Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Curiosity Killed the Cat
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There's an old saying.
Curiosity killed the cat.
And that was exactly me.
True curiosity. This is really important, so I'm emphasizing it twice. True curiosity.
Now, it wasn't because I wanted to indulge some dark sexual fantasy of mine. That's important too, so I'm emphasizing it twice. It really wasn't to fulfill any dark sexual fantasy of mine.
Just curiosity. True curiosity.
So... there were rumors floating around underground forums about this incredibly fun game.
It was an adults-only game with killer illustrations, but more than that, the R18 scenes were said to transcend beauty and elevate to pure art. On top of that, the gameplay was supposedly super engaging and immersive, making you feel like you were actually the character in the game.
So I decided to look into it.
Oh, don't get the wrong idea. I checked it out because it sounded genuinely fun. Not because it was an R18 game. I checked it out because it sounded genuinely fun. Important, so emphasized twice.
Anyway, I searched for this supposedly fun game, but came up empty-handed.
I even wandered game cafes and posted inquiries, but no one had this rumored R18 game. It was a huge letdown.
So I figured it was just some bored person's fabrication and forgot about it.
Then one day, I received an email.
The email said that since I'd been searching so fervently for a game called Dark City, the sender was rewarding my persistence by sharing their copy.
And sure enough, the user Evil Child God had attached a compressed game file to the email.
No way! So the rumored game actually existed!
In my excitement, I quickly downloaded the compressed file. Just in case it was some asshole spreading malware, I ran a thorough virus scan. It was clean.
Reassured, I launched the game right away.
The game started up, and I couldn't hold back my shock.
Why?
Because this game was a first-person visual novel-style thing... that required microtransactions!
I'd always lived by the creed that games are played with time, not money—no pay-to-win for me. I was about to delete it on the spot. Microtransactions were the root of all evil for free-to-play folks.
Right as I hovered over the delete button, I got another email from the Evil Child God who'd sent me Dark City.
"Seriously?"
With a sliver of hope, I clicked the pay button.
Your soul as payment?
"Pfft! This game's fun right from the start."
I burst out laughing. It was labeled beta, but I figured it was just the developer's prank.
Clicking [Y] brought up: [Soul charged successfully. Soul payment rewards available in character creation.] The dev had to be an occult fanatic.
Being a beta, the rewards would probably be generous. With trembling hands, I opened character creation.
"Name? Hmm... Bal Jeong-nam."
Not because it's an R18 game or anything.
Bal from "bal" () meaning right/proper, and jeong-nam () meaning man—proper man.
The family name Bal comes from Balhae, the ancient kingdom!
So altogether, the proper man of Balhae. Anyway, that's it.
Now age.
This was unexpected. You could set your starting age? Just play the game—why does age matter?
"20 feels too green... Let's go with 30. Prime of life!"
"This is annoying. Why does it go one by one? Just get on with it."
Age was whatever, but gender too? How many fields were there?
I filled out the character's personal info step by step.
Before I knew it, I was deep into character creation... and didn't notice.
That I was slowly being sucked into the computer. My body still sat in the chair.
I realized it far too late.
"No more, right?"
The character creation process was tedious and boring. Sure, picking your own values, alignment, and motto was novel, but without knowing how they'd impact gameplay, it was just dull.
And those three? Not multiple choice—free response. Super picky too.
I wrote "Extreme Sadist" for alignment, and it kept popping [Are you sure?]. High freedom game my ass—it robbed me of my freedom. Let me set it to Extreme Sadist!
Anyway, after the motto, the real customization kicked in.
"Height maxed at 191cm. A guy needs bulk to keep people in check."
Call me what you want, but I'm not tall or bulky. Not intimidating either.
Top it off with glasses, and I'm the textbook easy mark.
Having dealt with all sorts of bullshit in life, my role model was a big, scary-looking dude—and that's what I was crafting now. Not too vicious, though; handsome with rugged masculinity.
"Perfect. Totally my style."
Customization done, I grinned at my creation.
A 191cm pro-wrestler build in cheap undies. If he walked the street like that, everyone would run screaming.
Picture it: a giant in nothing but underwear prowling the roads.
Cops wouldn't touch him.
By the way, pre-customization height/weight locked in—no changes, no matter what. Only body style and looks were adjustable.
Satisfied, I hit [Complete]. [Character created.] And then, the moment I'd been waiting for.
Superpower.
Dark City is a hero-genre game featuring heroes upholding justice, villains chasing their desires, and monsters born with unexplained hatred for humanity.
But the shocking part? No main storyline.
Even high-freedom games have a backdrop main plot. Not Dark City.
So what does the player do?
Create the story.
Your actions ripple through the city's factions, triggering chains of reactions. Endless consequences.
You're director and actor, crafting your own—Dark City's own—tale on ultimate freedom.
"Which superpower... Huh?"
Scanning the list, a [Soul Payment Bonus] window popped up.
4 superpower picks and 50 level-ups? And parent selection?
First time seeing that. Superpowers are key, but I couldn't resist curiosity about parents.
"What, so many options?"
Not a dating service, but endless inputs. And for both parents—double the hassle.
Thank god multiple choice, or I'd ragequit.
"Parents, parents..."
Almost random-picked, but nah.
No main story—player choices shape it. Parents crucial for backstory setup.
Closest ties, formative years.
"Alright, let's go with this."
I picked conditions to nudge my ideal story. What tale would emerge? Super curious.
Parents set—now superpower time.
"..."
This game... everything's endless from character creation. Tone it down on release.
Anyway, clicked first: [Body Enhancer].
A hulking soldier appeared, suddenly battling presumed terrorists.
They fired—bullets bounced off. In a flash, he closed in, swung hard—one flew screaming.
10 armed terrorists down in under a minute.
Victory secured, he turned, crossed arms, smirked arrogantly at me.
"My character?"
It was Bal Jeong-nam, my customized self.
Explanation beside him:
"Wow."
I was impressed.
Levels unlocked different traits.
Lv.1 fixed HP Generation, but Lv.2 branched: Strength, Agility, or Stamina. Choices shaped the power's style.
"Man, character creation takes forever."
I grumbled, smirking. Checking all would take ages.
"Alright, done."
I nodded at the finished character. Probably an hour sunk in. Too many powers—I skipped most, just peeked appealing ones.
With 4 bonus picks, no pressure.
Saved bonuses for later—usable anytime. For when I hit a wall.
"Here goes!"
Finally, [Start Game].
The game with no turning back had begun.