Chapter 230
"The lore's strongest. Gimme more. This is fun?"
"No more left. I even pulled out the ones still in testing just to check for design flaws."
It was a special stage where all characters' HP got set to 1, so no matter their specs, it really felt like playing a pure board game. As it went into the later stages, you needed all sorts of applied skills—even with the answers right there, you had to listen to the explanations to fully get it. The difficulty scaling was solid and well-differentiated too.
And amid all that, Yuna unnie was the only one actually functional, slotted in as the queen character. Watching her move was one of the fun highlights. The rest were all dummies. Ruwen, naturally, had Yuna unnie doing the motion capture herself, so it felt like a tiny version of her was right there in the game.
The characters' personalities were fully reflected in their movements and outfits too—and since we'd basically transplanted the real people, of course they felt alive. Once we tweak the voice and effects a bit more, it'll be a character we can really show off.
It was my magic that made it happen, but no mobile game out there right now can match this level of SD character animation. Competitiveness matters in the market, so I gotta keep finding ways to push it further.
Ro-ha unnie watched Ruwen's movements with wide-eyed wonder, then turned to ask,
"But is unnie a playable character?"
"Hmm... Not sure if she'll end up in gacha. Probably just popping up in special stages or events now and then? That's the plan anyway."
I knew Yuna unnie and Doyun oppa had been hashing out game mechanics endlessly, including how to use Ruwen. The tutorial would definitely let you control her—that much was locked in—but after that, nothing's set in stone yet.
"Oh? I wanna pull for unnie though."
Ro-ha unnie wasn't just involved in development anymore; she was genuinely hyped for the game. Since she was about my height, she had to look up at people when staring intently—just like I did.
Yuna unnie wavered right away.
"...Really?"
"Yeah. It'd be a waste not to keep using a character with modeling this good. And she's just so pretty—I gotta have her."
"...Ehehe... Should we tweak the plans then? Make her a 5-star...?"
Yuna unnie, you said Ruwen was supposed to be separate from you. She lit up at the praise and didn't even push back on "I wanna pull for unnie." But whatever—Doyun oppa would handle balance, so even if she went live as a real character, it wouldn't be an issue.
Doyun oppa nodded like it was no big deal, but added some caveats.
"Coming out in the tutorial from the start makes gacha tough though. Better as a free giveaway character across the board. And with power creep, we'd have to dial back her rank a bit."
"...Oh?"
"Yeah. Not making her trash or anything—just strong enough to carry the early game. Dropping her at full lore's strongest power like now would wreck the game."
"But... having her as an occasional cameo isn't so bad, right?"
Yuna unnie had flipped back after Ro-ha unnie's words. Her face and tone were super calm, but after spending so much time together, I felt like I had her figured out. She looked mature, but I poked her confidently.
"You really want to be the lore's strongest, huh?"
"...Huh?"
Yuna unnie could pass for super mature and cool if she just kept quiet, but she wasn't. As she tried to dodge, I called in reinforcements for a pincer attack. Attack power? Saintess time these days.
Seo-yeon got it without me explaining—she jumped in smoothly.
"Come on, Seol-ah. Yuna unnie's not some chuunibyou..."
"......"
Yuna unnie flinched. ...I meant to team up, but Seo-yeon went straight for the jugular. Not that I backed off—it was too fun watching her fluster.
"Unnie's so mature; she'd never pull some 'draw RPGs in notebooks as a kid' move and make herself the lore's strongest on purpose."
"...Th-that..."
"Sure, the character's so good I'd pull for her in a heartbeat, but unnie's got her reasons. Don't slander her."
"...Stop..."
"I mean, back in middle school year 2, I kinda crushed on that 'steps in when protagonists are in a pinch' role too. Middle schoolers love that stuff, right? Half-lidded eyes and all..."
Yuna unnie was a total game otaku. I figured she dreamed of being the perfect top-tier powerhouse that outshines even the highest rarities. Her past push to separate herself from Ruwen? Probably ditching that self-insert vibe.
Her face had been reddening like a boiling kettle, and finally she lunged at Seo-yeon to cover her mouth.
"...Stoooop... I did it all wrong... Please..."
First time meeting Ro-ha unnie today, so she probably wanted to keep up that cool exterior to match her looks—like Astasia's astrologer Ruwen. But this flustered side was way more natural and cute. She'd rock a pwueeeng~ sound effect perfectly.
"But 27-year-olds can fantasize sometimes too... Like, the basics trainer who bumps into the protagonist turns out to be the lore's strongest? That's cool, right!?"
Yuna unnie finally spilled, appealing straight to emotions. Yep, unnie's best in full middle-schooler mode. She kept glancing at Ro-ha unnie for backup, and sure enough, the sweet one nodded.
"I've always thought unnie was cool."
"...Ro-ha..."
Yuna unnie reached out, touched. They were straight-up filming a youth drama. But right before their hands met, Ro-ha unnie smiled slyly and pulled back.
"......"
Yuna unnie's eyes went blank. ...I kinda got why Sion said Ro-ha unnie was scary. Was her sandbag energy turning even Ro-ha unnie a bit devilish?
"Your current look is cuter anyway. Unnie picks her role, of course."
I'd whale endlessly for a server-top Ruwen if she went gacha—her character nailed my tastes perfectly. But I wasn't trying to pressure her. Just teasing a little.
"Weren't you already the lore's strongest, unnie?"
For real—Yuna unnie not being top-tier in Astasia would be weirder. She couldn't spam spells like me, but her range and raw power outdid this grand mage. If I could wipe a city once a day, she could nuke a nation monthly. Buffing ten thousand at once? Case closed.
With cool mode off, Yuna unnie seemed set on brutal honesty.
"...Since it's a game, I wanted to be even stronger."
Her desire sounded so boy-middle-schooler cute. Ro-ha unnie smiled faintly, leaned in, and whispered something.
"...For real?"
"Yeah."
"Then I wanna be playable too."
...How'd she do that? Ro-ha unnie caught my weird look and explained.
"Promised special illustrations later."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. I really wanna draw them."
Yuna unnie was prime prey—er, model—for any illustrator.
"I'll do your summer seasonal then. Unnie, maybe maid outfit?"
"Pretty confident in maid fits."
"...Make me weak if you have to... just cool character, please..."
Embarrassing to admit, but the double love-bomb from two famous illustrators crushed her defenses fast.
In the end, Yuna unnie gave up the lore's strongest spot but scored illustration promises for a happy ending.
Tsuki oppa, who'd been chuckling at the girls' antics, tossed in a quiet line.
"Capturing even the 'pretending to be cool' vibe? She'd be a hit."
As a top light novel author, he nailed the character essence—I agreed. ...Though his grin suggested he just found it hilarious.
Sorry, unnie, but including this personality would skyrocket her popularity. Sales matter for game success. Start as freebie, then event gachas later—character hype is key.
"...So, what do you think?"
With the game rundown mostly done, Doyun oppa went straight for the close, eyeing Tsuki oppa seriously. This much effort had to sway even the cautious ones.
But Tsuki oppa just countered lightly.
"What about it?"
"The game. Can you help? We really need you."
"Looked fun from the start—I'm in. Chances to handle Astasia stuff don't come often."
Doyun oppa blanked at the instant reply. He'd been laying it on thick, but this? Pure dumbfounded.
"...Weren't you busy?"
"Manga's blowing up, so catching the novel'll take forever. Serial's basically tied to that."
"...Then why the 'not joining' face? You were taking notes and stuff."
"You noticed? You seemed so desperate, I trolled a bit. Got the full rundown thanks to it."
"This guy's actually insane...!?"
First time seeing Doyun oppa say that. Guess Tsuki oppa wasn't normal either. Makes sense—this club doesn't fit normals.
Yoo Seol-ah and Yuna unnie's grade-school duo, heart-exploding laughing cat beastkin, dev-mad hero, DPS-loving saintess. ...I'm the only sane one.
What's with Baek Sion's 'you guys are having fun' smirk? Sure, Yuna unnie's reactions were hilarious, but he teases me daily—borderline bullying. If he weren't so handsome, that face wouldn't fly... ...Ugh, pisses me off.