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Extra chapters available on patreon ❤️🔥
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The next morning, Ethan Reed boarded the bus as usual and headed toward Northstar Games.
The city outside the window slid past in fragments—glass buildings, early commuters, blinking traffic lights. Everything felt ordinary, almost dull. Yet Ethan knew very well that Northstar Games was no longer the same company it had been yesterday.
Today was the first real working day.
When Ethan reached the seventh floor of the Science and Technology Building, he immediately sensed something was off.
At the entrance of the company, a group of people were standing stiffly, lined up neatly like students being punished outside a classroom.
The moment they spotted him, their expressions changed.
"Lead Planner Ethan is here!"
"Lead Planner Ethan is here!"
The sudden shouting echoed through the hallway.
Ethan froze, then instinctively slapped his forehead.
"…Right."
He had forgotten something extremely important.
Yesterday had been too hectic—interviews, seat arrangements, contract confirmations. In all the chaos, he had forgotten to register everyone's fingerprints.
And Northstar Games used a biometric lock.
Worse still, the only physical backup key was in his pocket.
Meaning one thing—
Everyone had been locked out.
"Alright, alright, don't shout," Ethan said helplessly, raising his hands.
"Line up. One by one. We'll register fingerprints now."
He pointed at the lock beside the glass door.
"This is Boss Vivian's brand-new high-tech security system. Don't break it on your first day."
As if trained, the group immediately formed a line.
No complaints.
No sarcasm.
Only quiet cooperation.
Ethan nodded, slightly impressed.
At that moment, Vivian Frost appeared at the end of the hallway.
She carried breakfast in one hand, as she always did—clearly bought out of habit rather than necessity.
She stopped when she saw the scene.
Ethan stood at the back, guiding people patiently. On one side, new employees chatted and laughed. On the other, fingerprints were being registered in order.
Vivian rolled her eyes.
"Is it really necessary to register everyone?" she said bluntly.
"Wouldn't registering a few early arrivals be enough?"
The moment she spoke, the crowd instinctively parted, creating a path for her.
Ethan didn't argue.
Instead, he nodded obediently.
"Yes, yes, Boss Vivian is always right," he replied smoothly.
"Let's go in. It's almost time to start work."
The glass door slid open.
Northstar Games officially opened for business.
---
A Real Company at Last
The seating arrangement had already been finalized the previous night.
This recruitment brought in thirteen fresh graduates and two experienced hires.
Among the thirteen graduates:
Seven programmers
Six artists
The two experienced employees were:
One front-desk customer service staff
One platform operations and after-sales specialist, mainly handling Skybound
The programmers—naturally led by Daniel Reed—sat to Ethan's left.
The artists occupied the right side.
Ethan's own workstation was placed at the very front, separated by partitions into a small, independent space.
Standing before everyone, Ethan spoke calmly:
"Today is about getting familiar with the company.
Take your time, learn the workflow, understand the environment.
Tomorrow, we officially start project development."
As he spoke, he casually ate the jianbing guozi Vivian had brought him.
That tiny detail didn't go unnoticed.
Daniel glanced at Ethan's breakfast and fell into thought.
Yesterday, Lead Planner Ethan didn't bring food.
Boss Vivian brought it.
A boss who brings breakfast for an employee?
Around the office, several people silently reached the same conclusion.
Eyes flicked between Ethan and Vivian.
A bold, unspoken thought spread quietly through the room:
The relationship between the Lead Planner and the Boss felt… complicated.
Ethan, completely unaware, added cheerfully:
"You have a lot of freedom today.
You can even play games if you want.
After all—how can employees of a game company not play games?"
Some people laughed, the tension easing immediately.
"Alright," Ethan said, turning toward Vivian's office.
"I'll go discuss project planning."
As the door closed behind him, the atmosphere subtly shifted.
Northstar Games finally felt like a real company.
---
The Third Game
Inside the office, Ethan leaned against the desk and exhaled slowly.
Now that everyone had arrived, the third project he and Vivian had discussed countless times could finally begin.
This project, however, was far larger than the previous two.
Even with the expanded staff, Ethan estimated it would take at least three months.
Financially, though, there was no pressure.
Getting Over It had surpassed 190,000 copies sold.
Night of the Full Moon had crossed 70,000 sales.
The income alone was enough to keep Northstar Games comfortable for a long time.
"Boss Vivian," Ethan said, stepping closer.
"Let's officially start the third game tomorrow.
Which of the two options did you choose?"
Vivian didn't answer immediately.
She was busy.
Playing Night of the Full Moon.
It was already her sixth playthrough.
The deeper one went, the higher the Nightmare difficulty climbed. Early stages allowed careless card selection, but later runs demanded strategy, synergy, and restraint.
Even with Vivian's intelligence, she'd been stuck for a while.
Hearing Ethan's question, she finally put down the mouse.
"…I like Animal Party," she said slowly.
"But I also really like The Legend of Sword and Fairy."
She looked at him with faint hope.
"Can't we make both?"
Ethan shook his head immediately.
"No."
His tone was calm, but firm.
"We don't have enough people.
Both projects have long development cycles.
Animal Party is shorter, but modeling and polishing will take time.
The Legend of Sword and Fairy needs story refinement, scenes, and music. That's even longer."
He shrugged.
"So—choose one."
Vivian frowned deeply.
Before, she had been frustrated because the company had no good games to make.
Now she was frustrated because there were too many good choices.
After a long pause, she straightened her back.
"Then we make The Legend of Sword and Fairy."
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
Vivian continued, her tone firm:
"Animal Party will sell well, I know that.
But Northstar Games needs a hardcore title right now.
We've already been labeled as the indie studio that takes unconventional paths."
She clenched her fists slightly.
"I want Northstar Games to become a real game company.
Not a novelty."
Ethan smiled.
Their thoughts aligned perfectly.
Animal Party would be fun—but fleeting.
Players would enjoy it, then forget it.
But The Legend of Sword and Fairy?
That was emotion. Memory. Pain.
"Then we start tomorrow," Ethan said, raising his arm.
"Okay!" Vivian clapped her hands.
---
Caleb Knox's Doubt
That same night, on a popular livestream—
"I don't think this is the ending Night of the Full Moon should have."
Caleb Knox rubbed his temples, frustration evident in his voice.
"Everyone finds their destiny," he said slowly.
"Why is Little Carpenter the only one who doesn't?"
The chat scrolled rapidly.
"And that line from the Wolf King—'Souls don't just disappear.'
Little Carpenter is his son. His soul shouldn't just vanish!"
Caleb leaned closer to the screen.
"That Wood Spirit stage—it feels wrong. Like it was placed there deliberately, but never explained."
The livestream erupted.
"Bro, just play the game normally."
"You're thinking more than the devs."
"What if they never planned to save him?"
"No, I agree. Little Carpenter shouldn't die."
Caleb's eyes sharpened.
"No… something's missing."
He opened the ancient book interface of Night of the Full Moon once again.
The familiar pages flipped by.
Then—
"Wait."
He froze.
"If the second page introduces the Knight…
the third introduces the Ranger…
and every page after introduces a profession…"
His breath caught.
"Then what does the first page introduce?"
The chat went silent.
Caleb flipped back.
The first page appeared—filled with unreadable symbols.
It looked like English.
But it wasn't.
Suddenly, the Wolf King's final words echoed in his mind.
Souls don't just disappear.
Caleb's heart raced.
He slammed his palm on the desk.
"That's it."
"The key to reviving Little Carpenter is hidden right here."
And for the first time,
Night of the Full Moon felt truly unfinished.
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Extra chapters available on patreon ❤️🔥
patreon.com/Samurai492
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