The screen flashed.
A notification appeared shortly after.
[Game Cleared]
A pair of hazel eyes stared at the screen in front without blinking.
“…..”
The room was silent as I stared at the Team Leader with my lips pressed tightly.
She…
“Is this supposed to be scary? Fun…?”
Even though I had seen firsthand how she managed to clear the game in record time without even blinking once, seeing her confused and bored expression still made my heart tighten.
“More or less.”
The Section Chief answered while leaning forward to stare at the cleared sign on the laptop.
He then looked at the time and whistled.
“That’s even faster than my time.”
“You tried it too?”
“Sure did.”
The Section Chief replied.
“Not too long ago, actually. Kyle showed me the game and told me that we should use it to train the new recruits.”
“This game?”
The Team Leader looked at the screen and then at the Section Chief. Her expression said it all. It looked as though she was looking at a lunatic.
“Why would you want to give this to the new recruits? It’d be a massive waste of time.”
“Yup, I think so too.”
My lip twitched upon hearing their conversation.
Even though I knew my game wouldn’t affect those with a high order, it still stung to hear them say how unscary it was.
’The game is scary, alright? It’s just that… Well, you guys are different.’
The look on the Team Leader’s face turned even stranger.
“If you think so too, then why would you consider using this to train the new recruits?”
“That’s because Kyle insisted that it managed to scare Rowan alongside the recruits from the other departments.”
“Eh…?”
The Team Leader paused, her brows slowly furrowing in doubt.
“Did you say that Rowan got scared?”
“…I was also confused, but that’s apparently the truth.”
“Really?”
The Team Leader turned her attention back towards the game and started it again. This time, she played the game more slowly, but even then, she was still able to clear it without much effort.
“I mean, I wouldn’t say that the game is terrible. The storyline is quite great, and I like the mechanics of the monster. I can tell that it’s inspired by VILE – 1071.”
[VILE – 1071] was the official classification for the Twisted Man.
“…I also like how by the end of the game you realize that the investigator is actually her latest husband, and that this was all planned by her to trap him and turn him into another creature. It’s a nice twist, but… It’s not really that scary.”
She leaned closer to the monitor and sighed.
“Then again, this could be because I’m different. Since it is confirmed that Rowan got scared, then it might actually work.”
“Mhm. ”
The Section Chief nodded his head a couple of times.
“I’m also thinking the same.”
In the end, they both turned towards me.
The Section Chief spoke.
“You’re here about the game. What do you need?”
“That…”
Feeling both gazes, I felt a little nervous. However, thinking about my current situation and how desperate I was for money, I laid everything out for them.
“I’d like some funding. If you can provide me with some funding, then I can hire a temporary team and enhance the game further by providing a multiplayer feature. With the multiplayer feature, I believe that it will create a better environment for teams and will also serve better for training.”
The Section Chief and the Team Leader both looked at each other.
Then, with a frown of his own, the Section Chief opened his mouth.
“How much do you need?”
“…Hmm. Taking into consideration that I might need them for a week, and that they need to be rather experienced, I’d say maybe fifty thousand to a hundred thousand?”
This was the best estimate that I could come up with.
While adding the multiplayer feature wouldn’t cost too much money, I wanted to properly enhance the game even further. I wanted to improve the graphics, the voice acting, and everything.
“If you can grant me the funding, I can improve the game in all aspects, and then you can start giving it to the trainees to train.”
I felt quite nervous while speaking.
At the end of the day, the amount of money that I was requesting wasn’t very little.
It was quite a lot in fact.
Furthermore, neither of the two had any incentive to invest that much money in me. After all, the two didn’t find the game scary, and if the game ended up not working with the trainees, then it would just be a massive waste of money.
I was nervous that they’d reject.
But—
“Fifty to a hundred thousand? That’s not that bad.”
“You’re right. If it’s this little money, then it’s worth considering. I don’t think it would make that much of a dent in our budget. Plus, you did say that Rowan got scared. If it really works, then it might actually help us out a lot.”
“…..”
Hearing the conversation between the two, I was left speechless.
It wasn’t like I didn’t hope that they would agree. However, I thought that things would be much more difficult.
And yet…
Staring at the two as they were casually chatting, I realized something.
’…The amount of money I asked for is really nothing to them, isn’t it?’
I really wanted to laugh at the moment.
But before I could do that, the Section Chief walked up to me and patted me shoulder.
“I’ll send you the money over. Work on your game and then send it over to us. I’ll have it tested with the new recruits. If you really can manage to scare them and provide a good way for them to train, I’ll consider giving you even more money in the future.”
My eyes lit up in that moment as I silently clenched my fist.
Yes!
This was exactly what I wanted.
I had to do my very best to keep my expression firm while slowly nodding my head.
“Understood. I’ll get to work immediately.”
“At it.”
The Section Chief slapped me on the back, nearly making me spit out in pain. However, suppressing the urge, I walked towards the door and left.
As I did, I couldn’t hold my excitement.
’I’ll get to work immediately. I’ll make sure not to waste this opportunity.’
I couldn’t wait to see the new trainees’ trauma—Gathering funds. I couldn’t wait to gather funds.
***
Nova Studios.
There was one week left until their newest game [Blade in the Dark] was set to release. Following their aggressive advertising and ’secret workings’, there was a lot of hype revolving around the game.
*Puff*
Taking a drag of his cigar, CEO Malone sat with his legs on the desk as he cracked a smile. He was currently holding onto a piece of paper where an email was printed.
“So you’re saying that he wants to work with us now?”
“…That is correct.”
“Haha.”
Cracking a laugh, the CEO dropped his legs down as he placed the paper on the table.
“How laughable. He’s obviously realized that his game is no longer doing well and is now looking for our company in order to look for a stable job.”
“…You are correct.”
Matthias, the Chief Manager of Game Oversight, stood on the opposite end of the desk while lifting his glasses.
“Ever since we’ve taken action, the game has sold less than five thousand copies. Right now, it is hardly selling more than a hundred copies in a day.”
“Haar! Har!”
The CEO laughed once again, his laugh coming out rather hoarse. Most likely from all the tar built up in his throat.
Tracing the lines on the paper, he looked back at Matthias.
“He says he wants to have an interview with me. Do you think I should give him one?”
“…I think it’s worth a shot. Since he’s submitting to us, we might as well take him in. He’s rather talented.”
“Mhh.”
The CEO’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the paper.
In the end, he agreed.
“You’re right. It would be a waste to let go of such talent, but…”
He paused, a smile tracing his lips as he slid the paper forward.
“Change the terms from before. Since he’s refused our first offer, it’s only natural that the terms won’t be as good.”
As he said this, the CEO took another drag of his cigar before chuckling.
*Puff*
“…He won’t refuse since he’s already in our hands. Oh, and regarding the interview. I’m not going to be bothered to attend. You take care of it.”