"Breaking News! The indie game developer known as 'Nintendo Is Damn Well the Ruler of the World' is actually the Game God—Takayuki!"
"A massive earthquake in the gaming industry. The undisputed absolute king."
"We've been fooled for so long!"
Three days after the acquisition of Mikuford's game division was completed, the internet and every major gaming magazine were flooded with a piece of news that shocked everyone.
"Nintendo Is Damn Well the Ruler of the World" was none other than Takayuki himself.
The number-one game reviewer, Murakami Kazuo, froze on the spot when he saw the news.
Then, as he replayed everything that had happened in his mind, it all suddenly connected.
From the very beginning, he had been supported and nurtured by Gamestar Electronic Entertainment.
Later, when he had fallen into a slump, it was once again Gamestar Electronic Entertainment that encouraged him and helped him reclaim his position as the top game reviewer.
Inside Gamestar Electronic Entertainment, the game department exploded with shock.
The employees were stunned to discover that their president was also the world's number-one indie game developer.
It completely shattered their worldview.
Takayuki hadn't just created countless famous AAA titles.
Even the later rise of indie games was tied directly to him.
Their president could truly be described as tireless and devoted.
For the healthy development of the gaming industry, he was willing to create a "secondary account," start from zero, and personally cultivate it—just to show everyone that fame wasn't what mattered most.
What mattered was game quality.
Because of that secondary identity, countless indie developers began to rise, and more and more people gained the confidence to develop games without obsessing over costs.
As long as you made something, there was a chance it would succeed.
To players around the world, the news was nothing short of shocking.
At the same time, their admiration for Takayuki reached an entirely new peak.
He didn't just rely on massive resources to build a vast gaming empire.
He also proved, single-handedly, that the gaming industry could thrive through diversity.
Takayuki himself was the most vivid example.
Of course, while players rejoiced, others felt very differently.
Hayakawa Ueto stared blankly at the news when he saw it that morning.
Just days earlier, he had treated Nintendo as a new hypothetical enemy—a potentially terrifying future rival.
Even his long-held "second place" status had seemed at risk.
But in the blink of an eye, Nintendo had effectively become part of Gamestar Electronic Entertainment.
Well… not technically a subsidiary. It was still independently operated.
But deeply bound together—close enough to be considered one entity.
After finishing the article, Hayakawa Ueto actually felt relieved.
His second-place position was safe.
Crisis averted.
As for Nintendo's future influence—did that even need to be said?
Of course it would be enormous. But no matter how strong it became, it was still Gamestar Electronic Entertainment.
That kind of strength was only natural.
At Brown Entertainment, Hack Brown's reaction was muted.
He didn't really care how the gaming industry evolved.
He focused only on his own slice of land; what other companies did wasn't his concern.
Still, he couldn't help but admire how well Takayuki had hidden his identity.
That secondary account had existed for at least a decade, yet no one had ever discovered the truth.
Looking back now, there were plenty of clues linking that account to Gamestar Electronic Entertainment.
But until the reveal, no one had connected the dots.
Nibongi, Kaneda Entertainment, and what little remained of YOO…
People at those companies mostly felt it was only natural.
Of course the top indie developer could be Takayuki.
That actually made more sense.
After all—he had already become a god.
Bob from Facebook could only exclaim, "Damn."
From start to finish, he hadn't seen any connection between the two identities.
His boss had hidden it far too well, and Bob's admiration for Takayuki only grew stronger.
He was Takayuki's most loyal follower—loyalty that only deepened over time.
At this point, if Takayuki told Bob he planned to conquer the heavens and the underworld, Bob wouldn't doubt it for a second.
Across the world, nearly everyone reacted with shock, admiration, or reverence.
Except for one company.
And one man.
Myron Keyes.
From the very beginning, he had been played.
Played completely.
Why?
Why did someone like Takayuki have to exist in this world?
He was absolutely certain—if Takayuki hadn't existed, his career would have gone far more smoothly.
With Takayuki around, Facebook—originally a social software company—suddenly jumped into smartphones.
With Takayuki around, he had been pushed out early by Red Fruit Company.
With Takayuki around, Morgan Group chased him relentlessly, meddling at every turn.
Whatever he built, Morgan Group immediately followed.
When Facebook didn't enter the tablet market, Morgan Group did.
With their massive capital reserves, they never lacked manpower—and their products were inevitably better than his.
After digging deeper, he discovered Takayuki's fingerprints everywhere, quietly pulling strings behind the scenes.
This man was truly his enemy for life.
And now, Takayuki had even used a secondary identity to fool him, stealing away his game division.
It was a slap in the face—again and again.
Yet he could do nothing about it.
He regretted it.
He regretted provoking Takayuki back then.
Regretted boasting about acquiring Gamestar Electronic Entertainment.
Regretted publicly declaring that video games had no future.
If he hadn't done those things… maybe Takayuki wouldn't have targeted him?
Now, his dignity was completely gone.
Even inside his own company, he could feel employees looking at him differently.
All he could do was stay calm—pretend everything was trivial, act indifferent, and try not to care.
That was the only way he could feel even slightly better.
But still—
He was furious.
Furious, and utterly helpless.
All he could do was watch events unfold.
Myron Keyes decided to avoid the news for a few days and focus entirely on overseeing the production of his latest hardware, hoping it would numb him.
But sooner or later, he had to rest.
He had to go home.
And whether at home or on the way there, he couldn't escape the constant reports about Gamestar Electronic Entertainment.
The company now looked poised to control the entire board, pulling the whole gaming industry into its grasp.
With the strongest game engine, the strongest development teams, and absolute confidence that whatever they built next would be celebrated—
Their position was unshakable.
To be honest, Myron Keyes was deeply envious.
The bitter kind of envy.
…Ah, well.
So be it.