NoveLight ™
Special Event!
To appease the Demon God’s request, a hastily implemented temporary weekly boss event had begun.
There had already been plans for future content, but due to her insistence, this event was added ahead of schedule.
The design was simple: defeating the minor monsters would grant buffs that made it easier for area-of-effect (AoE) characters, like the Demon King, to clear the boss.
This approach not only aimed to shift player perception of the Demon King but also served the secondary purpose of gathering more research data for the Magitech Engineer.
As the event kicked off, the buffs significantly boosted the Demon King’s performance compared to before.
Clear times were improving, and player perception of the new character began to shift. Or at least, it almost did.
The spotlight turned to one of [Demon King Lina]’s core mechanics: her summon’s bounce damage.
The issue was clear. While defeating one or two Melis granted a buff, the buffs didn’t stack.
The Melis also had just enough HP to make them inconvenient for the Demon King’s wide attacks, but not so much that single-target characters like [Knight Ren] couldn’t handle them faster.
To make matters worse, videos surfaced showing [Knight Ren] taking advantage of his passive self-buff after defeating a Melis to clear the boss even faster. The community exploded.
“Apostle of Dreams.”
“Yes, Demon God?”
“Did you deceive me?”
The Demon God loomed over me, her face inches from mine.
Even in the dream world where I held ultimate authority, the pressure she exerted was overwhelming.
Had I been lulled into a false sense of security by her recent childlike demeanor?
“No, I did not.”
“Then why does our Lina’s reputation remain in such a state? Nay, it seems to have worsened!”
“I… can explain.”
“Then explain it.”
“Normally, in the weekly boss fight, defeating event mobs grants buffs, correct?”
“…Yes.”
The Demon God’s brows furrowed.
“Compared to [Knight Ren], who is purely single-target, [Demon King Lina] is an AoE damage dealer.”
“…That’s true.”
I could see her eyes darting around, trying to follow my explanation.
“So, I believed this event would highlight Lina’s strengths. And it did, to an extent. Her performance metrics improved significantly. However… the bounce mechanic of her summon’s attack caused her damage to spread out, reducing the focus on the boss.”
“Th-that bounce mechanic… what is that?”
“In our game, bounce refers to an attack that, after hitting its main target, ricochets to nearby enemies for additional hits.”
It was a mechanic designed to handle hordes while still being somewhat effective in fights against fewer enemies.
It was also a balancing measure, ensuring Lina didn’t become too overpowered.
“Then why does her damage scatter?”
“The nature of bounce means that secondary hits aren’t controllable by the player. Even if you want all the damage to focus on the boss, it can spill over to the surrounding mobs.”
“...Didn’t you say Lina was an AoE damage dealer? Why does her damage scatter to mobs if she’s meant for AoE?”
“She is an AoE character. Both her basic attack and ultimate are pure AoE. It’s just her summon that uses bounce damage. She can handle both AoE and single-target situations.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. Since the event started, Lina’s overall damage output and clear times have improved significantly. While the event is temporary, it’s a big step up from before.”
“Then why do they insult her?”
“It’s… complicated. Some players can’t afford to pull for new characters and defend older ones by downplaying the new ones. Others compare her to [Knight Ren], whose single-target specialization and self-buff make him better for the weekly boss.”
“Ugh! Enough of this!”
The Demon God ruffled her hair in frustration.
“Just forget the buffs and make Lina stronger! That’s an order!”
So it had come to this, after all.
[Demon King Perlerina apologizes, laughing nervously, saying her patron can be a bit intense at times.]
I glanced at the real Lina, who was watching with a satisfied grin.
"Why don’t you just reveal your identity already? The Demon God is obsessing over your game avatar because she doesn’t know you’ve been resurrected."
[Demon King Perlerina replies, ‘I want to, but I’ve missed the right timing…’ and smiles awkwardly.]
What timing? She could just say it!
“Demon God, listen to me for a moment.”
“…Are you going to confuse me with more strange terms? Don’t try to deceive me.”
“No, seriously. Just hear me out.”
“...Fine.”
“Let’s say I buff [Demon King Perlerina] so much that her ultimate deals AoE damage several times stronger than [Knight Ren]’s entire kit.”
“…That would be wonderful.”
“Sure, but what about players who love and invested in other characters?”
“If Lina is doing well, why should I care about the others—”
“No! They’d be furious! And who would they direct their anger toward?”
“…Toward you, the developer?”
Correct. The initial target would be me.
“But it wouldn’t stop there. The character who disrupted the balance would also become a target. Everyone would constantly criticize Lina, blaming her for ruining the game.”
“…That cannot happen!”
“Exactly. And this doesn’t even account for future characters. If they’re weaker than Lina, players won’t pull for them. If they’re stronger, they’ll claim Lina was a waste. Either way, Lina becomes a scapegoat.”
“What if we release alternate versions of Lina in the future? Like a [Swimsuit Lina], or perhaps a [Pajama Lina], or even a [Young Lina]?”
“Swimsuit? Pajamas? Young?”
The Demon God’s jaw dropped in shock.
[Demon King Perlerina protests, asking why I’m using her for profit like this.]
"Because you should’ve revealed yourself and stopped this mess!"
“Demon God.”
“…Yes?”
Still dazed, she looked at me blankly.
“Don’t worry about her performance. The hospitality content is already prepared. Just trust me on this one.”
What I needed now was a new tactic—something beyond performance.
Something that would really empty players’ wallets…
“Maybe exclusive weapons?”