"Alright, Myron Keyes, let's start the game. Get in and play—stop staring at that stuff."
Urged by the game department head, the group stopped wasting time and officially began the match.
"Alright, alright—where are we dropping?"
"Of course the retail mall. That place has the most resources and the most people. What's the point of playing if you're not fighting anyone?"
Myron Keyes said with some concern, "But I'm not very familiar with this kind of game."
"Relax, Myron. Just follow behind us. We'll show you the charm of this game—and that charm is killing enemies. Killing enemies!"
"Alright, alright! Get ready to drop!"
"Charge!"
Once the game began, the two people who had looked gloomy earlier suddenly became full of energy, as if Fortnite itself were some kind of stimulant.
Myron Keyes took it all in.
The department head was relatively steady, but the other two were clearly just being their true selves.
The fun of Fortnite lies in its sustained gameplay experience—the longer you play, the more fun it becomes.
Winning a match feels incredibly satisfying.
By now, the two of them could be considered high-level players.
Especially since the game department had essentially been shut down recently—all projects halted due to lack of funding.
With nothing else to do, gaming was all they had left.
Fortnite had become the game they played the most.
The department had practically turned into an internet café, attracting curious employees from other departments to occasionally drop by, slack off, and play a few rounds.
Before long, their squad successfully fought its way out of the retail mall, fully geared from head to toe—so well equipped that it couldn't get any better.
Next came the slaughter tour.
Myron Keyes mostly just followed along. Occasionally, he'd provide cover or fire a few shots, mainly supporting the two developers.
"Myron, I'm low on ammo—drop me some."
"Alright, hang on."
"Myron, give me your blue shield potion."
"Hold on."
It was Myron Keyes' first time playing a supporting role.
In the game, he was no longer the lofty company CEO.
Here, everything was decided by skill.
If your skills weren't up to par, you obediently handled logistics.
The first match ended in an easy victory, just as expected.
With two high-level players leading, it was hard to mess up.
Their hand speed was incredible—once a fight broke out, the enemy was routed in moments.
They built structures at lightning speed—walls popping up in seconds. Sometimes they even pulled off flashy plays, building upward to gain height and snipe opponents from above.
Myron Keyes just watched from the side.
Truthfully, it didn't give him much of a sense of participation.
Yet he still felt a hint of enjoyment.
Just a little.
But even that was enough to make him dissatisfied with merely playing support.
Being carried felt great, but he wanted to take down enemies himself.
Unfortunately, his aim was terrible—he kept failing to finish anyone off.
"Boss, maybe stop using rifles. Just use a shotgun. You only need to aim roughly, then rush up and fire. How about that?"
"I'll give it a try."
Myron Keyes picked up a shotgun and began seriously practicing with it.
In the second match, they once again won with ease.
And this time, Myron Keyes felt an even stronger desire to eliminate a few opponents himself.
"Boss, what do you think of this game? Is it fun?" the department head asked casually.
Myron Keyes replied offhandedly, "It's alright. More interesting than I expected, but it hasn't really amazed me."
He was still a bit reluctant to fully acknowledge the game.
"That's understandable. You've never been very interested in games, boss. It's hard to impress you. But you're not really playing the game yet, are you?"
"Hm? What are you getting at?" Myron Keyes asked while collecting loot.
"You brought us here to understand the game's appeal. Let me put it this way—this game has a kind of magic. Look at our match: one hundred players. And at this very moment, tens of thousands of matches are running simultaneously, with millions of players competing. Those numbers are terrifying."
One employee chimed in enthusiastically, "Exactly! And the game plans to collaborate with even more IPs in the future. For example, my favorite Dragon Treasure character is coming to Fortnite. When that happens, I'll definitely spend a few hundred dollars to buy that skin."
"What? A few hundred dollars for one skin?" Myron Keyes stared at him like he was looking at a freak.
"That's nothing. Spending a few hundred is easy. I usually buy plenty of skins. By now, I've probably spent five or six thousand dollars on this account."
Five or six thousand dollars from a single person in just three months.
And how many others were like him?
This was real money.
And the larger the player base, the higher the proportion of heavy spenders.
It was forming a virtuous cycle: the more people played, the more willing they were to invest time and money.
If tens of millions of users could all belong to Mikuford, Myron Keyes felt like he could laugh himself awake.
"Myron, shoot! There's an enemy over there!"
"Oh—right!"
Snapping back to reality, Myron Keyes realized he'd been lost in thought about the benefits this game could bring.
If they had developed this game, wouldn't it mean Mikuford could skyrocket overnight? Tens of millions of users!
Bang!
Myron Keyes easily took down the suddenly appearing opponent.
Clearly, the enemy was a newbie, unfamiliar with the game's mechanics, and got eliminated by the now slightly experienced Myron Keyes.
After the elimination, a strange sense of accomplishment rose in his chest.
He had taken down an enemy himself.
Honestly… it felt kind of good.
But he was a rational man—he wouldn't lose himself in the pleasure of a game.
Instead, he began thinking even more seriously about the game's advantages.
If even he could feel a bit of thrill, how many others would become completely hooked?
At that moment, the department head delivered another well-timed push:
"According to industry news I've heard, Fortnite may be organizing an esports tournament and is preparing to seek hardware sponsors. Boss, you seem very interested in this game now—if Mikuford devices were used in the competition, wouldn't that leave a deep impression on tens of millions of players?"
At that, Myron Keyes could no longer stay calm.
No matter what, he had to get Fortnite onto his platform—fast.