LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 1 - TRPG
Clink.
The moment when the dice rolled on the table, deciding our fates one by one, was a familiar experience for me.
However, a day when the luck of the dice was as extreme and significant as today had never occurred before.
“If the result is 20… it’s the 〈Apostle of Calamity〉. Oh, that’s a rare trait, isn’t it?”
One 20-sided dice displayed the highest number. I looked at my friend Kim Dowol’s face, who explained the meaning of the result.
“What’s the effect of the 〈Apostle of Calamity〉?”
“It’s the faith in an Outsider God considered heretical by the world. So, you get a bonus judgment for the miracles of the ‘Great Old One’ and ‘Outer God’. But you can’t learn the miracles of other religious sects.”
I sighed as I looked at a paper labeled ‘Character Sheet’.
“No way… I was excited about this TRPG after a long time, but why is my dice luck like this? The stats are too extreme as well.”
TRPGs are a type of board game that’s not particularly popular in South Korea. It’s a game where players partake in a story created by a master, taking on the roles of characters within that narrative. Essentially, it’s an RPG game using a game board, dice, and imagination instead of a computer.
“Moreover, being a priest who serves an Outsider God… that’s a guaranteed doom ending.”
“You never cared about bad endings before?”
From middle school to high school, I enjoyed the TRPG 『World and Orders』 that Dowol himself had adapted and created. After many years, we reunited as adults and were enjoying 『Orders』 again, reliving our old memories.
“But since it’s been a long time, it’d be nice to end on a good note.”
Grumbling, I looked down at the sheet where my character’s stats, determined by the dice, were handwritten.
「Strength: 30, health: 40, agility: 30, intelligence: 80, mind: 90」
Stats marked 50 to 69 as common (凡人), 70 to 89 as talented (才人), and 90 and above as superhuman (超人).
‘Except for intelligence and mind, none of these even reach an average level…’
Balanced and high stats across the board would be preferable to handle various situations, making these stats not very desirable. However, it was impressive that the mind stat was the highest a human could achieve. Despite having created and played many characters, it was the first time I saw a stat reach such an extreme value.
“I don’t know if this is good. It might be better to have something common but moderate. Besides, I really dislike anything related to religion.”
My dislike for religious elements was so intense that my expression would sour instantly. I never once created a priest character, even in a simple game.
‘Talking about an apostle of an Outsider God sounds somewhat grand, but in the end, it’s just a cult.’
Given the nature of TRPGs, where one can freely choose between good, evil, and a suitable neutral role, I didn’t mind playing a villain. It was just that playing a religious character was even more unappealing.
“It’s just a game, so what? You’ve never tried it before, right? Since it’s been a long time, wouldn’t it be nice to try something new?”
I thought about it while sipping cold ice water.
‘Yeah, well… it’s just a game. There’s no need to get so worked up over drawing a religious role.’
Since it was a day to have fun with a friend whom I met after nearly ten years, being lenient today would be fine. Having had an unpleasant lifestyle for so long, this fun time that came after a long pause was too precious to spoil over personal grudges.
“All right. I’ll follow what the dice decided. So… what should I pick for a priest character?”
I examined the packed list of traits, reminiscent of the Excel sheets I often saw at work. There were a slew of traits, from survival and information collection specialties to combat-related ones.
“Is it exploration-focused or combat-focused this time?”
In TRPGs, depending on the story prepared by the master, it is determined whether to focus on exploration or combat. Investing in combat features in a non-combat story would result in nothing but a strong fool wandering around investigating. Essentially, it would be like a brute forcing information out of people.
“You should invest in combat features.”
I momentarily fell into a pleasant dilemma. The only trait received out of the randomly given 20 was 〈Apostle of Calamity〉. Combining this with other traits specializing in the priest role seemed to be the right direction.
“Don’t forget this is a fantasy game set in the Middle Ages. Don’t invest in firearms again like you did before.”
“Ah… right. But, you didn’t tell me back then, so it was your fault!”
The game’s setting was medieval fantasy.
And…
“Do you think guns will work on Cthulhu mythos monsters?”
“I didn’t know back then, so I thought it would.”
…it was the Cthulhu Mythos.
Many original elements created by Dowol were mixed in, and unlike the original Cthulhu Mythos, a certain amount of combat was possible. Of course, combat was possible only with ordinary monsters, not divine entities. The Great Old Ones or Outer Gods were still fears beyond human confrontation and transcendent beings.
“Let’s see… Did you say that a priest uses holy magic?”
“It’s not holy magic; it’s miracles.”
“Same difference… But maybe because I’m seeing the priest class for the first time, it looks promising?”
“In traditional TRPGs, priests and paladins are broken. They’re also the hardest to play.”
After much deliberation and examination, I could choose four traits.
“Hmm… They seem well-chosen.”
These traits included 〈Transcendence〉, which eliminated the resource consumption for miracles once every 48 hours. 〈Solar Eclipse〉, which increased the effects of attack and enhancement miracles. 〈Lunar Eclipse〉, which enhanced the effects of defense and recovery miracles. All useful for performing miracles as a priest. There were also traits helpful for survival and exploration, but this time, he intentionally set it up to be extreme. It would be more fun that way.
“As always, you make sure to take 〈Efficiency Expert〉 every time?”
〈Efficiency Expert〉 required a lot more points to invest in than other traits, but it reduced the character’s resource consumption by half. It was a must-have trait if the character used a lot of health or mana.
“I don’t want to be rendered powerless due to lack of resources.”
“Same approach as always. But with this setup, it seems quite doable.”
A heretical priest serving an Outer God…
It seemed a bit like a cult bishop, but since he was dealing with a priest anyway, something unique was preferable.
“Okay, all six traits are chosen well…”
“… Huh? Six traits?”
With 〈Apostle of Calamity〉, which was obtained randomly, and the four traits chosen directly, it should have been a total of five. Upon closer inspection, additional illegible handwriting, smeared like ink, was discovered in the trait section.
“What’s this? Did I start writing something and stop…?”
I clearly didn’t remember touching the lower section. While thinking it was strange and attempting to erase that part, my phone rang.
What’s the occasion today? Another call from an old friend.
“Hold on, I’ll take this call.”
“Sure, take your time.”
Dowol started inspecting both my character sheet and the rulebook, while I stepped out of the board game café to take the call.
“Hello? Jun Jaehyun, how long has it been?”
“Oh… yeah, Jungsoo. It’s been a while.”
Although it was a friend I hadn’t contacted in a long time, his voice carried more bitterness than joy.
“So… how have you been?”
“Me? Just getting by, you know. Anything going on?”
“Nothing much for me. But… uh…”
Jaehyun’s hesitation only heightened my anxiety. His reluctance indicated it wasn’t something trivial.
“You… you used to be close with Dowol, right?”
“Yeah. In fact, I met him today. Why?”
Why suddenly bring up Dowol? Could it be that Dowol got into trouble?
—
### New Elements and Characters
1. **Dowol** (도월) – He
2. **Jun Jaehyun** (전재현) – He
3. **Jungsoo** (정수) – He (main character)
4. **Cthulhu Mythos** (크툴루 신화)
5. **Traits**:
– 〈Transcendence〉 (초월)
– 〈Solar Eclipse〉 (일식)
– 〈Lunar Eclipse〉 (월식)
– 〈Efficiency Expert〉 (효율주의자)
– 〈Apostle of Calamity〉 (흉성의 사도)
“……You met Dowol?”
“Yeah, why? What’s going on?”
A moment of silence followed.
The awkward silence was broken by a low, sunken voice.
“You’re with him right now? Are you talking about Kim Dowol? The guy you used to hang out with all the time in high school?”
“Yes. He contacted me today after a long time, so we met up. What’s the problem?”
Why is he acting this way?
The tone of his voice was clearly flustered.
“Jungsoo, calm down and listen. I’m at Dowol’s funeral right now. He passed away yesterday.”
“……….”
My mind went blank.
It was just filled with a mess of confusion.
After a moment of stillness, I finally managed to speak.
“……Dead? Dowol?”
“Yes. I called because you weren’t here, thinking you hadn’t received the news. Hello? Are you listening?”
I silently hung up the phone.
Looking back at the cafe, I still saw Dowol sitting by the window.
What on earth is going on here?
“Then, who is that?”
Of course, time had changed his appearance slightly from my memory.
But his manner of speaking, actions, and our shared memories were all the same.
Was it just someone with the same name who died, and was Jaehyun mistaken?
If not, I couldn’t comprehend this situation at all.
“……Dowol.”
I went back to the table and sat down, staring at his face.
“I just heard some news.”
“I know. That I died, right?”
At that moment.
The expression Dowol made was one that only a doll mimicking a human could create—disturbing and awkwardly unsettling.
“Jungsoo, calm down and listen. I’m at Dowol’s funeral right now. He passed away yesterday. Dead? Dowol? Yes. I called because you weren’t here, thinking you hadn’t received the news. Hello? Are you listening?”
The voices of Jaehyun and me, sounding as if they were coming out of a phone’s speaker, eerily spilled from Dowol’s mouth.
The problem was not just the voices.
He repeated the conversation, which he had no way of hearing, exactly like a recording.
“What is this…?”
Soon, the ceiling and walls, everything within sight, began to melt away.
As the space melted, an empty darkness was revealed behind it.
As countless stars shone quietly and strangely in the darkness beyond, my mind began to break.
And then, I saw Dowol.
Not just one, but several, all in a deceased state.
“……Ah.”
From the cracked heads, the swollen bodies, the ones hanging by their necks, something flowed from each corpse.
The final body was so slashed it was unrecognizable, its insides completely exposed as it approached me.
“Ugh, ahhhh!”
The ground I stepped back on vanished, and I began to fall into a deep darkness.
In this bizarre phenomenon beyond comprehension, my consciousness melted away along with the space.
I desperately struggled to escape, but it was as futile as moving underwater or in a dream.
Where could I even run to?
Everything had already melted away.
“Ah…”
My consciousness blurred.
In that final moment, I heard a sound.
Even within my fading awareness, it was the one sound I could comprehend in this situation.
A clattering sound.
The dice had been thrown.