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

Chapter 723: Team Leader Seth [2]

‘They’re really starting to annoy me.’

Generally, one would be happy with a promotion. It was a cause for celebration, but this was an obvious move to make it harder for me to move.

In other words…

They were trying to suppress me further.

“Come on! Why is everyone in such a mood? This is cause for celebration!”

Soran’s words rang through the surroundings, and I snapped out of my daze, staring back at her and the others before nodding.

“Well, it’s not bad. I guess I could do with a salary increase.”

If it could even be considered that…

“See? Haha.”

Soran laughed, moving closer to me as she slapped my back.

“Drinks are on me tonight.”

I wasn’t quite in the mood for that. I was just about to tell her that when she pressed her finger over my lips and shook her head.

“Nope.”

She stared at me straight in the eyes.

“You’re not allowed to refuse. This isn’t something I’m willing to compromise on. Today, you and me, drinks.”

Soran whispered the last words so that nobody else could hear them, and as I stared at her, I could see a slight trace of seriousness in her gaze. I realized that she probably had something serious to say to me.

In that case…

“Still, no~”

Soran’s face crumbled, her tongue clicking at the same time.

“It’s happening.”

“I said no.”

“You’re drinking with me.”

“No.”

“Hey!”

“…I’ve got a case that I need to handle. If you’ll excuse me.”

I turned around and excused myself under the watch of everyone present. Soran seemed speechless, but I ignored her and proceeded to head to my own office.

Clank!

Closing the door behind me, I plopped down in my chair.

Ding!

But right as I did, a notification appeared on my phone.

Crazy Team Leader : [Hey, we’re doing it, right? I mean, the drink and stuff.]

I stared at the notification and put the phone down.

Only for the phone to buzz again.

Ding! Ding!

I ignored the notifications.

In all honesty, I was planning on going. I could tell that she was trying to tell me something important.

It was just that I was having a bit of fun with her at the moment.

“Team Leader, huh?”

I leaned further back onto my chair.

It wasn’t like I didn’t see it coming. In fact, from the moment my situation had been leaked to the press and online, I already knew that something was going to happen.

‘And it’s not like this wasn’t a thing even before this entire thing.’

The promotion was already something I had been aware of. In fact, I wasn’t the only one who was supposed to get promoted. But that wasn’t the issue at hand. The issue stemmed from the fact that it came at a time when I couldn’t afford to waste my time on other duties.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

Especially not when I was currently busy handling this case…

“VILE – 1048”

I tossed a document onto my desk.

Just before returning, I had someone print it out for me.

“…This might probably be a really difficult one.”

Still, taking into consideration the rewards from the quest, I knew that this quest was worth a shot. If the anomaly was as resourceful as it seemed to be, then it was the perfect anomaly for me to tame.

Ding! Ding!

‘I just hope it isn’t like the others.’

I had luck with the anomalies and their powers, but not with their personalities. Each anomaly under me was incredibly… quirky.

I didn’t think I’d be able to handle more.

Just the thought of adding another one with a similar personality was giving me the shivers.

“You were thinking of something bad about us, weren’t you?”

A head popped out from the painting before me.

Raising my head, I stared at the pair of dark eyes that were looking right at me.

I shook my head.

“I wasn’t.”

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

“Ah… so it was just about me.”

Mirelle’s shoulders slumped.

“I’m the problem aren’t I?”

She sighed.

“Well, I guess it makes sense. You did decide to help the others instead of me. I must be pretty unwanted. Should I just go?”

“…”

“Not even answering… I must be worthless in your eyes.”

I covered my forehead.

‘Yes, I really can’t handle another one like this.’

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

“Anyways, what do you think?”

I raised my head to stare at the corner of the room where a wide smile greeted me.

As things usually progressed, I turned to face my consultant, the Conductor. He was the one anomaly I could always count on whenever I was stuck.

“I don’t know.”

“…..”

“I really don’t know.”

The Conductor shrugged its shoulders, its lips thinning out slightly. Though its smile remained, there was a rare trace of seriousness in its gaze as it stared at me.

“You’re very likely dealing with an entity that was on the same level as me at the time we met each other. No…” The Conductor suddenly paused, its expression turning even more serious before its lips twisted extremely wide. “You might be dealing with something on an even greater level than what I was in the past.”

A chuckle escaped the Conductor’s sealed lips.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

It was obvious that it found this situation amusing, but hearing its words, I found this to be anything but amusing.

“At least, I don’t think I’ve fallen prey to it.”

I had been thinking.

The system had already given me several clues, including the fact that I had already met it in the past. I previously assumed that there was a chance that I had fallen for its scheme and was perhaps dreaming, but I was now almost certain that wasn’t the case.

‘Firstly, the system would’ve likely warned me.’

Whenever an anomaly started targeting me, I’d get a warning.

[You have been haunted].

In this situation, I had received no such message. Not only that, but the fact that I could still see the system was probably an indicator that I was still safe.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

“Still, the fact that I’ve already met it and came so close to it is enough to give me chills.”

“Oh? You’ve met it?”

The Conductor appeared before me, its long, slender hands pressed against the table as it leaned forward to get a good look at me.

“Looks like my earlier guess might be correct.”

Chuckling again, the Conductor stared straight into my eyes.

“Have you tried using the strange compass of yours?”

“I have.”

I took out the compass from my pocket and showed it to the Conductor. Its brow raised as it looked at the wildly spinning compass.

“Oh, wow.”

Wow indeed.

I sighed again. Lately, I had been doing that quite a lot.

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped.”

This wasn’t the first time the compass just refused to work. Thankfully, I wasn’t overreliant on the compass, and I had other means.

That being said—

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

“Fine, fine!”

I looked at my phone again.

Ding!

I was greeted by the sight of at least several hundred messages.

[Come on! Come!]

[No, but seriously, it is important.]

[You can’t miss it.]

[I mean, if you want we can make it our engagement party.]

[No?]

[How does tonight at ten sound?]

[Alright, it’s a deal.]

[If you don’t show up, I’ll personally come to get you.]

[I know you’re seeing this.]

There were just so many messages that I had to scroll down several times in order to get to the last message, and when I did, I paused.

[Come upstairs. There’s a meeting with the upper management regarding your current promotion.]

“…Ah.”

Here it was.

The next headache.

But still—

I stood up from my seat and walked towards the door.

“I think it might be good.”

It was about time I made contact with those snakes.