Chapter Title: Cheating My Way Into the Game
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Cheat. The gaming dictionary defines this term as follows.
The act of manipulating data through abnormal means to make the game easier to play or to gain an overwhelming advantage over other players.
In other words, it's not playing the game the normal way. And there's your average gamer who just wants to make things a little easier using cheats known as "mods."
It was a choice he made because the game's difficulty was so brutal he had no confidence in clearing it without help. He created a new character and fired up the game using a few of those "mods."
"And here I am."
Becoming a character in the game. Or turning into a side character or protagonist within the game. Clichés straight out of your run-of-the-mill 21st-century mass-produced fantasy novels. He'd seen it all before, but now that he was the one living it, a sigh escaped his lips.
"Come on! There are tons of games out there. Visual novels, simple management sims, crafting games—why did it have to be this game I get sucked into?!"
He shouted up at the sky. But yelling wouldn't change reality. With another sigh, he checked his status.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ Name: Dante - Lv. 1 Job: Necromancer Trait: Max Skill Level ⚡ Strength: 1 💪 Stamina: 1 💨 Agility: 1 ✨ Intelligence: 1 ⭐ Karma: 999,999,999,999 ⚙ JOB INFO ⚙ [Job: Necromancer] Those who learn death, understand death, and walk alongside it. They bring horrific ends to their enemies. = A job designed to be beginner-friendly. = P.S. This job is made for beginners. Veterans will find the game boring as hell. ⚙ TRAIT INFO ⚙ [Trait: Max Skill Level] All skills are fixed at their maximum level. = A cheat trait made for beginners. = P.S. Applying this trait makes the game no fun, so we recommend it only for first-time newbies.
He was starting with an absurdly massive amount of "Karma"—one of the game's key resources—practically infinite, thanks to the so-called "Infinite Karma Mode."
On top of that, the "Job Improvement Mode," which massively buffs existing jobs for beginners. And finally, the "Trait Addition Mode," which adds overpowered traits that didn't even exist in the original game.
All the cheats he'd applied to his custom character before starting were working perfectly. That was why, even after getting thrown into the game, he could relax a bit and feel some confidence.
'If these weren't here, I'd have just offed myself clean and quick.'
He meant it. This game was infamous for its utterly hopeless worldview and insane difficulty that went off the rails.
If you wanted to die cleanly, suicide was the best option. Getting caught by the "monsters" in this game could mean eternal torment without even the mercy of death in the worst cases.
"Skill window."
⚡ SKILL: SKELETON SUMMON ⚡ (D Rank) - Max Lv. Summons a skeleton. = Summoned skeleton's level +5. = Maximum 3 summons. ⚡ SKILL: UNDEAD MASTERY ⚡ (D Rank) - Max Lv. Strengthens your summoned undead. = +1 to maximum number of summonable undead. = Attack power, defense, resistance of summoned undead +10%. = Attack speed, movement speed of summoned undead +20%. = Max HP and HP recovery speed of summoned undead +30%.
"Looks like everything's applied correctly."
Skills have ranks and levels. Levels are raised by repeatedly using the skill, while ranks can only be upgraded through a "skill promotion" process in specific locations.
'Should've picked a trait that maxed out both ranks and levels.'
Regretting his choice back on Earth, he took some comfort in the fact that all his cheats were functioning as intended.
"Alright then... time to get started..."
His voice trembled as Dante eyed the path ahead. When the game begins, the character follows this road. Along the way, you'd run into a few very weak monsters, then arrive at the first hub: Wizley Village.
"Okay. Let's do this. I can do it. Me."
Taking a deep breath, his first move was...
"Skeleton Summon!"
Using a skill to call forth a summon that would protect him.