It had to be noted that Joanna’s experience wasn’t for nothing.
Clearly understanding the crux of the situation, she was able to stop her group from falling into the first trap.
—….
—….
Min and Mia both remained still.
Neither of the two made a single move.
“Hello? Is something the matter…?”
The old lady’s voice whispered once more.
—Keep focused. It’s all a trick.
Joanna drew a few sharp breaths, her grip on the mouse tense as beads of sweat gathered on her forehead.
’Focus. Remain focused.’
She began to slowly move the mouse.
The sound of heavy breathing echoed from behind her.
She could feel its breath.
It was almost…
Tickling her ears.
And for a short moment, she almost seemed to feel the sensation.
No…
She did feel it.
Her neck tingled, and she hastily looked behind her.
But…
There was nothing.
Her body shuddered, but she remained firm.
’It must be my imagination. I’m… No, I can’t act like this.’
—I think I’ve found it! I’ve found the next clue!
That was when Mia’s voice came.
Joanna’s eyes lit up and she was just about to turn in Mia’s direction, when—
BANG!
A loud crashing sound echoed, and a figure stood up, his steps faltering back and startling Joanna as she flinched and looked towards the noise.
That was when she saw Min.
She could only see his face, but she could see that it was extremely pale.
And then—
“Min has been eliminated. Continue with the game.”
Seth’s voice fell, and Joanna felt as though her entire body had been submerged in the depths of the ocean.
Breathing became more difficult, and her mind started to blur.
’No, remain focused.’
She tried to draw out all of her experiences.
This wasn’t the first time she had experienced this sense of helplessness in the past.
There was…
—T… that wasn’t my voice. I… I got muted.
Mia’s voice broke Joanna out of her thoughts.
She swallowed her saliva and kept her gaze downward while answering.
—I know. I could tell. It seems like the anomaly can copy our voices. It’s going to try its best to trick us into looking at it. Whatever you do, don’t look at it.
She had already said this before, but she had to repeat it.
But were things really going to be that easy?
The moment her words echoed, it was as if something in the room changed.
The already dim lighting grew dimmer, and the breathing grew heavier.
“Haa… Haa… Haa…”
Her ears tickled.
It really felt as though he was there.
The hair on Joanna’s arm rose.
Something was about to happen.
—I don’t like this. I don’t like this. I don’t-
Mia’s voice suddenly stopped.
Silence.
The surroundings turned extremely quiet.
Joanna basked in that silence, feeling her nerves tensing.
And then—
—Look up.
Mia’s voice echoed.
It was soft, but at the same time, cold.
Joanna immediately could tell that it was a fake.
And yet…
Her hand moved on her own.
As though a string had been attached to her hand, her mouse slowly moved up towards the ceiling.
’No, no, no…! Why am I—’
And that was when she caught sight of it.
The figure standing in the corner of the wall, staring at her with its long and lanky body.
Black suit. Pale face. Top hat.
…And most importantly.
It’s twisted smile.
It stared right at her.
Until…
The figure lunged at her.
BANG!
“…..!?”
Joanna instinctively shot to her feet, stumbling back as her chest heaved unevenly. Without thinking, she dropped into a fighting stance.
“Stay back! Stay—!”
Her words stopped as she felt a hand press against her shoulder, and a voice followed.
“Joanna has been eliminated.”
It was only after Seth’s voice echoed that Joanna snapped out of it, and she realized what had happened.
Immediately, her heart sank and her lips trembled.
’I…’
She couldn’t believe it.
She… had failed.
She had actually lost to a game.
Despite understanding the situation, her mind refused to accept it.
And yet, there was no denying the reality of the situation.
—Hieeeeek!!
Mia’s voice followed right after.
She, too, had been eliminated shortly after as she fell out of her chair.
However, her situation felt different.
Her face was completely pale as she looked behind her.
“I swear… I swear it was behind me. I… I didn’t imagine it. It was behind me!”
Joanna looked at Mia in confusion.
What was she talking about?
BANG!
A similar scene occurred on the opposite end where the other team was located, and Joanna’s expression couldn’t help but turn grim as she looked at the computer in front of her.
She stared at the massive [Game Over] splashed across the screen in blood-red letters, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
By now, it had already become obvious to her.
These games…
They were no regular games.
It was no wonder the Section Chief had wanted them to play them.
They were just, if not scarier than, actual gates.
Trying her best to calm her breath down, Seth’s voice brought her out of her thoughts as he sat back down on his seat.
“It looks like none of you have managed to clear the game.”
Joanna lowered her head in shame.
’Am I going to get kicked out? But I have just—’
“…Still, for the first try, it wasn’t too bad. At least, I don’t think it was too bad.”
Seth turned his attention towards the Section Chief as he covered his mouth with his hand. For whatever reason, he had been doing so since the start of the entire session.
“Hm, oh!”
As if lost in his own thoughts, the Section Chief snapped out of it after Seth called for him.
He looked at the trainees and nodded.
“Yes, yes. Not bad for a first attempt. Like we mentioned earlier, this is just training. There will be more sessions like this moving forward. You’ll encounter unpredictable anomalies, whether inside gates or out in the real world, and this is the best way to prepare you to respond effectively. Of course, since it’s all through games, your lives aren’t actually on the line.”
His words were rather encouraging. A lot different from the speech he had given out on their orientation day.
That speech, alongside the game situation, was probably what pushed some to leave the Guild.
Joanna had also felt the same as they had before.
She also thought that the Guild was silly and regressing with all the nonsense they were trying.
But…
’This might actually be the best decision I’ve made in my life.’
The games…
Not only were they scary, but they also provided a perfect environment for training. All without needing to risk her life or that of her group.
If before she felt sympathy towards those who had left, she only felt pity now.
This Guild.
No, this department.
It was definitely going to shake the foundation of the massive Guilds that ruled Andora and the other islands.
“Well, I think that’ll be it for today. We just wanted to have you all try our newest means of training. It’s still relatively new, so…”
Suddenly stepping forward, the Section Chief flashed a professional smile as he looked at the six trainees.
Feeling his gaze, everyone shuddered.
He looked incredibly creepy.
And for whatever reason, they all subconsciously turned their heads in Seth’s direction.
But…
With his mouth covered, he wasn’t even looking at them.
In fact, his body looked to be trembling.
Was he crying?
’Kuk… Huet.’
What sort of noise was that?
Just as everyone was starting to become worried, the man standing behind the Section Chief stepped up and took out several papers.
“Calm down. We’re not here to bite you. We just want you all to sign these papers. It’s just a small non-disclosure about the games. That’s all.”
He smiled too. It was a kind-looking smile.
But for some reason, his smile felt even creepier than the Section Chief’s.
This…
The trainees looked at each other.
Was this Guild even normal?