Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary!
Chapter Summary
The award itself wasn’t very heavy, nor did it seem like it would break easily. Looking at the Realmwalker and thinking about everything that I had done to it, I sighed, pressing my hand against its shoulder. " Only then did the Realmwalker let go of me as it hastily stood back, its hands clasped behind its back, while its back stood straight.
Chapter 598: Final Awards [2] The MVP award was rather fancy.
Its long body was coated entirely in silver, polished to a cold sheen, and sculpted into the shape of a hand that curled upward, its fingers outstretched as if grasping at a crown.
No matter how I looked at it, the award looked both fancy and weird.
’I don’t know what to do with this.
’ Beneath the award was a plaque that read my name, [Seth Thorne].
The award itself wasn’t very heavy, nor did it seem like it would break easily.
Feeling the cold body of the trophy, I felt tempted to sell it.
"It should sell well, no?
" The thought left as fast as it came.
Thinking about my current situation, I knew that money would be the least of my problems going forward.
"Ah, shit.
" Leaning back against the headrest of the chair in my office, I felt the coarse leather of the armrests beneath my arms as I closed my eyes and took a slow, steady breath.
The mood within the Guild was weird.
Naturally, a lot of them were happy with the results.
The Guild had a sudden surge in popularity.
Not only were they able to rank first, but they also had me.
The MVP.
Ariel and the others also had a sudden surge in popularity.
The PR teams were receiving calls every single second of the day regarding them and me.
All was good.
All but one thing ’Kyle.
’ What the hell am I supposed to do about him?
Kyle’s disappearance left the air around the Guild heavy.
The loss of a Paragon wasn’t easy.
Especially one as capable as Kyle, who had the potential to rise to a very high standing.
In fact, I used Kyle as an excuse to separate myself from the others.
Everyone outside probably thought that I was mourning him.
And in a way, I was.
Because while I knew that he was alive, I also knew that at the moment, he hated my guts.
"Haa.
" With a sigh, I covered my face and shook my head.
"What am I supposed to do with you?
" I spoke the words aloud, hoping that Kyle would listen.
However, such hopes were slim.
The only thing I could do was hope that the Conductor and the others could talk some sense into him.
But even that possibility felt slim.
Especially when I recalled his appearance from back then.
"Oh, Kyle.
" I shook my head again and shifted my attention elsewhere.
Towards the corner of the room where a particular mirror stood.
A white cloth covered the mirror, and as I stared at the mirror from where I sat, my fingers drummed against the table.
’Right, there’s that too.
’ The BUA and those from the World Congress had already analyzed the mirror.
After determining that there was nothing inside, they allowed me to bring it back.
When I mentioned to them that I wanted to bring the mirror with me, they all gave me weird looks, only for them to agree after they recalled my deeds.
"I guess there are benefits to looking crazy to others.
" Of course, I wasn’t that crazy.
Just a tiny bit.
at least, not as much as Ariel.
She was batshit crazy.
Swooosh—!
I pulled the curtain away and stared at the broken mirror.
Fragmented pieces of my own reflection stared back at me as I remained standing still, taking in the sight in front of me.
I studied the mirror for the next several seconds before eventually taking a step back as a shadow appeared next to me.
"I need you to make sure that nothing happens to me.
" The Realmwalker didn’t answer.
It just stood behind me.
I paused, the silence around me feeling a little stiff as I turned back.
"You know, I feel like you’ve been getting rather rebellious lately.
" ".....
" The Realmwalker didn’t say anything.
Rather, it suddenly crossed its arms, almost as if it was saying, ’You don’t think...?
’ I paused at the sight.
Then— "If it’s a fight that you want, I’ll give it to you anytime.
You don’t think I’ve forgotten what you’ve done to me back at the Limbo?
" The Realmwaker’s arms unfolded.
Suddenly, it seemed to remember.
Yeah, yeah.
Fucking bitch.
Well...
Looking at the Realmwalker and thinking about everything that I had done to it, I sighed, pressing my hand against its shoulder.
"Don’t worry.
I understand your concerns.
" The Realmwalker raised its head.
Then, it shook its head, seemingly saying, ’No, you don’t understand.
’ "But I do.
" Shake.
Shake.
"Look, I’ll get a new meat shield in the near future.
Happy now?
" "—!!
" The Realmwalker’s head raised up in delight.
Grabbing my shoulders, it shook me, and my head bobbed back and forth.
"L-let go!
" Only then did the Realmwalker let go of me as it hastily stood back, its hands clasped behind its back, while its back stood straight.
He looked like a model soldier.
".....
" Honestly, I was speechless.
But I let the Realmwalker have it.
At the end of the day, it was true that I had been using it as a meat shield for so long.
"Make sure to cover the mirror if I can’t fight back.
" Nod!
Nod!
"...
Alright.
" I shifted my attention back towards the broken mirror, my expression tensing.
Making sure that the room of my office was closed, I took a deep breath while staring at the mirror.
Although I had ’contained’ the mirror anomaly within me, I knew that it wasn’t obedient to me.
At least, not yet.
The anomaly was a lot stronger than I was.
However, thanks to the fragmented piece of the mirror, I was able to suppress it a bit.
But that wasn’t enough to make it submit.
That was my current goal.
I needed to contain the anomaly.
Especially since things were far from over.
I pulled up the existing quest that had yet to be completed.
——● [New Quest Activated!
] • Difficulty: N/A • Reward: 10 Essence Shards [Attribute of choice] | 300,000 SP • Objective: Enter the Mist and find out its secrets.
• Location: N/A • Failure: Death Description: The mist carries unspeakable secrets and horrors.
It is the reason humanity chose to tear chunks from the earth and build floating islands above it.
What is behind the mist?
What could’ve caused it to develop?
Time Limit: 2 weeks.
[Will you accept the quest?
] ▶ [Yes] ▷ [No] ——● I drew a deep breath the moment I looked at it.
’Yeah, there’s still this quest.
’ To be honest, I wasn’t very worried about it.
My eyes subconsciously drifted towards the ring on my finger.
In case things turned back, I could always ask Paimon for the answer.
However, that was the last thing that I wanted to do.
Knowledge was power, and there was no better power than Paimon’s knowledge.
It was for this reason that I opted for this method.
Although the anomaly in the mirror wasn’t obedient to me, I knew that it had been in the mist for a very long time.
If I could get it to submit to me, I’d be able to figure out more about the mist and complete the quest.
Above all, I would also gain some new, powerful abilities.
The world knew of my madness.
But they didn’t know about the power that hid within that madness.
Without further ado, I took another deep breath and stared at the fragmented reflection before me.
Then, as my first node churned to life, I released the mirror anomaly.
Almost instantly, the atmosphere changed.
Flick!
The lights above me faded.