Tuesday 6 September 1997 Night ZAGE Tower 17th floor.

Right now, the group known as the Bakudan Boys are all gathered at the iconic ZAGE Tower. Following the recent ZAGE expansion, the original duo—Sawada and Sakaki—are no longer the only ones working there. The team has grown, now including Kumogi and Rikki, both of whom have officially joined ZAGE Japan. The dynamic among the four has only become more interesting, as each of them is now assigned to a different department within the massive ZAGE structure.

Kumogi has found his place as a developer on Team IZAN, where he's already contributing to new experimental mechanics. Sakaki has taken on the critical role of quality control within Team Nova, making sure every detail is polished before release. Sawada, the tech-savvy veteran, works as a developer on Team NIWA, Meanwhile, Rikki brings his artistic flair to the Marketing team, handling visual design and branding projects that shape the ZAGE public image.

Despite being on separate teams and working in entirely different sectors of the company, all four of them are stationed in the same vast and futuristic ZAGE Tower. The tower has become more than just an office—it's their shared battleground, creative space, and hangout hub, forming the perfect setting for their after-hours gaming sessions and daily banter but they still occasionally visit Bakudan arcades because its their true places for hangout.

Now it's already around 19:00, and while the workday has officially ended, the offices are still buzzing with activity. But instead of finishing reports or debugging code, the energy in the building has shifted—people aren't staying late to work, they're staying late to play. Each floor of ZAGE Tower is equipped with designated PCs just for gaming, specially provided as a perk for employees. These gaming PCs are usually restricted for use in work hours ensuring that productivity remains unaffected during the core day. but outside of work hours—before 8:00 AM or after 7:00 PM this places are opened and able to play.

Tonight, like the night before, the Bakudan Boys have claimed their favorite corner of the gaming floor for one purpose only: diving deep into the newest game of ZAGE the chaos of Diablo 2. It's become their new shared obsession. The game's dark fantasy world, loot-heavy progression, and high-stakes dungeon crawling have completely hooked them. They've even begun scheduling their play sessions, coordinating breaks, and discussing builds over lunch. This isn't just casual fun anymore—it's their newest ritual, and tonight, they're more determined than ever to conquer the next Act and push their limits as a squad.

Rikki declared with excitement, "Today we're definitely getting past Act 2, no matter what!" His character, a powerful sorceress specializing in lightning and cold spells, was already geared up and ready. Kumogi, who was playing a meticulous Necromancer focused on summoning and curses, let out a long sigh. "That's only if Sakaki doesn't mess up again! He keeps thinking his Paladin is some kind of god-tier tank against everything—which is exactly why he keeps getting himself killed."

Sakaki, ever defensive, grumbled, "What?! How was I supposed to know those damn enemies explode with lightning damage when they die? That's not fair at all!" His Paladin, built for melee combat with strong defensive auras, was great against swarms but clearly not prepared for such elemental retaliation.

Then Sakaki snapped, "It's your damn skeleton mob that's making the game harder to see, Kumogi! They're all over the screen and totally annoying!"

Kumogi frowned and shot back, "What?! They're helping tank the enemies, you dumbass. Without them, you'd be dead even faster!"

Sawada, who had picked the ferocious Barbarian class, jumped in with a smirk. "That's why you need to play smarter. Your class is solid against weak mobs, but that doesn't mean you can just walk through everything swinging blindly."

Sakaki snorted. "Easy for you to say! You've got that overpowered axe that heals you every time you kill something. That thing is broken!"

Sawada just shrugged, grinning. "Hey, don't hate the player—blame the loot gods. Besides, none of your classes are even built to use axes, so what's the point in being jealous?"

Their bickering filled the gaming floor with energy and laughter. Despite the constant ribbing, there was a sense of camaraderie and shared determination in the air. Each of them knew they had a role to play, and tonight, they were more than ready to bring everything they had into their virtual war against the forces of hell.

The Bakudan Boys had now shifted their focus to Diablo 2, diving into its intense multiplayer mode with all four of them in the party. This setup made the game significantly tougher, with enemy numbers skyrocketing and their strength scaling up dramatically. Despite only being in Act 2 and still on Normal difficulty, the game felt brutally challenging. The hordes were relentless, elite enemies spawned more frequently, and the pace demanded constant coordination.

This spike in difficulty wasn't accidental either—Zaboru make ZAGE version of this game ramped up the intensity of Normal difficulty in multiplayer sessions. The idea was to make early-game experiences more engaging and cooperative, and it was working.

Now the Bakudan Boys found themselves deep inside one of the desert shadowy tombs in Act 2. The corridors were narrow, the air thick with dust, and the flickering torchlight barely lit their path. The tomb trembled slightly under the sheer weight of enemies crawling through the stone halls. It wasn't just any mob—it was a full-on swarm, and worse, they were being buffed by a powerful elite caster hiding in the back lines.

Rikki, already sweating under the pressure, barked out commands like a seasoned commander. "Sawada! Damn it, go for the caster that's buffing the entire crowd! you can use Leap skill and Kumogi, get those damn minions tanking right now! Sakaki, watch your damn health bar—stop running around like a lunatic with your Fire Aura!"

Sawada didn't hesitate. With a quick roar, he used Leap to launch himself into the middle of the enemy swarm, crashing down like a wrecking ball. Instantly, dozens of enemies closed in on him, threatening to overwhelm. Without missing a beat, Rikki followed up with his Sorceress's Frost Nova, casting it again and again, even after his mana ran dry. He chugged a potion and froze the horde in place.

"Now, Sawada—go!"

Fueled by rage and timing, Sawada unleashed Double Swing. The sound of his axe slicing through enemies echoed across the tomb. His Barbarian's attack speed and raw power shredded through the elite in seconds. As the caster collapsed, its buffing aura faded, and the swarm instantly lost cohesion.

Kumogi's skeletal minions surged forward, surrounding and distracting the remaining enemies. He stayed back, cursing foes with poison and weakening hexes. Sakaki, slightly salty but focused, dove into the fray with his Paladin's Zeal and Flame Aura, cutting down stragglers with divine fury.

Once the fight ended, they stood panting among piles of gold, potions, and glowing gear. The room was silent for a moment—then Rikki spoke.

"Don't think about the loot. We'll sort it all back in town. For now, just clean up your inventories."

Kumogi crossed his arms. "Damn it, Rikki. Since when did you become our Captain Commando?"

Rikki exhaled. "Shut up dumb asses Since Sakaki kept getting us killed. Somebody had to step up."

The group grumbled, clearly annoyed, but nobody protested. Rikki's skills spoke for themselves, and even if he was bossy, he kept them alive.

"Let's move," Rikki added, adjusting his headset. "We need to grind out a few more levels and upgrade gear before pushing the main quest."

Everyone nodded, their hands returning to their mice and keyboards. The grind continued—but they wouldn't stop until Act 2 was behind them.

In this world, Diablo 2 has undergone many improvements thanks to Zaboru, who took the core of the legendary game from his previous world and upgraded it for this world players. While the original Diablo 2 is still hailed as a classic, it's also undeniably dated in some areas—particularly the user interface, which could often be cluttered and confusing. Recognizing this, Zaboru implemented a range of fixes and quality-of-life features that modernized the gameplay without sacrificing its iconic feel.

One of the major overhauls was the backpack system. In the OG version, players often ran into space limitations, constantly juggling items or leaving loot behind. Now, thanks to Zaboru's upgrades, the backpack can be expanded with upgrades unlocked through in-game progression, giving players more room and flexibility to carry gear, potions, and loot. This change alone significantly reduces the frustration of micromanaging inventory in the middle of intense dungeon runs.

In addition, Zaboru refined the auto-sorting system for both player inventory and storage chests. With just a click, players can now auto-sort their items, and the system intelligently arranges everything based on item type, rarity, and even The slots management. Gone are the days of manually dragging every item into place—now the game automatically organizes inventory in a logical and visually clean layout. These changes not only streamline the experience but also make the game more accessible for newcomers and veterans alike.

By bringing these thoughtful improvements to a beloved classic, Zaboru ensured that Diablo 2 remains just as addictive like in his previous world, but far more user-friendly for the ZAGE generation of players in this new world.

Meanwhile, Zaboru, still stationed at the ZAGE Tower, received a report from building security: several employees were occupying the gaming floors, fully immersed in their after-hours sessions. Instead of being angry, Zaboru found himself amused. "Looks like Diablo really did its job," he chuckled, watching the live feed from the monitors.

He had no intention of stopping them. As long as their actual work was done, he didn't mind them enjoying the perks. In fact, he felt a bit curious—maybe even proud. Which floor were they playing on? What builds were they running? That spark of curiosity pushed him to make a decision: he would pay one of the gaming rooms a surprise visit.

But which one? That question lingered as he grabbed his coffe and made his way toward the elevator, a grin forming on his face.

To be continue .