NOVEL WEB Chapter 0
Prologue
Ordinary people tend to wrap up after savoring the content of a game and head off to play something else.
In today’s world, how many entertaining games are there? It’s far more enjoyable to immerse yourself in various games, experiencing the thrill of this and that.
However, seasoned players are a different breed. Those who have sunk hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of hours into a single game lead an inefficient existence.
They shout, “Ugh, this is so boring. There’s absolutely no content!” while diving back into the game, determined to unearth something—anything—to do.
Why? Because the game has long since become their life.
How do I know this so well?
Because I’m one of them.
There exists a game called Soul Academy that ruled the gaming world and snagged the GOTY award that year.
As is often the case with GOTY winners, Soul Academy boasts stunning graphics, fantastic music, a decent storyline, and heaps of fun—truly a game that deserves its title as a god game.
I still can’t shake off the thrill I felt when I first discovered this game. That moment of joy is what kept me coming back to Soul Academy even years later.
Having clocked over ten thousand hours in Soul Academy, I had already sampled every morsel the game had to offer.
And I don’t just mean I had witnessed every ending.
I’d blitzed through achievements at lightning speed, dabbled in concept plays, played without gear, speed-run the game, and even completed it using only a handful of specific techniques. I’d done it all.
I even ventured into nearly all the mod options created by other users. Good or bad, if it existed, I gave it a try.
Given this situation, unless Soul Academy released a DLC or a sequel, there was no content left for me in that game.
Out of sheer habit, I started the game, stared blankly at the title screen, and then switched it off again.
Next, I popped into the community to see if any news about a Soul Academy sequel was floating around.
Much like always, the developers of Soul Academy stuck to their silence.
At this point, they likely had no plans whatsoever for a sequel. I knew that well, but somehow, I couldn’t let go of hope.
Ten years had slipped by since the advent of Soul Academy.
Initially, everyone was hopeful for a sequel to this game.
This wasn’t just any ordinary game; it won GOTY and raked in a fortune, so of course, everyone assumed a sequel was a given.
That’s what everyone believed.
That’s what all game developers usually do.
Yet, the creators of Soul Academy held their tongues.
Not even a scrap of teasing info was shared.
With each passing year, it felt like an eternity.
As the years went by, chatter about Soul Academy 2 faded; the once-dedicated fans vanished in exasperation.
What was once celebrated as a god game had morphed into a ruined game over time.
As with all ruined game communities, the Soul Academy community had long since passed away.
It was a ghost town, populated by familiar faces and barely a few posts trickled in each day.
The one exception was a surprise visit from a newbie, which was the only time this forum lit up.
When a clueless newbie came in throwing questions around, the community’s sole function seemed to be to chase them away, erupting with cries of “You smell like a newbie!”
But today was different.
For some peculiar reason, the Soul Academy community was lively.
What’s going on? Did another awkward newbie stumble in? Nope, it turned out to be a user promoting a mod he crafted.
“I made a Mesugaki mod. Wanna give it a shot?”
What on earth is a Mesugaki mod?
Curiosity got the better of me, so I clicked on the post and soon found myself gasping in awe while reading the user’s meticulously written text.
The quality of the mod was impressive.
Typically, mods created by users are often total flops. Out of a thousand mods, you might find ten that are actually worthwhile.
But this user? Totally different.
First off, it was clear he invested thought into the character modeling.
With red twin tails, cheeky eyes, and an utterly obnoxious grin, plus fangs—you could just tell this character screamed trouble.
The very sight made me want to deliver a swift slap—perfectly capturing the essence of being a Mesugaki.
Moreover, the skills aligned with the Mesugaki concept were pretty neat, too.
[Mesugaki]
[This damn brat always disregards her opponents and resorts to provocatively infuriating language. The little rascal revels in their anger, blissfully unaware that they could easily learn a lesson any time.]
[Physical abilities are set lower than usual.]
[The angrier the opponent gets, the higher the character’s abilities rise.]
[It becomes harder to gain favor from other characters.]
[You’ll find it easier to be attacked by enemies.]
[When on the defensive, your abilities will plummet severely.]
Clearly, this is a restrictive skill with impressive strengths but glaring weaknesses.
The effort to set it in line with the concept was evident.
While casual players might dismiss such a skill as trash, the veterans thrive on it.
Easier to provoke enemies? That cranks up the ability?
Oh yeah! The concept is spot on; looks like a perfect tanking trait!
Watching a video below of the unassuming user playing the mod only reinforced my intrigue.
Sure, yapping about how “weak” the monsters are might break the immersion a tad, but hey, that’s no penalty for a seasoned player starved for content.
I scrolled down to check reviews from others who actually gave it a shot.
The consensus? Not bad quality at all. Only a handful of users grumbled about the concept being a tad on the nerdy side, but that was a non-issue for me.
I mean, I’m a nerd!
I downloaded the mod without a second thought and applied it to the game.
Whoa, this game isn’t crashing? Who is this mod creator? Never seen this name before, but it’s impressive!
I’ll need to throw some cash their way if they ever set up donations.
I entered the character creation phase and instantly applied the Mesugaki trait. Lo and behold, the character in the stat window morphed seamlessly into the Mesugaki style.
Wait, can’t I tweak the character specs here? That’s a bummer.
Thanks to the penalty from the [Mesugaki] skill, the character’s stats were pretty abysmal.
With this setup, I’m bound to pull off a bare-handed showoff against goblins, right?
That might be a blast in its own way, but let’s keep it easy for the initial playthrough. Hardcore mode can wait for round two.
Since I plan to build this character as a tank, I’ll toss in [Iron Wall] to cut damage while holding a shield, [Unbreakable Will] to avoid instant death, and [Overcoming Fear] to ease the penalties from the Mesugaki skill.
And seeing as my base specs are so low, let’s also add [Genius], a skill that cranks up stat increases by 1.5 times to help me out.
Looking at the skill descriptions, it seems if I go with a commoner, I’ll likely find myself headless before a noble, so starting as an aristocrat is a no-brainer.
Given these adjustments considering the Mesugaki skill penalties, this setup should be just right.
Alright, let’s kick this off.
As I pressed the character creation button, a grin spread across my face at the thought of diving into a refreshing game after so long, and suddenly, a radiant light shone from the monitor.
Oh. Wait a moment.
This is… messed up…