There were many games to look forward to this year—but before Ichin could enjoy any of them, he had to finish developing his own.
After sitting at home for a while, Haruno and Yukino headed back.
Ichin was also feeling exhausted; after playing with the cat in the living room for a bit, he took a shower and went straight to bed.
Lying in the dark, he lazily scrolled through his tablet until Utaha, freshly showered, slipped into bed beside him.
She crawled into his arms and murmured, "Sleepy?"
"Not really, just tired."
Turning off the video he'd been watching, Ichin held Utaha close, breathing in the faint scent of her shampoo from her hair. It made him feel instantly relaxed.
Utaha, resting against his chest with her eyes closed, said softly,
"The next two weeks are probably going to be tough for you—especially since you still have classes too."
"The classes aren't a big deal. I can't skip them, but the workload's light. I already know most of the material, so I just have to follow along in lectures. But enough about me—what about you? This is your first time officially working as a screenwriter. Are you sure you're okay with it?"
Utaha raised her head and gave him a teasing look.
"Oh? Are you underestimating me, Ichin?"
"You do remember who I am, right?" she said with a small smirk. "I've already read plenty of books on screenwriting."
Ichin glanced toward the bookshelf in their bedroom—sure enough, there were several volumes she had read, including professional guides on screenwriting.
Then, as soon as they started talking about scripts—while still lying in his arms—Utaha suddenly remembered something.
Wait… hadn't she also agreed to write the script for Ichin's Tales of Berseria project?!
Because the project's planning hadn't formally begun yet, and with Dark Souls nearing its final phase, the matter had been pushed aside for a while—so long that Utaha had nearly forgotten.
"Ah, Ichin… the Tales of Berseria script—"
Seeing her suddenly remember, Ichin smiled and brushed his hand over her cheek.
"It's fine. Don't worry about that. Focus on your drama script and make it the best you can. As for Berseria, I can handle the story myself. It's not that complex of a script. Besides, Ruri Gokou has some experience writing novels—nothing published, but she's got a knack for darker, heavier plots. I can ask her for input."
Even though Ruri was now thriving as a programmer, Ichin often heard from Narumi and others that she still spent her free time sketching out worldbuilding ideas and character concepts for games or stories.
If he involved her, she'd definitely be a big help.
Utaha smiled slyly, climbed on top of Ichin, and said,
"Then I'll do as you say. But… to make up for it, how about I serve you tonight, my dear producer?"
"With pleasure," Ichin chuckled.
---
February 25th — Utaha's deal for the TV drama screenwriting job was officially signed.
The show was to be a modern urban romance—Utaha's specialty. So far, the project team only had a rough concept and no finalized title; the details still needed refining through further meetings.
She was about to get busy, but fortunately it coincided with spring break after exams, so she could pour her energy fully into it.
Two days later, on February 27th, Ichin posted a photo on social media.
In the picture, he held a CD labeled in marker with the words "Dark Souls – Master Build" in his left hand, and an NS game cartridge in his right. Behind him stood the entire development team.
> "Dark Souls development is complete—heading into the mastering stage. Get ready, everyone."
After months of effort, the team successfully completed Dark Souls' development before the end of February.
There might still be a few undiscovered bugs, but the game was now stable and fully playable from start to finish.
Over the next month before release, Ichin's team would continue to find and fix remaining issues, compiling them into a Day-One Patch to ensure that players would have a smooth experience when the game launched.
Once Ichin's photo went public, gaming communities across social media exploded with excitement.
> "Looks like it's not getting delayed after all! Can't wait for next month!"
> "Perfect timing—no big titles in March. I'll clear my schedule for this."
> "Wonder how much content is still unrevealed. There are over a hundred weapons—how am I supposed to choose for my first run?!"
> "In the PV, you could literally go naked and fight bosses—I'm totally trying that!"
Most players had only seen short clips of Ichin's test footage. They didn't yet realize what kind of difficulty awaited them—they still thought this was just a "normal" ARPG.
They'd start screaming soon enough.
Before players could get their hands on it, various game media outlets had already received early review copies.
Along with the builds, Ichin sent each outlet a brief official guide and notes of caution.
He knew not every reviewer was skilled enough to finish Dark Souls—and he didn't want frustrated journalists giving it bad scores out of spite.
After all, some reviewers were infamously bad at games; they were the kind of people who'd write lines like, "This game is too hard to be fun."
In his note, Ichin included a disclaimer:
> "Players who enjoy high-difficulty challenges may ignore this guide."
The so-called "guide" merely offered basic survival advice: be cautious at map corners, check inconspicuous areas, and watch out for dark zones.
Even with those hints, Ichin was sure most reviewers would still fall into his traps.
After all, his malicious level design tricks easily outdid anything Miyazaki had ever pulled off.
---
After sending out the review builds, March 2nd arrived—while reviewers were still struggling through Dark Souls, the next project from Sakura Nene's team, Castle Crashers, was officially released.
Ichin hadn't invested much into marketing this title, but he'd enlisted several streamers to promote it.
The game was priced low—¥35 RMB on Steam China, with roughly similar prices in other regions and on console stores.
Cheap as it was, its fun, chaotic multiplayer gameplay and comical art style quickly spread through livestreams, attracting plenty of players.
Over the past few years, Ichin's studio had earned a strong reputation for consistent quality. Even though each title differed wildly in genre, players knew they could buy without fear of disappointment.
Many picked it up just because of Ichin's name—and weren't disappointed.
Thus, in the three weeks leading up to Dark Souls' launch, Castle Crashers unexpectedly built up solid sales and popularity of its own.
---
RedX43's Note:
➤ Want More? Get up to +70 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ [email protected]/RedX43
➤ +300 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
➤ Thanks for the support! 🙌