Isekai Online Game Developer

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“Hmm? Zebit? What is that?”

While Lumia was busy broadcasting and playing a game, she noticed a name repeatedly popping up in the viewers’ chat.

“A user who was immensely popular in the early days of the Illusion Game…? The Zatume Expedition’s Demon King Sama has heard of it.”

Zebit, who had vanished after ‘Thumping Academy.’

By the time the Demon Race began to seriously engage with the game, Zebit had already gone into hiding.

“Hmm… So, they were the idol of ‘Maple Leaf Story’? So that person is making a comeback?”

Demon King Sama Kerup: Yep, it seems viewers are coming and going.

Succubus, I want to meet you just once: But I’m only watching the Demon King Sama.

Somehow, it seemed the number of viewers was a bit low today.

Although Lumia generally didn’t pay much attention to the numbers, hearing that they were the most famous user in the Human World piqued her interest.

And for some reason, she felt a strong connection and wanted to befriend them.

“Hmm… Then I also want to check it out! I want to become friends with this Zebit!”

Demon King Sama Kerup: Are you going to visit them?

Succubus, Please kill me: Hehe…

More fun than Kanfu: Sounds like it would be hilarious! LOL.

Lumia decided to take a break from the game to watch Zebit’s broadcast.

It wasn’t uncommon for her to watch other streamers on ‘Twatch.’

“Ooh… What an incredibly cute human!”

As soon as she saw Zebit, Lumia got excited.

It was a natural reaction. Zebit’s appearance was such that nobody could dislike it.

“But what are they doing?”

What was somewhat perplexing, however, was that this Zebit person was doing some strange rhythmical movement.

Demon King Sama Kerup: Looks like they’re reacting, yeah.

Succubus, Please kill me: It’s like a dance that’s trending in the Human World. People like it because it’s cute.

“Oh, is this what they were asking for every time I supported them?!”

That’s the response culture.

It was a trend that started when a commoner danced to express gratitude for a sponsorship.

Zebit was currently mimicking a rabbit’s dance to some cheesy music.

It matched Zebit’s cute image and received a positive reaction.

More fun than Kanfu: I can’t believe I’m seeing Zebit reacting like this! LOL!

Demon King Sama Kerup: Looks like they’re well-suited to being a streamer. But someone like Zebit is indeed streaming.

“Hmm… It’s cute, but I don’t think the Demon King Sama could handle that.”

It definitely felt like people would enjoy it.

But no matter what, Lumia was the Demon King leading the Demon Race.

As someone who held a certain dignity, dancing like that was a stretch for her.

Demon King Sama Kerup: How about collaborating? Let’s at least game together.

More fun than Kanfu: If the Demon King Sama and Zebit collaborate, the server might explode! LOL.

“Collaborate…?”

It refers to when streamers broadcast together.

This had become a frequent occurrence lately.

“I want to be friends with Zebit!”

*

A few days ago, on Zebit’s broadcast.

As usual, donations were pouring in.

Zebit’s Footwipe: Please do the rabbit reaction just once.

Zebit’s All: Seriously, even with all the donations, they’ve never done it.

“U-uh, the reaction… is something I’m not really sure about…”

Of course, there were many viewers who demanded the reaction too.

Zebit had never specifically claimed they would do a reaction.

Moreover, sponsorships were entirely voluntary from the viewers.

‘But no matter what, this is a bit…’

Zebit thought internally while searching for what this reaction was.

It generally involved performing cute or funny actions in return for sponsorships.

Among these, there were many simple dances like the rabbit dance that viewers frequently requested.

Zebit tried to boost her performance to avoid losing face against the Demon King Sama.

But still, she hesitated to go that far.

It was an instinctive refusal.

Zebit’s All: Ah, I think I’ll just go watch Demon King Sama’s broadcast.

Zebit’s Footwipe: Let’s wipe the Demon King Sama’s feet instead.

However, the viewers leaving was their freedom as well.

Of course, not all streamers do reactions.

In fact, many more streamers don’t do them.

But what viewers expected from Zebit wasn’t just gaming.

Just seeing her cuteness and brightness uplifted their spirits.

It was like they found happiness in loving her like an idol.

This naturally led to the expectation of reactions.

Since Zebit didn’t fulfill those expectations, disappointed viewers began to leave her stream.

“Hawawa…?”

The decreasing number of viewers was becoming increasingly noticeable.

Watching it, Zebit grew anxious.

‘Not these guys…’

Meanwhile, the viewers for the Demon King Sama continued to increase day by day.

Ultimately, Zebit made a decision.

After all, it was already the moment for Zebit to go all out.

It felt stranger that Zebit had not reacted up to this point.

Refocused on Zebit, Rikal changed the stream title.

In this situation, there was no way he could lose against the Demon King Sama.

[Going to do the Hawawa Zebit Rabbit Reaction~]

Hawawain Pizza: Zebit’s Rabbit reaction is coming!!

Zebit’s All: So cute, I’m leaving now!

Zebit’s Footwipe: Zebit, you’re just so cute!!

At the same time, the number of viewers began to explosively rise.

It surpassed the previous viewer count by a huge margin.

Moreover, as Zebit reacted, donations began to pour in even more.

“Thank you, everyone~!”

As she displayed the reaction, immense interest returned.

Additionally, the skyrocketing viewer count and the donations led to a dopamine explosion.

Zebit had tasted that pleasure.

In the midst of ongoing reactions, not long after, a collaboration proposal from the Demon King Sama came through.

‘Is this a blatant challenge now?’

Zebit thought she was misinterpreting something.

“Let’s see what happens then!”

Thus, the collaboration between the Demon King Sama and Zebit was set.

*

“Claiming they wouldn’t do it and now here they are with reactions and collaborations…”

The news of the collaboration between the Demon King Sama and Zebit plastered across a newspaper.

I clicked my tongue as I flipped through the paper, which included a reaction photo of Zebit.

Meanwhile, Rikal, who said he wouldn’t start streaming, finally did just that.

“Uh, um?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

When Hina, who was nearby, asked, I casually deflected.

“But recently, there haven’t been many visitors.”

“Right? I thought there would be more since it’s a quiet time.”

Rain and Medeia, who were also nearby, chimed in.

It was certainly a time when various big events had wound down, making it feel more relaxed.

However, it seemed both Galleard and Rikal (Zebit) were busy with their personal broadcasts and couldn’t come.

Moreover, other Tower inhabitants and royal family members, as well as dragon folks, appeared to be catching up on things they hadn’t done while gaming.

The game had completely permeated their daily lives.

Everyone had become accustomed to the existence of the game.

Additionally, they hadn’t released any new games lately, so there were no particular inquiries.

“Do you have any ideas for the next game?”

It seemed everyone had similar thoughts as Rain asked this.

So far, they had created a game in nearly every genre.

There was one genre that came to mind, but it had a problem I was contemplating.

“If we were to make something, it would probably be… FPS.”

“FPS?”

FPS. First Person Shooting game. In other words, a first-person shooter.

From my last memory, fantasy-inspired games like Overwatch were gaining popularity.

I had certainly thought of something similar.

But unlike modern times, there was a slight issue in this world.

The existing games were already in a format where players could enter the fantasy world and play directly.

Thus, even if they released an FPS, it would only differ in other aspects. Ultimately, it would feel like the same gameplay for the people in this world.

Given the connection to the fantasy directly, it would likely feel like a game that wasn’t new at all.

Even if they released an FPS, it didn’t seem like it could offer anything fresh.

I briefly explained my thoughts on FPS.

“Hmm… From just hearing it, it sounds similar to a game like COL.”

“I don’t quite understand…”

“Um.”

Responses varied.

It certainly felt no different from COL.

But what set FPS apart was that it could focus more on weapons, and the gameplay itself emphasized that action.

“Hmm… I think I need to ponder this a bit more. Unless it’s an urgent matter, don’t search for it for a while.”

With that said, I entered the room.

FPS. I needed to think carefully about how to approach creating that.

Days passed.

*

“…Claiming they couldn’t do it but look where we are now.”

“…Shut up.”

Not long after, I arrived at the royal palace.

I had come to the palace after a long time to clear my head.

Knowing that the royal family played a lot of games, I was in search of inspiration for the next game while observing them.

“I heard you did a collaboration recently.”

“It was just a simple COL together. Can you be quiet? If someone hears you…”

“Understood, understood.”

As I kept bringing up Zebit, Rikal grew anxious, fearing being caught.

I chuckled and moved the conversation along.

“By the way, when will the next game be out? It feels like it’s about time.”

“Actually, that’s the dilemma I’m facing.”

“What’s the dilemma?”

“I don’t want to explain it all; I’ll just stick to sightseeing around the palace.”

“You jerk…”

In fact, there were many games I could create if I wanted to.

But in the end, they would all end up being a similar type of game.

Considering the immense effort that goes into creating a game, I wanted to create something that would bring new fun.

“…It’s the Knights’ Order.”

Wandering around the palace, I eventually arrived at the Knights’ Order.

There, knights were training, aligning their stances.

“Speaking of which, they still wield swords.”

“What else could they do if they couldn’t use magic?”

Watching the knights in full armor swinging their swords, I muttered.

Thinking back, it was a peaceful era, so I’d never seen fighting.

Living in a city of wizards, there weren’t many opportunities to see swordplay either.

Reflecting on it, the weapons in this world still seemed rather outdated.

While the technological level was high due to magic engineering in other areas.

“Hmm…”

There are plenty of champions in COL using weapons that aren’t swords or magic.

However, most of these champions fight using skills, causing everyone to accept such weaponry, like guns, as a sort of magic.

Yet, there were still no weapons beyond bladed ones like swords in this world.

“Then…”

Then, how about a new weapon?

If I were to create a game that focuses entirely on that new weapon and the fighting style it involves.

“I’m taking my leave. Enjoy your broadcasts.”

I hurriedly returned to the Illusion Tower.