On the side of the two young people who came to relax after working themselves to the bone these past months, noticing Michael's uncanny grin, they immediately went on full alert.
"Hello, guys!"
[[...]]
Seeing their 'guarded' reactions, Michael turned speechless, wondering how the hell these three suddenly became so sensitive.
Rolling his eyes at the duo, he ignored their strange looks and proceeded to make small talk.
"What is the status of your Secret Realms? Are you done with your updates?"
[In my case, more or less. I have more ideas, but they cannot be implemented in this current project. After using more than 80% of my total revenue so far, I added the multiplayer option, and the popularity of Secret Realm has more than doubled. But I think that's the most I can do without upsetting the Concept-Intent balance.](Nolan)
"That's fair. After all, if you keep adding new stuff irrelevant to the original idea you had for this project, not only would your users notice, but the Secret Realm itself might collapse due to the incompatibility between the original Concept and the updates. What about you, Selina?"
[I'm in a similar situation. So? What do you want?](Selina)
"Come on... Why would I want something? I came here to see you guys."
[Yeah, yeah! Wipe that creepy smile off your face first.](Nolan)
Mentally cursing at these two heartless bastards, he decided to be honest and explain his new idea.
"I have a new project I am planning to start working on soon, but the scale is much bigger than The Battlefield of Heroes. Much bigger. The scale is supposed to replicate an entire continent. And not only the land size but also the people living there. I plan to add more A.I.-controlled natives - or NPCs, as I started calling them - to give the Secret Realm the impression of an actual small world."
[That's... ambitious.](Nolan)
[What does your project have to do with us finishing the work on ours? Do you plan to recruit us?](Selina)
"More or less. If I want to finish this new Secret Realm in less than five years, I must work with other Programmers. And you two are the only ones I trust in this regard. Furthermore, within our batch, only the two of you created novel projects without copying the existing hundreds of thousands of similar Secret Realms on the market."
A bit curious, the two newbie Programmers didn't say no and instead inquired about the nature of this new project Michael was planning.
"It will be an open-world game! What I mean by that is that the players would have much more freedom in their actions. As for the actual features of this game, it will be a combination of role-playing, where the user can play as only one character from start to finish, with adventures and Quests spread around the entire continent and even wars between races and factions.
Furthermore, to better cement the Concept, I plan to add multiple story scenarios—or the campaign, as I call it—that the users must complete before being granted access to the entire world."
[I used this 'campaign' in my Secret Realm, and it indeed improved the foundation of my Concept. But I still don't see why you need our help.](Nolan)
[Yeah. Even if the Secret Realm is big, you can take your time. Your progress will be significantly bolstered with the resources you gained from your current project.](Selina)
Realizing these two were underestimating the scale of the game, Michael went into more detail about the many races, their diplomatic relationship, and how he would introduce the concept of 'hardcore,' where the players have to reset their entire progress if they die.
There were also world-building elements, which allowed the players to build bases in the wild, slowly evolve them into small cities, and then trade or wage wars on surrounding NPCs or player factions.
Due to Mildred's limitations, the number of NPCs will be significant, but only a small portion will be 'sentient.'
To make the game's dynamic more interesting, these sentient NPCs will hold positions of power. Based on their interaction with the players and their political ambitions, they could wage wars on these 'intruders' at the drop of a hat.
Also, the number of concurrent players would jump from ten to tens of thousands, if not more.
[That's... mighty ambitions of you. To begin with, is that even possible without the bandwidth of a Tier 5 Secret Realm or higher? Also, can the existing platforms support such large numbers?](Selina)
[That's right! Leaving aside how much those old fogies complained when I asked them to increase the bandwidth for my Secret Realm to allow 15 concurrent users, you planning to have tens of thousands... is a bit unrealistic.](Nolan)
"We'll worry about that problem when we have to face it. I'll talk with sect master Helena and ask for her input as well. So? What do you say?"
Michael's large project was attractive to them, especially since they were curious about how his mind worked. This was the perfect chance to see that and learn exactly what made his brain tick the way it did.
Selina caved in first.
[If we did join, what would we have to do?](Selina)
"Pretty much everything. I'll explain the Concept in as much detail as possible, and you can help me create it. Just counting on the A.I. won't be sufficient; otherwise, the project will lack its soul.
As for your more concrete job attributions, I need Nolan's experience with the combat system for multiple players and fighting armies, as well as your world-building genius. I've seen what you did with the maps for your island, and it doesn't match anything existing in this world. It even has a fantasy element to it.
Since I plan for this continent to be 'new,' I need a fresh perspective. That's where you come in."
There was a reason why Michael chose these two rather than more newbie Programmers or higher-tier seniors.
First, each Programmer had their own vision of a project, and they would inevitably fuse their views into the Concept of the new world they're creating. This was something that they learned during the training camp.
So, unless the creator of the Secret Realm is profusely confident in his ability to overpower the Concept of his partners, the Intent-infusing stage will undoubtedly fail.
As for picking a higher-Tier Programmer to help, that was akin to selling his idea to a senior.
If it were these two newbies who just started forming an embryonic view of how their Secret Realms should be, rather than copying someone else's work, then Michael was confident that his Concept wouldn't lose to theirs.
That's also why Mildred couldn't help. While she could take care of the framework, Michael had to complete the other three stages. Otherwise, there would be no need for Programmers to exist since the A.I. could handle it on their own.
The conversation continued for a while, with him bouncing off ideas of these two, getting them hooked in a matter of minutes, and finally securing their partnership.
A contract was decided upon, where Michael would get 50% of the earnings while they would split the remaining 50% equally.
Also, the funds for the project would be provided by him and, if possible, through the sect's sponsorship.
They continued discussing the finer details for another four hours, and Michael's vision of the game took a much clearer shape.
He also chose to temporarily hide this new project from the sect master and instead create a promotional video to better showcase the game's potential.
The trio split, and it was decided that their partnership would officially start on January 1, 2026.
---------Scene Break---------
While Michael returned home and worked hard for the following weeks, on December 25, the top 16 teams participating in the tournament were decided.
Riverview City was abuzz due to the intensive promotion by the Bright Moon sect, and the streaming platforms were similarly prepared for the large influx of viewers.
Today, the first day of the tournament began.
Among the 16 teams, Michael could recognize one of them, as he relaxed daily by watching Beatrice's stream.
Their cooperation got increasingly better with each game they played, and they were now considered a powerhouse.
Well... a powerhouse among these newbies, as players only had about a month or so to fully get accustomed to the 5v5 mod.
But, hey! In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king!
Therefore, leveraging Beatrice and Melinda's superior experience with the game, they steamrolled through their opponents.
This was even more the case whenever Maci wasn't banned.
Unfortunately for them, an enemy team discovered how their group had a small pool of preferred heroes and immediately focused on banning them during the drafting stage.
It served as a wake-up alarm for Beatrice's team, as they lost and were sent to the Losers' Bracket.
On the third day of the tournament, a miracle occurred!
[Henry! They're smoked! I think they're coming mid. Retreat!](Andrea)
[No! Bait them! Teleport mid and hide in the jungle nearby! Once they jump Henry, I can use Black Hole to catch them all!](Beatrice)
[It's not a bad idea. I can position myself and use Stone Gaze to petrify them immediately after, and we can clean them up.](Melinda)
[I'll try to use Dream Coil, but I don't promise it will catch them. Especially if they jump me first.](Henry)
[I'll have False Promise ready to save you, Henry!](Milena)
[Let's do it! We'll get back to the Upper Bracket and win this tournament!](Beatrice)
Then, what followed was something that would be forever inscribed in the halls of history -at least for this Secret Realm - with not even the finals being this exciting.
The enemy team sneaked up on Henry, who was using Puck's abilities and 'cluelessly' farming creeps.
Using Naga's ultimate Song of the Siren, Henry was put to sleep, unable to move or use any skills. Then, a bunch of stuns followed, the five players wanting to crowd-control Radiant's mid-player to death and quickly demolish the Tower before his team could come help.
Unfortunately for them, as soon as the singing voice of the siren ended, Henry expertly used Dream Coil, locking the five Dire heroes in place.
Massive damage followed immediately after, and his HP decreased at an alarming rate.
Just before he could be sent to his Fountain, multiple things happened simultaneously.
First, a strange veil of shadows covered Henry's body, preventing him from taking fatal damage. Immediately after, Milena used her Guardian Greaves - an item that restores HP and Qi - as well as her skills to save Henry.
Then, using her Blink Dagger to cover the distance between the trees she was hiding behind and her enemies, Beatrice emerged from the void and showcased her impeccable skills using Midnight Pulse, followed by her ultimate, Black Hole.
All enemies were caught by Henry's ultimate and couldn't escape, while Beatrice's ultimate's radius was also huge.
Drawn by the Black Hole's gravity, the Dire team was pulled in and continuously damaged.
Just as Melinda approached to deal the killing blow, Andrea also used her Blink Dagger to jump behind enemy lines.
A fraction of a second before Black Hole's crowd-controlling effect ended, Andrea used Glimmer Cape to become invisible and cast Crystal Nova and her ultimate, Freezing Field, in quick succession.
With the enemy made invisible by the Glimmer Cape, the Dire team was slowed and mowed down by exploding ice.
Adding Melinda's arrows continuously dealing damage, they all fell.
[ R-R-R-RAMPAGE! ]
All five kills went to Andrea, bringing her level close to that of Melinda's. Obviously, with such a disastrous teamfight, the balance was broken.
Tunneling on the mid-lane, Melinda led her team to take down the first two Towers and then retreated once the enemies came to defend the third.
Unfortunately for them, minutes later, the Radiant team smoked and ganked the Dire, catching them off-guard.
Three of the five heroes were killed, making the remaining two unable to defend the Towers.
In an unbelievable show of strategy, Melinda decided not to assault the enemy's base just yet, and instead, they confronted Shenlong.
Even during the tournament, the times this Divine Beast fell could be counted on one hand.
Michael's bothersome mechanism, which increased its overall attributes with the passing of time, made it almost impossible to defeat without proper team coordination.
However, the Radiant team didn't flinch! They ended up sacrificing Milena's ultimate, False Promise, to save Melinda, who was focused by Shenlong's overpowered skills.
With the Pill of Immortality in her inventory, she took the role of the vanguard, as Beatrice and Andrea were hidden by the Smoke of Deceit, waiting for the enemies to huddle up and repeat their previous mistakes.
Unable to sit back and watch as their city was demolished, the Dire put up a final resistance where they baited Beatrice's Black Hole, only to interrupt it with a stun, then before Andrea could use her Freezing Field, the enemy's support cast Static Storm, silencing all enemy's skills.
Unfortunately for them, the False Promise was used once again, this time on Beatrice, who was surrounded and focused.
The painful Black Hole followed, and Beatrice cleaned up shop.
'GG' was called, and their team advanced to the finals!