Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Demon's Relic
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Time sure flies. It was already time for G-STAR.
Busan, where I'd brought the management staff, was in the full grip of winter, its chilly air spreading all around.
“Ugh, this sea breeze.”
Yang Gil-sang, a landlubber born and raised, shuddered, but his complaint was a hollow one.
Given the size of our event booth, everyone was in a hurry.
After checking into the hotel, we rushed straight to BEXCO.
I spent about a day directing things on-site, and just like that, the day arrived.
Looking at the booths set up in the vast hall, I felt a wave of nostalgia.
Han Seo-rim seemed to feel the same way.
“How many years has it been since we were here?”
“That was in 2009, so it’s been six years.”
“Wow, looking at it like this, our company has been around for a long time.”
Unfortunately, there was no one else to share this sentiment with.
Jo A-yun was busy preparing for graduation, and the dramatic duo were dying from pulling together the models for *Identity*.
Myeong-gyu was in the same boat.
…Actually, now that I think about it, Myeong-gyu wasn't even at Rewind back then.
Mulling over these things, I asked Han Seo-rim.
“How does it feel to be back after six years?”
“Just that we’ve become pretty amazing?”
Han Seo-rim smiled.
“When I think about how we barely scraped together ten booths and struggled without enough management staff, it’s truly incredible. Now, our employees handle everything, and the event organizers even look out for us. I never would’ve imagined they’d give us ten extra booths.”
Just as Han Seo-rim said, the booth, originally planned for 70 seats, had been expanded by 10.
Only I knew that President Park Yeong-jun's influence, aimed at crushing NQ one way or another, had played a part in that.
There was no need to mention it.
In any case, the important thing was that there were other changes besides the scale.
“President Cheon Yeon-ho? We’re all on standby on our end.”
It was Japanese.
When I turned my head, I saw a group of cosplayers looking at me. With their multicolored hair and horned headbands, they looked like some kind of rainbow squadron.
Yeah, that's right.
“We'll be counting on you during the event.”
Studio Rewind.
For the first time in its seven-year history, we had hired professional cosplayers.
We'd attended quite a few events and even generated some cosplay memes, but the fact that this was our first time using professional cosplayers had me lost in thought.
Nishimura sidled up to me and said in a disgruntled tone.
“President, maybe I should…”
“Hold back. It’s a pretty-girl game, so we need to use professionals.”
Nishimura was showing his passion for the company culture (definitely not a thing) of the director cosplaying.
I shut him down immediately.
It wasn't for any other reason; I just judged that since information about the game hadn't been fully released yet, we needed to make a strong first impression with the characters.
Right? No otaku would want to accept the fact that an in-game character they’re seeing for the first time is the same person as a muscular man (in drag) wandering around the event hall.
This was especially true since it was a pretty-girl game.
I understood Nishimura's passion, but if he really wanted to cosplay as a heroine, it would be more appropriate after the character's position was firmly established.
And so, at 10:30 AM.
As I checked my watch and gave the booth one last look-over, I spotted NQ's booth in the distance.
“…”
Suddenly, old memories came flooding back.
I used to be at that booth.
It was a pretty tight schedule.
Back then, I was the youngest on the team, doing odd jobs, so I only have memories of hardship.
…But that was all in the past now.
I turned back to the staff and said.
“Let’s get ready. Team 2, please prioritize visitor safety and order. Programming team, make sure you're monitoring the gameplay closely.”
The event was starting.
* * *
*‘It’s absolutely packed!’*
Jeong Han-su, age 25, community nickname (formerly) zZoneHansu, (currently) Hansu the King, made a weary face as he looked at the crowds swarming BEXCO.
As expected of the country's largest game convention, even though he had arrived quite early and gotten in line, it looked like it would take another 30 minutes to get inside.
To kill the boredom, Han-su took out his smartphone and posted on a community forum.
『Hansu the King: Made it into G-STAR! So damn many people;
(Photo)
Heading straight for the Rewind booth lololol』
Han-su had high expectations for Rewind's new game.
After all, as someone who enjoyed anime and manga and spent a fair amount of money on pretty-girl mobile collection games, a AAA packaged pretty-girl game was a fresh and exciting prospect.
He had learned the general outline of the game from the roadmap, but actually playing it was another matter entirely.
The most important thing was the characters' appeal.
Setting aside his fondness for the developer, Studio Rewind, Han-su planned to judge the game today with a stern, serious, and solemn attitude.
With that mindset, he entered the G-STAR convention hall.
Han-su let out a gasp.
“Whoa.”
He was able to find Rewind's booth at a glance.
It was several times larger than the other booths, and on a giant pillar, the in-game characters he had seen on the roadmap seemed to be beckoning to him.
*‘First impression: pass.’*
Just as you'd expect from a pretty-girl game.
That's right, who needs atmospheric backgrounds or fancy typography?
A pretty-girl game is promoted by showcasing its characters.
Han-su walked in a straight line and arrived in front of the Rewind booth.
There, he felt a faint sense of disappointment and a great deal of satisfaction.
Click! Click!
Camera flashes went off.
In front of him were professional cosplayers, striking poses in their costumes.
It was a team Han-su recognized.
*‘Shine Clover!’*
They weren't Korean cosplayers!
A team of superstar cosplayers, considered titans of the industry even in Japan, was standing right there!
*‘Holy crap! Photos! Photos!’*
Han-su frantically pulled out his camera.
To think the telephoto lens camera he’d brought to take pictures for his community review would be so useful!
His disappointment that it wasn't the development team cosplaying had already vanished.
Eyes wide, Han-su snapped picture after picture until he made eye contact with one of the cosplayers.
*‘Huh?’*
Jet-black hair like ebony, white horns, and contact lenses with horizontal pupils reminiscent of a goat.
The wedding dress-like outfit added to the mix, creating a strange blend of unease and beauty that tugged at Han-su’s heart.
In that moment, the cosplayer gave a slight smile.
Han-su thought.
*‘Who is that character?’*
His curiosity about the character skyrocketed.
Han-su stopped taking pictures and entered the booth.
Thanks to the large number of seats and his early entry time, Han-su was able to start playing right away.
“You can take a seat over here.”
The person guiding him to his seat was a Westerner.
With long limbs and a muscular build, he looked like an athlete. Though his Korean was a bit clumsy, the name tag hanging from his neck said ‘Rewind STAFF,’ suggesting he was part of the development team.
Han-su sat down at the designated station, put on the headset, and grabbed the controller.
[PRESS TO START]
He pressed the button without hesitation.
[Kyaaaaaa!]
Rewind’s signature sound blasted through his eardrums.
* * *
『The man wore a black robe that covered his entire body.
He was walking through ancient, moss-covered ruins, and when he lifted his head, he saw an unsettling altar, spotlessly clean unlike its surroundings.
The man knelt before the altar.
And spoke.
—O great sovereign of evil.
As he bowed his head, the crystal orb on the altar began to glow.
Then, an elegant woman's voice echoed through the space.
—Who has awakened me.
Fwoooosh!
A black storm raged.
The man staggered to keep his balance, and when the storm finally subsided, he straightened himself.
In that moment, a gasp escaped his lips.
—Ah, Lady Lucifer!
On the altar was an angel with black wings.
She had hair as black as ebony and pure white horns.
She wore a wedding dress that accentuated her figure, but the man couldn't pay attention to that.
There were eyes that captivated him even more.
The horizontal pupils within her red irises held a strange magic, bewitching the man.
The king of hell, the fallen angel Lucifer.
She had appeared.』
*‘Ah, Lucifer. So that was Lucifer.’*
Han-su realized the identity of the character he had seen in front of the booth.
And he came to the conclusion that no matter how great the cosplayer, they couldn't fully capture the character's true charm.
It was inevitable.
The in-game Lucifer had only spoken a single line: ‘Who has awakened me.’
She simply sat on the altar, legs crossed in a seductive pose, looking down at the protagonist with an arrogant gaze and a faint smile in her eyes.
And yet, she possessed a charm that drew you in completely.
Han-su stared blankly, captivated, before finally managing to press a button to advance the dialogue.
—Yes, little demon worshipper. What brings you to this deep place?
A sweet laugh was woven into Lucifer's voice.
A choice appeared before Han-su.
[I want to gain power.]
[I love you.]
Han-su, a 12-year veteran of pretty-girl dating sims who had spent half his life playing them, knew.
*‘Whichever one I pick, the story will proceed the same way.’*
That choices in the prologue are usually meaningless.
And therefore, it didn't matter which answer he chose.
[I love you.]
Like a man, Han-su went for it.
That was the problem.
—Love, you say. To cling to such a hollow word.
Lucifer's expression turned icy cold.
—How boring.
Slice!
The protagonist's head fell.
[GAME OVER]
[Restart?]
Staring at the prompt that appeared before him, Han-su replayed what had just happened in his mind for about five seconds before thinking to himself.
*‘This bitch?!’*
Does being pretty give you the right to do anything?!
He fumed, but soon let his anger go.
*‘…Well, if you’re pretty, you can get away with anything.’*
The law of 2D.
A heroine is forgiven for everything as long as she's pretty.
*‘Because she’s going to fall for me eventually anyway!’*
Because in pretty-girl games, a future where you get rejected doesn't exist!
A wide smile spread across Han-su’s lips.
*‘Let’s do thissss!!!’*
Han-su delivered his final verdict.
Lucifer, first-round pass for the position of Jeong Han-su's bride.
* * *
The structure of *Demon's Relic* was quite simple.
You explored the map, met the 72 demons, cleared quests related to them, formed contracts, and recruited them as allies.
It was a demo version, so not everything was implemented, but its intuitive nature was prominent enough that Han-su didn't need to expend much effort to understand the game.
The story was the same.
After the confrontation with Lucifer, if you chose [I want to gain power.] from the first set of options, Lucifer would reply.
—Yes, a legitimate reason to seek out a demon, indeed. However, I am not one to lend my power so easily. You need to be worthy. You must prove that you are a man capable of wielding the power of me, the master of hell.
Lucifer told him to prove his worthiness if he wanted to use her power and presented a method to do so.
—Go and subjugate the 72 demons. If you can accomplish that in a human body, you will be worthy of becoming my contractor. Of course, I shall grant you a little help. It won't be easy otherwise.
Smoke rose from Lucifer's body and seeped into the protagonist.
Han-su now fully understood.
Find the ruins where the 72 demons are sealed, awaken them, and complete the contracts.
Do that, and she will lend you her power.
In other words,
*‘Lucifer is the final heroine.’*
The objective was now clear.
It was a goal he quite liked.
Above all, her sleek character design and model, along with her sharp, standoffish side, was a direct hit to Han-su's preferences.
Once the prologue part ended, the protagonist was immediately teleported elsewhere.
His body was buffeted by the wind, the robe threatening to come off at any moment.
In that moment, Han-su was impressed by the game's attention to detail.
*‘They don’t show the protagonist’s face! Certified classic!’*
It was like a female protagonist in an anime whose panties are never revealed, no matter how strong the wind blows.
By leaving the protagonist's face a blank slate, Han-su could sense the development team’s grasp of these fundamental principles.
Anyway, the game began.
He was transported to another ruin.
This must be where he would awaken and contract with a demon.
He passed through a short map, farmed some items, and reached an altar.
When he bowed his head there, a girl appeared with a burst of flames.
—…Who are you?
—Lady Paimon. I am…
—…The scent of Lucifer.
The girl walked lightly toward the protagonist.
She then leaned in so close their noses almost touched and sniffed, *sniff sniff*.
Then, she gave him a gentle hug.
As the surprised protagonist stood up, Paimon was lifted up with him, still clinging on.
—Scent, nice.
A faint, languid smile appeared on Paimon's lips.
In that moment, Han-su felt as if he'd been struck on the back of the head.
*‘Huh?’*
Come to think of it, Lucifer's smoke had seeped into his body.
Han-su's imagination was thoroughly stimulated.
The delightful possibility that, with the concept of 'Lucifer's scent,' he might easily build rapport with various demons.
That was the most important thing in a pretty-girl game.
Immersion.
In other words, the sense of unity with the character—the feeling that ‘if I were in that position, I would have the same outcome’—was a factor that directly influenced a user's concentration and interest in the game.
What kind of nonsense is that, you ask?
You'd be wrong.
Because pretty-girl games are a genre where that very immersion is what makes them fun, chosen by users who enjoy it.
Interest in the world, and desire for the characters.
Considering that hiding the protagonist's face with a robe was ultimately a directorial choice to facilitate this, one could call it a calculated design.
But *Demon's Relic* was not the result of calculation.
It was simply the product of Keisuke Nishimura, a severe dating-sim addict, whose ingrained, shady instincts had pierced through the genre's conventions.
—If I follow you, can I see Lucifer?
—…Probably.
—I’ll go. I like you.
*Snuggle*. Paimon buried herself in the protagonist's arms.
[Acquired 'Soul Contract: Paimon of the Dominating Flame'.]
For some reason, Han-su felt a flutter in his chest as he watched Paimon's lion-like tail swishing back and forth.
And so, as if possessed, he continued playing the game.