Megacorp's Lowball Buyout (2)
"No meeting scheduled? What the hell does that mean?"
The receptionist at the desk gave me a troubled look in response to my question. Logically speaking, they were the ones who sent the meeting invite first—why wouldn't they have set up a damn slot?
Hold on, at the very least, whether it's recruitment or investment or whatever, once they've dragged us in, shouldn't they at least talk to us?
Melody, Lumine Primal, and Hafne all stared at me with uneasy expressions.
I clamped my mouth shut in sheer bewilderment, and that's when a notification chimed on the receptionist's mana crystal orb. A new message.
Incoming call...
"Ah, from the secretary's office? Yes. The meeting report was temporarily missing? ...Ah, yes. Understood."
Once the receptionist finished the call, she finally flashed a businesslike smile and gestured for us to follow.
"There was a mix-up. This way, please."
"......"
We followed her into the magic elevator heading to the upper floors of the building, but a wave of unease washed over me.
Ah, damn. This feels off.
In situations like this, it was more likely intentional—a power play to throw us off balance—rather than a simple mistake.
Melody whispered to me, her face tinged with worry.
"Senior Lewis, it's... probably just a mistake, right?"
"Probably."
I downplayed it to keep the team from freaking out, omitting the possibility of deliberate intimidation.
Eh, worst case, it's just the usual megacorp mind games.
Still, inwardly, I was bracing for the absolute worst.
Knock knock!
The lavish reception room we entered held a man with dull blonde hair, leisurely sipping coffee as he awaited us.
"Looks like the secretary's office dropped the ball. Sorry to keep you waiting."
"No worries. Big corporations have complicated systems; it happens."
"Come on in, you're the students who made that Use Map, right? Have a seat, make yourselves comfortable."
"Got it."
Despite all the posturing, we were inwardly buzzing at the fact we'd stepped into the headquarters of the nation's top megacorp. Lumine Primal sneaked glances around before her eyes locked onto the fancy spread of snacks on the table.
"Help yourselves, dig in."
"Whoa, thank you!"
Lumine finally grabbed a handful without hesitation. Melody nibbled tentatively—probably worn out from all-nighters during development, her movements sluggish.
Hmm...
I quietly observed Lyman, the team leader sizing us up. He looked pleased on the surface, but his gaze screamed condescension, like he was looking down at underlings.
This ain't gonna go smoothly.
And sure enough, after another sip of coffee, Lyman opened with casual arrogance.
"So, you're the team behind A.S., huh?"
"Yes."
After a deliberate pause, he tossed out the pitch like he was offering to take out the trash.
"Hand over the copyright to your Use Map. All of it, data included."
"...Pardon?"
Melody froze mid-reach for a snack. All eyes snapped to Lyman.
"NA Corp will buy the rights fair and square, so step away from the project."
"What the—?!"
Melody shot to her feet.
"That's ridiculous!"
"Yeah!"
The team erupted in rebuttals, faces flushing red with outrage. Hafne didn't speak, but her furrowed brow screamed disgust.
Lyman, as if expecting the backlash, responded with feigned gentleness, spinning his sophistry.
"You're aspiring developers, aren't you?"
"...Yeah."
Melody gritted her teeth, on guard.
"Don't developers ultimately want to give gamers a more polished, superior game? It's a shame to let a gem of an idea rot at student project level."
"Th-that's...!"
Melody and Lumine were at a loss. It was a sharp jab, cloaked in the noble banner of "better games," pricking at the egos and consciences of pure-hearted student devs.
"Cold hard truth: your amateur skills can't beat massive capital and manpower. So we're buying the rights to turn that Use Map into a proper game."
He puffed up with smugness.
"If you want, I can even write recommendation letters for special hires after graduation. Not under me, fine—working at the nation's top megacorp sets your lives on easy street..."
"That's enough."
I slammed my teacup down with a sharp clink, cutting him off cold.
"Not for sale."
"...What?"
Lyman's relaxed facade cracked, his brow twisting ugly as he glared daggers at me.
***
Whoooosh!
A chill wind howled through the meeting room.
"Not for sale?"
"Yes."
Lyman scoffed.
"Looks like you have no idea how much we're offering. Let's start with the number."
"Fine, how much?"
"Something like this?"
Lyman scribbled a figure on a piece of paper and slid it over.
10,000 Gold
10,000 gold. In my past life terms, that's 100 million won—for a mere Use Map stage prototype, not even a finished game.
Trying to gobble up this legendary golden goose for pocket change. Classic megacorp thug move.
Melody and Hafne, excluding me, gulped at the unexpectedly huge sum. 10,000 gold wasn't chump change even for working adults, let alone students.
Reading their reactions, Lyman grinned.
"I get it—students with pride. We were all like that. But 10,000 gold isn't something you see every day."
"...True."
Melody's voice softened a bit.
"So hand over the Arena of Special project to us..."
"I said it's not for sale."
Lyman shot me an irritated glance.
"You're still wet behind the ears. What you made isn't a finished game—just a half-baked skeleton with a decent concept. Offering 10,000 gold for that's us doing you a massive favor."
"Appreciate you valuing our idea so highly."
I chuckled dryly.
"But I can't stomach watching our game get polluted by your clichéd, half-assed monetization and turn into a steaming pile of shit."
"...What?"
Lyman's face twisted grotesquely. He dropped the smile, bolting upright.
"You saying... the nation's top game company, NA, makes worse games than your college club trash?!"
"Yes. Isn't it obvious?"
The air froze solid, like the atmosphere itself had iced over.
"Unbelievable."
Lyman crossed his arms, slumping back into his chair.
"Your confidence borders on arrogance piercing the heavens."
"Fancy graphics, flashy effects—all good, but no fun means gamers bounce."
Sure, it lacked the polish and volume of megacorp titles bloated with hundreds of devs, but what hooked players was pure gameplay.
"Anyway, no more to discuss. We're out."
"You damn punks."
Lyman's face cycled red-to-purple in rage at the failed deal, jabbing a finger at me.
"Daring to diss NA?! You'll never set foot in this industry again!"
"We'll see. Kids, let's go."
The three finally trailed after me.
Once outside the company, the four of us hunkered down at a nearby cafe, sighing in unison like we'd rehearsed it.
"Senior Lewis... didn't we just blow this way out of proportion? It's a megacorp."
Melody eyed me worriedly. Hafne muttered, unable to hide her anxiety.
"I mean, as a composer, I can always take other music gigs if it's not game stuff..."
"R-right! Worst case, I ditch polygon modeling and scrape by as a shady manga assistant!"
"......"
Their "encouragement" was a sight. One threat from a megacorp and they were already plotting solo survival. Talented, but mentally brittle as sardines—these flaky team members would drive anyone nuts.
The real issue was me and Melody. No escape routes for us. I voiced the plan I'd prepped to the fretting Melody.
"I've got a backup anyway."
"What is it, Senior?"
Melody sipped her cafe drink, eyeing me cautiously but with trust.
"You know Cloud Platform?"
"Cloud? Yeah, but it's not big here."
She meant the platform packed with indies and packages.
This world has a global service like Steam from my past life. Not huge locally, but overseas? Different story.
I'd planned a standalone client, but time to pivot.
Lumine wiped sweat, slurping her coffee.
"Phew, thank goodness."
"Yeah, we've got options."
Hafne let out a deep sigh, admitting her own nerves.
"Anyway, too late to work today—everyone rest up, reconvene tomorrow."
"......"
Mention work, and faces sour instantly.
Can't be helped.
Small teams run on manpower. ...Not that big teams do much different.
"Alright, dismissed for today."
"See you tomorrow."
They shuffled off, weary. But Melody, who'd been watching them go, suddenly spun back and marched up to me.
"Hey, Senior Lewis."
"What? More to say?"
"Be straight with me."
"About what?"
Melody narrowed her eyes, piercing me.
"Senior, what're you really scheming? No way you turned down that megacorp out of pure love for the game back there."