신계 한구석

딸깍

치이이익

In a dark room, a man wearing glasses moved the lever of a device, releasing a significant amount of smoke.

위이이이잉

With a loud noise, divine energy flowed as the device started to operate,

위이잉…….

and then it came to a halt.

펑!

Then, something went wrong inside, and it exploded with black smoke.

쾅!

“……Damn it!”

The man, who had shielded himself from the explosion with divine energy, slammed his hand on the desk.

“Another failure!”

Unable to contain his anger, he kicked the device.

깡! 깡! 깡!

“Why! Why won’t it work! I fixed everything!”

After a long outpouring of fury, the man suddenly clutched his head.

Again.

This anger filled his mind.

The unusually rapid spread of anger was clouding his rationality.

He had destroyed the device he was painstakingly crafting with meaningless rage instead of proceeding with his research calmly.

Wincing from a headache, he opened the door to the lab and stepped outside.

He thought he would take a moment to cool off and let the anger subside before continuing his research.

As he stepped outside, a cool breeze enveloped him.

After being cooped up tinkering with machines, breathing in the outside air felt refreshing.

“…Huh?”

As he wandered through the streets of the Divine Realm for a while, he spotted a group of gods huddled around a sign.

To think that gods, so full of themselves, would act so unbecomingly.

It was indeed a unique sight.

The man approached the group of gods.

In the center of the group, a sign had childish, crooked handwriting:

– [Looking for a protagonist for the Akashic Archive!]

It was talking about finding a Star Lord to feature in a game currently being serviced on Earth.

“So that sloth managed to get the blessings as the protagonist in that game.”

“Right. He appeared as the leading role in an episode of that game. It seems the perception from that game played a significant role.”

“To think that a lowly game enjoyed by mortals would generate this level of divine energy.”

The man eavesdropped on the gods’ chatter.

“While I can’t determine the exact figures, based on mentions of faith and the flow of divine energy, it is estimated that the total amount of divine energy that sloth has accumulated over the past seven days has surpassed that of the Blessing.”

“As far as I know, that sloth was a renowned hero of the Seven Great Heroes, notably symbolizing sacrifice, and had always managed to gather considerable divine energy.”

“Even so, he positioned himself at the bottom of the top ten. The earnings he brought in weren’t even a tenth of what the former top-tier Blessing earned.”

“Whoa… Is it really that much?”

The divine energy accumulation of the sloth, which was only around the tenth place, had surpassed that of the former number one, Blessing.

The man supported his chin with one hand.

The sacrifice who overcame sloth was a god who hadn’t shown any particular initiative, remaining cooped up like that, but the widespread epic on Earth meant he was always ranked high.

But still, only around the tenth place.

That number was drastically insufficient compared to first place. For her to jump to first place in just a week was shocking.

“So, does that mean if I participate in this game production, I could end up like that sloth?”

For Star Lords, divine energy was life and power.

Increasing the collection of divine energy through greater worship and belief was a topic of interest for all gods.

“Arthur. What kind of image do you think this game company will create for you? That sloth was portrayed only in a cool and positive image, but the process of appearing could damage your divine persona.”

The maintenance of worship for the gods was heavily dependent on their authority.

If a god became someone who couldn’t be revered, leading to the collapse of that authority, they could lose their existing faith and fall.

“…That’s true. Sigh. I’m tempted, but part of me hesitates.”

To the gods, the depletion of divine energy was akin to life-threatening actions.

“Hoho. So everyone is too scared to try.”

The gods, who had been murmuring among themselves, turned around at the man’s muttering.

“D-Divine Wrath?”

“Why are you out here?”

Upon discovering the man, the gods were startled and stepped back.

“Why? Am I not allowed to be outside?”

Seeing the gods afraid of him, the man pushed his glasses up.

The anger that had filled his mind moments before dissipated.

The joy of having found a new path for his stalled research replaced it.

“If you all can’t do it…”

The thrill of discovering a new route in his research to find a way to reach her lifted the corners of his mouth.

“I will.”

*

[The Angry Mage Engineer says he wants to work with you.]

Upon confirming the identity of the Star Lord who spoke to me beyond the dialogue window, I was taken aback.

[Angry Mage Engineer?!]

Right now, on the Leifania continent, there were plenty of Star Lords who were revered and reigned as gods.

Among them, some were recognized by more people and had many followers, referred to as the Seven Great Heroes, Three Great Sages, and Five Great Lords.

The sacrifice who overcame sloth, Ren, and others like them were the heroes who left significant legacies for their continent or their factions – the Seven Great Heroes.

[Angry Mage Engineer] was one of the Three Great Sages, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Seven Great Heroes.

He was also famously known for not often appearing outside, much like Goddess Ren, and had little involvement in the mortal realm.

It was hard to imagine he would be the first guest….

[Angry Mage Engineer says it’s fine for you to use his story as you please.]

[Angry Mage Engineer permits you to use him as a villain or an ally without issue.]

You can use his story as you wish?

Even using the image of a god from his human days?

[Angry Mage Engineer says he has one condition.]

[Angry Mage Engineer asks you to carve the image of one human into the minds of all inhabitants of the continent.]

[Angry Mage Engineer says that is his condition.]

“Is that really… okay?”

To engrave just one image.

It didn’t seem difficult at all.

Compared to being able to freely use the story of the Star Lord, it was a trivial condition.

[Angry Mage Engineer hopes that there are no negative aspects about that woman’s image.]

[Angry Mage Engineer adds that he doesn’t care about his own image, thinking it might be better to appear as a villain instead.]

A woman, huh.

Come to think of it, the Mage Engineer… now I get it.

That’s how it is.

“Understood. No problem. …Could you tell me about that woman?”

I had a rough idea of what it might be.

After all,

[Angry Mage Engineer reminisces fondly that the woman has a kind heart, is gentle yet decisive, cannot tolerate injustice, and worries more about others than herself.]

He was also famous as the divine lover who poured all his divine energy and life into resurrecting that woman since becoming a god.

*

[Activating Developer Mode.]

After ending the call with the Mage Engineer, I accessed the [Akashic Archive].

It was to create the episode agreed upon with the Mage Engineer.

“Is it… the Mage Engineer’s woman?”

The unfortunate lover, the Mage Engineer.

His story was known to all inhabitants of the continent.

Since childhood, he had displayed exceptional talent in Mage Engineering, earning the title of genius and had invented countless innovations like armored golems, magic power generators, and magic excavation machines, pushing the standard of Mage Engineering on the continent to the next level.

‘No mage engineer will ever surpass him in the history of the continent.’

It was a saying that symbolized his position at the pinnacle of Mage Engineering as one of the Three Great Sages, standing shoulder to shoulder with the God of Magic and the God of Alchemy.

His incredible achievements are still praised by numerous scholars, solidifying his legacy as a genius who was ahead of his time.

Even after ascending to divinity, he tirelessly dedicated himself to research and development, embodying the very essence of the god of Mage Engineering.

But even he couldn’t protect one certain being.

That being was none other than his childhood friend, Kate, who had been with him since they were young.

“I asked him to engrave her deeply into the minds of all the inhabitants of the continent.”

Yet he also simultaneously insisted that not a single negative aspect should exist concerning her.

Why did he make such a request?

Could it be that he plans to use that perception to facilitate her resurrection?

…Who knows.

As someone unfamiliar with Mage Engineering, I had no inkling.

How could I understand the thought process of a god, especially one who was called the top genius of the continent in his human days?

What I needed to do was craft an episode for the game that satisfies all his conditions while still having ample emotional appeal.

Character collection games, or rather, subculture games, have numerous essential elements.

Attractive character designs, well-structured stories, appropriate use of character strengths, lingering narratives and presentations, avant-garde music, and more.

But all these elements aim toward one thing: to immerse players in the game and foster their affection for the characters — all of which can be summed up in a single word.

Emotional Appeal.

Whether in character or story, what matters most is that the users feel touched and satisfied.

This needed to be included in the first story I create.

The romance between an inventor and his childhood friend.

That’s where the emotional appeal lies.

I recalled numerous character-driven games I played in my past life.

Then, a story of a villain character that had resonated with me flashed through my mind.

“This is the most selfish thing one person could do….”

It couldn’t be more fitting to use as a motif for the Mage Engineer’s story.