I sat there in my bedroom, in front of my computer, staring at the end credits of a game.
A long sigh escaped my mouth as I stretched my arms.
"Still no true ending in sight…"
Yet again, another failed attempt.
Having seen that credits sequence multiple times, I skipped it, only to be met by the title screen of the game I had just finished playing.
Dragon's Roar—a strategy, turn-based RPG dungeon crawler, known for its large cast of recruitable characters and the threat of perma-death when a character's HP drops to zero.
When it came out, it was regarded as a god-tier game with an amazing soundtrack, beautiful pixel-art animation, a massive cast, multiple choices and playstyles, a story that is… okay, and an impressive total of forty-two different endings. Some bad, some good, and one true ending that, even years after the game's release, no one had managed to achieve.
However, even with everything the game had to offer, it faded into obscurity a year after release.
So, the only people left in the community are those who try to achieve that seemingly impossible forty-second ending—and those who sit back, waiting for someone else to finally do it.
Due to my lack of a second monitor, I minimized the game to check the forums.
"I've already tried most of these strategies…" I muttered, scrolling endlessly, finding nothing new to try.
"On the second in-game week, do an early visit to the 4th main dungeon. This could trigger an early confrontation with the [Dark Eclipse], allowing you to recruit Julius earlier…"
I already knew what the comments were going to look like…
I decided to read them anyway.
User27374: [Dark Eclipse] isn't a thing until month eight of year one, r******
User28348: The earliest you can recruit Julius is at the start of month one, in the second year. Why don't you kill yourself instead of making us waste our time?
"I expected worse…" I mumbled, surprised at the self-control displayed by the community. I minimized the browser and returned to the game, starting an improvised run.
"I'll just… make things up as I go. Maybe if I…"
Suddenly, I felt extremely dizzy.
"I… wanna throw up…" Everything was spinning, and that light—
That light coming from my computer, displaying the title screen—was really bothering me.
"Maybe… if I… close my eyes and…"
---
No matter how many times I blink, it doesn't change.
The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a wooden ceiling I'd never seen before.
I also felt weird, like I was just a bit younger. But it all made sense after looking at myself in the mirror.
"…No way…"
This is a face I recognize all too well.
Alen. One of the worst characters in Dragon's Roar.
If I made a tier list and ranked every possible character you could recruit, I'd create a tier below F called The Worst Three—and put Alen right there, alongside two others.
He is… or I am… whatever. The point is, this character belongs to the thief class. Which is already bad enough, since thieves aren't particularly useful in this game.
And the earliest he can be recruited is mid-game. He joins with below-average stats, so by then, you most definitely already have at least two better thieves. And unlike Alen, they didn't need babysitting.
"Alen, we're already eatin'!"
I heard a woman's voice, probably my mother.
"Come down right now, or I'll make you come down myself!"
My stomach growled. I braced myself and headed downstairs.
---
"…"
"What's wrong, Alen, not 'ungry?" said a tall, muscular man with a scar on his face.
"Maybe he's still full… we did eat a lot last night," said another man, more slender, with short blonde hair.
"You know he doesn't like it when we reheat last night's food," said a young-looking woman with short purple hair. She wasn't eating—she was tuning a bow.
"He didn't eat anything last night. He said he wasn't feeling well," said an old man reading a book.
"Feelin' better, then?" asked the ashen-haired woman who had called me down. She was still munching her food. Definitely not my mom.
"…N-no, it's… it's nothing. I'm just a bit… sleepy."
What are they doing here?
Or rather, what am I doing here with them?
These people… they're the mercenary group Crescent Moon.
They're all mid-to-late-game bosses who die working for the Dark Eclipse. They're infamous for their loyalty to their employer.
Barret: A tall, burly man with a scar across his face. A Great Knight unit—high defense and even higher strength. He's the group's leader.
Khyle: A slender blonde warrior. An all-rounder—can wield every weapon type and use every magic element decently. No real weaknesses.
Milly: The youngest. Short purple hair. Emotionless. A mounted archer who feels like she always lands crits.
Magnus: A scrawny old man. High dark magic affinity. The first Crescent Moon member you meet—and kill.
Karla: Long ashen hair. A Swordmaster and the last one you fight. Highest speed and skill stats in the game.
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of my stomach growling again.
"Here."
Milly handed me a kinda-warm chicken leg.
"Eat. You'll need it for training later."
"Thanks…"
What kind of relationship does Alen have with these guys?
"What ye doin' there, lad? Come sit with us!"
Barret's loud voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
Maybe it's better if I just pretend to be Alen. Play along. At least until I can calm down and form a plan.
---
"He needs to be well-trained for the future."
"He's already good enough. No need to worry too much."
"You can never be sure. This world's big, and there are always stronger people."
As I listened to Khyle and Magnus talk, something clicked.
Alen had special dialogue when fighting Crescent Moon members. At the time, it sounded like they were just talking nonsense to a random soldier.
But now, with this knowledge—that Alen was one of them—it all makes sense. They were subtly encouraging him, even while fighting on opposite sides.
"You better get used to eating reheated food. You won't always get fresh meals."
"Don't worry, Alen. You'll get a good job—you won't go hungry."
"Stop giving him false hope, old man."
Their conversation about me was getting heated.
"Khyle's right. The lad's gotta learn t' live with the bare minimum," Barret chimed in.
Seems like Alen's really important to them.
"Food, work—that doesn't matter," Karla slammed the table. "What matters most is training!"
She stood up and slammed her hand again, making the plates jump.
"Alen, getting better at something is the best feelin' ever!"
Then she lifted me by the back of my collar.
"Let's start your trainin'."
What a creepy smile...
"B-but I… haven't finished eati—"
"Should've woken up earlier, kid."
She carried me outside.
"Aye, if ye be doin' wrong, ye ought t' be punished. I be agreein'," Barret nodded in approval.
I looked at Magnus and Milly—probably the ones who spoiled Alen the most. All I got were warnings to come back alive.
"Forget it, Alen. They can't save you," said Khyle, following Karla.
I just sighed… and accepted my new life.
As the weakest NPC in Dragon's Roar.