NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2 - Walking Death Flag
Scene 002: Walking Death Flag
A week had passed.
At this point, I could no longer deny it.
“This is really happening, isn’t it…”
I stood in front of the mirror, staring back at me was a fat man with a cold expression.
Tristan Ruelberta.
The NPC from the game I became a week ago.
If he had been just another ordinary NPC, maybe I wouldn’t feel so miserable. But according to the game’s lore, Tristan Ruelberta is one of the worst villains of all—greedy, selfish, and concerned solely with his survival. A total scumbag.
I could deal with that.
Who wouldn’t prioritize their safety?
But the real reason I despise him is something else.
—
Character Profile:
Name: Tristan Ruelberta
Age: 20
Occupation: Count of Ruelberta
Traits: Wealthy, Calculative, Pride, Greed, Envy, Wrath.
—
In the original setup, Traits are divine gifts that define a character’s essence—their abilities, personality, everything that makes them who they are. Blessings are not just mere blessings—characters with traits typically hold significant roles in the original work, while those without them often end up as minor or secondary figures.
In this context, Tristan stands out as a character of immense importance, possessing no fewer than six traits. If we consider only his influence on the story, it’s fair to say his impact was the greatest.
However, the problem lies in the traits he possesses: Pride, Greed, Envy, and Wrath.
You might have heard of them somewhere before, but these four are sins that belong to the Seven Deadly Sins. Tristan is someone who possesses no less than four of these sinful traits… In other words, he’s a born villain.
In the original story, Tristan is a villain through and through. He sells out his country to the players, who invade the world. Because of him, countless NPCs died brutal deaths. Just thinking about it makes my blood boil.
He’s like the Yi Wan-yong¹ of this world.
I could never forgive him… but now, I am him. haha
“Damn it.”
Sigh…
A week ago, I was reincarnated as a character in this game. And it was all because of my sister, who is the original creator of the game. Over the past week, I’ve been seriously contemplating the identity of my sister, who caused this unbelievable situation.
In fantasy novels, things like this are usually done by some divine being. Only an omnipotent god could possess the power to reincarnate someone into a game world. So, if you ask me whether my sister is a god… I can confidently say, absolutely not.
Honestly, if someone like my sister were a god, that would be a disaster. Without me looking after her, she’s completely incapable of taking care of herself. I left the house for a few days, and she survived on nothing but instant noodles for three meals a day.
If someone like her were a god, we’d all be doomed. Though given what she’s done to me, she might as well be one.
Of course, if you look at it from the perspective that an author is the creator of a world, then she is technically a god…
No, wait. Hey. But why did she do this to me, of all people? What did I ever fail to do for you as your brother?
If you can hear me, please answer! Sister! No, wait—God!
I spent the entire week locked in my room, screaming in frustration, but neither my sister nor any god answered me.
In the end, I had no choice but to accept this situation, despite my will.
The fact that I’m trapped inside this game.
And not just as anyone, but as the villainous pig of a count, Tristan.
Questions flooded my mind.
Whether my sister is a god or not is secondary; I even began to doubt if the sister I knew was really my sister, or if she was even human like me.
I remembered what she said before it all happened:
“Alright, then. Show me. The ending you want.”
It sounded like a joke at the time, but now, when I think about it…
“Does that mean I have to finish this story my way?”
Is that the only way back to reality?
Maybe.
But for now, I’ve decided to keep things simple.
“This is an opportunity…”
During this past week, I’ve learned something crucial: This place is Another World Online, the game world.
But there are no players here.
The reason is simple—the game has not launched yet.
There are still 358 days left before the players arrive.
How do I know?
Because I’ve got this notification flashing right in front of my eyes:
[358 days until the official launch]
Kind of hard to miss, right?
I opened the window, and a rush of cold air swept into the room. Through the frost, I could see the snow-covered city below. The familiar clock tower stood tall in the distance. The city resembled a fortress straight out of medieval Europe.
“Rodlow…”
The imperial capital of the Mekhael Empire, the northernmost city in this world.
In the original story, it was the last stronghold of NPC resistance, destroyed by players during the final battle. But now, it stood here, untouched.
“Beautiful…”
I whispered, taking in the scenery I had imagined countless times while reading the novel and had seen come to life in the game.
“I’ll protect it.”
The game hasn’t started yet.
That means I can still save it—this city, these characters, everything.
As the only person who knows the original story inside and out, I know it’s possible.
But it’s not going to be easy.
I know, through Sora, how the creation process of this game developed. When the original novel was adapted into game format, a sort of single-player scenario was created, where players could enjoy various stories depending on the choices they made. Initially, it was planned to be developed as a package game, but halfway through, the game company changed its decision and transformed it into an online game.
For my sister, who had designed several scenarios anticipating different player choices, this change was disappointing. However, I found out that, fortunately, those scenarios she had created weren’t entirely discarded and that some elements remained within the online game.