Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary! Chapter 582: Hunting [2]

The whole scenario struck me as quite intriguing.

Gazing at Seraphine alongside the nine figures accompanying her, a wave of curiosity rose within me. Based on her own statement, three of those were frauds, feigning membership in her team.

And she desired for me to eliminate them.

Yet—

I wasn't convinced by this at all.

I had encountered this very circumstance previously. Back then, the additional individual had escaped my notice initially, yet I was fully aware of the expected number in my own party.

Initially, the fact had evaded my thoughts. However, upon closer examination later, I discovered there had indeed been one surplus member in my group. I doubted her ordeal would differ greatly from mine, implying she too probably recognized the presence of three intruders.

Then why?

Why did she remain so vague on the matter?

I observed the scene intently as I trailed behind Seraphine.

Simultaneously, my hand slipped into my pocket.

***

The subtle crunch of footsteps resonated softly amid the fog as Seraphine pressed on, her eyes steadily surveying the area around her. Though the noise came from underfoot, her other motions stayed hushed while she progressed through the haze.

Twisted limbs of trees pierced the delicate layer of mist enveloping them, their gnarled forms slicing through the ghostly vapor. A muted, ashen glow seeped from overhead, scarcely lighting the way forward and limiting visibility to just a short distance.

The atmosphere clung chill to the flesh, moist and motionless, carrying the subtle aroma of aged timber and damp rind that hung thickly in the air.

A few paces sounded from the rear as she kept moving.

Out of the side of her vision, Seraphine's attention landed on the shape pursuing their group. His shadowed gaze stayed locked forward, his strides steady and deliberate, his face showing no emotion.

Seraphine hadn't chosen to have him join because of faith in his skills. Actually, her aim was straightforward.

She aimed to direct the irregularity's focus toward him.

By voicing the details openly and assigning him the task, she created the appearance of relying on him for resolution. Meanwhile, she conveyed that her own awareness was flawed, suggesting she no longer could tell the number of infiltrators in her midst.

In truth, she had known from the start about the three additions.

She even suspected who the replacements were, though without full certainty.

That posed the problem.

To avoid endangering her comrades, she needed to involve an outsider.

Her allies' lives held greater value than those of strangers.

The following action was straightforward. She merely needed to await the irregularity striking at him, then seize it herself.

From the details she possessed, this irregularity was key to uncovering the mystery of Point Z.

This defined Seraphine.

Under the iciness of her appearance hid a profounder frost, one that schemed and prioritized her own gain. She operated in manners that advanced her interests, regardless of the cost to others. It was via such tactics that she had ascended to her current position.

'If he makes it through, fine, but it doesn't matter to me.'

Seraphine deemed her strategy sound.

Nevertheless—

BANG!

Not every scheme unfolds as intended.

Thump!

A gentle 'thump' reached her from behind, causing Seraphine's form to freeze. Seconds later, a series of alarmed cries erupted.

She gradually rotated her head, her focus coming to rest on the shadowed muzzle of an object resembling a firearm.

Actually, it wasn't precisely a gun, but something akin to one.

As her sight moved from the weapon to the form sprawled on the earth, her pulse quickened a bit upon seeing that the fallen one wasn't among those she had mentally flagged, but a different person altogether.

Her eyes rose upward.

"Do you even realize what you've just done?"

"Hm?"

Seth arched an eyebrow, pointing his weapon downward.

"Didn't you instruct me to identify the guilty one? I decided to try."

The ebony coating on his hand withdrew, exposing his digits still formed like a pistol. He wiggled them briefly, murmuring under his breath, "Bang, bang."

Seraphine's expression grew utterly frigid.

Yet before she could utter another word, she caught his lips gradually forming a grin as he regarded her.

"I know that you're aware."

The phrases she was set to voice halted abruptly.

Her forehead creased deeply.

"What are you..."

Again, her statement caught in her throat as she spotted the grin upon his mouth.

Her stare paused there briefly before rising to his obsidian eyes, which appeared to pierce right into her. In that fleeting second, Seraphine's typically steadfast resolve quivered just a touch.

"I'll go along with it, anyway."

Seth dropped his arm and glanced at the figure on the ground. He gradually knelt down, observing the crimson fluid ooze from its rear. He prodded the back a few times, muttering, 'This seems authentic.'

Seraphine's eyelids flickered as she opened her mouth to respond. But right then, Seth rested his palm on the figure's head, and the dark layer extended over his hand anew.

In the following moment, it plunged directly into the cranium, causing blood to spray wildly in all directions.

"You—!"

"What is this!?"

At last recovering from shock, the members of Seraphine's unit started to react. Still, Seth's look stayed mischievous as he kept eyeing the form below.

Right when the rest were on the verge of advancing, an odd occurrence took place.

The figure before Seth abruptly started to writhe.

"Huh?"

"What's going on?"

Feeling that something off was afoot, all halted their steps.

Meanwhile, the figure twisted with greater force beneath Seth's watch. Its shape contorted and expanded, swelling bigger and bigger until it abruptly exploded into the fog.

The very next second, nothing was left. The shape had dissolved entirely, merging into the surrounding mist, as if it had never existed before.

"——!"

"What?!"

The group's faces altered instantly, their gazes shifting as they absorbed the sight they'd witnessed. Seth, though, ignored it completely. He merely raised his head and directed his view toward Seraphine, whose face stayed oddly composed.

Yet inside, she wasn't nearly as poised as her exterior suggested.

No—

Seraphine's eyes tightened as she regarded Seth.

Brushing aside all distractions, she fixed her stare solidly on him.

In this instant, it became evident to her.

The full direction of the mission had swung in his favor.

He had taken command of the unfolding events.