Days passed, and the deadline for the Game Challenge was getting close.
All kinds of game developers and companies uploaded their entries to the official game platform.
These included mobile games and PC games, most of them single-player, though there were a few online games too.
Clearly, some of them were in it to win, while others just joined in for fun.
Since they were already working on a project, they figured they might as well submit something.
Who knows? Maybe they'd win.
Once the games were uploaded, the next step was an initial review.
They'd filter out anything with serious issues or that was clearly rushed and low-quality.
This part wasn't public, but even the rejected games would still be listed on the platform.
Even with this rule in place, the number of rejected games each year was pretty low.
After all, only qualified game designers were allowed to enter, so most had at least some skill.
But this year, the attention was focused on one thing.
People were wondering whether Lucas's game, developed in just over ten days, would pass the review.
"It's out, it's out. I skimmed through the list—none of the games were rejected!"
"Holy crap, does that mean the Game Division actually approved Lucas's entry?"
"So that means at the very least, it's a working game, right?"
"Found it, found it! Lucas's new game is called To the Moon."
"Sounds decent just from the name. Is it about space or something?"
"The price is really low! Only 2 dollar?"
"Looks like it's available on both platforms—two different versions."
"Wait, two versions? Even Undertale didn't get that treatment!"
"I've gotta check this out. What kind of game did Lucas make in just ten days?"
As the entries were released, tons of players rushed to download the ones that caught their interest.
Of course, Lucas's To the Moon was at the top of that list.
...
On the game section of SharkTV's streaming platform—
Many streamers started live-testing the entries for the Game Contest.
SharkTV was helping promote the event, since it was being organized by the Game Division and had a bit of an official feel—even if they hadn't directly contacted SharkTV.
Still, when it's time to play nice, the platform knew how to show support.
Even if they weren't asked to help, the smart ones got the hint.
One of the SharkTV streamers, Eric, was aware of the event.
So that morning, he went live, with his stream titled: "Trying Out the Game Challenge Entries."
"Morning, folks!"
"What's going on, man? You're live this early?"
"Damn, did a monkey escape from the zoo or what?"
"Eric's here already?"
As soon as Eric started his stream, the chat was flooded with all kinds of jokes and teasing.
Seeing all the comments, Eric just chuckled to himself.
"Ahem, ahem!!"
"Alright, alright. Good morning, everyone. Today we're checking out one of the entries for the game design competition. Gotta say, we've got a big task ahead!"
While adjusting his streaming setup, Eric typed in his login info and entered the official game platform.
"First up, let's try the new game from the guy who made Undertale."
"Not gonna lie, I've been looking forward to this one."
"Why? Well, I mean, Undertale was just that good."
"But this new one called To the Moon—I heard it was made in just over ten days. And the crazy part is, it actually made it through the first round of cuts by the Game Division. Now I really wanna know what kind of game this is."
As he spoke, Eric opened the platform and searched for To the Moon.
"Changing memories? An old guy's last wish is to go to the moon? Man, this is wild."
"Today, as a proud grown man, I will see what this game is all about."
The game wasn't very big, and his fast internet downloaded it in no time.
He ignored the sea of question marks flying through the chat and went ahead and opened the game.
The game installed quickly.
The icon was simple—two kids sitting on a log, looking at the moon in the distance.
When it launched, the Nebula Games logo came and went.
Then a full moon, a lighthouse, stars scattered in the sky, and a few clouds drifting by.
The title To the Moon was carved into the moon.
At the same time, the camera slowly panned downward.
A soft piano piece started playing in the background—warm and calming.
Like moonlight, peaceful and still.
There was a lighthouse, a grassy field, and a large house near the cliff by the lighthouse.
The camera moved into the house, where a girl was sitting at a piano, playing. A little boy was next to her.
Then the music changed to a simpler piano melody. If you closed your eyes, it felt like you were standing by a quiet stream in a forest.
"Say what you want, but this music is really nice!"
"Yup, that's Lucas's work for you. No need to say more—the music is top-notch."
"Yeah, these two piano tracks sound great."
"Even in Undertale, the music added so much to the game!"
"Not just Undertale, Mirror had really good music too!"
"Caught a gentleman in the wild!"
Seeing the chat messages, Eric quietly nodded to himself.
The game hadn't really started yet, so it was hard to say if it would be fun, but the music was definitely solid.
Just as everyone was getting pulled into the beautiful piano piece, a car engine suddenly roared, followed by the sound of a crash.
The screen shook a little to match the impact.
The camera cut to outside the house, where a black car had slammed into a tree.
Two people—a man and a woman, both wearing lab coats—stepped out of the car, looking like doctors.
"Where were you looking while driving, Neil?"
"Uh, sorry. I was heroically dodging a squirrel that jumped out of nowhere."
"...But still, you ran over it. And crashed into a tree."
"See? Nothing to worry about—it's the company car."
"Are you serious? The boss is going to kill us!"
"Well... let's just say I saved a puppy. He likes dogs, right?"
"He's more of a cat person."
"Why is the world so complicated? Okay, whatever he likes—we're in the clear!"
(End of this chapter)
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Let's do a challenge: for every 100 Power Stones, I'll release one bonus chapter.
Now, give me your Power Stones! (said in the most polite tone possible)
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