[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-horror-game-developer-my-games-aren-t-that-scary":3,"chapter-horror-game-developer-my-games-aren-t-that-scary-horror-game-developer-my-games-aren-t-that-scary-chapter-252":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},429815,691,"Chapter 252 252: VILE - 2013 [The Jester]","horror-game-developer-my-games-aren-t-that-scary-chapter-252",252,"\u003Cp>Da— Da!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The notes of the keyboard were sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pressed it a couple of times to make sure that everything was alright. In the end, setting the keyboard away, I leaned back against the chair and covered my face with both hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'The stage has been set.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Your turn.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conductor's words replayed in my mind as my heart sank into my stomach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I'd known from the start that everything happening outside was the result of the conductor's meddling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn't stupid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dots were extremely easy to connect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing outright that an entire -rank gate had been created solely to match my \"perfect piece\" sent a shudder through my whole body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perfect piece?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What perfect piece!?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could hardly play the piano as I was still rusty at it. I had been practicing more lately, but it was far from enough!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the rate things were progressing, by the time the deadline arrived, I'd be turned into a 'faceless' audience member before the entire world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'I'd rather die than for that to happen.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't so much because I was scared of getting humiliated before the entire world. I didn't mind that part one bit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My main issue was getting turned into one of 'those' things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just the thought of being reduced to a mindless husk, forced to endure the same music on repeat, sent a shiver through my entire body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, anything but that!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I needed to quickly think of a way out of the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'...But that's the problem.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had spent a good month or more thinking about this situation. And yet, the best that I could come up with was a simple item from the Guild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was far from enough for me to resolve the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that, there were even more problems piling up at the moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Guild's top recruit was now on my back thanks to some ridiculous instinct of hers, and since every gate I entered seemed to rise in rank, I knew I couldn't risk stepping into one. At least, not while she was around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'At all, if anything...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Guild was now aware of the 'Jesters' unique trait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thankfully, all gate excursions are suspended for the next couple of days until things are a bit more under control. In the meantime, I need to figure out how to deal with this, alongside the conductor's situation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The situation was dire, but not impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pulling out my laptop, I booted up the app and immediately started typing on the system box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Are you the one responsible for causing all gates that I enter to increase in rank?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pressing 'Enter', I waited for a response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn't have to wait long for an answer, and yet, each second that I waited felt like a second too long as a notification flashed on my screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Yes]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just a single-word answer, and yet, it was all that I needed to hear as I typed back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Is there a way to disable this feature?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sent the message again, and this time the answer came a lot faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Yes]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My eyes lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a way. Great!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I began typing again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[How do I disable the feature?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[....]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The system didn't reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It just left me on read.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried typing again, but yet again I was left on read.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This fucking...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was extremely tempted to toss the laptop aside, but I managed to hold back, sinking into my chair instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'There is a way for me to disable the feature, but the system won't tell me. This must mean that I need to figure this part out myself. But I don't really have time to figure this part out.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One month and ten days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was how much time I had at my disposal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It sounded like a lot, but it was far too little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah, shit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I covered my face with both hands as I tried to sort the entire situation in my head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Since the system isn't being useful, I need to think of a way to solve this entire situation. How can I come up with a perfect piece?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could I make it seem like I was playing a perfect piece?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My skills fell short, and no amount of training within the next month would let me play the perfect piece the conductor demanded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to think outside the box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ruffling my hair, I leaned forward and grabbed a piece of paper as I started to highlight all possible ways for me to clear this quest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, the mission was a Third Order one. In that regard, it wasn't impossible for me to clear. It was extremely hard, but not impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had the means.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Should I just try to push myself to the Third Order?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mission was of the Third Order, so it did seem like a plausible conclusion. However, I soon shook my head. That would help, but it wouldn't solve the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait, what if...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking out my phone and looking through the Guild Database, my eyes paused on several gates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My heart suddenly sped up as a dangerous thought crossed my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What if...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My breathing grew heavier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...What if I try to contain an anomaly that can help me with this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That, combined with my second node, Trait Swap, made me feel like I could actually accomplish something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I held my mouth and thought deeply about the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Yes, this might actually be possible.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was only one issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'I'd either have to enter a gate or directly go to the containment area.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither was an option for me right now. The Containment area was where all of the anomalies were stored, and it was under extreme scrutiny and surveillance. If I tried something, they'd know immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The same was for gates, and given my current situation, I had to lie as low as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that case...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do I have no choice but to try to find the person who lent the item that I wanted?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I frowned, weighing my situation. Nearly all my options were gone, and I felt like a mouse trapped inside a maze, where all roads led to the same dead end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hm?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as my thoughts began to scramble in all directions, my eyes were drawn to one of my drawers. It was slightly ajar, and inside, something caught my attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An item?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Curious, I reached out for it when—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sudden notification cut my thoughts short.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pulling the notification down, my breath paused, and my eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This...!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hastily pulling the notification down and checking the date, my mouth hung open as I suddenly laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I actually forgot...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today was the end of the month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[$747,348 has been credited to your account!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the day that I got paid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as if that wasn't all, I got a message from the Section Chief not long after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Meet me in the storage space at the back of the Guild. The equipment that you've requested has arrived, and it's... quite a lot. It's best if you check it out yourself.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The VR equipment that I had requested had also arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From one bad news after another to one good news after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn't really know how to feel at the moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nonetheless, the anxiety and stress from the situation were still ever-present as I stood up from my seat and left my office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was time for me to check out the new equipment.\u003C\u002Fp>",1261,"2026-05-30T08:34:27.148Z","2026-06-01T04:30:46.873Z",1,"novelbin.me","5b6f1af2043692603300c9ae838dcd4c20658e7088b6b3270ab450cc768cd407","horror-game-developer-my-games-aren-t-that-scary-chapter-253","horror-game-developer-my-games-aren-t-that-scary-chapter-251",656,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhorror-game-developer-my-games-aren-t-that-scary-cover.jpg"]