The Fourth Player
The popularity of Aeon of Strife within the Fantasy Universe was unmistakable from the matchmaking speed alone. This time, a match was found mere seconds after the button was pressed.
- New to AOS?
- Nothing complicated about it. Pick a character you like, follow your lane, and land your skills when you run into the enemy!
- The minions move on their own, so you just have to control your hero properly!
- Who doesn't know that? Saying it is easy; actually doing it is the hard part!
The moment the room filled, the chat window erupted. Aeon of Strife possessed that peculiar magic that made even players who only wanted a casual game suddenly desperate to win.
"Interesting. So the Fantasy Universe map was also created by the same person who made Aeon of Strife."
Mike Morhaime, already quite familiar with the mode, ignored the chat and examined the map information tab while waiting for the game to begin. The moment he saw the creator listed as Aeon64, he recognized the same handle he had seen in StarCraft custom maps.
How did the president of a major game company know so much about user-created maps? Part of it was genuine affection for the games he helped build. The larger reason, however, was Yoo Jae-won's advice. He had been told that Blizzard's future lay in user maps and to keep an eye on them. Because Yoo Jae-won's counsel had never once been wrong, Mike made time to play StarCraft and Warcraft custom maps no matter how busy he was. Checking out Aeon of Strife, which had climbed the popularity charts for months, was only natural.
- Mr. M! What are you doing? Pick already!
- If you random a trash hero, it's on you!
Mr. M was Mike Morhaime's online handle.
"Ah, my turn."
Lost in thought, he had not noticed the pick phase arrive. He hurriedly selected the character he knew best.
- Captain America? That's one of the worst heroes in the pool!
- Should've just randomed...
- This game's already over.
The chat exploded again. All three teammates were convinced the match was lost. Still, it was far better than the old days, when people would start flaming the moment they disliked a pick. Real improvement had only come after the full rollout of the chat filter and community guidelines. The "Prohibition of Hate Speech" clause allowed penalties for toxic players, and the filtering system had grown stricter. A few quit over the restrictions, but they were a minority.
Captain America, the source of his teammates' complaints, was widely regarded as a weak pick in Aeon of Strife. The original Fantasy Universe maintained excellent balance, so any character was viable. In the current meta that favored aggressive carries, however, the shield-wielding Captain America was undeniably a handicap.
"Tsk. None of them understand the joy of being carried by a proper support."
Mike clicked his tongue. Despite the mode's popularity, most players still had shallow understanding of its core concept: lane pressure. Victory came from destroying the enemy nexus, which periodically spawned waves of minions. Because both sides produced identical numbers of minions, the waves met and canceled each other out in the middle. The true variables were the three lanes and the four player-controlled heroes. Since Aeon of Strife was 4v4 with only three lanes, one player was always left without a dedicated lane—the so-called "fourth player." Even months after release, most people still underestimated that role.
- Mr. M, just play the extra. You can at least roam and help, right?
As the latest message suggested, the lowest-experience player was usually assigned the flex role.
- OK!
Mike had intended to support from the start, so he agreed without hesitation. This was also his first time playing the Fantasy Universe version, and he wanted to learn its rhythm while supporting.
- READY!
The countdown began. Five seconds later, the game started.
Twenty minutes passed.
- GG!
- gg
- haha
Good-game messages filled the chat.
"Winning really is the best part of any game."
Mike's team had won. Yet the man who had insisted on proving Captain America's value as a support felt a twinge of guilt. He had entered the match confident from his StarCraft experience, only to discover that the Fantasy Universe version was far more refined. Some attacks could be blocked with the shield; others pierced straight through. Blocking now required precise mouse movement rather than a simple button press. Thanks to his ingrained game sense, he adapted enough to contribute, and his teammates' superior skill secured the victory.
"This is genuinely fun."
Even after a single game, the Fantasy Universe edition felt markedly better than its StarCraft or Warcraft counterparts. The graphics were in another league, but the real difference lay in the roster. Every character possessed distinct traits, and—most importantly—those characters were already beloved worldwide. Son Goku from Dragon Ball triggered a scramble for first pick despite middling stats. Marvel heroes like Captain America, Hulk, and Iron Man, along with DC icons such as Batman and the Joker, enjoyed the same treatment. Even the globally famous characters from Warcraft and StarCraft were overshadowed in recognition.
"If we develop this properly, it will be massive."
After just one match, Mike was convinced.
"Now, Aeon64's email address... there it is."
The address was embedded in the map file. All he had to do was append the ID to the universal email.com domain.
"Hmm. I should probably speak with Fire Fist Games as well."
After sending the email, a new thought struck him. If they simply ported the Aeon of Strife format into a standalone title, the fun would plummet. The enjoyment came from the familiar characters. Those recognizable faces let players instantly grasp the rules and create synergies. A completely original roster might still be entertaining, but the starting point would be entirely different. To build a proper standalone Aeon of Strife using the Fantasy Universe hero lineup, Fire Fist Games' cooperation was essential—they were the ones who had gathered characters from multiple agencies into a single game.
"Who runs that company again...?"
True to form for an ID Group executive, Mike acted immediately. He navigated to Fire Fist Games' homepage and began searching for contact details and the president's identity.
"Huh?"
He let out an involuntary exclamation upon seeing the representative director's photo. Yoo Jae-won's face stared back at him. Another case of the lantern being darkest beneath itself. Fantasy Universe itself had sprung from Yoo Jae-won's hobbies. An ardent Dragon Ball fan with a deep love of games, he also owned both Marvel and DC, the twin pillars of the North American comics and superhero market. Fantasy Universe was the inevitable result of his tastes and vision.
Mike opened the desktop version of ID Talk and began composing a message to Yoo Jae-won.
"What if the chairman already knows?"
His fingers paused. There was no reason Yoo Jae-won wouldn't have reached the same conclusion. The man who had embedded a game editor far more powerful than the map editor into Fantasy Universe and urged him to study user maps was, after all, Yoo Jae-won himself.
"Still, better to send it just in case."
His hesitation lasted only a moment. The message, containing a concrete proposal to develop a proper standalone Aeon of Strife using the Fantasy Universe characters, was dispatched at once to both Yoo Jae-won and the original map creator, Aeon64.
Unfortunately, no immediate reply arrived from Yoo Jae-won. While disappointing for Mike, who had half-expected one, more pressing matters demanded attention. At that very moment, in Greater Manchester, Lancashire, England, Yoo Jae-won was visiting one of the United Kingdom's three largest cities. He had come for an event no one else could handle in his place.
- Manchester United Acquisition Ceremony.
A massive banner at the entrance of Old Trafford, Manchester United's home ground, announced the occasion. Former owners John Magnier and J.P. McManus had transferred their entire stake to Yoo Jae-won. The purchase price remained confidential. Every move Manchester United made was recorded as history. Although the Premier League's globalization was only beginning, the club's legend was already firmly established. Within those accumulated layers of history, the price at which Magnier and McManus had acquired their shares was also preserved. When the 1.5-trillion-won acquisition figure was eventually revealed, the enormous capital gain would be obvious. Keeping the number secret for now, however, was the surest way to minimize unnecessary commotion.
- Chairman Yoo Jae-won's signature will now be added.
Yoo Jae-won signed the documents with practiced ease. Camera flashes erupted the instant the pen lifted. From this day forward, his name would be permanently recorded in the Manchester United ownership ledger. Afterward, he toured the stadium and began meetings with club officials.
"Alex Ferguson."
The first person he met was, naturally, Manchester United's manager, Alex Ferguson. His expression was cynical and perpetually dissatisfied, though the displeasure was not directed at the new owner; it was simply his natural demeanor.
"A pleasure to meet you, Manager Ferguson."
Yoo Jae-won shook the manager's hand, and a brief conversation followed.
"You are the youngest owner in Premier League history. It is quite remarkable that you now own our Manchester United."
"You will not regret this. The gifts I have prepared for the club are substantial. More than anything, I want you to know that I trust and support you above all others."
"Haha, that is welcome news. Provided there is no interference from the board, of course."
"Naturally. Suggesting players would still be acceptable, I hope? I pride myself on my eye for talent. Once you review the list, the final decision on signings and lineup placement will rest entirely with you."
The news archive also contained a sports section, and Yoo Jae-won's Memory Palace held the names and performances of countless famous players in perfect detail. No scout in the world could match his foresight.
"Hmm. That is an intriguing offer. Still, is there not something more urgent to address first? Budget reductions, for example."
"The 'I' in ID Group stands for Infinity. What I demand from Manchester United is victory. For victory, I will pay any price. The only thing I want is more trophies in this club's museum."
Ferguson answered Yoo Jae-won's bold declaration with a knowing grin. That was sufficient.
"Hm? Wasn't President Mike on vacation? Someone so strict about work-life balance actually sent a message."
Yoo Jae-won checked Mike Morhaime's ID Talk after his meeting with Ferguson concluded. Reading the message, he immediately understood that the moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived.