Max played for a while longer before finally logging out. As he stepped out of the capsule, he stretched his sore body and sighed, feeling the exhaustion set in.
Just then, Vale walked in. "So, how's the game?" he asked, noticing Max sitting and eating his food.
"Come, join me," Max said, gesturing to the seat beside him.
Vale nodded and sat down with him as Max continued eating. "It's really something else," Max said between bites. "The world feels alive, the mana system is great, and the graphics are insane."
"It seems all our work is holding up just fine," Vale said, relieved. "The last-minute changes we made are paying off at the same time. I'm glad nothing went bad."
He leaned back slightly. "Well, we do have a Super AI monitoring everything in real-time. Even if something does go wrong, it can just fix it, so don't worry," he added reassuringly.
Max nodded and smiled as they continued their small talk, eating together.
After finishing their meal, Max leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms with a satisfied sigh.
"So, what's the next step?" Vale asked, wiping his hands with a napkin.
Max glanced at the screen displaying live player statistics. "We observe. The launch was a success, but we need to monitor player behavior, bug reports, and server stability for the next 24 hours. If anything major pops up, we'll handle it immediately."
Vale nodded. "Makes sense. We already have a billion players logged in—this is bigger than any game launch in history."
Max smirked. "And it's just the beginning. Once players start uncovering the hidden mechanics, faction wars, and rare questlines, things will really get interesting."
Vale chuckled. "Yeah, I can already see the forums exploding with theories."
Max stood up. "Let's get back to work. We need to ensure Eternal Ascent lives up to its name."
With that, the two returned to their stations, ready to oversee the game's first day in the hands of the players.
As the hours passed, reports from different regions poured in. The game was running smoothly, with only a few minor bugs that the AI system patched automatically.
Vale scrolled through the live chat logs. "Players are already testing battle mechanics, testing out skill combinations, and exploring the wild zones. The hype isn't dying down anytime soon."
Max smirked. "Good. That means we did our job right."
Max closed the monitor and yawned. "I'm going to sleep. Do your job properly, Mr. CEO," he said, stretching as he headed out.
Vale scoffed, watching him leave. "Seriously? You're already this carefree after just half a day of monitoring?"
"Like you said, we have a Super AI monitoring things in real-time. Besides, I've got some visitors," Max said just as a bed pillow hit him square in the face.
"And they're not invited," he added, rubbing his eye as the impact stung slightly.
Vale jumped back in surprise. "Damn, I think you've been abandoned! Even your bed is rebelling against you," he joked.
Max sighed, catching another pillow mid-air with one hand before tossing it aside. "Just shut up," he muttered, already regretting the conversation.
"That wasn't my bed attacking me," Max muttered, rubbing his eye where the bullet had struck. "It was a ricocheted bullet hidden in the pillow." He picked up the bullet broken parts, that shattered on impact after hitting his eye. "Damn, that sniper's good."
Vale's expression turned serious. "So… I guess the other companies are already coming after you for selling such a game," he said cautiously.
Max didn't respond immediately. Instead, he moved with blinding speed, grabbing the sniper by the neck and lifting him off the ground. The masked man struggled but was held firmly in place.
"So, who sent you?" Max asked coldly.
The sniper gasped, but after a moment, realizing escape was impossible, he spoke. "It was anonymous… They paid me in Bitcoin, so I don't even know who they really are."
Max narrowed his eyes. "Tch. Typical."
Without warning, he slammed the sniper into the wall, knocking him unconscious with a single move.
"They're really getting desperate," Max muttered.
"You didn't kill him?" Vale asked, stepping closer to the unconscious sniper.
Max stretched lazily and smirked. "He's good. Why should I waste talent?" He glanced at Vale before adding, "I'll just pay him to kill the guy who hired him to kill me."
Vale blinked, then let out a dry chuckle. "That's… actually kind of brilliant."
Max grinned. "Yeah. That'll be fun to watch."
Vale sighed, shaking his head. "You're insane, you know that?"
Max shrugged. "Maybe. But it works." He nudged the unconscious sniper with his foot. "Wake him up. Let's see if he's smart enough to take the better deal."
Vale hesitated. "And if he refuses?"
Max's smile widened. "Then I'll kill him myself."
With that, he walked over to the table, pouring himself a glass of water while Vale began reviving the sniper.
"He isn't waking up," Vale said after smacking the sniper a few times. "You should have slapped him less harshly."
Max raised an eyebrow before pushing his palm against the sniper's chest, sending a burst of magic into him.
The sniper jolted awake, screaming, "Ahhhhhhh!"
"This is how you wake someone up," Max said smugly as Vale flinched, shaking his head.
Annoyed, Vale grabbed his phone and set an alarm.
[Alarm set.]
[Alert set.]
"Fuck, I don't want him to come and wake me up like this in this life or any other," Vale thought to himself, shuddering.
"Now that you're awake, you must have a way to contact your employer, right?" Max asked as he leaned in, staring at the sniper.
"N-No... I don't have any... Please, let me go," the sniper stammered.
"Are all hitmen this scared, or is it just you?" Max smirked.
"I'm not a hitman! I'm just good at sniping. I needed money, so I took the job. No one else would take it since the bounty was over 100 billion USD after launch," the sniper admitted, making Max raise his brows in amusement.
***
Support me at
patreon.com/boring_world
It's 22 chaps ahead