Chapter 60
Indie games are short for independent games.
They got that name because a small number of people form a company to develop them, giving them freedom from various forms of interference.
“Alright, let’s start the meeting about the situation we’re currently in.”
“Yes, sir.”
Park Hyuksoo had long since gotten used to holding meetings right where they sat because they didn’t even have a proper conference room.
The place where the CEO and he were sitting was a garage.
It wasn’t Silicon Valley or anything, so people might wonder what they were even doing in a garage, but the two of them were developing a virtual reality game together with a team of ten.
The reason only two people were in the garage despite having ten developers was simple.
The other eight worked remotely.
“The game is practically finished, and while the schedule got delayed a bit, we managed to get through that without any major problems. First of all, thanks everyone!”
The biggest characteristic of indie game development was that there was no money.
Having no one to interfere also meant there was no investor putting money into the project.
“Thankfully, we got support from an institution and Stream also viewed us favorably, so we even avoided delayed paychecks. What a wonderful company this is.”
At that moment, Park Hyuksoo stared at the CEO with a dumbfounded expression.
“I’m getting paid minimum wage, you know? You said you’d make me rich. What is this?”
“But we agreed to split the profits instead. I seriously have nothing left now. Even though I’m the CEO, I’m taking about the same share as you guys.”
The CEO had poured every cent he earned while working at a major corporation into developing this game.
“What’s the point? The odds of success are ridiculously low.”
More than 2,000 virtual reality games are released every year.
Only a handful even recover their development costs.
And only an extremely tiny number become successful.
Fortunately, their game had caught the attention of Stream, a game distribution platform and subsidiary of Surface, allowing them to receive support.
That alone already placed them within the top 10%.
It meant the platform saw potential in them.
Some might find it strange for an “independent” game company to receive funding from a distribution platform, but everyone accepted support if they could get it.
That was just how difficult the road was.
Wage delays and bankruptcies happened constantly, and even if you somehow overcame everything and completed the game, there was still no guarantee of success.
“Ahem, anyway. Since we’re almost done, let’s think positively, alright? All that’s left now is selling the game.”
“Right. So what’s the agenda for today’s meeting?”
“Even though we’re nearly finished, there’s still one final hurdle left.”
“What do we still have left?”
“That would be… promotion!”
“Promotion? Don’t tell me Stream isn’t supporting the marketing too? Are we seriously holding a meeting with just the two of us because you’re about to ask for money?”
“Asking for money” basically meant talking about financial support.
“I’m not paying out of pocket for this. Even if I wanted to, I can’t. I’m broke, remember?”
Park Hyuksoo spoke firmly.
Fortunately, the CEO’s response went in a different direction.
“No, don’t worry. We got a reply yesterday. The amount is 80 million won. It’s the promotion budget.”
“Oh, that’s a relief. Though 80 million won is kind of awkward.”
Of course, the amount itself was already incredibly generous.
There were countless games that received no support at all.
Still, it was 80 million won.
It seemed Stream, the distribution platform, viewed their game very favorably.
The reason he called it awkward, however, was—
“Exactly. The problem is figuring out how to organize the combinations.”
Their game was a two-player co-op title.
So they planned to recruit streamers in pairs for advertisements, but deciding those pairings was the problem.
Should they recruit two top-tier streamers, including major corporate streamers, and make just one team?
Or recruit four mid-tier streamers?
Or should they let individuals find their own partners instead of assigning teams?
Everything was a concern.
“Anyway, make me a list.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. You know streamers better than anyone here.”
“I’m not even in charge of marketing.”
“As if our company has a marketing department.”
That was true.
All ten of them had gathered solely to make games.
Park Hyuksoo fell into thought.
He wasn’t some hardcore streaming addict.
He just casually watched all sorts of streamers on iTube and had a broad understanding of streamer culture.
As Park Hyuksoo imagined which streamers would fit their game, one streamer he had watched recently suddenly came to mind.
“Hmm, sir. Would it be okay to go slightly below mid-tier? There’s this streamer who’s been rising lately.”
“Who?”
“A streamer named Jin Seojun. The crazy thing about this guy is…”
Park Hyuksoo began explaining everything he knew about Seojun.
As he described the streamer’s unusual history, the CEO gradually tilted his head in confusion.
The reason was simple.
“Our first promotional chapter has a horror concept, right? But isn’t this guy way too good at games?
The game’s actual genre was action-adventure.
However, the concept of the first chapter was horror, and the appeal of horror games usually came from watching someone clumsy, unskilled, and terrified trembling in fear.
But based on what he heard, Jin Seojun seemed too competent and didn’t look scared of anything at all.
Park Hyuksoo nodded.
“Still, wouldn’t it have an even bigger impact if someone like that actually got scared? And more importantly, you know the streamer Kim Taewoo, right?”
“Yeah, I know him.”
The CEO had recently researched all the mid-tier streamers on Travel.
“They were classmates. The viewers know that too. I think the pairing between those two could work really well.”
After hearing that, the CEO sank into thought for a moment.
He imagined the picture in his head.
“Yeah. Then let’s put that combination under consideration for now. The advertising rate would also be an advantage.”
If they could save costs through streamer Jin Seojun while still getting strong results, that would be ideal.
“Right. And if you’re really worried, just ask him directly.”
“Ask what?”
“If he’s good at horror games.”
Thud.
A sword pierced through someone’s chest.
[Dongdong Defeated]
-How can you not land even a single hit? Is it really that hard?
-Every time I watch this, I think the streamer should open a swordsmanship dojo. I want to learn.
-You want to learn? Didn’t you see what happened to the Greatest Swordsman Under Heaven?
-Well… that’s true…
-He even said Seojun did the exact same thing in real life as he did on stream lololol
The Greatest Swordsman Under Heaven was the first disciple Seojun had taught swordsmanship to in this life.
Before meeting the swordsman, he had asked Taewoo first.
‘Want to learn swordsmanship?’
‘Are you insane?’
‘???’
‘I’ve seen how you deal with athletes at the gym. Unless my brain completely breaks, there’s no way I’m learning from you.’
That was how it went.
-He might be a skilled teacher, but definitely not a likable one as a mentor lmaoooo
-He’s just using it to relieve stress
-His hobby is bullying people lol
-Still, once you graduate, the teacher who bullied you ends up feeling the most memorable lololol
-Homeroom teacher lololol you’re bringing back trauma
-How old are you guys exactly?
The evaluations toward him were harsh.
Back in his previous life, he’d never heard things like this before.
Anyway, leaving the chat window to chatter amongst themselves, Seojun debated whether he should keep waiting here or head back.
The road he currently stood on was the route the carriage would pass through.
Meaning if he waited, the carriage would eventually arrive.
‘The enemies will come this way too.’
It was the shortest route after all.
The side paths were only for preparing ambushes.
“So they said they’d go ahead and prepare, but they ended up dying.”
Perhaps because of the distance, faint voices reached his ears.
Enemies.
Since the carriage moved slowly, there was no way they were allies.
At the same time, a team chat notification appeared.
[Streamer. How about 200,000 won if you win this game without me?]
Checking the ID, it was one of his viewers.
A mission?
Seojun laughed in disbelief.
“A mission suddenly popped up.”
It wasn’t a bad thing.
The situation of a teammate suddenly issuing a mission mid-game was absurd, but the mission itself wasn’t unpleasant.
Seojun quietly widened the distance behind him as much as possible before speaking.
“I’ll head over right away.”
He opened the team chat and sent a reply.
[Sure.]
-LMAOOO you can personally give missions if you snipe him lololol
-That guy definitely isn’t normal
-200k lol
-I’m seriously gonna dream about him posing with a tree branch earlier lololol terrifying
Seojun thought to himself.
There were probably more viewers like that among the people typing in chat.
A response came back.
[But if you fail, show us the Christina affection quest!]
[…]
[Deal.]
Seojun accepted with an awkward expression, while the viewers cheered.
Then another system notification appeared.
One of his teammates had exited the game and abandoned the match.
The viewer had actually left.
“No way…”
Seojun laughed in disbelief once again.
“Did he really have to abandon the game too?”
There was a penalty for leaving matches.
It existed to prevent people from instantly quitting whenever the game became slightly disadvantageous, leaving the remaining teammates in a miserable situation.
-That’s hardcore
-He’s the type to willingly take losses lololol
-200k won plus abandonment penalties lolololol
-But he was honorable.
-Ah! A man who never forgot Christina!
-Oh right… the abandonment penalty…
Among all the laughing messages, one particular chat caught his eye.
He didn’t know whether it was real or fake, but he memorized the ID for now.
Just in case the guy tried to scam the mission reward later so he could ban him.
“Then it’s two against three.”
Feeling the approaching enemies, Seojun spoke calmly.
“From now on, it’s probably better to kill them before they even reach the carriage.”
Standing in the middle of the road, Seojun infused internal energy into his sword and waited.
The enemies appeared.
“So he still hasn’t gone back to the carriage?”
“Then let’s kill him quickly!”
There were two enemies.
Normally in the game, it was difficult to guess someone’s class just from clothing alone, but because users coordinated outfits for teamwork, it was surprisingly easy.
The ragged clothing obviously belonged to Nokrim since no orthodox faction dressed like that.
The other one, dressed neatly like a prestigious clan member and wielding throwing knives, was clearly from the Tang Clan.
‘Speaking of the Tang Clan, this reminds me of Tangso.’
After joining the Demonic Cult, Tangso had adapted like a fish returning to water.
Apparently he’d originally chosen the Demonic Cult faction from the very start.
He’d even explained the backstory about how he kept losing on every battlefield, got tired of it, changed his nickname, and switched to the Tang Clan while declaring he’d at least win now that he’d come this far.
“Nokrim, huh? Figures a bandit suits you.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? And what’s with that childish Heavenly Demon thing?”
“Let’s just kill him already.”
The Nokrim player approached first.
The bandit took the frontline while the Tang Clan member provided ranged support from the rear.
Fwoooosh!
The massive greatsword sliced through the air from left to right.
Instead of blocking it, Seojun lowered his head and dodged beneath the blade.
Nokrim’s specialty was powerful external martial arts despite lacking martial techniques.
That meant blocking their attacks required several times more stamina and internal energy in return.
In other words, defending against them was a losing trade, which made opponents hesitate to even attempt parries no matter how many heavy attacks they threw.
Simple, but powerful!
However, the countermeasure was simple too.
If you can’t block it, dodge it.
“You won’t even touch the carriage.”
While avoiding the sword, Seojun spoke in a calm voice.
“Why?”
“Because I decided that’s how it’ll be.”
“Is this guy completely insane?!”
Crash!
The bandit’s sword slammed into the ground after swinging downward.
Seojun leaned his shoulder back to evade the strike, then used qinggong to fly toward the Tang Clan player who had been targeting him from afar.
The throwing knives that had been flying at him earlier were getting annoying.
-The moment he sees enemies he instantly starts spouting nonsense again lol
-Targeting the Tang Clan first is actually a good choice. Didn’t expect him to use his brain for once
-He’s always been smart. His body’s just too good so he never needs to use it.
As Seojun charged forward, the Tang Clan player widened the distance.
It was the correct choice.
Anyone using bows or throwing weapons always had to keep the advantage of distance in mind.
However, because he jumped backward, the distance was still shrinking in real time.
At moments like this, there were only two options.
Turn around and run properly to widen the gap—
Or…
“Then I’ll just kill you first!”
Attack the approaching enemy directly.
Whoosh!
A throwing knife shot from the enemy’s hand.
The blade flew straight toward Seojun’s forehead.
Since Seojun was charging forward, the perceived speed of the knife felt more than twice as fast.
Screeeeech!
“Got you! Nobody’s ever dodged this!”
For the enemy, nothing felt better than reversing the situation by throwing a knife at someone rushing toward him.
So naturally, he thought it had landed this time as well.
Clang!
A clear metallic sound rang out as steel collided with steel.