Bloodbound Ascension. That was the name of the game he worked tirelessly to program and develop mostly on his own.
The entire premise of the game was that ten thousand years ago, a series of Towers suddenly appeared in the world of the game, Azaria, plunging it into chaos as monsters came rushing from within the Towers.
But the gods had not yet forsaken the world, and a select few Humans awakened Mana, gaining immense physical strength as well as the ability to cast potent spells.
Through this, they managed to repel the monsters and avoid extinction. Over time, the Towers became less of a terror, and were now places where Humans could find resources that advanced their civilization and overall quality of life.
There were Major Towers, Minor Towers, and Lesser Towers depending on the strength of the monsters that lived there, the amount and quality of resources present, and most important of all, the "Boss" of the tower who ruled over it all.
In total, the Towers across the entire world numbered 20, distributed across all ten continents of Azaria.
The Lesser Towers were 11 in total; these were Towers that were frequently conquered by the so-called adventurers, most of mankind relied on them for day-to-day resources.
The Minor Towers, which numbered six across the globe, were a bit difficult to conquer, and were thus owned by the most powerful nations, kingdoms, and empires. Naturally, these towers had a higher quality of resources.
Lastly, the Major Towers, there were only three of these in the entire world, and not a single nation had been able to conquer them throughout the millennia.
The Bosses of the Major Towers are considered Demon Lords.
Luckily for mankind, unlike the other Towers, the monstrosities in these Major Towers were unable to leave even if left alone.
The phenomena where monsters would pour out of the Towers is called, "Tower Rupture."
Conquered Towers are able to "come back to life" after a set amount of time, respawning all the felled monsters and materials.
/
[...]
[... Did I finally get the Cerebrus Paradiso?]
The boy with a scalp as white as snow wondered, his mind still numb as he desperately tried to grasp the situation. It was as though he'd lost a large chunk of his memories.
Had he perhaps hit his head while playing the game and forgotten the past few months or even years?
"No..."
A cold whisper escaped his lips in refutation of those thoughts, which was due to several reasons:
[Much like other games, it is a requirement to keep sensations at a minimum to avoid psychological damage in the real world.]
[For example, pain receptors are limited to about 10% of what they would actually be... This encourages players to be more reckless and enjoy the game without being afraid, whilst maintaining the realism...]
He glanced around at the shards of glass that scraped his skin and recalled the intense pain of suffocation and of removing the tube.
[Another thing is nudity; it has fewer restrictions depending on what kind of game it is but...]
He looked at himself and studied the hundreds who not only looked like dolls but seemed to be as emotionless.
[Underage nudity is definitely not allowed. There have been a few freaks that have attempted to make such games, but the Cerebrus Paradiso is embedded with firewalls that destroy any such programming...]
His mind continued racing, and he returned his gaze to the bright blue interface that hovered slightly above him.
[Homunculus...]
[Of all the hundreds of races that exist within my game, the Homunculus is more of an Easter egg...]
[It's not just an NPC in the sense that it's a Non-player Character; it is literally not playable...]
He paused briefly, took a deep breath, and secretly bit his tongue to confirm that he indeed was not dreaming.
Upon confirming this, his heart began pounding out of his chest, adrenaline pumping through his veins.
But this was not due to fear or any negative emotion.
[It's one of those things, isn't it...]
[...]
[I got reincarnated into my own game!]
His pale, almost albino skin slightly lit up, and he grinned broadly as he read the contents of the interface.
[Finally... After so long...]
[I can finally play the game!!]
He almost shed a tear, but his tear ducts would not produce any—Rather, did he even have them?
[Now, let me see what I—]
"Oya~?"
[!!]
A gray, slimy face suddenly pierced through the holographic interface that hovered above him.
"Aww~ You were just born and you're already glaring at me? How ferocious!"
The figure exclaimed in an eerily bashful yet commanding tone, the tentacles on its chin wriggling like worms yearning for soft earth.
[That's—]
He naturally recognized the figure in question.
[Minimize Status Window!]
Uwong!
The large interface became small enough that it was now directly in front of his face.
[Close Status Window!]
Tsip~
He gave an internal command once more, and the interface disappeared.
"A lot of surprising things are happening today. You all were not due for another two months, you know~?"
"Look at how small and fragile your bodies are, but no matter!"
"Welcome to the world, my children~"
As the grotesque being continued speaking in that eerie tone that did not match its appearance, and the pale-skinned boy directly before it began pondering.
[This NPC is a Kraken Spawn named Charymos, I set it as a Humanoid creature born from the cells of a Kraken.]
[It's one of the few special characters I made within the game. I set him as a mad alchemist who guards the basement floor of one of the three Major Towers.]
[Although, I was in such a rush that I left out a few details...]
[He dwells on the unknown basement floor, experimenting with Homunculus at the order of the Guardian of the 7th floor.]
[That's all that I wrote, so if my game is now my reality, I was reborn into a plot hole of my own making!]
[Shit! I hope it doesn't come bite me in the ass later on.]
All he knew was that Homunculi were merely an experiment made by Charymos due to orders from the Guardian of the seventh floor.
[But man... I really did get reborn into a troublesome Tower.]
He smiled bitterly as he recalled the NPC he set as the Boss of this Tower, if possible, he wished he wouldn't have to meet him.
[Sigh... I shouldn't worry about him, my problem now is...]
"My precious children~"
[This mad alchemist!!]
"You're the 20th generation, can you believe it? So make me proud even if you were born prematurely okay~?"
Charymos wriggled his round body like a little girl, the leather onesie clinging to him glittering under the dim light of the basement.
"But..."
His tone and demeanor suddenly changed and the slimy tentacles on his chin stiffened.
"... If you disappoint me like those other failures then I'll feed you to the Orcs!"
He shouted, an intense bloodlust oozing from his every pore.
Snap!
"Hey, take them away. Feed, clothe and bring them to me."
Charymos snapped his webbed fingers and a creature that looked to be a bipedal cockroach wearing a tuxedo, ran to his side.
"As you wish, Lord Charymos."
The insectoid bowed and stepped forward.
Charymos took his leave, but not before stealing a glance at the Homunculus who was glaring at him.
[Specimen #2946...]
He read the serial number tattooed on his left collarbone.
[Even a fully developed Specimen does not show that much emotion at birth...]
Charymos's tentacles became excited again and he swiftly departed with a joyful stride.
[Ugh... I hate cockroaches, why did I set this NPC?!]
The boy grappled with his gag reflex.
"Children! Form neat rows and follow me!"
He shouted, and the emotionless dolls scurried together, doing as he asked. Their movements were so fluid that it almost seemed rehearsed.
[How are they able to understand words? Weren't they just born?]
He furrowed his brows and joined the ranks of his fellow Homunculi as they marched forward, following the gentlemanly cockroach.
After about thirty minutes of following the insectoid through a dimly lit tunnel, the albino-skinned boy with bright pink eyes and his companions finally reached their destination.
It was a brightly lit, wide room with layers of insulation for temperature regulation, and it strangely reminded the boy of a locker room.
"Go ahead, pick any weapons you please."
Said the insectoid, snapping the boy out of his daze and he finally saw the multitude of weapons that hung above the lockers.
[Don't tell me...]
The boy gulped, and the others did not hesitate to arm themselves, most of them equipped swords that were much larger than them, others took maces, daggers and even a bow and arrow.
He hurriedly rushed over and pondered deeply before choosing a weapon of his own.
[Sure, swords are cool and all... But this is real life, I need something efficient for an untrained fighter.]
He looked at a rusty shield, which was stained with the blood of his predecessors.
[Defense is good... But in a situation like this, offense is the best defense.]
He scratched his chin and his bright pink eyes that even cherry blossoms paled in comparison to, shifted to a wooden spear with a somewhat dented iron tip.
[This is the most logical option, I can attack from a safe distance by leveraging an advantage in reach.]
He grinned and equipped the spear that was much taller than even him.
"Hm... You seem to all be satisfied."
■ Vestimenta Ex Nihilo.■
Uwong!
The insectoid cast a spell and all their bodies began glowing in a calm azure light, and as it faded, the bare naked frames of the Homonculi were clothed in flexible attire, their weapons also seemed to have shrunk to match their size.
[Woah, so this is magic...]
[These look like high quality sportswear made for athletes.]
He studied the flexible fabric of the dark blue clothing that was so tight that it was almost as if it had assimilated to his skin, and yet really comfortable.
Next, the insectoid led them to what resembled a cafeteria, but did not allow them to sit down, they collected some hard bread and were instructed to eat whilst following him.
[Ugh... Are they really taking us monster hunting so soon?]
He complained, but was still very much excited to see the creatures of his creation, he hoped it would be a Goblin or a Kobolt since those were some of his favorites.
Soon, they reached an incredibly wide open space that resembled a coliseum — Or rather, an Amphitheater.
The insectoid instructed them to break up into five groups of equal number and stand in silence until their next orders.
"My Children!"
A loud voice permeated from above, demanding their attention.
"Your abilities are to be tested! Prove your worth to me, earn the very breath that you draw!"
Charymos shouted from above, his tentacles growing restless and his skin oozing a dense slime.
[Yeah, yeah just get it over with, give me a Goblin!]
The boy tried desperately to conceal his excitement as he tightly clenched the shaft of his spear.
"I have no need for weaklings!"
"The first group, step forward!"
He demanded, and the first group out of five, consisting of 100 Homonculi, stepped forward.
"There is a total five hundred of you! I don't need that many!"
"So..."
Charymos paused and filled his lungs with air.
"... Kill each other my children! Prove that you are worthy of your father's love!"
[!!]
Charymos hugged his shoulders and swayed like damsel in heat.
[What?!]
The boy's excitement was thawed, and a horrified expression dawned on him as he watched his fellow Homonculi ruthlessly slaughter one another.
________________________________________
Status Window.
Name: Specimen 2946.
Race: Homunculus (Newborn)*
Level: 1 (Exp: 0/100)
Class: -
_________________
Core Stats.
STR: 2. INT: 7. LCK: 0.
AGI: 4. MP: 6. VIT: 3.
%##%: ???
_________________
Derived Stats.
HP [VIT + Gear Value+³]: 6*
STA [VIT + AGI(30%)]: 4.2
ATK [STR + Weapon Value+³]: 5*
EVA [AGI + LCK(50%)]: 4
CRIT [(LCK(20%) + ATK)/100]: 0.05
_________________
Skills.
Mana Sensitivity: A+ Rank.
Low-level Regeneration: E+ Rank.
Creator's Eye: S- Rank.
#>@$: SS+ Rank (Sealed)*
____________________
Attribute Points: 0.
Alignment: Neutral.
______________________________________