GameDev Reincarnated into His Own Creation

Vol 2 - Chapter 32.5B: R & D

With a casual gesture of his hand, the platform began to glow. Magical light pulsed from the center—a soft shade of green that spread outward along the carved sigils, following the concentric patterns. The color gradually shifted to gold as it traveled, stopping precisely at the platform's edge, illuminating every rune along its path.

A faint hum filled the air, the sound of magical resonance vibrating through the stone beneath their feet. Slowly, the platform began to rise, lifting them up through the hollow core of the building.

Vel shifted his feet, trying to maintain balance as the platform suddenly began to rise. The beams stretching from floor to ceiling—they were guides, he realized. Rails for this magical platform to follow.

"An elevator," he whispered without thinking.

The old man glanced at him. "A what?"

"Nothing," Vel said quickly.

About five floors up, the platform slowed and then stopped. It shifted horizontally, connecting smoothly with the pathway of the floor.

"This way," the old man said, stepping off the platform.

He turned to Vel with a serious expression, his eyes narrowing. "Young man, if you happen to be lying, I will bar you from these grounds for the unforeseeable future."

Vel couldn't read the old man's expression—was he genuinely concerned about deception, or simply warning Vel about wasting his time? Either way, the way he held Vel's gaze made it clear this wasn't a casual visit.

They walked into a room with plush crimson carpet that muffled their footsteps. A guard stood by the door, giving them a curt nod as they entered. The door closed behind them with a soft click.

The room was lined with dark wooden shelving from floor to ceiling. Built into the shelves were small compartments, each sealed with a metal door bearing elaborate locks.

"My name is Moana, by the way," the old man said, his voice filling the quiet space. "I should have introduced myself earlier, but I don't usually bother with students who won't return."

Moana moved between the shelves with surprising agility for his age, running his fingers along the wood as if greeting old friends.

"There are only five artifacts like this in the entire kingdom," he continued, stopping before a particular shelf. "One in the king's vault. One in the guild's treasure."

He selected a key from a ring at his belt, inserting it into a lock that seemed to shimmer slightly at his touch.

"Three in the academy," he finished, pulling open the small door.

Moana reached inside and carefully extracted a wooden box, its surface polished to a deep shine. The wood itself seemed to pulse with faint energy, tiny threads of light occasionally running across its surface like lightning across a night sky.

"Do you know where these artifacts came from?" Vel asked as Moana carried the box toward a nearby table.

Moana paused, considering the question. "Most artifacts like this existed before the first void emergence. There's not a lot of record from before that time." He set the box down with care. "As if the world hadn't lived before then."

Vel felt a chill run through him. That was a perceptive observation—more than Moana realized. Five hundred years ago, when the void emerged, was exactly when his game had "ended." Everything before that had been just lore, scripted history, NPC backgrounds. Not real lived experience. No wonder it felt hollow to them, like fake memories of a world that hadn't truly existed yet.