Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Savior Project
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"Yes, just leave it there."
As desks, furniture, computers, and other office supplies began filling the previously empty office, it started to take on the look of a proper workspace.
Considering the future, he'd already brought in ten desks and five computers ahead of time, but
'For now, since it's just me, it'll feel a bit empty.'
Of course, he wasn't overflowing with money to prepare all this without any staff.
He had to hire people to make games with him going forward, and showing them an empty office would just send them running.
Why else would big corporations put so much effort into their headquarters' designs?
If they could instill pride just from working in such a place, that would be ideal, but for now, at least making the exterior look convincing was necessary.
Drag.
He pulled over the whiteboard he'd bought as office equipment, picked up a marker, and stood in front of it.
'Future plans are crucial.'
Funds were ample right now thanks to the money from AE and the incoming Dead Hills sales revenue, but he hadn't quit Caltech just to earn this much.
<Savior Project>
The words he wrote at the very top of the whiteboard were his ultimate goal.
The full-dive virtual reality game he'd dreamed of since his previous life but ultimately had to abandon due to real-world limitations.
That was why he'd named the company, the project, and everything 'Savior.'
It all started with the game fantasy novel Savior Quest.
<BCI - Life Support – Ethics>
And below that, he wrote down the three primary challenges that needed solving first to achieve that dream.
'There are actually more, but this covers the big picture for now.'
The top priority was BCI—Brain-Computer Interface—which was the core technology.
The ability to interpret signals from the brain and, conversely, deliver stimuli.
Without this tech, even imagining a full-dive virtual reality game was impossible, so it had to be secured.
The problem was that even twenty years in the future, it remained an unsolved challenge.
The sliver of hope was that countries like the US and Israel were at the forefront of BCI research, achieving meaningful results.
'Good thing I studied that data back then.'
They'd even succeeded in implanting chips in human bodies and controlling them via artificial electrical signals, so with more time and fewer regulations, success might've been possible.
The second challenge was life support.
In a full-dive VR game, the body would be put to sleep while neural signals were hijacked, making medical technology critical.
Everything from sleep and nutrition management to preventing muscle atrophy or handling long-term side effects had to be controlled—without this, full-dive VR couldn't even get off the ground.
The final challenge was—
'Whether they'll actually allow this in practice is the biggest hurdle.'
The US, where he was now, was relatively lenient, but advanced nations, especially in Europe, had extremely strict regulations on anything involving the human body.
Plus, considering the myriad regulations and negative views on games in the 21st century, full-dive VR games had a high chance of being socially unacceptable.
"I'll tackle them one by one."
He gazed at the whiteboard, now densely filled with the barriers to creating a virtual reality game and his countermeasures as he organized his future goals.
'Not exactly grand countermeasures, though.'
BCI.
He wasn't an expert in this field, nor did he have time to dive deep.
So, the solution was simple.
Acquire a company with authorities in the field, invest fully, and have them develop the full-dive VR tech he wanted.
The same went for medical technology.
This would require countless biological experiments and research—maybe even founding a major hospital—but with enough money, it wasn't impossible.
Finally, ethics and regulations.
The original novel provided a big hint here.
The Seon Woo-hyuk he'd possessed was originally a developer at 'TG Soft,' described in the novel as Korea's top game company.
'The company lobbied like crazy to pass VR game regulations.'
He remembered descriptions of them actually releasing VR games by leveraging Korea's long traditions, scattered throughout.
Of course, the company stole all his tech because of it, leading him to turn villainous and twist Savior Quest into a death game—so he had zero intention of repeating that mistake.
'It's 1992 now, so six years left?'
To implement his solutions, he needed to amass funds as quickly as possible over the next six years.
Ultimately, funding was the key to all his plans, and right now, the fastest way for him to make big money was through games.
Conveniently, this was an era that could be called a revolution in gaming.
In a market dominated by arcades and consoles, a new PC sector had emerged, and the PC game market was expanding rapidly in tandem.
'Release the next game in the first half of '93.'
He planned to align with that timeline and grow Savior as much as possible within six years.
Dead Hills, Savior's first release under its own name, was expected to sell 300,000 copies.
That would make it the highest-selling PC game in history right now, but come next year, a monster that would undisputedly rank in the top five greatest games ever would appear.
'Demon Slayer.'
Id Software, creators of the masterpiece Deadzone Survival 3D, followed it up in just one year with the eternal FPS classic.
Its impact transcended the industry into society itself—enough to make your jaw drop.
It took the PC game market, where top sales barely hit 100,000, and pushed it past a million, even into tens of millions—a feat that still shone in the 21st century.
And he planned to go head-to-head with it.
'To clash with a game slicing demons from hell, I need to make something rock-solid.'
He hadn't skimped on Dead Hills, but since he'd made it solo without much time, it had plenty of omitted elements.
Even accounting for that, it was a well-made game, but could it stand against Demon Slayer? Honestly, no.
'True heroes don't journey alone.'
To slay the demon lord known as Demon Slayer, the hero needed a party too.
Knock knock.
"Come in."
Jackson knocked on the office door, feeling a twinge of anxiety.
'Did I get scammed?'
A few days earlier, Jackson had met someone introduced by a friend and heard an intriguing story.
—My buddy's running a company, and they're looking for a designer. Pays pretty generously too. If you know anyone good, mind recommending?
Rogers' words had piqued Jackson's interest.
And for good reason: he was currently a designer at a small ad agency, slaving away for a measly $20,000 salary.
Rogers' claim that he could easily double that was incredibly tempting.
'A connection from Caltech has to be impressive.'
Above all, the referrer's credibility was top-notch.
Rogers, a Caltech student, said his acquaintance running the company was also a Caltech alum—that sealed it for Jackson.
Probably a young guy, so a freshly minted venture at most.
Even Microsoft, the IT legend and Silicon Valley miracle, started that way, right?
Jackson knew the miraculous tale of young CEO Billy Heights dropping out of Harvard well, so with excitement, he'd asked Rogers to recommend him,
—Okay. My friend wants to meet first before deciding.
Rogers happily arranged the meeting.
And now the day had arrived.
Jackson reached the address given over the phone, but something felt off.
'What's this...? It's a solid building, but...'
Redwood City, California.
Not Silicon Valley proper, but still a hotspot for promising mid-sized firms, so Jackson had been satisfied.
But the building before him looked downright creepy.
Unlike neighboring structures packed with shops or offices, this one screamed abandoned from the first floor up.
He double-checked the address to confirm he'd come to the right place, but had to admit this was it.
Heading to the second-floor meeting spot, he sensed something was wrong but pressed on, knocking since he was already there.
A voice from inside told him to enter.
"Hello. I'm Jackson, here for the interview today."
"Nice to meet you, Jackson. I'm Seon Woo-hyuk, president of Savior. Feel free to call me Huck."
"Nice to meet you too, Huck."
Stepping inside, Jackson was first mildly surprised the man was East Asian, then shocked again by how young he looked—impossible to tell if teens or twenties.
'What the? He's a total kid!'
He'd expected young, but not this young—now he wondered if he'd been duped.
But voicing suspicion might paint him as racist, so he played it cool. Soon, the man who'd introduced himself as Huck brought simple drinks and led him to the table.
"I reviewed the resume you sent. You graduated from LACHSA, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Then why didn't you go to college?"
"No scholarship. Art schools are insanely expensive."
LACHSA.
A renowned American high school specializing in all things arts.
Its grads were key players across US arts scenes, earning it high prestige—Jackson took pride in his diploma.
However, family finances forced him to skip university, making LACHSA his terminal degree and a sore spot.
"Mind if I see your portfolio?"
"Sure, here it is."
Jackson handed over his prepared portfolio from his bag, but expected little.
'Will they even recognize my talent?'
His current ad agency bosses never grasped his design intent or purpose, just demanding knockoffs of competitors.
Tired of it, he'd sought a change, but this hoped-for new start felt worse—plunging him into gloom.
"Jackson."
"Yes."
After poring over the portfolio for a while, the man called his name.
"This UI is great. It naturally guides user flow."
"Th-thank you."
"The button pathways here show real professional experience. And this service element has clear thought behind it—not just drawn, but meticulously calculated."
"You saw that?"
"Of course. UI aside, the concept art and visual design are excellent too. Not just pretty drawings—you set direction aligned with concept and intent."
The man kept appraising, Jackson hanging on every word mesmerized.
At some point, he'd fallen for this man's incredibly detailed feedback on his portfolio, far surpassing his current boss.
"I like you, Jackson. Terms are... How about we team up?"
"Looking forward to working with you."
Huck extended his hand after the final words.
Jackson shook it without thinking.