A genius student? Ha, they're nothing but ants at your feet!

Nova stared blankly at the screen, like a statue that had lost its soul.

The number of people in the queue slowly dwindled from 3,127 to 3,126, much like a snail's pace.

It jumped by a whole number!

He collapsed back in despair, shaking his head helplessly.

"The commenter is right."

Those who get something for free have no right to complain and whine here.

So, I just hope these amazing authors will release a paid, official version soon!

I'd accept a high price even if it meant selling it for a lot of money!

While waiting in line, I should have played some other console games to tide me over.

But right now, all I can think about is that unfinished helmet!

I can't get into any other games at all!

Ding.

Just when he was bored out of his mind and about to go crazy.

The upper right corner of the screen suddenly flashed with great notice.

Nova squinted to take a look.

It is a system announcement icon that looks like an envelope.

clack.

Nova opened it without hesitation.

[Global Broadcast: Announcement of the Launch of the Crowdfunding Campaign for the Commercialization of "MIT Simulator"]

Hello everyone, this is Spectra Works.

First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone for your tremendous support during this time.

To be honest, in the past week alone, the number of players flooding into "MIT Simulator" has reached a terrifying number that far exceeds our expectations.

But I'm very sorry.

For us, who are currently penniless, this burning passion seems to have come too early and too fiercely.

As you can see, our broken server is completely overloaded and smoking.

To be honest, everyone...

At the very moment I typed this announcement, a few of us on the team were still frantically offering donuts to the school's computer lab administrator.

I ask for nothing more than that he have mercy and not kick us out of the server room, code and all...

"puff--!"

Nova had just picked up his cup and taken a sip of his coffee to keep himself going when he saw this sentence, and he spat it all over the screen!

"Good heavens, these game developers are really down on their luck! They're making games in the school's computer lab!"

The barrage of comments instantly turned into a sea of ​​joy.

[Donuts, haha! Absolutely amazing!]

[In the US, giving donuts to lower-level administrators is practically a guaranteed way to get things done; you can't get anything done without them!]

[This is hilarious! These college students are learning social etiquette pretty quickly!]

When I made a mistake at work, my first reaction was actually to bribe someone with donuts.

Looking at this announcement, I felt a surge of youthful energy and unease.

Damn, why do I suddenly feel a little sad, yet inexplicably envious of their youth?

How about we all chip in and sponsor them?

Honestly, given the incredibly powerful physics engine and level of freedom currently available, it's definitely worth the price, provided the price isn't outrageous.

The announcement continues to scroll down.

Spectra Works is a very small team of four people.

There are three miserable STEM students here, plus a genius mathematician who somehow ended up hanging out with us.

To be honest, this is due to the growing popularity of the game.

Recently, we have received several acquisition proposals from major companies in the industry.

The terms offered by the other party were very tempting:

"As long as we hand over the core code of this game engine, we can exchange it for a huge fortune that will allow the entire team to live comfortably for the rest of their lives."

but.

Our team's engine architect rejected the proposal without a second's hesitation.

After careful consideration, the other team members shared the same belief as him.

We will never compromise.

We absolutely do not want our hard work to become a tool for capitalists to amass wealth.

We stubbornly hope that every line of code in this engine, and the countless universes that this game has spawned, will contribute to its success.

It can avoid the corruption of capital and truly belong to every player who loves it.

Therefore, we would like to first seek help from players who truly love this game.

At this moment.

In order to build MIT Simulator from a small server into a truly vast, free, and all-encompassing virtual world.

We are officially launching our crowdfunding campaign.

All players who participate in the crowdfunding campaign will receive early access to the closed beta test before the official launch, as well as exclusive, limited-edition rewards, depending on their tier.

If we are fortunate enough to receive everyone's assistance, we want to push this incredible project through to the very end!

We would like to invite you all to join us in witnessing its final completion!

Sincerely, Spectra Works

(The accompanying image below the announcement shows four studio members sitting unkempt on the floor in a corner of a server room filled with cables.)

A person is eating a donut covered in frosting and making a peace sign at the camera.

Next, the specific tiers of the crowdfunding campaign will be announced.

[$10 Tier: Full Version Game Activation Code]

$30 tier: Early access and an extra initial backpack slot.

$50 tier: Includes all of the above, plus a limited edition "Founder" outfit skin and an exclusive in-game badge.

$100 Tier: Big Spender Status! Includes all of the above, plus your ID will be permanently credited as a sponsor on the in-game campus GG sign.

$1,000 Tier: Ultimate VIP! Includes all of the above, and you'll have a completely independent, inviolable secret hideout within the vast map of MIT Simulator.

Initial target amount: $50.

Extended target amount: $200 million.

In the live stream room.

Nova forgot to breathe, leaning forward and pressing himself tightly against the screen.

He read the entire announcement word by word, scrutinizing every single punctuation mark.

"Holy crap... a secret, exclusive base?! That's an amazing concept!"

Nova's eyes suddenly lit up.

"This is like preemptively claiming territory and becoming king in this dog-eat-dog world, having an absolutely safe private base!"

[Wake up, streamer! That's a thousand dollars!]

The viewpoint upstairs is too narrow. For a top streamer like Nova,

The purchasing power of $1,000 is roughly equivalent to you going downstairs to buy a Starbucks.

[I'm a poor student, so the $30 option seems like the best fit for me. The extra backpack capacity is so useful.]

Am I the only one who thinks $100 is the best?!

Engraving your name on a GG card in the game! It gives you a sense of historical significance, like leaving your mark on history!

Buying cyber immortality for $100 is a steal!

Oh no, I really want that $50 developer skin and badge!

These poor students who make games, they understand our players' psychology so well!

Having looked at all five levels, I'm absolutely itching to know how to solve them all!

Am I the only one who noticed the phrase "reject acquisition by major companies"?

Faced with the temptation of financial freedom, they chose to tighten their belts and go it alone.

For this unwavering spirit of standing up against capital, I'll take the money!

If this game really gets swallowed up by a ruthless big company, who knows how many more outrageous pay-to-win gacha systems will be released in the future, hahaha.

[They are indeed a hardcore and principled team.]

They could have easily achieved financial freedom and retired with the acquisition money, but instead, they're stuck in the server room eating donuts. Unbelievable.

I don't ask for anything, I just want to give them money!

I just hope they take the money and quickly expand the server capacity, buying the best kind!

These days, with three thousand people queuing up every day, it's absolutely torture.

"Brothers!"

Nova slapped his thigh suddenly, his blood boiling.

"I don't care about anything else, I support this game!"

A secret base worth a thousand dollars—I'll be the first to charge!

No sooner had he finished speaking than Nova pulled out his wallet from the side.

Drawing a card, entering the card number, and verifying the password—the actions were fluid and seamless.

The screen flashed.

A crisp notification sound rang out.

[Payment successful.]

[Thank you for your generous support of Spectra Works. Your crowdfunding participation has been successfully recorded.]