Chapter 167: Dragon Mountain - (4)
The next day, the first thing I did was rent an office near Mapo.
Raon's first anniversary event was about a month away. To ensure a successful event, Soomnori's cooperation was essential. And for that, a smooth development environment was imperative.
Switching platforms from PC to Raon meant that all the development progress made so far was reset to 0%. Sure, there was a demo version of Raon that Mintendo sent from Mantla, but honestly, it was far from enough.
Why, you ask?
Did I really come this far just to port the past Accstonicia as it was?
Accstonicia was undoubtedly a gem considering the gaming industry at that time, but it wasn't a huge masterpiece. There were things that needed fixing and areas that required refinement.
Firstly, the portrayal of SRPG battles. This part was somewhat ambiguous.
In classic RPGs where level grinding reigns, Accstonicia's battle tempo was incredibly slow. One reason was the vastness of the battle maps compared to the number of allied and enemy units.
Spending 2-3 turns just to reach the foes when you're inevitably going to battle felt frustrating.
"Why is the battle map so vast?"
"To give the sense of vastness on the battlefield..."
"Taking forever to defeat a few random monsters. The map size should be reduced to about a third. Start battles with enemies in sight; in an RPG where you're consistently fighting, this kind of level grinding becomes tedious."
And secondly, assigning unique settings fitting each character's occupation. In Accstonicia, magic was akin to a useless burden.
In a fantasy world teeming with swords and sorcery, magic holds significant sway. However, in Accstonicia, due to the excessive MP consumption, after casting one or two spells, there was no remaining capability for magic.
So, when we started revising nearly half of the initial system design aside from the story, the expressions of the few Soomnori team members, including CEO Lee, turned stiff.
"CEO, who exactly is that person?"
"Kang Junhyuk from Japan's Pentagon Soft."
"Pentagon Soft...?"
"..."
"Wait a sec. Kang Junhyuk from Pentagon Soft!?"
"Yeah, that's right, the main director of the Dragon Emblem series."
"Whoa..."
The original team behind Accstonicia at Soomnori weren't professionals in game development. They were just a group of people who loved games, gathered to create games as a hobby.
Asking such individuals to suddenly develop a professional game naturally led to confusion, which in turn brought about resistance.
"I actually came here thinking it was to create a simple RPG game for kids' English education. If this drags on for too long, it'll be difficult for my livelihood."
While scrutinizing the proposal, a thin programmer cautiously approached me. I continued examining Accstonicia's proposal and responded to his inquiry.
"What are you doing right now?"
"Oh, that... I'm developing educational programs for kids at a small company."
"What's your monthly income like?"
"Well, once the task is done, the boss over there said he'd take care of performance bonuses. But, I get around 100 a month regularly."
Upon the programmer's reply, I turned to CEO Lee and said, "The down payment from Mantla will come in this afternoon. Check your account after lunch. As for the number of team members, it's your authority, I won't interfere. Just bear in mind we don't have much time to persuade and drag reluctant individuals. Also..."
Glancing at the development team, I continued after a brief pause, "I guarantee that after this project, each one of you will improve several levels more than you are now. But for the next few months, forget your current job, your family at home, friends. Focus solely on this. For that commitment, I'll ensure a salary of 2 million a month until the game's completion."
"2... 2 million!?"
In the early 90s, a fixed income of 2 million per month was comparable to a mid-level manager's salary in most small and medium-sized companies, so their surprise was understandable.
"How about it? Can you do it?"
To my question, the people gathered in the office slowly nodded.
---
August 14, 1992.
For the past month, thanks to the extensive promotion efforts by Mantla's employees, including Soyeon, around Yongsan Station, a large number of people were gathered at the Yongsan Terminal shopping mall on the first floor.
The terminal shopping mall allowed direct access from the Yongsan Station exit through a long corridor, attracting plenty of customers but also demanding exorbitant rent compared to other places.
"But there's no better spot for initial domination."
Watching the ever-increasing crowd, I couldn't help but smile contentedly.
So much had happened in the past month. Except for the weekend when Yuki visited Korea, I've been relentlessly busy, barely catching a breath.
Even though the lack of staff was a secondary issue, dragging along amateurs who couldn't even comprehend basic coding was maddening. Nevertheless, I controlled my frustration as if consoling a crying child and proceeded with the work at a measured pace.
Instead of focusing on the game's development progress, after work, I held separate educational sessions with programmers, almost mentoring them. It didn't reach the progress level I envisioned, but I believed we reached a point of reasonable acceptance.
"The rest depends on the users' reactions."
As I sipped coffee from the vending machine on the second floor, watching the gamers streaming into the venue, a few familiar faces caught my eye.
"Huh? Aren't those the shopkeepers from Najin Tunnel Shopping Center?"
Seems like the unsettling rumors circulating about Laon hosting a massive event were irking the shop owners at Yongsan Game Mall.
Rumors thickened the air, making the shopkeepers visibly uncomfortable.
To get the full story, I finished my coffee and crumpled the paper cup.
"Soon. Laon's 1st-anniversary event prepared by Mantra is about to begin. As announced earlier, Kang Junhyuk from Pentagon Soft, the developer of the Dragon Emblem series and the Laon portable device, will be joining us as a special guest."
"Wow..."
"Additionally, a Laon-exclusive RPG developed purely with our technology will be distributed for trial after today's event. Please look forward to it!"
The event marked Laon's first anniversary and served as a platform to announce Laon's future in Korea, igniting the gathered gamers' excitement like never before.
Descending the stairs from the second floor, I took slow breaths until the host called for my presence backstage.
Despite experiencing this numerous times, my heart always raced nervously before stepping on stage. This time, it was Korea's inaugural press conference.
Perhaps, today's event could redefine Laon in the eyes of Korean gamers.
"Now, to commence the main event, let's welcome Kang Junhyuk onto the stage."
Amidst the cheers resonating on stage, the curtains drew back.
Ascending the stage as instructed by the event helpers, the roars from the audience around the stage grew louder.
"Ah, as expected, the popularity of Kang Junhyuk, the main director of the Dragon Emblem series and Without Me in this town, resonates powerfully in Korea as well. First, I'd like to greet Korean gamers."
"Hello, I'm Kang Junhyuk from Pentagon Soft."
With a gentle smile, I scanned the clapping audience.
Some held official Dragon Emblem cases, while others waved personally crafted welcome pickets.
"Thank you all for the warm welcome. Frankly, it should have happened sooner, but it's unfortunate that I'm here only now, on Laon's 1st-anniversary release."
After bowing again in response to the users' reactions, I lifted my head.
Among the crowd, some Najin shop owners started recognizing me, their expressions contorting significantly.
"That person, from back then, who came with a woman..."
Perhaps because it was rare for a customer to frequent Najin Shopping Center with a woman, they easily identified me.
With a calm smile, I met each of their gazes and began speaking.
"Upon arriving in Korea about a month ago, I felt a sense of regret while surveying Laon's distribution lines. And among them, the most regrettable was... right here, Yongsan."
I heaved a sigh that resonated through the speakers, then took a step to the center of the stage.
"Yongsan Electronics Market holds the biggest distribution line in our country's gaming industry. Not only domestically released games but also those sold internationally can be found here. Do any of you happen to know Laon's retail price?"
Different prices poured out from the audience.
"Isn't it 190,000 won?"
"No, it's originally 198,000 won."
"What? I paid 220,000 won for mine!"
"I paid 230,000 won. Why are the prices so different?"
As each varying Laon price was revealed, the expressions of shop owners mingling among users gradually stiffened.
With a bewildered expression, I signaled Soyeon, who was waiting below the stage. She stepped up with two Laon devices in her hands and placed them on the table.
"These are Laon devices purchased from Najin Shopping Center through our staff just now. Here's the receipt too. August 15th, 1:10 PM. Purchased just 20 minutes ago."
I lifted one of the Laon devices from the table.
"Our products are usually sealed with a sticker for inspection. But this one shows signs of having been unsealed. Shall we take a look? The store owner claimed it was a new product with no issues."
After briefly lowering the mic, I unboxed it, revealing the device wrapped in plastic.
"Although the components seem fine, there's something odd about the plastic wrap. And the adapter cable seems haphazardly bundled. Let's open another one. This one was bought at full price of 198,000 won from a shop on the outskirts of Yongsan. There are no damages on the seal sticker."
Once again, I opened the new device and placed it next to the previously opened box.
"Shall we compare the main devices? Fortunately, Laon comes in a white color, making the difference in shades noticeable."
Soyeon presented both devices side by side.
"Oh, the one on the right looks much cleaner."
At a glance, the left one seemed slightly yellowed, indicating heavy use, a chronic issue with white plastic discolouration due to device heat.
"Ah, damn... I thought I bought a new one, but it felt off..."
Holding the mic on the table, I paused for a moment.
"While not all vendors operate like this, the real harm affects you, the users gathered here. I believe it's my responsibility to provide you with proper compensation and solutions. That's why I've made a decision."
The users in the venue stared at me with tense expressions, hanging on my words.
"As of now, no Laon-related products will be distributed in Najin Tunnel Shopping Center."
"What!!!"
"What did you say!!!"
That was the precursor to the ominous rumors swirling among Najin Shopping Center's shopkeepers.
>
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