Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary!
Chapter Summary
There were about a dozen of them, each one of a different age, and while he didn’t know who they were, he could tell that they were incomparably powerful figures. And just as everyone became aware of what lay before them, the Jester raised its head. The change caught everyone off guard, but before they could even figure out what was happening, the Paragon’s face turned completely white.
Chapter 452: A Laugh that terrifies [2]
’W-where...?
’ From the start, Seth’s goal was clear.
He wanted to get rid of Dantalion.
That was his one goal, and the reason why he had done everything.
The system had asked him to run...
But he had other plans.
He...
Had a goal.
’He...
He...
HAHEha!
’ ’HA!
He...!
’ ’Where...?
Where is...
Haha!
’ His gaze desperately scanned the surroundings, trying his best to look for any clue regarding Dantalion.
But— Nowhere.
Dantalion was nowhere to be found.
To make matters worse...
Swooosh!
Seth could feel a shift in his surroundings.
He could feel the numerous anomalies that he had summoned were starting to be pushed back.
Not only that, but his connection with Mirelle had also faded.
She...
"H-ha...
" Seth took a deep breath, the mist covering his face fluctuating.
The laughter in his head grew further, every part of his body tingling as he continued to scan the space.
Alongside the tingling, he could feel the hidden sadistic nature that hid deeply within his body was starting to take over.
He didn’t have much time.
He— "—!
" Swoooosh!
All of a sudden, time appeared to have stopped.
He instantly recognized what was happening.
Temporal...
Not a moment later, several figures walked amidst the frozen time.
Their power and pressure were unlike the others’, and Seth could even feel his own momentum beginning to be suppressed.
"We should get this done quickly.
It’s not easy to create a pocket.
" "...
Alright, I got it.
" Their voices were rather leisurely.
Seth scanned each face.
There were about a dozen of them, each one of a different age, and while he didn’t know who they were, he could tell that they were incomparably powerful figures.
But he didn’t care too much about them.
After one glance, he looked away from them.
He looked towards the crowd, staring to see if he could spot the demon.
But regardless of where he looked, he wasn’t able to find anything.
’Heh—!
HEhe!
He!
’ ’Ha!
HaHah!
HEH!
’ ’Hee!
HEHe!
HeH!
’ ’Ha—!
HAha!
HA!
’ ’HeeHee!
HE!
Hee!
’ By now, his entire mind was filled with laughter.
His entire body shuddered, and for a moment, he lost sight of what was around him.
The laughter was clouding his thoughts.
By the time he realized, several figures were already charging at him.
"...
This easy?
" A dark figure appeared before Seth in an instant.
With both hands crossed, the Realmwalker prepared to take the full brunt of the attack.
BANG—!
However, the Realmwalker’s figure quickly shattered under the sheer impact of the attack.
The attack carried through from there.
Seth stared at the attack, unmoving.
The momentum behind the attack was powerful, but he wasn’t worried.
A black pool formed beneath his body, pulling him down.
He vanished a moment later.
Swooosh!
"Hm?
" Seeing his attack miss, Borack raised his brow before glancing at the figure standing beside him.
"James, I thought you stopped time.
How did—" "Careful!
" Borack felt a pair of hands shove him aside as a silhouette appeared exactly where he had been standing a moment earlier.
The speed at which the anomaly emerged left him stunned.
But he recovered quickly.
The moment he laid eyes on the anomaly, several of his nodes churned, and in an instant, a large boulder materialized above it, crashing down with force.
At the same time, Ramirez waved his hand, causing several gloves to appear from beneath the ground, grasping Seth’s body from all directions, keeping him in place.
Ranked 27, Ramirez was of the Guardian Decree.
His nodes could temporarily seal and contain anomalies.
The brief opening they created allowed everyone present to strike at the boss simultaneously.
"Quick!
" They unleashed everything they had.
None of them was from the Anomalous Department.
In fact, every one of them was an elite from the Horading Sector.
Because of this, they handled the situation smoothly, each knowing exactly what they needed to do.
Given the little information available about the boss, there was no need for any Containment member to be present.
After all, in terms of strength, they were significantly weaker.
BANG!
BANG—!
Several attacks came crashing down on Seth at once.
Ramirez’s nodes churned wildly as they tried to contain the ’Boss’ down, and while he struggled, he was able to keep him just barely in place.
Seth felt all of this, his body memontarily freezing under the strange effects of the Paragon’s power.
To make matters worse, the laughter grew louder in his mind.
It made it harder for him to think properly.
But despite this, he was still looking.
Looking for...
the demon.
’Where...?
Where is...?
’ The Paragons took advantage of this.
"Keep attacking!
" "Use everything that you have!!
" The attacks were relentless, each one landing harder than the last as Seth’s clothes began to shred, his tie snapping loose while the mist clinging to his body fluctuated even more wildly.
’W-where...?
Where...?
’ It was obvious that Seth was on the losing side.
Despite the power contained within his body, he was still getting pushed back.
This situation...
It wasn’t like Seth hadn’t anticipated it.
He knew from the start that when faced against the top experts of the world, he’d still lose.
But this wasn’t the true reason why he was struggling.
’Heh—He!
HEHA!
He!
’ ’Ha—HA!
Heh—HE!
’ ’HeHE!
HaHAH—!
’ ’HE!
HehHe!
HAH!
’ ’HeHaHe!
HE!
Ha!
’ It was the voices in his mind.
They were becoming increasingly pronounced, and they were the main reason he was starting to struggle.
Under the barrage of attacks, he found himself unable to focus on containing the voices.
’Ha!
HA!
HA!
HA!
" The mist that covered his body grew thinner and thinner.
A long piece of fabric with a bell at its tip slipped out from the mist covering his face.
Jingle~ It rang once.
"He...!
" That single sound was enough to make the attackers stop.
Not because they chose to, but because they were suddenly unable to move at all.
".....
" ".....
" For just a moment, the surroundings turned silent.
Not a sound was heard.
But soon— "He...
Khehehe.
" A laugh echoed.
A certain chill rose in the air as the boss’s body hunched, several bells popping out from the mist covering its face.
Jingle~ Jingle~ The Jingles of the bells echoed quietly across the space as the air froze.
"He...
HehE!
" What followed was a forced, yet strained laugh.
From the moment it sounded, it was as if everyone’s blood froze.
"What’s...
going on?
" "It’s changing?
It’s evolving?
" "I can’t move.
Ramirez!
" "I’m trying!
" The previous calmness on the Paragon’s expression began to change.
In its place was a deep sense of apprehension as they watched the mist slowly start to fade from the anomaly’s body.
Cr Crack!
A cracking sound echoed, Seth’s body hunching further as his arms and body started to squirm.
Soon, the mist covering his body thinned further, and the appearance beneath the mist began to be revealed.
One detail at a time.
Cra Crack!
What emerged was a figure completely different from before, one that they were aware of, yet nothing about it resembled humor.
Its mask, split into a permanent smile, curved sharply at the edges, as if carved with the intention of mocking anyone who dared to look at it.
The colors on its suit were faded and uneven, hanging loosely in places as though the fabric had decayed along with whatever was wearing it.
Small bells dangled from its collar and wrists, but instead of ringing, they gave off a dull, hollow rattle that caused the air to freeze.
And just as everyone became aware of what lay before them, the Jester raised its head.
The moment it did, the lips on the mask pulled into a tighter smile as it suddenly began to laugh.
"Ha...
Hahahahahaha!
" "HAHAHAHAHAH!
" "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
" "HEHEHEHEHEHEHE!
" The laugh was unlike anything that the Paragons had ever heard before.
Not just because of the way it sounded, but because of what came alongside the laugh.
"Haaa...
Haaa...
Haa....!
" All of a sudden, one of the weaker Paragons started to feel something, their breathing growing heavier.
The change caught everyone off guard, but before they could even figure out what was happening, the Paragon’s face turned completely white.
Especially when...
Cra Crack!
He heard a sudden crack in his mind.
The sound was subtle, but he heard it.
Not just him; everyone else did, too.
In that moment, everyone froze, all eyes falling on the Paragon as time appeared to freeze.
Then— Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
Fast.
Loud.
Numerous cracking sounds followed all at once, all eyes falling on the Paragon as he looked at them with a blank expression.
In that moment, his lips opened.
As he did, he mumbled, "My Nodes...
" He blinked his eyes, his lips opening again.
But this time, no words came out.
Instead, his entire appearance started to change.
In just a breath’s time, his face turned completely white, the color draining out as if something had wiped away every trace of humanity he once had.
Crack!
Crack!
His body began to lengthen, joints stretching in ways that looked painfully unnatural, yet he showed no sign of discomfort, as though he had lost complete sense of what was happening.
The structure of his limbs shifted next, growing thinner and more exaggerated, giving him an almost puppet-like body that swayed with each subtle movement.
".....
" ".....!!
" Horror flashed across the faces of those watching, their hearts sinking to the lowest pits as the laugh from the Jester echoed in the background.
In that moment, their heads turned to face the Jester as it laughed, its hand covering its face as its gaze fell on them, the amusement all too clear.
"HaHAhaHEhaHE!
" The laugh resounded loudly in their ears.
One that made them realize something.
The Jester...
It had turned someone into an anomaly.