Parallel Memory

Chapter 36 NightShade

[ "CunningSkull…" ]

CunningSkull. I had heard this name before. I think it was a guild that has been growing steadily in the past few years. They were average in terms of strength but it is more influential than other Gold-graded guilds.

[ "Sir, they are trying to create trouble by hiring people to spread bad rumors about the app. Shall we also hire people to counterattack ?" ]

[ "No need. How much money does it take to hire thousands of people to write a negative review. They can't keep this up for too long." ]

It would take between 10,000 and 30,000 Ethan coins to hire thousands of people. Even a Gold-graded guild can't keep hiring them. And for the damage that they might inflict on us, I can handle it.

I have enough money to keep the company running for a year even without earning more money. Anyways, I am aiming to implement ads on the app.

[ "How is the implementation of ad features proceeding?" ]

[ "We are in the testing phase. All the previous tests showed a positive result. We can soon implement it into TwitFlick." ]

[ "Good! Implement the feature as soon as possible. We are also going to build another game. Have a graphics designer and some programmer to come to my office." ]

[ "Yes, Sir!" ]

[ "Ah! And also have someone find a Gold-graded Guild whose financial status is poor." ]

Aiden paused for a moment before answering.

[ "Sir, I think I know just the guild who is on the verge of going bankrupt."]

[ "Oh! Which guild?"]

[ "Do you know the guild that attempted to clear floor 30th in Obelisk Tower recently?" ]

[ "NightShade,?" ]

I saw some news concerning this guild while I was looking for Malus fruit.

[ "Exactly, Sir! They failed to clear the 30th floor of Obelisk Tower and owe quite a bit of money to the bank. The guild took a considerable amount of money as a loan to purchase resources for conquering floor 30th. Now, the guild is about to declare bankruptcy." ]

[ "Nice!" ]

I gave a thumbs-up to Aiden. Though it was a pity for the NightShade guild, but this type of guild was exactly what I was looking for.

[ "Aiden, contact their guild. Tell them we will provide them with all the money they need, on the condition that they will work under us." ]

Aiden was dumbfounded.

( Have a gold-graded guild work under us? Have you been driven insane! )

He looked as if he had just heard me say that the earth was flat. No company would dare ask a gold-graded guild to work under them. At most, they would ask to work as a partner.

[ "Sir! I don't think they will agree." ]

[ "Just ask them once." ]

[ "OK!" ]

Aiden left the office.

After a while, the employee who was a specialist in graphic design and programming came to my office. They were about 10 in total.

I wanted to make a game for PC. Ideally, something like Fortnite and Dota 2 would be great but the graphic designer in this world was not at that level to build that kind of game.

So, I chose something that was fun and didn't need high-quality graphics. The answer that I came up with was Minecraft.

The graphics of Minecraft are not that great but the game itself is fun. Minecraft is called one of the "greatest games" on Earth and there are 140 million active users. With such statistics, you don't need to worry about whether it will become popular or not.

Then I explained 'MY' idea to them. I called the game "WorldCraft" which is absolutely my original idea.

( Sorry Markus Persson )

The people in the meeting took note of what I said and asked a few questions when they didn't understand.

The meeting took 3 hours and I was left exhausted. But with this, the company will have another source of income.

Even if CunningSkull doesn't stop hindering the TwitFlick sales, I will still have another source of income.

The game was fairly easy to make and with this many employees, I reckon it will take 3 - 5 days to make the prototype.

Anyway, right now TwitFlick is suffering from sales due to negative reviews. I might as well focus on developing other things and using this time to fix issues in the company.

To start with, the biggest problem in my company is that we do not have a guild to protect us from other guilds.

[ "Aiden, have you contacted the NightShade guild." ]

[ "Yes, but before agreeing, they want to meet you." ]

[ "Okay!" ] _{ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀ​ꪶ​}

I have guessed that this may happen. No guild will readily agree to work under a company.

Just money was not enough to convince a Gold-graded guild to work under us. However, I still have another thing to entice the guild master.

The meeting with the NightShade guild master was scheduled for tomorrow.

After returning to the dorm, I retired to bed.

The next morning, I practiced my sword technique. I have no choice but to rent a training place to train my sword Art. Since the students at the school constantly stare at me, which makes me uncomfortable to practice.

I decided it was more efficient for me to rent a training facility outside of the dorms. I headed to practice Shadow style that morning. My body was still sore and tired from yesterday's work but I still trained.

At 7:30, I came back to my dorm and took a shower. I ate breakfast sitting at my tiny desk. My breakfast was a bowl of cereal and yogurt.

I decided to skip school and go to Tech Genesis. The damage done by the CunningSkull was more than I had expected. The downloads of TwitFlick had almost reached zero the following day.

It was not good news but I was that concerned about it. It was only temporary and I knew that it will become popular again.

I walked to the company office. The meeting with the guild master of NightShade was in the morning.

At 9:00 am, Aiden led the NightShade men into my office.

The one which I presume is the guild master held out his left hand for a handshake.

[ "Nice to meet you. My name is Glenn Gruth. I am guild master of NightShade" ]

I also extended my hand to greet him.

[ "Thank you for coming. I am Zero Elea, Tech Genesis owner. How may I help you?" ]

The guild master of the NightShade guild was a brawny man. He is tall and his muscles look as hard as steel.

A steel mask covers his face, with only narrow slits for his eyes. He had a shaggy beard and sunken eyes like they'd been pecked by a bird. He greeted me with a broad smile, which exposed snaggled teeth that looked like they were filled with nails.

He was as tall as a normal person - tall, muscular, and had a dark tan, covered in tattoos.

[ "I want to see who had the guts to tell a Gold-graded guild to work under some company. I didn't expect to see a brat here." ]

Though his remarks were harsh, I didn't feel any hostility directed towards me. He was a straightforward person, the type that doesn't hide their intent or beat around the bush.

[ "Are you disappointed?" ]

I asked them with a smirk on my face.

[ "No, rather I like your courage. So, what benefits can you give us for working under you? If you can convince me then our guild will be willing to be your guard dogs." ]

[ "OK. First, I know your guild is not in a good financial condition to continue operating. I heard your debt is almost 3 million Ethan coins. We will settle the bank debt, and we will provide resources for the future exploration like raiding the Obelisk Tower and dungeons." ]

[ "It seems to be a fine proposition but for working under you, it falls short. We can get this kind of contract from other companies without working under them." ]

I held up my hand to signal him to stop speaking.

[ "First of all, I know other companies are not willing to invest in your guild right now. Second, listen to my proposal first." ]

I looked at him seriously.

[ "I will help you reach Rank-S." ]

["…"]

[ "W-What? Don't speak nonsense." ]

The one who responded was the Vice-guild master who came with Glenn.

The guild master held out his hand to signal him to stop and looked at me seriously.

[ "I know you will not believe me right now. I am, however, willing to sign a Mana contract with you. The condition is I will make you rank-up and your guild will come under me." ]

Mana Contract! You are required to comply with the conditions signed by both parties in this contract. If you don't keep your promise, you will die.

[ "Zero Elea, are you speaking the truth. If you can really guarantee my ascension to Rank-S then the NightShade will be at your beck and call." ]

What is the difference between Rank-S and Rank-A? There are lots of Rank-A humans but a very limited number of Rank-S.

Rank-S are treated completely different from Rank-A. Rank-S name will be known by most people.

Those who reach Rank-S are addressed as heroes by other people. It is to signify that those who have reached rank-S are the protectors of human peace and prosperity.

[ "But before that, I need to know what type of person you are. Let's fight." ]

[ "…" ]

What fight? Do you want to kill me? You are Rank-A+ and I am merely at Rank-E.

[ "Haha… Don't show me that face. I will limit my power to Rank-E and if one of your attack hits my body, I lose." ]

If he seals his power to Rank-E then I might have a chance. I believe there are not many people at same rank who can beat me.

[ "Deal!" ]