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

Chapter 315: More Clues [3]

I had grown quite a bit since the last time I had encountered the Twisted Man.

And yet, despite having grown, its presence still remained intense. Almost suffocating to me.

“Hooo.”

I had to take a deep breath in order to calm down.

Staring at the anomaly, I drew my hand back, doing my best to hide the trembling. Fear still lingered, but I had come a long way from before. The old me would’ve already doubled over, and most likely have puked all over the floor.

The fact that I had yet to feel like that meant progress.

’I still feel like I might puke later, but the fact that it’s taking me longer is the good part. Maybe in the future, there might be a day when I’d no longer feel like puking.’

I wasn’t so sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. After all, no longer puking meant that I’d no longer feel something like fear.

Was that really a good thing…?

—The anomaly is currently contained. Please do not approach it. Remain where you are, and don’t cross the yellow line. The moment you cross the yellow line, we will not be held responsible for your life.

A voice spoke from the speakers.

I turned towards it and nodded subtly.

“I understand.”

I turned my gaze back to the Twisted Man. It stood fixated on the wall, where a disturbingly familiar message was etched across the surface.

It was the one that I had written in the past.

The method of containment for the Twisted Man was the poem itself. Having lost the game, it was now stuck staring at the poem. The moment its gaze left the poem was the moment the Twisted Man broke free once more.

’Should I get ready…?’

I glanced around and found myself in a vast white room. The only barrier between me and the Twisted Man was a single yellow line stretching across the floor. No glass, no walls. Nothing else stood between us.

Taking out a notepad, I began to write some things on it.

I started to take notes of the shape of the Twisted Man. From its height, the clothes it was wearing, and everything that I could see.

I proceeded like this for the next twenty minutes or so.

Once I managed to get everything down, I nodded subtly.

’Okay, I can begin.’

I closed my eyes and pressed the pen against the notepad. My node churned, and right on cue, I heard a subtle twitch coming from the camera system.

The moment I heard the sound, I took out my phone and stared at it.

Flick!

A certain clown appeared not long after.

“…Okay.”

Mr. Jingles wasn’t just useful for hypnosis. It could slip into camera feeds and electrical systems and knock them out for a few seconds. I’d tested it in my Virtual Games, so I knew firsthand it could do all of that.

But of course…

The Guild System was no simple system.

If it could get hacked by a simple anomaly, then it would, without a doubt, be a very useless system.

I had already prepared for such a scenario.

Instead of disabling the camera system, I opted for something else.

The audio feed.

’Let’s not waste time.’

Scrolling through my phone, I selected a certain recording.

Daaa~

Immediately after, a soft tune began to play in the air. It was a soft and melodious tune that filled the air. I could feel a certain change in the air.

T-Twitch!

The Twisted Man twitched.

Daaa Daa~

The music lingered, soft yet haunting, seeping into every corner of the room. As its eerie notes carried on, the Twisted Man slowly turned its head, fixing its gaze on me. The air grew colder in an instant, the temperature plummeting until it clawed at my skin.

—What’s going on? Agent! Is something happening? Quickly get out of there!

The voice of the operator echoed from the speakers. However, I pretended not to hear it as I stared at the Twisted Man in a trance.

As if recognizing me, the Twisted Man’s lips pulled into a twisted smile.

*Step*

It took a step forward.

I remained where I was, staring at it.

*Step*

Its smile grew more and more twisted as it drew closer to me.

*Step*

It crossed the yellow line.

—Hey! Hey…! Can you hear me? What is going on? Quickly get out! Ah, shit! Agents!

The voice on the speakers was flustered. I could hear the rushed sound of steps coming from outside.

They were quick to react, and it didn’t take more than a couple of seconds for the door to burst open.

But by then, it was already too late.

The Twisted Man’s hands were on my neck.

I felt it squeeze it tightly, my breath fading completely as all I could see was its Twisted Smile. Looking down on me from above.

“Quick! Quick—!”

The agents got to work.

They surrounded the Twisted Man from all sides as it kept its gaze on me, and as I stared at it, I activated my third Node.

[Intermediate Node: Anamnesis]

In an instant, my world changed.

‖—[10%]—————‖

“Maaan… I’m so jealous of you. What kind of dog shit luck do you have to find a girlfriend so pretty?”

A rough man slapped another man, his frame thin, and his face awkward.

“Well…” He scratched the side of his nose. “I guess I got lucky. I don’t know. Sometimes I question myself why she would choose someone like me. I plan on making the most out of this situation.”

“You better be!”

The man replied, slapping the thin man again while laughing.

“All of us here are working our assess off every day, while you get to play with your rich, pretty girlfriend. What kind of luck is this? You’re not handsome. You’ve got no money. You have no educational background. How in the world did you manage to hit it off with her?”

“…I wonder too.”

The man replied awkwardly. It wasn’t like he was unaware of his circumstances. He was extremely aware of it, and he felt inferior every day.

However, this was also part of his luck.

His girlfriend was perfect in almost every way. He couldn’t find a single flaw in her.

She was just so…

Perfect.

‖——[30%]————‖

“What do you find attractive about me?”

A woman stood before the man, her hair cascading softly over her shoulders, framing her oval face and delicate features. There was an undeniable allure in her presence, a quiet grace that left the man utterly spellbound.

He smiled at her.

“Your eyes. Your face. Your soft voice. I like everything about you.”

His words were cheesy, but there was genuine affection in his eyes. The more he looked at the woman, the more attracted she seemed to him.

“Is that so…?”

The woman giggled, touching his chin and lifting it slightly.

“In that case, would you be willing to do anything for you?”

“But of course.”

“Really…?”

“Really.”

The woman smiled.

“Then…”

Her voice softened.

“Let’s play a game.”

“A game?”

“Mhm. A game.”

The woman replied, her smile growing softer.

“…A very fun one.”