Chapter 4
“I… I don’t think that’s possible…”
That was Hina’s response after listening to my grand plan.
“Why not! If we overlap the illusion spells, it’s entirely possible! And if we use the Illusion Sharing Spell, we can maintain and share the world with others!”
“Th-That’s true. But… what you want to make is… a, an enormous illusion world…”
“That’s right.”
“You… you want to store information in that world and make it accessible whenever you want to enter…?”
“Yes, that’s exactly it!”
“And… you want to use the Illusion Sharing Spell to let multiple people enter the same illusion world…!”
“Exactly! That’s all doable, right?”
“Y-Yes, but…”
Hina hesitated, rubbing her index fingers together nervously.
“If we run it through my mana, it could work for a short time, but… maintaining such a world would require creating artifacts to imbue the spells in…”
…Ah.
When she said that, I realized the flaw in my plan.
The plan itself was feasible, but we didn’t have the money to execute it.
“Th-Those many mana stones… we couldn’t afford them even if we worked for the rest of our lives. Sniff.”
Creating an online server would require an artifact that could serve as a supercomputer.
My plan was to create a massive artifact to house the entire illusion world and then have people use other artifacts with the Illusion Sharing Spell, allowing them to access the world—our game server—from anywhere.
But such an artifact would need an immense amount of mana stones.
And we don’t have the money to buy them.
“Haa… It’s always about money…”
“Ugh… sniff…”
Hina shrank down with a dejected sound.
Feeling sorry, I placed my hand on her head.
As I patted her head, she seemed to perk up a little, feeling better again.
“If only we could create it, it would definitely be a hit…”
I know all too well how addictive games can be for humans.
People in this world would feel the same. Maybe even more so.
Initially, I wanted to create a 5 vs. 5 AOS (Action Online Strategy) genre game.
The famous Championship of Legends. Also known as COL.
It was a global phenomenon in my past life. Creating that game would definitely make it a success.
Moreover, with illusion magic, you would become the actual game character instead of playing through a computer.
You would be fighting as the character itself.
Even I want to try it out myself.
“But… this would require an enormous amount of money…”
Just thinking about the mana stones needed to build the server made my head spin.
Not to mention that a game like COL, where multiple rooms are created and each game proceeds separately, would make the server even more complicated.
“Ughh, ughhh… I’m feeling dizzy, Rai…”
But I can’t give up now.
If COL is too much right now, what about creating a game that costs less?
Like an MMORPG, for example.
Of course, that’s not exactly a small-scale game either, but since the number of users would be low initially, a smaller server would do for the time being.
Starting small and expanding from there wouldn’t be a bad idea.
“…Yes!”
“Eek!”
When I slapped my hand down, Hina let out a strange sound.
Oh, I forgot my hand was still on her head.
“Let’s create just one world for now. At first, only one person will need to access it, so we only need one artifact.”
“B-But we don’t even have the money for that…”
“Exactly! Of course, we don’t even have money for that!”
Damn it, this broke-ass tower!
I, of all people, know that we don’t have the money, given that I’ve been handling the finances since I got here.
Before I arrived, Hina didn’t even know how to manage money, so the already meager funds were being wasted left and right.
“But we do have some mana stones, right?”
“Wh-What?”
We don’t have enough money to create such a large artifact.
But since we are a magic tower, we do have a few mana stones used to maintain magic.
And the most prominent one is…
“W-Wait, Rai…! Th-That one is…”
“It’s not like we need this fake illusion!”
“B-But if we don’t have it, we’ll be looked down on even more… sniff…”
The magic that maintains this giant tower illusion.
As soon as I dispelled it, the true form of the shabby Illusion Magic Tower was revealed.
“Everyone already knows we’re a ragtag group of illusion mages, with or without this illusion.”
“T-That’s true, but…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make it back in no time. No, by then, we’ll have enough to build a real tower this tall.”
“Let’s Just win it back, just win it back with a big score.”
Ignoring Hina’s whimpering sounds, I gathered up all the mana stones used to maintain the pointless illusion spells.
Because of this, the illusion surrounding the Illusion Magic Tower vanished entirely.
Its true form was revealed for the entire world to see.
“Wh-What is happening! Our, our tower!”
“My tower! The Illusion Magic Tower that soared up to the heavens!!”
The returning senior mages wailed at the sight of the tower stripped of its illusion.
“It was just an illusion anyway. Calm down and eat your dinner.”
“Hahaha, that’s true, I guess?”
“Yeah, but it’s still kind of sad.”
But it wasn’t a huge blow. Reality was already more of a mess anyway.
Even though Hina, our Tower Master, was deeply saddened, it didn’t matter.
At any rate, this was the basic preparation we needed.
After much consideration, I decided that the genre of my first game would be an MMORPG.
Specifically, a game that any Korean would recognize, a game that once sparked a sense of adventure in countless people.
A game I used to play occasionally even as an adult to recapture that sense of wonder.
“Sure, it became a niche game with a few controversies as time went on, but no one can deny its place in MMORPG history.”
The first game I would create was none other than Maple Leaf Story.
It would be difficult to recreate everything, so I decided to start with the adventurer’s starting point and the essence of the game: Victory Island.
And so, the development of a genuine otherworldly online game began.
***
Galliard, a hero long forgotten, sat dazed, staring at the drifting clouds.
In the distant past, he was a warrior who dominated the world, but now he was no more than an old man.
He had already retired from his role as a professor at the academy after reaching retirement age.
It wasn’t as if he had lost his strength.
He could still wield a powerful sword.
But there was no reason to do so anymore.
The world had found its own peace, and he was tired of being used for human greed.
Now he just wanted to spend his remaining days tending to a small farm and looking up at the sky leisurely.
“Those were the days…”
He often found himself lost in memories of the past.
Those tough times of growing stronger, starting from when he was weak, were now fond memories.
After all, he had his comrades back then. And there was the joy of growth.
He wanted to go back to that time when he was running forward, knowing nothing but his goals.
He had plenty now, but it was all meaningless.
He realized that the process of gradually gaining things was more fulfilling than actually having them.
“Ugh… I’ll come again. See you all later.”
Galliard stood up from his seat.
Next to where he had been sitting, his former comrades, with whom he once fought, lay at rest.
After a long time had passed, all but one of his comrades had fallen into eternal sleep.
Leaving those memories behind, Galliard headed for the marketplace.
Since he had built a house near Trinity, he would drop by whenever he needed supplies.
“Haaaaaa……”
Once inside Trinity, Galliard stopped in his tracks at the sound of a deep sigh.
‘A young person sighing like the world is falling apart. Back in my day, people their age could chew through rocks…’
His eyes caught sight of a mage.
Judging by his attire, he seemed to be a mage of the Illusion School.
His robe was dirty and torn, as if he’d rolled around on the ground, and he was holding an artifact Galliard had never seen before, letting out deep sighs.
‘…Looking for investors?’
That’s what was written on the sign beside him as he sat on the street.
It seemed he was looking for someone to invest in that artifact.
There was more detailed information on the sign, but Galliard couldn’t see it clearly from a distance.
‘These eyes aren’t what they used to be…’
Galliard moved closer to read the description.
[Are you tired of reality? Don’t you want to live a completely new life? A new adventure awaits you in ‘Maple Leaf Story’…]
It seemed to be about experiencing a completely new adventure.
A journey starting from level 1, unaffected by attribute affinities or social status.
Naturally, no one showed any interest.
There was no way anyone would invest in the Illusion School, to begin with.
But Galliard, intrigued by the explanation, approached the mage.
“…Is this for real?”
“Uh, huh? Yes?”
“Your statement about a completely new adventure waiting. Is it true?”
“Yes, yes! In this new world, you can grow stronger based on the path you choose. There are various classes you can select. Though there aren’t many available right now, soon…”
The young mage, who seemed to have just come of age, explained with a trembling voice.
Even if it was just illusion magic, he was clearly attached to and passionate about his magic.
‘There was a time I was like that too. When was it? I can’t even remember. It’s been so long since I’ve pursued something with such passion…’
Seeing him, Galliard was reminded of his younger self.
A time when he would throw himself into anything with unbridled enthusiasm.
“Can I try it out?”
“R-Really? Then, allow me to escort you to our tower. It could be dangerous if we did it here on the street…”
“Alright.”
Galliard obediently followed him to the Illusion Magic Tower.
As he had heard, it was a shabby place.
“If you infuse mana into this artifact, the spell will activate automatically. You’ll gain a new body within the illusion, so don’t be alarmed and just enjoy the game.”
“That’s all there is to it?”
“Yes. The rest will become clear once you log in.”
“Hmmm…”
Galliard did as the young mage instructed.
Even if there were dangers, it wouldn’t pose a problem for a Former Hero like him.
“Then, I hope you have a good time.”
The artifact looked like a maple leaf-shaped stone.
It was covered in layers of illusion spells.
Staring at it, Galliard felt a refreshing breeze brush against his chest.
For some reason, the artifact evoked a sense of excitement.
Galliard infused his mana into the artifact and fell into the illusion.
A few hours later, when he opened his eyes again,
“Ah, you’re awake?”
“What do you think you’re doing right now!”
“Y-Yes?”
“I just reached my first-class advancement, and you cut me off here? I haven’t even tried out the sword skills yet! How could you do this to me!”
He was completely hooked on the game.
—
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