Six months.
Yeah… it's been six months since Ashen Regalia launched. Half a year without coding, without thinking about boss designs, without banging my head against adaptive AI systems or dynamic mechanics. Nothing.
I just… stopped.
After five years of living with my brain in turbo mode, it felt fair to take a break from myself. And honestly, I needed it. During this time, I didn't do anything productive. Like, absolutely nothing. I just existed. Slept more than I should, drank gallons of coffee, and practically became Coca-Cola's unofficial ambassador. My biggest effort these past months was deciding whether to crack open a can before or after my next stream.
And the funniest part? No one has beaten the game yet.
Not a single streamer. Not the speedrunners. Not even that guy who finishes every game with a guitar controller. Ashen Regalia simply won't allow it. The game adapts, evolves, surprises. There's no reliable walkthrough. Strategies become outdated in hours. And the AI… well, it's still there. Watching. Learning.
The forums turned into warzones. Some people love it, some hate it, but everyone wants to understand how the hell I pulled it off.
Spoiler: I'm not entirely sure myself.
Meanwhile, my life started to feel kind of surreal.
At school, people who used to ignore me now avoid eye contact like I'm some legendary NPC. Teachers treat me like I invented math. My mom started asking for my opinion on her haircut like it was a divine verdict. Even my dad seems more formal around me. All because… I talk less now.
Not talking much wasn't exactly a choice. It's just that, ever since I got that dominant presence ability, everything I say sounds... too important. Like, if I say a Coke tastes good, my mom stocks the house for a month. If I mention a coffee is decent, it becomes the new standard at home. Honestly? It's exhausting.
So instead of talking, I observe.
I watch Ashen Regalia grow without needing me to do anything. Millions of people still playing, trying, failing, and trying again. I watch how the world keeps spinning even when I pause.
And for now, that's been enough to make me happy.
But too much rest gets tiring too.
After months of just watching, one thing became clear: Ashen Regalia isn't just a game. It's a mental battlefield, a moving puzzle, a combat gym.
And me? I'm not the type who can stay still forever.
That's when the idea hit me:
What if I came back? Not as the creator at least not yet. But as a player. A regular player. No name, no face. Just me and the game.
That's when I decided to bring back something that was huge in both my past world and this one: the VTuber.
It was the perfect way to train the combat style the system gave me. A real method to understand the AI's behavior, predict its attacks, test strategies. And on top of that, gain more strength by growing my fame again.
Of course, without ruining the community's experience.
My rule was simple: I'd only use what the community had already discovered. No spoilers, no dev shortcuts. I'd progress alongside everyone else. Every boss, every trap, every illusionary wall I'd face it like any other player. Only with the AI set to infernal mode, adapting almost instantly to my patterns. That would force me to grow, to improve my combat style in real time.
So I created a channel.
LazyDeity.
The perfect name.
A sincere homage to the god of sloth. The one who gave me a second chance. Who let me restart with something that wasn't just power but purpose. Even if he never asked anything in return, I'm grateful. For everything. And this channel is, in some way, my most honest way to show it.
"Lazy" not because I don't try but because even effort can be calm, calculated, relaxed.
And "Deity" because… well, he changed my life.
And maybe, just maybe, I can change a few others too.
My avatar? A pixelated man, like he stepped out of a retro RPG. Simplified features, but charismatic. A sleepy, lazy gaze, with a smooth breathing animation as if forever in nap mode. Simple, direct, and true to the vibe I wanted.
No lore. No made-up backstory. Just me.
But with the added bonus that my enhanced presence won't affect anyone. On YouTube, no one will treat my words like divine orders so I can relax. Joke with chat. Be more open. Have normal conversations. Just be… me, with less pressure.
It's strange to think my new challenge is to beat my own game.
But maybe that's exactly what I need to move forward.
And tomorrow?
Tomorrow is LazyDeity's first stream.
While lying in bed, thinking and rehearsing for tomorrow, I did something I hadn't done since the launch not for any deep reason, just because I'd been resting all this time.
I opened the system interface.
That familiar glow lit up above my palm gentle and silent. Same structure as always: simple and efficient. Five visible tabs now: Missions, Inventory, Skills, Shop, and Influence.
At the bottom corner, a notification blinked:
Total Accumulated Fame: 600,000,000 points
(Automatically converted after revealing your true identity during the Ashen Regalia launch)
Source of Fame:
Sakura Suspectus: 103,210,093
Ashen Regalia: 570,082,950
I tapped the Skills tab.
Quirk: Verdant Pulse
Integration Ability: Adaptive Combat Style
No extra branches. Nothing passive.
The system only rewards choices not time spent.
The Inventory tab was still empty, as always.
I opened the Shop, curious to see what I could buy with 600 million fame points. A small message appeared before the list:
You can convert fame points into abilities. Choose wisely. Acquired abilities are permanent.
---
Available Abilities:
Common (25M–55M Fame Points)
1. Instinctive Reading (40M)
Analyzes enemy motor patterns in real time, allowing you to predict actions more precisely in close combat.
2. Neural Resilience (32.5M)
Increases resistance to mental overload and improves recovery after intense focus or tactical ability usage.
3. Tactical Imagery (55M)
Simulates combat scenarios based on observed info, creating pre-planned reactions almost instantly.
4. Focused Clarity (30M)
Temporarily suppresses external stimuli, enhancing clarity during critical decision moments.
5. Field Analysis (25M)
Detects subtle environmental changes more quickly and accurately.
6. Creative Sync (30M)
Improves the ability to improvise and blend movements fluidly ideal for personalized fighting styles.
---
Rare (95M–225M Fame Points)
7. Amplified Strength (95M)
Temporarily boosts physical power, increasing strike impact and damage resistance.
8. Advanced Botanical Control (110M)
Enhances plant manipulation range and precision.
9. Instant Growth (180M)
Rapidly grows nearby plants to create natural barriers or makeshift weapons.
10. Rapid Regeneration (225M)
Speeds up healing of superficial wounds during combat.
---
Epic (185M–300M Fame Points)
11. Accelerated Regeneration (185M)
Heals more serious injuries faster—ideal for prolonged battles.
12. Enhanced Reflexes (230M)
Greatly improves reaction speed and agility, reducing surprise attack chances.
13. Botanical Synergy (260M)
Creates bonds with nearby plants, boosting resistance and strength when in contact with them.
14. Imposing Presence (300M)
Boosts your mental and physical aura, destabilizing enemies and weakening their combat effectiveness.
---
Legendary (400M–500M Fame Points)
15. Verdant Vital Regeneration (500M)
Draws life force from plants, water, air, and animals to heal serious wounds (does not affect humans).
16. Overwhelming Strength (450M)
Grants superhuman strength for a brief time.
17. Supreme Botanical Mastery (400M)
Allows control over vast plant regions, shaping ecosystems for combat or defense.
---
Reflecting on the options, I knew I had to choose wisely.
Every point spent could save my life in this world.
So, after about an hour of careful thought, I focused on what I needed now.
I slid my finger across the interface, confirming each choice one by one.
Instinctive Reading.
The obvious first pick. I needed to read enemies feel each micro-gesture, each intention before it turned into movement. The AI adapted too quickly to leave room for basic mistakes. Knowing how it thinks or tries to was my first step.
Tactical Imagery.
Simulating combat in my mind had always come naturally, but this made it near-instant. Combos, dodges, counters all processed in the background. Paired with my Parallel Flow, I could generate multiple outcomes simultaneously.
Enhanced Reflexes.
My mind was fast. But my body… was still human. This would finally let my body keep up with my mind. Not just important essential. The AI won't wait for me to think twice.
Neural Resilience.
The price of my intelligence was always fatigue. Every simulation, every calculation, every analysis took a toll. With this, my mind wouldn't break under pressure. No more crushing headaches after hours of reading the battlefield.
Focused Clarity.
Just in case. Sometimes, everything comes down to a single moment. A perfect dodge. A precise counter. One right step into the unknown. Being able to block out the world for a few seconds and see with absolute clarity? More valuable than it sounds.
Field Analysis.
This one was pure instinct. Ashen Regalia's maps aren't just scenery they're living traps, shifting environments, hidden dangers. Knowing where to step, what changed, what moved… could be the difference between surviving and becoming a tragic Easter egg.
Creative Sync.
A personal pick. My greatest strength had always been improvisation. Combining unlikely elements into something new. This would give that spontaneity a fluid edge let my body follow my intuition, even during the weirdest choices.
Total spent: 212,500,000 Fame Points
Remaining: 460,792,950
Still a lot. But I chose to save the rest for now. A good player never spends it all at once. And if there's one thing I've learned from building adaptive AI it's that the unexpected always finds a way.
I closed the interface.
For a moment, I just lay there quietly feeling the weight of the choices I'd made. No dramatic notifications. Just the subtle change in my body, the way I perceived things like the world suddenly made more sense.
And with that, I drifted off to sleep, excited for tomorrow.
Because every true soulslike fan dreams of a game like this.
And I'm no different.