“….We’re here.”
The cab pulled up to a sleek, polished building with a spotless exterior. Large windows adorned its facade, offering a glimpse into its dimly lit interior.
I got out of the car and retrieved my items from the trunk before taking out my wallet.
The driver stopped me.
“Ah, about that… considering what had happened before, it’s on me.”
“No.”
I took out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it to him.
“No, I insi—Wait, hey!”
I tossed the money inside and left.
I was practically the one responsible for the incident.
Putting my wallet away, I pulled out my phone and messaged Kyle. My fingers kept slipping as I typed, causing me to misspell several words.
[I’m hwere. Wheree r u?]
I couldn’t be bothered to correct the mistakes, so I just sent the message as it was.
I was currently in no state to care.
‘Ah, it’s still trembling.’
Ever since I received the message on my laptop, my hand hadn’t stopped trembling for a second. I constantly found myself checking my surroundings as I tried to stay away from anything that could produce any music.
But it was hard.
Despite it being late into the night, there were quite a lot of people around the area.
The surroundings were brightly lit, with people passing by every second.
Under normal circumstances, I would’ve felt safe, but now, it only amplified my sense of unease. Especially since I had no idea how it managed to find me, despite supposedly belonging to the initial scenario.
“Seth!”
Just then, a familiar voice entered my ears.
Turning my head, I was greeted by a figure about my height—around 180 cm—waving at me. His disheveled, dirtish-brown hair swayed with his movements, and as his sharp green eyes locked onto me, he moved closer before stopping.
His brow rose in surprise as he looked at me.
“….Wow, you look like a mess.”
“You think?”
Not only did I get fired, but a strange system suddenly manifested before me—throwing me into a scenario where a single wrong move could’ve killed me, gaslighting me into accepting it by preying on my weaknesses, changing the entire world and then later discovering that the strange monster in the weird scenario was now haunting me?
The fact that I had yet to have a mental breakdown was a miracle in itself.
‘No, but seriously… how am I still sane?’
“Well, you’ll get through it, Seth. I think this might be a good change for you.”
“Ho. Really?”
If not for the fact that I knew he was referring to something else, I would’ve already thrown hands.
‘Wait, can I even do that now…? He did say he now works for a Guild…’
“Yes, of course. Now that you’re no longer a slave to that company, you can finally take some time to work on your own game. You’re quite talented, so I’m sure you can figure something else out. And if you can’t…”
Kyle paused, shifting his attention towards the Guild office behind.
“…Well, you can always get some sort of inspiration or real-life experience to further improve your game.”
“I…”
“Oh, right.”
As if recalling something, Kyle massaged the back of his head and put on an embarrassed expression.
“I forgot that you hate horror.”
“Right…”
There was that too, but mainly because—whether I liked it or not—I was going to get my fair share of experience. If we were strictly talking about experience, I was going to be getting plenty.
Just the thought made me groan.
“Well, let’s go now. I’ll bring you to your room.”
Kyle turned around and led me toward the building near the main guild. It wasn’t as tall or eye-catching as the main guild—but it didn’t need to be.
He guided me in.
“This is the residence building. Normally, an observer wouldn’t be able to stay here, but I’ve been doing quite well for myself recently.”
Kyle puffed up his chest with pride.
“Of course, this building is primarily reserved for Guild employees rather than Guild members. In a way, you could say you’re lucky.”
“I’m lucky…?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Kyle walked up to the reception, grabbed a key from the wooden cabinet keyholder, and headed straight for the nearest elevator.
“…Those guys at the Guild. They’re lunatics. For your own sake, I’d recommend you just stick with the regular employees. The reason you’re lucky is because you don’t get to see them.”
“I see.”
For Kyle to be so wary of them, just how bad were they?
“We’re here.”
We stopped before a small wooden door with the numbers [501] imprinted on the front. Kyle handed me the keys.
“This here is your apartment. It’s nothing big, but you can stay here for as long as I’m here. If anybody asks who you are, just tell them you’re with me.”
“With you…?”
I took the keys and raised my brow at Kyle as he grinned.
“Like I said, I’m doing quite well for myself.”
He slapped me on the back, then brushed his messy hair back as he turned around and raised his hand to wave.
“Enough said, it’s quite late. I’ll leave you to it for now. Good thing you made up your mind today. Tomorrow is the new recruits’ orientation day! Even though you’re not a recruit, you’ll still learn a thing or two if you loiter around. I’ll see you there!”
And like that, he left.
I could only quietly stare at his departing back before shaking my head.
Orientation day?
I guess that might not be too bad.
***
The next day eventually came.
But it felt like forever had passed by the time it arrived.
“….”
I didn’t sleep a single wink.
I tossed and turned all night, trying to sleep, but every little noise rattled me awake, forcing me to stay awake all night.
‘I feel like shit.’
“You look like shit.”
Even Kyle thought so as he greeted me at the entrance of the Guild. He wore a black coat that reached down to his knees, partially concealing a white shirt underneath.
He was dressed differently than I expected.
On the other hand…
I glanced at the nearest window and caught my reflection—just a plain shirt, long brown pants, and black shoes. I looked rather bland.
Creepy if one took into account the glaring dark circles beneath my eyes.
“I didn’t get much sleep.”
“You were that excited?”
“….Yes, think of it that way.”
It was easier to explain things this way.
The two of us eventually made it into the Guild, with Kyle exchanging a few brief pleasantries along the way. As we walked through the large lobby, I noticed a wide variety of people. Some were clad in armor and armed with cold weapons, while others were dressed formally—and a few casually—as they moved in all sorts of directions.
The lobby was large, with the white marble floor reflecting the lights from above.
“Ha, I was also confused the first time I came here.”
As if reading my thoughts, Kyle smiled while stopping by the elevators.
“You probably know, but there are all different types of Gates. Some Gates require heavy armor, while others… well, they don’t need them as much.”
We both entered the elevator, and Kyle scanned his card.
“We’re part of the Containment Group, meaning that we don’t need to wear any fancy and eye-catching armor. Oh, and we’re also going down, not up.”
“Hm?”
I glanced at the bottom he pressed, and my eyes shot up.
– 5th floor?
‘What the hell…?’
“We have no choice.”
Kyle shrugged as he saw my reaction.
“The lower floors are the only place where we have enough space to contain all of the Anomalous entities we gather from gates and the real world.”
“Oh… Huh?”
What did he just say?
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No, I mean… You just… Real world…”
“Oh, you’re talking about that.”
Kyle pressed his hand over my shoulder.
“Relax, it’s normal for Anomalous entities to escape from undiscovered gates. They’re usually a lot weaker than when inside the Gates, so dealing with them isn’t a problem. Hm, well…”
Eyeing me, Kyle laughed.
“You’d probably die if you got targeted by one.”
“…..”
“No, never mind. You will die.”
“…..”
“But don’t worry—it’s not like that’ll actually happen. You’d be dead before you even realized it, haha.”
“…..”
“Well, unless they’re toying with you. Then it’d be a different story. If—”
“Stop.”
I cut Kyle, biting my fist.
“Just… Stop talking.”
I needed some time to think about what to write in my will.