"We're here. Everyone off the bus."
The ride took longer than expected. Despite the Guild's reassurances, word of the anomaly had already begun to spread, and people were starting to abandon their homes.
This resulted in quite a bit of traffic forming.
"Uwa..."
"My back is sore. That took way longer than I expected."
"I hope we get to rest a bit. I feel like my back is killing me."
Coming out of the bus, I could hear the complaints of the other members as I calmly walked out of the bus and looked around.
A wide street stretched out before me, lined on both sides with identical houses, each with a triangular roof, a driveway, and two stories. Each house had a well-maintained garden, and several people in uniform appeared by the door of each house.
They were all holding onto notepads, and each wore sunglasses.
'Are they from the bureau?'
They didn't look like they belonged to the Guild, which made this the only explanation that I could think of.
Looking back, I could also see the other buses arrive.
The place started to become even rowdier.
"Where is the support team? If there's anyone from the support team, come here."
Shouting was the same man from before as he raised his hand while looking around. I scratched the back of my head before walking over to him.
Spotting me, he paused.
"You're from the support team?"
"...Yes."
"Okay, wait here."
He looked around and waved his hand again.
"Where is the support team? If there's anyone from the support team, come here."
He continued to shout the same phrase over and over again, and by the time several minutes had passed, five people had gathered. They were composed of two girls and three guys. The girls both had shoulder-length hair, differing from brown to black, while the guys all had short black hair.
Their faces... weren't anything to praise, but they didn't look bad as they all seemed to know each other.
I was probably the only one who wasn't familiar with the others.
"Since everyone is here, follow me. I need you all to check up on the subjects before we release them."
Subjects?
I was confused, but I nonetheless followed as we were brought directly to one of the houses.
The agent from the bureau standing by the entrance merely glanced at us before letting us in.
"This place is not bad at all."
"...Looks even better than my place."
"Right?"
Overhearing their conversation, I looked around. Well... it was better than my dorm, that was for sure. Although it had nothing fancy, it had all the necessities. From a large TV to a sofa, and flowers.
Looking around, I felt a little envious.
'When can I get a house like this?'
I could technically buy one when the money came in from the games, but unfortunately, I needed the money to buy shop items and fragments.
'Now that I think about it, I still haven't checked the Second Order shop.'
Now that I was a Second Order, I could access it.
I wasn't in a rush, though.
I was... in a bit of a financial crisis at the moment.
"Y-you will really... let me go if I do this? Are you... sure? You're not lying, right?"
Walking past the living room and into the kitchen area, two people appeared before us. One was a man wearing an orange jumpsuit, while the other was another agent from the bureau.
As if noticing our presence, they both looked in our direction.
"You've finally arrived."
The agent turned towards the man in the jumpsuit and said, "You stay here. I'll be going out for a few minutes. Don't even think about escaping. The moment you do the deal is off."
Then, without looking back, he left for the living room as we followed behind.
Eventually coming to a stop, he handed a file to the Team Leader.
"His name is Jason Fingler. He's forty-eight years old, and he's the man I'd like you all to check on. Although he looks harmless, he's killed seven women in total."
Killed seven people?
I blinked my eyes and thought back to the appearance of the man in the jumpsuit.
He was neither charming nor handsome. With his lanky frame, bald patch at the back of his head, graying hair, and round, wire-framed glasses, he didn't look like someone who could harm a fly.
He was the last person I'd expect to be a serial killer.
"I want all of you to check for any abnormalities in him immediately. Once the test concludes, if he survives, I want him tested again. Gather as much data as possible. The Bureau wants this anomaly to remain classified as Melas. No one wants to see it escalate to Thrall Class."
I was a little taken aback by the way the agent was speaking.
It was as though he had no concern at all about whether the man died or not.
Then again... This man was a serial killer.
"Don't worry. We'll have them checked right now. Are there more we need to check later?"
"A few others, but we can leave those out for later."
"Got it."
The Team Leader turned to look in our direction.
"What are you waiting for? Go... Check up on the subject."
"Yes!"
"On it..."
The Team Leader didn't follow us as we headed back towards the kitchen. It was there that the man appeared, quietly sitting in one of the chairs.
"A-are you here to check up on me?"
His voice was a little shaky as he spoke. Looking at him, I started to doubt if he really was a serial killer.
'It doesn't even look like he could kill a fly.'
"Yes, we are."
Stepping forward was the short-haired girl with brown hair. With a distinctive mole at the bottom of her chin, she smiled kindly at the man.
"My name is Rosanne. I'll be here to check up on your health. Please stay still."
Rosanne began to move behind the man while placing her hand against his back.
"Breathe in slowly. Keep your heart rate normal."
"...O-okay."
The man quietly nodded while closing his eyes and leaning forward a bit. His chest rose and fell as he listened to Rosanne's instructions.
A strange silence filled the room shortly after that as Rosanne continued to give instructions.
In the meantime, the others jotted down a few things while observing the situation.
Err...
On the other hand, I was at a total loss.
Everyone looked really busy. What was I supposed to do?
If it's like this then—
BANG!
"...!"
A thunderous crash jolted me out of my thoughts as my head snapped up towards the 'harmless' man as he swiftly turned around and reached for Rosanne's neck.
"I'll kill you!!!!"
It was as if he had turned into a completely different person.
His bloodshot eyes bulged with murderous intent, his face contorting sinisterly. Every muscle in his face twisted, twitching... as though something had taken over him completely, his hands lunging out for Rosanne.
"Help!"
"Holy shit!"
"Quick!"
The others sprang into action. Without wasting a second, they dashed toward the serial killer, grabbing him from behind and forcing him to the ground.
"Arkhhhh—! Kill! Kill!!!"
Froth bubbled at the corners of his mouth. Spit sprayed as he thrashed, his gaze locked on Rosanne with a hatred so raw it felt inhuman. His hand dug at the floor, scraping it as he desperately reached for her.
"Die!!!"
Rosanne stumbled back, her face startled but at the same time somewhat rational. Perhaps... this wasn't the first time she had witnessed something like this.
But I...
I was left at a complete loss by the scene.
"Hey!"
It took a certain shout to snap me out of it as one of the members from the support squad shouted in my direction.
"Quick! Call for the Team Leader!"
It was only then that I sprang into action and hastily moved out of the room.
This...
'I didn't make a mistake coming, right?'
-x-X-x-
"What happened?"
The Team Leader and the Agent from the Bureau were pretty quick to arrive. They didn't look that startled by the situation as they came in without any real signs of fluster. Rather, their calmness almost felt a little odd to see.
"Kill!! I'll kill—!"
It also didn't take long for them to figure out what had happened.
"Okay, I'll take it from here."
With a flick of his finger, the death-row inmate suddenly froze in place.
"I'll k—Uekh!"
The sight was startling to watch.
All he did was flick his finger, and... he was incapacitated. Although I couldn't tell how strong he was, I was sure that he could do the same thing to me if he wished.
"The six of you go back to the living room for now. I'll take care of the situation here."
"Yes, sir!"
Despite what had happened, none of the recruits looked startled or even scared.
It was an oddly weird sight to me.
'...Feels like this is probably something they are used to.'
My thoughts were proven right the moment we came into the living room.
"Uwa... That almost scared me."
"Right? Crazy... I thought he was going to gouge your eyes out. For a moment, I was ready to pick up whatever was left of you."
"Kek, you wish."
As if the situation had never happened, the five of them joked and laughed with one another.
What sort of...
"You look confused, newbie."
Someone tapped me on the shoulder, and when I turned, I saw one of the members smiling at me. He had a square jaw, framed by his bowl-cut hair, and squared-framed glasses.
"I was also the same as you at first, but you get used to the sight. The support squad tends to deal with lunatics, so this is normal. In fact, you can even say it's somewhat mild."
What?
This was somewhat mild?
I suddenly started to shudder while thinking about what 'not mild' was like. If possible, I didn't want to have any part in that.
"What are you doing, Jay? You're scaring the newbie on his first day."
Overhearing the conversation, Rosanne, the one subjected to the assault, shook her head while looking at me.
"Don't mind him. He's messing with you. This is nowhere near mild. Probably something like... normal."
"Yeah, pretty much."
"I guess normal is a good way to put it."
Seeing the others agree with her, I forced a smile.
This didn't help much...
"Anyways, I think we should all introduce ourselves since we're going to be working together."
Rosanne pointed at herself.
"I'm Rosanne. I'm in charge of body analysis. Basically... I can fondle your body to see if there's anything wrong with you."
"...Oh."
What a great way to word things.
She then pointed at the man next to me.
"That's Jay. He's also basically the same, but he specializes more in hormonal detection. He can detect if there's some sort of imbalance in the hormones, and he can quickly adjust them."
That... sounded pretty neat, actually.
Rosanne then pointed at the other girl in the group.
"This right here is Chloe. She should be similar to you. She specializes in human psychology."
Chloe felt a bit different than Rosanne, as in her disposition was a lot colder. However, her hair was similarly short, with it being black instead of brown. Her most distinctive trait was the freckles on her nose.
'I guess she can be considered somewhat pretty?'
Not really my type, but I could see how she'd attract the gaze of the opposite sex.
"These two, on the other hand, are Ray and Mark."
This left the other two members. Both average in height, with Ray being on the chubbier side, while Mark looked to be the oldest one in the group.
Meeting my gaze, they both laughed.
"Hoho, can't believe we've got someone new here."
"We finally have another person to suffer with us."
The two looked friendly, but their words... They didn't feel so friendly.
"You two, stop it."
Rosanne slapped the air.
At least she seemed reasonable...
"What's the point in telling him? That kind of ruins the fun in it. Now he expects it... A good jumpscare happens when they least expect it."
Nevermind.
I take it all back.
These people... They were sick in the head.
"Anyways, it looks like it'll take a while for the Team Leader to handle the situation. Do you know what you're supposed to do?"
"Me? Well... more or less."
I didn't really have to do anything.
Maybe a little therapy here and there. Basically... say some bullshit while using my phone to hynpnothise them.
"Nice, nice."
Rosanne looked all cheery as she looked at me.
"Since you're ready, let's go."
"Eh?"
Go? Where?
"We're going to visit the other houses and check on the other inmates. Let's go quickly. The faster we get this done, the better!"
Skipping slightly, she headed for the door.
The others followed right behind her.
"Wait, don't go too fast. I just hate so my stomach is a little upset."
"Shouldn't have eaten then."
"The bus ride was long though..."
Staring at their backs, I paused for a moment before pursing my lips.
We were going to be attacked again, weren't we?
*
"I'll kill you! Die!!!"
We were indeed attacked again. Not once, but three times in total. Adding this, and it was now four.
"Stop him!"
"Quick! Just stop him for a moment!"
"He's fast!"
I moved by instinct, dashing towards the death-row inmate. He stood a head taller than me, his entire body built like some sort of mountain as veins protruded on his bald head.
Logically speaking, it should've been impossible for me to do a single thing to him.
And yet—
BANG!
I somehow managed to flip him over with a single move.
"....."
The room fell silent a short while later as Rosanne and the other looked at me.
And then—
"Holy shit! How are you so strong?"
"Are you sure you're in the support class?"
"That was nuts."
"No, seriously... that was crazy. How did you manage that?"
I could only force a smile while looking at them.
"I... did some self-defense classes in the past. I guess they helped out a bit."
This was total bullshit.
I had never fought in my entire life, nor did I know the first thing about throwing a punch. I didn't even use my powers.
And yet... I was still somehow able to throw a man twice my size onto the ground.
'Could this be because I reached the Second Order?'
Did I not only acquire a node but also become physically stronger?
"Self-defense? What sort of classes did you take? There's no way."
"Yeah, I call bullshit on that. There's definitely more to it than you're saying."
I started sweating when I saw that the excuse wasn't working.
Shit...
This wasn't something that I was aware of.
As my thoughts scrambled, I responded in the only way that I could think of.
"Kyle trained with me, so..."
Everything stopped.
"....."
"....."
Nobody made a sound, until...
"Kyle?"
"You mean that Kyle?"
"Wait, I do recall hearing that he was the one who brought you here. If that's the case, then..."
"Makes much more sense, yeah."
I blinked my eyes, at a complete loss. They bought it? Just like that...?
"Kyle was like this in his first year. I guess you guys must've gone to the same trainer."
"It explains so much."
Oh.
I mean, as long as you're happy...
I was just about to open my mouth to say a few things when all of a sudden my phone rang.
Trr!
Looking down, a notification appeared.
[Everyone, go to the main building. All checks are complete. We're about to start.]
The atmosphere suddenly seemed to shift in that moment.
Raising my head, the members of the support squad all wore somber and grim expressions. They had all apparently gotten the same message.
Moving forward, Rosanne mumbled, her voice somber.
"Let's go. Our job is just about to get started. This might be a long night."
Wait, what?
This was just the start?
What sort of...
-x-X-x-
The main building in question wasn't far from where we were.
A small crowd had already gathered as we arrived. I spotted Kyle almost immediately. He was speaking with a few Guild members. They all surrounded him, speaking to him animatedly.
I thought about reaching out to him, but then decided against it.
There were simply too many people, and...
"Let's go. We should be headed this way."
There was also the fact that Rosanne and the others were ushering me towards a different area. In the end, I let out a breath and followed, keeping close as we were led into a room.
The room was relatively small, with a gray carpet beneath and a large metallic desk in the middle with several seats around.
Waiting in the room were a couple of people.
Two appeared to be agents from the Bureau, while the other was the Team Leader from before.
"You guys are here."
He greeted us in his low husky tone.
"Find yourself a comfortable spot. We're going to be here for a while."
His attention shifted to a monitor in front of him, one of many mounted to the wall opposite to the desk. Each displayed a nearly identical room. The only difference was the person inside.
I recognized a few.
"The Anomaly tends to act around nighttime. Keep watch of all the cameras and see if you can spot anything. We'll immediately send a team to the rescue if something goes wrong."
The room fell silent shortly after his words.
Even the usually chatty support unit had grown grim. A quiet unease settled over the room.
I checked the time.
[21:34]
Tik Tik—
The clock echoed louder than it should have.
...And so did my heart.
*
Time began to pass.
The entire time, nobody made a noise as they all focused their attention on the monitors ahead.
The inmates remained in their rooms. Some slept, others flipped through books, and a few bounced elastic balls against the walls in a steady, mindless rhythm. A handful stood by their windows, watching nervously as the darkness swallowed everything outside, only the faintest trace of moonlight slipping in to brush the wooden floor.
A strange sense of suffocation took over the room as we quietly waited for something to happen.
Anything.
Tik Tik—
The ticking of the clock appeared to be even more pronounced as I quietly focused on a certain monitor.
There, I could see an all too familiar inmate.
He was the one who had made the largest impression.
How could he not have when he was the first inmate to attack?
He was curled beneath his blanket, eyes wandering blankly, body pulled tight into itself.
At first, nothing seemed wrong.
But...
'Doesn't he look a little pale?'
Looking closer, his entire face was pale. He was also tucking himself into the sheets... almost as though he was trying to hide from something.
I wasn't the only one to notice the abnormalities.
Soon, the Team Leader and the others noticed it as the room started to tense.
The Team Leader brought a certain device to his mouth. Some sort of walkie talkie.
"Inmate 701, is everything okay? Is something happening?"
—.....
No response.
It was almost as though the inmate couldn't hear the voice at all.
'No, he probably didn't hear it.'
Looking closely, his pupils appeared completely dilated, as though he was staring at something extremely scary.
"What is he staring at?"
"....He doesn't seem to be staring at anything."
There was no one else in the room. It was just the inmate. And yet, from his body language, it was clear that he was staring at something.
"There!"
Right then...
The moonlight shifted.
And for a fraction of a second... something flickered into view.
It was tall, lanky, and elongated.
It was only brief, but it appeared, and in that moment, the tensions within the room rose to an all-time high.
"Team Leader?"
All eyes fell on the Team Leader, waiting for his next words.
"What should we do?"
"Should we report this to the main squads? Should we—"
"No, not yet."
The Team Leader raised his hand and stopped the others, his eyes narrowing.
"Team Leader...?"
"Wait, Team Leader... If we don't act now, then I'm afraid that—"
"It doesn't matter. This is a scum who killed several people already. What does it matter if they die? Just keep watching. Take in everything that you're about to see."
The Team Leader's words were cold and merciless, plunging the room into a certain coldness that almost felt too real.
But at the same time, the others didn't complain any further.
They all just stared at the monitors with solemn expressions.
They were waiting.
Waiting for something.
And then—
—Stay back! Stay back...!
The inmate shot upright, his whole body shaking.
—I said move back! Move back!!
His voice cracked, almost screeching as he hurriedly reached out for a device similar to that of the Team Leaders.
—Help! Someone help me!! It's here! Help me!
The sense of despair and helplessness was clear in his voice.
He kept shouting, begging for help.
But...
The Team Leader continued to watch on in silence, staring at the recording without any trace of emotion.
—Help!!! Someone help me!!
Even as the inmate's screams pierced the room, he looked unfazed.
In fact, he even began to lower the volume. As though he found the screams annoying.
His eyes remained fixed on the video.
Waiting for the inevitable to occur.
And it soon did.
—Ahhhhhhh!
Another scream pierced the room. This time, the scream was more heartwrenching.
Within the video, the inmate stopped moving, his entire eyes dilating as he tried to struggle.
However, as though an invisible force trapped him, he couldn't move, as if something had sealed him in place.
—Ahhh! Please help! Ahhh!
His screams continued, his gaze turning more and more pale as he stared ahead of him. Staring towards the entity that we couldn't see, but he could see.
It was right before him.
Staring at him.
And then—
Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, the inmate's body began to wither. His cheeks sank in, and his eyes grew dark and hollow.
—Ahhh! Ahh!
Even his screams turned huskier as the very blood in his body started to get sucked away from him.
I held my breath while staring at the scene, my body secretly shuddering, and my legs tensed around the chair beneath me.
The room was quiet, with all eyes focused on the gruesome scene ahead.
I wanted to make it stop.
I wanted to tear my eyes away from the scene.
But instead...
I slowly retrieved a pair of sunglasses and put them on.
That was when I saw it.
My entire body shuddered.
Especially when I saw it turn its body to look at me.
Our eyes met, and I pulled the glasses away.
'Shit.'
-x-X-x-
"....."
I felt nauseous staring into its eyes.
How could I even describe its figure?
It was just like its name.
Twisted.
But not in the way a branch might twist, or cloth might fold. No... this was unnatural.
Its limbs were too long. Joints angled where there shouldn't be joints. Half its body looked broken, as if it had tried to turn itself inside out and stopped halfway.
It didn't move. Not yet.
But even standing still, it felt pressuring.
My skin prickled. My stomach churned. My legs refused to listen.
Everything in me screamed.
Don't look at it.
And yet I couldn't look away.
And in that stillness, staring into its twisted form, I finally understood.
The conductor's warning.
This figure...
This anomaly...
It wasn't like the others. Not like the conductor. Not like Mirelle. Not even like the Dreamwalker.
This one was different.
I didn't need logic to grasp it. I felt it. In my skin. In my bones. In the pit of my stomach.
This wasn't an anomaly bound by rules or reason.
This was something else entirely.
This was... Evil incarante.
Deee! Deee—
It was then that an alarm jolted me out of my thoughts. Staring into the monitor, the twisted figure was long gone, and in its place was a mummified husk that I had grown somewhat familiar with.
Deee! Deee—!
The alarm grew louder as the entire room flared red.
"What's going on?"
"What is this alarm?"
The others grew alarmed at the sight, looking around in confusion as the Team Leader's expression grew somber.
He didn't panic like the others and immediately pressed a certain button as a figure appeared on one of the monitors. Their features were obscured, and so was their voice.
However, everyone in the room could hear it clearly.
—There's been a situation.
The monitors shifted, displaying several different beds in which mummified figures appeared.
".....!"
The eyes of many changed as they saw the mummified figures spasm uncontrollably, their lifeless eyes and faces shaking.
—Despite having been declared functionally braindead and in a vegetative state, the previous victim of the Twisted Man are currently suffering from the same violent seizures.
The rattling displayed in the monitors intensified as the mummified figures continued to shake, several people in white coats moving next to them and injecting their bodies with what I could only assume to be some sort of tranquilizer.
But even that seemed to be useless.
—We've also detected several anomalous activities around the island. Of which, one is happening right close to where you all are.
A map of the island was displayed on another monitor, with several dots appearing at the same time.
—These are the locations of the activities. We've yet to find any connection, but we will begin the investigation immediately.
The details being revealed at this very moment felt extremely disturbing as everyone looked at one another.
Everyone but me... as I slowly removed the glasses from my face.
Sweat poured down the side of my cheeks while my chest rose and fell repeatedly, my legs weaker than usual.
I could hardly breathe while thinking about the twisted figure from before.
That... That thing...
How could something like that exist?
I shuddered just thinking about it.
—This is it for now. I will be reporting more on the situation once we find out more.
The call ended just like that.
Silence fell over the room shortly after as the Team Leader stood in silence.
Then—
"Get the teams to start moving. Have each one on standby at each respective house. The situation is starting to change. I'm afraid..."
His tone grew grim.
"...We might be heading towards a Thrall class."
And as if his words weren't enough to make my chest heavy, a notification appeared shortly after.
[You have been haunted]
*
The next morning.
Following the events that transpired during the night, all personnel had been dispatched around all houses, ready to engage at any moment.
However, nothing truly happened the entire night.
Despite everyone being on high alert, the twisted man never returned.
It was as if it had vanished right after acting once.
By the time daylight returned and the teams were sure the twisted man wasn't going to return, many decided to go get some sleep. The Guild, prepared for this kind of aftermath, had thrown together a makeshift housing unit.
It was simple and had all the necessary facilities.
I wish I could've done the same.
"...."
I lay there, motionless.
Eyes fixed on the ceiling.
The weight of the room pressing down on me.
The bed pulled at my body like it wanted to swallow me whole.
And I let it.
I didn't move.
I couldn't.
Each time I tried to sleep, the image of the twisted man would appear in my mind, preventing me from closing my eyes.
...And all of it came as a result of the notification that had appeared not too long ago.
'The glasses... They're a lot more dangerous than I previously thought.'
It allowed me to see things that others couldn't, but at the same time, allowed 'others' to feel and sense me.
I understood that the twisted man was aware of my existence.
It was going to come for me.
But... it needed a specific requirement in order to haunt me. So long as I didn't follow the requirement, I was safe.
...Or at least, I hoped that would be the case.
I pressed my lips tightly.
"No, I can't leave this up to chance."
Sitting up on the bed, I threw the sheets away and got up. There was no point in trying to sleep since I knew that it was impossible for me to do so.
Going out of the room I was in, I walked out to find a mess waiting for me.
"We're tired! Do something about the situation!"
"We can't live like this!"
"Give our homes back! If you can't figure the situation out, you may as well leave!"
A large mob stood outside the makeshift residential area for the field agents as they each held onto banners and posters that said [Get out!], [You are useless!].
The crowd didn't look pleased at all.
I was just about to turn back when a hand pressed against my shoulder.
".....!"
Caught off guard, I almost flinched, but the moment I turned my head, I saw the rat standing next to me. His dimples stood out once more to me.
"Couldn't get any sleep?"
"...None. I take it that you are also the same?"
"Something like that."
The rat answered ambiguously, staring at the distant mob with a complicated expression.
"If only they knew just how much we work each day. Feels like complaining is a lot easier when you're ignorant of the matter."
"You can say that."
But then again, it probably didn't matter.
Even if they knew how much effort we poured into figuring it all out...
The mob wouldn't care.
They just wanted to be safe. That was really all they wanted.
And this was the job that the Guild was in charge of. Looking around, I took a deep breath while slowly pulling out my glasses again.
Staring at them, I looked at them with a complicated expression.
Although I didn't really want to use them, I knew that they were also the key to helping me in this situation.
But I held on using them just yet.
Slowly turning my head to look at Myles, I pointed towards one of the distant houses.
"Since you can't sleep. Want to go check out one of the places while we're at it?"
Although the rat was the last person that I wanted to go with, I didn't want to go alone.
That'd be way too scary.
And so for that reason, I made the offer. This seemed to catch him off guard as the dimples on his face momentarily faltered.
But then they returned. Deeper this time.
He smiled.
"It'd be my pleasure."
It was also in that moment that it happened.
I received a sudden quest.
[Bonus Quest Activated!]
• Difficulty: Second Order
• Reward: 15,000 SP
• Objective: Find out more about the Twisted Man.
• Location: Malovia Island
Description: The Twisted Man has once again made an appearance. With each victim dying faster than before, and its strength slowly increasing, there isn't much time before the Twisted Man evolves. Find out more about the Twisted Man and how it manages to escape! But be aware... The Twisted Man knows about your appearance!
Time Limit: 1 day.
I drew a cold breath while staring at the quest.
In particular, the last sentence made my body involuntarily shiver. Even though I was already aware, seeing it written down before my very eyes made me extremely apprehensive.
The only silver lining about the situation was the difficulty.
It was only at the Second Order.
This most likely meant I wouldn't have to deal with the Twisted Man.
At least... I hoped that'd be the case.
"I'm surprised you asked me to come instead of Kyle. Wouldn't things have been much easier if he had come along?"
Managing to walk past the mob in front of the make-shift building, the rat continued to speak. He looked to be in a good mood today.
Was he that happy that I invited him to join me?
"I'm sure he's a lot more qualified than I. What made you want to go with me?"
The fact that people would immediately notice if Kyle went missing?
The fact that I didn't want to go alone?
...And the fact that I didn't know anyone else?
There were plenty of reasons.
Still, it wasn't like I could just tell him that.
I merely shrugged my shoulders and gave the most random answer.
"I just felt like it."
"Oh. That's nice."
Thankfully, the rat didn't seem to mind my answer at all. He just looked happy as we walked towards a specific house.
Spotting the familiar place, we both stopped.
Yellow tape appeared to surround the entire house, preventing anyone from entering as agents appeared all around.
'Looks like this might be more difficult than expected.'
I thought while staring at the distant building. Looking at all the agents around, I realized that getting in was probably going to be a challenge.
...At least, that was what I thought at first.
"Hello."
Stepping forward, the rat took out an ID badge and displayed it to one of the agents.
Turning his attention towards me, the agent nodded his head and raised the tape as the rat waved at me.
"Come on, let's go."
"....."
Staring at him, I didn't know what to say.
He got in just like this? That...
"You know, the tapes are only there to stop regular citizens from coming in. Since we both work for the Guild, they won't stop us from entering."
"....Oh."
His words made a lot of sense.
'I guess bringing him along wasn't a bad decision, after all.'
The two of us finally stepped into the house, its all-too-familiar layout unfolding before my eyes. As I looked around, the place felt deserted. No lights, no signs of life, and not a single agent in sight.
The only way I could see was through the flashlight on my phone. It was also then that I took notice of the yellow tape that appeared by the stairs that led to the second floor.
"What now?"
The rat asked, his eyes fixed on me. He looked quite eager for some reason.
His eagerness took me by surprise, but I ignored it as I looked around the place.
The air was stale and somewhat stuffy. The kind that came from when one entered a room that had been left sealed for days.
Peeling wallpaper curled like dead leaves at the edges while the floor creaked under my weight, groaning with each step that I took.
Still, I moved.
Slowly.
Towards the light switch.
Although I could see thanks to my phone, it wasn't enough.
But...
Click.
Nothing.
The darkness continued to cling to me from all sides.
"The light switch doesn't work?"
"....No."
"How odd."
Taking out his phone, the rat illuminated the area before him.
"This should be enough for now."
Turning around, he looked towards the yellow tape that blocked the path to the second floor. He turned towards me as he pulled the tape up.
"Shall we?"
I hesitated, but then, thinking about the quest, I eventually followed along.
Each step up the stairs drew a low groan from the wood, the air growing thicker with a musty scent that clung to everything. A sudden chill settled over me, creeping under my skin and making me shiver.
It suddenly almost felt like winter had come...
"Don't worry too much. This is normal."
The rat spoke while passing me.
"Strong anomalies often cause a noticeable drop in temperature. It's something to do with the cold seeping into our world from the world the anomalies come from. Not much is known about their world, but from what I know, it appears to be some parallel Earth. At least, this is what most researchers suggest."
"Is that so?"
I paused for a moment, my thoughts pausing on the Spectral Glasses.
Could it be...?
"We're here."
Finally reaching the room in question, the rat pushed the door open and shone his phone's flashlight inside.
The room appeared before our eyes.
It looked exactly as before, but with tape wrapped around the bed, the sheets tossed aside, and a wet stain spreading across the mattress. The musty scent hung heavier in the air, made worse by the cold that clung to the room.
I started to shiver as I held onto the sides of my arm.
Cold... Too cold.
Even so, I remained standing while observing my surroundings.
Eventually drawing a breath, I retrieved my sunglasses and slowly put them on.
"Haaa..."
The world before me changed.
The cold sharpened into a piercing chill, and the world around me shifted into shades of blue. The rat was close by, sweeping his flashlight under the bed in search of clues. I had considered doing the same, but...
I couldn't at all.
Staring towards the corner of the room, my eyes fell towards a certain crack on the floor. It was large.
Large enough to fit a single person, and as the wood groaned under my steps, I stopped right before it.
Eventually, after removing my glasses, the crack disappeared, only appearing again once I put on my glasses.
This...
I swallowed nervously, I lowered my body to stare at the hole.
"Did you find anything? I couldn't find anything at all."
I didn't know how long I stood like that, but by the time I heard the rat's voice again, my head had lowered towards the crack.
That's when I saw them.
".....!"
A grotesque sea of mummified bodies, stacked and pressed together in a suffocating mass beneath the floor, their limbs twisted, eyes hollow, and faces mouths opening and closing as they all stared at me.
I shuddered, hastily pulling my glasses off.
But as I did...
Crack!
The floor beneath me split, and the figures appeared once more.
"O-oh, shit."
-x-X-x-
"So you're telling me that during your investigation of the house, the floor suddenly cracked, and that's what led you to the discovery?"
The Team Leader looked at me in doubt. His bushy brows were raised while his thick arms were crossed together as he sat back on his chair, his voice echoing throughout the small and confined room.
The only thing that separated the two of us was a small metal table.
Following the findings this morning, the Guild brought me and the rat in for questioning.
We weren't in trouble or anything like that.
The Guild was just trying to get to the bottom of the situation. After all... We didn't just find a simple hole.
What we found was something else entirely.
I wasn't really sure of what it was, but it seemed pretty important.
"....It was something like that, but just before it happened, I heard a certain cracking sound coming from the corner of the room. Thinking that I was mishearing, I moved towards there to check it out when the floor suddenly cracked."
"I see."
The Team Leader nodded, pretending to understand.
In reality, he probably had seen the footage of the situation through the cameras. If he had already seen them, then he knew that my story was in line with what he saw.
And regarding the noise part...
That was a lie.
I just couldn't really tell him that I had actually seen it through the glasses.
"Your story does check out, for now. It's the same as the one Myles told us. Well... more or less."
More or less?
I tried my best to keep my gaze steady.
'As expected. That rat... he probably tried to lie and make it seem like this is all my fault. I'm sure that with his personality he—'
"He was quite humble about it. He said that you deserve all the credit for the finding."
'Eh...?"
My mind went completely blank the moment the Team Leader spoke.
What… what did he just say?
The rat... did he really give all credit for the situation to me?
That...
I struggled to come to terms with these words.
What sort of game was he playing at?
Were there any motives behind his actions, or was this out of kindness?
'Ugh!'
I really wanted to rip my hair out. I felt incredibly frustrated by the situation. This felt like some sort of mind game. Was he good, or was he bad? This constant juggling between the two made me feel incredibly tense.
In the midst of my thoughts, the Team Leader spoke.
"Considering the significance of what we've uncovered, it's only fair you receive compensation. Whether that takes a monetary form... or something else entirely, is your choice."
"Compensation?"
My eyelids fluttered. Did he just say compensation?
"Of course. Why wouldn't we compensate you for finding something like this? Accident or not, you were present at the scene, and the Guild provides compensation for any discovery related to the case."
"...I see."
I licked my lips, trying my best to hide my excitement.
All of a sudden, the rat... he didn't feel so much like a rat. Perhaps I was wrong about him all along.
He was a good guy!
"Setting compensation aside, there's something that I'm curious about."
Placing his hand over the table, the Team Leader drummed his fingers over it, his face turning strange.
I turned my attention towards him.
What? Why was he looking at me like that?
"What is it with you and the sunglasses? This isn't the first time that I've seen you wear them."
"You've seen me wear them before?"
I paused for a moment before looking at the Team Leader weirdly.
"You've seen the stream?"
"Uh... Eh, yes?"
Turning his head slightly, the Team Leader pursed his lips.
"It was everywhere, so I saw it. I think a lot of people saw it. I'm curious... Why would you wear them when it's dark? Aren't you just making your life harder?"
"About that..."
I wasn't panicked by the question. Not only did I foresee something like this happening in advance, but I had multiple answers ready at my beck and call. I also had some spare sunglasses that looked almost identical.
In case they wanted to examine them, I could just give it to them.
"So...?"
Seeing the Team Leader look at me, I looked him straight in the eyes before leaning back in my chair.
"It's simple, really..."
I pursed my lips.
"...I wear the sunglasses so that I can't see ahead."
"Huh?"
"You see... I hate horror."
"....?"
"Like really hate it."
To the point where...
"I'd rather be blind than see some ghost."
***
News of the finding began to spread among the Guild members. This was no ordinary discovery. It was a significant one. One that even the Bureau had no choice but to find interest in. The house in question had been sealed on all sides, preventing anyone from entering.
"Did you hear...? They're about to send a scout into the strange pit. It appears to be some sort of gate."
"I heard..."
"Do you think the other Guild will be coming?"
"It's possible. However, it looks like it'll take a while for them to come. The Guild is preparing some sort of squad after receiving the result from the scouting report. They might just include the most elite members."
There was all sorts of talk surrounding the event.
After all, this didn't appear to be an ordinary gate. In fact, some weren't even sure it was a gate at all. There was speculation it might be a portal... Perhaps some sort of doorway to another dimension.
That could explain why no one could catch the Twisted Man.
No one really knew as of yet.
They'd have to wait until the results from the scout came out.
Such conversations repeated all over the place.
In a certain room.
"What do you think?"
Kyle looked towards the other people gathered in the room. There were quite a few faces he was familiar with. Most of them were the elite members of the containment section.
In particular, his gaze settled on Zoey, who lounged in her chair with her feet propped on the tea desk, casually absorbed in some kind of game on her phone.
Hearing Kyle's words, she raised her head.
"Hm? What did you say?"
"About the rumors. What do you think?"
"Ah, those..."
Zoey turned her attention back to her phone, her tongue poking out slightly between her lips.
"Well, it doesn't really matter to me. If they send me, they send me. If not, I don't care. As long as the reward is go—Ah, shit!"
Zoey suddenly let out a sharp curse and flung her phone onto the nearby sofa.
"Fucking randoms! Shit!!!"
She then began to bang her foot against the table.
BANG!
"Fuck!"
This wasn't an unusual sight. It was something that pretty much everyone in the room had gotten used to.
That was why no one reacted.
"Is it so fucking hard to lane? The fuck are they blaming me for??"
Zoey was oddly addicted to a strange phone game. She spent hours on it, completely absorbed, and from what others had heard, she was apparently some kind of pro. She was a rather talented person. From modeling to gaming...
Well, Kyle wasn't really too sure. He wasn't that interested in knowing anyway.
However, thinking about the game she was playing, Kyle had a sudden thought.
"I wonder if Seth will ever develop a phone game. I'm kind of curious to see how he'd do it."
"Don't bring that guy up."
Zoey cut Kyle off in that moment.
"I'm already annoyed by this. Don't annoy me further."
"What did he do this time?"
Kyle wasn't even surprised at this point. For whatever reason, Seth had some sort of skill that could allow him to push Zoey's buttons with just a few words. He had lost count of the amounts of times he had managed to piss Zoey off.
"....It's nothing."
Clicking her tongue, Zoey dismissed the topic. She was about to bring up another one when a certain figure looked at them.
Staring at Rowan, both Kyle and Zoey paused.
"About Seth..."
For some reason, ever since the trip began, he'd been acting off. In fact, looking at him now, he looked terrible. His hair was unkempt, and dark, glaring circles shadowed the skin beneath his eyes.
He kind of looked like Seth now that they thought about it.
But at the same time, staring at him, they both had the same thought. 'Don't tell me Seth managed to piss him off as well?'
Zoey was just about to smirk when Rowan continued.
"Where is he?"
He looked around, his dark eyes scanning the place.
"I... need him."
Need him?
Both Kyle and Zoey paused.
"I need my therapist."
".....?"
".....?"
-x-X-x-
"We're about to get started. Everyone, move back!" An agent shouted, waving his hand and pushing several people back.
At the same time, a female agent moved towards a man dressed in orange. He had a short frame with thinning hair, while his body was strapped with all sorts of weird devices and cameras.
"Are you ready?"
She asked, her voice soft.
"The moment you feel anything, report the situation to us. Tug the rope or press the emergency button. We'll quickly pull you out."
"...Yes."
The inmate nervously stared at the crack on the floor of the house.
He was one of the scouts provided by the Bureau to investigate the sudden emergence of the crack.
The Bureau had tried investigating the crack with cameras and mini drones, but as if the corpses had a mind of their own, they moved and quickly snatched the devices before breaking them.
The only thing that they didn't reject was living beings. They came to this conclusion after testing the situation with several animals.
Being able to bring them all back, they decided to send a human this time.
"We've equipped you with cameras and tracking devices. We'll be able to know your location at all times. When you manage to come back, your sentence will be reduced by several years."
"I…. Understand."
The inmate slowly nodded his head before turning his attention towards the corpses. They were all piled up together, their numbers reaching over a hundred.
His entire body shivered at the sight.
However, thinking about his reduced sentence... He mustered up the courage and moved towards the crack.
Eventually, under the agent's eyes, the inmate stepped forward and jumped into the crack.
"Hau—!"
Immediately after entering the crack, he was met with several dozen mummified corpses crowded the narrow space, their withered limbs twisted unnaturally, and their skin clinging to bone like dried parchment. They surrounded him from all sides, pressing against every part of his body.
Feeling their touch, the inmate shuddered. This sense only heightened when he saw the corpses staring at him with blank expressions.
But as if that wasn't bad enough…
"…..!"
The corpses moved, their thin and sickly hands reaching out for him as they pulled him down.
"Wait, wait, wait!!!"
The inmate immediately started to shout, tugging the rope connected to him. The previous courage he had built up vanished without a single trace as panic took over his mind.
"Wait! I've changed my mind! Help!"
He also pressed the emergency button, asking for the Bureau to lift him up.
But…
Nothing.
Lifting his head up, all he saw were the cold and indifferent stares of the agents as they stared at him from above.
"Help! Hel... p."
…Ah.
The inmate realized it then.
Those from the Bureau... they never planned on rescuing him in the first place. At least, not now.
Eventually...
Under the cold stares of the agents, his body was swallowed up.
*
By the time the inmate regained consciousness, he found himself inside the same room as before.
"Huh?"
However, something about the room felt different. Not only that… but everyone appeared to be missing. The wallpaper of the room was peeling, while the bed was wrinkled, with a brownish stain on the bedsheets, as the window creaked eerily.
"Hello?"
The inmate's voice echoed loudly in the room as he called out.
A still silence followed after his words.
'It's cold…'
It was also in that moment that the inmate felt a cool sensation wash over him as he started to shiver all over.
"Hello?"
He once again spoke, the echo of his voice louder than before.
"Anybody here?"
The echo was all he heard.
Looking around, he stood up, his steps adding to the creaking around the place as he covered his arms with his hands.
'It's really cold…'
The inmate looked around, his gaze eventually settling on the door. A pitch black darkness appeared behind the door. One that felt as though the abyss itself was greeting him. He swallowed nervously.
"I…Is nobody really here?"
The floor creaked once more as he stepped forward, moving towards the door. It was dark, but he quickly retrieved the flashlight in his hand and flashed ahead.
Yet again…
The area behind the door appeared dark.
The inmate held his breath, staring towards the darkness with unease. He looked around again, hoping he'd receive some sort of answer. However, yet again, he was met with silence. The agents... They were really gone.
Taking a deep breath, the inmate's eyes flickered as he looked around the room before grasping one of the lamps on the drawers by the bed.
Clenching it tightly and feeling the rough metal texture of its body, he slowly moved towards the door, his steps slow and steady as the window creaked at the rhythm of his steps.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
The tension in the room was dense, clinging to the inmate's body like some sort of clothing.
His breathing grew shallow as he approached the door, pupils dilating, every muscle in his body tensing. He held his breath without thinking, as if even the sound of air might provoke whatever waited on the other side.
Because even though he couldn't see it...
He could feel it.
Something, or someone, was waiting for him on the other side of the door.
The long and sickly shadow that clung to the floor was all the proof that he needed.
"Who are you...? Why are you standing by the door?"
The inmate's voice was dry, and his face was pale. Clinging onto the lamp, he raised it slightly.
"I'll kill you if you don't step out. I have done it before... Many times in fact. Do you think I'm scared of you?"
Yet again, no response.
The inmate's eyes flickered then.
"Fine."
Gripping the lamp tightly, he shoved the half-open door wide with a burst of adrenaline-fueled strength, and without hesitation, he brought the lamp crashing down with all the force he could muster, the metal frame splitting the air.
"Haaa!"
***
"Ah...? What? You couldn't sleep at all tonight?"
I stared at the haggard figure in front of me. He looked a little different than when I saw him the day prior. His eyes were haggard, and his clothes were disheveled. He almost looked like a completely different person.
'Wait, did my therapy session not work? He should've been able to sleep... No, should he have been able to sleep?'
All sorts of thoughts swam in my mind as I looked at Rowan.
In the end, my body tensed as I feared he'd suddenly start lunging at me.
However, his next words took me completely aback.
"Can we have another therapy session? I feel like I might be able to get some sleep if I get another one."
"Eh...? Didn't we just have one yesterday? Since you're not sleeping, it must mean it didn't work. Why would—"
"No, it did work."
"What?"
I blinked my eyes. It worked? I looked at him again. Why did I not believe his words at all? It almost looked like he was making fun of me.
"Ah, right."
As if reading my thoughts, Rowan scratched the side of his neck.
"This is normal for me. I usually get nightmares before each expedition. Don't mind this too much."
"...Oh."
But even so...
"Usually, I don't sleep until the second day because each time I close my eyes, I feel like the nightmares come. However, today was a little different. I... didn't feel anything at all when I closed my eyes."
"That sounds like progress."
"It is, which is why I'm here."
Rowan looked at me, his eyes sparkling as his back straightened and his posture looked polite.
He seemed to have had a complete attitude shift.
"Please help me again! I'd like it if—"
Bang!
Cutting Rowan mid-sentence, the door to the room burst open, and Kyle came in.
Hastily turning my head to look at him, I was surprised to see him stare at me with a pale face, his breathing ragged. Almost as if he had run at full speed to get to where I was.
"What did you do?"
That was the first thing he said to me as he barely caught his breath.
I was taken aback.
"What...?"
What was he...
"What did you do?!"
Kyle asked again, his voice rising as he raised his hand to display a certain paper.
In it, I saw three bold words appear.
[Twisted Exploration Squad]
My face froze the moment I looked at the words. And as if that wasn't bad enough... I slowly settled my gaze over my name.
Ah.
Craning my neck up again, I looked at Kyle.
"What did I do?"
-x-X-x-
—Seth Thorn
Seeing my name on the list for the expedition, I had to blink several times in order to make sure I was seeing correctly.
However, regardless of how many times I blinked, my name still remained on the paper.
Kyle's voice reached me a moment after.
"What the hell did you do? Don't tell me you asked for this to be the reward for your—"
"No, of course not."
I cut Kyle off before he could finish his sentence.
"I'd rather have some sort of monetary compensation than ask for something like this. Are you crazy?"
In the first place, I was just as lost as him. How in the world did—
"Oh, about that…"
A sheepish voice echoed as both my head and Kyle's head turned towards the source of the voice.
Rowan smiled a little bit while scratching the side of his neck.
"This might actually be my fault... The Team Leader asked me if I wanted to participate, but I'm in no condition to do so, and when asked who could replace me, the conversation headed in a direction where I just ended up recommending you. If you're part of the squad, then—"
"You…"
Kyle cut Rowan off, his fist right in his mouth. It looked like he had many things that he wanted to say.
However, I stopped him before he could.
"So you recommended me in your place?"
"Oh, no."
Rowan shook his head.
"Like I said. The conversation headed in a different direction. You're not on the same level as me. Recommending you would be stupid. I recommended you for the support squad. I feel like you'd do a very good job."
"What? Him…?"
Kyle looked at me with a doubtful look, mouthing things like, 'What the fuck did you do? What drug did you feed him?'
I was a little offended, to be honest.
There was no drug involved. Just a lot of gaslighting and a very powerful recording from a high-class anomaly.
I wouldn't stoop low enough to use drugs.
"Kyle, you should give it a try when you have time. I think it will help you a lot. I know that you go through a lot too, so—"
"Well, maybe some other time."
Though he said this, Kyle didn't look interested at all. That was fair. I didn't really want to do any more therapy for now.
Especially since I was still unsure of whether it would even work on stronger people. It worked on those of the Second Order down, but I wasn't really sure about those of higher order.
I needed to tread cautiously.
"Whatever the case is, you need to reject this. The Guild is quite flexible in these types of things. They won't force you, and we've got plenty of other supporters that can go in your place."
"…Oh."
I was already aware of this.
I knew that I could just reject the call and be done with the situation, but staring at my laptop and looking at the quest, my lips pressed together tightly.
It had been a while since I had found the crack, and yet... nothing came out of it.
The quest had yet to be completed.
What did this mean?
'Could the quest be related to me needing to go into the strange crack?'
A heavy feeling built up in my chest.
I was still unsure of what the crack did, but from speculations, it was some sort of gate.
I'd normally be worried and even terrified, but staring at the quest window and seeing the [Second Order] part on the difficulty section, I started to wonder if perhaps… the crack was a lot easier than people assumed.
Perhaps the anomaly wasn't very strong?
No, maybe it had some sort of weakness that no one was aware of that made it easy to handle?
All sorts of thoughts drifted into my mind at that moment.
There were many voices that told me not to take the mission, but looking at the quest window and seeing the Second Order part, I almost felt certain that my previous thoughts were correct.
Either the anomaly we were handling had a serious weakness, or perhaps… the weird crack was some sort of small trial set up by the anomaly?
Whatever the case was, I needed more time to think about the situation.
Trrr—
At least...
That was what I thought until my phone vibrated and I looked at the message that suddenly popped up on my screen.
[Meet at the building in ten minutes. Do not be late.]
The message came directly from a number that I didn't know, and looking up, I saw Kyle staring back at me.
"You better not even think about it."
I forced a smile while getting off my chair.
"Do you really think I can just not show up? I still have to go, but I'll see if I can reject the offer."
"Will you really?"
Kyle's eyes narrowed, his face filled with doubt.
"What? Come on… You know I hate scary things. If it's too creepy, I'll just quit."
"I'd have believed you if it were the past, but I'm starting to doubt you. You've changed."
"Come on…"
I looked at Kyle sincerely.
"You know very well I don't lie about this stuff. You even saw me puke before coming here."
"That's true…"
Kyle seemed to be a bit more relieved after hearing that. Eventually, with a sigh, he nodded his head.
"Alright, let's go."
He moved out the door, and I followed right behind him.
Closing the door behind me, I scratched the back of my head. I could've sworn I was forgetting something.
A faint, muffled sound came from behind the doo,r and I ignored it.
—Wait, hold on! What about my session?
Right, right...
***
The house was even more packed than usual. Coming into the place with Kyle, we were immediately escorted to a certain room where several people appeared. The atmosphere was quite tense as all eyes were focused on a certain tablet on the table.
"Oh, Kyle, you're here..."
"You're just in time."
Immediately, everyone greeted Kyle while I stood by the side, completely ignored.
I didn't really mind this sort of treatment. In fact, I preferred things to be this way since I liked to avoid attention.
I was just about to slip away and lose myself in a quiet corner of the room when my eyes landed on Zoey, seated in one of the chairs, casually eating and playing some kind of game on her phone.
She looked to be really into the game.
...The same was for the chips. Looking at her shove several of them at once while playing the game with one hand, it was a very interesting sight.
Especially when...
'Talk about not liking normal flavor. Just look at her. No one would believe her if they saw this si—'
My thoughts suddenly paused.
As if sensing my stare, Zoey casually raised her head, and our eyes met.
Her entire body seemed to freeze, her hand suspended mid-motion with a few chips still clutched in her fingers.
"Ah..."
That was the only sound that came out of her mouth in that moment as I hastily turned my head away, trying my best to hide the slight curling of my lips.
But as if she spotted it, her entire face changed, and she dropped her phone on the table.
She pressed both hands against the table, starting to rise when—
"You—!"
"Good, it looks like everyone is here."
The Team Leader arrived, and all noise ceased.
Without paying any attention to the atmosphere, the Team Leader moved towards the central desk and sat down, his face incredibly grim.
"I'll start this meeting off simply."
His voice trailed off, his gaze pausing on each and every person in the room.
"If you don't want to die, quit now. This is your only chance. Because..."
The Team Leader paused.
"...You won't be getting a second chance once you're dead."
-x-X-x-
The atmosphere became incredibly tense shortly after the Team Leader spoke. However, none of the people present in the room looked worried or hesitant.
They all wore the same serious expression while staring at the Team Leader.
"Is there really no one who wants to quit?"
Kyle's gaze turned towards me.
His brow rose.
As if noticing Kyle's stare, the Team Leader turned his attention towards me.
"Do you wish to quit?"
"...Ah, well."
I scratched the back of my head. Yes, I wanted to quit. This went without saying. However, thinking about the quest window, I didn't answer immediately.
What if...?
What if the quest was really not over?
If that was the case, and the quest didn't lie to me, then this mission... it was doable.
I just needed to understand whether that was the case or not.
"So...?"
"About that... Can I listen before deciding?"
"What?"
Kyle's face fell, his eyes narrowing as he looked at me. He looked like he wanted to strangle me, but I chose to ignore him.
'Sorry, I really was planning on quitting, but I've got a quest to complete...'
There was 15,000 SP on the line.
This was about 150,000$.
"You want to listen? Well, that's fine. Just let me know quickly if you want to quit, since I'd have to find a replacement."
"Understood."
With the Team Leader nodding and Kyle shooting me a glare, the meeting continued as the Team Leader turned his focus to the tablet on the table.
"We've already sent a scout to investigate the crack. One of the key things we've discovered is that only individuals of the Fourth Order and below can enter. It appears to lead to an alternate reality, not exactly a gate, but something different. We haven't encountered anything like it before."
The Team Leader's voice was grim as he spoke.
"We weren't able to find too much about the alternate reality since the connection with the scout died rather quickly. However, if there's one thing that we do know, is that he's still alive."
He's still alive...?
I was a little surprised to hear this.
Wait, if he was still alive and we were going to be sent down, then didn't this mean that...
"This is going to be a rescue mission. Your goal will be to find the scout and quickly come back out. At the same time, I'll need you to take recordings of the place and collect as much data as possible."
The Team Leader pressed onto the tablet, and a certain video began to play.
It was a replay of what had happened with the scout.
"While we were able to hear and see exactly what he was doing, we weren't able to communicate with him at all. However, as you can see, the place looks exactly like the room next door. The only difference is that it looks to be nighttime there."
The more I watched the video, the greater the chill in my body.
In particular, staring at the inmate as he stared in the direction of the door where a certain shadow appeared, I felt my skin crawl.
Even as he shone his light against it, its silhouette was completely hidden.
Just what in the world were we dealing with?
"It's unfortunate that this is all the information that we have on the anomaly. I'd wish to send more scouts to understand the situation, but the other Guilds are starting to come, and we're running out of time. This is the only time frame we can work with."
Pressing his hand onto the table, the Team Leader stood up.
"I'll send you all more information regarding the expedition. For now, get ready. I'll go out to sort a few things out. Oh, right..."
The Team Leader turned his attention towards me.
"Follow me for a moment."
"Hm?"
Suddenly called out like that, I was confused. However, I still decided to follow him as all eyes fell on me in that moment. In particular, Kyle's gaze felt piercing.
I ignored it and followed the Team Leader out of the room, where he stopped.
"Now that you've heard everything. Have you decided what you want to do?"
So it was about this...
Well, this was to be expected. We had discussed it before the meeting. Still, even though I heard everything I wanted to hear, I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to go.
That's when I remembered something and asked,
"Regarding the promised reward from before. Is it possible for me to claim it?"
"Reward?"
The Team Leader looked confused at first. However, his face quickly changed as he remembered our earlier conversation.
"Right, we do owe you one. What would you like?"
"I'd like money. How much can you offer me?"
I was nervous while asking this. I was in desperate need of money at the moment. I was extremely poor, and there were still a few days left before Dock paid me for my game.
The Second Order shop was open, and I could access it at any time.
However, a simple look at it was enough to make me shudder.
The prices...
They were astronomical.
Even the lowest-rated item in the shop was extremely expensive.
Whether I participated or not depended on how much money they were willing to offer me. If it was just the right amount, then I could think about it.
"Give me a second."
Taking out his phone, the Team Leader's thumbs danced across the screen before he turned his attention back to me.
"...I've reviewed everything. Given the nature of your discovery, the compensation the Guild is offering isn't especially generous. While you were the one who found it, it could still be seen as a matter of luck."
"Oh."
I couldn't say that I wasn't disappointed.
It may have looked like luck, but I highly believe it was because of the glasses. If not for them, then I don't think the crack would've ever appeared.
Still, they didn't know this, so it made sense if they thought of it this way.
"Taking everything into account, the Guild has decided to offer you around 130,000$. Is that okay with you? I know it's not much money, but—"
"I'll take it!"
I almost shouted those words as I stared at the Team Leader.
130,000$?
Are you kidding me?
This was considered low? Holy shit!
"You'll take it? That's good to hear. I tried asking for more, but this is the best we can offer for now. Since you're willing to take it, I won't say anything else."
Fiddling with his phone, I heard a notification appear on my phone.
Taking out my phone and looking at the new notification, I could hardly keep myself from smiling.
[You have just received 130,000$]
"About the expedi—"
"I'll go."
Putting the phone back into my pocket, I looked at the Team Leader.
"Regarding the expedition, I'll go."
***
A few hours later.
Standing right before the crack were six figures.
"Is this all of us?"
Kyle looked around, his eyes darting around the team. He was familiar with everyone present, and he felt quite happy not to see Seth present.
'Good thing he listened to my advice and left.'
Kyle nodded again, turning his attention towards Zoey, who was looking through her bag.
He approached her.
"Are you looking for something?"
"No, I'm just checking if I brought everything with me."
"Did you?"
"That's why I'm checking."
Zoey replied while shaking her head. As her hand dug deeper into her bag, she paused and looked at Kyle.
"Right...? He's not coming, right?"
"He's not."
Kyle happily shook his head.
"He may be impulsive at times, but he's not stupi—"
Kyle's words were abruptly cut off as the door creaked open and a figure stepped inside, his dead eyes immediately standing out as everyone within the room paused.
But that wasn't the most glaring aspect.
As heads slowly lowered, all eyes settled on Seth's hand, where a long knife gleamed under the lights from above.
What sort of...
Oblivious to their stares, Seth kept his gaze fixed on the crack.
"When are we going?"
-x-X-x-
The purchase was a bit of an impulsive one. The moment I received the money, I converted it all into SP and bought the knife, leaving me with 3,322 SP left.
However, I felt that this was a necessary purchase.
Although the Dreamwalker was strong, I did need to be able to defend myself in case it was defeated. Perhaps, I could even use the Dreamwalker to help me defeat anomalies in order to grow the knife.
And...
It was also quite shiny.
The knife looked really good.
"Why are you bringing a knife with you? No..."
Kyle brought his hands towards his mouth.
"...Why are you here? Didn't you say that you wouldn't participate? If—"
"I already told you. I need inspiration for my new game."
"Wha..."
Kyle looked speechless.
I wasn't lying, though. I was really looking for inspiration for my new game. The games were my main source of income, and the key to helping me understand more about the disease that I currently had.
It was only through the SP that I gained that I could purchase the medicine required in order to alleviate the symptoms of my disease.
'But then again, I could also earn money by finding weird places like this crack beneath me…'
I still couldn't believe that they had given me so much money. But not only that, but from the way they were speaking, it was also clear that this was not much money to them.
In that case, what would one receive for higher rewards?
…And what about the salaries of the top recruits? How much does?
All of a sudden, I started to second-guess my decision not to join the Guild.
"Is everyone strapped in with the safety harness? Double check and make sure everything is in place."
Overhearing the Team Leader's words, I looked down at my own harness and pulled a couple of times. It looked quite safe to me.
The harness wasn't the only thing attached to us. There was also a camera at the top of my head, and several body sensors that would transmit my vital signs to the agents above.
"Okay, it looks like everything is in check. You may all proceed into the crack."
Twirling his finger in the air, the Team Leader turned around before saying, "I wish you all the best of luck."
His words were met with a brief moment of silence before the members of the expedition squad jumped into the crack.
Staring at their bodies fading into the numerous corpses beneath, I found myself second-guessing my decision. However, thinking about the potential SP to be gained and the quest difficulty, I knew that this was possible for me.
'I can do it! I can do it!'
Prepping myself up, I was just about to move into the crack when Kyle extended his hand and stopped me.
He had a concerned look on his face.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this? I don't really understand why you've suddenly changed, but… are you really sure you want to do this? This is extremely dangerous. You might lose your life at any point. The moment we go down, I can't care about you anymore. I'll treat you the same as the others. I'm just telling you now before we go in. Are you okay with that?"
Hearing Kyle's words, I could feel the genuine concern in them. He really was just looking out for me.
I knew that.
And yet…
"Yes, don't mind me. Just do your thing. I'll help out however I can."
Kyle closed his eyes, his face looking like he had expected such an answer from me.
Eventually, nodding his head, he moved towards the other team members and jumped into the crack.
"Alright then. I'll see you on the other side."
"Right…"
Right after he jumped, I took a moment before staring at the other members of the team as they quietly jumped into the crack.
Of all the people present, the only one I could recognize was Zoey.
Everyone else, I was quite unfamiliar with.
'I can figure it out later.'
Seeing the last person jump, I moved towards the crack before taking a deep breath.
Then—
I jumped.
"Ukh—!"
As soon as I jumped in, the air was knocked out of my lungs. Cold, brittle hands reached out from the dark, grabbing at my skin. Their fingers felt dry, like dead roots, wrapping around my arms, legs, and neck, pulling me down.
I tried to fight back, but their grip only got stronger. My skin scraped against their sharp nails as I turned my head, and saw a pair of lifeless eyes staring straight at me.
I gasped, but no air came.
Breathing got harder. It felt like I was sinking into a coffin, like I was being buried alive.
And they just kept dragging me deeper.
Eventually, everything went black.
*
".....!"
By the time I regained consciousness, I found myself inside a familiar room.
But it was different. Just like on the tablet.
The walls, once a soft ivory, were now yellowed and damp, like old parchment left in the rain. The air was cold and thick, filled with the stench of rot and mold. Each breath felt like inhaling wet cloth.
The moonlight filtered through the open window, flickering in slow, uneven pulses that matched the rhythm of the swaying curtains, making the shadows twitch in the corners.
Creaak....
I tried to move, but the floorboards groaned beneath me, almost like they were breathing.
"What do you think?"
"...It's just like the video. Everything is different. This does feel like a different plane. It's really strange."
"I've also lost communication with the Guild."
I raised my body to see Kyle and the others already by the entrance of the room, inspecting the place.
None of them paid any attention to me. It was almost as though I didn't exist.
'So this is how Kyle looks when he's at work.'
He looked and felt like a completely different person. His usual kind expression was gone, and in its place was a rather cold and stern one.
"You're awake."
As if finally noticing that I had woken up, Kyle nudged his head towards the bed.
"Since you're the support class, you should remain in this room for now."
He looked past the entrance. Towards the darkness.
"I'll go explore the place with the others before coming back to get you. Don't think I'm singling you out just because of our relationship. This is usually how things work. The support class, such as yours, usually stays by the entrance until we need them. As for the healing type..."
Kyle turned towards another figure before looking away.
"...They tend to come with us."
He stepped forward after that.
He didn't even give me a chance to say anything before he walked ahead and moved past the main door of the room, the others following him from behind.
Even Zoey didn't spare me a second glance as she left.
"Wha, wait—!"
Ding!
A notification suddenly appeared in front of me before I could stop it.
"Huh?"
[Congratulations!]
[You have found the scenario!]
———
[Operation: A well-mannered guest]
Class : ■■■
: A suburban estate, surrounded by familiar-looking houses. The house is just like the others outside. Two floors, a garage, a garden... and a man secretly lurking within its premises.
Guests are encouraged to explore in absolute silence. Every whisper, breath, or footstep will be heard, recorded, and used. The Twisted Man is always listening. He does not chase what he can see...
He chases what he can hear.
———
Eh…?
This was rather unexpected.