Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Jo A-yun in Crisis (2)
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It was time to start designing Chapter 2 and beyond.
As such, I recalled the time I watched over the girl's journey.
Having just completed God's trial in the Hell of Heretics, the girl stepped into a place that was a complete one-eighty from what she had known.
The first thing that came to mind was ‘purple.’
It was a place that gave the illusion of being lost in a dream, as if purple oil had been scattered to distort the very space.
[This is the Hell of Hedonism. The exit is that way.]
The butterfly fluttered up and pointed in one direction.
Indeed, only then did I understand why it showed me the exit first.
The exit was the only thing in the form of a white, rectangular door.
Even from a great distance, it was the one thing that stood out.
[In the Hell of Hedonism, the distinction of space is ambiguous. Stay too long, and the distinction of time will blur as well. This is a place for people like that.]
“People like that?”
[People who have forgotten reality, steeped in pleasure.]
The words reminded me of the Catholic Bible.
Was this a place that defined pleasure as a sin, punishing it to teach the virtue of moderation?
That was my initial guess, but this damn hell was never so simple.
It had never once gone as I expected.
[Everyone here knows how to escape. It's simple. You just go to that door and open it. But no one ever leaves.]
“Why?”
[Because they know that if they leave this place, they'll never experience such pleasure again. The sinners are certain of it.]
In the Hell of Hedonism, there were naked sinners.
They were mostly melted into the scenery, their forms distorted, but if you looked closely, you could see them grinning foolishly, tears and snot streaming down their faces.
Then, at a certain moment, they would rise as if their minds had cleared.
“Ah… ah…!”
They seemed to be engulfed in feelings of lethargy and despair.
The butterfly explained.
[Here, they live half the day drunk on pleasure. The other half, they are dragged back to reality. They eternally repeat their happiest and most miserable moments.]
Would it be right to describe it as alternating between a cold bath and a hot one?
But if that were the case, wouldn't at least one person grow tired of it and open the door?
The question soon faded.
[Do you know? Joy... The moment you become its slave, it snatches away your freedom. It will bind you, control you, and compel you. It will make you think only of joy, every single moment. And if reality is painful, the more that pain weighs on you, the more desperately you will seek that escape.]
A space where one casts oneself into hell.
That's how I could define it.
[Only those who have gone mad for pleasure fall here. It doesn't matter what form that pleasure took. Those who fall here feel a pleasure greater than any happiness they ever felt in life, so they become even more obsessed with it. Then, they are forced to face what they lost because of that pleasure. It's a cycle of regret and failure. This is the abyss.]
The butterfly had said something earlier.
That hell was a place that turned humans into monsters.
Such a being existed here as well.
[Now, look over there. Those are the ones who wished to remain slaves to pleasure, even when they could no longer face their past. They abandoned themselves. They become lumps of flesh that only accept stimulation.]
It was a mass formed by tens, hundreds of people intertwined with each other.
This, too, was a form distorted by the purple oil of the space.
None of them screamed.
Among the hundreds of faces, some were asleep, while others were awake, reveling in pleasure.
[They share the pain and multiply the pleasure. That mass has a single purpose. Greater pleasure, lesser pain. It's starting now. Watch closely. It's the monster you must avoid.]
The mass squirmed and changed its shape. Dozens of bodies twisted together to form the massive snout of a beast.
It swallowed a sinner who was suffering alone in a daze.
Soon, a new face grew on the mass.
He was sleeping with a peaceful expression.
[That's the end. Once that happens, they remain in this hell forever. What? You ask if that means this is no longer hell for them? Well, I suppose so, if you can define a lump of flesh that has lost even its ego as an existence. Remember this. That signifies the complete annihilation of the soul. It's a terrible thing.]
The mass was the bottom of this abyss.
It was symbolic, and a form that made sense.
Because no one would want to lose their individual will.
[Now, let's hurry. This place is dangerous. We need to leave quickly.]
The girl's second adventure wouldn't require many words.
Interpreted from a game design perspective, that is.
The ever-approaching threat of the mass would be the boss monster.
The scent of pleasure spreading thickly throughout the space would be a constraint.
And those suffering as they faced reality would be the regular monsters.
That place, too, was faithful to the adventure genre.
That's how I saw it.
***
Han Seo-rim asked.
“You've planned this one to be incredibly difficult, too.”
Her glare was sharp.
Well, it's no easy task to conceptualize a distorted space, model the mass as a boss monster, and design a lone, pure-white door amidst a dreamlike, chaotic backdrop as a map and its objects.
Especially since the quality of my rough sketches was abysmal, the difficulty of Han Seo-rim's concept art tended to rise exponentially.
The same went for Jo A-yun.
The second chapter requires a great deal of consideration on the sound design front.
Even more so when you consider the dreamlike atmosphere that exists between reality and pleasure, and the alien nature of the boss monster.
But, thankfully, we had a guideline.
“The basic framework will follow the first chapter. It’s actually a small benefit we gained from making the demo version.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean that Hellic 2’s concept is already complete.”
I wasn't just saying that; I meant it.
In its demo version, Hellic 2 had already fulfilled all the necessary elements for the game's planning stage.
“Consistency. We're going to carry the feel of Chapter 1 all the way through Chapter 4.”
A game's chapters are, by nature, turning points in the narrative.
They must create diversity with their distinct looks.
Their role is to provide the user with varied experiences to ward off the boredom that inevitably accompanies a game.
But even amidst that, there was one thing that should never be compromised.
That was the consistency applied to the game's overall framework.
“The key point in Chapter 1's design was the harmony between modern and classical art. The depiction of God's form was a prime example. We're going to continue that. We'll use the application of various artistic designs as our concept.”
As soon as I finished, Han Seo-rim proposed an idea.
“Hmm, oil painting? How about we go with oil painting for Chapter 2? It’s been used in many ways, from classical to modern times. Plus, we have the keyword ‘oil’.”
“That's your domain. I'll leave it to you. Try various approaches and bring them to me. I'll pick the one that best fits my vision.”
“Ugh, this feels like a college assignment.”
She made a weary face, but she seemed motivated.
She's talented to begin with, so I was sure she'd bring back something impressive.
Next was Jo A-yun.
“A-yun, you have plenty of time this round, too. In fact, you could ponder it for another year. It'll take quite a while to get through the programming anyway. In the meantime, I want you to study more about the musical application of sound effects. Like how we used that glass-shattering sound.”
“Ye-yes…!”
“Alright, that's it for the meeting. Everyone, get to work.”
Experience accumulates.
This becomes even more apparent when you're creating different visuals while sharing the same concept, like we are now.
Since we already have our own accumulated references and know-how, the work shouldn't be as slow as before.
I wouldn't have to worry too much about this side of things from now on.
We were finally starting to look like a proper team.
'The one who needs to worry is me.'
I'll have to start implementation as soon as the designs and models are ready.
No, I need to create the necessary foundation even before that.
In other words, it's time for programming.
But time is tight.
There were too many things that needed my immediate attention—wrapping up the external marketing I'd started, coordinating future schedules, and financial matters.
If I tried to handle programming on top of all that, my body would start sending warning signals, just like it did before the demo release.
So, it's about time I started looking.
'A programmer.'
Someone to help with this vicious programming.
***
It was obvious if I thought about it.
The algorithms I use are far more advanced than those of this era.
Of course, since programming is the study of how to apply established code, the changes between eras aren't dramatic, but there are shifts, such as more efficient methods becoming widespread over time.
That was the problem.
'Whoever I bring in, I'll have to teach them my methods, which aren't common in this era. And typically, talented people don't listen to someone younger than them.'
I'm 24 now, and this body is quite young.
If I tried to teach my algorithms to skilled programmers in this body, most of them would resist.
Of course, if they saw it was effective, they would follow along. But there's no guarantee their pride wouldn't be wounded.
In other words, I need someone who can understand and accept my algorithms in this situation.
There's no need to spell out how difficult that would be.
People often dismiss programming as a profession lacking social skills.
In some ways that's true, but in others, it's false.
To put it bluntly, a programming team is a profession where 'programmatic communication' is so crucial that it rivals any other field.
The process of understanding, matching, and coordinating each other's code is absolutely impossible without an open mind and comprehension.
In fact, if you compare the output of a team with one outstanding programmer and the rest lagging behind, versus a team of several competent programmers working together, the latter's results will be far superior, proving this point.
After all, if you have a novice on the team who doesn't even understand the program they're touching, wouldn't bugs appear even in perfectly fine code?
To give another example, if you gather people with different work styles, bugs will inevitably arise due to the disparity.
It just means more time spent on debugging.
In short, programming is teamwork.
And in my current situation, that was the problem.
'Finding the right person is difficult.'
Looking back at myself, there's something I know for a fact.
I'm a fairly dogmatic person, and I'm more efficient when others adapt to my way of working rather than me adapting to theirs.
Since this is my team, I should maintain that approach, but if I bring in someone skilled, the teaching time would be short, but they'd likely challenge me or offer opinions on every little thing. I would just dismiss them, damaging our teamwork.
On the other hand, if I bring in a novice, it's next to impossible to put someone who can't even properly understand the algorithms straight into a practical role.
'Someone reasonably sharp, reasonably young, and who reasonably listens to what I say.'
As if someone like that would just magically appear.
The problem is that I know such a person only exists in dreams.
This was the biggest reason I had postponed recruiting a programmer until now.
A deep sigh escaped me.
“What are you sighing for? You'll let all the good luck out.”
Han Seo-rim approached.
“Here.”
As I looked up, I saw that Han Seo-rim had brought over some concept art.
I checked them; they were pretty good.
“The map is better than the last one. The monster was better last time. Let's mix the two.”
“Right? That's what I thought, too.”
Han Seo-rim readily agreed.
Was it because she was back to work after a break, or was it because the community's reaction to the demo was so good?
She's been quite passionate about her work lately.
I was just thinking that.
“Oh, right.”
“Hm?”
“You know A-yun's qualification exam? The application period is starting soon.”
“Already?”
“...It's February. Our semester is starting soon, too.”
Has it been that long already?
I nodded and asked.
“How is A-yun's studying going?”
An answer came back that should never have.
“It's pretty serious. She's scoring in the 40s in all subjects. Failing grades.”
“?”
Han Seo-rim avoided my gaze and said.
“...A-yun, it's been too long since she last studied. Her academic brain has gone stiff.”
Han Seo-rim's lips pressed into a firm line.
It was at that moment.
*Click!*
“Ah, hello...!”
Jo A-yun entered the office with a beaming smile.
“President! Seo-rim! Th-this is a Valentine's Day gift...!”
Her mother's voice flashed through my mind.
—Sir! Please help our A-yun pass, no matter what!
A sense of alarm washed over me.
'A-yun, A-yun, A-yun...'
Chocolates are not what's important right now.
Jo A-yun in Crisis (2)