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

Chapter 342: 71 [4]

There wasn’t much known about the Guild Master.

He was the type of person to seclude himself within the Guild and never interfere with most matters. This was why he was mostly a figurehead amongst most of the members. He was simply just there to carry the Guild’s image.

However, that was the furthest thing from the truth.

Only a select few truly knew the Guild Master, and to those who knew him, they understood that the reason why the Guild Master never acted wasn’t because he didn’t want to, but because they didn’t want him to.

Everyone understood that the moment the Guild Master acted, it would signify failure on their side.

And failure...

It wasn’t very appreciated by the Guild Master.

”It looks like we’re in quite the mess,” the Guild Master spoke, his lips curled into a thin smile as he looked at the monitoring room. He could see from the broadcast that the situation was turning more and more dire by the second.

His eyes remained rippleless despite the scene that he witnessed.

Eventually, his gaze fell on the Section Chief as the Section Chief felt his entire body start to shudder under the weight of his gaze. It took everything from him to maintain eye contact with the Guild Master as he explained the situation to him.

”An external force has interfered with the Trials. They are trying to—”

”I know, I can tell.”

The Guild Master cut the Section Chief off, interlocking his hands behind his back as he gazed at the broadcast and then the outline of the massive hotel.

A subtle silence followed as the Section Chief maintained his gaze on the Guild Master.

That silence was soon broken.

”...How are Zoey and Kyle doing inside?”

”They... they are alive. They don’t look to be in any danger, but we’ve sustained a lot of injuries and deaths. There seems to be a total of 70 deaths so far.”

”70...?”

The Guild Master’s brow raised as he looked back at the Section Chief, and then at the broadcast. Eventually, as his gaze settled over a certain panel, a smile played at his lips.

”It’s not 70. It’s 71,” he muttered as he pointed towards the panel where a man with a pair of dimples appeared, looking towards another figure.

The Section Chief looked, but his brows furrowed.

”Is there something wrong? That’s Seth. I’m sure you know about him.”

”Mhm, I do know.”

Placing his hand over his chin and massaging it, the Guild Master’s gaze fell on the book in Seth’s hands, and his gaze flickered.

”71... 71... 71...”

His eyes gradually closed as he tried to make sense of the number.

And then—

”Hmm.”

His eyes snapped open, and a single syllable scraped past his lips.

”D—”

Shwap!

The air itself seemed to split. Sound drained from the room as if devoured, leaving only a suffocating silence. Every breath, every heartbeat, stalled in dread while a cold shiver clawed down the spines of those present.

It was also in that moment that the Guild Master’s smile faded.

The gravity of the situation fully sunk in his mind.

***

WHAM!

The keys slammed loudly, forcing everything to a halt. All heads turned in the direction of the figure that sat by the piano, its presence looming over everything. Despite its powers having drastically decreased due to the fact that it had now become part of my powers, its presence was still enormous.

Da Da—

It was enough to cause the faceless figures to pause as I took the chance to move towards the hole in the wall.

’The key to solving the scenario must be there. If I can get inside and figure it out, I might finally be able to get out of this place.’

Although the wall was surrounded by the faceless figures, I knew that this was the only choice that I had. There was nothing behind me besides the storage room. That meant that what I was looking for was within the room.

Covering my body using [Trait Transfer] and linking it with the Dreamwalker, I was able to explode forward.

But just as I reached the opening, my breath came to a sudden stop.

The sight that greeted me on the other side of the opening was one that I didn’t expect at all, as over several dozen figures appeared, each wearing a white dress as they stood stiffly in a circle, their eyes wide open.

”.....!?”

The moment I caught sight of them, my heart lurched out of my chest as I hastily lowered my head and took out a certain mask and put it on.

The mask attached neatly to my face as bells began to appear, filling my vision.

BANG!

I smacked the wall apart, entering the room as the tune of the piano increased in pace.

’Shit! Shit! Shit...!’

That was also the moment the faceless figures started to move again, snapping out of their daze. Nonetheless, their movements were slow.

But that didn’t matter to me as I stared at the people in white, each one standing stiff with their eyes trembling wide open.

It was also in that moment that my gaze fell on a certain figure with long black hair and a pale face.

Sarah...

’So she was still alive.’

I felt an immediate sense of relief upon seeing she was still alive. However, she didn’t look to be in the right state as her eyes looked hazy, alongside the others. Sweat poured down from the sides of their faces, and I realized quickly what had been happening.

’They’ve been forced to dance until this point.’

I could tell that a lot of them were extremely tired, barely holding on. I didn’t know what they were planning, but from the words that I heard before, it looked like they were missing one person in order to fulfill the ritual.

That person was most likely me.

”What are you waiting for? The last sacrifice is here! Continue dancing!”

All of a sudden, a voice shook the room, and the members in white began to dance again. It was also there that I settled my gaze on a certain figure. They stood in a white dress, with flowing long black hair, as their face was covered in a mask.

I could feel a powerful pressure coming from them as they settled their gaze on me.

”VILE – 2013.” They muttered, their voice dry. My heart froze entirely at the sound of their voice, its loud beat echoing inside my mind. This figure... ”You’ve made quite the name for yourself lately. I’ve been curious to meet you.”

Their head cocked slightly, the eyes behind the mask glowing a faint red hue. I could feel my surroundings starting to change as the music that played in the background faded completely. I didn’t know when, but the Conductor had stopped moving as it sat by the piano, staring at the scene with a smile on its face.

As if also noticing his presence, the woman turned her attention towards him.

She didn’t say anything, but for just the briefest moment, her body tensed. It was only a brief moment, but it didn’t escape my sight, and it was also in that moment that I realized something.

She was completely unaware of our true strength.

As the thought settled in my mind, my second node churned, and I connected myself with Mirelle.

[Trait Transfer]

”He...”

A soft sound escaped from my lips, gathering the attention of the woman as I stared at her, noting her figure tensing once more.

My lips curled further as my chest started to tingle.

”Hehehe.”

What followed was a soft laughter.

”He... hehe”

One that grew sharper with each subsequent laugh.

The air around me began to change as whatever had been churning around me stopped. The smile on my face grew, and I began to giggle even more.

”Hehehehe.”

The atmosphere shifted in that moment.