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

Chapter 323: Hotel Claire [2]

Hotel Claire was located on the northwestern coast of Malovia Island, around [Zone 7]. It was originally built by a shipping magnate, whose goal was to lure the wealthy to the island, following the discovery of the ores within the island.

For a time, the hotel thrived, becoming the island’s prized jewel, a gathering place for the wealthy who came in droves.

But its glory was short-lived.

A figure soon appeared. No one ever learned how it began, only that it spread with unnatural speed. By morning, nothing remained but a blackened shell, and every soul inside had been lost to the flames.

A gate formed not long after.

Seven floors, each more gruesome than the last.

Click! Click!

The shutters of the cameras clicked.

A crowd had already formed along the sides of the hotel entrance, held back by metal fences. It was a mix of reporters and eager fans.

News of the trials had made waves already.

[Severed Stars!]

[Kyle!]

[Zoey Terline!]

[Olivia Soran!]

[Jamie Ross]

Banners waved high as the crowd roared, their cheers swelling with each car that arrived. The moment Kyle, Zoey, and several others stepped out, a louder wave surged through the stands, their soft smiles and striking features drawing countless eyes.

They walked over to the crowd, signing and talking to the fans.

“Thank you for your support.”

“You’re here to cheer for me? Thank you.”

“Sure, I’ll take a picture.”

“Is this for me? How sweet of you.”

The crowd grew to appreciate them even more as they interacted with them.

’What the hell is this?’

I stepped out of the car, staring at the sight, unsure how to react. Looking around, it was clear that nearly every member had a fan club of their own. Even the rat appeared to have several fans, his dimples showing quite well.

Everyone had a fan club…

Well, everyone but me and my group.

The moment we walked out, nobody reacted. It was almost as if the joy had been sucked out of the place, as even the reporters stopped snapping photos. They just whispered things like, ’Who are they? Have you seen them before? I’m not sure…’

It was a bit awkward, but it made sense.

Our group mainly focused on Guild activities and never tried to attract any attention.

This was also probably why our team was the only team that didn’t have any sponsors.

I scratched the side of my face when thinking about it.

’Yeah, that’s probably my fault.’

If I hadn’t just focused on the Guild gates, we probably would have had a fan club and sponsors by now. In the end, however, this was fine.

There was always time.

Ignoring everything around me, I stared ahead at the massive, charred skeleton of the hotel and swallowed hard. Despite so much time having passed, the scent of smoke and char still lingered in the air as shadows clung to the scorched walls, some looking like the shadows of the victims as they tried to escape the hotel.

I felt a certain unease staring at the building.

Not because it looked scary, but because of my inherent ability. The one where the gates ranked up whenever I stepped in.

Staring at the distant building, I knew…

I knew that things were going to turn for the worse the moment I stepped in.

As such, closing my eyes, I took a deep breath.

Eventually, I turned towards my group and nudged in the direction of the hotel.

“Let’s go.”

This might be one long and exhausting trial.

*

The noise died down the moment we stepped into the Hotel.

Several other groups had already arrived, their faces serious and detached. It was clear from their expressions that they were treating the upcoming trials with utmost seriousness.

We stood before a large retractable door, catching a glimpse of the charred remains of the reception beyond. The smell of burnt lingered stronger than before as all eyes soon fell on a tall man with a thin beard, gray hair, and a large nose.

I recognized him.

’He should be a Team Leader, I think. Team Leader Remi?’

I wasn’t too certain.

“Everyone here should have already been briefed on the upcoming Trials and what the tasks will entail. My purpose today is to address the safety measures. Since this is a Trial in every sense, we do not want anyone to die. Unfortunately, we cannot eliminate that risk entirely. There is always a chance of death.”

The atmosphere suddenly turned tense.

It wasn’t as if no one knew. The Trials weren’t mandatory; members could opt out if they wished. Yet for many present, quitting also meant quitting their job. In a job that dealt with things like death on a daily basis, fearing it only meant one wasn’t suitable for this job.

“You’ve all been given walkie-talkies. In case of an emergency, use them to communicate. If you can’t, that’s fine too. We have numerous agents stationed inside to monitor the situation should anything go wrong.”

The Team Leader’s gaze swept the surroundings.

“I’d like to think nothing will go wrong inside, but with these kinds of gates, there are no guarantees. There’s even a chance that some of you could be among the unlucky few to experience a sudden spike in the gate’s rank.”

“….!?”

My heart skipped a beat for a moment.

Don’t tell me—

“Situations like these always occur, and it’s your job to be ready for such occasions. If the gate’s rank increases, you will have ten minutes to decide whether to continue or leave the Trial. You will also be judged based on your decision-making. You always need to expect things to go wrong inside of a gate.”

Oh…

I relaxed after hearing the next part of his speech. For a brief moment, I had almost thought he had caught onto something.

Thankfully, it was just me being paranoid.

’And yeah, he’s right.’

This gate wasn’t inescapable. It had been cleared before, and if any team found it too dangerous, they could simply exit through the main door. There was nothing stopping them from entering.

“Enough said. Everything will be recorded on the cameras positioned on your breast pocket.”

Following the Team Leader’s gesture toward his breast pocket, I glanced down and noticed a small hole in the fabric. This was probably the camera used by the broadcasting stations to broadcast the entire event on TV.

I patted it a couple of times before looking back at the Team Leader.

The surroundings turned quiet shortly after that.

And then—

“Alright, you may enter. I wish you all the best of luck.”

The Team Leader stepped back, and the teams moved forward. I followed, glancing back at my own team, who watched the hotel doors with clear apprehension.

In that moment, I wanted to tell them everything would be alright.

That we had trained enough, that we were prepared.

But when I tried, no words came out.

Because deep down, I knew it wasn’t true.

Things weren’t going to be alright.

Everything was going to fall apart.

And it didn’t take long for me to be proven right.

“A-ah, shit.”

I stared at the raging fire before me, feeling its heat sear my skin as it started to consume me.

“…I think I might be fucked.”