Role-playing games (RPGs) are a broad genre where players assume the roles of characters in structured, realistic, or fantastical worlds, guiding their growth in abilities and storylines.
This seems troublesome… but for reasons that make sense yet defy straightforward logic, I must embark on a role-playing game.
First, a character's appearance must be decided.
Gender: Playing as a female avatar is psychologically unacceptable—must be male.
Age: A shota or an old man? Nah. A young adult male offers the best versatility.
Face: Women might rely on looks and assets to charm hormone-driven men, but men shouldn't expect to bewitch girls with just their face. My own features are decent enough to avoid bad first impressions—let's reuse them.
Hair: Black hair is either standard or marks demonic children depending on the world. Purple hair is common in some settings but screams tryhard edgelord in others. Meanwhile, my silver-white hair exists everywhere—worst case, people might just assume premature aging.
Physique: My natural height and weight are easiest to maneuver.
—In short, I'll just copy my own appearance.
Next, other attributes:
Name: Liz Illusion (Lazy·Illusion). A figment of my imagination, a facade of my creation.
Personality: Reusing my looks is fine, but identical traits defeat the purpose. So, Liz Illusion will be diligent, good-tempered, patient, proactive, cheerful, and witty—the polar opposite of me.
Morality: A 0-score, heartless demon king might be thrilling, but I don't need that rush. A 100-score saint would make me nauseous—hard to keep playing. For plot progression, a 70-score self-interested but leaning-good protagonist it is.
Romance: Relationships are a hassle… Wait, my biases shouldn't dictate the character. Romance matters in RPGs. A harem conqueror like Faiton? Nah. Better as "appreciates beauty" but "won't lose his head over it."
Now, abilities:
This RPG spans multiple anime, movie, and game worlds—but with no forced objectives.
No "system missions puppeteering the player." This is my game. Why would I impose harsh penalties to strip away my agency?
Nor is it about "power-leveling." Imagine a xianxia cultivator stomping through a slice-of-life romance—where's the fun? An extreme example: nuking all men to monopolize women? That's neither wholesome nor entertaining.
The core goal? Progress through worlds while ensuring my enjoyment. For balance, abilities must reset per world to avoid god-mode—yet retain some continuity for growth. Case-by-case adjustments.
Also, for fun, the protagonist needs party mechanics. Solo adventures are depressing. By popular demand:
Kissing = temporary party formation.
Sex = permanent recruitment. Teammates then gain the same "game system."
Most crucially: No permadeath. Since I'm the player and Liz is just an avatar (on easy mode), death means dropping all items and respawning in the hub world.
Speaking of which—the hub world needs rules:
Its unique abilities carry over to other worlds. Thus, it can't be a high-power setting.
A generic original city? Boring. I wouldn't care about its plot.
Fallout's wasteland? Cool, but too bleak. A peaceful hub works better.
…Hmm, a certain game's setup fits "Liz Illusion's World."
—————————————
This prologue is skippable. Infinite crossover stories don't need elaborate reasons.
—————————————
"Where am I…?" Liz Illusion woke groggily, his mind blank—unsurprising, given he was a freshly created character.
Yet he was no ordinary NPC.
"…Ah. I'm playing a game, huh?" The man—with no past, memories, or sense of self—pushed off the tree behind him and stood.
Latest updates at 69shu8!
In moments, Liz absorbed essential knowledge: his name, basic survival skills, concepts like guns and magic… and his true identity.
Liz Illusion was me—my abilities and memories sealed, roleplaying under set rules.
So, no panic. No hesitation. No pointless defiance.
Besides, if I deemed this journey fun, so would Liz Illusion.
"No physical discomfort… special ability is a Minecraft-style system… strange energy inside…" He tested his body's parameters.
"First order of business: Find a way to die and see where I respawn."
I was clearly a monster. Even after humanizing adjustments, Liz seemed… off.
Well, whatever. His journey had begun.