Closed Beta Preparation (2): The Stage is Set
The stage was set. The region to be revealed in the Close Beta Test was the Pradera Plains and its surroundings. The World Tree stood visible not far off, and though it would remain inaccessible during the Close Beta phase, the area served as a vital transportation hub with routes branching out to countless other regions.
Added to that was a single instance dungeon featuring the Goblin Lord from the teaser trailer as its final boss, plus one more dungeon to serve as the endgame content for Chapter 1.
And the seats were filling rapidly. Over one hundred thousand applicants from around the world had flooded in for the lottery that would select only one thousand participants.
“People really do love MMOs, don’t they……!”
“They’re all just rice-eating leeches.”
Se-rin paid no mind to Yoo Seol’s cynical remark and continued monitoring the applicants’ reactions in detail.
……
The comments leaned more toward cautious curiosity than outright excitement, but the fact that the game was finally drawing attention was a positive sign. There was no need to worry about the naysayers anyway. There was no way the game she had created could be boring, right?
As if reading Se-rin’s thoughts, Yoo Seol casually tossed out a remark.
“Hah, all you did was slap your spoon on top of the president’s idea.”
Normally Se-rin would have brushed it off with a “There goes Yoo Seol again with her nonsense,” but this time the words struck a nerve, dredging up one of the sarcastic comments she had heard in her previous life.
“Sterilizing the spoon is important work too, you know.”
Se-rin watched as Yoo Seol nearly burst out laughing.
“Aaaah! I’m flying!”
Se-rin scooped up Elysia and dropped her into Yoo Seol’s arms.
. . .
After the brief comedy skit, Se-rin moved on to her final check of the lead actors. In a normal game, NPCs were nothing more than coded entities that moved according to the developers’ intentions. But the people of Galicia were truly living, breathing individuals, so their every action could not be perfectly controlled.
That was why they needed actors—players…… heroes who could guide the warriors so they could naturally blend into this world, and trustworthy individuals who could naturally accept the existence of those warriors.
The representatives of those people now stood before Se-rin.
From the lord of Pradera Castle, the massive city standing at the heart of the plains, to the archbishop who oversaw all the religious orders in the region, to the wealthy merchant who managed shops and inns in a franchise system…… These were people who commanded hundreds or even thousands under their authority.
Se-rin had already given them thorough education and instructions over the past period, so she did not bother with lengthy lectures.
“Next month, the first warriors will arrive in the Galicia Continent…… and in this land.”
A strange excitement rippled among the representatives. It was only natural. Thirty-four years had passed. The previous castle lord had died of old age and his son had inherited the position, while the archbishop was steadily preparing for retirement and ascension to Valhalla.
In a sense, they had been preparing this long-cherished project across generations, and now the goddess herself had declared that the time had finally come to break ground.
However—
“Goddess, though it pains me to speak so presumptuously……”
“Commander of the Royal Guard. I’ve told you before that you can speak more comfortably. Using such excessive formality makes me uncomfortable.”
Ignoring Se-rin’s words, Vieta, the stern-faced commander of the Royal Guard with a scar across her face, continued her question without relaxing her formal tone.
“It may be an impertinent thought, but…… if a thousand warriors arrive all at once as you mentioned, I worry that some unfortunate incidents might occur……”
It was a concern Se-rin had already anticipated. Everyone had different preferences when playing games. Some immersed themselves faithfully in the given roleplay, while others pursued efficiency and charged straight toward endgame content.
As for good and evil? Some would see NPCs as companions to their characters, while others would view them as objects that dropped money when struck or killed. Since it was a game, enjoying actions they could not perform in reality was not inherently wrong according to the fundamental principle of the medium.
……That is, unless the Galicia Continent was just another reality.
“I’ve prepared something for that.”
Of course, Se-rin had countermeasures ready. They were summoning heroes to save the Galicia Continent—there was no way she would allow those heroes to troll and endanger the continent’s people. That was unacceptable.
Therefore, the absolute rule: heroes could never harm the residents of the Galicia Continent. However, treating them like indestructible objects would lower immersion, so she had devised another solution.
“The moment a hero harms a resident after arriving in Galicia, they will be cursed.”
Imagine a normal Elysia walking down the street. If the wicked pedo-hero Yoo Seol spotted her, growled, and bit down on her neck to kill her—
“Of course, the resident will suffer no harm. Instead, the resident and the hero will never be able to see each other again from that moment on.”
A permanent exclusion from interaction. It would not make sense for a slain NPC to respawn, and residents would have no desire to see the face of someone who had harmed them, no matter how much of a hero they were.
“And you, Commander of the Royal Guard, along with the rest of the Royal Guard, will be able to identify warriors by their notoriety and criminal records. Naturally, you are free to exercise your authority under the law, including detention and arrest.”
Freedom came with responsibility. If someone acted against social norms, it was only natural that they pay the corresponding price. Of course, due to immersion concerns, she could not impose direct system sanctions, so she had no choice but to borrow the power of the existing law enforcement organization—the Royal Guard.
Players could, of course, choose to defy the Royal Guard to their heart’s content. If they were prepared to never set foot in any city or town again for the rest of their lives, they were welcome to try. If anyone went that far, Se-rin planned to personally deliver divine punishment.
“Will these preparations and authorities be sufficient?”
“……Yes. They are more than enough. Thank you for your consideration, Goddess.”
As Se-rin watched Vieta bow her head, another thought suddenly occurred to her. Vieta had recently inherited the duties of the Knight class change instructor from her predecessor. The previous instructor had been male, so he had not noticed, but……
“It’s rather plain.”
“Pardon?”
Se-rin snapped her fingers. In that instant, with a pop, Yoo Seol’s face appeared in the air.
“What?”
“Knight, female costume design.”
After glancing at Vieta, Yoo Seol nodded.
“I’ve got something prepared.”
The next moment, the heavy armor that had completely covered Vieta’s body began to melt away, enveloped in smoke.
“Hyaaah……?!”
Vieta’s usually strict and serious expression was instantly overtaken by shock. As the smoke cleared……
“Hmm, that looks much better now. Yoo Seol’s designs really are the best.”
“Hmph……”
Se-rin praised Yoo Seol, who seemed embarrassed by the compliment and disappeared back through the crack in the air. And then……
“Th-this is too……”
Vieta, whose uniform had suddenly transformed into something resembling bikini armor, blushed furiously and lowered her head. The other representatives quietly averted their eyes from Se-rin and Vieta. It was already well known that their goddess had a peculiar taste for highly revealing outfits.
* * *
“Yes, you can put that over there. And that one goes this way……”
While handling Earth-side work for the first time in a while after leaving the Galicia Continent, Se-rin fanned her collar to cool off. Enjoying the cool breeze that slipped through the gaps between her undone buttons, she let out a sigh.
Why did she, a goddess, have to sweat? Why did she have to feel the heat on Earth……? Even as she entertained such presumptuous thoughts for a goddess of a lower dimension, she took in the sight of the office that was gradually taking shape.
She could not keep everyone working from home forever. The office that had once resembled Elysia’s junkyard—embarrassing to even call an office—had undergone a major renovation. VR capsule devices lined one corner, temporary partitions created meeting rooms, and though they might not see much use, personal PCs sat on desks……
“Hii, hii……”
Elysia, who had suddenly had her hideout and game room confiscated, whimpered in the corner, but Se-rin cleanly ignored her. Whose fault was it that she had lost her perfectly fine identity? Compared to that, remodeling a single office into its proper form did not warrant any sympathy.
“Th-the installation is complete, ma’am. We’ll be on our way……”
“Ah, thank you for your hard work. Would you like a drink or—”
Se-rin tilted her head as she watched the technicians hurriedly finish their work and flee as if escaping.
. . .
About thirty minutes later—
“What’s this, Ms. Kim Se-rin. You have an exhibitionist streak in real life too?”
“?”
Se-rin finally learned the truth from Yoo Seol, who had come to tour the office. The habit from her male days of leaving her shirt collar open now looked completely different with her changed gender, and she had also learned the obvious fact that women’s underwear showed through when outer clothes got sweaty.
Barely suppressing the urge to die regardless of contracts or anything else, Se-rin displayed truly goddess-like patience.
“It’s a shame I can’t meet the president in person…… but with this, I guess I could come in to work when I’m bored. What’s Elysia doing over there?”
“Hii, hii……”
Yoo Seol alternated her gaze between Se-rin, who had buried herself in the floor, and Elysia. Then she gave up trying to understand. It was a very familiar occurrence for developers to engage in eccentric behavior. Instead, as the company’s art director (not yet official), she made a crucial suggestion that needed immediate attention.
“Our Close Beta opens the week after next, right? We should do a live stream. It’ll be way more effective than the teaser.”