[Yes, we can do that. How about we meet at the location at around 10 PM? How does that sound?]
"That sounds pretty good."
I sent a straightforward 'ok!' and put my phone away. At the same time, I nodded in satisfaction.
"What a nice guy."
For him to agree to my absurd demands, he really was quite nice. I was prepared to be cursed at by him, but that didn't happen, making me sigh in relief.
'Although I do feel a little sorry, I don't really have much of a choice on this matter.'
There was no need to explain why I had to return before 1 AM. The same went for the time limit and the game's revenue split—it all came down to one thing: I needed to earn as much money as possible to afford my medicine.
And that included completing the mission before the time limit was up.
"I'm glad he was understanding."
Any normal person would've already stopped talking to me.
'In any case, now that I have arranged everything, I should go get some sleep and get ready for the inevitable stream.'
I looked at my phone and set up an alarm for 5 PM.
"....This should be enough time."
Before heading out, I needed to add a few finishing touches to the game before putting it up for sale.
I couldn't just go over with an unfinished product.
'Hopefully, if all goes well, I'll get a few purchases.'
Sorted with that, I opened the system shop and looked through all of the items that were available for me to purchase.
I then looked at my available balance.
SP : 750
After purchasing one medicine, I only had 750 left. That was still good, but looking at all of the items, I could hardly buy myself anything.
The number of items that I could buy with this amount of SP was in the single digits.
This wasn't good at all.
...And as my thoughts paused there, I looked at my phone and checked my balance.
My heart pressed against my chest.
"Should I do it...?"
I bit my lip.
This was everything that I had left. If the game didn't end up selling, then I was completely done for.
'No, I might be done for if I don't do this.'
The prior event had made it clear to me that I had to invest in the shop. The events were simply too dangerous.
I couldn't afford to horde the money.
As such, after pushing the demons in my mind away, I decided to convert 7,000$ into SP.
I did that by pressing the [Convert] button on the window and inputting the amount that I wanted converted.
Ding—
A chime rang on my phone shortly after.
[7,000$ has been withdrawn from your phone]
My heart bled at the sight of the notification. But I soon felt better when I saw my SP balance show 1,450.
With this, I felt a lot better.
"Now, what item should I buy...?"
I use the filter option and sort through all the available items to me. There were quite a few interesting ones, and just as my mind was about to settle on a certain item, I stopped.
"...No, not yet."
Taking into consideration the speed at which I had received the pill beforehand, there was no need for me to purchase any of the items yet.
'I'll hold off until I really need them.'
I would choose to purchase the item in accordance with the situation.
This way, my chances of survival would increase.
'But if I'm going to do this, I should also memorize all of the items that I can buy so that I don't waste time looking through them when I need to.'
The thought made my head throb, but considering the events that were about to transpire, I had no choice but to do so.
And so, that was what I did after coming back to my room.
It was only after I memorized everything that I finally went to sleep.
***
To Velora Art Museum was located in a remote part of the island.
The road to the museum was narrow and abandoned, choked with wild bushes and grass that had taken over the path. Streetlights were nowhere to be found, and only by peering through the tangled branches and overgrowth could one catch sight of the large, abandoned gray building looming behind.
A rusted gate encircled the building, and coils of barbed wire lined the top of the surrounding walls.
Right at the entrance of the building was a large piece of paper that read; Do not Enter!
Such a sign was not taken seriously as the lock of the gate was broken, and several people entered.
"He should be arriving in a few hours. Start setting up everything."
Jamie, alongside two other people, got to work in preparation for the upcoming stream
It was now 6:30 PM, and the sun was slowly starting to fade on the horizon.
"...All we have to do is scare him, right?"
A young man with a long nose and a slender frame was the one to speak up. He wore square-shaped glasses that neatly framed his equally angular, square face.
His name was Cody, and he was a close acquaintance of Jamie.
The two had worked together on a couple of projects.
Jamie looked at Cody, and then Jake, a chubby kid with blue eyes and black hair.
He slowly nodded his head.
"Yeah, scare the shit out of him. That's all we have to do. Put on whatever makeup or clothes and hide within the museum. When the time comes, I'll give you a signal and you can scare him."
"Alright."
The two nodded their heads and moved into the building with a couple of bags. It was just as they were about to move that they stopped.
Staring at the distant building, Cody swallowed quietly.
Something about the structure felt eerie.
As if sensing his thoughts, Jamie dismissed him with a wave.
"What are you scared of? This building has been raided before. There's nothing to be worried about. Just focus on your task."
"...Alright."
And so, following Jamie's words, the two entered the building and quickly got to work, setting up several cameras around and putting on their disguises.
The entire process took several hours, and by the time they were done, they alerted Jamie through a message.
[It's done.]
"Good."
Jamie smirked, staring at his phone screen.
Then, checking the time, he mumbled, "He should arrive soon."
It was pitch dark outside, the only sounds breaking the silence were the soft rustling of leaves and the distant, rhythmic chirping of crickets echoing through the night.
"Keum! Keum!"
Jamie coughed several times before adjusting his posture and holding onto the selfie stick.
He waited for three seconds before suddenly smiling.
"Alright! Welcome back! How have you all been doing?"
—Yo!?
—Live stream now?
—What's with the sudden occasion? You don't normally do this. Are you running out of money?
The chat immediately exploded, the viewers slowly climbing.
Jamie chuckled and looked behind him, flashing the flashlight in the direction of the abandoned building.
"It's quite dark outside, but I'm currently at the Velora Art Museum! I will be exploring the place with a guest. I'm sure you all will be entertained."
—A guest?
—You're not doing it solo?
—...Why are you bringing someone with you? A collab?
"Hehe, just wait un—Oh, he's here!"
Jamie suddenly turned the phone toward the gate, the flash slicing through the darkness as the rusty door creaked open. Standing there was a young man with jet-black hair and deep, shadowed eyes. His gaze was hollow, his expression pale, and as he stepped forward, he looked less like a person and more like a ghost drifting through the night.
Coming to a stop, he looked towards the camera with a deadpan expression.
Then, with a single nod, he mumbled,
"...Where is the bathroom?"
He touched his stomach.
"I feel like puking."
—LMAOOOOOOO!!!
—Bro needs to puke! Hahaha!
—He's already scared lol
—What sort of guest did you bring on?
The chat immediately exploded the moment they heard Seth's words. How could it not? His words were a complete mismatch with his appearance.
For a moment, right before he spoke, everyone tensed.
His appearance looked rather eerie in the dark environment. But such thought faded the moment those words left his mouth.
"You need to puke?"
"...More or less."
Jamie smiled after hearing Seth's words. Perhaps... things were going to be a lot easier than expected.
In fact, he could use this opportunity to truly scare the hell out of him and farm some clips.
This might not exactly be in line with his usual stream, but this was necessary in order for him to keep the channel relevant.
● Live
Viewers: 597
Shifting his attention towards the viewer count, he quietly pursed his lips.
...This was quite a bit less than he originally expected.
'As expected, I have to do this.'
This was a clear decline from his usual viewership count. It was mainly due to the location of the place, but he could see that his viewers were starting to get bored with his usual content.
He had to spice things up, and Seth was his perfect target.
"....Is there no bathroom?"
"Unfortunately, there isn't."
Jamie shook his head while shifting his attention back to the live stream. The number of viewers had gone up a little.
'I guess the little gag at the start gained a few viewers.'
The viewer count was now at 633.
Still not that good.
"I'm sure many of you are aware of the Velora Art Museum. This is a rather famous spot for some similar streams."
—No, shit lol.
—...Since you know, why are you here?
—Lame type shit.
Jamie ignored the chat and stepped forward, the beam of his flashlight slicing through the darkness as the soft crunch of grass echoed beneath his feet. He kept talking as he walked, occasionally glancing back at Seth to make sure he was still following.
"The museum shut down exactly seven years ago. Officially, they blamed it on a gas leak—but we all know that's the furthest thing from the truth. The real reason? It was because of the painting that was stolen from the museum."
Jamie didn't really feel the need to explain the history behind the building, since many were already aware.
However, there were still those who didn't know.
As a result, he still decided to explain. This in itself would help add psychological tension to those watching.
"...The painting is called the Lady of the White Umbrella. Rumors have it that the painting was created in commemoration of the museum's sponsor's daughter in order to commemorate her beauty. The reason why her face isn't revealed in the painting is to make the viewer imagine her beaut—"
"That's wrong."
A soft voice suddenly broke through Jamie's words as he frowned and panned the camera in Seth's direction.
Still holding onto his stomach, Seth looked at the camera with his naturally dead eyes. He paused, and looked at Jamie who started speaking.
"Wrong? What do you mean wrong? This is universally acknowledged information. The rea—"
"The reason why the umbrella was used to cover her face wasn't an artistic choice."
Seth cut Jamie once again.
This time, Jamie didn't answer back but quietly swallowed. For some reason, a strange tension was starting to build up.
He wasn't the only one who felt it.
The chat also felt it as it momentarily paused.
That was until—
—Fucking creepy. This guy is creepy as shit.
—I almost believed it for a second wtf
—Nah man's possessed 💀
Indeed, Seth's quiet, low voice, paired with the lifeless emptiness in his eyes, cast an eerie tension over the stream.
But of course, it was almost for a brief moment.
The stream soon returned to how it was within moments.
'Fucking hell, that almost got me too.'
Jamie sighed in relief while staring at the chat. For a moment, he had also gotten a little tense. And this, to him, was strange.
Especially after all he'd been through, and all the far more terrifying things he'd seen.
For him to get unsettled by a few words...
Jamie's eyes narrowed as he glanced in Seth's direction.
'He really does give me the creeps.'
Still, he kept those thoughts to himself and put on a smile for the camera.
"Haha, I guess we've got an expert on the matter. That's good. Wouldn't that make this entire event much smoother for all of us? I'm already starting to feel safer!"
He laughed it off with the chat as they neared the building. Once at the door, Jamie reached out and pushed it open. It creaked.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Creaak—
Too much for comfort, as a thick scent of dust and mold drifted out from the dark.
"Let's go..."
Inside, the museum was swallowed by shadows. Jamie raised his flashlight and swept it across the vast entrance hall. The cracked marble floor alternated between black and white, like a weathered chessboard. Up ahead, a grand wooden staircase stretched into darkness, disappearing into the second floor.
"The place looks just like I last remember."
Jamie took a step forward, the sound of his step amplified by the echo around.
He soon began to speak again.
"As I was saying, the museum closed seven years ago after the painting went missing. No one's found it since. Some say it was stolen to blackmail the sponsors. Others say..." he lowered his voice, "it vanished the day the girl it was modeled after died. As if the painting were linked to her life, it suddenly vanished. Poof. Just like that."
Jamie did a fading motion with his hand as he walked deeper into the hall. He was exaggerating a story a little, but this was all for the stream.
What was the truth and what was not? Nobody knew.
The mystery of the painting had yet to be solved, even after seven years had passed.
"And so, the reason why we find ourselves here is to figure out the truth behind the painting and the young lady in white! Was she truly as beautiful as the rumors suggested, or was it just an exaggeration?"
Taking another step forward, Jamie secretly glanced at his phone.
That was when he saw a message appear.
[We are on the second floor. We are ready to start any given second.]
Jamie fought back a smirk as he continued narrating the scene to his viewers. The current live score sat at a disappointing 801, sinking his heart a little, but he pushed on, diving into the museum's history and everything behind it.
'Just get through it. Nail the scare. The shoutout will cover the rest.'
Old frames lined the wall as they passed, empty now, with only discolored outlines left behind.
Eventually, they stopped before a certain room, covered by frames on all sides, as a chandelier stood above.
Jamie stopped and pointed the camera around.
"This right here is where the main paintings were stored. For obvious reasons, there are no more paintings, but if we—Eh?"
In the midst of his explanation, Jamie suddenly stopped.
That was because he suddenly noticed his chat exploding.
—LMAOOOOOOO!!!
—Bahahahaha!
—WTF is he doing!? Hahahaha!
—I bet he's doing it because he's so scared and doesn't want to see shit! LOL!!!
"Wha... what?"
Jamie leaned in, checking the comments. Then, slowly, he turned his head—
And saw Seth.
Standing dead still. A pair of sunglasses perched on his face.
In the dark.
Expressionless. Posture perfect. Just... standing still, looking towards the empty doorway.
"...Oh god."
Sunglasses in a dark place? Jamie trembled as he stared at the sight. He almost had the urge to smack himself in the face.
First the puking, and now this?
Just what sort of idiot had Zoey recommended him?
While Jamie groaned and the chat continued, losing it, no one noticed the subtle change in Seth's face.
His blank stare had stiffened ever so slightly.
Not because of the stream.
But because of the small figure standing just beyond the doorway in front—
A little girl, quietly peeking from behind the very same door.
-x-X-x-
Clank!
Several figures began to file out from a white steel door and into a white room—ten in total, with Kyle at the front. He was dressed in a dark suit that stood out sharply against the stark white of the room. Without pause, he crossed to the nearest table, where a pair of white gloves lay waiting.
He slipped them on in one smooth motion.
It was also then that he heard the sound of a voice coming from behind him.
"What's the rank of the Gate that we're about to enter?"
"....Hm?"
Kyle turned back and caught sight of a pair of dimples aimed in his direction.
He pulled the gloves lower.
"Nothing major. We're only about to enter an rank gate. You still need to get accustomed to how the Gates work before you can go without any supervision."
"Oh, I see."
Myles warmly smiled and nodded.
"...I'll listen to you."
Kyle smiled back as he looked at Myles. His impression of him was rather great. He listened well, and sucked up information like a sponge.
He was glad such a trainee was assigned to his squad.
"If you have any—"
"Pftt—!"
If only everyone were so good.
Kyle slowly turned his head and spotted a blonde figure leaning casually against the wall, a phone in one hand as she stifled a snicker.
"Keuk!"
He could see tears forming in the corner of her eyes.
'What's up with her?'
Frowning, Kyle casually walked up to Zoey.
"What's so funny? You do know that we're about to enter a gate, right?"
"Oh, Kyle."
Completely ignoring his words, Zoey flicked her head up to Kyle and flipped her phone to him.
"Keuk... look at this shit... pfttt!"
"What sor—Ah."
Kyle's words abruptly cut off the moment he stared at her phone and caught sight of a very familiar figure, standing in the middle of a dark room with a pair of... sunglasses?
"What the..."
"Kak!"
Zoey held onto her stomach and cackled.
"This is too damn funny! Sunglasses...!? Kaaaak!"
Kyle's mouth twitched.
He didn't even have it in him to laugh. Mostly because... this just felt like something Seth would do.
'He really does hate horror after all...'
If Kyle had to make a guess, Seth had probably worn the glasses to cover his vision. This was so that he wouldn't be as scared.
It was comical to see, and Kyle could see the chat going wild at the sight.
"Haha, look! The views are rising up because of the shit your friend is doing."
Indeed, looking at the viewer count, Kyle could see it slowly rising.
It was currently at 991 live viewers.
—Sunglasses, really? Hahahaha!
—I'm dying. I'm cramping!
—First the puking, and now this. This stream is too funny!
The chat was very lively, with most of the viewers laughing uncontrollably.
"What's this?"
Right then, Myles arrived to see the situation, and the dimples on his face faded for a brief moment as he looked at Seth in the stream.
"Isn't that..."
"Don't even mention it."
Kyle sighed, unsure of how to react.
'Well, at least, I won't have to worry about him not being able to make any sales.'
He could see some people buying his game just for his antics.
Kyle was just about to speak again when all of a sudden, the door to the white room burst open, causing Zoey to drop her phone as her face winced with each turn her phone took on the floor.
She was just about to pick up her phone when she stopped.
All noise ceased from the place.
With deep black eyes that looked as though they'd stared into the heart of the abyss, shoulder-length black hair, and what appeared to be a toothpick tucked in the corner of her mouth, the team leader of Delta Squad stepped into the room.
Her gaze stayed fixed on the stack of documents in her hand.
Moments later, her expression twisted.
"Tch."
She flung the papers onto a nearby table before sinking into a chair, crossing one leg over the other. The white blazer draped over her shoulders slipped back, revealing a crisp black shirt tucked neatly into long gray pants that accentuated her well-proportioned frame.
Drumming her fingers over the wooden table, her gaze eventually fell on Kyle and Zoey.
"You two."
Immediately, the smile was wiped off Zoey's face as she stood straight.
Kyle similarly stood straight.
The room turned tense as the beautiful team leader rolled her tongue beneath her bottom lip.
Then, as the silence started to turn suffocating, she spoke.
"I need the two of you to handle the newbie training. There has been a recent shortage of scouts. No fuc—keum, I mean... There haven't been any bad people we can use for that. Everyone has been too obedient lately."
Kyle could only wryly smile. When she meant bad people, she meant death row inmates.
Scouts were typically comprised of death row inmates. This was something decided by the Bureau. Since they were going to die anyway, why not put them to good use?
If they did a good enough job, they'd be able to relieve themself of their death penalty.
...The issue, however, stemmed from the fact that the mortality rate of scouts was extremely high.
In short, there weren't enough very naughty people around, and as such, there was a shortage of scouts.
"...How troublesome. Does that mean I have to scout the places myself?"
The Team Leader clicked her tongue, her fingers drumming with even more force.
In the end, clicking her tongue again, she stood up and looked in Kyle's and Zoey's direction again.
"I guess I have no choice. You two take care of the situation over here while I go fix this stupid mess."
Massaging the back of her head, the team leader draped her blazer over her shoulders and was just about to make her way out when her eyes paused on the phone on the floor.
Her brow raised the moment she saw the stream, and caught sight of the figure with sunglasses.
That was when the corner of her lips curled, and she mumbled,
"...That's funny."
Then, without waiting for anyone to say anything else, she directly left the room.
Clank!
It was only a minute after she left that the noise returned. Kyle and Zoey both looked at each other, and then the new recruits all stared in their direction.
"She definitely made that up, didn't she? We're not running out of scouts."
"...Yes."
They both groaned.
Damned Team Leader!
***
At the same time, Velora Art Museum.
'Holy shit! The viewers are actually going up!'
Jamie could hardly believe his eyes.
● Live
Viewers: 1001
Although the number of viewers was still below his average, the fact that it was rising was in itself crazy! He was exploring one of the most boring abandoned buildings on the island. One that had been explored many times before.
He expected the viewership to dwindle with the passing of time, not rise!
And all of this was thanks to the weirdo next to him.
Whatever he was doing, it was working.
'Hahaha, how much will the viewers rise once I get him to scream?'
Jamie's eyes shone at the thought, and just as he was about to open his mouth to talk to Seth, his eyes suddenly shot up.
"Uh?"
That was because he suddenly saw him move.
With his gaze directed towards the distant door, Seth stepped forward, ignoring the baffled Jamie, who could only stare at his back with a blank look.
Then—
"Hey, wait! Where are you going!?"
He quickly rushed to catch up to him.
This was a decision he deeply regretted not long after.
-x-X-x-
'Ah... I really don't want to be here.'
My stomach growled like it had lost all sense of reason as I stared at the little girl peeking through the doorway.
Slowly removing the 'Spectral Glasses', she disappeared from my vision.
Then I put them back on.
There she was again.
'Is there really no bathroom?'
Bile rose in my throat.
The plan had been to wear the glasses from the very start. Though the main reason why I wore them was for a completely different reason.
"Haaa..."
A cloud of vapor escaped my lips. Chills ran down my spine as the world transformed around me—everything turned cold, bathed in a dark, quiet blue.
Yes, blue...
Within this world, everything around me became clear.
Within this filter, the world sharpened. Shadows lifted. The details of the museum emerged from the gloom like bones in the dark. This was the true reason I wore the glasses.
Because they allowed me to see better in the dark.
'If only I had found out about this sooner.'
No, maybe it was for the best that I had only found out about this feature recently. Something told me that whatever this dark blue vision showed me... wasn't something that I could just carelessly peer into.
"....?"
The girl peeked farther out from the door and motioned for me to follow.
She seemed to want me to go to her.
'As if...'
That was the last thing that I wanted to do.
However, staring at her, for some strange reason, I felt that she meant no harm. It was completely different from the way she was during the time I was staring at the painting.
Back then, I felt the malice very clearly.
What brought the change?
'Is this some sort of trick? She won't just act coy before suddenly turning on me, right?'
I really feared that'd be the case.
If that happened, then I was as good as done for.
But still...
I decided to move forward and follow her.
Taking into consideration how nobody had found a single thing in this entire building, going around and wandering aimlessly was only going to make me waste time.
I didn't have much time.
Just as much as she was a risk, she was also a clue for me to complete the quest.
"Hoo."
Vapour left my lips again as the cold started to seep into my body.
More vapor slipped from my mouth as the chill crept deeper into my bones. The floor cracked slightly beneath my step as I approached the doorway. The moldy scent that had lingered in the air moments prior seemed to fade with the cold, replaced by a burnt smell.
"Wait, where are you going?"
Jamie was it?
I turned to look behind me and answered.
"....Exploring."
Seeing that he couldn't see the little girl, and it was more appropriate for me to keep the information hidden, I could only say such words.
"Exploring? With those glasses...?"
"What about my glasses?"
"You..."
The next hall opened into a wide, crumbling chamber. A statue stood at the center, ringed by empty picture frames. The sculpture depicted a veiled woman with closed eyes and folded hands resting near her stomach.
The tiles on the floor appeared more weathered, cracked, and the windows in the distance, which were too tall for any of us to reach, were shattered, with glass shards spread across the floor.
Behind the statue, the little girl crouched, half-hidden, watching.
"That's the statue of Saint Mary."
Jamie spoke again, angling his selfie stick to catch the moment. His chat scrolled faster than I could read.
'Whatever, it doesn't matter.'
I turned my attention back to the statue. I already knew what it was.
"She was one of the first to awaken and a key architect of the island," Jamie murmured, his expression growing somber. "If not for her, the island wouldn't be floating... and we'd be at the mercy of whatever still stirs below. But even then, that's not enough to stop the mist."
I quietly pursed my lips while listening to Jamie's words.
Indeed, the world wasn't as I had originally imagined it to be.
According to the research I conducted, the floating islands didn't exist a century ago. It was only after a certain accident that the floating islands came to be.
They weren't naturally formed by the world's strange laws. They were manually crafted, torn from the earth and raised into the sky, all to escape what now waited below.
...The mist was what they called it.
The island I stood on was one of many that orbited the central landmass of Adora—the main continent and home to the BUA and the heart of the Vesperine Union.
"Is this what you wanted to see?"
Jamie's voice pulled me back. I turned to him, then shook my head.
"No."
I shifted my attention back onto the little girl. She was still standing behind the statue, looking at it as though it was trying to hint at something. I narrowed my eyes while staring at the statue.
At first glance, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it. Faint cracks traced along its surface, webbing across it in different directions. It was carved from stone, with a part of her hand missing.
'Why does she want me to check the statue?'
I hesitated at first, but soon made up my mind and moved towards the statue.
"What are you doing? Don't touch that."
I ignored Jamie's words and moved closer to the statue. What difference was it going to make if I touched it or not? Stopping before the statue, I closely examined it. That was when I noticed a few subtleties I hadn't noticed before, and I focused my attention on some of the cracks.
'What sort of...'
I narrowed my eyes before slowly bringing my hand forward and touching the statue.
It felt cold to the touch.
But at the same time...
"Ah...?"
It also didn't feel like stone.
"Wha—"
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarkh!"
It was amidst the realization that a muffled scream echoed from the distance. It came from the second floor, and my body tensed.
But only for a moment.
'A scare tactic? Is it time already?'
My first thought was that, as I recalled my current situation and how it was possible that Jamie was trying to scare me.
However, when I slowly turned my head to stare in his direction, I saw him staring at his phone, pale-faced.
He appeared to be typing something very fast.
Was it not him? Or was he acting?
"Wait, hold on."
He tried to smile, but it barely held.
Then—
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Heavy footsteps. Multiple.
Above us.
I felt chills run down my entire body. Jamie also flicked his head up, his face paler than before as he shifted his attention back to his phone, his fingers gliding across the screen at even faster speeds.
I saw that he was trying to call someone.
But—
Du. Du.
There was no response.
His gaze eventually crossed with mine. He looked genuinely rattled.
"Do..."
I frowned and opened my lips when—
THUMP. Thump. Thump!
I heard the sound of the footsteps moving away, coming onto the stairs in the first hall as they rapidly headed our way.
"Oh my god..."
Jamie's fear looked all too real now.
"...We need to go. We can't stay here any longer."
His voice was rushed, and sweat pooled down the side of his face as he grabbed my arm, yanking me back.
But there was just a problem.
"We'll be heading right to them if we go there," I said, pulling my arm back.
"...No, but if we run then—"
"That'd be pointless."
"We still have to try!"
THUMP. THUMP. Thump.
The panic on Jamie's face grew as the steps drew nearer. They were now on the first floor, moving towards us.
I searched the room, desperate for an out, but there was nothing.
Nothing...
Except—
'Wait, the statue!'
I didn't waste a single second and moved towards it.
"Hey, what are you doing!?" Jamie whispered as he tried to pull me back, but I ignored him, tracing my eyes over the statue before raising my hand and knocking on it.
To Tok!
"What are—!"
Jamie stopped the moment I knocked.
He felt it too.
The statue... it was hollow.
"But... how?"
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
The steps were just outside now.
They were numerous. Fast. And directed in our direction.
I didn't waste a second and pressed onto the statue with both hands. The statue moved, and soon enough, a trap door appeared.
"....Oh my god!"
Jamie's eyes widened at the sight, his camera pointed at it as the chat flickered at speeds that I hadn't seen before.
I didn't bother looking at it in depth and pulled the trapdoor open, revealing a long flight of stairs that seemed to lead to a certain darkness.
"Get in."
"In? But—"
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
The steps were closer than ever, and Jamie's entire body shook. Without wasting a second, he rushed into the trapdoor, and I did the same. At the same time, I summoned the Nightwalker and ordered it to move the statue back to its normal place once I was in.
And then—
Clank!
I closed the trapdoor, the darkness swallowing me.
The darkness threatened to swallow me whole the moment the trapdoor slammed shut above. For a second, I stood suspended in nothing.
But then...
It all turned blue.
The Spectral Glasses flickered softly to life, and the underground tunnel emerged around me. Stone walls pressed in from all sides, arm's length in width. The air was dense, and each breath felt clustered.
I could still see.
That was the good news.
The bad news...
The temperature had dropped even further.
I could see my breath curling in front of me, fogging the lenses with each breath. The cold was deeper here, and I was practically shivering at this point.
'W-why is it so cold?'
"Whe... W-where is this?"
Jamie's voice reached me from nearby, and I turned to see him standing not far from me, his selfie-stick held in front alongside his flashlight, which was currently turned off.
I thought for a moment before removing the glasses.
Only then did the darkness truly swallow me.
But at the same time, the cold faded, and I finally felt like I could breathe again.
"...I don't know." My voice echoed quietly. We were in some sort of tunnel, but I had no clue where it led.
But if there was one thing I was sure about, it was that this place gave me the creeps.
"How does this place make sense? Chat, are you seeing this?"
Jamie moved the selfie-stick around, finally turning on the flashlight and waving it across the surroundings.
Despite the situation we were in, his streamer mode was in full swing.
"...This makes no sense at all. Where are we? How come nobody discovered this place before? Did you all... notice the statue? It was fake. But I'm sure it wasn't like this before. There's something... sinister about the situation. And... And..."
His face paled after he recalled something. However, he quickly shut his mouth as his head flicked up.
My head similarly flicked up.
Rattle~
Both of us felt it.
...The subtle rattling that was coming from above.
I immediately felt my skin crawl as I paused for a moment.
Then—
'Run!'
Jamie was the first to rush, moving deeper into the strange tunnel as I followed from behind.
Whoever the people from above were, they were clearly the ones responsible for this tunnel. They were also not some other group that happened to be exploring the same place at the same time.
...The screams from before.
I felt the sheer terror and horror in them.
But who were they?
'Could they be related to the little girl in some way?'
I didn't know. But I wasn't sticking around to find out. The only goal right now was to reach the end of the tunnel and find the exit.
Our footsteps echoed loudly through the tunnel, Jamie's flashlight bouncing ahead.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The footsteps from behind returned, and I slowed down. I couldn't afford to make any noise anymore.
Jamie also understood this as he slowed down as well. Thinking the same thing, we both removed our shoes.
I held my breath and looked behind at the same time.
Darkness.
'Let's go.'
Jamie was the first one to move, and I followed closely behind.
We no longer made any noise as we ran, and as we ran forward, something soon caught our eye.
"....!?"
A faint orange light.
I immediately grew alarmed, and the same was true for Jamie as his steps slowed, but as the steps behind us drew nearer, we had no other choice but to continue.
Thump! Thump!
The orange light grew nearer with every step we took, expanding ahead of us like a slow-burning flame. As we moved closer, a mounting sense of dread crept in, tightening around my chest. Then, through the glow, a room began to take shape, and the breath completely left my body.
'Stop...'
I came to a full stop right as we drew closer to the room, and swallowed nervously.
Jamie was the same, his breath heavy.
Anxiety shot through me as the steps behind continued to draw closer, adding a mounting pressure.
I was just about to move when Jamie extended his hand to stop me and moved the selfie stick forward.
I instantly understood what he was trying to show me as I glanced at the display on Jamie's phone. The camera panned forward, revealing a fairly large room bathed in the flickering glow of candlelight. The dim flames cast long shadows across the space, the source of the warm orange hue.
In the center of the room lay a casket, surrounded by a ring of chairs arranged in some sort of pattern. A red symbol, etched directly into the ground, circled the setup like some kind of ritual seal.
There were more chairs scattered near the edges, along with a few tables and a cabinet pushed off to the side.
I drew a cold breath at the sight, the stuffy air filling my lungs.
"...There's no one," Jamie whispered, pulling the selfie stick back while his voice grew grim. "There's also no exit in sight."
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
His head flicked up the moment he heard the heavy sound of the steps behind, and his face paled.
'Go!'
With no other choice, the two of us entered the room, hastily looking around before settling our gazes onto the large cabinet that seemed to be large enough to fit several people.
We slipped inside, closing the door behind us.
"Haa... Haa..."
Our breathing echoed inside the cramped space. The only light came from the narrow crack between the doors.
Through it, we watched a group in white robes enter.
".....!"
Jamie stiffened as bloodied bodies were dragged in behind them.
I felt my stomach twist.
"Have you found any other people?"
A muffled voice echoed through the confines of the small room as the people in white gathered around the coffin, tossing the two people on the floor.
I stared at them, feeling my mouth grow dry.
Are they alive...? Or...
I couldn't tell.
"I am unsure, but we should continue with the ceremony. We have five more days until it's completed. I've waited long enough for this day."
I paused upon hearing the words.
Five more days?
Wasn't this the exact time when the quest would end? That wasn't a coincidence, was it?
"Yes, let's begin. If any intruders arrive, we will quickly dispose of them."
The people in white moved toward the coffin, each step slow and tense. They slowly lifted the lid, and as it creaked open, a sudden chill filled the air.
Inside lay the body of a young girl.
'That's...!'
I clamped my mouth the moment I caught sight of the body within the coffin, the very hair on my body rising as I felt Jamie's breath grow more ragged, his entire body tensing as he hastily took out his phone, typing incredibly fast.
He was probably calling for help.
...But I didn't think it mattered for now. The chat was seeing what we were seeing. Surely one of them thought of calling the police, or whatever was supposed to come to help.
I leaned closer into the crack, trying to peer into the distant body, and as I looked at it, my expression nearly crumbled.
That...
'That's without a doubt the body of the young girl in the painting.'
I could even see the rope marks on her neck.
Even though it was clear that she was dead, her body appeared extremely well preserved. I felt my lips tremble at the sight.
Holding onto my breath, I leaned closer into the crack.
I wanted to get a better look at the corpse.
But just as I moved closer...
"....!?"
An eye stared back at me.
The moment the eye appeared, it was as if the world around me suddenly froze.
I could discern all the little details of the eye. Brown, but darker than it should've been. Almost too dark. The pupil was wide, unnaturally so, swallowing the light around it as faint lines rippled through the iris, like cracks beneath the surface of glass.
And though it didn't move, I felt it see me.
Really see me.
I stood with my breath held until...
Bang!
Instinct took over. I kicked the door open with everything I had.
"Hurk!"
A muffled cry rang out as every white-cloaked figure turned toward us. It felt as though over a dozen eyes had focused their attention on me.
'Shit!'
Jamie looked terrified. Honestly, so was I. My stomach twisted itself into knots, but maybe all those hours playing horror games paid off—I managed to remain calm enough to just bolt for the exit.
"Run..."
Thankfully, I was fast enough to catch the men in white off guard, arriving before the exit of the room rather quickly.
Jamie was right behind me.
"Intruders!"
"Catch them quickly! They've seen everything! We can't allow them to escape!"
The men chased after us, but the small head start we'd snatched at the beginning gave us just enough space to stay ahead, at least for a while. That gap, however, was shrinking fast.
'What the fuck!? Are they some Olympic athletes or what...!?'
I panicked when I saw the speed at which they were catching up.
But soon, I realized that wasn't the case.
Staring ahead and seeing Jamie move past me with his selfie stick and flashlight, I quickly realized the problem.
...I was the problem.
Fuck!
'I really should start exercising!'
Situations like these were only going to become more commonplace. I had no choice but to get better, otherwise I was done for.
But more important than that...
'I can't let them catch me! They really will kill me if they catch me!'
If I wasn't sure of it before, I was sure of it now. The people who had been dragged by the strange white people before... They were dead.
The trail of blood on the ground was clear proof of that.
"Why does it feel so long?"
I looked ahead and felt like the tunnel leading up to the strange room felt way longer than before. I knew it was merely my imagination, but my lungs were burning as the gap between me and the people in white was shrinking.
'Ah, fuck!'
A hand reached out and barely grazed my shoulder. I clenched my teeth and forced my legs to keep going.
"Over there!"
Finally... stairs. The way up.
Jamie slowed down near the stairs, eyes on the trapdoor above.
"Don't worry about it. Just go!"
I was already prepared in advance for this scenario. With the Nightwalker still above, I quickly told it to remove the statue from the trapdoor if there was one.
"But..."
"We don't have a choice!"
"Okay!"
Gritting his teeth, Jamie scrambled up the stairs and slammed his shoulder into the trapdoor. Clank! It burst open with a sharp creak, and a sudden rush of cool air hit me. Jamie's eyes lit up, hope clear in his eyes as he looked back.
"It worked!"
"Quick!"
I looked back to see the men in white just a few meters away from me, and my heart almost leaped out of my throat as I rushed up the stairs. However, two steps up, and I felt something grasp my left ankle.
"....!?"
I looked back in horror. One of the men in white had a firm grip on my ankle. And in that instant, the hood slipped just enough for me to see what was underneath.
"Got you!"
From beneath the hood, I caught sight of a face.
Sickly pale, with cheeks so hollow it barely looked human. A lump rose in my throat as more figures emerged behind him, each just as creepy. My body tensed for a split moment before I yanked my leg with all the strength I had left.
"Oh, shit!"
As if realizing my predicament, Jamie turned, his selfie stick raised.
Wham!
The camera struck the man's hand. It flinched.
"Let... go!"
Wham! Wham!
Again and again, Jamie slammed the stick down.
And then—
Bang!
With a final blow, the stick shattered. The camera flew back, and the grip on my ankle loosened.
"Quick!"
I grabbed onto Jamie's outstretched hand, picking up the camera that landed not far from me, and we both rushed away, cold sweat trickling down the back of my neck.
'That was too close!'
For a moment there, I almost thought that I was done for.
If not for Jamie, then...
I didn't want to think about it. Looking back and seeing the men in white still present, I knew things were still far from over as I rushed ahead. Jamie followed before me, his expression completely pale.
"First... haaa... hall. Exit. There."
He was also tired, speaking in ragged breaths. However, I understood his message and nodded, running past the exhibition room and towards the entrance of the museum. However, just as we moved past the exhibition room and onto the main hall, the sight that greeted us was a closed door.
Since when?
"Shit!"
BANG! BANG!
Jamie slammed his shoulder into it.
Nothing. It wouldn't budge.
Panic crept in like cold water in my shoes.
Especially when...
Thump! Thump!
The men in white were right behind us.
Jamie grasped the knob, shaking it several times and pulling as hard as he could, but it was futile. The door was sealed tight.
"Oh, no...! It's locked! I can't..."
I tried helping out too, but it was of no use. If only I had more time.
'No, damn it! I know a Second Order mission is supposed to be hard, but not this hard!'
Was there even a way for me to clear it?
The more this dragged on, the more it felt that it was impossible for me to clear this scenario. However, thinking about the possible backup that was coming soon, I knew that all I had to do was resist.
And as such, looking around, I settled my gaze onto the distant stairs and rushed toward them.
Jamie followed quickly behind me as the steps creaked under our feet.
"Over there!"
"They're heading for the second floor."
My heart squeezed as I felt the men in white rush from behind us. I didn't look back and continued moving up the stairs, entering the second floor as I was suddenly plunged into an endless darkness.
I couldn't see where I was going, nor could I see Jamie's light.
Wait, Jamie...?
I looked behind me only to see darkness. Hearing the distant steps that seemed to come from all around, I felt my entire body tense as I reached forward with my hand, grasping the nearby wall.
'What happened? I was sure he was right next to me. Where did he go?'
I wanted to curse, but feeling the steps draw nearer, I knew I couldn't afford to. Without hesitating, I brought the spectral glasses to my face, and the world turned dark blue.
The temperature plummeted, and I felt chills run down every part of my body. A corridor stretched out before me, splitting into three paths lined with doors.
Doors lined both sides of the corridor, stretching into the darkness. I glanced around, then darted down the first hallway, heart pounding as I plunged deeper and deeper, hoping to waste time until something made me stop cold.
"Ah.."
There she was.
The little girl. Standing in the distance, staring at a specific door.
I held my breath the moment I saw her, but simultaneously, my body moved on its own. I had a feeling that she wanted the same thing as me.
As such, I knew she was on my side.
...Or at least, I hoped that was the case.
I still took the gamble.
Clank!
The door creaked open, revealing a room.
One that looked too ordinary to belong in this place. A small bedroom, the kind you'd expect to find in any house, except there was something unsettling about it. A bed sat in the center, flanked by a wardrobe, tables, and chairs, all perfectly arranged as if someone still lived here.
Raising my head up, I saw the little girl sitting on the bed, her legs dangling as I closed the door behind me and held my breath.
At the same time, feeling something, my gaze drifted down to my hand.
That's when I saw it.
The camera from before.
It was pointed directly at my face, a red dot by the side.
'Oh...'
I was still live.
'I'm live? Is it still recording?'
The red dot on the camera seemed to hint at the fact. However, I didn't have Jamie's phone, so I couldn't see the chat or any details. Whether it was recording or not, I really wasn't sure.
I was also suddenly reminded of the main quest.
'Right, thinking about it, I haven't marketed the game yet. That's not good. At the rate things are going, I might never get the chance.'
I glanced around the room, then fixed my gaze back at the camera. This was probably not the right time, but...
"Hello, chat."
Of course, I was whispering.
"...Given my current circumstances, I can't talk too much. However, I wanted to get a certain message across."
I stared intently at the camera.
"I made a horror game called A Regular Day in the Office. It's a very scary game. It was only just recently released, so I wanted to take the chance to let you all know about it. It's only $5 on Dock. Please support me."
Dock was the service where they could purchase the games.
I smacked my lips.
'This should be good enough, right?'
I scratched the side of my face. I really wasn't sure.
However, this was the best I could do given my current circumstances as I turned the camera away and summoned the Nightwalker, telling it to stand in the corner. The Nightwalker wasn't very strong, but it could be enough to deal with a couple of people.
In case the people in white entered the room, I planned on fighting them alongside the Nightwalker.
'The goal right now should be to wait until backup comes.'
I looked around the room before settling my gaze on the window. A thought crossed my mind as I opened it, but I quickly gave up on any thoughts of jumping.
I was too high up.
'...I should've brought some sort of rope.'
I thought about the items in the shop, but sighed when I realized there was nothing that could help me in these circumstances.
Eventually, I settled my gaze on the bed, wardrobe, and desk. After a little bit of thought, I moved towards them and pushed them towards the door.
"Huek!"
They were quite heavy.
Rattle! Rattle!
Thankfully, the Nightwalker was here, and with the two of us working together, I managed to move the wooden wardrobe onto the door.
'I'm sure I made enough noise to attract the people in white.'
Sure enough, a few seconds later, the sound of numerous muffled footsteps reached my ears. I didn't waste a single second and reached for the bed, moving it towards the door, alongside every furniture that was in the room.
BANG!
The door trembled a second later, a narrow gap appearing as a sickly pale hand reached out from behind the door.
My heart shook at the sight
"He's here!" Came a voice from behind the door, hoarse and brittle.
BANG! BANG!
"Kh—!"
I stood by the door, shoving the furniture with all my might, and trying my best to keep the door shut.
At this point, I realized that hiding was pointless.
The stairs that led down to the first floor were probably blocked by the men in white, with them splitting across each corridor to look for us.
It was only a matter of time before they found me.
As such, this was the most appropriate action.
AnotherBANG!
The door trembled again, shuddering under the pressure. Another pale hand emerged from the widening gap, its fingers scraping against the doorframe, desperately reaching for me.
I planted my feet hard into the wooden floor, grounding myself. My muscles screamed, but I shoved the furniture harder, pushing it into the door with all my weight.
And with the aid of the Nightwalker, I was just able to stop the men in white from entering.
"Kh!!!"
All I had to do was resist.
Resist until backup arrived.
I thought I was doing a very good job at keeping the door closed, until...
BANG!
Splinters exploded across my face, making me flinch. I looked up, and there it was: a long, gleaming line of metal stuck into the door.
I froze.
And then—
"....Here you are."
An eye appeared as a long hole appeared on the door.
Fuck!
Who gave these guys an axe!?
The eye moved away, replaced by another swing of the axe.
The door shook violently.
BANG, BANG!
I wanted to curse at my current situation, but I knew that this wasn't the time for that. Hastily reaching out for my phone, I scrambled to look for the recording.
Maybe that could help?
I was a little hesitant. Once the recording played, they wouldn't be the only ones affected. I'd also be affected to some extent, and what if the conductor arrived?
What then...?
BANG!
I flinched and saw the gap on the door widen. It was now large enough to fit an entire hand, as that was exactly what happened as a sickly pale hand reached out from the hole, moving in my direction.
I immediately panicked, but kept my body firm even as the hand brushed against my forehead, nails scraping down my face. I felt a sharp pain on my forehead.
'Shit, fuck! Think...!'
I once again started to think about shop items, scrambling to think of anything that could be of any use.
There were two items that caught my immediate attention.
The "Emergency" Joint – When smoked, it grants perfect luck for 5 minutes... then catastrophic misfortune.
SP - 1010
The Painkiller Tattoo – A tattoo that absorbs injuries for five minutes... then redistributes the pain later.
SP - 1270
Both tempting. But I hesitated. The side effects... Catastrophic misfortune? Pain redistribution?
I didn't know which would be worse, but I couldn't afford to second-guess myself now.
BANG! BANG!
I flinched, my heart slamming against my ribs. They were getting closer.
Anxiety shot through my mind.
'Oh, no..'
It was just as I lowered my head that my eyes focused on my phone.
'Wait...'
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
BANG!
Even more splinters flew, and two hands emerged from the gap on the door, grasping onto my face as I leaned my head back, my entire body drenched in sweat. The door was almost gone now. Any minute now, and they'd enter.
'Fuck it!'
I didn't think anymore and just followed my instinct, using one hand to type something.
The door shook even more fiercely, they were seconds away from breaking the door.
"Almost!"
I whispered, my hands shaking, but I kept typing.
'Ah, there!'
Finally, I tossed the phone aside. The Nightwalker moved toward it, and just like that, it was gone. My heart skipped a beat.
BANG!
The door shattered.
I fell back at the same time as the door shattered, and several people in white entered. I scrambled back, my breath ragged.
"There you are!" one of them growled, raising an axe.
"...You saw too much."
I saw the gleam of the blade as it rose. My breath left my body.
This is it.
And just as the axe was about to fall...
WHEEEEE— WHEEEEE!
A suddenly blaring sound echoed from outside the window, startling the men in white.
"Crap!"
"...The police!?"
I took the chance to rush towards the window and scream.
"They're here! Help!!!! Second floor! Get here quickly!"
My actions seemed to startle the men in, white as they didn't even do anything to me, immediately rushing away from the room, scrambling past the furniture.
"Clear everything!"
Watching them leave, I felt my entire body turn weak as I slumped down, breath ragged, as I covered my face with both hands.
'That was way too fucking close.'
The sound of the siren died down shortly after, and emerging from the window was the Nightwalker as it handed it back to me.
I stared at the video that had now ended before closing my eyes.
'I'm saved...'
The thought only truly settled in a few minutes after, when...
WHEEEEE— WHEEEEE!
The real sirens echoed from the distance.
It was only then that I truly relaxed and stared at the little girl who was waiting at the door, walking away as if nothing had happened.
"Ha "
A small laugh escaped my lips.
"...How boring."
But I was happy she just left.
Otherwise, I truly would've just jumped out the window.
-x-X-x-
"Here, have this to drink."
"...Thank you."
I received the warm cup of water from the police officer as I sat down on the stairs of the abandoned museum, quietly staring at the night sky above.
The event had come to an end.
Or at least, I hoped that was the case. I had yet to receive the quest completion notification.
Nonetheless, seeing the cops around me, I felt a lot safer. My tactic had ended up working somehow, and I was able to scare all the weird cultists away. That bought enough time for the cops to finally show up and for the event to come to an end.
But there was only one problem...
'What about the cultists? Did the cops catch any of them? Did they catch anything...?'
I was worried about this. They had seen my face.
They knew how I looked, and this was what worried me the most.
I looked behind me to see the beams of several flashlights slicing through the darkness behind.
'Nothing, it doesn't seem like they've found anything.'
My heart sank at the sight.
It really did seem like I was in for a lot of trouble. Thankfully, I usually spent most of my time in the Guild.
I felt safe thinking about that.
Surely they wouldn't be able to do anything to me if I were there, right?
"I'm telling you. This is not a setup! This is all legit. We have a stream to prove it."
"But then, how can you explain the things we found on the second floor?"
"That... that was me. I had set it up in advance in order to scare my guest, but everything else is real. I'm telling you!"
A certain conversation brought me out of my thoughts. Turning my head, I saw Jamie talking with one of the police officers, a blanket draped over his body as his arms swung around wildly as he tried to explain the situation.
"Yes, this was originally a prank! But things turned out this way. Timing? I don't know. If possible, I wish I didn't have such timing."
'It seems like they found something on the second floor that makes them think this is all a setup.'
Well, it wasn't like I was unaware of the fact.
Understanding Zoey's personality quite well, I saw this sort of scenario happening from miles away.
I also understood that this cultist scenario wasn't a setup.
It felt too real to be a setup, and sure enough, several officers emerged from within the abandoned building, carrying long white bags.
Judging from their somber expression, I could tell what was within the bags.
'The bodies of the two accomplices that Jamie had brought.'
I drew a cold breath.
They... really had died. It wasn't my imagination.
It was real.
This just reminded me of how close I was to dying myself.
It also made me question the system. If this were a Second Order Mission, just how hard were the higher-order missions?
The thought alone made me want to puke.
I couldn't wait to get back to the dorm and get some sleep.
In fact, looking at the time and seeing that it was almost midnight, I stood up from my spot. It was time for me to leave. I had a certain painting to tend to.
'Huh, wait...'
A thought crossed me as I stood up.
Since I had more or less completed this mission, did I still need to stare at the painting?
Logic said no, but at the same time, I had yet to receive the quest completion notification. I wasn't sure why, but since that was the case, it was best to play it safe and return to the office.
I was just about to do that when a certain voice echoed from behind me.
"You're leaving already?"
I turned around to see a tall man with a neatly trimmed brown beard. His hazel eyes matched the warmth of his hair, which was tucked beneath a hat. Dressed in a dark blue blazer adorned with several gleaming medals, he carried an authoritative air around him.
I looked towards the golden plate on his right chest.
Micheals?
"I was busy with the investigation, so I didn't have time to introduce myself."
The officer held his hand towards me.
"I'm Senior Officer Micheals."
Senior Officer? My right brow rose. He was probably the one in charge of the current operation.
I shook his hand back.
"I'm Seth."
"....Nice to meet you, Seth."
"Pleasure is mine."
The Senior Officer looked around before moving to the side. I followed along.
"Alright, I called you aside because I wanted to talk to you about the current situation. I'm already mostly aware of the stream and have watched it, so I doubt asking you many questions will help with the situation. It'll just be a waste of time. All I can do is fill you in on what we found out."
"I see."
I was starting to like this Senior Officer. Straight to the point.
"Well, first things first, we weren't able to find the body of the little girl. By the time we arrived at the secret chamber, it was already gone."
"...Oh."
To be honest, I figured something like this would happen.
The timeframe for when the cultists ran away from the siren and when the real police came was approximately five minutes. That was more than enough time for them to get the body and run away.
"We've already started a search mission around, but so far we've yet to luck out."
The Senior Officer paused while looking at me, his expression somewhat grim.
"We also have reason to believe that the group's motives behind the girl's preservation are not as simple as some cultist tradition. Our initial investigation makes us believe she was being used as a possible ingredient."
"Ah?"
Ingredient? For what?
"You don't need to understand this stuff, considering that you seem to just be a normal citizen. And taking into consideration your circumstances, I am afraid that this might not be the last time you see them. For that reason, I'll have no choice but to escort you back to your residence. We might also have to place you under witness protection."
"That's..."
I guess I was fine with that. Not that it was necessary.
Still, I was really curious about what he meant by ingredient. The curiosity was killing me, but I managed to hold myself back.
'I'll just ask Kyle later.'
He probably knew.
But most importantly...
"I need to be back by one. Is that okay?"
"One?"
The officer looked at me weirdly, but after a while, he flicked his wrist and checked the time.
"That can be done."
"...That's great."
I was starting to like this officer more and more.
"Well, for now, I'll head back and take care of some matters. I'll come and find you in a couple of minutes. Is that alright?"
"Yes."
I readily nodded my head before watching the Senior Officer enter the museum again. I was just about to sit down and get a few minutes of rest when I felt a hand suddenly tug me on the shoulder.
"Dude!"
"Ah...?"
I turned to see Jamie's face near my shoulder, his eyes wide for some reason.
What...
I was just about to pull away when he suddenly shoved his phone to my face.
"Look! Just look!"
"Wha... ah?"
Pulling my head back, I narrowed my eyes before settling my gaze on his phone. It was then that I saw it, and my heart almost leaped out of my chest.
● Live
Viewers: 37 567
"The stream..."
Jamie's voice came out hoarse.
"It's starting to go viral!"
Viral...?
I stared at Jamie's phone screen, my eyes focusing on the chat that rolled down rapidly. It was moving so fast that I could hardly see a thing. But that wasn't all.
The number of viewers...
'Wasn't it way lower before?'
Yes, it was.
It was almost thirty times more. This was hard for me to process. Why were there so many viewers?
Surely the stream of me almost dying wasn't that entertaining, right?
"This is nuts... I've never seen so many viewers before."
Overhearing Jamie's mumbles, I turned to look at him and then towards the distance, where I saw the police officers bring the bodies into a van.
Weren't they his friends?
Why did he look so unconcerned?
"Oh, crap!"
Jamie suddenly looked around, hastily patting his pants and clothes.
"Where's the camera? Shit...! We must've dropped it before! I need to talk to chat. I—"
"If it's about the camera, the Senior Officer should have it."
Cutting Jamie off, I explained the situation to him. About how I had grabbed the camera, and once all this was over, I handed it to the Senior Officer for review.
"Oh."
Jamie's face deflated after learning about the situation.
I felt my eyes narrow when looking at him.
"Stream aside..."
I turned towards the distant van.
"...Your two friends died. Why do you seem so unconcerned?"
"Hm?"
Jamie turned before his face fell.
"Right, yeah."
He scratched the back of his head.
"They're not exactly my friends. It was purely a business transaction."
His words sounded cold as he spoke. However, after a brief pause, his face fell a little.
"And... It's not like I'm not affected, but I've seen stuff like this happen so much that I just try not to let it affect me. My parents died like that too... I'll eventually hit me. For sure. I just try to delay that for as long as possible."
"....Oh, I see. You have my condolences."
"Thanks."
Perhaps he was the type of person who didn't like to display weakness when there were people around. The type that liked to suffer in silence.
He was also most likely using this situation to take his mind off these matters.
'If that's the case, then it makes more sense.'
But nonetheless, I wouldn't have been surprised if he didn't care at all. This world's common sense was messed up.
"Oh, look."
As Jamie tugged my shoulder, he shoved the phone right next to my face as he snickered.
"Look at the chat."
Chat?
I blinked, then looked towards the chat. However, the moment I tried, I felt my head throb. It was... moving way too fast for me.
"Oh, right. Sorry."
As if noticing my struggle, Jamie apologized before he made a few adjustments.
The chat slowed down, and it was only then that I was able to see the chat.
—This wasn't fake, right? That was... intense.
—Ong. That shit was crazy. What kind of dogshit like did they have to encounter something like this?
—...And talk about the guy with the sunglasses. I thought he was just there for the comedy, but he was a total lunatic.
—Yeah, who tf was he?
—Does anyone know the identity of the lunatic with the sunglasses? Does he have a streamer code?
"....."
Reading the chat, I didn't know how to react. I just felt my face slowly growing more and more grim.
Especially seeing everyone call me by the same name.
Lunatic with the sunglasses?
'That's stupid. How am I a lunatic? I'm obviously a victim here.'
"Pfttt."
Jamie, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying the situation, laughing as he looked at the chat.
"Kuek... Lunatic with the sunglasses... kak."
He cackled while nudging my shoulder.
"That's... kuek!"
He was really starting to piss me off.
But then, just as he was about to laugh again, he stopped, and I watched as his face gradually started to fall.
I only needed to look once to know why.
—This stream was obviously fake. Come on, why are you all believing this shit?
—Yeah, lmao. You'd have to be stupid to believe this sort of shit. There's just no way they meet a cult the same fucking day they go explore the place. This shit is so obviously staged.
—....They must've paid a shit ton of money for the production.
—They're all like this anyway. Most stuff is fake these days.
"My ass is fake!"
It was?
"The hell do you mean fake? You think that the deaths are fake and that I didn't just almost lose my life?"
He looked really pissed by the claims as he hurriedly started to type on the phone. He was writing all sorts of colorful words to fight back.
I just shook my head and placed my hand over his shoulder.
"Just stop."
"Huh? What? Why would I stop? Are you seriously okay with them saying that our stuff was fake after everything that we've gone through? I don't know about you, but I..."
"Just look around you."
I pointed towards the cop around us before looking back at him.
"Once they're done with their investigation, they'll release a police report. If anyone doubts that what happened is fake, tell them to just check the police report about the situation. Nobody will be able to say a single thing then."
"...Ah."
Jamie's hand paused then. He seemed to have suddenly been enlightened as he struggled to find any words to say.
Then, with a chuckle, he looked at his phone and shook his head.
"You're right. I got too heated."
"...Alright."
Jamie then proceeded to write one single thing in the chat.
—To those who believe this is fake, a police report will soon come out. You can check it out yourself once it's out.
The chat exploded shortly after his words, but Jamie ignored it and put his phone away, taking a deep breath while staring at the night sky.
His shoulders started to relax.
...And as a subtle silence settled over us, he finally broke the silence.
"You know, this was supposed to be a setup, right? I was asked by someone to scare you and embarrass you on stream."
"I know."
"I just wanted to—Uh?"
Jamie's head snapped in my direction, and I shrugged.
"I overheard your conversation with the cops earlier."
"Ohhh..."
Jamie put up an embarrassed expression.
"Actually, yeah... I was supposed to scare you. I did it because my channel was dying and I wanted to revive it. I didn't think a situation like this would've happened, though."
"....It's not like things turned out bad for you."
"I guess you're right."
Jamie chuckled before moving his phone in my direction. I raised my brow.
What did he want?
"Give me your contact. If you ever need my help, just call me. I'll try my best to help you."
"Uh? But—"
"Are you going to give it, or not?"
I raised both of my hands and obliged. There was no way I was going to reject such an offer. Depending on how well he took advantage of the current situation, I could see him doing exceptionally well in the future.
'When the time comes, I'll just have him advertise my new game.'
This wasn't a chance I was going to waste.
"Alright, I'll be heading off now. Call me if you need anything from me in the future."
"...Will do."
Watching Jamie leave, I stood waiting for several minutes before the Senior Officer arrived, and I moved towards the back of his car.
"I'll bring you home now. I've already gotten your address."
"Oh, okay."
This saved me some trouble.
'I'm really tired.'
This entire event had probably shaved five years off my life. As the car started and we started to move, my eyelids gradually started to grow heavier.
I was just about to fall asleep when...
Ding!
My phone buzzed, and a notification appeared.
Looking down, I read the notification.
———
Hello, we are currently reviewing your game A Regular Day in the Office, due to a sudden spike in purchases, which has raised a potential concern about botting activity. We will follow up with you shortly once the review is complete.
———
I quickly sobered up.
"???"