Chapter 18: Exit [4]
"W-what...?"
I stared at the notification in front of me with wide eyes.
'I'm not seeing things, am I?'
I rubbed my eyes for good measure.
Even then, no change occurred. The notification remained the same, and I felt my expression change.
'Wandering Nightwalker Acquired...?'
I licked my lips and waited for the lights to flick back to darkness.
Flick!
As the world around me plunged into darkness, I immediately pulled the laptop close, eyes locked on the camera feeds.
But this time...
Nothing.
No twisted silhouette creeping through the corridors.
No echo of rushing footsteps.
Just still frames and a suffocating silence.
'...Since it's no longer present, it must mean three things. I beat it up to the point where it was now too scared to approach me, it is hiding somewhere, waiting to lunge at me, or I have somehow managed to capture it.'
The truth was already right before my very eyes. And yet, I still struggled to believe it.
Flick!
Light returned, and I helped myself up.
Looking around, I walked towards the nearest door and turned the doorknob.
Click!
It was just unfortunate that the door was still locked.
"....."
I stood in silence for a brief moment before looking at the notification again. A thought crossed my mind, and I turned my attention towards the computer.
I pressed onto the mousepad and scrolled the time stamp, turning it back to the exact time that I had started beating up the strange shadow.
'There.'
Finding the right time, I clicked the mousepad and watched the scene.
'Looking at it now, this did look a lot more dangerous than I expected. Thank god my plan worked.'
Staring at myself beat up the strange, shadowy creature, I wiped the cold sweat that had formed on my forehead.
It only dawned on me now just how dangerous what I had done was.
If not for the fact that my idea worked, I probably would've been strangled to death. That was unless I was somehow rescued.
"Hm?"
My brow suddenly rose.
Staring at the computer screen, my head unknowingly leaned closer as my eyes squinted.
"What the..."
I paid close attention to the screen, slowing down the replay as my eyes locked onto the shadowy figure that was on the floor.
Trapped by the computer's constant flickering and thoroughly beaten by me, it twitched on the ground.
I kept my eyes focused on it until...
"There!"
The lights flickered, and I saw a faint black shadow shoot towards my arm.
My arm?
A sudden chill crawled across my skin, creeping up my spine.
Instinctively, I lowered my gaze to my arm.
And then...
I saw it.
".....!"
My expression changed, and my breath caught in my throat.
A strange, dark mark was coiled around my arm, almost like a tattoo. I reached out, but the mark seemed to squirm just out of my touch.
"What the hell is this...?"
Seeing that there was no danger, I quickly calmed down and carefully eyed the strange black marking.
The more I looked at it, the stranger it felt to me.
And then—
Flick!
The lights turned off, and my vision faded. However, it was at that moment that the marking stopped moving.
Even though I couldn't see it, I felt it.
And my lips pursed.
I thought back to the notification and soon pressed on the marking.
The air suddenly grew colder, sending shivers down my entire body. I instinctively shrank up as I grew alert.
".....!"
That was when I felt it.
A presence.
It materialized before me, shifting, dark, like a shadow that had taken form. I couldn't make out any distinct features, but I could feel its eyes on me.
The black marking on my arm faded, retreating into my skin as if it had never been there to begin with.
I raised my head to meet the shadow's gaze.
It stood in silence, watching me.
Waiting for me.
"....."
I stared at it for a second before licking my lips as my mouth felt strangely dry. Then, my lips parted.
"....Help me find the exit."
The shadow remained still.
It didn't move as the silence returned, my entire body tensing as a result.
'Did it not work? Does it not listen to me? What if it attacks me...? What if—'
Step.
The gentle sound of a single step shattered the silence.
I snapped my gaze to the laptop screen, my pulse quickening.
There it was—the shadow. Right on the screen, a few inches away from me.
It moved slowly, its figure gliding across the floor like smoke. My breath caught in my throat as its long, slender finger extended, reaching toward the keyhole of the first door.
It hovered there, for almost too long... then began to turn.
Click!
A gentle click resounded in the air.
At that moment, I understood.
'I did it.'
I had completed the trial.
***
"How much time left? They should be coming out soon, right?"
"Yes."
"Did anyone ask for help yet?"
"...None. Not enough time has passed for that yet."
"Are you sure?"
"Kyle."
The Section Chief paused, his chair turning around as he looked at him with an annoyed look. That look changed rather quickly as he soon smiled and kicked the air.
"Shut up or I'll kick you."
"...."
Kyle forced a smile then, quickly shutting his mouth. He had actually been kicked before by him, so he knew it was anything but nice.
He then shifted his attention towards the monitors in front of the Section Chief.
There was all sorts of data and information on the monitors. Though they didn't directly show what was happening inside, they made sure to display any anomaly that may be occurring within the trials.
'He... should be doing fine, right?'
The reason for Kyle's nervousness was obvious.
Seth.
For whatever reason, Seth suddenly wanted to participate in the trial, leaving Kyle at a complete loss.
This wasn't just some random simulation.
It was a real trial!
And even though it was of the lowest rank, it was without a doubt dangerous. There was no guarantee that no accident would occur, and that made him worried.
Especially since he was... so scared of scary things.
"Hmm."
The Section's Chief voice abruptly captured Kyle's attention as his head flicked towards him.
Sitting by the control panel, the Section Chief leaned forward while drumming his fingers on the desk.
Calmly scanning the analytics, he mumbled, "The first ten minutes are up. There should still be another ten minutes before the first candidate comes out. So far, everything looks alright. I'm rather surprised your friend is still inside. He must have some great stamina."
He does...?
As far as Kyle was aware, Seth practically had no stamina. He rarely worked out, spending most of his time on his computer.
He didn't believe for one second that he had enough stamina to last for long.
After all, Kyle had undergone the same trial in the past. He knew just how hard it was.
"You're worrying quite a bit. That's quite unlike you."
A soft voice pulled him from his thoughts.
He turned around, and there she was—Zoey, casually leaning against the wall. Her gaze was glued to her phone, fingers moving quickly as she appeared to be playing some sort of game.
Ting—!
"Tsk."
Following a soft chime, she clicked her tongue and pulled her phone away. Judging from her annoyed expression, she probably lost.
She shook her head and looked up at Kyle.
"....Is he the guy you said grew up with you?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, interesting. I didn't think you'd know someone else who would want to enter this industry."
"Ah, no."
Noticing that she was misunderstanding, Kyle corrected her.
"Actually, he's not here as a talent."
"Huh?"
Zoey gave Kyle a weird look.
"He's not?"
"No..."
"Then what the hell is he doing in the trial?"
"...I want to know that too."
Kyle massaged his head. His head hurt whenever he thought about Seth's impulsive decision.
"He's supposed to be here to observe and learn so that he can develop better games, but I didn't think he'd go this far."
"Hm? Games?"
Zoey's head snapped up. Her eyes glinted with interest.
"Your friend develops games?"
"Yeah..."
Kyle pursed his lips before adding,
"Horror games."
"...Oh."
Kyle watched as the interest quickly faded from Zoey's face as she nodded her head.
"I see. Good for him."
She lowered her head and pulled out her phone again.
"...I hope he learns something from the trial. If he can get o—"
Click!
A sudden 'click' echoed in the air, attracting the attention of everyone present. As the heads turned towards the door that led to the trial, a figure calmly walked out, a laptop squeezed in between his armpits.
It was the man in question as his calm gaze scanned the surroundings.
Eventually, his gaze fell on the Section Chief, and he pulled the laptop out of his armpit.
"I took this by accident. Who do I hand this over to?"