Aeon of Strife Ignites

When the hot potato called AOS exploded in Korea like a grenade, leaving everyone stunned, other countries were far from peaceful either. In the Middle East, the world's powder keg, the sound of bombs never ceased. It was all because of Afghanistan, where the Taliban regime had collapsed and a pro-American government had taken over, restoring a semblance of normalcy. One might wonder why Iraq was in chaos if Afghanistan was stabilizing, but a little attention to the news made it easy to understand. The few remaining remnants of Al-Qaeda and the radical Islamic fundamentalists who had once sided with the Taliban were slipping out of the harsh conditions in Afghanistan and infiltrating the chaotic Iraq to carry out terrorist attacks. Moreover, after Saddam Hussein's defeat in the Gulf War, his grip on power had weakened, leaving Iraq unable to contain the turmoil. The silver lining was that the United States had no intention whatsoever of getting involved in the messy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠situation in Iraq. Had this been before the regression, America would have been tempted by the oil buried in Iraq and invaded again under the pretext of searching for nonexistent weapons of mass destruction. But now that desire had significantly diminished. There was only one reason.

- Chevron succeeds in test drilling the shale gas layer in Texas's Permian Basin!

- Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling techniques prove effective!

- If shale gas extraction succeeds, the United States will transform from the world's largest energy importer into an exporter!

This was the blockbuster news that had rocked the entire United States just days earlier. The shale gas development that Yoo Jae-won and Tiffany had been preparing since the late 1990s had finally paid off spectacularly. The Permian Basin in Texas, home to the world's largest shale gas reserves, had long been claimed by Chevron. Steady test drilling had been underway, and while results had been disappointing for a while, this time they hit the jackpot.

"Jae-won! It blew up!"

Tiffany, who had been irritated while dealing with lawsuits against the Korean military brass who had been skimming donations in Jae-won's stead, was now jumping for joy at the breaking news from Texas. As a member of the owner family of a global oil major that controlled oil fields pumping out tens of millions of barrels daily, she had witnessed oil and gas gush forth countless times, yet she reacted as if seeing it for the first time. Yoo Jae-won had misunderstood, however. Even for the owner of an oil company, personally witnessing crude oil erupt from the field was a rare occurrence. Especially with something like a shale gas field, where one had identified the prospect and initiated drilling from the very beginning, even Frederick Taylor II, the current owner, had seen successful strikes only a handful of times. Most of Chevron's current oil fields had been developed and their profitability confirmed during the first generation, after all. That was why everyone had been so astonished when Jae-won struck Oil Field 23. Shale gas and shale oil were different matters entirely. The United States possessed the largest shale deposits in the world. If all of them were developed, America would surpass the Middle East to become the world's largest oil producer. There was a catch, however. While they had succeeded in drilling horizontally through shale layers to extract gas and crude oil, economic viability was another issue. For shale gas and shale oil extraction to be profitable, the oil price needed to exceed sixty dollars per barrel. The current price hovered around thirty dollars. It was still too early to discuss profitability. Yet it was not entirely impossible. As chaos in the Middle East intensified, oil prices would rise accordingly. That was why the United States had virtually no interest in intervening in Iraq. It was highly likely that America's entire Middle East policy would shift much faster than originally planned.

Naturally, these expectations were quickly reflected in stock prices. Following the news of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠successful shale gas test drilling, shale-related stocks surged. Among them, Chevron rose the most dramatically. Despite being a heavyweight stock with a market capitalization exceeding two hundred billion dollars, it jumped thirty percent from the previous day's close. In a single day, Chevron's market cap had soared to nearly three hundred billion dollars.

While Yoo Jae-won and Tiffany were enjoying their private celebration of the successful shale gas test drilling, Blizzard Entertainment, located in Irvine, southeast of Los Angeles, the capital of California, was enjoying a leisurely time. Thanks to successfully hosting the major event IDDC 2002, they had been rewarded with sweet vacation time. What Blizzard had announced at IDDC 2002 was the small-scale expansion pack Blood of the Battlefield. They were still in the midst of developing the large-scale expansion The Burning Crusade, but it was far from completion. Until the major expansion could be released, they needed to placate the hardcore WoW players who were consuming content at an alarming rate. That was why Blood of the Battlefield had been created. Its main features were high-difficulty instanced dungeons and a PvP arena where max-level players could test their combat skills against one another. Since it pitted gamers against gamers rather than gamers against the system, the resource scale was small, yet it could efficiently curb content consumption. Blizzard understood well that the key lay in the arena rewards and maintaining class balance. That was why they had run closed beta tests even before launch to find the most optimal values. Not content with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that alone, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they had decided, following Chairman Yoo Jae-won's advice, to monitor internet communities and keep a close eye on gamer reactions for future balance patches. Having wrapped up all urgent matters, President Mike Morhaime could now enjoy a relaxed vacation at his own home. Even on vacation, however, he did not stray far from his computer. Being a gamer himself, what he did upon receiving time off was, naturally, play games. And those games were, of course, primarily titles announced by ID Entertainment at IDDC 2002.

The games released at IDDC 2002 were not limited to Blizzard's World of Warcraft: Blood of the Battlefield. Valve, famous for handling the ESD platform Steam, had also released games: Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike 2. Half-Life, which had been hailed as opening a new era for FPS games following Doom, had exerted a tremendous influence on subsequent FPS titles. Its interactive gameplay, allowing players to converse with every NPC on screen from a first-person perspective and receive feedback from various objects, had pushed immersion to the extreme. The newly announced Half-Life 2 was being praised for elevating gameplay to an entirely new dimension with significantly more advanced graphics. ID Software, whose business had shifted toward selling game engines more than games themselves, had even changed its portfolio. Consequently, what ID Software had unveiled at IDDC 2002 was not a new game but the ID Tech Engine 4. The first game to utilize this ID Tech Engine 4 was none other than Half-Life 2. Yet where there is light, there is also shadow. As Half-Life 2 was developed with the ID Tech Engine 4, Valve's legendary Source Engine from the previous life had vanished forever in this timeline. In its place, the ID Tech Engine 4 delivered graphics that were undeniably on a completely different level. It was so impressive that even President Mike Morhaime had started it intending only to take a quick look, only to find himself playing all the way to the end without realizing it. With a total playtime of twelve hours, he had to split it over two days, but he had no regrets about playing Half-Life 2. What was interesting was the blatant appeal for a sequel at the ending. The message that a third installment was definitely coming had been quite overt. It had been a decision made under Yoo Jae-won's instructions. Before the regression, Valve had been famous as the company without a number three. Neither Half-Life nor their other games had received third installments. Unable to bear seeing that happen again, Yoo Jae-won had ordered that the third game properly conclude the series. Thanks to that, Half-Life 2's ending could clearly convey the expectation of a third installment.

"Hmm, should I try this today?"

After savoring the ending of Half-Life 2, President Mike Morhaime moved his mouse to select his next prey. The icon where the cursor stopped was Fantasy Universe: Storm of Time and Space.

"If only we had the resources, we would have made something like this."

Double-clicking the icon that somewhat resembled a recycled logo to launch the game, Mike Morhaime clicked his tongue. After all, Fantasy Universe was a game that perfectly targeted his tastes. A game where representative characters from various contents with different worldviews gathered to create a chaotic, laugh-out-loud mess? The characters caught in the storm of time and space were not limited to the game itself. Not only Marvel and DC heroes but even the ultimate powerhouse Dragon Ball had joined the fray. Having Blizzard's flagship contents—Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo—along with their protagonists and villains participating felt almost like an honor by comparison. Simply acquiring the licenses for these characters was not something money alone could solve. Among gamers, it was said that this was a game only Yoo Jae-won could have created. Still, President Mike Morhaime harbored doubts about whether it would truly be fun. He was not alone in his concern. Famous characters did not necessarily guarantee an enjoyable game. Moreover, many gamers had expressed worry when it was announced that a new studio in Korea would be developing the game. Furthermore, while the original release schedule had been set for the Thanksgiving season in November, Fantasy Universe: Storm of Time and Space had been officially announced at IDDC 2002. Looking at the total development time, it amounted to just a little over a year. Having personally developed games, President Mike Morhaime questioned whether the fledgling studio Fire Fist could complete such a massive project in that tight timeframe. Yet upon seeing the finished game, all his doubts vanished cleanly. When one thought of cartoon-rendered games, Warcraft was the first thing that came to mind. Warcraft had boasted beautiful cartoon-style graphics that had swept art awards at year-end game ceremonies, and that style had reached completion with World of Warcraft. But after seeing Fantasy Universe, that pride had been slightly dented. Even to President Mike Morhaime, who held special affection for the company he had founded, the difference was stark. If World of Warcraft was SD, then Fantasy Universe was practically HD. Still, there was no need for him to feel too disheartened. There was a gap of over two years in their release dates, after all. In the IT field, a difference measured in years was equivalent to several generations in other industries. Moreover, since Chairman Yoo Jae-won, whom even President Mike Morhaime acknowledged as possessing a cheat key, had personally participated in its creation, there was no need to harbor unnecessary feelings of inferiority. The game was that excellent.

The moment President Mike Morhaime, who had just logged in, pressed the quick match button in kart racing, a room was instantly found and the game began. The number of gamers connected to Fantasy Universe was enormous. It was easy to learn, simple to control, and fun to play. Moreover, since a single match lasted anywhere from five to ten minutes, anyone could enjoy it casually. Above all, it was not merely a game that relied on showcasing characters. Even in the most popular kart racing mode, the thrill of speed was incredibly intense. The sense of speed and handling surpassed that of dedicated racing games. The fact that each selected character's unique traits and abilities could be used exactly as they were in the game was the secret behind its explosive popularity. The kart racing President Mike Morhaime had started was a speedy game that ended after just two or three laps. During that short time, the eight players' chosen characters dashed toward first place while unleashing all sorts of skills and items.

Son Goku, who had been racing in second place, fired the signature technique from Dragon Ball, Energy Wave, aiming to snipe President Mike Morhaime in first. Getting hit would stun the target and send them flying backward helplessly, but since it was a non-targeted skill, it was quite difficult to land. Yet only a few days after release, many gamers had already mastered hitting targets even while racing at high speeds. This moment was no exception. It was the perfect timing to land a guaranteed hit. President Mike Morhaime, however, remained perfectly composed.

"Reflect."

The signature skill of the character Captain America, whom President Mike Morhaime had chosen, was his shield. Pressing the shield button at the right timing would deflect even an Energy Wave. Mastering that timing was directly tied to character proficiency, and President Mike Morhaime executed it flawlessly. A man talented not only at making games but at playing them as well. Captain America's shield skill could change the direction in which an opponent's technique was reflected depending on the angle at which the shield was held. He returned the Energy Wave straight back at Son Goku before leisurely crossing the finish line in first place. After finishing kart racing with satisfaction, President Mike Morhaime moved on to custom games. The lobby screen's layout changed, filling the display with countless room titles and icons.

"And on top of that, there's the secret weapon called the game editor."

Including the map editor, originally intended for development, in the game itself was a Blizzard tradition. If gamers had brighter ideas than the developers, they were given the means to create and share their own maps. This policy, which had begun with Warcraft, truly exploded with StarCraft. Many StarCraft use maps had recorded higher view counts than the official maps used in professional leagues. Fantasy Universe possessed an even more powerful game editor than a map editor. It was data that allowed users to overhaul the entire game, not merely create maps. Furthermore, users could even incorporate resources they had created themselves. The only restrictions placed on this powerful game editor were compliance with general laws and community guidelines.

"Huh? This is a map I saw in StarCraft."

While browsing custom games, President Mike Morhaime's eyes caught familiar text. It was the custom map Aeon of Strife, also known as Eternal Struggle. It had been a map that enjoyed considerable popularity as a StarCraft use map, and now it had been registered in Fantasy Universe under the same name. As if possessed, President Mike Morhaime immediately selected Aeon of Strife and pressed the match button firmly.