NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2
A dirty puddle of water accumulated at the garbage dump, and a petite girl sat crouched beside it, silently gazing at the murky water.
The reflection of her face on the turbid muddy water.
Her soft skin, her exquisitely sculpted beauty despite the stained but long-flowing hair, and her youthful appearance alongside her diminutive stature.
It was unmistakable. This face was the same as the character she had created earlier using Bogeoni’s computer when trying to look up the AOE expansion DLC notice.
“Phew…”
Thoughts crossed her mind: if only she had known, she might have opted to create a character as a sexy older sister more to her taste instead of this childlike appearance. But it was all water under the bridge now.
Reincarnation, transmigration, or avatar possession in another world. Yet, thanks to her knowledge gleaned from exploring countless genres chasing after robots and mechas, she didn’t feel unfamiliar, anxious, or restless amidst the current situation.
Instead, she felt… anticipation.
AOE’s setting, despite its apocalyptic background, was brimming with awe-inspiring robots and weapons. Yes, robots! Robots were irresistible, after all.
Even though this was an unexpected scenario, the world of AOE was as familiar to her as looking at the palm of her hand.
She was an experienced player, having cleared this notoriously difficult game countless times, knowing the best strategies. Although there was no guarantee that all this knowledge would apply, there were certainly elements she could leverage.
With all these knowledge and skills combined, even without the supposedly ideal character settings for clearing the game, she could still achieve favorable results.
“Alright, now that I’ve made my decision, it’s time for action.”
Sitting still does no good.
Having sorted her thoughts, Silverwoo slowly rose, speaking with determination.
“ID, are you receiving me?”
Even while knowing there was no one around, the words were directed into the void.
Bzzt.
But a brief mechanical sound responded, followed by a mechanical voice emanating from the nape of Silverwoo’s neck.
[Code verified, please issue your command, Nameless.]
As expected, Silverwoo smiled faintly upon hearing that response.
ID refers to the portable bio-terminal embedded in nearly everyone in the world of Fangju, the main stage of AOE. Simply put, it is akin to a smartphone implanted in the body.
“ID, show me the stats window.”
Bzzt.
[Confirmed order from Nameless. Displaying your status.]
Right after ID’s response, a holographic screen emerged from her wrist, gradually sharpening to reveal vivid blue light.
——————————————————–
LV. 1 (No Name) *(■)
[ HP 13 / 13 ] *(■)
[ MP 465 / 465 ] *(■)
[ ST 15 / 15 ]
ATK 15 *(■) / DEF 30 / RES 40
STR 1 *(■)
DEX 8 *(■)
INT 147 *(Growth Bonus x2 / Growth Limit 1)
CHA 50 *(Growth Bonus x2 / Growth Limit 1)
CON 16 *(■)
LUK 15 *(Growth Bonus x2 / Growth Limit 1)
SP 0 / SK 5 / EXP 0
Physical Traits *(■)
Character Traits *(■)
——————————————————–
The same status window she had seen in AOE, lined with numerous texts and pieces of information, appeared just as it had been set last time.
The stats of a perfect Royal Robot Summoner — a flawless setting, free of any redundancy.
“Hmm, good.”
At first glance, everything seemed fine. However, just in case, she carefully examined the status window one more time from top to bottom.
LV. 1 (No Name) *(■)
Firstly, the level and the lack of a name were noticeable. The *(■) mark beside implied additional information like karma or credits, irrelevant for now.
[ HP 13 / 13 ] *(■)
[ MP 465 / 465 ] *(■)
[ ST 15 / 15 ]
Next were the variable stats found in most games: HP and MP. Despite the impressive MP, the embarrassingly low ST and HP were expected in this Robot Summoner role.
Unlike regular summoners who fight together with their summoned creatures, robot summoners act more as directors in the rear, supervising and commanding the battlefield. Hence, even with low ST and HP, it wasn’t a significant issue. What mattered most was the amount of MP necessary to summon and maintain these robots, which she memorized carefully.
Though figures like 13 HP and 15 ST were extremely low—infant levels—there wasn’t much she could do about that.
ATK 15 *(■) / DEF 30 / RES 40
Next were the attack, defense, and status resistance stats, not particularly critical for summoners, so she bypassed them as well.
The crucial growth stats followed, which were a key indicator of a character’s potential.
STR(Strength) 1 *(■)
DEX(Dexterity) 8 *(■)
INT(Intelligence) 147 *(Growth Bonus x2 / Growth Limit 1)
CHA(Charisma) 50 *(Growth Bonus x2 / Growth Limit 1)
CON(Constitution) 16 *(■)
LUK(Luck) 15 *(Growth Bonus x2 / Growth Limit 1)
The most important part of the character status window. Despite being tailored for robot summoning, the physical stats and growth related to stability were quite pitiful. However, an overwhelming INT of 147 assuaged worries.
But then again, a Strength of 1 was a bit harsh, wasn’t it? Considering the typical stats of a 15-year-old, without CON adjustments, she was weaker than a toddler, bordering on infant-level strength. This would surely affect daily life activities…
Although these thoughts did cross her mind, she shook her head clear of unnecessary distractions.
“Still, water under the bridge…”
After tidying her slightly unsettled mind, trivial parts like SP and skill points were noticed, but she bypassed those too since no immediate skill development was planned.
What remained were two parts—
Physical traits *(■)
Character traits *(■)
Although the physical traits were already set, the character traits were incredibly important.
One of AOE’s unique features was the character trait section during character creation.
Because AOE’s character status, aside from basic fixed parts, is decided entirely through these traits.
Thus, negative traits were chosen to earn skill points, which were then invested in positive traits to enhance stats. Finally, complex traits were applied to strengthen character personality.
So the character traits in AOE were essentially about setting a long-term direction for how her character’s journey would unfold.
Of course, some simply added a bunch of negative traits without much thought or chose average ages for a smooth experience…
“Only perverts do things that way.”
Recollecting her AOE memories, she touched the dark black box and watched as the simplified information expanded.
Positive traits
Prodigy / Heap of talent / Jack-of-all-trades / Revealing genius / Intellectual.
Complex traits
Negative traits
Nervousness / Healing wounds / Lack of exercise / Poor digestion / Weak body / Clumsy / Greenhouse flower.
As expected, the traits were divided into the three categories.
After studying the traits for quite some time, a sigh of relief escaped from her.
“Good. No issues.”
AOE’s negative traits could be incredibly extreme, like ‘Fool’ that decreased INT stat by 99%, or ‘One-armed’ traits.
Although these were naturally excluded when creating a character, the current situation—having been transmigrated into a game character—necessitated ensuring all factors.
“Alright, ID, can you close the stats window?”
[Confirmed order from Nameless. Closing the status visualization.]
ID’s cooperative response was smooth, but being continuously called ‘Nameless’ felt a little odd.
“ID, can we register a name?”
[Code verified. Registration at any time is possible.]
“Hmm… then—”
What name should she choose… oh! That one would be fitting.
“Edu Numerusday, register it as that.”
Edu Numerusday.
A female pilot character from her favorite space opera robot series, Celeryde, known for her exceptional skills and whose appearance coincidentally resembled Edu’s now.
[Confirmed. Register as user Edu Numerusday?]
“Yes.”
[Code verified. Hereafter, I will refer to you as Edu Numerusday.]
“Thanks, just call me Edu.”
[Understood. Edu.]
“Alright.”
With that, checking the status window confirmed that the nameless slot (LV.1) had been replaced with Edu Numerusday.
Alright, time to start.
Standing up, the moment Edu stepped forward—
– Negative trait effect ‘Clumsy’ imposes a huge penalty on movement!
– Movement action failed.
Edu’s leg slipped, causing her body to awkwardly collapse onto the ground.
Thud.
“…”
Rising quickly,
Perhaps due to being unfamiliar with the childlike body, Edu stood up firmly despite the unexpected fall.
“De, debuff traits like this—”
– Negative trait effect ‘Clumsy’ imposes a huge penalty on movement!
– Movement action failed.
After falling again, Edu slowly raised her trembling head.
“Hiss…”
Her shiny eyes now gleaming with impending tears. Just when she looked so wronged, a commotion reached her ears.
“You fell…”
“Mili, don’t make so much noise!”
“But…”
Clear yet faint female voices.
Turning her head, she saw two grubby-looking children peeking at her from behind a mountain of garbage.
Their ages—about 16 years old perhaps.
Just then, a realization formed in Edu’s mind. If she couldn’t walk well, someone could carry her instead, right?
Impressed with her own flawless plan, she quickly wiped away her tears and smiled at the children.
“Hey, kids, can you come here for a moment?”