Shaira run as quickly as she could out of the room. A big red dot is coming into the room quite fast and she did not want to run into that big fella. Frantic, she was about to return to room number 7 when she remembered that Marco is still there, unconscious. With a quick decision, Shaira opened the room in front of room number 7.
The loud noise is still echoing inside room number 5. Through the ajar door of the room, she saw a vaguely humanoid tall entity menacingly roaming where the noise is coming from. It stood ominously in front of room number 5 and suddenly a long tentacle rips out behind its back. The tentacle then slammed the door open into splinters.
Seeing the monster going inside, Shaira carefully closed the door. She slumps against the wall with her heart beating frantically in her chest.
Damn Horror System! What a terrible punishment. Good thing that the Transcenders manage to give her the radar because if not for this, she would not know where she'll end up at the tip of that monster's tentacle.
She also took quite a good look at the monster but she saw no HUD indicators above its head.
Damn, Horror System! Her decision to be cautious is right. Not to mention, she remembered what she have heard about these notorious Horror Systems.
These systems are infamous for sucking dry all of the life and soul essences of their unfortunate victims for their creator. The victims, may it be wandering spirits and unfortunate civilians are caught inside its hellish game. The subcontractors of these systems are just livestock farmed for slaughter. Many of its victims even have their very existence squeezed out into nothingness.
That's just how dangerous these systems are. Until now, despite the crackdown of several major forces, there are still some Horror Systems operating in the world. From what she remembered, there are still many civilians unaccounted for and missing in Ginkgo Nation, where the said system is said to be originated. And now, just a broken fragment of a Horror system gave a lot of people a headache.
---------------------
Meanwhile...
TRANSCENDERS BRANCH OFFICE | MARILAO, BUKALAN | REPUBLIC OF NARRA
A group of subcontractors is busy monitoring the instance operating in the Marilao River. The Cleaning Frenzy instance is efficiently running but a problem occurred in the Trial instance inside the Safe Zone. The abandoned inn where the safe zone is anchored has a fragment of a Horror subsystem inside. Currently, there are two quest takers trapped inside its instance.
Suddenly the doors opened and a man who was about 5'7 feet tall entered, followed by his two subordinates. All the people inside immediately halted their work to greet the man before them.
"Good morning Sir!"
The man nodded solemnly and the others quickly sat down and resumed their work. One of the Subcontractor, a middle-aged balding man in charge of the operations immediately stood next to their superior.
"Sir, upon analyzing it seems that the fragment is a remnant from the Tunshizhe."
"Tunshizhe ha... It seems that bastard is still alive." murmured the man, his eyes emanating an ominous glint. "How's the situation of the trapped quest takers?"
"Sir, here's the quest taker's data..." The middle-aged man handed a tablet to his superior. The tablet contains the profiles of the quest takers inside the Inn Trials.
"We have managed to give them some advantage but due to unknown reasons, there's a large amount of resentment concentrated at the anchored inn. We surmised that a Supernatural is involved", the middle-aged man added.
"Have you managed to get some visuals inside the Horror instance?"
"Not yet, Sir, the influx of resentment energy hindered our connection..."
"Keep on observing the situation and track their progress." The man turned to the middle-aged man, "Keep on analyzing the data of that fragment"
"Right away sir"
The man then watched the balding middle-aged man command his members. His eyes strayed to the tablet he was holding. He swipe the screen and he paused at the information before him.
"How interesting..."
------------------------
Shaira forcefully calms the furious beating of her heart. That weird monster is still inside room 5. The radar is showing a big red dot not moving at its position. Suddenly a sharp noise rang in her ears. Shaira began to clutch her head in pain not noticing that the red dot on the radar began to grow bigger and some details in the tasks began to change.
[ The Room Number 5 Case ] >>
[1.1 The lady in bed ]
[ Find the real identity of the lady in bed
Reward: Hint +1 ] >>
[1.2 The man on the floor ]
[ Find the identity of the man on the floor
Reward: Resentment Energy +10 ] >>
[2. The connection ]
[ Find the real relationship between the lady in bed and the man on the floor
Reward: Resentment Energy+10, Hint+2] >>
[2.1 Find the Killer]
[ Who killed the lady in bed?]
[Who killed the man on the floor]
Reward: Resentment Energy+10, Knife of Enmity, Ring of Fidelity, Hint +2]
The monster absorbed the lingering resentment of the lady in bed, making it stronger. It seems that with each wrong answer she gave, a loud noise will occur thus summoning the monster and making it stronger by absorbing the resentment of the task subject. The said resentment energy that is also the reward of the task will be then gone.
Seeing the changes, Shaira endured the headache that she was feeling. She saw the radar and observed the red dot grew big. She does not really know what it means but she has a hunch that once her dot and the red dot overlap, she's done for.
She carefully went deep inside the room while watching the red dot on the radar. While walking toward a closet, she knocks on a plastic trash can.
Oh no!
With a quick reflex, Shaira caught it before it fell down. She glance at the radar and saw the red dot moving out of the room. With a trash can in her hand, she quickly lay down and duck under the bed, the blanket covering her, giving her a sense of safety. The red dot patrolled the hallway before it disappeared from the scope of the radar.
Exhaling a sigh of relief, Shaira lifted the blanket and got out under the bed.
Flop
Whip
"Hmm?", Shaira glance at the trash can she is holding. She peers inside and sees some dust, ashes, and what seems to be the remains of a picture. Turning on the flashlight, she fetch the burnt picture and stared at it.
A man with slicked-back hair dressed in a white T-shirt, big blue plaid long-sleeve shirt, and denim pants was smiling and hugging someone in the burnt picture.
Seeing the familiar picture, Shaira really felt the maliciousness of these tasks. She guessed wrong earlier and the lady in bed is not Carmen, and now, she found a similar picture albeit a burnt one in front of the room they have spawned in. Based on the odd numbering of the rooms, Shaira is now in room number 8.
If the lady in bed is not Carmen, then it must be another woman related to them. Shaira needed to find out who checked-in in rooms number 7,8. Unfortunately, she can't go out right now, the monster is currently patrolling the hallway and even though the map is still functioning, it's useless for now because it only shows the places you have been to.
With no complete map to this place, she'll just be going in blind. The radar helps but it does not show the layout of the place and it does not help that for some reason, her built-in map in her Subcontract system is going wonky.
The conflict between the different systems did some influence on her map and she didn't know what else is affected. Though her skills are still usable and she can still contact her teammates.
Yes! That's it! She can still contact them!
Without further ado, Shaira contacted Ken in her system contacts.
[ Calling Party Member Kenneth... ]
Shaira bites her nails while waiting for Ken to pick up the call. Right, because of the word ban, she can't really speak what's going on so...Yes, she'll just ask for him to find the logbook. They have those in Inns right? Gosh Ken, pick up the call...
>> "Shaira?"
Finally!
"...Ken, did you find some logbook to your side?", she asks, her voice barely a whisper.
>> "Aah...I did find one. It's a key item for the side quest I received here..."
"...oh?..."
A side quest? The Transcenders personnel who contacted her earlier did say something about finding a way for Ken and Rey to assist them. Maybe it is this side quest he's talking about. Shaira tried to ask him but her words got stuck in her throat.
Damn! Word ban again...
Ok...She'll just ask him who stayed in the rooms.
"Can you find who checked in on room number 7 and room number 8?"
>>"Why do you want to ask?"
'Just tell me, damn it!' Shaira gritted her teeth and answered. "I needed it for --"
Another ban...grrr
>> " Hmm?"
"Ja-just something I n...need for a side quest..."
Huh...that works?
>>"Oh sure. I could just tell you. I already remembered it anyway"
Thank goodness for that...
>>"Better yet, where are you guys, what room number?"
'What? Just tell me who checked in?' Shaira forcefully calms her annoyance. It's not good to shout right now. There's a monster attracted to noise outside. Calm yourself Shaira...calm...
"...room number 7"
>>" Ok...just wait for a bit, I'll go to you."
Wait, what?! No!
[ Party Member Ken ended the Call... ]
'This dumbnut Ken!'
Shaira covered her mouth with her hands and screamed in frustration. A faint frustrated whizzing sound emanates from herself.
'Damn, that hurts my throat', Shaira glanced at the radar and sees no red dot in the vicinity. With Ken being no help, it looks like she needed to take a chance and go downstairs.