Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary! - Chapter 286: The First Phase [3]

Chapter 286: The First Phase [3]

Creaaak—!

The floor groaned under my step.

The lights shone bright from above. It rendered me blind.

And yet—

I continued to walk forward.

Towards the conductor, as it watched my every movement, its smile widening with each step that I took until I finally stopped before him.

The surroundings turned silent for a moment.

But just for a brief moment.

The conductor soon turned its attention towards the audience once more.

“The Jester.”

The words bounced off across the quiet opera house.

It was at that moment that I turned my head.

Towards the audience.

And it was also there that I noticed the numerous eyes that were fixed on me. Each gaze held a different feeling as they looked at me. From fear to anger to many other things. I felt surrounded by eyeballs, and I felt suffocated.

I wanted nothing more than to leave this place.

But I knew I couldn’t.

Noticing the conductor’s gaze again, I turned my attention away from the audience and moved towards the piano. There, I slowly raised the lid and stared at the papers in front of me.

I adjusted the papers, counting how many pieces there were.

’There are three pieces in total. I don’t recognize any of them. Is it expecting me to play all of them perfectly?’

I frowned behind the mask.

This scenario…

It was so absurd.

Thankfully, I wasn’t completely helpless. But that wasn’t what bothered me. What bothered me the most was the audience.

Just what was the conductor planning with the audience?

And…

I also took note of the several figures that were making my very breath heavy with their gazes.

’How am I supposed to play with them present?’

It almost felt like they could get rid of me with just one look. Especially the Section Chief. In that brief moment, I looked at the audience, and I took notice of him.

Knowing he was no normal person, I felt extremely apprehensive about the situation.

But then again…

Maybe I was worrying too much.

While the Section Chief’s presence was suffocating, it was nothing like the conductor’s. The very hair on my body rose at the mere sight of the conductor as I felt a certain dread I had never felt before in the past or from anyone in the audience.

Something became clear to me in that moment.

The conductor…

It had gotten a lot stronger since the first time I had seen it.

Everyone seemed to be experiencing the same thing as me, and it was most likely this that was stopping them from downright attacking me from where they were.

Within the silence, the conductor eventually turned its head to face my direction.

The world seemed to freeze in that moment.

Until…

“Make sure you keep up.”

Its voice gently whispered into my ears.

*Step*

Shortly after, it calmly walked towards the podium in the middle while taking out a baton.

The world grew silent.

All eyes on us.

The conductor raised the baton.

My fingers twitched, pressing onto the piano, sweat pouring down from the side of my face.

Calmly closing my eyes, I focused on the notes on the paper.

And then—

BAM!

The music flared to life.

My fingers moved on their own, and the first piece began.

***

The moment the music started, everyone tensed.

“Get ready. Do as previously planned. It’s clear now. In order to clear the gate, we must last until the end of the performance. Do your best to resist!”

“…Quickly!”

Everyone quickly took out their own noise-dampening device, from headphones to earbuds. All of the Guilds were prepared.

Almost immediately, the noise ceased in the minds of everyone present.

For a brief moment, the tension in the opera house settled.

Everyone could finally, and clearly, look ahead at the performance before them. The one that stood out to them the most was the conductor. The Conductor basked in the lights, its movements fluid and soft as it raised and moved the baton in the air.

Every one of its movements caused the hearts of many to rise.

But ultimately, all they felt from it was… a deep sense of dread.

Although not to the same degree, the ensemble behind the conductor also carried a certain sense of dread with each one of their movements.

The strangest one, however, was the Jester.

Unlike the others, the Jester didn’t give out the same feeling of dread.

In fact, it seemed to be the most tame of them all. Its presence was a lot more subdued, and as it sat by the piano, it quietly followed the rhythm of the ensemble.

Its presence was so subdued that after a brief moment, some started to forget about the Jester as they focused all of their attention on the Conductor.

With its baton raised in the air, it slashed down.

The music pace picked up slightly.

“Everyone, be careful.”

As the Section Chief spoke, his gaze turned to his right, where a noticeably pale figure sat. His expression changed subtly at the sight. However, he couldn’t blame her. The Section Chief was aware just as much as her what the situation signified.

This conductor. This scenario.

…It was almost exactly the same as the one that had haunted her in the past.

The only difference was the Jester.

Back then, the Jester was present as an audience member.

This time…

The Jester had become part of the performance.

’If everything is flowing the same exact way as the <A> ranked scenario of the past, then…’

The Section Chief’s eyes sharpened as he looked further to his left, where a figure with soft brown hair sat. He placed his hand over her shoulder before mumbling, “Get ready to activate your node in the next several seconds. I’ll give you my command.”

“Eh…?”

Team Leader Sanders was confused. However, upon seeing that it was the Section Chief, she hurriedly nodded her head.

“Understood.”

The Section Chief nodded faintly while keeping his gaze fixed on the performance ahead.

The conductor waved its baton, and the music picked up the pace.

The Section Chief held his breath.

He could feel a subtle shift in the atmosphere.

’Almost.’

Chills slowly began to run down his back.

’…Not yet.’

He started to sweat.

’Not yet. Not yet…’

His fingers started to tense.

And then—

“Now!”

WAM!

Almost the instant the words left his mouth, the conductor snapped his baton in a sharp motion. The ensemble froze, then struck their instruments with sudden, forceful precision, unleashing a thunderous roar of sound.

The Section Chief’s node flared to life at the exact time as the Team Leader’s node similarly flared up, and a dome formed around the area where she and the others from their Guilds were seated.

All noise that tried to filter through stopped.

But at the same time, the Team Leader’s face paled.

“Ukh—!”

Thankfully, if not for the Section Chief’s help, she would’ve passed out on the spot.

“Just keep it steady. It won’t last for long. Take deep and steady breaths.” As the Section Chief’s soft voice echoed, he slowly raised his head to look around him. The moment he did, his heart sank.

Although he couldn’t hear.

He could see it.

And…

What greeted his sight was a scene of carnage.

He watched as several unlucky members leapt to their feet and hurled themselves against the nearby walls, slamming their heads into them.

Blood spilled, and the velvet seats grew a deeper shade of red.

’…This is very problematic.’

Pulling his gaze away from the scene, the Section Chief turned his attention towards the stage.

Towards the conductor, as it watched everything with a smile on its face.

This moment.

This very moment.

The Section Chief finally felt it.

This gate…

It was fast approaching the <S> rank.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com