Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Clumsy Game Development Diary (3)
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Beyond: The Lost Era.
A character-collection RPG game created with the power of the next-generation AI 'Nebula,' which originally shouldn't have existed in this era.
Built on superior technology, its quality was overwhelmingly dominant enough to massacre all other games in the industry... or so it wasn't.
That was because Nebula was essentially an AI created by Ryu In-seo as a tool to act as his hands and feet.
It executed commands at speeds incomparable to humans, but it wouldn't act without orders.
And, as might be expected, Ryu In-seo had no experience or know-how in making gacha games.
As a monster who would one day casually create an entire virtual reality world, he produced reasonably impressive results through self-study, but since the foundation itself was shaky, the detailed components were all things he'd seen here and there once or twice.
A review from a streamer at launch nailed the game's core.
📰 Breaking News -If you go into a random eatery just to fill your stomach with zero expectations and get kimchi stew like this, you'd be impressed, like "Oh, this place is pretty good." But if it came out of a hyped-up famous spot, you'd think, "It's not bad, but is it really worth all the fuss?" -No real flaws, but nothing outstanding either. Familiar and safe flavor. Around an 80 in score terms. If that was all, Beyond: The Lost Era would have ended up as a decent mid-tier hit with a solid fixed customer base, but even this game, criticized for lacking personality, had two standout features that others couldn't easily replicate.
First, as mentioned, its highly user-friendly monetization structure compared to other games in the industry.
And the second one.
💬 Comments — Anonymous Ah, this game's a total flop. Already cleared up to Chapter 7, maxed all characters. What kind of game has nothing to do? — Reply You demon bastard. Take it slow. You always lick the plate clean the second food comes out and whine there's nothing to eat. — Reply A game getting "nothing to do" complaints after a week of release? — Reply Games that get scraped clean in a day are everywhere; a week is already long. — Reply I'm still struggling in Chapter 3, and these guys all sold their souls to the game or what. — Anonymous Update notice up. Chapter 8 and new character pickup banner in 3 days. — Reply So existing pickup ends? — Reply Read the post. Running alongside existing pickup. — Reply Updates are fast. Trying to hook early users hard? — Reply If the pickup char's OP, those rerollers gotta run again. Three days later.
— Anonymous Ugh, cleared Chapter 8. Now what? — Reply Chapter 9 update teased. Event story too. — Reply Roadmap dropped? Refresh date? — Reply (link) — Reply ??? Why's it in 3 days? Three days later.
— Anonymous Ugh, cleared Chapter 9. But fuck, Chapter 10 tease is already up. What the hell. What is this. — Reply Dumbass. The moment you blurt out you're hungry in front of grandma, your fate is sealed. — Reply Country grandma course special: Keeps coming till your stomach bursts. — Reply Updates are insanely fast for real. Individual character stories too, besides main story. — Reply Just pre-made and doling it out bit by bit. No way this pace otherwise. Players consume content fast.
New content prepared by devs over a week—or a month—gets devoured in hours if they're determined. That's the daily grind in this industry.
But Beyond was different.
Not unbeatable even for the hardcore "demons," but for casual players, new content felt like it poured out endlessly from a cornucopia.
Its quality—the polish, story, etc.—wasn't outstanding enough to blow minds.
But the quantity was huge. The pace was fast. And the quality was plenty good enough for killing time.
The result?
Beyond's fandom swelled rapidly, and its market share rose meaningfully.
And as human society always goes.
"Investigate this Nebula Inc. thoroughly, quickly."
Latecomers always draw the attention—and pressure—of the frontrunners.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ What are the perks of a second life?
The first thing that comes to mind is knowing the future and preparing for it, but honestly, that barely applies to me.
This world has similar civilization and culture to mine, but the detailed history differs, so no investing in stocks of soon-to-boom companies for instant riches. And I can't leverage 'source material' knowledge since I didn't even read the original properly.
All I know is a rough plot, the game name behind the incidents, and that the original heroine oozes decadent sex appeal. Oh, and that body happens to be mine now. No answers there.
I'm seen as the straight-A type now anyway, so the vibe's totally different from the witch-hunted heroine in the original.
But if you ask whether I'm getting zero benefits from my second chance, I wouldn't say so.
A child burned by something hot learns to beware of fire.
Fresh grads naively believe early struggles pay off later, but anyone with real experience knows that's bullshit without being told.
Even without handy original knowledge cheats.
Rich life experience is a powerful sword and shield in itself.
"Our staff were all stunned by the game your son created. We could feel the tremendous genius in it."
"I've heard it's fairly popular, but is it that impressive?"
"Oh, it's way beyond 'popular.' Sure, it's not flawless, but for something made by a newbie lacking experience and know-how, it's jaw-dropping. Must be thanks to your wholehearted support as parents."
"No, not that much..."
"Hahaha, so humble too. But even a genius son needs proper corporate backing. Sticking to this small-team method will hit a wall soon. If he joins us, we promise top-tier treatment. And your high school daughter—we can help with university admissions too. Scholarships, or study abroad in the UK if desired. Plus, here's the signing bonus."
"Oh my. Dear, doesn't sound bad. What do you think?"
"Hm, not bad. Pretty good terms."
"Um, Dad. I—"
"In-seo, think it over carefully. No matter how talented, solo efforts have limits. Joining a big company proudly, getting their support—it's good for you, right?"
"......"
So, for example.
The inexperienced stepson, voice shrinking against his stepdad, buckles under parental pressure and signs an unwanted deal like this. But not me.
I spotted unfamiliar shoes at the entrance, eavesdropped quietly, and what a sight it was.
"Mom, Dad. I'm home."
"Ye-rin, you're back?"
"Good work today, sweetie. Uh, who are these folks—"
"Yeah, I overheard enough. But can I see that contract too?"
"Huh? Sure."
I scanned the unnecessarily lengthy contract packed with fine print.
They'd highlighted key parts in fluorescent pen like "just focus here," but I ignored that and read every word.
"From MoneyLight, right? This part here. Worded to confuse, but basically handing the game to the company, no?"
The salesman narrowed his eyes for a split second, then smiled smoothly.
"Seems the young lady misunderstood. That clause just means joint copyright between Ryu In-seo and the company. Once he becomes our employee and we handle ops and dev, our know-how, tech, resources go in—can't let him monopolize rights to that."
Sounds reasonable at first glance.
But assume personal and company jointly hold copyright, then they clash over it—who wins?
No issue at first. He made the original game, so he's favored.
But time passes, he joins, adds tons more content?
Copyright belongs to the creator, so additions shouldn't matter. But with contract stating company shares rights?
If company sneaks in their patented tech as game parts?
If they claim his content was co-made with their staff? Who'd buy that his solo stuff outweighs the rest?
Safe for him even then?
Explaining all this in detail to refuse is a bad move. I've researched enough for basics, but not against company lawyers.
Dunno this salesman's skill, but debating law risks losing momentum if I slip.
So, pivot differently.
"Got it. Glad it's a misunderstanding. But... the compensation feels light."
"Pardon? You don't seem to grasp—this is outrageously generous for a newbie."
"But I've already got a better offer elsewhere."
I went to my room, pulled out a brown envelope, and showed the salesman.
"They said it's fine to share, so take a look."
He scanned it, lips twitching.
Of course. Theirs is clearly superior.
"Oh, not finalized. They said take your time. If you wanna top it, come back anytime."
"...Haha. Understood. We'll review and follow up. Thanks for your time."
Impressive poise—keeping courtesy and smile against a much younger girl like this.
After he left, I bowed to my stunned parents.
"Sorry for butting in. But seeing them try to snatch Oppa’s hard work without fair pay... I just got mad..."
I pouted. Stepdad panicked visibly.
"No, no. You did great, Ye-rin. I was the one too hasty."
Good you get it now, Stepdad. Wonder why that empathy never reaches your bio kid though. Just bad chemistry?
Mom, knowing me well, eyed suspiciously but nodded at my signal.
After sorting with them.
My stepbro's—now our shared—workspace.
"Th-thanks, but... Didn't you gripe about that contract being trash?"
"Gripe's gripe, but grab what's useful. Shield for stuff like this."
"So, sign with them?"
"Crazy? We hold the game's copyright no matter what. And joint dev/ops reveals Nebula's insane power."
He pondered, then nodded firmly.
"Got it. From now on, no to any contracts, firmly."
I told him:
"Nonsense. Keep dodging, we'll crash eventually. They're recruiting now, no overt sabotage. But if they gang up to crush us, we survive the industry?"
"Th-then what? Unleash Nebula on the web for preemptive strike?"
What the hell, this guy. Criminal ideas pop like breathing? Was he like this in the original?
"Last resort. Better way exists."
"What?"
"If we're paying tribute anyway, better to a dinosaur than jackals. Feed steady profits, stroke egos—they'll ignore ops details."
He looked dubious.
Doubting such a perfect mark would appear? I wasn't worried.
If he distributed a VR game in the original with tens of thousands playing, big players had to be involved.
And, sure enough.
"—To cut to the chase: Can we acquire the AI tech held by Nebula Inc.?"
The dinosaur had arrived.