The grains of the hourglass continued to trickle down. Every second that I stared at the hourglass felt tense.
I could tell that the last grains were about to fall any minute now, but each second that passed leading up to that moment felt agonizing.
Especially since there were quite a few things that didn’t make sense.
’According to my estimates, the first team should start clearing the gate in a few more days, not now. I thought that I would be forced to do the gate with them, but that doesn’t look to be the case anymore.’
In that case…?
’I’m going to be going alone? A <B> ranked gate…?’
Just the thought sent shivers down my spine. Although I knew that the gate was going to ’adjust’ according to my current strength, to what extent was it going to adjust?
The information that I managed to pick up regarding the dungeon was also extremely small. I did try my best to get everything that I possibly could to help me, but was it enough?
I took a couple of deep breaths, trying my best to calm down while staring at my desk.
It was empty.
I had taken everything that could’ve been taken.
All besides the fax machine. For a moment, my gaze fell on it.
’Should I take that too?’
I wanted to laugh, but didn’t have it within me to laugh. Taking off my bag, I checked everything inside. From all the items that I bought from the system, to even extra stuff like water, food, rope, and whatnot.
I brought anything that I thought would be able to help me with the gate.
And just as I was busy sorting through everything—
Tick!
The last grain of the hourglass fell. Silence swallowed the office, thick and suffocating.
I stood frozen, every instinct screaming that something was about to happen.
And yet—
Nothing.
The entire place remained silent as no change occurred.
“Did it not work?”
Confused, I picked up the hourglass and flipped it over. Nothing happened. The silence pressed in, heavier than before, as if the room itself were holding its breath.
“Is it broken?”
It sure felt like it.
I flipped the hourglass again and tried to look at the bottom. There was still nothing. The grains also refused to move.
“How odd…”
Rather than relief, a tight knot of anxiety coiled in my chest. I couldn’t believe for a second that nothing had happened. The room had clearly shifted.
Something… had changed.
I could tell.
But what? What exactly had changed?
I scanned the room, my eyes tracing every corner, every shadow, searching for anything out of place.
And yet—
“Nope, everything looks normal…”
Then…?
I paused at the door, my hand hovering over the handle. A sudden chill crawled up my spine, and my breath caught in my throat.
Straining my ears, I heard it.
Thump!
The soft sound of a step.
To Tok—
What came after was the soft sound of a knock.
Staring at the door, I hesitated.
“Who is it?”
Silence.
My words were met with silence.
“Who is it?”
I tried yet again.
But even then, I received no response.
A creeping unease settled over me. Something was wrong. Frowning, I pulled out my phone, my hands trembling slightly.
’Let me contact Kyle.’
I just wanted to be certain.
But right as I took out my phone, I paused.
“…..”
There was no signal.
’…I knew it.’
Something was indeed wrong with the place. How could there suddenly be no signal? Something like this had never happened before, even when we were on the lower floors.
I would’ve normally have dismissed such a signal, but this abnormality came right after the hourglass flipped.
I was certain of it.
The Gate had already begun.
To Tok—!
The knocking echoed once more.
This time louder.
I stared at the door. Someone was standing right behind it. I could feel it.
Holding my breath, I turned to the side and flipped the switch.
Flick!
Darkness took over the surroundings.
It pressed on me in every direction as I felt a sudden chill. And yet, I didn’t care as I lowered my head. That’s when I saw it… The shadow stretching beyond the sliver of light spilling through the narrow gap of the door.
I swallowed hard, feeling the fear crawling up my spine.
However…
I grabbed my bag and yanked out my knife, fingers tightening around the hilt. A shadow flickered nearby as I pressed myself against the side of the door, every nerve screaming.
’Alright. Calm down. This is just like last time.’
Staring in the Dreamwalker’s direction, I nodded.
Creaaaak—
The door creaked open, light spilling into the dark room. I gripped the hilt of my knife tighter, drawing in one last breath. Summoning every ounce of courage, I lunged forward and swung.
But—
Swoosh!
Nothing.
I didn’t manage to hit a single thing as I slashed the empty air.
“Eh…?”
Hastily raising my head, I looked around.
The moment I did, my entire body froze as I found myself in what appeared to be an abandoned factory, its ceiling lost in shadow, rusted machinery scattered across the floor, and broken windows that let in only thin slivers of light, while the air hung heavy with dust and the smell of rust.
What sort of…?
I looked behind me to see the door of my office still open. Inside, despite it being dark, I could still see all my stuff as I looked back at the factory.
’…Rather than me being transported into the gate, my entire office got transported?’
I tried to make sense of my current situation.
I was extremely confused.
But that confusion didn’t last long. Not long after, a notification appeared before my very eyes.
[The scenario is now starting…]
[Operation: The Hourglass]
Class : ■■■
: One abandoned factory. Countless shadows. Somewhere inside, a relentless killer hunts. You have but one goal: survive. Every corner may hide death. Every sound could be the last you hear. Find a way out before the hunter finds you, or become another victim claimed by the darkness.
[Scenario candidates will be joining shortly. Do you wish to purchase any item?]
[From the moment the scenario begins, you won’t be able to purchase items]
[You have sixty seconds]
Reading through the description of the scenario, I felt chills run down my spine. That figure I felt before…? It was the killer, wasn’t it?
I took a couple of breaths while looking at the timer that suddenly appeared.
’Yet again, I only have sixty seconds to buy an item from the shop.’
This was the second time that something like this had happened. Thankfully, I had somewhat expected this from the start and wasn’t flustered. I already had some items in my mind.
———
[Shadow Lantern]
: A small lantern that casts a faint, eerie light, revealing the footsteps of anyone present. The light lasts for 45 minutes.
Beware: The glow may attract attention.
Warning: Handle with caution in confined spaces.
Non-Consumable.
Price: 51,040 GP
———
I had been eyeing this item since I had become aware of the gate. Following my research on what I knew about the gate, I felt that this was the most appropriate item. However, I held off on buying it since I was waiting for the scenario description to appear in order to be absolutely certain.
Now that I had seen the description, I didn’t hesitate to buy it.
*Puff*
The space above me creaked, and a lantern tumbled into my hands. Its cold metal bit into my skin as I examined it. The lantern was old, forged from black iron, with a large handle that appeared above it.
Holding onto the handle, I looked down to see a small button on the top.
I pressed on it.
Flick!
Immediately, a dim blue light flickered from the lamp, stretching long shadows across the room. The air grew colder, and for just a split second, I felt a presence stare in my direction.
My skin crawled as I hastily looked in the direction of where I felt the presence.
However…
All that met my gaze was silence and darkness.
I swallowed nervously before looking away and checking the system panel. In particular, my gaze drifted towards my balance.
[SP : 6,087]
’Everything that I’ve saved up is practically almost gone.’
Thankfully, I still had yet to convert the money that I had received from my latest paycheck. I still had about 70,000 SP at my disposal.
In fact, I had more than that.
The Guild had given me 3 million. Most of it was meant for Virtual Game Development, but they weren’t exactly leaving me be with that money. They still monitored where and when I spent my money.
This was company money after all.
Ding!
[The time limit is up]
[The shop is now closed]
[Best of luck!]
A series of notifications flashed before me, then vanished as suddenly as they appeared.
The surroundings turned eerily quiet as I slowly raised the lamp.
As the dim glow stretched ahead, my eyes froze.
Footsteps.
They… appeared in every direction.