Game Director from Hell

Chapter 74: E3(2)

When he finally came to his senses, he had already started playing.

Jin Woohyung let out a bitter laugh, but soon found himself rationalizing the situation.

“Alright, how can I just let this pass?”

In fact, letting it pass would be the strange thing to do.

Considering the nature of a game expo, it was even more peculiar.

E3 was essentially a showcase for electronic entertainment.

So, most of the things filling the space would be futuristic LED lights, mechanical components, and billboards, right?

Now imagine a brown tree strolling around in such a place.

It wasn’t even just walking; it was asking to “play a game and then go.”

If you could ignore it, you must be either an event organizer or someone forced to come here with no interest in games.

No, it was captivating even for someone who had no interest in games, to the point that you would have to detest Hellic to the point of disgust to ignore and just pass by.

Proof of this was the long line that extended to the front of the booth.

From Woohyung’s seat, the end of the waiting line was not visible.

“Ah, it’s so noisy here.”

Only now did Woohyung raise his head, acknowledging the identity of the tree and its astonishing salesmanship.

Then, he stood up from his seat.

And he took out a notebook.

What he was recording were keywords.

“Hellic 3

Series Changes: Parts System, Customization, Increased Emphasis on Action

Series Inheritance: Weapon Build System, Hellish Cosmic Horror Setting, Utilization of Narrative Tooltips

Points of Interest: Weapons as the protagonist, Mechanism for Farming the Corpses of War Heroes, Polished Visuals Suitable for AAA.”

Woohyung’s expression was satisfied after completing the record up to that point.

“It’s going to be quite a lengthy article.”

Choosing Hellic 3 as the first booth was indeed a wise decision.

Even with just 45 minutes of gameplay, he could gather quite significant information.

Apart from the article, there seemed to be plenty of content for the community as well.

Woohyung closed the notebook.

Now it was time to take photos for the articles and posts he would write with these keywords.

Click!

He used his camera to take pictures of the tree that was attracting people, and the long line behind it.

As Woohyung was about to leave, the moment came.

“Sir, sir!”

“Hmm?”

Abruptly, Woohyung’s body froze.

Because something extraordinary was approaching the booth.

“I’m sorry, it took a little longer to prepare.”

“No, it’s okay! Sir. Come, your seat is right here.”

“Alright, thank you.”

Woohyung carefully observed the ‘thing’ talking to the tree.

It had a form that seemed to blur the boundaries of something.

White bread roll-like hair, a double chin that protruded as if something had been stuffed into it, a knee-length skirt reminiscent of ancient Greeks, sandals, and a sleeveless top.

Up to there, it was fine.

But there was something on his chest that he couldn’t just overlook.

“Oh…”

A chest so excessively emphasized that it would make you gasp in amazement, as if there was several layers of padding.

Woohyung couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

Just from that chest, he could figure out what kind of cosplay character it was.

Of course, Woohyung never thought about such a bizarre customization.

It was beyond creative and even awe-inspiring, and the courage to put it into practice was enough to be admired.

“That person…”

Doesn’t know shame, perhaps?

He radiated a presence as unique as the tree that could make people drop their jaws, drawing attention at the front of the booth like a commanding general.

Woohyung remembered what the tree had said.

“Sir…”

In other words, that indistinct boundary-crossing man was Yeonho.

Suddenly, various posts from the community, all anticipating his female appearance, flashed through his mind.

Woohyung glanced at the camera for a moment.

And then…

Click!

He took a picture of Yeonho standing next to the tree.

Woohyung pondered for about three seconds whether to upload this picture.

In the end, it was just a formal process.

A smile spread across Woohyung’s lips.

“‘It’s a recommended article!'”

Woohyung was someone for whom the number of recommendations was more important than conscience.

In other words, he was a born journalist.

***

“If there are two choices, the worst and the bad, everyone will choose the bad.”

I too was someone with such common sensibilities.

If I had to choose between complete cross-dressing, halfway cross-dressing, and just a little cross-dressing, my only choice would be the halfway cross-dressing.

“Sir-Sir… it suits you well!”

“What are you talking about, Ayoon?”

I almost let the words escape, but I held them back.

Revealing embarrassment was something that should be left to the juniors, after all.

If you can’t avoid it, you should enjoy it.

Even if you can’t enjoy it, you shouldn’t cry.

That’s what it means to be truly first-class!

“…Thank you.”

I barely managed to utter a response, and countless eyes were fixed on me.

Even getting a single reaction was difficult.

It was hard to breathe because of the seven pieces on one side.

Talking was difficult because of the prosthetic attached to my chin, and the rolled bread hair kept pricking my skin.

All of that combined with my embarrassment, making me dizzy.

But it didn’t end there.

“…Cheon Yeonho?”

Someone called my name.

I looked up and found myself facing someone.

“…James?”

It was James Han, with an indescribable expression, staring at me.

“Um…”

James scratched his cheek.

His gaze swept up and down.

I couldn’t understand what he was thinking.

But within that gaze, there were words welling up from the inside.

“Don’t look at me like that!”

It was an unspoken cry that couldn’t reach him.

***

James Han, 25 years old.

He’s a popular game streamer invited to E3, and he’s been friends with Yeonho for quite a long time since the beginning of their broadcasting careers.

He pointed towards the booth and asked Yeonho, “Is that the way to go?”

In reality, he could have asked about the bizarre cosplay, but James didn’t bother. Psychologically, he was more inclined to think, “It could be that way.” In other words, it was the power of the environment.

The neighbourhood where James lived was open to diverse sexual orientations. The neighbour next door, Johnson, was gay, and the neighbour in front, Marinda, was a lesbian. Even the cashier at the market, Bob, was transgender. In such an open and inclusive sexual culture, cross-dressing appeared to be a rather sophisticated hobby, at least in James’s view (in fact, his surroundings were unique in their own way).

Regardless, James came to play games, so as long as the games were fun, he didn’t care. Yeonho nodded with a creaking sound of his head.

And so, James passed him and sat down at the booth.

By that point, thoughts about Yeonho’s cosplay had been erased from James’s mind.

“Now it’s finally starting.”

He had been eagerly waiting for Hellic 3 for a long time.

Without delay, James put on his headset.

As he grabbed the controller, the game started.

“Scream!”

The familiar intro sound.

The name of the development studio that appeared was “Studio Rewind.”

James’s heart raced. It was because he felt that the game was about to start in earnest.

He pressed the “Game Start” button, and a cinematic played.

He repeatedly pressed the “[skip]” button.

“I don’t have time to watch this.”

The allocated time was short.

In other words, there was no time to focus on the story if he wanted to quickly consume the content.

James’s play style was like that from the start.

Unlike Woohyung, who had played the game earlier, James didn’t place much importance on the game’s story. He only began to show interest in Hellic 2’s story around the fourth playthrough.

He was determined to focus solely on gameplay within the limited time.

“Wow!”

As the cinematic ended, a battle started immediately.

Understanding the tutorial, James followed the guide and used various weapons.

“Was there a significant change in weapons, or is there a different in the parts system?”

Ta-da! After completing all four phases of the tutorial battles, James dashed into the temple.

There, he came across his first corpse.

“Huh.”

His hand froze.

His gaze briefly turned toward Yeonho.

That wig, it was the same type as the in-game character (Napoleon) corpse.

“Oh, it’s a player character cosplay.”

He nodded in understanding and looted the corpse.

He immediately equipped the parts without comparing specific stats.

“I’ll try it out and switch to what suits my character best.”

Reading the explanations for 45 minutes felt like a waste of time.

James had only memorized the keywords for the parts and immediately entered Chapter 1.

The combination of the crimson marsh and the tall, gnarled trees showcased a haunting beauty.

James leaped forward, jumping through the area.

The first battle started.

“Oh, root attack.”

As the emaciated corpse swung its hand, the roots on the ground sprang up.

It was easy to avoid since the red circles indicated the attack range.

James charged with a spear and shield, ready to thrust.

Kwaang!

With a satisfying sound and visual effects, it pierced through James.

“The impact feels good!”

James’s lips curled up.

However, it wasn’t just about the satisfying impact.

Even the seemingly ordinary monsters had two different attack patterns.

“Ranged attack is the root attack, and when they get close, it’s like this…”

He demonstrated by swinging his hand like a tree branch.

James raised his shield.

Kaang!

The sound and a powerful vibration burst from the pad as he successfully defended himself.

At that moment, James noticed something.

“Oh, this is it.”

It referred to the character’s pre-action and the monster’s reverse stiffness.

He was a user who played the game frame by frame.

“Oh, this is it.”

It was about the character’s preparatory action and the reverse attack on the monster.

He was a user who played the game frame by frame.

So, moments that others would casually overlook were noticeable special changes for him.

He had a particular system he loved.

“Parry!”

A gameplay style that involved parrying the enemy’s attacks and countering with reverse attacks to inflict damage on the enemy.

“Napoleon, you bastard…!”

He seemed to be focusing on this small action this time, as if adding such elements.

Thud!

James quickly tapped on the gamepad.

The character, with a solid movement, thrust the spear towards the monster exposed by the reverse attack.

And then,

Thud -!

Zzzzing -!

With a sound effect that pierced through the core, a vibration travelled up his arm.

The monitor displayed exactly twice the damage.

The remaining health of the monster was 0.

Immediately, the monster that had been like a dried corpse collapsed.

It gradually crumpled and transformed into the same shape as the nearby trees.

“Ah, this is how it’s done.”

James licked his lips and opened the item build menu.

One thing he could tell was that the spear and shield he was carrying were specialized weapons for parrying.

Among them, the “Shield Enhancement” build was a form that greatly increased counter-attack damage.

“This is it.”

At that moment, James was able to choose the build.

He immediately checked Napoleon’s parts.

Only now did he start reading the description properly.

“Napoleon’s Body

The conqueror’s heart pulsates with fervour.

Special Trait: Gains Fermor.

Fervour: Reduces final normal attack power by 50%. Increases final critical attack power by 50%.”

The mechanism of the part was so simple that you could understand it at a glance.

The special trait of the “Body” part determined the character’s mechanism like a machine’s core, and the other parts were in the form of affecting the values of specific attributes or changes in the attack range.

James thought.

‘Parrying is definitely critical.’

So, Napoleon’s ‘fervor’ attribute was a good choice.

He don’t know what will happen next, but it seemed like the only specialty in parrying that increases the final critical hit damage would not be available in this demo version.

‘Change, change, change!’

That’s how James’s character became Napoleon.

His stats consisted of defence that converged to zero and overwhelming critical hit damage, creating a grotesque imbalance.

Afterward, he farmed two more corpses, including Joan of Arc, to further deepen that imbalance.

Story was obviously ignored; he only focused on clearing.

‘It seems like they simplified multiple routes. Well, it’s a 45-minute demo.’

Scattered traces of other paths here and there made such a guess possible.

Of course, it was an unknown.

His distractions were quickly erased, and what filled the void was the satisfaction of battle.

‘Ah, it’s the boss.’

The boss of Chapter 1 was a four-meter-tall elderly man who looked like a dryad from a fantasy world.

However, his cries sounded like a child, and his movements were far from those of an elderly person stumbling.

James persistently aimed to counterattack.

Hellic 3 has a parrying experience like no other, thanks to the synchronization of pad vibrations and effects.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

With precise parrying, not a single mistake, James smiled as he defeated the boss, and it had been exactly 20 minutes into the play.

‘Quite leisurely.’

He believed he could clear the boss of Chapter 2 just like this.

Thinking so, James crossed the swamp of bullets.

But, the world worked differently.

BGM played.

Beep, beep, beep, beep.

Wet Lip sounds overlaid on the bass, the dark skull field, and the gravestones in front of it.

For a moment, he felt a shiver down his spine.

The perfect combination of visuals and sound awakened his senses.

That moment.

Huff, huff…

James faced her.

A silhouette, into which the souls of the art team had poured their hearts.

Huff, huff…

Pale skin, a thin outfit that barely covered her body, a veil covering her face, and elaborate makeup.

She danced gracefully among the skeleton soldiers, standing out strangely among them.

Was it due to the faint glow or the curves of the silhouette?

James wondered, but in the end, it didn’t matter.

Whoosh!

“Ah.”

In a moment of distraction, the swords of the skeleton soldiers struck him.

As mentioned before, the character James controlled had defence that converged to zero.

[GAME OVER]

Game over in an instant.

He died to a regular enemy, not even a boss or an elite enemy.

It was the first time such a shocking history had been written in James’s life since he was six years old.

Despite such a shocking turn of events, James remained oblivious.

His gaze was fixed only on the dancer beyond the grey screen.

Huff, huff…

“…”

Let me reintroduce him. His name is James Han.

He is a Korean-American living in California and a skilled game streamer who plays games frame by frame.

It was a simple story. He watched the dancer who moved frame by frame and, at that moment, James confronted his own fading youth.

He was 25 years old.