Upon reading the phrase dead cats, Tanaka suddenly recalled the sack he had seen earlierthe one filled with feline corpses.
Was there a connection?
No... there had to be a connection!!
A fresh discovery ignited his curiosity, but without any concrete answers, he felt a pang of frustration.
[...Want my help?]
[Nod]
[Shake Head]
"Heh, I love saying no to smug characters like this."
"But not when it comes to saving!"
Scoffing, Tanaka decisively chose Nod.
Of course, it had to be the save option!
As soon as he secured his progress, he turned to inspect the bookshelf.
After all, in a game like this, how could anyone resist investigating something shining on a bookshelf?
[There's a book titled Demons and Witches.]
[Read]
[Don't Read]
"Duh. Read it!"
And so, he turned the page...
"Demons feed on human souls, but they don't have a physical form, so they can't kill people directly."
"Witches give human souls to demons in exchange for teaching them magic."
"Once humans form a contract with demons, they are called witches."
"So, the witch refers to a woman who made a contract with a demon, right?"
"The Witch's House... does that mean this house?"
Tanaka nodded thoughtfully, then a new question surfaced in his mind.
[185] Players on the Brink of Breakdown!!
'So, what would it be called if a guy makes a contract with a demon?'
'A Wizard House?'
It felt... off somehow...
Tanaka controlled the character to touch a piece of paper below.
[There is a piece of paper with some notes about magic written on it.]
[Read]
[Don't read]
[Unlike self-spell magic, magic that involves two people is usually harder to cast.]
[The reason for this is that this kind of magic requires the cooperation of the other person from the heart.]
[Therefore, for this magic to succeed, you must earn the other person's trust.]
"Body-swapping magic?"
"Tch, as expected of a demon, they really have some strange methods."
Tanaka muttered to himself and guided the character down the hallway.
At the end of the hallway, there was a table with a book on it.
[The Witch's Diary]
[After... my parents... a demon came and ate them.]
Tanaka froze, recalling the information he had seen earlier.
So the correct sequence is...
[My parents didn't love me, so... I... XXXX, a demon came, and ate them.]
[Since then, I became a witch, and I've lived here ever since.]
"That's it! It must be this way!"
Tanaka nodded confidently, a bright smile spreading across his face.
Maybe this was the thrill of solving a mysteryfinding the real answer through one clue after another!
The rush of excitement he felt in that moment was indescribably delightful!
He continued reading.
[The demon brought me to this forest.]
[It thanked me for giving it something to eat, and in return, it gave me this house.]
[Then I became a witch.]
[The demon said... if I kept helping it find humans, it would teach me a healing spell.]
"A healing spell? Wait, did this girl have some kind of disease?"
Tanaka regretted not paying more attention to the earlier plot.
But now that he had to replay it, he didn't have the patience for that.
"Forget it, let's just move on!"
With that thought in mind, Tanaka guided the character to the next room.
The next room had a gloomy, dark atmosphere.
In the center of the floor was a note.
[That guy is really hungry.]
There were no other special details in the room.
The only option was to move to the passage on the right side, which led to the next room.
As he approached, a prompt appeared.
[...It seems like there's something behind the door.]
Then, four options appeared:
[Press ear to the door]
[Do nothing]
[Open the door]
[Observe the door]
Choosing between these options wasn't too difficult.
[Observe the door]
[There's a small window on the door, about the size of your palm.]
[... ]
As Tanaka made the choices, a series of prompts appeared.
[Look inside]
[Inside, there's a giant snake.]
[Press ear to the door]
[...You hear the sound of a large creature rubbing against the ground.]
Looking at the four options again, Tanaka felt numb.
He had already selected the first two, leaving only [Do nothing] and [Open the door].
Behind the door was a giant snake, and it was hungryif he opened it, wouldn't that be feeding it directly?
So... do nothing? Let things slide?
Tanaka thought about it and chose to do nothing.
A new screen appeared in front of him.
It had [Items], [Read], and [Settings] as options.
He instinctively clicked on "Items," but there were only two things in the inventory:
[The Frog: This frog is lost and looking for its way home.]
[Letter]
Wait a minute...
"No way...!"
Tanaka hesitated but then clicked on the frog.
[Put the frog through the small window]
[Do nothing]
The two choices were incredibly clear.
If he sent the frog in, the snake would be fed, and he could continue to the next stage.
If he did nothing, the story would end right there.
Tanaka fell silent.
The image of the frog appeared in his mind.
It was in a pond, sitting obediently in the middle.
As he approached, a prompt appeared.
[Do you like frogs?]
When the main character nodded, the frog happily followed.
Because the protagonist liked it, the frog simply followed, helping to open mechanisms and sitting quietly like an obedient tool on a chair, helping the protagonist clear one stage after another.
This cute little thing, now he was supposed to feed it to the giant snake behind the door...
Just thinking about this cruel decision sent a wave of dark emotions surging through his heart.
It wasn't sadness or sorrow, but something heavier.
A feeling that weighed on him, making it hard to breathe.
"This is just a game."
"This is just a game!" He repeated to himself, his gaze growing more determined.
Despite the pain of making such a cruel decision, if he wanted the game to continue, there was no other way.
Tanaka took a deep breath and made the painful decision.
[Put the frog through the small window]
[The frog is very unwilling.]
Another two options appeared before him.
[Force it in]
[Forget it]
"!!"
"Ahhh!"
"Dammit! You fucking force me to choose again!!"
Tanaka slammed his hand on the table, letting out an angry roar.
The first choice was still justifiable by telling himself, "It's only a game."
But the second confirmation completely shattered that delusion!
It made it clear: you are the one sending the frog to its doom!
For Tanaka, who had fully immersed himself in the game, this was an emotional breaking point.
As a kind-hearted person, this moment was enough to destroy his mental defenses.
"Give me my money back!!"
Even though he was a fan of the creator, even though he liked the creator's works, he couldn't continue playing this game for another minute.
However, just as Tanaka was about to request a refund, he was stunned to discover...
"How is this possible!"
"I've already played this crappy game for 3 hours!?"
Time had passed so quickly that he didn't even realize.
According to Steam's refund policy, any game over two hours couldn't be refunded!
Tanaka closed his eyes in despair.
On one side was his reason and conscience, on the other was the expensive game he had purchased that now seemed like a useless waste.
Before he could make his final decision, the doorknob behind him suddenly turned.
It didn't open because it was locked.
Without giving him time to think, the door was knocked on, and his mother's loud voice followed.
"Tanaka, what are you doing in there? Why aren't you sleeping so late?"
"Open the door now!"
In that instant, Tanaka's face turned deathly pale.
Announcement!!
The translation for "Becoming a Mangaka in an Anime World" has officially caught up to the latest raw chapter in Patreon unfortunately, this is where the author decided to end the story.
From what I understand, he have no plans to continue it further, even though there's so much potential left unexplored.
Now, here's the big question for YOU:
Do you want me to
1 Continue the story myself?
If the majority votes YES, I'll put this work on hold for 1 week to draft new chapters.
After that updates will resume at the same pace (2 chapters/day) with bonus chapters for every 300 Power Stones!
(Note: It'll be my own take, but I'll try to stay true to the original style!)
OR
2 Leave it as it is and move to a new project?
If you'd rather accept the author's ending!
Please go to my p-atreon.com/InsomniaTL to vote!!
Announcement: Poll Results & Schedule Update
Thank you for participating in the poll! After reviewing the results, I've decided to keep writing Becoming a Mangaka in the Anime World myself!
To ensure stable updates, I'll be taking 1 week (until April 14) to prepare new chapters. After that, releases will continue with:
2 chapters per week
Bonus chapter at 300 PS
I know waiting sucks, but please wait!
While you wait Why not check out my other translation 'Living In the Heart of Tokyo'?
And once again thank you for your patience and your support mean everything for me!
[186] The Truth of the Game!
"Ahhh! What is this nonsense! Why does this kind of storyline even exist!?"
"I never imagined I'd feel so uncomfortable over a little frog."
"When I saw that there were no extra options, I literally cracked!"
"That damn old thief! No matter what field, they're always throwing blades at me!!"
"Seriously, what kind of mental state was the old thief in when they made this game and these branching options!!?"
"The worst part is that I wanted a refund, but it's already been over two hours!!"
"I hate this puzzle game! But the amazing story keeps pulling me back in, I can't stop playing!"
"Story? What story?"
"?? You're playing a puzzle game, and you're not interested in the story? Isn't that like having breakfast without miso soup!?"
"Ahem, what I meant was, I'll finish the game first, then I'll explore the story. Is there any pro player here who can explain what this game's story is about?"
"Based on the current walkthrough, here's the rough storyline:
"Ellen's health has been bad, and no one ever plays with her. Even her parents don't Love her."
"So one day, she... well, she did something to her parents, and then a demon came and ate them."
"The demon took Ellen to this forest, thanked her for feeding it, and gave her a house."
"Then Ellen became a witch."
The demon said... if Ellen helps it find more humans, it'll teach her a spell to heal sickness."
"It seems like the protagonist was tricked into coming here, and now our goal is to help her escape this house."
"So that's the deal! But... I feel like the story's a bit too simple?"
"It's just a game, how complex did you think the story would be?"
"Honestly, if we ignore the frog part, the overall experience has been great. It's a bit difficult, but if you're careful, you can figure out how to pass the levels."
"As a newbie playing a puzzle game for the first time, the pace is quite comfortable for me."
"I don't like horror elements, and I was still scared."
"If you don't like horror, why even play this game? You're just asking for trouble!"
"Who told you this was the first game released by Warrior of Love and Hope-sensei? Of course, I'm supporting it!"
"After reading everyone's discussions, I've calmed down, so I'm continuing with the game now."
"Wtf!? How did that guy upstairs recover so quickly!?"
"It's just a game! If I don't let morality get in the way, I won't be upset over something this small."
"!! Thanks to the big shots for their ideas! Now I feel much better about it!"
"Feeling better now +1, definitely in the mood to continue playing!"
"..."
From these comments, it's easy to see the players' thoughts.
Compared to anime or light novels, games have a much stronger sense of immersion.
Of course, not everyone feels sad or upset about it.
After all, all the side stories are meant to serve the character, and nothing's more important than progressing through the game!
In fact, some of the sharper players began to frown slightly, sensing an issue with the story.
"Strange."
Looking at the screen, Kasumigaoka Utaha frowned slightly.
There was something odd about this part of the story.
Since the game set up the levels from the beginning, no matter what decisions you made, they were inevitable.
But...
"This too calm."
Even when she saw an option, was worried for a moment.
She hesitated whether or not to proceed with this choice.
However, the protagonist in the game showed no emotional reaction.
Even after the frog resisted, there was still the option to [Force it in]
If there had been a description of hesitation or doubt before that [Force it in] option, it would've felt more natural, right?
She noted down this strange point in her mind, but without hesitation, she proceeded with the option.
Utaha was filled with intense curiosity about this game.
She couldn't wait to see what kind of twist might await her.
"The story seems too simple?"
Had she seen this comment, Utaha would have scoffed.
Looking back at all of his works since debut, not a single one had a simple story.
For someone who excelled at telling stories, how could this story-driven puzzle game not have a deeper plan behind it?
The form in which the twist would appear was the part that interested her most.
Though it was already quite late, staying up late had become routine for her in high school.
She had no intention of resting until she saw the conclusion of the story.
As she progressed, she discovered a new "Witch's Diary."
[Afterwards, I... did the same to all the visitors.]
[Then, they were all eaten by this house.]
[But still, it wasn't enough.]
Looking at the text on the screen, Utaha furrowed her brows slightly.
Even though she knew this was perfectly normal for a witch, it still made her feel uncomfortable.
There was a suffocating sense of oppression.
She noted down the story and continued her exploration.
This stage was noticeably harder than the previous ones.
Even someone as sharp as Utaha had died several times before she succeeded.
