Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Soul Hunters X & E3
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'It's really blowing up.'
Kiyoshi thought to himself as he gazed at the passengers inside the subway car.
Right now, about half of the seated riders had their heads bowed, fingers dancing furiously over their devices.
At a glance, they looked almost hypnotized, all fixated on the same thing in identical poses.
And what they held in their hands was none other than the handheld Savior Pulse.
"Tsk..."
Being on the subway, the passengers had earphones plugged into their Savior Pulses, thumbs flying over the analog sticks while they mashed buttons relentlessly.
Watching them sigh in frustration at whatever was stumping them, Kiyoshi could guess what game they were playing without even peeking at their screens.
'Soul Hunters X, no doubt.'
He was certain that if you asked for Japan's hottest game right now, Soul Hunters X—the undisputed number one—would top every list.
Ever since picking up a Savior Pulse at launch, Kiyoshi had been treated like a Zainichi Korean on internet gaming forums.
Most users dismissed it outright without trying it, just because it came from a company run by a Korean—labeling it "foreign trash."
Because of that, Kiyoshi and fellow Pulse owners had to stick to tiny niche boards away from the main forums.
Admitting you owned one could get you branded a traitor and harassed.
Yet despite the hate, the fanbase kept growing bit by bit.
'Good stuff always wins out in the end.'
Savior Pulse fans in Japan were mostly tech early adopters who dove deep into specs and details.
They were already hooked on its insane performance, sharing info among themselves.
And when gearheads like that gather, jailbreaking—hacking the thing—is always on the table.
Locked out of jailbreaking, Japanese Pulse users ended up as pure fans by default.
In that harsh environment, they bonded, slowly building their community.
But lately, things had flipped dramatically.
It all started with the release of Soul Hunters X a month ago.
Japanese players barely reacted at first.
They'd already played the original on GameStation, so nothing felt fresh.
A few got excited about a portable version, but they were a tiny minority.
Then...
Once those early adopters spilled the shocking details, rumors spread like wildfire—igniting a frenzy.
The GameStation Soul Hunters was already a hit in Japan, but it had flaws.
Like being stuck with just the katana, or solo play only.
The Pulse version added four new weapons, letting players choose freely.
Craftable weapons expanded too, with new drop monsters to hunt for materials—driving gamers wild.
But above all...
...multiplayer had Japanese gamers losing their minds.
Especially ones who crave group play.
For them, Savior Pulse was perfection.
Carry it to school or work, game with friends or coworkers on the spot—or recruit online if needed.
Of course, multiplayer alone wouldn't spark this hype.
Game Boy Color had it too, after all.
But...
- "Multiplayer means dragging out cables—gaming outside with wires dangling? Total nuisance."
While others needed cables, Pulse just needed a button press—unmatched convenience.
And...
The old narrative that only Zainichi Koreans bought Pulses? Long flipped 180 degrees.
Now the main Pulse board overflowed with every kind of post imaginable.
'Kinda miss the old days a bit.'
- "Next stop: Namba Station."
As an OG Pulse board user reminiscing about those humble info-dump days, Kiyoshi snapped back at the station announcement and prepped to exit.
'Gotta catch it today!'
Time to meet his hunting buddies.
"We Japanese companies need to band together against them!"
"What a joke."
"What did you say?!"
"You're the ones who dragged Savior into consoles—now you wanna play nice?!"
"They would've entered eventually anyway!"
"Not like this, they wouldn't have!"
Suguru's head throbbed watching Uni and Seton execs bicker around him.
'We fight among ourselves plenty, but teaming up? Fat chance.'
E3.
At the Los Angeles Convention Center hosting gaming's biggest show, the console big three squabbling looked bad—even to Suguru.
They usually treated each other like enemies; no way sweet talk would fly.
But skipping? Impossible.
"Damn it, shouldn't we stop Savior first?"
Stay passive, and Savior would snatch the current-gen console market—they were all desperate.
'Nendo's Play Cube flops this time, and we're toast.'
The 2000 E3 was make-or-break for console makers.
Seton and Uni delayed their 6th-gen launches post-E3, with global eyes glued to the event.
And it was all because of Savior CEO Seon Woo-hyuk's interview quip:
- "At this E3, we'll show you a new world."