Chapter 26
“C-Crisis! A big crisis!”
Hina came rushing in, flailing her arms.
She looked quite flustered, her eyes darting around.
“Is there a bug in ‘Maple Leaf Story’ or something?”
“L-Lai! It’s a big crisis!”
“What’s wrong?”
“T-The council wants us to attend…!”
Hina trembled as she handed me a piece of paper.
The contents stated that we needed to attend the council regarding a proposal made in the Illusion Tower.
“Oh, so that’s how it works.”
“H-How did it come to this?!”
A request for the mass production of two artifacts, ‘Maple Leaf Story’ and the upcoming ‘Championship of Legends’, along with recognition of the Illusion Tower’s public benefit (for the purpose of expanding the tower).
I had requested these three items not long ago.
All needed the council’s approval, and it seemed that the Tower Master who made the request had to participate in the council.
“What’s the deal? I mentioned we should probably do it soon.”
“B-But I don’t want to go to the council!”
“Hmm?”
Hina fluttered around explaining the council.
Apparently, every month, all the Tower Masters gather to vote on proposals.
“But I’ve never seen you go.”
“W-Well, it’s scary, you know…”
Normally, Hina should have been attending all along, but it seems she just decided not to go.
Considering how long it’s been since she last participated, should I feel grateful or sad that no one said anything?
“Normally, you can take up to two apprentice wizards with you. How about we have Lai join this time? Since you’ll probably have to showcase the artifact as well.”
“Yeah, that sounds good. Let’s go, Tower Master! If we don’t go, we won’t make any money!”
“Hoee…!”
Thus, following Rain’s suggestion, Hina and I attended the regular meeting of the Trinity Council.
And I couldn’t believe we had to showcase an artifact.
It’s possible, but considering the procedures from account creation to tutorial, it wouldn’t be short of time.
Besides, the real fun starts after finishing the tutorial.
After contemplating, I ultimately decided to showcase ‘Championship of Legends’ at the council.
At least it has a set time for one match.
Also, wizards are driven by ambition and competitive spirit.
I figured ‘Championship of Legends’ would likely be preferable since each match could let them feel that glorious victory.
Finally, on the day of the council.
“9 votes in favor. 21 votes against. Denied.”
It was outright rejected.
Naturally, since our achievement went unrecognized, we couldn’t expand the tower either.
“Unbelievable…”
“This is insane! Are the Tower Masters out of their minds?!”
“They’re more closed-minded than expected, these Tower Masters.”
The people of the tower were in despair upon hearing the news.
I too was very disheartened.
I thought with how popular ‘Maple Leaf Story’ was, we stood a chance.
It turned out, however, that being a Tower Master was vastly different from mere ordinary folks.
“If only we’d showcased ‘Maple Leaf Story’ instead! Everyone would have supported it then.”
“Should we have done that…?”
Was that a poor judgment on my part?
With time being a factor, and knowing how exceptionally powerful the Tower Masters were, I thought they’d be more interested in ‘Championship of Legends’ rather than starting from level 1 in ‘Maple Leaf Story’.
I began to berate myself.
To raise a denied proposal again requires the agreement of ten Tower Masters.
Then, we would need to secure more than half of the approval to get it through…
Getting approval after it had been denied was hardly an easy path.
“But if we work hard like before, won’t we get more famous and create more opportunities?”
Medeia chimed in, trying to lighten the mood.
Medeia, with her innate attribute, couldn’t produce artifacts anyway.
The production staff were looking rather grim.
And it wasn’t just the wizards who were struggling.
We couldn’t just keep at this same pace.
‘Maple Leaf Story’ was an MMORPG, so at least users could play.
But ‘Championship of Legends’, or COL for short, is a different story.
It’s a real-time 5v5 battle game.
If we didn’t secure many users, matching into a game would take forever.
Players come to enjoy the game, but we shouldn’t ever run into a situation where there aren’t enough artifacts to have users play.
If COL had been released back when computers weren’t widespread, it would have definitely failed.
“Still… Just to increase user numbers, approvals are needed… To create enough inventory to secure a basic user count for COL, we would need at least 3 or 4 years of continuous manual production.”
Hearing this, the faces of the production staff grew even more despondent.
There was a limit to making artifacts by hand as we were doing.
Once we obtained permission for mass production from the council, we could receive another artifact that allows us to mass-produce specific artifacts.
With that, machines could create artifacts for us, so there wouldn’t be a need for manual labor.
Plus, production speeds would increase dramatically, alleviating concerns about low inventory.
In short, approval for mass production was absolutely necessary for the release of COL.
Of course, even thinking long-term, the user count for ‘Maple Leaf Story’ was too small, so continuous mass production of artifacts meant the council’s approval was essential.
“Sigh… I guess we should think a bit more.”
We all went back to our rooms.
I headed alone to the top where the ‘Maple Leaf Story’ server was located.
Watching the brilliant light of that massive maple leaf-shaped artifact gave me a little peace.
“Huh?”
There was already a visitor there.
I was surprised because it wasn’t one of our tower members.
I could feel an immense wave of mana emanating from her just at a glance.
“…Impressive. I don’t know Illusion Magic, but the fact that someone conceived of it. It’s a shame to be just an Illusion Mage.”
“…Who are you?”
She wore the robes of an Electricity Mage.
When she turned, her flowing hair caught my eye. I recognized her face.
“Electricity Tower Master?”
“Yeah.”
I didn’t ask how she got in.
Asking a Tower Master such a question was pointless.
“What brings you here…?”
“…Championship of Legends.”
“Huh?”
“That artifact. How can I obtain it?”
“…Pardon?”
The Electricity Tower Master, Electra, was known for her lack of expression despite her beautiful appearance.
I had heard she was cruel too.
If there hadn’t been a pact, she would supposedly wield her monstrous strength without mercy.
But for some reason, she seemed a bit shy right now.
Her cheeks appeared slightly flushed.
“Um, it’s… not released yet. Due to the nature of the game, we need to secure many users first. Thus, we planned to release about 100,000 artifacts worldwide for the initial launch, but we’re in a tough spot since the mass production was denied this time.”
“…100,000. So, there’s none to obtain?”
“There are a few, but you’d have a hard time being solo connected. It’s a 5v5 game, after all. And to enjoy it normally, we need more users.”
“…I see. I was hasty.”
Like a true Tower Master, she seemed to quickly understand.
But her feet weren’t moving.
“…Do you have anything else to say?”
“Ahem.”
The expressionless Electra appeared still.
Upon closer inspection, her lips seemed to tremble slightly.
“I-I approved it.”
“Excuse me?”
“I mean, I supported the mass production of Championship of Legends.”
“Ah… Thank you. But unfortunately, it was denied.”
Electra was indeed one of the nine who voted in favor.
I knew that, but she still hadn’t moved.
She was merely staring at the brightly glowing main server of ‘Maple Leaf Story’.
Ah, I really need to update it soon.
Feeling slightly irked, I was about to speak, but then I realized her presence and kept my mouth shut.
To be honest, it was a bit scary.
Electra exuded the aura of a transcendent being suitable for the title of Tower Master, unlike Hina.
Eventually, I gave up trying to send her off and started mumbling like a complaint.
“I guess it was my greed. Honestly, I thought if we showcased COL, everyone would have fun.”
“COL?”
“Championship of Legends. We call it that for short. Anyway, it seems not everyone found it enjoyable. I really thought they’d enjoy the strategic battles and competitive spirit, considering their ambition.”
“…Hmm. That’s true. But it’s impossible for everyone to enjoy COL at that time.”
“Really?”
Electra turned her head toward me.
I met her gaze, unable to tear my eyes away from the lightning-shaped gleam in her eyes.
“It’s true that most wizards crave intellectual activities. Their competitiveness and drive for achievement have historically been strong. The strategic elements of COL would definitely appeal to wizards. And especially for our Tower Masters with heightened accomplishments, it would be even more so.”
“…But why was it denied?”
“The first reason is the fundamental disregard for the Illusion Tower. Unless we can drastically overcome the long-standing neglect, the Tower Masters’ fingers will remain frozen.”
I had anticipated this, but hearing it directly hurt.
It’s true that the Illusion Tower remains underestimated. Especially among wizards.
“Is there a second reason?”
“There’s one more. It was insufficient for everyone to feel the fun of COL in just one match.”
“Is that so…?”
“It’s evident that if one side wins, the other must lose. Inevitably, half will not feel that sense of victory.”
“Ah…”
It felt like I had been hit on the head.
It was unsurprising that half would end up feeling a sense of defeat at the end of just one match.
Why hadn’t I thought of that?
“And COL’s rules are unfamiliar. Even if COL is truly enjoyable, grasping all the elements and understanding its value after just one round isn’t easy. It may be simple for me, but not everyone focused on COL. Let alone those who lost; they’d have lost all interest in COL.”
That too was as Electra said.
Thinking back, in my previous life, COL had a pretty high entry barrier.
You would only know how the game operates and the ecstasy of victory after winning a few times, realizing it’s a game you can’t put down.
No matter how intelligent a Tower Master might be, it’s only natural they couldn’t feel that entire process in just one match.
I felt foolish.
After all, the nature of COL was meant for that.
To think I assumed I could captivate the haughty hearts of Tower Masters with only one match.
I had become arrogant due to the success of ‘Maple Leaf Story’.
I should have been a bit more cautious.
As a developer, I couldn’t even recognize such a thing.
I felt pathetic for forgetting something so fundamental and approaching the council so recklessly.
“Ha… It seems so.”
I sighed and plopped down on the floor.
My heavy head naturally bowed down.
“I was foolish to think everyone would enjoy it after just one match.”
“If they play a few more times, I’m sure everyone will get hooked. That’s my gut feeling.”
“But now the opportunity has flown away. I can’t just go to the Tower Masters and say, ‘Please play a bit more!’”
“…There is a way.”
“…Huh?”
I lifted my head, which had been bowed low.
Electra still looked at me with her golden eyes, sparkling with lightning.
“Before Trinity was properly formed. Before the towers all rose. Back then, the schools…”
Electra began talking, still expressionless.
The more I listened to her, the wider my eyes grew.
“You mean we’ll pit the towers against each other?”
“Right.”
“Is it really… possible?”
“If my predictions are correct. And my predictions have never been wrong.”
What Electra spoke of was a tremendous plan to make the Tower Masters, no, the wizards, dive into COL.