"Ukh...!"
I held onto my head, trying my best to curb the rising headache. The past few days had been rather foggy for me. I could hardly remember much, but I was fully aware of everything that I had done.
None of it had been done without my volition.
Staring at the empty office before me, I looked around before eventually sitting down in my chair.
"Haa."
I felt completely drained.
Especially when I thought back to the investigators, just remembering those moments made a cold sweat run down my back. It had been far too nerve-wracking for me.
Thankfully, I had thought things through.
’Given all of the provided evidence, it’s impossible to frame me for the crime. I’ve got a contract that states I’ve never provided the programs. Even if they do search the programs, they’ll only realize that there’s nothing wrong with them. Of course, they might ask me about the programs themselves, but I already had several answers for that.’
In general, there was no need for me to worry much.
I could tell from how the ’meeting’ went that the Investigators didn’t share good feelings about the CEO and the Assistant.
After everything that I’d shown them, there was no way they’d have good feelings about the two.
As such, their words became much less believable.
There was no proof either.
But what truly put the nail in the coffin was their confession. The one that I’d managed to get on the phone.
That was all I needed in order to make the Invesitagor’s mind clearer.
Everything else was just an addition.
’There’s no proof that I’ve done it, and there’s no way to trace it back to me. That being said, I’m aware that cracks will start showing soon.’
There was no proof now, but if one investigated closely, they’d notice the multiple ’holes’ within the entire situation. They’d also start noticing a lot of things that were tied to me, which would put a lot of attention on me.
This was why I was usually against doing such things.
I was against the attention.
But I had reached a point where such ’caution’ had been thrown out the window.
I had started to feel numb regarding these things.
The changes happening to me...
I was clearer than anyone else.
"He’ll call me soon."
I glanced at my phone.
The only person capable of knowing about what truly happened was the Guild Master, and I knew that he was going to give me a call any moment now.
But that didn’t matter.
I wanted to see him, too.
"Let’s check the news while we’re at it."
I took out my phone to see how the internet was reacting to the situation.
As expected, it was chaos.
Sunday Times — [Both the CEO and the Assistant have been placed into custody. What will happen to them? Investigations undergoing! Did they really resort to such despicable means?!]
Newsletter — [Nightmare Forge Studios stocks plunge to the lowest. All investors are pulling out. Will there be a future for the company?]
Malovia Flash — [Large-scale demonstrations have filled the streets as the case continues to gain national attention. Sources suggest that the unrest stems from an ongoing conflict with a rival developer. A claim that has only fueled public speculation. The question remains: what is the real story behind these escalating tensions?]
The number of articles flooding the internet was overwhelming.
The moment I clicked on one, another one would pop up. It was to the point that the news even started to reach outside the island, and it was reflected in the comments on the forums.
—What’s going on? What happened in Malovia?
—You don’t know? Apparently, a company decided to use anomalous objects in order to make their game scarier in order to compete with a game developed by an unknown developer.
—What?!
—Yeah, it’s crazy. We’re talking a multi-million-dollar company against an indie developer with a small staff. The game he released was really good.
—How good are we talking about?
—Enough to make you kill yourself.
These discussions quickly spread across the internet, and before long, they were trending on global forums. As more people took an interest in the situation, my game began to attract even greater attention.
I smiled when I saw this.
"That’s great."
This meant a lot more money for me.
It was only a couple of days until the end of the month. I had timed the release perfectly so I could withdraw the money and use it on game items when the time came to look for the cult.
I didn’t have much SP left.
[Balance: 507SP]
The development of the 3D world wasn’t cheap, and the same was true for the medicines. I had spent pretty much all that I had.
It was about time that I restocked on SP.
There were quite a few items that I wanted to purchase.
"Well, there’s also this."
I reached into the drawer and pulled out a particular knife. It wasn’t especially striking at first glance, but a faint hue shimmered along its blade, pulsing softly, as if the weapon itself were alive.
"...I really need to grow this more."
———
[Butcher’s Knife]
: Knife with the ability to cut through anomalous objects and entities. The more it kills, the stronger it becomes!
Current Rank <E>
———
There was so much potential with the knife.
"I also need to—"
Ding!
The chime finally arrived, stopping me dead in my tracks. Coming to a pause, I turned my attention towards the phone and took a deep breath.
"I guess it’s time."
I stood up, putting everything away.
The Guild Master had finally messaged me.
*
The walk towards the Guild felt heavier than usual.
I stepped into the elevator, doing my best to ignore the curious stares around me. Ever since the incident with Nightmare Forge Studios, my popularity had surged. At least for the time being.
Thankfully, Zoey, Kyle, and anyone else that I knew weren’t present.
I took the chance to rush to the Guild Master’s office.
Clank—!
Opening the doors, a smile greeted me.
"You’re here."
The Guild Master wasn’t seated as he usually was. Instead, he stood by the window, one hand clasped behind his back and a cup of tea in the other. When he heard me enter, he slowly turned around.
"...Have a seat. We have a lot to talk about."
The Guild Master seemed to be in an unusually good mood. Dressed in a gray vest over a crisp white shirt and a matching gray tie, he exuded a calm, composed air that put the room at ease.
He sat down on the seat opposite me.
"I won’t beat around the bush. It was you who caused all the mess that happened recently?"
"....."
I sat in silence for a moment before nodding.
"Yes."
"Mhm."
The Guild Master smiled, not at all looking angry. Rather, he looked pleased.
"I looked into it. I’m actually more surprised that you didn’t do it before. It would’ve been a lot faster, and it would’ve saved you a lot of trouble."
I knew this... But I was still extremely cautious about my identity.
The fewer things that were tied to me, the better.
Still, he was right.
"That being said, what I’m most curious about is something else."
The smile vanished from the Guild Master’s face like a candle snuffed out. He leaned forward, elbows resting on the desk, the dim light catching on the sharp lines of his gaze.
"Why didn’t you ask for my help?"
The question cut through the air.
A chill crept along the floor, coiling up my spine. Even the faint hum of the ceiling light seemed to falter, leaving behind a heavy silence that pressed down on my chest.
"Seth," the Guild Master said, his voice growing quiet.
"You need to understand something."
He folded his hands together, eyes never leaving mine.
"Taking care of a gaming company is a trivial matter for me. One call, and it’s gone. I’m not saying this because of what you’ve been through... but because of what it’s cost you." His gaze hardened. "Time. Energy. Focus. The very things that make you valuable to me."
He smiled again, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
"From the moment we made our deal, we entered a cooperative relationship. If something troubles you, or you need anything at all, I’ll handle it."
He patted his chest.
"There’s no need to be shy. You can rely on me."
"....."
I opened my mouth, but soon closed it.
Eventually, I managed to get a few words out.
"I... know. I just thought I could’ve handled it myself."
"And you did."
The sudden warmth in his tone only made the moment more unnerving. The Guild Master leaned back, the leather chair creaking as the tension in the room started to uncoil. He took a sip of his coffee, savoring it before letting out a soft, almost amused hum.
"Like I said," he murmured, "we’re in a cooperative relationship. The stronger you become, the better it is for me. So..."
He paused mid-sentence, his eyes glinting in the low light.
My heartbeat quickened.
"...Tell me what you want."
He paused, the middle of his cheeks caving in slightly.
"I’ll try my best to help you."