Isekai Online Game Developer

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“What on earth is that noise?!”

The King of Frank Kingdom slammed the table hard.

The knight who had come to report lowered his head, trembling in fear.

“Ah, it seems they went directly through an unused forest path. Because of that, there are no witnesses…”

“So you’re saying you still haven’t found him?!”

“W-well, we have found him, but…”

Alken had disappeared from the royal castle.

And he knew the entire combination for gunpowder.

“It seems he went to Trinity. It looks like he entered the Illusion Tower, but we don’t have access there either…”

“Ugh…!”

The king sighed, leaning back in his throne.

At least it was a relief he hadn’t ventured into another nation like the Empire.

It didn’t seem like he was there to disclose Frank Kingdom’s firearms research to a foreign country.

“We are still monitoring; however, he hasn’t left Trinity. It doesn’t look like he is making contact with any foreign nations.”

“Haah… that guy…”

As king, he couldn’t grasp Alken’s motivations.

A common citizen would wish for a war to occur because of their own hands.

They were a race that couldn’t comprehend such peaceful intentions.

“For now, keep monitoring. And continue the research as well. He must remember the gunpowder formula.”

“Yes, yes. While Alken is absent, we can still proceed with the research.”

“Huff… everyone, step back.”

For the time being, the royal scholars could also manufacture gunpowder.

Research could progress even without Alken.

This was the best they could do for now.

It was impossible to demand a person from Trinity, a place that wouldn’t even provoke the Empire.

For now, they could only be satisfied that Alken hadn’t aligned with another nation.

However, months later.

“What?!”

News that would shake the entire world was announced.

*

“Oh… at this level, it’s nearly a complete match, isn’t it?”

“Right? It’s definitely the Dark Elves.”

“Oh, ohhh…!”

We all marveled at the M16 that Kilia had created.

Even if they could make bullets, crafting the firearm body was a challenging task.

They had resolved it by enlisting the expertise of the Dark Elves, the best craftsmen.

“What? This is easy. I fashioned the internal structure delicately.”

Click clack.

Kilia, like a training instructor, disassembled the firearm, showcasing its internal mechanisms.

Based solely on what I remembered from my military days, it was perfectly realized.

Once again, the Dark Elves’ technological prowess was unrivaled.

“So, is it complete now?”

“Not yet. We need to test it. It’ll be fine as long as it operates correctly.”

I took the firearm and skillfully loaded the bullets made by Alken.

After meticulously checking the chamber, I readied my stance.

“Oh, Riot. Looks like you’ve played ‘Hidden Attack’ quite a bit, huh?”

Kilia admired my shooting posture.

Sorry, but this isn’t just a game experience; this is real-life experience.

“Well then, I’ll shoot.”

I aimed at the target, slowly exhaling my breath.

To prevent any possible malfunction, I donned a defensive artifact.

But I felt that both the gun made by Kilia and Alken’s bullets would function perfectly.

Because holding the gun felt familiar, just like during my military service.

The surroundings grew quiet. The trigger moved.

Bang—

A heavy recoil struck my right shoulder, chest, and collarbone.

Fortunately, there were no malfunctions.

“Oooh…!”

“Wow! It’s just like ‘Hidden Attack’!”

“Ugh…!”

Admiration poured in.

Particularly, Kilia seemed to derive immense pleasure seeing the gun she created function flawlessly.

“It seems there are no problems.”

“Then…”

“Yes. I believe we have succeeded in crafting a real firearm.”

Applause and cheers erupted from everyone.

I too applauded Alken and Kilia.

“But what will you do now? I understand Alken has been through a lot.”

“I’ll spread the firearm manufacturing method across the entire nation. Ah, it would be great if we could sell it for money, our sales have been declining lately. Of course, a portion will go to Alken and the Dark Elves.”

“Are you sure that’s alright, Riot?”

Alken spoke with a worried tone.

He had fled to here from Frank Kingdom, terrified of a war.

“Well, someone will create firearms sooner or later. But if everyone owns them, then a war won’t happen.”

“That’s true, but…”

“And if a war does occur, so what? It wouldn’t even be Alken’s fault. If we’re going to nitpick, it would be my fault.”

While saying that, I felt confident a war wouldn’t break out.

As long as the Empire had the most capital, they would surely maintain some level of superiority in firearms.

The current order would merely continue if that were the case.

More than that, I was looking forward to something different.

“Probably, only Alken and the Dark Elves will be busy.”

Soon after, we announced this news to the world.

Naturally, the entire world was turned upside down.

[Alchemist Alken succeeds in realizing the ‘Hidden Attack’ firearm. Collaborates with the Illusion Tower and Dark Elves.]

[The Illusion Tower and Alchemist reveal the reality of ‘firearms.’ Exploring its structure and principles.]

[Interest in ‘Alchemist’ surges rapidly. Attempts to invite Alken to the Academy are underway.]

[Is alchemy truly useless? Interview with the Alchemist.]

[The firearm manufacturing method, now public worldwide. The key is in ‘gunpowder.’]

[A firearm that can’t be countered with swords. How will the continent change from now on?]

[The Illusion Tower begins selling ‘firearm’ and ‘gunpowder’ manufacturing methods. Every nation competes to purchase.]

[Riot: The invention of firearms is merely the first step in an impending historical advance. The possibilities of gunpowder are limitless. Dark Elves’ expertise will once again be needed.]

[Academy scholars claim: ‘Firearms’ will turn the world upside down.]

[The emergence of ‘firearms’ and the fear of war. Will a war really occur?]

[Each nation swiftly bans civilian use of ‘firearms.’]

.

.

.

Expected reactions flooded in from various media outlets.

Nations spent huge sums of money to learn the manufacturing methods of the M16 and gunpowder from us.

Of course, that was only the beginning.

Further advancements would require more research and technology.

Alken and the Dark Elves’ expertise would likely be sought after.

Already, the countries and academies were in a frenzy to recruit Alken.

“This… this much money…!”

“With this, we might escape Diehelium…!”

“In the future, we could handle even more money than this. But please, conduct the transactions strictly. If knowledge and technology lean too much to one side, wars may occur, just as Alken fears. And restrictions will be imposed on the ownership of firearms by civilians.”

“Yes, yes. Understood, Riot.”

With astronomical amounts, we sold the manufacturing methods for firearms and gunpowder to each nation.

In fact, even a small nation could survive on such a sum.

But every single country without exception purchased it.

If a country were to not possess firearms, it would face certain destruction.

And even if minor nations claimed ownership of firearms, it didn’t seem like the current order would change.

The Empire was already mass-producing firearms by augmenting the acquired technology with their wealth.

Among minor nations, few had amassed wealth equivalent to the Empire.

Even with international laws established, the Empire still held the upper hand.

“I recommend Alken join the Academy. There, he can conduct research freely while largely distancing himself from inter-nation issues.”

Since they couldn’t keep Alken at the Illusion Tower forever, I suggested the Academy route.

Though it started with just a small firearm, I predicted that a significant revolution was about to begin.

Naturally, related disciplines would also advance from that.

There needed to be someone who would become the father of those disciplines.

And above all, Alken was the one who delved into science, not magic.

Though initially mere alchemy, having observed him at the Illusion Tower, he was a figure fit to be a scientist.

“Yes. I will do that. Thank you so much for everything until now.”

“Yeah, yeah. The Academy is close to Trinity, so you can meet again whenever you want.”

“Yes. Thank you very much.”

“Kilia, you should research something other than ‘Minecraft’ too.”

“Understood. We gained a lot of inspiration while making the firearm.”

Thus, the world grew noisy and the Illusion Tower returned to its original state.

As a mage, I wondered if it was appropriate to lead such progress.

After all, I was merely a useless illusion mage. Better that way.

And so, time flowed on.

*

“Haah… these days, we’re short on labor. The demand is overflowing.”

Urakal Mountain Range. Urak Mine.

A supervisor muttered with a sigh.

Since the rise in popularity of fantasy games recently, more and more miners were quitting their jobs.

Everyone preferred to enjoy the in-game world while earning just enough to get by rather than doing hard labor like mining.

Moreover, games like ‘Maple Leaf Story’ could reportedly lead to a decent living if one leveled up sufficiently.

Nowadays, kids who had weakened in a game-like world were less inclined to endure hard work like mining.

“This month’s quota must be met, but it’s turning out impossible again…”

With such a small number of miners, it was difficult to meet the existing quotas.

Even if they raised wages and increased working hours, there was still a limit to the amount of work humans could do.

Furthermore, they now needed to carve out a new route, which was extremely labor-intensive.

“Ah, who cares? I’ll just play games.”

The supervisor’s worries were temporary.

After switching shifts with another supervisor, he would just play the game anyway.

He had recently become obsessed with ‘Hidden Attack.’

-Fire in the hole-!

Excitedly throwing grenades, a thought crossed his mind.

‘Wait a minute, explosions?’

Recently, they had become able to produce gunpowder and firearms in reality.

The Illusion Tower had collaborated with Alchemists and Dark Elves to achieve this.

“B-boss!”

An incredible idea struck the supervisor, and he rushed to the mine owner.

The owner was busy playing ‘Maple Leaf Story,’ and the supervisor forced the game to disconnect.

“W-wait, what the hell?!”

“I have a brilliant idea!”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“We blow up the mine!”

“What?”

His idea was explosive and artistic.

Having miners dig into the ground one by one required a lot of labor and time.

But if they blew it all up, they would at least have a way through.

And then, by clearing that path, mining for ore would require much less effort.

The supervisor animatedly explained his thoughts, spitting as he spoke.

“What do you think? This would make it easier to find new mines too.”

“Yo, what the f—…”

The owner, who had been abruptly awakened from his game, was quite upset.

He stood up straight and exclaimed.

“Are you a genius?!”

A revolution was about to hit the mining industry.

But that wasn’t the only change.

“With this, you might just drill holes into mountains! There’s no need to go over or around mountains while moving!”

“What’s this black stone? So many holes are appearing in the ground and mountains recklessly!”

“Wait, drilling holes into mountains? Then it’ll take longer to go back and forth than to extract, right?”

“We can lay down tracks and move carts. We’ve done that before, haven’t we?”

“But still, physically moving over those long distances is a hard thing to do.”

“Just incline it, and it will go down automatically, you silly!”

“No, but isn’t it too much of a hassle? If we’re shooting too, wouldn’t it be better to have the carts move automatically… ugh! I must visit the Dark Elves! I heard their tech has been on the rise lately!”

The change in the world was just beginning.