Clearing the ice blocks and aiming for the highest possible score on top of that.
This match-3 ga was no longer confined to just simple triple matches—the gaplay was starting to expand.
And with this brand new chanic, Davidson found himself interested again.
The ga had begun to offer objectives. First, you had to complete the goal; second, you had to score high.
He originally planned to just play one more level and then stop, but now his curiosity was reignited.
He started to seriously try and clear the level.
But with this new goal in mind, his original purpose began to shift as well.
He had to start thinking more strategically during gaplay—he couldn't approach it as casually as before.
...
...
If he didn't pay attention to strategy, he might either fail to complete the objective or fail to get a three-star score.
Of course, the ga didn't stop you from continuing to the next level—it would automatically unlock the next one after you cleared the current one.
So skipping a level wasn't an issue.
But for Davidson, he couldn't accept that.
If he couldn't get a perfect score in a ga this childish, then what was even the point?
Without hesitation, he chose to replay the level.
The difficulty really had ramped up—he racked his brain and focused hard, but he still could only manage a two-star rating and barely cleared the objective.
But when he returned to the level selection screen and saw that all the other levels had three stars except this one, it really bothered him.
Now it wasn't just a little discomfort—it was deeply irritating.
What should I do?
How can I get a perfect score?
Davidson began seriously thinking it through.
He just couldn't figure out how to beat the level perfectly.
Then, just as if the ga had read his mind, a small notification bubble popped up on the screen:
"If you want a higher score, maybe try using so extra items in the ga."
Davidson looked at the tip, initially confused.
Extra items?
Oh... right!
He did have so extra items!
At that mont, he suddenly rembered the in-ga bonus items he had received earlier from various promotions.
He had saved them all and never used them. At the ti, he thought they might be useful, but didn't take them too seriously.
Back then, the ga felt way too easy to need any power-ups.
But now, his goal had changed.
He wasn't just playing to beat the level—he wanted a perfect score.
Only then could he satisfy that internal sense of accomplishnt.
(And for the record, this was definitely not OCD.)
Davidson jumped back into the level without hesitation and used one of the bonus items.
This ti, the difficulty dropped noticeably thanks to the boost.
A level that had required all his brainpower earlier was now cleared with ease.
When he saw the triple-star rating and the dancing little animal celebrating his success again, he couldn't help but smile.
"Davidson, what are you grinning about?"
A voice interrupted—it was Davidson's coworker.
The two of them managed the warehouse together.
Usually, when Davidson read his books, his coworker would sit and watch sports on a small TV in the office. They didn't talk much beyond work-related matters due to differing interests.
But today, Davidson's coworker had noticed sothing unusual—Davidson hadn't picked up a book all day and had been glued to his phone screen instead.
Curious, he walked over to see what Davidson was doing.
"Uh, it's nothing. Just playing a silly little ga to kill ti," Davidson said, a bit awkwardly.
"Huh? A ga? You play gas?"
His coworker sounded surprised—though also kind of intrigued.
Davidson perked up.
"You play too?"
"I used to love gas, though I'm more into console gaming. Is that a mobile ga you're playing?"
Davidson nodded.
"Yeah, it's on a Facebook smartphone. They released this free ga, and I figured I'd give it a try. Didn't cost anything."
"A free ga? That's rare. Is it one of those promotional giveaways?"
"Nope, just straight-up free. I haven't seen any purchase options at all."
"Mind if I take a look?"
Davidson hesitated for a second, then said,
"Sure, go ahead."
He handed over the phone.
"Oh wow! That's the Facebook phone. You just got this? I was thinking of buying it too, but I already have the MK phone. If I bought another phone, my wife would probably kill ."
His coworker sounded genuinely envious.
Davidson looked confused.
"Aren't they all just phones? Why would you need another one?"
"Ah, you don't get it. This Facebook phone has a bunch of gas I really like—but they're not available on the MK phones. That's why I've really wanted one."
Davidson still didn't quite understand, but he thought back to how into Candy Fun Match he was. If he had to choose a phone now, even without thinking about money, he'd probably want the one that had this ga on it too.
Because the MK phone didn't have Candy Fun Match.
"So how do you play this?"
His coworker looked at the screen, curious.
"You just swipe the screen like this." Davidson demonstrated.
It was simple to understand, with hardly any learning curve. His coworker quickly got the hang of it and was soon happily imrsed in the ga.
"Wait—hold on. I was just playing Level 40. The difficulty really picks up after that. I think you should start from Level 1 instead—those are easier. You—"
But before Davidson could finish, his coworker had already zipped through Level 41, wiping out icons effortlessly.
Then ca the familiar cheering animation and dancing animal, along with the triple-star rating.
Davidson: ...
Wait... this is the sa level I just struggled with?
He suddenly started questioning everything.
Was the ga getting easier after Level 40?
That couldn't be—it didn't make sense. He had already cleared 40 levels and should be far more experienced, and yet his coworker—who just started—had cleared the level with ease.
This didn't add up. At all.
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