June 14th, 10:00 AM
Northstar Games
Ethan Reed was late.
Half an hour late, to be exact.
He strolled into Northstar Games with an unusually relaxed expression, dressed in clean clothes, his hair still slightly damp. He had taken a long, hot shower that morning and slept like a rock.
For the first time in days, he felt human again.
But the moment he stepped into the office, a sharp thud echoed through the corridor.
Bang.
Then another.
Bang!
Ethan froze.
That sound…
A mouse being slammed.
And it was coming from only one place.
The boss's office.
Ethan walked over and knocked on the door.
A second later, a voice filled with deep resentment exploded from inside.
"ENTER!!!"
Ethan pushed the door open.
Inside, Vivian Frost sat at her desk.
Her hair was tied into a ponytail today, exposing her face completely. The office was clean and tidy, carrying a faint, pleasant fragrance. She stared at the computer screen with bloodshot eyes before slowly lifting her gaze toward Ethan.
She wasn't wearing makeup.
Her complexion looked pale, and the dark circles under her eyes were heavy and unmistakable.
She clearly hadn't slept.
Even more striking—she had removed her colored contact lenses. Her large, clear almond-shaped eyes were fully visible now, bright yet furious, like a deer that had been awake all night and was one loud noise away from charging.
Ethan's eyes lit up.
This was the first time he had ever seen Vivian with a ponytail.
To be honest, compared to her usual deliberately mature and sophisticated look with big waves, this version of Vivian felt… younger. More energetic. More real.
The slightly messy hair near her forehead exposed her round face, making her look far more approachable.
Boss Frost really doesn't suit the "cool mature CEO" act, Ethan thought.
That hairstyle is just self-deception.
Before he could even say good morning—
Bang!
Vivian slammed both hands onto the desk, stood up abruptly, glared straight at Ethan, and declared:
"I've made up my mind."
Ethan blinked.
"Intern," Vivian continued stiffly, "starting today, you are officially the Chief Planner of Northstar Games."
She paused.
"And… also its creative director."
Her ears turned red.
Without her wavy hair to hide it, the blush spread all the way to the roots of her ears. She coughed awkwardly and straightened her posture.
"Although the company currently only has you and me," she said seriously, "I believe that as long as we work together, Northstar Games will rise again."
Ethan stared at her in silence.
"…Boss," he asked slowly, "you've already approved the game?"
"Heh."
Vivian crossed her arms.
"I really want to say your game is absolute trash—but!"
She leaned forward slightly.
Today, she was wearing a retro-style vest, tight enough to outline her figure clearly. When she leaned closer, the buttons strained faintly, making Ethan instinctively look away.
"I'll admit it," she said firmly. "It's extremely playable."
Vivian Frost wasn't just a company owner.
Her most important identity—
She was a hardcore gamer.
As a player, she could tell almost instantly whether a game was good or bad.
"There's no denying it," she continued. "This game is filled with your twisted sense of humor. The narration tortures players. The background music sounds light but becomes unbearable over time. One mistake sends you all the way back to the beginning."
She paused.
"But that's exactly why it's addictive."
"The sense of achievement after countless failures is insanely satisfying. I won't say it'll become a blockbuster… but I believe it has the potential to revive Northstar Games."
She spoke with rare seriousness.
Ethan, however, focused on something else entirely.
"…Boss," he asked carefully, "you cleared it?"
"!"
Vivian's expression froze.
Then instantly darkened.
She glared at him with pure hatred.
"GET LOST!!!"
"Oh—okay!"
Ethan turned to flee immediately.
"Stop."
He froze mid-step and turned back.
"Yes, boss?"
Vivian rubbed her temples.
"Have you decided on the price, Chief Planner?"
Ethan thought for a moment and recalled a similar torture game's evaluation.
> A game filled with malicious humor, no story, no mercy—designed purely to torment players.
He answered tentatively, "How about… 15 credits?"
Vivian felt a headache coming on.
This art style.
This size.
This insanity.
Was it really worth 15?
But she had already handed him authority.
"…Fine," she said. "Set it at fifteen."
"I'll handle the release. You take a few days off."
"Does that mean I'm on vacation?" Ethan asked, poking his head back in.
"Roll."
---
After Ethan left, Vivian uploaded Getting Over It to Skybound, the largest indie-game platform in the region.
Skybound dominated game distribution, but its commission rate was only 15%.
Painful—but acceptable.
She gulped down a glass of orange juice, rubbed her hands together, and stared at the screen with anticipation.
"I refuse to believe it," she muttered.
"I refuse to believe I can't beat this stupid game."
Some bosses scold employees for staying up late—
Then secretly stay up all night themselves.
---
8:00 PM, Same Day
Vivian returned home and immediately received a notification.
> [Skybound] Your game has passed review and is now live.
She opened her laptop and logged into the backend, fighting off drowsiness.
Sales: 0
"…Expected," she muttered.
If they could sell 50 copies overnight, that would already be a miracle.
Her vision blurred.
With a soft thump, she collapsed face-first onto the table.
The gears of fate began to turn.
---
SkyDream Live Forum – Night
"Dream Soul is updating! Half an hour, boys!"
On-screen, Kai Lewis, a popular streamer with blond hair and heavy filters, jumped up from his gaming chair.
"I swear, I will NEVER let games break me again," he declared. "Also, I'm quitting swearing. Kids watch my stream now."
[Is he serious?]
[Dream Soul updates slower than my grandma.]
Kai glanced at the clock.
"…Alright," he said. "Let's find a small game to kill time."
He opened Skybound.
Filtered: new releases, indie, short playtime.
"Newest games only," he announced.
Then he saw it.
Getting Over It
Developer: Northstar Games
Price: 15
"…Fifteen?"
Kai squinted.
"This better not be trash."
Refund policy existed.
He bought it.
Two minutes later, the game launched.
A hammer appeared.
Then a jar.
Then narration.
"Welcome, my friend…"
Kai stared.
"…Refund?"
"No—wait. Twenty minutes."
He grabbed the mouse.
The hammer swung.
The jar bounced.
"…Why is this so hard?"
Five minutes later—
"WHAT IS THIS CONTROL?!"
Chat exploded.
[Kai's rage at 30%!]
Ten minutes.
Fifteen.
Twenty.
Silence.
Kai stopped reading chat.
He leaned forward.
Focused.
Then—
A mistake.
The jar-man fell.
Back.
All the way back.
Kai screamed—
"GAIAAAAAAAAA!!!"
The entire livestream erupted.
[HAHAHAHA]
[GAIA!!!]
Kai sat there, blank-faced.
Then quietly picked up the mouse.
"…Again."
The narration chimed cheerfully.
"You're back again!"
Kai slammed the mouse.
"…It's fine," he said hoarsely. "You have to play games with a smile."
He laughed.
A little too loudly.
"hehe… hehe…"
The hammer slipped.
The jar flew.
Kai snapped.
"F—"
The stream exploded.
The legend had begun.