Chapter 40: Closed Beta

Chapter 40: Closed Beta

On April 10th, a day when the spring breeze gently brushed against cheeks, Jo Ayoon sat in a dark room with closed curtains, staring blankly at the monitor as her fingers moved.

Tap-tap, the sound of the keyboard echoed through the air.

Wheeeen, the fan whirled, creating a noisy hum.

However, Jo Ayoon remained oblivious to it all.

[...Goodbye.]

The final moments of the butterfly were being displayed on the monitor.

She had suffered in life and regretted even in death. Now, at the end of all her hardships, what else could she focus on?

Jo Ayoon's world already existed somewhere inside that monitor.

She was now playing the prototype of Hellic 2, a game without the sound.

This was the story she needed to craft from now on.

[Game Clear]

The message signalling the end of the story appeared.

This marked her 18th run cleared.

Jo Ayoon took a deep breath and, with a determined look in her eyes, clicked the "Retry" button once again.

She wasn't ready to return to reality just yet.

She needed to immerse herself deeper into the game.

To add the music, she needed to understand the butterfly well enough for it to conclude the story from the butterfly's perspective.

And so, the 19th run began.

There was a change.

"...Yes."

Even though Jo Ayoon had seen all of this before—the butterfly leaving Alice, facing the warden with a drawn sword, struggling to hold onto her crumbling body—this time, she felt a different emotion.

It was a strange change that couldn't be described in words.

Shooom—Ñøv€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.

She heard the sound of waves crashing.

Even though it was a soundless game.

As she watched the butterfly crumble, Jo Ayoon whispered to herself.

"So that's how it is."

The butterfly must have heard this sound too.

Throughout facing the guardian, bidding farewell to Alice, and even in her final moments, the butterfly had always been swaying by the waves.

It wasn't just the background; it encompassed the entirety of the butterfly's life.

And so, she decided.

"I prefer it without sound."

The theme would be the soundless scream.

Playing without sound made the intensity less overt.

Rather, it made the butterfly's struggle even more poignant.

Her expression, similar to Alice's, remained emotionless, rarely changing.

Even as her body crumbled, there was silence, and the emotional tension remained disconnected.

However, for a brief moment, the final smile was even more stifling due to that gap.

"Let's eliminate the sound."

Unnecessary melodies and beats were all removed.

Jo Ayoon only thought about what was necessary.

"The sound of waves."

Noise that made the silence even more profound.

"Footsteps."

The sound of footsteps pacing around the spot where Alice had left.

"The sound of the Warden's drawn sword, the creaking of steps, irregular movements."

All the grimness and threats, colliding with the butterfly, would become the rhythm.

In other words, sound effects would set the framework to maintain the consistency of the thought process.

With that decision made.

"Silence, beach, sad ending."

She expanded the keywords once again.

"Exclude electronic sounds. Exclude grandiosity. Just a melody that can be summed up in one sentence is enough."

It shouldn't be monotonous, but it should be heavy, and at the same time, it should be light.

A subtle beat should dive deep into the soul, embracing the space and the butterfly's story.

"There's one."

Jo Ayoon's gaze shifted to her desk.

"Music box."

A melody that, despite its clear and pure sound, couldn't be matched with any other instrument due to its unique weight, fluctuating between melancholy and tenderness depending on how it was played.

Starting from the slow striking of the keys, the accompaniment would envelop the sounds of waves, footsteps, and the collision of metal blades.

"The ending's BGM will be the music box."

That's how the end of the butterfly's journey, so intense and beautiful, would be adorned.

After all the battles were over and the beach fell silent once again, as the ending credits rolled, the fading sound of the music box would provide the finishing touch.

Click—

Jo Ayoon began to play the music box. The sound of the keys echoed in the room.

Jo Ayoon closed her eyes and deconstructed the melody.

Composition is about building up.

Jo Ayoon reconstructed the rhythm based on the melodies she had accumulated in her mind, creating a new piece of music.

Considering that 'ClearWithoutT' was known to reside in the Seoul area, there was no doubt that he had received the game and this was confirmed by a post from just a week ago.

『ClearWithoutT: ᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ Closed beta access distribution has startedᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ』

A post that couldn't be more nonchalant even if you turned it upside down.

Many users expressed their desire for reviews in the comments, but the result was this.

It went silent.

(Chat) FlowerLips: Does anyone know where this guy lives?

And then, a post like that was made.

(Game) ClearWithoutT:...

The protagonist appeared in the community.

<Comments>

WaitingforHellic 2: Why now!!! I wanted to see you die?!

Lord of Bloodshed in Bangbae-dong: Please do a review. Please.

SweetBelNam39: Sir, how is the game?

Great Detective Cucumber: Sir, please check your messages, please.

The welcome was warm.

The moment the community stopped buzzing with posts and traffic rushed to 'ClearWithoutT's' post.

A post with no content, just the title '...'

And then, he posted one more thing.

(Chat) ClearWithoutT: How is this even an indie game?

It's unbelievable. I'm the kind of person who can't stay away from the community for more than a week, but I didn't even think about it this time;

I can't help but be amazed;

They say this game was developed by a team of 6, but it does seem like a lie;

When it's released, all of you should definitely play it!

Oh, and one more thing.

(Alice Figurine)

The figurines are so cute lol.』

It was a review.

And it was a ruthless review that didn't say a word about the game's content.

The community members who were eagerly waiting for something to happen were naturally disappointed.

(Chat) WaitingforHelic2: Aaargh!!!

Starting with 'WaitingforHelic2,' many users began to curse and express their frustration.

If it were anyone else, they might have been hurt by such insults and left the community, but this time, the target was different.

The undisputed keyboard battle champion within the community, the villain who could tear apart anyone who came against him. Once again, he showed his extraordinary resilience.

(Chat) ClearWithoutT: If you're unhappy, you should've won the closed beta access lol

That day, Kang Seokhoon, who used the community nickname 'WaitingforHelic2,' collapsed with his head down.

While the Korean community was ablaze, a similar situation was unfolding overseas.

For some reason, all the recipients of the closed beta access had gone silent.

Regular gamers who were excited about the game were left feeling disappointed.

That's when all eyes turned to streamer James Han.

He had promised to showcase the closed beta gameplay in his videos.

But even he went silent.

Users were anxiously waiting for someone to come forward and at least talk about the game.

Some even went as far as saying, "The game is so boring that no one can even review it."

This was what they called the grapevine effect.

『Go to hell, freaking Hellic.』

And then, it happened.

"On game."

A short review was published in the number one gaming magazine, "On game."

"I played the highly anticipated new game [Hellic 2: Hell Of Alice]."

It was a review that came out unexpectedly and in an unexpected format.

But one thing was certain.

That review created an unprecedented buzz.

"I won't say it's the best game ever or the world's best. Everyone has a favourite game, and I can't force my opinion by denying their choices.

However, I have to say this.

At the very least, it has the best ending of the year.

It surpasses any AAA game.

Game Director Aldred Russo."The leader of Studio Valhalla.

A name that always came up when naming the greatest directors.

Anyone with even a slight interest in gaming couldn't be unaware of his works.

The review from Aldred Russo caused a sensation in the industry.

Hellic's reputation took on a completely different meaning than before.

To put it in simple terms, it was like this.

(Chat) Postponed Military Service Great Detective: I postponed my military service. I think I should play Hellic 2.

A game that hadn't even been released had shaken someone's life.

That's exactly what happened, and it was three days later.

"On Air."

James Han made his move.

On a platform called Twitch, which had been launched less than a month ago.