Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary! novel Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Orientation Day [1]

"....We're here."

The cab pulled up to a sleek, polished building with a spotless exterior. Large windows adorned its facade, offering a glimpse into its dimly lit interior.

I got out of the car and retrieved my items from the trunk before taking out my wallet.

The driver stopped me.

"Ah, about that... considering what had happened before, it's on me."

"No."

I took out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it to him.

"No, I insi—Wait, hey!"

I tossed the money inside and left.

I was practically the one responsible for the incident.

Putting my wallet away, I pulled out my phone and messaged Kyle. My fingers kept slipping as I typed, causing me to misspell several words.

[I'm hwere. Wheree r u?]

I couldn't be bothered to correct the mistakes, so I just sent the message as it was.

I was currently in no state to care.

'Ah, it's still trembling.'

Ever since I received the message on my laptop, my hand hadn't stopped trembling for a second. I constantly found myself checking my surroundings as I tried to stay away from anything that could produce any music.

But it was hard.

Despite it being late into the night, there were quite a lot of people around the area.

The surroundings were brightly lit, with people passing by every second.

Under normal circumstances, I would've felt safe, but now, it only amplified my sense of unease. Especially since I had no idea how it managed to find me, despite supposedly belonging to the initial scenario.

"Seth!"

Just then, a familiar voice entered my ears.

Turning my head, I was greeted by a figure about my height—around 180 cm—waving at me. His disheveled, dirtish-brown hair swayed with his movements, and as his sharp green eyes locked onto me, he moved closer before stopping.

His brow rose in surprise as he looked at me.

"....Wow, you look like a mess."

"You think?"

Not only did I get fired, but a strange system suddenly manifested before me—throwing me into a scenario where a single wrong move could've killed me, gaslighting me into accepting it by preying on my weaknesses, changing the entire world and then later discovering that the strange monster in the weird scenario was now haunting me?

The fact that I had yet to have a mental breakdown was a miracle in itself.

'No, but seriously... how am I still sane?'

"Well, you'll get through it, Seth. I think this might be a good change for you."

"Ho. Really?"

If not for the fact that I knew he was referring to something else, I would've already thrown hands.

'Wait, can I even do that now...? He did say he now works for a Guild...'

"Yes, of course. Now that you're no longer a slave to that company, you can finally take some time to work on your own game. You're quite talented, so I'm sure you can figure something else out. And if you can't..."

Kyle paused, shifting his attention towards the Guild office behind.

"...Well, you can always get some sort of inspiration or real-life experience to further improve your game."

"I..."

"Oh, right."

As if recalling something, Kyle massaged the back of his head and put on an embarrassed expression.

"I forgot that you hate horror."

"Right..."

There was that too, but mainly because—whether I liked it or not—I was going to get my fair share of experience. If we were strictly talking about experience, I was going to be getting plenty.

Just the thought made me groan.

"Well, let's go now. I'll bring you to your room."

Kyle turned around and led me toward the building near the main guild. It wasn't as tall or eye-catching as the main guild—but it didn't need to be.

He guided me in.

"This is the residence building. Normally, an observer wouldn't be able to stay here, but I've been doing quite well for myself recently."

Kyle puffed up his chest with pride.

"Of course, this building is primarily reserved for Guild employees rather than Guild members. In a way, you could say you're lucky."

"I'm lucky...?"

"Oh, yeah."

Kyle walked up to the reception, grabbed a key from the wooden cabinet keyholder, and headed straight for the nearest elevator.

"...Those guys at the Guild. They're lunatics. For your own sake, I'd recommend you just stick with the regular employees. The reason you're lucky is because you don't get to see them."

"I see."

For Kyle to be so wary of them, just how bad were they?

"We're here."

We stopped before a small wooden door with the numbers [501] imprinted on the front. Kyle handed me the keys.

"This here is your apartment. It's nothing big, but you can stay here for as long as I'm here. If anybody asks who you are, just tell them you're with me."

'I feel like shit.'