Chapter 41: Case by Case
"Kang! Kang! Kang is here!"
"Oh, it's Kang. Let's work hard. We... We want a bonus. We want a lot!"
As I stepped into the workshop after a long absence, Chendra's colleagues greeted me, looking at me with enthusiasm. Despite their limited Japanese, they stumbled through their words but had cheerful smiles on their faces.
"Got it. I understand. But where's Chendra?"
"Chendra went to have lunch. Japanese food is delicious. Mixing it with curry is the best."
Hmm... Curry rice sounds good. I'm quite hungry. Should I go get some food too?
"Where's the restaurant?"
"It's right in front, Mega Curry. They serve generous portions. It's so filling. But I can eat two plates~ Haha."
Pumala, an Indian guy much bigger than the others, flashed a friendly smile and raised his thumb. His name didn't quite match his appearance...
I awkwardly chuckled and nodded, then headed to the curry restaurant where Chendra was having her meal.
As I entered the shop, the spicy aroma of spices tickled my senses, enough to whet my appetite. At that moment, I spotted Chendra in a corner of the restaurant, waving both hands at me.
Chendra's distinct sparkling eyes and massive nose bridge always made me feel a bit uncomfortable, no matter how many times I saw them.
"Kang Junhyuk is here~!"
Chendra's Japanese was slightly better than his other Indian friends.
"Long time no see, Chendra~"
"We've been working hard as Junhyuk said. We've made a ton of Dragon M..."
"Shh! Shh!"
I put my finger to my lips, and Chendra quickly covered his mouth with both hands, giving me a wink.
"Hello, sir. What can I get for you today?"
"Give me a Mega Curry."
"Alright, one Mega Curry, regular, please."
The kitchen staff responded loudly to the confident owner's voice.
"Yes, got it!"
"Junhyuk, why are you here today? Did you come for the curry? The curry here is delicious. Chendra loves it."
"Do you think I came for curry? I came to see you."
"You came to see Chendra? Chendra is doing well, you know? We make 200 of them with friends every day."
"Yeah, I hope you can reduce that to just 30 a day now."
"30... just 30? That's too few. So, Kang Junhyuk, do we not need you anymore? Are you going to abandon us like other Japanese do?"
"Why would I abandon you? Instead, I hope you can make something else."
"That's a relief. Curry is delicious again~ But what else do you plan to make? Working with Junhyuk is fun. It feels like being a secret agent."
"Let's make an expansion pack."
"Expansion pack... Um, what's that?"
"Alright, I'll draw it all. Drawing is my way of communication when I can't understand the language here in Japan. My drawing skills keep getting better day by day!"
I roughly inserted a Dragon Emblem cartridge into a slot and created another cartridge to put underneath it in the family.
"I'll insert a DE (Dragon Emblem) on top of this and then slot it all into the family. Add the data recovery system of the existing game to this expansion cartridge."
The market price for Dragon Emblem was over 20,000 yen. It was considered too expensive for a single game, making it inaccessible to many users. However, with the release of a game guide on the Pamitong Network and the ability to clear the game with its help, it was time to lower the cartridge price.
"Oh, that's fascinating! A device that revives deleted data, huh? Got it. It's easy. I can even do it with my toes."
I momentarily imagined Chendra crafting a circuit board with his toes, which made me shudder and shake my head vigorously.
"Ah... And I'll include Episode 8 of the small scenario that continues in the sequel. Distribution will be the same as before, using your friends in the secondhand market."
"Okay, okay. Chendra. I got it 100%. Don't worry."
The Indian geek was nodding attentively while looking at the drawing. He extended his hand to me.
It meant he wanted an upfront payment. I took out a bundle of money from my bag and handed it to Chendra.
"Kang Junhyuk is reliable. That's why Chendra likes Kang Junhyuk."
"All right, the Mega Curry for the customer is ready!"
With a thud, a plate the size of a washbasin was placed in front of me. What on earth... This portion of curry is enormous!
"Hey, I ordered a regular one, right?"
"Yes, it's a regular Mega Curry. Ohomori (That's an understatement..."
I looked at the person next to me, who was eating, and was shocked. Their plate, with the head buried in it and the utensils clinking, looked 1.5 times larger than mine.
While I pondered where to start attacking this massive meal with a spoon still in my hand, Chendra kicked back and spoke.
"After eating just this, you won't feel hungry all day. Pumala eats two of these. Quickly, Junhyuk, dig in."
Ah... I think I'll be tired of curry for a while...
&
Thanks to the expansion cartridge created by the Indian geek, the price of Dragon Emblem, which had been soaring, began to drop to the reasonable level I desired.
Ultimately, the selling price in the secondhand market was 9,800 yen. The price was slightly higher than that of a typical game due to the custom chips inside, but revealing the secrets of the Dragon Emblem's price on Pamitong Network made it easier for consumers to accept.
Of course, if the price had continued to rise, there would have been a problem, but thanks to Chendra's expansion cartridge, the game shops were now providing a game data reset for 300 yen.
Initially, the game shops had been reluctant to take the Dragon Emblem's expansion cartridge due to the high cost, but players who had lost their play data and had been storing it were flocking to get the expansion pack, and they gladly accepted it without any resistance.
As a result, Kang Junhyuk, and Shige were summoned once again to Mr. Kamouchi's office.
"What in the world is this madness? It's like our Mintendo is being exploited by a Korean developer!"
As always, Kung Fei pushed up his glasses and spoke up.
"But it's true that our family's sales have significantly increased thanks to Dragon Emblem. Besides, the expansion cartridge that came out this time is an impressive expansion device by the same engineer."
"That's right. It's a way to extend the life of games released in this manner."
"Are you telling us to praise that Korean developer? We need a plan, don't we? A plan!"
At that moment, I, who had been standing quietly, spoke.
"Do we really need a plan...?"
"What? You're saying we should just stand by and watch? An unpaid game that's gaining enormous popularity, and you want us to just sit there and do nothing?"
"Isn't it now too late to come up with a plan? Dragon Emblem has already made its mark. Rather than finding the game's creator and taking them down, isn't it more appropriate to protect them?"
"Protect that guy? Why should we?"
"Then what if Dragon Emblem moves to the NEGA disk?"
At my words, Kamouchi and everyone else were left wide-eyed. It seemed that they had never imagined that far ahead.
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