[{"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-366":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},429979,691,"Chapter 366: Theft? [2]","horror-game-developer-my-games-aren-t-that-scary-chapter-366",366,"\u003Cp>In my time of knowing the Conductor, this was the very first time that I witnessed his rage and anger. Not even when I insulted his own work during the first scenario with him had I witnessed such rage and disgust from it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’...Just what in the world is going on?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My heart palpitated wildly in my chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Conductor’s anger didn’t ease, and the surroundings trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumble! Rumble!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How dare...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room shook further, and I knew then that I had to act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hold on.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reached for the Conductor, trying to grab its attention. Something was stirring within the surroundings due to the Conductor’s anger. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew that I had to stop it before it was too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Calm down for a moment. Let me understnd what’s going on.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Understand...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Conductor’s voice turned even more sinister, the hair at the back of my arm rising as I struggled to breathe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is there to understand?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Conductor’s voice hoarsely echoed, my breathing pausing as a result.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nevertheless, seeing the surroundings tremble further, I knew that I had to act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"J... just calm down for a moment.\" I managed to force out the words despite the pressure that was currently enveloping the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’For someone who is being so reliant on my strength, he sure is suffocating.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took a deep breath, calming my trembling voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let me properly understand the situation. There’s no use being angry at the moment. It won’t resolve the situation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I more or less had an idea as to why the Conductor was angry. It didn’t take a genius to understand, but given its current outburst, I didn’t have the time to properly assess the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If only the Conductor could just—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Alright.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the pressure eased at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The trembling stopped, and the heavy sensation on my chest eased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What...?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sudden change took me aback, but swallowing quietly, I snapped out of it and looked at the Conductor directly before turning my attention towards the capsule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking several deep breaths, I got out of the capsule and moved towards my laptop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Theft, theft...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was only one reason the Conductor would say something like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Its music must’ve been stolen.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the only possible explanation, and thinking about the rare feeling that I experienced while playing the game every time the music played, I had also vaguely felt the abnormality within the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting back on my seat and turning my attention to my laptop, I booted up the game one more time. This time, I did it without the VR functionality. The game was possible to play without VR since it was extremely simple in design.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it was best with VR.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let’s see.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I started in the same security room as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dools appeared in each camera angle, and the lights above flickered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I waited in silence, switching between the cameras until—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Da~ Da~ Da!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tune began to play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the exact moment it played, something within my chest stirred, and I found my mind growing hazy. My concentration slipped, and by the time I regained focus again, I found my breathing growing rougher than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh my god...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I covered my mouth with my hand, staring at the screen with wide eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumble! Rumble!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surroundings shook once more, the Conductor’s figure right next to me, but this time, I didn’t stop the Conductor as I kept my gaze fully focused on the game before me, at a complete loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If before I was skeptical, that was no longer the case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This game...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’It’s copying the Conductor’s music.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nightmare Forge Studio.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drrrrrr—! Trrr!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The usually quiet and gloomy studio was experiencing a resurgence, like it had never experienced in the past; the phones were constantly ringing, and people ran all over the office, trying to get documents from one place to another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Quick! Quick!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I just got a sponsorship offer! It’s Neuzi!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...What is the current status on the bug fixes? There’s several bugs that are being reported!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We’ve made it to the news!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We’re climbing up the rankings!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite how busy everyone was, the atmosphere felt festive. The game was performing phenomenally, and since everyone would be receiving bonuses based on its success, spirits were high all around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the first time in a very long time that their newest game performed so well. It was only right that they all felt happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CEO Office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The game is projected to reach the top of the rankings nationally. There’s a chance that we might even make it to the global rankings.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reporting to the CEO was Daniel Mier, a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dressed in a crisp suit, he stood with perfect posture, his demeanor calm and professional. As a graduate from the Euston Malovia University, he was a top elite who had just been recently hired by the company.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was, in fact, partially responsible for the games’ success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh? We might even make it to the global rankings? That’s very good news.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The CEO, a man in his sixties, smiled with visible glee. His bushy eyebrows arched high as a result, hiding beneath his thinning hair was neatly parted on top of his forehead. His most noticeable trait was the well-groomed mustache resting just above his lips, something he touched whenever he was happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...How confident are you that we might make it to the global rankings?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There’s a good chance we might.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daniel replied, checking the tablet in his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Based on the current sales records and the fact that the game is starting to reach some audiences outside of the island, I would say that it should be possible for us to place within the top thousand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Top thousand?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The CEO took a deep breath, his chest trembling out of excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While ’Top 1000’ didn’t sound grand, it was in fact a phenomenal result. This would mean that their game was within the top 1000 in the entire world, not just within their island, but also the surrounding islands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a monumental achievement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something that had never been accomplished by anyone within the island or the nearby regions. It would mean that they’d be the first to achieve such a result, bringing their studio to an unprecedented period of fame and growth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought made the CEO’s mustache tremble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s good. That’s good. It would be really good if we could achieve this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, he turned his attention towards Daniel. His lips pulled into an appreciative smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"None of this would’ve been possible if not for you. You’re really a lifesaver.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Thank you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daniel lowered his head, smiling as well. Raising his head back up, he looked at the CEO, the smile fading slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"However, if we’re being honest, none of this would’ve been possible if not for you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Me...?\" The CEO paused for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. \"Haha, well, I suppose you could put it that way.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daniel’s lips similarly curled into a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who would have thought that a soundtrack could have such an effect? I even tried to research it further, going so far as to send it to the bureau, but with little to no success. They deemed it to be a normal soundtrack, but I’m sure that’s not the case. There has to be some secret to it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who cares? We’ve already assembled a full team of engineers to see if there’s anything more we can extract from the source code of his games. If there is, we can implement it into our own.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s true.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daniel’s smile pulled even higher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thought occurred to him then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you think he would mind?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Him?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The CEO blinked, then chuckled again. As he did, he rifled through his drawer and pulled out a contract, slapping it onto the table with a sharp thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To hell if he minds. In fact, arrange a meeting with him. I’d like to have a good chat with him. After all...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The CEO looked at the contract.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Everything that he’s created belongs to me. It’s in the contract.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1366,"2026-05-30T08:34:27.148Z","2026-06-01T04:30:46.873Z",1,"novelbin.me","d7200e62ae45edd9ae8e0a5e1d9357470cde72d95d4b75874fcc20919519121f","horror-game-developer-my-games-aren-t-that-scary-chapter-367","horror-game-developer-my-games-aren-t-that-scary-chapter-365",656,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhorror-game-developer-my-games-aren-t-that-scary-cover.jpg"]