Chapter 596: Talent Donation(4)
Chapter 596: Talent Donation(4)
In my previous life, there was a game called a TRPG. To put it simply, it’s an offline game that combines improvisational acting with an RPG.
When people think of a typical RPG, they usually picture a computer or video game. However, a TRPG is conducted entirely through role-playing and dialogue.
A Game Master takes the place of the computer, guiding the scenario based on infinite "imagination." I emphasize again: imagination.
While computer games might have exploits, they are inevitably limited in their degree of freedom. TRPGs have no such constraints. They boast absolute, limitless freedom.
However, there is one thing to keep in mind. A TRPG is a social game. Mutual respect is essential; playing recklessly or selfishly will only draw criticism.
Whether it’s the Game Master sustaining the world or the players driving the scenario, it’s a game where everyone pushes their imagination to the limit.
It’s a niche hobby for the most dedicated enthusiasts, but that single strength—vast freedom—has earned it a very loyal following.
Of course, I never played them. I was too busy playing that "disease game," and my friends weren't interested.
To be honest, I don't even know the rules that well. I’ve only seen a few videos on YouTube, so all I really know is that you have to roll dice.
‘The original luck-based trash game.’
Whether TRPGs take root in this world or not isn't my concern; right now, playing with Ariel is what matters.
It’s a good way to check the kids' potential while simultaneously fleshing out the setting for my next work after Blood and Iron.
Children’s imaginations often surpass those of adults, so this should be a productive exercise.
‘But why are there so many dice?’
Perhaps it was because this was an era where gambling was a major issue. The dice the children had gathered were diverse.
Starting from the basic cube, there were dice with 8, 10, 12, and even 20 sides. A wide variety indeed.
Since I planned to rely on improvisation and a rough explanation of the world anyway, I intended to use them randomly.
Still, I had to make it sound plausible. I’d just follow the format of those entertaining videos I saw on YouTube.
"Alright. Done."
I finished jotting down temporary classes and stats on the paper and pens I’d prepared. I figured I’d just let them roll for their races.
When I looked up at the children who had been waiting patiently, they were all staring at me with puzzled expressions.
I suppose it was only natural. First, I asked for a bunch of dice, and then I started scribbling things down on paper. It must have looked strange.
The setting would be unfamiliar to them as well. A world devastated by the Second Demon War. A place where the dead rise due to the distorted Natural Order.
‘The Xenon Biography setting isn't bad, but I’ll save that for later.’
This was an impromptu story. It was barely even a TRPG.
To the children, it probably felt like a more structured version of playing house. I looked at their innocent, expectant eyes and spoke.
"Preparation is complete. Who wants to roll the dice first?"
"Me!"
Ariel was the first to shout, thrusting her hand into the air. Her golden eyes sparkled with anticipation.
I handed her a die and told her to roll. To start, a standard six-sided die.
Rattle—
"6! I got a good one!"
Perhaps it was because she was an angel, but even her dice rolls were extraordinary.
I told Ariel the race I had assigned to the number 6.
"You are an Elf."
"An Elf?"
"That’s surprisingly normal."
"Ariel is more like an angel than an elf."
The children whispered among themselves when I designated Ariel’s role as an Elf. But that wasn't the end.
"Now, please roll the icosahedron."
"What’s an icosahedron?"
"The die with twenty sides."
Rattle—
Following my instructions, Ariel rolled the twenty-sided die three times.
I knew you were technically supposed to roll ten-sided dice for stats, but since I hadn't prepared a formal system, I substituted them with the d20.
The resulting numbers were 20, 15, and 3. Her Strength and Agility were excellent, but her Intelligence was abysmal.
...How did she even get these numbers? It was absurd, but I reported the results as they were.
"Your stats are 20 Strength, 15 Agility, and 3 Intelligence."
"Wow! I look really strong!"
"You said 20 was the highest, so that’s amazing. But her Intelligence is only 3. Doesn't that mean she’s a total birdbrain?"
Ariel’s cheers were short-lived as Mars poked a hole in her excitement. According to the stats, she was a birdbrain, but where did he learn that word?
"Where did you learn a word like that?"
"From the Xenon Biography."
"...I'm sorry."
It was all my fault. This was the karma for playing with language in my writing.
Next was the class assignment. Since there weren't many options, I told her to roll the twelve-sided die.
Ariel, looking slightly pouted from Mars calling her a birdbrain, puffed out her cheeks and rolled the die.
The result was a 4. I bit my lip to keep from laughing before speaking.
"......You are a Priest."
"A priest with low intelligence and high strength? What is this?"
What else? It was one of those "hybrids" that occasionally cropped up. She wasn't even a Paladin; she was a Priest.
Of course, in a game with high freedom, you could do whatever you wanted, but the fact remained that she had to stay true to her role.
"Can't I roll again?"
"No. Next, roll the six-sided die."
She rolled a 6. I didn't know why her luck was so polarized.
"Your appearance is truly beautiful. You are praised as having features carved with the utmost care by a master craftsman."
"Ooh~"
"Ariel has it easy. She just has to act like an idiot."
A girl with dull blonde hair reaching down to her waist spoke enviously. Despite her freckles, the girl was quite cute herself.
And so, Ariel’s character was finalized: an Elven Priest of immense beauty but very little intelligence.
A bizarre combination had appeared right from the start. If Ariel was like this, what about the others?
"Your stats are 6 Strength, 14 Agility, and 12 Intelligence."
Even if the stats came out normal like that, it didn't mean the role was simple.
"An ugly Dwarf Blacksmith? What can I do with this role?"
"You can enhance your allies' weapons or destroy your enemies'. However, depending on the dice, a weapon might be destroyed during enhancement."
Because I intended to make it interesting. The children’s eyes sparkled at the combination of familiar roleplay and unique mechanics.
With the Dwarf Blacksmith finished, we moved on. A sturdy-looking boy was assigned the role of a Human Warrior.
His stats were a balanced 13, 7, and 9. His appearance was a mediocre 3.
That left Mars, who felt like the leader of the pack.
Rattle—
"Your stats are 8, 5, and 13."
"Alright! My strength is low, so I just need to get Knight!"
Not a chance. The dice are impartial.
"Your class is... a Mage."
"Ugh."
Mars grimaced the moment I said Mage. He made no effort to hide his disappointment.
However, since the other children had accepted their roles gracefully, he couldn't very well ask for a change.
He received a decent 5 for appearance, but his race was Beastkin. I had never seen a Beastkin use magic before, but this was a game.
"Each of you emerges from a grave, either kicking open a tomb or clawing through the dirt. The world you step into is entirely grey, devoid of any sign of life. You do not know why you have been resurrected; you only know that you must move forward. First, Lady Ariel."
"Yes?"
"Please tell me what action you will take."
"Hmm... I'm a priest with low intelligence, even if everything else is good... First, what do I have?"
"You are wearing the nun’s habit you wore in life, and in your hand, you clutch a cross-shaped necklace."
Ariel thought for a moment after hearing my description before speaking.
"Since I'm a priest, I'll start by praying. Even if the gods can no longer interfere with the world, I'm still a priest."
"Then please roll the die."
"I have to roll for that?"
"Yes."
Though still unfamiliar with the concept, Ariel rolled the die as instructed. Naturally, it was the d20.
The die landed on a 5. Normally, this wouldn't be a terrible roll, but the problem was her Intelligence of 3.
Just as Ariel was about to kneel and offer a prayer for the sake of her role, I spoke the narration with a hint of a smile.
"You tried to offer a prayer to the gods, but you forgot the words."
"Oh, Gods... Eh?"
Caught off guard, Ariel gave a reaction perfectly suited for someone with 3 Intelligence. Even her blinking was perfect.
It turned out to be such a perfect performance for her character that the other children burst into laughter.
"Pfft... So that’s how it works."
"I think I get it now. This looks fun!"
"Hurry, hurry!"
Kids will be kids. If something is fun and new, they’ll want to jump right in.
I asked them to calm down for a moment and then spoke to the dazed Ariel.
"Ariel. You can continue."
"......I can do anything, right?"
"Yes. Whatever you imagine."
"Hmm... Then I'll walk out of the graveyard."
"You walk out of the grey graveyard. The graves are located in a place resembling a canyon, and the surroundings are filled with bones."
I planned to use the beginning as a tutorial to show them how to play. Since it was such a foreign concept, I had no choice.
Furthermore, as I mentioned, the scenario was a world on the brink of ruin. I had borrowed the setting of a game famous for its hardcore difficulty in my past life.
A world where the Natural Order wasn't just distorted, but completely shattered. The dead rising was common, and demons ran rampant everywhere.
"Suddenly, a skeleton appears, wandering in front of you. It spots you and charges, its jaw clattering!"
"Wh-what? Are we fighting?"
"You have to. Just do it like you're playing house. Tell Daddy before you use a skill."
"A-a skeleton? Since I'm a priest, I'll chant a Divine Spell!"
Despite her initial fluster, Ariel proceeded like her usual roleplaying. Having been given the role of a priest, she was dedicated to her prayers.
However, the dice are cruelly impartial. I asked Ariel to roll.
Rattle—
The result was a 15. With an Intelligence of 3, that wasn't even close; it was at a level where I should have given her a penalty.
But since it was a tutorial, I decided to skip the penalty. Regardless of Ariel’s despair, I stoically continued the scenario.
"You prayed desperately, but because you forgot the words, nothing happened. At that moment, the skeleton raises its sword high!"
"Aaaaah! Roll! I have to dodge somehow, so I'll roll away!"
"Please roll the die."
She might have been dim-witted, but her other stats were top-tier. Her Agility was 15, and her Strength was a maximum of 20.
The die landed on a 10, creating a scene where she narrowly dodged the attack.
"Phew... Oh, Gods. This too must be your will. If you will not grant me strength, I shall overcome this myself! I will strike the skeleton’s face with the hand holding my necklace!"
She must have been quite immersed, as she started using formal speech instead of her usual casual tone. Satisfied, I checked the value of the die she rolled.
I didn't know if Luminous and Mora were finding this entertaining or if she just had incredible natural luck.
The die landed on a natural 1. Not only I, but the watching children gasped in admiration.
"You struck the skeleton’s face with the hand holding your necklace. The skeleton’s skull shattered instantly, and you are victorious! By the grace of the gods, you may increase one stat by 1."
"Wow! So cool!"
"Is she really a priest? Isn't she a Paladin?"
"More like a Monk than a Paladin. But she did try to chant the prayer, so let’s let it slide."
A Strength 20 priest who couldn't remember her prayers. Ariel was actually quite clever; she made sure to try and pray even in a crisis.
If she had just thrown a punch immediately, it would have broken her character. The other children seemed to realize this intuitively and accepted the outcome.
And so, Ariel’s turn, which had been eventful from the very start, ended, and we moved on to the next child.
And then...
"By the grace of the gods, you may increase one stat by 1. Which stat..."
"Strength, definitely! Even if I'm a mage, Strength!"
"......"
I could see the birth of a legendary "Muscle Mage." It wasn't even that Mars had smashed a skeleton with his staff.
On the contrary, he had been very faithful to his role. He had used magic to turn the skeleton into dust.
And yet, he chose Strength. I asked quietly, just in case.
"......Just because you take Strength doesn't mean you can neglect your role as a mage later, okay?"
"I'm sure there will be a time to use Strength eventually!"
His confident answer left me speechless again. By the time Mars’s turn ended, it was already evening.
Evening was when parents always called their children home. No matter who I was, I couldn't let the parents worry.
"Big brother! Big brother! We're doing this tomorrow too, right?"
"We'll see. I'll decide based on my schedule. I'm a bit busy, you know."
"Please play with us! It’s really fun!"
Even Mars, who had been prickly before, seemed to have enjoyed it, insisting that we play again.
I thought he might be a brat, but not at all. Then again, Ariel has good intuition; she wouldn't have hung out with him if he were truly a bad kid.
The children’s parents thanked me, but they also seemed curious about what kind of game we had played. I wondered if adults would find it fun too.
I’d have to teach them after I’d drafted more detailed rules. As I’d mentioned, today’s session was entirely impromptu and full of holes.
"Daddy. Daddy. Can we play with the mommies when we get home? And Grandpa too!"
"Shall we? It might be good for Mommy Mari, so why not."
"Yay! Yay!"
Seeing her wings flutter, it was clear Ariel was hooked. I smiled warmly and stroked her head.
Thus, after arriving home, I gathered everyone as Ariel wished and conducted a brief session.
"Um... shouldn't we be heading to bed soon?"
"Just one more turn! Just one more!"
[Ho ho ho. My grandson keeps delaying this old man’s funeral.]
"......"
I let out an awkward laugh at the unexpectedly enthusiastic response.
Still, I was glad to have brought some life into the mansion.
‘I feel like I’ve become a slave in a different sense...’
But for the people I love, it’s a burden I’m happy to bear.