Shepherding Humanity

This aggregate lifeform was an “Artificial God” and had infinite potential, but required an enormous amount of resources… It was like an endless pit in that regard.

Xu Zhi had no idea how long it would take for him to raise just one.

“It’s hard being the Creator. I have to plot out the game map and advance the sandbox’s civilization, while keeping the fact that I’m actually a weakling a secret the entire time…” As he carved patterns on the small rubik’s cube, one stroke at a time, he couldn’t help but grumble.

“Once I’m done carving, this rubik creature will have the potential to become a ‘Spatial Magic Box’, but that’s all; I’ll still have to make them train in magic and open up an internal subspace. This is quite a difficult problem.”

Unlike ordinary mages, the rubik’s cube spatial magic pattern was extremely specialized, which made them unable to perform any other kind of magic. While they’ll have the magic power, they won’t be able to become anything other than a spatial magic box.

This was Xu Zhi’s first time performing Alchemy, and the speed of his carving, assisted by spiritual power, was a little slow.

A rubik’s cube smaller than a grain of rice took him about a dozen minutes. But, as he slowly grew in skill, the later ones only took him 5-6 minutes.

Like a skillful seamstress performing delicate “needlework”, Xu Zhi spent over an hour to carve 7 small rubik’s cubes.

“This is stupid. I can’t believe that a manly man like me is doing embroidery.” Xu Zhi silently put down a rubik’s cube and massaged his temples. “It took an hour to do 7 rubik’s cubes. And out of the 17.000 cubes, I’ll have to carve over 1000 of them…”

Just carving them so that they’d have the necessary potential already made him feel like his brain was going to burst. How was he supposed to individually control them to make them train in magic on top of that?

“This is impossible…” Xu Zhi was sweating profusely, utterly exhausted from overexerting his spiritual power. He certainly did not have the same “resolve” as his players and needed a break. Only an hour had gone by since he placed his cancer cells into the large sandbox, which wasn’t enough time for anything major to happen; he should be able to relax by observing those wacky gamers.

Little did he know that the forum had been stirred into a frenzy. After the two players told their sad story, people only grew angrier as time passed and were furiously cursing those PKers.

A thread was quickly pushed to the top of the frontpage, with over 100.000 people participating in the discussion.

“F*ck those guys! The 7 PKers are hackers who are seriously affecting the game’s balance. Somebody ban them, please!”

The poster detailed all the ways that the 7 Pkers were affecting the PUBG “Battle Royale" Game's balance.

“They’re using X-Ray Vision HACKS! And AIMBOTS too! No matter where I hid, they’d always be able to get me!”

“They must have locked their health bar too! How can so many Legendary Great Mages fail to kill a bunch of lowly ants otherwise? They’re absolutely cheating!”

“I demand some compensation! I’ve worked so hard to evolve my species!”

“+2.”

“+3.”

…

At this moment, the forum was filled with complaints as people vented their accumulated grievances.

But when Xu Zhi saw this, he said nothing, and decided to ignore them. Those PKers were Gary Stu “main characters”—elites who were backed by their entire nation. How could these faceless mobs possibly compare to them?

You cannon fodders were doomed the moment their BGM started playing!

“Even I think that they’re too hax. What a bunch of thugs. But it’s not my problem though. Complain all you want, I don’t care." Xu Zhi was a dispassionate Creator, and did not give a sh*t.

But then, a thought suddenly occurred to him. “Since you’re asking for it, why don’t I take this opportunity to give you some HARDCORE compensation?”

He had the bold idea to open a 2nd subsidiary sandbox and see if it would work out.

After all, he had an aggregate lifeform composed of over 17.000 creatures to take care of. Personally training each of them one by one was way too hardcore of a task.

Enough to make him despair!

“Let me see… I need a plan.” He looked at the empty 10m² test field next to him. This was where his pet, the “Land of the Gods”, usually stayed in the orchard.

Shortly afterwards, an announcement was posted on the forum.

“Based on the passionate feedback we received from many players, we have decided to compensate those who couldn’t fully experience the Magic World by opening up a new map ahead of time. Welcome to The Magic Sim.

1 – This map is only a trial version for now.

2 – It’ll only open for 10 minutes.

3 – The time flow will also be 100 times that of the outside world.

Anyone who has a forum account and the most modern VR Glasses at home will be able to participate. The server is limited to 500 people online at a time, and the trial will end after 10 minutes.

Casual gamers will enjoy playing The Magic Sim. You will have fun experiencing what Magic Training in the otherworld is truly like!”

This announcement made great waves in the forum, causing extreme lag.

They’re offering us compensation?

Since when has this Hardcore Game been so accomodating?

“This trial will only last for 10 minutes, but even the posters who could only watch until now will be able to participate?”

“Long live the Developers!”

“We'll be able to experience what it’s like being a Mage. Does this mean that we’ll be able to cast spells, fly, and phase through the earth?”

“Ha ha ha, this Hardcore game finally has a casual element, which will let us experience what it’s like to be truly powerful!”

“I’ll show you all my Katon – Gokakyu no Jutsu!”

“Ha ha ha ha! I’m so happy! I can’t praise the thoughtful developers enough! I take back my death-threat from back then! (?)”

A second later, all the open spots were gone.

When others tried to log-in, all they saw was this message:

[The server is at max capacity. The 500 people limit has been reached, please wait until someone logs off, then try again.]

How can these sons of a b*tch be so fast?

They were absolutely stunned.

Even with my god-speed hand, trained over 18 years of being single, I still lost!

***

Meanwhile, the player “Learning Medicine to Save the Otherworld” was crying tears of joy. He had successfully logged in.

He had been quite bitter about how the game treated him, but could only hold it in.

Although he worked like crazy to write a medical paper, the third beta test had required a biological paper instead. When he heard this, he felt like vomiting up blood. This was gross discrimination!

The Emperor of Alchemy had only managed to make his comeback thanks to medical students like him!

At this moment, he was super happy. Although he did not get a beta tester’s slot, he at least managed to participate in this strange 10-minutes-long trial run.

“A Magic Sim, is it?”

He took a deep breath. Which teenager did not dream of flying through the sky and diving through the earth?

Looking ahead, he saw two blank-slate characters slowly appear before him.

Xu Zhi made these by manipulating the players' senses. It wouldn’t do if they found out that their body was just a cube, right?

Learning Medicine looked at his choices.

Common Mage.

Spiritual Growth: 1.2

Strength Growth: 0.1

Speed ​​Growth: 0.6

Defense Growth: 0.6

(Always Available.)

…

Spatial Mage.

Spiritual Growth: 1.2

Strength Growth: 0.1

Speed ​​Growth: 5.0

Defense Growth: 5.0

(Hidden Job-Class. Remaining Slots: 1/7.)

“A hidden Job-Class? Spatial Mage? Anything that has to do with space and time should be amazing! Its growth rates for the speed and defense attributes are also much higher, and there’s only one final slot left!” As a veteran gamer, Learning Medicine could not help but be excited. “It looks like I logged in relatively early. To think that I’d be able to get this…”

He wasn’t stupid and immedietely grabbed the final slot.

“Please customize your face.”

Another selection appeared before him.

“So thoughtful. This beta test is so thoughtful. I can even customize my face!” He spent some time on this and then gleefully entered the game, appearing in a flat open area.

“What a plain looking place; there are no animals, and the ground is bare. As expected of a trial run. It's a semi-open world, but the area is much smaller than Spore Evolution’s sandbox.” Learning Medicine silently assessed the game.

In the distance, he could see a few other players who were intently studying the letters on a giant stone tablet.

He tested his body and found that it was extremely weak.

What was going on? This was a Magic Sim, right? Where were the amazing magic powers? The ability to fly? Or the ability to phase through the earth?

He then heard this prompt:

“Please proceed to the Guiding Tablet and start your training.”

Learning Medicine: ???

WTF? I’m supposed to start training from the very beginning?

Wasn’t this supposed to be a bonus stage? What a Hardcore bonus stage! As expected, this game is as “casual” as ever. If you want amazing magic powers, then you have to start from the very beginning?

Spore Evolution opens with “Please evolve your eyes.”

So The Magic Sim opens with “Please start your training.”

He was speechless for a while, before silently heading to the Guiding Tablet like the others, and starting his training. “I understand. This game is promoting the love of learning even now, and the subject this time is meditation.”

In the orchard, Xu Zhi silently looked on while eating his apple. He frowned: “It’s not looking good. I was inspired by their complaints and demands for compensation to create this mini-trial, testing their perseverance while getting some feedback, but the prospects seem pretty bad.”

You had to train for at least a month to become a level One Mage.

They’d have to take control of a rubik’s cube, then meditate in a lotus position for months on end. The fun-factor was nil; this boring training would dissuade anyone.

But Xu Zhi wasn’t willing to give up! Although he knew that his idea would die stillborn, he wouldn’t go down without struggling a little first.

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