NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1
If I had known it would be like this, I would have created a different character.
No, at the very least, I wouldn’t have included narcolepsy.
…It’s too late to regret it now.
Taking a step forward again. Without stopping.
*
A famous JRPG company has released a new title.
The game’s name is [Four Seasons 2], and while they said it inherits the predecessor, the Four Seasons series, it was a completely different game.
Originally dedicated to the traditional fantasy genre, they suddenly decided to make a futuristic backdrop game, totally messing it up and just saying, “Well, there was a great cataclysm, so the world has been reset.”
They also ventured into online gaming and had some success, but controversies regarding specific ideologies erupted in the sequel.
Yeah. They failed.
In the end, they decided to develop what they were best at, and this game was the result.
With the company’s last life on the line, they put all their capital and technology into it. Failure would mean bankruptcy, success would mean revolution.
It’s understandable how desperate they were when the company president himself appeared and said he mortgaged his own house to fund it.
‘…But why is it an open-world TRPG?’
I wasn’t exactly dissatisfied with the game.
I had a huge affection for this series, and while I wasn’t a hardcore fan, I had played through it several times.
Even though I mentioned multiple playthroughs, I had only completed 3 playthroughs. My playtime just crossed over 100 hours… it was a bit ambiguous to be called a hardcore fan.
‘But that’s all from the predecessor’s story.’
The genre had changed from the beginning.
I didn’t like playing a TRPG based on dice and luck.
Games based on TRPGs have rarely succeeded, so I instinctively felt repulsed.
They could have just made a turn-based JRPG, which they excel at. Why take this gamble?
…Yeah. I could complain endlessly, but I was one of the many frustrated pre-order buyers.
Now that I had opened my wallet, I had to hit the play button.
‘I used to make combat-focused characters… but in TRPG, charisma is important, huh?’
Since the sequel had returned to a different genre that I loved, I studied the genre thoroughly.
–
TRPG.
A game where decisions are determined by rolling dice.
Originally played on a table with a narrator, it’s a genre closer to tabletop games than video games.
It features an exceptionally high degree of freedom.
Players create their own character sheets and set the character’s background and appearance.
Starting from specialties, hobbies, and preferences to detailed settings, being able to decide everything is incredibly appealing. But overly excessive settings are usually curbed by the narrator.
There are various choices available to avoid combat, so collaborative play is encouraged, and having diverse companions is advantageous.
–
‘…Should I try something different this time?’
To be honest, I had already seen endings with characters like mages, warriors, and priests.
I didn’t want to choose the same jobs in the sequel.
‘For now, since it’s a single-player game.’
From the game description and trailer, it seemed other companions could be recruited freely, and I didn’t have to stick to just one character, so I could potentially change later on.
For now, I initiated the game.
With a pounding heart, I pressed play, and as it loaded, a magnificent BGM filled the air.
*
[Four Seasons 2: After the Four Seasons]
*
[New Game]
[Options]
[System]
[Exit]
*
With a warm and familiar interface, I clicked [New Game].
‘Starting with character creation, I suppose?’
The familiar interface that anyone who has played the game would recognize appeared.
It was a blank status screen, nothing filled in.
To be honest, I didn’t quite understand.
‘These guys… always leave the status screen empty and don’t show quest indications or let you allocate status points. Why even include it?’
–
[Character Name:]
[Age:]
[Gender:]
–
[Current Status]
[Strength: 1]
[Intelligence: 1]
[Skill: 1]
[Charm: 1]
[Health: 1]
[Charisma: 1]
–
‘Let’s start with gender, then.’
Due to political correctness, the moment I clicked on gender, a list with over 12 options rolled out.
I quickly closed my eyes and clicked on female to confirm.
In games, female characters are the norm. If you disagree, I’ll take you down.
‘Age… just a bit past adulthood.’
If I chose a minor, I felt there would be lots of restrictions, and if I made an old character, the reason for picking a female would disappear.
‘Character name…’
When deciding on a name for a character in a game, I had to be cautious.
Nothing clearly came to mind, but could I use names from the previous protagonists?
Just to check, I tried names like ■■■ and ■■, but all returned messages that those names were not allowed. Disappointing.
‘Okay, I’ve decided.’
[Character Name: Selina]
Satisfied with the choice, I hit the confirm button.
Now all that was left was to pick traits.
Traditionally in this game, when creating a character, it’s not about distributing status points directly but rather completing the character indirectly by combining negative and positive traits.
‘For example, since I currently have 0 points… I can earn points through negative traits and use them to buy positive traits.’
So, the traits I completed are as follows:
–
– Positive Traits
[Silver Tongue (-6)] [Cooking (-6)] [Traveler (-6)] [Beauty (-4)] [Enchanting Eyes{Hidden}{Late Bloomer} (-30)]
– Negative Traits
[Coward (+2)] [Clumsy Habit (+4)] [Sickly (+6)] [Underweight (+6)] [Poor Stamina (+6)] [Thin Skin (+8)] [Narcolepsy (+20)]
–
In summary, it was a build that put everything into charisma and charm.
With Silver Tongue, my charisma level would rise.
Beauty would elevate my charm level.
Enchanting Eyes would increase both my charisma and charm levels.
Even took care of the late game.
Late Bloomer and Hidden sounds promising.
With Traveler and Cooking, I’d at least have survival skills and experiential knowledge for long journeys.
‘If I count… charisma +9, charm +7. I also picked up knowledge for gathering herbs and food.’
I was disappointed I couldn’t reach level 10 in charm, but still, this was decent.
As long as I could make the character look pretty.
‘The problem is the negative traits.’
I created them, but they seem a bit excessive…
Being sickly means I tire easily with just a little movement, and being underweight means I can’t really gain weight or muscle.
To top it off, I have poor stamina, so I get tired even faster.
And narcolepsy? If I suddenly fall asleep in combat, isn’t that instant death?
‘It’s written that falling asleep won’t put me in danger, but it is still a game, so it’ll probably just cut to a black screen for loading and that’ll be that?’
If I pick up insomnia as a curse midway, that should be fine.
It’s a game, after all!
Having cowardice and clumsiness isn’t too bad, but I should be careful with thin skin when passing through forests and bushes.
Scraped wounds can be extremely dangerous in a medieval setting.
‘As a result… it seems I have to choose bard as my profession.’
–
[Strength: 0 (-3)]
[Intelligence: 2]
[Skill: 2]
[Charm: 8]
[Health: 0 (-5)]
[Charisma: 10]
–
I saw on the wiki that the average status for a passing citizen NPC ranges from 3 to 5.
This is just pitiful.
With statuses reduced like this, during gameplay, I would have to build up proficiency or rely on rare gear that gives bonus status points to clear it up.
Looks like the early game is going to be a bit annoying.
‘Now… time to customize my character.’
I immediately got to work.
.
.
.
It’s done.
‘I finished earlier than before.’
When I checked, around 5 hours had passed since I first started the game.
Looking at my carefully crafted masterpiece, I wore a satisfied smile. I created it, but it was a perfect sculpture.
‘It’s a shame my eye color is fixed pink.’
Isn’t that kind of the charm, though?
Because of the trait “Enchanting Eyes,” the eye color stayed a light pink and wouldn’t change, making the process more challenging.
Using the thin skin trait, I achieved a transparent and pale complexion, and due to the sickly and underweight traits, I was able to create a flawless body without any muscle.
I didn’t expect these elements to be present… this is too good.
Still, I couldn’t compromise on the chest and hips, so I slightly adjusted the skeleton.
Of course, my default equipment was a six-string lute for bards, and I chose an outfit of black and white, which I liked.
A white shirt and a black skirt, topped with a black cloak, tied with a ribbon around the shirt, and finally finished with a medieval corset to emphasize the waist.
I made it, but it looks amazing.
After admiring the cute pose and movement for a while… I finally selected a voice and background.
I chose a lively and energetic young voice.
For the background, I just picked something randomly. It didn’t seem too important.
–
A bard who grew up in the countryside of the Empire, loves adventure tales, and casually registered at the guild as a newcomer! The goal is to head to the capital of the Empire.
–
I wrote just this much for the background story.
‘But will this even influence the story?’
To be honest, my faith in generative AI is not very high.
Last time it just rambled on. Well… they must be confident to have included it as a game function, right?
I gently pressed the play button.
The white light from the monitor flashed, and everything went dark in front of me.
*
“…Huh?”
With an incongruous voice.
I opened my eyes in a strange space.