Episode 1: Game Launch
“This part feels a bit lacking in direction.”
I moved my fingers, typing away at an invisible keyboard in the air.
“Constellation-nim, could you help me a bit?”
At that, the holographic video floating before my eyes changed according to my intention.
[The Storyteller of Dreams asks if this is acceptable.]
A message from the Constellation-nim followed.
“It‘s perfect.”
Tap, tap, tap.
Unlike those developers who whine that they can‘t implement my ideas no matter how clearly I convey them, my Constellation-nim executes it flawlessly in an instant.
She is the greatest stroke of luck I gained after falling into this world.
“Phew…”
After three days of focused work, I finally finished the inspection and collapsed onto the bed, my body exhausted.
[The Storyteller of Dreams pats you on the back for your hard work.]
“You worked harder than I did, Constellation-nim…”
I couldn‘t help but chuckle at the Constellation-nim’s message hovering before my eyes.
The world I fell into, the continent of Reifania, is home to countless Constellation.
Each one is a heroic figure who achieved great feats and ascended to divine status.
But my Constellation, [The Storyteller of Dreams], was far too adorable to be considered one of those grand and might Constellations.
She was also my savior, someone indispensable to me, a poor student who found himself possessing the body of a penniless academy commoner.
Without her, I wouldn‘t have been able to survive in this tedious Reifania, let alone create an Earth-style game. I would’ve had to focus on finding food just to stay alive.
[The Storyteller of Dreams chatters about how excited she is to see the game‘s reception after its release.]
“Me too.”
What I miss isn‘t just the games I used to enjoy on Earth.
I miss the interaction and community among players, where we shared experiences and enjoyed the games together.
I longed to dive back into a social space where people connected and communicated through shared culture and enjoyment.
For a whole year, my Constellation-nim and I poured our hearts into creating this game.
A game born from the fusion of Earth‘s various wonders and the powers of the Dream Goddess.
If anything could turn this world upside down, it would be this game.
Hoping for its success, I surrendered to the weight of my closing eyelids.
* * *
Powered by magic, Reifania‘s largest community platform, Aperaio.
Aperaio is made up of countless sub-communities centered around specific topics.
Among them was a sizable game-focused community known as the Magitech Game Gallery.
- “Isn‘t the new game Mephetapo by Elfras boring?”
- “Check out this drawing by Demonic Artist.”
- “Academy girl breaks cookie jar in a fit!”
- “The latest on Demonsoft, a demonic game studio.”
- “Ahem! I eat twenty meals a day, you peasants!”
As always, the Magitech Game Gallery was filled with random chatter unrelated to games.
Title: Insane Quality in Today‘s New Game
A post about a newly released game was uploaded to the community.
(Roughly attached image of the game‘s screen)
The title read: [Akashic Archive]
>A game where you can collect and use characters based on Constellations.
>It‘s being serviced through its own platform.
>And it‘s free.
- “Constellations? Is the developer crazy?”
- “The graphics look good, though.”
- “They‘re giving this away for free? Don’t they want to make money?”
- “Stop talking about games in this community!”
At first, the game seemed destined to be forgotten without much impact.
- “Wait, this game feels off.”
- “??? This game feels real.”
In no time, the game became a hot topic that took over the community.
- “Guys, this game is insane! It‘s a virtual reality game!”
ã„´ “Don‘t talk nonsense. It’s already been proven that virtual reality using illusion magic is impossible.”
ã„´ “No, seriously. Just try it.”
With its free accessibility and a simple structure that realized virtual reality through magical terminals, the new game [Akashic Archive] rapidly gained a swarm of users.
***
[It‘s a success! We already have 10,000 users! The Storyteller of Dreams jumps up and down with both hands raised.]
“It‘s a success. Congratulations, Constellations-nim.”
I smiled as I watched the graph of real-time users climb at a breakneck pace.
A virtual reality game created using the dream powers manifested through the Constellation-nim‘s abilities.
Unlike the clumsy virtual reality implemented with illusion magic, the game I made with the Constellation-nim allows users to enter the game world as soon as they launch it on their terminals.
The game creates an experience within the user‘s dream.
This virtual reality game is in a completely different league compared to the old-fashioned magic-powered games.
Inside, I packed in visuals, content, and effects “borrowed” from the countless games I enjoyed in my past life.
For the people of Reifania, who are used to playing outdated games equivalent to Earth‘s 90s or 2000s era, it would be a whole new world.
Once they started, I was confident they wouldn‘t be able to leave.
Above all, my game was free.
It was the first-ever free-to-play game with in-app purchases in this world.
Considering the higher percentage of people here who dislike spending money on games compared to Earth, it was the perfect strategy to spread the game far and wide.
“When the money starts coming in, let‘s build your temple first, Constellation-nim.”
In the time it took to celebrate our success, the real-time user count had already surpassed 20,000.
At the same time, the number of players subscribing to the efficient monthly plans and battle passes skyrocketed.
Money was pouring in like crazy.
Unlike traditional games, which incur development and server maintenance costs, this game was created entirely from my ideas and the Constellation-nim‘s powers.
That meant all this immense income was pure profit.
[The Storyteller of Dreams asks if she doesn‘t have to eat dry bread anymore.]
[The Storyteller of Dreams asks if she can dip bread in sauce now.]
[The Storyteller of Dreams asks if she can drink juice now.]
…What kind of life has my Constellation been living until now?
Even in the divine realm, does one have to live in poverty without apostles or worshippers to offer tributes?
Yet, despite my poverty, she never demanded tributes and instead used all her powers to help with my project?
My loyalty to her swelled.
“Of course, Constellation-nim. I‘ll offer you endless tributes, so look forward to it.”
But now, things would change.
We were going to be rich.
* * *
In the Exalted dimensions of the Divine Realm
“Yaaawn…”
A goddess stretched and rose from her pristine white bed.
Even after waking up, she sat idly, staring blankly into space, until her eyebrows suddenly twitched.
“Divinity… all of a sudden?”
Divinity—proof of faith accumulated through worshippers and apostles.
The fundamental resource that sustains all divine miracles and the very essence of a god‘s power.
It had surged to an unimaginable extent, despite her having done nothing but sleep.
“…What is this?”
The goddess focused on the divine heart within her—her core of divinity, to trace where it had all come from.
The massive influx of divinity was tied to threads stretching across various parts of the continent.
It hadn‘t originated from a specific nation or group.
It was a scale of faith she‘d only expect to see after an apostle achieved overwhelming victory in a grand war.
Using her divine sight, the goddess observed the mortal world.
What had caused this?
What factor had inspired such faith to bring her this much divinity?
- “I cried because I want to marry Ren.”
- “Ren the Great Emperor!”
- “Sorry, but I got Ren on my first pull. Is that good?”
- “She‘s my wife now.”
ã„´ “Well written.”
- “Ren, Ren is the best!”
Through the community, she saw mortals casually mentioning her true name, Ren.
They all shared one thing in common.
- “I almost cried when Ren saved us.”
- “I didn‘t know Ren was this amazing.”
They had all played a game called [Akashic Archive] and encountered someone named Ren in the game.
…How dare they.
The goddess Ren was furious.
They used my name without permission? My true name?
A god‘s reputation directly impacts their faith and authority.
For some unknown entity to recklessly tarnish that authority was a grave sin worthy of divine retribution.
“…”
Ren hesitated as she continued observing the mortal world.
She could cleanse the game‘s creator immediately for this blasphemy, but she had to admit the widespread praise for her name was impressive.
More importantly, the faith pouring in from all directions was satisfying.
“…Maybe I‘ll try this game.”
She wasn‘t sure what kind of game it was, but to fully understand the situation—and perhaps pass judgment—it wouldn’t hurt to give it a shot.
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