Chapter 1: Frail Attention-Seeking Face Genius (1)

“This, how much do you think it’ll sell for?”

……What?

At the voice coming from somewhere, you slowly open your eyes.

What the…?

But is something covering your eyes?

You can’t see anything.

You try to move your body, but you realize belatedly that your hands and feet are tied tight.

“Just some stray nobody knows where they rolled in from. You think it’ll sell for much?”

“Still, why──”

Unfamiliar voices continue to be heard from the side.

Unfamiliar……?

‘……No.’

Not at all.

It wasn’t unfamiliar.

On the contrary, it was to the point of being familiar.

‘…I heard they’re quite a looker.’

“I heard they’re quite a looker.”

Like this, to the extent that I could recite what the guy would say next.

‘A nice voice, too.’

“A nice voice, too.”

On top of that, I was well aware that if I were a ‘Warrior’, that line would have changed to something about being strong, and if a ‘Mage’, something about being good with magic.

“Did you see for yourself? That’s what merchants always say.”

So it’s only natural, that these were all lines I had seen in the game.

Which means…

Why have you woken up here?

‘…Crazy.’

It meant this was the world inside the game.

‘No way──’

“──No way.”

Checking my messages as usual, I froze blankly with just that one phrase.

I couldn’t help it.

If I’m not seeing things right now…

“…It’s a real verification mark.”

It meant the official developer account had sent me such a message.

It’s a bit embarrassing to say it myself, but I’m a fairly famous gamer.

As an avid fan of the globally popular role-playing game series <Sword of Soul>, the character builds I shared as a hobby were fortunate enough to be loved by many people at home and abroad.

So, although foreigners would occasionally visit my account and leave words of thanks or encouragement…

[Hello. I saw your builds well. We are also big fans of yours.]

This was the first time an official developer account had sent me a separate DM.

[All were creative and effective. Also, they fit the philosophy of our game very well.]

The tone was strangely awkward, as if it had been run through a translator, but it wasn't so jarring as to hinder understanding, so I let it slide.

[As you know, in the latest installment <Sword of Soul: Champion of the Malevolent Star>, the selection rate for the Bard class is not high. Therefore, we contemplated how to increase the Bard's popularity in the next update. Many people like and follow your character builds. Therefore, we want your feedback.]

“……What?”

However, after seeing the following content, I couldn’t just let it pass.

First, I left the DM window and checked the account’s profile one more time.

The verification mark and the number of followers—it was definitely the official account.

“No matter how I look at it, it’s not an impersonation… is it…?”

The message didn’t end there, but the gist of it was this.

[We will send you the next update version. Please test it by creating your own Bard build.]

“Are they asking me to… beta test…?”

I don’t know much about the game development industry…… Is this okay?

Even though I’m famous as a build master, to a mere user with a patch they haven’t even announced yet?

They’re just going to send it to an outsider?

Isn’t this, like… a fairness issue?

Or, I don’t know, something that could get legally tricky?

Like a breach of confidentiality or something.

When I cautiously ask out of such doubts, it is a common occurrence.

No problem.

Was the reply I got.

…A common occurrence?

Really?

Is that… possible?

Could it be?

Is this the free-spiritedness of the IT industry I’ve only heard about?

But well, anyway, it definitely seems to be the official account, and since they’re the ones offering to send it, there shouldn’t be any legal problems… right?

And even if it did become a problem… honestly, it was also true that I was incredibly curious.

It felt like I had been chosen, too.

So, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.

Surely an official account with over ten million followers wouldn’t suddenly send me some malicious file.

And even if, by some chance, it was actually a hack, if they had the dedication to hack an official account just to screw me over, I felt like I should acknowledge it and fall for it at least once.

Of course, such minor concerns were completely dispelled after the installation was complete.

“…This is real.”

‘So So Malevolent Star’ really launched.

The magnificent BGM that resounded with the start of the game, the title screen that always made my heart flutter, all of it was the same.

Seeing this, a smile inadvertently formed on my lips.

“──A Bard, you say.”

I first stretched my arms out in front of me.

“Perfect timing.”

As it happened, I had never uploaded a Bard build in this installment, ‘Malevolent Star’.

I had a few concepts in mind, but they had been pushed down the priority list by the other builds I’d been posting.

“Shall we give it a go.”

Crack, crack, my joints popped.

To briefly explain the Bard class in the Sword of Soul series, it has traditionally been a class that plays a major role with so-called ‘gift of gab’ in non-combat situations and acts as a supporter that casts buffs on allies in combat situations.

So there wasn’t really much of a build to speak of.

Just raise the ‘Charisma’ stat appropriately and sing songs to buff your stronger companions, and you’ve done your job.

In a word, it’s not very fun in combat.

And this installment, ‘Malevolent Star’, in particular, was a work that received great praise for creating a more dynamic and interesting combat system by combining the tradition of the So So series, which is based on a TRPG, of 'rolling dice to determine the success or failure of a specific action in turn-based combat,' with the 'real-time action' preferred by today's light gamers.

Therefore, the popularity of the Bard, who had to either avoid most of that highly praised content from the start or spend it in a boring way, naturally had no choice but to fall even further.

“Until now, that is.”

My ‘Bard build’ won’t be like that, though.

Opening the character creation window, I immediately grabbed the pad and moved the stick.

“Class selection… Bard.”

The Bard is fundamentally a class designed to avoid combat through [Persuasion] and other skills that utilize a high ‘Charisma’ stat.

So the build I’m about to craft will not avoid combat.

No, to be precise, it will ‘enjoy’ it.

By keeping the Bard’s advantage of being able to avoid combat, while making them not just an ordinary supporter in battle, but a protagonist who can shine on their own.

Of course, I had no intention of making a character that was a Bard in name only but fought in a way that was not at all Bard-like.

That was my build philosophy.

First, good performance is a basic premise, and I never craft builds that don't fit RP-wise (role-playing).

The reason the So So series was popular was because it was a game that made good use of the elements of a TRPG that could be enjoyed anytime with just dice, paper, and people to play with.

Simply put, it meant it was much better for getting into character and having fun than other ordinary role-playing games.

But to play without considering that concept at all, just because the performance and efficiency are good… it feels like you’re missing the real fun of this game.

Of course, everyone has their own way of enjoying things, and I have no right or reason to say anything about that, but it’s just that I wouldn’t do it that way.

This philosophy was also the reason I became famous.

For posting builds that secured both performance and the fun of RP.

The official account that’s having me test this now probably wants that kind of build, too.

So, “Stats.”

First is the ‘ability score’ distribution.

Stats are the bones of a build, the basic framework.

Every build begins with how the base stats are distributed.

Strength (STR), Dexterity (DEX), Intelligence (INT), Mentality (MEN), Charisma (CHA).

When you first create a character, each stat starts at 4, and you are given 21 skill points to distribute to the stats you want.

Among these, the main stat a Bard should invest in was, of course, ‘Charisma’.

Therefore, the tip window on the screen recommended putting some points into Charisma first and then distributing the remaining points evenly among the other four stats as a safe bet.

“──Alright.”

I’m not trying to make such a safe Bard.

Thus, after finishing the stat distribution, I let out a smirk.

--

STR 04

DEX 04

INT 07

MEN 06

CHA 20

--

First, from level 1, I went all-in on Charisma.

To 20, which is known as the limit for mortals(?) in the lore.

In other words, even though it’s level 1, in Charisma alone, it has already become the strongest in the human realm.

After that, it was, how should I put it… literally the realm of the gods.

It might be easier to grasp if I say that the being with the highest Charisma stat in this world, the ‘God of Beauty,’ has a Charisma of 30.

Now that the stat distribution is done.

“Next, Traits.”

This time, it was the ‘Traits’ turn.

For more diverse role-playing, it was an element that affected stats and such by setting the character's personality or physical features, and up to three traits could be chosen during character creation.

And among the nearly one hundred diverse traits, I first chose these two.

They were (Attention Seeker) and (Closeted Artist).

--

(Attention Seeker)

You are a monster of validation who needs constant attention from people to live.

You feel happy and gain vitality when people pay attention to you.

But when you are not the center of attention, you easily become depressed and overwhelmed by negative thoughts.

Effect.

MEN -2/CHA +2

When in a ‘Noticed’ state by an entity of ally/enemy/neutral status, you receive a ‘Happy’ buff.

In the opposite case, you receive a ‘Depressed’ debuff.

--

First, (Attention Seeker) was… well, literally an attention seeker.

It means becoming an annoying person who is always thirsty for attention.

It was also the reason I had raised Mentality to 6.

Mentality, in particular, compared to other stats, has a feeling that the initial value of 4 is truly the bottom line, so if it falls below this, you become a real glass cannon, and no matter how high the other stats are, there are many cases where you can't do anything.

So I invested 2 points in advance, considering the value that would be deducted when choosing this (Attention Seeker) trait.

When this (Attention Seeker) becomes happy from receiving attention, they get an advantage on all ‘Charisma’ checks.

For example, if the required dice value for (Persuasion) doesn’t come up, that roll is treated as if it never happened, and you get another chance to roll, increasing the probability of success.

Conversely, in a depressed state, you are disadvantaged in not only Charisma but all stat checks.

This side, conversely, makes you roll one more time even if the required value comes up, increasing the probability of failure.

Because the disadvantage of not meeting the condition is overwhelmingly stronger than the advantage of meeting it, it has so far been evaluated as a trait for role-playing, for entertainment purposes…

“But I feel like I can surprisingly make use of it.”

If I can constantly receive attention, it means I can receive a high-performance buff at all times.

So I thought it was a trait worth challenging, at least.

--

(Closeted Artist)

You are a homebody who is far from outdoor activities.

God gave you a natural artistic talent, but it seems he did not give you athletic skills.

Effect

STR -2/DEX -1/CHA +3

--

(Closeted Artist) was a much more intuitive trait.

It increases Charisma, the stat in charge of the arts, by 3, but in return, it decreases Strength and Dexterity, the stats in charge of athletic ability, by a total of 3.

In a word, it means turning you into a frail artist.

It’s a trait that was favored in existing Bard builds because the risk and return are intuitively clear, sacrificing the relatively less important Strength and Dexterity for a Bard character in exchange for raising the main stat, Charisma.

Since I had already thought about it beforehand, choosing these two traits was not very difficult.

Therefore, the key was the last trait.

There were candidates, but whatever I put in, it didn’t feel like a perfect fit.

This was also the reason I had delayed uploading a Bard build until now.

Still, I had to choose, so while looking around for what would be good to pick…

“…Huh? What’s this.”

One trait caught my eye.

“ (Kingdom-Toppling Beauty)…?”

It was a trait I had definitely never seen before.

I hurriedly moved the cursor over it to bring up the detailed description.

--

(Kingdom-Toppling Beauty)

You are a peerless beauty capable of bringing down a nation.

Anyone who sees you will fall in love at first sight, but you will also become the target of envy, jealousy, and strong obsession.

Effect:

CHA +5

Turns any human-type ally/enemy/neutral entity that has you within their line of sight to a ‘Charmed’ state.

“──Oh.”

It seemed to be one of the new traits being added in the next patch.

They said they were contemplating how to increase the Bard’s popularity, and isn’t this a perfect trait for Bards to choose?

First off, I like that it boosts the Charisma stat by a whopping 5 without docking any other stats.

Honestly, at this point, it’s a so-called OP (Overpowered) trait.

Not just OP, but a ridiculously broken OP.

It seemed highly, very highly probable that the numbers would be adjusted by the time the update was officially released.

However, the part about turning all human-type opponents, regardless of ally or enemy, who see this character into a ‘Charmed’ state… it certainly seemed like it would have its pros and cons.

The developers probably intended to express that the phrase ‘a beauty capable of tilting a nation’ doesn't just contain positive meanings through the penalty of being ‘Charmed’.

The (Charm) mentioned here is close to a kind of magic, an illusion… simply put, it’s like a drug.

In this case, it would mean making them literally addicted to the face.

So, if they don’t see that face again, they get withdrawal symptoms.

Not an exaggeration, really.

For example, it’s not on the level of the face of a beautiful person or a favorite celebrity we happened to run into on the street popping into our heads, but on the level where a neighbor who was a perfectly fine person until yesterday might completely lose it and suddenly come at you with a knife, trying to lock you up.

That might be fine if it’s an enemy you have to kill anyway, but when you think about it being indiscriminately cast on important figures you must not cause trouble with, or on companions you always have to travel with…

“…What a pain.”

Certainly, it would be an adventure full of troubles and tribulations.

Of course, the former would be overwhelmingly more prevalent than the latter.

To be precise, there is a high possibility that they will all die in the former before they can get to the latter.

Especially since the testimonies of those who got a taste of divine punishment are not just one or two, after their game genre suddenly changed to horror thriller, battle royale, and then the game just exploded, when they tried to use a cheap trick like, “Huh? Can’t I just cast (Charm) on them? Easy.”

Instead of building up favorability fair and square through sound adventure and wholesome exchange with their companions.

But this trait casts that kind of (Charm) at all times, regardless of my will.

It was clearly a tricky penalty.

However.

Another certain thing was that this (Kingdom-Toppling Beauty) was the very trait that could put the finishing touch on the build I was currently conceptualizing.

It felt like I had finally found the perfectly fitting puzzle piece.

Besides, there must be a way to control the penalty of the constant (Charm).

For example, what if I wear something like a helmet?

Then does the condition have to be something like a full-face helmet that completely covers the face?

Or would any item that can be equipped in the helmet slot work?

Anyway, what they wanted from me was a ‘test’ in the end, and to solve these questions, it was clear that this was a trait I had to choose.

And so, after deciding on all three traits.

--

STR 04(-2)

DEX 04(-1)

INT 07

MEN 06(-2)

CHA 20(+10)

--

“──Pfft.”

As you can see, this was the result.

A level 1 Bard with a Charisma stat of 30, equal to the ‘God of Beauty,’ was born.

At this rate, in this world, they might be called the second coming of the God of Beauty.

It felt like a character that would be fun to role-play in many ways had been created.

Now, if things go according to my plan, this Bard won’t be a walking jukebox and buff machine that just enters battle and plays songs like they do now── but an all-rounder who also throws in buffs, mixes in crowd control, and even has the damage to one-shot most opponents.

A character who can face a whole troop with just their face and silver tongue, sway a kingdom, and decide the future of the world── the world’s strongest ‘Mouth Fighter’ was born.

Not in a derogatory sense, but in this case, a literal Mouth Fighter.

In the sense of fighting with words, specifically through (Vicious Mockery).

“Well, although they have a glass body and a glass mentality.”

Since it’s fundamentally a game where you form a party to adventure, companions can make up for those shortcomings.

It might be tough for the character themself… but it’s a character in a game.

I’m not the one who directly experiences the side effects… so, who cares?

All that was left was to decide the appearance of the ‘frail, attention-seeking, face genius with the tongue of a devil and the looks of a beauty god’ that was now complete before my eyes.

Since it’s been a while since I made a build that’s fun to role-play, I’ll have to put in more effort than usual to craft an appearance that fits the concept.

With that mindset, the moment I pressed the appearance setting button──

“──?”

Thwack, and.

As soon as I felt a heavy sensation like being hit on the back of the head, my vision spun.

***

And when I opened my eyes, this was the situation.

‘Are you for real…….’

There was no doubt.

This was the world of ‘SoSo Malevolent Star’.

And the conversations I was hearing from the side, the current situation of being tied up hand and foot with a sack over my face, riding in a wagon, were all part of the prologue that comes right after character creation.

That means, circumstantially, I must have become the character I was crafting until I lost consciousness── the ‘Champion of the Malevolent Star’ themself.

That is, if all of this, including the vivid sensations I’m feeling right now, isn’t just a nasty dream.

──In other words, from now on, I had to survive in this world with this face and this tongue alone.