Isekai Online Game Developer

“Mid Leeshim is totally OP, for real. I got an 8-win streak with this yesterday.”

“Yeah, but it’s still a low rank.”

“It’s all the same in Bronze and Silver.”

“Right, so what’s the highest tier you can reach?”

The morning in the bustling archipelago was filled with noisy discussions about online games, just like any other day.

“Did you hear? The next update for Maple Leaf Story is coming soon. I think it involves some kind of demon.”

“Didn’t that character come out ages ago?”

“They say the recent busyness of Illusion Tower and Dragon-related quests delayed it?”

“Oh geez, those crazy people… just like before, they’re recklessly trying to raid a dragon’s nest. Many have died because of that. It’s why this update has been so slow.”

“But thanks to that, the Red Cross organization was formed. My relatives living in the countryside said it’s made life easier for them.”

“Not long ago, some international law was established. It doesn’t really concern us, but it seems like a good thing.”

“It’s good for us too. With trade becoming free, we don’t have to suffer because of trading partners like before.”

There was a lot of chatter not just about the game but also about its various impacts.

The world had changed significantly before and after the game came out.

While there were negative aspects, most reviews were positive.

“What’s the first class today?”

“Minecraft! They said the Dark Elf teacher is coming.”

“Wow!”

Even passing children were experiencing the reality of having Minecraft as a subject.

The influence of games had indeed grown tremendously.

And it was the same in the royal palace.

“Sigh…”

Baron Merin, a royal minister belonging to the Treasury, sighed heavily while commuting to work.

The distance from his mansion in the island to the royal castle wasn’t long.

However, he took that short distance and leisurely strolled, arriving exactly on time for work at the royal castle.

“Those kids are freely playing games…”

The royal court was busy.

They were originally busy, but the recent surge of events made them even busier.

After capturing the Maple Leaf Story scammers, just when they thought it would get easier, suddenly new international laws started to emerge.

In a routine that just repeated work and sleep, the royal ministers were losing their sanity.

“I want to play Mid Leeshim too…”

While Baron Merin’s sighs hit rock bottom, the time for work was fast approaching.

He entered the royal castle along with others in similar positions.

And just as quickly, another busy day began.

“Alright, we’ve reached a certain point, so call me if anything comes up.”

Those were the words of none other than Crown Prince Leo himself.

He too had become quite the gamer, often doing just enough work before diving into games.

The ministers couldn’t help but cluck their tongues at how different he was from the past.

“Again, again… I bet he’s COL-ing right now.”

“Last time, I had to log off due to urgent work, and he got really mad.”

“I wonder what tier the Crown Prince is? Does anyone know his username?”

As the Crown Prince left, the ministers busily handled their work while chatting.

“I heard Mid Leeshim is trending these days. Have you all tried it?”

“I’ve heard about it, but when would I have time to play?”

“I haven’t even gotten to play Eban yet. I’ve been so busy lately…”

Sigh—

The Treasury ministers sighed in unison.

“Isn’t it so unfair? The Crown Prince and the King both…”

“Hey, hey! Keep it down. If someone hears, it’s the guillotine for you!”

“No, I mean, some of us can’t even play games while everyone else is! It feels like we’re all outcasts in this world!”

The youngest Treasury minister, who had just recently joined, banged his chest and exclaimed.

His friends who hadn’t become public servants were gaming daily.

But having made the wrong choice of becoming a public servant, he was living a life devoid of work-life balance.

“Lately, social parties are being held in ‘Minecraft.’”

“Geez, these young folks…”

“That actually sounds fun. I can’t even remember the last time I attended a party…”

Sigh—

The sighs kept echoing periodically.

It wasn’t just the Treasury’s issue.

“Every day it feels like they’re making new laws.”

“Oh, I know, right?”

“Next week there’s a Burning event, but I don’t think I can participate in that either.”

Other departments were in a similar state.

While it was great that the world was transforming through games, they could only stack sighs.

“We can’t keep this up!”

“Is there a good solution?”

Then Baron Merin, unable to hold back any longer, shouted out.

His opinion gained enthusiastic agreement from all the ministers.

*

“…So you all want to play games too, huh?”

“Exactly. But if all the ministers fall into fantasy and fall asleep, that might not be good either. Plus, COL’s events are notoriously hard to drop out of on schedule.”

“It would awkwardly run over time or leave you with free time.”

I laid down the stack of papers Rikal brought and voiced my thoughts.

In the most polite way, it was a proposal, but it was basically just the ministers throwing a tantrum.

“Please let us play games! Waaah!”

“So we can’t grant permission, but we can’t ignore the ministers’ dissatisfaction. It’s too intense right now.”

“Wouldn’t it be good if the King or the Crown Prince reduced their gaming time? They work us to the bone while they just play games.”

“…If those two had been listening, we wouldn’t have gotten to this point.”

Such is the nature of royal folks.

“…I think I have a possible solution.”

“What is it?”

“It’s one of the upcoming games. I’d been thinking of creating it not as a fantasy reality, but in a simple manipulation format. With that, you could play it right on your desk.”

Honestly, this would mean working while gaming, but for those too pressed for time to access the fantasy world, it might serve as a good alternative.

After all, many people enjoy playing on their phones in modern times.

“What’s that?”

“It’s called Auto Chess. You could say it’s a sequel to COL.”

“Chess?”

*

Auto Chess.

The most famous one in modern times was none other than the Auto Chess made by the creators of COL.

However, before that, there was already a similar game, which was the inspiration for COL’s developers.

I also intended to use champions from COL to create Auto Chess.

“What’s this, Rai?”

“This is a pad… for Auto Chess, I suppose.”

Creating a fantasy game through a device like a smartphone was more complex than merely accessing a fantasy world directly.

The basic method of sharing the fantasy implemented on the main server with individuals was the same.

But this time, you would see the fantasy on a screen.

Thus, something intermediary to manipulate inside the fantasy was necessary.

“A pad?”

“Yes. It can display the screen like this.”

As I operated the pad, a holographic screen rose into the air.

And, just like a laptop’s trackpad, it could manipulate the screen.

The pad had a similar shape to other artifacts, but it featured both a control panel and a display unit.

“Oooo… that’s fascinating.”

“With this, you could carry it around and still play, right?”

The rules of Auto Chess were pretty simple.

You could buy pieces from the shop, and collecting three of the same piece increased its rank.

Once you deploy those strengthened pieces onto the battlefield, they would fight autonomously.

In essence, it was a luck-based game where getting the desired pieces was paramount.
But you also needed to have the agility and intelligence to form good combinations on the fly.

“Right now, I’ve actively shared the fantasy with Rain. When it officially launches, only the user will be able to see the screen.”

“If you increase the subjects of the fantasy, the magic gets way too big, after all.”

Being a personal device means others can’t see it.

This means you could pretend to work while gaming as well.

I thought the royal ministers might appreciate this.

“I really want one.”

The design was conveniently portable, inspired by the COL logo.

I presumed it would also be great as an accessory.

It’s common to create artifacts like brooches from Zebit, so this fits right in as well.

After development was completed, it was announced that the Tower would announce the launch schedule.

Once the release was confirmed, the first to jump in were naturally the royal ministers.

They all eagerly bought the game at the mention that they wouldn’t have to enter the fantasy world directly.

Was it really right to encourage them to game while working?

Of course, as long as they did their jobs well, there wouldn’t be any issues.

One thing was clear: the gaming culture in this world was becoming healthier…

But it wasn’t just the royal palace that had a significant reaction to Auto Chess.

“Rai? Someone came to visit?”

“Who?”

One day, an unfamiliar guest arrived at the Tower.

If it were a regular, like Galleard or Rikal, they would normally let themselves in, but this time they asked for me directly.

“Don’t know? Their name is something like Leisha…”

“I really don’t know who that is.”

It was a name I’d genuinely never heard before.

*

Somewhere between Trinity and the archipelago.

And a city built in a way that was as unique as Trinity itself.

While it wasn’t a country, it was recognized for self-governance.

This place was the Academy City of Teria.

The city spread out centered around Teria Academy located in its heart.

Falling under the Empire’s jurisdiction, Teria was the top educational institution on the continent.

Most nobles and reputable families’ children pass through here and become talents.

And even within Teria Academy, the game from Illusion Tower was quite the hot topic.

“Hey, did you hear? There’s a game you can play anywhere now!”

“Auto Chess? I already bought it. I tried it a bit yesterday, and it was really fun!”

“What?! When on earth!”

“A few days ago, I dashed to Trinity. The line was so long I almost missed curfew for the dormitory.”

“Me too! I want to try it as well!”

“This game shows the screen in fantasy, but if you’re not a user, you can’t see it anyway. So, I snuck a game in during my political science lecture. That class was so boring, I didn’t even need to pay attention.”

The academy students found themselves in a similar position as the royal ministers.

With their tight schedules, it was difficult to game during short breaks between classes.

Once classes ended, the flood of assignments and test preparations left them little time for games.

“Alright, so as for the current international situation, focusing on the Empire’s new international laws… hmm?”

A few moments after the release of Auto Chess, during a political science lecture.

The professor paused his teaching, impressed by the students’ engagement level.

‘Everyone’s paying attention like this…!’

It was infamously known as the lecture where students usually doze off or mess around.

But bizarrely, today, everyone was focused, their eyes lit up and scribbling fervently in their notebooks.

Somehow, everyone seemed to possess the same type of accessory, but that didn’t matter.

‘I need to teach even harder…!’

The professor raised his voice.

The students only concentrated on Auto Chess even more.