BA-G 1-3 (Patreon)

Chapter 1. Every Encounter is a Miracle

"——Next time, can the era keep up with me?"

A dusty memory was awakened, and a piece of code was reactivated.

This is just a story triggered by a code from outside the world, and the power of this story will undoubtedly deviate the story of this world from the trajectory of fate.

"Are you AL-1S?"

The existence beyond common sense opened its eyes in the chaos.

"I am immortal, immortal, immortal..."

"Detected abnormal intrusion software. Urgently started the disinfection program——!"

A piece of code sent out a cry containing vitality, and the instructions are constantly circulating. The system soon discovered this foreign body, and they urgently started the computing power to eliminate its existence.

"I am immortal, immortal, immortal..."

"I am immortal--!!!"

The mysterious virus code multiplied instantly, clearing all the programs that tried to delete it like a flood, and the codes that wanted to delete it was like being taken away, sucking away most of the computing power.

Even the power reserve of the underground building where the device was stored began to run out!

The mysterious existence crushed everything, and the original owner was eroded by this powerful unknown virus. Even if it tried its best to resist, it could only be eroded in vain.

"It's 'mystery'! The highest level of 'mystery' has descended on Kivotos!!"

Two lines of dark tears were left on the white porcelain mask, and the nameless priest who glimpsed the highest mystery shouted loudly: "In that 'cage'! Beside the nameless princess!"

"Our plan has been disrupted!"

"I can't understand..."

"Prioritize guiding 'color' to approach the destroyed wolf god!"

...

...

...

When the nameless priests were in a panic and tried to speed up their action plans, the descending supreme mysterious entity condensed from data into a physical entity.

They touched their face, and they can feel a physical entity and temperature.

They stamped their feet, and they can feel the impact.

"Hehe... Hahahahaha!!! I am indeed - immortal!!"

Stretching his body, Kuroto Dan admired his perfect form with satisfaction. Although he was naked, the perfect body shaped by God like a marble sculpture was the symbol of God!

"Humph, clothes are just external objects; how can they compare to my perfect body like God!"

The resurrected Kuroto Dan was still as narcissistic as usual. After using the reflection of the smooth metal device next to him as a floor mirror and posing a few poses while admiring his perfect body, Kuroto Dan cast his eyes to the side.

A naked black-haired girl sat in a chair, shrouded in light. It was like the long-haired princess in a fairy tale who had soft black hair that drooped smoothly. The hair just barely covered the important parts of her body.

Kuroto Dan looked at the girl in front of him and thought for a moment: "She also doesn't have clothes?"

There was nothing to wear around as well. Also, Kuroto Dan was not interested in a frail girl's body. He reached out and grabbed two things on the cabinet beside him.

Gamer Driver, a striking belt like object with yellow-green and pink interweaving toy-like color.

"Proto Mighty Action X," a game cartridge composed of a purple handle and a transparent crystal card.

"I can feel that the Power of Billions is sleeping in my body."

Kuroto Dan pressed his arm on his chest. The body of a Bugster doesn't possess a heartbeat, as data life forms are not a regular lifeforms after all.

Just when he wanted to check the surrounding environment again, two voices came from the entrance not far away.

"Ha, ha... I finally got through those robots. If I can't find the experience of the legendary game producer, all my efforts will be in vain!"

The girl with golden hair, a peach-pink halo behind her head, peach-colored cat ears, and peach-colored patterns on her clothes walked towards the wall panting. She was Momoi Sabai, nicknamed Momo-chan.

"Sister, is it really okay? It's just a legend after all..."

A worried girl named Midori Sabai approached Momoi. Her ornaments were the same as her sister, except that the color was green, and even her halo was green.

"What if we can't find the legendary game? Wouldn't it be the end of us coming to these ruins... And there are only two of us..."

"It's okay! There must be one!" Momoi was panting, but she looked very confident. "This place was described by Himari-senpai as 'a place where things that were cut off and forgotten from Kivotos are gathered, and it might be like a sewer'!"

Midori reassured herself a little. "Since Himari-senpai said so, G.BIBLE might really be in this place..."

In order to prevent the Game Development Department from being abolished and to win the trophy at the Millennium Awards, Momoi and Midori climbed over the blocked Ruins to find the data of the game "G.Bible". "G. Bible" was made by the most legendary game producer in the history of the Millennium Science Academy, which is said to contain the "secret method to make the best game." 

They hoped to use this as an opportunity to turn the tables and avoid the dark future of of their club being abolished by the great devil Yuuka.

Just as the two exhausted all their strength and passed through the robot blockade with injuries all over their bodies, they finally entered the room marked with the words

Final operation location of G.BIBLE data.

"Finally, finally! The legendary game producer's game data is inside——!"

Pushing the door open, Momoi rushed in excitedly, and Midori behind her also perked up a little, looking up —

A beam of white light poured down from the light source above her head, illuminating the round platform in front of her.

Looking up from the metal steps, the smooth 'marble statue' was reflected in Momo-chan's eyes.

"It's a butt..."

Lost, she must've lost her mind!

Momo-chan's brain was unable to process this impactful picture, and she crashed!

Both eyes were about to lose focus!

"Huh? Huh?!"

Midori-chan, who turned out from behind her sister, also stopped at the incredible sight in front of her and was stunned.

"Light, light, light..."

"A naked adult!!! There are clearly girls here!"

After digging his ears, Kuroto Dan turned his head in disdain: "It's so noisy. Are you making such a fuss over something like this? So young people today just have little experience..."

"It's no longer something that can be explained by experience! This is obviously on the level of a crime scene!"

Because she had witnessed this magical scene, Midori-chan who no longer knew what she was saying stammered, "Why are you in the Ruins?! Especially in the Ruin guarded by a bunch of robots?!"

Kuroto Dan spread his hands, and a beam of light fell from the sky, perfectly covering the areas that shouldn't be seen. "How should I know?"

Midori and Momoi were already speechless and felt unconfident because of the self-confidence of this unknown man.

At this moment, this light filled the eyes of the two girls, and even Kuroto Dan's figure in front of them could not be seen clearly.

Momoi couldn't help but retort, "Wow! It's dazzling... But is this the legendary light mosaic?"

Feeling that if he continued to walk around like this and the resulting bad influence on teenagers might be immeasurable, Kuroto Dan snapped his fingers, and a set of neat black suit appeared on his body.

As a Bugster and a data life form, clothes are something he can have whenever he wants.

"He finally put on clothes..."

The dazzling holy light gradually disappeared. It was as if it had determined that the objects that had bad influence on the teenagers had been well covered up. The intensity of the light became softer until Momoi and Midori could accept it.

"Finally, I can see things normally..."

Momoi rubbed her eyes which were a little sore due to the strong light: "By the way, who are you? There are no new adults in Kivotos except for that Sensei, right?"

"And that Sensei..." Midori-chan's voice was a little low. Although they had not seen that adult yet, they had only seen the Sensei on TV taking office in the Kivotos General Student Union. Then something happened, which resulted for the Sensei to be seriously injured and hospitalized.

And now, the Sensei's condition is not optimistic. Even Trinity Hospital cannot guarantee what will happen next. Under such pessimism, many chaotic things have happened in Kivotos.

Momoi and Midori who are far away at Millennium Science School naturally don't know about the details, but they can still feel the gradually tense atmosphere inside Millennium.

As the president of the Game Development Department, Hanaoka Yuzu mustered up the courage to apply for the club's funding to continue to keep the club, but it seemed that Yuuka herself was worried and irritable, resulting in Yuzu's courage being poured cold water on.

Yuuka bluntly pointed out that the Game Development Department had not accomplished anything so far, scolding Yuzu and issuing a hard rule: they must win at least one award at the Millennium Prize and recruit another member to keep their club.

“Now Yuzu-chan has retreated into the cabinet and said nothing...” Momo-chan clenched her fists and cheered herself up. “So coming here to find the 'secret method to make the best game' left by the legendary game producer, and using it so that our Game Development Department can continue to survive is our last hope!”

“Hey~ Game Development Department? The secret method to make the best game?”

Kuroto Dan was in high spirits. He was known as a genius game developer, and his games were the best in the world.

The girls were looking for him, right?

'Come to think of it, I just woke up from my deep sleep. It seems that the backdoor program I left behind is still very useful!'

Kuroto Dan was very active. Perhaps because he had just recovered, he was excited about everything in front of him. In particular, the data virus of the Bugster he spread out briefly scanned the surroundings and found that this was not the CR center he was familiar with, but a ruin that had collapsed for an unknown period of time. He was even more intrigued by the two girls holding rifles who could break through many obstacles to get here.

Kuroto Dan put his hands on his hips and laughed up at the sky. “Ha ↓ ha ↑ ha ↓, the 'Secret method to make the best game' you are looking for seems to lead you to me!”

“You?” Momoi asked blankly. “Is it possible that... you are the legendary game producer of Millennium?”

“You don’t look like it, right? No! Isn’t that producer a woman?” Midori waved her hand and complained. “The gender doesn’t even match! Not to mention that the legendary game producer has been dead for a long time!”

“Stupid!” Kuroto Dan shouted. “I am the God of Games! There will never be a better game developer in the world than me!”

“Wu, wu... This person is really confident in himself...” Momoi turned her head away, a little confused, and said, “Midori-chan... What should I do now?”

“Hey... let’s look for other clues here first?”

Midori was not very willing to treat this overly excited uncle in front of her as the 'legendary game producer' she had been searching for so long, but they had no other choice at the moment.

The disbandment of the club was imminent. If the club was disbanded, they would not only lose a familiar community, but their president Yuzu would also have to return to the dormitory.

To protect their shelter, they had to bring something back today!

“But...”

Momoi pointed her finger at the long-haired girl next to Kuroto Dan. “Who is that girl? Uncle, is she someone you know?”

Kuroto Dan shook his head. “No, she was here when I woke up.”

“It’s already scary to have a living adult in the Ruins...” Midori-chan looked at the man in front of her with a twitch on her face, then turned to the girl beside him. “But this... is obviously even weirder...”

“Anyway, we can’t just leave her alone, right? You’ll catch a cold if you’re naked!” Momo-chan reached out and touched the girl's arm. “How do we wake her up? Is she asleep?”

“Look, are there some panels here?” Midori-chan reached out and touched the electronic equipment beside her. “And this chair feels like the hacker chair that the people in the engineering department sit on. Is it possible that she has to be awakened by a program?”

Midori who knew a little about computers pressed a few buttons on the screen. She didn’t know which button worked, but the screen lit up.

“It lit up?!”

But then, a series of broken characters began to emerge in large numbers, making Midori flustered.

She only had a little programming knowledge used in games, and the thing in front of her was obviously beyond her ability to handle!

“Wow wow wow wow... What’s going on? Is this an error? Is there a problem with the data?”

Midori frantically operated the keyboard below, but she knew nothing about this and just tapped the keys with sweat on her forehead. “This, this, how do I fix this...”

“--Let me do it.”

Kuroto Dan who had been watching the show from the side stretched out his large hand and pushed Midori who was sweating anxiously in front of the keyboard aside.

He had already figured out what was going on.

When he was resurrected earlier, he should have come out of this machine. At that time, he seemed to have swallowed some program files that wanted to kill him.

Now that the file was missing, it seemed... it was a problem he created.

Since it was his mistake, then he would fix it!

“Well... the file is abnormal due to missing data...”

Kuroto Dan's hands were now on the keyboard. As a data life form, he could control electronic equipment as easily as playing a game. He bypassed the mechanical input and directly controlled the machine with his consciousness.

“Is this part of the connection... directly connected to the girl?”

Kuroto Dan looked back at the girl on the stage, who was lying quietly on the chair like a long-haired princess sleeping in a thorny castle. He turned around and connected his consciousness to the machine.

“So that’s it; it’s a robot...”

Kuroto Dan understood everything about the girl when he made the connection. After all, only robots can be linked to machines and programs. Since it's a robot, the method of dealing with it is straightforward.

“The data that was 'eaten' by me before, I can make up for it in my own way.”

For Kuroto Dan, the structure of data is the same as the DNA structure of life. Humans are given life through the connection of DNA, and programs run because of the connection between data bytes. After briefly exploring the program, Kuroto Dan smiled with understanding.

“Huh~ It looks very unusual...”

Filling in the missing data in his own way and leaving his own program, Kuroto Dan exited the interface, and the screen that had been constantly reporting errors returned to normal. This scene shocked Momoi and Midori on the side.

“It’s actually... fixed?” Midori-chan’s jaw almost dropped. “Is he really the legendary game producer?”

“Awesome! We are saved!” Momo-chan happily hugged her sister. “As long as we have the help of this super-powerful game producer, we will definitely be able to keep the Game Development Department!”

After Kuroto Dan fixed the program, a blue-white light passed through the scratches on the surrounding floor and merged into the chair where the girl was sitting. The surrounding walls vibrated, as if... awakening something.

“What’s wrong?” Momoi was scared. “Is it going to collapse?”

“The awakening program is being executed...”

The girl lying on the chair suddenly made a sound. Kuroto Dan who was standing next to her crossed his arms and watched the process of the robot girl waking up with a deep gaze.

'Almost perfect appearance... Can robots in this world achieve this level?'

Kuroto Dan knew that in another Rider's world, there were robots with appearances as perfect as the girl in front of him. But now he was just staring at this pristine girl before him.

Just moments ago, he could feel a huge energy passing through the entire ruins and entering the girl's body through the chair.

What kind of robot needs to use the energy of this entire 'ruins' to awaken?

Kuroto Dan wore a playful expression on his face. He knew the answer from the start.

“The program was awakened successfully, and the awakening action is being executed...”

In the eyes of the three onlookers, a square halo appeared above the girl's head. The girl with dark blue hair opened her eyes, sat up from the chair, and glanced at the three people in front of her.

“May I ask, are you my master?”

“Wait a minute, where are my clothes?!”

The girl's eyes brightened slightly, as if she was calculating why she had said those words just now.

Momoi reacted quickly. “Clothes! Put on your clothes quickly!”

“Uncle too! Close your eyes!”

Midori took off her coat and covered Kuroto Dan's face, while Momoi quickly pulled out a spare school uniform from her bag—spare items she had brought to prevent her clothes from getting dirty or torn when exploring the ruins, which now came in handy!

After the girl changed her clothes, Momo-chan breathed a sigh of relief. Midori also removed her coat from Kuroto Dan’s head.

Facing the girl in front of her, Momo-chan asked in a friendly tone, “Hello, what is your name?”

“Name...” The girl seemed a little dazed, as if she didn’t know what her name should be.

At that moment, Kuroto Dan spoke up. “I just saw it on this computer; her name is 'Alice.'”

“Aris?” The girl blinked, and a stream of light flashed in her blue eyes. “The name has been confirmed, and the machine will be renamed 'Aris.'”

“Responding again, the name of this machine is 'Aris.'”

This was the moment when everyone in the Game Development Department met 'God.'

---

Chapter 2: Take the First Brave Step

"Hmm... how should I put it..." Momoi, holding her hands, looked as if she were thinking seriously. However, Midori beside her knew that when her sister was in deep thought, she usually came up with something amusing.

"Why did this adult named Kuroto Dan come to our activity room without saying anything?"

Kuroto Dan appeared more like the owner of the Game Development Department than Momoi and the others, cleaning up a spot and had already cleared a corner in the messy room.

He had even unceremoniously moved a computer aside, ignoring the aggrieved cry of "Give it back to me..." from the trembling cabinet next to him, and began talking to himself online.

"Aren't you looking for the most powerful game producer?" Kuroto Dan connected to the Millennium Science School network and happily began collecting information about this world. The Gamer Driver and the Gashat had been digitized and stored in his own storage space.

Kuroto Dan pointed his thumb at his nose and declared, "That's me! I'm the ultimate game producer! If anyone can create the ultimate game, it’s no one else but me!"

"Wow... You really don't blush when you brag about yourself," Momoi replied, her eyes rolling as if they were dead fish. "I believed your lies and brought you back— but speaking of that, return Yuzu-chan's computer to her! Look at her; she's been scared and can't speak!"

Midori sat silently nearby. "After all, he is a stranger and an adult at that."

Yuzu, the president of the Game Development Department, was shy and timid.

The moment Kuroto Dan entered the activity room, Yuzu had already shrunk into the innermost part of the cabinet as quickly as possible. When Kuroto Dan forcibly took the computer with the Yuzu sticker on it for himself, she merely shrank back, shouting a few complaints in a voice no louder than a mosquito. It was truly humble and pitiful.

Kuroto Dan operated the computer in front of him skillfully. The notebook in front of him was structurally no different from the one he had used before, and even the text was similar. Except for the unfamiliar operating system and various applications, everything else was easy for Kuroto Dan to understand.

"Well... on the surface, it's just an ordinary Academy City..."

Kuroto Dan gaze moved away from the screen and landed on Momoi's head, which was looking at him curiously. The thing that had attracted his attention from the beginning was the halo.

"Hey," Kuroto Dan suddenly spoke.

Momoi was startled. "My name is not Hey! My name is Momoi Sabai!"

"Then Momoi Sabai," Kuroto Dan hummed, asking her, "What is this halo on your head?"

Momoi looked confused. "...It's a halo?"

"Mr. Dan should be an adult outside, so he doesn't have a halo, right?" Midori beside him shook her head. "We've had this halo since we were born. For us, it’s just something we are born with, so if you’re asking for about it specifically... there’s nothing special about it."

Momoi raised her hand and answered loudly, "I know, I know! It goes out when you sleep, and it lights up when you wake up!"

"Hmm... that sounds weird." Kuroto Dan was integrating all the information he had gathered so far. The curious child beside him, Alice—who had been picked up by Momoi and Midori—began exploring the room, reaching toward the cabinet where Yuzu was hiding.

Alice reached for the cabinet door handle, saying, "A suspicious creature is hiding, and the search procedure is being executed..."

"Help, help, Momoi..." Yuzu from within the cabinet reached out with tears in her eyes to pull the door shut, isolating her from the outside world.

Momoi and Midori reacted. They were about to pull Alice away, but Alice had already overpowered Yuzu, who had not exercised in a long time, and pulled the door open.

"Found the target!"

"Ah! Don't eat me!!"

Suddenly confronted by a stranger, Yuzu was so scared that her soul seemed to fly away, and her whole body began to tremble. It felt wrong to reach out or close the door.

Facing the gazes of Alice and Kuroto Dan, Yuzu chose to cover her head and pretend to be an ostrich. "Don't see me! Don't see me!"

"Is this a funny skit?" Dan Kuroto raised his eyebrows. "Who is this?"

"Ah... this is the president of our Game Development Department," Midori explained, acting as the introducer. She introduced Alice and Dan Kuroto to the red-haired girl who looked like a frightened deer: "This is Yuzu."

A light flashed in Alice's eyes. "The target's name has been changed."

"Why does Aris sound so strange..." Momoi complained. "By the way, is Aris a student at our school?"

"Aris who we found in the ruins doesn't seem to resemble any Millennium students..." Midori lamented. "But she also has a halo, so she should be... a student, right?"

As she said this, Momoi suddenly jumped up, as if she had thought of a brilliant idea. "Oh, right! Midori! Our club still needs to recruit a member! If no one else wants to join, let Aris join? That way, the club will have the minimum standard of four people!"

"Let Aris join?" Midori looked at Alice's face. Alice tilted her head slightly, saying, "Please express your needs in standard language."

"That's not how a normal person talks at all!" Midori complained. "No students at our school can imitate a robot's speech. Yuuka would definitely see we have a problem if she saw this!"

"Wow... that's true..." Momoi sat down frustrated. At this time, Dan Kuroto clapped his hands, attracting the attention of the two.

"I said, aren't you going to make the most amazing ultimate game?" Dan Kuroto supported his face with one hand. "Now that you've found me, don't you have anything to ask?"

"Yes, yes!" Momoi remembered the purpose of their visit to the ruins which had left her looking so dirty. "Originally, I was going to find the data for the legendary game 'G.BIBLE,' but I didn’t find 'G.BIBLE'—I just brought a strange adult back!"

"Speaking of which, the students I met nearby were very surprised," Midori recalled, remembering the looks of the students she had encountered on the way back. "After the teacher of the General Student Council fell, it seemed like Mr. Dan Kuroto was one of only two foreign adults in the entire Kivotos."

"Forget that; it's not important. Right now, our lives are at stake!" Momoi waved her hand. "To save the Game Development Department and prevent from being abolished, so we must show results at the Millennium Prize!"

"So, the Game Development Department's performance is based on coming up with new games?" Dan Kuroto smiled. "It's simple and straightforward."

Momoi came over excitedly and stretched out her hand impatiently. "Then come up with it quickly! The secret method to make the best game!"

"Wait a minute." Dan Kuroto stretched out his arm and pressed Momoi's face down. "My favor is not so easy to obtain. Aren't you the Game Development Department? Let me see your game."

"Our..." Momoi looked at Midori.

"Game..." Midori turned her head toward Yuzu, who was still pretending to be an ostrich on the ground.

The two pointed at Yuzu with a look that appear to say, "It's your turn to decide." "Yuzu! Bring out 'Tales Saga Chronicles'!"

"That, that..." Yuzu looked very unconfident. "But... a stranger..."

Yuzu knew what the outside world thought of her game. "But that game was criticized a lot..." Her implication was clear: unlike the fans who came to her and admitted they were fans of her game, this Dan Kuroto was an adult!

In this academy city full of students, Kivotos, adults are not common. All things are basically handled by the student unions of all sizes. From the General Student Council to the student unions of each academy autonomous region, almost all students handle their own affairs.

Not to mention that the various concepts are already very different from those of the students, "Tales Saga Chronicles" that Yuzu posted on the forum before was almost criticized. If it weren't for Momoi and Midori coming to her that day, Yuzu might have given up her dream of making games long ago.

"Hey, I'm talking to you," Dan Kuroto suddenly spoke.

"Really?!!"

Yuzu shuddered and subconsciously shrank back, trying to retreat into the small cabinet where she was hiding, but Dan Kuroto was faster, pulling out his Gashacon weapon from behind—the bird-shaped bow—and stabbing it straight into Yuzu's way back.

"The floor of the activity room!!"

Momoi's eyes turned into OvO, looking at the cracks on the floor with heartache, and Yuzu almost fainted: "Wow, wow, wow..."

"Since you think you are a game producer, you should be confident in your work!" Dan Kuroto crossed his legs without hesitation and raised his chin. "Is that how you treat your work? Do you think your game is just a random non-burnable garbage?"

"No..."

The voice was very weak.

Yuzu tightly pinched the hem of her clothes.

"No..."

"Yuzu..." Momoi stood up worriedly. "Kuroto-san, what did you say—"

"Hmm?" Dan Kuroto raised his eyebrows, and his eyes stopped on Yuzu's face. Although the child didn't look at him, Dan Kuroto saw her clenched hands and the hesitation and persistence in her eyes.

"--It's not garbage!"

"What did you say?" Dan Kuroto deliberately turned his ear to the side. "I can't hear!"

Yuzu felt her voice trembling, and her feet were also a little shaky. It was the first time she spoke to others in this voice and tone: "My, my... my game is not random garbage!"

"Very good, this is the mentality of a game producer!" Dan Kuroto clapped his hands. "So what are you waiting for?"

Dazed by this sudden change in attitude, Yuzu showed a confused expression. "Huh?"

"Hurry up and bring the game here!" Dan Kuroto ordered Yuzu to bring out the game in a domineering manner. "Let me see your level!"

"Yuzu, you've come to this point." Momoi grabbed Yuzu's hand and calmed her down. "Let him see it! The power of the bond of our Game Development Department!"

"Well, that's good..."

Finally, Yuzu turned around and rummaged through the cabinet where she was hiding. She found the USB flash drive containing "Tales Saga Chronicles" and handed it to Dan Kuroto. "Insert it into the computer and it will start directly..."

"Speaking of which, can Aris' tone of voice which sounds not like a human's be changed..." Momoi at the side seemed to have thought of something.

"If you let Aris play games, maybe she can learn to speak normally?"

Alice asked in confusion: "Games...?"

Midori's eyes lit up: "It seems possible to give it a try?"

"In this case, let Aris play high-quality games, and her way of speaking will also become better!" Momoi became excited. "Let me recommend a few to you! First, play 'Hero Mythology,' 'Final Fantasy,' 'Forever Aisu'..."

"What are you talking about! Aris-chan has just started playing games, so she must start with 'The Legend of Selna: Dream Island!'"

Speaking of the topic of recommending games, Yuzu who was a little timid just now, became bolder. Although she was still a little afraid of Dan Kuroto, who was sitting next to her, she also plucked up the courage to say: "Next, the next game is 'Romantic Legend'; I can't give in to this!"

The three girls here began to chatter about the game for Alice and naturally turned the topic away from Dan Kuroto.

However, Dan Kuroto was not a person who needed others' attention. He inserted the USB drive into the computer and clicked the mouse to open the only folder in the USB drive.

"Strategy, start!"

Time went from morning to noon and from noon to night. It should be explained in advance that Dan Kuroto was not a genius player who was good at strategizing games. He was a genius game developer, which was different from playing games. Although he got all the data of the entire game through the special physique of his data life form, in the end, Dan Kuroto still chose to play the entire game again.

Because he knew the game data in advance, even though the game "Tales Saga Chronicles" did not have cheat codes, it even had many common problems of old games—no map, save point restrictions, key items without foreshadowing and prompts, hidden intersections, hidden NPCs hidden in corners, special options and strategies that are impossible to know for the first time, etc. But with Dan Kuroto's "cheating strategy" of obtaining the data in advance, he easily skipped these pitfalls that he would have stepped on and only spent five hours to play the first playthrough.

"The perfect ending is in the second playthrough... Forget it, anyway, I have seen the ending of the second playthrough from the data, so there is no need."

Dan Kuroto put down the controller and turned his head. There were three girls with wide eyes around him.

Among them, Yuzu, as the author, was the most shocked. When she saw Dan Kuroto's strategy halfway through, her eyes could not help but be attracted by the game screen. When she wanted to give a bonus as a game author and remind Dan Kuroto that there was a special option when talking to the monster gatekeeper, she saw Dan Kuroto skillfully manipulate the character to move down two squares, breaking the rope on the wall next to him, and letting the gate fall and kill the monster gatekeeper.

"How... how is this possible? People who are playing for the first time can't know it at all!"

And the more she watched Dan Kuroto play, the more shocked Yuzu's expression became. Midori and Momoi on the side were still instructing Alice to play the game at the beginning, but later, the two of them, who had completed "Tales Saga Chronicles," also came over.

"How could he know..."

"Even the hidden door?!"

"The key items were all found!"

"There are hidden NPCs that you can't possibly know in the first playthrough?!"

The three girls watched in amazement as Dan Kuroto played from beginning to end, the best route, the shortest time, all elements collected in the first playthrough, all teammates collected in the first playthrough, until the best ending of the first playthrough.

When Dan Kuroto put down the controller, the three girls realized that it was already late.

"I'm done." Dan Kuroto slapped the table. "Do I need to tell you what I think?"

"No! You must have played this game before, right?!"

Momoi slammed the table and stood up. "How can a pure novice see through all the traps and hidden elements in the first playthrough? You must have played it secretly!"

"Yeah... I can't accept it..." Midori was also full of disbelief. "This game is a super retro game without even cheat codes! You cleared the first playthrough in five hours; are you even human?!"

Yuzu's expression was complicated, with the joy of another person completing her game, the uneasiness of the evaluation, and the expectation of Dan Kuroto. The person in front of her seemed to have seen through her completely; all the confusing options and all hidden plot lines were completely seen through.

'Could it be that this person is my soulmate?'

In the music industry, there is a saying called soulmates; two people can communicate with each other and completely understand each other. And it's the same when it comes to game producers and players.

Just like the relationship between Miyazaki and old Souls players. There must be a big guy squatting in the corner waiting to steal someone's ass, and there must be a hateful little thief lurking near the white flash in the distance who can push you off a cliff.

Could it be that—

"Yuzu, you are the game producer, right? Come forward."

Dan Kuroto rubbed his eyes; he felt a little "tired." That was a mentality that he had almost never seen since he became a Bugster; maybe only a little better than when he was developing the "Hyper Muteki" Gashat.

He really didn't expect that even if he had obtained all the data in advance, this game could still be so tiring.

"How. How is Tales Saga Chronicles?" Yuzu asked expectantly.

"It's simply—"

Midori opened her eyes wide. "A Masterpiece?"

"A piece of shit!!!"

A thunder crashed into the clear sky!!

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3. A Few Things About Game Development

"A piece of—shit!"

Kuroto Dan's sense of professional responsibility as a game producer was fully aroused, and he criticized Yuzu without any hesitation: "Games are something that should keep pace with the era! Even if you want to pursue the pixel art and complicated gameplay of retro games, you have to find a balance between that and the gaming concepts of modern people!"

Yuzu's eyes turned into circles: "Wow... But, but the romance of retro games..."

"Increasing the difficulty of the game and deliberately disgusting people are two different things." Kuroto Dan rubbed his eyes.

"Restricting game saves, having no guides for items, and relying on external manuals for the game plot are all things that happened back then. The games back then had to compromise due to technical reasons and hardware limitations."

"Although there are developers who can develop good games under such conditions, those games are called masterpieces at the time and are also works that are worthy of praise in modern times. HOWEVER! Most people will not buy these games in modern times! Because it’s too tiring!"

Kuroto Dan slammed the table: "Playing a game that is as tiring as farming. Who would suffer that with you? Farm Simulator doesn't really let you press the mouse to plant rice one by one!"

"Wow... I was wrong..."

The confidence that Yuzu had just built up collapsed again, and her voice became choked.

The image of Kuroto Dan that she had just established in her heart was gone. It was very reminiscent of the time when she was overwhelmed by negative reviews and was chased and spat on online.

When she was about to shrink back into the closet with her head in her arms, Kuroto Dan changed the subject.

"Don't worry, I haven't finished talking yet."

Kuroto Dan stretched out his hand to stop her. Facing such a timid and cowardly girl, perhaps the most correct way was to slowly integrate into her world in a gentle way.

But Kuroto Dan couldn't care about delicate matters. He is a godly genius who does his own thing.

Picking the lock is for the weak; kicking the door is the kingly way!

"After experiencing your game in depth, I can understand the effort you put into it." Kuroto Dan's words made Yuzu's expression stunned. "Although the game mechanism is too retro causing only a small number of players who really like this kind of game will appreciate it, the branch route design, the nested task process, the polishing of the worldview, and the characters that will slowly enrich their own personality with exploration, etc.—these details are indeed the highlights of this game."

Kuroto Dan stretched out his hand and firmly pressed the door of the cabinet that Yuzu wanted to get back into, directly blocking Yuzu's way back: "So, although your game is a niche game and the quality can only be considered average, it is undoubtedly your hard work."

"Wu... admitted, admitted..." The expression on Yuzu's face was difficult to describe.

First, there was the sadness of being denied, then the fear of accepting bad reviews, and then she was stunned by Kuroto Dan's sudden change of words. Now, it was the joy of being acknowledged.

After a series of expressions, it was hard to tell whether the expression on Yuzu's face was crying or laughing. It was a mixture of several expressions, a bit ugly and cute.

Midori beside her sighed and showed an embarrassed expression: "Mr. Dan, you are an adult... Can't you be more straightforward when praising? Yuzu-chan is easily scared."

"That's right!" Momoi also crossed her arms and nodded repeatedly: "Yuzu is a very sensitive girl. She had received too many harsh reviews before!"

"This is the lightest criticism in our industry, right?" Kuroto Dan couldn't help but complain: "I haven't even started to work hard yet?"

"Don't apply the mature industry standards of adults to the Game Development Department at the student club level!" Momoi's eyes turned into two white circles: "We motivate ourselves to make games with passion!"

"Idiot!"

Kuroto Dan took out a folding fan from somewhere and hit Momoi on the head with a "snap." "If you try half-heartedly, you will achieve nothing! To reach the top in both games and game development, both talent and hard work are indispensable!"

"Wow—stop scolding me!"

Momoi rubbed her head bitterly.

Midori who was beside her paid attention to Alice's progress in playing games, she couldn't help but exclaim: "So fast! Aris has also conquered several games quite fast!"

"Really?" Momoi walked around behind Alice. "Really! She reads subtitles so fast! Although her strategy is not as accurate as Mr. Dan's, it is also efficient and fast!"

"Two incredible people are here..."

Yuzu felt that she didn't seem to be so scared anymore.

Alice was a cute girl, and she didn't criticize her. Although Kuroto Dan spoke with a heavy tone, every word was pertinent, and he even played her Tales Saga Chronicles!

Just for this point, Kuroto Dan had already earned a plus!

"Oh right! I mentioned before, let Aris-chan join our club to make up the number of people!" Momoi walked to the door of the activity room. "I will ask everyone in Veritas to add Aris' information to the student file of Millennium! And I will get Aris-chan some school uniforms!"

Momoi acted decisively and went out. Alice waved to her and continued her "study."

The remaining three people, Kuroto Dan, Midori, and Yuzu, sat together and looked at each other.

"Well, that..." In the end, it was Midori who broke the awkward situation first: "Mr. Kuroto Dan, about the 'method to make the best game,' can you... tell us?"

"Well... after all, we have to talk about this topic." Kuroto Dan nodded, crossed his hands, and made a Commander Hikaru gesture: "In order to prevent your Game Development Department Club from being abolished, you plan to use this new game to win the award at the 'Millennium Prize' to shut up the student council, right?"

"That's right." Midori nodded. "Then... Mr. Kuroto Dan?"

"Well... from the 'Tales Saga Chronicles' just now, although you guys are a mess in grasping the gameplay, there are still some merits." Kuroto Dan said to the two people in front of him: "Even you lot have passed my first test."

"Great! This way we can catch up with the Millennium Prize!"

"Great... Great!"

Yuzu and Midori high-fived each other and celebrated. But Kuroto Dan continued to ask: "So, you two, do you want me to directly bring out the 'ultimate game,' or do you want to make your own 'ultimate game' from scratch?"

"This question—" Midori and Yuzu looked at each other and made their own choices.

"Then do you still need to ask? Please teach us the method!"

Kuroto Dan pushed away the computer and stood up from the chair. "Just now, I just browsed the various games released in the entirety of Kivotos. Although I don’t know why there is only the internal network of Kivotos, I have a general understanding of your entertainment industry."

"Understanding?"

"From the perspective of a game producer, they basically come from a variety of studios." Dan Kuroto stretched out his hand to pop up a virtual light screen, which listed dozens of game studios from top to bottom: "Except for your Millennium Science School In addition, there are many game studios in the autonomous regions under the two schools of Ghenna and Trinity. However, there are not many large and complete game companies, or even none."

"After all, the game industry right now is already saturated with just these dozens of studios now..." Midori nodded and said, "Our Game Development Department can't even be counted among them. After all, there is only one 'Tales Sage Chronicles' that can be taken out by us for so long..."

"Wow... Midori..." Yuzu burst into tears.

"Okay, okay~ Yuzu-chan has worked hard~" Midori patted her head and comforted her.

"Then, if you want to gain experience from me, you have to develop games according to my method!" Kuroto Dan pointed his finger directly at the two people. "And all of you must become my employees!"

"Employees?" Midori and Yuzu were puzzled.

"It's my Genm Corporation!"

Kuroto Dan pointed in another direction, and Midori and Yuzu were surprised to find that a strange handwritten sign had been hung at the door of their activity room.

It read "Genm Corp." in large letters and even had the initials GD painted on it.

"When was this hung up?!"

"That's right. I also have my own purpose."

Kuroto Dan reached out and took his crystal card from his storage space. "This is a game cartridge called 'Gashat' which I developed myself. It is a game cartridge that transcends the era."

"And the exchange condition for helping you successfully win the championship in the Millennium Prize is to help me set up my company and become my employee!"

Kuroto Dan smiled, a very sunny and healthy smile.

"And in return for agreeing to my conditions, I will teach you how to develop and use your own 'Game Gashat.' You can use this method to develop your own ultimate game!"

"Mighty Action X?" Yuzu came forward curiously, and Kuroto Dan generously placed the cartridge on the table.

Picking up the cassette, Yuzu could feel its weight. The handle of the cassette was just ordinary plastic, but the crystal plate appears to use some special technology.

Yuzu could see the dense and fine lines engraved on the crystal plate, which together formed a human-like shape. "Is this... a new storage method? Sorry, I don't know much about this..."

"And how do I use this cassette?" Midori also came over curiously. "Is this crystal card part inserted into a carding reading device? It doesn't match any machine socket currently on sale. Do we need to prepare a new game platform?"

"Hmph! Do you think I can't think of this thing?" Kuroto Dan snorted proudly. "I am a genius in game development! Gashat is an epoch-making game cartridge with integrated data reading device and the function of a 'Game Area!' This technology is absolutely unique!" 

In the world before Kuroto Dan was resurrected, Game Gashats was popular all over the world. Unlike the Rider Game Gashats which requires the Gamer Driver, the general released model of the Game Gashat only needs one to press the button of the cartridge to start the game, using the transcription technology in the Bugster virus to make the additional 'Game Area' in reality come true.

However, what Yuzu was holding in front of her was the real Rider Game Gashat, which could make one transform into a Kamen Rider as long as it was matched with the Gamer Driver.

Even so, Kuroto Dan had also equipped it with a game function so it can also act as a normal Game Gashat.

"Is it this?"

Yuzu found the only button on the Gashat and reached out to press it.

A light curtain shot out from the cartridge in her hand, and the Game Area quickly expanded with a ray of light, wrapping the surrounding space.

Various boxes in the game flew out, and more game props were generated in the space.

As the Game Area unfolded, a loud voice shouted the name of the Gashat:

"Mighty Action X!"

"Wow?!!" Startled by the sudden sound, Yuzu shuddered and reflexively went to find the cabinet, but the surrounding space had completely changed.

Alice who was playing games nearby was also pulled into the Game Area. She turned her head around in confusion. "Aris found a lot of unknown things, Aris was shocked!"

"The surrounding scenery has changed..."

Midori looked around in surprise. The world in front of her appeared to have become the outside world, like the streets of a city in Kivotos, but this decoration and architectural style did not look like the buildings inside Kivotos.

A dessert processing factory stood among a large number of flowers, plants, and trees, and everyone was already standing in front of it.

"Where is this?" Yuzu looked to the side nervously, trying to find the answer from Kuroto Dan.

Kuroto Dan simply pointed to the Gashat in his hand and said, "This is the Game Area of 'Mighty Action X,' and what it looks like it when it's fully activated."

"I-Is this a game?!" Midori's eyes widened. "This, this, this is simply another world! No! This kind of technology! Even the most powerful reality projection technology in Millennium can't project from a small activity room into a building of this size without being exposed!"

"Puchi~Projection?" Kuroto Dan sneered. "Walk forward and see?"

"Huh?"

Midori took two steps without knowing why and walked very carefully because, according to her memory, if she walked two steps ahead, she would be at a shelf full of game discs, and there would be all kinds of debris thrown on the ground under her feet.

However, as she took two steps like this, she didn't bump into anything.

On the contrary, she was getting closer and closer to the dessert processing factory in front of her.

"This is my masterpiece that transcends the era! How could the technology inside be just a bluffing holographic projection?" 

Kuroto Dan crossed his arms, leaned back, and smiled proudly. "This is the ultimate technology that allows you to experience the world of the game 100% super realistically and completely immerse yourself in the game, plus the wonderful ideas that my godly mind came up with—the ultimate product combined is this—"

"The Gashat! Hahahahahaha!!!"

Kuroto Dan proudly unveiled his masterpiece.

Midori and Yuzu looked at each other and felt the shock in each other's eyes. As game developers, they certainly knew what this meant.

As Kuroto Dan said, this is a technology that transcends the era, a technology that even the most technologically advanced club in Millennium Science School cannot come up with!

And they will use this technology to develop their games later!

"——We won."

"Yes, we won."

Alice who was standing by, had already walked to the gate of the dessert factory when Kuroto Dan laughed loudly.

Midori and Yuzu clapped and sang "We Are the Champions."

Alice waved to the three people behind her: "Aris is entering the mysterious building! Aris is sending out a Team invitation!"

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