Game Director from Hell

Chapter 43: Release (2)

It had been about a year since the launch of the Steam Korean local server, and the momentous first crash status left players thoroughly bewildered.

No, it wasn't just an issue limited to the Korean server, which only added to the confusion.

『(Chat)LordOfPyeongtaek: Even the North American server has gone down. No workaround route either.

(Chat)zZoneHunter: Seriously, how well do they need to do to crash the servers like this...

(Chat)SweetBlueElf39: Unbelievable... the status of gaming in Korea...

(Chat)WaitingforHellic2: Ah! Just get it back up! Let me play the game already!!!』

Both the North American and Korean servers had paused simultaneously, and enraged players began to set the already troubled community on fire.

And that was the problem.

The community server wasn't robust enough to handle excessive traffic.

[302 Found]

Even the community had crashed.

"Ah, come on!"

Bang!

Kang Seokhoon, using the nickname 'WaitingforHellic2', pounded his keyboard with his fist.

Soon, his surprised mother's voice could be heard.

"Hey! Seokhoon! What's going on this late at night?"

"Ah, it's nothing!"

At the age of 28, it was embarrassing to admit that he was angry because the game server had crashed.

Seokhoon gritted his teeth, unable to vent his rising frustration.

Had his sensitivity increased recently, or had he become too emotionally attached during the long wait?

Seokhoon suddenly felt his eyes welling up with tears.

His face grew flushed.

"I'm not a bad person!"

For nearly a year, since the last G-Star, he had been eagerly awaiting this game.

In fact, wasn't he the first to play Hellic 1 in Korea?

It was a sequel to a game he loved so much.

How could it betray him like this?

"I've been living for this!"

Such was the life of a young adult. Due to the stress from his job at a company he had not fully adapted to, there weren't many ways to relieve it.

Meeting friends was difficult due to time constraints, and dating was even harder to manage at the moment.

All that was left was his hobby, and for Seokhoon, that hobby was Hellic.

He endured the scolding for his lacklustre work performance with the thought that "I need to endure this to earn money for the game," for almost a year.

He had used up all his vacation days, and now his long-awaited holiday had been ruined by server issues. It was impossible not to be angry.

Seokhoon suddenly felt his mind go blank.

"No, this can't happen!"

Click! Click!

Frantically refreshing the purchase page.

The source of the server lag was this.

For someone, it was unfortunate, but for someone else, it was a stroke of luck.

"It's done!"

"Seokhoon!"

"It's nothing!"

The purchase page opened.

Seokhoon hurriedly took out his MasterCard, which he had prepared for this day, and started the payment process.

The process was quick.

[Purchase complete.]

An alarm sounded, and a shiver ran down Seokhoon's spine.

He clicked the download button without hesitation.

And so, he started playing.

Shoooom—

Text appeared against the backdrop of a gloomy beach: [Hellic 2: Hell Of Alice]. It was quite moving.

Seokhoon suddenly wondered if this was not a broadcast screen for James's stream.

He blinked and quickly moved the mouse.

Only after that did he swallow hard, adjust his headset, and wear it.

[New Game]

With a nervous heart, he clicked the button.

Shoooom—

The first cinematic, the one James had skipped, now played.

In fact, this cinematic was also in the demo version, but for Seokhoon, this was the first time seeing it properly.

With a broad smile on his face, Seokhoon made a vow.

"Let's not skip any scenes in the main game."

It was the result of watching trailers and participating in the closed beta evaluation.

The protagonist of Hellic 1, Warden appeared.

And that 'Aldred Russo' had praised the story of this game.

Seokhoon couldn't afford to miss that emotion.

"Hello, I'm Navi."

A turquoise butterfly, unsuitable for the gloomy beach, appeared, radiating light.

He met the girl and began a story that he couldn't yet understand.

"Did they say it's another faction of hell?"

Seokhoon thought that the story analysis post by 'S2PobiS2' had a fair amount of credibility.

Anyway, considering the practical issue of expanding the content of the series, it seemed like a plausible guess.

The conscience of hell protecting children.

Approaching it from that perspective, he felt a warm sense of wonder at the mystery of the butterfly.

"Let's go; it's too dark here."

The cinematic ended.

Now, it was time for the actual gameplay.

Seokhoon stood at a crossroads of choices.

"Which route should I take?"

In fact, he had tried all four routes in the demo version.

While James had gone for the bombardment build, Seokhoon leaned more towards the romantic notion of "a man should wield a sword."

"Yes! Let's start with the slash build!"

And so, for the open beta, the first playthrough would be with a sword.

The butterfly transformed into a small dagger and appeared in Alice's hand.

As far as the tutorial was concerned, Seokhoon quickly continued playing.

The butterfly had transformed into Machete.

He completed the basic farming and reached the cave entrance in exactly 5 minutes.

"From here on, it's the next chapter."

Seokhoon entered the cave.

Once again, a cinematic played.

"This is the Hell of Heretics," said Navi as the elements of hell unfolded before Seokhoon.

At this point, Seokhoon felt a slight sense of astonishment.

"Oh, so this is that kind of place?"

He hadn't known anything about the setting or story of the Hell of Heretics because he had skipped all of it. But now, he was starting to understand.

Understanding began to lead to new perspectives.

Understanding is the beginning of a new perspective.

Seokhoon began to comprehend the background that had existed only as objects and embraced a deeper immersion.

"So, is Alice really the baby Jesus?"

The speculations once again churned in his mind.

Curiosity, in other words, his interest, deepened.

With a click, he typed on the keyboard.

One thing had changed.

Due to the increased length, there were more resources required for item building and evolution.

Seokhoon, who had only reached the fourth stage originally, finally obtained a new weapon.

"Oh, the fifth one is a Katana?"

After the Gladius, the next weapon was a katana.

And he found out something new.

"From the fifth weapon onwards, the routes diverge again, and there are additional options."

Among them, Seokhoon chose the "Swift" route.

The initial effect of the Swift route was as follows:

"Katana... Iaido."

The effect of Iaido was: "Adds 100% attack speed to the next 3 attacks."

Seokhoon immediately thought of how to use Iaido.

"With this buff, I can increase the attack speed of higher-tier weapons."

Helic 2 was a game mainly focused on combining weapons through four quick slots.

Seokhoon equipped the katana in slot 1, used Iaido, then quickly switched to the second weapon to increase its attack speed.

Just in case there was a system limitation, Seokhoon used Iaido with the katana and held the Gladius.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The previously somewhat slow Gladius now struck three times in an instant.

At that moment, Seokhoon's eyes widened.

Finally, it became clear why James' weapon build was so powerful.

It probably significantly boosted the single-hit damage through the combination of high-tier crossbow skills.

Simultaneously, a question arose.

"What will the effects of the next weapons be?"

There were still over ten items locked in the sword route.

Gamers were the type of people who couldn't rest until they activated anything that was locked or had an inactive icon.

Curiosity and a sense of ownership.

There were plenty of emotions to lead Seokhoon forward.

Ding, dong!

The fist of a god descended.

Not far away, a distorted figure of a god was looking down at Seokhoon.

"It's the god's trial! Let's go!" said Navi, guiding Seokhoon forward.

Hellic 2's playtime was designed with a presumed duration of 14 hours.

James had said so, and Studio Rewind had officially confirmed it on their social media.

"For skilled players, you can clear it in about 10 to 14 hours. If you watch all the story content, 14 hours is the closest to the average."

From that perspective, Seokhoon was a skilled player.

"Seokhoon! Have lunch!"

"Later!"

The sun was high in the sky.

At this point, Seokhoon wasn't in his right mind.

He pushed past sleeping hours, a numb mind, and an occasional headache.

Yet he didn't stop playing.

Starting around 1 a.m., Seokhoon, after approximately 13 hours of play, cleared the boss of the fourth chapter.

"Crossing the paradise of heretics, avoiding the touch of pleasure from the prisoners who prostrate themselves, transcending the cries of the starving, and once again navigating through the horrific abyss of annihilation.

Kugung!

[Chapter 4 Cleared]

The human with a mountain goat's head pierced through his entire body collapses.

It was the boss that took 14 tries to clear.

It was difficult.

As James had said, it was so difficult that it felt like this might be the final boss.

But Seokhoon knew.

—This guy is especially tough. After the final boss.

There's something beyond.

Seokhoon, and everyone who had been waiting for Hellic 2, had been waiting for that very boss.

"Now, it's finally the warden...!"

As he watched the entire story, his speculation turned into certainty.

Perhaps all this hell surrounding Alice was a result of the clash between the forces punishing sinners and those protecting the child.

It was a somewhat heavy story.

If you consider Alice to be a symbol of baby Jesus, then all this hell couldn't be blamed on Alice.

According to the Butterfly's words, Alice fell here due to the "sin of being born."

The player views the world from the perspective of the playable character.

In other words, Seokhoon was on Alice's side entirely.

He hoped for a happy ending for Alice.

So, in front of the door leading to the final boss battle, he prepared himself once again.

"All routes are cleared."

He completed the build that followed "Slash" to the end.

Among the items he chose, there were four additional effects.

"Swift" for increasing attack speed with the Katana.

"Complete Evasion" from the So-Tai-Do that allowed avoiding all attacks once.

"Flexibility" from the Bastard Sword, which had a cooldown reduction effect.

And finally, the active skill "Sen-Dan" with which he could instantly teleport forward and strike with 300% attack power.

The "One-Strike Annihilation" build, which combined the effects of the first, second, and third effects while maximizing the use of "Sen-Dan," was the optimal build that Seokhoon had created after experimenting with various build effects.

"Item doping is also done."

Now, all that remained was to move forward.

When he clicked on the door, a prompt appeared.

[Warning: Entering the boss battle. Do you wish to enter?]

[Yes / No]

Boss battles one after the other without minor mobs.

It was quite challenging but also refreshing.

System-wise, all builds were complete, and there was no need to prolong the anticipation with the story's conclusion.

[Yes]

Seokhoon's Alice crossed the door and entered a cinematic.

Shooosh—

The sound of waves filled the air.

The moonlight tinted the crimson sky with a blue hue.

In front of Alice and the Butterfly, a golden door stood.

"Now, you just need to cross this place."

"What's over there?"

"Somewhere better than here."

The conversation between the girl and the butterfly began.

But parting was not easy.

Especially if it was an eternal farewell.

"...I don't want to."

Seokhoon knew that this was the first denial, as he had thoroughly read through all the stories.

His heart sank a bit.

"Please..."

The butterfly pleaded.

Seokhoon empathized with the butterfly's perspective.

"You have to go!"

At least in Seokhoon's opinion, there was no reason for Alice to stay in hell.

Conflict had erupted, and when the butterfly landed on Alice's forehead and flapped its wings, he felt pity.

As a gamer, he knew all this because he could observe the situation from the outside.

"It's a boss battle."

The hesitation of that small moment would lead to the final hardship.

Seokhoon firmly gripped his mouse.

And at that moment...

"Yeah..."

Alice left through the door.

"...Huh?"

Seokhoon's gaze wavered.

A sudden reversal that none of the confusion or surprise he had felt could have anticipated.

In that moment, Seokhoon felt as if someone had struck him from behind.

Saaaah—

"...Huh?"

Confusion burst from his throat.

The luminous aura wrapped around the butterfly grew larger and larger, becoming as big as a person.

And within the flickering aura, an identical dress, blonde hair, and face to Alice's, yet an adult woman, appeared.

Thud! It felt like lightning had struck his forehead.

It wasn't just a shock.

It was the sensation of a clear direction, negating all the information he had known about the butterfly up until now and replacing it with something new.

Suddenly, the butterfly's lines flashed through his mind.

"Hello, I'm Navi."

A name that introduced nothing.

"Let's go, it's too dark here."

The most frequently spoken words during the story's progress.

"When you leave, be sure to try a cheeseburger. It's the most delicious food in the world!"

And advice, words that pointed to reality.

At the end of it all.

"You will definitely be happier than anyone else in the world."

Finally, now, love.

Perhaps, definitely.

"Alice's mom?"

The butterfly's identity seemed to be just that.

Shooo---

The rushing waves brushed against the woman... the bare feet of the butterfly.

But even so, the butterfly couldn't smile with joy, only lifting the corners of her mouth sadly.

"Uh..."

Seokhoon sighed.

He realized that all the grand stories he had expected had been brushed aside, and that all these narratives were simply referring to a mother's love.

Because from the beginning, the war between the forces of hell was of little importance.

And then,

Giggle---

The ominous creaking drew closer to the butterfly.

Step by step, the bare feet on the sand were illuminated.

Black, stitched, and a face punctured with nails.

And a saw in his hand.

The warden.

The warden Seokhoon had been waiting for so desperately was approaching the fading golden door and the woman.

Seokhoon screamed inwardly.

"Hey, you bastard!"

You're not supposed to interfere here!

He was not surprised by the 3D representation of the warden's design.

There was no excitement for the final boss battle.

What was happening now was just urgent and infuriating, inserting something terrible into the very human truth.

Above all, it was ominous.

Seokhoon knew.

"How can I beat that?"

The warden was one of the most powerful beings in the Hellic universe that had been introduced so far.

There was the god from Chapter 1, but it had only faced Alice in the form of a test in the story, never truly intending to harm her.

So what if the warden intervened in this moment of separation from Alice?

Butterfly's fate had already been foreseen.

"No, it can't be!"

The expression on the butterfly's face stiffened.

As she walked towards the warden, she drew a sword with a turquoise glow.

It was Seokhoon's core build.

The moment the two approached each other, the organ music, the sound of waves, and footsteps suddenly increased.

The sound pierced through the emotions.

The door gradually blurred, and a 3-minute timer started running at the top of the screen.

Thus, the boss battle began.

"Hey!"

Giggle!

Seokhoon, who was confused by the shocking twist, couldn't control properly.

[Respawn at the save point.]

The screen once again focused on Alice.

Understanding begins from repeatedly trying.

Understanding is the presentation of a new perspective.

The player sees the world from the perspective of the playable character.

In other words, I equate myself with the perspective of the playable character and gain deep empathy and immersion in it.

In other words, Seokhoon was deeply immersed in the perspective of the butterfly.

The fading door, the decreasing countdown, and the butterfly facing off against the warden.

All elements are conveyed in an indirect form.

The understanding that Butterfly must buy time for Alice to leave from the warden.

Giggle---

The 7th try.

Seokhoon confronted the warden with bloodshot eyes as if he was possessed.

The woman recreated the weapon's characteristics in the same way as Alice, or even more skilfully and beautifully.

But what confronted them was still terrible.

Unlike when playing in 2D pixel graphics, where all motions were clearly defined, the warden's motions were now eerie.

It was different from the 2D pixel version, with long, twisted limbs like marionettes, making it impossible to predict the next motion.

What was even more malicious was this.

"Ah! Damn it!"

The rhythm of the motions was erratic.

In other words, if you tried to evade or block, the attack would come either a beat faster or a beat slower.

[Respawn at the save point.]

The same result followed.

There was no choice.

The only way to stop the warden was to thwart the three patterns presented within the boss battle.

The remaining number of patterns was displayed as three circular orbs beneath the warden's health gauge.

One orb of light would go out when one pattern was thwarted.

But the pattern was a counterattack.

As I mentioned, the warden had made it difficult with its erratic attacks.

Seokhoon faced this with determination and started his challenge.

It wasn't easy.

The first counter, followed by a short cinematic sequence showing the butterfly getting injured.

[Respawn at the save point.]

Second, the third counter, in this, the right arm and half of the face of the butterfly collapsed.

[Resurrect at the save point.]

Third counter.

No, it's more like a rhythm game than a countdown, with offbeat defences.

[Resurrect at the save point.]

[Resurrect at the save point.]

[Resurrect at the save point.]

It was as if he had set the alarm many times only in this place.

But that didnt mean the end.

Every challenge comes with a reward.

But only if he didnt give up.

[GAME CLEAR]

Finally, he survived for three minutes.

By unravelling all three patterns.

Like a tightly stretched rubber band, Seokhoon's body suddenly relaxed.

His hands, which had nothing more to do, quietly dropped the mouse and keyboard.

His gaze stared blankly at the screen.

Fluttering...

Cracks began to appear all over the butterfly's body.

The golden gate had already disappeared.

Shoo...

Once again, the wave's form touched the woman's foot.

No, it began to gnaw at it.

The woman's form began to crumble.

But the woman smiled.

[Hoo-hoo...]

Like someone who had finally completed all the tasks, happier and more relieved than anything else.

His eyes were so tightly sewn that it couldn't be described as looking.

Shoo...

The collapsing gaze of the butterfly turned toward the spot where the door had disappeared.

Seokhoon felt a sense of disappointment, sadness, and emptiness in her radiant smile.

The collapsing scene was once again conveying the butterfly's final moments in an indirect form.

It was that moment.

[...Goodbye.]

With a light wave of her hand, the shapeless woman was swallowed by the wave.

Shoo...

The empty beach, he suddenly turned away.

Ending.

Ding, ding...

The organ music played as the ending credits rolled up.

The BGM of the final boss battle, which usually made the entire atmosphere heavy, was now playing mournfully.

Ding...

Upon hearing the sound, Seokhoon felt his eyelids becoming hot.

Tears didn't fall.

It was more like someone had lit a fire in his eye sockets.

And for some reason, his breath caught in his throat.

It felt like his chest was tightening.

Questions arose.

"Is this really the end?"

Was the ending for the butterfly ultimately a sad ending?

Was there no other possibility?

What happened to Alice?

Could they ever meet again?

There were too many hidden pieces of information, and all sorts of thoughts came to mind.

Amidst it all, on the screen, the names of the six creators was appearing.

Normally, players would skip or exit the game.

The names of the game creators weren't that important to the players.

However, Seokhoon couldn't just skip it because the organ music was too poignant.

Or maybe he wanted to prolong this lingering feeling a little longer.

Because the ending was so melancholic.

Because it kept him searching for other possibilities.

With trembling eyes, Seokhoon, who had watched the credits to the end, was given only one sentence.

[And You.]

It was the creator's praise to the player who had completed the game by playing it to the end.

In other words, it was a message that said, "This is where it ends."

It was that moment.

"Sniff...!"

Kang Seokhoon, a marine of the Republic of Korea (28 years old), could only cry out loud.

'And You' seemed to be saying, "Nevertheless, you saved Alice just as much."

This should be enough.

"Sob...!"

It was the first time he had shed tears since his girlfriend had left him during his military leave.

He cried for quite a long time.

Similar things happened to a few other players at the same time.

A few users who had broken through the server fuzz and purchased the game logged in and saw the ending around the same time.

[Chat] "WaitingforHellic2: Wow...!"

[Chat] "Lord of Bangbaedong: This game is god-tier, seriously...!"

User reviews began pouring in.

Not just overwhelmingly positive but absolutely positive.

It took just one day for Helic 2 to prove its closed beta evaluation and surpass it.

Word of mouth began to spread.