Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary!

Chapter 648: Crawling Unease [4]

The music continued to drift through the air, its soft tune threading through the surroundings in a way that felt almost hypnotic. It wasn’t loud or overwhelming, yet it clung to everything. The moment the Team Leader heard it, he felt his mind begin to ease.

However, his expression was quick to change as he snapped out of it, taking a step back.

’This is...?’

He was quite sensitive to this stuff, so he understood instantly that something was trying to mess with his mind. Something of the [Sonorous Decree]. Listening to the soft tune that drifted in the air, he was reminded of something.

’...Him?’

The Team Leader covered his lips, his thoughts drifting to the infamous <A> Ranked Gate incident that had happened back in Malovia. Listening to the tune, his lips pursed tightly as he tried to put the pieces together.

In this situation...?

"It has to be him. Is this all because of him?"

But how was this possible?

He shouldn’t have been aware of what he was planning or his identity. Furthermore, he had orchestrated the entire situation so that Seth would go to him. No matter how he thought about it... It shouldn’t be possible.

’In that case, am I being misled on purpose?’

Scratch! Scratch!

The Team Leader began to scratch the side of his neck again, his face growing more and more irritable as his breathing became even rougher. The more he felt his control slip, the more he struggled to contain himself.

’Let’s be calm. Remain calm.’

His mind acted one way, but his body acted in another. His body started to move on its own, each step bouncing off the surroundings as he started to move towards the source of the sound. Initially, he fought against the feeling. However, he soon realized something.

’...By following the music, I’m actually starting to find the right path.’

He looked at the side of the walls next to him and realized that the doors were different from before. In fact, not far off, he could also see a corner.

’So long as I follow the music, I’ll be able to get out of this loop.’

This was a solid plan, but at the same time, he realized that the more he let the music pull at him, the deeper it seeped into his mind, coiling around his thoughts and taking away the control that he so desperately sought.

Scratch! Scratch!

The more this dragged on, the more uncomfortable he felt. However, he also realized that this was the only path that he could take in order to resolve this situation. But more than anything, as he allowed the music to take over his body, he finally saw it.

Ding—!

The awaited notification as his breath came to a sudden pause.

[Scenario Spotted!]

[Operation: Emergency escape!]

Class : ■■■

Something is wrong. The halls have begun to twist, looping back on themselves no matter which way you turn. Escape seems impossible.

Yet a faint melody drifts through the corridors. Follow the sound, and it may guide you out.

Be careful. The music is not just a guide. If you lose yourself in it, you may never leave.

[Scenario candidates will be joining shortly. Do you wish to use any item?]

[You have ten seconds]

’I knew it...’

He was inside a Gate.

Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!

The loud, yet rhythmic thumping of his heart made it all the way to his mind, drowning away some of the music that drifted in the air as his expression grew more and more serious while his hand started to scratch the side of his neck with even more force.

At some point, he began to feel something wet trickle down.

But none of that concerned him.

’It’s them! It has to be them!’

By now, all possibilities of it being Seth were thrown out the window. In his mind, Seth had yet to unlock the Gate Developer function. Perhaps, he had, but to develop a Gate of this level, one had to spend a lot of time researching the surroundings and area. Furthermore, from his research, Seth had yet to open a single Gate. He had previously assumed that the Gate in Malovia had been his responsibility, but he later found out that it had nothing to do with him, as the source code of the Gate didn’t belong to Seth.

But that wasn’t the only thing! If there was anyone who could figure out his exact location and everything that he had planned, it had to be them!

"B-but... why? Why are they targeting me? Eliminating him should also be their goal, I’m just... no, I need to get out."

Having realized in just what sort of situation he was in, the Team Leader no longer cared for appearances as he desperately tried to fight against his body while looking around frantically and sifting through his pockets to look for any item that could help him with the situation.

His node churned at the same time, but with no nearby anomaly in sight, he was no different from a regular human.

"Ha...! Haa!"

But in spite of his struggle, the music only grew stronger. It muffled his thoughts and made the struggle harder for him. His body continued to move on its own, but he could feel himself starting to lose it. The more this dragged on, the harder it became for him to resist.

’Something! Anything...!’

Sifting through his pockets, he finally managed to grasp something and pull it out. A small orb the size of a baseball, its surface extremely smooth.

His expression stiffened at the sight of it, his heart aching, but he knew he didn’t have much of a choice as he tossed the item into the air. The moment he tossed it, the orb exploded, and a large figure unfolded. Without a second thought, the Team Leader reached for the creature as several of his nodes churned at once.

The moment his hand touched the creature, his nodes churned even faster.

The creature before him squirmed, but its struggles merely lasted a few seconds until it finally stopped moving.

With heavy breaths, the Team Leader looked around before shifting his attention back to the creature in front of him. [VILE-1011]. Such was the creature that stood before him, an anomaly capable of molding and shaping into anything that it wanted.

With his [Skinwaver] Decree, he could take full control of anything he touched. In a way, he was no different from the [Whisperer] Decree, but he was limited in the sense that, for his abilities, he needed to touch the target. Be it an anomaly, human, or animal. He could control them all as long as he touched them, but the degree of difficulty ranged from the power of the anomaly.

"Haa... Haaa..."

With heavy breaths, the Team Leader looked at the anomaly whose form started to shift into something similar to a horse as he jumped on. Although it was a pity, he had no choice but to let go of his reserve. This was a race against time.

Without saying a word, the anomaly started to move in the direction of the music. The Team Leader could feel his mind growing foggier and foggier. Despite his best attempts at resisting it, the music was starting to get to him, seeping through the corner of his mind as the anomaly moved across the numerous corridors, turning sharply as the music grew louder and louder.

The louder the music became, the stronger its pull grew, but the Team Leader paid it no mind, focused only on escaping. His grip on the anomaly tightened as it surged forward, his heart pounding against his chest as he caught sight of a strange light in the distance.

The light grew brighter, almost shattering the dimness that had been encapsulating him until moments prior. In that moment, the anomaly dissolved completely, turning into a bracelet as the Team Leader carried on from that moment.

...Controlling an anomaly was quite heavy on his mind, and given the music that drifted in the air, he didn’t want to take any risks. Keeping the anomaly as a bracelet was still fine for him as he continued ahead. Towards the light as it grew stronger and stronger before his very eyes.

Alongside the light, he could feel the music seep deeply into his mind as he almost flickered in and out of consciousness. Biting his lips to keep himself conscious, he stepped past the light, and his surroundings changed.

His eyes squinted under the strong light, his heart tight against his chest as he remained alert, his node churning, and the bracelet on his wrist wiggled, ready to attack at any given moment.

The sense of unease carried through as it didn’t take long for his eyes to adjust, and when they did, his expression changed.

Staring at the sight that greeted him, his entire expression changed.

"What...?"

"Haha, you’re here."

For a face and voice he was familiar with greeted him.

Walking calmly in his direction, Cedrick’s figure became clear.

"I’ve been waiting for you."

"But, but..."

Scratch. Scratch.