GameDev Reincarnated into His Own Creation

Chapter 2.1: Unhandled Exception

Giri stepped out of his apartment into the morning street. His satchel rattled over his shoulder as he closed the door.

His gaze lingered on the bike leaning against the wall, collecting dust. It was his means of travel in the past. But lately, the train had been more convenient, not just for catching up with the news during his commute but also for his latest obsession—VTuber streams.

At the station, Giri swiped his IC card and found a seat by the window. He pulled out his phone just in time for the stream to start.

A white-haired shark girl appeared on his screen, her cheerful voice filling his earphones. She was playing some kind of survival crafting game.

"It's... uh... structurally sound... probably!" she said, stepping back to admire the lopsided house she'd just built. The chat exploded with encouraging messages and playful teasing.

The train passed the old park, and Giri glanced at the ancient tree in the center. It had been there since he was a kid. He remembered running around its base with his mom and dad during weekend visits. Later, field trips with Shizuka and Moriya to relax and brainstorm ideas under its shade.

Now it watched him commute to work alone every morning. Same tree, different life.

He couldn't help but compare how tiny his life was against nature. The tree would outlive him, outlive his problems, outlive everything he thought was important.

The automated announcement chimed, snapping him back to reality. His stop at the SolarTech complex had arrived.

The train doors slid open and Giri stepped into the bright, warm morning sunlight. He joined the stream of people heading toward the building. The crowd around him was diverse - hijabs, saris, business suits from every corner of the world. SolarTech's global reach on full display.

On the other side of the entrance, black cars lined up like dominoes. Men in identical dark suits stepped out, nothing like the colorful crowd of employees. Among them stood Yuki, phone pressed to his ear, brow furrowed in concentration.

Giri was stopped by Yuki in the elevator lobby.

"Do you mind taking the next one? This will be quick."

Giri nodded, stepping away from the gathering crowd.

"It's about the phone call I just received," Yuki lowered his voice. "The S.I.P - they found some compatibility problem at headquarters. They suspect the one here will have the same issue."

"A team of engineers will come and take a look this morning," Yuki continued. "So it won't be available after afternoon."

"Which means..."

"Means your test will be delayed." Yuki's expression softened with sympathy. "I know you already scheduled your work for it."

Giri exhaled, his shoulders dropping. "As long as it gets fixed."

Yuki leaned closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "I haven't told you how to get... there... have I?" His eyes darted around the lobby. "It's simple. Swipe the card, press and hold B1. When the button changes color, you should arrive at your destination in moments."

Giri nodded and headed to his floor.

The air felt different today—thicker and more focused. Maybe it was just him, or maybe the deadline pressure had finally gotten to everyone. Usually, Kenji would greet him with some witty comment about coffee or code, but today his colleague remained hunched over his monitor, fingers flying across the keyboard. Hane mirrored the same intense focus, her screen reflecting lines of code in her glasses.