Victor leisurely sipped on infused water while browsing through the internet. It had been a day since the players returned from the village, and the official website forum was already filled with threads talking about it and the new NPC. Lizbeth, who was floating in a sitting position near his cup, had told him about this.

  “Master, this infused water doesn’t have any taste.” The fairy stuck out her tongue.

  Although Victor didn’t respond, he couldn’t help but agree. Perhaps there was a need to gather tea leaves and some berries and oranges, especially lemons, to make better beverages.

  Looking back at the screen, at the top of a long list of posts, there were two that stood out. These were the ones written by none other than “Storm Bringer” and “KuroUsagi,” which started gaining traction last night. Victor noticed that Storm’s post was only five minutes earlier than KuroUsagi’s. It was clear that the two were competing for online attention. Despite this, both were as good at summarizing as always, and their posts were the most popular in the forum. If it weren’t for the reality of this “game” world, Victor may have considered bringing them onboard as planners in the nonexistent development team.

  The first post that he delved into was written by KuroUsagi. Intriguingly, the content of his post was a follow-up to his previous conjecture, which was proven to be true. Other than that, he focused on the possibility of another profession being added soon.

  “Currently, the game recognizes two low-threshold and high-return ways to earn merit points: manual labor such as farming and tree-cutting, and hunting. The former has a stable income and can be operated by a single person but is ultimately capped at a maximum of one hundred merit points daily. The latter’s only becoming popular in recent days, but it will require you to be a first-stage Initiate Attunement acolyte and couldn’t be done alone, at least from the data that I gathered here on the forum.

  “This brings me to my main point. At the moment, merit points are the only currency for players, but I don’t think we will be able to use them to trade with the NPCs outside the academy. According to my research, trading is going to be a major gameplay feature in the future that can compete with the two options I mentioned above.

  “Now, I can’t guarantee this since I’m not the developer. However, the recent village expedition gave us a hint that trading is a thing, and it uses a different form of currency. If it’s ever going to be implemented in the game, then it’s to use the same currency.

  “For now, even domestic trading is still incomplete. But isn’t it interesting to envision a balance between production, import-export, tariffs, and price dynamics in the future? Letting the players trade with other NPCs is something the development team should consider! Of course, if the server CPU allows it, that is.

  “Speaking of which, I’m excited to announce that I’ll be joining the game soon! Just got my gaming capsule delivered. You know, I always thought those tales about a masked delivery guy were just a myth, but I couldn’t be more wrong. Anyway, that’s all from me for now. Can’t wait to see you all in the game!”

  Victor reached the end of the post and clicked the like button but refrained from commenting. Interestingly, this final remark about joining the game sparked more attention than the detailed analysis, with many expressing their envy and desire to gain access.

  Still, the way that he envisioned the economy was interesting, but it was of little significance at this stage. From a game development and player standpoint, the ideas were innovative and added depth to the gameplay. But as the headmaster of the academy, it was a different story. In his view, everything within the academy, including the players’ bodies, belonged to him. Why should he let them do business with his neighbors using his things?

  Unless they were trading on behalf of the academy and could do it better than him, Victor wouldn’t let them. But for such a trading system to work, it would require individuals with a deep understanding of the game world’s economy. Even Victor wasn’t completely insusceptible to making a bad trade; after all, he was a Magus and not a merchant. Even his past life experience wouldn’t help in this matter.

  As for players going freely to the village to trade without his authorization, Victor wasn’t worried in the slightest. Not only was the journey fraught with dangers, but the village’s location also remained a closely guarded secret, known only to the six players who might not fully recall the route. Should anyone manage to reach the village by sheer luck, Victor could always disconnect them from the game and tell them, with his role as the game manager, that venturing into the village without an NPC’s guidance was not an intended part of the gameplay experience at this stage.

  “Pfft, they really think they can just use your stuff for their own gain. These players have some nerve, don’t they?” Lizbeth could barely hold down a giggle.

  “Well, to be fair, there are and will be instances where players have the right to own things, such as through hunting or dungeon diving,” Victor explained. The existing system wouldn’t last forever, and it would evolve over time and accommodate more player autonomy.

  Magus academies traditionally operated on a similar principle. While they didn’t claim the treasure their acolytes acquired during their world explorations on the surface, they also didn’t provide resources without some form of contribution from the acolytes. This was what Victor envisioned as well, for players to be able to trade among themselves and even sell items to the academy. However, the current lack of hard currency left him reliant on merit points to maintain the status quo.

  What was more, there was the issue of not having anyone to manage the store. Perhaps he should assign SuperNovaX, who already managed the warehouse, and a few other players to take on the role of a temporary warehouse keeper. His primary duty would be to process the players’ acquisitions. Of course, it would still function as part of a mission-based system. This arrangement would continue until Victor could find a reliable individual to become an NPC.

  Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  Funnily enough, some of the commenters actually proposed selling modern products to the local NPCs. Suggestions like soda, matches, and other simple everyday tools were mentioned here, and they seemed like viable options. However, Victor didn’t care about such small-scale ventures, so he would leave these entrepreneurial ventures to the players.

  Curious for Storm’s take, he turned his attention to his post next. Compared to KuroUsagi, Storm’s analysis focused on the recent village expedition and the introduction of the new NPC. More intriguingly, Storm pointed out something interesting in the latter half of his post:

  “I’d been mulling over this since the arachnid invasion, but I wasn’t quite sure until now. Remember when we were building the earthen wall? The headmaster had us all focused on the task. There was nothing unusual there, but out of the blue last night, the merit point reward for farming activities shot up by 50 percent. That's a whopping 1.5 times the normal rate!

  “This leads me to believe that the academy will periodically prioritize certain tasks, such as during the invasion. In the past, we’d get direct instructions from the headmaster or the assistant fairy on what to focus on. But now, it seems they’re nudging us in the right direction by bumping up the rewards. This approach is brilliant, and it’s great for us players. It not only incentivizes us but also boosts motivation and streamlines player coordination.

  “Anyway, I think that this is great thinking from the developers. Either that or the AI for the NPCs is just that incredibly advanced. Whoops.”

  Well, if I say that the NPC you are talking about is the game developer himself, would you believe me? Victor secretly questioned in his heart.

  That said, he had to admit that this old online friend of his had a knack for piecing together accurate theories. Once the number of players increased, it would become more burdensome to micromanage them all. Increasing the reward, therefore, would make them focus on that certain project.

  “The last thing I want to discuss is the virtual shop. As time passed, the repertoire of available spells increased. Right now, we have spells like {Earth Weaver} for construction work and {Verdant Surge} for plant growth, among others more suited to life skills.

  “I haven’t personally tried these spells, given my unfortunate aptitude, and the recent death makes it even harder for me to catch up. Still, this addition is a boon for players who prefer non-combat roles. They can now opt for life-skill-oriented spells instead of the usual offensive ones. It’s still unclear how this will affect merit point earnings, but time will tell as players start experimenting.

  “Guess that concludes my thoughts for now. Thank you for reading, and don’t forget to smash that like button!”

  Reading all of this, Victor couldn’t help but silently applaud. Aside from the first half, which talked about the possibility of dating NPCs, the second half was pretty good. Heh, as expected of me for recruiting these two people into the game.

  “Can you stop with that creepy grin? It’s a bit unnerving, you know,” remarked the fairy with a slight shiver.

  “What? I’m just thinking about the great days to come.” Victor diverted the conversation. “Speaking of which, how’s Eleanor settling in?”

  “She’s fitting in quite well and already collaborating with the players,” Lizbeth replied, a small smile playing on her lips. “Though she’s getting a lot of visits from curious players. Fortunately, they were tactful and didn’t bother her too much.”

  “That’s great to hear.”

  “Although,” Lizbeth had her two fingers on her chin as she turned her head and said, “she did have a message for you. She asked, ‘Am I expected to work with just the floor as my anvil?’” She mimicked Eleanor’s mannerisms as she relayed the complaint. “It turns out an anvil is not the only thing that’s missing in the blacksmith workshop—there’s no charcoal or coal either.”

  “Ah, that slipped my mind,” Victor admitted. “Could you have the players send some charcoal to her? There should be plenty because of the charred forest. And for the anvil, just provide her with raw iron and iron ore. She should be able to craft one herself.”

  “Already done.” She puffed out her chest as though expecting that he would ask that.

  “Good, good.” Victor was quite surprised to see that she took the initiative here but did not say anything further.

  As he gazed out the window, Victor found himself wondering about Lumen. She had gone hunting magical beasts in the forest yesterday and hadn’t returned yet.

  ***

  [Mission Accomplished!]

  [Congratulations on passing the mission. You and your players have sown a six-hectare field and filled it with life.]

  [The reward (20 progression value points) has been issued.]

  [Congratulations, the academy grade has leveled up to level 2!]

  [Requirement for total acolytes and progression value point have expanded to 250.]

  [Magic Botanical Garden is now available.]

  “At long last! After almost a whole month, the academy grade is now at level two!” Victor cheered, the sudden outburst almost making him jump from his seat and startling Lizbeth in the process. One day had passed, and the sunlight was almost gone; it took that long to plant the seeds, even with so many players working in tandem.

  “Sheesh! Master, you need to take it down a notch!” Lizbeth’s tone was annoyed, but she couldn’t conceal her joy as well.

  “How can I calm down? We’ve got a new system building to explore, and I can’t wait to see it!” Despite what he said, Victor opened the main tab of the System.

  Academy Name: Sanctum of Interdimensional Magi

  Headmaster: Victor Asteriscus

  Academy Points: 510

  Academy Grade: Level 2

  Total Acolytes: 104/250

  Progression Value: 110/250

  Level 1 Academy Grade: Level-1 Nexus Tower, 1:1 time

  Level 2 Academy Grade: Level-1 Nexus Tower, Magic Botanical Garden, 1:1 time

  Level 3 Academy Grade: Level-2 Nexus Tower, Magic Botanical Garden, Alchemical Hall, 2:1 time

  Level 4 Academy Grade: Level-2 Nexus Tower, Magic Botanical Garden, Alchemical Hall, Artificer Hall, 2:1 time

  …

  Previously, he couldn’t see what would come at level four and above, but now there was more information and a pattern that he could deduce. While nothing immediately groundbreaking appeared, there would likely be more intriguing features accessible as the academy’s grade level increased. One notable example was the next level, wherein he could supposedly manipulate the time differential between the two worlds to a 2:1 ratio. Strange as it might be.

  “Hmm?!” A holographic screen suddenly materialized in front of him, causing Victor to instinctively recoil.