my seat, surrounded by the darkness, unable to tell what was happening.
I was a sitting duck.
A duck waiting for it to be slaughtered.
'I need to persist for a little longer. Just a little bit longer.'
I scanned the ropes tangling my body. Because of the nature of the situation, I did not set anything up that would allow me to escape from the ropes. This was so that I wouldn't abuse the system and fall into the temptation of the music.
I knew this was the right decision, but at this very moment, it felt like the wrong one.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sound continued, growing louder, more frantic. The table groaned beneath the force, the chair creaking alongside it.
The entire room shook, each sound amplified in the darkness as I sat anxiously.
But then...
It all grew silent.
"....."
The only sound echoing in the air was the sound of the music. It was calm, but at the same time felt like a gentle whisper from death itself.
Step.
A single footstep behind me. The floor creaked under its weight.
I couldn't move. My heart pounded in my throat.
Did the walker... manage to?
The step stopped. It was right behind me now.
A warm breath slid down my ear.
I felt my breath freeze in my chest.
And then, just as the anxiety threatened to crush me—
The music stopped.
Silence.
The moment the music stopped, everything grew still. The breath behind me faded—and with it, all the noise.
I was alone now.
Utterly, impossibly alone in the room.
But the memories of what had just happened still lingered in my mind, pressing in on my mind from all sides.
My chest rose and fell unevenly, lips trembling, hands clutching the armrest so tightly they began to ache.
It took minutes—long, dragging minutes—before I could steady myself enough to breathe again.
'I survived.'
At least, I hoped I had.
Darkness still wrapped around me like a second skin, caressing me with its cold touch. I couldn't see a thing. The only sound was my own breath, heavy and slow as I tried to keep it even.
I needed to move. To get out of the chair. To see the room for myself.
I wanted to see if everything that had happened was real. That... it wasn't all part of my imagination.
But there was only one problem.
"I'm stuck."
The Nightwalker was nowhere in sight. Gone. As if it had never been there to begin with.
My heart dropped.
'Don't tell me that it got killed...'
I didn't know how to feel. I never had fond memories of the Nightwalker, but it was mine. I'd fought hard for it. It had been on my side. For it to be gone, just like that...
"...That might be quite problematic."
If not for the fact that I was desperate, I would've never called it out.
Then again, I now knew that the Nightwalker was unaffected by the music.
'Still, this is a bit of a problem.'
The absence of the Nightwalker made the situation a little complicated for me. I had originally planned for it to release me when everything was over, but that no longer seemed possible.
"Do I have no other choice but to call Kyle?"
My gaze shifted towards the phone.
Another reason why I kept it close to me was in case a situation such as this occurred.
But how could I possibly explain my current situation to him? The state I was in?
I thought about the room and all the noise that I'd heard. I was sure the office wasn't in good shape. How was I going to explain that to him as well...?
'Should I say I was trying to simulate a horror scenario to inspire myself?'
I felt that there was a chance it could work. However, this was the last thing that I wanted to do. In the first place, Kyle wasn't stupid. He was rather sharp. He could probably determine the discrepancies in my story, alongside the clues hidden in plain sight.
Because of the system requirement, I couldn't afford to have him figure anything out regarding it.
Calling him was my last resort.
"Then what...? What should I do?"
I tilted my head back, racking my brain.
Could I tip the chair over? Scrape the ropes loose? Break my wrist?
Each idea sounded more absurd than the last. Some were so absurd that I felt like slapping myself for even thinking about them.
I went through all the possibilities and came up with one conclusion.
'I'm really starting to lose it.'
Just the thought that for a moment I thought about breaking my wrist was enough proof of that.
With a heavy sigh, I continued to think of all sorts of possible solutions to get myself out of my current predicament. However, each solution seemed more useless than the next, and just when I resigned myself to calling Kyle, I felt a burning sensation coming from my wrist.
"....!?"
Sharp, sudden—like thousands of needles driven under my skin.
My heart jumped, dread curling in my gut. Was it the Conductor again? If that was the case then...
'Oh, no.'
However, my thoughts quickly calmed when I realized it was something else entirely.
"This..."
I turned towards my wrist, the source of the pain.
I felt a vaguely familiar sensation alongside the pain, and my eyes lit up.
'It's back!'
The Nightwalker had somehow returned.
I didn't question how or why. The only thing that was on my mind was getting out of the ropes.
I didn't think twice and thought to my arm.
A shadow unfurled in front of me. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
"Help me untie the ropes."
But—
"....."
It didn't move.
The shadow stood in front of me in silence, its gaze directed my way without making a single sound. My scalp tingled under its gaze, and I swallowed nervously.
'Don't tell me...'
It moved, and my body tensed.
Arriving before me, its breath fell on me as I stared at it unblinkingly.
I didn't blink. I didn't breathe.
I stared back at it in full anxiousness.
Then, slowly, it reached out—and began to untie the ropes.
I didn't feel happy as the ropes were untied from my body. The entire time, my gaze was locked on the Nightwalker in front of me. Something about it felt off.
Unsettling.
The more I stared at it, the more unsettled I felt, and the moment all the ropes were untied, I pulled it back into my wrist.
Thankfully, I had no problem there.
The silence returned, and I stood up. I then raised both of my hands and reached out for the wall, looking for the light switch.
It took a while, but I soon found it.
Click!
As the office lights flipped on, my eyes squinted involuntarily.
It took a few seconds for me to adjust to the light, and it was I did that I finally took notice of the state of the office.
I took a cold breath.
'...It's worse than I thought.'
Cracks spiderwebbed across the wooden table, and the door bore deep, splintered dents. The gray carpet was torn in places, its threads frayed like something had clawed its way across it.
But what stopped me cold...
Was the wall.
A vivid red smear trailed across the white surface, rough and jagged—like something had clawed its way through.
And just above it, scrawled in the same red:
[VI]
"Six?"
I stared at the symbol.
I recognized it—VI, the Roman numeral for six.
"What does this mean? A sort of warning...?"
My stomach twisted. Was it trying to tell me that I only had six days left? That it would come for me after six days? ...Or was it six hours? Six minutes?
My thoughts rumbled as I thought about the markings on the wall.
However, I quickly snapped out of it and shifted my attention towards my computer. With newfound alarm, I moved towards it and opened the game. At the same time, I unlocked my phone and stared at the recording.
I took a deep breath.
'Please work. Please work. Please work...'
As my finger hovered over the play button, I hesitated for a moment before pressing play.
Soon enough, a familiar tune began to play in the air.
I listened to the tune carefully until...
My mind started to feel hazy.
The moment that happened, I didn't hesitate to close the recording and slumped down on the chair.
"Haha."
A small laugh escaped my lips then.
"It worked."
The recording...
It worked.
My gamble had paid off, and the moment I realized this, I immediately got to work, transferring the recording to my laptop while loading up the engine.
I had no time to waste.
Especially not after thinking about the markings behind me.
'Six...'
What exactly could it mean?
"Okay, how should I do this?"
My immediate concern with the music was its intensity—it was simply too strong. If I played it as it was, I feared it might trigger some sort of chaos.
'I might even get some people killed.'
Furthermore, I needed to make sure it wouldn't have enough of an effect to be noticed by those of the Guild.
Thankfully, I had already thought of a solution beforehand, and after several tests, I was sure I heading in the right direction as I leaned back onto my chair.
"Hoo... Thank god it works."
The key was in how clear the music was. The clearer the music was, the stronger its effect.
"In this case, if I can just hit the perfect ratio, I might be able to balance it—make it powerful enough to work, but subtle enough that it barely affects the person playing the game."
That was all I needed from this. The goal wasn't to make the players tear their faces apart—the aim was to lull them just enough, to ease their guard, so the jump scare could land with full force.
If it worked, I was sure it would scare even those who were familiar with scary situations.
Taking this factor into consideration, I looked through a long catalog of copyright free music and mixed the original soundtrack with a sound mix I found to fit the overall theme.
The piece played by the conductor wasn't exactly a great fit with the game. The music was classical in nature, and so it didn't mesh well with what I had developed.
Since that was the case, I decided to mix it with a more... intense soundtrack.
"Hmm."
But it was just as I was applying those changes that I stopped and stared at the computer in front of me.
The fan hummed violently as the heat from the processor transferred to my arms.
"Despite the changes, something still feels missing."
The game wasn't originally created to be played with the music, making it feel a little out of sync with the current game design.
There was also the fact that I couldn't play any music for very long, afraid it would trigger something. This made the development a little difficult.
In the end, I sat in silence, staring at my computer before groaning.
"...I need to change the game mechanics, don't I?"
I sighed to myself and checked the time. It was about 2:30 a.m.
My eyelids grew heavier by the second, and a wave of drowsiness washed over me. I hadn't slept in over 24 hours, and it was finally catching up to me.
I probably needed to get some sleep.
And yet...
"I'll get it later."
I continued to focus my attention on the game, making constant tweaks and adjustments.
Before I realized it, several more hours passed, and as I added the finishing touches to the framework of the game, I started to feel extremely tired.
But just before I fell asleep, I managed to transfer a copy to a USB stick. Only then did I finally head out, locking the door behind me.
"Huam."
Stepping out of the office space, I let out a long yawn, my eyelids so heavy I could barely keep them open.
It was still dark outside, but I could see people starting to come in. They looked a little hungover. Most likely from the rookie celebration party that was held to celebrate their first day at the Guild.
That was also the main reason why it had been so quiet last night.
Without thinking too much, I made my way towards the elevators and headed for my room.
I really needed to get some sleep.
It was a shame that I was so exhausted. Otherwise, I would've quickly noticed that the USB I had brought with me had slipped out of my pocket.
By the time I found out, it was already too late.
***
7 AM.
This was usually the time when the Guild's working hours started for those in the Containment Sector.
It was just like any regular office job.
"...Ugh, I'm so tired."
"Tell me about it. I hardly had any sleep last night. I was up all night drinking with the seniors."
"Just thinking about Senior Zoey and how she was able to drink so much without getting drunk still gives me chills."
"In that regard, I much prefer Senior Kyle. He's a lot milder..."
The new hires were the first to arrive at the Field Agent Area, their eyes heavy with exhaustion and their clothes slightly disheveled.
As new hires, they had no choice but to be the first to arrive. It was the proper etiquette they had to adhere to. If it hadn't been for the forced drinking the entire night, they likely would've been in a much better mood.
Setting their bags down, the new hires made their way to the kitchen tucked in the corner of the area, where they began preparing some instant coffee for themselves. This was the best the place offered.
"I wonder what they'll make us do today."
Lawrence, one of the new recruits, said as he poured hot water into the paper cup in his hands.
"...I hope we won't have to enter some gates today. I don't think I'll be sharp enough to survive."
"You should be good for today. We'll probably be forced to do some paperwork and research. I also saw a team of scouts head outside. I think we should be good for today."
"That's good."
Lawrence sighed in relief while taking a sip of his coffee.
"Kh..."
His face twitched the moment he tried to take a sip of the coffee, quickly pulling it away from his mouth. "Ah, hot..." he muttered under his breath, silently cursing the coffee. He was about to say something else when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a small black stick on the floor.
"What's that?"
Curious, he moved towards it and grabbed it.
"A USB stick?"
"...Hm? There's people who still use that stuff?"
"I guess..."
Lawrence flipped the USB over and tried to look for a name, but he couldn't see a thing. His brows furrowed, and after a little bit of thought, he walked over to his desk and booted his laptop.
Following him from behind were the three other hires.
"Are you going to check who it belongs to?"
"...Yeah. It might have some important stuff."
It might even belong to a senior officer. Best to return it quickly—who knows, it could be their ticket to getting on the senior's good side.
Lawrence didn't waste any time and the moment his computer turned on, he placed the USB stick inside.
A file that read: [Seth's USB stick] appeared shortly after.
"Seth?"
The group of new hires blinked in confusion.
"Is there a senior called Seth in our department?"
"Seth? I don't think so..."
"There isn't."
Lawrence said, his expression sinking as he opened the folder to see one single file within.
[Game.Dem]
"Ah, it's him..."
Lawrence leaned back in his chair, the disappointment clearly visible across his face. He wasn't the only one.
The other recruits quickly understood who the owner of the USB was.
"It's that lucky guy's USB."
"...Yeah."
Seth's reputation among the new hires wasn't exactly great.
Everyone had heard about the offer the Section Chief had made him. It was an offer that many of them had dreamed of.
For him to receive such an offer based on a single trial—one he'd seemingly solved through sheer luck—didn't sit well with many.
There was plenty of jealousy, but mixed within it was a hint of justified indignation.
After all, unlike him, they had poured countless hours of effort into earning their place in the Guild. For him to suddenly receive a position higher than theirs without putting in any effort felt like a slap to their faces.
"Oh, well."
Lawrence also felt the same.
He didn't really have any goodwill towards Seth, and just as he was about to retrieve the USB stick, a certain face popped from behind.
"Oh? What are you all checking?"
Immediately, all the new recruits grew alert.
"Senior!"
"...Senior!"
"Calm down. You all need to relax."
Terrance raised his hand to calm them down. He had just stepped into the office when he noticed the new hires gathered in a tight circle. Intrigued, he decided to walk over and see what was going on.
With his back straight, Lawrence pulled the USB stick away and closed the laptop.
"It's nothing. We just found a lost USB stick and planned on finding out to whom it belonged."
"Oh, so who does it belong to?"
"...To the observer brought by Senior Kyle. It's got a demo of the game he's working on."
"Hm?"
Immediately, a look of interest flashed on Terrance's features as he looked at the USB stick.
Soon, a smile appeared on his face.
"That sounds interesting."
His gaze fell on Lawrence's laptop.
"Let's give it a try."
"Eh?"
Lawrence blinked his eyes. But just before he could continue, Terrance spoke.
"...Put the USB in. Let's try the demo. I'm curious to see how scary the game is."
-x-X-x-
"It's loading..."
Lawrence stepped aside, letting Terrance settle into the chair. He rubbed his neck, eyes fixed on the computer screen.
Soon, the game booted, and a simple gray tab appeared.
[Press to play]
"This looks a little amateurish," one of the new hires muttered.
"...Maybe because it's still in the development stages?"
"Could be."
Overhearing the new hires speak, Terrance raised a brow while looking at the simple gray tab. He didn't judge from the get-go. He understood that this was merely an undeveloped game.
But even if it was fully developed, he wouldn't show much interest in it.
'What sort of idiot still tries to develop horror games in these times?'
There were a few reasons he'd volunteered to play. Curiosity about Seth, for one. Word had spread quickly about the guy turning down the Section Chief's offer—a move most wouldn't dream of.
He wanted to see just what sort of idiot would refuse such an offer to develop some 'games'.
But more than that, there was Kyle.
Terrance's relationship with Kyle ran deep—they had both started in the same year. Yet now, they stood worlds apart. Kyle had risen through the ranks like a shooting star, reaching the Fourth Order in just two years, while he remained stuck in the Second Order.
He also thought about how he had managed to clear the first trial so easily and so fast.
The more he thought about it, the more irritated he felt.
He was just like Kyle...
A man full of luck.
"Let's see if the game is any good."
Without further hesitation, Terrance pressed play, and the screen immediately faded to black.
"Well...?"
"Did it freeze?"
The screen remained pitch black for longer than anyone expected it to. Just as everyone was starting to grow impatient, a change finally occurred as letters started to appear on the screen.
'This is my third year working for the company. Every day is a struggle, and I hardly get any sleep. I am so tired that I think I'm starting to hear things whenever I leave my office. The only thing keeping me sane is my playbox. Only when I play it do I feel safe.'
"Some sort of introduction?"
"...Yes."
Terrance nodded, his lips faintly curling with amusement.
Terrance saw right through what Seth was attempting. He was creating a psychological anchor—a subtle hook to immerse players deeper into the game. By doing so, he intended to plant a seed in the player's mind, letting it quietly take root and grow stronger as time passed and the game unfolded.
This was just a cheap trick in Terrance's eyes.
Another line appeared:
'...I hope it's just because I'm tired. But I did hear about a recent case where one of those in the IT department killed themselves because they were being overworked. I hope I don't end up the same.'
The screen continued to flicker, blinking erratically like a pair of tired eyes, before finally stabilizing. A dimly lit, shabby office space came into view, its worn furniture and monotonous colors setting an unsettling tone as the scene slowly sharpened into focus.
"Are these the graphics?"
"....They seem to be."
The group looked at each other for a brief moment.
How could they describe the graphics?
They were...
"He made the game by himself."
"...It's not bad, considering it was all done by one person."
The graphics were difficult to put into words. They had a grainy, VHS-like filter that mimicked the look of an old camcorder, blending seamlessly with the monotone coloring of the office. It had a realistic look, but at the same time, it also felt cheap.
There wasn't much detail to the office, and it felt rather plain.
And yet...
For some reason, that effect helped create a strangely eerie atmosphere, one filled with a creeping sense of dread that settled in almost immediately.
Flick. Flick.
The overhead lights flicked, and as that happened, the character yawned and stretched.
'...It's time to go. I should head back home.'
A line of text appeared briefly on the screen before the scene shifted to a third-person perspective. A figure in a black blazer stood before a worn wooden door. In one hand, he held a brown bag, and in the other, a small MP3 player.
On the screen was a small illustration that displayed the instructions.
◆ W
— Move Forward
◆ D — Move
◆ Right Click — Play Music
◆ Shift — Run
[Left Click to continue]
The instructions were rather basic, and reading them, Terrance raised his brow.
"This simple?"
His already low expectations for the game sank further.
He didn't wait any further and left-clicked.
The game shifted once more, transitioning from the office into a long, empty hallway.
The mood in the room changed.
"Wait... is that—?"
"...No way."
Even with slight differences, they all recognized it. This was the exact same setup as the newbie trial!
Terrance suddenly burst out laughing.
'Seriously? This is supposed to scare me?'
He remembered participating in the trial and clearing it a long time ago. He didn't get scared back then, and yet, he was supposed to get scared by this?
'This looks easy.'
He pressed 'W', guiding the character down the hall. The sound of footsteps echoed softly from the speakers.
He turned the corner and was met with another long corridor.
"Same setup as the trial," someone whispered.
Already familiar with the setup, neither he nor the new recruits looked surprised. Instead, they just shook their heads.
This was practically a carbon copy of the newbie trial.
"When do you think the lights are going to turn off?"
"...Soon, probably."
They waited for it.
As the new hires chatted quietly behind him, Terrance pressed on, moving deeper into the hall. He was half-expecting the lights to flicker off, just like they had during the trial.
However, that didn't happen.
Instead, the character suddenly pulled out the MP3 and started to play it.
A soft thump came through the speakers—deep bass, slow and steady, like a heartbeat. Piano notes trickled in above it, warm and soothing.
The music immediately attracted their attention.
"...What kind of music is this?"
"It's... kind of nice."
As the music played, a sense of calm washed over everyone. There was something about the music that felt pleasant to the ear, and as Terrance listened to the music, he found his mind slowly relaxing.
'Is this supposed to be scary? For some reason, I'm finding myself relaxing while playing this.'
He blinked slowly, his mind relaxing even more. It wasn't until he recalled his purpose that he pressed on again.
By this point, he no longer seemed to think anything of the game. He just wanted to get over it while listening to the tune that played from the MP3.
That seemed to be the only redeeming quality of the game.
Ziing~
As the music played, Terrance's mind drifted deeper into calm, his body sinking into the chair, all while his finger remained steady on the 'W' key. For now, he and the new recruits were simply waiting for the lights to go out.
But what no one noticed was how, slowly, unconsciously—
Every single one of them was leaning closer to the screen.
The hum of the computer fan became more pronounced.
Everyone just stood there, staring at the character moving. They all suddenly seemed to forget about the scenario and just stood in a trance.
That was until—
Flick!
The lights snapped off, and the screen turned pitch black.
The music came to an abrupt end, and the faint sound of a breath echoed through the speaker.
"Haaa... Haaa.."
...The change was sudden and unexpected, catching everyone off guard.
By the time they realized what had happened, their entire bodies unknowingly tensed up as they stared at the screen.
"Haa... Haa..."
The character was breathing, its breath echoing out from the speakers.
So were they.
And what they didn't realize—
Was that theirs was matching his.
-x-X-x-
"Haa... haaa..."
The collective sound of heavy breaths echoed through the room, pooling near one of the cubicles where several figures sat, unmoving, eyes fixed on a pitch-black monitor.
The screen showed nothing.
And yet...
None of them could look away.
All noise seemed to sharpen. The low hum of the fan, once barely noticeable, now seemed to roar in their ears, adding to the increasing tension of the game.
This all persisted for several seconds until—
Flick!
The lights turned on, and the light returned.
As if they could all finally breathe again, everyone took a deep breath.
Terrance was no different as his earlier expression vanished. Momentarily closing his eyes, he collected himself.
He appeared to be faring better than the new recruits.
"Don't think too much. Remain calm. You all just came out of the trial yesterday, so it's normal for you to be a little tense after seeing something so similar."
His words seemed to calm the new recruits considerably as they all laughed.
"I guess you're right."
"...It's almost like a carbon copy of the trial. I guess I was reminded too much of my time yesterday."
Seeing everyone settle down again, Terrance gave a small nod and pressed 'W', guiding the character forward.
As he turned down one of the dim hallways, a door came into view, lining up by the side of the wall. At the bottom of the door were several flowers and letters.
"Hm?"
This change didn't go unnoticed by the new recruits and Terrance as he guided the character forward, moving towards the flowers.
The moment Terrance reached the flowers, control slipped from his fingers. The screen shifted on its own, seamlessly transitioning into a cutscene.
"A cutscene?"
It started with the character turning on the MP3 as the music from before returned.
A soft tune drifted through the speakers, weaving its way into the minds of everyone present.
On screen, the character came to a halt before the flowers, then slowly bent down to pick up one of the scattered letters.
[In memory of Ramille Niel]
"This must be the employee who was talked about at the start of the game. The one that killed themselves," one of the new recruits quipped, speaking what was on everyone's mind.
"It is."
Terrance nodded as he saw the character place the letter back before words flashed across the screen again.
'...Will I also turn out like him?'
The cutscene ended, and Terrance found himself where he was before the cutscene.
"Interesting."
Terrance mumbled under his breath as he stared at the scene. He could see what Seth was trying to do—still clinging to his psychological tricks, trying to draw a connection between the 'steps' and the IT employee who had taken their own life.
He smirked.
'It's not a bad attempt, but since I already know—'
Flick!
The lights suddenly turned off, and the music faded. The smirk on Terrance's lips suddenly faded as his body tensed up unconsciously.
'What's going on with me?'
Realizing the changes, Terrance frowned and peeked to his right.
His heart almost leaped out of his chest when he saw the new recruits standing next to him, their heads peering into the laptop with blank expressions.
Terrance's expression changed at the sight. Something about the situation was off!
He was just about to react when—
Step!
The gentle sound of a step echoed from the speakers, and Terrance felt his entire body shiver.
Unconsciously, his pinky pressed onto the 'shift' key, and the character started to move faster.
Tatatata—!
The sound of footsteps grew louder, merging with the heavy breathing of the main character.
Terrance quickly pulled his hand away from the mouse, wiping his damp palm on his shirt before placing it back, his fingers tightening slightly as he pressed forward once more.
Before he knew it, he started to become immersed in the game.
His surroundings began to blur, reality slipping away as he found himself immersing into the character. The surrounding noise, from each breath, each creak, each step... it amplified in his ears, dragging the tension taut like a wire about to snap.
Flick!
The lights turned on and off in repeated patterns, each time the music returned and the steps hurried with each return of the darkness.
It was just like in the trial.
And yet...
Step!
Another step echoed through the speakers, and Terrance shivered—his mind imagining the image of one of the colleagues that had passed away in the past, reaching out with trembling hands to grasp his shoulder.
His body shook, and he pressed the shift again.
'It's just my imagination. This is not real. Don't fall for such a simple trick.'
"Haa... Haa..."
The heavy breathing sound of the character became even more hurried as it echoed through the speakers, as Terrance, almost involuntarily, matched the character's pattern.
He wasn't the only one.
The new recruits were no different, their heads pulling closer to the monitor.
Terrance continued to run forward with the character, his fingers tensed and mouse clutched tightly.
The steps followed rapidly, never stopping as the darkness engulfed everything.
Just barely, Terrance was able to outrun the steps.
'More, just a little...!'
He could tell he was near the turning point of the game. He just had to resist until—
The character stopped completely.
A notification flashed shortly after.
[You have run out of stamina]
The notification took over the bottom part of the screen, written in blood red as Terrance's mind went completely blank. Completely losing the ability to think, the steps behind suddenly increased, sprinting in their direction.
Terrance instinctively turned the character back, his fingers trembling.
And then—
A face.
A blank, featureless face.
It filled the screen, staring directly at him. Empty eyes, black as night, locked on his own soul.
"Ahhhhhhhh—!"
A scream tore through the office. The mouse slipped from Terrance's hand as he recoiled in horror.
The new recruits followed a step after as their faces paled and they fell back, their bodies trembling.
The screen flashed, and two blood-red letters appeared shortly after.
[Game Over]
***
Unaware of the chaos unfolding in the office, Seth tossed and turned in his bed, the sheets tangling around his legs as he desperately tried to sink into a deep, uninterrupted sleep.
He previously assumed he'd fall asleep the moment he touched the bed, but for some reason, he still had yet to fall asleep.
Tossing again, the bedsheets followed.
But yet again, he couldn't sleep at all. There seemed to be something nagging at the back of his mind.
"...What the hell is wrong with me?"
Eventually, Seth's eyes fluttered open, his gaze fixed blankly on the ceiling. The dim light of the room did little to ease the tiredness in his eyes as dark circles beneath them were more pronounced than ever.
"Don't tell me that I've been cursed to be unable to sleep?"
Seth mumbled while he massaged his face.
He sighed before closing his eyes again and attempting to sleep as he tossed to the side.
'Oh, I think this might be the good one.'
He felt his mind slowly sink into a state of sleep.
He was close.
And just as he was about to finally reach his so-desired sleep...
Ting!
A notification flashed, and his eyes flared open.
[Congratulations, you have completed the first quest!]
"....."
Seth blankly stared at the notification before groaning.
"Just kill me already."