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

Swooosh—

The capsule door opened, and a figure stumbled out a few seconds later.

Her expression was entirely pale, and as she moved out, she turned her attention towards me, her mouth opening and closing as if she was trying to say something. In the end, all she managed to mumble was a few words before staggering away.

I stared at her parting figure before looking at the others.

"Err..."

"I... I think I need to go to the bathroom."

"Me too."

"Mhm."

"Squad leader..."

"Get in."

I nudged the rest of the members into the capsules. Before I knew it, they had all gone out of their capsules to see what was going on with Nora. In the end, they got their fill, and now that they did, it was their turn.

"Get in. Now that I'm more familiar with the system, I can create different rooms for all of you."

".....!?"

The faces of everyone changed, with some even protesting.

Even the usually quiet Min and Sarah were desperately shaking their heads.

But I didn't care.

"Hop in."

In the end, despite their objections, they all ended up entering the capsules. I nodded in satisfaction before pressing onto the keyboard, allowing the doors of the capsule to close down.

Soon after, my monitor blinked five times, indicating that the capsules connected.

Having already prepared beforehand, I prepared five different saves and started them all at the same time.

"The game will start now. Good luck."

Click!

Five different images appeared on the monitor in front of me.

"W-what the... hell was that?"

Right before I could have the chance to start observing, a hoarse voice echoed next to me.

"Hm?"

I turned my right to see Nora near the desk, her hands trembling as she held onto it with both hands. With a pale expression, she looked at me.

"I... That... old woman..."

"Oh."

I suddenly understood everything and smiled.

"Yes, it's exactly what you're thinking. It's the same woman who appeared in the game that you've been playing. I'm planning on unifying my games."

The thought struck me the day prior while I was developing this game.

I had originally intended to develop the game to test the VR setting and have a better idea of how to create VR games. This was the original plan, and I planned on sticking to it. However, in the midst of my development, a thought occurred to me.

'Wouldn't it be such a waste...?'

While the original game wasn't anything amazing, it was still a good game. So was the second one. Both games gained a good following.

In my mind, it kind of felt like a waste to keep them in the PC version.

There was so much more to them than that.

That was when the idea came to mind.

Foundation.

I planned on using the first two games as a foundation for the next game. One that centered all of my experiences and focused on long-term storytelling.

'Sort of like the quests that I receive from the system.'

While it did seem like the quests were all random, and there was no connection between each quest, it became abundantly clear to me with the passing of time that it wasn't the case at all. Each quest was interconnected in some way, leading towards the next quest or a specific goal.

'...There's still a long way, and it's just an idea, but if I can work it well, then I already have the base foundation of the game created. I'll just have to center the entire game around the old lady and create an overarching plot.'

For that...

I wasn't too worried.

I had plenty of ideas. Especially since I was aware of the fact that the old lady was related to the cult to some extent.

It was just a pity that the old lady was no longer here.

I would've been able to find out more from her. In the end, however, she ended up dying at the hands of her own creations.

'Yeah, but I shouldn't have gotten her killed. This makes things a little difficult for me. I would've been able to find out more about the cult from her. Now... I'm starting from scratch again. It's not like there's another person that I can ask. The only other person that would know would probably be the Twisted Man, but that's just—'

"Eh...?"

I suddenly paused, my eyes blinking slowly as a thought suddenly occurred to me. One that made me silently swallow my own saliva as I tried my best to keep my breath in check.

'Wait, wait, wait...'

The old lady was dead, yes.

She was related to the cult. Of that, I was certain. The quest came directly after I figured out more about the Twisted Man.

In that regard...

"....."

I swallowed my saliva yet again, feeling my hand tremble.

I actually did have a way to gain information about the Guild. And that was through my newest skill.

[Anamnesis]

'Yes, there was this way...'

I could hardly keep my mind from spiraling in a direction that I didn't want it to go. The more I thought about the situation, the more I felt myself spiral.

But—

'This is the best way.'

It would help me figure out the past of the Twisted Man and learn more about the cult.

'But wait...!'

I thought, suddenly struck me as another anomaly crossed my mind. This time, it was a little girl whom I was all too familiar with. If there was another anomaly that I knew was related to the cult, then it had to be her.

What if...

'No, let's not think about this now. Let's focus on the Twisted Man first.'

Mirelle's situation was complicated. While she was connected to the cult, whenever I asked her about it, she would say that she didn't know much. I believed her.

She was young, and it wasn't like she understood much.

Her family most likely also didn't tell her anything.

I didn't think I'd receive the answers that I desired if I used the skill on her. However, it wasn't like I wasn't going to do it. Even if the chances were low, I needed as much information as possible about this strange cult.

The Conductor...

I didn't think it would have any information about the cult. Even if it did, I doubted it would tell me. I had tried multiple times to get it to tell me more information about itself and the reason for its transformation, but in the end, all efforts ended in vain.

It seemed like most of its memories had been erased.

'I also tried to ask it about the thing that resides within this gate, but it just told me that it was dangerous. That's all it really knows...'

I planned on finding some time to properly speak with the Conductor.

"Eh...?"

Suddenly bringing me out of my thoughts was a sudden voice.

I turned my head and caught sight of Nora, her gaze fixed on the monitor where the others were being displayed. Her hand was pressed to her mouth, eyes locked in concentration as she watched them struggle to navigate the scenario, just as she had done before.

Seeing her reaction, I also looked at the monitors.

'Heh.'

I almost laughed.

My chest tingled at the sight of their panicked faces. I just barely kept my expression straight as I held onto my laugh with all my might.

'I can't laugh. Not here. They'll think I'm weird. I need to maintain my image as Squad Leader.'

But then—

"Kek."

A weird noise came out of Nora's mouth as she looked at the monitors.

"...Kek."

A smirk played on her lips right after as she turned towards me.

"I finally get it."

"Hm?"

Get what...?

"I get why you like this job. It's funny as shit. Kek..."

Nora covered her mouth again, pointing at Joanna with the other while chuckling to herself and mumbling things like, 'Not so high and mighty anymore, heh? Kek. Wait, let me take a video.'

"...."

I stared at her for a brief moment, until—

"Kek."

I also started to laugh.

"Keke."

"...Kek."

"It's really fun."

"I know, right?"