Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: The Butterfly Effect
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A post was appearing almost daily on a North American community site.
『Fucking giant!』
Roughly translated, it meant ‘Damn giant!’
It was a post cursing *Hellic*'s final boss, the Cancer Giant.
This was the result of the trend ‘mike tester’ had sparked among the enthusiast community.
The prevalence of profanity was, of course, due to the Cancer Giant's fundamental design.
Thousands of health points, overwhelming defense that reduced all damage to 1, and the nullification of additional attacks due to its nature.
To top it all off, it used nearly every mechanic in the game, making it a nightmare for hardcore players like ‘mike tester’ who fought it on their first playthrough with nothing but their bare hands.
It got to the point where people were saying things like this.
『Ah, maybe I should just clear the first playthrough to learn its patterns? I at least want to get some experience fighting the Cancer Giant in the final boss room.』
That was Yeon-ho’s intention.
Since hunting the Cancer Giant early was essentially an Easter egg, he had made any option other than ‘fleeing’ extremely unappealing to guide players toward a normal playthrough.
Yeon-ho wanted players to avoid the Cancer Giant, thereby ‘recognizing’ its existence, and in the process of fleeing, ‘learn’ its patterns.
As a result, he hoped they would feel a sense of catharsis by finally defeating the creature they had been running from head-on in the final boss battle.
In a typical community, most would have given up on the challenge by now, and players finishing the game would have become the norm.
However, there was a problem.
This community was fundamentally different from a typical one.
『
┕Coward.
┕If you’re going to do that, then get lost. You have no spirit for a challenge. You’re worse than my scared 5-year-old daughter.
┕For a guy like that to call himself a gamer is a disgrace to all gamers.』
Yeon-ho's intention was not accepted by the mainstream users of this community.
As mentioned before, this community was a space obsessed with the premise of difficult challenges and achievements.
‘Defeating an unknown enemy when it seems impossible.’
These were the diehards who, obsessed with that premise, had rejected all reason.
Even if a rational comment appeared, it was bound to be criticized immediately.
After all, if they were going to play rationally, they wouldn't have been using this kind of community in the first place.
In any case, the challenge gained a cult following within the community and gradually spread.
It became a full-blown storm when those dubbed ‘the community’s cowards’ fled to other forums.
『Introducing a new game.』
The migration of those who enjoyed the game itself but wanted to quit the challenge.
『The atrocities of the hardcore community perverts.』
And also the migration of those who wanted to slander the formerly closed-off hardcore community.
This phenomenon ended up acting as a form of viral marketing.
The title ‘Hellic’ began to appear here and there on major community sites.
『So, is it fun?』
The moment that question was asked, *Hellic* had already become a new game whose name could be found even on large gaming communities.
It took exactly three days to reach that point.
It was around then.
That a single post appeared, putting an end to this entire storm.
『I datamined Hellic's game files.
There’s an Easter egg hidden for the Cancer Giant.
It definitely drops a special item if you kill it before the boss room, but beyond that, the security is too tight, so at my skill level, it's hard to figure out what the item is.
Can anyone figure this out?』
Yeon-ho's Easter egg was revealed to the world.
In that instant, the community erupted in a frenzy of excitement.
Unrevealed data.
An Easter egg that the developer had placed under exceptionally tight security.
If such a secret didn't excite you, you had no right to call yourself a gamer.
Many began to challenge the Cancer Giant, and when still no one succeeded, someone even put up a bounty.
『Putting a bounty on that fucking giant.
I'm curious what that damn Easter egg is, but I can't beat the giant with my skills.
Someone kill that thing before the boss room for me and post a screenshot as proof.
I’ll give $1,000 each to the first 5 people who succeed.
writer : s-ven
┕what the···
┕Is it my time to shine...
┕Someone call the guys from the other community!
┕But how can we trust this?
┕Idiot, you don't know who wrote this? It's the son of that Hollywood actor, Lington!』
What followed was a miraculous grand unification.
The post from a rich kid with more money than sense who didn't want to struggle ignited a fire in the hearts of unemployed gamers with plenty of time but no money.
『Hey, temporary alliance.』
The cowards who had fled and the perverts who had remained reunited.
Besides them, the majority of users who had been playing the game out of genuine interest also joined forces.
『Cancer Giant Mechanics Guide』
『How to Counter the Giant's Mechanics Using the Map』
『Regarding the Giant's Hitbox by Frame』
And so, a new wind began to blow.
* * *
Han Seo-rim went on a university retreat.
I had prescribed some drastic measures for her, as she was stressing out all day worrying about the game's reception.
An excessive obsession with reviews, if not curbed early on, can deeply scar one's ego later.
It had to be dealt with now.
‘If she just does something else for a bit, she’ll cool her head.’
That was the idea behind sending Han Seo-rim away.
Resting at home for the first time in a while, the day felt quite leisurely.
Of course, I couldn't completely erase thoughts about the game.
‘I should probably rest until the sales figures start to take shape.’
The expected turning point for a rise in sales was about two more months away.
That’s roughly how long it takes for the enthusiast player base to pick the game clean, form a consensus, and spread the word.
I was talking about international sales, not domestic.
I hadn't seriously targeted the Korean market in the first place.
The goal for the domestic market was simply ‘to generate a minimal number of sales records.’
Getting some reviews would be even better.
Why didn't I aim for more?
Because failure was a foregone conclusion.
‘Domestically, the current reaction is enough to have achieved our goal. Anything more would be difficult.’
It goes without saying, but you can't conquer the mainstream Korean market with a single-player packaged game.
The extensive network of LAN cables covering this small country has created a culture centered around the ‘online gaming market.’
What Koreans love are competitive, growth-based multiplayer games.
In such an environment, if you were to release a solo-play indie game like *Hellic* only in Korea, wouldn't it disappear without a trace?
This is especially true in this era.
‘The golden age of online games.’
This is a time when Korea’s representative online game IPs are rapidly growing and expanding.
Online games of this period, not yet plagued by toxic business models or the high entry barriers caused by long-term operation, are undergoing an explosive expansion befitting the dawn of a new culture.
The future becomes a bit bleak, but... for now, that's how it is.
‘So, in conclusion, this is a rest period.’
Ignoring the domestic market response and focusing only overseas, at a time when we don't even have sales projections and have just finished bug fixes, there's nothing more I can do.
I couldn't even plan a new game.
The problem, for instance, was money.
‘The next game needs to be bigger in scale.’
There was a game I wanted to make next.
Given the current situation, it would have to remain at an indie level, but it was a game I envisioned with a much larger scope than *Hellic*.
As such, the budget was crucial.
But at this point, not knowing how much of a budget I could secure, I couldn't recklessly enter even the planning stage.
This was what felt inconvenient.
‘Coming to the past is great and all, but my entire career is gone.’
In fact, if I could leverage my career, I could use methods like crowdfunding.
Donation-based funding platforms were just emerging around this time.
If I could just pull in development funds from outside sources, I could attempt a game with a slightly larger scope.
‘But that’s just a pipe dream.’
*Hellic* itself is proof.
The success of a funding campaign is determined by ‘how many people are looking forward to the sequel of this game,’ and *Hellic*, my only current credit, is a game so small it’s embarrassing to even call it a career.
I don't have the credibility to succeed with a funding campaign.
‘Money, money, money.’
I hated that damn company like crazy, but as long as I worked in a commercial industry, it seemed I couldn't escape being held back by this damn money.
‘Maybe I should just find a publisher?’
I entertained the terrible thought for a moment before shaking it off.
Yeah, right. Who knows what kind of interference I’d have to deal with if I picked the wrong publisher.
For now, it's better to struggle a bit more in a free environment.
The thought of being hounded by a publisher sent a shiver down my spine.
I can guarantee it wouldn't be much different from the pressure I got at the company.
A director's authority is nothing more than a sandcastle in the face of money.
“Haaah.”
A sigh escaped me.
Let’s stop thinking about money.
During a break, one should focus on resting.
I won't even look at the community forums or the Steam sales tab.
For a while, I plan to rest while revisiting the masterpieces released in this era.
A developer's input is one of the lifelong tasks they must never neglect.
I packed my things and left my room.
“Yeon-ho, are you going out?”
“Yes, I’m heading to school.”
“Aigoo, my son is studying so hard.”
“I have to make sure you live in luxury, Mom. I’m off.”
After saying goodbye to my mother, I left the house.
My heart ached a little.
‘Sorry, Mom.’
Your son isn’t studying these days.
* * *
Two days passed.
It was a day with no morning classes, so I arrived at school late.
“Senior!!!”
A clear, piercing shout.
I looked up to see Han Seo-rim running toward me from a distance.
Her anxious face was one thing... but today was the last day of the university retreat. Why was she still here instead of going straight home?
I didn't have time to ponder the question.
“What are you doing here…?”
“What took you so long?! Do you have any idea what’s happening right now? And why didn't you answer your phone?”
“...My phone’s on silent.”
“Agh! This guy! Just follow me!”
Han Seo-rim grabbed my wrist and started dragging me onto campus.
Being dragged away so frantically before we could even exchange greetings was a bit bewildering.
“What on earth is it?”
“Just come on! You have to see this with your own eyes!”
Urgency was clear in her voice.
No, was it excitement?
It was clear something had happened.
At this point, I started to feel a little anxious.
“Can’t you just tell me…?”
“You’ll know when you see it!”
The place Han Seo-rim dragged me to was the club room.
She roughly opened the door, pulled me over to the computer, and sat me down.
The computer was on.
“Look at this!”
She wasn’t giving me a moment to breathe.
Dazed, I turned my gaze to the computer.
It was in that moment.
“Alright, just calm down…”
My breath caught.
Because of the image on the monitor.
“...What is this?”
“That’s what I want to ask!”
*Thump!*
Han Seo-rim slammed her hand on the desk.
Even then, my eyes remained glued to the monitor.
What was on the screen was the Steam store’s ranking page.
And down below, in the lower rankings.
『97, Hellic』
*Hellic* was on the charts.
The situation was unbelievable.
I looked at Han Seo-rim.
“We made the charts! Huh? I’m telling you, we’re on the charts!”
With a radiant face, Han Seo-rim grabbed me by the collar and shook me back and forth.
My head was ringing, but even so, the question ‘Why?’ wouldn't leave my mind.
It was only natural.
Until now, *Hellic* was just a game being passed around by a few enthusiasts on a domestic Korean community site.
With Steam’s official launch in Korea still a year away, the number of Korean customers using it would be low due to accessibility issues.
That meant the customers had to be from overseas, but receiving such quick feedback from the international market for a game made by two Korean developers with no connections to the US was just absurd.
So how did the game even make it onto the charts?
And not just that, but it had surpassed popular free-to-play American games on Steam, this game that cost a whole $4.99.
“What the…”
As I struggled to comprehend the situation, Han Seo-rim gave me the answer.
“Here, look at this too.”
Han Seo-rim quickly moved the mouse and brought up a window—it was the community site she always browsed for ego-surfing.
Only then did everything start to make sense.
A dry laugh escaped me.
“These crazy…”
『(Chat) WaitingForZodiac3: Breaking News! Hellic Easter egg discovered on a US forum! p.s. It was a huge event with a bounty on it!』
To sum it up, that was it.
The Easter egg that I expected would take years to be discovered had already been found.
In a way I had never anticipated.
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