NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4
There was a game in the other world.
The game named “Vicious” was similar to chess, where you moved pieces, and there was also a card game like poker called “Paimon.”
However, there was no game that used magic and crystal balls.
It was obvious.
Only a select few wizards who could handle magical powers could use the magic that could be considered a computer in this world.
The crystal balls that could be used by those without magical power had only been around for a mere 10 years.
And the fact that their prices had recently dropped significantly happened just within the last year.
Haven’t we seen this somewhere before?
Just like how computers emerged in reality, and over time their prices dropped, leading to the creation of video game consoles and games, the environment for creating and accepting games in this world had finally been established.
To think I only just realized this, I must have truly not wanted to engage in game development.
“So, to sum it up, this is kind of like the game you played in your previous life, Vicious, right?”
“Right, but to be precise, since it can only be played on a crystal ball, we should call it a ‘crystal ball game.’”
I had once shared my previous life story with my Master and my apprentices.
Everyone except my Master treated it as a joke, but I didn’t care.
Because right now, my past life didn’t matter much in my life.
“To be honest, I thought your story from your previous life was just sleep-talking or delusions… but it was real.”
I wished it had been a delusion.
But the more I denied it, the clearer it became.
The scent of cigarette smoke I felt while developing the game, the ashtray attacks from the team leader, working late nights on weekdays…
All of it.
But it was fine.
“What really matters now is that it can save our school.”
Yeah, when everyone enjoys it, Tetric will definitely take off in this world.
But we had to hurry. We needed to earn 500 million gold in three months.
“Yuren, what should we do now?”
Karen’s eyes lit up.
Her desire for money was so apparent that you could tell even without mind-reading.
It was surprising how much Karen cared about money.
But this wasn’t the time for such reflections, so I gave my orders.
“First, we need 50 small crystal balls with Tetric magic added.”
We could make about 50 small Tetric crystal balls in 30 minutes.
“And first, Jiren and Karen, you two should take about 30 of our small crystal balls to the merchant guild and give them one for free, while explaining Tetric. Tell them the price is 50,000 gold, and absolutely do not give any to Grey’s guild, got it?”
“Understood, brother.”
“Yes, Yuren!”
Jiren was emotional, and Karen was rational.
This male-female combination was the most fantastic duo I had seen in the previous life’s game project team.
For sure, while Jiren conveyed the fun of Tetric, Karen would emphasize its monetary value and land the spike with her arguments.
“Master, please go to the Magic Association and register the Tetric magic for a patent under your name. I’m asking you to use your privileges and do it today.”
“Got it, disciple.”
My Master was one of only three ‘Sages’ in this empire.
One of the Sage’s privileges was to immediately patent any magic they created without going through a review process.
After receiving the Tetric scroll, my Master pondered for a moment and said.
“But disciple, why not register it under your own name?”
“That’s right. Yuren, no matter how much you like Master, it seems right to register it under your name.”
“Wahh! Ka… Karen disciple! Don’t say embarrassing things!”
My Master’s face turned red.
His blushing face was so cute.
Of course, I liked my Master, but that didn’t mean I would register it under his name without a reason.
I lived through the era of the [Newtask Game Violence Experiment Incident].
This was preparation for that time.
“There will definitely come a moment in the near future when your name will be needed. This is preparation for then. So I’m asking you, Master.”
“Okay, if you say so, I will do it.”
I finally turned my attention to the youngest Noirin, who was looking eagerly for her turn.
“Noirin, please continue making the Tetric crystal balls with the other apprentices; with your skills, you can probably make about 100 of them a day.”
“Got it, Yuren! I will take responsibility and make them!”
Noirin and the other apprentices were still inexperienced, but if they worked together, they could make about 100 Tetric crystal balls in a day.
My estimate was that we would probably need 2,000 within this week, so we needed to hurry.
“Then I will take about 20 and go promote it to the branch manager of the southern tavern guild.”
At my words, Karen raised an eyebrow.
“The tavern guild? Shouldn’t we go to the bard guild for promotion?”
In this world, the bard guild usually handled promotions for such products.
When Crystal Cleaning Crystal emerged when I was about 15, the Magic Association had paid the bard guild to help advertise it, leading to the song “May the Dust Vanish by the Blessing of the Wind God.”
I was amazed by witnessing primitive radio advertisements for the first time.
But what we needed now wasn’t such a song.
To promote a game, we needed word-of-mouth before any advertisement.
The word-of-mouth that could convey the energy of fun and enjoyment.
“Everything has its place, then let’s get started, Irene School!”
[ “Yes!” ]
With a booming cheer, everyone flew into action to carry out their assigned tasks.
Just wait, Grey. I’m about to show the power of our family!
*
Karen and Jiren headed to the merchant guild and introduced Tetric to guilds dealing with small crystal balls.
“So this is the newly emerged game magic?”
“Yes! It’s a crystal ball game that’s 100 times more fun than Paimon.”
“100 times? That sounds like an exaggeration.”
“It’s true! I’ll give you one for free, so try it out. This is going to sell really well.”
“But still, 50,000 gold seems too expensive. It’s just a game.”
Jiren expressed the fun of Tetric with every fiber of his being.
“Mmm… Wow, wow!”
While perfectly mimicking the BGM, he tried to convey the enjoyment of the game.
Of course, it didn’t quite work, but the image of a wizard making such funny gestures piqued the merchants’ curiosity.
That was not something Yuren had planned.
Had Yuren seen it, he would have probably called Jiren a clown, but unfortunately, Yuren wasn’t there at the moment.
While Jiren sparked curiosity, Karen moved in to take advantage of it.
“Wise, you’ll remember when the Cleaning Crystal first came out, and its price skyrocketed to 1 million gold, right?”
“That’s because it helps in everyday life…”
“It wasn’t just that. It wouldn’t have soared to 1 million gold just for cleaning. People want something new. You know that, since you’re the branch manager of Robert’s Guild, right?”
Indeed.
People feel curiosity towards the new.
In that regard, this Tetric crystal ball was a hit.
Exciting songs, new screens appearing on the crystal balls, and blocks that stimulated the instinct to match something — all of it was incredibly, incredibly fresh in the eyes of the residents of this medieval fantasy world.
“Today we just came to introduce it, so we’ll be heading back now. Just remember, only our Irene School can make Tetric crystal balls.”
With that, Karen stood up, her red hair flowing dramatically.
She had the aura of a modern career woman that left Jiren speechless.
Sometimes Jiren would think, when looking at Karen, that he felt like he was the apprentice.
“Shall we go to the next one, Jiren?”
“Uh?…Oh! Let’s go, Karen.”
Right after, they headed towards the next guild.
In the meantime, after swiftly reaching the Magic Association, Irene registered the patent for the Tetric magic in a flash and contacted Yuren like lightning.
Irene, following Yuren’s instructions, ignored anyone’s words and registered the patent with incredible speed, feeling proud of herself.
She couldn’t wait to be praised by her disciple.
“Disciple! I just registered the Tetric magic patent. Now this magic is ours!”
“Good job, Master! Now please return to the school and make some Tetric crystal balls.”
“Got it! When will you come back?”
“It will take me about 3 days. I’ll finish quickly and come back home.”
“All right! Don’t overdo it, and see you at home, disciple!”
Yuren, who went to the southern tavern guild alone, didn’t just stop at promoting Tetric.
He moved around all the taverns, using the Wind Manipulation magic to create arcade-like devices where he installed the crystal balls, making sure many people could see them right in front of the tavern.
The effect was immediate.
“What is this?”
“Hey! There’s something new here!”
“Oh! That’s it! That magical game called ‘Tetric’ that the kid Yuren brought!”
“A game?”
After finishing their workday and looking for a place to relax and have fun, the patrons of the tavern were intrigued by this new entertainment.
“Yeah, it’s said to be more fun than Paimon, so if you’re bored, you should try it out.”
“More fun than Paimon?”
“Come on, no way.”
In an era where there weren’t many entertainment options, the claim that it was more fun than drinking and playing Paimon was enough to pique everyone’s curiosity.
Thus, the first victim, or rather the first user, began the Tetric game.
“Well, I’m tired of card games and feeling bored, so let’s give it a shot! Haha!”
“Do, do, do, do, do, doh~ ♩ do, do, dop~ 
do, do, do, do, do, do, do~ ”
As that gentleman placed his hand on the Tetric crystal ball and activated it, the sound echoed throughout the tavern.
Everyone’s attention was drawn to the source of the addictive sound.
And thus, the game began.
*
– 5 days later, in Irene’s office –
“It’s quiet, isn’t it, brother?”
“Yeah, it’s been a while since we’ve had peace.”
The gathering after everyone had completed their duties came five days later.
It wasn’t just the ones who had been out and about who had toiled.
My Master and the apprentices who had stayed at home had created 2,000 Tetric crystal balls over the course of four days.
Everyone had collapsed from exhaustion yesterday, and today, we were having a brief rest.
“Hoo, the coffee tastes nice today.”
Having coffee in the office after a long time was delightful.
As I enjoyed the rare tranquility while looking at the clear sky, Jiren spoke up uneasily.
“Brother, is it really fine for us to be this calm?”
“It should be okay for 2-3 days after everyone has worked so hard.”
“2-3 days?”
With my industry experience, I sensed that an explosion would occur in 2-3 days.
The 2,000 Tetric crystal balls we had prepared would sell out rapidly.
“After that, we’ll be really busy. Just like during the [Supply Issue at the Border Unit] incident.”
“Goodness… will it be that extreme?”
I recalled the time when we had to transport food for 1,000 troops across the border while struggling for a week using magic.
Jiren had particularly suffered a lot during that time.
It had indeed been tough… back then…
But upon comparing it to the present life, um… I might think that game development was even more challenging.
That one week did end at least, but in some sense… wow…
“No. Now that I think about it, it seems even more chaotic than when I was there.”
“Thank you for all your hard work, brother. Then I will take my leave.”
As I spoke, Jiren began gathering his things, ready to escape.
Not on my watch.
“[Aerial Chains Magic]!”
“Gyaaah!”
With white chains of wind binding Jiren’s ankles, he fell over.
“Where do you think you’re going, little Jiren, leaving me behind?”
“Don’t! Let me go! I don’t want to die just yet! Bro!”
“You’re not dying. Just going to be very, very busy. Very busy…”
“Gyaaaah!!!”
Yeah, Jiren, you’re still young, you won’t die. You won’t…
I gazed into the clear sky, inhaling the aromatic scent of coffee and the sound of Jiren’s screams.
I should be getting contacts by now… or is it still too far off?
“Yuren! From the merchant guild! From the merchant guild!!!”
Right on cue.
Karen burst through the door looking completely exhilarated.
I calmly sipped my coffee, addressing her.
“Karen, take a deep breath and speak. I was expecting this, so take it easy… hoo…”
I figured she’d tell me they wanted Tetric crystal balls.
That was within my expectations.
They would probably want about 2,000.
Since we had already made 2,000, we could start giving away 1,000…
“The merchant guild ordered 20,000 Tetric crystal balls!!!”
“Pwooow! What!!? 20,000!!!?”
20,000!?
Not 2,000, but 20,000!!?
This was unexpected.
“Moreover, they’ve come here in person!!!”
“What!! They came in person!!!?”
As I rushed towards the entrance of the school building, I found dozens of merchant representatives in a frenzy.
This I didn’t expect.
That person is from Robert’s guild, and that one is from James’s guild—wait, doesn’t Green’s guild specialize in food?
What are they doing here?
As I stood there in shock, the trading representatives started shouting as soon as they spotted me.
“That Tetric crystal ball! We want to order 1,000! Right now, immediately!”
“We’ll take 1,500! If you give it to us first, we’ll give you an additional 20%!”
“We offer 30%.”
“Then we’ll do 60%!”
Seeing the chaotic scene, I remembered Jiren, who was still tied up in my office.
Sorry, Jiren.
You’re really going to have a tough time.