Chapter 382: Public Enemy [1]

"I’ve already got a layout for the new game. The setting will take place inside a hotel, and it’ll revolve around a multi-layered puzzle that the player must solve to progress. The main character will be a receptionist whose job is to welcome guests. The catch, however, is that not everyone who enters the hotel is human. The player’s goal will be to figure out who among them is normal, and who isn’t."

The moment I entered the studio, I got straight to work.

I already had a general outline of the game I wanted to create, so I wasted no time sharing my ideas with my new team members.

My team was comprised of three members: Noah, Joseph, and Ryan.

I had previously worked with them in the past, and as such, they were somewhat accustomed to my type of work.

"Let me guess, you want us to improve on the design board of the game?"

Noah spoke, his ginger hair a little longer than I remembered. Strands fell over his forehead, unkept and uneven, giving him a rougher look than before. At the very least, it was messier than back then.

It was a little odd considering how his career was picking up.

"That’s not quite it. I can take care of the design board. All I will need you guys to do is the same thing as last time."

"Which is?"

"Optimize the game. Make sure that there are no bugs, the voices, and movements sync. Make sure that everything checks out, and fix anything that doesn’t work out."

"That’s not hard to do."

Ryan commented from the side, his arms crossed as he leaned back on a chair. Pulling his hood down to reveal his dark hair and green eyes, he continued, "However, in order for us to start, we’d need to have a framework to work with. I don’t think that a general idea of how the game should work will do. I’m particularly worried about the world creation aspect. I feel like that might take us a while."

"He’s right."

Joseph, the last person in the group, nodded, agreeing with Ryan. He was the oldest looking of the group, with short blonde hair and blue eyes. His beard, which had previously been unkempt, was better trimmed.

He brought a hand to his chin, thinking for a moment before speaking. "I like the concept of the game so far," he said, his tone even. "But it still needs some refining. Of course, we won’t interfere with how you want to build it, but we’ll need at least something to start from... something tangible for us to work with. If you’d like, we can begin designing the world. I’m no expert in worldbuilding, but I can at least set up a framework."

"There’s no need for that."

I could see their worries, and while they had some merit to them, it wasn’t like I hadn’t thought of them.

’Good thing I haven’t been wasting my time lately.’

Moving towards the monitor of my PC, I booted it up.

"Go to your work stations. I’ll send you the file of the world. I’ve spent the last bit of time building it. Tell me how you feel about it."

"What? Really...?"

"You actually did it? Alone?"

"Let me see."

I could sense the shock from the voices of all three, and it was understandable. One of the hardest aspects of game design was the creation of the world.

Especially a VR-related one.

3D objects needed to be created from scratch. Their measurements needed to be taken, and they also needed to be optimized for the world. The feel, the sound... There was a lot of work needed just for one material.

’Of course, their engine also has objects that can be used, but those are the most basic of materials. Most Studios have their own items that they’ve copyrighted.’

Thankfully, I had a certain system.

It made my life so much easier, and as such, I was able to build an entire world from scratch.

Of course, it wasn’t cheap, but the end result was more than worth the price that I had paid.

"Holy crap!"

"This is..."

"Wait, you really built this yourself?"

Three pairs of eyes turned to me at once, all staring like I was some kind of monster.

I merely laughed to myself in response.

"This should be enough, right?"

"That’s... Yes, it’s more than enough."

Noah replied, his mouse dragging across the computer screen as he analyzed the 3D modelling of the hotel. He gave it a proper look before taking out a pen and jotting down several things on a blank piece of paper.

"I’ll first start by creating the main character. I’ll make sure to properly integrate it with the world, and I’ll also create the guests. How do you want the game to play out?"

He turned his attention towards me.

Seeing his focused expression, I smiled.

"I’ve yet to properly think about how the game will play out, but in short, as I mentioned before, the main character will be a receptionist who welcomes guests. He’ll have to decide whether to let them in or not. He can’t reject too many people, and he’ll also have to make sure he keeps the guests he lets in checked with the cameras. If he can determine that they’re not human, he lets them out."

"I see."

Noah jotted everything down before suddenly pausing.

"Oh, right."

He looked back at me.

"I remember how you mentioned in the email that you want to link your previous games with this one. Will this still be the case?"

"Yes, it will be."

This still hadn’t changed.

I was planning on making sure that all my games were connected. I wanted to build a great climax for when all my games fused in one.

’I’ll still need to properly think about how to link it well.’

Previously, I had converted my old game into VR, planning on releasing it soon in order to make some money, but that no longer seemed possible.

At least, not yet.

I needed to deal with Nightmare Forge Studios first.

’...What a pain.’

"For now, focus on creating the characters. We have time. I’ll think of the core mechanics and scope of the game. If you guys have any ideas, feel free to share them with me. For now, I’ll take care of something else."

"Understood. We’ll get to work immediately."

The three immediately got to work, the sound of the keyboard keys pressing echoing loudly. I stared at the trio before moving out of the classroom and onto the main hall.

I looked around before heading towards the room next door.

Clank—

The room was equally as big as the main classroom, but as opposed to the previous room, this entire place was covered with soundproof material alongside many different instruments.

Locking the door behind me, I tapped my foot on the ground.

"Come out."

Several shadows appeared all at once. Mirelle, Mr. Jingles, the Realmwalker, and finally the Conductor.

"This..."

As if sensing something, the Conductor’s lips pulled into a smile as it looked around.

I didn’t waste a single second and pointed at the instruments all over.

"Each of you take an instrument."

".....!"

".....!?"

".....!!"

Several notifications appeared before my eyes, but I ignored them and headed towards the piano, popping up the lid and pressing my hands on the keys.

’I didn’t have any plans on creating a band with my own anomalies, but thinking about everything that has happened, I guess I have no choice.’

Gritting my teeth, I took out my phone and checked several comments that I had saved beforehand.

—Isn’t he too arrogant? Creating a game in three months?

—This is what happens when you have too much ego. You promise to do things that you aren’t capable of.

—It’s a pity. He was talented, but he’s let his ego get the worst of him. He’ll be completely ousted from the gaming community after this.

Clenching my phone, I looked at the others.

"Get ready. We’re going to be making a lot of music from this day forward."

I wasn’t going to be holding back.

I have a high ego? Doing things that I’m not capable of? Fine. I’ll show you exactly how high my ego can be.

I thrived on seeing people scream; however, I had always held back a little.

But after this...?

I didn’t plan on holding back any longer.

"Start!"

I pressed my hands down, a loud tune filling the air.

"Make sure you all keep up!"