I reincarnated into a fantasy world.
The reason was absurd. I was watching an adult video, lost consciousness at the moment of climax, and when I woke up, I was in a fantasy world.
'No way... did I actually die while jerking off to a video?'
It was an unbelievable cause of death. How incredibly embarrassing.
After a brief moment of being stunned by the fact that I died while pleasuring myself, I began to adapt to the world I had dropped into. I was fifteen years old. An orphan with no father or mother. No siblings, either—just Max, a street rat wandering the back alleys in rags. That was my name.
Unfortunately, I didn't have any special isekai perks like a status window. Wait, I guess I had one. The fact that my talent for magic was overwhelmingly stronger than others. That single fact allowed me to live a life different from the rest.
"Is your father a Dragon by any chance?"
I was flustered for a moment by the mage's sudden "your-mom/dad" joke.
"I don't know who my father is," I replied nonchalantly.
"You have no parents?"
"None."
"I see. That must be why you've been wandering the back alleys despite possessing such powerful mana."
This old man... he just casually dropped another "your-mom" comment.
"…If it's alright with you, I'd like to take you with me. Will you come?"
Recognized for my talent by a passing mage, I followed him to a Magic Tower where I was able to learn magic.
"The basis of magic is offense. Killing the enemy is the root of magic."
Initially, I studied under the 'Blaster' school, a magic faction that worshipped only destruction and went all-in on offensive spells. This was because the mage who brought me, a man named Droken, was a professor of the Blaster school.
While learning the theories of offensive magic, I realized this was already a peaceful world without a Demon King, so I decided to stop.
'I've learned enough theory for the rest.'
Knowing basic attacks was sufficient.
Next was the 'Life Magic' school, which studied magic related to life and recovery more professionally than anyone else. However, I quit that too. I realized there was something called 'Divinity' which was far more efficient than life magic. If a priest can heal most wounds with a single prayer, what was the point of recovery magic?
Likewise, I learned all the theory and left. It was from then on that Droken began nagging me about my lack of persistence.
After that, I learned techniques at the 'Meister' school, a faction that established formulas for magical technology. Learning the incantations for creating magic tools in various ways was quite fun. Back in my previous life, I had worked as a developer, so I thought it might be my true calling.
It was around the time I had been learning for three years. After spending three years of my puberty in a fantasy world, I realized one thing.
"There is no 'material' in this world."
Specifically, an agonizing lack of it.
The Empire, along with most kingdoms established by humans, followed the Church of the Goddess of Light. The Church restricted all adult-related materials with terrifying severity.
—Sexually promiscuous behavior is the work of demons. DO NOT reveal or share your acts in public.
They didn't force celibacy on general believers, but they strictly forbade the sharing of "vulgar knowledge." Having sex was fine, but sharing it with others was not. What a ridiculous rule.
Well, I understood. Since magic existed, so did demons, and there were succubi and incubi who enchanted ordinary people through sexual charm alone. It was a world that believed in obscure superstitions, like the idea that a demon would manifest if you talked too much about lewd things.
Why else would hand-drawn erotica and sensory novels be the only permitted sexual entertainment in a world where you can take photos with magic?
'And even those are mostly for the purpose of sex education.'
I read one once, and it was so polite it made me yawn. To think they sit around drawing this stuff and calling it erotica. Having lived in the modern era, I had a very difficult and burdensome puberty. There's a limit to what you can do with just your imagination.
That was when I thought:
"I'll make the videos myself."
That's why I went to the 'Illusion' school. A faction that deceives and tricks others by showing them visions. Because it was famous for being the least practical, it was shunned by mages. It was so unpopular that a student only appeared about once every ten years.
You can't attack with it. It can't save anyone. It couldn't create practical items like the Meisters. And it didn't make much money like the shadow magic school 'Darkness' or the alchemy school 'Goldmoon.' Other schools had cool epithets highlighting their traits, but the Illusion school didn't even have that. Because no one had ever reached its ultimate mastery.
When I said I was going to the Illusion school, Droken—the man who brought me there—literally collapsed.
"Why, with that talent, would you want to go there?" the fallen Droken asked with a sigh.
"Because it seems fun."
"Illusion magic is useless. Go to Goldmoon instead. Or stay longer in Meister."
"No. I'm going to master the ultimate secret of Illusion magic."
...So that I can create videos that are indistinguishable from reality, which is my dream.
That's important, you know. Porn as real as reality? Wow, it's more real than VR!
My head was full of information. The countless genres of videos and manga I saw in the modern world. The magic tool manufacturing methods I learned for three years at Meister. If I combined these two well and applied them to Illusion magic, I could reproduce virtual reality porn that felt exactly like the real thing.
We fulfill your desires that cannot be experienced in reality.
Damn, even the introduction sounds amazing. Of course, I'd have to make them while dodging the eyes of the Church, but I thought it was entirely possible. Don't underestimate my experience using VPNs to watch stuff in Korea. This much is a piece of cake.
And so, I became obsessed with Illusion magic. For one reason and one reason only: self-sufficiency.
"It's done."
On the outskirts of the Imperial Capital. I brushed off my hands as I looked at a small shop built in a slightly secluded area.
Finally, I had finished it. The perfect illusion magic circle I had dreamed of and longed for. This entire shop was one giant magic circle. Inside, I engraved magic that could show customers any scene they desired.
It took me five whole years to make this. Four years to master Illusion magic. And one year to draw and configure the necessary magic circle with the magic I had mastered. Without the guidance of Meiko, my senior and teacher—and the only professor of Illusion magic—it would have taken three more years.
Of course, I couldn't show her this finished work. How could I tell her that the magic I spent five years laboring over was a magic circle designed to satisfy human lust?
Meiko was the only professor of the Illusion magic school, and she was two years younger than me. Yes, she was two years younger, yet she led an entire faction. Meiko was a so-called genius. A genius with talent so overwhelming it made mages like me look like ordinary people.
On top of that, she was a devout follower of the Goddess. A mage researching magic who is also a religious believer? It's a strange combination, but for her, it somehow made sense. A genius's mind is always hard for a commoner to understand.
If a devout believer like her found out the true identity of this device, she'd surely try to destroy it.
'I have to keep this a secret from my Master, if no one else.'
Will I tell Droken? Absolutely not. Why would I tell that old man who's been sulking ever since I didn't join his school after he brought me into the magic world?
"The inside is clean."
I said, looking around the shop. The Illusion Theater. The name, meaning "showing what you desire," was perfect. From now on, this would be the world's only VR experience center. Officially, of course, it wouldn't be for adult content, but a place to experience adventure and action.
'I don't even need customers.'
I could just enjoy it myself. I made it for my own pleasure anyway. I didn't want a bunch of people knowing and getting me arrested as a heretic.
Checking the magic circle one last time, I stood in the center.
"I should run a test to see if it's made properly, right?"
Testing before opening is a universal rule. Standing in the center of the magic circle, I stimulated the mana stone next to it to activate the spell.
"The scene will be… the last video I saw in my previous life."
The moment I finished speaking, the light from the magic circle flickered. Flash! The surrounding scenery changed. What filled the area was an ordinary Japanese home.
"It's been a while since I've been here."
It was a nostalgic sight. Considering the many videos I had relied on, this architectural style was more familiar to me than a Korean house.
"It's much more real than I thought?"
The surrounding landscape, the sound of the wind, and even the texture against my feet as I walked on the tatami mats. It felt much more real than I had initially planned. I thought the original floor of the shop was made of oak, but now I could feel the texture of bamboo tatami.
"It's just like the real thing."
I had watched VR porn before, but this was way more realistic. It was several times more real than what I felt when I first saw a VR video. No, "real" wasn't even the right word.
'This IS real.'
Even the texture of the wallpaper was the same.
"I implemented it perfectly. I succeeded."
The quality of Illusion magic depends on how much information you have about reality. This is because the illusion is constructed based on information known to the caster. No matter how realistic an illusion is, if the caster perceives the information incorrectly, the illusion can often be easily broken—like throwing a rock but feeling an impact like cotton. The receiver must feel it as if it's real. This determines the level of Illusion magic.
Of course, it doesn't have to be 100% identical. Visual elements compensate. 50%... or even 30% similarity is enough to make it feel the same. I worked quite hard to find the data.
While I was admiring the work...
"Max, you were here."
I heard a familiar voice. I turned my head, and there stood the very person who had thrown me into this other world. A famous Japanese actress who had once held an overwhelming number one spot in the AV rankings.
Nanako.
The masterpiece called "A Fresh and Secret Night with a Childhood Friend." That work was the culprit that sent me to this world. Yes. I died while having an explosive session while watching this.
"I've been looking for you."
She hugged me. When those soft breasts touched my body, I let out a gasp without realizing it.
"Ah."
So soft. Truly soft. This... this is what a real chest feels like.
That was a wild transition! It looks like Max has successfully bridged the gap between modern technology and magic. Would you like me to translate more of his "testing" phase, or should we see what happens when a real person accidentally walks into his shop?