Chapter 15 : The unknown Archmage retires

A flood of Mana Stones from the broadcasts, elf slaves brought by Sylvie, the power of demons, and the skills of the system.

I had so many resources at my disposal, yet progress was sluggish.

No matter how many brains I could use, in the end, it was just me utilizing those resources.

“Tsk, at this rate, technological development will be too slow.”

Objectively, the development speed was quite fast. The ‘internet project,’ which had been stagnant for hundreds of years, had seen visible progress in just the last few months.

But it still wasn’t enough.

I wanted faster development, more accelerated progress, more radical innovation.

“I need a development environment that other mages can access.”

The current problem was that I was the only ‘developer’. It was absurdly inefficient.

The vast Soul Stream network, the magic tools that could access it, the demons that acted as near-infinite storage devices… If more mages could utilize these, wouldn’t a tremendous amount of content be generated exponentially?

“The problem is, I’m the only mage in the world capable of magic at this level…”

Ultimately, this too was a problem that could be solved by developing new magic.

My current method was like coding a program in assembly language… no, machine language that a computer could directly understand. Since human brains weren’t CPUs, most people couldn’t perform or even comprehend this task. It would just look like a bunch of 0s and 1s.

They could learn it, but it was too inefficient.

That’s why high-level languages were used, languages that translated into human-readable code… like Python or C.

What I wanted to create was such an intermediary ‘magic language.’

“…But I have to develop that too.”

I felt a bit dizzy, but it was unavoidable for the sake of more content.

If I wanted to make games later, I would need it eventually anyway. Create a programming language, a physics engine, and naturally, the profession of game developer would emerge.

All for my rich and fulfilling internet life.

[“Hello, friends. The mage… cough, the mage is here. I’m a bit tired today… Anyway, I’ll quickly announce a few updates and then we’ll begin.”]

[“First, you can now send videos through the broadcast. Ta-da, can you see my hand? You weren’t surprised by the sudden video, were you? Please understand that I can’t show my face for privacy reasons. I’ll turn on the hand cam occasionally when there are important announcements. Once we’ve gathered enough data on video transmission and it’s stabilized, I’ll make it possible to upload videos through the ‘Network Magic Tool’ as well, so please look forward to it.”]

[“Second, I’ve added a ‘programming’ function. Simply put, it’s a function that allows you to create your own custom magic—programs—and add them to the magic tool. The programs you create can be shared through the ‘Custom Program Forum,’ so everyone, show off your skills and creativity. The instructions for using the programming function are in the forum’s announcements, so anyone who wants to learn can learn it, even if they’re not a mage.”]

[“Third, ‘Mana Stone trading’ is now possible through the Network Magic Tool. I’ll be adding some functions to the existing features accordingly. For example, selling the custom programs you create for Mana Stones, or making it so that only members who pay a Mana Stone subscription can listen to music uploaded to the ‘Music Sharing site’… If you create content that many people enjoy, you can make money from it, right? Conversely, you could release music or programs for free to build recognition and then have people pay Mana Stones for additional content. It’s up to your individual preferences and vision.”]

[“Finally, ‘Magic Tool Range Adjustment’ and ‘User Restriction’ are now possible. The primary user of the magic tool… that is, the owner, can reduce the range of the magic tool from the existing 10-meter radius or specify that certain people cannot use the magic tool even within the range. Conversely, you can also set it so that only designated people can use the magic tool. You can also adjust the access time and available functions, so please use them as needed. But with this, those who don’t have magic tools might feel left out, right? So, today, I’m giving away an additional 100,000 magic tools as gifts. I’ll be giving away magic tools as gifts every broadcast, so there’s no need to be too competitive to get one today.”]

[“That’s all for the announcements. Now I’ll read today’s stories.”]

…

[“Then everyone, good night. …Ugh, I’m so tired I could die… My head is pounding… I’ve been making magic in the Model Garden for a week now… Huh? Sylvie, what’s wrong—huh? The broadcast is still on? Oh, it is.”]

“Um, Calvin-nim.”
“Hmm? Rene. What is it?”

“W-Well, are you tired, or do you feel unwell?”
“Hmm? I’m fine.”

“If you’re not feeling well, I can heal you with my holy power anytime, so please come find me…”
“Thanks for the thought.”

“Sister Vanilla! The Mage-nim is sick!”
“Y-You’re right! Mint, w-what should we do?!”

“If we sing a song to cheer him up and upload it, wouldn’t he feel better?! Mom always said she felt energized when she listened to our songs!”
“Ah! Let’s do that!”

“Steward.”
“Yes.”

“Call my physician immediately.”
“Pardon?! Are you feeling unwell…”

“I am perfectly fine. But that rude human mage said they had a headache, so I’m thinking of writing a recipe for a special medicine for headaches and posting it on the Mage Broadcast forum. It will be much more effective than human medicine.”
“Ah, I understand!”

“Hmph, Mage-nim can’t be sick…! But where am I?! Huh? What’s that, Holy Sword? The evil god who wants to destroy the world is about to be resurrected…? I have to stop them? But I’m scared… Fine, fine! I’ll go!”

After the mage’s broadcast…

A few months passed, and the world changed drastically once again.

[Video Sharing Site]

First, the video sharing function was opened, allowing users to upload videos.

The Marcohoff Trading Company uploaded videos of various songstresses singing, raising their value and selling their music on the Music Sharing site. They even developed the evil business model of ‘1-minute free listening’.

[Custom Program Forum]

[Paint.exe]
[A program that lets you draw simple pictures using the magic tool. The free version allows a maximum of 3 layers.]

Numerous programs for the magic tool were developed.

From basic functions like Paint, Notepad, and Calculator…

To spreadsheets (Excel), video editors, vocal synthesizers (Vocaloid), music composition programs, and games like Tetris.

Countless programs for the magic tool were developed…

…And a massive number of magic tools were distributed worldwide.

“Demon Monarch, here are the blueprints for the new palace.”
“Hmm, a palace befitting my majesty. I approve the construction.”

And the demons became wealthy.

As Mana Stones became the world’s standard currency, the demons’ ability to ‘Manafy’ surrounding minerals turned them into geese that laid golden eggs.

Originally, interaction between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm was impossible due to the overflowing ‘Demonic Energy,’ but with the addition of the ‘internet delivery’ function to the magic tool, goods could be delivered anywhere in the world for a small fee.

Thus, the Demon Monarch became the ruler of the world’s reserve currency.

“Ah! My post made it to the Best Posts again! Hee hee.”

The hero was still alone.

The Hero’s ‘Destiny’ led him on a path to save the world, but that path was lonely and painful. Only the holy sword, which guided the hero towards evil, lit the way. A journey without companions, without anyone to acknowledge them.

The hero had already saved the world from destruction thirteen times.

Normally, he would have collapsed from exhaustion (mental) after preventing such a disaster, but…

“Today, Mage-nim will read my post, right?”

Thanks to the magic tool, the hero could alleviate their loneliness.

“Hee hee. Most of the Real-Time Best posts are stupid, so they’ll definitely read my post! Mage-nim is God, and I am invincible!”

…Of course, there was the minor problem of being socialized by the internet.

The hero’s sense of ethics was slightly warped, having learned conversation from online comments, s*x education from internet novels, and common sense from dubious online videos.

But that was a minor issue. The holy sword made the judgments anyway.

The development of the internet changed the lives of many others as well. A certain vampire became a Vocaloid producer, and the Imperial Magic Tower became filled with skilled programmers who were also security experts.

And…

[“One last announcement. Real-time streaming is now possible through the magic tool.”]

[“This means I no longer need to use communication magic to directly transmit to everyone’s minds! Everyone can now create, broadcast, and watch their own broadcasts.”]

[“From now on, I’ll only use this communication magic for truly important announcements.”]

[“So.”]

[“This broadcast ends today.”]

[“Then, everyone.”]

[“Good night.”]

“…Huh?”
“What?”
“Eh?”

The mage…

…Had suddenly announced their retirement.

Having finally achieved all my planned goals, I…

…Felt relieved.

I no longer had to struggle with developing magic or read stories posted on the forum and organize requests.

The rest would be handled by competent programmers and capitalism.

“Ahh! This is the life! I knew I needed the internet!”

I lay in bed, playing games, listening to idol music from the Marcohoff Entertainment Agency, and eating snacks ordered through internet delivery.

The life I dreamt of.

Finally…

…I could live the life of a shut-in, spending all my time on the internet!

The world was in an uproar after the mage disappeared.

The great Archmage who spread ‘Network Magic’ throughout the world. The father of the internet, the god of the new world, the muse of all songstresses, the one who brought wealth to the demons of the barren Demon Realm and the opportunity of ‘programming’ to the poor.

Everyone began searching the world for the unknown Archmage.

And…

“Calvin? Was there such a student at our academy?”
“…”

Besides the elves in the mansion…

…There was one girl who knew the mage’s true identity.