Alex Klein sent his driver away and instead got into the car of his friend, Leon Hartmann. They drove across the city until they reached Leon's pride and joy—a sprawling two-story modification shop.
On the surface, it was a custom garage. In reality, it was more like a clubhouse for Leon and his racing circle. Customers rarely came by; just a few expensive orders each month were enough to keep the place running.
The first floor was a vast workshop filled with tools, car parts, and shelves stacked with performance kits. The second floor, however, was another world entirely—sleek offices and a lounge space outfitted like a tech hub. There were plush sofas, rows of high-end equipment, even a professional-grade VR game capsule for guests to kill time.
"This one," Alex said, after scanning the rooms upstairs. He pointed at a spacious office with wide windows. Empty now, but perfect for what he had in mind.
"No problem," Leon grinned. "I'll get someone to clean it up for you."
"Thanks, old friend. Oh, one more thing—help me ask around if you know any programmers. Specifically, people who've worked with the Infinite Time and Space engine. I need at least two or three who can handle copy development, plus an artist with real game experience. Salary, benefits—we can negotiate. What matters is experience."
Leon raised an eyebrow. "You're serious about this."
Alex nodded firmly. "The clock's ticking. Recruitment ads take days, sometimes weeks, and competition won't wait for me. I don't even know half the roles I should be hiring without help. If I don't find skilled people fast, this idea dies before it starts."
Leon gave a short laugh and clapped him on the shoulder. "I'll keep an ear open. Don't worry, I won't mention your name. I get it—you don't want word reaching your family."
"Exactly," Alex's tone turned serious. "If my father finds out, he'll drag me straight into the army. This has to stay between us."
"You have my word," Leon said, his voice steady.
With that settled, Alex settled into the lounge and slipped into the VR capsule. Logging into his old social account, he reopened the private guild group he hadn't touched in months.
The chat feed was a mess—rumors, speculation, angry debates. Many of the messages were about him: where he'd gone, why his account had been sold, why their guild had collapsed.
Alex hesitated, his chest tightening. Even if he hadn't been the original owner of this body, the emotions from those messages bled into him.
Finally, he typed: "Brothers, I'm back."
The chat exploded.
{Boss, you're alive?!}
{President! What the hell happened to you?}
{Why was your account sold? Where did you go?}
Alex gave them half the story. Enough to explain, but not enough to expose the whole truth.
The responses were immediate and supportive.
{Damn, that rat from Shadowstream is scum. Buying your account just to humiliate us?}
{Forget the account, Boss. Just come back. We've been waiting for you.}
{If you don't return soon, the guild's done for. Shadowstream already took our base.}
Alex's fingers flew across the virtual keyboard.
"Don't worry. I'll be back in Infinite Time and Space soon. I swear I'll bring us back to the peak—and crush Shadowstream Guild until nothing's left."
Even as he wrote, Alex felt it—the fire of the guild's old spirit, the weight of loyalty these people carried for him. Whether inherited from the original Alex Klein or something new, the determination in his chest was real.
Then he got to business.
"I need programmers. People who know development for Infinite Time and Space. Anyone here fit the bill?"
A username lit up almost immediately: Ares123.
{President, I'm one. I worked on a development for Infinite Time and Space project before. If you're starting a studio, I'm in!}
More messages poured in, guildmates shouting support, lamenting that they lacked programming skills, offering to help however they could.
Alex zeroed in on Ares123. "Where are you based?"
"Capital City," came the reply.
Alex blinked. "You're in Aurelia's capital too?"
"Yeah. Just lost my job, actually. Was planning to hunt for something new."
"Then come work with me. Salary guaranteed—you'll be treated well."
"Boss, I'll buy a plane ticket first thing tomorrow. Even if you didn't pay me, I'd still come."
Alex smiled. That was his first real recruit. Connections truly were worth more than gold.
He thought of someone else and tagged her: @Kagura.
Kagura was their guild's mysterious artist, the one who had designed his custom character model in-game. Her talent was rare—every piece of work she touched carried a spark of creativity.
As always, she responded within seconds. "Yes?"
"Are you interested in helping me build a new development for Infinite Time and Space?" Alex asked.
There was a long pause. Then:
"I can't move to you. But if you need help remotely—questions, design issues—I'll be here. Anytime."
Alex chuckled softly. "That's enough. I feel better knowing you've got my back."
The next two days, Alex used Leon's garage as his cover. To his family, it looked like he had found a new hobby in car modification. His mother, relieved at his improved mood, stopped watching him so closely.
Meanwhile, behind the foundation of something greater was forming.
Ares123, whose real name turned out to be David Raines, arrived in Capital City as promised. In person, he was a short, round fellow with black-rimmed glasses, a little older than Alex. But his experience in game development was solid—he'd even attempted his own development for Infinite Time and Space project back in college.
Through Leon's network, Alex also secured two more recruits: Lukas Voss, a programmer, and Clara Weiss, a game artist. Both were veterans of Infinite Time and Space and carried real development experience.
At last, the pieces were in place.
Alex stood before his new companions in their freshly cleaned office.
"From today," he declared, eyes burning with determination, "our studio is officially established."
David, Lukas, and Clara broke into applause. None of them knew it yet, but the future's greatest game company had just taken its first breath.