Chapter 138

I handed a madeleine to Bunny Run, whose eyes were red.

“Where did this come from?”

“I had it delivered. Have some hot chocolate too.”

Eating something sweet makes you feel better. That’s a universal truth.

Am I like that too?

Here’s a shocking fact: I eat sweets all the time not because I particularly like them, but because it feels like a waste not to, given my Super Developer body.

Well, I do like them, but not *that* much.

Consider this a fun fact to remember.

“Feeling better now?”

“Yeah.”

“You suddenly burst into tears, and it caught me off guard.”

I was just about to do a quick test and grab some food when she started crying. I didn’t see that coming.

“Being too sensitive can be a problem.”

“Unnie.”

“Yeah.”

“No matter how I think about it, it’s not my sensitivity issue.”

“Could be.”

Then what’s the cause? Is it Mos?

Yeah, that seems about right.

After eating the madeleine and gulping down the hot chocolate, Bunny Run asked me:

“So, what was that just now?”

“It’s a new game.”

Monster-collecting RPGs have a long history.

*Pokémon* is the most famous, and for some reason, *Digimon*, which is often mistakenly thought to be on the same level in Korea, also falls into that category.

There are more recent ones, but those two are the most iconic.

“It’s like using Contract Magic to summon beings from another dimension.”

“Unnie really loves magic.”

“It’s just convenient to use.”

Anyway.

I looked into the empty space.

The revived Water Spirit was giggling and flying around in the air.

Bunny Run also looked up to watch it.

Right now, Bunny Run and I were looking at the same scene.

Thanks to the AR device I was wearing, it wasn’t anything special since seeing the same scenery is a basic feature of my game.

“I cried because that cute thing died.”

“I didn’t expect that. By the way, last time you said you didn’t cry, but this time you admitted it so easily?”

“That’s what I’m saying. You knew I cried last time, so why did you do it again?”

“I didn’t expect you to get so immersed in a spirit you just met 10 seconds ago.”

People think I’m some kind of psychopath, but that’s not true at all.

This is all because of Pape’s framing. Turning people into emotionless monsters? Pape, who portrays a kind person like me that way, is the real monster.

“You said it’s the same one you met before.”

“Well, yeah, but it’s still someone I just met 10 seconds ago.”

“It felt different. It felt like it knew me.”

“I actually designed the system that way.”

“Then it *is* the same one from last time.”

“Even if I designed it, I didn’t expect you to feel it. The Water Spirit didn’t even say anything, right?”

Conversation is a powerful tool for conveying emotions.

Since that was blocked, the only way the Water Spirit could express joy was by flying around actively. Bunny Run, who sensed a connection from that, is just sensitive—it’s not that I’m careless.

Again, I’m not a psychopath.

Let me underline that because it’s important.

“Now that I hear it, it makes sense. I thought you didn’t understand human emotions.”

“Bunny Run. You can’t make a good game if you don’t understand human emotions.”

“Is that so? I guess that makes sense. Oh, so what’s with the dying? It’s not really dying, right? Just a retire effect?”

“No? They really die.”

I casually answered while scooping into the pudding.

The soft, sinking sensation was totally my thing.

“…What?”

Bunny Run opened her mouth in shock.

I also opened my mouth in shock.

“Bunny Run. It’s a disaster. I accidentally forgot to order the cream cake for delivery.”

“Who cares about that? What do you mean they really die?”

“The cake is a serious matter…”

I added the cake and other desserts to the order while continuing.

“Literally. They really die.”

“Why?”

“Because limited-time things are more precious.”

“Why?”

“Because it looked more fun that way.”

“Why?”

Bunny Run had turned into a “Why?” machine.

Whose fault is it this time?

Is it the Water Spirit’s fault?

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”

“Always? Since when?”

“Actually, I wanted to include this in *Cosmic Osuary* too, but I didn’t because I thought it might cause a riot if I added such a system to a gacha game.”

“Unnie, are you a monster?”

Bunny Run was thrown into confusion!

Han Yoorim used a confusion remedy (walnut pie)!

“Unnie, do you not have a human heart?”

Seems like it didn’t work well….

“Bunny Run. That’s framing. Break free from Pape’s influence.”

“No matter how I think about it, you’re definitely a monster.”

“That can’t be.”

“But this makes the game way too hard. Why did you do that?”

“Great question.”

Since it was the question I’d been waiting for, I raised my index finger and began explaining.

“Bunny Run. Gamers today have become numb to most stimuli. It’s because they’ve enjoyed too many games.”

“…Really?”

“That’s why I wanted to make their hearts race again.”

The genre I want to make is just one: ‘Hardcore.’

Hardcore. Simply put, it’s a one-coin challenge.

A game where if your character dies, they die for real. Mostly, roguelikes have this system, but what I’m aiming for is closer to hardcore RPGs.

Have you ever tried an RPG in hardcore mode? If not, you should try it someday.

The moment your character dies, it feels like you’re dying in real life.

Bunny Run spoke in a worried voice.

“These days, games are made to be as light as possible. If you suddenly throw in hardcore here, wouldn’t no one play it?”

“Bunny Run, I’m different.”

“Why?”

“The fun you feel in my game can only be experienced in my game.”

NPCs that feel like real people. The fun they bring is incredibly unique and fresh.

You could tell by watching gamers, jaded by stimulation, devour it.

Someday, when technology advances and everyone can use NPCs that feel like real people, it might become obsolete, but that’s still a distant future.

In other words.

“In other words, you’re saying you’ll use gameplay as a hostage to torment people?”

“Bunny Run, if someone hears that, they’ll misunderstand. I’m not that kind of person.”

I just want users to enjoy something better, not to torment them.

“But it is tormenting.”

“Bunny Run.”

“Yes?”

“A little pain must be endured for the sake of fun.”

“Now you’re not even trying to deny it.”

Leaving Bunny Run muttering in a daze, I observed the Water Spirit.

It was so lifelike that it could be mistaken for reality. This was partly due to my good modeling, but more so because of the high-performance AR device.

The new product made by my uncle’s company had excellent performance. The device’s capabilities had significantly improved.

One thing was certain: it was several times better than what I experienced during the [Eternal World] Pro League finals.

It was shocking back then, but now it’s several times better, so it’s clear that a seismic shift is coming.

Ah. I was the one who connected Messiah Corp with my uncle’s company.

Wanting a good game console is the fate of a game developer.

Because of that, my uncle is now incredibly busy.

How busy must he be to lend me Yuseong for a while?

…I don’t know when Yuseong became my personal secretary. It was supposed to be just a temporary help, but it’s strange.

And Yuseong, what are you? Just by deploying you, the company’s overload is resolved.

Wouldn’t it be better for you to go out into the world instead of working under me?

“…Unnie.”

“Yes?”

“No matter how fun it is, wouldn’t it be too sad if the characters you cherished disappeared forever?”

“Ah. Don’t worry about that part. I’ve mitigated it somewhat.”

What I wanted was a moment of irreversible mistake, but that would be too niche, so I compromised.

“First, if you’re careful, your summoning beast will rarely die. Unless you’re a battle maniac seeking out fights. Plus, dying once isn’t the end; there’s a resurrection system.”

“That’s a relief. I misunderstood you. There’s no way you could be a monster who doesn’t understand people’s feelings.”

The truth prevails.

Finally, Bunny Run cleared up the misunderstanding about me.

It was so hard to get here.

“How does resurrection work? Are you selling it separately as part of a paywall?”

“It’s a different method.”

“Right. Doing that would make you look too money-crazy. What’s the method?”

“By winning in the occasional battle league, the winner gets a resurrection item.”

“Unnie, are you crazy?”

“And I’ll distribute it through events or as the final reward in the battle pass.”

“Wow.”

Surprise.

“I’ll maintain the rarity of resurrection items as much as possible. Won’t the gold farmers grit their teeth and aim to win the league to sell resurrection items?”

“Is there a trading system too?”

“It’s the core of my game.”

If it gets too expensive, I can just release some supply to adjust.

Why did I adopt this method…?

Because this way, people will truly dive into a crazy… no, fun game like hardcore.

It was a rational decision.

“Ah. I plan to give a few resurrection items by default, so enjoy to your heart’s content.”

“Unnie. I can see the future. I can clearly see the chaos in the community.”

“Don’t worry. My game has always been like that.”