I hum softly as I feel the mana inside me respond to my will, but nothing happens. I've been doing nothing but this all night. No matter how many times I try, I get nothing from the experiment. I can cast the spells I know from the game, but beyond that? Nothing.
I can move the mana from my body. I can shape it. But when I try to create an actual effect—like a stream of fire or a gentle breeze—nothing happens. I can control raw mana, but I can't change it into anything.
I have a theory. I need to follow the game's lore. I need to understand the world before I can use its magic. That means I need to learn the theory that Tanaka and his team wrote into the world and follow it.
So I wake up early and head to work. It doesn't take long for my car to arrive. I greet the security staff and the residents of the building, then head straight into my office.
Rin should arrive in an hour. That should be enough time for me to play and read a few books in the game.
I put away my bag and enter the gaming pod. I feel the neural port connect and the nanomachines surge through my body. A few seconds later, I appear at my logout point. I look around and hum.
"Now… where can I read the books about this world's lore?"
== Line Break ==
"I see. So I need to create a magic circle. It's not just for visuals—it acts as the foundation of the spell itself."
I'm in a library now, reading books about magic. Tanaka and his team are true lore nerds. They put an absurd amount of detail into every book. I wonder how long they've been working on this game. There's no way they made all this in just one year. Maybe this is their first concept? They don't know if this will work, and decide to work on it on the side or something.
Even with AI support, a lot of this must have been written manually. Otherwise, the lore wouldn't connect properly. Maybe there will be inconsistencies later, but so far, everything feels coherent and strangely human.
Anyway, the magic circle acts as a foundation that allows the user to rewrite the world's law to produce the desired effect. There are three steps to properly casting a spell.
First is the foundation circle. It acts as a conduit and controller for mana, stabilizing it and ensuring it doesn't go wild.
There are three known foundations: Low, Mid, and High. But the book also mentions a legendary, mythical foundation beyond them. That must be Super-Tier Magic. I remember how Ainz cast one.
Maybe I can learn more once I reach a certain level.
Next comes the amplifier. It's a series of symbols and sigils tied to the Nine Realms legend. Using Fenrir as your theme makes your magic more aggressive, but risky. The Yggdrasil Tree gives better balance, though it performs poorly with unholy or negative spells.
That's why each class has its own symbols. As a player, I never needed to think about this. But according to the lore, to truly be a mage, you need to immerse yourself in the myth and mysticism of the world.
Does that mean I need to read every mythology book in the game?
That actually excites me. I thought things might get boring, but now I feel like a true explorer. Instead of chasing levels, I'm uncovering the world itself.
The last one is the stabilizer. If the previous one used a single symbol in the middle of the magic circle, this one is a series of runes that stabilize the formation of the circle. Each rune contains meaning, and each of them can create a lot of effect, depending on the user's needs.
There are three well-known runes that are used by the majority of the magicians in the lore, but according to the book, there are many ancient runes that can be used as stabilizers and change the effect of the spell.
From what I read, this is the part you modify to create the Metamagic Enchantment in the game. Yes. Other than stabilizing the spell so it is properly cast, it can also be used to add metamagic such as Delay Magic, Boost Magic, or Triplet Magic.
I snap from my thought, and I glance to the side and see that my alarm is already ringing. It has been an hour, and it is time for my morning meeting.
Oh well. I can play again this afternoon. Nothing important should need my attention today.
I log out and leave the gaming pod.
I reach my desk just as Rin calls my name. I hate morning meetings. Listening to old men kiss ass and curry favor makes my skin crawl. Can't they be more subtle? I can see the greed in their eyes while they spout honeyed words.
I shake my head.
"Come in."
== Line Break ==
I smile as I look at the numbers in front of me.
YGGDRASIL was officially launched yesterday, and today I read the 24-hour report from Rin. Over seven million people worldwide bought and downloaded the game in its first 24 hours. It's not our company's best record, but it comfortably ranks third.
The report predicts even higher numbers in the coming weeks. We priced the game high enough to feel premium, but not so high that it's unattainable. There are in-game purchases, after all.
I wanted to make it free, but marketing insisted that would make it feel like a microtransaction trap. According to them, it would scare away players. It is better to put a price tag on the game, lure the player to play, and then seduce them with all the premium goods in the shop.
It sounds stupid, but their judgment has never failed me before. So, I agree with their plan, and I must say the result is not bad.
So far, the results speak for themselves. Who knows, making a great game with not too high a price will attract players? I will try to make sure the game isn't too Pay-to-Win, but I still need to please the whales to get that sweet profit.
I scroll down to the revenue section and whistle. People are already buying premium goods in bulk. I knew whales would show up, but damn—one guy already spent over seven million yen. The second place is already spending more than five million. Those two alone already get me twelve million yen.
Those premium spirit pets are selling like crazy. No matter the era, gooning goods always sell.
And it is selling like hotcakes.
"And that concludes the day report, sir. Congratulations. It's a massive success. We've already earned over thirty billion yen. At this pace, we'll break a trillion within the year—possibly five trillion, depending on the upcoming plan for the game. It is already April, but the team thinks we will achieve that trillion by the end of the year."
"Good. Give the team a bonus. They deserve it."
"Of course, sir."
"Any issues? Bugs? Exploits?"
"Nothing so far. Some complaints about pricing for certain items, as usual, but no major problems."
"Perfect. You can go. Take a break—we've been busy the past week. Make sure to take care of the current task before you take your break."
"Thank you, sir. I will."
She leaves my office, leaving me alone. I hum quietly and pull a bottle of whiskey from my drawer. I pour a small glass and enjoy the silence.
And when I say we've been busy, I mean it.
Meeting after meeting. Family parties and corporate balls. Dick-measuring contests disguised as social gatherings. I hate them, but I must attend them, for I am an heir to one of the strongest families in Japan and the World.
As the sole heir, I get far more attention than I want. Some want to be my wife. Others want to be my mistress. With corporations ruling the country, no one cares about harems anymore. So they are more than willing to sleep with me as long as they have a blood connection to me. Any connection, really.
For five straight days, it's been nonstop. What makes matters worse, I cannot play the game because after five days of nonstop parties and balls, the game is ready to launch, and I need to attend many meetings with the teams.
At least I still have time to experiment with magic at night and even get results.
I smile and wave my hand. A second later, a magic circle forms above my palm, and a breeze flows from it. I smile a little at the cool breeze and wave my hand once again to deactivate it.
I can now cast spells that don't originate from YGGDRASIL.
And that only makes me more eager to explore Tanaka's world.
I finish my drink and step into the gaming pod.
Without hesitation, I log in.
This time, the library is filled with players. Fortunately, you need a special spell to see levels. I'd rather not explain why I'm already level 24 while everyone else is still in single digits.
I check my character sheet and nod.
I think it is time for me to hunt and explore the starting zone. I want to fully map the starting area before moving on to the wider world.
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Heya! If you'd like to support me and read more, you can visit my Ko-Fi and Patreon! There are 2 chapters for you to read. You can also read my Darktide Fanfic in there. There are at least 8 chapters ready for you to read. The first arc is done!
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