Isekai Online Game Developer

“Don’t you think you should enroll in the Academy this year, Dennyan?”

Countess Logos said, looking at Dennyan who was busy playing ‘Auto Chess’.

Back when ‘Maple Leaf Story’ was first released, he was still a minor.

Now, Dennyan had long surpassed the age to enroll in the Academy.

“I’m not going to the Academy, Mother! I told you, I don’t want to study just to line up!”

“Well, you still need to get a job! Do you know that the young prince of the nearby territory, Meridat, just got a job at the Imperial Ministry of Finance?”

“Don’t compare me! I’m trying hard too!”

Usually, students graduate from high school and enroll in the Academy at around 18 or 19 years old.

But Dennyan had already graduated high school a year ago.

While others were attending the Academy, he enjoyed gaming at home for a whole year.

Recently, there were quite a few young nobles like him.

It wasn’t just due to the emergence of games.

This had been a phenomenon prior as well.

With the Empire’s continental governance beginning, the types of talents the Empire desired started occupying key positions.

Perhaps it could be seen as a problem of uniformity.

Since only a specific type of talent was required, the Academy narrowed its curriculum to cultivate only similar talents.

They only prepared for examinations to become imperial talents.

The true exploration of scholarship was gradually fading away.

The younger generation, feeling this doubt, began to give up on entering central politics,

and more of them began to live modest lives like now on the outskirts of the Empire.

“I’ll handle it my way!”

Dennyan slammed the door as he entered.

The Countess clicked her tongue.

“What does he mean by ‘handle it my way’…”

The stress was certainly mounting.

With a deep sigh, the Countess leaned back in her armchair.

Exhausted, she pulled out a game for a bit of relaxation.

She had recently been immersed in a leisurely life in Minecraft.

“Lately, I’ve been wondering what it would be like to be born a farmer.”

Building a village, farming crops.

Trading with villagers, sometimes playing on the map with other users.

Such activities were simply enjoyable for her.

“Oh my, is it already time…?”

Lost in construction, the Countess was startled when she glanced at the time.

Soon, there was a social party organized by Duchess Eliza.

Duchess Eliza’s domain was quite far from Count Logos’s mansion.

However, entering her world in Minecraft would only take a few maneuvers.

-Hohohohoho!

Upon accessing Duchess Eliza’s world, many people had already arrived.

“Oh my, Countess Logos?”

“Madam, it’s so nice to see you here after so long. It seems we meet everywhere.”

“Thanks to the Duchess’s invitation! I’ve been deeply absorbed in the new job in ‘Maple Leaf Story’ recently.”

“Ah, Eban, isn’t it? Our youngest found it quite fun as well.”

Countess Logos happily conversed with a long-time acquaintance.

Though the social scene required intense scrutiny and subtle bragging, she enjoyed a close relationship with her.

“Countess Logos, you’ve come.”

“I’m pleased to see the Duchess.”

But once she joined the crowd of the Duchess and other attendees, she straightened her posture.

Now, the real game was about to begin.

“The land prices we discussed last time skyrocketed after the establishment of international law. Hoho. We were really lucky.”

“I hear your eldest son just got into the Imperial Ministry of Finance!”

“Oh my, Madam, this jewel is…!”

“Hohoho. It took a great deal of effort to acquire it.”

On the surface, it appeared to be a cheerful atmosphere.

But if you looked closely, it was more like peacocks displaying their feathers, a subtle rivalry against each other.

How one presented themselves at such gatherings determined their standing in society.

“Oh, by the way, didn’t I hear that Countess Logos’s eldest son is attending the Academy currently?”

At that moment, an attack directed towards the Countess came in.

She felt a bit timid.

In high society, having an unemployed eldest son was usually a cause for immediate dismissal.

Though she didn’t like her eldest son, she had a way to defend herself in this situation.

“No, our eldest son didn’t enroll last year. He said he wanted to focus on something before enrollment.”

“Oh? What might that be?”

Lady Sophia, fully aware, was asking out of sheer curiosity.

Recently, the Logos family had been doing quite well, so she deliberately touched upon the topic of her son’s failure.

However, Countess Logos smiled calmly.

“Well, it’s COL, you know.”

“COL? Hehe. Isn’t that something everyone does?”

“Indeed. But our son’s level is different. I’m sure everyone knows about the upcoming COL and Auto Chess tournament organized by the Imperial family, right?”

“Of course. Everyone’s excited that the history of the Arcane War will be reproduced.”

“Perhaps our son might participate. Because his tier is…”

-Challenger, you see.

““—!!!!!””

Everyone gasped at her words.

Countess Logos felt emboldened by their reactions.

“He has such outstanding talent that we can’t help it. He might not go to the Academy for about a year.”

As a mother, Countess Logos was worried about her son not going to the Academy.

Yet, she tolerated it primarily because Dennyan was a Challenger.

Furthermore, with the recent announcement of the tournament at the Imperial court, being a Challenger was an even greater point of pride.

“I’ve never seen a Challenger around me. Which lane is he on?”

“What’s his nickname? Challenger can only be held by 100 users among all players…”

“Hehe… He’s mid-lane. And his nickname is…”

““!!!!!!!!!””

People were shocked once again.

This time, some even gasped in disbelief.

COL’s prestige was incredible to that extent.

Depending on his play, the meta could change dramatically.

He was referred to as the strongest in COL, and his roaming play between jungle lanes was so famous even bronzes knew about it.

Truly, the god of COL. A idol. The sky. The sun and light.

So famous that a cult-like following emerged surrounding him.

Everyone chimed in that he had to participate in the upcoming tournament organized by the Imperial court.

“Hehe. Whatever it is, it seems he has great abilities to immerse himself. He might lead the military taking advantage of the strategic experience he gained in COL, or he could use his physical prowess dominating lane combat to join the intelligence department. The Academy is important, but isn’t personal growth like that also important? Hohohohoho!”

The Countess shrugged her shoulders.

Of course, Dennyan had no intention of getting a job.

Nonetheless, she could at least say so.

That was the current stature of COL.

A blend of strategy and personal combat skills, leadership, social abilities, and financial sense.

It was evaluated as a gathering of all essential elements for success.

So much so that it was said if your COL skills were lacking, you wouldn’t be selected as an officer in the military.

“Wow, that’s really impressive.”

“By the way, is Count Logos’s son aiming for the ‘I-SPORTS’ major next year?”

“‘I-SPORTS’ major?”

“Yes. It was announced that a major related to fantasy games would be newly established in the Academy next year. Because of that, nobles who have already graduated from the Academy, as well as other races, are in a frenzy about re-enrolling!”

Countess Logos had never heard this news before.

It was because she hadn’t read the newspaper recently due to gaming.

But noticing that others seemed unaware as well, it must have been a fairly recent announcement.

“Well, I could say that! Our eldest son also said he wants to try out for the ‘I-SPORTS’ major. Hohohoho!”

The Countess casually responded, pretending to be composed.

Of course, there was no agreement from Dennyan.

But if it’s a game-related major, he might find it interesting.

After the party in ‘Minecraft’ concluded,

the Countess quickly conveyed this news to Dennyan.

“‘I-SPORTS’ major?”

“Yeah. I think it would suit you well. What do you think?”

Hearing that news, Dennyan fell deep into thought.

*

The day of the Academy entrance exam the following year.

The number of applicants this year was particularly high.

It was easily ten times the average.

Importantly, the number of ordinary applicants remained the same.

Some majors even had slightly fewer applicants than before.

“So, what’s your tier now?”

“I’m Platinum.”

“Oh, I’m Diamond, haha.”

These new applicants were all candidates for the ‘I-SPORTS’ major.

Filled with eagerness for acceptance, the candidates were already sizing each other up.

“Son. You must pass! It’s the only way to save our family!”

“Yes, don’t worry! I’ll put the family name on the line. I’ll definitely get accepted!”

Some fallen nobles had come a long way just to pass the I-SPORTS major exam.

The opening of this I-SPORTS major had major repercussions.

“Guh, guheek. Guhegah…”

“Calm down, Tower Master. The semester hasn’t even started, it’s just the entrance exam day.”

“Haha, haha, but… don’t do that…”

There were a few Illusion Mages, including myself and Hina.

Of course, they weren’t there to enroll in the Academy.

We were there to serve as examiners for the entrance exam.

“After all, they’re just kids, and they all respect the Tower Master. So just tone it down. You might cause an earthquake.”

“U-uh, uuhhh…”

Hina was trembling, creating bizarre illusions around her.

Naturally, Hina had been invited to the professor position.

Having shared the history of all games together and with her exceptional talent in games, it was expected she could handle lectures despite her current nerves.

Additional Illusion Mages were also invited as professors.

Considering the shrinking of personnel, it was a painful choice.

Yet, the astronomical support promised to the Illusion Tower in exchange for their invitation was simply irresistible, so it was immediately approved.

“It’s been a while, Riot.”

At that moment, a neutral yet sexy voice called out.

It was the Dark Elf Kilia.

She, along with several other Dark Elves, had also been invited as professors concerning ‘Minecraft’.

“Long time no see, Sekunna.”

“…Just call me Kilia. By the way, are you a professor too?”

“Well, others here are, but…”

I scratched the back of my head, trailing off.

“I’m not a professor.”

…I wasn’t invited to a professor position.

Even if I had been requested, I wouldn’t have accepted anyway, but there wasn’t even a request.

Out of curiosity, I had thrown my pride aside and asked the Academy side why, and the answer I got was this.

“But isn’t Riot’s COL tier Silver?”

I did reach Gold 4 though? Sure, I didn’t have time this season but…

As I was about to say this, I quietly cut off the communication.

“I’m just a developer. I can’t teach games.”

“Oh right, I remember you were really bad at the game. Can the creator really be that terrible?”

“Ugh…”

Kilia covered her mouth with her hand.

She pretended to hide it, but her expression openly mocked me.

“Well, I just came to watch today. It’s a historic moment in gaming.”

Though I couldn’t become a professor, I wanted to watch it at least once.

And I expected that some famous users might come to take the entrance exam.

Especially, I was particularly interested in the son of Count Logos.

His family was the first to ever appear on the blacklist in the past.

Now, that eldest son had grown to become a legendary figure in COL.

Since the timing was just right, I thought he might enroll…

But he didn’t seem to be among the applicants.

“Excuse me, is the son of Count Logos not on the entrance exam list?”

I asked an Academy staff member in confusion.

“Oh, you mean him! He has said he wouldn’t enroll.”

“Ah, are you aware of his identity?”

“He’s famous in high society! Because Countess Logos brags about him all the time. So, we also reached out to him directly, and he said, ‘I’ll just prove it.’”

“Prove what?”

Anyway, it seemed he wouldn’t be enrolling.

I really wanted to see such a great user, but it was disappointing.

However, a few months later,

not just me, but everyone bore witness to him, or rather the beginning of his legend.

At the COL tournament hosted by the Empire, he stunningly made his appearance.