ZZZZZZZZZZZ
The alarm clock rang, emitting a sharp, piercing sound that filled the room, pulling me out of my sleep.
I looked at the clock—it was 7 AM. Still drowsy, I stretched out my arm to turn off the alarm and got out of bed.
I still felt a little dizzy as I walked to the bathroom to brush my teeth. The cold water from the sink helped wake me up a bit.
Looking at the mirror, I noticed that my eyes were still swollen from sleep.
"Unbelievable... I slept for almost an entire day..."
Leaving the bathroom, I headed to the kitchen to prepare my coffee.
As I drank it, I started thinking about yesterday’s events. It still felt hard to believe that I had obtained a system.
Yesterday had been an emotional rollercoaster for me—one moment I was discouraged, and the next, I was overwhelmed with excitement.
Now, I was staring anxiously at a system notification.
[Open 999+ notifications?]
"Yes."
It didn’t take long before the system started bombarding me with incessant notifications in my head.
[Your game was successfully sold. You earned 9 dollars and 5 points.]
[Your game was successfully sold. You earned 9 dollars and 5 points.]
[Your game was successfully sold. You earned...]
"Ahhh! Is there a way to mute this?" I shouted at the system, hoping it could hear me.
[Would you like to set repetitive notifications to silent mode?]
The system responded with a question.
"Yes!" I replied, sighing in relief.
With the repetitive notifications finally silenced, my eyes scanned through the other messages appearing on the screen.
[Player "JAMES" was the first to complete Castlevania’s perfect ending.
You received 20 bonus points.]
[View Player "James" profile?]
"Someone already finished it in less than a day?" I was quite surprised.
Did this person play the entire day without stopping? Does he not have a social life?
It looks like even in the Marvel universe, there are hardcore gamers. This only makes things better for me—after all, they are my target audience.
"Open profile!"
[Player Profile: James Alexander Fitzgerald]
Nickname: JAMES
Age: 21
Platform: PC (Steam)
General Statistics:
Total Playtime: 19 hours
Experience Level: 64
Total Deaths: 9
Total Score: 1,000,000 (Max)
Achievements (Steam):
1. Ultimate Hunter
Enemies Defeated: 10,000+
Description: Demonstrated absolute mastery by defeating an impressive number of enemies throughout the journey.
2. Master of Destruction
Damage Per Second: 2,000 points
Description: Possesses an unparalleled ability to deal damage efficiently and relentlessly.
3. Expert Swordsman
Most Used Weapon: Crystal Sword
Description: Showed complete mastery over the Crystal Sword, utilizing its full devastating potential.
4. Skill Lord
Most Used Abilities: Soul Steal, Summon Spirit, Dark Metamorphosis
Description: Used special abilities masterfully, showcasing an incomparable command of the game’s most powerful techniques.
5. Fearless Explorer
Map Discovered: 178%
Description: Explored every inch of the game, uncovering 80% of secrets and achieving an almost complete and meticulous exploration.
6. Champion of Perfection
Boss Battles Won Without Dying: 18
Description: Displayed supreme skill by defeating powerful bosses without a single defeat, demonstrating mastery of game mechanics.
7. Invincible
Boss Battles Won Without Taking Damage: 6
Description: Showed extraordinary proficiency by facing formidable bosses, defeating them without taking a single hit—evidence of strategy, precision, and exceptional control.
8. Adaptable Genius
Highest Adaptive Difficulty Level Achieved: Maximum
Description: Perfectly adapted to the game’s dynamic difficulty changes, reaching astonishing skill levels in response to increasing challenges.
System Evaluation:
James, despite playing for the first time, showcased remarkable adaptability to the dynamic difficulty system. He managed to reach the maximum adaptive difficulty level, demonstrating quick learning and exceptional gaming skills.
Even with only 19 hours of gameplay, James managed to explore and uncover almost all secrets and hidden areas. His determination to achieve full exploration was admirable.
Although he is not a professional gamer, James developed an efficient combat strategy, impressively defeating challenging bosses without taking damage. His dexterity and quick reaction time indicate strong potential.
In summary, James has proven to be a talented player, capable of adapting rapidly and overcoming challenges masterfully. His achievement of reaching the maximum adaptive difficulty in his first playthrough is remarkable, signaling great potential for future challenges and accomplishments in gaming.
James has been classified as an SSS-Rank Player.]
"....."
After staring at the profile for an unknown amount of time, I couldn’t help but curse.
"What the hell kind of profile is this? Is this guy the protagonist of some esports novel or something?"
This is completely abnormal. Even I wouldn’t be able to beat Castlevania in 19 hours, let alone the updated version I made, which is leagues ahead in terms of difficulty.
But this James didn’t just accomplish that—he did it at the maximum dynamic difficulty! That’s absurd. At the highest difficulty, regular enemies would be like mini-bosses, not to mention how much harder the actual bosses would be.
"He only died 9 times? Defeated 6 bosses without taking damage?"
Honestly, this doesn’t make sense. The Marvel universe is a world of heroes, not god-tier gamers.
"How did player James achieve this? Is he some kind of professional player?" I asked the system.
[James is not a professional player but possesses dynamic vision, exceptional reflexes, high logical and analytical thinking, and superior hand-eye coordination. He is above 95% of professional gamers, which is why he was classified as an SSS-Rank Player.]
I knew it. This guy is some kind of protagonist.
"What is an SSS-Rank Player?"
[SSS-Rank Players have high investment potential because they can significantly influence both regular gamers and non-gamers. Investing in such players would be equivalent to investing in marketing.]
"Like Faker?"
[Yes.]
"I see."
Using players as a means of marketing is something all companies do. Faker is the best example of this—after all, how many millions of players started playing League of Legends because of him? I was one of them.
"Investing in players..."
I muttered, looking at the next notification that appeared.
[Choose a unique gift to send to the first three players who achieve the perfect ending.]
[Available gift list:
Varda's Ring
MoonStone
Alucard's Armor
Spirit Orb
...]
A list of 15 in-game items appeared.
In games, some of these items are undeniably useless, but in real life, it wouldn’t be strange if the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj called them divine artifacts. In fact, Varda's Ring is literally a divine artifact.
"Choosing a good item as a reward is also a form of investment..."
But the real question is: what are the consequences of giving such an artifact to someone in another universe?
The answer is: I don’t know.
And honestly, I don’t care. It’s literally in another universe, so why worry whether the item I give is weak or strong?
"I need to think about myself first."
Obviously, I’m going to give the most powerful item on the list. That will make my first player happy and also encourage them to buy my future games.
Not to mention, this is the Marvel universe. I’m almost certain that among my players, there will be many who will use the rewards to become superheroes. So, in the end, I’m actually helping.
For first place, I chose the strongest item: "Varda's Ring."
For second place, the most versatile item: "Sword Card."
For third place, I was torn between the "Leap Stone" and "Gravity Boots," but in the end, I went with the Leap Stone.
After selecting all the rewards, a screen appeared.
[Please write a congratulatory message to the player.]
At first, I thought about using this opportunity to ask them to recommend the game to their friends, but in the end, I just sent a standard congratulatory message.
After sending the message, I opened the game profile where I could see all its stats.
[Name: Castlevania Symphony of the Night
Steam Rating: ★★★★★
Approval: Very Positive (100% from 168 reviews)
Total Sales: 195
Current Players: 97
Players Who Finished the Game: 15
Players Who Achieved the Perfect Ending: 4
...
Total Sales Revenue: $1,860
(Withdraw)
System Points: 915]
Without wasting a single second, I decisively clicked withdraw! This was the moment I had been waiting for.
[You have withdrawn $1,860.]
[Would you like to convert the withdrawn amount to Brazilian reais?]
"Yes!"
[You received R$7,970.]
While I was still marveling at this, my phone buzzed with a notification. I quickly picked it up and was surprised by the message.
[R$7,970 has been deposited into your bank account.]
I stared at my phone for a while, thinking.
'Does making games really earn this much money, or is it because of the system?'
Honestly, it was still hard to believe all of this. I started to feel a little afraid that I would suddenly wake up and realize it was all a dream. But even if it was a dream, I would definitely become a game developer when I woke up.
"I need to create even more games!"
That was my thought after seeing so much money.
If it were possible, I would launch at least 10 games a day. But creating even one game is difficult—imagine how impossible it would be to make ten.
But now I have 915 points, which can make the whole game development process much easier.
"System, open the Workshop."
Once again, the same old wooden door appeared in the air. The moment I stepped inside, the massive holographic screen appeared.
There was something new on the system's main menu.
The name of the new option was "Video Archives."
When I opened it, I found a list of nicknames. Hesitant, I clicked on a random one.
A video started playing.
From the opening scene, the fight against Dracula on the staircase, to Alucard’s arrival.
It was the gameplay of one of the players!
And in some moments, you could even hear the player swearing—mostly when they died.
"James was definitely unusual."
The player I just watched died quickly to Dracula and needed Maria’s help to complete the prologue.
"I’ll watch James’s gameplay when I have some free time."
I had already published a game in another universe and earned a lot of points! I should be able to buy something good.
So, I opened the Multiverse Store.
[Multiverse Store LV1
Warning: The store is currently at level 1. You can use system points to upgrade it.
The higher the level, the more items will be available, extending even to the Marvel Comics universe.]
[Item List:
Stark Sonic Cannon – 78 points
Sonic Taser – 47 points
Jericho Missile – 213 points
Tellor Propulsion Rifle – 54 points
Exo-Skel...
...]
[Skill List:
Basic Combat Skills – 85 points
Basic Languages – 34 points
Basic Weapon Proficiency – 155 points
Basic Disguise Skills – 60 points
Basic Logical Thinking – 230 points
...]
[Special List:
Artificial Intelligence: J.A.R.V.I.S – 25,500 points
Armor Project: Mark 1 – 7,500 points]
Almost all the items were from Iron Man 1.
The problem is, I have no interest in weapons or combat skills, let alone disguises.
The only thing that caught my attention was J.A.R.V.I.S. The autonomous artificial intelligence.
Everyone who watched Iron Man or Avengers has dreamed of having their own J.A.R.V.I.S.
But the 25,500 points price hit me hard. If sales continued at this rate, it could take up to a month before I could buy it.
As for the Mark 1 project, I have neither the points nor the interest. If it were at least the fully built armor, maybe. But it's just a blueprint. With today’s technology, it's probably impossible to build the Mark 1 even with the schematics.
I decided to mark J.A.R.V.I.S. as my main goal for now. Having it would make my life much easier, both in daily life and in game development.
With my goal set, it was time to figure out how to earn points faster.
Creating another game was my first thought.
Before spending my points in the system store, I went to my computer.
"Reddit... community... gaming geeks."
Analyzing the community posts, I realized this was the right place.
After all, users here shared their favorite games and ideas for possible improvements. Some even promoted their own indie games.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
This kind of community is the best place to get ideas for games—without plagiarism, of course.
I went to the board and posted the following question:
VentoDoNorth:
"If, for some reason, you could create and publish games in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, what would your first game be, and what would it be like?"
Knowing it would take some time for someone to respond, I decided to take care of a very important debt.
Using my phone, I transferred R$4,500 to the account of the person who had lent me money. My original debt was only R$3,500, but since this person helped me a lot, I added a little extra.
"Knowing her well... she should call me any sec—"
Before I could finish my sentence, my phone started ringing.
"Hello." I answered.
"Can you explain what this is?" A voice asked, both annoyed and concerned.
"I'm paying back the money I borrowed."
"Borrowed? I gave you that money, remember?" The voice sounded even more upset. "And where did you get so much money? If you borrowed from loan sharks, I s—"
"No need to worry, Auntie." I interrupted.
Yes, the person I owed money to was my aunt, Leonora. Or Leona to close friends.
Since I was unemployed for quite a while, I was basically kicked out of the house, and my aunt Leona helped me with all kinds of expenses.
"So, how did you get this money?" Leona asked again.
"I kind of made a game and sold it. If I had known I could make this much with just one game, I would have done it sooner," I replied.
"You better explain this properly, or..." She stopped for a moment and started talking to someone. "Yes, you can send the full report to my computer."
After a few moments, she said, "Look, I'll be there next week, and you better explain everything to me properly, understood?"
A slight shiver ran down my spine.
"Yes, yes!" I quickly agreed.
"Okay. I have to go. Bye, Rick," she said.
"Bye."
And with that, we ended the call.
I thought it would be worse—she's usually much more intense.
I placed my phone on the table and looked out the window.
The weather outside seemed perfect. The sky was a bright blue, without a single cloud. Since I had nothing to do and some money in my account, I decided to go out and enjoy the sunny day.
I walked through the quiet streets of the city, deciding to start my little tour by visiting the local market to buy some fruits and healthier food.
Upon entering the market, I was greeted by the aroma of freshly baked bread and the vibrant colors of fruits and vegetables.
I wandered through the aisles, carefully selecting apples, ripe bananas, and a variety of fresh vegetables. My basket quickly filled up.
After shopping, I stopped by a small magazine store I found on my way back.
Browsing through the shelves, I ended up choosing a magazine about video games and virtual trends.
With my groceries bought and the magazine in hand, it was time to head home.
I walked back the same way I came, enjoying the gentle breeze.
"This feeling of being carefree... relaxed. So nice." I smiled.
For three whole months, I felt pressured, unable to find a job, and having to ask my aunt for money.
But now I have a system, and on the first day, I already made enough money to stay worry-free for at least a month.
"I need to make the most of this opportunity."
I arrived home shortly after noon, feeling accomplished. I placed the grocery bags on the kitchen counter and checked my Reddit post to see if there were any replies.
Fortunately, there were a few.
I analyzed each one, looking for inspiration.
MegaBeast: "I would create an Avengers game set before they actually formed the team. That would shock a lot of people because Thor and Loki weren’t known to the heroes yet, and some Avengers members were still unknown to the world, like Black Widow and Hawkeye (since they’re secret spies) and Captain America (who was still frozen)."
The idea was really good, but making an Avengers game seemed quite difficult with my current resources. However, I noted it down for later.
"Idea noted!"
The second response, however, appealed to me more because it was much easier.
Papa-Fritas: "Before superheroes appeared, I’d create a normal game, but with some Marvel characters as hidden NPCs, revealing bits of their backstories. When people from S.H.I.E.L.D (and Hydra) saw it, they’d think, ‘This guy knows something!’ Just imagine how curious they’d be to find out how I know all this!"
Depending on how I used this idea, it could have a huge impact on the Marvel world, and both heroes and S.H.I.E.L.D (or Hydra) might start paying attention to my games.
And since I’m from another universe, I don’t need to worry about them coming after me. The only issue would be if they tried to block my games.
"I don’t think they can do that. The system shouldn’t be that weak," I said to myself.
Those were the only really useful responses. The rest were things like:
KiberMaster: "The fanfic community is the other way."
SucoTheFruta: "Send me the link to your fanfic later."
DevsCreaton: "FIFA 2012."
AlderSoul: "Uno Online."
Since there weren’t any more inspiring ideas in the replies, I opened the system store to buy a blank Game Card.
My plan was to use the card on an Avengers game, extract the hero models individually, and use them to create a game from scratch.
But now the question: Why not just use it on the existing Avengers game?
Simple. The Avengers game was voted the worst game of the last ten years.
"Open store!"
Upon entering the store, I found the Blank Game Card, but...
[Blank Game Card - 5,000 points]
...The price was just a little higher than expected.
I was about to give up, but I decided to search for something else that could help me.
Soon, I found a random model pack in the store.
[Random Model Pack - 300 points]
Without thinking, I bought two packs. I wanted to buy three, but I decided to save the remaining points.
A screen popped up in front of me with the description:
[Item: Random Model Pack]
Description: After opening the pack, you will receive 5 random models.
Chances:
White (70%)
Green (65%)
Blue (60%)
Purple (20%)
Gold (5%)
Red (1%)
[Note: Duplicate models of the same quality will merge into a higher quality model.]
[Do you want to open Pack x2?]
"Yes."
I’ve always loved opening packs or loot boxes in games. My luck in these things is abnormally good—I hope it stays that way.
[Opening Random Model Pack x2]
[Congratulations! You received the following models:
Family Car (White)
Waterfalls (White)
Tropical Island (Blue)
Fish Set (Blue)
Modern Weapons Set (Gold)
Zombie (White)
Starry Sky (Blue)
Plasma Pistol (Green)
Sea (Purple)
Outer Wilds: Complete (Red)]
Looking at the items I got, I was quite surprised.
Even though I’ve always had weird luck with loot boxes, I didn’t expect to get a purple, a gold, and a red item all at once.
And on top of that, the red item was a full game! And an incredibly good one.
Outer Wilds is a space exploration game with one of the best stories I’ve ever seen. Not to mention the soundtrack!
"Open game manager!"
Excited, I clicked on models and selected the Outer Wilds game model.
But unlike Castlevania, the message that appeared was different.
[Do you want to transform the "Outer Wilds" model into a Virtual Reality project?]
Virtual Reality!?
Outer Wilds will be a VR game? My God! The normal game is already so amazing, now imagine it in VR!
"Yes!"
At that moment, the entire workshop flickered, and the walls began to expand and darken, with tiny white dots appearing.
I started feeling as if the space around me was distorting, shaping a new reality.
I looked around in awe. Wooden houses materialized, rising straight from the ground. Trees spro
ZZZZZZZZZZZ
The alarm clock rang, emitting a sharp, piercing sound that filled the room, pulling me out of my sleep.
I looked at the clock—it was 7 AM. Still drowsy, I stretched out my arm to turn off the alarm and got out of bed.
I still felt a little dizzy as I walked to the bathroom to brush my teeth. The cold water from the sink helped wake me up a bit.
Looking at the mirror, I noticed that my eyes were still swollen from sleep.
"Unbelievable... I slept for almost an entire day..."
Leaving the bathroom, I headed to the kitchen to prepare my coffee.
As I drank it, I started thinking about yesterday’s events. It still felt hard to believe that I had obtained a system.
Yesterday had been an emotional rollercoaster for me—one moment I was discouraged, and the next, I was overwhelmed with excitement.
Now, I was staring anxiously at a system notification.
[Open 999+ notifications?]
"Yes."
It didn’t take long before the system started bombarding me with incessant notifications in my head.
[Your game was successfully sold. You earned 9 dollars and 5 points.]
[Your game was successfully sold. You earned 9 dollars and 5 points.]
[Your game was successfully sold. You earned...]
"Ahhh! Is there a way to mute this?" I shouted at the system, hoping it could hear me.
[Would you like to set repetitive notifications to silent mode?]
The system responded with a question.
"Yes!" I replied, sighing in relief.
With the repetitive notifications finally silenced, my eyes scanned through the other messages appearing on the screen.
[Player "JAMES" was the first to complete Castlevania’s perfect ending.
You received 20 bonus points.]
[View Player "James" profile?]
"Someone already finished it in less than a day?" I was quite surprised.
Did this person play the entire day without stopping? Does he not have a social life?
It looks like even in the Marvel universe, there are hardcore gamers. This only makes things better for me—after all, they are my target audience.
"Open profile!"
[Player Profile: James Alexander Fitzgerald]
Nickname: JAMES
Age: 21
Platform: PC (Steam)
General Statistics:
Total Playtime: 19 hours
Experience Level: 64
Total Deaths: 9
Total Score: 1,000,000 (Max)
Achievements (Steam):
1. Ultimate Hunter
Enemies Defeated: 10,000+
Description: Demonstrated absolute mastery by defeating an impressive number of enemies throughout the journey.
2. Master of Destruction
Damage Per Second: 2,000 points
Description: Possesses an unparalleled ability to deal damage efficiently and relentlessly.
3. Expert Swordsman
Most Used Weapon: Crystal Sword
Description: Showed complete mastery over the Crystal Sword, utilizing its full devastating potential.
4. Skill Lord
Most Used Abilities: Soul Steal, Summon Spirit, Dark Metamorphosis
Description: Used special abilities masterfully, showcasing an incomparable command of the game’s most powerful techniques.
5. Fearless Explorer
Map Discovered: 178%
Description: Explored every inch of the game, uncovering 80% of secrets and achieving an almost complete and meticulous exploration.
6. Champion of Perfection
Boss Battles Won Without Dying: 18
Description: Displayed supreme skill by defeating powerful bosses without a single defeat, demonstrating mastery of game mechanics.
7. Invincible
Boss Battles Won Without Taking Damage: 6
Description: Showed extraordinary proficiency by facing formidable bosses, defeating them without taking a single hit—evidence of strategy, precision, and exceptional control.
8. Adaptable Genius
Highest Adaptive Difficulty Level Achieved: Maximum
Description: Perfectly adapted to the game’s dynamic difficulty changes, reaching astonishing skill levels in response to increasing challenges.
System Evaluation:
James, despite playing for the first time, showcased remarkable adaptability to the dynamic difficulty system. He managed to reach the maximum adaptive difficulty level, demonstrating quick learning and exceptional gaming skills.
Even with only 19 hours of gameplay, James managed to explore and uncover almost all secrets and hidden areas. His determination to achieve full exploration was admirable.
Although he is not a professional gamer, James developed an efficient combat strategy, impressively defeating challenging bosses without taking damage. His dexterity and quick reaction time indicate strong potential.
In summary, James has proven to be a talented player, capable of adapting rapidly and overcoming challenges masterfully. His achievement of reaching the maximum adaptive difficulty in his first playthrough is remarkable, signaling great potential for future challenges and accomplishments in gaming.
James has been classified as an SSS-Rank Player.]
"....."
After staring at the profile for an unknown amount of time, I couldn’t help but curse.
"What the hell kind of profile is this? Is this guy the protagonist of some esports novel or something?"
This is completely abnormal. Even I wouldn’t be able to beat Castlevania in 19 hours, let alone the updated version I made, which is leagues ahead in terms of difficulty.
But this James didn’t just accomplish that—he did it at the maximum dynamic difficulty! That’s absurd. At the highest difficulty, regular enemies would be like mini-bosses, not to mention how much harder the actual bosses would be.
"He only died 9 times? Defeated 6 bosses without taking damage?"
Honestly, this doesn’t make sense. The Marvel universe is a world of heroes, not god-tier gamers.
"How did player James achieve this? Is he some kind of professional player?" I asked the system.
[James is not a professional player but possesses dynamic vision, exceptional reflexes, high logical and analytical thinking, and superior hand-eye coordination. He is above 95% of professional gamers, which is why he was classified as an SSS-Rank Player.]
I knew it. This guy is some kind of protagonist.
"What is an SSS-Rank Player?"
[SSS-Rank Players have high investment potential because they can significantly influence both regular gamers and non-gamers. Investing in such players would be equivalent to investing in marketing.]
"Like Faker?"
[Yes.]
"I see."
Using players as a means of marketing is something all companies do. Faker is the best example of this—after all, how many millions of players started playing League of Legends because of him? I was one of them.
"Investing in players..."
I muttered, looking at the next notification that appeared.
[Choose a unique gift to send to the first three players who achieve the perfect ending.]
[Available gift list:
Varda's Ring
MoonStone
Alucard's Armor
Spirit Orb
...]
A list of 15 in-game items appeared.
In games, some of these items are undeniably useless, but in real life, it wouldn’t be strange if the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj called them divine artifacts. In fact, Varda's Ring is literally a divine artifact.
"Choosing a good item as a reward is also a form of investment..."
But the real question is: what are the consequences of giving such an artifact to someone in another universe?
The answer is: I don’t know.
And honestly, I don’t care. It’s literally in another universe, so why worry whether the item I give is weak or strong?
"I need to think about myself first."
Obviously, I’m going to give the most powerful item on the list. That will make my first player happy and also encourage them to buy my future games.
Not to mention, this is the Marvel universe. I’m almost certain that among my players, there will be many who will use the rewards to become superheroes. So, in the end, I’m actually helping.
For first place, I chose the strongest item: "Varda's Ring."
For second place, the most versatile item: "Sword Card."
For third place, I was torn between the "Leap Stone" and "Gravity Boots," but in the end, I went with the Leap Stone.
After selecting all the rewards, a screen appeared.
[Please write a congratulatory message to the player.]
At first, I thought about using this opportunity to ask them to recommend the game to their friends, but in the end, I just sent a standard congratulatory message.
After sending the message, I opened the game profile where I could see all its stats.
[Name: Castlevania Symphony of the Night
Steam Rating: ★★★★★
Approval: Very Positive (100% from 168 reviews)
Total Sales: 195
Current Players: 97
Players Who Finished the Game: 15
Players Who Achieved the Perfect Ending: 4
...
Total Sales Revenue: $1,860
(Withdraw)
System Points: 915]
Without wasting a single second, I decisively clicked withdraw! This was the moment I had been waiting for.
[You have withdrawn $1,860.]
[Would you like to convert the withdrawn amount to Brazilian reais?]
"Yes!"
[You received R$7,970.]
While I was still marveling at this, my phone buzzed with a notification. I quickly picked it up and was surprised by the message.
[R$7,970 has been deposited into your bank account.]
I stared at my phone for a while, thinking.
'Does making games really earn this much money, or is it because of the system?'
Honestly, it was still hard to believe all of this. I started to feel a little afraid that I would suddenly wake up and realize it was all a dream. But even if it was a dream, I would definitely become a game developer when I woke up.
"I need to create even more games!"
That was my thought after seeing so much money.
If it were possible, I would launch at least 10 games a day. But creating even one game is difficult—imagine how impossible it would be to make ten.
But now I have 915 points, which can make the whole game development process much easier.
"System, open the Workshop."
Once again, the same old wooden door appeared in the air. The moment I stepped inside, the massive holographic screen appeared.
There was something new on the system's main menu.
The name of the new option was "Video Archives."
When I opened it, I found a list of nicknames. Hesitant, I clicked on a random one.
A video started playing.
From the opening scene, the fight against Dracula on the staircase, to Alucard’s arrival.
It was the gameplay of one of the players!
And in some moments, you could even hear the player swearing—mostly when they died.
"James was definitely unusual."
The player I just watched died quickly to Dracula and needed Maria’s help to complete the prologue.
"I’ll watch James’s gameplay when I have some free time."
I had already published a game in another universe and earned a lot of points! I should be able to buy something good.
So, I opened the Multiverse Store.
[Multiverse Store LV1
Warning: The store is currently at level 1. You can use system points to upgrade it.
The higher the level, the more items will be available, extending even to the Marvel Comics universe.]
[Item List:
Stark Sonic Cannon – 78 points
Sonic Taser – 47 points
Jericho Missile – 213 points
Tellor Propulsion Rifle – 54 points
Exo-Skel...
...]
[Skill List:
Basic Combat Skills – 85 points
Basic Languages – 34 points
Basic Weapon Proficiency – 155 points
Basic Disguise Skills – 60 points
Basic Logical Thinking – 230 points
...]
[Special List:
Artificial Intelligence: J.A.R.V.I.S – 25,500 points
Armor Project: Mark 1 – 7,500 points]
Almost all the items were from Iron Man 1.
The problem is, I have no interest in weapons or combat skills, let alone disguises.
The only thing that caught my attention was J.A.R.V.I.S. The autonomous artificial intelligence.
Everyone who watched Iron Man or Avengers has dreamed of having their own J.A.R.V.I.S.
But the 25,500 points price hit me hard. If sales continued at this rate, it could take up to a month before I could buy it.
As for the Mark 1 project, I have neither the points nor the interest. If it were at least the fully built armor, maybe. But it's just a blueprint. With today’s technology, it's probably impossible to build the Mark 1 even with the schematics.
I decided to mark J.A.R.V.I.S. as my main goal for now. Having it would make my life much easier, both in daily life and in game development.
With my goal set, it was time to figure out how to earn points faster.
Creating another game was my first thought.
Before spending my points in the system store, I went to my computer.
"Reddit... community... gaming geeks."
Analyzing the community posts, I realized this was the right place.
After all, users here shared their favorite games and ideas for possible improvements. Some even promoted their own indie games.
This kind of community is the best place to get ideas for games—without plagiarism, of course.
I went to the board and posted the following question:
VentoDoNorth:
"If, for some reason, you could create and publish games in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, what would your first game be, and what would it be like?"
Knowing it would take some time for someone to respond, I decided to take care of a very important debt.
Using my phone, I transferred R$4,500 to the account of the person who had lent me money. My original debt was only R$3,500, but since this person helped me a lot, I added a little extra.
"Knowing her well... she should call me any sec—"
Before I could finish my sentence, my phone started ringing.
"Hello." I answered.
"Can you explain what this is?" A voice asked, both annoyed and concerned.
"I'm paying back the money I borrowed."
"Borrowed? I gave you that money, remember?" The voice sounded even more upset. "And where did you get so much money? If you borrowed from loan sharks, I s—"
"No need to worry, Auntie." I interrupted.
Yes, the person I owed money to was my aunt, Leonora. Or Leona to close friends.
Since I was unemployed for quite a while, I was basically kicked out of the house, and my aunt Leona helped me with all kinds of expenses.
"So, how did you get this money?" Leona asked again.
"I kind of made a game and sold it. If I had known I could make this much with just one game, I would have done it sooner," I replied.
"You better explain this properly, or..." She stopped for a moment and started talking to someone. "Yes, you can send the full report to my computer."
After a few moments, she said, "Look, I'll be there next week, and you better explain everything to me properly, understood?"
A slight shiver ran down my spine.
"Yes, yes!" I quickly agreed.
"Okay. I have to go. Bye, Rick," she said.
"Bye."
And with that, we ended the call.
I thought it would be worse—she's usually much more intense.
I placed my phone on the table and looked out the window.
The weather outside seemed perfect. The sky was a bright blue, without a single cloud. Since I had nothing to do and some money in my account, I decided to go out and enjoy the sunny day.
I walked through the quiet streets of the city, deciding to start my little tour by visiting the local market to buy some fruits and healthier food.
Upon entering the market, I was greeted by the aroma of freshly baked bread and the vibrant colors of fruits and vegetables.
I wandered through the aisles, carefully selecting apples, ripe bananas, and a variety of fresh vegetables. My basket quickly filled up.
After shopping, I stopped by a small magazine store I found on my way back.
Browsing through the shelves, I ended up choosing a magazine about video games and virtual trends.
With my groceries bought and the magazine in hand, it was time to head home.
I walked back the same way I came, enjoying the gentle breeze.
"This feeling of being carefree... relaxed. So nice." I smiled.
For three whole months, I felt pressured, unable to find a job, and having to ask my aunt for money.
But now I have a system, and on the first day, I already made enough money to stay worry-free for at least a month.
"I need to make the most of this opportunity."
I arrived home shortly after noon, feeling accomplished. I placed the grocery bags on the kitchen counter and checked my Reddit post to see if there were any replies.
Fortunately, there were a few.
I analyzed each one, looking for inspiration.
MegaBeast: "I would create an Avengers game set before they actually formed the team. That would shock a lot of people because Thor and Loki weren’t known to the heroes yet, and some Avengers members were still unknown to the world, like Black Widow and Hawkeye (since they’re secret spies) and Captain America (who was still frozen)."
The idea was really good, but making an Avengers game seemed quite difficult with my current resources. However, I noted it down for later.
"Idea noted!"
The second response, however, appealed to me more because it was much easier.
Papa-Fritas: "Before superheroes appeared, I’d create a normal game, but with some Marvel characters as hidden NPCs, revealing bits of their backstories. When people from S.H.I.E.L.D (and Hydra) saw it, they’d think, ‘This guy knows something!’ Just imagine how curious they’d be to find out how I know all this!"
Depending on how I used this idea, it could have a huge impact on the Marvel world, and both heroes and S.H.I.E.L.D (or Hydra) might start paying attention to my games.
And since I’m from another universe, I don’t need to worry about them coming after me. The only issue would be if they tried to block my games.
"I don’t think they can do that. The system shouldn’t be that weak," I said to myself.
Those were the only really useful responses. The rest were things like:
KiberMaster: "The fanfic community is the other way."
SucoTheFruta: "Send me the link to your fanfic later."
DevsCreaton: "FIFA 2012."
AlderSoul: "Uno Online."
Since there weren’t any more inspiring ideas in the replies, I opened the system store to buy a blank Game Card.
My plan was to use the card on an Avengers game, extract the hero models individually, and use them to create a game from scratch.
But now the question: Why not just use it on the existing Avengers game?
Simple. The Avengers game was voted the worst game of the last ten years.
"Open store!"
Upon entering the store, I found the Blank Game Card, but...
[Blank Game Card - 5,000 points]
...The price was just a little higher than expected.
I was about to give up, but I decided to search for something else that could help me.
Soon, I found a random model pack in the store.
[Random Model Pack - 300 points]
Without thinking, I bought two packs. I wanted to buy three, but I decided to save the remaining points.
A screen popped up in front of me with the description:
[Item: Random Model Pack]
Description: After opening the pack, you will receive 5 random models.
Chances:
White (70%)
Green (65%)
Blue (60%)
Purple (20%)
Gold (5%)
Red (1%)
[Note: Duplicate models of the same quality will merge into a higher quality model.]
[Do you want to open Pack x2?]
"Yes."
I’ve always loved opening packs or loot boxes in games. My luck in these things is abnormally good—I hope it stays that way.
[Opening Random Model Pack x2]
[Congratulations! You received the following models:
Family Car (White)
Waterfalls (White)
Tropical Island (Blue)
Fish Set (Blue)
Modern Weapons Set (Gold)
Zombie (White)
Starry Sky (Blue)
Plasma Pistol (Green)
Sea (Purple)
Outer Wilds: Complete (Red)]
Looking at the items I got, I was quite surprised.
Even though I’ve always had weird luck with loot boxes, I didn’t expect to get a purple, a gold, and a red item all at once.
And on top of that, the red item was a full game! And an incredibly good one.
Outer Wilds is a space exploration game with one of the best stories I’ve ever seen. Not to mention the soundtrack!
"Open game manager!"
Excited, I clicked on models and selected the Outer Wilds game model.
But unlike Castlevania, the message that appeared was different.
[Do you want to transform the "Outer Wilds" model into a Virtual Reality project?]
Virtual Reality!?
Outer Wilds will be a VR game? My God! The normal game is already so amazing, now imagine it in VR!
"Yes!"
At that moment, the entire workshop flickered, and the walls began to expand and darken, with tiny white dots appearing.
I started feeling as if the space around me was distorting, shaping a new reality.
I looked around in awe. Wooden houses materialized, rising straight from the ground. Trees sprouted with vibrant leaves, while the gentle sound of the wind filled the air. It was as if the world was coming to life before my eyes.
The next instant, I found myself motionless, standing in the middle of a small village that had appeared out of nowhere. It was the starting village from Outer Wilds.
I lifted my gaze to the sky, and something even more incredible happened. Colors emerged, painting the sky in deep blue tones with white clouds. The sun took its place at the highest point.
Gradually, other planets became visible in the sky.
"A true virtual reality..."
I stood there, absorbing every detail of that incredible scene. The sensation of being immersed in that fictional universe—it felt like I had crossed the boundaries of reality and entered a world of infinite possibilities.
As I was lost in thought, a notification snapped me out of my daydreams.
[It has been noted that you do not possess sufficient knowledge to develop this game.]
[Your knowledge is insufficient.
Recommended purchases:
Master Programming - 30,000 points
VR Programming (Beginner) - 100,000 points
VR Programming (Intermediate) - 250,000 points
VR Programming (Advanced) - 500,000 points
VR Programming (Master) - 1,500,000 points]
I let out a sigh of disappointment upon seeing the skill prices.
"It's really frustrating to be broke. The minimum requirement is Master-level programming, but I don't even have the Advanced level yet," I said with a bitter smile.
It's probably going to take a long time before I can work on this game.
I need to earn points as quickly as possible.
That's when an idea popped into my mind. If I could publish the Castlevania game on other sites and platforms, I could increase its chances of being noticed and, consequently, sold more quickly. It was a strategy to boost visibility and popularity that many companies frequently use.
"System, is there a way to republish Castlevania on other sites and platforms? On Xbox or PlayStation, for example?" I asked the system, holding onto a bit of hope.
[Insufficient developer level.]
There are developer levels now? How did I not know about this?
"Any recommendations on how to improve Castlevania's sales?"
In desperation, all I could do was ask the system.
[ Card recommended.]
[Recommended purchases:
1. Card: Mobile Devices.
Description: A system-generated ad will play for 30 seconds on all mobile devices in the selected country.
Price: 50 points
2. Card: TVs and Computers.
Description: A system-generated ad will play for one minute on all TVs and computers in the selected country.
Price: 150 points
3. Card: All Media.
Description: A system-generated ad will play for two minutes on all media in the selected country.
Price: 300 points
Warning: The ad will only play once.]
? This could really be my salvation. After all, people always say that advertising is the soul of business.
"Buy!"
A golden card appeared in my hand. It shone with a dazzling golden hue, as if made of pure gold.
Even if it's just once, it should be enough to multiply my sales several times over.
I quickly used the Card in the Marvel universe.
"......"
I waited for some magical effect or something, but the card simply disappeared from my hand.
"Well, that's all I can do for now."
So, I just left the workshop and went to rest.
However, barely ten minutes had passed when an unexpected notification echoed in my head.
["You have received 100 points for selling your game to a high-level individual."]
"Huh?"
I was intrigued. It was the first time the system had notified me that someone of "high level" had purchased my game.
I stared at the message, wondering what exactly "high level" meant. Was it someone very rich? Or maybe someone influential and important? Or even better—a combination of both? Curiosity gnawed at me, making me eager to find out who it was.
My first thought was "Tony Stark." He fit perfectly into all three categories.
I returned to the workshop to check. Even if I couldn't see his appearance, at the very least, I could listen to the audio from his gameplay.
Entering the workshop, I opened the video files and saw the nickname "******." Yes, this guy had actually used just "*" as his nickname.
I opened the files to watch him playing in real time.
He was still approaching the first battle against Dracula.
"Sir, what should I do?" I heard someone ask.
"Just keep going. This can't be a normal game," replied an authoritative voice.
At that exact moment, I recognized the voice. My eyes widened in surprise and slight anxiety.
"System! Can I control the wolf at the castle entrance?" I asked.
[Yes.]
Great!
"Can I talk to the player?"
[Yes.]
"Let me control the wolf!"
Within seconds, a second screen appeared beside me, displaying the wolf's perspective in front of the castle. Then, a remote control materialized in my hands. It had only three buttons: left, right, and a microphone toggle.
Although I couldn't directly attack the player, that wasn't my plan anyway.
Instead, I had a different idea.
"Let's make this interesting," I murmured. "System, create a 2D version of the Marvelous Mister’s top hat and put it on the wolf!"
[26 points will be spent. Continue?]
"Yes!" I confirmed without hesitation.
Instantly, the wolf on the screen gained an elegant, dark red top hat. I smiled, satisfied with the result, and took a deep breath, preparing to step into the role of the incredible Marvelous Mister.
"Okay. Let's start the roleplay!" I declared excitedly.
The player, whose name was "*******," struggled greatly to defeat Dracula. After an intense narration, the game would move on to the next stage—the cutscene of Alucard arriving at the castle—until he finally stopped in front of my top-hat-wearing wolf.
"Oh!? Look what we have here! Spies!" I exclaimed.
