Chapter 77
Once, it was a game I played quite diligently: Hidden Attack.
At the time, it seemed like a game that even people who didn’t play FPS would have heard of.
While it’s hard to call it the original, it was certainly the first and most widely recognized FPS.
I had just decided that my next game would be Hidden Attack.
“Ra-Rai… I found a bug…”
At that moment, Hina peeked timidly from the door, hesitating before speaking.
Perhaps because I’d been holed up in the lab for the past few days, she was back to being shy and reserved.
Even though we’d lived together for years, it still amazed me how a few days apart could make her retreat into awkwardness.
In any case, it was perfect timing.
“That can be fixed with tomorrow’s patch. For now, come here for a moment, Master of the Magic Tower.”
“Uh, uhm? Okay.”
Hidden Attack was essentially a game devoid of fantasy elements.
In other words, in this world, Hidden Attack would actually appear fantastical.
A gun that exploded gunpowder instead of using magic.
Armor like bulletproof vests instead of magical shields.
It might look primitive in this world, but at the same time, it represented highly advanced technology.
It was undoubtedly going to be a new type of game, but the question was whether people would accept it.
“Do you know what a gun is?”
“A g-gun? Uh? Gun gun gun gun? Are you talking about that?”
When I mentioned a gun, Hina stammered while clumsily imitating the recent trending rabbit reaction.
It seemed the concept of a gun was entirely unfamiliar in this world.
“Well, to give you a rough idea…”
I conjured an illusion of a gun and took a shooting stance.
It was an K2 rifle I had used during my military service.
Even though it was a memory from my past life, the structure was vividly clear, and my stance came naturally.
Military memories must be engraved onto one’s soul.
“What… what is this?”
“It’s called a gun. It’s a type of weapon that fires bullets through this small hole.”
“Huh? Oh, like the ones in COL?”
“It’s a bit different, but let me show you.”
Bang—!
I created an illusion of a gunshot sound and a bullet flying simultaneously.
“Kyah—!!”
Even though it was just an illusion, Hina screamed and fell over, startled.
“Are you okay?”
I quickly dissipated the illusion and helped her up.
Her eyes were teary from the shock.
“W-what was that just now?”
“It’s a gun. A small explosion launches a tiny projectile at tremendous speed, piercing through the enemy.”
“It… it feels so dangerous.”
“I’m sorry.”
Even without knowing what a gun was, her instincts seemed to perceive it as dangerous.
“The next game will be about fighting with guns. It’ll be somewhat similar to the ones in COL but more realistic.”
“This is reality…?”
“It adheres more to the laws of physics. Anyway, do you think it could work?”
“I don’t know, but… it sounds fun.”
As expected of Hina, who had an innate talent for gaming.
Just from this, she seemed to have a rough idea of what the game might be like.
Suddenly introducing the concept of real guns into this world might be difficult to accept.
In the case of COL, people seemed to regard them as a form of magic.
However, in Hidden Attack, the guns were just guns—nothing more, nothing less.
I demonstrated the concept of guns to people through illusions before beginning development.
With the basics of the concept familiarized through illusions, I felt confident that people would quickly adapt to the game.
And so, I spent the next few months working on Hidden Attack.
***
“Hmmm… It truly is an age of peace.”
The Emperor lounged half-reclined on the throne, sipping his drink.
He had just played COL for five hours straight and was now taking a break.
These days, the Emperor’s routine consisted of gaming, idle chatter about life, and discussions about falling leaves.
Occasionally, he would play auto chess against members of the royal court.
“Somehow, it feels a bit boring.”
The games were still enjoyable.
The thrill of action, the excitement of winning in COL, and the fun of auto chess—all of it remained.
However, for some reason, the Emperor felt that these stimuli had weakened.
Even when playing the same way as always, not every moment felt as exhilarating.
Now, he only felt brief excitement during the peak moments of gameplay.
Of course, he couldn’t quit, but when he wasn’t gaming, he found it difficult to feel satisfied.
And he was always seeking even greater thrills.
“Hmmm… I should stretch my body for the first time in a while.”
He had been playing games excessively lately.
The Emperor, even as he aged, never neglected wielding his sword.
Before becoming Emperor, he had been a conqueror, and before that, a warrior.
Having experienced the Conquest Wars, he did not dislike combat.
“You’re taking up the sword again, Your Majesty.”
“A blade must not dull, even in times of peace. I’ve been gaming too much; I think I’ll start practicing regularly.”
“That’s wise. No matter how peaceful the times, a knight’s sword must remain sharp.”
The Emperor sparred with the Knight Commander, their swords clashing for the first time in a while.
It felt like a return to the old days, and he didn’t mind it.
“Come to think of it, the Illusion Magic Tower has been quiet lately.”
“Hm?”
“I thought it was about time for a new game to be released.”
“Now that you mention it… Ah, I see!”
During their conversation, the Emperor had a moment of clarity.
The source of his recent dissatisfaction.
Normally, around this time, a new game would have been released to entertain him.
However, the Illusion Magic Tower had been preoccupied with consecutive events and the COL Championships.
Without a new game, there had been no fresh stimulation.
At that moment, a royal official rushed in, shouting.
“Y-Your Majesty! The Illusion Magic Tower has announced a new game!”
“What?”
Like a dragon summoned by name, the news had arrived.
The Emperor immediately abandoned his sword and dashed off.
“I knew it.”
The Knight Commander sighed, watching the Emperor’s retreating figure.
It seemed the Emperor’s resolution to practice regularly would not last.
The Emperor promptly contacted the Illusion Magic Tower to inquire about the release date of the new game.
The release of Hidden Attack was scheduled for a week later.
The Emperor spent the following nights like a child eagerly awaiting their birthday.
And finally, the day of Hidden Attack’s release arrived.
“…What in the world is this?”
The Emperor, upon starting the game, couldn’t help but be confused.
The setting was a gray space composed of mysterious stone chunks.
The characters wore bizarre outfits he had never seen before, and they fought without any magic or swordsmanship.
“A gun…?”
The weapon was a gun.
When the trigger was pulled, a small object called a bullet flew out with a powerful recoil.
When it hit the opponent, blood splattered, and their life force decreased.
It was a strange world, but the gameplay itself was simple.
You aim at the opponent, shoot, and kill.
“This is harder than I thought…”
During his first attempt, the Emperor struggled significantly.
Unlike the arrows or spears whose trajectories were easy to see, the movement of bullets was difficult for the human eye to follow.
You had to aim using something called a reticle.
The reticle was so small that even seeing it properly was challenging.
However, after a few tries, he quickly got the hang of it.
“Oh! Got one!”
Enemies fell when he aimed accurately.
The impact of the gun’s recoil added to the pleasure of the hits, amplifying the thrill.
“This reminds me of the old days.”
‘Hidden Attack’ was fundamentally different from the battles in games like ‘Maple Leaf Story’ or COL.
The previous games felt more like knocking opponents down rather than killing them.
Using magic to deal more damage than the opponent’s health felt more like playacting.
But ‘Hidden Attack’ was different.
This game was unmistakably about killing people.
If you hit a non-vital part, the opponent didn’t die instantly.
But hitting a critical area like the head would kill them in one shot.
Blood spurted realistically when a hit connected.
Adrenaline surged.
It felt like the battles from his past on the battlefield.
The sensation of killing was still raw and sticky.
But narrowly dodging death and taking down an opponent gave him an unmatched thrill.
The feeling of surviving alone after breaking through situations where his body seemed about to shatter and blood was gushing everywhere.
This place was a real battlefield.
A place drenched in blood, where failing to kill meant being killed.
A space where you had to focus solely on killing your opponent. Otherwise, you’d die yourself.
A real battlefield. Real death.
The sensation he thought he’d never feel again in this era of peace.
‘Hidden Attack’ brought it back to the Emperor.
Naturally, and perhaps inevitably, the Emperor became hooked on ‘Hidden Attack.’
***
After countless people started enjoying ‘Hidden Attack,’
Most had grown accustomed to the new virtual weapon called the ‘gun.’
A weapon much more convenient and impactful than swords.
Contrary to Rai’s initial concerns, people were thoroughly enjoying it.
“This…”
However, not everyone was simply enjoying it.
“It feels like we could really make one.”
Somewhere on the continent.
An alchemist was seriously delving into the study of guns.
—
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