"Has everyone gotten acquainted with the new team member?"

I entered the team room and clapped. The atmosphere was awkward, and the moment I entered, all eyes fell on me.

They all wore the same expression. One that seemed to say, 'Where have you been!?'

I coughed and pretended to ignore their gazes while sitting down in my chair and took out my laptop.

"I'm glad everyone is getting along well. Let me check my email to see if the results for the Trials are out."

I was actually quite curious about the results. It had been a bit since the Trials had ended, and I had been wondering whether the Section Chief had finalised the rankings.

But—

"Hmm. Nothing yet."

It looked like my mail was still relatively empty.

'That's a pity, but I guess it won't take too long before we get a result.'

I had a feeling that we'd all rank well. I hoped that'd be the case. Thinking about entering the World Congress, and all the views that would be placed on us…

I rubbed my hands underneath the table.

'It's the perfect place to advertise my next game.'

I was feeling rather excited. Of course, that would only work if I had a game to advertise. I had yet to start, but I already had several ideas in my mind.

'My team should be here soon. They've all signed the contract, so they'll be here the moment they clear their stuff in their current office.'

It was about time that I got started with my new game. I had been delaying it long enough.

'Hmm, thinking about a new game…'

I switched the page on the computer and opened the Dock app.

'There's been a game recently that has been trending quite a bit. The one that Zoey was playing not long ago… she did mention that it was a horror game. I wonder if it's good.'

I needed to check the competition.

But—

The moment I stopped at the game page, I paused.

[Price — 159.99$]

My lips twitched. This was quite a lot for a game. But that wasn't the part that threw me off the most.

No, that was fine. There were a lot of games that went for this price. Especially if they were optimised for VR.

The part that truly unsettled me was something else.

It was…

'Nightmare Forge Studios.'

The company that was in charge of the game. This was the very same company that I used to work for.

I had mixed feelings about them. They weren't a very good company to work with, and the only reason I had even chosen to work with them in the first place was because I had been desperate for money.

However, it was also true that they were the company that had introduced me to this world of games.

To some extent, I had a sort of attachment to them. I didn't hold any jealousy towards their success.

Well…

Staring at their numbers, I swallowed my saliva.

'Maybe just a little.'

Not only were the reviews great, but the number of sales was also ridiculous. Just thinking about all the money that they'd make from the game made my stomach churn.

With that much money…

'No, let's not think about it. For now, I'll just download the game and play it when I have time.'

I was very interested to see how they made the game. Perhaps I'd be able to get a better idea of how to improve my own game.

There were more important things that I needed to take care of.

Checking my watch, I looked back at the team. Everyone looked busy doing their own thing, but judging from the expressions they were wearing, they were still not satisfied with the decision of having Ariel in the team.

I turned my attention in her direction and saw her quietly sitting in her seat, doing nothing but blankly staring at her screen. She looked like some sort of soulless doll, and for a moment, I almost started to feel pity for her.

Just what sort of seal had the Guild Master placed on her?

For a moment, I started to question my prior decision to work with him.

In the end, it was a little too late for me to regret my decision. Closing down my laptop, I stood up while looking at everyone else present.

I've checked my emails, and it seems we don't have anything else to do. You can all leave and do whatever you want. I don't think any of us is fit to enter the gate."

With all said and done, I could take it easy for the day.

And that was what I was planning on doing for the next day or so.

After all, I needed to get ready for what was to come.

I couldn't wait for the day to come any faster. Especially since I knew the Guild Master was working with me.

'It's about time I get rid of the rat…'

***

There were no significant events in the days that followed. The rankings for the Trials were still not released, and the Guild remained relatively quiet.

And yet—

Walking into the Guild and moving past the familiar areas, I couldn't help but feel the air was different than usual.

There was a certain heaviness to it that I couldn't ignore as I walked past all the familiar faces and finally arrived at my own office.

Clank—

Opening the all too familiar door, and turning on the lights, I looked around before making myself comfortable in my own seat.

The sense of heaviness lingered as I sat down, pressing further into my mind. Quietly, I adjusted to the sensation before taking care of everything in the room. I started polishing the table and placing the disorganized papers into more organized piles. I even went as far as scrubbing the table with a towel, making sure that everything was spotless.

It had to be spotless.

After all, I was going to be receiving a guest today.

To Tok—

One that eventually arrived as I turned my attention towards the door.

As my actions paused, I opened my mouth but soon closed it.

I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to hide the trembling.

Eventually—

"C-come in."

A faint tremble escaped my lips as I spoke. It was accidental, and for a moment, my heart skipped a beat.

But soon…

Creeaaaaak!

The door opened, and a familiar pair of dimples appeared before my vision.

Staring at those dimples, I pressed my hand tighter onto my face as the rat continued to push the door open before entering the room.

As he entered, he calmly looked around before sitting down on the chair opposite me.

A tense silence followed right after as the rat waited until the door was fully closed to speak.

"So…?" His voice was calm, almost joyful. Hearing the voice, it sounded almost like that of someone that was trying their best to hide their excitement.

'Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.'

I bit my lips, trying my best to calm myself down.

But then—

"What is your decision? Have you decided to leave the Guild?"

Ah.

I pressed my hand tighter against my lips, the edges curling on their own as I stared at the rat.

Don't smile…

'Don't smile.'

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