Monday 6 July 2000.
Zaboru was now in Beijing, standing in front of the newly established ZAGE office building. The structure towered above the street, modern and imposing, reflecting ZAGE's growing presence in the region. Beside him stood Red Falcon's owner, Woojin Park, who also supervised ZAGE's Korea and China branches. With him was his subordinate, the person directly responsible for overseeing ZAGE China—Yan Xu, who also happened to be Woojin Park's wife. The dynamic between them was professional, but there was an underlying familiarity that made coordination smoother.
Zaboru stepped forward with a calm smile and extended his hand. "Miss Yan, pleasure to meet you." Yan Xu returned the gesture with equal composure, shaking his hand firmly. She had only recently joined Red Falcon, having previously worked at a major company in Beijing, and her experience showed in the way she carried herself. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Renkonan," she replied politely. Woojin Park, standing slightly to the side, grinned with clear pride as he gestured toward the building. "Welcome, boss, to ZAGE China offices. The building has a total of 31 floors, and as usual, the top floor is reserved for you."
Zaboru smiled as he looked up at the building from the outside. The overall structure was slightly bigger than the ZAGE Korea hub, and it had more floors, giving it a stronger presence in the city. He took a moment to observe it, clearly satisfied, before saying, "This is a good office." Woojin Park grinned confidently. "Of course, boss. You can count on me." There was a quiet pride in his tone, as if this building was more than just a workplace—it was a statement.
Zaboru then stepped inside the office. As of today, all employees had already started working, and the atmosphere felt active and organized. The receptionist quickly bowed her head and greeted him in English, maintaining a professional tone. Zaboru chuckled lightly and replied in fluent Mandarin, "You can speak Mandarin. I'm fluent." The receptionist looked surprised for a brief moment, then smiled, clearly more at ease. Following that, Woojin Park and Yan Xu began introducing the representatives of each department within ZAGE Beijing, setting the tone for a smooth and structured tour.
The office layout was similar to other ZAGE offices around the world, designed to balance productivity and comfort. It featured large working spaces, along with a pantry and a small gaming room to help employees relax during breaks. The first floor up to the ninth floor was dedicated to core departments such as Finance, Legal, Subsidiaries Management, License Management, Marketing, and Administration. The ninth floor also included a motion capture studio and an additional recording studio, supporting both game and media production.
The tenth floor served as a large town hall area, used for meetings, presentations, and company-wide gatherings. The eleventh and twelfth floors were dedicated to relaxation, featuring game rooms and napping areas to maintain employee well-being. As usual, the thirteenth floor was skipped, moving directly to the fourteenth floor, which was fully dedicated to a gym. This floor was designed exclusively for physical training and health, reinforcing ZAGE's emphasis on maintaining both mental and physical performance.
From the fifteenth to the twentieth floor, the spaces were still empty, reserved for future expansion as the team continued to grow.
The main team of "MYTH" was located from the 20th floor onward. At the moment, the team already had close to 200 members, occupying three floors from the 20th to the 22nd. Even so, this was only the beginning. Over the next couple of months, Zaboru expected rapid expansion, with MYTH eventually taking up to five floors and reaching around 350 or more employees. He deliberately planned it this way, knowing that the China branch would require a large amount of manpower to match his long-term vision.
Unlike some of the older teams, MYTH was being built with scalability in mind from the start. The structure, workflow, and internal roles were designed to grow without collapsing under pressure. Zaboru didn't just want a team that could function—he wanted one that could evolve quickly.
As for leadership, Team MYTH had five core developer leaders. Most of them didn't have strong backgrounds in game development specifically, or if they did, it was relatively limited. However, they all had extensive experience in the software industry, and more importantly, they all shared one key trait—they genuinely loved video games. For Zaboru, that mattered more than anything else. Skills could be trained, but passion could not.
These five individuals would form the backbone of MYTH's growth, guiding the rest of the team as they learned and adapted to ZAGE's development style.
Peng Gao (Super Leader)
Yifan Sun
Haoran Li
Tianyi Liu
Zihan Chen
Zaboru was now standing together with them, facing the core leadership of Team MYTH for the first time.
As the meeting began, the five leaders stood alongside Yan Xu and Woojin Park. While they were already familiar with Woojin and Yan Xu, this was their first time meeting their ultimate boss—Zaboru Renkonan—in person. The atmosphere carried a mix of anticipation and tension, as all of them understood exactly who was standing in front of them.
Zaboru greeted them first, starting with the Super Leader of Team MYTH. "Mr. Gao," he said calmly as he stepped forward. Peng Gao, clearly a bit nervous, quickly reached out and shook his hand. "Boss," he replied respectfully. Gao was a man in his early 30s, with a solid physical build and short, neat hair. There was a sense of discipline in the way he stood, even if his nervousness showed slightly in his expression. Zaboru simply smiled and nodded. "I'm looking forward to working with you."
Zaboru chuckled. "We should try playing StarCraft together." Peng Gao shook his head with a small smile. "I'm no match for you, boss." Zaboru only chuckled again, clearly amused.
Peng Gao himself was already somewhat well known within the gaming community. Over the past two years, he had built a reputation as one of the top StarCraft players, even though he treated it only as a hobby. Occasionally, he joined competitions—and won. What made it even more impressive was that he managed all of that while still working full time as a team leader in a software company in China.
His ability to balance both worlds said a lot about his discipline and capability. Even so, competing against Zaboru was a completely different level. Zaboru had a reputation for defeating even top-tier StarCraft champions during ZAGE's annual end-of-year events, making the gap between them very clear.
After that, Zaboru moved down the line, greeting each of the five leaders one by one with the same composed presence, making sure each of them felt acknowledged.
Yifan Sun was a relatively short man in his mid-20s, but what stood out more than his appearance was his energy. Unlike the others, he didn't look nervous at all—in fact, he looked genuinely excited. He was the only one among the five with solid game development experience, having previously worked at ZAGE USA before coming here, and even earlier as part of Team Enigma.
The moment his turn came, Yifan stepped forward with a bright smile, almost unable to hide his enthusiasm. "Boss, it's been a while," he said, his tone more familiar than formal.
Zaboru looked at him for a second, then smiled slightly. "Yifan… I was wondering when I'd see you again."
There was a clear recognition between them, something the others immediately noticed.
Yifan scratched the back of his head, still smiling. "I didn't expect to get transferred here, but honestly… I'm really happy. Working with you again is something I've been looking forward to."
His words were simple, but genuine. Unlike the others who carried tension or formality, Yifan's presence brought a lighter energy into the room, making the atmosphere feel less stiff.
Zaboru nodded. "Good. Then I expect more from you."
"Of course," Yifan replied without hesitation, his eyes filled with excitement rather than pressure.
Then came Haoran Li, a man with glasses and long hair, carrying a quiet and composed presence. He was a former lead developer at a company in China, with strong technical experience, but unlike Yifan, he didn't show much emotion on the surface. He loved playing FPS games and was also highly skilled in fighting games, even winning several local Tekken tournaments.
When it was his turn, he stepped forward and shook Zaboru's hand. For a brief moment, he stayed silent, as if choosing his words carefully. Then, in a calm but sincere tone, he said, "Zaboru… I'm a huge fan."
There was no exaggeration in his voice, just pure honesty.
Zaboru simply chuckled lightly in response, clearly amused by the straightforwardness. "Thanks looking forward to work with you"
Then came Tianyi Liu, a bald, middle-aged man with a lively presence. He had previously worked as a lead software developer at a company in China, and on the side he owned an Internet café combined with an arcade, which explained his strong connection to gaming culture. Unlike the others, Tianyi didn't carry any visible tension—instead, he looked relaxed and almost nostalgic.
As soon as it was his turn, he laughed loudly and spoke in Japanese, clearly carried away by excitement. "HAHAHA! Back when I was a kid, I loved playing Atari and Space Invaders in arcades! But then they disappeared! And now there's ZAGE—I even own an Internet café! ZAGE Steam, Ragnarok, Gunbound… they're amazing! And yes, boss, when I was young, I lived in Japan!"
His energy was almost overwhelming, but it felt genuine rather than forced. It was the kind of enthusiasm that came from someone who had watched gaming evolve over the years and was simply happy to still be part of it.
Zaboru chuckled at his outburst, clearly amused. "Nice to meet you, Tianyi Liu. But let's use Mandarin here—others might not understand." He said it casually, without shutting down the mood.
Tianyi grinned widely and nodded. "Right, right… got it, boss," he replied, still smiling, though he toned himself down slightly. Even so, his excitement didn't fade—it just became more contained, like someone trying, and failing, to hide how much they loved what they were doing.
Then came Zihan Chen. She was a beautiful woman with her hair tied in a neat ponytail, carrying both confidence and a hint of nervous excitement. She was a former Microsoft employee in the USA, and before joining ZAGE, she had been developing small indie games on Steam with a group of friends. It was that work that eventually caught ZAGE's attention. And beyond all that… she was also one of those—Zaboru fangirls.
Zaboru stepped forward and offered his hand. "Miss Chen."
The moment their eyes met, Zihan completely froze. In her view, Zaboru practically had flowers blooming around him—he looked way too perfect. "Lord Zabo… n-no, I mean Boss!" she stammered, quickly correcting herself. She grabbed his hand… and didn't let go.
Zaboru chuckled softly, clearly used to this kind of reaction. He let it go on for a second before gently saying, "Miss Chen… could you let go?"
Zihan blinked, suddenly snapping back to reality. "S-sorry! I'm just… I've been looking forward to learning from you, Lord Zaboru! I—I mean, Boss!" she said quickly, finally releasing his hand, though her face was slightly red.
Zaboru only smiled and nodded. To him, this wasn't unusual anymore. It was almost ironic how often this happened. Still, he could tell she meant no harm. And as always, he kept a clear boundary—no matter what, he stayed grounded. After all, he loved his wife, and that was something he never wavered on.
Everyone stood in quiet awe. It wasn't just respect—it was something else. Zaboru carried a natural presence, an "aura" that made people pay attention without him even trying. All five of them were already fans of his work, and as people who genuinely loved video games, meeting him in person only amplified that feeling.
Zaboru looked at them calmly before speaking. "For the first two or three months, I won't be giving you any major tasks. Woojin may have already told you this, but I'll repeat it clearly." He paused briefly, making sure they were following.
"I'll personally guide all of you during this period. Even though I won't always be here every single day, I'll be around often enough. Don't worry—I'll teach you everything you need to know. From how we develop games, how we use our tools, to how we work as a team here. As you may already know, ZAGE has its own culture."
He glanced at each of them, making eye contact one by one.
"During that time, the five of you will also help me guide the MYTH team, so they can understand our workflow and adapt properly. Once that foundation is set… then I'll start assigning real tasks."
Everyone nodded, this time not just out of politeness, but with visible excitement. The tension from earlier had shifted into motivation.
Zaboru continued, his tone calm but firm. "I want Team MYTH to be capable of handling anything—home console games, handheld titles, PC projects, even arcade if needed. I have high expectations for all of you."
He paused briefly, letting his words settle before continuing.
"I know most of you don't have much professional experience in game development. That's fine. Those things can be learned with time, discipline, and practice. What cannot be taught… is passion."
His gaze moved across the five of them, steady and certain.
"And I know all of you love video games. That's the reason you're here. That's the only reason I need. As long as that doesn't change, everything else will follow."
"Yifan, you've already worked with me—you were one of the stronger developers in Team Enigma. I even heard you got caught playing Counter-Strike with John Carmack back at ZAGE USA," Zaboru said with a faint smile, glancing at him briefly. "Peng Gao, you're a strong StarCraft player—that alone says a lot about your understanding and love for games."
He shifted his gaze naturally. "Haoran Li, you're skilled in FPS games, and you've even won local Tekken tournaments. That kind of competitive sense matters. Tianyi Liu, you're an old-school gamer—you grew up with Atari, and now you run an internet café. You've seen how games evolve from the ground up."
Finally, his eyes landed on Zihan. "And you, Zihan Chen—you've already made small games on Steam with your friends. 'Dragon Boutique,' right? That's not just passion—that's initiative."
He paused for a moment, letting all of it settle in.
He gave a small, confident smile.
"You all love games. That's already enough to start with. So don't worry too much about what you don't know yet. Focus on learning, improving, and building something you're proud of. If you do that… you'll be more than fine."
Zaboru smiled, his Aura of Influence already spreading subtly throughout the entire ZAGE Beijing office. It wasn't something visible, but the effect was clear—people felt more focused, more motivated, and somehow more confident in their work. For Zaboru, this wasn't just an ability; it was a foundation. The rest would come from proper guidance, structure, and time spent helping the team truly understand how ZAGE operated.
Right now, his goal was simple: make Team MYTH learn, adapt, and grow as quickly as possible without breaking their foundation. He planned to stay in Beijing for a while, personally overseeing their early development phase. Even so, he wasn't concerned about the distance. Traveling between Beijing and Japan was easy for him, and he could return home whenever needed.
More importantly, he already had a clear timeline in mind. Zaboru wanted Team MYTH to be ready by September or October—not just functional, but capable. A team that could stand on its own and begin delivering results that matched ZAGE's standard.
To be continue
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