NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7
The build research is almost complete.
Starting with the Zombie Camilla build, known for its bloodsucking and hunting, moving on to the sturdy tank Camilla, and then to the Scourge Camilla, whose existence revolves around taking down enemy marksmen together.
Among them, there were about four builds that seemed somewhat useful, ones worth salvaging.
Considering I had roughly 20 ideas, that’s not too shabby—just about a quarter hit rate. Not bad at all.
“I originally only used two builds anyway.”
It’s a much better situation than back when I was juggling just two builds. I can definitely breathe easier now.
There are various reasons for the increase in build variety.
For starters, the meta has changed since the days I played, and research has progressed smoothly compared to the past.
But the biggest reason is definitely the changed body.
“My physical capabilities are insane.”
I wasn’t particularly lacking in physicality before, but this body is something else.
The more I adapted to it, the more types of plays I could pull off.
I realized that the plays that only top-tier rankers or pros used to do, ones I had only imagined, could actually happen in reality.
It’s truly something beyond comprehension. My reaction speed and hand-eye coordination have surpassed human limits, to put it mildly.
“Is it because I’m a game character?”
For some reason, my overall health seems to have improved. It’s embarrassing to say, but I could confidently say my old male body was weaker than this one. I had just gamed all day without any real exercise, so it’s no surprise.
On the other hand, how about Camilla?
She’s fundamentally built for action on the battlefield. According to Abyss lore, heroes have mana flowing in their bodies that allows them to use skills, but I can’t say I know much about that. What I do know is that, at the very least, she’s tough.
“Sitting in front of the computer for long hours and still feeling great.”
Ever since I woke up and my appearance changed alongside the game becoming awesome, I’ve just been gaming nonstop.
I spent a whole day sitting there, snacking in between, and my body felt absolutely no fatigue.
In the past, I’d have barely managed 12 hours at most. After that, I’d be sprawled on my bed groaning.
“What kind of stamina is this…?”
In contrast, how am I now? I’ve only briefly paused the game because Abyss seemed sufficient, but my body is still buzzing with energy. I could keep playing if I set my mind to it.
I’ve stayed up for days and still don’t feel sleepy. Have I truly transcended human limits?
I’m not particularly sleepy, either. Has it truly transcended human limits?
‘Should I try this later?’
How long can I stay awake without sleeping? I’m also curious about my overall stamina. How fast can I run 100 meters? How much can I lift in the main three lifts, and so on…
But that’s a matter for later. There were things I had to do first.
In fact, it was something I should have done first, but I got distracted by the game.
My head must have been thoroughly cracked open after all.
Well, at least I was lucky to come to my senses now.
“What should I look for first?”
I placed my hands on the desk and scanned the surroundings.
Should I rummage through all of this? I might really have to if it comes to that.
Feeling annoyed, I let out a sigh and started going through the bookshelf.
From now on, it’s information-seeking time.
*
“Hmm….”
Contrary to my expectation that it would be a tedious task, the search ended up being quite uneventful.
It was enough to open an old wallet without needing to dig through the bookshelf and storage cabinet.
Inside the wallet were familiar brand cards and a few bills.
Among them, I picked out something unfamiliar.
A card depicting a woman with a look that could never be mine, yet now seemed strangely familiar.
It was an ID card. The identity card that should contain my original name and appearance now held different information inside.
-Mun Ah
[xx-ro, Dobong-gu, Seoul]
Silver hair cascading down to her shoulders. Blue eyes, rare among Koreans, and skin as white as snow.
Without a doubt, there was a stunning beauty on that ID.
With a name I had never seen before.
“Mun Ah….”
Is that a first name? The last name is Mun, and the first name is Ah?
What a peculiar name. It does follow my original last name, Mun.
“Mun Ah, Mun Ah… Mun Ah.”
As I awkwardly called out the name repeatedly, I soon realized an undeniable fact.
The woman with an unreal appearance, who seemed like she couldn’t exist in reality, was proven to exist in this world through that ID.
And that ID was originally mine and undoubtedly still belonged to me.
That meant I had truly, genuinely transformed into a character from the game.
The graduation album I looked up next and the photos I had taken separately were the same. All of them had changed to reflect not the original me, but Camilla—no, Mun Ah’s appearance.
Everyone had changed into the form of Camilla, or rather, Mun Ah, who was not the original me.
It was a situation where my very existence had transformed without needing to take any extra actions. It wasn’t too surprising since it was just one of the possibilities I’d anticipated.
“I guess it’s nice not to have any hassle.”
I felt satisfied that I had nothing to do, really.
In the worst-case scenario, I considered the idea of the original me being reported missing or dead, leaving me as an unidentified person.
If it had turned out that way, I would have had to go look for a broker to get a new identity, just like in the movies.
History itself had changed. I could think of it as Mun Ah stepping into the original me’s place. Naturally, people’s perceptions would have shifted in accordance with that.
Not having much social interaction was actually working to my advantage in this case.
“Then, the immediate task is….”
Nothing in particular, I guess.
I rummaged through my mind but couldn’t come up with anything right away.
After all, I was a jobless slack-off living off my free time. I had no one to contact, so there were no appointments to keep.
It would be perfectly normal for me to just sit around playing games and end up dying alone. But suddenly, I’d turned into a game character.
If I were to weigh the pros and cons, it was clearly a gain.
A person who could barely do anything other than play games—especially lousy ones—had become a TS cute girl, opening up all kinds of new possibilities.
On top of that, the only game I was playing had somehow turned into a top-tier game for some inexplicable reason.
“A top-tier player who suddenly appears in a god game turns out to be the finest beauty in the region? You can’t stop this….”
It felt like my life was flowing into easy mode all of a sudden. I could start streaming on the internet, receive huge donations from rich viewers, and get spoiled rotten.
The world would surely be treating me like royalty!
Just as I was grinning with the thought that I might be able to coast through life, it happened.
“Ah.”
I clutched my stomach with both hands due to the intense signals being sent from within.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten properly all day. Just a few snacks while gaming.
“Should I eat something first?”
I could take my time planning for my rosy future, which might have already started or might be yet to come.
*
The game had become so huge that the Abyss community had exploded in number.
From places simply sharing information about the game, to spots looking for people to rank together, places with pure strategy guides, and threads discussing only pro leagues, the variety was endless.
A place where only pure攻略글 can be found, a spot dedicated solely to professional league discussions, etc.
The community has become so incredibly subdivided that it’s tough to even maintain a single core.
[The Abyss Gallery]
Right after the Abyss was released, it’s said that this gallery existed since the dawn of time.
Now, a multitude of recommended concept posts are being rapidly uploaded there, and comments are pouring in underneath.
<"So Kayak is alive, huh ㅠㅠ">
She hasn’t logged in at all until now… I’m just glad she’s playing the game like this.
A common post that would usually get buried, but the reason this one has garnered so much attention lies with the author.
The writer had long been managing the Abyss Gallery as a sort of ‘badge holder’ since way back before the Abyss became a legendary game.
Naturally, those lingering in the gallery couldn’t help but be intrigued. Especially since the manager usually doesn’t post anything, merely managing the gallery in silence.
– ?? Who’s Kayak?
– Ah, you don’t know Kayak?
– ‘The Return of the King’
– The father of Abyss, Camilla’s boyfriend, the romantic Kayak of Season 4? You don’t know?
– Newbies are cute, lol.
– Of course they wouldn’t know! Those were the days when there were only 2-3 thousand concurrent players.
– I think I’ve seen that name before. They must be famous?
– These guys are trying so hard to act like they know stuff;;
– A badge holder is making a nickname call, huh…
– Should we go for impeachment…?
– So, is Kayak playing the game these days?
– Yeah, she was on Nicang’s broadcast yesterday.
– Matchmaking 6 times in a row with Nicang, though.
– This guy has turned into a targeting player, www.
– This person used to occasionally stream to promote the game, but do they not stream anymore now?
– Did Kayak used to stream?
– Yeah, she would go watch people from the gallery and such, even though it was just a 30-view stream.
– That era of no mic, no cam Challenger climbing streams… Ah… those were the days.
– I’m curious about who this person is, so I just watched Nicang’s replay. What does this person do?
– Why?
– They play really well, then really poorly… it’s a bit strange.
– I saw that too, seems like old man mode reducing builds.
– Haha, they’re not normal in either a good or bad way.
– Seriously, lol. Who would be normal getting thousands of games in a single season like Camilla?
– Even pros have thrown out Camilla, yet someone’s twisting all their limbs to climb as her? Zippity zap!
– I don’t even know who it is, but just hearing the explanation makes me dizzy.
– Just a crazy person, for sure, yeah…
– What on earth is Kayak doing out there!