Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Director’s Duel
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Jellen Copson, the former CEO and director of Evil Scale.
Today was destined to be a dramatic turning point in his life.
An offer that had made him fly all the way from America in a single bound: to lead the newly established Development Team 2 at Rewind.
A thrill coursed through his entire body.
After all, the director of *Hellic*, a man he admired so deeply, was extending a hand to him.
The influence Yeon-ho had on the games Copson had made thus far was by no means small.
From the first day he played *Hellic 1* to the release of *Hellic 2*, Yeon-ho's games had opened up a new world for him.
From the way *Hellic* unraveled the delicate correlation between its intuitiveness and depth, to its linear flow and the narrative it completed at the end, how many ideas had it given him?
It was just too good.
As a fan, Copson loved Yeon-ho, and the hand he offered was more than a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
If it weren't for one single drawback, Copson would have been tempted to perform a full Korean bow right then and there.
"...A two-director system, you say?"
"Yes."
"Hmm..."
Copson's gaze shifted to the seat beside him, a hint of displeasure in his eyes.
Nishimura something-or-other.
From the moment he'd entered the reception room, the man had been giggling while watching anime on his smartphone, looking less like a game developer and more like an otaku who was just into subcultures.
In fact, the game Yeon-ho had mentioned he developed was a dating sim.
And he was supposed to develop a game with this man?
Personal preferences aside, he couldn't help but think this would severely damage Rewind's reputation.
Nishimura Keisuke was thinking the exact same thing.
'Eeeh, this guy looks so uptight. I *absolutely* don't want to work with him.'
Nishimura had also come all the way from Japan out of admiration for Yeon-ho.
Truthfully, he didn't know much about *Hellic 1*.
All Nishimura knew was *Hellic 2* and the image of Yeon-ho developing it.
A girl overcoming a crisis, and the butterfly who was her mother.
How captivating were their emotional narrative and moe elements?
Alice's model, in particular, was an undeniable masterpiece, an artwork imbued with the soul of a master craftsman.
That alone was enough to know the sincerity of Yeon-ho's dedication to moe.
But Yeon-ho had gone a step further.
Cosplay.
The state of becoming one with a character through overflowing love.
In other words, the ultimate love!
Yeon-ho had courageously practiced it in front of the public.
Nishimura couldn't help but fall for Yeon-ho, both as an otaku and as a director.
If he could, he would have loved to spend all night discussing anime with Yeon-ho or talking about inserting moe elements into games.
For that reason, and to create the ultimate moe game, the director position of this Development Team 2 was something he absolutely could not give up.
But to have to do it with a prickly, sharp-nosed guy like him?
And the game he made was called 'Evil Blood'?
It was obvious it would be a dull and dry game.
The displeasure on both their faces grew more overt.
It was at that moment.
"...Perhaps, have I made too impudent of a proposal?"
*Flinch!*
Both men jolted simultaneously.
Their eyes widened as they turned to Yeon-ho.
"Not at all!"
"No!"
Even the fact that they'd said the same thing was irritating.
After glaring at each other once more, they spoke in unison.
""We'll do it!""
It was a dramatic agreement.
* * *
About fifty days passed.
By the time we finalized contract terms, signed the papers, and sorted out visas and other procedures, winter had already arrived.
I greeted them in the Development Team 2 office, for which I had finished the modeling in the meantime.
"I look forward to working with you all from today."
They hesitantly bowed their heads as I offered my greetings.
They still didn't seem to be on good terms.
And yet, from now on, they had to cooperate as Development Team 2...
"H-Hai...!"
"Yes!"
Copson and Nishimura were like oil and water.
That expression perfectly described them as they kept their distance, unable to mix, glaring at each other as if ready to fight at any moment.
Right behind them, the team members they had each brought along were laughing and cheering each other on, but it was as if the two directors didn't even notice.
This was an unexpected situation.
As far as I knew, these two were soulmates who had recognized each other and joined hands the moment they first met at an indie game festival!
That's what Jo A-yun had told me...!
"...For now, the team members can head to their desks. The directors, please come to the conference room."
...No, I shouldn't jump to conclusions.
It might just be because they haven't started working yet.
Yes, who knows?
Perhaps their relationship would improve as they worked together, discovered each other's strengths, or found better solutions through discussion.
Besides, it's ridiculous to expect a well-developed social sense from an indie director in the first place.
Most young indie developers graduated from college and formed teams with close friends to work.
They couldn't possibly have experienced things like power struggles with investors or hierarchical relationships in the workplace.
That was something I would have to instill in them from now on.
A sense of camaraderie was also something they would have to learn gradually.
So, I decided to observe them for a while.
I had the two of them sit side by side in the conference room and spoke.
"First, thank you once again for accepting my offer. It's an honor to have you here."
I repeated my words of welcome, then got to the main point.
"As I mentioned, Development Team 2 will be in charge of a new project, separate from my series. And I intend to intervene as little as possible in the development process. I'll probably just look things over at the final confirmation stage. I made this decision because I trust you."
The two of them nodded, their eyes sparkling.
It was a bit overwhelming.
"...Of course, I know you'd be in a difficult position if I just told you to start a project from scratch. You haven't even had a chance to properly sync up with the team members you brought."
This was a different story from when Rewind was expanding.
Back then, we had six core developers, including myself, who moved as one to manage the subordinate organizations, so there was little friction as we grew.
But this time was completely different.
This was about merging two teams that had operated under different systems.
Two teams from different countries, at that.
Friction? It was bound to happen.
Work processes? It would be strange if they were the same.
We needed to go through a phase of coordinating them first, and as it happened, I had just the right project for it.
"I'm sorry, but I've already chosen your first project. I'll need you to start with that."
"Chosen...?"
Nishimura swallowed dryly.
I answered.
"You'll be working on a remaster of *Hellic 1*."
"Hah!"
Copson sucked in a sharp breath.
His cheeks flushed red, and his body trembled.
"A remaster...!"
"Yes, a remaster. The market has changed a lot since we first made *Hellic 1*."
This wasn't a project I threw at them just because I had nothing else for them to do.
It was necessary for many reasons.
"Our development technology has improved a bit. We have more manpower now, too."
*Hellic 1* was slapped together by just two developers, so it had many shortcomings.
That was true despite it being the first game to start the *Hellic* series.
And one more thing.
"*Hellic 3*, which we're releasing next, is the chapter that will tie the narratives of 1 and 2 together to conclude the trilogy. You can see this as part of the preparatory work for that."
It was an unfortunate truth, but *Hellic 1* hadn't sold as well as *Hellic 2*.
In other words, while there were people who knew the hell of *Hellic 2*, the number of hardcore fans who understood how the entire world was structured was smaller than one might think.
This time, we needed to increase that number.
In the process of solidifying the world-building, playing from the jailer's perspective in *Hellic 1* would add depth.
And it would serve as fuel to heat things up before the release of *Hellic 3*.
"There are two things in particular I'd like you to handle."
I held up two fingers and folded one down as I spoke.
"First, script insertion and dot graphic upscaling."
This was to show the hell seen from the jailer's perspective more intuitively.
Now, the next part was especially important.
"Second, a smartphone port."
"A smartphone...?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. We will release the *Hellic 1* remaster simultaneously as a version optimized for smartphones and a high-spec version for Steam."
Accessibility.
A problem every game company in the world worries about, and one of the factors that most directly affects sales.
The times had changed.
To be precise, it was a challenge that could only be undertaken in this specific era.
The trend in the smartphone game market was gradually shifting from casual games to auto-battle, free-to-play games.
Among the games that emerged in that transitional market, there were a few low-spec games that used AAA IPs.
The smartphone port of *Hellic 1* was planned with those in mind.
"That's the rough outline. The release date will probably be around next summer or fall."
It was less than a year away, but it was entirely feasible.
Since we weren't building it from scratch but reworking something that already existed, it wouldn't consume significant resources, either in terms of work or manpower.
The original *Hellic 1* was like that, wasn't it?
The volume wasn't that large, and there weren't many complex control elements system-wise, so even developing the original game took only a little over a year.
"I've set the schedule with some leeway on purpose. Regardless of its success or failure, the ultimate goal of this project is for your team to find your rhythm."
Development Team 2 needed to find common ground among themselves before they could grow bigger.
I couldn't emphasize that enough.
The *Hellic 1* remaster was a small-scale project for that purpose.
"Can I entrust this to you?"
When I asked, Copson and Nishimura nodded.
It was good that they were full of enthusiasm.
"I will make it a success!"
"You can count on me!"
...If only they would stop growling at each other.
"Grr...!"
"Grrr...!"
The two of them glared at one another.
Suddenly, I felt a pang of anxiety.
* * *
December arrived.
Development Team 2 had more or less adjusted to life in a foreign country and began their work in earnest.
On the floor directly above, Development Team 1 was suffering through the development of *Hellic 3*, but for Team 2, who used the lower floor for their commute, it was a reality that didn't quite hit home.
Here, they were fighting their own battle: the remastering of *Hellic 1*.
That wasn't a metaphor. They were literally fighting.
"No! Why are you emphasizing the prisoner's chest there?!"
"Eeeh~? Isn't that obvious? I don't know how you can think there are only male prisoners in hell~"
"It's for gameplay purposes! Gameplay purposes! Besides, there were no female prisoners in the original!"
"That was before the remaster, wasn't it? The President gave us creative freedom for this remaster, you know?"
"That's not the kind of freedom he meant!"
Copson and Nishimura were arguing again over the direction.
It was an inevitable result.
Just as Yeon-ho had assessed, Copson was a director who produced an extremely restrained and dry taste, while Nishimura was a director who used too much seasoning, creating a flavor that was, in turn, overwhelming.
Such differences were bound to stand out in every little detail.
The team members were now so used to this scene that they just let it be and focused on their own work.
In other words, the two of them had fought that much in the span of just over a month.
"Hey, if you're just some guy who makes dating sims, why don't you just pipe down? Huh? I'm begging you."
"Eeeh~ I can't believe someone who judges games by their genre can call himself a director~"
When Copson spoke harshly, his temper flaring, Nishimura retorted tauntingly, not about to back down.
The sight of Nishimura nonchalantly picking his ear was more than enough to make Copson blow his top.
Copson's face turned beet red.
At that moment, he wasn't a white man, but a red one.
"Y-you...!"
As his anger boiled, Copson thought.
'I've put up with enough! I've been letting that guy's nonsense slide!'
It had been like that from the start of development.
When Nishimura suggested creating scripts that focused on the individuality and character of the monsters, he hadn't shut him down immediately but had partially accepted the opinion, saying it would be better to focus on the protagonist.
Perhaps that made him cocky, because afterward, Nishimura kept trying to shoehorn in elements that weren't in the original.
Copson couldn't forgive that.
He had been holding back all this time because he wanted to live up to Yeon-ho's expectations.
But that was becoming difficult.
Nishimura felt the same way.
'It's too dry, isn't it? Does he want to make a simple grindfest instead of a game?'
For Nishimura, the core of the *Hellic 1* remaster was the 'script insertion.'
In other words, establishing the world of hell.
To do that, Nishimura believed they needed to show various types of prisoners.
He felt they had to display the individuality of those who had fallen there in a clearer form to match the upscaled dot graphics.
Nishimura really didn't like Copson.
The man had no romance.
Only mechanical rules.
The emotional rift between them had deepened as far as it could go.
Both men instinctively felt it.
"...Hey."
Copson said, his eyes gleaming.
"Let's do this."
"Do what?"
"You don't like my way, and I don't like yours, right? Let's have one of us be the lead, and the other a sidekick."
He was suggesting they determine who was superior.
Of course, the method wouldn't be an ordinary one.
If it could have been resolved that way, their conflict wouldn't have deepened this much.
Copson hated Nishimura.
Nishimura hated Copson, too.
It wasn't just dislike.
"Let's decide with our fists."
He hated him so much he wanted to punch him in the face.
Copson grinned.
"There's a gym nearby. Let's spar."
Nishimura scoffed and rose from his seat.
"Alright! Let's settle this like men, with our fists!"
And so, the sparring match was on.
Jellen Copson had been learning to box in his spare time for two years.
He was confident he would win.
Nishimura Keisuke knew the difference in power that came from their weight classes.
He was confident he would win.
The result was this.
*Thwack!*
Copson's victory!
No matter how different their weight classes were, it wasn't a dramatic difference.
Even at an amateur level, the difference in technique was stark.
"Ugh...!"
"I'm the lead. Got it? Fatty."
Copson thought that everything would now return to its proper course.
"First, get rid of the big-breasted female prisoner. We don't need that crap in the Hell of the Self-Destructors!"
He was mistaken.
* * *
"...Again."
A week later, Nishimura spoke.
With eyes full of wildness, he challenged Copson to a rematch.
Copson gladly accepted the challenge.
But this time, the result was different.
*Pow!*
"Oof!"
In their second sparring match, Copson was knocked down by a jab-jab-straight combo that Nishimura had learned.
Nishimura said.
"I've gotten rid of the big-breasted prisoner, so that's that. But the prisoner dialogue is going in."
*Sniff!* Nishimura wiped his bloody nose and turned away.
He, too, just as Copson had before him, thought that everything would now return to its proper course.
Of course, he was mistaken.
"Again!"
They fought whenever their opinions clashed.
"Again!"
As if it were the only way, as if winning a fight was the path to correct directing, they frequented the gym as often as they ate.
"Again!!!"
And so, an unspoken agreement was formed.
When opinions differed, they would follow the word of the one who won the sparring match.
What had once happened on the rooftop of a building in LA in a past life was now being reenacted here in Pangyo.
To put it in figurative terms, it was like this.
"A-yun, where are you going?"
"T-to watch the sparring...! Do you want to come, President...?"
"..."
Proving the righteousness of one's beliefs through martial prowess—this was the world of martial arts.
The beliefs of the weak were trampled upon—this was the law of the strong.
Regardless of the era or origin, Development Team 2, where justice was spoken through strength, was a martial world.
In that brutal forest where the weak could not survive, the Lord of the Righteous Alliance (Copson) and the Master of the Black Serpent Clan (Nishimura) were fighting again today.
Of course, there was one fact that should not be forgotten.
"I need you to write an apology."
In the modern martial world, there was no such thing as government non-interference.
Before the emperor (Yeon-ho), they were nothing but equal subjects (employees).
* * *
The prototype for the *Hellic 1* remastered version was out.
I was thrown into confusion.
The result of two people who I couldn't tell if they came to spar or to make a game.
I was sure it would be a failure, but...
'Why is this so fun?'
...The level of completion is surprisingly high.
End.