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

Following the small incident with the Conductor the day prior, I spent my remaining time at the new studio fiddling around with the new mode and system. I managed to familiarize myself with the capsules and decided to play around a bit.

In the end, I managed to perfectly recreate the same scenario as my first game.

[A Regular Day in the Office]

It took me surprisingly little to no time to develop it.

At the end of the day, the setup was rather simple. Added with the Virtual Mode, I was able to get it done within an hour.

The really tricky part was the coding bits.

Virtual Games still required coding, and the like. Thankfully, the coding for VR games wasn't that difficult.

In just a couple more hours, I was able to integrate everything into the game.

After that, I just added a few touches here and there to make it better. It all looked great, but at the same time, something clicked in my mind as I worked on the game.

It began as a small idea, barely more than a spark. But the more I worked on the makeshift game, the deeper it took root in my mind.

And then, before I knew it, the idea had taken over my mind completely.

'That's... It's certainly possible.'

At some point, my attention shifted away from the make-shift game. But towards something bigger. Grander.

And soon, I began applying the subtle changes to the makeshift game.

A teaser of some sort.

One that would lead to the eventual development of my new game.

'...If you can call it that.'

I smiled at the thought. I was planning something bigger than that.

"Who should we start with first?"

I turned towards the capsules. They had all yet to enter.

Eventually, I settled my gaze over to Nora.

"What are you waiting for? Get in like the others. You'll be the first one."

"Huh? Me...?"

Nora pointed at herself, looking incredulous.

I nodded.

"Yes, you."

"No, but—"

"Get in."

"....."

Nora stood in silence, her mouth opening a couple of times before she eventually closed it while the outlines of her jaw clearly became visible. At last, she stepped into the pod.

I didn't waste the chance and pressed [Enter] on the laptop keyboard.

Swoosh!

The pod closed on its own.

Before starting the game, I opened up the Game Developer Mode and inserted a couple of scripts inside.

'I wasn't planning on doing this, but since everyone is so keen on testing the Virtual Game, it is only right that I go all in.'

Inserting all of the scripts inside, I smiled.

"Let's start with Nora, then."

I moved the mouse over to the side where it said, [Start].

After just a brief pause, I pressed it.

Click!

The game started.

***

'Why am I even doing this? Why am I even listening to him...?'

Nora mumbled to herself, clenching her teeth tightly.

In the end, despite her protests, she sat down in the capsule and watched it close. Her vision grew dark shortly after as she felt a jolt of electricity run down her spine.

The sensation was neither painful nor comfortable.

It was annoying.

Thankfully, it didn't last for very long. Just a few seconds.

What followed was a soft voice.

One that whispered right into her ear,

'This is my third year working for the company. Every day is a struggle, and I hardly get any sleep. I am so tired that I think I'm starting to hear things whenever I leave my office. The only thing keeping me sane is my playbox. Only when I play it do I feel safe.'

For some odd reason, Nora felt her heart quicken at the sound of the voice.

It was almost as if someone was right next to her.

'...I hope it's just because I'm tired. But I did hear about a recent case where one of those in the IT department killed themselves because they were being overworked. I hope I don't end up the same.'

Her spine tingled, and no longer, her eyes opened.

"..."

Her attention was immediately drawn to her surroundings. She found herself in a dimly lit office, the furniture looking extremely monotonous. Alongside it, she heard the subtle, yet repetitive, flickering that came from the lights above.

Flick! Flick!

A faint blend of printer toner and recycled air drifted through the room, undercut by the dry tang of dust clinging stubbornly to the carpet fibers.

From the sound to the smell.

Everything felt so real.

'...Is this how VR games are?'

This was the first time Nora had tried a VR game. It wasn't that she couldn't afford to buy a headset, but she wasn't one who was very interested in games. Her family was pretty well off, and if she wanted, she could've probably have afforded her own capsule.

All Nora cared about was improving.

She didn't have much of a backstory. Born into an elite family, went to an elite school and had everything that she wanted.

There were a lot of things that she could've done.

However, there was only one thing that she wanted.

She wanted to be the best.

Nora wanted to be remembered as one of the most elite in her line of work. She wanted to become one of those figures she used to watch on TV, their presence untouchable, almost inhuman, as if ordinary people could never reach them.

This was why she joined the Guild.

It was because this was the place that would grant her the opportunity to achieve her dream.

But—

'I really had to get paired up with a lunatic for a Squad Leader, didn't I?'

The Squad Leader of the team that she had been assigned to. How could she put him into words...? It was hard to describe. Not only could he create games that felt so realistic and scary enough to be used for training, but he was also... a monster.

He was a monster that even made her shudder at times.

She wasn't the only one who felt this way. The others did too.

There were moments when being near him felt unbearably suffocating, worse than any anomaly they had ever faced.

He was scary.

But at the same time...

He was the perfect person to learn from.

In Nora's mind, he was the key to achieving her dreams. This was why she no longer refused his commands.

"Alright."

Nora looked ahead.

At the same time, a soft voice echoed in the air.

—The game basics are simple. Just walk and look for the exit. That's all you need to do. Good luck.

That was all he said.

What followed was a tense silence.

One that made her nerves twitch. Just as she reached for the door, something in her pocket caught her attention. She pulled it out and found a small MP3 player.

"Hm? They even have this?"

She scrolled through it, but only found a song.

In the end, she decided to play it.

"Might as well."

What followed was a soft and mellow tune that filtered through the silence around.

Nora smiled and reached for the door. Yet, she didn't notice the faint, almost imperceptible sluggishness in her movements.

Clank!

The door opened and she stepped out.

This was also the moment when her nightmare started.