It was evening at the academy.
As expected, nothing was as smooth sailing as he had hoped, and some peculiar incidents did happen from this batch of players. Among them, Auralise had unexpectedly barged into his office. She loudly insisted on bypassing the typical mundane chores and jumping straight into wielding magic. Her attitude was not entirely surprising, considering that her background was no different than nobles in this world, and it was understandable.
Nonetheless, Victor was on the verge of disconnecting her from the game due to the fact that she had neglected the basics of etiquette. However, he managed to restrain himself, choosing instead to respond in a manner befitting his NPC role — feigning ignorance. Disappointed, Auralise could only reluctantly leave his office through the dissuasion of her attendant, Dominique.
In truth, Victor had never forced any player to do manual labor. They were free to pursue any activity they preferred, including waiting for their promotion to Initiate Attunement. As for sustenance, as long as their friends were willing to buy extra, they could share their meals.
Problem solved.
In fact, this approach to gameplay freedom had sparked lively debates on the official website forum. Not all players supported this idea. After all, many of the participants were hardcore gamers, and to see others doing little to contribute to the game’s development while they themselves couldn’t get the qualifications would hit their nerves.
A common sentiment expressed in the forum discussions was, “If you aren’t serious about playing the game, go back to playing Fortnite and give me the qualification!” This statement echoed loudly across the community.
Speaking of the official website forum, almost immediately after KuroUsagi logged out, he posted his review about the game. Interestingly enough, he only put up a post with a link to his well-known blog and wrote, “For a detailed experience of my first day in Magus Academy Online, click here,” so he clicked, or tapped, away.
The content of his review described the vividness of the game world, the bizarre fact of how he could understand and speak a completely foreign language, the mechanics behind the character affinity and aptitude tests, and the diverse array of players he encountered. He praised the game’s immersive quality but didn’t shy away from pointing out areas that could be improved. One significant point he raised was the limited range of activities available to newbies:
“For the current stage of the game, the lack of diverse tasks leaves new players with few choices beyond manual labor or waiting for acolyte advancement. Maybe this could be improved by adding a wider variety of tasks available, including jobs and professions. But I suspect that it is something that will be added in the near future as the game progresses. To that sense of realism in development, I must applaud the game developers’ ambitious vision.”
At the end of the day, Victor couldn’t implement a perfect system from the get-go, and only through trial and error would he have a better and better “game.”
His review also sparked a round of heated discussions on the forum. Some players agreed with his observations, while others argued that the game’s open-ended nature was part of its charm. Amidst the discussions, there were a few netizens who spouted their envy and jealousy at KuroUsagi’s privileged access to the game and impressive mana aptitude.
Meanwhile, Victor kept a close eye on the other posts on the forum. He noticed that the more experienced players were already forming parties and planning their first dungeon expedition, even those who hadn't reached Initiate Attunement yet. In fact, a small group of players seemed to be forming an alliance of sorts. This group comprised individuals with high mana aptitudes and rare elemental affinities.
After some time, finding no further topics of immediate interest, Victor decided to take a break from the screen. He leaned back in his chair, allowing himself a moment of relaxation. By the way, there were some posts talking about the mana crystals that were sold out on the virtual shop. Storm didn’t make any chirp despite having bought them all; he must have been keeping it a secret for strategic reasons.
“Master.” Lizbeth’s voice suddenly broke the silence as she flew toward him. “Our moneybags is reaching out to us and wants to talk about the investment right now.”
“Great. So, she has taken the bait.” Victor’s mouth formed an arc as he reactivated his Master Shadowlink Mark and opened the Discord app.
MissRichLadyAuralise: “Rejoice! After experiencing the game firsthand, I am thoroughly impressed. Thus, my board of directors and I have decided to fully invest in your company. However, we’re interested in a full acquisition or, at the very least, a majority stake. We want full control over the company, the game’s management, as well as its profit. Of course, the price we offer won’t disappoint you in the slightest.”
Full control over the company?
The notion made Victor scoff internally. They were no fools — it was evident that Auralise and her people must have seen this as more than just a game since they would have access to the revolutionary, fully immersive technology that powered it. In their eyes, owning the company meant owning a golden-egg-laying-goose that would generate endless money and be at the front of future technological advancements.
But they were mistaken. This wouldn’t have been a problem as long as the offer was generous enough, but that wasn’t the case with Victor’s fictitious company and game. What powered Magus Academy Online was not mere technology but magic. Therefore, the offer was irrelevant and inapplicable in this context and, frankly, amusing.
With that thought in mind, he typed his firm response: “We appreciate your interest and are glad to hear you’re satisfied with our product. Unfortunately, our company has unanimously decided that we don’t want a full acquisition nor a majority stake purchase to happen. So, we have to decline the options that you offered us.”
Her reply came swiftly, just seconds after he entered his message.
MissRichLadyAuralise: “What?! You haven’t even heard our offer yet! Do you realize how much money you are losing by declining this offer?! ∑(; °Д°)”
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Cyber Warlock: “No. This is absolutely non-negotiable. While it is within our interest to find an investor or two, relinquishing control over our creation is the last thing that we want. If this is a deal-breaker for you, then I’m afraid we must cease negotiations.”
This message must have paralyzed her for a while, with her chat indicator flickering as she typed and retracted her responses. Victor could almost picture her frustration and indecision. Eventually, however, she capitulated as he had expected.
MissRichLadyAuralise: “Understandable. Have a great day. Like I would say that! Grr… 😡💢 Fine, let me talk with my board of directors first. Give me twenty— No, ten minutes!”
Whoa, that’s quick of her… Victor imagined her as one of those rich ladies with high executive power who was used to getting her way through sheer determination and influence. Her subordinates must have suffered a lot working for her.
True to her word, she returned promptly with a reply: “Alright! We can agree with only a minority stake, but we want a 40% share. Is this within the acceptable range?”
Cyber Warlock: “20%, with one hundred million dollars for every share (we can negotiate the finer details later). You can take it or leave it.”
One couldn’t underestimate this small 20 percent share. In fact, two billion dollars for that much share could be considered very cheap. After all, the “game” had so many potential applications that could change someone’s way of life or even the world itself. But Victor was also aware that it was inconvenient to be used that way because of the true nature of the device. As such, he decided not to be too greedy but still appeared like a genuine company.
MissRichLadyAuralise: “One hundred million dollars for every share?! Ugh… that’s barely under our limit… Okay, okay. You win. 20% it is…”
With a satisfactory smile, Victor typed in: “Alright, we have a deal. I will need to discuss this with my superior first though and have a meeting with our employees. Then, we will arrange for someone to discuss the finer details.”
Victor was no expert and an autodidact when it came to stuff like this. He had to browse through the internet and consult a lot of legal experts to make a formal agreement or contract, though he would leave most of the technicalities to the other party. As for who would represent his side in the finer negotiations, Lizbeth should be able to do that. Maybe.
MissRichLadyAuralise: “You won’t be disappointed by working with us. Oh, and for the contract signing, we’ll need our representatives to meet…”
Auralise generously offered Victor the choice of meeting location, even proposing to cover travel expenses if he chose to visit her company’s branch in the US or the headquarters abroad. Her company, which was named “Spinula Tech Innovations,” although globally widespread, was originally based in Europe, France, not the US — a detail Victor noted but didn’t know the specifics.
Alas, a physical meeting was out of the question. Gratefully, Auralise was amenable to other forms of communication. Since Victor couldn’t physically come to Earth, the best thing he could do was an online meeting. But he couldn’t do that because he was the headmaster of the academy. Wouldn’t it be totally weird to have an NPC be the one that represented the company in this context? In fact, how would that be logically possible?
In the end, Victor decided to have Lizbeth act as his proxy, using her projection ability to alter her voice and appearance for the meeting.
“While it’s possible to appear different and convincing, this will put a strain on my power…” Lizbeth remarked somewhat apprehensively.
“Relax. I will reward you handsomely if you do your job properly.” Victor reassured her with a grin. A little incentive was what was needed to motivate her.
“Then I’ll give it my all!” She raised her fists high in determination.
Satisfied with this arrangement, Victor shifted his focus back to the ongoing private chat.
MissRichLadyAuralise: “What a strange game company. To insist on an online meeting when discussing a high-stake negotiation like this… Just come clean if you’re hiding more eccentricities. (Ծ_Ծ”
Cyber Warlock: “Well, there is indeed something else. I need your assistance with a matter related to the company.”
MissRichLadyAuralise: “…”
Victor took this opportunity to make a crucial request. He asked her to set up a Swiss bank account for his company. This account would be a transparent medium through which she could see the investment being utilized for expenditures. After all, Victor required dozens, if not hundreds, of high-end computers and servers for remote use. This was so that he could finally use that program to develop spell models. Thankfully, he managed to justify his request by mentioning that as an indie company, they faced limitations in setting up such financial arrangements themselves.
MissRichLadyAuralise: “Okay. It’s a straightforward request. I will have it prepared by tomorrow.”
Cyber Warlock: “Excellent. Thank you. Is there anything else you would like to discuss about the game or the company?”
MissRichLadyAuralise: “Yes. I have several questions regarding the game. Given my imminent stake in the company, I believe I deserve some special privileges in-game. Being subjected to manual labor is quite distasteful for someone of my standing.”
Cyber Warlock: “This…”
It was clear that she was deeply engrossed in the game, so much so that she was even seeking preferential treatment. But…
Cyber Warlock: “I’m afraid that’s not possible. You see, apart from enforcing bans and restrictions, we maintain a policy of non-interference with players’ activities. This includes abstaining from selling or providing in-game items not generated by the game itself.”
MissRichLadyAuralise: “Nonsense! Surely there must be some exceptions to this rule?”
Cyber Warlock: “No, there are no exceptions. However, you are free to hire other players to assist you in-game using real-world currency. We don’t regulate player-to-player transactions of that nature.”
Usually, the typical stance game companies took against gold miners, who often sold in-game currency at rates undercutting the official game channels, was to ban them. At the current stage of the game, Victor hadn’t yet rolled out the currency that could be freely exchanged between players.
Even if she were to employ the players inside the game to do her bidding using real money, he wouldn’t care as long as it didn’t interfere with his objectives or violate the game’s integrity. Of course, the company ensured the confidentiality of personal information, so any recruitment or transaction she planned would have to be initiated directly, either in-game or via the forum.
MissRichLadyAuralise: “Fine! I take your challenge! It’s not fun to cheat anyway.”
Didn’t you ask for special privileges just now? Victor creased his eyebrows at her swift change in attitude.
MissRichLadyAuralise: “But as a shareholder, I propose adding a real-life to in-game currency exchange system. I think this much should be fair, right?”
It was indeed within his intention to have a system like that, akin to those he had read about in various VR novels in his past life, so he typed in his response: “Yes. That is under development as of this moment. Ensuring the legality of such a thing is a complex process, however. I hope you can offer your assistance when we’re ready to implement it.”
This approach was in line with Victor’s philosophy: “If certain player behaviors couldn’t be stopped, it was better to regulate them.” It would also generate income for the company and make it enticing for the other party to invest. Maybe once the game was in the open beta phase, he would start charging for the gaming capsules instead of lending them for free.
Auralise must have been flattered by his behest of assistance as her answer came almost immediately: “Of course! We’ll definitely help assist with that. Oh, and by the way, does your company not have an actual name? Why is it listed as ‘Placeholder’?”
Pfft. Victor made a sidelong glance at Lizbeth. Sure enough, she averted her gaze like a child caught in a mischievous act. It was true that the initial lack of a proper name had been an oversight. Fortunately, he had come up with an appropriate and fitting name for his company.
Cyber Warlock: “Apologies for the confusion. Our company will henceforth be known as WorldGate Software Company — your gate to another world.”