The Ruined World Was Mistaken for a Game

Chapter 227: Open the Door (4)

Translator: Dreamscribe

The developers could not contain their excitement and joy as they used the Lord God Engine. Everything they had been unable to implement due to the walls of programming languages, countless conditions, and environmental constraints, they could now create, and in the perfect environment of virtual reality no less.

"I feel like I've become a creator."

"So this is why they call him the Creator God."

"He really is the Creator God."

The developers now perfectly understood why Jinwoo was called the Creator God.

It truly felt like a dream. No, no dream could compare. It transcended dreams; it was heaven itself. Every single developer devoted themselves entirely to game development, stopping only for meals.

They had been given three days in real-world time, but entering developer mode allowed them to adjust the time multiplier up to seven times. In effect, it was no different from having twenty-one days.

Using the Lord God Engine's features to their fullest could push it up to ten times, but that was not recommended. It brought on headaches and severe motion sickness.

'What a sight.'

In the space Jinwoo had prepared, multiple worlds were being created. There were horror games, action games, the recently popular soulslike genre, and even FPS titles.

Jinwoo gazed at the scene in admiration.

There were tens of thousands of developers here alone.

He had not assigned teams separately, but they had organized themselves into project groups and were building games on their own.

'FS Games alone could never create such a diverse range of worlds.'

The experience and knowledge these people possessed was something even Jinwoo could not easily replicate. There were far too many who surpassed him as game developers.

Jinwoo walked over to where the Korean developers had gathered. Compared to the other teams constructing massive worlds, they had only built a small structure. It looked like a hotel, but judging by the layout, it somehow resembled a prison.

"What are you working on?"

"Oh, well."

It was a team of young developers. They all had experience releasing at least one indie game.

"We got the idea after seeing Sion Academy last time."

Jinwoo tilted his head.

This building had absolutely nothing in common with Sion Academy. The developers grinned.

Jinwoo went inside with them to have a look.

A worn-out corridor stretched on endlessly, lined with countless doors.

"We took a hint from Sion Academy's time multiplier. Using that concept, we created a prison-themed study hall. There are solitary rooms, as well as conference rooms that can hold multiple people."

"We set the time multiplier provided by the Lord God Engine to five times. You get locked in here and have to study or pass a subject exam to escape."

"Basically, you can study for five times longer than everyone else."

Ah.

He had told them to make a game, and they had made a study hall. A study hall was not a place related to libraries; it referred to a space dedicated solely to studying. [TL: In Korean culture, 독서실 (study halls/study cafes) are private, quiet spaces rented for focused studying, common among students preparing for exams.]

"If someone rebels or tries to escape by force...."

THUD! THUD! GRRRRRK!

Something enormous approached. It held a blade far taller than an adult man and wore a blood-soaked apron. Its face was a teddy bear head caked with chunks of flesh, but its body was pure muscle, like a troll.

"Teddy the Dorm Warden will discipline them."

Jinwoo was momentarily lost for words.

It felt less like a dorm warden and more like a prison guard.

This place could only be described as hell. The developers let out sinister laughs.

It might be great for studying, but something like this could not bring enjoyment to the Heroes.

"Have you done any test plays, by chance?"

For something like this, it was crucial for the developers to test play it themselves. How else would they know what to fix?

The developers exchanged nervous glances, then shook their heads.

When Jinwoo snapped his fingers, it switched to play mode.

The surroundings darkened, and the developers found themselves standing in the eerie corridor.

"Huh?"

"Play mode?"

"Wh-what?!"

Jinwoo joined them.

They had been rather meticulous, it seemed; the developers' clothes had changed into prison uniforms. Numbers had even been assigned to each of them.

[A jailbreak, grrr, you dare attempt a jailbreak...?]

Teddy the Dorm Warden spotted the developers and trembled with rage.

SQUELCH! SQUELCH!

The black eyes that had at least made it resemble a teddy bear fell out, and thick blood poured from the empty sockets. It was a decent piece of direction, all things considered. If this were not a study hall, that is.

[GRAAAAAH!]

Teddy the Dorm Warden began sprinting down the corridor.

Since Jinwoo had temporarily blocked developer mode, they could not switch back. The developers jumped in shock and bolted toward the front entrance. They tried to open the front door, but

[Insufficient academic achievement.]

was the only message that appeared.

KRAAAASH!

The massive blade cut through the air and embedded itself in the front door. The developers gulped and turned around. Teddy the Dorm Warden stomped toward them, then grabbed hold of them one by one.

[Study.]

[If you sleep now, you will dream. If you study now, you will achieve your dream.]

[The tomorrow that the person who died yesterday so desperately longed for is the today you are wasting.]

Teddy the Dorm Warden recited famous quotes about studying.

CLANK!

The doors lining the corridor opened automatically. Teddy the Dorm Warden hurled the developers one by one through the doorways. The moment they landed inside, the doors locked shut.

It approached Jinwoo and reached out a hand.

When Jinwoo simply stared back, Teddy the Dorm Warden flinched.

[...I see nothing.]

It pretended not to notice, retrieved its blade, and walked away.

The developers pressed themselves against their doors and began communicating. Each door had a meal slot, and their voices carried through the gap.

"I did hide a way to open the doors...."

"You put something like that in?"

"Yeah, I..., thought it'd be fun."

"How do you do it?"

Click! Click! CLANK!

One developer fiddled with the door in various ways, and it opened. The developers came out slowly, drenched in cold sweat. The moment they stepped onto the corridor floor, the walls began to coat themselves in grotesque flesh, as if they were entering another world entirely.

"What's this...?"

"Oh, I added that setting myself. It felt a bit boring, so...."

"Ah...."

An engine that could create anything imaginable.

That was the Lord God Engine. The developers looked at one another and let out a sigh. A siren blared, and Teddy the Dorm Warden deployed.

"Actually, I also put in a bug that opens the front door."

"L-let's do it, now!"

The developers who made it outside attempted to escape, only to be caught several times or suffer rough treatment. Jinwoo watched from a distance, then switched to developer mode.

Jinwoo looked at the sweat-soaked developers.

"Not everything will be approved for release."

The developers seemed to realize something and nodded.

"The escape part was actually pretty thrilling, you know?"

"Should we pivot in that direction?"

"While keeping the study hall concept...."

"A hell called studying..., an escape game...! It'd be nice to reflect the cutthroat competitiveness of society too."

Jinwoo smirked at the developers as they launched into their meeting, then moved on to another area. Just watching such a variety of games being created was entertaining in itself.

When three days had passed, the surroundings reverted to the conference room.

Every developer wore a happy expression. The light emanating from their souls could be seen flowing toward the Soul Moon.

"If only we'd had more time...."

"Still, the work speed was insane. Making a demo version in just three days...."

"Long live the Creator God!"

When the Lord God Engine's access permissions were revoked, the Mark of Creation on the back of everyone's hands vanished. That alone was enough to make the developers feel an emptiness.

Go back to sitting in front of a computer?

Go back to that absurd world where bugs poured out no matter how painstakingly anything was made?

"Ugh, AAARGH!"

"You're telling me I have to go back to that primitive method of using a keyboard...!"

"Creating a single cutscene used to take forever."

"And the spaghetti code...."

Many developers agonized over such things. Though the game industry had been devastated, there were still plenty of studios making games. Having experienced the Lord God Engine, there was no way they could go back to working the old way.

Jinwoo smiled as he looked at the developers.

"It seems you've all become experts with the Lord God Engine now. There's something I haven't mentioned yet. The matter of cost."

The developers' expressions stiffened.

The Lord God Engine for virtual reality games.

Everyone here now understood just how extraordinary it was. It was like going from chopping down a massive tree with the side of your hand to using a chainsaw, no, to using a laser beam that could instantly slice apart not just a massive tree but an entire forest and mountain range.

Even if they were charged an exorbitant fee, they would have no choice but to swallow their tears and pay.

Everyone watched Jinwoo tensely.

There were some developers who were not tense. They were Hero-turned-developers who knew Jinwoo well. Masaru and Kevin wore relaxed expressions and instead waited to see how the other developers would react.

"The Lord God Engine is provided free of charge as a basic feature once you become a Second Party. And the platform fee is...."

It was set at a lower rate than the platform fees that had previously dominated the gaming industry.

As for the monetization model, there was a guideline model in place. He also informed them that it needed to be linked with Arsilan Saga. Setting that point aside, the terms were exceedingly generous. Technical support costs were included in the fee, making it an extremely attractive deal.

"Oh, ohhh."

"With terms like those...!"

"Hah!"

"Long live the Creator God!"

This was an absolute must!

Only a fool would pass this up!

Since Second Party recruitment had no deadline, applications continued to flood in even now.

Clap clap clap!

All the developers sprang to their feet and applauded. The applause grew louder and louder, and cheers erupted alongside it.

'Developers are Heroes too.'

The developers were also Heroes who enriched Arsilan. It was all for Arsilan's sake, but being able to create a mutually beneficial relationship like this lightened his heart.

"The games you've all created will go through an internal review to narrow down the candidates, and then Heroes in Arsilan Saga will evaluate them."

The Heroes were also incredibly curious about how things were progressing. If too much time passed, they would lose interest, so Jinwoo planned to show them the direction things were heading.

"I can't wait to see the reactions."

"If we'd had more time, we could've built something continent-sized...."

"Still, if we'd done it the traditional way, it would've taken at least four more years, right?"

The developers' expressions were identical to Jinwoo's.

They were eager to see how the Heroes would react. And they were brimming with confidence.

Jinwoo felt reassured, as though he had gained comrades.

"You've all worked incredibly hard. I should have arranged an event like this sooner, but there were various practical issues in creating the Lord God Engine."

Jinwoo bowed his head to the developers.

The developers were flustered to see him do that. When they felt his sincerity, the resentment they had held toward FS Games and Jinwoo melted away like snow.

"Let's make some great games together."

When Jinwoo said this with a bright smile, the developers cheered once more. Masaru was clapping along when he paused for a moment. He looked at Jinwoo and raised his hand.

"May I ask one question?"

"Yes, go ahead."

Jinwoo knew Ito Masaru. He was the game developer Jinwoo admired and respected the most, so he had been keeping an eye on him for a long time.

"Arsilan will serve as the platform hosting the games we create going forward, correct?"

"That's right. They'll be serviced through the Dimension Gate."

"Arsilan has nearly been destroyed on multiple occasions. There was such a crisis in Episode 5 as well."

Jinwoo nodded.

It really had nearly been destroyed.

"Such a thing should never happen, but hypothetically, if Arsilan were to be destroyed or suffer significant damage, what would happen to the game services?"

"That would...."

Jinwoo was silent for a moment.

"There would likely be major disruptions. So I ask that all of you also do your part in defending Arsilan."

Is he joking?

He's a genius, so I guess that makes him eccentric!

The developers could not tell whether Jinwoo was joking or serious.

A bright grin.

When Jinwoo smiled, the developers gulped.

He was not joking!

This was the one point where Jinwoo had no choice but to leverage his position.

You'd all better put your backs into defending it too, right?

It was the moment a shared objective was born: game studios and developers around the world now had to defend Arsilan.

* * *

Haebyul gazed at Romance Domain with a contented smile.

Romance Domain had grown even larger, and just a few days ago, she had become a Countess! From the moment it became a County, she was able to install a Dimension Gate in the domain.

"Hah! The Dimension Gate is so pretty. You guys don't have anything like this in your domains, do you?"

-I don't even have a domain.

-Showing off again. Stop it.

-Life's rough for Heroes who don't belong to a domain.

-Ugh....

Haebyul enjoyed watching the chat reactions. In the past, there had been many viewers who were not Heroes, but now the majority were. Many Heroes left her stream on while doing their tasks or passing the time during travel.

Among streaming Heroes, Haebyul was the most famous. As a result, her viewer count had not declined and had in fact grown even larger.

"Hmm...."

Haebyul had been looking out over the domain from the Countess's manor when she shifted her gaze to UruBear, who was sitting on the sofa grinning about something for no apparent reason. He had not disclosed who he was talking to, but one thing was certain.

"Hey, could you stop being all lovey-dovey already?"

"Heh, heheh..., Haebyul. You don't understand love. You're too cold. Feel this beautiful world with your whole being."

"AAARGH! Go away! Please!"

That bear was in a relationship, of all things.

When UruBear gazed at Haebyul with benevolent eyes, she threw a fit and hurled whatever was on the desk at him. Even as the objects hit him, UruBear wore a blissful expression.

-Even a bear like that has a girlfriend....

-Haebyul, you can do it too, hang in there.

-Wait why am I the one hurting here.

Haebyul let out a sigh and looked outside. A mage sat on a bench as if dead to the world. He was the highest-leveled mage among the Romance Heroes. He had a timid personality, but his character was so good that even Haebyul trusted him.

"...What do we do?"

"I understand him. Imagine how heartbroken he must be."

UruBear came over and nodded.

The mage had been selected as a test Hero for "Love and Friendship: Heart-Pounding Sion Academy" and had gone through a grueling series of regressions. He had managed to save the vice president of the student council, a senior, but the test period ended and they had no choice but to part.

It had vanished like a mirage, leaving behind only the sweetness of a first kiss.

"It was bittersweet, I'll admit. Romantic, too."

He had sought help to save the senior. Haebyul and all the Romance Heroes had rallied together to support him, and in the end, they succeeded.

UruBear nodded.

"He's in that state, so there's no way we can run this week's quest."

"Yeah. Let's just focus on personal quests for now."

They had planned to tackle the quest that appeared in Levannas, but with the mage, one of their strongest fighters, in that condition, they could not attempt it.

"Well then...."

Today's schedule would be managing the domain and going to clear personal quests.

Just as she was thinking that.

THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD!

The entirety of Romance Domain shook violently.

"An, an earthquake?"

"Whoa?!"

It seemed like a massive earthquake, with the view shaking wildly, yet strangely, nothing fell over, and all the buildings were perfectly intact. Looking more carefully, it was space itself that was vibrating.

[An anomaly has occurred at the Dimension Gate!]

A message like that appeared before their eyes.

Haebyul's eyes met UruBear's. They exchanged a nod and leapt out the window, sprinting straight for the Dimension Gate. A large crowd had already gathered there.

Blue light burst from the Dimension Gate, splitting the ground as it spread outward.

The blue light carved a massive rift into the ground.

"Get back!"

At Haebyul's shout, everyone retreated.

The rift that had looked like it would spread across the entire domain mercifully stopped right in front of Haebyul. A massive rift had formed in front of the Dimension Gate.

[An unstable dimensional rift has opened.]

[The Dimension Gate has detected various worlds. For the next 7 days, you may enter Fragmented Worlds that may soon cease to exist.]

"Huh?"

"This is...."

Haebyul immediately recalled the Creator God's last broadcast.

[Dimension Travel]Dimensional Sightseeing

Due to the Wedge of Despair, countless dimensions have suffered damage, and fragments have broken away. If the light of the Holy Sword is shared, it may be possible to restore the dimensions that have been shattered into fragments. However, the light of the Holy Sword can only be used once. Restoring a dimension requires an enormous amount of energy.

Experience various worlds and choose which one to bestow the Holy Sword's light upon.

The connection between the Dimension Gate and these unstable dimensions will last for 7 days in Arsilan time.

Haebyul and the Romance Heroes blinked.

"So it's like a free trial or something?"

"Seems like it."

The mage Hero, who had been sunk in despair, came running over.

"Wh-what about Sion Academy? I can go to Sion Academy too, right? Op-open the door! Open the door right now! AAARGH!"

The mage Hero flung himself straight into the Dimensional Rift. Haebyul tried to stop him, but it was already too late.

-Hmm...

-Seems like there's something there.

-Oh! One opened in Alusion too ㅋㅋ

-Looks like they opened at every Dimension Gate?

-Must be a second round of testing!

-ㅋㅋㅋ LET'S GOOO!

Haebyul and the Romance Heroes entered the dimensional rift one after another. A breathtaking sight unfolded before them.

*****

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