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

"Just say the word and I'll give it to you. Is it money? I can give it to you. Is it fragments? I can give them to you. Is it items? I can also give them to you."

The Guild Master set his cup down gently, the faint clink of porcelain echoing in the quiet room.

"If it's within my capabilities, I will get it for you. Don't be shy. Just give me the word and I can get it for you."

My heart shook.

It wouldn't be a lie if I said that I wasn't tempted, but I also knew that things weren't going to be so simple. He was simply helping me because I was useful to him. He wanted me to rely on him more and more until I was completely under his control.

He didn't show it, but I could tell.

This was why I had been so cautious.

However...

'The mission is looming closer, and I'm nowhere near reaching the Fourth Order.'

I had around fifteen fragments in total. Five from the recent Call quest I'd completed, and the remaining ten from the few dungeon dives I'd done just to meet the monthly quota. Out of those fifteen, only nine had a purity level above seventy percent.

I was still far off from that.

But that wasn't the only thing.

'I've also been neglecting my anomalies. I think there's room for growth for all of them. It's a bit more complicated for Mr. Jingles and the Conductor, but it might be possible to evolve Mirelle. Maybe I can try with the Realmwalker? Can I upgrade him further?'

Once the thought settled in, it didn't leave.

I found myself helpless as the Guild Master's gaze continued to linger over me.

In the end, I quietly sighed.

'This is what I've come here for anyway...'

"Actually, there are a few things that I need."

Just as he planned to use me, I planned to do the same.

This was a mutually beneficial relationship.

But a very dangerous one.

*

Ding!

Watching the elevator doors open, revealing the all too familiar corridors of the Containment Department, I finally took a moment to let out a long breath as all the tension and anxiousness from a moment prior started to fade from my mind.

'...That was nerve-wrecking.'

It felt as though I had been sitting on pins and needles.

Just thinking about the Guild Master and his demeanor was enough to make me feel sick.

Thankfully, everything went smoothly.

He even went as far as to agree to my request.

'He said that he'll send over the fragments to me later. I should get ready for that.'

Ultimately, even though he said he could provide me with anything, I knew that I couldn't straight-up ask for hundreds of fragments. I settled for around forty low-purity 'Conceptualization' fragments for the Realmwalker, and some high-purity 'Wardern' fragments for Mirelle and me.

I had also wanted to upgrade Mr. Jingles and the Conductor, but it wasn't so easy to do.

Because of the gap in our levels, I still wasn't sure what requirements I needed to meet to upgrade Mr. Jingles.

Mr. Jingles was a <C> ranked anomaly.

This meant that he was at around the 'Fourth Order'.

In order to go from 'Fourth' to 'Fifth' Order, there was more than one thing needed in order to jump levels.

Fragments were no longer the only requirements.

Essence was required, along with some other things I was unsure of.

This was why I didn't ask for anything for Mr. Jingles.

I'd only be able to do it after I reached the 'Fourth Order'.

'I wonder what will happen once Mr. Jingles evolves.'

But those were thoughts for later.

"Seth."

A warm voice reached me from before me.

Lifting my head, I saw Kyle looking at me with a smile on his face.

He looked rather happy, although his face was rather pale.

"Did you just come back from a Gate?"

"Yup."

Kyle brushed his hair back, exposing his rather nice features.

"...It was a pretty tough gate, but we managed to clear it. Team Leader Soran was monitoring us the entire time. She didn't do anything, though, but we got a pretty decent clearing rate."

"That's not bad."

"But what about you?"

Kyle suddenly frowned.

"I heard that you've been neglecting your job as Squad Leader lately. There are a lot of people talking about you."

"Oh"

I wasn't unaware of the rumors going around me.

Let alone my outburst online, and all the chaos that I had been causing... The facts were that I had been so focused on my game that I had hardly gone with them to clear any gates. Joanna usually handled most of the raids, and the team's performance was still pretty good, only improving by the day.

This performance caught the attention of a lot of people, with some whispering about how I didn't deserve the position as 'Squad Leader' and that it should be given to someone who was more responsible.

Thankfully, the Section Chief ignored them.

'But it's not like I've been neglecting them.'

They were my main testing dummies for my new game.

A lot of the reasons why they had improved so much were because of that.

"You should be careful, Seth."

Kyle's sudden warning made me pause.

"Careful...?"

"Yes."

Kyle nodded his head seriously.

"I've been hearing from around that there are a few Squad Leaders around here who are personally trying to poach your members. There are even people from other departments who are trying to do that. If you let them be, I'm afraid that they might leave."

"...Oh."

'So the situation has deteriorated to this point.'

I nodded.

This did seem a little bit bothersome.

"The Section Chief might stop them from downright getting them transferred to their team, but if they poach them, he can't do anything about it. I'm also saying this since the Squad Leaders who are trying to poach your members are quite influential. Even I might not be able to do a thing if they went for my squad."

"Not even you?"

I found this hard to believe.

Kyle was the star of the department. How would it be possible for him not to do anything?

"Well, it's a little complicated."

Kyle scratched the side of his head.

"I may be a little popular, but I'm still rather new. Many of the Squad Leaders here have been here for a very long time. They don't usually show themselves since they're always away on missions, but they're from the same generation as Clara and Hermes. It'd be best to be careful."

"I see."

I took his advice to heart.

"Setting that aside, I heard that you released a new game. How is that doing?"

"Hm?"

I looked at Kyle.

He wasn't aware?

"It's doing pretty well, actually. We had some very good first-day sales."

"Oh, not bad. Not bad."

Kyle looked genuinely happy.

"That's awesome to hear. I'm glad—"

"Do you want to try it?"

That was until I offered him to try the game.

The smile quickly wiped off his face, and his lips twitched.

"Hah, Seth."

He looked really troubled.

He was probably trying to think of a way to reject me.

"...Something just came up. I'll... take my leave. Have a good one."

And he did just that, passing me and walking away in a hurry.

"....."

I could only stare at his retreating back speechlessly.

'My games... They're actually pretty scary, you know?'

I let out a sigh and shook my head. Considering how things had gone before, Kyle's reaction didn't surprise me in the slightest. I decided not to press the issue and started toward my office again, but just as I did, I came to a halt.

Flick!

The moment I turned my head, she turned her head away.

"....."

Turning her head back, she looked at me.

"Oh... Hi."

Zoey waved at me.

Then, nodding again, she walked away, her movements a little stiff.

The hell is wrong with her?