Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary!

Chapter 215: Freelancers [2]

I hope this message finds you well.

I am writing to formally outline my requirements for the upcoming week. The deadline for the tasks is set for one week from today, and there are several items that will need to be completed within this timeframe.

I will provide a detailed breakdown of the specific tasks shortly. Please let me know if you have any questions or require clarification.

Task Requirements:

◆ Multiplayer Integration

◆ Graphics and Visual Enhancements

◆ Shadows and Lighting System

◆ Physics Overhaul

◆ General Polishing and Optimization

File : GameDemo.exe

This is the game file. I will be working alongside you during the process.

———

“Hmm.”

Noah stared at the message in front of him.

He drummed his fingers over the table before looking next to him.

“Did you get the same message?”

“Yup.”

“…Same here, it looks legit.”

Three people sat at separate desks positioned around a rundown apartment. Empty cans were scattered across the floor, and each of them wore hoodies, their hair messy and unkempt, as if they hadn’t slept in days.

But this wasn’t far off from the truth.

The three hadn’t gotten much sleep over the past recent days. With the deadline for rent upcoming, and all three of them with no money to pay, they scrambled for the past several days to find a job they could each work on.

The job market was ruthless. All three had been laid off by their respective companies and hence decided to work freelance together.

But even that proved rather disappointing for them.

Demand for freelance programmers was quite low. Especially with the rates they asked for.

It was also then that a mysterious opportunity came.

…It involved something along the lines of helping the requester to improve their game.

The pay was decent, but the offer wasn’t exactly appealing. Tight deadline, solo developer, and so on… A lot of the freelancers were in it to improve their CVs so that they could be hired by big companies.

Despite their disheveled appearances, all three were highly experienced programmers. The moment they saw the message and launched the game, their expressions shifted instantly.

“What in the world is this mess?”

“…I wouldn’t call it a mess, but I can certainly see that this might need a lot of work.”

“Ugh, and it’s only the three of us working?”

“Looks like it.”

The three groaned at the same time.

If they could, they’d all probably quit. And yet, it wasn’t like they had much of a choice. The money was good, and they were in desperate need of money.

“Beggars can’t be choosers, I guess,” Noah muttered while ruffling his hair.

The other two nodded before Ryan, the man sitting by Noah’s right and sporting a black hoodie that hid his messy dark hair and green eyes, suddenly spoke up.

“Before starting on the game, let’s test it out ourselves. I can see that it’s configured for LAN. It’ll help us get a better idea of how the game works.”

“You know what, that’s not a bad call.”

Joseph responded, pulling down his white hoodie to reveal long blond hair that framed his face and complemented his sharp blue eyes. As he spoke, he absentmindedly massaged his short beard.

“If we get a better idea of how the game works, we might be able to work faster.”

“…Alright.”

Noah replied, running his hand over his ginger hair.

“It’s a good call.”

He quickly opened up the game and put on his headset. The others followed along with his example and booted up the game.

Their first impression of the game?

“It’s somewhat bland.”

“…For a solo developer, this is pretty good.”

“I guess I know why we got hired.”

It was a mix of good and bad.

Either way, the three quickly linked up with the multiplayer feature and frowned.

“The sync is not good. There’s lag between each action.”

“I can see it.”

“…I’m taking note of it so that we can fix it later.”

None of them felt the need to criticise any further. They had been hired for the specific reason of improving this aspect. The moment the game started, they quickly locked in and started analyzing everything.

“The shadows are inconsistent, and the graphics can be improved. Take note of it, Ryan.”

“Got it.”

“The lighting also needs work.”

“Mhm.”

“The old lady needs more syncing. Her eyes aren’t aligning properly.”

“…Agreed.”

Slowly but surely, the three started to find out everything that was wrong with the game and put it down in their notes. Be it sound or visual aspects. They took note of everything.

As they did so, they completely neglected to take care of the clues.

And then—

—Are you three so busy with work that you can’t pay attention?

A certain voice whispered in their ears, and the three of them stopped. Immediately, their gazes fell on the old lady before them, and their breaths paused.

But only for a short moment as they looked at each other and smiled.

“That wasn’t bad.”

“…Pretty good.”

“That got me.”

The three resumed their game. But this time, for some reason, they moved more slowly.

An unknown tension began to rise between the three.

The darkness that embraced them seemed to expand, the shadows formed by the light of their PC’s slowly starting to flicker in their direction, slowly and steadily suffocating them.

They moved carefully.

They followed the instructions.

But even then…

Ba… Thump! Ba… Thump!

They couldn’t quell the rapid beat of their own heart.

And then—

“…..!?”

They caught a glimpse of a certain something.

It left as fast as it came, but they saw it. Long. Tall. Top hat. Pale…

They shuddered.

Their breathing quickened.

“D-don’t look at it. That was the rule… Don’t look at it.”

“…Y-yes.”

“Wait, I think… I found something.”

Ryan’s voice quietly echoed.

Noah and Joseph turned.

But…

A pale face greeted them, its long and twisted smile staring at them.

“Haaaa———!”

“Shittt!”

Screams tore through the room. Keyboards flew, and so did cans.

Noah and Joseph found themselves on the floor before they knew it.

Ryan wasn’t faring any better as their screams startled him as well, and he jumped back.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

Stepping back, his eyes continued to linger over the screen.

Thump! Thump!

A certain thumping sound echoed in his mind.

It wasn’t his heart.

It was something else.

Something—

—Boo!

A pale face appeared on the screen, and Ryan jumped up in fright once again, throwing his headphones away and falling back on the ground, his entire body shivering as his back was drenched in cold sweat.

“Haa… Haa…”

The collective sound of heavy breaths echoed within the confines of the room as the three looked at each other.

But then—

“This…”

“…..”

“I….”

Their eyes glimmered at the same time.

It was at that very moment that they understood.

They weren’t just dealing with a simple game.

They were dealing with a potential industry-changing game.

Their eyes twinkled at the thought as they jumped back into their seats.

“Quick, let’s play the game again. Take note of everything that is wrong. Regardless of whether you get scared or not, take note!”

“Yes!”

“….Yes!”

This game…

It was a massive opportunity for the three of them.

If they managed to implement the right adjustments and improve the game significantly, leading it to sell like hotcakes, they would directly benefit as the programmers who contributed to its success.

This was their chance to succeed, and they didn’t plan on wasting it.

And as such, for the next week, neither of the three got more than four hours of sleep.

Cans piled up in the room as the three worked their bodies to the bone in order to perfect the game, and just a few hours before their deadline, they were done.

“…..”

“…..”

“…..”

All three stared blankly at the game before them.

A large [Start Game] appeared before them, but neither of them pressed on it. No, it was more like neither of the three dared to press on it.

The game…

It was no longer something that they were willing to play.

At this moment, the game had jumped to a whole new level.

One where they felt it was in the best interest of their hearts to not play.

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