Chapter 159: Tomb of the Dragon
"Wow!!!"
"I can't believe we actually cleared it!"
The users gathered for the event cheered for the elite party of the Gwangjeon Warriors guild, but my feelings were rather complicated.
"'Butt'... the name of a great hero is 'Butt'..."
Hayashi, who was standing beside me at that moment, seemed to share my sentiment. He asked me with a chuckle in his voice.
"Ch-Chief... Does this mean the hero class character appearing in part 2 will be named..."
"Yeah. Butt."
"No way! Are you really going to do that?"
"Well, a promise is a promise."
But there was still a small glimmer of hope. It was just a slight difference between becoming a warrior or not...
"Kwaaaah!!"
With the warrior's final strike, the Black Dragon let out a final roar and collapsed to the ground.
"Will... the true ending show now?"
After clearing the normal mode and witnessing the fleeing event from the collapsing tower, along with the message urging us to try the hardcore mode, the ending took a slightly different turn.
The mage who defeated the Black Dragon revealed the appearance of the Archmage Croel, who had defeated the Castle King.
"Huh!? It's the Archmage!"
"Oh!! The ending's different!! So, is the final showdown happening right away?"
"Excellent. You warriors who defeated my dragon."
The members of the Gwangjeon Warriors guild's party tensed up at the sudden appearance of the Archmage. They knew that if a battle ensued, the outcome would be as clear as day.
Who would have thought that the demon would appear at the very top of the Tower of Malevolence, which was thought to be the final battle?
Reflecting on it, there had been similar cases in the previous installment. Players who suffered a painful blow from the sudden appearance of a demon after killing the Demon Lord.
But their expectations were pleasantly deceived.
The demon that appeared before the party who had defeated the dragon presented a new alternative to the players.
And following that alternative, a new message window popped up on the screen of 'Osiri,' the leader of the raid party.
"Will you accept the demon's proposal to become the 'Demon King'?"
Admiration flowed from the users gathered in the event hall at the message appearing on the screen.
"What? Depending on the player's choice, you can become either a hero or a demon king!?"
"Amazing. What happens if you choose to be the demon king here?"
Well, no matter what, it's about becoming the 'Butt' demon king!!
Anyway, thanks to that damn name, whatever the outcome, the seriousness just evaporates. But is being a demon king's name better than a hero's? Ugh... I'm not sure anymore.
As I sighed deeply and glanced beside me, Yuki, who was sitting with me, was on the verge of laughing out loud.
"The demon king's name is 'Butt.' Hehehe."
Yeah... laugh it up.
As I wryly smiled, resigned to whatever happens, turning my head to the stage, the players of the Gwangjeon Warriors guild were in a serious discussion.
Whether to be recorded as the first hero in Dragon Emblem 2 or as an extraordinary demon king, either choice must have been appealing to them.
The moment Osiri, who was a warrior class, received the offer to become the demon king, the same proposal was extended to the archers and mages who were also part of the party.
And the Gwangjeon Warrior party made a quite wise decision here.
While two members, a warrior and a mage, transitioned respectively into a demon king and a corrupted mage...
The rest of the party changed into a judge and a grand mage.
"Not a bad choice."
The users also showed an intriguing response to their decision.
"Our comrades split into two factions. What happens now?"
With everyone watching, the demon disappeared into the darkness, announcing a new war and taking his two followers along.
Finally, as the tense event video of the collapsing tower and the story video signaling the tower's complete collapse ended, another message appeared on the screen.
"Prologue of Dragon Emblem!?"
"Until now, the story we played was the prologue of Dragon Emblem 2? How expansive is this world?"
Users, who thought it was the ending, began murmuring at the message on the screen. As I had been observing the event until now, I slowly stood up and stepped onto the stage.
"Hello, I'm Kang Junhyuk, the developer of Dragon Emblem."
All the gazes of the people gathered in the event hall turned towards me, and there was a moment of silence.
"First of all, I extend my deepest gratitude to the Gwangjeon Warriors guild for clearing the Dragon Emblem hardcore mode till the end. Frankly speaking, after the release of Dragon Emblem 2, I thought it would take at least three months for someone to clear the hardcore mode. Developer predictions always seem to miss the mark, don't they?"
"To predict that too... wicked..."
In response to a user's muttered words from somewhere, I smiled and replied.
"That's what directors do. If players feel the playtime is too short, we add a bit more content, and if it's too much, we trim off unnecessary events like pruning branches. Long and tedious stories exhaust you, right? That's why the first story of Dragon Emblem 2 is simple and clear. Defeat the dragon guarding the tower with your comrades. Isn't that so, Gwangjeon Warriors?"
Upon hearing this, the archer player who had transitioned into a judge nodded in agreement.
"Completing small quests to see our characters grow or witness the prosperity of the town is good, but it feels like we're missing the grand storytelling flow from the previous installment," Gunpei mused.
"Exactly! You hit the nail on the head. That's right. What you've been enjoying so far is merely the prologue of Dragon Emblem 2, reminiscent of its very early stages. Do any of you happen to recall the phrase from the Dragon Emblem promotional video we showcased a while back?" Chandra asked.
Among the users gathered in the event hall, a few sighed in recognition. "Could it be...?"
Yes, indeed. Those who just advanced will appear as Hero classes in the main story of the next episode, 'Tomb of the Dragons.'
The Hero classes in Dragon Emblem amount to eight per job, totaling sixteen when you include the Demon Lord's faction.
The clear data from the Gladiators Guild quickly spread through various magazines and PC communication communities. Consequently, users rushed to conquer the Tower of Malevolence to claim the remaining twelve Hero classes.
Their nurtured characters could become the protagonists of the next episode.
Even after registering all sixteen Heroes, players who cleared Dragon Emblem 2 could pass on their characters to the next episode, minimizing the resale of cartridges in second-hand markets.
The collaborative game created with users received an incredibly positive response, selling a staggering one million copies within just three months of release, exclusively within Japan.
&
"To the achievement of Dragon Emblem as a million-seller! Cheers!" echoed throughout the room as glasses clinked, accompanying Kawaguchi's toast.
He praised the success of Dragon Emblem, inducing applause from the Pentagon staff.
"Then, how about we call upon our pride, Kang Junhyuk, from Pentagon Soft, who not only contributed to Dragon Emblem's success but is also getting married next month?" Kawaguchi suggested suddenly.
Startled by the sudden announcement, I, Kang, while sipping champagne, politely declined, "I'm fine, really."
However, Morita and Hayashi, seated beside me, forcibly lifted me to stand and urged, "Come on! Stop being shy. You're getting married next month. Say a few words. Hey, what's everyone waiting for? Get our manager up here quickly!"
Eventually coerced onto the stage by my second development team members, I stood, facing the employees in an awkward stance. To my surprise, I received hearty applause not only from my first development team but also from the marketing and accounting teams.
What was once a small team of around ten members had now burgeoned into a massive company with a staff count of over 150 at headquarters.
Holding the microphone until the applause subsided, I gazed across the gathering. "First and foremost, I'd like to express my gratitude to the members of our second development team who worked hard alongside me. Since the launch of the new portable console about ten months ago, Laon has achieved the second-highest market share within Japan, surpassing NEGA. While there's still a significant gap between us and the industry leader, Mintendo, I believe that with everyone's continued efforts, surpassing Mintendo is not an impossible dream."
"The gaming industry, which lost trust due to the Atari shock, is now experiencing its second heyday starting from Mintendo's Family series. The console market is poised for significant changes. Amidst this, entirely new genres will emerge. The prologue of Dragon Emblem 2 marks the first step in preparing for these changes."
Perhaps, nobody truly grasped the meaning behind my words in this momentous setting.
I adjusted the microphone, offering a wry smile.
&
A few days later,
Several demo cartridges from Mantra Soft in Korea arrived at the Pentagon headquarters.
These demo games, originally developed for PC, were being considered for release on Laon, a console platform, by Korean gaming companies.
In the 1990s, Korea's PC gaming industry suffered from considerable instability due to rampant illegal copying, resulting in very few users purchasing genuine copies.
However, with the release of Laon in 1991, which began gaining significant popularity in Korea, software companies gradually shifted their focus toward console game development.
Through mutual cooperation between Pentagon and Mantra, most games released by Pentagon were localized into Korean. Among these, Dragon Emblem series and Final Frontier were particularly popular domestically.
Some games even underwent conversion into Japanese for release, indicating potential in the Japanese market, as recognized by Mantra, which occasionally sent such games to Pentagon.
"Manager, we've received new demo cartridges from Korea," Hayashi informed me, having picked up a package from the mailroom.
Engrossed in porting work for the new episode of Dragon Emblem, I sighed momentarily as Hayashi handed me the cartridges.
"Korean developers seem to be producing a lot of games for Laon lately."
"Although PC distribution is exponentially increasing, games hardly sell. Hence, the shift in focus towards the Laon console market."
"Ah, the issue of illegal copying. It's a global problem, not just in Korea. PCs, unlike consoles, are easier to replicate data-wise, so it's inevitable."
"Indeed..."
While skimming through a few game cartridges, my attention paused on one with a familiar title.
"Hmm? Do you know this game?"
"A few days ago, Mantra's CEO called and praised it to me. Want to give it a try?"
As Hayashi read the title on the cartridge, 'Acrtonisia Story,' he mumbled approvingly, "Cool title, isn't it?"
"Isn't it?" I echoed, a small smile forming on my lips, prompted by Hayashi's compliment.
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