Chapter 1: Character creation

Sitting at the desk, I pressed the computer’s power button with my big toe.

Then, the monitor lit up.

On the desktop, an executable file floated alone, without a single icon.

[Wasteland Continent]

Last night.

It was a game distributed by someone who introduced themselves as a developer on SNS, asking for feedback.

“An unreleased game. How exciting.”

I exhaled a hot breath and launched the game.

Immediately, the character selection screen appeared.

It was a little disappointing that there wasn’t even a common intro, but that was fine.

“It’s not even released yet.”

Giving the developer a pass, I peered at the screen.

Inside the window, two characters had already been created.

A student in a school uniform, crying, and an office worker staring blankly at a broken club.

Two characters with distinctly different appearances.

But they had something in common.

It was that the characters had turned gray.

And in front of those characters, the word [Deceased] floated in red letters.

“Is this a permadeath genre where it’s over if you die once? Sounds fun.”

I clicked the character creation button.

Then, without any jobs, races, or appearance customization, a single sentence appeared.

[Please select your talent.]

“Talent?”

My surprise at the unusual progression lasted only a moment.

I began to read through the talent list one by one.

The more I read, the more my expression twisted.

[Nine Yin Severed Meridians]

-Martial arts comprehension is maximized.

-Cold absorption is possible.

-Cold energy accumulates in the body, leading to a slow death.

[Berserker God]

-Becomes stronger during combat.

-Dies if out of combat for 30 minutes.

[Mana Castration Syndrome]

-Becomes immune to all magic.

-Cannot use magic or related equipment.

“These are talents? Not penalties?”

Lifespan, survival conditions, pain…

Even choosing just one would turn the game into a speedrun due to the penalties.

“Who would choose something like this while sane… No, does it even matter?”

It’s just a game, isn’t it?

If I die, I can just quit the game.

If it’s fun, I can just create a new character.

Having reached that conclusion, I immediately moved the mouse.

Click- Click-

The mouse clicked relentlessly.

The talent list for the completed character was as follows:

[Nine Yin Severed Meridians]

-Martial arts comprehension is maximized.

-Cold absorption is possible.

-Cold energy accumulates in the body, leading to a slow death.

[Heavenly Strong Body]

-Muscles and bones are strengthened.

-Shows aptitude for all martial arts.

-The body cannot withstand the strengthened muscles and bones, causing cracks to slowly form from within.

[Descendant of the World Tree]

-Can absorb the primordial essence of nature.

-The body slowly transforms into wood.

“The build name is ‘Suicidal World’s Strongest’.”

Chuckling, I moved the mouse again.

I still wasn’t satisfied.

[Eye of Calculation]

-Assists in magic calculation and improves casting speed.

-Brain overloads upon use.

-Increased chance of developing dementia.

[Silent Casting]

-Can cast magic without incantations.

-90% success rate, if failed, magic backfires, causing self-harm.

“Can’t pass up on magic.”

Chuckling, I pressed the character creation button.

It was at that moment.

A warning window appeared on the screen.

[Warning!]

[Due to the penalties of the selected talents, your lifespan will be reduced by 99%.]

[Are you sure you want to proceed?]

[Y/N]

A warning that a whopping 99% of my lifespan would be gone.

The thought, ‘Was that too much?’ lasted only a moment.

“If I die, I can just raise a new one.”

I pressed YES without hesitation.

It was at that moment.

“… Huh?”

Suddenly, a chill ran through my entire body.

Making the July heat seem irrelevant.

Just as I was about to turn my head, wondering if the air conditioner had turned on.

“Cough! Cough! Choke!”

Blood splattered with the cough.

The blood on my palm was….

“Co…ld?”

It was cold and heavy, like a beer left in a freezer.

My mind went blank in the incomprehensible situation.

Flash!

As if a flashbang had exploded, an intense light engulfed the room.

And the moment the light subsided.

“…”

In the small studio apartment, no trace of any living creature remained.

Only the computer hummed, still running.

And on the monitor, the newly created character stood in the character window.