1 The RTS System
Masaru slowly opened his eyes. What greeted him was the void.
'What the, where am I?' He thought as he slowly sat up. 'Oh shit, is this one of those Isekai moments where you meet a god?' He had watched enough anime to know where this was going. 'Wait… how did I die… what happened?!'
"Greetings, little one," a masculine echoing voice called and made Masaru turn around. He was met with a sight of a being clad from head to toe in armor metal, which concealed every part of him, even the face, sitting on a throne of weapons ranging from guns to swords to… Is that a nuclear bomb? "Well, speak, did that insane manic cut your tongue as well as your guts?"
'Insane manic, what does he-' That was when Masaru remembered his death. A crazy man with a knife, blood running down his stomach, the cries of his little brother, little sister, and mother, and the sound of his father and older brother beating someone to a pulse. Then… nothing.
"Shit," Masaru cursed quietly. He died just… 15 years old. The worst part? His family.
Being a virgin? Doesn't have a job? Leaving nothing behind? Fuck that! None of that matters to him.
He didn't get to see either of his younger siblings grow, he didn't get to see the relief on his parents' face when they knew that he would be fine after they were gone, and he didn't get to see his older brother got into the major baseball league and had a chance to tell him 'I am proud of you, onii-san!'.
"Fuck it all," the young man cursed bitterly, tears threatening to leak from his eyes.
"Boy," the voice boomed again, this time more forceful. "You can save your tears for later, we don't have all day. We still have to… What do young people call again? Isekai-ed you to another world? You got a second chance, boy. Less than 1% of your entire species ever receive this honor, so don't squabble it."
Masaru wiped away his tears and stood up. He took a deep breath and faced the god.
This being was right. At this moment, he needed to be strong. He needs to get himself together. Who knew, maybe he might get to see them again someday if he took this chance.
"Good, now let's get to it, shall we? This is a standard Isekai procedure. You get the power similar to a video game, you may get a few choices, and then we send you to another world. Simple right?" Masaru nodded. "Not with me, it ain't." The boy blinked in confusion. "That is my sisters' model of doing an Isekai. I have always hated it. It gives mortals either too much or too little. Bah, if someone wants something from me, they will need at least a brain to think for themselves. I shall give you choices in customizing your system instead. No selection, you need to think for yourself and remember the details yourself." The being snapped his finger, and a holographic screen appeared in front of Masaru. "I am Madanach, the God of Strife, Conflict, and Change. A pleasure to make you an acquaintance, Mister Yamamoto. Now start filling out your info."
Masaru began reading through the screen. Some of the info had already been filled.
[Name: Masaru Yamamoto. (Yamamoto Masaru in native Japanese)
Age: 15
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan.
Birthdate: 1 August 20XX
Deathdate: 12 August 20XX (Dieing so close after your birthday, what ironic cruelty)
Address: OBLIVION
BEFORE THE REST OF THE FILLING PROCESS CAN CONTINUE, THE USER MUST CHOOSE THEIR PREFERED SYSTEMS. THE CHOICE AVAILABLE BELOW:
RPG System: Standard RPG game system with level ups, stats, skills, classes, etc. No min-maxing, we put in skill points limits per level. Optional sub-choices are available.
Gacha System: Abilities to summon heroes from the multiverse to aid you. You can also empower them with useless items or equipment you will replace within a heartbeat to make them stronger. As if you need any of that if you roll and get Goku. No sub-choices, we need to make money.
Flappy Bird system: W-]
Masaru didn't bother reading that, merely moving on. He was born recent enough to have played that game… never again.
He continued to read. There were a lot more systems than he thought they were. MOBA system, 4X system, Battle Royal system, First-Person Shooting system, and a lot more! There was even a Browser Game system… which would likely lead to his death since Flash was now discontinued.
But then something caught his eyes.
[RTS system: You will receive a starting unit that will become, or build, your first base. From there you will build your army to achieve your goals. These goals are usually open-ended, whether you want to help or conquer. But be careful, you have to manage your resources and population limit. Sub-choices are mandatory.]
Out of everything on this list so far, Masaru felt most confident in selecting this. He had always loved these more complex games, be it StarCraft or more unconventional RTS like Spellforce, rather than the usual RPG that ended up being a min-max fest or the mainstream battle royal that, while fun, was a little bit on the simple side.
Of course, the choice between this, colony sim system (i.e. Rimworld), and city builder system (i.e. Cities Skyline) were a difficult one. Soon, however, the memory of watching his older brother playing Red Alert 2, the experience of controlling a unit in the game for the first time, and the sight of them teaching their younger siblings to play that game surfaced in his mind. He quickly made his choice and tapped the box beside the system name. It's not like he couldn't redo his choice.
Every choice disappeared and the word 'RTS system' moved to the top.
"Ah, a good choice. Unconventional too," Madanach commented.
[RTS System requires that you fill out separate races/factions for each scenario. Medieval RTS, Modern era RTS, and Futuristic RTS. This is due to the multiversal laws regarding technological levels of each setting. In addition, you will be given a few points to customize before the end.
Please fill in the rest below. Voice input available:
Medieval RTS race/faction:
Modern era RTS race/faction:
Futuristic RTS race/faction:
Note: If you pick out a more obscure race/faction, an extra point will be given to you, up to three-point if all three are from the obscure games.]
That presented an interesting decision for Masaru. He had certainly known of a few obscure games, but what qualified as 'obscure'?
'Oh, I got one.'
Masaru cleared his throat. "Game, Army of Exigo. The… umm, insect… Lovecraftian… faction?" In all honesty, he couldn't remember that faction name either. It was an obscure game for a reason. Army of Exigo was mostly a Warcraft 3 clone, but it's fun enough.
[Medieval RTS race/faction: The Fallen. Game: Army of Exigo
Obscure points: 7/10. Eligible to receive a point.]
Great! But he was not going with them. They were a zerg/undead-like race, and while he didn't have a problem playing a swarm faction, he could barely remember the finer details about them. He would rather not risk it since he had no idea how to play them properly.
'Hmm, so that's why it would give you a point for picking games that fewer people play. It's a balance of safety and greed.' Overall, he would rather play it safe and go with something he knew about than something based on janky memories from several years ago. Still, he should at least put in one obscure faction or race, so he would at least have one extra point.
"I changed my mind. For Medieval RTS, I want… Undead from Warlord Battlecry 3, the Protector mod." He had absolutely no idea if it was possible to choose the modded version of the game. He could still go with the vanilla Undead without the mod added, but he would like to go with the… less balanced version of the game.
[Medieval RTS race/faction: Undead. Game: Warlord Battlecry 3, 'The Protector' mod variant.
Obscure points: 9/10. Eligible to receive a point.]
'Nice!'
"Nice. I like playing the Minotaur faction," Madanach suddenly said. Masaru turned to him with a surprised look. The god quickly faked a cough. "I-I mean, interesting."
Deciding that he should just finish the list, he began filling out the rest. For the Modern era RTS, he didn't need to think twice.
"Soviet, Russian from Red Alert 2: Yuri Revenge."
[Modern era RTS race/faction: Soviet, Russian sub-faction. Game: Red Alert 2: Yuri Revenge.
Obscure points: 2/10. Not eligible to receive a point.]
'Yeah, expect that as much.' Masaru didn't care, however. This was his household game, and he refused to go without it. 'Now, for the last one.'
"For futuristic RTS, I will have Cybran Nation from Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance."
[Futuristic RTS race/faction: Cybran Nation. Game: Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
Obscure points: 5/10. Eligible to receive a point… barely.]
Huh, strange, he thought the Supreme Commander would be more popular. Oh well, he supposed it was old and there was a sequel, which couldn't even hold a candle to the first game. Plus, the series was dormant for years now… Maybe that's why it faded into obscurity.
Also, was it just him, or was the computer being… sassy? It was monotone with no clear defining tone of whether it was male or female, but he would rather not be stuck with one of those voices that kept telling him 'fuck you', 'do this shit', or generally being rude.
Politeness costed nothing.
"What am I, my sisters?" Madanach spoke up as if he had read the boy's mind. "This A.I. would become your announcer for your system. You know, the voice that announces something in an RTS like 'welcome to the tutorial', 'we require more Vespene Gas,' 'not enough resources,' 'require a building,' etc. I have made this A.I. to have a mind of their own, but they're not an 'asshole' by nature so treat them well and they would do the same."
[Indee- I mean. Confirm your selection? Y/N?]
"Just finish it, boy. We don't have all day," Madanach urged.
"Right. Yes, these are the factions I chose."
[Confirm.]
The screen flashed a bit before moving on to another page.
[Store pages.
You may pick additional perks and drawbacks to enchant your experience. Pick perks consume points while picking a drawback will give you points.
Current points: 7 (Base points are 5, added 2 from your selected factions/races)
List of perks:]
There were a lot of perks and drawbacks. It took quite a while for Masaru to go through all of them and even more to calculate and adjust all the perks to his liking, but he finally got it. He was very happy with the result.
[Current points: 0
Selected Perks:
*Overwrite* (If the perks or drawbacks you took are not correlated with the game you have chosen (i.e. no certain type of buildings) then the system will modify it so that new items that fit the perks/drawbacks will appear for you). Cost 0 point, read: free.
*No unit limits* (There is no limit to how many units you can produce with any of the factions/races). Lost 1 point.
*Unified Resource* (Pick one faction/race. The other two races/factions will now use the same type and numbers of resources as them, including buildings). Choice: Supreme Commander's Mass and Energy resources. Lost 2 points.
*Starting units* (You start a game with a scout unit and two workers of your perspective faction in addition to the game default starting set. Note: if no worker or scout unit-type is available for your faction, other units will be given to you instead). Lost 1 point.
*Respawn Timer* (If you die, you can be resurrected at your bases, including the ones in different dimensions. With this perk, you can wait for a timer to finish its countdown to respawn at no cost instead of paying for your resurrection.) Lost 1 point.
*The Hub* (Instead of being a semi-hobo that sleeps in your MCV, you will be given a permanent base world.) Lost 4 points.
*Import a mechanic* (Pick a unique mechanic from one of the three games and you can apply that to other games. Can be picked multiple times. The first pick cost 1 point. Any additional choice will cost 2 points.). Choices: Warlords Battlecry 3's 'Retinue' mechanic, allowing for importing units between battles while keeping veterancy levels (Note: unit from different games cannot cross into each other); Warlords Battlecry 3's RPG mechanic, allow for item equipping, spells, skills, and leveling up (Note: you will have three separate leveling sets for each game, i.e. you may be level 50 while using Red Alert's Soviet, but once you use the Undead your level will not transfer over and you will be at a separate level depending on your progress while leading the Undead). Lost 3 points.
*Revamp* (You may choose to modify and tweak a game's mechanic to your liking, but not a major overhaul. Special Condition: A game must come from before the 2000s. See 'Remastered' perk for post-2000s game, or 'Modded' and 'Remake' perks for a more drastic modification. Cost 2 points per game.) Choice: Warlords Battlecry 3's pathfinding fixed, item stash limit removed, and retinue limit removed. Lost 2 points.
Drawbacks:
*Increase cost: Ultimate units. Tier: Mild.* (Each time your Ultimate units die, the cost of producing them again increases by x2 until the end of the match.). Gain 1 point.
*Lifeless moot.* (All your soldiers act no different than a machine, capable of following basic commands like in the game along with their voice lines, but possessed no real sentient or sapient. Expect no human companionship from them). Gain 2 points.
*Old Rival.* (Each time you transport to a new world, a faction/race from the same game as your faction/race will come into existence in that world as an AI opponent. They will be hostile to you and one of your main objectives in that world is to defeat them. Any natural forces that attack the AI will be considered as their enemy as well, though they would remain natural to the third parties otherwise. You may adjust the AI difficulty before the game begins.) Gain 2 points.
*The Hub: City. Require: The Hub* (Instead of an entire world, you will only have a mobile city the size of Singapore that can travel anywhere.) Gain 2 points.
Note: Perks and drawbacks can be added and removed in the future once you have progressed far enough in your conquest and have acquired more points. Including some perks exclusively acquired through completing an objective.]
Masaru couldn't help but smile at his achievement.
"You sly dog!" Madanach's voice boomed. Rather than sounding angry, however, he sounds impressed. "You just cheated the system by choosing a hybrid game! An RPG-RTS! Now you have both systems! HA! This is why I like doing it this way rather than giving the mortal a pre-packaged deal. It's allowed you people to display your ingenuity. Take that sisters! We don't need to have only brainless fools as the protagonists!"
"To be fair, sir, it was a very simplified RPG," the boy tried to be humble.
"Nonsense! 'Warlords Battlecry 3', especially with the 'Protector' mod, has everything a standard RPG has—leveling up, items, classes, stats, spells mastery, and skills! On top of having an army!" Though his mouth was concealed, it looked like Madanach was smiling. The god closed his eyes with a smile still on his face. "I see. You are a mortal of culture."
"Th-Thank you." He wasn't sure how to handle a compliment from a god, especially one that was this evil-looking, but he felt weirdly proud. It also looked like Madanach was a lot more chill as a god than he thought.
"You know what! I am giving you something extra! You don't run into people who play classic RTS instead of mainstream ones like Starcrafts all the time! So what do you want? An instant harem? More systems? Minor divinity?"
"Actually, if you don't mind… I would… like to leave my family a message or something… maybe as a dream so it doesn't freak them out." Madanach blinked in surprise. "I-I am gone so soon and so sudden, I am afraid they won't be able to move on. I just… want to tell them one last time that I love them, and that I am in a better place now, so they can move forward, live their life to the fullest in my place."
There was absolute silence for good minutes. Masaru feared that he had angered Madanach. That was until the god's hand lightly pounded his armored chest a few times with his fist.
"That really hit me where I live. From what my sisters told me, I was expecting a perverted mortal whose sole goal is to gather a harem. Yet here you are, worrying about your family even after the grave."
"Well, I won't deny that it would be nice to have a harem," Masaru said with a light blush.
"Ha! And you're honest as well! Unbelievable! I am a God of Strife and Conflict, and yet my chosen mortal is more moral than most people! You know what! Not only will I grant your extra wish, but I will also give you a few more things as well! On me! No need to pick more drawbacks!"
"T-Thank you, sir!" the boy was at a loss for words.
"For now, just finished the info page so I can send you on your way. Unlike my sisters, I have other duties."
As Masaru gave a final touch and rechecked his info page, he became… curious. Madanach had mentioned his sisters a few times now. What were they like, he wondered.
"I can read your mind, if that isn't obvious enough," Madanach informed. Masaru immediately panicked, but the god merely held his hand up to silence the boy. "My sisters are the usual Isekai goddesses, so I don't think I need to explain much. We have a bet that I can do their job better than them, the usual sibling bet, you know. So here we are."
"I see." That's… a surprisingly mundane thing. He certainly did not expect that from a God of Conflict.
"In any event, the time for us to part is near. So I will explain a few more important things to you. First, the 3 fictions are merely your starting races, you can acquire more as your progress."
"If you don't mind me asking, sir. Progress through what? Are there some kind of end goals?"
"No, there's no such thing. When I said 'progress' I mean of yourself, not some kind of plot. I wouldn't know what you will encounter in each world. As I was saying, as you grow stronger the options to get more factions will be presented to you. Like the description in your System said, your goal is open-ended, think 'Dawn of War: Dark Crusade' campaign or 'Battle Realm' campaign."
"Oh, speaking of Battle Realm, have you checked out the 'Zen Edition' on Steam yet?" Masaru could help but ask. He was a big fan of that game.
"Oh gods, yes, it may still be in early access, but it's already on its way to becoming a good remaster now… but if you're not a fan, I would hold off on spending money on it until it comes out of early access."
"Nah, I already got it a few days after it came out. I am a big fan of the Dragon Clan."
"I am more of a Serpent Clan kind of god. Gunpowder goes, boom."
[We are getting off-topic]
The AI reminded them and both of them cleared their throat.
[Also, Wolf Clan forever. Fuck the Lotus Clan]
"Amen."/"Amen." Both of them said in unison.
"Now, the second point, this one regarding victories and losses. Before anything else, if you lose a battle or a scenario, you will respawn at one of your bases across the multiverse, including the Hub. Then you can just retry the mission, but be careful. If you have no bases, not even the Hub, then you will meet your final death." Masaru audibly gulped. "Now, onto the less grim stuff. Each time you win a match, a scenario, or a campaign, you will receive points. These points can be used to customize many great things, from your armies' colors and equipment to unlocking more universal perks to your armies to modifying your Hub, or even remake your harem members to be in your image."
"I… see," Masaru said quietly, light blushes on his cheeks.
"No need to be embarrassed. You have already admitted you wouldn't mind getting a harem, so go for it. One of the gifts I will give you can even help out with that, but I will let the A.I. take care of explaining. Lastly, before I let you off the hook, you will be thrown into three tutorial missions, each to get you familiar with the factions and the function of your RTS system. Now, one last thing," Madanach clapped his hands. "Do you want to customize your appearance?"
The screen turned into a mirror, reflecting his face.
Masaru's face was a bit on the ordinary side, though some people said his face could be gloomy and androgynous at times; especially if he dressed in full unisex clothing. His most defining feature would be his hair—straight and smooth with evenly sidelocks and frontal fringe that showed no signs of curling anywhere. It's a style similar to 'hime' hairstyle on women, but he had no idea what it's called on men, or even if it's possible to get this style naturally. Besides that, his back hair was short (reached around his neck) and his frontal bangs reached well below his eyebrows so most of the time his eyes were covered.
'Damn, I was planning to get a new haircut tomorrow.' Though back to the question, he didn't really need to change anything about himself, he already exercises regularly so he was healthy and happy about who he was. He was pretty short for his age though (around 140 CM in height), but he was already used to that so he didn't want to change it either. Still…
"You know what, mom's advice about coloring my hair be damned. Make my hair purple and my pupils emerald!" His wish was quickly granted. He parted his new violet locks and examined his new emerald-colored eyes. "Nice."
[Done? Y/N]
"Yes, I am done."
"Huh, that's a lot less change than I was expecting. Oh well," the god shrugged. "Which of the three do you want the tutorial for first?"
"Umm, the Undead please, I have played them recently so it's still fresh in my mind. I would like to familiarize myself with the system first before going over to other factions." Masaru answered.
"Alright then." Madanach waved his hand and a portal appeared behind the boy. "Good luck, kid."
The boy gave a respectful bow one last time before stepping toward his new life.
============================================================
Back in Masaru's world, Madanach fulfilled the boy's wish on the day after his funeral. All his family members dreamed that they had met with their beloved son/brother one last time, who reassured them that he was in a better place now. They woke up crying one last time for their lost family member, but also possessed a renewed determination to live life to its fullest.
By the end of their perspective lives, each had achieved great things.
Masaru's older brother continued his career in professional sportsmanship, specifically baseball, which was popular in Japan. He rose up until he started playing in the American Leagues and the Olympics. By the end of his life, he went down as one of the greatest baseball hitters of all time.
Masaru's father continued to work hard in his managerial position and climb to the top of his company as a CEO. He became a well-known philanthropist on the world stage and someone who led his company into becoming a major Japanese corporation. His wife, while remaining a housewife for a good part of her life, spent her free time writing and ended up becoming a world-renowned author. Her magnum opus detailed the life and turbulence of a family that had lost one of its members.
Masaru's sole sister decided to join her father's company and inherited it after his retirement. She expanded the corporation into other business areas, including space travel. Their rocket was the first manned spacecraft to land on Mars and the first private sector to establish a moon base. Some even say she was the one who contributed the most to Japan's economic recovery.
Masaru's younger brother decided to become a doctor. He discovered a cure for cancer.
By the end, all members of the Yamamoto household had achieved greatness on a scale thought impossible. Yet, from the very moment they started their journey to their final breath, the face of their beloved brother and son would always be there for them, keep pushing them forward.
But all of their tales are for another time because Masaru is the star of our story.
