Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary!-Chapter 36: Velora Art Museum [1]

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"...Looks like this place was a dead end, too. Turns out the noise was just a couple of homeless people yelling to scare off anyone who got too close to the house."

A young man with short brown hair and sharp green eyes muttered while staring into the camera. He was a little chubby, and as he looked at the phone mounted on his selfie stick, a small smile tugged at his lips. Behind him loomed a rundown house, its windows shattered and roof tiles broken.

It was dark outside, with his flashlight being the only source of light.

Jamie Carter forced a smile as he looked at his chat.

—Another bust? 

—Lololol, how many does this make? 

—L 

—Don't stress it, you're doing great!

—Imma check out Randy's channel. Looks like he's fighting some sort of monster. Shit here getting stalte. 

Reading his chat, Jamie's lips quivered. He was having a hard time retaining his smile.

"Haha, it can't be helped, guys. It's really not that easy to find a haunted place. Most of them have already been found by the Guilds, so this is what I have left. Just bear with it a little longer, and I'll find something. I promise!"

The chat blew up even more after that. It was a mixed bag—some people cheered him on, while others flooded the screen with L's and called him "washed."

Jamie could only hold himself back while staring at the chat.

At the same time, he glanced at his live viewer count and barely managed to hold back a sigh. Things weren't terrible, but compared to last month's numbers, he was down by a lot.

This couldn't be helped.

He'd been struggling to find any decent places to explore for his livestream, with most of the promising places turning out to be hoaxes.

Not only that, but he was also facing several big competitors. They... were pulling numbers that even surpassed his prime self.

The worst part was that their streams were fake.

They had full-on productions to make everything look real, unlike him. He preferred to keep things genuine.

'I really can't compete if things keep going like this.'

Their level of production was also a tier above his. Rather than streamers, they were more like professionals disguised as streamers.

"Well, chat..." Jamie looked behind him. "Since this one turned out to be a bust too, I'm gonna end the stream here. I'll take some time to properly research the next spot, and I'll keep you all posted. Catch you soon—peace."

Click!

Jamie pressed into his phone, and the stream ended.

It was only then that his facade crumbled and his smile faded.

"Shit..."

He ruffled his hair and chewed on his nails, eyes scanning the screen as he picked up his phone and started frantically searching for new locations.

His streams were rooted in the thriller and horror genres, exploring abandoned places and spending the night there. But he didn't just pick any random rundown spot. He specifically sought out places with even the slightest chance of having some supernatural history behind them.

They were the ones to have the highest chance of having 'something'. Anything. 

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The reason he blew up in the first place was because of his very first stream. He'd gotten lucky—stumbled upon the perfect location that delivered just the right mix of thrill and horror. It hooked the audience instantly.

After that, he managed to find a few other solid spots, keeping the momentum going for a while. But as time went on, and as more streamers started faking their content, things began to go downhill.

"I need to find a new place. Something that can evoke the same thrill as before. But how? How do I find that?"

All the good ones had already been taken or explored. There were only so many abandoned places on a floating island. Even if it was extremely large.

Jamie groaned as his fingers glided across the screen.

Trrr—!

'Hmm? Who could it be...?'

It was in the midst of his actions that his phone suddenly vibrated.

"No, never mind."

Though surprised, Jamie pushed it aside, his focus on more pressing matters. Just as he was about to dismiss the call, his eyes briefly paused on the ID.

Immediately, his body stiffened.

Trrr—

It wasn't until his phone vibrated again that he snapped out of his daze, quickly answering the call.

"Hello...?"

—It's me.

Hearing the familiar voice, Jamie's body stiffened.

It's really her!

He almost lost it the moment he realized it was her, and he felt his mouth become dry.

Why would she, of all people, call him?

Although they couldn't be considered strangers, they weren't exactly friends. At best, acquaintances.

Back in his heyday as a streamer, Jamie had crossed paths with her and they'd collaborated on a few projects. At the time, she was still relatively unknown, but that was the moment that kick-started her career. Now, she was a massive celebrity.

They had lost contact for quite a while.

Why did she suddenly call him?

"How...ah... How are you doing? Why did you sudden—

—I'll get straight to the point. I need a favour.

"Favour?"

The excitement Jamie had felt earlier faded almost immediately, his expression falling into a more neutral, serious one.

Of course, she wouldn't call him for no reason.

—Yes. There's a guy I know who's looking to promote his horror-themed game. I thought it might be a good opportunity for him to appear on your stream to promote the game since it caters to a similar audience.

"That..."

Jamie frowned. Promoting a horror game? Who in their right mind would even bother making a horror game these days?

Streaming was one thing, but games?

Jamie sighed.

"Is the game any good? Do you have a sample of it?"

—Not sure, but it's made by one person. I think I heard that it was made in less than a week or some stuff like that. I'm not sure. I also don't have a sample.

"Oh."

Jamie almost felt the impulse to throw his phone on the ground. Single developer? Less than a week?

'She's trying to ruin me!' 

If he promoted such a game, he was without a doubt going to lose all his audience.

Jamie made his decision then and there.

"I'm sorry, but I would—"

—Hear me out before you reject me.

Zoey cut him off before he could reject her.

Jamie swallowed silently and pretended to listen. In his mind, he had already made up his mind.

There was simply no way he could afford to do something like this.

—The guy that I want to recommend to you. He kind of pisses me off...

"Um?"

Jamie's expression turned even stranger.

'Wait, don't tell me she's going to use me to get back at this guy?'

He almost felt like groaning on the spot. However, considering her reputation, he couldn't afford to do that.

"...And you want me to teach him a lesson for you?"

—Not really. I just want you to go to a certain abandoned place and scare him up a little. Don't do anything dangerous, but just enough to scare him in front of your viewers. I'm sure that can get you some views, right?

"Right..."

Jamie shrugged a little. Yes, this would indeed help him get more views, but it was very different compared to his usual stuff.

There was a good risk that his loyal audience would be turned off by the stream.

'Yes, I can't take this. I need to—'

—If you can do this well, I'll shout you out on my page. 

"....!?"

Jamie's eyes almost pooped out of his sockets the moment he heard her words.

"Really...? You would?!"

Zoey had a massive following. A simple shoutout from her was massive. Incredibly massive!

If it was that, then—

—Are you going to take the offer or not?

Take it?

"Of course!"

Only an idiot wouldn't take such an offer. With this, he wouldn't have to worry about his channel dying.

—Good, I'll send you the details soon. I hope you make something entertaining.

"Of course, don't worry."

Jamie nodded hurriedly. He didn't need to be told what to do. All sorts of ideas on how to scare the 'victim' had already popped up in his mind.

At the same time, he felt sorry for whoever the victim was.

But he wasn't going to hold back.

For the sake of his own future, he was going to scare the hell out of him!

***

Meanwhile, as all of this was unfolding, the person in question stood in a small, cramped office, his gaze fixed on a large painting hanging on the wall.

It was almost 1 AM.

Unaware of what was brewing for him, Seth got ready for the inevitable situation that was about to unfold.

"I just have to not blink for one minute, right?"

That sounded quite easy.

In fact, he had already thought of different ways to bypass this rule. His first thoughts drifted towards the most basic strategy. Blink with one eye at a time.

However, thinking about it carefully, doing something like that carried a risk.

What if closing one eye at a time still counted?

That would be pretty unfortunate.

"Well, to be honest, I don't think it's necessary. It's just a minute. I should be able to last the entire minute."

Seth took a deep breath and checked the time.

There were only a few minutes left. With his phone in his left hand, ready to press pay at any second, he felt ready.

His goal in this entire thing was simple.

Figure out enough things and make enough preparations for the inevitable quest.

Tik, Tik—

Time ticked.

It soon became 12:59 AM.

Turning his attention towards the painting, Seth opened his eyes wide.

'Alright, I'm ready.' 

He took a deep breath and braced himself.

Tik, Tik—

1:00 AM.

The clock struck. Seth held his breath.

With all the preparation he'd done, he was confident he could pass this trial.

But ten seconds into the trial...

Seth's entire face paled.

In that moment, staring at the hand reaching out directly from the painting and onto his face, his face paled.

One minute...

Could he really last that long?