This world?
I shocked myself after saying it out loud. Wait, did I just call this a world? Sian, who was in front of me, simply looked at me with a smile, without a word. Thanks to that, I had a moment to gather my thoughts. His presence surely meant this world might be based on the game I had created. But why? That question lingered in my head.
The one who held answers to the questions swirling in my head stood right there. The overwhelming aura he exuded made my body shrink instinctively, but I forced myself to shake it off and opened my tightly shut mouth.
"Sian, is this… is this in a game?"
Thankfully, my voice didn’t waver. But I’d slipped into informal speech without thinking. Seeing his eyes twitch, I belatedly wondered if I should’ve used honorifics. Now that I thought about it, why had I spoken so casually? We’d just met, and I wasn’t someone who lacked manners. Maybe it was the confusion, or perhaps because he’d called me “Creator.”
Surprisingly, he nodded with a pleased look as if thinking, Yes, this is how it should be. His expression radiated satisfaction.
"Indeed, only you, the Creator, may call my name so casually. As for your question, I’d like to say ‘yes’ at first, but in truth, the answer is ‘no.’”
"I don’t get it… uh."
He didn’t seem to mind the informality, so I tried to speak naturally, but added a polite “yo” (honorific) just in case. His eyes widened in surprise.
"You can speak casually. It’s you, after all—no one else. Honestly, it puts me more at ease when you do."
"…Alright then, I will. So, the point is, this isn’t a game, right?"
"Haha, yes it is.”
I didn’t know what was so funny, but he waved his hand as he spoke.
Is this funny? Are you enjoying this? I wanted to scream that I couldn’t even comprehend if this was some hidden camera prank, but I held it in.
"Please don’t make that face. I’m just telling you the truth as it is. This place is the game you know, yet it’s not a game—it’s reality. For others, only part of the system is unlocked, but for you, everything is open. In other words, it’s no different from a game, except the fact that others don’t know this world is a game."
Wow, this is driving me nuts. My head’s throbbing.
The most important question remained.
"Then why am I here? How did I end up here?"
"You’re calmer than I expected. Or perhaps you think this is just an illusion or a dream? Unfortunately, I can’t answer that yet. All you need to do, Creator, is enjoy this world like a game and collect all the fragments. Isn’t that simple enough?"
Sian seemed to be saying that it was my duty.
At the same time, doubt and resistance welled up.
"Even if it’s simple, why do I have to do it?"
I frowned and spoke with an irritated tone, but being in a child’s body, it just sounded like petty whining. If it felt that way to me, how ridiculous must it seem to him?
As expected, he chuckled, then spread his arms wide like a character in a historical drama.
"Oh, Creator. This is a game made just for you, but it’s also your ‘duty’. Here, I’ll impose some force. If you want to leave this world, if you want to end this endless game, I’m afraid you have no choice but to collect all the fragments and become Ferlnern’s successor, as dictated by the grand fate you set."
"……."
"One thing I can promise: if you successfully become the successor, I’ll grant you immense power and wealth when you return to your original world. Like a fleeting dream, you’ll go back to the exact moment you came here."
Sian looked at my silence, his smile unwavering.
"Of course, just as I’ve imposed this force, you, Creator, have no right to refuse. Feel free to resent me or bear a grudge—I’ll gladly accept it."
"But what if I die? What if I don’t collect the fragments? Are you going to force that too?"
"If you die, you’ll start over. If you don’t collect the fragments, it won’t end. Honestly, I’m content just having you here in this world, whatever you do. Becasuse your mere presence satisfies me enough to fulfill part of my purpose. But dying? That’s certainly a problem. The potential of the body you’re in is incredible, no doubt. But this world is dangerous which will make you die countless times, and with even though you can restart, collecting the fragments would be practically impossible."
What began as a conversation slowly drifted into self-talking.
His gaze dropped to the floor as he tilted his head, muttering something unintelligible.
But that lasted only a moment; soon, he nodded as if he had made up his mind.
"Alright. To prepare for death, I’ll give you two gifts along with a perk. They’ll be incredibly helpful. The moment you obtain a fragment, it’ll become a save point where you’ll restart if you die. Plus, once per cycle, you can save at any point you choose before getting the next fragment.
He pulled a small pouch from his chest, shaped like a lucky charm bag.
"The second gift is this pouch. You can’t open it now, but it’ll unlock naturally on your fifteenth birthday. Just carrying it offers a talisman-like effect, so don’t lose it. Well, though I doubt you could. Heh."
He started to stand up to hand it over, but then slumped back down powerless. As if he couldn’t believe it himself, he stared at his legs with a stiff expression.
"Well, dragging a higher-dimensional being here must’ve taken its toll."
He muttered something I couldn’t catch. With a wry look, he stood again, this time firmly planting his feet. As he approached, he looked like a towering giant.
Sian knelt on one knee to meet my eyes and handed me the pouch. As I took it, an inexplicable energy pulsed through me. Then he placed a hand on my head.
"Lastly, I’ll bestow my blessing on you. However, receiving it requires some qualifications, so I’ll place a few restrictions. I feel bad calling it a gift with all these limits, but once you reach a certain level, you’ll naturally understand its power and find it useful."
A strange energy flowed from his hand, seeping from my head through my whole body. It was fascinating.
Is this what magic feels like? I looked at Sian with curiosity, but he wore a deeply apologetic expression.
"Feel free to resent me. If it all ends, I would even let you decide my fate. But that’s only after you’ve gathered all the fragments."
"……."
"It’ll be tough. You’ll face painful things. Your emotions might wear thin. But I hope this world becomes an enjoyable game for you, Creator. Farewell."
He stood, waved, and vanished just like when he had arrived.
An enjoyable game? What a load of nonsense.
I thrust my middle finger toward where Sian had been, then sighed and slumped onto the bed.
How did I come to this?
I had planned to live large with that huge contract advance, but in an instant, it all turned to this.
Realizing I couldn’t go back, I missed my original world’s wealth, my computer, my family, and my friends.
I’d even endured two years of grunt work in the military!
But no matter how much I complained, this was my reality now. Oddly, I assessed it.
Normally, I’d be a sobbing mess—why was I like this?
Sighing, I decided to first figure out the body I was in.
I wondered if there were commands, but there was nothing to touch. Hoping voice or thought might work, I pictured a status screen, and a holographic window appeared.
──────────────────────────────
「Status Window」
[Name: Yuda Arshe]
[Title: None]
[Level: 1]
[Class: Black Claw _ Shadow Magic Swordsman (Hidden_A)]
[Revival Count: 0]
[Strength: 20(D) / Potential A]
[Stamina: 15(F) / Potential S]
[Agility: 15(F) / Potential SS]
[Mana: 30(D) / Potential B]
[Mana Resistance: 50(C) / Potential S]
[Luck: 75(B) / Potential A] ◀ Special
[Remaining Points: 0]
──────────────────────────────
I stared blankly at the window before me. Slowly, my mouth dropped as the name sank in.
"Yuda Arshe? Wait."
Shit, the thought hit me, and I screamed.
"I-I’m… I’m screwed…!"
Without realizing it, I yelled at the screen, then let out a hollow laugh.
Yuda, of all things! Yuda! How could this be?
I clutched my head. No wonder the face in the mirror felt familiar—I should’ve recognized it right then!
Out of all the characters, why Yuda? Did Sian plan this on purpose?
I blinked and checked the status screen again and again, but the text didn’t change. It was the Yuda I knew.
A character positioned as the protagonist’s rival.
Yuda excels in abilities, skills, and looks, but his luck is terrible. He loses all his female companions to the protagonist and even gets betrayed in the end.
Even worse, while the protagonist could collect the fragments without interference from the temple, this guy struggled to gather them, only to be declared a continental enemy upon crossing to the second continent. In the end, he lost all the fragments to the protagonist, serving only as a stepping stone for his growth—a tragic character, nothing more. I had only created him for the sake of story excitement and pacing, yet of all people, I ended up in him.
* * *
──────────────────────────────
Tip 1: Traits and skills are assigned five slots each to all NPCs except the player. Completing noteworthy quests or being a special NPC can unlock additional slots, but the maximum is 10.
──────────────────────────────
「Status Window」
[Name: Yuda Arshe]
[Title: None]
[Level: 1]
[Class: Black Claw _ Shadow Magic Swordsman (Hidden_A)]
[Revival Count: 0]
[Strength: 20(D) / Potential A]
[Stamina: 15(F) / Potential S]
[Agility: 15(F) / Potential SS]
[Mana: 30(D) / Potential B]
[Mana Resistance: 50(C) / Potential S]
[Luck: 75(B) / Potential A] ◀ Special
[Remaining Points: 0]
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
***Author’s Note***
From now on, the final section will include tips to help you play the game, and the status window will update whenever stats change.
What’s “Grokshin”? The vibe feels kinda cool!
But me selling drugs? I don’t know what that’s about! Haha.
I’m off to enjoy my birthday now! Celebrate with a recommendation!
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