CH79

'Capsule Monsters.'

A global mega-IP that became a hit not only as an anime but also as a game, thanks to its unique character traits, evolution system, and added elements of collection and nurturing.

'I used to benefit a lot from Capsule Monsters back in the day too.'

Whenever my friends would only collect the Capsule Monster stickers and throw away the bread, I would quickly run over and awkwardly smile.

Forget about the famous choco roll bread, but I remember getting a lot of moon-shaped bread, which was huge but had very little cream.

'Those were the days.'

I was lost in thought when…

Creaaak.

Peeking through the slightly opened door were bright, eager eyes.

Behind the thick, horn-rimmed glasses was the face of a young man who looked quite sharp.

"Who are you?"

In times like this, it's better to let someone more mature take the lead.

"I'm Jo Soo-deok, Director of JH Network."

"JH… could it be…"

"We're the company that released *Dream Quest* and also handle North American distribution for Nintendo."

"Why would someone like you come to such a humble place…?"

"I have something important to discuss regarding business."

"With me…?"

He nodded.

Jo Soo-deok held out a fan magazine and said,

"You seem to possess remarkable talent."

Before he even finished speaking—

"Five minutes! No, just one minute! I'll, uh, quickly wash up and come out!"

Tajiri hurriedly dashed into the house.

Ten minutes later, at a nearby café.

Tajiri looked awkwardly between me and Jo Soo-deok.

"So, you're the representative, right?"

This happens all the time, so I just gave a small smile instead of answering.

"But how did you find me?"

"Thanks to this book."

"Ah, it's the *Xevious* issue."

"It's the first time a game strategy guide came out as a fan magazine. So, I kept an eye on it."

Actually, I was just making something up.

In my previous life, I had seen Tajiri's biography on YouTube… Ahem.

"This is more of a personal story, but…"

"...?"

"My older brother had a similar personality to yours. He once made his own setting book, and it filled five entire volumes."

"I, I've heard that! *Dream Quest* was born that way, wasn't it…"

"So, I came to see you."

"...!"

"The drive to be the first to publish a game fan magazine, the endless detail in your strategy work. I figured meeting you wouldn't be a waste."

Gulp.

Did Tajiri think this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

His throat bobbed noticeably.

"Are you perhaps looking for a planner like my brother?"

"It doesn't matter. You could join our company and keep publishing magazines, or you could become a game tester for JH. If you'd like, we could even support you in learning how to be a planner or developer."

I finished speaking, leaving out the one thing he'd probably want most: "investment."

Tajiri cautiously opened his mouth.

"I… I'm deeply honored by the offer, but… I'm not yet ready to join a company…"

"That's a shame."

But Tajiri seemed more disappointed than I was.

Worried that I might just stand up and leave, he hurriedly spoke up.

"But even so! I… I have an amazing plan."

"A plan?"

"But I'm lacking funds…"

"Do you have the necessary skills?"

"Well, actually, I don't have the skills either."

Tajiri scratched the back of his head, clearly embarrassed, but then quickly changed his expression.

"But with the funds… I could hire a good programmer…"

"What about a designer?"

"…I don't have one."

"You plan to solve that with money too?"

"I-I could handle the design myself…"

"So how much do you need in total?"

For the first time, I hinted at the possibility of investment.

Perhaps that's why—

"...!"

Tajiri's already large eyes grew even bigger.

His throat seemed dry as he quickly gulped down his still-steaming coffee.

It must have been scorching.

But at this moment, he spoke as if he couldn't feel any pain at all.

***

The amount Tajiri proposed was a maximum of 4 million yen.

Unbelievable.

The Capsule Monsters IP is projected to generate about 100 trillion won in pure profit over the next 30 years.

Not revenue, but pure profit—100 trillion won!

And to develop that franchise, all he was asking for was 4 million yen… about 40 million Korean won.

But there's always a reason for everything.

When I heard the development stage, I nodded in understanding.

'It's only just begun.'

He had only conceptualized around 30 characters.

Moreover, the nurturing and battle systems were still completely undeveloped.

It couldn't be helped.

Capsule Monsters wouldn't debut until the mid-90s.

At this point, it was still just an idea.

If you didn't know the future…

'Even 40 million won seems like a lot.'

Capsule Monsters started as a game.

But contrary to expectations, the game didn't get much of a response.

Then the anime, which was produced later, became a massive hit, and the game followed suit, turning Capsule Monsters into a black hole IP that sucked up money in the late 90s.

So, according to history, the profits wouldn't start flowing in until the late 90s.

"But… I'm a bit impatient."

I have no intention of unnecessarily altering the course of history that guarantees success.

However, advancing the late 90s to the early 90s seems like a reasonable idea.

You're asking if there's a way?

'Of course there is!'

The proper use of both the carrot and the stick!

'That's exactly what my grandfather used to do with me all the time.'

You should learn from the best!

I stared intently at Tajiri.

He was waiting humbly for my response.

"You have two choices."

"...?"

"First, you can receive the 4 million yen investment for your current plan."

"Oh!"

"The other option is to wait a week and present a more developed plan to receive a bigger investment."

"A bigger investment…?"

"It depends on how the plan turns out, but I'm willing to invest up to 1 billion yen."

40 million won versus 10 billion won.

Tajiri's choice was as obvious as day.

"To… receive the full 1 billion yen… what more would I need? Specifically, what improvements should I make…?"

"You'll need at least 100 characters. Including 2 to 3 stages of evolution, so it's not that many."

Gulp.

His throat bobbed noticeably.

"You'll also need to completely overhaul the systems for collection, nurturing, and battling."

"But it's almost impossible to get all that done in a week…"

"There's no need to force it."

"Pardon?"

"I'm just telling you the maximum investment I'm willing to make. You only need to bring back as much as you can manage."

Of course, that would mean the investment amount would be reduced.

At that moment, Tajiri's mind must have been filled with one goal:

To create an overwhelming plan and secure the full 1 billion yen!

As expected—

"I'll do it."

Even though I hadn't asked.

"I'll make it happen, no matter what."

He was already burning with determination on his own.

"I hope you come up with a great plan."

"I'm short on time, so I'll be off now."

After Tajiri left, a strange excitement lingered where he had been sitting.

It was as if the energy the young developer had exuded had changed the atmosphere.

In truth, this was a scene I was quite familiar with.

A massive reward… a mercilessly tight deadline… and only then, superhuman strength would emerge.

Anyway.

Somehow, I'd ended up with a week of free time too.

I could return home.

Or I could continue traveling—it didn't matter either way.

I soon looked over at Jo Soo-deok.

"Do you have time, Professor?"

"It's the semester break, isn't it?"

Jo Soo-deok, quick to catch on, immediately understood what I was implying.

"If it's with the Boss, I can easily free up a month."

"Shall we stop somewhere before returning home?"

"Just say the word. Taiwan? Hong Kong? Lots of great places…"

"How about the U.S.?"

"Excuse me?"

His expression said, 'Didn't you just say it would be a short stop?'

"The U.S. is… in the completely opposite direction…"

But Jo Soo-deok soon wiped away his expression and said,

"When it comes to the U.S., I only have good memories! Now that you've mentioned it, let's go. I'll make sure it's a smooth trip."

***

We were headed to Chicago, USA.

A familiar face was waiting for us at the airport gate.

"How long has it been?"

Was it because he had scoured baseball stadiums in search of shining talent? Baker looked slimmer than before. If I exaggerated a bit, his physique was almost on par with that of a player.

Baker quickly sized me up from head to toe as well.

"I barely recognize you! Just how tall are you now?"

Baker then exchanged greetings with Jo Soo-deok. The one who had promised to feature his work and the one who had pleaded for it to be sold were now reunited.

"I was a bit harsh back then, wasn't I?"

"Thanks to you, I made a lot of money. That's all that matters."

"I nearly turned a piece of humanity's legacy into ashes, though."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Baker turned to me.

"But why did you want to meet in Chicago?"

"Why else?"

Chicago Stadium.

Originally, the Chicago Bulls weren't a very popular team. But ever since Jordan, the third overall draft pick, joined, their home games had been selling out continuously.

Moreover, today they were up against a powerhouse team—Detroit.

The game hadn't even started yet, but the atmosphere was already buzzing. The court was brimming with anticipation for victory.

Luckily, we got seats right in the front row.

It was expensive, about a million won per person, but who cares about the money right now!

If you can see the King of Basketball up close, even with another zero on the price tag, it would still be worth it!

At that moment, the Chicago Bulls players came onto the court to warm up.

The fans all started chanting Jordan's name in unison.

In response to the cheers, Jordan took a mid-range jumper.

The ball traced a beautiful arc and swished right through the center of the rim.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

He took several more mid-range shots, moving around the court as he did so.

Since he's human, he missed occasionally.

But what was amazing was when a teammate defended him.

Whoosh!

With an explosive jump, he soared a head higher than his opponent.

Swish!

He effortlessly sent the ball through the net every time.

It seemed like he played better when he was up against defenders.

'Well, of course he does.'

His strength in real games is the reason he reached the Finals six times, won all six times, and was named MVP each time.

Watching Jordan play like this, I could just relax for the next week.

Then I'd return to Japan, review Tajiri's plan…

'Man, what a lucky life!'

I was smiling to myself when Baker, who was sitting next to me, spoke up.

"Since the game hasn't started yet, let me just say this…"

"…?"

"About Manchester United, which I mentioned before. Unlike the U.S. market, there are some tricky aspects."

Tricky?

"American sports run entirely on money, from start to finish. It's pure business. But Europe is different. The fans hold quite a bit of power, you see."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Even if the owner decides to sell, if the fans rise up, things can completely change."

"Isn't that true for most fan-based businesses?"

"As I said, America is more cold-blooded. Nothing stands in the way of money."

At that very moment—

Flash!

Jordan leapt at least a meter into the air.

Crash!

He delivered an overwhelming dunk.

The fans all stood up and cheered.

I then turned to Baker and asked, "So what you're saying is, it's not just about having money to buy the team, right?"

"Exactly."

It was a useful tip, but…

"Don't worry about that."

"…?"

"There are ways."