Chapter 2 - Character Creation 1

[Please type your name.]

Since one of the taboos in playing MMORPG is using your real name, I have to select a new one. In my opinion, names are one of the fundamentals in creating a character.

Selecting a name is very important. Of course I already have name in mind. I think selecting a name that embodies your in-game character, your play style, even the supposed role you want to play.

[Suigetsu]

The name I selected came an East Asian proverb 'flower seen in the mirror, moon on the water's surface.' which means 'something that can be seen but not touched, like a flower reflected in a mirror or the moon reflected on the water's surface; something that is beautiful but unattainable dreams, a mirage.'

I taken the part 'moon on the water' and translated it to Yamato language.

Of course this also determines my usual play style that consists of hit-and-run. In my head I call it 'strike like a ghost and be gone like a mist'. It sounds cooler that way.

However not everything is definite, its also my possible that my style might change in the middle since GSO is also the first full-dive VR game, this is not like those games you can only see on screen. In here, you can feel sensations simulated by the NeuroArk which also means combat in this game is emulated from real life only with magical and fantasy elements mixed in.

After pressing [ok] on the screen I was taken to the sight of my whole body in lingerie in different kinds of body type. Some have different skin tone, some have fur across the skin, some have horns in the head, some have a really slender but tall build with long pointed ears, and there's even a short and stout muscular version with a beard which is disgusting. The default appearance is in the middle.

[Please select your race.]

While the world of GSO consists of different races, it is also a kind of 'sandbox-style' game which would mean while there is a selection of races, you can also customize the selected race.

This also means you can customize a race that consists of up to four different races. However since the importance of the game lore is highly prioritized in GSO, this also means that customizing a race mindlessly might affect you gaming experience negatively.

For example, if you idiotically customized a half-elf half-dwarf race then you will experience a massive drop in fame with the Elven and Dwarf races because within the game story it is repeatedly specified that this two races do not get along together to the point of waging war in history. Races like this would be ostracized by Elven and Dwarf NPCs. It's not an exaggeration to say that the NPCs might turn outright hostile upon introduction.

However while there is a massive risk with mixing races, there is also a reward. This would include a discovery of advance Seeds that is restricted to a specific mixed races or exclusive quests hidden within a bloodline of some mixed races that might actually be an ancient races.

While this opportunities were not outright included in the game guide, it was actually hidden dozens of times in the game lore. Of course with my countless nights of sleep deprivation, I already read the game lore many times searching for clues. One might even say that I already know some of the relevant history while I've not even set my foot in the game.

This includes some hidden lore about some of the mixed races which I have gathered while I was learning the history of GSO. This races affects your play style considerably since the physical or magical attributes of the race would improve your avatar.

The system might not show the stats and attributes, there were obviously not outright removed from the game. The stats and attributes became a hidden mechanic that can only be improved the selecting an appropriate Seed and advancing it to mastery. If you select a race that for their flexibility and agility then that means you have a character with high agility or speed.

For example, a mixed race like half-demon and half-fox-werebeast produces the hidden race of Demon-Fox Werebeast that have attributes of magic resistance and elemental magic affinity. This are all hidden in the game lore, and anyone who read the game lore and analyze a little of the contents would be able arrive to this kinds of conclusion.

Honestly its like an arithmetic and the mathematical formulas were hidden in the historical text. You can even see the proof of this if you just search a little deeper in the game forums since the prospective players were given a year to analyze the information given in the game website.

Even the game management and forum moderators were not refuting this kinds of information. One can say that the reliability of this kind of information is really high.

Of course I did not rely on the forums for this kind of information but I formed my own conclusions after analyzing the facts hidden in the game lore which were then confirmed after lurking in forums.

Even I think I'm overly paranoid but this was just one of the ways that my zeal was overtly manifested and, since Sakura and Renka will became prospective party members I've also disseminated critical piece of information to them. Suffice to say, they already know what they want to do.

I intend to be a speedster-type swordsman so I would need a build with speed, flexibility, and range in mind in other words, mixed race with high agility and something with long arms for range or something with magic affinity for range attacks. I already have something in mind.

A mixed race consisting of half-cat-werebeast, one-sixth-jackal-werebeast, one-sixth-elf, and lastly one-sixth-demon. Truly an abnormal existence hidden in history specifically in the creation myth of GSO. There were no names mentioned, only descriptions were written.

It tells of a story of hermit folk possessing tall ears the color of midnight, slit eyes gleaming in the dark, their pale skin glowing under the moonlight, and their stream-lined slender body akin to a predator waiting to strike. This excerpt highlights their affinity with darkness magic and the main properties of a dark-aligned creature.

However this are merely conjectures that were based from contextual evidence but even if I were incorrect in my assumptions, the qualities exhibited by the mixed race were my exact requirements.

Cat-werebeasts possess high agility and is said to said to have enhanced perception three times of a normal human. A creature mid-to-low magic affinity. This creature became my main base since they possess my requirements.

Jackal-werebeast were a sub-type of wolf-werebeast. They possess a sharp sense of smell and is said to be the main grave keepers of the middle east region. Has a darkness attribute but low magic affinity.

Elves were said to have ear eyes and their pointed ears is sensitive enough to pick a sound from a mile away. Their slender bodies were stream-lined for movement in the forest. They are born

natural hunters with a high affinity for magic and mid-low affinity with the four basic elements (fire, earth, water, wind).

And lastly the Demons which possess a peculiar porcelain skin-tone that seems to glow in the dark. Has high magic resistance and magic affinity. Pure darkness attribute.

[Confirm changes?: Y/N]

I know that mixing races also has a slight randomness factor in the process. Once confirmed, I will not be able change or back-out anymore.

Now that it came to this, I suddenly felt nervous however I was also overwhelmed with excitement. I might have emphasized the importance of the lore and the risk of mixed races but I also prioritized my own self enjoyment and role playing.

After proceeding with the confirmation, I was presented a Cat-werebeast with an amalgamation of different features.

I see a slightly large cat ears with tufts of white fur at the tip that was now standing proudly at the top of the silky back-length black hair. For some reason, instead of one, I have two long tails protruding at the base of my tailbone. The fur were silky black with tufts of white at the tips.

The skin were like were a sickly porcelain white that seems to glow under the light however, the most shocking feature were the eyes which were a weird mix of main features of demons and elves. It was a slit eyes of a feline creature but with a weird mix of of sky blue that was more prevalent around the edges of the eye and burning reds were more centered around the pupils. The darkness in the pupils looked so deep that it might swallow you whole if your stare in to it. A permanent line of red was present under the eyes that seems to serve as a warning of danger for anyone foolish approach.

The lips were red and thin looked to be full like that of a femme fetale. The moles at the left underside seems to accentuate the lips and complete the look.

The whole visage was so beautiful yet so domineering that it seems to possess the allure of a demoness.

The body were still the same height yet looked more taller at the same time which is probably the product of a slender elf's body type and slender and springy body type of a cat-werebeast. It looked like so fit like that of a swimmers yet seemed so full of latent power. The arms were so delicate like a maidens yet feels like it could easily pierce your body in a single stab. The legs were so full and luscious yet so deadly like a loaded spring ready to explode.

[Race: Moonlight Shadow]

"...Looks like I have created a monster. Hahahahahah!"

The sight of my creation made me so excited that I laughed like a madman. Honestly, even if I am wrong in my assumptions, I will not be dissatisfied.

No, just looking at my avatar I can only tell that I was wrong. There might be some resemblance to the lore text but ultimately the details were so far apart that the differences were so easy to spot. If I'm only looking at the description, I can only say that it also looks common enough that I think I might have already read about it yet at the same time, the uniqueness were so overwhelming when viewed directly with the eyes.

I can only say that no amount of flaunting can do it justice.

This avatar looked so dangerous yet so sexy which were both good and bad at the same time. I don't know what happened but it seems the changes have upgraded my appeal to a whole new level.

I honestly don't what to do with it. I was thinking of editing my appearance to reduce my appeal by a whole 10 percent but on the other hand I feel like I would be smearing a whole globe mud on my creation if I touch just a little bit of sliders.

"What to do? What to do? What a serious headache... *sigh*"

It's stated in the game guide that you can only adjust your avatar until its within a correction of 10 percent of your default physical appearance, this also means that with the slider being in the middle represents the 'default' appearance, suggesting that moving the slider to the minimum or the maximum setting would deteriorate or improve the appearance of the avatar with a correction of only 10 percent.

However I've thought of a little compromise. If I do not want to make any changes to the body too much, maybe I could just make some slight changes that were not directly related to the body and the face... Like the hair.

And so, I have made some slight adjustments to the hair like increasing the bangs a bit to hide a bit of the face while also decreasing total length of the back hair to just below the shoulder. After that, I have finalized the changes.

"Ho ho ho..." Like an artist looking at his creation, I cannot help but admire my work however I cannot help be energized for what was to come.

"Time for the skill selection... hehehe"

Laughing like an idiot, I can only rub my hands in excitement.