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

There was a specific order that I needed to follow.

’According to the book, I need to start with the fragments.’

I hovered my hand over the fragments as a notification appeared right after.

[Eighty fragments have been located!]

[You have met the criteria to advance]

[The purity level is 89.4%]

[Do you wish to advance?]

▶ [Yes] ▷ [No]

’I really wanted to reach 90%, but this is good enough. I can’t really afford a higher purity.’

My games were no longer in Dock. I was practically making no income from there. There was the RW Tech sponsorship, but I had used most of the money that came from that too. Thankfully, the fragments provided to me by the Guild Master were incredibly pure, helping me save a lot of money.

I pressed [Yes], and the world before me flashed.

Darkness overtook my vision right after as I was brought back to a familiar world.

An enormous lattice appeared before my very eyes, with countless paths connecting to countless nodes. Looking around, I could see an endless network stretching in every direction, each node seemingly leading to another branch.

These all represented the numerous paths that I could’ve taken.

But when I looked down, I located my own paths. I watched as the first two nodes lit up, the energy from the fragments pushing forward along the paths as it quickly traveled toward the Intermediate Nodes ahead.

The closer they came to the Intermediate Nodes, the weaker the energy became, dwindling with every passing second.

Still, the energy was able to get to them as they simultaneously lit up.

A bright light exploded within the dark place as I looked past the Intermediate Nodes, a dark mist greeting my sight.

As the Intermediate Nodes lit up, several paths became clearer, allowing the remaining energy to push farther ahead. Carefully guiding it along the paths, I looked into the distance, where a faint red ball appeared deep within the surrounding mist of darkness.

I didn’t quite know what it was, but something about it told me that was the end.

’The end of the pathways.’

The final node.

It was the Node I was supposed to reach within this maze of endless paths.

But with the appearance of the mist, which covered every path, it became impossible to tell which way I needed to go to reach it. And yet, for some reason, I had a vague feeling of where it was.

’Hmm.’

Taking my eyes away from the final Node, I looked down and took note of the new paths that had appeared thanks to the energy provided by the fragments. But even that had its limits, as I noticed some of the paths eventually came to a stop.

’...Looks like I’ve run out of energy.’

Without leaving the space, my real hand moved, hovering above where the essence was supposed to be.

A new notification appeared.

[Ten essence has been located!]

[You have met the criteria to advance]

[Purity: High]

[Do you wish to advance?]

▶ [Yes] ▷ [No]

I didn’t hesitate to press [Yes]. The paths suddenly lit up with even greater intensity, the mist surrounding them scattering abruptly and revealing several new paths. The paths were numerous, and each one seemed to lead to a different node, but my mind was clear.

I knew exactly where I wanted the paths to connect. The paths branched faster and faster, the energy provided by the essence steadily clearing away the mist as they delved deeper into the lattice. And then, eventually, I was able to sense a large orb in the distance.

It was unlike the Basic and Intermediate Nodes.

It was much larger, at least three times the size, with the energy radiating from it feeling incredibly dense.

The path stopped right before the Node, the large sphere humming within my mind. I wanted to quickly synchronize with it, but the energy provided by the essence simply wasn’t enough to break through.

This was where the reagent came in.

Opening the wooden box in front of me, I felt the touch of a thin glass tube. I opened it and popped the contents into my mouth.

The marrow was tasteless.

However, it was also extremely cold. The moment I swallowed the marrow, I felt my entire body begin to cool as my breathing grew heavier. Clenching my teeth, I focused on the Node before my eyes as it suddenly began glowing more fiercely. The pathway connected to it thickened, the cold sensation surging through it and digging deeper into the Node.

I wanted to say that the process was complicated.

However, it really wasn’t.

The reagent did its job. Like a drill, it dug into the Node before breaking through and surging inside. The orb glowed fiercely, humming wildly for a moment before eventually settling down.

And then—

"...."

Silence.

There was no fanciful firework or anything of the sort. Instead, it almost felt as though my entire mind had separated from my body, the sensation akin to having a high fever.

When I opened my eyes, the world felt clearer than before.

And that... felt strange to me.

As someone who had been dealing with chronic headaches, this sudden sense of clarity felt strangely unfamiliar.

This clarity was followed by a notification.

Ding—!

[Advancement complete!]

[Fifth Order shop unlocked!]

[Basic Node: Containment Vessel]

[Basic Node: Trait Transfer]

[Intermediate Node: Anamnesis]

[Intermediate Node: Herder]

[Advanced Node: Pasture]

[Fragments: 0/160]

[Essence: 0/20]

[Reagent: ???]

Frowning, I looked at the name of the new skill.

"Pasture..."

Now, what the hell did that do?

"Judging from the name, it allows me to control anomalies and make them move as I want?" I thought about it for a moment before shaking my head. I already had a skill like this.

[Herder].

In that case, what did this skill do?

"Since it’s an Advanced Node, I’m pretty sure it’s nothing to scoff at."

Generally, a pasture was a piece of land covered with grass or other plants where farm animals such as cows, sheep, and horses could graze. Maybe this was a sort of prison that I could create for anomalies?

"Is that what it is?"

My frown deepened as I felt my new node.

"...It seems like it is to some extent, but also not quite."

The moment I activated the Node, I felt a subtle sense of rejection. It wasn’t because there was anything wrong with my mind. Rather, the energy coming from the Node seemed to scatter in every direction, as if I were missing something necessary to properly control it.

"This doesn’t make sense."

I’d never experienced something like this before. Why was it acting up now?

This felt very strange to me.

It didn’t seem like anything had gone wrong. Perhaps Advanced Nodes needed a different requirement in order to be controlled.

"I can always ask the Guild Master or look it up. It shouldn’t be a problem."

Shrugging, I stepped out of the cartoonish world and returned to my office. I was greeted by the same mess as before, along with the darkness that still lingered throughout the room.

Suddenly, I felt my headache return.

And this was despite the progress from reaching the next Order.

"Oh, right.

Recalling the most important thing, I immediately opened up the system shop.

"...The medicine. I need the medicine."

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