Chapter 7: Mission Complete [1] |
Wam!
The orchestra came to life!
Music surged from every instrument, cascading through the theater in flawless harmony. The rhythm, the melody—perfection. And yet...
And yet...
"...."
With a single motion of the conductor's hand, it stopped.
Silence.
"Why...?"
The conductor's skeletal fingers clutched the music sheet, flipping through it with jerky, unnatural movements. Its head
The audience—those cursed, hollow-eyed figures—turned in unison, their empty gazes drilling into us.
"GET... OUT!"
The conductor's scream tore through the room, almost shattering my eardrums.
Feeling my head twitch, I pressed down against the armrest and forced myself up.
'I can stand!'
This was different than before.
I didn't let my delight show and turned my back on the conductor.
A chill ran down my back the moment I turned my back, feeling the cold and malicious gaze of the conductor.
'It's almost over. It's almost over.'
I felt all eyes on me, and swallowing slightly, I moved towards the exit.
One step.
Two.
Three.
Each step felt loud, drumming into my mind as I drew closer and closer to the exit.
I felt the center of everyone's attention.
And in the next moment—
I reached the exit.
[Congratulations, you have cleared the scenario!]
A system notification flickered in my vision. The moment I stepped through, the world plunged into darkness. The suffocating tension unraveled all at once, and my knees nearly buckled.
"Haaa... Haa...!"
I bent forward, hands on my knees, sweat dripping down my face.
"I... survived."
Someway. Somehow. I survived...
[You were able to exploit the conductor's weakness to perfection in order to clear the scenario. You have passed with flying colors!]
[Rewards are waiting for you!]
"Ah, stop."
I waved my hand, trying to dismiss the notification in front of me.
"I don't want to hear it. You told me that this was a trial, right? I passed it, so let me go."
[.....]
A new notification flashed, but it was just blank.
In its own way, it felt eerie.
[Are you sure?]
A new one appeared shortly after.
[Are you sure you want to quit?]
"Yes, I'm sure."
Why would I want to subject myself to this torture again?
Just let me go back to my old, mundane life.
[What if there were a way to solve your disease? Would you continue?]
"....."
It was my turn to be silent.
"What did you just say?"
[You can cure your disease]
I held my breath.
"It can... cure my disease?"
The one that no doctor was able to find a cure for, and the one that they claimed would take my life in a couple of years?
I licked my lips. They were strangely dry.
[Do you want to cure your disease? The system is capable of doing so. If not, you can always quit. Your memory of everything will be wiped out, and you will live your life like before. But do you want to live your life like before?]
I... didn't.
Death was scary. So was the pain.
But at the same time, I hated to think about the scenarios I'd have to go through if I chose to accept.
'I either reject the offer and die painfully, or accept it and live in fear but longer...'
What a hard fucking choice.
[What do you wish to choose?]
I already had an answer in my mind if I had to be honest.
Both options sucked, but I chose the option that sucked the least.
'Just treat it like a game. A deadly game...'
"Okay."
[You wish to accept the system?]
"Yes."
Ding!
A chime rang in the air.
[Congratulations on accepting the Horror Developer System!]
[To a future of awesome game creations!]
[The world you know will now change]
Wait—what?
[Loading...]
"Wait!"
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