Isekai Online Game Developer

“Rikal. So what exactly is your relationship with Zebit?”

“No, it’s nothing at all!”

Rikal flees to escape Leo.

As usual, he headed towards Trinity that day.

Whenever he was in the royal castle, Leo constantly questioned him about Zebit.

It was because he thought Rikal was also present the day Zebit was met at the Illusion Tower.

At first, Leo asked cautiously, but now he was simply convinced that Rikal knew Zebit and was questioning him directly.

“Arcane War?”

After going to the Illusion Tower, Rikal heard from Rai about the Arcane War.

“Sounds interesting. Can I go as an audience member too?”

“No. Your Highness needs to do something greater.”

Rai told Rikal to go up on stage as Zebit.

“…Do you want to die?”

“Or I’ll tell the Crown Prince everything.”

“Hey, you little punk!”

“If you kill me, the Crown Prince’s identity will be announced in ‘Maple Leaf Story’.”

A blatant threat.

After some back-and-forth, Rikal ultimately had no choice but to comply with his demands.

Thus, Rikal, or rather, Zebit, explained about the Arcane War celebration and COL.

The day the Arcane War was set to start.

Zebit grumbled as he made his way to the stage.

Then Zebit saw someone who shouldn’t be here backstage.

“Oh, ohh…!”

“…Wha-what?”

Leo was overwhelmed to see Zebit.

And Rai was stifling his laughter as he watched the scene.

‘That bastard…!’

I wanted to kill Rai on the spot, but I couldn’t.

It was the moment Zebit was meant to go on stage.

In the end, Zebit ignored Leo and stepped onto the stage.

“Everyone, it’s so nice to see you all!”

Wowwwwwwwwwww!

The crowd cheered for the unexpected appearance of Zebit.

“I’ve received a special request from the Illusion Tower to share information about the Arcane War and COL. And I’m here to support all the wizards—!”

Wowwwwwwwwwww!

As Zebit read the prepared script, he grew more anxious as it drew to a close.

“Now, this is how the Arcane War will proceed. And please show great interest in COL—!”

With one last cheer, applause erupted in response.

“I would love to watch the Arcane War, but due to health issues, I can’t. So everyone, have fun!”

Though he tried to keep speaking, there were no more words left to say.

Eventually, Zebit stepped down from the stage.

There, Leo and Rai were still present.

“Zebit! Thank you so much. I know it was a unreasonable request.”

“This, this is fine. Well then, I’ll take my leave…”

“This person is the Crown Prince of the Empire. You know that, right? He wanted to say hello.”

“B-b-b-b-nice to meet you, Zebit! I am Leo Leonious. We met back then… ah, uh, sorry for the handshake…”

Leo quickly withdrew his outstretched hand.

He looked like a nervous boy in front of a girl he liked.

Zebit felt quite uncomfortable seeing the way his brother looked at him with those eyes.

Rai stifled his laughter from behind, watching the scene.

“I-I’m honored to meet you again, Your Highness.”

“Aah…”

Leo stared blankly at Zebit.

“Ah, first, thank you. For participating in the quest back then. Thanks to you, we successfully conquered Zatume. On behalf of the royal family, I truly appreciate it.”

“It’s, it’s nothing really.”

Why are you thanking me for that?

Zebit wanted to contest but held it in.

“And if it’s alright, I would like to help you, Zebit. I’ll do my best to find a cure for your illness.”

“Th-that’s okay. It’s quite difficult to treat.”

“But still…!”

“Crown Prince. It’s alright. Zebit is already receiving a lot of treatment support. But the illness is just too hard to cure…”

“Aha… I see. I was being presumptuous.”

“It’s fine.”

Just when Zebit was about to explode, Rai intervened.

“By the way, Your Highness, are you also a ‘Maple Leaf Story’ user?”

“No, I’m not. I’ve been too busy managing the kingdom.”

“Oh… I see. But how about trying the COL that’s coming out this time? It won’t take much time, just one or two rounds a day wouldn’t be too much, right, Zebit?”

“Th-that’s right.”

I haven’t played it, so how would I know.

With a glance, Zebit replied.

“I-I’ll give it a try if you insist. But I can’t commit too much time…”

“Ah, I understand. Then Zebit, I shall take my leave now!”

As the Crown Prince approached Zebit, his patience finally wore thin and he sprinted to the waiting room.

Leo clutched his heart as he watched Zebit’s back.

“Zebit must be tired after all. Let’s head back now, Your Highness.”

“I’ll… rest for just a moment. My heart won’t settle down.”

“Ah… I understand.”

Rai walked away, stifling his laughter.

Though Rai started this to tease Rikal.

In the end, this incident would lead Leo to get involved with COL.

A short while later, Rikal transformed back and headed to the audience seats.

“Phew… damn it.”

“…Rikal? I thought you weren’t coming.”

“I dunno, I just came… What about Leo hyung?”

Just then, Leo also returned to his seat.

Seeing his face made Rikal feel worse again.

“…Rikal. You said you weren’t coming, but here you are.”

“…Shut up, hyung. Please.”

“Haah… you really. Please be careful in these situations.”

It was a completely different expression from a moment ago for Leo.

Rikal chose not to respond.

In that situation, the ban-pick ended and the first match began.

*

“Hm… I heard Zebit’s explanation, but I still don’t quite get it.”

“It seems to be a completely different game than ‘Maple Leaf Story’.”

“Are we repeating battles on the same map each time? Sounds like it could get boring fast…”

The first match of the Arcane War at the Wind Tower and the Illusion Tower.

As the game started, the reactions weren’t very positive.

It was only natural. You couldn’t really know what COL was about just through verbal explanations.

-Now, at this moment, Nitaly. Ganking mid—!

A voice rang out.

Rai was providing commentary on the game.

Thanks to Rai’s explanations and timely commentary, the audience quickly began to immerse themselves in the game.

“Oh! He couldn’t catch that one.”

“No, he keeps missing the spear. Is Nitaly that hard to hit?”

“I feel like I could hit it easily. I wanna try!”

“Wow… alight, but it looks fun. Shifting between a human and a cougar.”

Charming champions and flashy skills.

With thrilling kills and stunning plays from both sides, the audience soon became captivated by COL.

-Now, mid conflict situation. At this moment, Wind Tower Worgh starts striking the dragon! If they lose this dragon, it’ll be tough for Wind Tower. They must stop this, no matter what.

Taking advantage of the lack of vision, Worgh began attacking the dragon.

The top laners from both sides were split pushing, while the others were battling in mid.

The audience held their breath as they watched Worgh secretly eat the dragon.

-Now Nitaly enters the jungle camp. This could be risky. Oh no—!! Nitaly spots him!

Just as Worgh had yet to kill the dragon, the opposing jungler, Nitaly, was circling the jungle to secure vision on the dragon.

Wind Tower spotted Worgh.

“What the… what’s going on?!”

“Looks like Worgh has been discovered?”

-Once vision is obtained, both towers gather at the dragon. Nitaly is trading blows with Worgh over the dragon. Nitaly throws his spear—!

Crack-!

Wow—!

-AAAHHH! Hit him! Worgh took a hit! All the way from max range! The farther Nitaly throws his spear, the more damage it inflicts!

As Nitaly’s spear struck Worgh, Worgh’s health dropped dramatically in an instant.

The audience collectively gasped in admiration at the incredible damage.

“Isn’t Nitaly way too OP? One hit of a spear like that…”

“Exactly. That’s almost like [Gaidore Sit]‘s meso explosion level.”

“But still, isn’t it that difficult to hit?”

-Worgh, while dealing damage to the dragon, is healing up! Thanks to Worgh’s passive and the Ruined King’s Blade, he’s regaining health little by little.

Worgh fights back while healing.

Just before both teams arrive at the dragon.

“With that amount of health, he could just go in, right?”

“Yeah. Nitaly is getting too frustrated.”

-At that moment! Nitaly transforms into a cougar! He pounces on Worgh!

In that instant, as Nitaly shifts into a cougar and dashes towards Worgh, both teams arrive on the scene.

The top laners from both sides also teleported to the dragon.

Oooooo—!

The crowd cheered for the big skirmish.

But the target of their cheers was slightly different.

-Ah! Worgh’s ultimate! Infinite Restraint! He doesn’t die!

As Nitaly charges in, Worgh immediately uses his ultimate.

With massive healing, Worgh’s health was actually rising.

“What the heck! Worgh is completely broken!”

“Aren’t they all OP? Such powerful entities….”

“Ooooo! He’s still not dead?”

Even after the ultimate ended, Worgh stubbornly regained health with basic attacks and the Harbinger’s Strike.

While Worgh held on, all the players entered the dragon pit.

Both sides’ champions crowded into the small space.

-Now, except for the ADC, everyone’s entered the dragon’s lair! This means…!

Amidst the chaos, Nitaly secured the dragon with his smite.

Wind Tower felt relieved for having taken the dragon, but that wasn’t the important part.

-Diana enters with Moonlight Charge! Directly into the heart of the battlefield!

Diana charged into the heart of the chaotic fight.

With a bang—

Diana’s ultimate, Moonlight Drop, dealt massive damage to the entire enemy team.

The remaining teammates quickly cleaned up, and in a flash, the teamfight was over.

Wooaaahhhhh!

The crowd cheered for Diana’s multi-kill.

Even though it was the first COL match they were watching, the spectacle was simply exhilarating.

-Diana’s ultimate, Moonlight Drop! Wind Tower gets wiped out in an instant, finishing!

Wind Tower was completely decimated.

Seizing the opportunity, the Illusion Tower rapidly pushed down mid.

-The Nexus is… destroyed! GG!

And with that, the game ended, with the first set going to the Illusion Tower.

“Wow! That was truly thrilling! Did you see Diana’s ultimate at the end?”

“Just watching it makes my heart race. I want to play this game as well!”

“When is it even releasing? Did those wizards just make this for themselves?”

The excitement of the audience didn’t cease as the first match concluded with a series of memorable moments.

It was no different for Galleard, who was watching the match.

“What the heck… Riot, what kind of game have you created…!”

He was particularly focused on the top lane champion.

Though it wasn’t his fighting style, he absolutely wanted to try that kind of champion.

Not only Galleard, but others felt the same.

Each one had their own unique champion they were dying to try out.

The thrill of actually being able to fight as those champions ignited their inner flames even further.

And in the next set.

-Ahh! Wind Tower picks Jungle Mai!

“Mai…?”

Galleard was about to meet the champion Mai.