Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The First Choice
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The voices of the shadows could not be heard.
But I could see them panicking, muttering to themselves or seemingly speaking to Aldin.
"Some of you may know the story of Lost World well through the game. In the past, a brilliant civilization flourished on that planet, and various races lived in harmony. But for some unknown reason, the gods left and never returned. Now, on that planet, pitiful beings who have lost their gods wander the wilderness, living miserable lives. They need a god.
So, to find god candidates, I searched for another world whose inhabitants could readily accept those of that planet, and there I created a game mimicking that planet: Lost World. If you want to quit and go back, that's fine. But you will lose all memories of this place."
Seong-un asked,
"What if I take on the challenge?"
"Pardon?"
"If I quit now, I lose my memories. So what do I get if I keep challenging and eventually win?"
Aldin said to Seong-un,
"By challenging, you become a god. As you experienced in Lost World, at first only the most wretched will believe in you. But if you increase the number of beings who believe in and rely on you, you could become the sole god of that planet. You could do anything you want. You gain an entire world."
Seong-un nodded.
But there was a loophole in Aldin's words.
"I get that quitting now means going back. But what if I say I'll challenge and then...?"
"You can't quit."
"If I lose to other gods..."
"You'll meet a god's end."
It was the answer Seong-un had expected.
If it was a game where everything was at stake, then one's life had to be on the line. And knowing how Lost World played, it might demand even more than that.
"Are the victory conditions the same as in Lost World?"
"Yes."
Lost World's victory conditions included alliance victories.
But that was just nominal. Even if you formed an alliance against a massive enemy, someone always ended up stabbing another in the back. Usually, alliances formed only around short-term goals to avoid such betrayals.
'That's because solo wins give higher rating points. Probably the same here...'
You couldn't raise rankings with rating points, but you could become the unchallenged sole god.
Seong-un realized there were thirty-two shadows gathered here—the maximum number for playing Lost World.
"I understand there's a price for challenging. But is it okay to grant challenge qualifications just for playing a game?"
"Of course."
Aldin said,
"You all qualify. Through Lost World, you saved the world hundreds, thousands of times. We'll provide the familiar interface you're used to from Lost World. Of course, this isn't truly a game. The creatures on that planet are literally alive, carrying just as many variables."
Seong-un had more questions, but Aldin lightly raised a hand to stop him.
"Now is the time to choose. Those who wish to quit, speak now."
"Those who will challenge?"
"Just stay as you are."
Soon, a few shadows seemed to move their mouths.
They appeared to be asking questions or declaring their quit.
Shadows began disappearing sporadically.
Seong-un kept his mouth shut and stayed still.
'Become a god?'
Seong-un thought about returning to his remaining life.
There was a reason he had been so immersed in games, in Lost World.
His family was fractured, and his only asset was debt.
He couldn't say there was no hope for the future, but if his calculations were right, staying here to become a god had a higher chance of happiness. It wasn't a difficult calculation.
Seong-un was good at Lost World.
More than good—he loved it.
'No reason to quit.'
After the thirty-two shadows dwindled to twenty-seven, no more quitters spoke up.
Aldin said,
"Then, from this altar, choose one card. That card will determine your first subdomain."
As Aldin stepped back, a round altar appeared as if it had always been there, covered with face-down cards.
'Just like the game.'
Aldin pointed to Seong-un first.
"You pick first."
Seong-un shrugged.
Since it was random like in the game, order didn't matter, but as rank one, it felt like a courtesy.
"Flip the card, and you'll be transported."
Fortunately, Seong-un was proficient in all thirty-two initial subdomains without much variance.
'Some have slightly higher win rates, though...'
Seong-un picked the card in the center and flipped it.
Confirming the image on the flipped card, Seong-un furrowed his brow.
'Oh, damn.'
Seong-un's first subdomain was 'Insects'.
To be precise, it wasn't strictly insects—it encompassed various arthropods and crustaceans to some extent.
Among the thirty-two initial subdomains, it wasn't highly rated, and data showed it had the lowest win rate.
'Probably because people bail immediately if they draw Insects.'
But now, Seong-un couldn't quit, so he had to make the best of what he got.
He wasn't too worried.
Even with some variance, Seong-un had evenly high win rates no matter the starting subdomain.
'Insects is just trickier than popular ones like minerals or livestock.'
Minerals were hugely advantageous starting at the dawn of the Bronze Age.
You could probably pioneer an Iron Age civilization faster than anyone.
Everyone knew iron's power.
Livestock was excellent too.
You could easily multiply meat resources and use cattle to mass-produce grain resources.
Gaining faith from mountain sacrifices was a bonus.
'Insects, on the other hand...'
Deep in thought, Seong-un tucked the insect card into his chest and looked down at the planet.
He let out a sigh he'd been holding.
'Didn't expect the starting position to suck this much too.'
The continent wasn't great either.
Lost World was divided into three major continents, and Seong-un's location was the northern hemisphere of the third continent.
The third continent was the largest, but it lacked the resource abundance of the first or the favorable climate of the second.
Instead—or rather, as compensation—it hosted various races and monsters, plus ruins granting special abilities in the game. They could be boons or banes depending on use.
'No helping it.'
Rather than complaining about his lot, Seong-un preferred spending time escaping unsatisfactory situations.
Soon, he realized he could move freely in the sky at will or zoom in on the surface.
Not omnipotent, but it felt like becoming a minor god.
Seong-un lightly scanned his allotted land, assessing races and tribes.
The land was a peninsula at the eastern edge of the third continent.
'Even a bit more west would have been better.'
Seong-un was confident in Lost World's early-to-mid game—from Bronze Age to pre-medieval combat—and against other gods.
But peninsulas were disadvantageous for expansion.
'On the flip side, it's safe early on.'
Builds began forming in Seong-un's mind.
Lost World games averaged four hours, but here time was plentiful.
Rushing a bit wouldn't yield huge gains. Precise judgment was key.
Once subdomain and land were set, players chose their first race and tribe.
Beyond humans, Lost World had countless races forming large and small tribes.
Initially, only small tribes were choosable.
'Even as a god, you start with very little power.'
Gods couldn't act freely.
In Lost World, gods influenced planetary life only through the filter of causality.
To bypass causality, 'faith' was needed.
Initial faith was a mere 10.
Use it wisely to make your chosen race believe in and rely on the god's existence.
That raised faith, allowing more miracles, and so on.
'Two groups catch my eye.'
One was a Lizardman group.
They had bluish, mottled skin, were small and scrawny even for Lizardmen.
Numbering just over thirty—barely a tribe.
Probably a blood-related clan.
'Likely kicked out after losing power struggles in a larger group.'
Indeed, where they were heading from, same Lizardmen had clustered around a small oasis as their base—about 150 strong.
But Seong-un was drawn to the smaller group.
Not pity.
Larger groups don't cling to minor miracles.
Securing a big group early might pay off, but it could cost all 10 faith in a risky gamble.
Smaller, needy groups believed in and followed gods easily.
'Faith depends on belief intensity, reliance, and actual dependence. ...But no need to take the hard road from the start.'
The biggest reason Seong-un was drawn to Lizardmen was they ate 'insects'.
Other races might eat insects in extremes—like humans or Elves—but cultural disgust existed.
That disgust stemmed from germs or parasites.
Lizardmen had high resistance, so no aversion to insect cuisine.
If 'livestock' eased food for humans, 'insects' were somewhat useful for Lizardmen.
'Of course, insect husbandry requires decent tech. And if eating insects anyway...'
Seong-un turned to the second group.
A Froglin group.
These amphibious humanoid frogs preferred insects even more.
At Bronze Age culture, insect farming was feasible, and they started along rivers and lakes where civilization developed.
Indeed, the Froglin group southwest in the wilderness Seong-un overlooked numbered 500—a huge tribe hard to find first.
'But being aquatic isn't always a strength. Without water, they can't act properly until high tech. This game won't allow adventuring leeway. Need flexibility—can these guys manage?'
Seong-un pondered for a while.
'Reptiles or amphibians.'
And chose his first tribe.