[Brain Storage Area]
[If the plot unintentionally offends the handso readers, the author here uses their misfortune of constantly pulling off-banner as a price to wish you all a ten-pull with guaranteed UP!]
[Contains a lot of male-oriented content; female readers may feel uncomfortable. The author apologizes in advance and offers a heads-up to avoid discomfort.]
Countless mory fragnts flashed by like a carousel, bringing clutter and exhaustion.
Stars twinkled with radiant light.
Leon had witnessed this scene countless tis before.
"System, if you're not dead, make a sound."
[Squeak~]
???
"You really just squeaked?"
[…]
The confusion in Leon's eyes faded, replaced by numbness and impatience.
"Playing dead is useful, huh? What a waste that I, a handso, reliable, and upstanding young man, got stuck with a defective piece of junk like you. Tell , how many Amber Eras has it been?"
"Two thousand? Or nineteen hundred and sothing?"
"Even if it's a lofty goddess, a simp licking her boots for so many years would've filled the progress bar by now!"
"But you? Where's your progress bar? Don't tell Oroboros already gobbled it up as a midnight snack."
"Even showing a 99.99% to trick would be fine, just to give so motivation, instead of being a great man countless tis, only to leave behind a few handfuls of yellow dirt under a gravestone."
[Stop scolding, stop scamming! This ti should be the last one, just grit your teeth and hold on a bit longer…]
"The last ti? Should?"
Leon's gaze turned eerie, his expression dark and sinister.
[Absolutely, definitely, 100% the last ti!]
The system's words dripped with a complete lack of confidence.
"You've said that no less than twenty tis. Trusting you is worse than trusting Aha. I'm done, I'm out!"
[No—Host… Dad, dear Dad, please trust your kid one more ti, I beg you!]
[Just collect one more lifeti's worth of faith, and I'll definitely be filled up like an hourglass!]
"Faith, faith, I'm really—"
Swallowing the fragrant curses back down, Leon suddenly let out a relieved smile.
What's the point of arguing with the system? In the end, he still had to beco the next version of himself, starting a new, different, and real life all over again.
"So, what am I supposed to be this ti?"
[A ga character.]
"What?"
[In short: The host will act as a ga character in a parallel universe world, following the story currently unfolding in that universe to drive the plot.]
[As long as the host can stir emotional fluctuations in the ga's players, making them feel affection or sothing similar toward you, it can be considered a form of faith.]
Leon pondered for a mont, then lazily spoke with indifference.
"Rember the big pie you painted for back then? Once the faith collection is complete, even Aeons will be re ants."
[Your kid would never dare deceive you, Dad!]
"You'd better not. Cut the nonsense and hand over the ga data already."
Leon beckoned with a wave of his hand.
"Since I'm becoming a ga character, I should get to decide all aspects of this character, right?"
[Dad, you're so smart! You can decide the character's background, abilities, and personality with few restrictions. Let your kid quickly explain.]
[1. You can create multiple characters, but their backgrounds need to be interconnected.]
[2. The strength can be high, but it shouldn't disrupt the balance too much across eras…]
"That's it?"
[That's all~ Here's the ga data, please take a look, Host~]
"Fine, you can't even be bothered to call …"
[Dad! Dear Dad! I slipped up just now, sorry! Your kid will slap themselves hard!]
"No rush. I was going to say 'Master of Human Rights Card Design'."
Leon curled his lip in disdain.
He didn't have, nor did he want, such a foolish son.
Having lived through countless lifetis, what profession or identity hadn't he taken on?
Designing himself as a ga character? Easy.
[No worries, dear Dad, your kid is happy to serve you!]
"Get lost."
[Got it!]
Using quantum speed-reading, Leon went through all the data the system sent, then couldn't help but curse the system out again.
The ga was called [Honkai: Star Rail].
A 2D, turn-based ga with various background elents—none of that mattered right now.
What did matter: the public beta was in two hours, and there was even a chance it might launch early.
All the pre-launch promotional materials were wasted. Just how unreliable was this system?
For a 2D character, first impressions were critical.
A single stunning shot or a glance in the promotional materials was often enough to attract a horde of fans.
Of course, the prerequisite was looking good enough, or in ga terms, the model.
Leon wasn't worried about his looks or his model in the slightest.
From face to physique, he scored a solid 99 out of 100, only missing 4 points from web novel readers.
1 point for raw difference, 1 for charisma, 1 for luck, and 1 for pride.
Pre-launch promotion was a lost cause, so he had to focus on the launch storyline.
From the launch data, Leon gained a deep understanding of the ga's chanics.
Turn-based gas didn't have a skill ceiling for manual control, only for strategy and stats.
This ant a character's core qualities were especially important, heavily impacting their usage rate, which in turn affected fan content creation, which was tied to popularity.
In a stats-driven ga, no matter how great the story or how perfect the model, it couldn't beat strength.
In plain words: Strength was the ultimate elixir.
First, the character he beca had to be strong, with unique, irreplaceable chanics.
Second, as everyone knew, in 2D stat-based gas, characters released later were stronger.
Thus: No need to rush out a five-star character early. Starting as a four-star was a solid idea.
From the ga data, the Astral Express crew's characters practically scread, "I'll definitely get an SP version later."
He could do the sa.
To ensure story relevance, there was no wiser choice than joining the protagonist team.
Leon snapped his fingers lightly and began crafting his character.
Crafting himself.
Excluding the ga's protagonists, the Astral Express crew covered four Paths: Erudition, The Hunt, Preservation, and Nihility.
Missing were Harmony and Abundance.
One support role, one sustain role—both were foundational to turn-based gas.
Both were viable options.
After thorough consideration, most players in turn-based gas needed a reliable, free sustain role.
As for Harmony, that could be saved for a future limited character.
Abundance it was.
Referencing the quality and chanics of launch four-star characters, Leon tweaked and tuned, quickly completing the design from skills to Constellations.
No need to brainstorm a backstory—his real past experiences were more than enough.
It could be humorous or tragic, depending on whether the story called for it later. No need to overthink now.
Next ca the Light Cone, base stats, and art-related resources.
Art included the model, skill effects, battle avatar, splash art, ID photo, Constellation images, and so on.
And the most distinctive feature—
Poison.
As everyone knew, four-star characters were never perfect, always carrying so flaw.
For example, high-attack, low-defense glass cannons, or high-support but clunky, slow characters.
Leon found a minor bug in the review process and gave himself an inconsequential poison.
It could even be seen as a charming, chuckle-worthy Easter egg.
[Host, the Constellation image didn't pass review.]
"Which Constellation?"
[The sixth one, the shirtless one…]
Leon ripped off his shirt, revealing a chiseled, imrsive physique.
Closing his eyes, he held his palm under his chin, catching falling tears, creating a heart-wrenching sense of brokenness.
Starting with a gut-punch at the sixth Constellation.
[Review passed. The ga is launching early. Please choose an appropriate ti to join the story, Host. Have fun~~]
Leon: ?
Oh, great, that's how we're playing this?
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