GameDev Reincarnated into His Own Creation

Chapter 5.1: Execution Failed

The Seer placed a hand on Vel's shoulder.

"We've done what we can. The rest will come in time."

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Vel blinked as the memory faded.

The alley opened into the village square. Almost empty. He looked at the damp earth. Then at his small hand.

What can I actually do?
What if Von—my "supposed" father—doesn't come back?

Vel'd known this family only days, yet something deeper pulled at him—he wanted them safe.

He gazed at the empty space for a heartbeat. The realization hit.

Magic.

This was his world—an intricate, system‑driven arcane design. If he could harness that, his small body wouldn't matter.

Vel stood, determination and a tremor of excitement sparking in his chest. How could he forget something this important? He knew the system, the fundamentals beneath every spell.

He drew a deep breath and closed his eyes.

With careful focus, he reached for that mental image, tracing out a spell in his mind.

He opened his eyes and extended a hand toward an empty patch of ground.

Nothing happened.

Vel blinked, disappointment crashing over him. He tried again, envisioning every detail as vividly as possible.

Again, nothing.

Frustration welled up inside him like an angry storm cloud ready to burst.

Think, Vel urged himself. You created this system.

Vel slumped back against the steps, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. Of course—he'd built the framework, designed how magic should work, but never filled in the actual words of power. Back in development, players just clicked buttons to cast spells. The system handled everything else automatically.

Here though, in this living, breathing world, those gaps mattered. The principles remained sound—the flow of mana, the spirit calculations, the elemental alignments—but without knowing the proper incantations, it was like trying to compile code with missing function calls.

He exhaled sharply. Even if he could piece together some semblance of magic, there was no guarantee this child's body would be harness it effectively.

Vel sat on the wooden steps, staring at the ground, his mind racing through a tangled mess of thoughts.

What to do?

He had faced countless challenges in coding before. Break it down, he whispered to himself, recalling the late nights spent debugging lines of code. One big problem often became a collection of smaller ones when examined closely enough.

With a heavy sigh, Vel threw his weight back against the cool wood of the steps and slumped down to sit on the floor. His body felt heavier than it should have, fatigue gnawing at him from within.

"I need to learn to read."

That was the only starting point. Words formed the basis of spells; without them, he'd remain trapped in confusion—a prisoner within this world of potential magic he couldn't access.

He had to act, and the first step was clear.

"Lan-neechan!" He called out, his voice echoing against the wooden beams of their home.