"It's loading..."
Lawrence stepped aside, letting Terrance settle into the chair. He rubbed his neck, eyes fixed on the computer screen.
Soon, the game booted, and a simple gray tab appeared.
[Press to play]
"This looks a little amateurish," one of the new hires muttered.
"...Maybe because it's still in the development stages?"
"Could be."
Overhearing the new hires speak, Terrance raised a brow while looking at the simple gray tab. He didn't judge from the get-go. He understood that this was merely an undeveloped game.
But even if it was fully developed, he wouldn't show much interest in it.
'What sort of idiot still tries to develop horror games in these times?'
There were a few reasons he'd volunteered to play. Curiosity about Seth, for one. Word had spread quickly about the guy turning down the Section Chief's offer—a move most wouldn't dream of.
He wanted to see just what sort of idiot would refuse such an offer to develop some 'games'.
But more than that, there was Kyle.
Terrance's relationship with Kyle ran deep—they had both started in the same year. Yet now, they stood worlds apart. Kyle had risen through the ranks like a shooting star, reaching the Fourth Order in just two years, while he remained stuck in the Second Order.
He also thought about how he had managed to clear the first trial so easily and so fast.
The more he thought about it, the more irritated he felt.
He was just like Kyle...
A man full of luck.
"Let's see if the game is any good."
Without further hesitation, Terrance pressed play, and the screen immediately faded to black.
"Well...?"
"Did it freeze?"
The screen remained pitch black for longer than anyone expected it to. Just as everyone was starting to grow impatient, a change finally occurred as letters started to appear on the screen.
'This is my third year working for the company. Every day is a struggle, and I hardly get any sleep. I am so tired that I think I'm starting to hear things whenever I leave my office. The only thing keeping me sane is my playbox. Only when I play it do I feel safe.'
"Some sort of introduction?"
"...Yes."
Terrance nodded, his lips faintly curling with amusement.
Terrance saw right through what Seth was attempting. He was creating a psychological anchor—a subtle hook to immerse players deeper into the game. By doing so, he intended to plant a seed in the player's mind, letting it quietly take root and grow stronger as time passed and the game unfolded.
This was just a cheap trick in Terrance's eyes.
Another line appeared:
'...I hope it's just because I'm tired. But I did hear about a recent case where one of those in the IT department killed themselves because they were being overworked. I hope I don't end up the same.'
The screen continued to flicker, blinking erratically like a pair of tired eyes, before finally stabilizing. A dimly lit, shabby office space came into view, its worn furniture and monotonous colors setting an unsettling tone as the scene slowly sharpened into focus.
"Are these the graphics?"
"....They seem to be."
The group looked at each other for a brief moment.
How could they describe the graphics?
They were...
"He made the game by himself."
"…It's not bad, considering it was all done by one person."
The graphics were difficult to put into words. They had a grainy, VHS-like filter that mimicked the look of an old camcorder, blending seamlessly with the monotone coloring of the office. It had a realistic look, but at the same time, it also felt cheap.
There wasn't much detail to the office, and it felt rather plain.
And yet...
For some reason, that effect helped create a strangely eerie atmosphere, one filled with a creeping sense of dread that settled in almost immediately.
Flick. Flick.
The overhead lights flicked, and as that happened, the character yawned and stretched.
'...It's time to go. I should head back home.'
A line of text appeared briefly on the screen before the scene shifted to a third-person perspective. A figure in a black blazer stood before a worn wooden door. In one hand, he held a brown bag, and in the other, a small MP3 player.
On the screen was a small illustration that displayed the instructions.
◆ W — Move Forward
◆ D — Move
◆ Right Click — Play Music
◆ Shift — Run
[Left Click to continue]
The instructions were rather basic, and reading them, Terrance raised his brow.
"This simple?"
His already low expectations for the game sank further.
He didn't wait any further and left-clicked.
The game shifted once more, transitioning from the office into a long, empty hallway.
The mood in the room changed.
"Wait... is that—?"
"...No way."
Even with slight differences, they all recognized it. This was the exact same setup as the newbie trial!
Terrance suddenly burst out laughing.
'Seriously? This is supposed to scare me?'
He remembered participating in the trial and clearing it a long time ago. He didn't get scared back then, and yet, he was supposed to get scared by this?
'This looks easy.'
He pressed 'W', guiding the character down the hall. The sound of footsteps echoed softly from the speakers.
He turned the corner and was met with another long corridor.
"Same setup as the trial," someone whispered.
Already familiar with the setup, neither he nor the new recruits looked surprised. Instead, they just shook their heads.
This was practically a carbon copy of the newbie trial.
"When do you think the lights are going to turn off?"
"...Soon, probably."
They waited for it.
As the new hires chatted quietly behind him, Terrance pressed on, moving deeper into the hall. He was half-expecting the lights to flicker off, just like they had during the trial.
However, that didn't happen.
Instead, the character suddenly pulled out the MP3 and started to play it.
A soft thump came through the speakers—deep bass, slow and steady, like a heartbeat. Piano notes trickled in above it, warm and soothing.
The music immediately attracted their attention.
"...What kind of music is this?"
"It's... kind of nice."
As the music played, a sense of calm washed over everyone. There was something about the music that felt pleasant to the ear, and as Terrance listened to the music, he found his mind slowly relaxing.
'Is this supposed to be scary? For some reason, I'm finding myself relaxing while playing this.'
He blinked slowly, his mind relaxing even more. It wasn't until he recalled his purpose that he pressed on again.
By this point, he no longer seemed to think anything of the game. He just wanted to get over it while listening to the tune that played from the MP3.
That seemed to be the only redeeming quality of the game.
Ziing~
As the music played, Terrance's mind drifted deeper into calm, his body sinking into the chair, all while his finger remained steady on the 'W' key. For now, he and the new recruits were simply waiting for the lights to go out.
But what no one noticed was how, slowly, unconsciously—
Every single one of them was leaning closer to the screen.
The hum of the computer fan became more pronounced.
Everyone just stood there, staring at the character moving. They all suddenly seemed to forget about the scenario and just stood in a trance.
That was until—
Flick!
The lights snapped off, and the screen turned pitch black.
The music came to an abrupt end, and the faint sound of a breath echoed through the speaker.
"Haaa… Haaa.."
...The change was sudden and unexpected, catching everyone off guard.
By the time they realized what had happened, their entire bodies unknowingly tensed up as they stared at the screen.
"Haa... Haa..."
The character was breathing, its breath echoing out from the speakers.
So were they.
And what they didn't realize—
Was that theirs was matching his.