Chapter 129

Apocalypse Chef Developer Notice lol

「Hello. This is Team Fractal.

We’d like to inform you about the currently discovered bugs.

1. A bug where the hidden ending is skipped and the true ending is triggered if you defeat all the bosses in the game without experiencing the companion recruitment event (cooking) and without ever saving or loading.

2. A bug where the companion recruitment event (cooking) is not experienced…

…….

10. A bug where the companion recruitment event (cooking) is not experienced―.」

How many bugs do we have to fix because of Han Yoorim lol

-Well, who told you to show off? lol

-For real, guiding the game progression naturally through combat difficulty << That was such a galaxy brain move

┗But honestly, the difficulty adjustment was well done. Looking at the conditions, it’s like one-try-one-kill, and you even have to kill all the bosses without companions. It’s weird that it’s even possible, tbh.

[Apocalypse Chef is a multi-playthrough game from the start lol]

You’re supposed to get stronger by inheriting abilities, gather clues, and see the endings.

It’s Han Yoorim’s fault for killing everyone from the start.

I shook my head at the last post.

To users, there’s no such thing as “wrong.” Every playstyle they choose is the right answer.

So if anyone’s at fault, it’s the developer who didn’t anticipate the user’s natural playstyle.

Therefore, I am innocent.

Case closed.

“You, who were once the epitome of righteousness, how did you come to wield such power?”

“Leader. Dark arts are but an illusion. In this world, only strength is justice. There’s no such thing as unusable power.”

I calmly replied, turning off the community at the voice behind me.

The Martial Alliance Leader continued.

“The Left Path is clearly a force that defies heaven. Such power cannot lead to greatness.”

“If heaven stands in the way of humanity, then it’s not heaven to begin with.”

“Han Yoorim!”

The Martial Alliance Leader trembled.

I puffed out my chest confidently.

Nothing in this world could stand in the way of a Super Developer.

“Leader. There was never anything in heaven to begin with.”

“Han Yoorim!”

“Uh… Boss? Where should I put this?”

“Ah. Just leave it here. Thanks for your hard work.”

“Got it.”

The sudden appearance of an employee paused the conversation.

We both crossed our arms and looked down at the factory, then resumed our constructive discussion.

“Han Yoorim!”

“I’ll stand in heaven.”

“Sis. Dad. It’s gonna be dawn soon.”

Han Yuhan, the cousin who’s so good at his job he could win an award, intervened.

The eldest uncle spoke with his hands behind his back.

“This is innovation.”

“Super Developers are always innovative.”

“Actually, the word ‘innovation’ doesn’t even suffice. This is….”

The eldest uncle muttered softly.

It seemed he really liked the technology I gifted him.

It was a technology derived from slightly improving a chronic issue in humanoids. I didn’t want to waste it, so I gave it to my eldest uncle.

“Thanks to you, eldest uncle, I was able to create James easily. Thank you.”

“All I did was lend you the facilities, no need to thank me.”

The eldest uncle owned a company that developed conductive polymers, so he had access to cutting-edge facilities. I could do whatever I wanted with them.

Of course, to do what I really wanted, I’d need to evolve a lot more, but that was fine.

I was planning to upgrade everything anyway.

“I’m not sure if the royalty rate is correct.”

“It’s fine. Just keep supplementing the facilities as much as I need.”

“Of course, I’ll do that.”

Contrary to the eldest uncle’s words, I took a large share of the royalties. I also got a lot of other things.

Even if I competed with others, I wouldn’t get this much. It was literally the best treatment in the industry.

Well, if I started my own company, I’d get 100%, which would earn the most money, but I’m a game developer, not a high-tech industry worker. I didn’t want to waste time on unnecessary things.

Considering all this, collaborating with my eldest uncle was the best option.

It was easier to control the company by collaborating with him than with some unknown company.

Since there were things I absolutely had to do, controlling the company was essential.

Though saying “control” makes it sound like I’m some shadowy figure.

It’s just about facility supplementation.

Only someone like my eldest uncle would keep adding the facilities I wanted without question.

I watched the busy employees and nodded.

“Then, Leader. I leave the Martial Alliance to you.”

“Leave it to me.”

I turned and left the control room.

Since the company (which is also mine because my eldest uncle shared the shares) was running well, I needed to hurry home and take care of some very urgent and important matters.

*

―――

†Han Yoorim: Malangmabang. So you’re playing Excel Busters again? Was the memory of our one good deduction battle that sweet?

―――

“Someone needs to stop her.”

Mos answered vaguely and focused on the game.

On the screen, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty, Aylie, smiled and spoke.

“Malangmabang. What happens if you betray me?”

“…….”

Mos paused at the deep, low voice.

The viewers also paused, as the chat stopped mid-flow.

Only I moved in the frozen world.

―――

†Han Yoorim: It’s jarring to hear a male voice come out of a beautiful girl. Why are you teaming up with Pape? You could’ve gone with Bunny Run or Chaenarin.

―――

“Playing games alone with Bunny Run or Chaenarin is a bit…”

Mos seemed slightly troubled by my chat.

What? Were the three of them awkward with each other?

I had no idea.

But from what I felt, our ‘Asegu’ team members were all close (though strictly speaking, Chaenarin and Choco Full Bread weren’t that close).

“We are close, though.”

―――

†Han Yoorim: Then why can’t you?

―――

“That’s…”
Meow."

Mos said that and then started controlling his character.

Pape's Aylie and Mos's Zess engaged in a fierce battle.

Swords clashed, and their skills filled the empty space.

The intense fight continued.

And it seemed a bit strange at first glance.

Pape, who possesses physical prowess that even the top-tier pro gamer Bbangbbang would concede to, was known for his near-instantaneous reaction speed, close to 0.1 seconds. Thanks to this, Pape made a name for himself in [Eternal World].

It's no wonder he's the top Challenger.

On the other hand, Mos was just an average-tier player who occasionally dipped into Challenger.

So, it would seem like Pape would easily win against Mos, but the result was different.

Of course.

Because this wasn't [Eternal World].

Pape, who only used Taeguk Hyegeom for combat, and Mos, who combined various martial arts to find the most efficient fighting style.

Naturally, Mos's playstyle was closer to the "correct answer" in [Excel Busters].

When did he even finish that optimization?

As expected from a former Scout. Like a sneaky Main Carry stalker, he had quietly optimized his skills from behind.

Clang! Mos's sword and Pape's sword broke simultaneously.

And then the cutscene began.

If things continued like this, both would die by the Chairman's ghost, so they argued about who should die instead. Suddenly, Aylie spoke up.

She suggested a way to fundamentally prevent the Chairman's personality from activating.

"Ultimately, activation is about adaptation. They made us live a life similar to the Chairman's, gradually awakening the implanted personality."

"I know that."

"Listen. So, if we take a completely different path from the Chairman, wouldn't the activation stop?"

"Specifically?"

"From what I see, living a good life won't trigger it. The Chairman was a piece of trash, right? If you think about it, our activation increased because we killed people indiscriminately for missions."

"...Would that work?"

"If it doesn't, we'll just die together."

Aylie smiled brightly and continued slowly.

"Anyway, without Zess, I'd die of boredom."

After that, scenes of daily life and decreasing activation levels alternated, and the game ended with a scene of a pregnant Aylie looking down at the city with Zess by her side.

[True Ending]

"......"

"......"

Pape and Mos both fell silent at the same time.

I tilted my head in confusion.

Were they moved by the game's ending?

Hmm. Probably not.

---

†Han Yoorim: Both of them have short attention spans. Getting emotional over such a cliché ending.

---

And as if reacting to my chat, the viewers flooded the chat.

---

Seeing Aylie pregnant made me feel weird.

Knowing your face, how do you think I feel seeing that? lol

Thinking about it, it's funny. Do you want to insert your face into this kind of story?

---

Turns out, it was for a really trivial reason.

---

†Han Yoorim: Aylie is just a character inspired by me. She's not me. Did Pape and Malangmabak not know such an obvious fact?

---

"...No. I know."

---

†Han Yoorim: And strictly speaking, I'm the superior version. Aylie is the inferior version. Not just in looks, but in content too. If it were me, I'd have used the Super Developer's power to create a perfect personality preservation technique in one second.

---

"Someone really needs to stop her."

Anyway.

Since the game finally ended, I decided to ask what I was curious about.

---

†Han Yoorim: So, why did you play an outdated old game again?

---

"It's only been half a year since it came out, what do you mean old game? I had to see the ending. Last time, I only saw the normal ending."

I was surprised by that.

Could it be that this was the first time they saw the True Ending?

How could that be?

---

†Han Yoorim: You haven't even touched the True Ending until now? Malangmabak, you're the type to buy a game and say, 'I'll play it someday,' but never actually do it. I'm so disappointed.

†Pape: I told you Malangmabak is the type to disappoint people with his 'Sisil Yeolmae' ability.

†Bunny Run: Use the cage right now. Malangmabak.

---

"When did Pape sneak into the chat again?"

Mos muttered in disbelief and then continued slowly.

"I kept my promise to finish the game with this."

---

†Han Yoorim: Did you make such a promise?

---

"Yeah, I did."

Did I?

I think I did.

Speaking of promises...

Hearing that reminded me of something.

I typed on the keyboard.

---

†Han Yoorim: So, when are we keeping our promise to play a horror game?

---

"Did we make such a promise?"

---

†Han Yoorim: Yes, we did.

---

Really.

Of course, Mos might not have heard me make that promise, but I did make it.

"We agreed to call that nonsense."

---

†Han Yoorim: So, you're not going to do it?

---

After a brief moment of thought, Mos responded to my chat.

"Maybe."