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

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-> [Fifth Order]

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Total items: 19

(Recommended) [Prime Lumenol]

: Reverses existing Fractures on the Node over a course of thirty days. Suppresses the growth of Cognitive Shards throughout treatment.

Warning: The Shard adapts over time. Each successive course yields a shorter duration than the last. Discontinuation following prolonged use may result in immediate collapse.

Consumable.

Price: 25,000 SP

[Second Stomach]

Type/Containment Tool

: A soft, warm sac that fits beneath the ribs. Anomalies whose strength exceeds the capacity of the user’s Node may be sealed within it instead of the Node.

Warning: The vessel does not digest the anomaly. What is placed inside remains awake and can break out at any given time.

Non-consumable.

Price: 2,400,000 SP

[Closing Gavel]

Type/Vessel

: A short mallet of blackened wood, heavier than its size suggests. One strike passes a single ruling upon any anomaly or person within hearing. The ruling takes effect at once and cannot be appealed.

Warning: A ruling must be true. The gavel will not fall on a sentence the target has not earned.

Warning: A false ruling is served to the one who passed the ruling.

Non-consumable.

Price: 2,750,000 SP

[Blank Vessel] [Restricted]

Type/Tool

: An unoccupied body, grown to the user’s exact measurements and held in limbo until claimed. Should the user’s mind fail or their body perish, they will awaken within it, retaining every memory up to the moment of transfer.

Warning: The Cognitive Shard transfers with the mind.

Warning: If enough time passes, the vessel may develop a mind of its own.

Price: 52,000,000 SP

[Available Points: 418 SP]

[Conversion rate : 1$ = 0.1 SP]

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"What the fuck?"

The first thing I did upon seeing the new shop was curse. Not once, not twice, but three times.

"The fuck?"

It wasn’t even the items that were listed that shook me.

...What truly made me curse was the prices of some of the items.

52,000,000SP?

"That’s half a billion!"

What the actual fuck!?

How was I supposed to earn that much money?

Even though the economy in this world was significantly more inflated than in my previous life due to the Gates, this was still a shit ton of money. Just thinking about having to gather all that money just to buy a single item made my heart ache.

"It’s a good thing that the medicine isn’t that expensive."

250,000$

"I want to puke."

This shop was really trying its best to milk me dry. I really needed to figure out more ways to make money. With the additional expense of creating a new Gate, I honestly felt like puking.

"This is a serious pain."

I rubbed my face, pinching at every part of it as if I could somehow mold it into a different shape. In the end, however, I still decided to buy the pill. Having spent all of my money, it was hard for me to buy it immediately, but thankfully, I had a sponsor.

"Hey, Kyle."

—What?

"Send me a quarter of a mill—"

Du. Du.

"Huh?"

I stared at my spare phone blankly.

"Did he just hang up on me?"

No, probably not.

It might be because this phone is old.

I called again.

[Sorry, the phone that you’ve dialed cannot be reached.]

(╯°□°）╯

He really did hang up on me!

I stood up abruptly, only to stop the moment I received a notification and saw that it came from my bank account.

[250,000$ has been transferred to your bank account.]

My face relaxed.

"Ah, I see. He was just trying to get me the money. Alright, I guess I can for—"

Ding!

A new message appeared.

Looking down, I pressed my lips into a tight line before putting my phone away. I was better than this. I mean, he did give me the money, so it was fine.

I looked at my phone again.

[(•_•)┌∩┐]

"Ehm."

I scratched the side of my face, my left brow twitching.

’Let’s ignore it. You’re better than this.’

Yeah, I was.

I—

[┌∩┐(•_•)┌∩┐]

I switched off my phone and transferred the money into the shop before buying the pill.

*Pop*

The pill popped up from above, and as I caught it, I examined the contents of the glass bottle it came in.

"It’s white?"

Thinking of something, I reached into my drawer and retrieved a bottle of pills. Comparing the pills I already had with the one I had taken from the drawer, the most noticeable difference was their size. The one from the shop was considerably smaller.

"Besides that, they actually do look quite similar."

These were the pills Liora from the Obsidian Bastion Guild had given me. Looking at them, I couldn’t help but feel curious.

’If it’s close to the ones from the shop, would this mean that the Guild has someone who also has a system?’

Honestly, this didn’t feel that surprising.

All the people who had this strange system were scary. And the more powerful they were, the scarier they were.

I had felt this firsthand.

"Alright, enough wasting time."

Opening the bottle, I tossed the pill in my mouth.

***

"Hoo."

Standing before a metal door, Jordan took a deep breath. Despite his best efforts to remain calm, he couldn’t quite settle his nerves as he stood there, staring at the door before him.

The squad selections were done, and he had been assigned to a squad.

He was the only one selected for the squad, and just thinking about the squad he was about to join made him incredibly nervous.

’Min, Sarah, Niel, Mia, Joanna, Nora, and Ariel.’

These were the names of his new squad members.

Thinking about them, Jordan felt even more nervous. Like everyone else in the world, he had gotten to witness them in action during the Congress. From Sarah’s ghost-like presence to Ariel’s lunatic-like action, each of them had left a lasting impression on him.

But above all...

The Mad Crown.

One of the hottest names within the industry.

He was going to be his new Squad Leader.

Beyond the obvious nervousness, there was a clear sense of excitement in Jordan’s eyes. Taking another deep breath, he mustered up the courage and pushed the door open.

"Hello, seniors! I—"

BANG! BANG!

"Hieeek!"

Jordan’s words were cut short by several loud bangs, followed shortly after by a startled shriek.

"Y-you bitch! You did that on purpose! You aimed it at me!"

"Ah? What are you talking about?"

Jordan blinked, his attention falling on the two confetti poppers before shifting to the two women standing before him. One of them had short brown hair that reached her shoulders and a well-endowed figure. Jordan immediately recognized her.

She was Mia.

At that moment, her entire body was covered in confetti. Standing beside her was a slightly shorter woman, with freckles scattered across her face and her hair tied into twin tails.

Nora...

"You definitely did it on purpose! How else would you miss this badly!"

"As I said, it wasn’t me."

"Bullshit!"

"Ah? What did you say? Did you just swear? Ha... she just swore at me, didn’t she?"

"Hieeek! Min, help me!"

Mia dashed toward the hulking figure in the room, his height at least a head taller than everyone else. He didn’t react as Mia suddenly slipped behind him, using him as a sort of pillar while she stood on the opposite side, trying to avoid being caught.

"Will the two of you stop?"

Lifting his glasses, Niel stood up whilst looking at the two.

"I’m trying to focus over here, and..."

His attention shifted towards Jordan.

"We’ve got a new recruit. You’re not giving the best first impression."

All heads turned in Jordan’s direction.

"Ah..."

Feeling the numerous gazes suddenly directed at him, Niel opened his mouth, but just as he did, a soft voice whispered next to him, startling him.

"Hello."

"———!"

Jordan hastily turned around to see a woman with long, dark hair standing beside him, her face pale as a ghost.

When did she?!

"Sarah, I told you to stop sneaking up behind people like that. Your presence is so faint that you always end up scaring them."

A gentle sigh followed as a woman appeared behind the door. The first thing that caught Jordan’s attention was her yellowish-silver hair, followed by her clear blue eyes as they scanned the room. Seeing the chaos, she shook her head before turning her gaze back to him.

She smiled warmly.

"You must be Jordan. I’ve been told about you."

She extended her hand.

"I’m Joanna. Welcome to the team."

"...Thank you."

Recomposing himself, Jordan reached out and shook her hand. But just as he did, another figure appeared behind Joanna, causing Jordan’s heart to skip a beat.

Unlike Joanna, her hair was a much clearer shade of silver. Her expression was cold, and the moment their eyes met, Jordan felt as though his mind had suddenly become sluggish, making it difficult for him to think properly.

That’s...!

"Don’t worry about her."

Joanna’s warm voice carried through the room.

"She’s currently sealed."

Huh?

Sealed?

"Well, sort of. We call it sealed, but it’s mostly because she’s bored. She does act crazy from time to time, but she’s not that crazy."

"...O-oh."

"None of us are crazy."

"O-oh."

"At least, not like our Squa—ehm."

Joanna cleared her throat while patting Jordan on the shoulder.

"Anyways, welcome to the team. We’re glad to have you here."

Patting him once more, Joanna entered the room. Ariel and Sarah followed right behind her, the door closing on its own.

Opening and closing his mouth, Jordan turned his head to look at the squad members as they all took their seats. He thought things would finally calm down from there, but just as they settled in, they all reached for a pair of sunglasses and put them on.

"....."

In that instant, Jordan found himself questioning himself.

Was joining this Guild really the right decision?

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