NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1
Idle game. It refers to games that automatically generate resources without any special controls.
Also known as a nurturing limitation game. The main characteristic is that players don’t have to do anything, and even if they need to manipulate something, the game is designed to minimize player involvement, consisting mainly of pre-planned strategies and occasional taps during gameplay, which is exactly what an idle game is.
“……”
With a sigh, I looked up at the sky with a vacant gaze.
The sky had turned dark, like it was filled with storm clouds; the ground became damp with rain, and buildings made from a mix of trees and bricks gave off a clear medieval vibe.
‘Who am I explaining this to…?’
A faint smoke was seeping out from a chimney. Scratching the back of my head, I blankly stared at it. My name is Lee Sun-woo.
[!]
An ominous warning echoed in the air.
Swallowing hard, I quickly reached out towards the void.
[ Status Window ]
The faint sensation reaching my hand must have had something written there:
======
Status Window
Name: Keyal Kralin
Race: Half-beast Tribe
Age: 24
Nickname: Commander
SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1WkZTa0hILzFPT2NrMVZuQjN1L3JXeDlDUDFLUGUreVR3d0FZL0M2K0FxVQ
Adventurer Rank: Class 1
======
Skills
Rebirth: Rank C+
Prideful Fallacy: Rank F-
Command: Rank S-
System Correction: Rank A+
Demon Army: A+
Demon Traits: B-
Demon Magic: C+
======
Stats
Strength: 20
Endurance: 17
Agility: 19
Regeneration: 20 +2
Magic Power: 9
Malice: 20 +10
I lazily skimmed through the written lines and snapped my hand away from the void.
Hoping no one would look at me weirdly, I rubbed my arms and glanced around.
Fortunately, it seemed the status window was only visible to me, as the residents around didn’t pay me any heed.
Letting out a sigh of relief, I plopped down on the street as if I had lost my mind.
The sudden appearance of the status window, the village set against a medieval backdrop, and lastly, the all-too-familiar nickname, Keyal Kralin, was something I distinctly remembered.
No, I couldn’t forget it.
‘This was definitely the character nickname I used in ‘TBG Heroes’.’
‘TBG Heroes’ is a turn-based strategy mobile idle hero development RPG, or, to put it simply, a common idle harem game where you gather resources and level up characters.
At a glance, the words might sound grand, but it’s just another typical idle mobile game. The gameplay is very simple.
You start by choosing a nickname and setting a guild emblem. After that, players form an adventurer party to raid dungeons, and after reaching level 50, they gain the right to create a guild.
Once creating a guild, you recruit and develop characters, referred to as ‘heroes’.
Since the guild’s maximum capacity is 0/10, that’s also the maximum number of heroes you can place for dungeon runs or raids, with a maximum of 0/5 heroes at a time.
Most people divide their heroes into two decks, one for upper-tier dungeons and the other for raids.
Note, the guild members included also counts the user, meaning one hero always gets left out… Hmm…
‘For now, the name Keyal and the trait of being a half-beast tribe; that’s a giveaway.’
I’ve been reincarnated as Keyal Kralin, the character from ‘TBG Heroes’, the game I enjoyed a year ago.
*
Before I could process why I was suddenly incarnated into the world of ‘TBG Heroes’, which had shut down service a year ago, I leaned against a wall and shook off the dust before standing up.
I then gazed at the aged tile-roofed house behind me, its dirty window looking like it would shatter at any moment if not replaced.
The hazy window showed a blurry but distinctly youthful face, undoubtedly that of a pretty boy.
‘Ah, that’s now my face.’
I was indeed bearing the visage of Keyal Kralin.
Keyal Kralin, the leader and captain of ‘Edric’ guild, was supposed to be in the midst of dungeons or raids with the heroes as the head of a ranked guild.
Gripping my disheveled hair out of frustration, I bit my lip. The half-beast tribe trait manifested as a fine stream of dark magical energy flowing from my torn pupils, visibly changing Lee Sun-woo into something other than human.
“Why… is an acclaimed adventurer like me in a town that seems only fit for a tutorial—”
[ Alarm! ]
In that moment, the status window chimed again. Words scrolled past my eyes, as if recounting what I had missed.
======
Keyal Kralin
The last survivor of the half-beast tribe, Keyal Kralin, was once the famous leader of the renowned guild ‘Edric’, known for overwhelming power. However, for some unknown reason, ‘Edric’ collapsed, and starting with Keyal as the captain, the heroes still remaining in the territory—‘Yeho’s Pharmacist,’ ‘Dragon Lord,’ ‘Sage of Wisdom,’ ‘Elf Queen,’ and ‘Vampire of Constraints’—vanished without a trace.
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Quest
Gather an adventurer party to find the missing heroes.
Will you accept the quest? [ Y/N ]
Re-establish the guild ‘Edric’ together with the missing heroes.
Will you accept the quest? [ Y/N ]
[ Beep beep! ]
======
Quest(?)
Please protect this world.
Will you accept the quest? [ Y/N ]
======
I let out a sigh without meaning to. I raised a finger towards the accept button for the quest, and upon clicking Yes, the vanished texts lingered in my mind,
‘Normally, you’d mention the rewards first, wouldn’t you?’
‘Even if it was a quest that stirred my interest, I’m wondering if I should take it or not. What’s this… never mind, don’t think about it.’
With a quick flick of my hand, the quest window closed. This time, the magical energy didn’t gather.
‘…..First, I should form a party, right?’
Suddenly thrown into this world to gather the abandoned heroes and re-establish a guild, it was a situation that could easily blow my top off, but Keyal felt differently.
‘Where’s the Adventurer Guild again?’
He found himself smiling. A light, fragile smile, as if he had reverted back to the innocent days of childhood.
*
Lee Sun-woo, aka Keyal Kralin, surprisingly accepted the current situation with nonchalance.
He wasn’t mentally broken, nor was he overly enthusiastic.
He just viewed the awkward situation he found himself in as rather amusing.
First, he had power.
With the traits of a half-beast tribe and a good amount of mana in his body, even if his affinity or aptitude was the worst, it didn’t really matter.
The base physical stats he possessed were enough to eclipse those of ordinary races.
Do I need to elaborate any more? And it wasn’t just his physical stats that were superior.
TBG Heroes had heroes.
And of course, these heroes naturally had statuses. This included the player as well, and statuses were capped at a level range of 1 to 20.
1 being the lowest, and 20 being the highest.
Naturally, with most of my stats nearing or even surpassing 20, I would be regarded as a formidable being in most mid-to-high tier worlds.
Of course, merely having high base stats didn’t ensure strength. The most crucial aspect was the traits one was born with.
Players in TBG Heroes, along with their heroes, each possessed their own unique traits.
These traits could start from ridiculously trivial to incredibly overpowered to a near-omnipotent level.
My trait allowed me to unleash the full extent of my half-beast powers, distinctly different from the mundane traits typical of half-beasts such as malice and resonance.
From creating undead to condensing magic into great magics like a grand spectacle, it allowed me to pull off some powerful feats.
Sure, the usage time was extremely brief, but the longer one sustained it, the more susceptible they became to being consumed by madness, losing their sanity.
In game mechanics, if I used magic-related skills for four turns, my allies and enemies would both be attacked, causing various troublesome situations in the game.
When I’d sometimes return victorious, I’d find the heroes losing their minds over my recklessness.
‘Sigh… I remember that.’
I smirked at the adverse memories that crept back into my consciousness.
In the past, I often wondered, ‘Where would I possibly use this awful trait?’
Yet now that it was reality, I realized there was no better skill that could flay squandering the food.
For now, it was a high-return high-risk type of ability. As long as I comprehend when the risks set in, it becomes incredibly easy to counter afterwards.
Because it was turn-based gaming, once I activated a trait, I had to exclusively use magic skills for the following turn anyway, causing my rampages.
Yet I didn’t necessarily have to stick to the turn-based format; once harnessing my demonic traits, my physical specs would rise naturally.
I wouldn’t have to limit myself to just magic; if I had to engage, I could sneak away right at the brink of a rampage or even just smash my enemies with my bare hands.
‘Well, I’ll have to see if that works out or not.’
And thus, I opened the door to Narhan Shop.
“… Who’s that guy?”
The burly men glaring at me looked as if they had just returned from the battlefield, their eyes glazed over with exhaustion.
“Is he a newbie…?”
All of them looked deflated or were bandaged up, some even missing limbs, while women bled, staring at me with hollow eyes.
The enchanting phrase representing the potential of a fantasy was rendered ironic in the face of the overwhelming scene of what seemed like heroes who had just returned from a brutal battlefield.
‘Oh boy, what a vibe.’