NOVEL NEXT Chapter 186
In 2007, a game emerged on the game platform called “Sting.”
This game, which utilizes a gun to create interconnected dimensional gates, initially started as a sub-game included in the collection known as “The Box.”
However, it quickly gained traction through word of mouth and began to spread widely among gamers.
With its innovative puzzle elements, unique gameplay, and a humorous yet clever storyline, this game received high praise, providing players with an astonishing experience and paving the way for indie games with distinct puzzles and captivating stories.
Soon after, this highly popular game was released independently and expanded onto various platforms such as mobile and console, leading to sequels and establishing itself as a beloved gaming IP.
This game is one of the flagship titles from “Belver” and is the legendary puzzle game with total sales of around 8 million copies, known as “The Portal.”
Personally, I enjoyed not just the gameplay of “The Portal” but also its storyline.
The story of “The Portal” can be summarized in one phrase: “humorous dark dystopia.”
Can a humorous yet dark dystopia really exist?
To that question, “The Portal” proved that it could.
The slowly revealed truths set against a mysterious backdrop, combined with the chemistry between the protagonist “Cel” and the AI “GLaDOS” managed to infuse humor into a potentially heavy storyline, creating a unique world only “The Portal” could offer.
Right now, numerous games are being released in the other world gaming scene.
Yet, no developer has been able to create a game like “The Portal.”
In such circumstances, a portal gun popped up in front of me.
It was destiny.
The god of games had destined me to make this game.
“So, can I borrow this magical tool, Rizel?”
“Y-You can’t!! Minister!”
At my request to borrow the demon’s magical tool, the “Gate Gun,” Rizel gasped in shock.
Her cheeks flushed red reminded me of how cute my master looked when she was flustered.
“Why?”
“Unauthorized removal of demon’s magical tools goes against the rules!!”
I knew as well as anyone that it clashed with the regulations I had drafted for the research department.
But why do rules exist?
To exploit exceptions to the rules, of course.
“While unauthorized removal is against the rules, what if it’s for research on demons?”
“Uh… Research?”
“I clearly remember it’s permitted, isn’t that right?”
[Article 1, Section 12 of the Demon Response Agency Operating Rules] [Items of the agency can be externally released for a maximum of 2 days with permission from the director or higher-ranking official for research on demons or urgent purposes.]
Thus, according to this rule, external release was allowed with permission from the director or above.
Oh my!
I am the minister, right?
If I wanted to conduct research on demons and allow myself permission, I would be able to borrow the magical tool for 2 days!
“W-Well, that’s true!! But Minister! You’ll use it in some weird way!”
“What are you talking about? Weird way?! I’ll just play around a bit for game development data, just a little. And while I’m at it, I can also research how demons used this magical tool.”
“U-Um, well, if that’s the case…”
I could sense Rizel, who was a stickler for rules, was flustered.
Although I was not contrary to the operational rules, she couldn’t relax hearing I would use it for purposes other than demonic research.
What should I do?
I approached Rizel, who was deep in thought, and quietly handed her a present.
“By the way, didn’t you say you liked this, Rizel?”
“T-This is!?”
What I handed to Rizel was an unopened Crystal Ball from Tetric 2.
I remembered when Rizel expressed her fandom for Tetric, so I thought I would bring it as a gift.
“Tetric 2’s unopened Crystal Ball!!? How did you get this precious item!?”
“Oh, it turned up while I was cleaning, and since I remembered you liked it, I brought it along.”
Rizel approached the Tetric 2 Crystal Ball as if enchanted.
Then she snapped out of it, pulling her hands away and said, “T-This is bribery! Minister!!”
“What are you saying? Bribery?!”
I grinned at Rizel with a devilish smile I hadn’t shown in a while.
Rizel couldn’t tear her eyes away from Tetric 2.
“Bribery is when I receive something from you. What have I received from you?”
“Ughhhh…”
I give approval, and I take responsibility.
Rizel could just pretend she didn’t see anything.
If she quietly accepted Tetric 2, everyone would be happy.
But her last shred of conscience was making her contemplate that.
“Ah… It really is a rare item… Looks like Rizel won’t need it anymore.”
“P-Please return it in 2 days! And be careful, if you use it at maximum output, the gate will become unstable!”
“Got it, thanks, Rizel.”
In the end, Rizel chose her own virtue over her desires.
As I handed Tetric 2 to Rizel, I packed up the Gate Gun and headed home.
I felt that I would finally have an enjoyable game development weekend after a long time.
*
Upon returning to Irene Land’s home, I immediately started playing with the Gate Gun.
The Gate Gun didn’t visually connect space like a portal.
There was an orange gate and a blue gate, and by touching one, you would move to the opposite gate.
While it was quite different from the portal gun from “The Portal” I had seen in my past life, it still allowed for some fun experiments.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
“This is really fascinating. Jiren.”
I used the Gate Gun on the large gymnasium wall.
As I threw a ball through the gate, it instantly teleported out from the other side.
While playing catch alone, Jiren said,
“Can a person move through this?”
“Let’s test it out with a monster first.”
Jiren and I connected the gates to the ceiling and made a gate passage on the floor, then introduced a slime through the gate.
Then…
Whoosh—BANG! Thud!!
The slime that had moved to the ceiling fell to the floor and burst.
In the instant, a message felt like “You human fools!!!” echoed from the slime.
“Ok, living entities seem to be fine.”
“Let’s move to the next experiment.”
As we were conducting experiments, family members began to wander in, one by one.
They were amazed by the magical tool, the Gate Gun, and started voicing various opinions.
And then…
Whoosh!
“Wow!!”
Whoosh!
“This is fun! Yuren!”
The gymnasium turned into an amusement park.
After creating a gate on the floor and jumping on it, an infinite trampoline was created, and it seemed Sora was happy to jump around.
Swoosh! Whoosh! Swoosh! Whoosh!
“This is also fun, my apprentice!”
Master was sliding down a makeshift slide made with rock magic with gates at both the start and end, enjoying the ride.
I didn’t know the principle, but I really liked this Gate Gun.
Thanks to it, I could enjoy “The Portal” in reality and have a great time.
As late night approached, one by one, people started to go home to sleep.
“I’ll head in first.”
“I’ll go home first too. Yuren!”
Starting with Jiren and Sora, people began to leave the gymnasium.
However, I couldn’t fall asleep early.
I didn’t know when this relaxation would come back if I missed today.
So I diligently played with the Gate Gun, gathering data, when my master stood up, looking sleepy and said:
“Well then, I’ll head home too. My disciple.”
“Yes, Master. See you at home in a bit.”
My master was about to leave the gymnasium.
But something seemed to be weighing on her heart as she paused and looked back at me, saying:
“Hang in there… my disciple…”
“…Yes!”
It felt like her last words were telling me to keep having fun with the Gate Gun.
After she left for home, I completed all my planned tests.
Only the final maximum output test was left.
Rizel had warned that using maximum output would make the gate unstable, so I aimed the Gate Gun at the wall as far away as possible and prepared for the test.
“Here we go… Maximum output, engage!”
I infused as much magical energy as I could into the Gate Gun.
The magical tool turned purple and looked as if it would explode with energy, and I fired the gate at the wall.
Suddenly, a purple gate formed, neither orange nor blue.
If the gates had been roughly human-sized up to this point, this gate now appeared enormous, like a small house, leaving me in awe.
Then, as I turned around to create a gate on the opposite wall, a problem arose.
Wheeeeee…
“Ah? What’s this?”
As I felt a chilling breeze from behind, I turned around to find the purple gate starting to suck in objects from the gymnasium.
And then…
KWA-BOOM!!!!!
“AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! This isn’t a gate; it’s a black hole!!!!!”
Tremendous winds and pressure hit the gymnasium.
Overwhelmed by the unimaginable sudden pressure, I lost my senses.
The chair I barely managed to hold onto slowly began to slip away, and finally…
CRACK!!!
“AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
I was sucked into the gate.
As I felt the emptiness engulfing me in darkness and experienced a different space, my consciousness went blank.