The New Character
“No! The Researcher would never dismiss me as just another test subject like you! To me, the Researcher is my prince!”
“Thank you so much, my dear Researcher... my beloved prince.”
A girl who broke free from her endless misfortunes and reached salvation in the form of her "prince."
[Loving Girl Versia] Available Now!
- It’s here!
- The main heroine is Versia.
- Just one more day until the Versia pickup! I swear by my luck...
- Dallang-chan! I’ll fully max you out, just wait a bit longer!
News of the new playable character, the protagonist of the latest episode, sent the community into a frenzy.
- Let’s uncover the inspiration behind the lab storyline.
- Drew a version of Dallang without her... modesty guards, seducing the Researcher.
- “Loving Girl”? What kind of “love” does it mean... hehehe.
“Looks like the response is positive.”
Despite the relentless release schedule of limited-edition characters, there was surprisingly no backlash.
Although the concept of gacha monetization was previously unheard of, players seemed to embrace this business model with surprising enthusiasm.
The new story also received rave reviews.
In creating the narrative, both the Goddess of Wisdom and the God of Music had contributed.
It was expected for the Goddess of Wisdom to be involved, given her role in the story, but why the God of Music suddenly joined was a mystery.
While I was nearly done creating the story mode, the Constellation approached me on behalf of the God of Music.
Apparently, the God of Music wanted to compose pieces for the game.
When I asked why a deity of such stature was reaching out to a game developer, he explained that the music from the previous Magitech Engineer episode had drawn countless sentient beings to the art of music.
This newfound attention to music brought the God of Music immense divine power, and he reached out as a gesture of gratitude.
I had no reason to refuse.
Until now, all the music used in the game had been avant-garde tracks I’d casually "borrowed" from my previous life.
Since I couldn’t compose music myself, I’d relied on my past-life memories, but if the God of Music himself was offering to create music for me, my concerns about the game’s OST were practically resolved.
It also opened the possibility of hosting an offline concert event.
Music plays an incredibly important role in games.
Especially in episodes like this one, where lingering emotional moments heavily rely on the impact of the soundtrack.
And, naturally, this would lead to higher revenue for our game.
Sales had been slightly declining recently, so I hoped this would turn things around and drive them sky-high again.
Watching the players’ enthusiastic reactions to the newly released character PV, I thought to myself:
Maybe it’s about time to launch an official broadcast.
And official merchandise too.
But to do that, I’d have to endure this killer schedule.
...Should I ask the Goddess of Wisdom for help?
She does have plenty of Apostles at her disposal. If I tell her, she might manage to handle it appropriately.
***
The Imperial Palace
The Crown Prince, who had been working alongside his ministers, took a short break and turned on his magic terminal. His eyes widened in astonishment.
“Versia... released...!?”
It was an alert announcing that the girl who had overcome countless hardships alongside him was now a playable character.
He couldn’t resist.
Time remaining until the pickup event begins: One week.
With his account already drained of resources from mining every corner of his territories, it was impossible for the [Sage Stones] obtained from daily and weekly quests or monthly rewards to meet the deadline.
Even obtaining her once seemed impossible, but this was Versia we were talking about.
To fully unlock her potential, he needed to pull her repeatedly until full constellation.
The Crown Prince glanced cautiously at his ministers, then discreetly operated the terminal.
Let’s see... available funds...
As the Empire’s heir, his coffers were overflowing—more than enough to fund any expense.
But all of that wealth was imperial money, under strict surveillance by the palace.
He couldn’t use it for personal expenditures like gacha pulls.
This was why he had secretly been laundering money for his in-game purchases.
Now, he calculated a new laundering route.
This time, it’s a bit riskier.
The current Emperor had appointed exceptionally competent officials, making even a minor slip-up potentially catastrophic.
But missing Versia’s pickup was unthinkable.
Driven by desperation not to lose her, the Crown Prince acted rashly.
“Hmm... Raizeol, you say?”
Through the Empire’s watchful eyes, news of this reached the highest authority.
***
MaWangSoft Headquarters
President’s Office
Click-clack, click-clack.
A woman entered the office, wearing a tailored business suit that couldn’t entirely conceal her voluptuous figure.
Click.
After locking the door, she collapsed into the large chair behind her desk.
Reaching into her cleavage, she pulled out her magic terminal and opened a community forum she often lurked in.
Title: Is This [Demon Realm Clash]?
(GIF of an outdated, clunky in-game character animation.)
- Ugh, is this even a game?
- MaWangSoft’s glory days are over.
- Where are the demon artisans who used to make masterpieces?
- Can’t play games on terminals anymore.
Title: Is This [Akashic Archive]?
(High-quality in-game footage.)
- Wow! Now THIS is a game!
- If they’re using magitech, they should at least be able to create virtual reality.
- After playing this, all other games feel so cheap I can’t go back.
Bang!
Enraged, she slammed her fist on the desk.
Once, they had praised MaWangSoft’s craftsmanship, calling their games indistinguishable from movies, marveling at the demons’ unparalleled artistry.
But now?
The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.
Her hands trembled with frustration.
Since that game launched, player perception of their own games had shifted.
Though their quality hadn’t declined, the absurdly high standard set by that game had raised player expectations to unattainable levels.
Virtual reality, huh!
How could that be possible without massive magitech equipment?
Attempts at virtual reality had been made before, combining illusion magic with magitech.
While technically successful, it required enormous, impractical machinery, and the resulting experience wasn’t compelling enough.
Most gaming companies had abandoned the concept, deeming it unviable for commercialization.
“Creating virtual reality on just a terminal? How is that even possible!”
It wasn’t even a magitech-based technology, making it impossible to reverse-engineer.
Speculation suggested it might be a miracle crafted using divine authority.
And they weren’t even selling the game itself.
Instead, they made an astronomical profit by selling in-game currency, earning more in a week than MaWangSoft’s AAA titles did in months.
Popularity, acclaim, technology, revenue—MaWangSoft couldn’t compete in any aspect.
For the demon realm’s flagship studio, this ambitious project had become a bitter humiliation.
They knew nothing about the rival studio’s headquarters, employee numbers, or any details, yet they were utterly overshadowed.
This wasn’t just a company issue—it was a matter of pride for all demons.
They’d even considered asking the Demon God—a being revered as one of the three Demon Lords—for help.
But the Demon God?
She was too busy playing the game and pestering them for money to spend on in-game purchases.
How could they face such a monstrous competitor?
Even if every past Demon King returned to life, defeating them seemed impossible.
To preserve her dignity as a Demon King, she had avoided using this last resort.
“...You started this.”
She had no choice now.
“If this is how you want to play...”
She made up her mind.
“I’ll be your saboteur.”
The nameplate on her desk gleamed ominously in the dim light.
- MaWangSoft CEO, Demon King Lucia
***
Offline Event
Collaboration cafes, fan-only exhibitions, restaurant tie-ins, and more—so many character-based gacha games back on Earth used to host a variety of offline events.
These events served dual purposes: to reward the players who loved the game and to promote the game, attracting even more users.
With Versia’s character launch just around the corner, this felt like the perfect time.
Through the official broadcast, I could introduce the Versia character, announce new events, and unveil the first wave of official merchandise.
The only problem was finding a host for the official broadcast...
Asking the Goddess of Wisdom to act as Versia felt a bit awkward.
Should I just use the power of dreams to create a virtual host?
But that would feel like I was doing the acting myself... and something about that felt off.
While aimlessly scrolling through the community forum, keeping tabs on player opinions, I stumbled across an unexpected post.
Title: Tried Cosplaying as Versia
The photo showed someone in a costume strikingly similar to the academy uniform Versia wore in the game, complete with the same-colored wig.
Their face was hidden, but the demon-like horns and the alluring curves of their body were unmistakable.
Cosplay, huh...
That might just work.
Now, how do I send them a private message?