Time kept moving forward, and the random mode of Dark Souls was still incredibly popular.
After all, this kind of random gameplay felt very fresh to players.
But in the gaming world, the most talked-about news was naturally the launch of two major VR titles: SkyNova and NetDragon.
Over at NetDragon, their game "Star God," which had been shown at the earlier gameplay expo, was the first to make a move.
As for the story and setting, they were both very traditional.
In this world, gods once existed, but for some unknown reason, they suddenly disappeared one day. Countless monsters began to appear, and humans lived in constant danger. A young man with a mysterious bloodline emerged from the mountains and set out on an adventure to uncover his origins.
From the story alone, there was nothing unusual. Its template could fit right into any ARPG.
Most likely, NetDragon wanted to avoid risks. While it might not blow players away, it at least wouldn't cause any major problems.
Combined with the advantages of being a VR blockbuster and NetDragon's heavy marketing, its popularity skyrocketed.
However, Lucas didn't care at all about the rivalry between SkyNova and NetDragon. Dark Souls had been out for almost two months now, and overseas sales were just as good as domestic ones.
No matter what SkyNova and NetDragon did, they couldn't affect Nebula Games.
Right now, Lucas was in Magic City, inside a company focused on AI research.
This company, called "Galaxy Intelligent Technology," had already been fully acquired by Lucas.
The negotiations weren't complicated—he just sent the professionals to handle it.
In the end, after settling on a price of $15 million, Lucas took over the company.
"Lucas, these are our current projects and the main database," said Matthew, the lead researcher, a little nervously.
It wasn't just him—other employees were also uneasy.
After all, with the company being acquired, no one could say for sure what would happen next.
"I understand for now. I'm sure Dr. Matthew and everyone else know Nebula Games' main focus, so from now on, the company's research will shift to AI and its interaction with games," Lucas said plainly.
"Also, we'll be injecting another 20 million in stages for research in this area," he added.
Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
As for the change in research focus, it didn't really matter to them.
They just needed to know the company wasn't going under and that there would be new research funding. That was enough.
Lucas toured the company, reviewed its patents and results, and confirmed with the legal team that all employees' confidentiality and non-compete agreements were in order before leaving.
Back at Nebula Games' office, Lucas opened the system's inventory.
At this moment, the item card he had drawn earlier was finally ready to use.
"That's it?"
He watched as the card shattered into golden dust and faded into the air, mumbling to himself.
Then Lucas noticed a small progress bar appear under the system's lottery screen.
A string of numbers was changing on it.
31536000,31535999...
A countdown?
31536000 seconds?
Lucas paused for a moment and instantly understood what the progress bar and the numbers meant.
Just like in simulation games where you unlock tech trees or build houses, it needs some waiting time.
After looking into it for a while and finding nothing special, Lucas decided to put it aside for now.
Whatever it turns out to be, he'll only know after the countdown ends—and that day is still far away.
For now, he ignored the golden item's effect and turned his attention back to his current points.
After the overseas release of Dark Souls and the launch of the new mode—
The points had skyrocketed, and now he had saved up enough for 200 draws.
Before, Lucas had held back his urge to spend, planning to save up more.
But now, this amount felt like it was time to go have some fun in the shop.
Once he made up his mind, he started drawing right away.
No rituals this time—no music, no hand washing.
Because his past bad luck had taught him, all that was pointless!
[Common Job Skill Book], [Common Job Skill Book], [Common Job Skill Book]... [Rare Job Skill Book], [Memory Capsule]...
He went straight in with a 30-draw combo, and looking at the items that popped up, Lucas couldn't help but feel frustrated.
The golden effects looked nice, sure, but when the boxes opened, it was all white clouds, with only the occasional bit of blue sky. This gacha experience was way too real!
More memory capsules would have been great too—he had almost used them all up while developing Dark Souls.
While thinking about that, Lucas kept on drawing.
[Professional Skill Book: Psychology Knowledge (Beginner)]
[Professional Skill Book: Cinematic Shots Knowledge (Beginner)]
"Finally something? New skill books?"
Seeing the two new skill books in front of him, Lucas was excited for a moment, but then saw the word "Beginner" and felt a little let down.
Even though they were purple items, just like the Fear Converter he got when making Outlast, that "Beginner" tag made them feel cheap.
After using them, Lucas understood why—it covered a lot of content, so for now, the item was just beginner-level.
And for game development, these two fields were deeply connected.
Take psychology in games—it's not just about nasty tricks like trap placement in Dark Souls.
It also includes positive reward systems, like how to set up rewards after beating a boss, and how to pace the game so players stay excited. All of that is tied to psychology.
As for cinematic shots, that's even more important. In his previous life, games like God of War, The Last of Us, and Metal Gear all made heavy use of cinematic techniques.
Like God of War's one-shot style, The Last of Us's cinematic language, or Metal Gear's famous long takes.
Out of the 200 draws, most were common skill books, with some rare ones mixed in, but at least he stocked up on memory capsules.
As for professional skill books, Lucas got 4 Psychology Knowledge (Beginner), 6 Cinematic Shots Knowledge (Beginner), 3 Architecture Knowledge (Beginner), and 5 Martial Arts Moves (Beginner).
He didn't pull any gold-quality items this time.
But at least these were all very useful for him right now.
So overall, Lucas was pretty satisfied.
(End of the Chapter)