More visitors poured in on the second day.
Those who had watched the first-day stream online could not resist and came rushing over.
In fact, several other games as popular as Monster Eater were on the schedule.
From the second day forward, new title showcases by other companies would appear on the event stage, and Taeyeon’s partial reveal of Project Pantheon was included.
The hall was packed so tightly from early morning that there was no room to set one’s foot down.
In another area stood a zone for corporate meetings and agreements.
Here, Nexple as well as domestic studios had installed booths.
Kang Geon was stationed right there.
To draw attention, he played the trailer of Chaos Ragnarok on a giant display and set up demo PCs.
Several corporate representatives had visited, but no solid outcome had arrived yet.
He grew anxious.
He had already watched other booths achieve good results, and more than anything he had seen the endless crowd at the nearby Nexple booth.
Not everyone, but most people showed interest in Pantheon; among the foreign companies were names that could make gamers’ eyes pop.
Dammit, that was my game, he thought, his gut twisting.
The better Taeyeon did after “betraying” him, the more his heart burned and his insides flipped.
Even when he tried not to care, his eyes and ears drifted to Nexple and to Taeyeon.
Yesterday, he had come to his senses only after standing in a corner of the audience for the main-stage show.
I have to land a contract this time, no matter what.
While he stewed, a group of East-Asian businessmen halted, conferred, then approached his booth.
“Are you CEO Kang Geon?”
“Yes, I am Kang Geon.”
“We are from Netfox in Shanghai. I am Park Jinung, head of publishing.”
Netfox!
His heart began to pound.
Netfox, which had started with streaming and SNS and then jumped into games, now ranked sixth in global market value—twice the size of Nexple.
Those men exchanged words again, then some walked off.
Park Jinung, wearing a friendly smile, stepped closer.
“I am Korean myself. When I was young, I loved the games you made, so I recognized you and your company name at a glance.”
“I see. You are impressive, heading publishing at Netfox.”
“Just lucky. I heard you are developing a new game; may we hear the details?”
“Please come in. You can even try the demo.”
Kang pitched with all he had.
His effort seemed to pay off.
“This is fascinating, very attractive.”
“I am pouring my whole career into it. I am building a game I can present anywhere with pride.”
After thinking a moment, Park’s eyes gleamed as he faced the anxious CEO.
“May we visit your studio?”
“Of course.”
“I will contact you soon and set a date.”
“Thank you!”
Once Park departed, Kang slumped into a seat and sighed with relief.
Netfox—he had never even imagined it.
If Korea was hard, he had planned to start overseas and reimport later; now a giant had come to him first.
I absolutely will not miss this chance.
The stage lights dimmed and the audience fell silent.
Backstage, Taeyeon swallowed—more nervous than the day before.
Soon a familiar sound cue played and the trailer rolled.
A city where past, present, future, mystery and fantasy coexist.
It vaguely recalled Manhattan, yet was clearly different: a Greek Olympus district, an ancient Asian quarter, a colossal aerial tree ringed by magic circles and distant stars.
People bustled or strolled while machine sprites patrolled the streets.
The camera plunged under the city to a bleak realm where monsters battled, then showed a gate erupting in the urban center as a giant beast rampaged.
It zoomed out to Earth and the tree-city orbiting above.
Inside the trunk-shaped tower, sprites and operators worked frantic consoles, while warriors in varied gear stood on magic circles awaiting deployment.
An operator shouted, slapped a red button, the circles flared and the warriors vanished.
Earth again.
They rescued civilians, clashed with beasts—lightning, a crimson spear piercing a heart, a holy sword bursting with light.
At the climactic beat the music crashed and ancient glyphs blazed across the screen.
Pantheon.
Lights rose.
“Looked like an anime. Seems fun.”
“That sky city must be the Pantheon.”
So said casual onlookers.
“Insane they got that quality after only a few months.”
“Mostly in-game. Maybe a little cel animation, but stellar.”
So said devs and hardcore players.
Feelings varied, but everyone shared expectation.
This was not another medieval-fantasy MMO; it used high-quality toon shading and a unique setting.
Online chat too:
· That was Nexple’s Pantheon, right?
· Pure in-game footage—my jam!
· I saw Zeus’ bolt, Gae Bolg, Mjolnir, and Excalibur at the end lol
Good—better than good.
Messages flooded in:
Hong Minseok: Reaction looks great. Well done.
Lee Yeongae: My heart almost burst watching the stream!
Baek Yeonghun: Producer! I cried! Our video was the best!
Even Chairman Yoojinseong texted: “Excellent. When the festival ends, take a few days off.”
One breath—yet it was not over.
The booth demos still ran; he could not slack now.
Nexple’s hot new title Pantheon revealed!
Stars of the show: Monster Eater Online and Pantheon!
Articles erupted the instant the show closed; the trailer hit major portals’ front pages.
Attendance topped thirty-five thousand and countless business deals were struck.
Pantheon surprised the industry again.
Pantheon signs Japanese publishing deal with Crying Soft!
After the trailer, foreign offers poured in; among them Crying Soft—the maker of Monster Eater—signed on the spot.
Takizawa Satoshi, trusting Taeyeon, made the proposal without hesitation.
Business director Lee Taeyoung could not hide his excitement.
“With Crying Soft’s reach in Japan, this is huge. Producer Yoo has done it again!”
Securing the IP, winning deep cooperation, now exporting—these were Yoo Taeyeon’s accomplishments, not merely Nexple’s brand.
“I want Universe Studio to become Nexple’s new hallmark of development. You know my feelings, right?”
Taeyeon forced a bright smile while sighing inside.
Just two projects, finish them quickly, then move on.
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