Chapter 367: Theft? [3]

Da~ Da~ Da!

There was no denying it any longer.

The more I played, the clearer it became; this was none other than the music I had used in my own game. The Conductor’s music.

"Fuck."

Rumble! Rumble!

Once again, the room shook, and I turned my attention towards the Conductor.

"Calm down! I can understand your current anger, but it won’t resolve a single thing at the moment. Give me some time, and I’ll quickly figure out a way to resolve this."

"Why go through such a hassle?"

The Conductor’s head cocked, its gaping eyes looking straight at me.

"...Tell me where they are, and I’ll eliminate them. I will—"

"No, that won’t work."

I cut the Conductor off before it could go on a tangent of its own. While the Conductor’s option sounded tempting, I didn’t want to kill people for things like these. It would also lead to several troublesome situations.

’Maybe I can use Mr. Jingles?’

I thought about replicating what I had done in the past with Nova Forge Studios or whatever they were called, but I didn’t think it’d be a good idea to waste my precious ’materials’ in order to get back at them.

Not only that, but I was still unsure of what had happened exactly.

’...Let me at least try and figure it out.’

"Why wouldn’t it work?"

"Because it might lead back to me. I’m already walking on thin ice, and you know best that I’m not strong enough to defend myself just yet. Trust me and let me handle this current situation. I should be able to get to the bottom of this quickly."

"....."

The Conductor remained silent, its eyes narrowing within the silence as my heart drummed loudly inside of my chest.

Thankfully, the Conductor eventually relented.

"Alright."

Its voice quietly whispered into the air.

"...I will listen to your command."

"Good."

I sighed in relief, leaning back on the chair.

This was an unexpected turn of events. I had just come out of a deadly gate infiltrated by the Guild and thought I’d finally be able to rest for a while, but then this happened out of nowhere.

"And just when I thought I had gotten rid of the rat too..."

Troublesome things were piling up one after another. I really couldn’t catch a break even if I wanted to, huh?

"Let’s see."

The first thing I did was open up my mail. I planned on messaging my old company in order to arrange a meeting to better understand the situation, but right as I opened the website, my hand paused.

[New] — Nightmare Forge Studios.

"What...?"

To my utter surprise, it was an email from the very studio that I was having trouble with.

"...It’s pretty recent, too. It wasn’t even an hour ago since they sent it."

Staring at the mail, I didn’t have a good feeling about it as my heart sank.

But—

Click!

I still decided to open up the mail.

———

[To : Seth Thorne]

We would like to formally invite you to the Guild for a meeting at your earliest convenience. The CEO has expressed a desire to have a comprehensive discussion with you regarding recent developments and future opportunities.

This meeting will provide an opportunity to address any questions you may have and to explore potential collaborations in greater detail.

When would be a good time to arrange the meeting?

———

"Discussion regarding recent developments and future opportunities?"

The more I read the mail, the greater the pit in my stomach.

’I really don’t have a good feeling about this.’

However, I knew that this wasn’t something that I could avoid. In order to get a better understanding of the situation, it was important that I went to the meeting.

’...Although I don’t really want to go back there, I know I have to go.’

And so, I quickly arranged a meeting with them.

"Tomorrow morning should do."

I got a confirmation email shortly after.

"...Okay, then."

I stood up from my seat and stretched my back.

"Now that I’m done with that, I should think—"

To Tok!

My words got cut off by a sudden knock on my door. Pausing whatever I was doing, I turned my attention towards the door.

I licked my lips as they suddenly felt dry.

To Tok!

With the knocking persisting once more, I knew that I couldn’t ignore it and moved towards the door.

’Who is it...? Is it the Section Chief?’

I couldn’t think of anyone else who knew about this place besides him and my squad members. Not even Kyle was aware of it.

Reaching for the door, I opened it slowly.

"Hello."

A smile greeted my sight the moment I opened the door, causing my heart to come to a complete stop.

"....!?"

Of all the people I had expected to encounter, this was the last. The moment I caught sight of them, my entire body froze.

"Oh? This is quite a nice setup. Not bad at all."

The Guild Master walked into the room, his gaze sweeping the place with a certain curiosity. He took notice of the capsules, and the set up by the distance.

Eventually, coming to a stop, he turned his attention back to me.

"...This place looks rather nice. It seems like you’ve put the money you’ve received to good use."

"Thank you."

I could only force a smile.

It felt as though I was standing on needles, trying my best to understand the reason behind the Guild Master’s sudden appearance.

I swallowed nervously, keeping my gaze locked onto him.

’Come on, just get on with it. What are you here for??’

The more I stared at him, the more I was reminded of the rat’s words. I started to feel uncomfortable.

"I can see that you’re impatient." The Guild Master chuckled while staring at me. He shook his head. "Don’t worry. I’m not here for anything particular. I’m just trying to get back to our previous conversation."

My heart skipped a beat.

"By previous, you mean..."

"Since I’ve done you a favour, it’s my time to ask for something, isn’t it?"

I pressed my lips tightly, feeling the air in the room suddenly constrict around me.

That tension lasted for merely a few seconds before the Guild Master raised both hands.

"Please be at ease. I’m not going to ask you to do anything outrageous. In fact, you can even say that this might be a good opportunity for you."

"Good opportunity?"

I looked at the Guild Master hesitantly. What good opportunity could he be talking about?

"I’m curious about your Decree."

Ah.

So that’s what it was...

"I’ve been thinking about it, and I’m certain now. The Dreamwalker you’ve been using used to be a Nightwalker from our Guild gate. The information I’ve received from the clips I’ve managed to look and examine, alongside the reports suggest that to be the case. That makes me wonder..." The Guild Master paused, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at me. "Do you actually have the ability to enhance the anomalies themselves? If so, are you willing to show me? I’d be willing to sponsor the experiment if you need anything."

Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!

My heart raced at the sudden offer, my expression unable to remain calm as I looked at the Guild Master.

This...

This was a massive opportunity, wasn’t it?