Chapter 175
Chapter 175
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 175
Chapter Title: Live Showcase
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A week flew by.
For some, every moment might have been an agonizing wait, but for the organizers, it was a frantic rush.
After all, setting everything up, preparing the presentation, and rehearsing it all within ten days was no easy feat.
The only reason it was possible was thanks to Rewind's "employee forging."
This was true even though Development Team 1 wasn't in charge this time.
"We did it. We did it...!"
Since this involved overseeing Rewind's entire business operations, the business department took the lead.
Naturally, it was the business department's public relations office that completed the preparations, with cooperation from every team.
Seok Ji-hye, the head of the PR office, shed a tear as she looked back on the grueling ten days.
*'Ah, members of the development team.'*
*You've always walked this path.*
She felt like an inmate being released after serving a full sentence, looking back at their cellmate who was still stuck inside.
In any case, at the end of all that hardship.
"Ten minutes to broadcast!"
In the small in-house studio used for live broadcasts, Yeon-ho, wearing a mask and a suit, was reviewing the script.
*That well-built... no, that incredible man is the root of all evil.*
Office Head Seok Ji-hye gritted her teeth, and just then, the [On Air] sign lit up.
Yeon-ho looked up and spoke.
"Good evening. I'm Cheon Yeon-ho."
As soon as he uttered his usual opening line for public appearances, the chat started scrolling rapidly.
***
[―ivebeenwaitingivebeenwaitingivebeenwaitingivebeenwaitingivebeenwaiting
―youresoprettyyouresoprettyyouresoprettyyouresopretty
―yeonhowhyarentyoucrossdressingtoday?why?why?
―He's lost his touch, tsk...
―Give us the DLC!!! How long are you gonna hold it hostage!!!!
―When is Demon's Relic coming out?
―Why no more sparring streams these days? I saw sparring reviews on Blind? Have you lost your edge?]
*'Hmm.'*
*The familiar taste of chaos.*
Indeed, the raw, unfiltered reactions from viewers are always dizzying to see.
The one silver lining is that I've gotten used to it in my own way.
I can stay pretty calm even when I see these kinds of reactions now.
I don't mean that in a bad way; it just means I no longer get swept up and dragged along by the crowd.
Experience has taught me.
That in times like these, you need to make an example.
[―Yeon-ho why are you wearing a mask today? Are you hiding a hickey on your cheek...
[This message has been deleted.]]
"For a smoother broadcast, I'll be moderately filtering the chat."
The chat window quieted down instantly.
I took a deep breath.
This is an important occasion, an announcement, and groundwork for the future.
Suppressing the tension and the thought that I couldn't afford even a single mistake, I began to speak.
"As previously announced, today's event is to provide a general overview of Rewind's future content..."
The words flowed out, just like the script.
The chat window reacted accordingly.
The presentation slide appeared.
[2020 Release and Event Schedule.]
"The main framework consists of the Hellic DLC, the release of the Hellic 2 remake, and the announcement of Demon's Relic 2."
The moment I said that, the chat scrolled up so fast I couldn't read it.
There was no need to read it closely.
It was a positive reaction, after all.
What stood out was the users' excited response, particularly to the news of the Hellic 2 remake.
*'But...'*
*That can't be the main event today.*
I had to change the subject.
Fortunately, it was a topic that could be quickly brought under control.
"The Hellic 4 DLC, scheduled for release next month. Let's start by talking about that."
In truth, almost all the information was already out.
The only thing that hadn't been released was the second cinematic trailer.
The most effective promotion is visual promotion.
Nothing is better than a video for intuitively sparking interest in the game itself.
I was now using the second cinematic, which I had originally saved for release around this time.
"I'll reveal it now. Here is the second cinematic trailer."
And so, the showcase began.
***
Somewhere in the Hell of Slaughter.
A shabby old man sat in a small, dark room, foaming at the mouth as he flipped through a book.
Behind him, the protagonist, Jade Wilson, appeared and aimed a gun at the back of his head.
The old man flinched, froze, then slowly turned his head to look at Jade Wilson.
The old man smiled.
—Heh heh, calm down. This is good news for you, too.
The old man grabbed Jade's hand.
—I've found a way out of this hell! It was the rift! Look at this book!
The book the old man shoved forward was filled with text written in an unknown ancient language and various geometric shapes.
The old man continued, filled with frenzy.
—This is a rift in time. Now, think about it. Does time ever flow properly in hell? Of course not! The flow of spacetime here is completely warped! And the center of it all is this very time rift!
A metallic rasp crept into his voice.
—We'll use this to go to the past! To a time before we fell into hell, when we were still alive! To a time when we hadn't sinned!
At that moment, the BGM started.
It was the sound of low, heavy percussion.
—Help me! You can return to a time when you were innocent and pure! We've earned the right!
he shouted, his voice thick with phlegm.
Jade Wilson frowned and hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger.
Bang—!
Thud. The old man collapsed, bleeding.
Bright red blood soaked the book, covering the text.
Fade to black.
As the screen went dark, the man's footsteps faded, replaced by another sound.
Tick, tock, tick.
The sound of a clock's hands.
And then,
Boom!
An orchestra began with the beat of a drum.
Soon, several scenes flashed by.
—Uwaaaaaah!!!
A giant covered in spores, roaring.
—Kkiiik—!
A monster in a bone mask, laughing alone on a plain filled with skewers.
After showing other bizarrely shaped monsters,
Clank—
it appeared.
Clank— Clank—
The cylinder of a revolver spins.
The cylinder is shaped like a heart.
A long tail sways, its sharp blade glinting.
Kkrrrr, with a cry, the monster raises its head.
The Jade Wilson from the bad ending.
And the current Jade Wilson faces off against him. Boom! With the sound of a drum, the screen cuts to black.
At that moment, the old man's whisper was heard.
—Hell's spacetime is warped. Not just time, but space as well.
After the choked whisper, the screen flickered for a brief moment.
What it showed was none other than...
Sskrng—
A single rusty fretsaw.
A fretsaw that no Hellic player could fail to recognize.
***
The showcase concluded with great success.
It was an even bigger success than Yeon-ho had initially planned.
First, the sheer volume of content was different.
While Rewind's previous showcases tended to focus on a single upcoming game release or reveal, this one was an announcement of their long-term plans.
Three games were scheduled for release, and on top of that, all sorts of information was unveiled, including news of media mix projects like an animation, as well as the merchandise, events, and special editions that users had been curious about.
The sense of satisfaction from the sheer volume of announcements was undeniable.
Furthermore, the game lineup itself was highly anticipated.
Because they were sequels to already proven titles rather than something new, there was a baseline of trust that they wouldn't be complete failures.
In addition, two of the games had release dates set in the near future, so it wouldn't be a long wait.
That was the general reaction.
『One More King: Demon's Relic 2 is finally here...
The light and salt of my life, my only salvation, my one true love has returned...
LordOfBloodInBangbae: Reducing the number of heroines to focus on depth is the real killer feature this time lol ah lolol
RetakingTheBarExam: The animation announcement was insane lololol I can't believe it's happening lolol』
For Demon's Relic 2, which many people were waiting for, the announcements were mainly about its development, basic systems, and concept.
However, since not much was revealed about the game, there wasn't much for fans to chew on.
But the disappointment wasn't too great.
After all, this showcase had a different star.
None other than the Hellic 2 remake and the Hellic 4 DLC.
First, the Hellic 2 remake. This news garnered as much, if not more, anticipation than the Hellic 4 DLC, which was scheduled for the very next month.
After all, wasn't Hellic 2 a title that, despite being made under poor conditions, was still regarded as a steady seller for Rewind... no, a steady seller in the entire gaming industry?
Its only drawbacks now were its outdated quality and limited scope due to budget constraints—drawbacks that were now gone.
『ILoveHellic: Heuung... I'm dyiiing...
Dying from happiness...』
『RankAndFileSwordMaster: Alice-chan... is coming back with upgraded quality...』
Ten years.
A decade is enough time for mountains and rivers to change, and in the gaming industry, it's enough time for things to be turned upside down not just once, but five times over. So what would the quality of a re-released Hellic 2 be like after all that time?
In the gaming industry, a change of era means a change in game engines.
A change in game engines means a change in quality.
To revive the outstanding character and narrative of Alice with that change could be summed up in one phrase.
『RomanticWoWzer: As long as,,, Teacher Yeon-ho,,, doesn't do anything,,, stupid,,
it,,, probably,,, won't,,, fail,,, haha,,,』
As long as they didn't screw it up, it was guaranteed to sell.
It was a title that couldn't possibly not sell.
Adding fuel to this fire of anticipation was Biohazard, which had been a GOTY nominee in 2019.
Hadn't it already been proven that remakes, beyond just sales figures, have a very high threshold for satisfying players?
In any case, this trend created positive public opinion, drawing focus to Rewind.
This was all part of the plan.
A plan to further increase the focus on the Hellic 4 DLC.
『FutureIsNotBright: lolololololololol
Let's gooooo lololol
Warden let's gooooo lololol
PoppyLetsGoForAWalk: The Cancer Giant and the Chapter 4 boss from Hellic 2 are also appearing ^^
└ JaeheeGaveUpQuitting: Ah, so the Skewer guy was him lololol The graphics are so different I didn't recognize him at first lololol』
The cinematic had made a crucial spoiler.
It brought back popular bosses from previous games using the themes of time and space.
The highlight among them was, of course, the fretsaw of the Warden, the protagonist and final boss who had garnered as much, if not more, popularity and fans as Alice in the Hellic series.
Is there really any need to explain just how much of a cult following the Warden had?
Above all, whenever the 'manly question' of 'Who's the strongest in Hellic's hell?' was asked, the Warden was always a top candidate.
It was so extreme that the damn Warden was even shipped with Yeon-ho in fan pairings.
『ILoveHellic: Ah... so reassuring!
Rewind's fan service is the best in the world!!!』
Because it was woven in using the themes of time and space, the DLC wouldn't be boring even for those who hadn't played the previous games.
But for users who had played all the previous titles, the DLC's lineup alone was enough to make their hearts swell with excitement.
D-20.
That time passed very quickly, and today was the day.
***
Late at night, a man secretly got out of bed and crept toward the bookshelf.
His hand reached for a decorative dictionary.
The man wiped the sweat dripping from his chin as he pulled out the dictionary.
Behind it was none other than the Hellic 4 DLC.
The man...
*'Yes!'*
...Seok-hoon pulled out the DLC with a look of sheer ecstasy.
And just as he was putting the dictionary back on the shelf.
Click!
The light in the dark room turned on.
Thud. Seok-hoon's body froze.
Sweat poured down his body like rain.
Creakingly, Seok-hoon turned his head and saw her.
"You suddenly woke up in the middle of the night and left, so I came to see..."
"S-Su-jin. Well, you see..."
"What's that?"
His wife, Kang Su-jin, was looking at the DLC package in his hand with interest.
"Is it a new game?"
It was cosmic horror.
At least, from Seok-hoon's perspective.