Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary! Chapter 575: Identity [1]

I... feel so hungry.

I crave something to eat.

Should I give in and eat? The hunger is overwhelming me.

"....."

I gazed blankly at the ceiling overhead.

All I sensed was intense pain.

Glancing downward, I examined my hands. Every finger had vanished. The injuries had healed over, yet my garments remained soaked in the spilled blood.

The environment around me was rough and dilapidated, with walls covered in fissures and dense cobwebs, while a chilly gust blew through.

My belly rumbled loudly, rebelling against my will.

I yearned to consume food, yet I was unable to.

Eating was the most recent thing I had given up.

To prevent myself from losing control, this sacrifice was essential.

"..."

Abruptly, a gentle wind swept into the chamber, bringing a comforting and appealing aroma that invaded my senses.

My gut twisted violently.

"Seth, you appear starved. Why not take a bite?"

A soothing tone I knew well reached my ears.

Simultaneously, a dish of meal appeared before my eyes. For an instant, the setting transformed into the recognizable opulent space, the dish shining beneath the vivid illumination from overhead.

"...It’s been months since your last meal. You can’t continue this way. Why torment yourself so? Simply eat a little."

Months...?

Oh, perhaps that much time had passed.

"I... won’t perish."

Since death had already claimed me, eating held no purpose.

However—

The aroma of the meal assaulted me, causing my stomach to revolt sharply. A fierce pang of starvation tore at my thoughts as my frame started shaking.

’Hungry! Hungry! Hungry!’

’Devour it! Devour it...! Gobble the meal! It seems delicious!’

’Feast! Feast!’

"You ought to heed the urge in your head. You’re obviously famished. Just eat something. It won’t affect you greatly."

"I—"

Grinding my teeth, I sealed my mouth shut.

No!

"Ha, such persistence."

The silhouette placed the dish on the floor and settled down.

He commenced speaking.

"You’re quite fascinating. In all my time within the 9th layer, you’re the first of your kind I’ve encountered."

For the initial occasion since our acquaintance, the individual ceased his temptations and shifted to a completely new subject.

He grinned.

"There’s no use concealing our location, given your awareness of the situation. Still, remember I compel no one. Like Leon, you’re free to depart anytime. Locate the exit, that’s all."

What nonsense.

I attempted it...

That’s what I’d been attempting over the recent months.

A gentle chuckle ensued.

"If the exit eludes you, it signifies your desire to stay."

Nonsense!

"Is that so...?"

Leaning his face nearer to mine, he resumed his words. Yet now, his manner and inflection carried a change. It no longer resembled the prior feel. It seemed remote, as if originating from an entity beyond my grasp.

"I possess no motive to spin deceptions to someone like you. Since our encounter began, my words have borne only sincerity. My intellect grasps the mysteries of celestial bodies and the oppressive abysses of the ground. Wisdom exceeding your frail understanding."

My form jerked as its murmur echoed within my thoughts.

"It is due to this insight that The Fallen One designated me keeper of this boundary. My duty... remains straightforward. I safeguard the forsaken; I shelter those discarded by the higher powers, yet whose essences fall short of the pure evil demanded by the infernal depths below. You’re merely a wandering spirit seeking Direction."

"....."

"I’ve uttered no deceits in our exchange. The exit stays accessible as on your arrival day. I neither build your confinement nor block the path. You bind yourself here. You... merely refuse to depart this realm."

Me, not...?

"Yet that’s the captivating part."

Rising leisurely, he stepped away from me, fingers clasped behind him while his voice floated back in a hushed murmur.

"It appears even the core of your heart reflects obscurity to you. You remain ignorant of your lingering reason... and since that mystery evades your view, it hides from mine as well. Fascinating."

My gaze strained to follow his retreating form.

Fixated on his vanishing silhouette, I could only observe in a daze as my body declined to stir.

"Speak to me, child. Why choose to linger here? Has the alluring, dense atmosphere of this Limbo become an addiction you can’t shake? Or does a profound decay, or maybe a profound radiance, retain you? Intriguing. Ages have passed since curiosity stirred me so."

The phrases drifted softly in the atmosphere before vanishing entirely.

When I finally managed to part my lips once more, he had departed long ago.

Nevertheless, his statements lingered in my mind, murmuring from every angle, overtaking my focus as I fought to concentrate. Among all he uttered, one element particularly caught my attention.

’I... fail to locate the exit due to a wish to remain? That can’t be...’

It was nonsense. Likely, this served as a ploy to disrupt my sanity.

Indeed, that must be it.

He toyed with me to muddle the reality.

’I desire to escape this domain. No question. I mustn’t succumb to his deceptions.’

Drawing in a profound breath, I shut my eyes and battled the ravenous ache in my gut, which intensified relentlessly. The setting reverted to the aged, battered chamber. Staying in place, I gradually dipped my head and used my teeth to access my chest pocket, seizing my phone in my jaws before gently depositing it on the floor.

I regarded the array of stored recordings prior to initiating a fresh one.

"Observation Log, day 89. As I foresaw earlier. The entity visits daily without exception. The starvation consumes me, yet I withstand it. I’ll probably skip rest in the upcoming days."

I inhaled deeply, pausing to gather my phrases amid the strain of fatigue that hampered my speech.

"...Today, he alluded to my unwillingness to exit this area. Yet.. I deem it a ruse. Most importantly, he can’t discern what eludes my knowledge. That seems the sole method to evade his influence. The fewer thoughts I entertain, the less he perceives."

My days weren’t wasted.

Each day, a fresh entry emerged. The aim was straightforward.

To methodically uncover more about the host.

He held the key to it all.

"One more observation: I’m nearer to grasping their true nature."

From his speech patterns. The phrases he chose.

Various fragments were aligning.

"He’s a demon."

Correct, this was clear from the outset.

But he transcended an ordinary demon.

"He’s probably a King."

Among the 9 Kings of Hell.