NOVEL NEXT Chapter 82
An underground city with a desolate atmosphere where not a single ant could be seen.
Amidst the view of the underground city, a sudden ringtone from a cellphone broke the silence.
Moments later, a popup chat window appeared.
Simultaneously, a familiar voice, Henrietta’s voice, came through.
[Commander, I’ve uncovered the target’s plan.]
[The target is scheduled to board the massive cruise ship ‘Golden Maria’ located in the harbor city of Repelin in two days.]
[It seems they are set to attend a gambling event and a meeting of senior officials onboard.]
[So, we Resistance members need to devise a way to infiltrate that cruise ship… Wait? You’ve thought of a good method?]
[…Are you serious? You want me to infiltrate wearing this? First of all, is this even considered clothing?]
[The casino dealers boarding the cruise ship are all dressed like this, I guess? Fine, if the commander says so…]
Henrietta’s lines came to an end, followed by the sound of dice rolling, then an upbeat BGM began as the official Promotional Video commenced.
The gold coins on the casino table collapsed with a clinking sound, and Bunny Girl Henrietta popped out.
With a mix of embarrassment and anger, Henrietta’s silhouette and lines flowed out.
[Oh, really… I didn’t expect this even from the commander’s idea…]
Then, spotting the slightly low-angled camera, she glared and spoke.
[What are you smirking at, you pervert…!]
Henrietta threw a punch as she delivered her line.
The screen trembled from the impact of her punch, followed by visual noise which transitioned into Bunny Girl Henrietta’s in-game skill description.
After introducing the Resistance characters, including Henrietta, for participation in this event, the PV concluded with a main illustration of Henrietta blushing with a gun aimed at the target male NPC’s head.
Only the notice text remained on the screen:
[Event begins on Thursday, August 18, 2016!]
The Reverse Arcadia community was nothing short of in a festive mood with the announcement of the grand summer event.
After all, the main character of this Bunny Girl concept was Henrietta.
As the official mascot character of Reverse Arcadia and a favorite for many users, the excitement this time was naturally higher than during other events.
[Nickname: LowIQ]
[Title: 389th Day of Henrietta Wish]
【A picture of a gorilla lying down with a content look】
[Celebration] Bunny Girl Henrietta Introduction [Festival]
Now… Even if I die, there will be no regrets…!
[Comment List][Ordered by Registration]
-This guy’s finally attained enlightenment lol
-Terrible hahahahaha
-Waiting over a year for my favorite character, getting a Bunny Girl in this event is making my dopamine go wild hahaha
[Nickname: Anonymous]
[Title: Wow, not just Henrietta, but all the Bunny Girl characters in this event are amazing in quality]
【3D modeling captures of Bunny Girl Resistance Characters】
Needless to say, the illustrations were incredible, but the 3D modeling was on a whole different level.
Particularly, Sena, whom I wondered how she would look in Bunny Girl attire,
Had her Bunny Girl costume floating above her chest in the 3D model lol
The sight of her floating bunny ears in the SD model is legendary lol
[Comment List][Ordered by Registration]
-These guys are genuinely serious hahaha
-EnsonGT<<These kids are just hardcore fans with genuine feelings
-Completely crazy lol
Indeed, an overwhelmingly positive response.
Specifically, with both Yerin's illustration and Yena's 3D model receiving high praise,
It seemed that the feedback on improving modeling details had synergized beautifully.
As Reverse Arcadia users awaited the summer updates with great anticipation,
I was suffering real-time agony at a gym located in Pajero.
***
Actually, I had been thinking about joining a gym for some time.
I started feeling my body creaking as I approached my 30s.
That decision became especially intense after suffering from the flu.
Since my physical strength and immunity dropped simultaneously, allowing me easily contract the flu, I realized if I kept postponing, it would only get worse.
Thus, I started working out with Yerin during lunchtime.
Unbeknownst to me, this would be tougher than expected.
Not having exercised in years due to my job change, my body had completely stiffened after five years.
Each muscle exercise with Yerin's help felt like my muscles were screaming.
Today, after completing my usual routine and exiting the locker room ahead of Yerin, a man approached me and spoke.
If I had known him, I would have greeted him first, but no matter how I thought about it, he was a complete stranger.
"Excuse me, are you Director Jihojin?"
"Yes, that's me, but..."
"Nice to meet you. I've had no opportunity to meet until now... I am this person."
The man smiled and handed over a business card.
On the card was written the company name, Demons Gate.
***
The president of Enson GT, Su-yeon Jo, was a rational person.
She had gotten truly angry only a few times in her over 30 years of life.
However, there were triggers that could provoke her, one of the most representative being actions that interfered with her possessions.
This concept of "her possessions" included not only items but also people.
Thus, Su-yeon was hesitating whether or not to be angry at the person she was currently on the phone with.
[Hey, are you listening?]
"Eh, yeah. I was just not responding because what you're saying doesn't make sense."
[What doesn't make sense? Think about it. Consider what steps Ho-jin has taken since transferring to your company.]
As Su-yeon's memories were triggered by Su-a, she began to reflect.
Come to think of it, Ho-jin’s moves have been quite impressive.
At the time of his job switch, he boldly proclaimed at the interview that mobile subculture games and IP expansion were the next big thing. His bold proclamation turned out to be true, as Girls' Memorial and Reverse Arcadia have long stood as the two pillars of Enson GT.
And that wasn’t all.
Ho-jin used Enson GT’s indie-game support program to back unnoticed Chinese game developers. The dividends from those shares now rivaled the annual revenue of a decent game.
Also, the game of Tae-yun, introduced by Ho-jin to the position of General Director, had also gained favorable reviews during its recent CBT.
To those outside, Ho-jin must have truly appeared as a blue-chip employee, a Midas touch, a goose that lays golden eggs.
[How about now? Do you understand that what I'm saying isn't a joke?]
"…Still, no worries. Ho-jin won’t switch to another game company."
The sound of a tongue clicking in reaction to her words.
If they were face-to-face, Su-a would surely have been shaking her head at Su-yeon with a disappointed look.
[How can you guarantee that? You know the game industry, especially IT enterprises, changes jobs as often as people eat meals.]
"Don't try to steal Ho-jin again like last time, okay? Got it?"
[Tsk, I already said I have no intention of doing that. But this is all advice for you to be careful, girl.]
"…What do you mean by that?"
[There’s been a rumor that countless game companies are trying to headhunt Ho-jin. Don't let him slip away and regret it. Grab on tightly.]
With Su-a’s statement, Su-yeon felt a sudden chill down her spine.
Realizing that Ho-jin, who she had considered would be by her side for life, might not be so reliable after all.
Though Ho-jin had devotedly trusted her and remained focused on his job thus far,
if he were to leave…
She couldn't imagine the aftermath.
The future without Ho-jin was blank.
As the daughter of a prominent gaming company owner with a silver spoon in her mouth, she rose to become the president of a subsidiary.
It had taken her five years to grow the mediocre subsidiary of a large company into a thriving entity.
But once you strip away the fancy titles, there was nothing left to boast about.
That was Su-yeon's reality.
"Sister."
[Yes? What is it?]
"Can you explain in more detail the story you heard?"
At Su-yeon's request, Su-a chuckled and asked her.
[Why so eager now? You sounded so confident earlier but now you seem to feel some crisis?]
"Yeah, thanks to sister, I've felt a real sense of crisis for the first time in a while, so I'm planning to handle things well to ensure I don't lose him."
[Right, girl. Well done. So, where should I start explaining…]
After pondering for a moment, Su-a began divulging various stories she'd heard to Su-yeon.
Su-yeon took notes on these details while planning her future strategy.
A strategy to ensure that other gaming companies wouldn't poach Ho-jin.