A war broke out, but this was not the surprising part. Contrary to expectations, this was not a battle for dominance between technology and magic; it was a battle started by a techy mecha-geek and a techy paramilitary-bro.

 The Blacksmith Walker and the Engineer Walker — the only futurists among the Voidwalkers — paired up for most operations, but they had their differences. For one, the Engineer Walker was a Gentleman of the Void, but the Blacksmith Walker did not share this taste. Both Voidwalkers also had different views on what constituted the pinnacle of technology. This simulation had presented the perfect opportunity to decide if enormous ‘ultimate weapons’ were better than regular paramilitary tools.

 For this showdown, the Engineer Walker had put his all into his giant robots. He had even spent a lot of time writing the most ‘chuunibyo’ lines. The result was not good, though. This simulated world was more realistic than fantastic. All the Engineer Walker could do was power his robots with the Archmage’s magic, which defied the laws of physics. He had secured this magic by bribing the Archmage, an old game addict, with high-end smartphones and personal computers.

 When the Blacksmith Walker’s military weapons reached his doorstep, the Engineer Walker sent his robots to great them. However, the Blacksmith’s weapons — armored tanks, fighter planes, and self-propelled artilleries — instantly destroyed the robots, leaving scrap metal behind. The battle ended so swiftly, even Baiyi’s heart ached for the Engineer Walker.

 Reality had hit — and hit really hard it did: Giant robots were, and would always be, a teenage otaku’s daydream.

 Amidst the wreckage was the Engineer Walker, seated in the pilot seat of the smoldering remains of a giant robot. The man softly muttered to himself, “Everything’s alright. This is all I ever wanted.”

 He did not seem crushed by the defeat; deep in his heart, he had always known that he would suffer a loss. This had always been for the sake of accomplishing a childish dream that he had nursed for years.

 “Well, well. I’ve got to hand it to you; those designs were top-notch.”

 The Blacksmith Walker had walked over whilst the Engineer Walker was lost in thought. The dwarf did not make an attempt to strike down the Engineer Walker; instead, he picked up a blueprint from atop a scrap heap and began to examined it.

 “This transmission mechanism still requires testing and academic approval, yet you are already applying it? Well, at least we now know the results a test would produce.”

 The Engineer Walker looked up at the Blacksmith Walker and said, “No, that’s not the problem. The issue here is the robot’s weight. It’s so heavy, it can’t be supported by the best technology has to offer. Despite applying magic and alchemy, the robots’ joints and connectors are unable to withstand the weight and mechanical demands. If synthetic materials were revolutionized, then maybe… Oh, but how could you expect such a thing in a game simulation, right?”

 With that, the Engineer Walker jumped to his feet. “I knew it! Giant robots won’t work if they’re purely machine. The future of giant robots may lie in biotech! I should probably study biology after this…”

 “You’re still not giving up?” A stunned Blacksmith Walker asked.

 “Why give it up? Even if what this really is… is a boy’s dream, I see no reason not to make my passion a man’s hobby and keep pursuing it. Besides, I play with real robots; this puts me leagues above little boys playing with plastic toys!” The Engineer Walker boasted. Afterward, the Engineer Walker picked up a storage pouch that was filled with plans and blueprints of his robots, and he tossed this pouch over to the Blacksmith Walker. “Go through it. If anything confuses you, then you can look for me.”

 With that, the Engineer Walker turned around and walked away. As his figure vanished down the horizon, the setting sun disappeared with it.

 After the bout between the Engineer Walker and the Blacksmith Walker, other large scale events occurred; however, none was as heated as the war against the Lich Walker. The citizens of Stardew Valley worked together with the sorcerers dispatched by the Archmage to defeat the Lich Walker’s cultists. The tech moguls had offered their help, but they did not directly participate in the war. One could consider this a civil war within the magic community. This proved that magicians would rather tolerate non-magical people than coexist with heretics using magic in a different way.

 That being said, the Lich Walker’s actions caused the war. He suddenly desired to obtain Noirciel, to see what undead creature a dead angel could summon. The thought was a crazy one. Some people even suspected that the Lich Walker was taking advantage of the simulated world — with the “It’s just a video game!” excuse — to pursue his most insane plans.

 The Lich Walker created a massive undead army, which he led on an invasion of Stardew Valley.

 This scale of this war was greater than that of the battle between the tech geeks — the Engineer Walker and the Blacksmith Walker. The Sage-Emperor of the Magi clashed with the Demigod Lich once again, and this time, the fight ended differently. The Archmage was defeated; the undead army had wiped the floor with him. In fact, when the battle ended, the Lich Walker was in possession of the Archmage’s soul!

 Some people wondered how the famous Sage-Emperor of the Magi ended up suffering a humiliating defeat. This was because the Archmage did not activate the Book of Servitude in this simulated world; the old man had spent too much time living the sedentary life of an otaku.

 The Lich Walker’s forces continued to crush the sorcerers. This was the benefit of amassing power right from the get-go, which the Lich Walker had done. When the pesky sorcerers were finally defeated, the Lich Walker — with support from demons and their worshippers — proceeded to curb stomp the ladies of Stardew Valley, who were now more adept at farming than fighting.

 In a short while, many sorcerers and residents of Stardew Valley fell, and the famous city was almost ripe for capture. All that remained was to clear out the lone inner-city holding the last of the survivors. The Engineer Walker and Blacksmith Walker arrived at this time, and Baiyi’s angels were saved from becoming the Lich Walker’s succubuses.

 Something strange happened afterward: the Lich Walker, who had claimed victory after victory, suddenly led his forces away from the inner city and launched a surprise attack on them, causing his faction to descend into chaos. The sorcerers seized the bizarre opportunity and won the war.

 “Come on, end me. My game is already over. Finish me, just as you did thousands of years ago,” the Lich Walker said to the Fairy Walker. The area around them was littered with corpses. This scene bore an uncanny resemblance to the last moments of the Lich Walker’s life in the past. Even now, the Lich Walker could not bring himself to cackle.

 As though she did not hear the request, the Fairy Walker asked, “Why did you do this?”

 “Because it’s just a video game, dear. However, it is in this game that I got to fulfill my heart’s desire. I commanded the strongest undead legion ever and conquered the world,” the Lich Walker replied. “We may have butted heads over philosophical differences, but you and I have been cellmates for long enough. Now is the time for me to bid you all goodbye. Ah, it is a pity that I was unable to capture that angel to conduct one last experiment on…”

 The Fairy was baffled, but Baiyi understood. When the simulation was over, the Lich Walker would be leaving the Voidwalkers for good. He was not going to see their brave new world.

 Baiyi dragged the Lich Walker’s mind out of the simulated world. “Are you sure this is what you want?” Baiyi asked. “I get it; we have different ideologies and perspectives on things, but this does not mean that you and your kind won’t have a place in our new world.”

 “I have already told you where I want to be once we return to the real world: I want to live in Duat. Surely, you must be powerful enough to make that happen, right? I know in my heart that Duat is where I belong,” the Lich Walker said. “I know that Duat might perish with this broken universe, but I am a Lich. I see beauty in death’s dance, and I long for its embrace. Watching the world die is too fascinating of an experience to pass up, so if possible, I want to marvel at it and be a part of it.”

 There was nothing Baiyi could do to convince a Lich that had received enlightenment. Thus, he nodded silently. Although the Lich Walker was an arrogant individual, he had obeyed Baiyi for a really long time, at the cost of its pride. There was absolutely no reason for Baiyi to refuse its last request — a choice the Lich Walker had made of his own free will.

 At this point, Baiyi had no interest in continuing the simulation. The data he had collected thus far was enough, so after every player had received a notification, Baiyi forcibly terminated the game and brought everyone back to reality.

 The simulation ended with humanity greatly advancing technology and magic. ‘What a pretty good world,’ Baiyi thought.

 Number one on the Power Ranking was naturally the Lich Walker, who had annihilated the Archmage and his other sorcerers. After dominating the world, the Lich Walker chose to die, saving the other players from a soured post-war experience.

 Although ten years had passed in the game, only three days had passed in the real world. The students and the Voidwalkers were not satisfied, though, but Mia let out a sigh of relief upon re-entry to the real world. The simulated world was beautiful, and the war against the Lich Walker was exciting and fun; however, homework was just tiring! And the teachers were too terrifying to behold.

 They would never return to their student lives anymore!

 “Sniff… Mr.Hope, no matter what you do, could you please make me ever return to school?” Mia cried as she threw herself on Baiyi the instant she returned to the real world. Without waiting for a reply, Mia played her strongest hand — ‘Kawaii Persuasion’. Her watery eyes widened, and tears were close to dripping down them.

“I could make some adjustments to the education system. Maybe there are a few things I could improve?” Baiyi mumbled as he rubbed Mia’s hair.

 “Anyway, please note your opinions, insights, and suggestions for this new world in a detailed report, which you’ll submit to me. I would also ask that you not tell your students about our project for the moment. After some more reliable and predictive models are shaped, and the frame of what an ideal world is has been finalized, then we can present the plan,” Baiyi said to the Voidwalkers as he carried Mia up. “I cannot express how difficult it is to construct a new universe from scratch, so please be responsible and serious.”

 “I understand your intentions, but I hope you don’t mind me offering up a suggestion,” the Archmage said, assuming the air of an old, wise man. “What sort of world do you want to create? A utopia? An Eden on Earth? Neither is truly meaningful. If you want to know my thoughts on this, I can tell you right now: I don’t want a perfect paradise, where no one gets sick, suffers, or dies. I just want a world completely controlled by us humans.”

 Baiyi stiffened, as the Archmage’s words left him in deep thought.