Game Director from Hell

Chapter 84: Hellic 3 Release (2)

“Dududung!

―Whoa!!!

The monitor reflected the scenery of the battlefield.

It illuminated the madness and the dwindling vitality of the field with a low saturation.

After revealing the overview, zooming in, the screen began to focus on individuals on the battlefield.

There were four of them.

They each spoke.

―Behold.

―There you are.

―Oh heavens.

―You dreadful being.

As their voices overlapped,

―Why must I fall into hell?

At that moment, Seokhoon’s heart began to beat slowly.

***

Information about Hellic 3 was quite abundant through various media and communities. Rewind, which values communication with users, had shared a lot of information on its own. For Seokhoon, who hadn’t started the game yet, there wasn’t much difficulty in determining the direction of growth.

“Be an Axe Berserker.”

Among the disclosed information, what captivated Seokhoon’s heart the most was this. No one had tried that combination before. It was merely a build that existed within the estimates Seokhoon could make from delving deep into Hellic until now.

“I can probably lay the foundation within the first chapter.”

Using the heart of Murad I, the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, for parts and upgrading the barbarian’s axe. According to the information from “S2 Poppy S2,” Murad I was a part that appeared in the mid to late stages of Chapter 1.

The decision became even firmer during tutorial play. After experiencing the basic mechanics of each weapon through the four phases, Seokhoon realized that the axe offered the satisfying impact he desired.

So, the first part collection: Napoleon.

Seokhoon felt a sense of accomplishment.

“Oh, this is it.”

It was from the cosplay of Yeonho in E3 (head part). A familiar feeling brought a smile to his face. Of course, he didn’t use it. The performance was far from what he wanted, and Seokhoon already had something else in mind.

“Alice!”

Seokhoon’s character was Alice, its the pre-order bonus. It was the one that was released immediately as a pre-order benefit.

With the transition to 3D modeling, Alice became even more adorable and cute. It was not a fan service story; it was the definite improvement in quality as Hellic 2’s poor polygons transitioned into a clear upgrade in Hellic 3.

Seokhoon decided to maintain Alice’s appearance until the end.

“Alice is a baby. I have to protect her!”

Regardless of the reasons, Alice’s parts were an inevitable choice because they didn’t match with any other external appearance among all the existing parts, especially those of adult war heroes, resulting in a bizarre shape.

Anyway, with the direction set, the first chapter began in the Swamp of Despair.

Seokhoon’s satisfaction grew even more.

“As expected, visuals make a huge difference.”

The verdant swamp and the tranquil melody of the violin set a melancholic atmosphere, creating a sense of crisis.

Seokhoon’s Alice started exploring the perilous terrain without letting go of tension.

Three paths were presented to Seokhoon. According to the publicly available information, the ending would differ based on which path he chose at this crossroads.

Though it came with spoilers, Seokhoon could infer a fact with a bit of understanding of the game and the game company’s tendencies.

“If I go the normal route, the ending will probably be unsettling.”

The Hellic series primarily focused on portraying the gloom of hell. This was most overtly evident in Hellic 2’s normal ending, the death of the butterfly.

Seokhoon was a person with fairly common sensibilities. So, in essence, if he were to conclude a story, he would hope for a happy ending.

“The biggest road is to avoid the difficult one first, leaving two options remaining.”

The concept drastically shifted from the entrance of the paths. The winding left path had an exceptionally rugged appearance, probably intended for higher-level players.

Seokhoon made his decision.

“The first run should be easy. I need to understand the system.”

He tapped the pad, and the character entered the right path, relatively narrow but without any added threats.

Soon after, the first battle began.

“Mommy, mommy…”

A thin child, like a mirage, approached.

Seokhoon’s Alice pulled out an axe.

Just as Seokhoon charged,

“Wooooah!”

Alice let out a shrill scream.

“Pffhaha!”

Seokhoon’s laughter burst out.

Thud!

Despite this, the battle continued.

Seokhoon defeated the enemies with laughter.

The sense of stability returned only after defeating the enemies.

Seokhoon caught his breath.

“Wow, this is coming in so smoothly.”

Considering the original concept, it was appropriate, but the sudden voice of an older man caught him off guard.

It was a rather enjoyable experience.

Seokhoon checked the items he looted.

“At the beginning, there’s nothing special… Just like the previous work, defeating monsters gives you growth currency.”

He immediately invested points in “Axe – Devastation.”

[Gains 20% damage for Devastation attacks.]

Devastation caused both bleeding and destruction of body parts.

A configuration that suited the Berserker well.

Satisfied with achieving the primary goal, Seokhoon moved forward.

Soon, he reached a fork in the road.

The map of Hellic 3 divided into intersections, allowing route changes at certain points.

“For now, let’s keep going right.”

Seokhoon stuck to the right path, which didn’t seem too exhausting.

The progress continued for almost an hour.

“I found him!”

A man leaning against a post with closed eyes.

He was none other than Murad I, whom Seokhoon was looking for.

He immediately farmed and checked the effects.

“Body of Murat I

The emperor’s heart throbs with ambition.

It seems somewhat similar to madness.

Specialty: Gains madness.

Madness: As health decreases, stats increase. Maximum efficiency at 20% health.]

He equipped it right away.

Other parts of Murad I were all related to increasing attack power.

Therefore, Seokhoon didn’t wear them.

“With this setup, I should go for lifesteal.”

The core of a berserker was in the thrusting attack style that ignored defence.

Therefore, rather than just increasing attack power and neglecting defence, it was better to obtain sustainability to make such an attack style possible.

“If the crack on the axe reduces defence, Sultan’s heart increases attack power, and life steal obtained through other parts increases sustainability.”

Now that the core was set, he just needed life steal parts.

There was no need to go far.

“James clearly said he saw it in E3.”

Seokhoon knew that the lifesteal parts appeared somewhere in Chapter 2.

“Alright, let’s go check it out.”

Seokhoon’s character entered the boss room in Chapter 1.

A gigantic boss in the form of a tree.

He carefully managed his health and chopped away at it with an axe, clearing Chapter 1 in this manner.

[Achievement: Acquired the Breath of Elusion.]

Something unknown appeared, but he didn’t pay much attention.

“Pathetic! I’ll smash everything and move on!”

“Hold your ground!”

“Tsk tsk, so noisy!”

Alice (Barbarian) and the Paladin exchanged dialogue.

Seokhoon chuckled and moved on to the next chapter.

By this time, Seokhoon was feeling quite excited.

Having closely followed James’s broadcasts and gathered a lot of information about Hellic 3, he knew well who the enemies here were.

“Brides…!”

The ultimate formidable opponent who even defeated James!

Just how extraordinary must Moohee be to extract James’s soul?

He felt a sense of wonder.

With a mischievous smile, Seokhoon adjusted the rising corners of his mouth and continued on his way.

An obsidian ceiling, below it a field of skulls and tombstones.

And there, he faced it.

“Hehehe…”

At that moment, Seokhoon’s gaze was fixed on bride’s legs.

Gracefully lifting her magpie feet, she moved silently, tracing a smooth curve.

In bride’s gestures…

“Oh.”

There was a touch of emotion.

“Woman! I’ll kill you!”

The determination to protect Alice, a great resolve.

A 3-second conflict.

At the end of it, Seokhoon made a decision.

“…Alice deserves to level up too. The transformation period has arrived, right?”

Community nickname Helic3Waiting, real name Kang Seokhoon, a representative of a small and medium-sized enterprise.

Celebrating his first anniversary today.

He was a man in his prime.

***

The human mind, as it turns out, is more flexible than one might think.

In other words, if a hundred people make a resolution, only a handful of them will actually stick to it, making it a fragile commitment at best.

A classic example would be the common New Year’s resolution to quit smoking, often broken within the first few days.

In a similar vein, Seokhoon resolve was not easy to maintain once it crumbled for the first time. Upon obtaining bride’s parts, he attached her leg to Alice. However, the proportions from head to torso and leg resulted in a grotesque 1:2 ratio.

In an attempt to fix this, he equipped Joan of Arc’s chest, which had been pre-farmed with a focus on maintaining the right proportions. Yet, his arms still seemed too short.

The turning point came with the decision of reconstruction.

“Since I’ve already discarded my original body, why not?”

Seokhoon, in a moment of whimsy, decided to attach a completely mismatched set of parts, aiming to create a semblance of a human.

Despite attaching an infant’s head, an aggressive chest, and graceful curves to the legs, it surprisingly managed to look somewhat convincing as a person.

Unable to resist, he found himself pondering, “Maybe I can attach a man’s biceps?”

It was a thought akin to the mistake made on the tenth day of a resolution to quit smoking, succumbing to the temptation of alcohol.

Snip!

Alice’s forearm thickened.

For some reason, Seokhoon’s body shivered with an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.

Simply observing the character’s back filled him with excitement.

That strange joy accompanied him as he continued playing the game, losing track of time in the room dimmed by blackout curtains.

To put it differently, without external factors, Seokhoon was so engrossed that he hardly noticed the passage of time.

“It’s fun.”

After the preview of Chapter 2, Chapter 5 turned out to be much more enjoyable than the previous chapters, both visually and in terms of action.

“In particular, the boss battle in the Citadel of Ambition in Chapter 5 was great.”

A citadel constructed from the blood and screams of someone, with a boss sitting on the throne in the main hall, flanked by crucified subordinates – the visuals alone were overwhelming.

The actual gameplay was no different. The first battle against the subordinates until reaching the owner of the fortress, the fight was a thrilling experience with a satisfying hack-and-slash combat feel.

The short health bars of the subordinates added to the excitement. Finally, after defeating the subordinates, the battle against the ruler was tense and couldn’t be described in any other way but intense.

The ruler of the fortress, the “Blind Tyrant,” used a pattern reminiscent of the hidden boss “Warden” in Hellic 2, featuring erratic attacks.

It was a pattern that resonated with the name Blind Tyrant, someone who arbitrarily manipulated the lives of others.

The battle with the Blind Tyrant, dealing with blood, bones, and corpses, provided satisfaction from beginning to end.

Although he hadn’t encountered the final boss yet, Seokhun believed that among the bosses he faced so far, none could match the visual and combat enjoyment offered by the Blind Tyrant.

Now, onto the last chapter.

Seokhoon did a final check, calming his tense nerves.

“The build is complete. Items are more than enough.”

He had diligently collected health items and doping items, a tradition in the Hellic series due to the extreme difficulty of the final bosses.

“Well then…”

Shall we?

Seokhoon looked at his character.

As the evaluations suggested, the story wasn’t overly friendly. Nevertheless, through sporadic dialogues, cinematics, or direction, he could grasp the flow of the narrative to some extent.

“The temple is probably like a test. Similar to Hellic 2, where Hell speaks in a form incomprehensible by human standards, expressing the sins that lead to rebellion.”

If so, the ending would likely involve them finding answers at the end of the trial.

Maybe salvation, like Alice?

Thinking this, Seokhoon opened the door.

Creak!

And that moment arrived.

[Taint: The fleeing steps are activated.]

The screen transitioned into a cinematic.