“Here are some odd-looking suits. Supposedly, you have to put them on before playing. The machine heats up considerably, and these are meant to keep you cool during the experience.”
The Section Chief explained while holding onto a massive manual. At the same time, he bent down and grabbed a couple of dark blue sights and felt them with his hand.
“Feels like rubber…” He mumbled while going through all of the items on the list.
There were quite a lot.
We were in the Guild’s storage area on the side of the first floor.
A massive space with towering shelves stretching in every direction, stacked with huge packages and equipment. Forklifts weaved between workers, the whole place bustling even more than the Guild’s main entrance.
It was essentially just a massive warehouse.
In front of us were five massive packages. The first one was rather big, and looking into it, I saw a massive capsule.
‘I presume that this is the capsule used in order to enter the Virtual World?’
I traced my finger along its frame, feeling a cool touch before pulling away. The sleek body, finished in clean white with neon blue accents, felt metallic, giving it a distinctly futuristic appearance.
The other items in the packages ranged from weird helmets, suits, and all sorts of other items that made my head spin.
“Best of luck.”
Even the Section Chief seemed overwhelmed as he handed me the massive booklet, giving my shoulder a reassuring pat.
“…The Guild believes in you.”
He gave me an encouraging fist.
I’d have felt better if not for the fact that his face was extremely contorted.
He… really didn’t believe in me, did he?
‘Me too.’
Thankfully, I wasn’t planning to do this alone. I intended to hire a few people who knew the system well to help with my games.
In short, my own team.
And for testing…?
‘Well, I have my own Squad, don’t I?’
“Keke.”
“Eh…? Did you say something?”
“Ah, no. I was just… coughing a little. I’m sensitive to the dust in the air.”
“Oh.”
The Section Chief nodded in understanding.
He then turned his watch and looked at the time.
“In that case, I should get back to work. There’s a lot that I need to handle, and—”
“I stopped the Section Chief before he could leave.”
“Hm? Is there—”
“Yes, actually.”
I looked at all the items in front of me. Looking at how many things there were, the main problem was obvious.
“I’ll need a lot of space in order to operate with this equipment. Do you think the Guild has some extra space?”
“Ahh.”
Seemingly understanding my predicament, the Section Chief slapped his hand against his palm.
“…Don’t worry about that. I’ve already thought about it.”
He looked around before reaching for his pocket and taking out a pair of keys.
“Here.”
“These are…?”
“This will be your working area. I tried to get you a place within the Guild, but there was simply no space. I asked the Guild Master to perhaps get you a location, but he’s currently busy handling the matters with the recent gate.”
“So…?”
“So I found the perfect place for you!”
The Section Chief slapped me in the back while laughing.
“You’re going to love it!”
He said while looking all happy.
“And you know what’s the best part of it? You don’t even need a location to go there! You can go so long as you have the keys.”
“Wha…?”
I suddenly didn’t feel so good.
But before I could even protest, the Section Chief hooked his arm around my shoulder and dragged me back to the Containment Department. As we walked through the main area, all eyes followed us, and I wished I could dig a hole and bury the Section Chief in it.
In the end, we stopped by the door of my office as the Section Chief moved inside without even asking for my permission.
Clank—
I didn’t even get the chance to protest before he said, “You’re the last person to complain. Lately, you’ve been barging into my office without knocking.”
“….”
And so, I just forced a smile.
“Hmm. What a small space this is.”
Coming into the office, the Section Chief turned on the light and looked around. He looked quite amused by the place as the first thing he did was stop by the painting on the side of the wall, staring intently at it while commenting things like, ‘Not a bad painting. Where did you get this?’
“It’s a fake.”
“Oh.”
He then turned his attention towards the fax machine on the table.
“…..”
He paused and then looked at me.
“….It looks nice?”
He just shook his head and started fiddling with everything in my room. He looked like a child who had just found his new toy.
It was right as I was about to complain that he extended his hand in my direction.
“Yes?”
“The keys.”
“Oh.”
I handed him the keys he had previously handed me.
Then, right before my eyes, he stopped at the far end of the office, facing the empty wall opposite the door.
Before I could even figure out what he was planning on doing, he stabbed the key into the empty wall.
“…..!?”
Just then, a door materialized out of nowhere. A loud click echoed as the door slid into the wall with a series of strange noises.
My mouth fell open in a silent ‘O’ as I struggled to process what I was seeing.
But as if that wasn’t enough, the Section Chief reached for the doorknob and pulled the door open.
“Ta~ Da!”
Before me lay a massive classroom, furnished with wooden chairs and tables, and dominated by a whiteboard at the front. I stared at the classroom and then the Section Chief as he reached forward and grabbed me before dragging me in.
“I’ve been thinking…” he mumbled, glancing around the classroom before locking eyes with the windows that overlooked a large corridor. “The Guild’s main building may be cramped, but it’s not like we have no space at all. Actually, we do!”
He excitedly walked over towards the door of the classroom and pulled it open, revealing the corridor in all its glory.
A… long corridor.
One that stretched for seemingly forever as doors appeared on all sides.
I slowly looked at the Section Chief as he handed me a file.
It said, [VILE – 303].
“This is an infinite working space. Nobody will disturb you here, and you can make as much noise as possible. Hell, you can even run around naked for all I care.”
He chuckled after saying that.
But I wasn’t chuckling.
Especially not after I opened the file and read the information on the place.
———
[VILE – 303]
Class : Elcid (Daytime) Melas (Nightime)
Description : VILE – 303 is a normal school accessible only with a specific key. By day, it functions normally, but at midnight, all doors leading to VILE – 303 lock shut, trapping anyone inside. From midnight to 6 AM, hostile entities called “teachers” emerge and hunt anyone remaining. The school’s interior appears infinite, making escape impossible during this time.
Warning : Doors must be locked from the outside before midnight!
———
I paused and looked at the Section Chief.
He looked back at me and the file in my hand.
“Ha.”
He smiled before patting me on the shoulder.
“Just don’t overwork. That’s all…”
Lunatic!
This fucking lunatic!!!