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

Chapter 694: Mysterious Senior [1]

Things were looking up for the Severed Stars Guild.

News of Kyle’s return caused quite a stir across the main island. While it wasn’t earth-shattering, it was enough to draw the attention of several Guilds, especially considering the Severed Stars Guild’s performance at the previous Congress.

However, if there was one thing dominating the world’s attention, it was a single name.

[Seth Thorne].

He was the star of the Congress, and the man dubbed the ‘Mad Crown’.

He had gained a fair amount of fame during the Malovia incident, but it was at the Congress that he truly exploded in popularity. That was the moment the entire world’s attention turned toward him.

And now⎯

That very same attention was trying to tear him down.

News-Post ⎯ [Seth Thorne… Did he truly run away? What happened in Malia? Where was he?]

DailySpot ⎯ [A myth built on luck?]

Many of the posts were little more than engagement bait designed to farm clicks, but they did exactly what they were meant to.

They caught the bait.

Before long, the overall sentiment across the internet began to shift, and a massive wave of hate was directed toward him.

⎯Lol, I knew he was a fake from the start. Guy got lucky.

⎯His luck finally ran out LMAO.

⎯You can say that his luck is part of his skills.

⎯That’s cringe.

Of course, where there was hate, there was also support. But none of it was yet enough to be alarming.

After all, success had always attracted criticism.

*

Severed Stars Guild.

Following the Guild’s recent success, it moved to expand by purchasing the entire building it had previously been renting. The upper floors were designated to the Hoarding Department, which remained the Guild’s largest department, while the lower floors were assigned to the other departments, with the lowest floors assigned to the Containment Department.

At the moment, the Containment Department’s main lobby was packed with people.

All eyes were locked towards a certain figure.

“As the name of our sector implies, we’re responsible for containing and studying anomalous entities and items. But where do these entities and items come from?”

The slide changed, now displaying a black vortex hovering in the air.

“That’s right, Gates!”

Bang, Bang—!

“….!?”

Two loud bangs echoed in the air, startling the few people sitting in the main lobby as colorful confetti fell down from above.

Following the confetti were two stoic faces as everyone’s attention fell on them.

No, wait…

Looking closely, the new recruits could see that the tips of both of their seniors’ ears had turned completely red.

“Ehm, ehm.”

Standing before them, the Section Chief cleared his throat. His face was as haggard as ever, his stubble even more pronounced than before. His dark circles were worse still, so prominent that some of the new recruits almost mistook him for some wandering anomaly.

“Give it up for your two seniors.”

Even his tone was dry.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Nevertheless, the room erupted into applause as the new recruits clapped for Zoey and Clara, their eyes shining with admiration. Though they weren’t as famous as Seth, they were still Rankers without question. Everyone present had seen them during the Congress, and they were people the recruits undoubtedly looked up to.

Jordan was one such person.

As the top recruit across all the academies, he had chosen to join the Severed Stars Guild because of them, and of course, the Mad Crown. They were the people he admired the most, and their underdog performance had ignited a fire within his heart.

‘They’re also incredibly young. This Guild’s prospect is incredibly high.’

In a way, he was investing in the Guild. He was investing in its potential, just as many of the other recruits who had joined were.

“Alright, next up…”

The Section Chief continued.

The slide changed, and over the next hour, the new recruits were introduced to the Containment Department and its responsibilities. For Academy graduates, most of it was already common knowledge, but with the Guild’s newfound fame, everyone paid close attention to what was being said.

“In the following moments, we will have a starting trial.”

The Section Chief clapped once, his tired voice following right after.

“It’s nothing serious. Just a small trial that every new recruit must take. We’ve changed things up quite a bit compared to the past. Well, it’s best if I just let you all try for yourself.”

All the new recruits stared at each other in confusion.

Changed things up quite a bit? What could he mean?

Jordan stood up from his seat.

‘I’m not quite sure what the new trial is, but I’m confident I can do well.’

Another figure stood up beside him. She was tall, with soft brown hair and deep eyes. Alongside every other recruit, she was dressed in a clean dark gray suit that perfectly accentuated her body proportions. She stood out immediately. Not just because of her appearance, but because of the aura she carried.

Jordan recognised her rather quickly.

‘So she’s also decided to come here. Looks like this year is going to be an interesting one.’

The corner of Jordan’s lips pulled slightly.

Rachel Saint.

Alongside him, she was one of the Guild’s most sought-after recruits. She had likely received just as many offers as he had, and judging by the incentives he’d been offered himself, he knew she must have turned down quite a few to end up here.

‘Really interesting.’

“Alright, everyone. Please follow Clara from behind. She’ll lead you to the VR department.”

“Wait, what?”

“Did he just say VR department?”

“What did he say? Why are we going to the VR department? Is the VR that he’s talking about different from the VR that I know?”

Confusion spread among the new recruits. Jordan was no exception. He looked toward the Section Chief, expecting an explanation. Contrary to his and everyone else’s expectations, however, the Section Chief never elaborated.

Clara continued, and the recruits were escorted to one of the lower floors. Since the elevators had limited capacity, they were forced to wait. While waiting, Jordan’s attention drifted to Rachel, who had somehow already made her way over to Zoey.

The two seemed to be hitting it off quite well, and as Jordan moved closer a bit, he tried to listen in on their conversation.

‘Actually, you’re one of my inspirations. I chose this Guild because of you as well.’

‘Thanks, but that won’t get you any extra points.’

‘Haha, I’m not here for that. I’m just trying to get to know you better, senior. I also want to get along with the other seniors. Where are they?’

‘Well… most of them are busy doing their own stuff. You’ll see them later.’

‘And what about senior Thorne?’

For the briefest of moments, Jordan thought he saw Zoey’s expression change. It happened so quickly that he almost convinced himself he’d imagined it, but her next words made him blink several times.

Zoey leaned closer to Rachel.

‘Since I like you a bit, I’ll just be real with you. This is probably not a good time to meet him. My best advice for you is to stay as far away from him as possible. I repeat, do not get close to him.’

Eh?

Huh?

Both Jordan and Rachel wore confused expressions, but before either of them could ask her to elaborate, the elevator arrived, and Zoey stepped inside. Rachel tried to press for an answer on the way down, but Zoey remained silent.

When the elevator doors finally slid open, they were greeted by the sight of a massive hall packed wall to wall with rows upon rows of VR capsules.

“They really weren’t joking…”

Jordan muttered whilst staring ahead.

His reaction was no different from that of the others, who openly displayed their surprise and shock. The moment lasted only a few seconds, however, before everyone’s attention shifted to the other side of the room.

Towards the corner where numerous large monitors were set up.

In an instant, every sound in the room vanished as all eyes turned toward the man standing behind the monitors. Though much of his figure was obscured by the screens, no one failed to recognize his silhouette.

And as if sensing their presence, the figure turned.

It was as if the very air had been sucked out of the room.

Even Jordan, who had gone through countless mock gate raids and faced simulated anomalies, felt his breath catch the moment their gazes met.

His features could be described as conventionally handsome, with messy dark hair falling over a pale face. Dressed in a slightly oversized blazer over a simple shirt, he gave off a somewhat sloppy impression, much like the Section Chief. Yet none of that mattered the moment their eyes met his.

They were just… hollow.

Seemingly devoid of any light.

‘Are those the eyes of a human?’

It was almost as though there was no soul behind those eyes. That empty, emotionless gaze made it difficult for everyone in the room to breathe.

‘Wow, this is no joke.’

Beads of sweat traced down the side of Jordan’s face as he stared in Seth’s direction.

He had seen many things in his life, and even met other rankers, but this presence was seriously no joke.

The Mad Crow was seriously no joke.

‘He looks a bit more tame than I expected, but he might be holding himself back.’

The image before them was vastly different from the one shown during the Congress. Then again, remembering Seth’s actions back then, perhaps this was for the best.

“Okay.”

Though quiet, Seth’s voice reached every corner of the room as he tore his gaze away from them. Turning his attention back to the monitors before him, he parted his lips to give further instructions when—

Creaaaaak!

A loud creak suddenly echoed through the room.

Instantly, every head snapped upward, their gazes locking onto the large light fixture hanging directly above Seth.

“Oh, shit.”

Rather than looking surprised, Zoey suddenly covered her face.

In that split second, everyone watched as the light fixture tore free from the ceiling. Then, as though some invisible force had grabbed it, it twisted unnaturally in midair before hurtling straight toward Seth.

“Ah!”

“⎯⎯!”

Screams of surprise followed.

BANG!

The light fixture crashed down onto the spot where Seth had been standing, and the rows of monitors exploded into shards. Glass scattered across the floor as sparks burst into the air, leaving everyone’s eyes wide with shock.

What…?

What in the world just happened?

“Change of plans.”

Before anyone could process what had happened, a familiar voice reached their ears.

Everyone turned at once. Several startled yelps rang out as they found Seth standing calmly beside them, as though he had been there the entire time. His gaze remained fixed on the fallen light fixture in the distance, his lips pursing ever so slightly.

“…Your trial will be held inside of a ga⎯”

“No, you!”

His voice was suddenly cut off by Zoey, who took several steps back while pointing at him with a look of dread.

“We discussed this! Don’t get close⎯”

Creeeaaaaak!

Zoey’s eyes widened.