Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Project Reveal
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As the official reveal date for Project GM drew near, things got insanely hectic.
Even the PC game project had been a whirlwind, but a mobile game meant double—no, triple—the things to juggle.
"Yumi, you've got the press kit ready for the media outlets and the posts queued up for the official Twitter account, right? What about the local marketing schedule?"
"Y-Yes! All done! The marketing schedule's coming from the publishing company the day after tomorrow!"
"Yerin, final checks on the illustrations going out with the press kit and the teaser PV?"
"We've done three rounds of checks, and everyone's passed out now..."
"Myunghoon bro, official homepage launch prep all smooth? And the bug lists from QA?"
"Homepage's ready as responsive design... Bugs fixed about 60%?"
"Seol, story synopsis and setting bible for the homepage?"
"Y-Yes! All prepped and sent to the dev team..."
"Chaeyoung senior... you're doing great. Just keep it up."
"Demon... You brought me here to work me to death, didn't you? You bastard..."
Chaeyoung senior was the last to shuffle into the conference room, and even polite words couldn't call her state "good."
Among all the director-level staff gathered, she had by far the heaviest workload.
Unlike other tasks that could be divvied up, OST and BGM composition absolutely required her hands on everything—no way around it.
Her disheveled ash-blue hair yanked up into a messy bun, slumped over the table like my unemployed cousin back in the day.
"But you're getting overtime pay to match the hours, and the company's giving you everything you ask for."
"What's the point of the money if I can't even go home on time...!! Haven't made it back before midnight since last month!"
"But your hours are flexible anyway..."
"Ideas keep popping up—how am I supposed to just leave them and go home...!"
I shrugged at Chaeyoung senior's whining and scanned the room.
The team had already adapted to her antics, showing zero reaction, while Seol patted her shoulder from the side.
"Everyone's pulled all-nighters and extra shifts—great job so far. But the reveal doesn't end the schedule, so manage your conditions. That's all."
I bowed my head, and applause erupted in the conference room.
D-1 until Project GM's reveal.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Otaku are always parched for new works.
New anime, new manga, new games...
But that thirst only shines when fun new titles actually drop.
Lately, the subculture scene was in a rut.
New anime, manga, visual novels, you name it...
Otaku were starving with subculture hits trickling out like rare beans in dry soil.
In this climate, one post on a subculture forum was fuel enough to set the whole place ablaze.
📰 Breaking News [Nickname: Anon] Title: Enson new game? What's this? [Illustration of a silver-haired animal-eared beauty holding a picket sign reading COMING SOON] Any Enson game with a character like this? [All Comments][By Registration] — ?? — Wow Damn, that illust quality tho ㄷㄷㄷㄷ ↳ Reply Crushes all the quarterly waifu drops this quarter lololol — Enson only did PC games, right? ↳ Reply Saw it on Twitter, it's real ↳ Reply For real, wtf. 📰 Breaking News [Nickname: ??] Title: Enson really going full degen with new game? [Screenshot of Enson GT official Twitter] Didn't they ignore the degen side? What wind blew this way lololol [All Comments][By Registration] — Dumping Dungeon Story & Maple cash here lolol ↳ Reply That's Enson Korea tho? ↳ Reply Oh yeah? What's Enson GT then? ↳ Reply Wiki says subsidiary. ↳ Reply For real? — Big corp going all-in, quality nuts Yeah, when's it launching? 📰 Breaking News [Nickname: Summary Fairy] Title: Project GM info compilation—check it out They've been seeding info everywhere for months without official reveal. How'd no one notice sooner? Wild lololol First up, this Twitter account. [Screenshot of Twitter account nicknamed Ho Jin-Ji] Profile screams current Enson GT employee. Googled position—bam, ND Soft article pops up. [Screenshot of ND Soft's Ji Hojin director Blood Alliance 2 concurrent users record article] Director of ND Soft's hit Blood Alliance 2. Old-school gamer circles call him a game guru. Checked for same-name mixup—no other hits. TLDR: That's Project GM's director unless twist. Why's a boomer game director jumping to Enson GT for degen game? Dunno. Dug his follows—landed a whale. [Comiket photo of Yi Yerin and Yi Yena sisters signing and posing V] Yerin, doujin duo with sis, big in doujin scene—active in art galleries last year, everyone knows unless total noob. [Tri-panel illust showing only girl silhouettes] Found this cryptic post from Yerin's Twitter ~3 weeks ago. Caption? Project GM girls. Main chars? Silhouettes match—2nd one's the teaser girl. Yerin probably joined Enson GT too—her style's legendary in doujin. How sharp did they grind for this lineup buildup ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ Holding breath till official launch. [All Comments][By Registration] ⭐ Top Comment — Finding this is creepier lol genius Twitter follows deep dive? Time Bill Gates much? lolololol — Yerin's Pixiv got me hyped Platform? PC? Web? ↳ Reply ?? "Haa..."
Browsing the community, I couldn't hold back a sigh of admiration.
'They actually dug this up...'
It was prep we'd seeded months ago for marketing, but it got spotted on reveal eve.
Especially combing through my 500+ follows to unearth a buried sketch months old—that persistence left me speechless.
'But months of effort paid off, so no biggie...'
Praying as I watched Project GM buzz across communities and SNS.
Please keep the hype till tomorrow's PV drop...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 📰 Breaking News [Nickname: Anon] Title: Project GM PV dropped!!! {Link to video site with red icon} [Comment List][By Registration] — Here we go~ Here we go~ — Kyaa ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ — 0 sec upload and already ripped? How — Going to watch Countless community users who'd burned all day yesterday with Project GM news clicked the link to the teaser PV.
A little over a minute long.
A bit short, but they hit play anyway, and the video kicked off.
[SFLAG Corporation]
White background, Japanese publisher's logo fades in.
Then Project GM's main OST swells as slides of everyday life in Academy City Arc—the game's main backdrop—roll by.
Neatly kept classrooms fitting for an academy city.
Guns lined up tidily in one corner of the classroom.
News blimps drifting in the sky.
Empty player office.
Finally, the World Tree rooted smack in the heart of Academy City Arc.
Landscapes fade out, OST hits climax, armed students' daily lives flash past.
Autonomous district residents prepping the day before the World Tree, students heading to school.
Students commuting by their own means.
After school, heading to club rooms for activities.
Holidays, students killing time their way.
All that vibrant academy city youth life passes—then, hinting it's no pure sunny game, outskirts scenes flicker by.
Zombie-like figures with glowing red eyes flash like illusions, quick cut to white screen with scrolling text.
What we've forgotten
What we must protect
Our miraculous tale
Text clears, mascot Operator approaches the screen, screen blacks out.
Right after,
Girls Memorial
Title in sleek blue-and-white design, end.
First comment drops the instant it finishes.
Awesome www
A pure exclamation of awe from one Japanese commenter—worthy of a monument.