บท 31: A new game?
"Thousands of points used to feel like a luxury, but I never expected it to surpass 100 million so soon," John muttered, staring at the massive figure on his system panel. The numbers stretched out endlessly, and he couldn't help but smile. His gamble had paid off.
"No wonder companies are willing to spend hundreds of millions on a few seconds of advertising."
With his past experience in the world of digital marketing, John knew that all of this success came from capitalizing on "Second World," a massive platform where Pokémon had parachuted straight into the public's consciousness. Whether people liked it or not, the game was everywhere. This had allowed John to bypass the most difficult stages of game development and distribution.
Thanks to Pokémon's inherent quality, the game rapidly expanded through Seaside City, spreading across the entire Dragon Kingdom. But this wasn't the end—there was still the vast market of Canglan Star outside the Dragon Kingdom. Once John had fully tapped the local market, he had no intention of ignoring Canglan Star's potential.
Without the opportunity he seized with "Second World," John knew that even hundreds of millions of dollars wouldn't have had the same impact.
Looking at the points on his system panel, John opened the exchange shop. The success of both Pokémon and Happy Farm had resolved many of his initial worries. With over 200 million points in his balance, there wasn't much in the shop he couldn't afford—except for some of the super-mythical Pokémon.
As he scrolled through the available items, John's excitement gave way to mild frustration.
Despite his points, there weren't many things worth exchanging. So far, he'd only completed three games, so the exchange options were limited to items from Pokémon, Happy Farm, and Minecraft. While they were cool within their respective games, bringing them into reality was another story.
If John were to summon Pokémon in the real world, it wouldn't be long before he was taken away for experiments. After all, Pokémon were living creatures, and they were far too difficult to hide. On top of that, they were incredibly expensive.
In John's perfect vision, the ideal exchange items would be magical tools or special abilities, like the Devil Fruits from One Piece, martial arts techniques from various fantasy worlds, or even elixirs from cultivation stories. Unfortunately, there weren't many items that could give him such abilities in his shop.
"Stupid system… why do other systems come with all kinds of ability-granting items, but mine doesn't?" John pouted, venting his dissatisfaction.
Ding~ "The system only provides items based on the games the host creates. The host is expected to rely on his own creativity for abilities."
"Rely on myself??? What's the point of having you then?"
Ding~ "This system is designed to assist the host in creating virtual games."
"…You're really something." John sighed, realizing he had walked right into that one. He should've known from the beginning that his system was semi-automated. Aside from the ability to design virtual games, everything else, including in-game items, had to be handled by him.
After browsing for a while, John silently exited the virtual space.
It was time for dinner and a well-deserved break.
John's life followed a simple routine: eat, sleep, and develop games. Despite the massive success of Pokémon and Happy Farm, it hadn't caused any disruptions in his day-to-day life. Time passed steadily, and John continued to work on his second virtual game world, refining and improving it.
Another dozen days flew by, and the knockout stage of the Seaside City League Tournament had concluded. Lily had made it into the top 32 without breaking a sweat.
At dinner, the familiar dining table was once again a place where the Harper family could finally relax. The hotter Pokémon became, the busier John's father, Michael, and older brother, Adam, became.
As leaders of Seaside City's government, Michael and Adam were increasingly occupied with the success of John's games. Their superiors were impressed, and there was even talk of promoting Michael to head of the Eastflower Province.
One of the biggest problems the Dragon Kingdom faced was overpopulation. However, Pokémon had unexpectedly helped solve that problem, at least in part. Millions of people had taken up careers as professional Pokémon trainers, breeders, and even hunters. Entire industries had emerged, from battle training centers to specialty stores, all built around Pokémon.
"Second World" made it easy to implement large-scale changes. Buildings didn't need to be physically constructed—approved projects were just code in the game, allowing for rapid development. All of this was John's doing, and as his father, Michael benefited from the success, with praise heaped upon him.
Adam, meanwhile, as the director of the virtual game department and president of the Seaside City Pokémon League, was equally swamped with work. Though John had provided key information for the league's structure, Adam had to handle the rest to ensure smooth operation.
Watching Adam's workload over the past few days made John glad he was still able to focus on game development instead.
"So, what kind of game are you working on now? You've been at it for a while," Lily asked, breaking the silence.
John thought for a moment before answering. "Hmm, I guess you could call it an adventure game."
"Adventure?" Lily tilted her head, curious. "Is it a level-based game, or something new?"
At that, Michael and Adam perked up, intrigued by what their son and brother had to say. The two had long since come to terms with the fact that John had surpassed their expectations, producing three highly successful games in a row. Each was unique, yet incredibly fun.
Minecraft, for instance, had been running for over ten days and had already amassed millions of players. While its player base was smaller compared to Pokémon, those who stayed were die-hard fans, forming a core community with no filler.
Grace, seated nearby, also glanced up with curiosity.
"A level-breaking game?" John mused, then chuckled. "That would be too simple. Even if I were making one, I'd leave it to the neighboring development team. No, this time, it's a bit different… it has a fully fleshed-out world, and I've thrown in some unexpected elements. It's more of an adventure and treasure-hunting game."
A/N: Thanks for reading and donate some power stones. If we reach top 50, I'll release an extra chapter.
Also check out my patreon for extra chapters: patreon.com/AncestorX
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