Unaware of the frightening conversation taking place in the room he just left, Michael joined the cafeteria, where he met with Nolan and Selina.
Not having to hold back their excitement and curiosity anymore, they bombarded the poor bloke with tens of questions to the point where a full hour had passed by the time he finished his meal.
He didn't hold back on the details since the duo had already seen what his Secret Realm was all about; instead, he shared his vision with them.
[I mean... that's crazy...](Nolan)
[You even plan to release it to the regular folk public?](Selina)
"Yes."
[But most regular people don't have spirit stones to pay.](Nolan)
"That's fine. I plan to accept credits. You do know you can exchange credits for Qi Gathering and Foundation-level cultivation resources, right?"
The conversation soon steered back to how unique his Secret Realm project is and how he came up with the idea.
[It's not like nobody else had tried it before. I heard some Tier 4 and Tier 5 Programmers even attempted creating fantasy worlds where you could fight against absurd beings. However, none were truly successful. From what I know, the Secret Realm Crafters who tried didn't even manage to recover their initial investments.](Selina)
"It's all about grasping the timing. In our case, our society finally has a break from fighting the invading demons after suffering for eight whole years at the frontlines. Do you honestly think that another Secret Realm you created about them having to fight more demons will be successful? And that's only the older generation. As for our generation and the younger ones, they have thousands of similar Secret Realms to choose from. If your product doesn't have anything to stand out with, you will undoubtedly fade into obscurity."
[I see... Is that why you used a short movie at the beginning of the examination?](Nolan)
[Right! I almost forgot about that!](Selina)
"I call it a promotional video. Think about it. If I pay some spirit stones to advertise it on news stations and online on different platforms, wouldn't people become more interested in seeing what the fuss is all about? Well, I obviously lack the needed spirit stones for now, so I plan to take a different approach."
[Huh? What approach?](Nolan)
"Aren't there thousands of cultivators streaming their exploration of Secret Realms on the Conqueror platform? All I need to do is reach out to a modestly popular few and have them try my Secret Realm while promising them some benefits. Then, they will promote the game on my behalf whenever they play it while streaming."
[Game?](Selina)
"Ugh... is how I refer to my Secret Realms. Since they don't involve demon invasions and the like, and I take the fantasy approach, it's better to consider them something like an adventure or battle game."
Finally escaping the torrent of questions and leaving the young duo with some soul-searching they needed to do in order to find their way, Michael returned to his room.
He wasn't worried about either Nolan or Selina inventing new games or the large market competing with him over this new niche.
In his eyes, if he couldn't best the others, even with all the knowledge he had about the gaming industry of Earth, then he deserves to lose.
'Professor' Morano remembered his promise, and Michael received a document with 'bugs' in his game that he had to fix.
Too tired to bother with inspecting all of them, he uploaded the document to his Editor and allowed the A.I. to review everything and make the proper adjustments, as long as it didn't mess with his vision of the Secret Realm.
'*Yawn* Now that I no longer have to worry about a deadline, I can slowly improve the things I couldn't before. Hmm... let's first take a couple of days break from game development and return home. I had seen this body's family just a month or so ago, but I could only stay for half a day. It's best to keep in touch in case I need a place to crash for a couple of months or so before being able to sell my product and make enough to buy or rent a place of my own.'
Exhausted from the mental fatigue piling up over the course of the last six months, Michael finally relaxed his body and mind, ending up sleeping from 8:23 p.m. all the way until noon the following day.
He would've probably slept even longer if not for receiving a call request from one of the Elders he met yesterday.
"Elder Melinda. *Yawn* Sorry for answering so late."
[It's fine. Looks like you slept in today.](Melinda)
"Yes. I was more tired than I initially realized."
[That's fine. Make sure you create a balanced schedule of work and rest. A sound mind resides in a sound body. And without a sound mind, we Secret Realm Crafters cannot make a living.](Melinda)
Scratching his head while the pretty missy went into 'imparting wisdom' mode, Michael patiently waited for her to get to the point.
[After discussing some details with the sect master, we've decided to offer you a contract. I just sent the details to you. Check it and get back to me if you have any questions.](Melinda)
"Sect master!?"
[Yes. The three of us recognize your Secret Realm's potential and want to support you. However, we couldn't arbitrarily decide on our own, so we brought up the issue to the higher-ups. Long story short, the Bright Moon sect will endorse you while you see through this project. If it's successful, then the conditions we'll offer you in the future will be even better. If it somehow fails, we'll help you analyze why it failed and how to improve.](Melinda)
"I see. Thank you for your support, Elder Melinda."
[It's a small matter. Get back to me if you have any questions about the contract.](Melinda)
Tapping his smartwatch to hang up, he checked his email inbox and saw the contract attachment.
Using his deep-dive gear, he had Mildred help him analyze the contract and search for potentially fatal loopholes the sect might've tricked him with.
"So it's basically a five-year contract where the sect will supply me with 5,000 spirit stones monthly while all the games I publish are under their name. They will take 30% of the revenue I make from sales for the duration of these five years. If I break any of the clauses of this contract, I'll have to pay back ten times their accumulated investment. Is that right?"
[That is correct, sir.](Mildred)
Scratching his head in confusion, Michael couldn't understand the situation. The contract was super basic, and it was superbly favorable to him.
Leaving aside the 5,000 spirit stone worth of resources, they only took 30% of his potential revenue once the game hit the market.
Furthermore, they would endorse his product as something that the Bright Moon sect produced, with him as the developer and them as the publishers.
It was obvious how helpful their reputation would be to Michael, as he was a newbie who had yet to reach Tier 1 Programmer standard.
After signing and sending back the contract to Elder Melinda, he called and thanked her again for her support while also informing her about his plan to take a two-day vacation before returning to work.
[That's fine. We are already preparing a suite for you on the 67th floor. Is one of the better residential areas we have available in this branch. When you return, the reception desk will provide you with the badge and keys.](Melinda)
Thanking her again for the sudden upgrade, Michael felt even more relaxed. He didn't want to jinx it, but the familiar tropes with arrogant young masters, sudden unavoidable terrors, and unreasonable Elders were nowhere to be found.
Shaking his head to chase away these unclean thoughts, he packed his clothes in the single suitcase he brought and returned home.
His parents were amazed when they heard he actually got a contract, then quickly paled, thinking their stupid boy had sold himself to the Bright Moon sect, immediately asking to see the paper.
Sighing in relief after seeing the basic clauses and the generous support he would be getting monthly, they repeatedly reminded him to work hard and not disappoint the sect. According to them, this was a thick tigh to latch on!
In fact, besides returning to cement his relationship with his family and put their minds at ease, there was a second reason for his coming back: his brother.
No matter what, this 13-year-old brat was at the same cultivation level as Nolan, who had Superior-grade spirit roots.
This showed his cultivation talent and incredible comprehension.
The cunning hare has three burrows! While his 'talent' in copying games and movies from Earth might be of the highest grade, his cultivation talent certainly wasn't.
If, in the future, a higher-realm cultivator comes up and pressures him into becoming a company slave working a 996 shift, wouldn't having a good relationship with his cultivation prodigy younger brother help?
[What!? 1,000 spirit stones? No! What about your Spirit Realm? What if you fall behind as a result?](Grant)
[That's right, sweetie. We can still handle the resources needed for your brother. You must focus on your profession. You have no idea how expensive the materials needed for your specialization are. As a Tier 2 Alchemist myself, I have fewer recipes than most of my peers for this exact reason.](Silvia)
Seeing Grant's eyes flicker and an expression of remorse flash across his face, Michael smiled kindly and explained his reasoning.
"Mom, Dad, you don't have to worry. In my case, 1,000 spirit stones are more than enough monthly for the Secret Realm I am crafting. The remaining resources are to enhance my cultivation, according to the Elder I spoke with about this. Furthermore, Roderick will soon approach the later stages of Qi Gathering. Not only will you have to prepare more pills for his day-to-day cultivation, but also the Foundation Establishment pill as well. I know how expensive buying it is, so it's best if Mother could learn the recipe instead."
[Sweetie, the recipe costs 7,000 spirit stones even if I buy it from one of my acquaintances. It's too much to spend for a single pill.](Silvia)
"That's even better then! With your savings and the spirit stones I get, you can buy it in one to two months. Then, you'll have enough time to practice refining the pill. Who says it's all for a single pill? Didn't I just say how expensive it is to buy it on the market? Then, isn't it even better to refine more to sell?"
It was an uphill battle, but once Father Grant agreed, the decision was made. This somewhat allayed Michael's guilty consciousness as well.
Even if the previous host died and their soul returned to wherever souls go, it was still true that he 'possessed' the boy's body and was now walking around posing as their child.
To support the two children's cultivation, Father Grant went to the frontlines and took some of the more dangerous missions, suffering some internal wounds as a result.
Mother Silvia was in an even worse situation. She used most of the spirit stones she made from her alchemy practice to support the two kids in their cultivation journey. Her portfolio boasted only five Qi Gathering recipes and two Foundation ones.
Returning to his old room, Michael lay on the bed and looked at the ceiling.
'Once I make enough, I can buy back the old house or an even better one closer to the spirit vein of this city. That way, the brat can cultivate faster. Silvia and Grant will also be able to improve further in the realm if the Qi density is higher. *Sigh* Looks like there's no time to waste, huh?'
Opening his suitcase, he grabbed the deep-dive headset and connected the USB port to the internet socket by the bed.
Then, closing his eyes, he re-entered the workspace.
[Welcome back, sir. Was your planned vacation cut short?](Mildred)
"Can't help it. I'm poor."
[I understand. What do you want to focus on now, sir?](Mildred)
"The Concept. We pretty much completed the framework of this game in the 'Real Full Version,' and now we only need to work on the Concept. Then, I can start infusing Intent and wrap up the demo version before focusing on releasing the real game."
That's right! The 'Real Version' he showed the three judges was incomplete from the Project standpoint.
In fact, each day during the final month of the practical exam, he spent one hour having Mildred design the game's finer details.
Things like items, neutral items, creeps, heroes, Roshan, and everything pertaining to the game's cosmetics had the framework completed.
But that only meant that from a virtual standpoint, they were ready to be brought to life.
For example, all items in the game's Shop function had a small picture of their likeness, and a pop-up window even gave a small description of what they did.
However, there was no mention of their function or the attributes they provided.
This is where the Concept stage and what Michael wanted to focus on next came into play.