Felix was now standing inside his company's new building. At the front, a large sign read Tierra Entertainment, with a logo of the Earth displayed beside it.
The construction had been completed quickly, thanks to advanced technology. He only had to wait a week, and the customized building he had envisioned was already finished.
Today, he was going to meet his employees in person for the first time.
He was waiting for them to arrive so he could show them around, introduce them to their individual workspaces, and give them a tour of the company.
Then suddenly, Felix noticed someone pacing back and forth in front of the glass doors.
He was confused.
Why didn't they come inside? Through the clear glass, he recognized the person immediately.
It was Kael, a person with a mental energy level of D.
He had longer stamina than the average for his level, which helped him create games more efficiently in holographic space, though he couldn't build an entire world as quickly as Felix could.
Earlier that day, when Kael received the address for the company, he felt uneasy.
Night City was infamous for being home to the wandering Mycoxar, a species known for their dangerous spores and frightening appearance.
Most other species avoided them completely, and this city was basically their territory.
Kael knew about Tierra Entertainment.
They had recently made a name for themselves by releasing unique mechanical themed games like Subway Surfer and Temple Run.
He had played both and found them enjoyable.
Subway Surfer didn't impress him much due to its cartoonish style, it was clearly more popular among kids.
He preferred Temple Run.
Every time he played it, he felt a rush of excitement and something else he couldn't quite explain.
It thrilled him in a way that made the game unforgettable.
He was determined to prove himself, even if his mental energy level was only D.
He would work hard at Tierra Entertainment, but he didn't know who had created the company.
All he knew was that it was founded by a single person.
Now he was finally going to meet them, and the thought made him feel both excited and nervous.
When he learned that Tierra Entertainment was located in Night City, he was surprised.
It wasn't just the Mycoxar species who lived there, other beings did too but the city still had a reputation for being wild and unpredictable.
Now he stood outside the company building, fidgeting as he checked the address again to make sure it was the right place.
The structure looked completely different from the rest in the area.
While most buildings were made of sleek metal and glass, this one had a warm wooden exterior carved with ancient patterns, resembling old temple designs.
Despite its traditional look, it still fit the modern world, with smart lighting embedded in the walls and smooth automatic doors.
It gave off a strange but welcoming feeling, like a peaceful haven hidden inside a futuristic city.
The person inside looked completely out of place in the ancient environment.
They were small, with brown animal-like ears peeking out from under a hat.
They wore a white shirt and a black suit jacket, and their feet were covered in fur.
Kael wasn't sure if he was in the right company building or if he had accidentally stepped into a holographic pod.
Still, something about the person felt familiar.
They stared at him with curious eyes, even tilting their head slightly as if trying to understand him.
"So cute!" Kael blurted out, forgetting all his worries. Even though he liked to think of himself as a tough guy, times had changed — no one judged you for your preferences anymore, no matter your gender.
Kael always pictured himself as having a strong, rugged image.
When he was a child, he had seen a movie with a muscular woman who left a deep impression on him.
She was strong and powerful, and he had admired her ever since.
That admiration shaped the persona he built for himself, and for a long time, he tried to deny that he liked anything soft or cute.
But right now, faced with this oddly adorable person, he couldn't hide it anymore.
He kept fidgeting back and forth so much that he didn't notice the small chibi bear, whose appearance stood out from the rest of the environment, walking toward him.
"Are you Kael?" Kael heard a voice that was soft and pleasant to the ears. It still had a masculine tone, but it was gentle and calming.
He paused and slowly looked up, stunned for a moment. "..That voice?" Kael remembered hearing it clearly during his interview with Tierra Entertainment.
The person's appearance and voice were completely unexpected.
The cute appearance and calm, steady voice matched perfectly, unlike those anime characters with cute looks but high-pitched voices.
The little bear in front of him somehow fit both its appearance and voice well.
"Y-yes!" Kael quickly straightened his posture.
The small figure tilted its head and said, "Oh! Nice to meet you! I'm Tierra. "
Felix didn't want anyone to see his real face.
He wanted a peaceful and private life.
Since he already had another identity as a streamer, he decided to use that persona whenever he played his own games or felt bored talking to himself.
He installed a holographic system throughout the entire building.
All Felix needed to do was lie down in the immersion capsule to access the virtual version of the building he had set up.
His real body was actually on the top floor, where his employees couldn't reach.
He already had a functioning system, all he needed to do was appear in his chibi form and communicate with his employees that way.
Kael was shocked. "Tierra? You mean the Tierra who made Subway Surfer and the new Temple Run?"
He had expected to meet an assistant, not Tierra himself in person!
But considering that Tierra had developed the games on his own, it made sense that he would only start hiring employees after completing two successful projects.
It was still incredibly difficult to make games alone, even if someone had A-level mental power.
If the person in front of him was an S-level, there was no doubt he was capable of creating both games.
Kael still didn't understand how Tierra had managed to design endless worlds with such variety.
Subway Surfer remained popular with kids even after several months had passed.
The polish and creativity behind both games were clearly the work of someone exceptional.
Felix smiled. "Welcome to Tierra Entertainment!"
He had chosen the name "Tierra" after reading a sci-fi novel where Earth was referred to as "Tierra," the Spanish word for land or earth.
He liked the sound of it and decided to use it for his company.
Kael stuttered, "Yes! I'll do my best!"
"Since you're the first to arrive, it looks like the others are still not here— oh! There they are."
The other two approached the building, spotting a cartoonish figure waving at them from inside.
They looked up and saw a large wooden sign with the words "Tierra Entertainment" handwritten across it. The sign stood out from the rest of the building's sleek design.
The exterior had a distinctive look, blending modern structure with warm wooden elements that gave it an ancient yet welcoming atmosphere.
Inside the building, the three new employees introduced themselves.
Kael had ash-blonde hair. He had struggled for a long time, often hitting a wall when trying to create a game that could match the polished work of others.
His earlier attempts didn't gain any popularity. Frustrated, he decided to apply for jobs at bigger companies.
That was when he saw that Tierra Entertainment was hiring. Even though he only had D to E-Level mental energy, he applied immediately.
To his shock, he actually got accepted.
Felix chose Kael because of his early attempts at creating games.
Even though they weren't polished and the quality was poor, one of his games reminded Felix of an old target shooting game where the target would disappear immediately after being hit and reappear somewhere else.
The only thing missing was refinement — better mechanics, rewards, and smoother gameplay.
If it were polished, it could have become a popular game in interseller players.
The second newcomer was Jalen, a tall figure standing at six feet.
He had been quiet the entire time until it was time to introduce himself.
Jalen had E-Level mental energy and had been struggling to find a proper job.
His dream was to become a game developer, but with such a low mental energy level, most available work was limited to physical labor.
That kind of work was usually suited for other species, and Jalen wasn't strong enough to handle it.
He thought he would never get the chance to be part of the game industry.
One night, while still job hunting, Jalen played one of Tierra Entertainment's games.
He didn't care much for Subway Surfer because of its cartoonish style, but when he saw Temple Run, which had a more realistic look and feel, he downloaded it right away.
He was impressed by the quality, especially the music.
When he saw Tierra Entertainment was hiring, he took the chance and applied, even though he doubted any company would hire someone with E-Level mental energy.
At first, he was skeptical that Tierra had accepted him.
It was rare for any company to take in someone at his level, and he was grateful yet suspicious of the opportunity.
He even thought it might be a scam, especially when he found out the company's location was in Night City.
Jalen was in turmoil at first, but when he looked around his small apartment, saw the limited supply of nutrient liquid he could only afford once a day for himself and twice for his younger brother, and remembered his brother still needed money for school, he gritted his teeth.
Since Night City was just a neighboring city, he decided he might as well go there and see it for himself.
Felix, who researched his employees thoroughly, looked them up one by one with help from the system.
When he checked Jalen's account, he discovered that Jalen made music and even had a small StarTube channel that was already impressive.
Felix listened to his work and noticed it had a unique touch, different from the usual sci-fi style music common in this world.
That was when Felix realized he had found a diamond while looking for copper.
He hadn't expected to discover such a talented musician and knew future projects would be much easier with him around.
Felix looked at Niko, who was staring at him with a questioning gaze.
Felix: "…"
Women, and even in his past life, women were still easily captivated by cute creatures.
He was actually aware how cute his chibi bear form was.
He understood exactly what she was feeling right now.
You want to pet me, don't you? Too bad, you can't.
Niko was a graduate student.
When Felix looked at her resume, he was dumbfounded.
Her resume was basically a detailed account of her entire life.
He read through it, and it was interesting.
It read like a journal from his previous life.
Even though she was a college student with an artistic background, she had a talent for storytelling too.
He planned to help her talent shine later on.
Niko braced herself.
Those eyes, whenever Felix looked at her, made it hard to resist the urge to touch his ears.
She took a deep breath.
"I'm N-Niko…"
Felix was known as a straightforward person; he didn't waste time on flattery and said immediately, "Alright! Since you've all introduced yourselves, it's time to have a tour!"
The first floor had an animation playing, showing players crashing their faces into the screen whenever they died.
In one scene, a player even got squished and slid down the camera, leaving a smear as if they had really hit the glass
Others were shown playing Temple Run, with fear on their faces when they got caught by the monster.
The three of them, seeing this, said, "So… you did that on purpose!!"
Kael, who had played Temple Run, reacted the strongest.
He had been the one kicked out and was sent to the hospital after getting caught in a crawling scene in the game.
Kael had been scared to death when he got caught by that terrifying and intimidating monster.
Felix ignored their reaction and continued leading the way.
The lobby didn't have any furniture or robots.
It made sense since it was still a small studio.
Then they went up to the second floor, where their workplace was.
The layout was unique.
The three of them couldn't stop expressing awe, even the quiet one was surprised.
This kind of design was usually only seen in the deep sea territories of aquatic species.
On land, it was extremely rare, and most examples could only be found in museums.