By mid-July, Northstar Games had finally entered a stable development rhythm.
Thanks to the strong adaptability of the university recruits, Daniel and his group were already fully integrated into the workflow by the third day. Task handovers were smooth, communication was efficient, and the office atmosphere had shifted from cautious observation to genuine collaboration. Still, even with all that progress, nothing prepared them for the shock that followed.
The next game.
The project that Chief Planner Ethan Reed was personally leading.
A Wuxia game.
When the internal briefing was announced, the entire development floor fell into a strange silence. Some people blinked in disbelief. Others exchanged awkward glances, unsure whether they had misheard.
A Wuxia series?
At a time like this?
Daniel couldn't hide his confusion. In today's market, Wuxia had long since lost its reputation. To put it bluntly, the genre had already been run into the ground.
Modern Wuxia games were nothing more than cheap reskins. As long as a game slapped on ancient costumes, flying swords, and sect symbols, it could squeeze money out of players through shallow systems and aggressive monetization. Because of that, Wuxia had gradually become synonymous with low quality.
But Daniel remembered something else.
The earliest Wuxia games.
Their visuals were rough. Their effects were crude. Yet those games were filled with imagination and sincerity. Each mountain, each technique, each legend was carefully crafted. They weren't products—they were worlds.
You could say they were outdated.
But you could never call them trash.
Those games were the foundation.
And what grew from that foundation in recent years?
Nothing but hollow shells.
That was why Daniel initially doubted the decision.
However, the moment he opened the script prepared by Ethan Reed, everything changed.
Holy hell.
For two straight days, Daniel barely slept.
Nearly one million words.
It wasn't a game outline. It wasn't a simple plot summary. It was a complete Wuxia epic—alive, emotional, and devastatingly real. Every character had depth. Every conflict carried weight. Even the smallest choices felt meaningful.
Yes, the ending was cruel.
Painfully cruel.
But that cruelty was honest.
And that honesty convinced him.
For a Wuxia game, the plot was the soul.
And this plot?
It was flawless.
Once Daniel, the team leader, gained confidence, the entire department followed. The office quickly transformed into a hive of activity. Discussions grew intense. Sketches piled up. Whiteboards filled with ideas.
At that moment, Daniel stood before Ethan Reed and Vivian Frost, his expression firm and serious.
"Boss Vivian, Chief Planner Ethan," Daniel said, straightening his back.
"I'll take full responsibility for the art department."
He spoke without hesitation.
"There will be no generic internet-celebrity faces. Luna Ash must feel lively, playful, and full of spirit. Mira Vale must be breathtaking—the kind of beauty that leaves an impression without trying. Even if the visuals need to be slightly simplified, that's acceptable."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"As for the two male protagonists, I'll oversee those designs personally. If there's even the slightest mismatch with their character settings, I'll have them revised."
As a reader, Daniel had already fallen deeply in love with this story.
And because of that—
He would not allow the game's quality to drop. Not even a little.
Vivian Frost clapped her hands, clearly pleased.
"Good," she said with a smile.
"We aim for perfection. If development takes longer, that's fine—but the quality must never suffer."
She then turned toward Ethan.
"Chief Planner Ethan, say a few words?"
Ethan leaned back in his chair and rolled his eyes slightly.
"There's nothing much to say," he replied calmly.
"The character settings, plot structure, gameplay framework—everything's already complete. All that remains is filling in the details."
"If even that can't be done properly," he added flatly,
"then there's nothing left to discuss."
From Ethan's perspective, the situation was simple.
He had already set the pillars into the ground. The rest of the team only needed to pour the concrete.
If someone failed at that?
Then perhaps they were in the wrong industry.
One crucial detail, however, made this project different from anything before.
The version of Sword and Fairy IV that Ethan brought from the system archive was fully complete.
Buzhou Mountain.
The Celestial Realm.
The Divine Dragon arc.
Everything was included.
Unlike his previous life, where funding issues forced severe cuts, this version told the entire story as it was meant to be told.
Because of that, Ethan had high expectations.
Among the Sword and Fairy series, Part IV had always been praised as the strongest in terms of narrative.
Life filled with regret.
Joy and sorrow intertwined.
Meetings and partings that shaped destinies.
A fleeting youth turning to white hair.
A grand dream ending in emptiness.
Vivian nodded thoughtfully.
"Right," she said.
"You've already done the work of several people. If the rest can't keep up, that's not your fault."
Daniel silently agreed.
He had once believed that game development required constant trial and error. Instead, Ethan had already handed them a complete blueprint.
All they needed to do was follow it.
Development officially began.
Ethan didn't linger. After a few brief exchanges, he followed Daniel out of the office.
Back at his workstation, Ethan picked up his drawing tablet and began refining weapon designs and attribute systems. Coding was no longer his responsibility; that task had been fully handed over.
His current role was quality control—debugging, testing, and verifying system logic.
Compared to his previous workload, this felt almost relaxing.
Four months.
If everything went smoothly, the game could be showcased at the year-end Game Carnival.
That would be perfect.
---
Time passed quietly.
By mid-August, the initial buzz surrounding Northstar Games had faded from public discussion, but sales numbers told a different story.
Getting Over It had reached 280,000 copies, steadily approaching the 300,000 mark.
Night of the Full Moon, however, was still climbing. With 220,000 copies sold and rising momentum, it was clearly on track to surpass the former.
Vivian Frost's wallet grew heavier.
So did Ethan's.
He could finally take taxis to work instead of squeezing onto crowded morning buses.
Meanwhile, Sword and Fairy IV progressed steadily. Character models moved smoothly. Several critical scenes had been fully constructed. With sufficient funding, the team used top-tier engines, pushing both visuals and performance to a high standard.
The downside was obvious.
Higher quality meant slower development.
Vivian waved her hand dismissively.
"I've got plenty of money."
"If it takes longer, then it takes longer."
"I believe Sword and Fairy will succeed."
"I believe in Chief Planner Ethan."
And once the boss believed—
So did everyone else.
Payday arrived on the tenth.
Even with only half a month's salary, morale soared. To make things better, Vivian announced:
"The day the game succeeds will be the day everyone receives bonuses."
The office erupted with energy.
Then—
Everything changed.
While Ethan was adjusting weapon parameters, the office door suddenly slammed open.
"Ethan! Come here—now!"
Vivian Frost's voice was sharp and urgent.
Ethan looked up.
Her expression was anxious.
The entire office froze.
"Come on! What are you spacing out for?!" she snapped.
Ethan stood and followed her.
The moment they entered the office—
Bang!
The door shut.
Vivian grabbed his wrist.
"Someone cracked your password!"
Ethan froze.
"The encryption in Night of the Full Moon—it's been deciphered," she said breathlessly.
"It's on BiliZone. Hundreds of thousands of views already!"
Ethan closed his eyes.
…No way.
Who would actually analyze that system?
"What's the video called?" he asked.
Vivian dragged him to the computer.
"Here!"
On the screen:
'Solving the Unhappiness of Night of the Full Moon Through Keyword Analysis'
Uploader: 200,000+ followers
Views: Exploding
Likes, comments, and coins flooded in nonstop.
Ethan stared at the screen.
Then slowly—
He smiled.
Someone had cracked the password.
And the game had just entered a completely new stage.
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