Announcement Before the Start of the Novel
If the units of Proto and Terra are replaced, it will cause confusion, so I will maintain the original terms.
Please understand that only the cultures and mechanisms have changed, but the names of the races and the roles of the units remain the same as the original. ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )
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“Galaxy Craft” started to gain popularity.
How much effort went into making this challenging strategy simulation game mainstream.
Especially, creating the “Soul Worker,” an AI capable of providing delightful guest experiences, was genuinely tough even with my Master’s help.
But thanks to that effort, “Galaxy Craft” began to thrive among gamers, just like in my previous life in Korea.
“Ready to sub!!! We require more Mana Stones!!!”
“Everyone ready!! On signal, charge in from the 3 o’clock direction!!”
“Bear! Bear! Bear!”
This could also be seen in our village, Irene Land, where people were playing Galaxy Craft in front of the Crystal Balls, the sound of Galaxy Craft’s “mondegreen” echoed, and the smell of ramen wafted through the air.
With cigarette smoke included, it would have looked just like the PC rooms from my previous life.
Personally, I’m grateful that smoking culture isn’t popular in this world, as I dislike cigarette smoke.
So, after another successful game, while I was enjoying a delightful Galaxy Craft life on BattleNet, someone visited the Commander’s Department.
“I’ll get straight to the point. Yuren, we want to hold a Galaxy Craft gaming tournament spearheaded by the Commander’s Department.”
“Huh? A gaming tournament?”
Karl Adolf, Secretary to Commander Odilson, suddenly proposed to us that they want to hold a gaming tournament under the Commander’s Department.
What in the world is this about?
“With the success of Galaxy Craft, the image of the Commander’s Department has greatly improved. People are saying it’s the first time taxes were used properly.”
“Oh… I see.”
It’s common for armies everywhere to get criticized for misusing tax money.
Since Galaxy Craft was officially produced with investment and support from the Commander’s Department, if it failed, it would have been subjected to a lot of criticism.
Now that it has succeeded spectacularly, it must be a very satisfying situation for the Commander and the high-ranking members of the Imperial Army.
And they wanted to lead a gaming tournament, the crown jewel of gaming events, as part of the promotion.
“I understand what you mean. Then all we need to provide are our names and know-how.”
“Just the name is enough! We’ll take full responsibility for everything else!”
Is it really okay to just lend my name?
Hosting a gaming tournament requires way more attention to detail than one might imagine — advertising, arena setup, tournament rules and qualifiers for selecting players, balancing for an entertaining event, and so on.
There’s an endless list of things I’ve had to care about since my previous life.
“Is it really okay?”
“Our department’s event planning skills are the best among the imperial government agencies. Trust us and watch closely.”
Well, until the game took off, one of the most popular events during the founding day celebration was the imperial army’s parade conducted by the Commander’s Department.
Considering we had created certain standards for game tournaments, if they have that level of event planning ability, it should be fine.
“I understand. I’m counting on you.”
I accepted the request from the Commander’s Department and shook hands with Karl.
At that moment, I had no idea how this Galaxy Craft tournament would end in tragedy…
*
The Galaxy Craft tournament led by the Commander’s Department was quickly prepared.
“The Galaxy Craft tournament is being held!!”
“I hear the first-place prize is a whopping 2 billion gold!!”
“Really!? That’s insane!!”
The Commander’s Department seemed to be determined, promoting the tournament with the highest prize ever offered in a gaming event.
It was unexpected that it was organized by the Commander’s Department, but gamers were excited about a national-level gaming tournament returning, and the news spread rapidly.
Finally, the day of the Galaxy Craft tournament arrived.
Bang! Bang!!!
Whoooooosh!!!!
“Wow, airships are flying in the sky! Yuren-hyung!!”
“Right?! They must really be going all out.”
On the tournament day, we went to the Zephia Coliseum to watch the event.
The entire area was already in a festive mood.
Several food stalls, which have become landmarks, were already selling food, and large projectors were set up to watch the games.
A notable difference from the last time was that it was imperial soldiers, not security personnel, managing the audience, creating a very intense atmosphere, and posters supporting the imperial army were scattered everywhere.
They showcased a man symbolizing the imperial army, looking at spectators and pointing fingers, with the slogan:
“I want you. For the Zers Imperial Army.”
“…People are the same everywhere.”
“What’s the same, Yuren?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Let’s go in.”
Recalling similar posters I saw during the world wars in my previous life, I said to Sylvia.
We headed to the VIP seats, where we had previously watched during the Legend Fighter, now ready as genuine spectators to enjoy the matches.
“Didn’t Jiren say he wanted to compete in the tournament?”
“Ah… about that…”
Jiren, the best at Galaxy Craft among us, had been training hard until last week to participate.
But when I asked, it suddenly got quiet.
What’s going on?
At that moment, Karen answered for him.
“Yuren, Jiren couldn’t make it to the Challenger tier.”
“Aah…”
The entry requirement for this tournament was to be a Challenger tier in BattleNet, which means he had to be among the top 300 players in the world who’re best at Galaxy Craft.
The competition must have been brutally fierce.
I had given up long ago anyway.
“It’s alright. I gave up a while back too. Let’s just enjoy watching.”
“Ugh, yes, hyung.”
Galaxy Craft, which has become a folk game over the years, has players with unbelievable experience accumulated over 20 or 30 years, making me realize I would never be a professional gamer.
As I relaxed and started munching on potato chips, I prepared to watch the Galaxy Craft tournament.
“Alright! Now! With the cheers of gamers and fans filling the Zephia Coliseum!!! Passion!!! Together with the shouts!!!! Let’s start the Galaxy Craft gaming tournament!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
[ “Woooooaaaaaa!” ]
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Boom!!!!
As always, with JYJ’s shouting, the Galaxy Craft tournament commenced.
The tournament venue was flamboyantly designed to reflect the feel of Galaxy Craft.
It created an atmosphere as if strategies were genuinely being directed from Terra’s Commander’s Office, and the competitors took the stage to the tournament.
“This is going to be an exciting match right from the start!”
“Yes, this match features the Human race’s Lyon against the Elf race’s Elf Elina!”
“Lyon is famous for his exceptional command skills. His tank battalions always press the enemy with precise positioning!”
“Elf Elina isn’t to be taken lightly either. Her Zergs, hidden underground, are known to appear like magic and sow chaos among the opponents. Can Lyon manage not to fall into confusion!?”
Noirin was again co-MC with JYJ this time.
As the Human race raider Terra faced off against Elf Elina’s Zergs, I discovered something strange while glancing at the brackets.
“Bin and Johan are facing off in the quarterfinals!?”
“What’s up, Yuren?”
Sora approached, curious about my remark.
I showed Sora the brackets and said, “Look, if Bin and Johan face off here, they meet in the quarterfinals.”
“Oh? That’s true!”
“Hmm… it feels too early for a match of that caliber in the finals… what a shame.”
The matchup between Bin and Johan was one of the big events fans were looking forward to.
In two previous official matches, Johan had won both, but in later smaller tournaments, Bin also claimed many victories, and now he has a rather dishonorable nickname: “The Emperor of Event Matches.”
Just like that player from my previous life.
“No matter how randomly generated the matchups might be, it’s a disappointment.”
“Right? It would’ve been the best if they met in the finals.”
Thinking this way, I redirected my focus to the match.
The sight of the victorious Zerglings screaming felt oddly melancholic.
