Humanity’s forms of play have always evolved, and it is not surprising that the tools used for play have been greatly influenced by the advancement of human magic technology.
If one considers how many games and toys existed even long ago, it might not have been such a special thing that computers could mediate play.
But what about this?
The term ‘game’ does not seem to refer to the common forms of play in this era.
When Luke asked what kind of play would warrant such blatant descriptions of battle, Shirud mentioned that he would show him directly and talked about a game played on a ‘computer.’
“Can you play with a computer?”
“I’m actually more surprised that you’ve never played a computer game.”
“Because I don’t have a computer…”
It might sound a bit pitiful, but what could be done about something that truly did not exist?
Look at the sign in front of that building with ‘Internet Cafe’ written on it, with an A-frame sign standing as if to boast about itself.
‘All seats equipped with the latest hybrid animal system, using the latest IS panel with 144Hz monitor, ultra-fast warp telepathy network, complete with the best Gaming Triple Control Crystal!’
“Wow.”
What on earth does all that mean?
It is difficult even to guess what the words imply.
Animal system? Does it mean that computers contain structures other than just having plants inserted in magic circles with a magic power filter?
What does 144Hz on a monitor mean, what is an IS panel, and what on earth is a warp telepathy network, and what an absurd term is ‘gaming’ crystal?
The curiosity is unbearable.
“Shirud, do you know what all that means?”
“Well, I have a rough idea.”
“I see…?”
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to go in?”
Of course, he would go in.
But to be honest, he was not confident that he wouldn’t be excited. He had high expectations for modern magic devices since the cellphone, and such expectations always exceeded Luke’s imagination and presented something new.
The level of magical technology had changed so much that it almost seemed like a different planet compared to 5000 years ago.
——–
And indeed, once again, modern civilization did not betray Luke’s expectations.
Before his eyes lay a terrifying number of magic devices, hundreds of modern computers designed with entirely different concepts from the ones in research labs.
So Luke could not help but operate his magic sight.
Inside the computer, incredibly minute magical formulas were intricately mixed together in layers, sometimes dozens or even hundreds.
This time, Luke was able to see completely inside. The upper surface was made of transparent reinforced glass, allowing him to view the internal design of the computer.
What he confirmed about the general design of magic power was that, while excluding extremely fine details impossible to follow with the eye, it could be described as using a type of fungus called ‘mana dust’ properly mixed with magic stones to create filters that enhanced the mana supply rate and increased the reaction speed of the magic circles.
In addition, the core design of the magic circle had already reached a level beyond art, beyond art even.
What would be the point of comparing performance? One could say that there was more than a 20-fold difference in simple calculations compared to an old system that used cacti as a filter. But would you believe that this figure was merely inferred from what was visible?
Luke suddenly felt curious. To think that such a transcendent magic device was merely used for ‘play’?
Shouldn’t it be something for use in a high-tech magic facility?
It was something impossible for an ordinary person from the past to comprehend.
“What exactly… does all this mean?”
“Just sit here for a moment; I’ll put some time in.”
“Ah, got it.”
Luke sat down, staring blankly at the computer in operation.
He couldn’t help but be captivated by the beautiful display of lights shining through the transparent case.
Even the magic circles were aesthetically beautiful; did the person who designed and created this device not a magician but an artist? The Dwarves of Helkensan might even proclaim they want to cut off their useless hands after seeing the craftsmanship of this circuit.
“This… will I really be able to use it with such distractions?”
Luke sighed deeply.
To say that the magic circle was too beautiful to be used in a magic device; could something so strange happen?
With a sigh easing a little of his excitement, Luke’s gaze was drawn to the crystal in front of him.
It definitely looked different from the usual crystals.
“Hmm, is this the ‘Gaming Triple Control Crystal’?”
It wasn’t completely unusable, but it felt unfamiliar.
No matter how legendary hero Luke Irushi had faced many adversities in the past, he had never had to manage three different crystals simultaneously.
The truly interesting fact is… there was a gentle magical glow flowing beautifully even from that crystal; there wasn’t a single place that didn’t shine from the beginning.
It felt like fireworks were popping off on a desk.
“And I definitely feel the monitor’s illusion magic screen refresh rate is higher.”
The difference in the screen refresh rate of that illusion magic meant a smoother display.
Indeed, at this level, it could be said that it was superior in every aspect.
After finishing a rough analysis of the device, Luke opened his bag and began jotting down notes about his realizations.
It was truly unfortunate, but the magical formulas were so intricate and precise that he could only derive theoretical aspects.
“But with this, it would be sufficient to reduce the mana consumption by nearly 40% compared to existing magic. If I rewrite the calculation formula based on a similar principle, I might be able to improve the activation speed to some extent…”
“Hey, you’re studying even at the Internet Cafe? That’s really persistent.”
Shirud, who returned after putting some time in, said with astonished eyes.
And as if to hand him something, he offered it.
“Put the notebook away, take this first.”
“What is this again?”
What Shirud handed him was a pair of round earplug-like devices enchanted with voice magic.
The magic structure resembled ‘earphones,’ but unlike that, it was designed for wired transmission of magical information.
“This is a headset for Hyuns. Everyone uses this when playing games.”
Shirud proudly lifted the headset he would use and placed it on his head like earplugs.
Seeing Shirud put it on, Luke tried to copy how it was worn, but he made a mistake.
It was due to the difference in ear positions between Hyuns and Elves.
Structurally, their ear holes faced upward, and the headsets made for Hyuns, with various adjustable fittings for the shapes and sizes of their ears, made it difficult to figure out how one was supposed to wear them at a glance.
“Should I put it on for you?”
“N-no, thanks!”
Luke never allowed others to touch his ears. He also disliked having his head patted for the same reason.
Having experienced firsthand the disasters that could occur when touched defenselessly, the sensations etched into his nervous system made it difficult to simply refuse.
While his hearing had developed enough to not miss tiny noises, it was just an ability that amplified unnecessary sounds.
“Could you just explain it to me verbally instead?”
Ultimately, Luke received an oral explanation of the adjustments from Shirud and managed to fit the headset onto his ears.
It felt a bit ticklish, but perhaps due to being designed for Hyuns, the fit was impressively delicate enough to avoid sensitive areas.
“The wearing comfort is quite good.”
Luke slightly shook his head in satisfaction.
The support that came down towards his jaw made it feel securely fixed and not slipping off his head.
“Now, shall we play a game? What’s your ID…?”
“ID?”
“I figured you wouldn’t know.”
—–
Luke, being a formally recognized individual and having his mobile phone, should not have found it difficult to create an ID, but the problem was that it did not meet the appropriate age requirement.
“I didn’t know about this… Super Magic League is rated for ages 10 and up.”
The issue was that Luke’s physical age was documented as 10 years old.
Shirud, being 11 years old, was able to create an account, but typically a 10-year-old, who was about to attend the academy, could not play that game.
“Come to think of it, you’re one year younger than me…?”
“I don’t know why you’d be bothered about age in something like this.”
Luke shook his head as if it were incomprehensible.
Violence, what even was that?
To put it bluntly, public execution by beheading is violent, isn’t it?
No matter how violent it appears, it was just magic manipulated within the computer’s fantasy space.
“How could I have forgotten about that?”
Shirud muttered.
‘Now that I think about it, Luke advanced a year and is in the same class.’
Since he saw Luke every day in class and never felt a significant age difference to perceive him as an older brother or senior, he had never expected it; it seemed he simply hadn’t thought about it.
“But why don’t you call me ‘oppa’?”
“Do you want me to?”
“…A little?”
“Then I’ll call you that.”
“Really?”
Shirud’s eyes sparkled a little.
“If you ever beat me with magic someday.”
“Ugh.”
‘That sounded just like a rejection, how could I beat you with magic!’
Shirud internally screamed.
“Then does that mean I can’t play that game?”
Luke muttered somewhat regretfully, and Shirud responded.
“That shouldn’t be necessary. I’ll lend you my sub-account.”
“Oh, right. That’s an option.”
Shirud skillfully manipulated the crystal, completing the login, and the logo with ‘Super Magic League’ gleamed into existence.
Soon, the game screen lit up, revealing a complex interface.
Not knowing what to do, Luke leaned back a bit and watched as Shirud handled the controls.
“Oh, by the way. Do you want a separate character?”
Luke shrugged and asked.
“Um, what options are there?”
“There are really tons of characters so just say whatever comes to mind.”
“Well, there are mages, I guess?”
“Of course. There are wizard characters like this….”
Luke’s gaze was caught by a character among the many ‘mage’ characters that Shirud displayed.
An austere old man with white hair, holding a large cane.
Though the name and appearance were different, he somehow felt a sense of familiarity.
‘Still, I looked better than this.’
However, he found it a bit disappointing.
“I think I’d prefer this character.”
Seeing the character chosen by Luke, Shirud spoke with a slightly surprised tone.
“Oh, it’s ‘Luke Kamoshi’? That character was inspired by the ‘Luke Irushi’ from fairy tales; did you know that when you chose?”
“W-was it really? This is Luke Irushi…?”
Not at all, not in any way resembling him.
Well, since it was just inspired and not a direct copy, perhaps it could be excused. He hesitated for a moment, thinking about it as the screen changed.
It was the display of the actual game.
“Oh, this fantasy is quite elaborate, isn’t it? Though it feels a bit unrealistic.”
“Now when you operate that crystal, the character will move.”
“What? This illusion could be adjusted according to my will?”
Luke was astonished.
An illusion typically requires an absurd amount of computational power to change in real time, being an extremely advanced spell.
The complexity of the illusion and interactivity makes the difficulty increase exponentially.
Even the level of real-time manipulation, which merely mimicked the shape of a spirit, required considerable calculations…
Especially, implementing that in such a magic device would be nearly impossible…
Or maybe not so.
Could it be that this monstrous device was indeed constructed to weave such an absurd illusion?
“Now I understand why such incredible technology has been marshaled.”
As Luke gazed in awe at the graphics on the game screen, Shirud felt a vague, inexplicable pride and continued explaining.
“First, let’s practice a bit. This is the attack, and this is the skill. And…”
———
