Chapter 1: Tabletop Role-Playing Game
Rattle.
It is that defining moment where fate is decided—roll after roll, with every rattle of the die as it tumbles across the table. It is a moment I know all too well.
But no day had ever felt as intense or as sensitive as this one.
"A natural 20... that means <Apostle of the Ominous Star>. Oh, what a rare trait, isn't it?"
A single twenty-sided die had come to rest on its highest number. I looked up at my friend, Kim Do-wol, who had just explained the significance of that number.
"What does the <Apostle of the Ominous Star> trait do?"
"It’s a doctrine related to the Outer Gods, which the rest of the world considers heresy. Therefore, you’ll receive a bonus when performing Miracle checks for the 'Great Old Ones' and 'Outer Gods.' In exchange, however, you cannot learn miracles from any other faith."
I sighed, glancing at the paper titled 'Character Sheet.'
"Man... I was so excited to play a TRPG again, but why is my luck with the dice this bad? Even the stats are so extreme."
Tabletop RPGs are a type of board game that isn't very popular in Korea. It’s a game where you participate in a story created by a "Game Master," taking on the role of a character within that narrative. Essentially, it’s an RPG that uses a board, dice, and imagination instead of a computer.
"Besides, a priest serving an Outer God... that’s a guaranteed recipe for a catastrophic ending."
"But you never cared whether the ending was bad or not, did you?"
From middle school through high school, I had played «Worlds and Systems», a TRPG that Do-wol had modified himself. Now, after a long time, we had reunited as adults, about to dive back into «Systems» to relive old memories.
"Still, it’s been a while. It would be nice to have a good ending for once."
As I grumbled, I looked at the sheet where my character stats, determined by the dice, were written in his handwriting.
「Strength: 30, Constitution: 40, Dexterity: 30, Intelligence: 80, Spirit: 90」
In these stats, 50 is considered average, 70 is gifted, and 90 is supernatural.
‘Except for Intelligence and Spirit, the rest of the stats aren’t even average...’
A balanced distribution of high stats was better for handling various situations, so these could hardly be considered good. However, it was impressive that my Spirit stat was at the highest possible value for a human. I had created and played many characters, but I had never seen a dice roll this powerful.
"I don’t know if this is a good thing. I would have preferred something common but reliable. Besides, I can’t stand anything related to religion."
My aversion to religious elements went beyond mere dislike; my face contorted in disgust. I had never once created a priest character, not even in a simple game.
‘Calling him a priest of an Outer God makes it sound somewhat cool, but in the end, he’s just a cultist.’
The nature of TRPGs allows you to choose freely between being good, evil, or somewhere in between, so I had no problem playing a villainous character. It was just that I hated the idea of playing a religious character more than I hated playing a villain.
"It’s just a game, what’s the big deal? You’ve never tried it before, right? Since we’re playing again after all this time, wouldn't it be good to try something new?"
I took a sip of ice-cold water and thought about it.
‘Yeah, fine... it’s just a game. No need to get so worked up just because I got a religious character.’
It was a day dedicated to hanging out with a friend I hadn’t seen in nearly ten years, so I figured I could be more easygoing today. For someone like me, who had been through a very rough life lately, this was a rare moment of fun. It was worth setting aside my personal feelings so as not to ruin it.
"Alright. I’ll accept what the dice decided. So... what should I choose for the priest character?"
I scanned the crowded list of traits, which looked like an Excel spreadsheet I often see at work. It was filled with everything from abilities specialized in survival and information gathering to traits that would be useful in combat.
"Is this campaign focused on exploration again? Or is it combat-oriented?"
In TRPGs, your investment in exploration or combat depends on the story the Game Master has prepared. If you invest heavily in combat for a story that has no fighting, you’ll end up as just a muscle-bound fool trying to conduct an investigation. Essentially, you’d be a thug shaking people down for information.
"You’ll probably want to invest in combat."
I sank into a moment of pleasant deliberation. Out of 20 traits I could have obtained randomly, I got <Apostle of the Ominous Star>. It seemed the right direction was to invest in traits that synergized well with it, specializing in the priest class.
"Don’t forget, this is a medieval fantasy story with no firearms. Don’t go and invest in marksmanship again like last time."
"Ah... right. Hey, but that was your fault for not telling me!"
The setting for this game was medieval fantasy. And...
"Did you really think shooting Cthulhu Mythos monsters would work?"
"I didn't know any better then, so I thought it would work."
...The Cthulhu Mythos.
It was mixed with many of Do-wol’s original elements, and unlike the original Cthulhu Mythos, combat was somewhat possible. Of course, combat was only possible against ordinary monsters, not god-like entities. The Great Old Ones and Outer Gods were still horrors beyond human comprehension—transcendent entities that could not be opposed.
"Let’s see... Priests use divine magic, right?"
"Not divine magic—Miracles."
"Same thing, basically... but since this is the first time I’m looking at the priest class, there seem to be a lot of good options."
"In TRPGs, priests and paladins are usually overpowered. They're also the hardest to play."
After much thought and careful deliberation, I managed to choose four traits.
"Hmm... I think I've made some good choices."
<Transcendence>, which negates the resource cost for one Miracle every 48 hours.
<Solar Eclipse>, which increases the effectiveness of offensive and support Miracles.
<Lunar Eclipse>, which increases the effectiveness of defensive and healing Miracles.
They were all useful traits for a priest using Miracles. There were many traits that could help with survival or exploration, but this time, I deliberately chose an extreme distribution. It would be more fun that way.
"Of course, you always choose <Efficiency>, don't you?"
The <Efficiency> trait cost significantly more points than others, but it halved the resources consumed by the character. Whenever I felt a character would use a lot of Health or Mana, this trait was essential.
"I hate feeling helpless just because I ran out of resources."
"You haven't changed a bit. Still, this build looks very solid."
A heretical priest serving an Outer God...
It felt somewhat like a cult leader, but if I was going to play a priest, I didn't mind him being unique.
"Alright, all six traits are chosen..."
"...Huh? Six?"
There were supposed to be five in total: the randomly acquired trait <Apostle of the Ominous Star> and the four I chose myself. When I looked closer, I saw some writing in the traits section that was hard to decipher, as if the ink had smudged.
"What’s this? Did I start writing and then stop...?"
I had no memory of touching that bottom section. As I pondered the strangeness of it and was about to wipe it away, my phone rang.
What was with this day?
It was a call from another old friend.
"I'll be right back, I have to take this."
"Sure, take your time."
Do-wol began reviewing my character sheet and rulebook, and I stepped out of the board game cafe to answer the phone.
"Hello? Jeon Ji-hyeon, how long has it been?"
"Ah... yes, Jong-soo. It’s been a while."
It was a friend I hadn't spoken to in ages, but his voice was tinged with bitterness rather than warmth.
"So... have you been well?"
"Me? I’m managing. What's up?"
"There’s nothing wrong with me. But... umm."
Ji-hyeon’s hesitation made a sense of unease grow within me. For him to be this hesitant, it had to be serious.
"Hey... in the past. You were close to Do-wol, weren't you?"
"Yeah. In fact, I’m with him today. Why?"
Why bring up Do-wol all of a sudden? Don't tell me Do-wol has gotten into some kind of trouble.
"...You're with Do-wol?"
"Yeah, what's going on?"
A moment of silence followed. The awkward silence was broken by a heavy, muffled voice.
"You're with him now? Are you talking about Kim Do-wol? The one you used to hang out with all the time in high school?"
"That’s what I said. He called me suddenly today, so we met up. What’s the story with all this?"
What was wrong with him? The panic in his voice was unmistakable.
"Lee Jong-soo. Calm down and listen carefully. I’m at Do-wol’s funeral right now. They said he passed away yesterday."
"........."
My mind went blank. Staggering confusion was all that filled my head. Only after a long silence did I finally manage to speak.
"...He died? Do-wol?"
"Yes. You weren't here, so I assumed you hadn't heard and called you. Hello? Can you hear me?"
I hung up without another word. When I turned back toward the cafe, I saw Do-wol still sitting there through the window.
What in heaven's name was going on?
"Then, who... who is that?"
Of course, he had changed a little from what I remembered; time had passed. But his way of speaking, his gestures, and the memories we shared were all exactly the same. Could it be someone else with the same name, and Ji-hyeon was mistaken? If not, I couldn't even begin to comprehend what was happening.
"...Do-wol."
I returned to the table, sat down, and looked him in the face.
"I just heard some news."
"I know. That I’m dead, right?"
In that moment, the expression on Do-wol’s face was the kind that only a human-shaped doll could make—disturbing, awkward, and profoundly unsettling.
"Lee Jong-soo. Calm down and listen carefully. I’m at Do-wol’s funeral right now. They said he passed away yesterday. He died? Do-wol? Yes. You weren't here, so I assumed you hadn't heard and called you. Hello? Can you hear me?"
Ji-hyeon’s voice and my voice, sounding as if they were coming from a phone speaker, flowed from Do-wol’s alarmingly open mouth. It wasn't just the voices. The conversation he couldn't possibly have heard was repeated perfectly, as if it were a recording.
"What in the world is this...?"
Shortly after, the ceiling, the walls, and everything in my field of vision began to melt. Behind the melting space, a void of darkness was revealed. The moment my eyes caught the countless stars shining silently and eerily from behind the darkness, my mind began to fracture.
Then I saw Do-wol. Not just one, but many—all of them dead.
"......Ah."
Something was oozing from every corpse—from a shattered head, from a bloated and torn body, and from beneath a hanged neck. The last corpse, mangled beyond recognition with its entrails exposed, approached me.
"Aaaaaaaagh!"
As I stumbled backward, the floor vanished beneath me, and I began to plummet into a deep darkness. Faced with this incomprehensible phenomenon, my consciousness melted with the surrounding space. I struggled, desperate to escape, but I was as helpless as if I were moving through water, or in a dream.
Where could I run? Everything had already melted away.
"Ah......"
My consciousness faded. In that final moment, I heard a sound. It was a sound that pierced through my fading awareness, the only thing I could understand in this entire situation.
Rattle.
The dice had been cast.
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