Game Market 1983
Chapter 241: A Long Time Has Passed

After a while, Yuki and her mother-in-law, carrying bags full in both hands, greeted me warmly as soon as they saw me.

"Why did you bring so much? What we prepared should be enough."

"They said some of the company staff are coming over for dinner later, so it's much better to have more than to run short. And did you really not catch a single fish?"

"Haha... you heard about that already?"

At that moment, the master angler, who had been pulling out a fishing rod from behind, chimed in with a chuckle in his voice.

"I've been fishing with Junhyuk here for these past few years, and I've come to realize he's terribly bad at it. Heh heh..."

"Even so, isn't Junhyuk the only one who accompanies Dad whenever he wants to go fishing?"

"Well, that's true, but now that we're all set, shall we go, son-in-law!"

"Oh, yes, let's."

"Grandpa, catch a lot of fish!"

"Oh, sure thing! I'll feed Seolhyun a ton of fish for dinner!"

A while later, the master angler set his sights toward the lakeside from a point a little away from the camping site and cast his line.

"What a view, so serene..."

Taking out a cigarette from his pocket, the master angler offered me a cigarette case, but I politely declined, shaking my head.

"I've quit."

"Aish! You've become even more boring than last year."

"Haha... is that so?"

As I sat awkwardly with a faint smile next to the master angler, he blew out a long puff of cigarette smoke and asked me.

"So, how have you been all this time?"

"The same routine every day. Wake Seolhyun up in the morning, drop her off at school, do some house chores, then spend the afternoon reading books in a quiet park..."

"...Why? Don't you ever join the community club meetings at the town hall?"

Seemingly unsatisfied with my answer, the master angler clicked his tongue and took a deep drag of his cigarette.

The white cigarette smoke dispersed into the air along with the clouds drifting over the clear lake.

Shortly after, flicking his cigarette on a portable ashtray, the master angler quenched his dry throat with some water, and in the distance, Seolhyun's voice echoed.

"Grandpa! Did you catch a lot of fish?"

"Nah! Kid, do you think I'd reel them in the moment I cast the fishing line?"

Finding myself bored by Yuki's side as she prepared the food, Seolhyun hurriedly ran over and plopped down next to me.

"You'll get your clothes dirty. Mom will scold you again."

Leaving the fishing rod by the lakeside, I settled Seolhyun onto a small chair and sat down on the grass nearby.

"What were you and Dad talking about, Grandpa?"

"Hmm? Just some adult talk."

"Well, on our way here earlier, Dad talked about the Tokyo Game Show that happened in 1995, it was so interesting!"

"Is that so? Well, your father was quite famous in that field. But you know, after the Tokyo Game Show ended, even more interesting things happened."

Unbeknownst to me, I found myself just smiling and watching the two.

&

Within a month of its release, the second episode of Dragon Emblem sold a million copies in Japan alone. A million seller emerged after a lull in game sales due to economic stagnation, breathing new life into the gaming market.

Players began cultivating their commanders and mercenaries in anticipation of the opening of the front-line system.

And a month later.

Arcade centers across Japan revealed dedicated PVP devices where players could battle using characters they had nurtured themselves.

To monitor gamer reactions, the Pentagon shop had installed the devices a day earlier than other areas, resulting in a bustling morning rush of users eager to try their hand at the portable Laon.

"Curses! No way!"

While the combat system was simple, pressing buttons to attempt attacks, intricate strategies were needed based on the commander's occupation and the types of mercenaries deployed, making each turn crucial.

When combined with the special abilities of the Holy Sword fragments, the possibilities expanded exponentially.

Abilities included manipulating the goddess of fate to ensure an initial attack turn, maximizing the allies' defense in exchange for giving up the turn, sealing an enemy character at the start of battle, and even nullifying the opponent's equipment, causing frustration among users due to the near-cheating nature of these Holy Sword fragments.

Among these, the most feared ability was 'Winning a battle allows seizing the opponent's equipment,' causing uproar as users lost their +6 Claymore swords.

Wow... to have crafted a +6 weapon in just a month, users’ consumption of content is truly remarkable.

Despite nearly 2,000 users visiting solely for PVP enjoyment on that day, the device turnover was incredibly rapid due to the requirement of a special item called the Frontline Support Document, needed to participate in PVP battles.

In the competition for dominance in a sector, the PVP system introduced the concept of 'Battle Contribution.' It recorded how much a commander participated in battles and the victories achieved, offering legendary-grade items as rewards for future conquests in sectors.

The Pentagon had prepared 16 battle zones, and the two factions endlessly fought to claim more territory and items.

As a result, a dedicated community for Dragon Emblem's second episode emerged. Users took it upon themselves to report the situation in the frontline areas, without any formal announcement from the Pentagon.

This community was evolving into a virtual nation created by the players themselves. It featured boards certifying player battle contributions, while the upper forums served as strategy rooms for predicting the next sector to conquer, formed by tacticians assembling to discuss future plans.

A truly engaging online game doesn’t just allow its administrators to rule the world at will, but rather lets players learn to live within that world and replace joy as long as the world is maintained solely by them.

At least that's how the early days of online gaming that I knew operated.

Even on a beautiful seaside, merely chatting and sharing stories with friendly users could make a game quite enjoyable...

In that sense, the Dragon Emblem community was akin to a stage for worn-out gamers to engage in conversations they crafted themselves.

The chat rooms there never seemed to vanish, and the information boards were filled with combinations to obtain new equipment, details about Holy Sword fragments, and free boards where players shared daily banter.

For a while, I too lived within that space, blending in with users and playing a role, perhaps...

Unbeknownst to many, there were probably quite a few Pentagon employees like me who concealed their identities while enjoying the community.

An interesting fact was that within the community, instead of using the titles 'Mr.' or 'Ms.' when addressing other users, they used the fantasy-like term 'Gyeong.' The user currently ranked first in contribution was given the title 'Mercenary King,' and many indulged in role-playing within the community.

But the truly surprising aspect of Dragon Emblem's second episode was...

&

"Unification of the continent hasn't been achieved yet."

"Really!?"

"As far as I know. Isn't that right, Junhyuk?"

"Yes, recently, the power seems to have shifted more towards

the human side, but the demon faction is holding out in two sectors."

Upon hearing my response, Seolhyun opened her mouth with a disinterested expression.

"You've been playing the same game for ten years?"

"Well, strictly speaking, not quite the same. We've had about five version updates in those ten years..."

Honestly, I thought this content would last for about five years, but with the tremendous online system improvements in Version 3 by Hayashi, the game's lifespan has doubled, huh...

But the coin earnings during those ten years were truly remarkable.

Even during the early days when the PvP system was just introduced, it felt like all the coins in Japan were flowing into Pentagon, causing a misunderstanding...

"Wow! Got another one!"

...But even with that, telling Seolhyun about it feels like fishing for ghosts...

No matter how I look at it, either the fishing rod is trembling on its own in the water, or the fish isn't biting at all...

"Wow, it's huge!"

As I scooped up a fish the size of an adult's forearm into the bucket, it seemed impossible to catch any more.

"Junhyuk! The Pentagon staff is almost here!"

"Yeah, I'll be there soon."

Before I knew it, the setting sun over the mountains stained the lakeside a deep red, and in the dusk sky without a single light, dim stars twinkled. The seasoned elder began casting the fish from the bucket back into the lake.

"Grandpa, why are you throwing back the fish you worked so hard to catch?"

"The really young ones need to go back into the lake. Besides, your grandma brought a ton of fish home, so we might not even need these."

Seolhyun nodded at the elder's words and dipped her hand into the bucket.

"Then bye-bye, too!"

"Seolhyun! That was a big catch just now!"

Splash...

As the fish disappeared with a splash matching its size, the elder stood there with a bewildered expression, mouth agape, much like a player losing a +9 greatsword to an enemy in a game.

"Ahaha, farewell~!"

Seolhyun's voice, waving at the vanished fish, echoed emptily in the serene lakeside.

&

"Iiii-saaa-niiiiiiim!"

A while later, Kaori, who was the first to get off the bus upon reaching the campground, ran towards me.

"It's been a while, Issanim!"

"What do you mean 'it's been a while'? We saw each other with Yuki in Shibuya last week."

"Ugh, you're always like this, aren't you."

"Just your husband's all you care about?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Hayashi approached with bags on his shoulders, setting food on the table with a wry smile.

"You came empty-handed again after I told you not to bring anything..."

Following him, Kawaguchi, Morita, Uchimura, and Miyazaki among other close employees showed up.

"Wow, what a beautiful view! It would've been nicer if we came during the day..."

"Welcome, everyone. Feeling hungry? Since we've just finished cooking, shall we start the party?"

Yuki, wearing a pink apron, welcomed the Pentagon staff. Kaori and Miyazaki also offered to help by putting on spare aprons.

The early evening campground quickly became bustling with the Pentagon staff.

"Now it feels like a proper outing..."

Watching over the staff with hands on his waist, Hayashi approached me while lighting a cigarette.

"Phew... How've you been?"

"Ah, just so-so. How about lately?"

"Thanks to you, Issanim, it's been crazy. Dragon Emblem Online. As planned, we're going to release it after the continent unification in the second episode."

"Must be really busy..."

"So, can we count on your return to help us with that?"

"Are you on about that again?"

"It was your original plan, Issanim. You need to wrap it up."

"Hmm, wrapping up... Oh, by the way, where's Kanna's group?"

"Look at this. I knew you'd ask. Kanna is running late. Something about her broadcasting schedule..."

"Really? Hope she's not too late..."

"Oh, by the way, on the way here, I heard 'that song' on the bus."

"Ah... I heard it too."

"Even after a long time, it's still nice, right? Tsukaki's voice..."

"Exactly."

"Issanim, do you remember Tsukaki's opening greeting during her last live performance for the users?"

"Yeah... of course."

At Hayashi's words, memories of that day flashed back, and I leaned against a nearby tree fence, letting out a faint chuckle.

>

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