Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary! novel Chapter 58

Chapter 58 - Return of the Jester [1]

"Alright, all attention over here!"

A loud voice snapped Zoey out of her thoughts. She dropped her phone onto the desk and sat up straight, eyes fixed ahead as the Section Chief appeared, disheveled and groggy, absently scratching at the unkempt stubble on his face.

He was holding onto several papers that he waved.

"I've just received a Gate report. I'm sure most of you are aware of what Gate I'm talking about. It's a ranked gate, so it's nothing too big. I'll need any third to fourth orders to lead a team."

The Section Chief then looked through the papers.

He clicked his tongue while mumbling, 'Kyle... He's not here, so I can't drop this annoying thing off to him. If that's the case, then...'

The Section Chief raised his head and eventually locked eyes with Zoey, who felt her heart sink. She could already see where this was going.

"Zoey!"

He smiled. It was a disgusting smile that Zoey had seen too many times by now.

It was disgusting.

"No."

"You don't even know what I'm about to ask."

"...I do actually."

You already made it quite obvious.

"I don't have time to babysit the operation. I am trying to gather enough fragments to advance to the next order."

"What are you missing?"

"...I'm missing 10 fragments of light, an essence of light, and the heart of a fifth-order light attributed anomaly."

In short, she was missing a lot of things. But this couldn't be helped. The more one advanced, the harder it was for them to go to the next order.

Depending on the Decree chosen, one would need to follow a specific list of items and fragments in order to stimulate the next node. And even if she did manage to acquire all of the necessary items, there was no guarantee she'd be able to succeed in unlocking her next node.

She didn't really have time to invest in a ranked gate.

"Ooof."

Even the Section Chief looked a little sorry for her.

The number of items wasn't low.

Still, it wasn't as though he didn't have a way around this.

"I'll give you ten thousand points. Will you take the job then?"

"Make it twelve thousand and I accept."

"....."

"So?"

"....Fine."

The Section Chief clicked his tongue while Zoey smirked. This was what she had been aiming for the entire time.

The Guild had a specific merit system that came through points. With enough points, she'd be able to purchase the necessary items for her advancement.

It just so happened that 12,000 was just enough for her to purchase one of the items that she needed for her advancement.

It would still take her a while to advance, but she'd at least be one step closer.

"Make sure you don't fail the mission. You won't be the only one who will go inside. You must pay absolute attention to those fuckers from Ivory and Crownfall. You know what happened the last time we were with them."

"I got it."

Zoey reached forward to grab the file from the Section Chief's hands. In it, she could see all the detailed reports from the scouts.

———

Test XXXX-12:

Subject: D-9341, armed with a combat knife.

Result: After 4 minutes, SCP-XXXX-1 instances overwhelmed D-9341. Last transmission: "They just keep coming... oh god, they're—" [REDACTED]

Test XXXX-19:

Subject: MTF Operative Gamma-7 ("Mothmen"), equipped with heavy weaponry.

Result: Operatives held for 17 minutes before being overrun. Final message: "We've killed hundreds... there's thousands now. It's not stopping."

[Trauma Consultant]

'Don't tell me I'd have to actually give them counseling. Can I reject them? They won't get angry for rejecting their mental traumas, right?'