Chapter 49: Hammer Computer
Chapter 49: Hammer Computer
Ras turned on the computer and immediately began designing characters at full speed.
Jack Dempsey became a Tiger Beastman. Tyson became a Dwarf boxer with a neck almost as thick as his head. Ali became a swift Dark Elf. Naseem Hamed became a smug-looking Hyena-headed fighter.
He incorporated the basic techniques of boxing itself while adding several signature moves and finishing techniques.
There was no need to invent entirely fictional techniques either. Slight exaggeration alone was enough. He also inserted a few lines of dialogue. Voice acting would be impossible for now, so he planned to display text before battles instead.
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face!”
After writing that down, Ras snickered to himself.
Like this, Ras enthusiastically worked on the game design document. Since it was such an unfamiliar genre, he needed extremely detailed explanations to help the employees understand it.
Once the planning was complete, he began gathering reference materials. Current computers could not properly display advanced graphics anyway, but that only meant they needed to try even harder so gamers could at least understand what they were trying to convey.
Ras did not dislike vacation itself, but the excitement of creating a new game made him count down the days until the employees returned to work.
Of course, that did not mean he simply lay around at home staring at a calendar. His days remained busy in their own way.
Even ignoring everything else, he spent time boxing at the gym and studying magic with Bert in the evenings. Since it would become harder to focus once work resumed, he pushed himself extra hard during vacation by doing roadwork and reviewing lessons repeatedly, which alone was exhausting enough.
Then one day, while heading to Bert’s house as usual for magic lessons, he witnessed something strange.
“I’m sorry, but that won’t be possible.”
Unlike normal workdays, he had plenty of free time during vacation, so he arrived early and was leisurely walking the streets near Bert’s apartment. Then he suddenly heard Bert’s voice coming from the alley beside the building.
Ras approached out of familiarity, only to realize she seemed to be lightly arguing with someone.
“Doctor Bert, please. Surely you understand there’s no one more sincere about Ancient Magic than people like us.”
The man’s attitude sounded more pleading than threatening, and they were standing beside a roadside apartment rather than deep inside a dangerous alleyway. Since it did not seem dangerous at all, Ras casually stepped closer instead of avoiding the situation.
Bert quickly noticed him and greeted him with a wave.
“Ah, you’re here? Someone came asking for lessons, but I think I should leave now.”
“Ah...”
The man wore some kind of strange hood, making his face difficult to see, though he did not seem especially old. Bert immediately turned away from him as though trying to shake him off and hurried toward Ras.
“Then I’ll come back another time.”
“It won’t do any good even if you do!”
Bert shouted without hiding her exasperation, but the man showed no reaction and simply disappeared into the dark alleyway.
Although Ras had grown fairly close to her by now, he had never seen this side of her before, so he found himself staring unconsciously. Noticing his gaze, Bert smiled awkwardly.
“Was that perhaps a former student?”
Ras could have pretended ignorance, but curiosity got the better of him after overhearing the conversation. Bert shook her head with a slightly different kind of smile this time.
“No. It’s not like that.”
She fiddled briefly with her bangs, glanced once toward where the man disappeared, then answered,
“They’re from the Mage Gang.”
Ras flinched at the word “gang.” The term already frightened him enough, and recent troubles with the Orphan Gang made it even worse. Combined with the word “mage,” it sounded especially ominous. Ras’s expression turned serious as he asked,
“Are you alright?”
“Ah, I’m fine. They aren’t exactly decent people, but they’re not the type to recklessly attack fellow spellcasters. Especially not someone like me who studies Ancient Magic.”
Apparently, the man who visited today had not come to threaten or harm her. He had simply come asking her to teach him Ancient Magic.
“I don’t mind teaching Ancient Magic. No, honestly, I’d rather like to. My goal is to spread Ancient Magic widely and preserve it. The problem is that the things they do after learning it are bad.”
After saying that much, Bert no longer mentioned the vanished man or the Mage Gang again. Once the lesson ended and Ras returned home, he looked into what exactly the Mage Gang was the following day.
They turned out to be a rather unusual kind of gang compared to ordinary criminal organizations.
Their origins dated back to the modern era, when spellcasters lost much of the social status and privilege they once held.
Of course, by now, most members were not descendants of ancient magical nobility but instead impoverished people who happened to awaken magical power. Some possessed naturally strong mana, while others simply awakened through coincidence.
In any case, due to both their origins and current membership, they placed extremely high value on spellcasters while simultaneously revering Ancient Magic almost religiously.
Part of it came from longing for the glory days of the past. Ancient Magic also fit their ideology perfectly because, unlike modern magic, it relied heavily on the spellcaster themselves and allowed individuals to wield tremendous power directly.
They’re definitely different from Teacher Bert.
At first glance, people might confuse them because both valued Ancient Magic. But their perspectives were completely different.
Bert believed Ancient Magic should be preserved and rediscovered for the future. The Mage Gang, meanwhile, merely longed for an irretrievable past while denying reality itself. Comparing the two was almost insulting.
In any case, since it had nothing to do with him, Ras simply filed it away as something dangerous to be careful about. Unless his luck became unbelievably terrible, there was no reason he should ever become entangled with them.
Perhaps in the past he would have worried more. But ever since acquiring self-defense equipment, Ras felt he had become noticeably bolder and laughed quietly at himself.
Aside from that, another memorable event before vacation ended came from a magazine article he read while resting at a bookstore after training at the gym.
<The New Computer Causing a Storm Across the Industry!>
“Huh? Don’t tell me sixteen-bit computers finally came out?”
There had already been teaser articles before this.
Articles about CPU manufacturers becoming energized by the exploding computer demand and investing heavily into research and development to maintain that momentum. Predictions that semiconductor processes and production yields had advanced enough to create computers without magical devices. Things like that.
But the contents of the article differed from what he expected. It was not about sixteen-bit systems. It was something even more shocking.
Someone had released a computer implementing the exact graphics card concept Ras had envisioned.
They called it a “Graphics Calculation Assistance Device,” but it was essentially the same thing.
University students...?
Ras frowned while reading information about the employees of a company called Hammer Computer. Maybe it was just coincidence, but he could not help wondering whether they had seen his proposal and built it themselves instead of contacting him.
Still, even if it was slightly disappointing, it did not bother him too much. The proposal itself had not been especially groundbreaking, and the concept already existed in game consoles of this world anyway. It felt somewhat wasteful, but since he lacked the ability to build such things himself, there was nothing more to it.
More than anything, he was simply amazed that university students had managed to create it.
And after seeing the graphical sample photographs printed in the magazine, he truly understood how impressive it was.
Of course, since they were still images rather than moving footage, it was difficult to judge perfectly. But the illustrations used colors generously and possessed much higher resolution. Even the sample game looked at least comparable to Earth’s Nintendo Family Computer.
Ras instantly forgot his disappointment and instead felt overwhelming joy flooding through him. At this level, it seemed possible to finally create truly proper games. He had felt disappointed there was still no sixteen-bit computer, but graphics like these honestly looked even better than the clumsy early sixteen-bit systems from Earth.
The only concern was price. However, after reading further, it turned out better than expected. Apparently they minimized reliance on magical devices through improved technology, so despite including a graphics card and greatly increasing expensive memory capacity, the price only rose by around twenty percent compared to existing computers, settling at roughly six thousand Del.
Maybe other people would hesitate, but Ras knew he would absolutely buy one. At the same time, he realized his earlier assumptions had been wrong.
He had believed consumers would not feel strong purchase desire until true sixteen-bit computers appeared, yet he himself already wanted one desperately.
Ras immediately walked over to the telephone and dialed the number printed in the magazine.
“Hello? Is this Hammer Computer?”
He immediately placed orders for both his personal use and all of the office computers. It was a tremendous amount of money, but since future games would inevitably follow this computer’s standards, the purchase was essential for game development.
“Yes, yes! Your order has been received. However, there are many pending orders right now, so delivery may take some time. Is that alright?”
Victor from Hammer Computer had personally started answering phones after the article caused another explosion of orders. He was unbelievably busy, but seeing the business he worked so hard to build finally succeeding left a constant smile on his lips.
Not only that, but Karkov, the lead designer and developer, had practically locked himself inside the factory soldering components personally, so Victor hardly had room to complain either.
After taking the order and preparing to forward it to the factory, Victor checked the customer name again and finally realized where he had seen the company before.
“Huh? This is Meta Soft?!”
His emotions became strangely complicated. There was a slight sense of guilt, a little satisfaction, and pride from knowing famous figures in the gaming industry were buying and using their products.
Victor grinned faintly at the thought of later having a story to share with Karkov and the other team members.
Ring ring ring!!
Then the phone immediately rang again, forcing him to abandon his brief emotional moment and return to frantically processing orders.
Meanwhile, after ordering the computers, Ras imagined the office filled with them and suddenly realized he had forgotten something.
The now-empty third floor.
The Orphan Gang might have fled, but if the floor remained abandoned, there was a chance other orphans, runaway youths, or homeless people might settle there. If that happened, he would need to open some kind of store or facility there, or at least install stronger locks to block entry entirely.
I should just rent the third floor too.
But he had no intention of paying full price. Ras immediately went to find Gingbaol.
“Welco— ah... Mr. Ras. Haha.”
The man had initially greeted him warmly before recognizing Ras and immediately making an awkward face. In the past, Ras might have become irritated. But since the third-floor problem was already solved and, in a sense, he had come specifically to mess with this man, he could smile calmly instead.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to rent the third floor of the building too.”
Ras spoke casually while Gingbaol carefully studied his expression. Naturally, Gingbaol was startled.
“What? But that place...”
As expected, the sly old snake never directly said anything incriminating. Even though they both knew exactly what occupied the third floor, he avoided speaking plainly himself.
“Yes, yes. The Orphan Gang is there. But I can’t just keep them living over my head forever. I’m planning to drive them out and lock the place up, or maybe open another business there. I can rent it, right?”
“Y-Yes. Well... what kind of monthly rent are you thinking?”
“One hundred Del.”
“What? That’s a little...”
In Korean currency terms, it was equivalent to around one hundred thousand won.