[4 horas atrás]
(Este capítulo é uma continua??o direta do Capítulo 5, que termina com o protagonista publicando Outer Wilds.)
Depois de concluir e publicar Outer Wilds, decidi verificar os e-mails que se acumularam enquanto eu estava ocupado. Abrindo minha caixa de entrada, vi o número ridiculamente alto de +999 mensagens n?o lidas. Suspirei, me preparando mentalmente antes de come?ar a ler.
O primeiro e-mail foi simples.
[Muito obrigado por criar este jogo magnífico e distribuir essas recompensas incríveis, Sr. Marveler.
Ansiosos pelo seu próximo jogo.
Atenciosamente,
[SahaFlora]
Sorri ao ler. Ser reconhecido e elogiado sempre foi bom.
"N?o se preocupe, criarei muitos outros jogos com recompensas incríveis no futuro", murmurei para mim mesmo. Afinal, é benéfico para ambos os lados, certo?
Passei para o próximo e-mail, que era basicamente uma cópia do anterior.
[Muito obrigado pela Po??o de Inteligência! Eu tirei nota máxima em todos os meus exames! Continue fazendo jogos incríveis!
Atenciosamente,
MaxUltra]
[Obrigado, cara, por fazer esta obra-prima contemporanea...]
[Muito obrigado por...]
[Obrigado por...]
Dei uma olhada no fluxo infinito de mensagens semelhantes. Havia centenas delas. Obviamente, eu n?o ia ler todas, mas apreciei cada uma delas.
"Jarvis, filtre e-mails repetitivos desse tipo."
"Imediatamente, senhor", respondeu Jarvis em seu tom educado de sempre.
Continuei lendo por quase uma hora. Alguns e-mails realmente se destacaram, como um do James.
[Primeiramente, obrigado por todas as recompensas que recebi, tanto a Capa do Drácula quanto o Anel Varda.
Ontem, testei os dois e, devido a alguns acontecimentos inesperados, acabei salvando três pessoas de serem atropeladas.
Só queria agradecer. Sem esses itens, essas pessoas poderiam ter se machucado seriamente… ou pior.
Atenciosamente,
James]
Se bem me lembro, James é o jogador com classifica??o SSS que foi o primeiro a comprar e completar Castlevania. E pensar que ele realmente salvou alguém. Esse é o mundo dos super-heróis para você — uma pessoa comum ganha poderes e instantaneamente se torna um herói.
Para mostrar meu apoio, respondi rapidamente.
[Oh, um herói? Parabéns pela sua coragem, rapaz.
Espero ver você em meus jogos futuros.
Sinceramente,
Senhor Marveler.]
Conforme continuei lendo, fiquei surpreso ao encontrar ainda mais histórias semelhantes. Jogadores usando seus itens para salvar pessoas de situa??es perigosas.
Um dos e-mails mais impressionantes foi de uma garota que usou uma espada aut?noma para impedir um assalto. Ela parecia animada enquanto descrevia tudo.
Além dos e-mails dos jogadores, também havia mensagens de policiais, militares e oficiais do governo. Li algumas das mais amea?adoras.
[Você é acusado de hackear redes de servidores públicos e privados, incluindo servidores de defesa nacional.
Você está avisado para se reportar à delegacia de polícia mais próxima…
Coronel da Terceira Unidade Policial, Elio G.]
[Por seus crimes contra a seguran?a virtual, você foi intimado a comparecer perante o Supremo Tribunal…]
[The National Council has deemed your actions crimes against the state…]
If this were the Marvel Universe, I’d probably be trembling in fear right now. But since there’s literally a universe of distance between us, there’s no reason for me to worry.
"They can't find me, so they want me to surrender." I laughed to myself. "Impossible."
I moved on to the next batch of emails—people trying to trade their rewards. Obviously, that wasn’t possible, so I just skipped them.
Then, I came across news articles asking about the inspirations behind the game and how I managed to send the rewards so mysteriously. My response was simple:
[I am the Marveler!]
Last but certainly not least, there was one message that made me pause for a few seconds.
[You seem to have incredible talent, perhaps only slightly below mine.
The technology you use to send rewards is spatial warping, right? But you’re using it in a children's game.
This could revolutionize the nuclear weapons market. Missiles and bombs appearing over enemy cities without warning. Can you imagine?
Why don’t you join me? We can take this technology to an unprecedented level. Your salary would be 10 million dollars per month.
Think about it.
—Tony Stark.]
Yes, the greatest hero of Marvel, genius, billionaire, philanthropist—Tony Stark—was offering me 10 million dollars per month.
For a second, I considered the idea. Work for a few months and retire peacefully? Sounds great. But, of course, that's not possible.
First, I don’t actually have spatial warping technology—the system does.
Second, I can’t go to the Marvel Universe yet.
Third, this Tony Stark hasn’t gone through Obadiah’s betrayal yet, so he’s still that arrogant and unbearable playboy.
"Let’s just ignore it for now," I said, laughing to myself. "Maybe in the future, we can have a little chat."
After reading all the emails, I closed my inbox and leaned back on the couch.
"Should I use the advertisement card?"
Even without it, the game could gain a lot of visibility. I mean, the advertisement card basically hacked into every electronic device in the U.S. Not to mention the Castlevania rewards.
Most likely, thousands of people are already waiting for my future games...
Just as expected.
[Your game has been sold successfully. You earned 20 dollars and 8 points.]
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
[Your game has been sold successfully. You earned 20 dollars and 8 points.]
[Your game has been sold successfully. You earned 20 dollars and 8 points.]
[Your game has been sold successfully. You earned…]
[You received 180 points for selling your game to a high-level player.]
[You received 180 points for selling your game to a high-level player.]
[You received 180 points for selling your game to a high-lev…]
Notifications flooded my field of vision.
"Disable notifications."
Looks like I was right after all.
[Game Name: Outer Wilds]
[Steam Rating: 5 stars]
[Approval: Very Positive (96% of 204…)]
[Total Sales: 456,653]
[Current Players: 455,328]
[Number of Players Who Finished the Game: 0]
[…]
[Total Revenue: 9,692,280 dollars] (Withdraw)
[System Points: 3,868,930]
Looking at the game profile, I was completely stunned.
In just 10 minutes, the game already had over 400,000 downloads, earning me 9 million dollars and 3 million system points.
Looking at that absurd amount, I couldn't help but ask.
"Jarvis, are game developers supposed to earn this much?"
"Yes, sir. However, the money invested in creating a game of such magnitude tends to exceed 180 million dollars, reaching up to 250 million," Jarvis replied. "You don’t need to invest anything, so your profits are basically 100%."
That’s true. I spent a little over a million points, but just five minutes after publishing the game, I had already earned three times that amount.
"This system is really broken."
But that’s for the best. With so many points, I can create even better games. As for the multiverse shop’s items, like weapons and such, they’re useless to me. After all, there are no supervillains in the real world.
Since I didn't need to use the advertising card, I decided to leave the game alone.
I needed a break.
After watching the sales explode and notifications rolling in nonstop, I realized I hadn’t eaten anything for hours. It was a good time to go out and relax a bit.
I put on a jacket and left the house. The fresh air hit me, a nice contrast to the warm, enclosed space of my apartment. I ended up going to a restaurant I often passed by but had never entered.
It wasn’t anything fancy, just a small place with a slightly faded sign.
As soon as I stepped inside, the smell of homemade food reminded me of just how hungry I really was. I sat by the window and ordered the daily special.
It only took 15 minutes.
"Your order." The waitress placed the plate in front of me.
The food looked delicious, and with every bite, I felt more relaxed. It was nice to take a break from all this, even knowing things were just getting started.
After lunch, I glanced at my reflection in the window and realized it was time to buy some new clothes.
My favorite jeans had long surpassed their limit, and my most comfortable t-shirt was starting to fade.
It didn’t take long to reach the shopping mall, which was as busy as ever. I entered the first clothing store I saw. The models there were simple but stylish.
A salesperson noticed me and asked what I was looking for. After trying on a few outfits, I picked out three t-shirts, a pair of jeans, and, of course, a leather jacket.
I had always wanted one, but never had a good enough excuse to spend money on it. Now I did.
From the mall, I walked to the nearest plaza. After spending so much time cooped up inside, it felt strange to be in the middle of the city again.
I spotted an ice cream shop nearby and decided to get one.
With a chocolate cone in hand, I sat on a bench facing a fountain. Kids ran back and forth, couples strolled by, and everything just felt… normal.
I smiled to myself. It was nice to have a bit of normalcy after everything.
After resting for a bit, I decided to stop by a video game store.
I had created two games, but I wasn’t very experienced. Maybe playing some would help me improve. I reached the store and was mesmerized by the shelves filled with both new and old titles.
I picked up a few I wanted to play, like Devil May Cry 5, A Plague Tale, Elden Ring, and a few other promising action/RPG games.
I left the store with a full bag and a satisfied feeling. I had everything I needed to spend hours gaming if I wanted to.
When I got home, I put away all my purchases and collapsed onto the couch, finally relaxed. But there was still something important I needed to do.
I grabbed my phone and dialed Aunt Leona’s number.
"Rick, is something wrong?" She answered quickly, her usual concern evident.
"No, nothing serious. Just calling to see when you're coming over."
"We agreed on Friday, remember? That’s the day after tomorrow. By the way, Helena called me and said she wants to come too," she replied casually.
That was fine with me. Helena and I had always gotten along. She even messages me sometimes to check how I’m doing, which is more than my parents have done since they kicked me out.
"Great. I’ll prepare a feast for you guys," I said, trying to sound upbeat.
"Oh, you mentioned last time that you were 'making a game.' Can you tell me more about it?" Leona asked, curious.
I felt a wave of discomfort. I couldn’t tell her the truth, so I made up an entire story, saying that I had learned a bit of programming in college and, by chance, made a game that I ended up selling to someone.
"So you can’t say who you sold it to because of a contract?" She sounded surprised but still curious.
"Exactly."
"I see… But selling an entire game for just 10,000? I don’t know much about this, but that seems low." There was a hint of skepticism in her voice.
"I really needed money at the time… and I only realized it was too cheap after I signed the contract," I replied, trying not to sound unsure.
The conversation continued like that, with Leona warning me about fraudulent contracts and legal traps. She even gave me the contact of a lawyer, suggesting that if I ever had to sign something in the future, I should have them review it first. That only made me feel guiltier for lying to her.
Then the topic shifted to my parents.
Leona insisted that I should call them and let them know how I was doing, but I honestly didn’t see the point. I had no desire to talk to them. Even when I was a kid, my parents were never exactly affectionate. They didn’t mistreat me, but they were always cold and distant. That’s why I grew more attached to Leona, even though I only saw her a few times a year—she was always more present.
"It doesn’t matter, Rick. You need to talk to them, understand?" Leona said firmly, in the way only she could.
Before I could respond, a notification popped up.
[Player "NovaStar" was the first to complete the ending of Outer Wilds.
Reward: Galactic Explorer Set (Modifiable Ship).
You received 80 bonus points.]
[Choose an exclusive gift for the first three players to complete the game.]
[Available gift list:
Warp Core
Dark Bramble Seed
Gravity Stone
...]
"Aunt, I have to go. Something urgent just came up," I said, trying to end the conversation with Leona.
"Changing the subject? Doesn't matter! We'll have this conversation when I get there!" she replied, with the same firmness as always, before saying goodbye and hanging up.
I let out a sigh and turned my attention to the notification that had popped up. That nickname... NovaStar. Wasn't that the name of the girl who had stopped a store from being robbed? I remember she sent me an email all excited about it.
"Jarvis, didn't that girl place second in the Castlevania ranking?" I asked, because whenever I'm in doubt, I always trust Jarvis. That's my motto.
"Yes, sir."
"Incredible. She finished Outer Wilds in just 4 hours," I commented, surprised, but already expecting something like this from her. After all, she was as good a player as that freak (James).
"Perhaps that isn't the right genre for James."
"SSS-class player James started the game just 18 minutes ago, sir. At launch, he was still in college," Jarvis responded.
"How do you know that?" I asked, surprised.
"Data from all top 10 players has been collected. James, as a player with high investment potential, is no exception."
"I see. I'd like to see that data later," I said. "Now. Reward..."
Of course, the reward I chose for NovaStar was the best one, and perhaps the most powerful and coveted item in the Outer Wilds universe.
[Oh, reaching the top twice among all players, amazing.
As congratulations, I'm giving you the incredible and fabulous... Advanced Warp Core.
I hope to see you in my next games.
Signed: Marvelous.]
The Advanced Warp Core.
This item isn't just an absurdly powerful energy source, it's the core that enables space-time travel, allowing one to go back up to 22 minutes in the past.
Normally, I would never give out a reward like this. I mean, this core has the potential to destroy space-time and wipe out the entire universe if used incorrectly.
But overall, besides being an almost infinite energy source, it's basically useless without the right technology to use it. In other words, it's an impressive reward but practically useless without the proper tools.
"If this falls into Tony Stark's hands, it could be problematic..." I murmured, thinking about the consequences.
"The chances of that happening are less than 1%, sir," Jarvis replied, always precise in his analysis.
"I also think NovaStar wouldn't sell the Warp Core. Who would sell the best energy source in the universe?" I laughed to myself. "Or rather, who would have enough money to buy it?"
I thought for a moment, but soon my attention returned to the notification. A Modifiable Ship? What else could I do?
Opening the modification option, the full profile of the small Outer Wilds spaceship appeared on the screen...
[Spaceship: No Name
Type: Explorer
Size: Small (1 passenger)
Materials: Lightweight Metal and Wood
Hull Resistance: Low
Risk: Extremely High
Note: Use is not recommended due to the structure’s fragility and the dangers of space travel. The ship is highly vulnerable to impacts and adverse environmental conditions.]
[Open for more details (+)]
I was really surprised by how dangerous the Outer Wilds spaceship was. It might be fun to pilot in the game, but in reality, taking off in that thing would be almost suicidal.
"Good thing there's a modification option, or I'd have lost some good players..."
With that thought in mind, I opened the Modification Menu.
A holographic screen appeared, just like a virtual store for spaceship parts.
There were many categories, with modification options ranging from basic systems to science-fiction-level items.
And of course, everything cost a fortune.
[Life Support Systems]
? Basic Life Support: 18,000 points.
? Advanced Life Support System: 219,000 points.
? XN21 Semi-Auto Sustainable Support System: 705,000 points.
[Thrusters]
? Basic Chemical Thruster: 25,000 points.
? Advanced Omnidirectional Ion Thruster: 262,000 points.
? Nuclear Fusion Thruster: 1,000,000 points.
[Ship Hull Alloy]
? Lightweight Alloy Hull: 50,000 points.
? Reinforced Titanium Hull: 300,000 points.
? Ultra-Resistant Composite Metal Hull: 415,000 points.
[Navigation System]
? Basic GPS: 14,000 points.
? Stellar Navigation System: 157,000 points.
? Artificial Intelligence Navigation: 650,000 points.
[Spacesuit]
? Basic Spacesuit: 30,700 points.
? Advanced Spacesuit: 200,000 points.
[Radiation Protection]
? Basic Anti-Radiation Shield: 54,000 points.
? Space Radiation Shield: 370,200 points.
? Radial Containment Field: 863,500 points.
? High Cosmic Energy Protection System: 1,389,300 points
[Emergency System]
? Escape Pods: 83,000 points.
? Emergency Teleportation System: 540,000 points.
? Emergency Transfer Matrix: 783,029 points.
Looking at all these options before me, I decided it was best not to skimp. After all, I'd rather my players survive than explode or suffocate right after leaving the atmosphere.
I started by choosing the XN21 support system because the phrase "semi-auto sustainable" inspires immense confidence. It cost 700,000 points, but unfortunately for my economy, it was essential.
Then, I moved on to the thrusters. I opted for the advanced omnidirectional ion thruster. I wasn’t willing to spend 1 million on the fusion thruster—besides the price, "nuclear fusion" sounded extremely dangerous.
Next, I chose the Ultra-Resistant Composite Metal Hull—a true armor for the ship. For navigation, I picked Artificial Intelligence Navigation because no one deserves to die lost in space or crashing into a random asteroid.
Por seguran?a, fui com o Radial Containment Field, que custou uma pequena fortuna em 860.000 pontos. Até considerei o High Cosmic Energy Protection System, mas decidi n?o exagerar ainda.
Para o traje, escolhi o Traje Espacial Avan?ado por 240.000 pontos — prote??o extra, adapta??o gravitacional, tudo o que alguém precisaria para longas caminhadas em outro planeta.
E, claro, o toque final: o Sistema de Teletransporte de Emergência, provavelmente a coisa mais mágica da nave. Se a durabilidade da nave chegasse a zero, todos a bordo seriam teletransportados automaticamente de volta para casa. Era quase como um respawn, só que sem a parte da morte primeiro.
E assim, pouco mais de 3 milh?es de pontos desapareceram em menos de 20 minutos.
Mas, a julgar pelas vendas de Outer Wilds nos primeiros 10 minutos, imaginei que ganharia cerca de 9 milh?es de pontos até amanh?, ent?o n?o precisa se preocupar muito.
[Modifica??es concluídas. Navios futuros ter?o essas mesmas modifica??es. Você concorda?]
"Sim." Com isso, eu n?o teria que modificar as naves manualmente toda vez que alguém terminasse o jogo. Um problema a menos para lidar.
"Finalmente feito..."
Logo após fechar o sistema de modifica??o, novas notifica??es come?aram a aparecer no meu campo de vis?o.
[O jogador "Saint.H" foi o segundo a completar o final de Outer Wilds.
Recompensa: Conjunto Explorador Galáctico (Nave modificável).
Você recebeu 80 pontos de b?nus.]
[O jogador "James" foi o terceiro a completar o final de Outer Wilds.
Recompensa: Conjunto Explorador Galáctico (Nave modificável).
Você recebeu 80 pontos de b?nus.]
[Escolha um presente exclusivo para enviar aos três primeiros jogadores que concluírem o jogo.]
"..."
Eu sorri.
Claro que James tinha que estar lá, certo?
Olhei para a tela, pensativo. Eu tinha certeza de que esse Saint.H tinha ficado em terceiro lugar em Castlevania.
Agora só faltava escolher as recompensas...
