Another school day was drawing to a close.
Students approached their studies each in their own way. There were those who crammed and tried hard, especially those who hadn't awakened yet. Among the Awakened, it wasn't hard to spot those who considered studying less than useful for future Hunters, only putting effort into physical education and lessons covering monsters and dangers beyond the city limits.
One shouldn't blame the teenagers; it was more about the education system and social status they were forced to stew in. A significant portion of the lessons learned would never be useful to them, but they had no other opportunity to learn, so they drew simple conclusions for themselves. Even Nick himself found studying his new abilities more useful than hard-to-understand trigonometry and other lessons. However, he didn't want to disappoint his parents, so he continued to spend time on his studies as before.
But now, it went faster because he had a new incentive.
Once home, he sat down at the computer and clicked an inconspicuous icon in a separate folder.
Simple music began to play, and the mustachioed plumber appeared on the screen.
Nikki started the game and spent the next twenty minutes running through levels, collecting coins, and jumping on enemies. At the end, Princess Peach awaited him.
The game was ready. Knowing how to play it, aware of all the hidden warp zones, Nick finished it quickly. He did it for pleasure.
Basking in a sweet sense of euphoria, he felt calm… More importantly, the foreign memory became clearer and more pliable because of it. Like an organism turning from a parasite into a symbiont, interested in the well-being of its host.
In such moments, Nikki felt as if he were meditating.
This was his secret. Almost like the foreign memory itself. During this state, he underwent magical training. His mana was spent, and circulating through his body, it brought changes to his organism. The young man clearly felt his total mana pool gradually increasing. Yet mages achieved this through long meditation, gradually inducing a trance state, as well as grueling physical training.
Nicholas surmised that the difference in training methods was related to the approach to work. For mages, it was precisely work; it gave them income, power, and strength. Mages were interested in the end result. They didn't enjoy harsh training, might experience less than positive emotions during raids and battles, and ultimately forced themselves to do all the above. Nikki's difference was that he genuinely enjoyed games and the process of developing them.
A mage trains sweating profusely in a simulator, honing movements to perfection, while Nick happily plays as the mustachioed plumber, without even being immersed in the matrix.
"Phew…" Nick sighed.
He leaned back in his chair.
All other thoughts, anxieties, and worries had vanished from his head during the game, leaving a comfortable silence perfect for contemplation.
Nick had managed to recreate a game from another world.
He created it in the psychomatrix and adapted it for a regular computer. It turned out not to be difficult; he knew the game mechanics and how they worked on a PC. The game could be played in the matrix, but everything was exactly the same there, just your consciousness was in front of the screen – no significant differences otherwise.
Click!
He went online and checked information about games.
In this world, nobody made games for computers. People trained in programming were busy with serious work; they had no time for such nonsense. Their skills were in demand. As for demand, it was entirely dominated by psychomatrix games and everything related to them. It wasn't surprising; these games could make you stronger, thus contributing to your enrichment or even saving your life. Compared to them, PC games were a waste of time.
A Gamedesigner could create a PC game – Nikki wasn't unique in this – but a Gamedesigner was a mage in dire need of money and resources. They would do everything for their own well-being and wouldn't even consider nonsense like creating non-matrix games. It was like asking a grown man, in all seriousness, to quit a normal job and play in a sandbox or push toy cars around.
But Nikki, in his explorations, creating a game according to the knowledge from another world, had made a surprising discovery for himself.
Creating the image of the man in the matrix required a ton of effort, and he never finished it. But creating Mario and the entire game world, albeit two-dimensional, went very smoothly. And the man wasn't just some generic character; he too was from a famous game. Of course, there was also a huge difference in detail, but that wasn't the point right now…
Nick invested little effort creating a PC game in the matrix using the phantom memory. Then, he played it on the PC, felt it out, and the memories from the other life merged with his current ones. This put him in a state close to what he learned about at the government center – inspiration and high emotional involvement. After that, he entered the matrix again and tried to create Mario from a later game. Three-dimensional, with an interesting hat. And lo and behold – he succeeded.
Long contemplation and practical testing of ideas led him to understand how he could create games in his own style, unlike other gamedesigners.
First, he recreated the game from memory, making it for PC, not the matrix. After that, it was much easier for him to use this groundwork to create the game for the matrix.
And here lay a very important point…
The games didn't necessarily have to be identical.
Spending several days researching, Nikki used his three-dimensional Mario for a racing game. The young man created a very simple track where Mario drove his car. Or rather, the player in the matrix did, stepping into the plumber's shoes. It turned out primitive, but the fact remained – it worked.
Had Nick decided to create the racing game from scratch, without the PC game foundation, it would have taken much more effort, time, and mana. But here, he used a familiar, well-tested image to create a new game. And it worked.
It turned out – creating a game from memory could be used as a base…
This was his trump card.
A real advantage unavailable to anyone else.
The word 'unique' was very appropriate here. But it would be meaningless if Nikki didn't find the right application for it.
The foreign memory was also an advantage, although it had its downsides. The feeling of inspiration that had overwhelmed Nikki had significantly weakened, practically vanishing, when he considered creating PC games only for himself while releasing only those made for the matrix.
Echoes of the foreign consciousness resisted the idea of hiding the games. It was unacceptable for true masterpieces, marvels of human intellect and diligence, to vanish into oblivion. It was like a unique work of art, a priceless artifact that, instead of taking an honorable place in a museum and inspiring people, would gather dust in the closet of a greedy collector.
Nicholas could only agree and promise himself not to hide these games.
But what then?
In principle, they could also be sold. Or released for free.
It made sense to use them as advertising or side products. Like how comics used to be released alongside movies. Before the catastrophe, when a full-length animated film came out, merchandise was immediately released. Clothes, toys, trinkets, anything. And that influenced the popularity of the original product, the film, even more.
If Nick released an excellent PC game, especially for free, it would undoubtedly attract public attention. People would talk about it, discuss it; attention was guaranteed. And what if a matrix game was released alongside it?
People who learned about the first game through word-of-mouth would immediately find out about the second, and if they were mages, they would most likely decide to try it.
There was the answer for how a novice gamedesigner could attract attention right from the start.
There was, of course, a second option: release games gradually, one after another. He could even start with indie games. But that process wasn't fast. And all attention would shift to new games, while the old ones gathered dust, which would greatly displease Nikki's subconscious, adversely affecting his inspiration.
If he released a great game, what guarantee was there that it would attract the proper attention? There was a chance, perhaps even a high one, but he wanted guarantees. Especially since creating it would require enormous effort and time, and he still had to finish school this year, by the way.
Money was needed here and now.
Before making a final decision, the young man decided to visit the government center again.
…
There were more people here today. The parking lot had almost no free spaces left due to the cars.
He entered just like last time.
People bustled about in the spacious room, some standing in small groups. From snippets of their conversations, Nick understood that some kind of symposium was taking place in the building. Leading specialists in gamedesign and related fields had gathered.
Actually, the event had practically ended. People were gradually dispersing.
This didn't concern the young man, except that he hoped the room with the terminals would be free.
On his way there, a crowd of people came towards him. Almost two dozen individuals, most of whom were men in stern suits.
Leading the way, standing out proudly from the crowd, was a stunningly beautiful girl.
Tall, slender, in a beautiful dress, with bare legs and a delightful décolletage. Stiletto heels clicked pleasantly with each step. Chestnut hair styled in a bob, gold earrings and a necklace… Dark glasses couldn't hide the blue of her eyes.
Nikki froze.
A goddess was walking towards him.
He had never met anyone more beautiful.
He stood in the middle of the wide corridor, and she walked towards him.
And just then, something blocked his view of this beauty. It was a man in a suit and dark glasses, apparently from security. He quickened his pace and approached the boy, gently pushing him aside with his hand.
Nick found himself against the wall as the girl walked past.
Only now did the young man notice a balding, chubby man scurrying at her right side, apparently a big shot in this building. The girl, in turn, seemed to pay him no attention, letting everything he said go in one ear and out the other. However, she hadn't glanced at Nicholas at all, though she couldn't have missed him in the nearly empty corridor, especially how the guard had moved him.
"Ms. Scarlet, I can assure you, this deal will bring you…" the chubby man was saying.
Nikki was left alone.
After standing by the wall for a minute, he shuffled off about his business.
The thoughts he had arrived with were replaced by others. So, sitting down at the terminal, he immediately looked up who that lady was.
Liza Scarlet. 24 years old. Fifth-rank Gamedesigner. Shareholder of Edmonton's best Hunter guild, the Green Bulls. Niece of the city's military commander, General Scarlet. Her father was an outstanding Hunter who died ten years ago repelling a wave of monsters invading the city, for which he was posthumously declared a hero.
Next, the young man familiarized himself with Lady Scarlet's work.
It turned out she was known for her hit games, which were in demand in other cities and even countries. All of them were paid, of course, which was why Nick couldn't play them. They generated such good income that Edmonton's treasury collected significant taxes from them.
It wasn't surprising that the girl received such fawning treatment. She had earned it, and her connections had nothing to do with it. Nick knew very well what it took to create games single-handedly.
"I wonder if I'll ever reach her level?" Nick thought.
After spending a few more minutes studying her games, the young man got back to the reason he came here.
He returned home late. His parents were home. Mom asked her son not to stay out late, then mentioned a call from Sarah and her academic successes.
Nick replied that he would do everything in his power to help the family… and then had to promise his mother he wouldn't overexert himself.
Closing himself in his room, he sat on the bed.
He had learned something interesting at the center.
A competition for gamedesigners was being held in the city, with awards and everything. Most participants would be newcomers. Those still unknown to the public had a good chance to make a name for themselves. All games would be reviewed by specialists and hunters. Furthermore, streamers would also discuss these games. How these individuals were persuaded to participate wasn't mentioned, but it didn't matter. What mattered was the involvement of influential figures in the information sphere.
If he released a game for the competition, there was a high probability it would be noticed and thus stand out from the crowd. It wouldn't get lost and would gain the necessary popularity.
He wouldn't miss this opportunity. He would sink his teeth into it like a hungry dog and swallow it without choking.
But what game should he make?
It needed a foundation. That meant two games…
Lying on the bed, Nikki thought, quietly whistling a tune to help himself think better.
At some point, he realized this music was from the other world, and then that it belonged to a specific game.
An image appeared before his eyes: a golden-haired man with a beard, in shining armor, raising a sword over a crimson, horned demon with a fiery sword.
It was the menu music… from the game Heroes of Might and Magic 4 – The Restoration of Erathia.