WHEEE! WHEEEEE—!
Sirens rang across the entire island, the disturbance attracting the attention of everyone on the island.
"What is happening?"
"...Why have I been hearing ambulances all over the islands?"
"Did you not hear? Apparently, a certain game has been circulating lately, causing people to go mad. Some suggest that the company even went as far as using anomalous objects in order to make the game more immersive."
"Holy shit!"
The people started talking.
News articles started to be released.
It didn't take long for the entire island to find out about the incident.
Anger immediately surged.
—What the hell were they thinking!?
—Are they trying to kill people?!
—This is corporate greed at its finest!!
—Get the BUA to handle this matter! This is totally unacceptable!
Reporters began to swarm the company, while the outcry online grew so loud it drowned out every other piece of news. The chaos escalated to the point where the BUA had no choice but to release an official statement.
[We have already reviewed the situation and taken the individuals involved into custody. A formal investigation will commence shortly. We ask for your patience and understanding during this time.]
That just barely managed to suppress the people's outrage and outcry.
And such outrage was only natural.
Anomalous objects were taboo items, handled only by trained professionals. They had once been cursed artifacts that claimed countless lives. Ordinary people were never meant to come into contact with them, and with the constant threat of the gates looming over them, it was only natural that the public would be outraged.
This was why the BUA had to take this matter very seriously.
*
In a dimly lit room.
A man stood before a haggard-looking figure, his face pale and mouth trembling, "I... I don't know what's going on. I really don't know."
Everything felt like a nightmare to Daniel.
He had merely been an assistant a moment prior, with the game he had been working on reaching massive success, when all of a sudden, everything came crumbling down before his very eyes.
He still couldn't believe how it had all fallen apart so quickly.
'H-how did this come to be?'
"You're saying that you don't know anything?"
A man sat opposite Daniel.
He had neatly kept dirty blonde hair and wore a dark suit that perfectly accentuated his sharp features. Just his presence alone was enough to make Daniel feel extremely suffocated.
"I... I don't."
He really didn't know anything.
"Whatever is being reported... I really have no idea. How is it possible for our games to have an anomalous property inside? We've all tested it well. There were no issues beforehand. It's almost as if—Ah."
Daniel suddenly paused, a thought occurring to him.
"Hm?"
The investigator raised his brow upon seeing the subtle change in Daniel's features.
"Is there anything that you'd like to share?"
"About that..."
Daniel hesitated, but he eventually bit his lips and came clean.
"The programs that we've used for our games... They're not actually ours. At the very least, it wasn't developed by us."
"Oh?"
"It was developed by another developer who gave us the programs. Ah!"
Daniel smacked his hand against the table.
"Right! Right...! He also works for a Guild! It's him! It has to be him!"
Daniel's eyes turned crazed upon saying this.
"He's the one who is responsible for all this mess. He must've sabotaged the programs! I know for a fact that it's not us! We have no access to any of this stuff! In fact, we also have the programs that he gave to us! You can check them! We're innocent!"
"....."
The investigator from the BUA didn't say anything, his eyes squinting slightly.
"Seth! His name is Seth Thorne!"
*
Clank—!
The door to the investigation room closed a moment after.
The investigator walked out, his expression complex as he turned to his right, where his colleague walked out from another room.
"How did he answer?"
"He said that the programs don't belong to them. They got them from another developer."
"Same."
Luke replied, brushing his dirty blonde hair back as he reached for his breast pocket and took out a pen.
He took out a small notepad and began jotting down some things.
"They both claim that he's the one to have caused this mess. The investigation also appears to show conflict between the two parties. Should we have him come to our station?"
"There's no need for that."
Luke replied, frowning as he looked at the notepad.
"As far as I'm aware, he is from the Severed Stars Guild. They're a Queen Grade Guild that is on the verge of reaching the King Grade. It'll be difficult to get them to send him over to us. The best thing we can do is go there directly, or get strict permission from the Central Branch."
"That complicated?"
"Yes."
While the BUA had strict control over matters that handled the 'supernatural' and 'gates', they still needed permission before raiding a Guild.
Guilds held a lot of power, and if the Guilds joined together, they'd be able to overturn the entire BUA.
This was why they needed to be careful when handling matters like this.
But surprisingly—
"Chief Investigator!"
A woman came rushing in a moment later.
She had a look of urgency on her face.
Seeing her like this, the two investigators frowned, but before they could get their words out, she spoke, "There's someone here! He seems to know about the current situation and wants to talk with the two of you."
"Hm?"
"What?"
The two investigators stopped, their heads slowly turning to meet one another's gaze.
And then—
"Bring us to him."
"Let's not waste time."
"Yes!"
The woman followed their orders and immediately brought them away.
The BUA branch on Malovia Island wasn't anything extravagant. Its main building stood at the island's center, several stories tall, with most of the "interrogations" taking place in the levels hidden underground.
Arriving on the higher floors, the investigators made their way towards a specific room.
Clank—!
The moment they did, they both came to a sudden pause as they caught sight of the man who stood by the sofa. Although not well kept, his dark hair was generally well maintained, and while his features weren't remarkable, upon closer look, he was actually rather handsome.
If not for how pale his face was, he would've been much more attractive.
But that wasn't what grabbed their attention.
What truly grabbed their attention were his eyes as he turned his attention towards them.
For some reason, feeling his gaze, the two felt a subtle chill running down their back.
But soon,
"Hello."
A smile appeared on the man's face as he stood up to greet the investigators.
"How are the two of you doing?"
He held out his hand politely.
"I just came here because I have some important things to talk to you about regarding the current investigation."
At the same time he shook their hands, he sat back down.
"Please have a seat."
He pointed at the seats opposite him, his dark eyes flickering for the briefest of moments.
"There's a lot that I want to talk about."
-x-X-x-
The room tensed as the investigators looked at the man who sat before them.
From the very beginning, there was something about him that unsettled them both. Was it his eyes? The pallor of his face? Or perhaps the quiet, unreadable way he carried himself...?
Neither of them could quite tell why, but the longer they looked at him, the stronger the feeling grew... That something about him was deeply, unmistakably off.
"Investigators?"
It wasn't until Seth spoke again that the two snapped out of their daze, exchanging uneasy glances before slowly taking their seats on the sofas.
"Right, I apologize for that."
"...Yes."
Luke took out his notepad again, turning his attention towards Seth.
"You must be Seth Thorne, correct?"
"I am."
Seth didn't look at all surprised that they knew his name. He had revealed it to the assistant, but that wasn't really the main reason why.
"I'm sure the two of them must've talked about me, right?"
"....."
"....."
Neither investigator said a thing.
They just sat in silence.
This didn't seem to bother Seth in the slightest as he went on, his tone calm and steady. "Actually, you could say my relationship with them isn't all that good. I'm sure you've already looked into it, and you must know I was accused of stealing from them."
Yet again, the investigators remained silent.
They allowed Seth to say everything that he wanted to say.
"I never stole anything from them. The programs were something that were developed by me, but..."
He reached for his pocket and passed over a certain contract.
The two investigators looked at each other before Luke reached for the contract, giving it a quick skim. It didn't take long for his expression to change.
"This..."
"What is it?"
Adrian, the other investigator, took the contract and skimmed through it himself. It didn't take long for his expression to shift, his eyes widening slightly as he lifted his gaze toward Seth.
"I've worked for this company for several years. This is the type of contract that I've signed with them. What do you think?"
The room fell silent once again, but this time it wasn't out of restraint; the investigators simply had no words.
Both sat frozen, utterly speechless at the terms laid out before them.
This...
What sort of predatory contract was this?!
The more the two read, the more shocked they were.
'Their "Bonus" only comes after the company subtracts every possible cost, marketing, production, ads, distribution, platform fees, all of which are completely decided by the company itself. That means their payout could easily be zero. They don't even get paid unless the total goes over a hundred dollars.'
It was one bad term after another.
But the nail in the coffin was the last term they read.
Clause (1.1.7) — Any work, creation, or intellectual property developed by the Employee within six months following the termination of this Agreement that relates to the business, products, or services of Nightmare Forge Studios shall be deemed the property of Nightmare Forge Studios.
"This is what they meant by 'stealing' from them."
A heavy silence fell across the room, the two investigators going through the contract for the 'nth' time. They were utterly shocked by the fact that such a predatory contract existed, and they started to feel sympathy for Seth, but at the same time...
"That still doesn't explain what happened."
Luke spoke, heaving out a long sigh, putting the contract down.
"While I do feel some sympathy for you, considering the kind of company you had to work with, that doesn't change the fact that an anomalous object was used in the game. Is it possible you provided them with the object yourself...? Perhaps as a way to get revenge? Maybe disguised as a program?"
The room grew tense, the Investigators' eyes narrowing.
However, Seth's expression remained the same.
"Actually, I never handed them a program."
"Hm?"
"What...?"
Seth passed on another piece of paper.
"This here is a bank statement for a payment that was made to them. It totals 1.4 million dollars, and that's all the money I've managed to earn from the games. I did this so that I wouldn't have to give them my programs."
This sudden piece of information changed the situation significantly.
It didn't take much to verify the bank statement. After asking their assistant to check, she returned a short while later and gave them a brief, confirming nod.
The situation shifted yet again.
But it wasn't over.
"Actually, there's something else that I wanted to share with the two of you."
Seth looked a little hesitant, but he eventually made up his mind and took out another piece of paper. He slid it over the table, and the moment the two investigators took a glance at it, they realized what it was.
An NDA.
"I signed it, and technically speaking, I could get into serious legal trouble for sharing this. But I believe they've been trying to use me as a scapegoat, which is why I felt compelled to come here. And the reason I showed you all of this first was to give you a sense of what kind of people they really are."
He pulled a pen from his pocket and set it on the table. At first glance, it looked ordinary, almost unremarkable, but the moment he pressed the tip, something changed.
—Krrr...
A static sound came out of it.
It carried on for several seconds until a voice echoed a moment later.
—...H-nd over... programs.
The voice grew smoother and smoother with the passing of seconds.
—I know that you've already paid, but I've... got many ways to make your life more miserable. Don't even think for a second that you've got the upper hand. I've got connections in all sorts of places. Even Guilds!! If you don't think you can hand the programs over, I'll just contact them and have them frame you for some shit!
—Be... obedient and hand them over.
The recording stopped there.
The room fell silent, and the two investigators were at a complete loss for words.
"Like I previously stated, I've never handed them the programs. I recorded this even though I had signed an NDA to protect myself. Seeing how the situation turned out like this, I am of the belief that they are trying to frame me."
Seth passed the pen over.
"You can verify the legitimacy of the recording. There are no alterations. This is really the CEO trying to threaten me."
Seth wasn't done.
He pressed a small card over.
"This is my Guild ID card. In here, you can see all the transactions that I've had with the Guild. You can see exactly which items I took from there, or not. I can assure you that you won't find much. I've only just started half a year ago."
For the finishing touch, he extended his arm forward.
"I'm powerless too. If you want, you can check for yourselves. I don't even have a node. I've been trying to form one, but I haven't managed to open it yet. Right now, I'm just an ordinary citizen."
Looking at the two investigators, Seth smiled.
"This should be enough to prove my innocence, right?"
-x-X-x-
"Ukh...!"
I held onto my head, trying my best to curb the rising headache. The past few days had been rather foggy for me. I could hardly remember much, but I was fully aware of everything that I had done.
None of it had been done without my volition.
Staring at the empty office before me, I looked around before eventually sitting down in my chair.
"Haa."
I felt completely drained.
Especially when I thought back to the investigators, just remembering those moments made a cold sweat run down my back. It had been far too nerve-wracking for me.
Thankfully, I had thought things through.
'Given all of the provided evidence, it's impossible to frame me for the crime. I've got a contract that states I've never provided the programs. Even if they do search the programs, they'll only realize that there's nothing wrong with them. Of course, they might ask me about the programs themselves, but I already had several answers for that.'
In general, there was no need for me to worry much.
I could tell from how the 'meeting' went that the Investigators didn't share good feelings about the CEO and the Assistant.
After everything that I'd shown them, there was no way they'd have good feelings about the two.
As such, their words became much less believable.
There was no proof either.
But what truly put the nail in the coffin was their confession. The one that I'd managed to get on the phone.
That was all I needed in order to make the Invesitagor's mind clearer.
Everything else was just an addition.
'There's no proof that I've done it, and there's no way to trace it back to me. That being said, I'm aware that cracks will start showing soon.'
There was no proof now, but if one investigated closely, they'd notice the multiple 'holes' within the entire situation. They'd also start noticing a lot of things that were tied to me, which would put a lot of attention on me.
This was why I was usually against doing such things.
I was against the attention.
But I had reached a point where such 'caution' had been thrown out the window.
I had started to feel numb regarding these things.
The changes happening to me...
I was clearer than anyone else.
"He'll call me soon."
I glanced at my phone.
The only person capable of knowing about what truly happened was the Guild Master, and I knew that he was going to give me a call any moment now.
But that didn't matter.
I wanted to see him, too.
"Let's check the news while we're at it."
I took out my phone to see how the internet was reacting to the situation.
As expected, it was chaos.
Sunday Times — [Both the CEO and the Assistant have been placed into custody. What will happen to them? Investigations undergoing! Did they really resort to such despicable means?!]
Newsletter — [Nightmare Forge Studios stocks plunge to the lowest. All investors are pulling out. Will there be a future for the company?]
Malovia Flash— [Large-scale demonstrations have filled the streets as the case continues to gain national attention. Sources suggest that the unrest stems from an ongoing conflict with a rival developer. A claim that has only fueled public speculation. The question remains: what is the real story behind these escalating tensions?]
The number of articles flooding the internet was overwhelming.
The moment I clicked on one, another one would pop up. It was to the point that the news even started to reach outside the island, and it was reflected in the comments on the forums.
—What's going on? What happened in Malovia?
—You don't know? Apparently, a company decided to use anomalous objects in order to make their game scarier in order to compete with a game developed by an unknown developer.
—What?!
—Yeah, it's crazy. We're talking a multi-million-dollar company against an indie developer with a small staff. The game he released was really good.
—How good are we talking about?
—Enough to make you kill yourself.
These discussions quickly spread across the internet, and before long, they were trending on global forums. As more people took an interest in the situation, my game began to attract even greater attention.
I smiled when I saw this.
"That's great."
This meant a lot more money for me.
It was only a couple of days until the end of the month. I had timed the release perfectly so I could withdraw the money and use it on game items when the time came to look for the cult.
I didn't have much SP left.
[Balance: 507SP]
The development of the 3D world wasn't cheap, and the same was true for the medicines. I had spent pretty much all that I had.
It was about time that I restocked on SP.
There were quite a few items that I wanted to purchase.
"Well, there's also this."
I reached into the drawer and pulled out a particular knife. It wasn't especially striking at first glance, but a faint hue shimmered along its blade, pulsing softly, as if the weapon itself were alive.
"...I really need to grow this more."
———
[Butcher's Knife]
: Knife with the ability to cut through anomalous objects and entities. The more it kills, the stronger it becomes!
Current Rank
———
There was so much potential with the knife.
"I also need to—"
Ding!
The chime finally arrived, stopping me dead in my tracks. Coming to a pause, I turned my attention towards the phone and took a deep breath.
"I guess it's time."
I stood up, putting everything away.
The Guild Master had finally messaged me.
*
The walk towards the Guild felt heavier than usual.
I stepped into the elevator, doing my best to ignore the curious stares around me. Ever since the incident with Nightmare Forge Studios, my popularity had surged. At least for the time being.
Thankfully, Zoey, Kyle, and anyone else that I knew weren't present.
I took the chance to rush to the Guild Master's office.
Clank—!
Opening the doors, a smile greeted me.
"You're here."
The Guild Master wasn't seated as he usually was. Instead, he stood by the window, one hand clasped behind his back and a cup of tea in the other. When he heard me enter, he slowly turned around.
"...Have a seat. We have a lot to talk about."
The Guild Master seemed to be in an unusually good mood. Dressed in a gray vest over a crisp white shirt and a matching gray tie, he exuded a calm, composed air that put the room at ease.
He sat down on the seat opposite me.
"I won't beat around the bush. It was you who caused all the mess that happened recently?"
"....."
I sat in silence for a moment before nodding.
"Yes."
"Mhm."
The Guild Master smiled, not at all looking angry. Rather, he looked pleased.
"I looked into it. I'm actually more surprised that you didn't do it before. It would've been a lot faster, and it would've saved you a lot of trouble."
I knew this... But I was still extremely cautious about my identity.
The fewer things that were tied to me, the better.
Still, he was right.
"That being said, what I'm most curious about is something else."
The smile vanished from the Guild Master's face like a candle snuffed out. He leaned forward, elbows resting on the desk, the dim light catching on the sharp lines of his gaze.
"Why didn't you ask for my help?"
The question cut through the air.
A chill crept along the floor, coiling up my spine. Even the faint hum of the ceiling light seemed to falter, leaving behind a heavy silence that pressed down on my chest.
"Seth," the Guild Master said, his voice growing quiet.
"You need to understand something."
He folded his hands together, eyes never leaving mine.
"Taking care of a gaming company is a trivial matter for me. One call, and it's gone. I'm not saying this because of what you've been through... but because of what it's cost you." His gaze hardened. "Time. Energy. Focus. The very things that make you valuable to me."
He smiled again, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"From the moment we made our deal, we entered a cooperative relationship. If something troubles you, or you need anything at all, I'll handle it."
He patted his chest.
"There's no need to be shy. You can rely on me."
"....."
I opened my mouth, but soon closed it.
Eventually, I managed to get a few words out.
"I... know. I just thought I could've handled it myself."
"And you did."
The sudden warmth in his tone only made the moment more unnerving. The Guild Master leaned back, the leather chair creaking as the tension in the room started to uncoil. He took a sip of his coffee, savoring it before letting out a soft, almost amused hum.
"Like I said," he murmured, "we're in a cooperative relationship. The stronger you become, the better it is for me. So..."
He paused mid-sentence, his eyes glinting in the low light.
My heartbeat quickened.
"...Tell me what you want."
He paused, the middle of his cheeks caving in slightly.
"I'll try my best to help you."
-x-X-x-
"Just say the word and I'll give it to you. Is it money? I can give it to you. Is it fragments? I can give them to you. Is it items? I can also give them to you."
The Guild Master set his cup down gently, the faint clink of porcelain echoing in the quiet room.
"If it's within my capabilities, I will get it for you. Don't be shy. Just give me the word and I can get it for you."
My heart shook.
It wouldn't be a lie if I said that I wasn't tempted, but I also knew that things weren't going to be so simple. He was simply helping me because I was useful to him. He wanted me to rely on him more and more until I was completely under his control.
He didn't show it, but I could tell.
This was why I had been so cautious.
However...
'The mission is looming closer, and I'm nowhere near reaching the Fourth Order.'
I had around fifteen fragments in total. Five from the recent Call quest I'd completed, and the remaining ten from the few dungeon dives I'd done just to meet the monthly quota. Out of those fifteen, only nine had a purity level above seventy percent.
I was still far off from that.
But that wasn't the only thing.
'I've also been neglecting my anomalies. I think there's room for growth for all of them. It's a bit more complicated for Mr. Jingles and the Conductor, but it might be possible to evolve Mirelle. Maybe I can try with the Realmwalker? Can I upgrade him further?'
Once the thought settled in, it didn't leave.
I found myself helpless as the Guild Master's gaze continued to linger over me.
In the end, I quietly sighed.
'This is what I've come here for anyway...'
"Actually, there are a few things that I need."
Just as he planned to use me, I planned to do the same.
This was a mutually beneficial relationship.
But a very dangerous one.
*
Ding!
Watching the elevator doors open, revealing the all too familiar corridors of the Containment Department, I finally took a moment to let out a long breath as all the tension and anxiousness from a moment prior started to fade from my mind.
'...That was nerve-wrecking.'
It felt as though I had been sitting on pins and needles.
Just thinking about the Guild Master and his demeanor was enough to make me feel sick.
Thankfully, everything went smoothly.
He even went as far as to agree to my request.
'He said that he'll send over the fragments to me later. I should get ready for that.'
Ultimately, even though he said he could provide me with anything, I knew that I couldn't straight-up ask for hundreds of fragments. I settled for around forty low-purity 'Conceptualization' fragments for the Realmwalker, and some high-purity 'Wardern' fragments for Mirelle and me.
I had also wanted to upgrade Mr. Jingles and the Conductor, but it wasn't so easy to do.
Because of the gap in our levels, I still wasn't sure what requirements I needed to meet to upgrade Mr. Jingles.
Mr. Jingles was a
This meant that he was at around the 'Fourth Order'.
In order to go from 'Fourth' to 'Fifth' Order, there was more than one thing needed in order to jump levels.
Fragments were no longer the only requirements.
Essence was required, along with some other things I was unsure of.
This was why I didn't ask for anything for Mr. Jingles.
I'd only be able to do it after I reached the 'Fourth Order'.
'I wonder what will happen once Mr. Jingles evolves.'
But those were thoughts for later.
"Seth."
A warm voice reached me from before me.
Lifting my head, I saw Kyle looking at me with a smile on his face.
He looked rather happy, although his face was rather pale.
"Did you just come back from a Gate?"
"Yup."
Kyle brushed his hair back, exposing his rather nice features.
"...It was a pretty tough gate, but we managed to clear it. Team Leader Soran was monitoring us the entire time. She didn't do anything, though, but we got a pretty decent clearing rate."
"That's not bad."
"But what about you?"
Kyle suddenly frowned.
"I heard that you've been neglecting your job as Squad Leader lately. There are a lot of people talking about you."
"Oh"
I wasn't unaware of the rumors going around me.
Let alone my outburst online, and all the chaos that I had been causing... The facts were that I had been so focused on my game that I had hardly gone with them to clear any gates. Joanna usually handled most of the raids, and the team's performance was still pretty good, only improving by the day.
This performance caught the attention of a lot of people, with some whispering about how I didn't deserve the position as 'Squad Leader' and that it should be given to someone who was more responsible.
Thankfully, the Section Chief ignored them.
'But it's not like I've been neglecting them.'
They were my main testing dummies for my new game.
A lot of the reasons why they had improved so much were because of that.
"You should be careful, Seth."
Kyle's sudden warning made me pause.
"Careful...?"
"Yes."
Kyle nodded his head seriously.
"I've been hearing from around that there are a few Squad Leaders around here who are personally trying to poach your members. There are even people from other departments who are trying to do that. If you let them be, I'm afraid that they might leave."
"...Oh."
'So the situation has deteriorated to this point.'
I nodded.
This did seem a little bit bothersome.
"The Section Chief might stop them from downright getting them transferred to their team, but if they poach them, he can't do anything about it. I'm also saying this since the Squad Leaders who are trying to poach your members are quite influential. Even I might not be able to do a thing if they went for my squad."
"Not even you?"
I found this hard to believe.
Kyle was the star of the department. How would it be possible for him not to do anything?
"Well, it's a little complicated."
Kyle scratched the side of his head.
"I may be a little popular, but I'm still rather new. Many of the Squad Leaders here have been here for a very long time. They don't usually show themselves since they're always away on missions, but they're from the same generation as Clara and Hermes. It'd be best to be careful."
"I see."
I took his advice to heart.
"Setting that aside, I heard that you released a new game. How is that doing?"
"Hm?"
I looked at Kyle.
He wasn't aware?
"It's doing pretty well, actually. We had some very good first-day sales."
"Oh, not bad. Not bad."
Kyle looked genuinely happy.
"That's awesome to hear. I'm glad—"
"Do you want to try it?"
That was until I offered him to try the game.
The smile quickly wiped off his face, and his lips twitched.
"Hah, Seth."
He looked really troubled.
He was probably trying to think of a way to reject me.
"...Something just came up. I'll... take my leave. Have a good one."
And he did just that, passing me and walking away in a hurry.
"....."
I could only stare at his retreating back speechlessly.
'My games... They're actually pretty scary, you know?'
I let out a sigh and shook my head. Considering how things had gone before, Kyle's reaction didn't surprise me in the slightest. I decided not to press the issue and started toward my office again, but just as I did, I came to a halt.
Flick!
The moment I turned my head, she turned her head away.
"....."
Turning her head back, she looked at me.
"Oh... Hi."
Zoey waved at me.
Then, nodding again, she walked away, her movements a little stiff.
The hell is wrong with her?
-x-X-x-
"Huu. Huu."
Kyle looked around, taking several deep breaths while holding onto his chest. He was mainly exhausted from the Gate he had just completed raiding, but more than anything, he was trying his best to hide from Seth.
'...I think I made a good excuse. It's not like I don't want to play his game or anything like that. I'm just... ehm, exhausted. Yes, that's the word. It's definitely not because I don't want to spend the next few hours trying to see if there's any scary aspect about his game.'
Kyle made a face.
He felt guilty for his thoughts, but he couldn't be blamed.
He was a little traumatized from what had happened in the past.
"Okay, let me just get the reports over."
Going back to his cubicle, Kyle looked through all of his files.
The moment one finished a gate, they'd need to do some paperwork. This was something that most Squad Leaders had to do.
It mainly had to do with the team evaluation, giving comments on who did well and who did poorly. Areas to improve, and so on...
Just the regular boring stuff.
But it was also the most fun part of the job.
'At least this part of the job doesn't try to kill me.'
Grabbing a pen, Kyle was just about to write when he paused. He saw a pair of green eyes staring at him.
Kyle blinked as he craned his neck a little to see Zoey staring at him.
"Zoey?"
"Heyyyy."
Kyle's eyes narrowed.
"What's with you?"
He felt that the way Zoey was behaving was a little odd.
"Me? What's wrong with me?"
Zoey blinked innocently, trying her best to act normal, but the more Kyle saw her like this, the more suspicious he became.
'Something is up. If she wants something, she usually takes it without asking. If she needs something, she usually asks without anything else. This is definitely suspicious.'
"Ehm."
Zoey coughed, trying to ease the awkwardness.
"Just spit it out. What is it you want?"
"Seth's number."
"....."
"....."
Kyle's and Zoey's faces froze.
Neither of the two spoke, the surroundings growing silent.
That was until Zoey sighed.
"Alright, I'll be honest with you. I'm still struggling to apologize to him for what happened several months back. I also can't seem to get a hold of him since he's always holed up in his office."
"And you've not thought about knocking?"
"No."
"...."
Kyle closed his eyes, feeling his head throb. In the end, he took out his phone and sent her Seth's number.
Kyle knew and understood Zoey quite well. She was the type who would not relent once she set her mind on something. Since she had made up her mind to apologize to Seth, regardless of what word he was going to say, she was going to continue.
In the end, it was best for him to send her Seth's number.
"Here."
This was also good.
Kyle wanted Seth to have more friends or people he could talk to. Because of how busy he had been, he hadn't been able to spend much time with Seth.
Seth was also too much of a loner.
This would at least get him talking with someone.
'Although I doubt he'll answer his phone. He never does.'
Thinking about it, Kyle prepared to tell this information to Zoey, but by the time he lifted his head, she was already gone.
He could only stare at the area where she'd be at a complete loss.
"She won't start flipping out once he ignores her, right?"
Seth was probably the only person in the world who would ignore someone like Zoey.
He was...
"Well, he's Seth."
Kyle shrugged, going back to work.
He decided not to think about it. He found himself doing it a lot lately.
It brought him peace of mind.
***
The Guild Master was efficient.
Not long after I returned to my office, a package was delivered to me.
I didn't even need to look at it to know what it was.
'...He really did send everything.'
I looked into the box and selected several fragments to test their purity.
[79%]
They were all of very high purity.
"With this, I shouldn't have a problem reaching the Fourth Order."
Honestly, I didn't know how to feel about this.
This felt a lot easier than I had expected. Had it not been for the Guild Master's help, it would've probably taken me much longer to accumulate all of these fragments, but with just a word, I managed to acquire all of this.
Of course, I understood that things weren't so easy.
Nothing was free.
However, this was necessary for me. I had to do this in order to survive the upcoming quest.
"Let's start with Mirelle."
I picked up the first fragment, its surface swirling with a faint white glow that pulsed gently against my palm. This was a crystal of the 'Warden' affinity.
[Would you like to remove the attribute?]
▶ [Yes] ▷ [No]
A familiar sight presented itself before me. The color faded from the fragment as a white cloud formed above me. The fragment grew warm, and my head felt a little light. It was a process I was all too familiar with.
The moment the cloud appeared, a tingling shot through my arm, and Mirelle's head popped out from the painting.
Her eyes narrowed, almost fishlike, as she leapt out of the painting and lunged toward the cloud, absorbing it in a single swift motion.
Her number on my laptop increased, and I reached for the other fragments.
Warden: 22/40
Warden: 27/40
Warden: 34/40
I extracted the attribute from each crystal one by one, feeling my head grow lighter and more unsteady with every fragment I completed.
'Just a little bit more.'
I still pushed myself further, trying to get through all the fragments.
My mind felt dizzy, and I felt nauseated.
I still held on, and soon—
Warden: 40/40
Mirelle absorbed the last attribute, and a change began to occur.
Her body began to emit a faint glow, her dark hair shifting as if stirred by an invisible breeze. Her eyes deepened in color, the black growing richer, darker, until they seemed endless.
Then her body began to stretch and change, her features maturing before my eyes. In moments, the little girl who looked no older than ten had transformed into a teenager.
I stared at the scene speechlessly before a notification flashed across my vision.
─────
[Description]
: Mirelle was once an innocent girl, but fate dealt her a cruel hand. Taken by a cult, she was turned into one of their experiments and never managed to escape her grim fate, dying in the process. Now, she exists as an anomaly.
Loyalty : 71--> 78 [+7] (....)
Skill :
[Innocent Giggle]
: With her soft, eerie giggle, Mirelle can temporarily nullify the effects of other anomalies and skills, disrupting their influence for a brief moment.
[Resentful Giggle]
: Mirelle's laughter seeps into the minds of those nearby, awakening their buried guilt and fears.
Fragments :
[????]
─────
"Hiss."
I drew a deep breath, looking at the new skill that she acquired.
This...
It didn't target anomalies, but humans.
I could already picture the countless possibilities that this skill brought.
But most importantly...
"I'm hungry."
Mirelle rubbed her stomach, lifting her head to look at me.
"Hey. Bring me food. Be quick."
Mirelle had really turned into a teenager.
-x-X-x-
"Can you hurry...?"
Even her behavior was like that of a teenager.
I rubbed my head, trying my best to keep calm, but Mirelle really wasn't letting me.
"What's up with you? I'm—"
"Nope, go back."
I summoned her back, her form vanishing from sight as the area fell silent once more. Sitting down in my chair, a wave of exhaustion hit me, and for a brief moment, I started to regret my actions.
That cute little girl who would always ask for chips...
I want her back.
Well... Let me keep her new skill, though.
'Rensentful Giggle...'
I could already picture the flood of misunderstandings this skill would cause, but the more I thought about its potential, the more a spark of excitement stirred within me. It would no doubt prove invaluable when facing intelligent anomalies or humans.
"Still, that exhausted me quite a bit."
The worst part...?
I wasn't done just yet.
There was still one more anomaly that I planned on upgrading.
"Come out."
A black shadow stretched across the floor, rising before me and taking shape as the Realmwalker. Its presence felt far more imposing than before, a suffocating pressure that seemed to fill the entire room as its form solidified.
Seeing the state of the Realmwalker, I started to wonder, 'If this is how it is after upgrading into a Realmwalker, how much more terrifying will it become?'
I didn't waste a second.
Reaching down, I grabbed a 'Conceptualization' fragment.
[Would you like to remove the attribute?]
▶ [Yes] ▷ [No]
I didn't hesitate and pressed 'yes'. The familiar process repeated again, and a grey cloud formed right above the two of us. A faint smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I stared at the cloud and nudged it with my chin.
"Go ahead."
But—
"....."
The Realmwalker merely stared at the cloud before looking away.
"Eh...?"
I stared at the Realmwalker in confusion, blinking while turning my attention towards the cloud and pointing at it.
"You're not going to absorb it?"
The Realmwalker turned its attention toward me, and whilst it didn't have any facial features, the moment our gazes met, it almost felt as though it was scorning me. Almost as if it was saying, 'You expect me to absorb this?'
"Pu!"
Okay, that was just me imagining that.
But it really did feel like he had spat on the floor.
"What's wrong with you? You never used to care about such things. Why are you suddenly becoming picky?"
The Realmwalker didn't answer. It couldn't answer. It could only show me its disgust with its body language, its head turned away from the 'disgusting' cloud that roamed in the air.
I was at a loss for words, and soon, a figure appeared next to me, its sickly hand placed against my shoulder.
"It's reached a point where just any low-quality attribute won't help it grow."
"What?"
I turned my attention towards the Conductor.
"Are you saying that it won't accept attributes coming from low-purity fragments? I thought it wouldn't make a difference."
"That only applies up until a certain level."
The Conductor explained, staring at the Realmwalker amusingly.
"The Realmwalker has reached a stage where it can only grow through fragments of sufficient purity. For the little girl, things progressed smoothly because the ones you used were of high quality. But this stage is crucial for anomalies. It's the foundation for the next, far more significant level."
"...I see."
I suddenly felt grateful for the Conductor's presence. If not for him, I would've never realized any of this. No one else shared the same Decree as I did, and without his guidance, I had been stumbling forward blindly.
To some extent, one could argue that Conductor was my translator.
"So in short, I need higher quality fragments in order to upgrade the Realmwalker."
"Yes."
"....."
I groaned to myself.
This was...
Really bothersome.
Looking at the numerous fragments in front of me, I could only lament to myself.
'I should've asked the Guild Master of higher purity ones.'
Or maybe not. I had never planned on asking too much from the Guild Master. The main reason I had asked for low-purity ones was that I had a fax machine, which could turn fragments into high-quality ones. However, in hindsight, I probably could've pushed further and asked the Guild Master for higher-quality ones.
Still, I was also aware of one fact.
The more I asked, the more I'd have to give back.
'I'll settle for now.'
I turned towards the fax machine and sighed. If possible, I'd want to upgrade the fragments now, but I didn't have any SP.
I'd need to wait a bit before doing that.
'In this case, should I try to reach the Fourth Order?'
It hadn't been long since I'd reached the Third Order. I wasn't sure how my progress compared to the others, but considering it had taken Kyle four years to reach the Fifth Order, I couldn't help but think my pace was absurdly fast.
Still, I didn't plan on stopping.
Given the upcoming mission, I had no choice but to reach the next Order quickly.
And so, after taking a few moments of rest, I took out several fragments from my locked-up drawer and placed them on the table alongside the other fragments that I had removed the attribute of.
"Okay, this should be it."
I felt a little nervous while staring at the fragments before me.
However, I was also excited.
I wanted to know what my next node would be.
Taking a deep breath, I placed my hand over the fragments. A notification followed a moment later.
[Forty fragments have been located!]
[You have met the criteria to advance]
[The purity level is 82.3%]
[Do you wish to advance?]
▶ [Yes] ▷ [No]
The answer was clear. My hand moved on its own, and just as I was about to press "yes," a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
The Conductor's figure materialized in front of me, its tall, lank form bending slightly as it stared at the notification panel before me. It could see it...?
But more importantly.
"I shouldn't do it?"
I blinked slowly, trying to understand where the Conductor was coming from.
"You shouldn't."
The Conductor shook its head, pulling away from the panel before turning its face toward me. A raw, tearing sound filled the air as the stitches across its eyes and mouth came undone, threads snapping one by one.
As its gaping eyes fixed on me, its lips stretched into a wide, unsettling smile.
"You shouldn't do it for a very specific reason."
Its hand rose slowly, a single finger extending toward me as its grin stretched wider, twisting into something creepy.
"Your mind isn't stable."
"..."
"The moment you absorb the fragments..." The Conductor's words trailed off, its smile widening until it reached the corners of its face. It raised a finger and pressed it gently against my forehead. "You'll become something like us."
"....."
"You'll turn into an anomaly."
-x-X-x-
It was as if the entire room had been filled with water.
All of a sudden, my breath caught in my throat. The air grew cold, and an invisible weight pressed down on me from all sides. Across from me, the Conductor stood motionless, its unsettling smile stretching further. It was almost as if... it was savoring my struggle.
"Have you not noticed the changes in you...?"
The Conductor's voice echoed again, dripping with amusement, its hand still raised and finger unwavering as it continued to point directly at me.
"It's starting. The turning."
Its voice dropped into a whisper.
"...The Cognitive Shard in your mind is beginning to assert itself more and more. You've managed to suppress its influence, to slow it down for now, but you can't stop what's coming. The inevitable will catch up to you."
The Conductor lowered its hand.
"You'll soon turn like the rest of us, and..."
The Conductor stopped, bringing its hands to its shoulders.
"I find myself shuddering at what you might become."
"....."
With those words, the Conductor stopped speaking, but staring at its expression, I could feel the lingering excitement in its body as it stared at me.
I didn't say a word.
I couldn't say a word.
The world around me seemed to have slowed to a crawl, my mind struggling to comprehend the Conductor's words.
No, rather...
'I know.'
My heart pressed heavily against my chest.
I wasn't stupid. I'd already noticed the changes in my behavior. I'd tried my best to brush them off, to pretend they weren't there, but denial could only go so far.
'I'm slowly starting to turn.'
I looked at my hands. They looked normal, but staring at them, they felt paler than usual.
The fear I would normally feel in moments like this was simply... gone. In its stead, all I felt was a quiet sense of dread that crept up into my mind.
"Absorb those fragments, and you'll turn. Kuk..."
The Conductor's chuckle silently made its way into my ears.
"...I wouldn't mind if you turned. I'm excited to see what you'd become."
Biting my lips, I pulled my hand away from the fragments.
'I guess that's that.'
It seemed like I couldn't go into the Fourth Order.
At least, not in my current state.
I reached into the drawer, grabbed a pill bottle, and shook out several tablets. Without hesitation, I tossed them into my mouth and washed them down with a gulp of water. My mind cooled the moment the pills made their way into my system, but this was far from enough.
'This won't do. At this rate, I might never reach the Fourth Order.'
This put me in a terrible position. For the upcoming mission, I had to reach the Fourth Order.
I had done a lot of preparations for the cult mission, and the only thing that was missing was me reaching the Fourth Order.
And yet—
"Shit."
I covered my face, trying my best to think of a way out of the situation.
But regardless of what I thought, there was no magical answer.
Overdosing on pills?
That'd probably make my situation worse.
Ask the Guild Master?
That would probably be enough for him to discard me. He was the last person I wanted to find out about my condition. The Cognitive Shard would leave a gaping hole in my worth, and the Guild Master only cared about people for the value they brought him.
The moment I lost value in his eyes, I didn't doubt for one second he'd discard me.
In that case...?
"Why do you seem so against the possibility of becoming one of us?"
The Conductor's voice broke through my thoughts. When I turned toward it, I saw it seated in the chair across from me, legs crossed with an eerie sort of grace, as if it had been there all along.
"I don't quite remember how I became what I am now, but it's not so bad. The power I've gained is... difficult to even comprehend. And when I look at you..." The Conductor paused, its expression shifting, the amusement fading into something more solemn. "When I look at you, I see the potential for something far greater than anything I ever was. I see you becoming an anomaly that the entire world will one day fear. I see you becoming... the one who can bend the world to your will. The next ■■■■■■■■."
"Hm?"
I frowned, trying to make out the last part of its sentence.
"Can you repeat that? Becoming the next?"
"■■■■■■■■."
"Huh...?"
I strained to catch its words, leaning forward slightly, but once again, they never reached me. It was as if something, or someone, was preventing them from being spoken. Instead, all that came out was a faint, grating sound that scraped at my ears and sent a shiver down my spine.
I looked at the Conductor, and seeing how it didn't appear to notice anything, a certain thought occurred to me.
The system...?
Could the one blocking me from hearing be the system?
My came to a sudden pause, and just when I felt the tension in the room reach the peak, my pocket vibrated.
Trrr Trrrr—
A familiar ringtone echoed in the air.
I paused for a moment, taking out my phone and staring at the caller.
[Unknown Caller]
Looking at the number, I frowned.
A scam call?
I hung up and blocked the number right after.
But just as I did so...
Trrr Trrrr—
My phone rang again.
I frowned once more, turning my attention towards the phone again, but this time, the screen said something different.
[Jamie]
I thought back to our past conversation and answered.
"Hello?"
—Seth!
Jamie's voice echoed from the phone's speakers.
—I sent you a couple of messages, but I didn't see you answer. Is everything okay?
"You did?"
I looked at my phone, and it indeed seemed to be the case.
"Oh, you did."
—So it looks like you didn't see them...
"I've been pretty busy lately."
—No, kidding. I've been keeping a close eye on your situation. Your game is currently killing it! It's no wonder you don't have any time.
"Yeah..."
He wasn't wrong.
Instead of losing steam, the game was performing even better.
This was one of the few good things that had been happening to me lately.
—At the rate things are progressing, it won't be nuts to say that you've got the silver award clinched. That's incredible!
"Thank you."
Thanking Jamie, I got straight to the point.
"You're calling me for the stream, correct?"
—....
There was silence on the other line.
I smiled silently.
"A promise is a promise. Since I said that I'd do it, I'll do it."
—Are you sure? I know that you're busy and all of that, so...
"It's fine."
I reassured him.
"I'm planning to use this stream to boost the game's popularity. If everything goes well, it should help improve sales and raise my chances of winning the award."
—Yes! Yes... That's exactly what I meant! I didn't want to sound too pushy, but your popularity's been skyrocketing since the incident. Your name's really trending right now, so with a stream, you could draw a huge audience! It'll be great exposure for you! I even know the perfect place. I've done all the research and—
"Actually."
I stopped Jamie before he could continue, my voice coming to a pause.
"There's a place I want to do the stream. I'd like it if we do it there."
-x-X-x-
—A friend of mine will contact you in a bit. Make sure you answer, alright? He will help us arrange all the matters for the stream.
"Alright."
Click!
I hung up the call with Jamie.
All in all, it ended on a great note. He agreed to do the stream at the location of my choice.
The place was, of course, the location of the cult.
But why do it there?
Wouldn't that be stupid?
Not only would I be exposing Jamie to unnecessary danger, but I'd also be revealing my own location, practically inviting the cult to track my every move through the stream. There was no way they'd ignore a broadcast showing people trying to infiltrate their territory.
There was also another matter.
'With the stream, I can't use my powers.'
I was essentially handicapping myself to the extreme.
But—
'This is what I want.'
I had long considered all of the possibilities. There'd be no way for me not to take them into account. I'd be stupid not to.
But there was one very specific reason why I wanted to do this.
One key reason.
"Risky."
The Conductor's voice echoed from the opposite side as it looked at me.
I just smiled and didn't answer.
'Just like the stream will expose my location, it'll also make the cult aware of the fact that I am filming in their location.'
I was, in essence, exposing them to the entire world. For an organization that had gone to such lengths to stay hidden, that was the last thing they would want. Their motives were obvious, and in my mind, their subsequent actions would also be obvious.
'...They'll very likely try to remain hidden. In this case, there's a higher chance of me going deeper into their place because they'll try to avoid me.'
This was the perfect opportunity for me.
Of course, there was more to it than that, but this was the essence behind my decision.
"I guess I should take some time to prepare."
I checked the calendar.
There were only a few more days left until the deadline of the quest.
'I guess I'd better get ready.'
***
At the same time, Containment Section.
[The number you've dialed has blocked you.]
"....."
Zoey stared speechlessly at her phone.
Blocked...?
She's been blocked?
"....."
Even as she tried to make sense of the situation, she still struggled to do so. This was the very first time that she'd been blocked, and her mind struggled to process the fact. It also wasn't as if she hadn't texted him, specifically saying, 'I'm Zoey,' and so on.
He...
"Hoo."
Zoey took a deep breath, trying her best to calm down.
'Right, maybe he didn't see the messages. No, it's very likely he didn't see the messages.'
She tried to be optimistic.
Knowing Seth, he very likely didn't bother to check.
He was like that.
Zoey felt a lot better when she thought things this way. At the end of the day, Seth didn't answer the message, and he was too antisocial to answer calls from strangers.
"Oh, there he is."
Zoey spotted Seth not long after as he came out of his office.
After a moment of hesitation, she walked up to him.
'Just tell him that it was your number, and leave.'
Zoey stopped in front of Seth and waved her hand. He stopped too, looking at her in confusion, but just as Zoey was about to speak, a ringing sound echoed.
Trrr! Trrr—!
Seth's brow raised as he took out his phone.
The moment he did, Zoey caught sight of his screen.
[Unknown Caller]
And soon—
"Hello?"
"....."
"Ah, yes. Hello."
"....."
"I see."
"Fuck—!"
BANG!
Zoey's phone met an unfortunate end that day.
***
The next few days proceeded rather calmly.
I didn't do anything exaggerated. I calmly went on with my day, either working on my game or visiting my own squad to check in with them. Everything was proceeding smoothly, and before I knew it, it was the day of the quest.
"Time sure flew by."
I looked at the bag next to me. I had packed all of the essentials.
There was still one hour left before I'd head out.
I decided to leave my office for a short moment. But I quickly came to regret that decision not long after.
"Is that him...?"
"I heard that he's going to get demoted sooner or later."
"I also heard that his members are getting recruited by other Squad Leaders. Why is he a Squad Leader when he hardly does anything? I wonder what the Section Chief sees in him."
"Is he going to be demoted soon?"
"What's up with him? I heard he created a good game, but why is he at a Guild if he's busy creating games?"
"Not sure, I heard the Guild is sponsoring his games."
There were a lot of looks of judgment directed at me.
I couldn't blame them. This was all due to my negligence with my team. There was also the incident with Zoey, but I think that was mainly her being in a bad mood. I had no idea why she reacted the way she did.
Still, ignoring all the stares, I stopped before Kyle's cubicle.
"I guess he's not here."
This wasn't surprising.
Kyle had been very busy lately.
I hardly saw him these days. Then again, I'd been swamped myself. With the cult mission, the new multiplayer update, and the "Guild" version of the game still in development, there wasn't much time left for anything else.
There were a lot of things that I needed to do.
'I guess I should become freer after this mission. That'll be one big problem out of the way, and also... have no more quests.'
The thought made me frown.
For some reason, I hadn't been getting many quests lately, if any at all. I had been able to do everything as I wished without any problems. This felt somewhat odd to me, but since I was extremely busy, I was glad that I didn't receive any other quests.
But at the same time, I couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy.
Deep down, I knew that this mission was going to be very different from everything else I had experienced in the past.
This mission was going to be a turning point in my life.
I just didn't know what that turning point was just yet.
'I hope that I'm overthinking.'
Taking a deep breath, I was about to turn away when a sheet of paper on Kyle's desk caught my eye.
Curiosity got the better of me, and I reached out, picking it up.
The page was covered in messy scribbles. Half-finished sentences, rough sketches, and fragments of strange symbols that meant nothing to me. At the center of it all, one thing kept appearing again and again...
"...."
The number 71, written in different sizes, underlined, circled, even carved so hard into the paper that it nearly tore through.
My breathing came to a sudden pause as I caught sight of it, but as if that wasn't enough...
A single sentence caught my attention.
One that made my heart pause.
"It's not a date or a rank. It's an order. There's more."
-x-X-x-
Zone 9.
Situated on the far edge of the city, the district marked the industrial zone, filled with sprawling factories and warehouses. Thick plumes of dark smoke drifted through the air, casting a hazy shadow over the worn streets below.
'I should be close.'
I looked at the compass in my hands.
It pointed towards the east side, and I followed the direction it pointed.
The large backpack pressed heavily against my shoulders, though the weight was more noticeable than bothersome.
Taking out my phone, I looked at the screen.
"He still hasn't replied."
Ever since discovering the note on his cubicle, I'd called him more than a dozen times, trying to understand what he'd written. But Kyle never answered. He was busy, but I needed him to respond more than ever.
That number...
It meant a lot to me.
'...I'll wait a little bit more.'
I continued down the pedestrian road. This part of the city was clearly worse than the other.
Graffiti covered the cracked walls of rundown houses, trash piled in corners and along the sidewalks, and in the distance, looming industrial buildings stood beneath a noticeably thicker, heavier air.
'It's a shithole.'
I didn't want to linger here any longer than I had to, and fortunately, it didn't take long to reach my destination. The compass in my hand began to spin erratically, signaling that I'd arrived.
Craining my neck, I looked up.
Before me stood a tall brick wall, its front gate bearing a weathered, rust-stained sign that read:
[Millwall Steel Production]
The factory beyond the gate was in no better shape. It was clearly abandoned, with shattered windows, crumbling bricks, and wild weeds creeping through the cracks. Graffiti covered its faded walls, a common sight in these areas.
I didn't rush to enter.
Instead, I sat down on the ground and set my bag aside.
"He should be here in about ten minutes."
Jamie, that was.
I arrived a little earlier on purpose.
There were a few things that I needed to take care of before the stream started.
Like—
"Help me look to see if there are any cameras set up. There's no need to disable them. Just let me know their general location if they're there, and see if they are connected to anything."
My screen flickered for a moment as the clown appeared.
A moment later, the screen flickered again, and the clown disappeared.
'It doesn't really matter if the clown disables the cameras or not. Ultimately, I'll be livestreaming all of this. There's no way they wouldn't be able to know about my movements.'
Still, I had yet to reveal the location of my stream.
The moment I did, I'd probably catch them off guard.
That'd be the perfect chance for me to get a better idea of where they were hidden within the abandoned factory.
'...I sure hope it works.'
Opening my Ranobe page, I looked at my profile.
─────
[Seth Thorne ]
Posts: 5 Followers: 151k Following: 0
─────
While my following wasn't anything absurd like Zoey's, it was still pretty decent.
I checked my latest post.
[I'll be streaming soon]
It was just a simple black background with the stream announcement.
However, it garnered considerable attention.
─────
Likes : 72k Shares
: 13.4k Comments : 9.8k
─────
What was particularly interesting were the comments.
There were quite a lot of them.
—Woooo! You're streaming? I'm really interested!
—Are you finally going to address this entire situation? I must say, I am sorry for doubting you before. Who would've thought that they'd screw you over like that?
—As someone who also works for a black company, you have my sympathies. I'll make sure to tune in to the stream.
—Count me in, too.
—Ehh.. I wonder if he'll start cursing everyone out again lol. I'd actually be pumped if that were the case.
There were plenty of supportive comments, people expressing how they shared my frustration over the whole Nightmare Forge Studio incident. Many said they'd join the stream to show their support and hear me talk about what really happened.
Of course, there were also not-so-pleasing comments.
Conspiracies started to churn among some people. However, those comments would usually be drowned out by the other comments.
Thinking for a moment, I pressed like on a particular comment.
—...What do you guys think are the chances that he's the one who actually made the entire mess with the game? I mean... He does work for a Guild, and he also has a grudge against them. I'm not saying he did it, but... I'm sure everyone can figure it out.
'That should do it.'
And sure enough, it didn't take long for replies to appear beneath the post.
—He liked it!?
—It's true!!
—He actually is the one responsible for the chaos? Holy shit!
—Wait, relax. It might've been a mistake from his side. There's no need to jump to conclusions so quickly.
Needless to say, that single like started a chain reaction.
Threads started to appear on the more popular forums, [The conspiracy beneath the Night of Terror! A hidden player?], [What really happened on the Night of Terror?].
It was chaotic, and as I stared at it, I couldn't help but smile.
'That's more like it.'
I liked how a single action of mine had created all of this chaos.
It felt... nice.
Trr Trrr—!
Eventually, my phone rang.
I picked it up to hear Jamie's voice on the other side.
—I'm almost there. Where are you...?
"I'm here already."
—That quick?
"The bus came early."
—Oh, if that's the case, I'm going to hurry up.
Du. Du. The line fell a moment later, and not even a minute after the phone call ended, a familiar figure appeared in the distance.
"Hey!"
Jamie waved at me, his short brown hair slightly messy, barely covering his sharp green eyes. A large bag was slung over his back, the straps digging slightly into his shoulders as he approached.
"Huff! Huff!"
He looked out of breath as he tossed the bag to the ground and sat down.
"That... Haa... That felt like an entire workout."
I glanced at his back, and when I noticed the bits of metal jutting out from his bag, I looked away and leaned against the wall. My phone flickered at the same time as a certain clown appeared.
I looked at it for a moment before turning off my screen.
"That's what you get for carrying so much stuff with you."
"All... haa... for the stream."
Jamie replied, his breath still heavy.
Reaching for the bag, he began unpacking the equipment, his movements quick and his experience evident. As he started setting everything up, he glanced up at me, a conflicted expression flickering across his face.
"I saw... what you did... online. You... are really crazy."
"You only found out now?"
"Right, you're not exactly right in the head. I... should've known from the moment you did what you did several months back. How could I forget?"
Jamie shook his head and returned to setting up the equipment.
I watched his actions for a brief moment, and thought about helping, until—
Ding!
My phone rang.
Looking down, my hands paused.
Soon, a smile marred my features.
[1,081,941$ has been deposited to your balance]
'Took you long enough.'
-x-X-x-
─────[Shop]─────
[Section --> Cosumable]
[Luck Halo]
: A glowing, ring-shaped candy that hums faintly before dissolving on the tongue. For five minutes, probability subtly bends in the user's favor — dice roll high, doors open easier, and bullets seem to miss. Once the effect ends, misfortune equal in weight to the gained luck immediately follows.
Price: 15,440 SP
[Blink Serum]
: A small syringe filled with pale blue liquid. Injecting it grants instantaneous reflexes and enhanced perception for thirty seconds. After the effect wears off, the user experiences five minutes of blurred vision and delayed reaction times. Price: 12,120 SP
[Fate Draught]
: A silver vial that smells of ozone. Drinking it lets the user foresee a single, near-future event within the next ten minutes. He will lose a memory of the same duration.
Price: 41,870 SP
[Pulse Extract]
: A vial of viscous red serum. Drinking it amplifies strength and adrenaline output by 200% for two minutes. Once the body stabilizes, exhaustion sets in so violently that movement becomes impossible for ten minutes.
Price: 9,660 SP
─────[Shop]─────
I looked through the [Consumable] section of the system shop.
Usually, I tended to avoid this section. It wasn't so much that the items weren't useful, but they were typically one-time use and extremely expensive. The downsides were also a little too much for me.
'There's also the fact that I could never afford them before.'
These were all 'Third Order' items, and ever since reaching the Third Order, I hadn't found myself needing to look at the shop often, besides the pills.
This was the first time I was doing so in a while.
I knew that I had to go all in for this mission.
[Balance: 100,532 SP]
I had converted exactly 1,000,000$.
With that much SP, I decided to buy one 'Luck Halo', one 'Blink Seurum', one 'Fate Draught', and lastly, one 'Pulse Extract'.
That came to a total of 79,090 SP.
This left me with 21,442 SP.
I didn't rush to use the remaining SP. I saved them up in case I needed anything else later down the line.
However, I wasn't very optimistic.
'If my guess is right, the moment I find the cult, I won't be able to purchase any items.'
I didn't even know what I was supposed to do.
The mission stated that I had to find the cult. But was that truly it?
No, in fact, was it even a wise decision to go?
I pulled up the quest once more.
[Continuation Quest]
Difficulty: Fourth Order
Reward: 210,000 SP
Objective: Locate the main branch of the cult.
Location: N/A
Description: The cult and you can no longer co-exist. Locate their hideout in Malovia
and find out more about the architect, alongside their doctrine. Best be careful, as the
cult will now actively look for you. They have eyes and ears everywhere!
Time Limit: 6 months.
"...."
'Locate their hideout. Find out more about the architect, alongside their doctrine.'
There was nothing that stated that I had to attend the quest.
But...
'I have to go.'
I had a very large feeling that the mission was related to the reason for the sudden shift in the world, and the main cause of my disease. Just like the Conductor said, I'm slowly starting to turn. I can't afford to remain idle.
"Okay, everything is almost set up. Are you ready?"
Jamie's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. When I turned to him, I saw a strange-looking drone hovering beside his shoulder. A small red light blinked on its surface, and as I stared at it, I couldn't help but be surprised.
This was new...
"Like this?" he said with a grin. "It's a new model I picked up online. It tracks all my movements and records in full 360 degrees. The camera quality's great too, and best of all, I don't have to hold a stick while filming. Makes the whole experience way smoother."
"...."
I couldn't say he didn't have a point.
But...
"How much was this?"
The smile wiped from Jamie's face.
"...Let's not talk about it."
"That much?"
"Like I said, let's not talk about it."
Jamie cleared his throat and pulled out his phone. A moment later, a notification popped up on my screen.
"You should've gotten the notification. It's a co-host invite."
Jamie started explaining.
"With it, you'll be able to see the viewers' comments and the stream stats too."
I tapped the link, and a new interface opened on my phone. Since the stream hadn't started yet, the comment section was empty, but I could already see the layout: every panel, every stat, ready to update the moment we went live.
'This is pretty neat.'
"Do you need a bit more time to get ready? I'm good to go whenever you are. I already posted online to let everyone know we're about to start the stream. Just give me the word, and I'll hit start."
"...Okay."
I cleared my throat and looked at the weird drone.
It would take a bit for me to get used to the drone, but it wasn't a big deal as I turned my attention to my phone.
"You can start it."
"Okay!"
Fiddling with his phone, Jamie officially began the stream.
[●Live]
Viewers — 0
I paid close attention to the viewer count.
The numbers began climbing the instant the stream went live, the comment section flooding with messages that quickly filled the screen.
—The stream has started?
—Eyooo!! Where is this?
—It's him!
—I'm early leeel. Let's go!
[●Live]
Viewers — 11,029
I remained calm, even when the viewership count increased rapidly.
I stared at the comments in silence, waiting for several more minutes before starting to speak.
"It looks like a lot of you have shown up today."
The comments continued to flood.
A lot of them were asking about the situation with 'Nightmare Forge Studios'. In particular, they were asking about my involvement in the 'Night of Terror'. I deliberately ignored those comments while speaking.
"Today, I will be doing a stream with Jamie."
The drone panned in Jamie's direction as he waved his hand.
"How are ya'll?"
He was a professional.
The moment the drone panned on him, he smiled and threw a few entertaining lines. I wasn't like him. The only thing I could do was introduce them to the setting.
"Behind me is an abandoned factory," I said, turning the camera slightly to show the looming structure. "Jamie and I will be exploring it today, and trust me, it's going to be really scary."
I licked my lips.
They were quite dry.
Scratching the back of my head, I checked the comments.
—Huh? You're going into an abandoned factory? You're not going to talk about your involvement?
—Was that all bait for this?
—Seriously...?
—I don't give a fuck about this. Talk about the incident!
The comments were about what I'd expected; most people wanted to know more about the situation. Still, I ignored their questions and kept quiet about it, refusing to let the topic take over the stream.
Reaching into my pocket, I took out a pair of sunglasses and put them on.
At the same moment, I pushed open the factory gate, its rusted hinges groaning slightly, and stepped inside.
"Let's go."
A certain tension settled in my chest as I stepped in.
The cult quest began.
[●Live]
Viewers — 42, 193