Game Director from Hell - Chapter 32: Jo Ayoons Crisis (1)

As such, I reminisce about the time I watched the girl’s journey.

As the girl completed the trial of God in the Hell of Heretics, she stepped into a place that was entirely different from before.

The first thing that came to mind was ‘purple.’

It was a place where purple oil was scattered, distorting the space and giving the illusion of being lost in a dream.

[This is the Hell of Pleasure. The exit is over there.]

A butterfly fluttered up and pointed in a direction.

Finally, I understood why it was showing her the way to the exit.

Only the exit had a white rectangular door.

Even though it was quite far away, it stood out prominently.

[In the Hell of Pleasure, the division of space is ambiguous. If you stay here for a long time, even the flow of time becomes ambiguous. This place is where people like that come.]

“People like that?”

[Those who have forgotten reality in the pursuit of pleasure.]

It was a phrase that reminded me of the Catholic Bible.

A place that defines pleasure as a sin and punishes it to awaken the virtue of restraint?

That was my initial expectation, but damn, this place called hell is never as I expect it to be.

[Everyone here knows how to get out. It’s simple. Just go to that door and open it. But no one leaves.]

“Why?”

[If you leave this place, you can never experience pleasure like this again. The prisoners here are sure of that.]

In the Hell of Pleasure, there were naked prisoners.

They were mostly distorted into the landscape, but upon closer examination, they were shedding tears and snot, giggling.

Then, suddenly, it seemed like their minds cleared, and they stood up.

“Ah… Ah…!”

It seemed like they were overwhelmed by feelings of liberation and despair.

The butterfly explained.

[In this place, they spend half of their day in pleasure and the other half is pulled back into reality. They eternally repeat their happiest and unhappiest moments.]

Is it like going back and forth between extremes of pleasure and pain?

But then, wouldn’t there be someone who’s exhausted by this and opens the door?

My doubts were soon answered.

[Maybe not? You see, joy is like that. The moment you become its slave, it steals your freedom. It confines you, controls you, and forces you. It makes you think of joy every moment. If reality is painful, it makes you search for it no matter the pain.]

A space that makes you fall into hell on your own.

These words can be used to define this place.

[Those who have tasted pleasure come here. Regardless of the form of pleasure. Those who end up here feel a greater pleasure than any happiness they’ve ever felt in their lives, so they cling to it even more. Then, they start to face what they lost because of pleasure. It’s a repetition of regrets and failures. This is the abyss.]

Earlier, the butterfly said something.

Hell turns humans into monsters.

There were such beings here as well.

[Look over there. Those are the ones who wanted to remain slaves to pleasure even after losing themselves. They’ve abandoned themselves. They’ve become meat that only accepts stimulation.]

It was a mass of people intertwined to create a distorted form, just like the forms distorted by the purple oil in the space.

Among them, no one screamed.

Some faces among the hundreds were asleep, while others were awake, enjoying pleasure.

[Pain is shared, and pleasure is multiplied. The purpose of that mass is one. More pleasure, less pain. They’re starting now. Watch closely. Because that’s the monster you need to avoid.]

The mass writhed and changed shape. Dozens of bodies intertwined to create the jaws of a gigantic beast.

It swallowed one of the prisoners who had been suffering in a daze.

Eventually, a new face grew in the mass.

He was peacefully asleep.

[It’s over. When it’s like that, they’ll forever stay in this hell. What? Does that mean this place is no longer hell? Well, that depends on whether you can define the existence of those who have lost even their selves. Remember. That represents the complete annihilation of the soul. It’s a horrifying thing.]

The mass was the bottom of this abyss.

It was symbolic, and it made sense.

No one would want to lose their will.

[Come on, let’s go. This place is dangerous. We need to get out quickly.]

The girl’s second adventure wouldn’t need many words.

In gaming terms, it was like that.

The constant threat of the approaching mass was like a boss monster.

The pervasive scent of pleasure throughout the space was a constraint.

And facing reality with agony was like facing ordinary monsters.

This place, too, faithfully followed the adventure genre.

That’s how I saw it.

***

Han Seorim asks, “This time, you’ve really planned it out to be quite challenging.”

Her gaze is piercing.

Indeed, designing the distorted space, modelling the boss monster that is the mass, and envisioning the solitary white door amidst the dreamy chaos as map and object forms is a difficult task.

Especially considering the dismal quality of my original illustrations, Han Seorim’s concept art difficulty level skyrocketed.

The same goes for Jo Ayoon.

The second chapter requires a lot of consideration when it comes to sound.

The surreal atmosphere that exists between reality and pleasure, and the alienation of the boss monster make it even more challenging.

But fortunately, we have guidelines.

“The basic framework will follow the first chapter. In fact, we gained some minor advantages while creating the demo version.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The concept for Hellic 2 is already complete.”

It wasn’t just empty words.

Hellic 2 had already fulfilled all the necessary elements in the game’s planning stage.

“Consistency. We’ll maintain the feeling from Chapter 1 and continue it up to Chapter 4.”

In any game, chapters are branching points in the narrative.

They need to create diversity in various ways to provide players with different experiences, removing inevitable boredom from the game.

However, amidst all this, there was one thing that should never be compromised.

That is the consistency applied in the game’s overall framework.

“In Chapter 1’s design, the key was the harmony of modern and classical art. Depicting the forms of gods was particularly significant. We’ll continue with this concept, using various artistic designs.”

As soon as she said this, Han Seorim proposed her opinion.

“Hmm, oil paintings? How about going with oil paintings for Chapter 2? They’ve been used in various ways from classical to modern. Plus, we have the keyword ‘Oil’.”

“That’s your territory. I’ll leave it to you. Try various approaches and bring the one that best fits my vision.”

“Sigh, it feels like I’m working on a university assignment.”

She made a tired face, but her enthusiasm seemed to be building.

After all, she’s naturally skilled, so this should be a decent option.

Next is Jo Ayoon.

“Ayoon, you have plenty of time this time too. In fact, you can ponder for another year. It will take quite a while once we get into programming. During this time, study more about the musical utilization of sound effects. Similar to when you used the glass shattering sound.”

“Yes, sure!”

“Okay, the meeting ends here. Let’s all get to work.”

Experience accumulates over time.

In cases like this, where we share the same concept but create different images, it becomes even more prominent.

Since we already have accumulated references and know-how, the work won’t slow down as before.

I don’t need to pay too much attention to this side now.

Now, I really need to focus on forming the team.

“I need to pay attention to this.”

Design and modelling need to be implemented as soon as they are decided.

No, even before that, I need to create the necessary base.

In other words, it’s time for programming.

But time is running short.

There are too many immediate tasks that need my attention, such as organizing the external marketing that’s already been set up, scheduling future plans, and handling financial matters.

In the midst of it all, if I get into programming, it’ll be just like before the demo release, where my body sends signals.

So, it’s time to start looking for…

“A programmer.”

***

In a sense, it was like that.

The algorithms I use are much more advanced than those of this era.

Of course, programming is a discipline that involves applying a predefined code in various ways, so changes due to the times aren’t dramatic. However, there have been changes in the sense that more efficient methods have become widespread depending on the era.

That was the problem.

“No matter who I bring in, in this era, I have to teach them my unconventional approach. And usually, capable folks don’t listen to someone younger.”

Now at 24 years old, I’m still quite young.

If I were to teach my algorithms with this body, most proficient programmers would likely resist. Of course, if it actually proves effective, they would follow suit. However, there’s no guarantee that it won’t hurt their pride.

In other words, I need people who can understand and accommodate my algorithms in the current situation.

Do you have any idea how challenging that can be?

It’s common for people to dismiss programmers as a profession lacking social skills. In some aspects, that might be true, but in others, it’s not. I can assertively say that in the field of programming, “programming-oriented communication” is crucial, to the point where it’s not inferior to any other profession.

The process of understanding, aligning, and coordinating the code written by each other is impossible without an open mind and comprehension.

In practice, comparing the results of a team consisting of a single outstanding programmer and a team formed by several competent programmers working together clearly shows that the latter produces much better results.

Well, if a rookie who doesn’t understand the program they’re touching creates bugs even in decent programs, then what’s the point?

To give another example, if people with different work styles are put together, bugs will occur due to the gap in their approaches. It just extends the debugging time.

In short, programming is teamwork.

In the current situation, this was the issue.

“It’s difficult to find the right person.”

When I look back on myself, I know a certain fact.

I’m quite dictatorial, and I tend to get better efficiency when others adapt to me rather than me adapting to others.

Since it’s my team, I need to maintain this approach. However, if I bring in someone competent but young and they constantly challenge me or offer their opinions, I’ll likely disregard them, damaging teamwork.

On the other hand, it’s nearly impossible to throw someone who doesn’t even understand the algorithm into real work.

“I need someone who’s reasonably fast, reasonably young, and reasonably good at following my instructions.”

Finding such an ideal person would be a dream come true.

The kind of person who usually only exists in dreams.

The biggest reason I’ve been postponing hiring programmers up until now was because of this.

I let out a deep sigh.

“Why are you sighing like that? Cheer up.”

Han Seorim approached me.

“Yeah.”

As I replied, I raised my head, and Han Seorim showed me a few concept art pieces.

Upon inspection, they were quite good.

“The map looks better than last time. The monsters were better last time. Let’s mix the two.”

“You think so too? I was thinking the same.”

Han Seorim easily agreed.

Maybe she took a break and came back to work, or maybe it’s because the community’s response to the demo was positive.

She’s been quite passionate about her work lately.

As I was thinking about it,

“Oh, right.”

“Hmm?”

“Ayoon has the college entrance exam, remember? The application deadline is coming up.”

“Already?”

“February is coming. We’ll be starting class soon too.”

Has time already passed like that?

I nodded and asked, “How is Ayoon’s studying going?”

The answer I got was not one I wanted to hear.

“It’s a bit serious. She’s scoring in the 40s for all subjects. That’s failing grades.”

“?”

Han Seorim avoided my gaze as she spoke, “Ayoon hasn’t been studying for a long time. Her study habits have become rusty.”

Han Seorim tightly sealed her lips.

And then, it happened.

Knock, knock!

“Oh, hello!”

Jo Ayoon entered the office with a cheerful face.

“Boss! Unni! This is a Valentine’s Day gift!”

The mother’s voice briefly passed through my mind.

“Teacher! Please help our Ayoon pass!”

I felt a sense of urgency.

“Ayoon, Ayoon…”

Right now, chocolate isn’t the most important thing, is it?