Nightmare Forge Studios.
"How is it going? Is the update doing well?"
The CEO paced his office, staring at Daniel, who sat on the sofa, his eyes closed as he tried to remain calm. It hadn’t been long since the update had been released, and the two of them were unable to hide their nervousness.
This was make-or-break for them.
Given the backlash they were facing, their only hope was that the game would perform well.
If the update they spent so much money and time on didn’t perform well, then...
Over.
Their entire careers would be over.
"God damn it. How long until we get the analytics on the game performance?!"
Unable to hold his nervousness, the CEO slammed his hand against the side of the sofa.
"It’s already been several hours!!"
"...."
Daniel remained quiet upon hearing the CEO’s outburst.
Ever since the incident, he had been rather irritable. Every little thing would tick him off.
Especially when taking into account that it hadn’t even been that long since the update had been released. The analysts were probably still running the statistics and all of them.
The CEO should be well aware of all of this, but he just wanted to vent.
Opening his mouth, Daniel was just about to change the topic when...
Trrrr! Trrr—!
A phone began to ring.
The CEO and Daniel both paused.
Trrrr! Trrr!
It wasn’t just one.
It was two phones.
Both looked at each other, turning their attention towards their phones.
The moment they did, their screens abruptly changed.
Flick! Flick!
A clown appeared a moment later, staring at the two with a smile.
"Hello there~"
His voice was high-pitched and friendly.
But the moment he spoke, a cold chill swept the room.
The two tried to react immediately, but it was a little too late as a certain tune played in the air.
"Mr. Jingles says, pause...!"
The two froze in place.
".....!?"
".....!!"
Their eyes shook, their minds screaming at the same time as they tried to free themselves, but as if they lost completely control of their bodies, neither of the two could move at all.
’What’s going on?!’
’What is happening!!’
Panic began to settle in their minds.
However, this was merely the start as the shadows around them shifted.
Flick!
The light turned off, and all cameras deactivated.
A cold breeze washed over as a shadow began to elongate a moment later, taking the form of a man wearing a gray coat. The moment he appeared, the hearts of the CEO and Danial froze, their eyes falling on the pair of dead eyes that stared straight at them.
Just a look at the eyes and the two felt as though the very air had been sucked out of the room.
"Hmm."
Taking a casual look at the place, Seth sat down on the soft couch and crossed his legs, taking out a pack of cigarettes before lighting one up.
*Puff*
Smoke floated in the air as he took a drag of the cigarette.
"I’m not a big smoker."
He began speaking, his voice sounding cold.
"...I’ve smoked on certain occasions, but lately, I’ve been finding myself smoking a little bit more."
He tapped the end of his cigarette, letting the ash fall lightly onto the glass table in front of him. Taking a quiet look at the cigarette, his face scrunched up for a brief moment.
"I’ve been feeling a little off lately. My head throbs here and there on occasion. It’s been getting a little bit better, but..."
He paused, alternating his gaze between the two of them.
For some reason, as the CEO and Daniel met his gaze, their bodies stiffened even more, hearts pounding at the sight of his eyes, now darkening into an even deeper shade of black.
"There have been too many things that have been bothering me lately. A lot of those things could’ve easily have been taken care of had I been a little bit more... how do I say it? Firm? Straightforward? Or..."
Seth paused, his expression turning even more hollow.
"...Assertive. Yes, that’s the word."
*Puff*
"I should’ve been more assertive from the start. I should’ve dealt with the lot of you faster instead of letting my problems grow. I even tried to give the two of you chances, but neither of you took them."
Seth paused as he looked at them.
"Why do the two of you have to make life more difficult for me? Do I really have to take matters into my own hands?"
The two tried to shake their heads, telling him that he didn’t.
But their bodies were frozen, alongside their mouths.
Neither could make out a word.
"I guess I do."
Seth tapped the end of his cigarette again before rising to his feet, his gaze settling on the two of them as his voice dropped even lower.
"Neither of you will remember this conversation once I leave."
Coming to a pause, Seth suddenly laughed.
"I guess to some extent you can say this conversation is pointless; however, you can say that I’m not the most normal human there is. I’m a little twisted. That is..."
*Puff*
"I like watching the faces of people who suffer because of the things that I do. I really do."
*Puff*
"I’ve always been like this, and probably will never change. I’m twisted, and this is why I’m telling the two of you."
Seth’s lips curved into a faint, cold smile as his eyes lingered on the CEO and Daniel, both trembling uncontrollably. Their voices quivered as they tried to speak, maybe to plead, maybe to beg for forgiveness, but it was far too late for that.
He took out his phone.
I just need a little something from you two before I leave.
Flick!
The screens of their phones flickered, and Mr. Jingles appeared once more.
He issued a command, and the faces of the two grew even more dire. But they could do nothing about it as their mouths soon opened, and they started speaking. The entire sequence of events that followed took several minutes before Seth put his phone away.
"That’ll do."
He patted his coat before looking at them for the last time, the cold smile still lingering on his face.
"Those are some good faces. It’s the entire reason why I decided to come here personally."
’Bastard!’
’Once I get out, I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!’
His lips curled further at the sight of them. It was almost as if he could read their thoughts.
"...I just wanted to see the faces you’d make knowing that I was the one who had caused your downfall. I... just wanted to see the faces you’d make knowing that I am the reason why this company will go under. I..."
Seth stopped, his entire body slowly turning black as he started to fade into the ground.
"I just wanted to see the faces you’d make in your final good moments."
His figure completely disappeared shortly after. Of course, he erased all traces of his appearance as he left.
The room plunged into silence, the fallen ashes fading into the shadows, the CEO’s and Daniel’s eyes shaking uncontrollably.
’No! Come back! No!!!’
’No!!!’
Da~ Da~Dada~
"Mr. Jingles says, forget all about what just happened, and everything related to it!"
The minds of the two blanked.
By the time the two snapped out of it, the sun rose from the window.
"Huh?"
"What’s going on?"
It was the light from outside that made the two more alert, and as they stared toward it, their groggy minds regained some semblance of clarity.
"Ah!!"
"The update!"
The two shot to their feet, ready to rush to the lower floors and demand the analytics team’s report on the update, but just as they did, they realized something.
Their phones.
They were buzzing.
Trrrr! Trrrrr! Trrrr! Trrrrr—!
Both stopped at once, turning their attentions to the phones.
The moment they did, their expressions changed drastically.
"What?!"
"Ahh——!"
They had hundreds of missed calls.
Not only that, but a certain headline was making the rounds on the internet.
Breaking — [Terrifying sights in Malovia Island! A gaming studio resorting to the usage of anomalous objects in order to increase player retention and gaming ability! Thousands injured! Hospitals full! BUA is taking the case extremely seriously. The perpetrators will most likely be arrested soon!]
And sure enough—
BANG!
The doors of the room slammed open, and several figures dressed in black entered the room at the same time.
Catching sight of the figures, Daniel and the CEO’s faces changed drastically.
"O-oh, no..."