Chapter 70: Starlight world (3)

Time flowed faster than I thought.

It had already been two months since the ‘Starlight World’ development team started working tirelessly day and night.

During that time, all I heard were the groans of the development team and Yoon Taesoo’s fatigue-laden reports, but the results were steadily accumulating.

The members were also incredibly busy.

Individual broadcasts were a given, along with regular group collaborations and minor interactions with external streamers.

I heard Jungyeon was leading the preparations for their first full album, so the company recording studio often had its lights on late into the night.

‘They’re really managing things themselves now.’

I smiled languidly, looking down at the Seoul nightscape spread beyond the penthouse window.

They say the world keeps spinning even without me, and this was exactly it.
Of course, it was only possible because I set the stage.

Tiring-

Just then, the tablet screen lit up with a notification.

[Yoon Taesoo]: President, I just received a report from the development team that the alpha version of ‘Starlight World’ RPG is complete. Core feature implementation and initial stabilization work have been finished.

‘It’s here.’

It was a little earlier than expected.

They must have really pushed themselves hard.

[Me]: Oh, already? The development team must have worked hard. So, what about testing?

[Yoon Taesoo]: The internal QA team has finished basic functionality tests, but we’re at a stage where feedback based on actual play experience is needed. Would you like to check it yourself, President? Or should the developers proceed separately?

‘Developers?’

Is there really a need for that?

[Me]: No. Let’s have our kids do the first test. Since it’s a server they’ll be playing on, there’s no one more suitable.

I sent the reply without hesitation.

This ‘Starlight World’ was a stage created for those members from the very beginning.

[Me]: Summon all the members to the company tomorrow afternoon.

[Yoon Taesoo]: Understood. I will prepare accordingly. What should I tell the members? Would it be better to inform them of the specific details in advance?

[Me]: No, just tell them ‘I’ve prepared a special gift’. It’s more fun to see their reactions when it’s a surprise.

I chuckled and sent the message.

I was already looking forward to seeing everyone’s expressions tomorrow.

---

The next afternoon, at Xelnaga Entertainment.

A previously empty room had been set up for testing.

Top-spec PCs were neatly arranged at each station, and all equipment was perfectly prepared.

A giant multi-display capable of showing the game screen was installed on the wall.

“Wow… When did this place change like this?”

Jungyeon, who had just entered the gaming zone, exclaimed in admiration, her eyes wide as she looked around.

It was like a futuristic PC Bang, or even more.

“I know, right? It was just empty when I came last time… I feel like I’ve become a pro gamer or something.”

Yoonsol whispered as she cautiously sat down in a top-of-the-line gaming chair.

Ajung was also curiously touching the surrounding equipment.

“So, what exactly is the special gift the President prepared? What are we doing here?”

Ajung looked up at me with eyes full of half expectation and half anxiety.

Without a word, I operated the controller and turned on the giant screen on the wall.

A logo, familiar yet completely new, filled the screen.

Letters shining brilliantly against a background that looked like stars pouring down from the night sky.

[ StarLight World ]

• Press Start –

“Huh? Starlight World?”

“I-is this… that RPG server you mentioned back then?”

It felt like I could hear them holding their breath.

“That’s right. A world for all of you. The alpha version of ‘Starlight World’.”

I leaned back in my chair and smiled with satisfaction.

“Today, you will be the first adventurers in this world.”

“OMG! Really?!”

“Awesome! Already? This quickly?!”

“Wow…!”

The members shouted simultaneously, as if by prior agreement.

Their faces flushed red with disbelief and excitement.

“Alright, alright, enough with the admiration. We don’t have time. Hurry up and take your seats.”

The members quickly sat down in their respective seats and put on their headsets.

Screens with specially made ‘Cube World’ skins, tailored to their individual personalities and RPG concepts prepared by the company, greeted them.

“Okay, log in now. When you go to the starting point, there will be an NPC to guide you through the classes. Listen carefully to the explanation and choose your first class wisely.”

I watched the members’ screens and expressions in real-time through the monitoring screen at my seat.

“Wow… Even the UI is just different!”

Ajung was the first to exclaim in admiration.

“What classes are there… Warrior, Archer, Mage… Huh? Hidden classes here? The slot is there, but I can’t select it yet?”

Jungyeon meticulously examined the class list while scrolling.

As always, she started with information analysis.

The hidden classes were not yet implemented.

It was for a surprise reveal later.

I couldn’t compromise on this, not even for Starlight.

“I think I’ll go with… Priest! I like healing and buffing from the back.”

Yoonsol chose ‘Priest’ without much hesitation.

She nodded in satisfaction when a character wearing a white robe appeared on the screen as an example.

It was a choice that suited her calm and gentle personality well.

“Hmm… What should I try? Archer looks fun too… Ah! I’ll go with this!”

After much hesitation, Ajung chose ‘Thief’ dressed in black leather.

Her eyes sparkled when she saw the character on the screen nimbly wielding daggers.

‘Thief? That’s unexpected.’

A sense of anticipation welled up for some reason.

I was curious to see what kind of playstyle she would adopt with a choice so different from her personality.

“Of course, the group’s reliable tanker should be the leader! I’m going with Warrior!”

After some thought, Jungyeon chose ‘Warrior’, which looked the most dependable.

She made a determined expression looking at the character in heavy armor holding a large shield.

After the members finished choosing their classes, a loading screen appeared on their monitors along with the message, ‘Welcome to Starlight World!’

A moment later, a fairy-tale-like yet majestic landscape unfolded before their eyes.

The starting village, ‘Starlight Village’.

Pastel-toned, charming buildings huddled together under a blue sky, and beyond the village, a giant tree emitting a mysterious light and precipitous mountain ranges could be seen.

From the texture of the grass underfoot to the leaves swaying in the wind, the graphics were so beautiful and detailed that it was hard to believe it was based on the existing Cube World.

“Wow… This is insane… Is this really based on Cube World?”

“Are these graphics for real? Isn’t this just a newly made game?”

The members, as if by prior agreement, simultaneously took their hands off their keyboards and staredنوات slack-jawed.

“Alright, it’s free time from now on. You can wander around the village and look at things, accept quests, hunt, craft, whatever you like. If you see any bugs, anything strange, or anything you think ‘it would be better if it were like this’, tell me right away.”

At my words, the members grabbed their mice as if they had been waiting and began to move their characters.

[Quest Alert: The Village Chief’s Request (0/1)]

[Quest Alert: Shearing Sheep at the Ranch (0/5)]

“Huh? There’s an exclamation mark above that NPC’s head! It’s a quest, a quest!”

Yoonsol was the first to spot the village chief NPC in the central plaza and ran towards him.

As her character approached, the NPC naturally turned its head and looked at Yoonsol’s character.

Surprisingly, the NPC spoke not in a pre-recorded mechanical voice, but in a natural grandfatherly voice.

[Hoho, new faces! You’ve come at a good time. Lately, ferocious ‘Horned Slimes’ have been appearing around the village, causing trouble. Would you perhaps go and teach them a lesson? I’ll reward you handsomely!]

“Awesome! The NPC is talking!”

“His voice is so natural too!”

“Can they do this nowadays?”

The members were shocked once again.

The prototype Yoon Taesoo had reported seemed to have been successfully implemented.

I nodded inwardly, satisfied.

“Alright! Then the first hunt is the Horned Slime! Everyone ready? Let’s go!”

Jungyeon adjusted her shield and led her party members.

Ajung and Sol nodded and followed her.

As they went out to the eastern meadow of the village, slimes with small horns on their heads, as their name suggested, were bouncing around.

“I’ll go first?”

Jungyeon used a warrior’s basic skill and charged at a Horned Slime.

With a heavy impact sound, the slime was pushed back and staggered for a moment.

“I’m going too!”

Ajung stealthily circled behind the slime and deftly stabbed it with her daggers.

-Light of Healing!

Yoonsol calmly used a skill from behind to restore Jungyeon’s health.

The basics of party play were established.

-Pssh! Poof!

After a few more exchanges of attacks, the Horned Slime burst with a scream and disappeared, dropping some experience points and items like [Slime Jelly] and [Small Horn].

“Got it! First hunt successful! Yay!”

The three of them waved their hands in the game and pretended to high-five, rejoicing.

“Oh, this is fun! But the warrior’s aggro skill range seems a bit narrow. The slime next to me almost attacked Ajung just now.”

Jungyeon said, catching her breath and immediately giving feedback.

“The thief’s attack speed is fine, but I wish the skill effects were a bit more flashy! Something that goes BAM! and explodes!”

Ajung also mentioned something she found lacking.

“The Horned Slime doesn’t hurt as much as I thought. Aren’t there any stronger monsters? Or like, a dungeon!”

Yoonsol also chimed in.

‘Indeed, I did well leaving it to the members.’

I nodded and quickly jotted down the members’ sharp feedback.

They were accurately pointing out not just simple fun, but also the potential and areas for improvement as broadcast content.

After that, the members explored every nook and cranny of ‘Starlight World’, losing track of time.

They challenged the beginner dungeon ‘Spider Cave’ near the village and were pushed to the brink of annihilation by a surprisingly strong boss spider.

They also grumbled after catching a trash item that had a certain chance of being caught while fishing by the river.

They screamed and laughed falling into clumsily hidden traps, and cheered after discovering a hidden treasure chest while diligently pickaxing in a mine.

In the process, reports of minor bugs and suggestions for system improvements poured out ceaselessly.

Although it was the result of the development team working through the night, real-world testing was indeed different.

There were still many parts that needed fixing.

Before long, the promised end time for the test approached.

“Ah… Is it over already? Can’t we do it for just one more hour?”

“I lost track of time. We almost got the dungeon boss!”

“This is so disappointing…”

The members couldn’t take their eyes off the monitors, their faces etched with regret.

“Today’s test ends here. I need to organize the feedback you all gave and hand it over to the development team.”

I said, getting up from my seat.

“President! This is really, really fun! When can we expect the official opening? I want to show it on stream soon!”

Ajung took off her headset and looked at me with sparkling eyes.

“Agreed. I think the fans will love it too. And if we invite other streamers to play together, it’ll be insane.”

Jungyeon also agreed.

Her expression suggested she had already come up with dozens of broadcast ideas in her head.

“Well… judging by what we saw today, there still seem to be a lot of things to fix.”

I feigned a shrug as I replied, but I couldn’t hide the smile playing on my lips.

This kind of reaction meant it was a success.

“First, we need to reflect all the feedback from today and finish stabilizing the server.”

The opening of ‘Starlight World’ for them was not far off.