The Team

He sat at his desk, pulling up his inbox. The job listings he had posted for developers, engineers, and QA testers had attracted over 500 applicants in just a few days. But what stood out was that a handful of applicants had already been pre-screened by a hiring agency—highly skilled individuals, with experience from AAA gaming studios, mobile giants, and some with backgrounds in cybersecurity.

And oddly enough… none of them had profile pictures.

"Strange," Inigo muttered, scrolling through the resumes. "Who applies anonymously to a game studio?"

Despite the secrecy, the qualifications were top-tier. He couldn't ignore talent just because of missing photos. He shot out interview invites to five candidates.

May 22, 2011.

9:00 AM – The First Arrival

Inigo adjusted his collar, sipping his coffee as he sat in the conference room. The door opened, and a woman entered.

He almost choked on his drink.

She was stunning.

Long, silky black hair fell neatly over her shoulders, and she wore a sharp, fitted blazer that made her look more like a corporate executive than a game developer. Her eyes were sharp, assessing him in a single glance before stepping forward.

"Hana Takahashi, applying for the Lead Developer position," she said, her Japanese accent crisp but fluent in English.

Inigo took a second too long to respond. "Right. Uh, have a seat."

She sat across from him, crossing her legs. "I have experience working with Capcom Mobile, specializing in physics engines and optimization. I helped develop one of their top-grossing mobile titles."

Inigo raised an eyebrow. Capcom? That was serious.

"And why did you leave?" he asked.

"I wanted more creative control," she said simply. "Big companies move too slow. I want to work somewhere where I can actually innovate."

He liked that answer.

After reviewing her work—clean, optimized code, efficient physics handling—he knew she was a perfect fit.

"You're hired."

Hana blinked, clearly not expecting such a quick decision. "Just like that?"

"I can't afford to lose talent," Inigo said, smirking. "Besides, I need a Lead Dev who knows what they're doing."

Hana's lips curved into a small smile. "Then I'll take the job."

The next applicant was another surprise.

She walked in confidently, platinum blonde hair tied into a neat ponytail, glasses resting on the bridge of her nose. She had a serious expression, giving off the aura of someone who lived in lines of code.

"Seo Yuna, applying for the Server Engineer position," she said with a bow.

Inigo had no words. A Korean server engineer? He was expecting some old, bearded guy who spent his days in a basement—not a woman who looked like she belonged in K-dramas.

"I specialize in cloud computing, cybersecurity, and backend optimization. I've worked with Nexon and NCSoft in South Korea, maintaining game servers for MMORPGs."

Holy.

Nexon and NCSoft ran some of the biggest online games in the world, in original and this world.

She took a seat and folded her arms. "Your current server structure is functional but vulnerable. If Flashpoint Studios scales too fast, you'll experience slowdowns and potential exploits. I can prevent that."

This wasn't just confidence—it was expertise.

"You're hired," Inigo said without hesitation.

Yuna blinked behind her glasses. "So soon?"

"I don't do unnecessary formalities. Your background speaks for itself," he said. "Unless you have any conditions?"

She adjusted her glasses. "I expect full control over backend decisions."

"That's why I'm hiring you," he replied.

She gave a small nod. "Then I'll start tomorrow."

The next applicant had long, wavy brown hair and wore a loose hoodie, giving off a relaxed vibe. She leaned against the doorway, arms crossed and smirking.

"Ava Mendoza. Filipino. QA Lead."

Let's get this over with."

Inigo raised an eyebrow. "You sound like you don't even want the job."

"Oh, I do. I just don't like wasting time."

She slumped into the chair and threw her resume onto the table.

"I worked at a big-name studio in Singapore, testing mobile games. My job was to break games before players did."

Inigo skimmed through her resume. Solid credentials.

"So you're good at finding bugs?" he asked.

Ava snorted. "I can find a glitch in Tetris."

Damn.

"Alright, then. You're in."

Ava smirked. "Cool. I start Monday."

The final applicant arrived precisely on time.

She had blonde hair neatly tied back and wore a white blouse tucked into a formal skirt. Out of everyone, she looked the most corporate.

"Eunice Lim, from Singapore. Applying for Customer Support Lead."

Her voice was crisp, businesslike. She sat straight-backed, not a single wasted movement.

"I managed customer service operations for a major mobile publisher in Southeast Asia," she began. "Handled over 50,000 tickets per month, coordinated dispute resolutions, and streamlined microtransaction policies."

Flashpoint Studios desperately needed that kind of expertise.

"Can you handle a gaming community that gets aggressive when things break?" Inigo asked.

Eunice gave a small, knowing smile. "I've handled worse."

"Welcome to the team."

The five of them sat around the conference table.

Inigo looked at the faces of his entire core team—and was still processing the fact that they were all beautiful women.

How did this happen?

Ava leaned back, smirking. "So, are you going to explain why every single person here is a woman?"

"I—" Inigo started. Then stopped.

Yuna adjusted her glasses. "Statistically, this is highly improbable. Was this intentional?"

"How can I know when you all applied anonymously?" Inigo sighed.

The room fell into silence after Inigo's response.

Hana leaned forward, arms crossed. "I still find it hard to believe."

Inigo tilted his head. "Believe what?"

"That you're the developer behind Flappy Bird and Furious Birds."

Ava let out a chuckle, stretching her arms behind her head. "Oh yeah, I was thinking the same thing. No offense, boss, but you're… what? Early twenties?"

"Eighteen."

Inigo corrected.

Hana exhaled, shaking her head. "Exactly. Do you have any idea how many veteran game developers have spent years trying to crack the mobile market? Then out of nowhere, some mystery dev with a ridiculous name like 'ButtDestroyer' drops two of the biggest mobile games in history?"

Yuna, who had been quietly reviewing her notes, finally spoke. "I ran probability models based on developer trends and market analysis. The chance that someone of your age would not only create and release two viral games but also handle all coding, monetization, and server-side maintenance alone is… less than 0.1%."

Inigo blinked. "You ran probability models?"

Yuna adjusted her glasses. "Yes. It didn't add up."

Eunice, the most composed of the group, studied him with interest. "I assumed the developer behind Furious Birds was some industry veteran, possibly a former big-name studio lead operating under a pseudonym. But seeing you in person… you're not what I expected."

"You mean because I'm young?" Inigo raised an eyebrow.

Hana smirked. "Because you don't look like a socially awkward, basement-dwelling genius."

Ava burst out laughing. "Oh, come on, have you seen his desk? That setup screams 'I have not touched sunlight in weeks.'"

Inigo sighed, rubbing his temples. "Alright, let's get something straight. Yes, I made both games. No, I'm not some industry veteran in disguise. I just work fast, understand what makes games addictive, and don't overcomplicate things."

Hana tapped her fingers on the table, still skeptical. "And where did you even learn all this?"

"I taught myself," Inigo said simply.

Silence.

Even Eunice, who had remained mostly neutral, seemed slightly impressed.

Ava narrowed her eyes. "Wait. No formal training? No college for game dev? No mentorship?"

"Nope."

"Impossible," Yuna shook her head, muttering in Korean.

Hana leaned back, processing everything. "You're either a once-in-a-generation prodigy, or the luckiest guy on Earth."

"Why not both?" Inigo smirked.

Ava snorted. "Oh great, he's cocky too."

Inigo waved her off. "Look, you can believe whatever you want. But what matters now is that we're Flashpoint Studios. We have the potential to dominate the mobile gaming industry—if we work together."

"Well, I have some suggestions, you still lacked one member. You need a secretary to communicate with us so you can just focus on developing the game," said Ava. "And since it's obvious that you have a taste for beautiful women, I suggest that you find another one like us."

Inigo sighed again.