LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 5
#5 Chapter: The Chaotic Game Development (3)
Beyond: The Lost Era.
In this age, a character-collecting RPG game was created with the borrowed power of the next-generation AI ‘Nebula,’ which should not have existed in the first place.
Given that it was built on superior technology, its quality was supposed to be overwhelmingly superior enough to massacre other games in the same industry… but it wasn’t.
The reason being that Nebula was fundamentally created as a tool for Ryu Inseo to act as his own hands and feet.
When given commands, it executed them at lightning speed, far beyond any human capability, but if no command was given, it simply would not act.
And of course, Ryu Inseo had no experience or know-how in developing gacha games.
Despite being a monster capable of creating a virtual reality in no time, it still produced decent results even on its own, but because the foundation was lacking, the intricate components were merely things he had seen once or twice somewhere.
At the time of release, a streamer’s commentary hit the nail on the head regarding this game’s essence.
– “If you walked into a restaurant with zero expectations just to fill your stomach and got this level of kimchi stew, you’d think, ‘Wow, this place is pretty good!’ But if you got this stew from a restaurant famous for good food, you’d think, ‘It’s not bad, but is it really that exciting?'”
– “It doesn’t particularly have disadvantages, but neither is it exceptional; it’s a familiar and average taste. A solid 80 points.”
If that were all, ‘Beyond: The Lost Era’ would have finished as a moderately successful game with a decent number of fixed customers, but despite being criticized for its lack of personality, this game had two outstanding unique features that were hard for others to catch up to.
First, as mentioned earlier, it had a significantly user-friendly monetization structure compared to other games in the same industry.
And the second one was…
[Ugh, what a trash game. I’ve already pushed through chapter 7 and max leveled all characters. Is there really nothing to do now?]
└You glutton, slow down a bit. You lick the bowls clean as soon as food comes out, then complain there’s nothing to eat.
└Is there a game that gets called trash a week after release?
└There are plenty of games that get cleared in a single day, so lasting a week is pretty long, I guess.
└I’m still floundering around chapter 3 while these guys have given their lives to the game.
[No update notices. They say chapter 8 and a new character pickup banner will be added in three days.]
└Does that mean the current banners are done for?
└Read the text. It says they’re doing it alongside the current banners.
└Updates are coming pretty fast. Are they trying to shove it all in while users are concentrated at the launch?
└If the pickup character’s performance is good, those who had rerolled will probably run back in again.
Three days later.
[Ha, I’ve cleared chapter 8. Now, what’s next?]
└They said the tease for chapter 9 just came out. Event story is happening too.
└Is that the roadmap? When’s the next update?
└(Link)
└??? Why is this saying three days from now?
Three days later.
[Ha, I’ve cleared chapter 9. But why the hell is there already a tease for chapter 10? What is this?]
└You fool. The moment you complained about being hungry in front of your grandma, your destiny was sealed.
└Grandma’s country house course: Keeps coming even if your grandchild’s belly bursts.
└But seriously, these updates are fast. They say they’re adding personal stories for each character along with the main story.
└They probably made it all in advance and are just releasing it bit by bit. There’s no way this speed could be normal otherwise.
Players consume content quickly.
The new content prepared for a week or even a month by the game developers could be devoured in less than a day if players set their minds to it; this is the norm in the industry.
But Beyond was different.
It wasn’t to a level that could not be caught up to by the so-called veteran players, but for average players enjoying the game, it felt like new content was pouring out like a bottomless pit.
The quality, meaning the game’s completeness or storyline, didn’t give people an overwhelming emotional impact.
Instead, there was a lot of it. And the speed was fast. The sheer amount was sufficient for killing time.
As a result,
Beyond’s fandom grew rapidly, and its market share significantly increased.
And as is often the case in human society,
“This company called Nebula. Investigate them quickly.”
Latecomers receive attention and scrutiny from the frontrunners.
*
What is the advantage of a second life?
The first thing that comes to mind is that one knows the future and can prepare for it, but honestly, in my case, that’s hardly applicable.
This place has a civilization and culture level similar to the one I lived in, but its detailed history is different, so I can’t invest in stocks of companies that seem likely to rise beforehand, and as for using ‘original’ knowledge, I can’t say I read the original work properly.
All I know is a simple plot overview and the name of the game that is the root of the events; the rest is just that the original heroine has a sultry vibe and is the embodiment of sexuality. But ironically, that body is mine. No escape from this.
In the first place, I’m considered a straight-A student, so my vibe is entirely different from the heroine who suffered from a witch hunt in the original story.
However, if you ask whether I gained anything from the advantages of a second life, I wouldn’t think so.
A child who has been burned by something hot learns to be cautious of fire.
Young newcomers tend to naively believe that a bit of hardship in the present will benefit them later, but once they accumulate some experience in society, they quickly understand that such talk is nonsense without needing anyone to teach them.
Even without the convenient cheat of original knowledge,
Rich life experience itself becomes a powerful sword and shield.
“Our company staff were all astonished after seeing the game your son created. They said it shows tremendous genius.”
“I’ve heard it has considerable popularity, but is it really that much?”
“Oh dear, it’s beyond just popularity. Of course, it’s not without its weaknesses, but considering that such a new person with neither experience nor know-how created it, it really leaves one in awe. It must be thanks to your earnest support as parents.”
“No, it’s not quite like that…”
“Hahaha, how humble! However, no matter how talented your son may be, without proper institutional support, if he continues to stubbornly make games as a small team like this, he’ll soon hit a wall. If your son were to work with our company, I guarantee you he’ll receive top-tier treatment in the industry. I also hear you have a high school daughter, we could assist her with her university entrance as well. Not only with scholarships but if she desires, we could support her studying abroad in the UK. Additionally, here’s an advance payment of this amount.”
“Oh my. Honey, this doesn’t seem bad, what do you think?”
“Hmm, it doesn’t seem bad, given the conditions.”
“Um, well, father, I—”
“Inseo, think carefully. No matter how excellent a person is, there are limits to what one can do alone. If you get a respectable job at a big company and work while receiving support, isn’t that a good thing for you too?”
“…….”
So, let’s say,
The brother guy, who has little experience in life and is timid due to the presence of the stepfather, would probably end up signing an unwanted contract due to pressure from parents, but I wouldn’t let that happen.
As soon as I walked into the house, I saw a pair of unfamiliar shoes in the entryway, so I quietly listened in.
“Mom, Dad. I’m back.”
“Yerin’s back?”
“Our daughter, you’ve worked hard today. These people here—”
“Oh, I think I have a rough idea. But, can I take a look at that contract?”
“Huh? Sure.”
I examined the lengthy and unnecessarily detailed contract.
While there were fluorescent highlights suggesting I only needed to focus on that part, I ignored them and took in the entire content.
“Did you come from Donlight? This part here is quite convoluted and hard to understand, but it basically says that the game will be handed over to the company, right?”
The man who appeared to be a salesperson narrowed his eyes for a brief moment, but soon continued speaking with a smile as if nothing had happened.
“I believe the student may have misunderstood. This clause merely states that both Ryu Inseo and our company will ‘jointly’ hold the copyright. Once Ryu Inseo becomes a formal employee and the game is operated and developed by our side, our company’s know-how, technology, and resources will enter the game, so it would be problematic if Ryu Inseo has exclusive rights regarding that.”
At face value, it sounded reasonable.
But if we assume that an individual and a company are jointly holding the copyright, which side would be more advantageous if a conflict over the copyright arose?
For now, there may not be any problem. Even if the copyright is claimed to be shared later, the initial creator of the game is the brother, so he’d be in a far better position.
However, what if, as time goes on, the brother contributes significantly more content after joining the company?
Copyright inherently belongs to the creator, so ideally, it shouldn’t matter how much more was created, but if the situation already states in the contract that the company has rights…
What if the company secretly incorporates patented technology into Beyond and asserts it as part of the game?
What if they claim that the content created by the brother was made in collaboration with other employees? How many people would logically acknowledge that the former, a specific individual, is responsible for much more than everyone else combined?
Would the brother’s rights still be safe in such a scenario?
Explaining this in detail to reject it would be a poor move. While I’ve gained some knowledge through my research, there’s no way I’m prepared to fight against the legal experts hired by the company.
I may not know how capable the salesperson before me is, but if I display any gaps in legal knowledge while fighting against them, I could easily lose out.
So, I need to take a different approach here.
“I see. If it’s a misunderstanding, that’s a relief. But… The compensation seems a bit weak.”
“Huh? The student seems to misunderstand; this is quite an extraordinarily favorable treatment for a newcomer.”
“But I’ve already received a better contract offer elsewhere.”
I said that and walked into my room, pulling out a brown envelope to show the salesperson.
“I heard it’s fine to share this with others, so feel free to read it.”
The salesperson began examining the documents, his expression soon trembling.
Well, of course! The terms here are evidently much better.
“Oh, of course, it’s not a confirmed deal yet. They said I could take my time to respond. If you have any better conditions to offer, you’re welcome to come back.”
“…Haha. I see. I’ll review it and come back later. Thank you for your time.”
I must commend his ability to maintain politeness and a smile even after being schooled by a much younger female student.
After the salesperson left, I bowed my head to my parents, who bore a somewhat dazed expression.
“I’m sorry for butting in while you were talking. But seeing that they were trying to take away the results of my brother’s hard work without proper compensation, I couldn’t help but feel emotional…”
As I said that and made a crying face, my stepfather looked noticeably flustered and replied.
“No, that’s not it. Yerin, you did well. I was probably too hasty in trying to decide.”
I’m glad you see that now, stepfather. But I can’t fathom why that understanding doesn’t extend to your biological son. Perhaps it’s just human chemistry not aligning.
Mrs. Kang, being somewhat aware of my true nature, had a mildly suspicious expression, but when I gave her a slight signal, she nodded quietly.
After sorting things out with the two of them.
In the brother’s—no, now essentially, a shared studio of siblings.
“I appreciate it, but… didn’t you just get annoyed saying, ‘What the hell is this contract ‘contract’!?’”
“Annoyed or not, we need to take what we can. This stuff can be useful as a shield in situations like this.”
“So, are you going to contract with them?”
“Are you insane? No matter what way you cut it, we have to hold the copyright of the game itself. And once we enter the company and start co-creating and operating, Nebula’s insane capabilities will be exposed.”
The brother thought for a moment but soon nodded with a look of firm resolution.
“Got it. From now on, no matter who demands a contract, I’ll firmly deny it.”
I spoke to him.
“What nonsense are you saying? If we keep rejecting like this, one day we’ll be done for. Right now, they’re being discreet about wanting us to join because they want to draw us in, but once they decide to stomp on us as a group, do you think we can survive in this industry?”
“Then what should we do? Should we unleash Nebula on the web for a preemptive strike?”
What is this guy? Criminal ideas flow out of him as easily as breathing? Did he act like this in the original too?
“That’s a last resort; we have a better option.”
“What is it?”
“If we’re going to pay a tribute anyway, it’d be better to offer it to a dinosaur than a wolf. As long as we’re consistently providing them benefits and feeding their pride, we can leave the detailed aspects of game operation to a massive dinosaur.”
The brother seemed skeptical.
He looked like he doubted whether a suitable opponent would come along, but I wasn’t worried.
If this guy created a virtual reality game in the original that was played by thousands, there’s no way a significant figure wouldn’t get involved.
And as expected,
“I would like to ask bluntly. Can we purchase the AI technology held by Nebula?”
The dinosaur has arrived.