NOVEL WEB Prologue
# Prologue
In the year 20XX, I was obsessed with a game.
『Planetarium』
A world where the blessing of special stars known as the Star God exists.
An RPG set on the vast stage of two gigantic continents, where humanity and demon tribes vie for supremacy, and the protagonist navigates through this tumultuous era.
Players can choose one of several background settings called 『Template』, which will affect the character’s fundamental abilities, specialties, and the events they’ll encounter along the way.
Born as an orphan who didn’t even know their parents’ faces, living as a mercenary in a harsh world with only a weapon in hand and their own skills—『Nameless Demon』.
The blood of the royal family that was destroyed by the empire, yet also the lowest ranks of the imperial family—is known as the 『Heir of the Red and Blue Blood』.
Hailing from a northern hunting tribe, endlessly scouring for the stolen treasures of their clan—『Proud Barbarian』.
I had been eagerly awaiting the release of this game since I first heard about its development years ago. About a month ago, I purchased the game, and after immersing myself in it during my leisure and holidays, I just reached the ending of the third template.
“I have cleared the story of the 『Proud Barbarian』.”
“I have cleared three scenarios, which unlocks the ‘Hero Assembly’ mode.”
“In ‘Hero Assembly’ mode, characters from the templates that the player did not choose appear as NPCs.”
“…So, I’ve only just completed half of the six templates. Actually, it might even be just 10%.”
This game features a multi-ending structure where the conclusion changes based on the player’s choices.
There are a staggering number of pre-prepared events and scenarios, and even within the same template, there are so many customizable aspects like gender, appearance, name, and development tendencies that it’s truly inexhaustible.
With the expansion pack currently slated for release added into the mix—
Well, it’s clear that 10% is far from the truth; I’ve barely dipped my toes in.
Not that having plenty left to enjoy is a bad thing, of course.
“Perhaps I should try the next template as ‘Greedy Debauchee.’ It’s received a lot of criticism, but it’s important in ‘Hero Assembly’ mode.”
I’ve cleared the three templates mentioned earlier, but that doesn’t mean I’m completely clueless about the other templates.
I’ve gathered information from other players’ reviews posted online.
And, based on that information, I’ve summarized that ‘Greedy Debauchee’ is a template riddled with its own set of issues.
The first problem is the lack of combat abilities. Unlike the ‘Nameless Demon’ template, which has weapon proficiency bonuses, or the ‘Heir of the Red and Blue Blood’ template, which offers magic control bonuses, this template provides none of those direct combat advantages.
However, if I were to recruit party members to compensate for the lack of combat power, the high base notoriety stat makes it significantly challenging to recruit those prized members known as ‘quality players.’
Of course, there are some advantages.
For one, the initial funds are high, and the luck—or more accurately, the fortune with wealth—is astounding, leading to dramatically increased rates for acquiring funds and rare item drops compared to others.
In plain terms, it’s the ultimate ‘farming totem’!
While it may be the most challenging and tedious template at the start, ‘Greedy Debauchee’ is also the one that can maximize the party’s final specs.
“Let’s just get it ready, and I’ll start tomorrow.”
After finishing a few settings, I created my character and fell asleep.
Unfortunately, the next day, I never returned home due to a traffic accident that abruptly ended my life.