Making Game: CH 150 – Sapphire Star Hunter (Patreon)

The heavy winter of Obelia II blanketed the agricultural colony in a thick layer of pristine white snow. For Ewron the farmer, the freezing season meant his daily routine was significantly quieter than usual. His current days consisted mostly of tending to his indoor flock of Zilka hens and spending hours immersed in his gaming hobby.

Right now, Ewron was intensely focused on the character creation screen of Monster Hunter.

He adjusted the digital sliders on the holographic interface and reached down to pat the heavy head of his loyal hound resting beside his chair. "What do you think, girl? Does it look like me?"

Lulu let out a sharp, happy bark as if answering him.

Ewron smiled and tapped the next button. It was time for the Palico creation menu.

"Oh my. A Palico?" Ewron muttered, looking at the bipedal cat companion posing on the screen. "Cute."

Lulu barked again, her tail thumping loudly against the wooden floorboards.

Ewron chuckled softly. "They are nowhere near as cute as you." He clicked through the customization menus to see if there was a canine-type companion available. Unfortunately, it seemed the Palicos were strictly feline-based. He sighed playfully. "How about we just make a Palico version of you instead?"

Lulu barked back in apparent agreement.

After several minutes of tweaking the fur colors and patterns, the companion was finally ready. He named his new Palico Lulu and confidently hit confirm.

The opening cutscene immediately began to play. A cheerful female hunter slid over and handed his newly minted character a massive wooden mug of beer. "So, how about a toast?"

His character nodded in thanks. Then, a seasoned male hunter leaned in from the other side of the table. "So tell me, what is your theory? The elder dragons must migrate to the New World for some specific reason."

Before the conversation could go any further, the story violently unfolded. The massive fleet they were traveling on was suddenly attacked by a colossal monster that looked exactly like a walking, erupting mountain.

Ewron literally held his breath in his gaming seat. His very first introduction to the game was an intense near-death experience. He gripped his controller tight. "Will I actually have to hunt that massive monster later? Surely not... right?"

The game seamlessly transitioned into a soft introduction of the core hunting mechanics. As his character slowly made his way toward the sanctuary of Astera, his Handler guided him through every basic survival tool. Ewron learned how to track muddy footprints, hide from larger prey in the thick brush, and maintain clear vision of his surroundings.

At one point in the dense jungle, a hungry Jagras lunged from the shadows and was about to chomp down on the Handler. Just in the nick of time, a veteran hunter riding a tamed beast intervened and forced the path to Astera open.

Ewron let out a heavy sigh of relief. "This game is absolutely terrible for my weak heart."

He commanded his character to run toward the massive wooden gates of Astera. Just as safety was in sight, a stray Jagras blocked his path. Before the smaller beast could strike, an enormous, terrifying Anjanath jumped from the canopy and began to viciously attack the Jagras.

Ewron slammed his thumbstick forward, making his character sprint toward the closing gate. "Faster... faster, damn it!"

He hit the dive button at the exact right second, tumbling across the threshold just as the great iron-reinforced gate slammed shut behind him.

Ewron exhaled deeply and slumped back in his chair. "Thank the stars we are safe."

Lulu let out a soft whine.

Ewron chuckled and scratched behind her ears. "I really want to go back out there and defeat those monsters. It feels incredibly cruel of the game to make me spend all that time creating a Palico just to let it die in the opening act."

As his character walked further into the bustling hub of Astera, a familiar ball of fur suddenly bounded into view.

Ewron gasped, a massive smile spreading across his face. "Lulu! You are safe! Look Lulu, your character is safe!"

The real Lulu barked happily at the screen. And with that joyful reunion, the grand journey of millions of hunters officially began across the entire galaxy.

…

Meanwhile, on another corner of the galactic net, Roric was live on his Stellarcast stream. The popular caster was currently standing in the Astera training area, actively trying out absolutely every possible weapon available in his inventory.

He awkwardly swung a heavy Gunlance and missed the training post completely. He turned his attention to his rapidly scrolling chat. "Okay chat, what do you guys think? Is this the weapon I should be using?"

[Gamer_Dad]: absolutely zero aim. [Star_Lord_42]: try the charge blade if you want a real weapon. [No_Scope_King]: Roric does not have the brain capacity for charge blade mechanics. [Void_Walker]: stick to sword and shield bro.

Roric read the chat and scoffed loudly. The viewers were mercilessly teasing him, calling him entirely too dumb to understand the complex phial mechanics of the Charge Blade.

After a lengthy, stubborn consideration, Roric equipped the massive sword and shield combo. He glared into his facecam. "I will prove all of you wrong. You will see."

The chat immediately cascaded into a frenzy of virtual bets, placing wagers on exactly which hour Roric would completely give up and switch to an easier looking weapon like the Dual Blades.

Ignoring their taunts, Roric decided it was time to look around the bustling hub of Astera. He checked his minimap. "Okay, I see a marker for the Meowscular Chef. I definitely want to see him."

He walked his character up the wooden stairs and navigated the busy dining area until he finally found the massive, muscular feline standing behind the canteen counter.

Roric gasped loudly. "Oh my stars, chat, look at him! He literally has a greatsword strapped to his back!"

He interacted with the chef. The interface revealed that eating meals from the canteen would grant massive buff stats and provide special food skills for the upcoming hunts. Eager to test it out, Roric placed an order for the chef's choice platter.

The legendary Meowscular Chef cooking cutscene immediately began to play. Roric watched in pure awe as the Palico sous chefs aggressively chopped ingredients and prepared the massive meal. The fluid animation, the incredibly realistic look of the digital food, and the mouth-watering sound design all came together perfectly. The Meowscular Chef added the final, precise finishing touch to the towering platter, and the entire feline kitchen crew struck a triumphant victory pose.

The meal was ready.

Roric sat back, his jaw completely dropped. "That was genuinely iconic. I can already see myself coming here every single time before a hunting quest."

The live chat heavily mirrored his amazed reaction.

[HungryHippo]: I am literally so hungry right now. [SnackKing]: someone get me food asap [Foodie_99]: that animation is god tier.

Curious to learn more, Roric walked his character around the back of the canteen to talk to the Meowscular Chef directly.

A bold text box popped up on the screen. The chef slammed a paw on the table. "Let me tell you what this canteen is all about: gains! Health, sta-mew-na, WHATEVER! MAX! GAINS!!"

Roric burst out laughing, clapping his hands together.

The chat instantly followed his lead. The entire scrolling feed became a blinding wall repeating the exact same words over and over.

[GymBro]: MAX GAINS [Iron_Fist]: GAINS [ProteinPowder]: MAX GAINS

Roric wiped a tear from his eye and looked directly into the camera. "Okay, whatever happens to the actual main story, I need to gain this cat's absolute respect. I need to earn those gains, chat."

With its incredibly memorable characters, a massive variety of weapons, and fresh, hilarious dialogue, Monster Hunter was rapidly carving away soon-to-be loyal players and cementing them directly into its growing fandom.

…

Back inside the Round Table Studio headquarters, Arthur stood by in the main operations center, keeping a close eye on the multiplayer networks that were about to face a massive incoming surge. Waves of players were finishing their opening tutorial hunts and pouring into the online infrastructure.

Faint, glowing system notifications had flickered in the corner of his peripheral vision the second Monster Hunter went live, signaling that a brand new profile and banner had been generated. Arthur deliberately pushed the notifications aside. This was hardly the time to check personal rewards, so he left the system panel firmly closed.

Bem leaned forward over the central monitoring console, his fingers resting lightly against the edge of the desk. "Alright, this is it, guys."

The telemetry boards began to tick upward rapidly. Tens of thousands, then hundreds of thousands of players trickled into the multiplayer server clusters. Every single technical engineer in the room unconsciously held their breath.

Unlike the technical constraints of his past life, this version of Monster Hunter supported multiplayer outside of active hunts. Players were able to group up and freely interact with their friends directly inside shared gathering hubs. The studio had chosen to avoid sprawling public open lobbies for now, keeping instances restricted to private friend groups until the Clarent network architecture matured further.

Logan tapped his console, scrolling through the real-time load distribution graphs. A wide grin began to tug at the corners of his mouth. "I think the Clarent OS cleared it, everyone. The neural routing and physics calculations are barely putting a dent in the core server load."

A quiet, collective wave of relief washed through the development bullpen.

Arthur threw his hands into the air, a bright laugh breaking the tension in the room. "This is it! We have actually done it!"

Monster Hunter was officially live across the galaxy. The RTS team spent the remainder of the afternoon monitoring the data pipelines, squashing minor latency spikes, and making sure no catastrophic crashes disrupted the launch day momentum.

By the time the twin suns of Friton dipped low beneath the horizon, Dorian finally returned home to the Kepler estate.

He kicked off his boots in the quiet hallway, trudged into his bedroom, and slumped face-first onto the mattress. Letting out a long, exhausted groan, he rolled onto his back and finally willed his System interface to open.

A sleek, translucent blue window hovered in the air before him.

A brand new entry had slotted neatly into his profile registry: [Sapphire Star Hunter].

Directly beside it, a golden tab pulsed with energy. Dorian tapped the banner section to inspect the gacha requirements, only for the numbers to hit him with such force that his breath caught in his throat. He tried to sit up, staring at the glowing text in utter disbelief.

[Monster Hunter Banner]1 Pull: 10,000 Resonance Points10 Pulls: 100,000 Resonance Points100 Pulls: 1,000,000 Resonance Points

Dorian let out a soft, defeated curse and collapsed backward onto the pillows.

"This system genuinely despises me," he muttered toward the ceiling. The astronomical pricing made his previous investments into Stardew Valley and Sky look like pocket change.

Shaking his head, he swiped back to his profile list, selected [Sapphire Star Hunter], and tapped equip.

A brief shimmer of warm light washed over his frame. When the glow faded, Dorian found himself wearing the rugged, stitched leather armor and belt pouches belonging to a rookie Commission hunter. He raised his hands, turning his arms over to inspect his skin. His skin tone, build, and facial structure had shifted to match the custom hunter avatar he had designed during the studio playtests.

At the very least, having an entirely different physical appearance gave him another viable disguise to use whenever he needed to operate outside his civilian identity.

A quiet, rhythmic purring sound suddenly vibrated against the bedspread right beside his hip.

Dorian glanced down, turned his head away, and instantly did a sharp double take.

Curled up comfortably on his sheets was a small, bipedal cat covered in calico patterned fur, wearing miniature leather armor and a tiny utility pouch.

"GAAHH!" Dorian yelled, scrambling backward so fast his shoulders slammed against the wooden headboard.

The commotion startled the small feline. In a split second of blur-like motion, the Palico sprang to its feet, drew a tiny iron blade from its back, and dropped into a razor-sharp combat stance, scanning the empty bedroom for an invisible ambush.

Dorian stared with wide eyes. "Levi?"

The Palico lowered its weapon, twitching its pointed ears as if recognizing the voice. It turned its large, expressive eyes toward Dorian, tilting its head in curious recognition.

It was Levi. This was the exact same Palico companion Dorian had spent twenty minutes designing during the internal game test.

Dorian just paused and stopped moving completely. He stared at the small creature on his bed. The Palico tilted its ear in response, its large feline eyes blinking slowly.

"Levi?" Dorian called out softly.

The Palico perked up immediately and offered a firm, confident nod.

Dorian slowly sat down on the edge of his mattress and leaned his head heavily onto his hands. He rubbed his eyes, trying to make sense of the situation. "Wha–what... how exactly is this happening?"

Levi simply offered a small shrug of his furry shoulders.

Dorian stood back up. From deep within his gut, he summoned his divine guide. "Athena!"

A shimmering light filled the corner of the room, and the Goddess of Wisdom manifested beside him. "You called upon me, creator," she said calmly, before her grey eyes scanned his new attire. "Oh, a new profile."

Dorian ignored the comment and simply pointed a finger at Levi.

"A Palico?" Athena observed.

Levi turned to the goddess and flashed a bright, welcoming smile.

Athena raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise. "And he can actually see me."

Dorian sat back down on his bed, his mind spinning. "This is incredibly confusing. I thought the established rule was that I cannot bring NPCs into the real world."

Athena kept her gaze locked on the small feline companion. "Well, he is clearly more than a simple NPC."

Dorian opened his eyes wide. "What do you mean?"

"I can see a distinct resonance within him," Athena explained, her tone turning analytical. "There is something significantly deeper about his existence, yet our working theory still holds true. Levi was created exactly alongside your character inside the game. In a highly unique way, both your hunter character and this Palico share one fated thread of existence."

Dorian frowned, thinking back to his earlier experiments. "Then what about my Stardew Valley profile? The game asked if I wanted a dog or a cat during the character customization phase."

"Perhaps a simple binary choice lacks the required detail," Athena theorized. "It is highly probable that selecting a pet is simply lacking the deep parity of creating a Palico from scratch at the exact same time as your main avatar."

Dorian let out a long sigh. "Maybe you are right." He tapped his system interface and completely unequipped the profile. His rugged leather armor dissolved, leaving him in his regular clothes. "Thank you for helping sort my thoughts, Athena."

As the goddess vanished and Dorian went back to being his true self, he looked down at the floor. He froze again. Levi was still standing right there, adjusting his tiny utility pouch.

"You are still here?" Dorian whispered.

…

The next morning, the Kepler household awoke to a very bizarre scene. John walked into the kitchen to grab his morning coffee and violently flinched. Standing firmly on two legs by the stove was a massive cat, expertly cooking a pan of eggs.

"Meow," Levi chirped warmly.

John blinked several times. "Hi..."

Dorian shuffled into the kitchen a moment later, rubbing his dark, heavy eyebags. "Oh, good morning, Dad. This is Levi. Levi, this is my Dad."

John looked at his son, noticing the sheer exhaustion on his face. "Did you manage to sleep at all?"

"No," Dorian groaned, leaning against the counter. "Anyway, he is going to start helping me and the rest of us around the house."

Leo, the small metallic compadre, hovered aggressively beside Levi. "I absolutely refuse to respect this sudden intrusion," the AI stated in a highly offended tone.

Dorian just shook his head as he watched his high-tech assistant become completely jealous of a cat. To add to the morning absurdity, Articuno was resting comfortably in the corner of the kitchen, eating a bowl of premium feed in total peace while Levi gently stroked the legendary bird's frosty head.

Dorian could hardly process it right now. His life became exponentially stranger by the day.

John slowly recovered from his shock. He walked over to the stove and watched the Palico handle the spatula. "You are an incredibly good cook," John praised. "However, you know you can use these to make your cooking much more efficient."

John reached over and began to instruct Levi on the various futuristic kitchen tech and automated gadgets scattered around the counters, showing the attentive feline exactly how to make the cooking process easier.

Dorian watched them from the doorway and smiled softly. At the very least, his father finally got a reliable sous-chef for a while.