Beta Test and the Witch Masterpiece
The beta test email had already arrived. And it was a personal email from the developer himself, named Kim Won-gang.
"...Huh?"
I figured these things usually came from a company address, but it was probably the same for all the other testers. With that thought, I started reading the content from top to bottom.
It laid out the beta schedule, available visit times, what the focus of the testing would be—standard stuff like that. Of course, as someone utterly devoted to Lost World, I read every single detail without skipping a beat.
...But the last part felt a little off.
"...?"
I started feeling a wave of doubt after reading that last sentence. It specifically emphasized alone and quietly.
Sure, defeating the Demon King with 16 characters and maxing out every job was an incredible achievement. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have earned the titles of first and only one to do it. I had secretly hoped for some reward, too.
But now that they were offering it so readily upfront... it felt weird. Déjà vu, maybe?
Whatever. A reward was a good thing, so I decided not to overthink it. Their goodwill toward me wasn't changing.
Having memorized the whole thing, I opened my messenger app. Naturally, one group chat jumped out at me.
[Invincible Raid Party (12)]
...I still didn't get why they named it that. But these were the players I'd raided legion bosses and the Demon King with. Of course, after the probability manipulation scandal, most had quit the game—including a lot in this chat.
They'd spent big bucks just to gear up, so the betrayal hit harder. Still, they'd been almost as devoted to the game as me, which was why the chat was already buzzing.
The chat was already hyped, so I jumped in.
Eumsiinjang—or Eumsi for short. A female support user, true to her bard-like name. The only other player who'd achieved first clears on all legion bosses with me. She'd stuck with the game for a while even after the scandal, just like me.
Oh, right—she had a job. Guess the trip lined up exactly with the beta. Made sense; the test was only four days long.
...Yeah. Even in raids, I'd never revealed myself to them—not my face, not my voice. Lost World auto-tuned voices to fit your character, so...
I'd told them I was just your average male college student.
...Looks like I'd be the only one heading to beta. It was next week, so I'd just chill with some LoL in the meantime.
A week later, I finally arrived at the OVEN headquarters for the beta test. In front of the massive company building, I took a deep breath and headed through the main entrance.
Right away, a huge banner caught my eye. It was clearly directing beta testers that way. I followed it.
A burly security guard and a female guide stopped me.
"Could we have your main character's nickname?"
Made sense—156 wasn't that many; they'd check everyone individually.
"Noel."
"...Pardon? Ah, could you verify with the mobile app login?"
Her eyes widened when I said it. I knew my achievements were legendary, so I pulled out the app without fuss.
"Here."
"...Confirmed. Noel, please head into that room."
I followed their directions into the front room. Dozens of game capsules greeted me, with maybe 50-60 people already suited up and tinkering.
I hopped into an empty one in the corner and killed time watching NewTube until beta started.
Once we had just under 100 people, the NewTube screen switched to Kim Won-gang the director.
"Whoa, Director Wongang!!!"
"Love you, Wongang bro!"
Lively voices echoed from the capsules. The director smiled and waved back.
He stepped forward and began.
"98 out of 156 testers confirmed. Honored so many could make it on a weekday. You all stuck with our game even after our unforgivable mistake, and continued loving it..."
He went on with a long gratitude speech. Fair enough—we were all diehards on my level, or close.
"These are the players who logged in 365+ days out of 734 total. Amazingly, one of you has perfect attendance."
Gulp. That was me. I broke into a cold sweat, glancing around.
"No need to name names, but extra thanks to that player. Anyway, onto the beta briefing..."
He wrapped up the intro and dove into details. Feedback focused on convenience patches and new job balance. Raid difficulty could be tweaked post-Season 2 launch.
"You'll find a Developer's Note item in your inventory. Handwritten feedback appreciated."
After that, us testers—including me—evaluated UI/convenience issues, noted fixes, and tried the new jobs.
They kept scribbling notes. As testers finished feedback and logged out one by one, I stayed put in my capsule.
Once I was alone, Kim Won-gang's face popped up on my screen.
"Noel, right?"
I jolted, freezing my hands.
"Y-yes, that's me."
"Haha, sorry to startle you. No response when I called... Feedback all done?"
"...Just this last bit."
"Finish up, then come to the Director's Office? Exit this room, last door on the end. Time for that reward we discussed."
"Got it."
My feedback had filled two A4 pages. I saved, logged out, and headed to the office.
Kim Won-gang, already seated, grinned.
"First off, huge thanks. You're the first—and only—to max every job and defeat Kazea with all of them. Shows how much you loved our game, even after the scandal."
"N-no... Lost World helped me a ton; I should be thanking you. The scandal bummed me out too, but..."
This was sincere. I'd spent money too, so it stung. But the game had helped me through tough times, so I'd kept playing.
"...So, about that reward?"
"Right. Something I didn't show the others—exclusive early access for you."
"...What is it?"
"Saw your characters. All gorgeous and cool."
I couldn't say their looks contrasted my past self. But yeah, I poured heart into customization because looks mattered in games. I'd spend at least an hour on each, tweaking till perfect—obsessively so.
"The feature? Even more detailed customization."
My heart raced. Lost World's system was already top-tier—face ratios, body proportions, all adjustable.
"Not huge changes: finer hair/face tweaks, more tattoos... Here, hop in this capsule by my desk and try it. Easier to show."
I slid into the capsule and started customizing. The expanded options felt worlds better—precise eye/nose/mouth angles let me nail the vibe. Uptilted eyes for a sexy, haughty cat-like face; downturned for cute puppy eyes.
30 minutes... an hour... I zoned in silently.
Finally, after 1 hour 32 minutes, my Season 2 first character—a Witch—was complete.
As I stepped back from the creation screen, Kim Won-gang and I just gawked, mouths agape, at her stunning form.
Long, silvery hair cascading beautifully; amethyst-gem eyes sparkling like jewels. Uptilted eyes gave a proud yet alluring charm, atop an hourglass figure that curved perfectly where it should.
...The masterpiece of my customization life.