Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary! - Chapter 512 Enough to shake the world [1]

Chapter 512  Enough to shake the world [1]

In the end, I never made my way back towards my seat. This wasn’t something within my control. Apparently, news of my ranking had shaken the entire world. Reporters swarmed the entrance, while the online community fell into complete chaos.

‘It’s better this way.’ Thankfully, the venue had a sort of ‘secret’ exit that the people attending could use. But it only made sense considering who was in attendance. It was a pity that I couldn’t see the remaining ranks, but it was for the best. The stares were uncomfortable anyway.

Making my way out of the venue, I was eventually led to a secluded parking lot where a black car waited for me. Recognizing the driver, I went in and took out my phone. The others were already aware of the fact that I had left earlier, so I didn’t message them. Instead, I started to scroll through the internet. I wanted to see what sort of outrage the event had caused. Breaking — [Stunning Debut: Seth Thorne Enters Paragon Rankings at an Unheard-Of 98! Shocking, or Scandalous?] Breaking — [Outrage in the latest Paragon Ranking! A never-before-seen feat!] Breaking — [Outcry Over ‘Weakest Paragon’ as Judges Grant Unprecedented 98th Rank!]

Breaking — [Questions Mount as Seth Thorne and Others Receive Shockingly High Paragon Ranks] Breaking — [A New Power Emerges: Can the Severed Stars Hold King-Grade Momentum to the World Congress?] Every time I refreshed the page, a new article would pop up. They were endless, and it didn’t seem like they would stop anytime soon. The online community also showed no sign of stopping, with threads appearing all over the place. [Seth Thorne places 98th in the Paragon Ranking? What do you guys think?] ↳ Honestly, I’m not even surprised. They did say that the Malovia incident holds a lot of weight. There’s no denying his contributions, and so it’s only fair. ↳ Yeah, but he’s still a fraud. He has no real achievements under his name besides that incident. ↳ ‘That’ incident. You speak as if it were some sort of trivial incident. ↳ Guy got fucking lucky. ↳ And? You’re still here because of that very same guy. ↳ Bah. That’s bullshit. Not all the Paragons were there. I’m sure they would’ve been fine even if he wasn’t there.

↳ That’s bullshit, and you know it. ↳ Tbh, I don’t really care. He’ll eventually fall off anyway. Let him enjoy his ranking since he did help in Malovia. Don’t see what the problem is. ↳ But he took Drake’s position! ↳ So? The discussions were endless. I felt a headache just looking through them, but surprisingly, not all of them were negative like I had originally expected. The general public seemed to be okay with the decision, while the people who were more in tune with the Gate world deemed it to be a robbery. This wasn’t surprising. I had noticed the pattern back before the ranking announcement. The general public liked me ,while those from the Gate world didn’t like me. “Still, this is getting quite annoying.” Going back to the home screen, I quickly deleted several apps. The number of notifications I was receiving from them was starting to get really annoying. This was mainly due to the sudden influx of followers that I was getting, but they were making it really hard for me to use my phone. Clank—! Right then, the door of the car opened, and several figures came in. “How… are you still so calm? You do realize in what sort of mess you’re in, right?” Kyle was the first to enter, his expression still weird as he looked at me. I scooched over to give him some space. “Who said I’m calm?” “Your face.” “…Hm. I’m not calm.” I really wasn’t. “Sure. Sure.” Kyle sat next to me while Zoey, Clara, and Rowan came in right after. Entering the car, Zoey looked at me with a dazed expression. I could tell that she was still struggling to process what had happened. I was, too. But soon—

“This is absurd.” Zoey muttered, her hand reaching for her face. “…This is so fucking absurd.” Removing her hand, she raised her head to look at me. “You’re fucking absurd.” *** Severed Stars Branch Guild. News of the results had already reached every corner of the place, a joyful mood suddenly engulfing the Guild. Confetti flew, and drinks were shared. With several members of the Guild suddenly reaching “Paragon” status, the Guild was set to officially become a King-Grade Guild.

This piece of news was something that was worth celebrating. The difference between a Queen-Grade Guild and a King-Grade Guild was massive. King-Grade Guilds held far more power, and the benefits were just as significant. The increase in status was also something few could ignore.

Guild Master Office. Unlike the joyous mood enveloping the Guild, the Guild Master’s office was rather quiet.

Almost as if the Guild’s imminent rise to King-Grade was meaningless.

Scribble~ Scribble~ Accompanying the scratch of a pen on paper were slow, deliberate footsteps drawing closer. They soon stopped, and the Section Chief fixed the Guild Master with a tense stare.

Eventually, the scribbling sound stopped. “Guild Master.” The Section Chief’s voice followed. “The results of the rankings have been announced. We’ll be promoted to King-Grade. Zoey, Kyle, Clara, and… Seth have all reached a ranking.” “…” The Guild Master showed no reaction. Instead, he just carried his usual smile. “I knew the Malovia incident would carry considerable weight, but I didn’t expect it to influence the final rankings this much. Were you aware of this as well?”

Putting the pen down, the Guild Master leaned back against his chair and tapped his finger against the desk. Tap!

Tap—! Tap——! Stopping, his lips parted. “There’s a lot we need to prepare for. Since we’ll soon be reaching King-Grade, I’m sure the nearby Guilds will try something. We should contact the press and present our stance on the situation. It would also be good to hold some kind of event with the other Guilds to build connections.”

Standing up, the Guild Master turned to face the large glass windows behind him, allowing himself a glimpse of the city’s bright lights as cars moved below.

“…We should also work to stabilize our position. I’m sure we’ll receive plenty of offers for the others, but let’s hold off for now. The Guild may not be as rich as the others, but we’re not in desperate need of money. We’re not a feeder for the bigger Guilds.”

The Guild Master continued outlining the next steps and moves the Guild should take, but as he spoke, the Section Chief’s lips pressed into a tight line.

This wasn’t what he had asked… Suddenly, the Guild Master paused. As if reading the Section Chief’s thoughts, he slowly turned around, his lips curling into a faint smile.

“Whether I knew about their rankings in advance or not isn’t relevant. What matters is that we make full use of the situation to our advantage and advance the Guild further. We shouldn’t be satisfied with merely reaching King-Grade. We need to aim higher.”

“…I understand, but—” “You’re worried about Seth, aren’t you?” The Guild Master suddenly interrupted the Section Chief. With the same smile, the Guild Master turned his gaze back to the view below.

“He should be the last person you should be concerned about, at the moment. He’s in the very position that he should be in.” “But what if he fails? He’s not just a Paragon, but amongst the top one hundred. It’ll be hard to keep his ranking. What if he fails? Then…” “Then I’ll be disappointed.” The Guild Master answered calmly, and the city street below reflected in his calm pupils. “…I’ll be disappointed.” 

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com