Game Director from Hell - Chapter 85: Hellic 3 Release (3)

Until reaching the ending, Seokhoon had made quite a few speculations.

It was due to external information.

The endings of Hellic 3 come in three variations, and they form a complete trilogy that can be fully understood only by playing the previous instalments, establishing the world view of the Hellic series.

The final boss that Seokhoon first thought of, with the context of the hidden ending of Hellic 2, was the Warden from Hellic 1.

Especially, watching the teaser video inserted in Hellic 2’s hidden ending, wasn’t there a formidable figure with blood vessels protruding from the cursed sea, confronting the Warden?

Contextually, based on everything Seokhoon had seen so far, he could only conclude that the identity of that formidable creature was the protagonist of Hellic 3.

So, the final boss map would be the Cursed Sea, and the boss would be the Warden.

The speculation was completed with plausible clues, but it soon went in a completely unexpected direction.

“Huh…?”

There was no Warden.

However, a scene that would greatly surprise Seokhoon was unfolding there.

It wasn’t the Cursed Sea that was depicted, but the center of a dark stone chamber.

Kneeling there was a naked human with a black and white pattern on his body.

A blade was embedded in his stomach.

He didn’t look well at all.

However, what surprised Seokhoon wasn’t because of that.

“The Golden Gate…”

Golden dust was flowing from the blade that pierced the boss’s stomach, coalescing behind him.

It was so familiar.

Seokhoon’s pupils trembled.

“That’s the gate that appeared in Hellic 2.”

There was a similar scene in the final boss battle of Hellic 2.

Contrary to that time, it wasn’t the gate gradually disappearing but rather forming.

Despite his lack of analytical skills, Seokhoon tried to understand this scene somehow.

A wounded boss monster, a gradually forming golden gate.

There were few clues.

One thing was certain, though.

[03:00]

The timer at the top of the screen said.

In the final chapter, as in the previous instalment, there would be a ‘endurance’ type of battle.

And when the endurance ended, the protagonist would head beyond that gate.

Click!

The boss monster rose from its place with a creaking sound.

It pulled out another blade from its hand.

A flag rose behind its back.

Seokhoon was astonished.

It was because of the flag.

“The flag of Joan of Arc!”

It was the flag that covered the corpse of Joan of Arc that appeared in the early part of Chapter 1.

It was so distinctive that it could be recognized right away.

“Is the final boss Joan of Arc?”

Although he speculated, this time it was also off the mark.

Creaking as if it could collapse at any moment, the boss monster, for the reason that surprised Seokhoon, pulled out the ‘Bancheon Hwageuk’ from its left hand.

“The weapon of the fox that appears in Chapter 5.”

Then the sword held in its right hand must be the weapon of a character seen or casually passed by so far.

Seokhoon could now identify the true identity of the boss monster.

“All the war heroes seen so far have been combined!”

Like players sharing a single body among four!

With that thought, excitement intensified.

Seokhoon quickly took a doping item.

And so, the battle began.

[02:59]

The 3-minute timer started ticking.

***

There was no overwhelming feeling.

Rather, Seokhoon felt that the final boss battle in Chapter 5, where the Warlord was the boss, was more challenging than the current one, with a somewhat anticlimactic aspect.

Seokhoon quickly figured out the reason.

“This must be the easiest ending.”

While the presentation of the boss battle was similar to the previous final boss, the boss’s attack patterns were monotonous, and there was quite a bit of time available to perform gimmick patterns.

In other words, it was friendly enough to be cleared even on the first attempt.

If he had to find a reason, it was probably because of the sword stuck in the boss’s abdomen.

He seemed to be losing vitality rapidly, and his movements seemed unnatural, as if being restrained by something.

At the moment, Seokhoon couldn’t know many related details, but it didn’t bother him.

After all, any explanations or settings regarding the ending would be revealed later when someone posted an analysis post after all endings were uncovered.

Thud!

[00:00]

After the promised three minutes passed, the boss fell.

A moderately easy difficulty.

There was a sense of regret, but it was fleeting.

“Should I enter the golden gate?”

Curiosity to cover the anticlimactic feeling filled him.

When he thought about it, what happened inside this golden gate was not revealed in the previous instalment.

From the perspective of someone who had played the previous instalment, what was expected was an explanation of the process leading to salvation after this.

Wasn’t Hellic 3 supposed to play a role in resolving the series’ unresolved plot points?

Seokhoon led the character towards the golden gate.

[Press the triangle button.]

Click!

Without hesitation, he pressed the button.

What appeared before him was a white corridor.

“Oh, so it looks like this inside?”

Muttering with a low sigh, Seokhoon entered.

Now, he might meet a god here.

If not, the protagonists merged into one body might separate again and face each other.

He moved forward, indulging in unnecessary imagination.

This time, Seokhoon’s speculation missed the mark.

“…Who are you?”

Suddenly, Seokhoon’s control stopped.

It was because of the blonde girl sitting quietly at a certain point in the corridor.

Seokhoon widened his eyes as if they were about to tear apart.

“Are you brought by the butterfly too?”

“Alice!”

She was the protagonist of the previous installment, a girl who welcomed salvation through her mother’s sacrifice.

She was right there.

“Ah…!”

At that moment, Seokhoon realized.

The meaning of the phrase “an ending that cannot be fully understood without knowing the previous installment.”

“This is…”

One of the endings connected to the previous work, the ‘Escaping Steps’ ending.

It was an ending that showed Alice, who entered the golden gate after the ending of Hellic 2.

The story of the series continued.

***

Seokhoon felt a tinge of emotion.

Although he had played with Alice’s character throughout, seeing the real Alice in the game gave him a different impression.

Above all, Alice’s voice, absent in the previous installment, was now inserted.

It breathed even stronger vitality into her expression, which seemed vacant and lifeless.

The protagonists asked,

• Where are we?

To which Alice replied,

• The path to happiness.
• Can we just go forward?
• Yes.

Shortly after, the protagonists said,

• Are you the one managing this place?
• Are you a god?
• Can we kill you?
• Look! Is that any way to talk to a child?

Several mouths appeared on the body, and they started chattering among themselves.

Seokhoon let out a dry laugh.

That was when Alice spoke up.

• …No, not a god.

Spartan, one of the protagonists, asked,

• Then, if you’re a prisoner here too, why aren’t you moving forward?

There was a hint of suspicion in his tone.

Indeed, from the perspective of someone who didn’t know Alice, she might seem odd sitting there while the path to happiness lay ahead.

Alice pressed her lips for a moment.

• …Not happy. There.

She looked towards the end of the corridor, seeming somewhat sad.

• Don’t want to go.

To this, the Paladin replied,

• Child, why would you want to stay here? If that path leads to the embrace of a god, you should go!

He seemed to be putting on his usual bravado.

Seokhoon understood, even if he couldn’t comprehend it entirely.

It meant that Alice’s happiness was not determined by the space she was in but by someone who was with her.

A poignant feeling welled up within him.

It was then that the soldier stepped forward.

• …If being alone is frightening, come with us.

He reached out his hand, and Alice looked at it intently.

• Together…?
• Yes, together. If we’re together, even what was fearful alone won’t be so scary.

The soldier was gentle.

He was effectively portraying the rational and emotional side of the character meant for the game.

Seokhoon silently cheered for the soldier.

‘Yes! Hurry and take her with you!’

Perhaps influenced by his attitude, Alice, after a moment of hesitation, took his hand.

• Is there happiness?

Alice asked as they walked slowly.

The barbarian replied,

 

• Women, speak properly.
• You’re not the one to talk properly either.

The soldier, mocking the barbarian, said to Alice,

• What is the happiness you’re looking for?
• …I miss my mom.
• Then, she must be at the end over there. If that’s truly the path to happiness.
• Then, I want to go.

Alice stood up from her seat.

The five of them, holding hands—or rather, the soldier, the barbarian, and Alice—started heading towards the end of the corridor.

As they chatted away.

• If there’s happiness, I hope there’s a tavern at the end. I want to gulp down a cold beer.
• Women, are necessary.
• Have you seen this savage and lascivious guy? What a vulgar thing to say on the path to the lord!
• The lord is nonsense.
• Bad words, not allowed.

As their steps continued, their voices gradually diminished, turning into whispers.

The monitor reflected their backs as they held hands and walked.

Seokhoon couldn’t take his eyes off that scene for a while.

There’s no such thing as an eternal moment.

Their silhouettes gradually blurred, and at one point, the screen was left with only a white color.

Eventually, blackout; white letters pulled Seokhoon back to reality.

[GAME CLEAR]

[Ending Happy everafter]

The chosen route seemed to lead to a happy ending.

With satisfaction, a wave of emotion washed over.

Unlike the previous instalment, it didn’t tug at the heartstrings.

Not that it was lacking, but it was delivering a different kind of emotion.

It was as if spreading a subtle lingering resonance in the chest.

The faint smile on the lips was evidence of that.

The lingering feeling didn’t easily fade away.

Seokhoon willingly immersed himself in those emotions, but soon, another thought crossed his mind.

‘What about other endings?’

Although it was an emotional conclusion, there were lingering questions unanswered.

Why was the final boss encountered dying while creating a golden door? What exactly was the golden door in the Hellic universe, and through which ending did the strange creature from Hellic 2’s post-credits scene come to fruition?

Curiosity surged.

‘The only way to resolve it is the next run…!’

To find out firsthand.

Seokhoon felt a restlessness in his body.

Today was Saturday.

There were still about 30 hours left until the weekend ended.

Not only that.

‘I have vacation days too!’

He had set aside two days for this day.

In other words, an additional 48 hours secured.

Seokhoon was about to play the next episode immediately.

It was at that moment.

[Sujin♥: Oppa, you sleep so muchㅎㅎ It’s already three in the afternoon.]

A message from Sujin arrived.

“Oh.”

Even a short sigh would not be enough to express it.

Seokhoon closed his eyes tightly and immediately dialed the phone.

-Hello?

A cold and sharp voice like frosty footsteps.

In the face of a crisis of a lifetime, Seokhoon surprised even himself.

“Yeah, Sujin…”

Seokhoon recalled the saddest moment of his life and spoke with a choked voice.

-…Why does Oppa’s voice sound like that? What happened?

“No, it’s nothing…”

Pressing his eyebrows tightly, Seokhoon pulled up his emotions.

And it burst out.

“…My grandmother suddenly passed away in the middle of the night.”

She was the one who used to praise me so much when I was a child!

As he said that, only regret remained in Sujin’s voice.

Seokhoon said, “I’m sorry. I should have told you earlier…”

-No, Oppa! Take your time and come. No, I’ll go…

“…I’ll contact you later.”

Click—

Seokhoon hung up the phone and turned off the phone.

He wiped away tears and grabbed the gamepad.

October 29, 2014. That day was the open day of Hellic 3, and also the day Seokhoon’s grandmother was born and died.

***

The opening day of Hellic 3 was hot.

There were so many points to grab as highlights during the play.

『(Game) WaitingforHelic3: Open Run Event, I wonder how fast I am!!!

(Game) ClearWithoutT: Short-legged girl, Gona Woo (feat. Alice)

(Game) FlowerJaeheeCherryLips: Replicated Alice at 3 meters (but with a bit more muscles)

(Game) LordofPifromBangbaeDong: It’s amazing… it’s amazing… I got the happy ending…

(Game) ZoneHanSu: Why is the sub-route so difficult?ㅋㅋㅋ

(Game) AreYouTakingTheNationalExam: Tried making a ghost horse build! (Yupo, Genghis Khan main/spear build)

(Casual) CooingBabyIn: The graphics are amazing…』

Right before the opening, the clear event for Hellic 3 started.

From around 3 hours after the open, the community was filled with all sorts of bizarre customizations, and by the time it exceeded 10 hours, build-related information began to emerge.

The community was full of posts about Hellic 3 all day long.

Overall, the reactions were largely positive.

However, there was still one piece of information that had not been revealed.

It was about the endings.

『(Game) LordofPifromBangbaeDong: Has anyone collected all three endings?

I played it on the normal route, but it doesn’t connect with the previous work.

At least the Golden Gate-related foreshadowing was resolved? (This was quite good)

I saw in the reviews that there are elements connecting with the previous work, has anyone seen that?

Oh, and what route connects with Hellic 2’s teaser?』

Even the shortest route had a playtime well over 14 hours for Hellic 3.

At a point less than a day old, knowing the answers was a rare occurrence.

Curiosity inevitably surged.

Above all, the information that each ending contained settings connecting with the previous work and throughout the series fuelled the anticipation.

There were those who said it was a time to gather strength.

But, that was the culture here.

『<Comments>

Waiting for Helic3: The endings are satisfyingㅎ』

Under the pretext of spoiler prevention, deception was widespread.

Given the situation, there was only one method for users.

『(Casual) ClearWithoutT: Just don’t say anything. Just play and see for yourself after clearing itㅋ』

The thirst for Hellic 3 started to blaze even more.