NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: Oh, Happy Day! (5)
Welcome, savior of the world.
“Sigh… It’s been a while.”
A completely white space with nothing but a black blob floating in the air. This is the womb of all GG players: the character creation area.
- Noru_is_druig : It’s been a while since I’ve seen this place too. That reminds me, I haven’t seen many people start new accounts these days. Wasn’t there a whole lot just a few years ago?
- Guns_N_Blood : Theyre probably all dead. It’s more reasonable to assume someone’s dead in the wastelands if they dip for over a year.
- Speedwagon : If you think about the effects GG has on reality, the game will probably have a big effect on players once their characters die in-game. Don’t think I need to explain what happened to the streamers that played hardcore missions to grind characters.
These guys… You do know that I’m about to become one of those streamers, right?
“Yeah yeah, thank you verrry much for scaring the person about to start the game, my lovely viewers.”
- Soygaybar : Aw~ that so cheesy
- korekorekorekore : Are you sure this guy is a noob? I was a lil curious so I used a hacking tool and his setup is perfect.
- Nutriagena : That’s freaking illegal. Oh, right, this is the wastelands…
- Soygaybar : What about his cam! Did you hack that too?
- korekorekorekore : There was a firewall. I’m telling you, he isn’t a noob.
Of course, I set a firewall. I had an incident back in the day precisely because of that.
I enjoyed the feeling of my body’s senses merging with the pod as I unmuted my mic.
“Haha, like kore said, this isn’t my first time streaming. I was a streamer just a little bit a few years ago. And next time you do s— like that, you’re getting kicked, so please take that into consideration.”
- korekorekorekore : Imagine a streamer with 30 viewers kicking someone lol
+ player ‘korekorekorekore’ was kicked from the chatroom.
+ player ‘korekorekorekore’ has entered the chatroom.
- korekorekorekore : sowwy
- professor : dd
I was already getting a headache. Wow, these guys are a pain in the butt. It’s like sitting on a traffic cone.
And those guys don’t even stop, no matter what you tell them. You just have to warn them like this and hope the chatroom keeps them in check. I’m counting on you, Speedwagon!
After checking if the sensory sync was completed, I opened the text box blinking in the corner.
Do you want to start with your original character?
“No.”
Will you create a new character? 500,000 Shillings is required to create a new character, and the previous character will be deleted.
“Create Character.”
The red-blinking warning message made me hesitate for a moment. At the times when each day felt like hell, this character was the one I ground to escape from the harsh reality. A small shard of memory from the days when I streamed diligently in hopes of supporting the family. Thanks to that, I wasn’t a complete nobody back in the day.
While I was reminiscing about the good old days, the chatroom was going crazy once again…
- Nutriagena : What?? A World 2 70 percent purification account?
- korekorekorekore : This guy f—ing tricked us. ‘No money to run the generator’ my ass. He could get 50 thousand just by playing that for a day.
- Holli : Uh… is he really that good?
- Speedwagon :‘Prof Executioner’. Two-handed broadsword warrior player. Ranking No. 158 5 years ago, in the year 2052. A video of him executing the Lucinox Family of Ravalton ranked number 2 on trending. His streams weren’t super famous, but he had a steady fanbase.
- Jokass : The purification percentage of No. 1’s World 2 clear was 84%. And if he’s an Atlantic Warrior, he’s supposed to be the hero clan that gets killed off. Seeing that he executed his own family, you could see he was trying to aim for a world clear seed. You could have earned 2 million Shilling just from selling that account.
- Holli : Then….. why didn’t he play that character and sign such an unfair contract……
- Guns_N_Blood : He must have his reasons.
- Soygaybar : He must have his reasons.
- Nutiragena : He must have his reasons.
- Jokass : Hey miss, the number one rule of the Community is ‘Don’t pry into someone else’s personal life.’ You got it? The world is a hellhole. There isn’t anyone here that doesn’t have some crazy backstory of their own. If there’s something that doesn’t make sense, just assume ‘There must be some reason,’ and leave it alone. Okay?
- Guns_N_Blood : Ah, the sad truth. There is none that die without a story, and none that don’t have a near-death experience.
- Holli : Okay…. Sorry.
- Soygaybar : Woahhh, she apologized. This is the first time I’ve seen someone apologize like that in the community.
- korekorekorekore : Woahhhh…..
- Highwaynachoman : Such a rare specimen…..
- Holli : Ew.
Thankfully, it looks like they settled it down on their own. Although everyone is a crazy bastard on the outside, they’re all nice people! Look at this, keeping the people in check!
Well, I’m streaming right now, and if I don’t start doing something soon, everyone’s going to leave. I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed the “Yes” button on the red window.
- Ding!
Character has been deleted. Creating a new character.
- Soygaybar : He really deleted it.
- Numb3rtree : What was the reason that made him do it…..
- 朝樂氣多際 : Men really like to do it don’t they
- takealook : What the heck.
- Jokass : Shhhhh! It’s starting!
The black floating blob slowly glided toward me, then spread out into a bold list of letters.
+ Race
+ Gender
+ Appearance
+ Age
+ Start Area
+ Title
+ Traits
There was a big difference in GG compared to the other games. The system barely interfered with the gameplay. There was no level system, and the quests were just records of the things you listened to. They don’t properly display the map, time, and player condition. Since there was no level system, there was no stat system, either, so naturally, it became incredibly hard to increase your stats. Instead, the traits took over a big part of what stats did, but it was still agreed that ‘leveling up’ characters was very difficult.
- Soygaybar : Oy professor, you ready?
“I don’t know. F**k.”
500 thousand. It was an account worth 500 thousand Shillings. Usually, people take a minimum of a day to a few weeks to make their character. That’s natural since the character greatly impacts the gameplay, and failing means 500 thousand down the drain.
- Noru_is_druig : For the content, lemme ask you something. Do you have any appearances and traits?
“Of course I do. I was somewhat of a ranker, you know. I want a warrior set, so…. ‘Determination’, ‘Blue Heart’, ‘Experienced Veteran’, ‘Puberty’, that’s about it.”
- Noru_is_druig : Wow, so you’re going to take all the good ones. Experienced Vet and Puberty at once. A youthly veteran.
- Highwaynachoman : Isn’t blue heart a shield warrior trait, though? I was looking through the community and prof was a broadsword warrior no?
- Mukaba : Broadsword warriors see a lot of blood, so you need a cold-hearted trait like Blue Heart unless you want a berserker.
- Highwaynachoman : Who are you?
- Mukaba :
New viewer.- Highwaynachoman : Hello.
- Mukaba : Hello
They weren’t wrong. This game has been out for a while, meaning the ideal trait combinations are already studied. As they said, you need ‘Blue Heart’ if you don’t want to make a character with bloodlust, and ‘Determination’ is a trait that makes the player’s mentality stronger, so they don’t go mad.
- Soygaybar : Oy prof, we know your crazy unrealistic dreams now. Let’s start rolling.
- professor : hwack tu.
Of course, it’s all just a dream. The thing I’m going to play is a trash all-random character.
“….Of course, whatever you wish, Mr. Sponsor! Now, everyone! All random one select trait!”
I pressed the [Realistic Mode] and [Randomize All] buttons on the bottom corner of the customization screen.
Ding-!
[Warning : Realistic mode is not just a more realistic experience. The player and character’s senses are 100% linked, and the Gedroits Company does not hold any responsibility for the mental and/or physical damage received. Do you wish to continue?]
▶ Yes
▷ No
That’s one ominous warning.
“YES”
Agreement confirmed. — Realistic Mode / Randomize All — Game Start.
Trgggggk-!
The letters started to spin like roulette the second I pressed the button. It slowed down, beginning with the first trait, Race.
- Jokass : Drumroll……
- Holli : Elf! I want to see an elf!
- Soygaybar : tag : horseman
- Highwaynachoman : Why do all of these guys like horsemen?
- Soygaybar : Horse hybrids need special underwear or else you see that big horse thing.
- Highwaynachoman : Wow
- Mukaba : Info / Even now, the top pick for 18+ streams are horse hybrids.
Click!
▶ Race : [Human]
▶ Gender : [Male]
“Yes!!!”
- Soygaybar : Noooooooooo!!!!!
- Jokass : Booring.
- Soygaybar : He didn’t even get trans!
- Noru_is_druig : Soybar has some bad rng.
- Speedwagon : It’s more likely that professor was praying until his hands and knees were skinned.
- Guns_N_Blood : Soybar didn’t pray enough.
I don’t care if it’s boring. Human is always good. It’s actually a 70% chance you get Human when you do a random roll, and the main population of the world is humans, so you get much more events as a human compared to other races. Above anything else, the ranked players alllll the way up there all use humans, so it’s easier to sell good items. And gender, well, I’m a guy.
Next.
Trgggggk—
Click!
▶ Age : [Puberty. Age 20.]
▶ Appearance : [Selected(Giant/Muscular/Ugly/Tough)]
“Oh?”
- Jokass : That’s not terrible
- Speedwagon : Looks are a little eh, but he’ll definitely be useful.
- Soygaybar : Hey! Cancel this! This is unfair!
The character that appeared before me was the dictionary definition of a warrior. A considerable physique of 190 cm with massive shoulders, mountainous pecs, and a back like a vast ocean! He’s still 191—meaning he can still grow more than this!
In GG, appearance is basically another stat. If you start with a muscular character, you have high basic strength and muscular potential. Skinny characters have high agility, and weak-looking characters have low max health. And if you’re good-looking, you have better relationships and social stats with the NPCs and a higher chance of being praised as a hero, even with the same quest. Unfortunately, this character has sharp eyes, a bushy beard, and a square face, so he won’t have an attractive bonus, but as a warrior, there is nothing more I could ask for.
- Jokass : It feels like something big is happening
- Numb3rtree : At this rate…. What if?
- Soygaybar : Reeeeeee! Shut up! You’ll jinx it!
“Yes, yes, please, let’s keep this pace going! Please!”
This pace needs to continue.
Next.
Trgggggk-
Click!
▶ Start Area : [World 3 / Random]
▶ Title : [Son of a Fallen Knight Family]
“…No way.”
- Soygaybar : Bang punch crack! (Table throwing sounds)
- Jokass : This is crazy.
- Mukaba : This isn’t some boring account anymore.
- 朝樂氣多際 : Fake! Scripted!
“….Hey, is this what I think it is?”
- Speedwagon : Mhm. It fits the criteria.
With my shaky hand, I used Koduro’s screen panel to view the gallery. Of the many posts, there was a post at the very top from ranked No.1, ‘Rabbit Princess’.
Hello! Rabbit here! So I was pushing through World 4, but I don’t think it’s going to work out!
I think Qianliu, that old man, gave me a fake clear seed, so I’m just going to clear World 3 myself before starting World 4! So! I have personally written this post!
The requirements are simple! If you happen to get a World 3 character with ‘Youth’/’Puberty’ that can become a ‘Cold-Hearted Avenger’, I’m looking to buy them! I plan on buying as many as possible, so contact me if you get something along those lines! Don’t waste it by playing it yourself!
Please message me on my ID! I’ll buy it at the best price!
- Rabbit Princess -
Usually, the player can choose 3 of the customizable traits when making a character, then everything else, like I’m doing right now, is randomized. Usually, they choose Starting Area for the World Clear Seed, 1 or 2 for Traits, or 1 for Race, and everything else is random.
So that meant that what the character ranked No.1 over there wanted was pretty rare, and that rarity meant it had a high selling price.
“D—does anyone know… what the [Son of a Fallen Knight Family] can become?”
- Speedwagon : Loyal Knight / Buried Knight / Broken Demon Sword / It’s a good title, so almost all knight types are included. And Cold-Hearted Avenger is included as well. That’s what you wanted to know, right?
- Soygaybar :
Ahaofheiuojifasd.kfjaeuifhuaqo;fhie(@)!(@)#(- Highwaynachoman : Soybar, you know you’ll be an idiot if you ruin this, right? If this character gets perfect stats, then prof can pay you back and have left over.
- Soygaybar : @(!()$([email protected]()@!$%
- Holli : Maybe you should have been nicer ^^
- Soygaybar : It’s okay…. There’re still traits! If everything’s screwed there, it’s all useless!
- Jokass : True.
Yeah, it’s not time to celebrate just yet. But a person’s heart can’t just…… calm down like that. It’s like I’m one number away from getting the jackpot lottery ticket.
“No, no! Calm down, Gyosu! Don’t get excited yet! Deep breaths…..”
“Master, your hands are shaking.”
“It’s because I’m cold. The cold! Mhm!”
Trggkck-
The following roulette started to slow while I was talking with Koduro. The most important: [Trait] roulette. You can get a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 6 random traits.
Click-! Ding!
+ Trait 1 : [Curiosity]
You are greatly interested in this new world. Skill-developing speed is increased.
“Woah!”
That’s good.
Click! Click!
+ Trait 2 : [Magical Aptitude]
You can feel an unknown aura. Positive effect to magic-related development.
+ Trait 3 : [Sparkling Eyes]
The world looks a little more beautiful in your eyes. Bonus effect to art-related activities.
“Woahhhh!!!!”
I don’t care anymore. Get the champagne.
- Soygaybar : I….wanna… go home….
- Mukaba : It’s a deck pick! It’s a deck pick! It’s a deck pick!
- korekorekorekore : Bogdanof, he….. has done it!
- Jokass : professor is a god! professor is a god! professor is a god! professor is a god! professor is a god!
- Highwaynachoman : This is crazy.
Like the inside of my mind, everyone except one person was celebrating.
- Speedwagon : All-rounder trait. It’s a skill development trait, so it’s a must-have for magic types. You could make them a normal knight or a mage knight. In a word, OP. Even if you consider the art trait as trash, this is really not bad.
There is nothing better I could ask for than this! If I sell this, it’s 1.5 million. No, if I auction this to the rankers, I could get up to 2 million! Thank you, God! Thank you, ancestors! Thank you, Buddha!
The world of gambling was a cold and harsh one. I put on a winner’s smile as I tried to comfort my sponsor.
“Huhuhuhu. Well, things turned out this way. Ah, this is a shame. I really~ want to play with this account, but our humanity’s technology depends on clearing GG. Everyone knows that, right? If you clear GG, they send you the coordinates to the GG headquarters. It’s a treasure box filled with the top-tier technology of the old era, and this is the key to that place!”
- Soygaybar : Sniff, sniffle, this can’t be….
“Huhuhu, now that that’s happened….”
I was in a happy daydream when I heard a sound I didn’t want to hear.
Trrrgrk-!!
“Uh……”
No. Please stop. It’s already enough.
- korekorekorekore : Huh? It’s still spinning?
- Soygaybar : Come on! Come on! Come on!
The random trait pull was not done yet.
Trrrrrrk-! Click!
+ Trait 4 : [Glass Body]
You have received critical damage while running from the family’s enemies. The body’s maximum durability is set to ‘90’.
+ Trait 5 : [Honorary Soul]
You have inherited your father’s nature. Your choices are automatically set to ‘Honor’ in certain scenarios.
“Ah….”
God. Did you hate me that much?
The situation turned upside down in one instant.
- korekorekorekore : Bang! (Sound of character dying)
- Jokass : Bang! (Sound of professor dying)
* Soygaybar has donated 70 Shilling!
- Soygaybar : LMAOOOOOOOOOO What to do now? You were making this entire speech about the greater good. Now look at you! LOLLLLLLL
I wonder if this is what falling down from heaven feels like.
“I–iiiiisn’t there a w–way to use… this?”
- Speedwagon : It’s too hard for glass body. Development restriction traits are a real landmine, so if you step on one, it’s better to start over. Or you could go get blessed at Rohendel to get rid of a trait.
“Oh! Yeah that’s it! If I can get rid of Glass Body, it’s still a Tier-1 character! If I just run towards Rohendel after I start I should be able to sell…..”
- Speedwagon : Archbishop’s Blessing – Minimum 9 million Shilling. Depending on social stat, it might cost more.
“GOODNESS F—ING SAKES!!!!!”
- Mukaba : Trait 5 is a problem too. If you could only choose honor choices, then you can’t get ‘Cold-Blooded Avenger’. You’re just screwed.
- Jokass : Well, this is normal for randomization.
The world darkened around me. I couldn’t hear what they were saying in the chatroom. Goodbye, my storage is full of 100-gallon gasoline barrels. Goodbye, sand vacuum for Wasteland survivors. There’s no way I’ll see you guys now.
While I was crossing off the ‘1.3 Mil Wishlist’ in my mind with teary eyes, the sponsor of my account was back up on his feet.
- Soygaybar : LOLLLL then he’s 100 percent screwed already right? It’s okay if I ruin it more, right?
- Speedwagon : Mhm. He can’t sell it at all because of the honor, and he can’t be a warrior because of the glass body. The only way to save it would be a mage type. He could cover himself with shields.
- Soygaybar : Niiiiice!!!! Oy professor, can you hear me? I’m choosing a trait!
Right. He still had that.
With that announcement, the loud chatroom went silent. After what felt like a century, the trait that would decide my character’s fate popped up in the chatroom.
- Soygaybar : Trait 6 : [Weak Mentality]
.
.
.
.
.
- Jokass : Wow…. You genius sick bastard.
‘Weak Mentality. What was that again?’
+ Trait 6 : [Weak Mentality]
Your mind is absurdly weak. You are easily scared and can’t concentrate on one single thing.
“……Should I delete this?”
When I read the description of the trait, the last small dust of hope was blown far, far away.
Angel’s Corner
OMG!!! Hahahaha I really had fun editing this chapter. Their interactions are so fun to read, and his last traits made all the good classifications he got just went to nothingness. It was trashed. Poor prof. Soybar was really celebrating, though. Hahahahaha. Hmmm… How can our MC get through this??
The game system uses Korean age, but in this sentence, he used the widely used age calculation while talking/thinking. ️