In the end, that so-called duel never happened. Eriri was persuaded by Ichin to calm down and join in for the second round of testing instead.
After Eriri left, Ichin turned to Utaha.
"So, what do you think? Want to keep going?"
"Of course. A game this fun—I definitely want to keep playing."
Though she'd been eliminated in the first round, the match itself was still going. Utaha simply sat back and watched the second map being played.
The second map was the honeycomb stage Ichin had tested before. Several layers of hexagonal honeycomb tiles formed floating floors; each hex tile vanished the instant someone stepped on it.
Players had to keep moving, trying to stay as high up as possible. Fall too many layers, and you'd be eliminated. The last player standing would take the crown.
Compared to the first obstacle map, this stage had fewer mechanics. It tested patience and rhythm above all.
Of course, even here, trolling was possible—grabbing or cutting off other players' paths. But if you overdid it and fell yourself, it was just shooting yourself in the foot.
Under Ichin and Utaha's watchful eyes, the match played out. In the end, Rin Toyama held out the longest and won. Sakura Nene nearly claimed victory herself, but ran out of tiles around her.
After that match, they ran two more tests.
Even with only these two stages, everyone had a blast. The novelty of playing for the first time meant even repetition didn't get old. With just a different approach each time, the fun felt completely fresh.
Overall, the test was a success. Even with sixty players on the same field, the frame rate held rock solid at 60 FPS, with no noticeable drops.
As for network stability, everyone was on the same company LAN, so nothing meaningful could be judged. The real test would come once public servers were up.
When the testing wrapped up, Ichin and Utaha left the office and called everyone together.
Facing the whole team, Ichin smiled.
"Looks like everyone enjoyed Fall Guys. So, I've got a small proposal. As you saw, we only have two stages built right now. That's nowhere near enough. So I'd like everyone to brainstorm some fun obstacles and map concepts.
They don't need to be fully modeled or beautifully drawn. As long as the idea is clear, with a simple sketch, that's enough. If you think of something, write it down, hand it to your department lead, and they'll collect everything to pass on to Hazuki. We'll review them, and the ideas we adopt will come with bonuses."
Bonuses!
That alone was enough to jolt everyone awake. And for a game like this, where imagination could run wild, the possibilities were endless.
With the whole company contributing ideas, who knew how many wacky, brilliant maps might be born—though some might also drive players to the brink of madness.
After planting the seed and sparking excitement, Ichin went back to his office to resume his work.
What he didn't expect was that Utaha, who had followed him in, also started sketching ideas.
"Utaha, you want to design stages too?"
"Yeah. Isn't it fun?"
Smiling brightly, pen and paper in hand, Utaha said,
"For other games, I probably wouldn't be much help with stage design. But for something that's all about fun and obstacles, I think I can give it a try."
Since Utaha was genuinely interested, Ichin naturally wouldn't oppose.
"Alright, give it a shot. Just don't forget about your light novel work—otherwise Sonoko will be calling to scold you."
"Relax, I won't forget."
Waving him off, Utaha returned her focus fully to designing new stages.
After releasing the "side quest" to everyone in the company, only a few days passed before Hazuki received over a dozen design reports.
Carrying a thick stack of printed submissions, Hazuki came over to Ichin's office.
"Ichin-kun, someone turned in their assignment. Let's take a look together."
"Oh? That was fast."
Glancing at the bundle of papers in her hands, Ichin chuckled.
"Not bad. Let's see then. Hazuki, have you gone through them yet?"
"Not yet. I came straight here as soon as I got them."
The reports had been printed in duplicate. Hazuki handed one set to Ichin, and the two sat on the sofa to begin reviewing.
The first two entries had decent concepts, but lacked entertainment value, and their difficulty was far too low—unsuitable for adoption.
Setting them aside, Hazuki commented,
"I heard Utaha's working on a design too?"
"Yeah. She got interested in the game and insisted on trying. But even I don't know what she's come up with."
On the secrecy front, Utaha had done an impeccable job—she hadn't let Ichin see a single scrap of her work.
"Eh~~ so even you don't know." Hazuki smiled.
"Then it probably means she has something solid in mind and is focusing on it. Maybe she's planning to surprise us."
"I think so too."
Ichin nodded in agreement—then suddenly came across a particularly interesting design.
It described a huge circular platform. As time passed, magma would gradually rise from the edges, while the center of the platform slowly elevated, forming a pyramid. By the final stage, only the very tip of the pyramid would remain—large enough for a single Fall Guy. Anyone who failed to secure the summit would be swallowed by lava.
This stage was perfectly suited as a final-round championship map. Though the concept was still a bit too simple, it could easily be enriched with more elements.
Checking the designer's name, Ichin read: Ruri Gokou.
"Hazuki, I think this one's good. Take a look."
He showed Hazuki Ruri's design. She examined it carefully, then praised,
"Very nice indeed. Should we approve it?"
"Yeah, let's approve it."
Ichin picked up a marker and drew a check mark across Ruri's draft, officially accepting it.
After spending some time reviewing all the submissions, Ichin and Hazuki ended up approving six designs in total.
Compiling the six chosen entries, Ichin said,
"Hazuki, send out a company-wide email announcing these six designs have been selected. And make sure the agreed bonuses are included in their next month's paychecks."
"Alright, I'll handle it now."
Five minutes later, everyone in the company received the email.
*
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