episode_0002

“…Darn it.”

I muttered quietly as I ran my hand through my hair.

Logically speaking, shouldn’t it be Doné Sson who goes instead of me?

Why me?

“Ugh, let’s stop this.”

No matter how much I complain and lament, it’s clear that things won’t change, something I’ve confirmed enough over these two days.

Now, it’s crucial to analyze the situation rationally and decide on the next steps.

Tap, tap―.

Next to the table, I took out the notebook and pen I had prepared in advance.

I began jotting down notes on the problem at hand.

“I’ve been diligently collecting information for two days.”

Even keeping up with news I wouldn’t usually bother with.

And browsing the internet whenever I could to learn about various social atmospheres.

Hence, my first conviction.

For now, this world aligns with “Gonnis Archive Life.”

“No doubt about it.”

Given the frequent appearances of powerful characters like ‘Rights Character’ or ‘Breath Rights’ in the news.

Moreover, when looking at history or past events, they seem to connect with the ‘main story.’

“Wasn’t the tutorial scheduled to start about two months ago?”

Judging from the fact that there are two months left until the recruitment notice for the main stage of “Gonnis Hunter Academy,” I could roughly estimate the current timeline.

“…In that case…”

It seems appropriate to note it down like this.

【Issues and Future Plans】

1. Main Story.

2. Public Relations.

3. Perception of male hunters.

4. Gacha. (X)

The first thing that came to mind was the main story of “Gosra.”

“…It carries quite a weight.”

Of course, primarily, the game revolves around cute and lovely girls engaging in adorable interactions, making the storyline mostly light-hearted.

However, that’s just from the player’s perspective.

In reality, if you look closely, the game has subtle dark and brutal aspects.

It’s a game where reports of “death” quietly surface without showing faces of supporting characters, which is quite common.

“…Given the existence of ‘monsters’ in abilities called ‘skills,’ it’s only natural.”

Thankfully, the overall difficulty level isn’t excessively high.

The most thrilling aspect of this game is the PVP where map controllers aim at each other with their strategies and the “World-Class” raids with lucrative rewards.

Both are subcontents largely unrelated to the story.

Therefore, dealing with the “Main Story” doesn’t require significant effort.

“Firstly, I need to enroll in the academy.”

As both the main and sub-stories unfold around the “Gonnis Hunter Academy.”

In fact, when I first merged, I thought like this.

Should I just live my life without worrying about enrolling…?

Won’t other 5★ characters save the world on their own?

Is it necessary for an ordinary person like me to step up?

These were practical thoughts at the time.

But soon, I changed my mind.

I know the future of this world.

I had stored in my mind how the world’s fate would unfold, what events would occur, and who would come knocking, and naturally, I knew the best way to handle them.

“…Watching from the sidelines when I can intervene leaves a bitter taste.”

And undoubtedly, there will be characters here that I have nurtured through hard work and effort.

As a guide, I didn’t want to see those kids crying, suffering, or dying miserably in the future.

Especially when I could prepare for it.

“Okay. Let’s conclude with this as the first point.”

Secondly.

Public Relations.

That’s the name of the body I merged with.

I gazed fixedly at the full-length mirror installed beside the desk.

A handsome young man stood there, giving off an aura that instantly brightened the surroundings.

Between boyhood and adulthood, exuding a mysterious vibe due to his ambiguous age group.

Combined with pale, almost ethereal white skin.

Like obsidian, with deep black hair and eyes tinged with purple.

Not lacking in masculine features enough to be mistaken for a woman.

He was a guy who fit the term “pretty boy” quite well.

“…He’s damn good-looking.”

Not quite like a girl, but rather similar when evaluating a man.

The boy was undeniably handsome to the point where one could exclaim in admiration.

Personally, it felt unfair. Why unfair?

For someone with this appearance, he was of average height that could pass for an average man, but with some muscle definition.

Clearly the result of self-training over the past few months.

“…Good-looking guys shouldn’t work out!”

Anyway, that doesn’t mean this face is unfamiliar.

Rather, it’s familiar.

Having seen it often in illustrations and 3D graphics of secondary characters.

Surprisingly, this guy was a natural 5★ character.

And not just any 5★, but an original member.

One of the initial ten to appear in the game world of “Gonnis Archive Life,” based on the unofficial server that hadn’t officially opened yet.

One of the first ten to debut.

In other words, he was a character of legendary status.

“…So what now?”

Despite being at the bottom in terms of popularity.

Why?

Simply put, because he’s a male character.

“Gosra” is a typical cute girl collection RPG mobile game.

Hence, the vast majority of its main customer base is male.

Naturally, a guy without feminine appeal wouldn’t be well-received.

And that’s how it is.

The operators, who learned the hard way that male characters don’t bring in revenue, hadn’t released a single male character since “Yuseha.”

This made the character I had possessed, “Yuseha,” the only male character in the game.

“If you look like this, your performance should be subpar by default.”

Surprisingly, his performance was quite exceptional.

No, to be blunt, he was overpowered.

His unique ability had been remarkably effective even in “Gosra.”

However, due to the complexity of handling him, creating a specialized skill tree was essential.

Perhaps it was because one of his stats was exceptionally high.

Despite being a 5★, his base stats were unbelievably low.

“…Status window.”

――――――――――――――

◉Name: Yuseha

◉Gender: Male (19)

◉Rank: 5☆(☆☆☆☆☆)

◉Class: 【Sword Saint】

◉Attributes

[Strength: 5] [Magic: 1]

[Speed: 7] [Mental: 2]

[Endurance: 5] [Divine: 0]

◉Unique Ability

【Eye of Reversal Heaven Lv.1】

◉Traits

-Epic-

[Sword’s Song Lv.1]

◉Skills

-Rare-

[Flowing Slash Lv.1]

◉Ultimate Skill

:-

◉【Backup】

⦁(p): Locked

⦁(A): Locked

◉Equipment

Weapon: Worn Straight Sword(Ungraded)

――――――――――――――

“…This is serious.”

Where does he get off having 5★ innate abilities?

In reality, his stats were more akin to a 3★ or even a 2★ character.

As far as I know, the average entrance stats for “Gonnis Academy” are around 15.

How on earth did this kid manage to ace the test?

“On the other hand…”

One of his unique abilities was overwhelmingly impressive.

――――――――――――――

◉Name: Eye of Reversal Heaven

◉Grade: Legendary

◉Level: 1

◉Special Effects

: Rapidly increases understanding of the target’s [skills] and [traits].

: Successfully reproduces and brings copied [skills] and [traits] if the understanding has increased. The level of the copied skill is adjusted upon import. Reproduction rate depends on one’s understanding and talent.

: (???, Unleashed when combined with specific skills.)

◉Detailed Information

: The eye of the one overseeing [up]. Can handle all tricks of this world by merely observing them.

――――――――――――――

“Wow…”

Even in-game, I was initially skeptical, thinking, “Does this even make sense?”

Upon revisiting, it was still mind-blowingly powerful.

The only character in all of “Gosra” with the unique ability to copy skills.

Unfortunately, it was a letdown that such a rare ability was in the hands of a non-female character.

Regardless

Anyway, this is the reason why Yuseha has high potential and is difficult to use.

In theory, you can learn everything.

Of course, it’s possible to create an impossible scam combination.

However, even the management isn’t stupid, and the concept of ‘understanding’ was very obscure.

“…I just can’t figure out the criteria.”

Even after five years, there’s been no clear way to acquire it.

The only known thing is that the target is ‘humanoid.’

In other words, the acquisition probability is high for NPCs.

To some extent, it’s understandable.

Logically, since Yuseha is human, it’s not considered possible for them to breathe fire like a monster or something like that.

“Could it be possible?”

Well, anyway… I’ve decided to try several times once I get used to it.

Next, let’s focus on the term “Sword Saint.”

It’s one of the “Classes” that each character possesses.

Among the countless jobs, it’s undoubtedly one of the most powerful dealer classes.

When a new character is released, it’s standard to research it if the class is “Sword Saint,” regardless of the skill set’s quality.

The reason for this is the skill tree called “[Heavenly Sword Mastery],” which is considered a scam.

With this skill tree that continuously outputs high damage without conditions, a “Sword Saint” with this skill set becomes an all-around dealer covering close range, mid-range, and long-range combat.

However, as a balancing issue for Yuseha, they intentionally lock the learning of the “[Heavenly Sword Mastery]” skill tree in the early stages.

Perhaps the intention of the management is to acknowledge growth only through struggle and patience.

They probably don’t want players to start off by power-leveling with a scam skill tree and then ultimately grow with “[Eye of the Reverse Heaven].”

This is the most critical reason why Yuseha is considered demanding.

In conclusion, Yuseha is a character that blooms spectacularly through consistent effort and the process of patience.

“Hmm…”

Certainly, it’s an ambiguous situation.

But it’s okay.

“Looking at it again, Yuseha received a buff.”

How so?

Normally, Yuseha doesn’t have any special traits at the beginning.

But there’s this trait called “Song of the Sword” that suddenly appears.

Since there were many complaints about Yuseha, the developers threw in this trait as a gesture of goodwill.

◉ Name: Song of the Sword

◉ Grade: Epic

◉ Level: 1

◉ Special Effects:

– Amplifies the power of unlocked [Sword] lineage. The amplification rate is determined by the caster’s talent and mental strength.

– As the amplification rate increases, the caster’s health and mana consumption rise sharply.

– Unlock: Increases the power of [Rapier] lineage skills. (Increase rate: 100%~???%)

– Unlock: [???], condition not met.

◉ Details:

– A piece of the [Sword God] series, mastering all types of swords.

This is also a powerful trait, although not as much as [Eye of the Reverse Heaven].

It compensates for the initial lack of firepower and has led to many “Commanders” leading party groups with Yuseha after its introduction.

Of course, I didn’t raise it.

Why?

“Why would I raise a character in a damn cute girl game with a brat attached?”

It’s not like you get great rewards for raising one character well and smashing enemies in this game.

There’s no reason to compare faces with guys just for one performance.

“I’d rather spend time having a happy life with my favorite character.”

Anyway, I’ve decided to think up to this point about Yuseha.

Next, third.

3. Perception of male hunters.

Treatment of male hunters.

Uh, should I say it’s a universal image?

Personally, the most surprising thing I found while browsing my phone for the past two days was that in this world, most female hunters are stronger and more active.

So, maybe that’s why.

In the news or among some influential people, a considerable number were women.

“…The biggest reason for this situation is said to be because of mana.”

The blue gauge that every character possesses in the game.

Commonly referred to as MP, it is an essential resource consumed when using skills.

The quantity and quality of this determine the strength of an ‘Awakener.’

And the vast majority of magical power belonged to women compared to men.

It’s not that there are few male Awakeners.

Gender ratio is around 50%.

In other words, half are men.

However, ultimately, the upper-middle to top ranks are predominantly female in reality.

Could it be due to unavoidable talent differences based on gender?

Honestly, it seems strange.

Yet, somewhere in my mind, I found it somewhat reasonable.

In my usual play of “Gonnis Archive Life.”

Even when abbreviating it to ‘Gosra,’ I was curious.

‘Why don’t men even show a hint of their noses…’

NPCs, as well as those who just happen to help by chance, were all women.

I thought maybe it was because the majority of ‘guides’ were men… with this background, I could somewhat understand.

‘Whatever, it doesn’t matter.’

Life and death are at stake right now.

What could be more important than that?

The point is, as long as I am strong, it doesn’t matter, right?

Lastly, the highly anticipated fourth point.

This was the most crucial.

Simultaneously, it was serious.

In fact, even if you combine everything in front of you, it would still be less than this.

4, Gacha. (X)

“No gacha…”

Gacha, in other words… commonly known as drawing.

As mentioned earlier, “Gonnis Archive Life” is an overall easy game.

There are many convenience systems developed for ‘guides.’

The most significant thing is the 3★ or higher characters that come out through gacha.

And because of the existence of [equipment] and [runes], which are essential for growth.

I was amazed by the level of equipment sold in the Hunter Market or apps.

Even equipment classified as uncommon to rare among ‘guides’ was considered expensive here and couldn’t be bought.

Considering that you can easily accumulate rare-grade items through gacha, the overall power balance in this world was significantly lower than the original work.

Moreover, the absence of various growth items purchasable with the paid currency ‘Red Crystals’ and packages commonly called ‘bargains’ was notable.

“…A gacha-less game?”

It’s like having to farm items yourself, enhance skills without paid currency, and grow.

“What should I do?”

Having been active as a specialist broadcaster for “Gonnis Archive Life” for a long time, I am no pushover.

I’ve maintained my rank and done all sorts of shows for views.

So, although I really didn’t like it,

I had the confidence to raise a 5★ character beyond just making a living.

“…But having absolutely no foundation is a bit…”

Scratching my head, I wondered, ‘What events increase stats?’ and ‘Should I swing my wooden sword all day?’

At that moment, I felt a chilling sensation down my spine.

Before I knew it, my eyes were fixed towards the window.

And something black was swiftly flying towards me.

Crash―!

“Oh my, damn it!”

I was so startled that profanity slipped out naturally.

Rolling and tumbling―

In the meantime, whatever had broken through the window came to a stop in the corner of the room.

A fairly large rectangular shape.

A form easily seen on the streets.

That is…

“…A box?”

It was a plain cardboard box mainly used for moving belongings.

Slowly getting up from my seat, avoiding the broken glass, I stood in front of it.

It tore easily with my hand, surprisingly flimsy.

The first thing I noticed was a white envelope and a letter inside.

“What, what is this?”

Finally, a single word greeted me.

【Sorry lol】

“…This bastard?”