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

Chapter 775: Meeting [1]

“Dear me, I knew this was going to happen eventually, but not this fast.”

I stared at the decapitated head beneath me and sighed. At the same time, I turned my attention back towards the others.

“Well, it’s not like I can blame you.”

He was talking a lot of nonsense. I’d also cut them if I were in their place. Uh… Actually, I was, wasn’t I?

But to be honest, I understood perfectly what he was trying to say.

‘Gates and anomalies…’

They weren’t random. Every single gate and anomaly had someone behind it, and all of this was nothing short of a big game between such ‘players’. I felt shivers running down my body when I thought about it.

It brought up several questions inside of my mind.

But⎯

“Well, I would’ve been able to get such answers if you guys hadn’t killed him. Really made things more difficult for me.”

I knew that the stronger the anomalies became, the more autonomous they became. In the Voidwalker’s case, it used to never really refuse my orders. Even if it complained, it still complied most of the time.

This was the first time it did something on its own.

“There’s something here.”

The Conductor’s voice brought me out of my thoughts as I moved closer to the man’s body and searched his pocket, taking out a small fragmented piece of metal.

“Oh, this…”

I stared at it for a good couple of seconds before putting it in my pocket.

‘Another piece of the Lesser Key.’

I still didn’t know how many of these existed, but I did know that they were quite valuable and something that a lot of the system holders were looking for.

‘…I wonder how many I need to complete it.’

Scratching the back of my head, I looked around and shook my head.

“Whatever, let’s clean this mess up and worry about it later. I’m feeling a little tired.”

Bringing my hand to my lips, I yawned.

“…Tired, I am.”

***

At the same time.

Secretary Kim lowered his phone as Section Chief Johansberg looked up from the report on his desk.

The Secretary could feel the tension within the room as he subconsciously softened his tone.

“Claude’s condition has stabilised. The doctors say there’s nothing preventing him from speaking now.”

“But he still won’t talk?”

“No. They tried asking him about what happened inside the Gate, but he turned towards the wall and refused to answer.”

Johansberg looked back at the report. Kim waited while he read through the remaining lines, his attention lingering on the Section Chief’s expression.

There wasn’t much he could make out.

And that was the most troublesome thing. The less he saw, the more tense he felt.

Eventually, the Section Chief spoke.

“…And the others?”

“Nothing useful from them either.”

The Section Chief placed the report down. For a moment, neither of them spoke, and Kim glanced at him warily before breaking the silence.

“What do you think…?”

“I’ll have a talk with him myself.”

Johansberg stood up and took his coat from the back of the chair.

“What? You’re going to…”

“I’ve already sent him a message. It’s time that the two of us talked.”

“Ah, that’s…”

“What?”

The Section Chief opened his lips, but eventually closed them as he shook his head.

“Nothing.”

Kim stepped aside to let him pass, watching him leave without asking anything further.

The door closed behind him.

Kim remained where he was until his phone vibrated again. He checked the number on the screen, then glanced towards the door before walking out of the room and going to a more secluded space.

“…The situation is a little more unpredictable than expected.”

He spoke quietly, making sure not to be heard.

His brow eventually furrowed.

“Yes, I’m aware. But Claude still won’t talk, and the Section Chief is getting involved personally.”

Kim paused, his fingers tightening around the phone.

“Seth seems to be more troublesome than expected.”

He took a deep breath before saying,

“I’d like more assistance.”

***

Well, I had been called in by the Section Chief.

That wasn’t particularly unusual, but instead of telling me to report to the Guild, he had sent me the address of a restaurant. Looking at the entrance, I briefly wondered whether I should’ve asked who was paying before agreeing to come.

‘…Surely he wouldn’t invite me here and make me pay.’

That would be a terrible thing to do to an employee.

A very despicable thing.

A waiter greeted me at the entrance and, after hearing my name, led me towards a private room near the back. The fact that they didn’t show much of a surprise upon hearing my name showed their professionalism. I nodded in satisfaction.

The Section Chief was already seated inside, his coat hanging over the chair beside him.

I entered with a smile.

“Section Chief.”

“Sit.”

“….”

I didn’t sit.

To be honest, him telling me to sit made me not want to sit.

So…

I sat on the table.

“What are you doing?”

“Sitting.”

“You…”

Eventually, he shook his head and let it go. This was a surprising development, and for the next few seconds, the room remained quiet as a pleasant smell came from the dishes already arranged on the table.

“…This is considerably better than your office.”

I decided to make some small talk.

I was a changed man, but I was still an introvert at heart.

I hated the silence. Felt really awkward.

The Section Chief took a sip of the drink before him.

“I thought a change of setting would be appropriate.”

“I agree. I’ve started feeling unwell whenever someone asks me to come to the Guild.”

His hand paused beside his glass.

“Unwell?”

“Yes. Usually, it means someone has found something unpleasant for me to do.”

Johansberg watched me for a moment before gesturing towards the food.

“Eat first.”

Well, now I didn’t want to.

I took a sip of the drink before me.

“…..”

“Have a drink.”

And so, I ate.

“….”

For a little while, he asked about my work and whether I had recovered from the incident. I answered between bites, finding myself considerably more willing to talk now that there was food involved.

He seemed to have noticed that as well.

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

“I’m trying to change as a person.”

“That’s good.”

“Yes. I’ve decided to be more reasonable.”

“And how do you intend to manage that?”

“By having a proper conversation with people.”

I swallowed before continuing.

“If that doesn’t work, I’ll have an improper one. What matters is that we resolve the issue before it affects my sleep.”

His gaze lingered on me while I reached for another piece of meat.

He continued.

“You’ve attracted quite a bit of attention lately.”

“I’ve noticed. It’s rather inconvenient.”

“Some of that attention isn’t favourable.”

I stopped chewing for a moment.

“Have they met me?”

“Some have.”

“And they still dislike me?”

“…..”

I shook my head before returning to my food.

“Then I’ve done what I could. There’s no point in making myself miserable just because they have poor judgement.”

Johansberg set his glass down.

“Those people could make things difficult for you.”

My hand stopped above the plate. I looked at him, but his expression gave little away.

“…Is this why you invited me?”

“It’s part of it.”

I put my fork down and leaned back. The food was good, but I was beginning to understand why he hadn’t asked me to come to his office.

“And the other part?”

“You’ve shown that you’re capable. More capable than I initially believed.”

“That sounds like something people say before giving me more work.”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

“Not quite.”

He leaned forward slightly, meeting my gaze.

“Join my side. I’ll make sure to treat you well.”