Creating a character was far more complicated than Max imagined.
Only a few minutes into setting details like her personality and motives, he found himself begrudgingly more appreciative of writers who had to do this for the hundreds of characters in their novels, whilst finding a way to make it consistent.
It was… exhausting. And, surprisingly, almost fun.
He wasn't completely new to character creation, and that was what helped him a lot.
Before Max was transmigrated here he had written two Heroines that he wanted the publishing company to write into the story.
Obviously they had rejected him, but now, he could bring them into the story himself. Good old DIY.
The first Heroine Max decided to create was Astensia.
He hadn't created that much information on her. When he had submitted the characters, he had only given a quick sketch, their powers and motives that strictly had nothing to do with romance with the MC.
However, the system now demanded more. With Lore Attunement being necessary and the character backstory subsidizing the CP cost, he had to do more now than just make them not give a fuck about Renan Falconhart.
Max brainstormed for a bit, Miss Maecil's teaching a humming noise in the back of his mind.
Ideas started to flow, so he scribbled some down on the flat book on his desk. When some of the ideas began to connect, he dropped the pen and started to input the details, his thoughts typing on the translucent keyboard.
⸢ Name: Astensia Valengard⸥
⸢ Appearance: —⸥
Max thought of his sketch. It had been a reckless scribble—he wasn't that gifted an artist. He'd wanted to generate images but decided against it.
Now, he worried that his imagination—even as great as it was—wouldn't be enough to perfectly visualize every detail of Astensia.
However, the image in his mind was consistent. Astensia was the perfect blend of divine beauty and battlefield terror.
Max decided to stick with what he knew, suspecting that the system, like every other program, would refine his rough descriptions.
He began to mentally type.
⸢ Appearance: "Height: 180cm. Physique: Amazonian but graceful. Hair: Liquid gold, kept in a thick, disciplined braid that rests over her left shoulder. Eyes: Piercing azure, the color of a frozen ocean. Armor: The Plate of Divine Will. It consists of heavy silver pauldrons, accentuated cuirass, golden breastplates and armor details, and a winged valkyrie helm. ⸥
⸢ Personality ⸥
Well, he was half-decided on that. With Astensia being his first Summon, he wanted her to be fiercely loyal to him, however, not to the point where all her autonomy and decision making is destroyed.
He needed to create an acceptable reason why she would be endlessly loyal to him.
An idea struck his mind. There was an easy, quick way to fix this. He would simply make her exceedingly loyal, not merely loyal to him, but possessing pure loyalty as a characteristic itself.
Forever true to her word in a way that it becomes a driving force for her actions and morals.
If he did that, he could get her to swear an oath to him once he summons her for the first time and that would in turn make her fiercely loyal to him.
Max grinned, impressed by his rigmarole.
He inputted the details.
⸢Personality: Brave, fiercely loyal to her oath, driven by her duty but possessing a dry, biting wit. She values strength of will above physical power. Kind and gentle despite her overwhelming power and stoic front. Not a damsel in distress! ⸥
⸢ Backstory ⸥
Max stared at the next section. This was the part that needed the most attention.
He began to type, weaving Astensia into the existing lore of Awakener Supreme. Like the system had said, she couldn't just appear out of thin air; the world would believe she had always been there.
He had to write a backstory that was not only impressive so he could get the Narrative Coupon, but also believable.
⸢ Family/Birthplace: Born in the Era of Ash, three hundred years ago. The daughter of a fallen fortress commander in the Northern Wastes. ⸥
⸢ Event: Astensia became one of the greatest Awakeners in the world's history. She is the unwritten legend who cleared the most Dungeons ever. History says she was the one who held the Greatest Gate close on her own for seven days and seven nights against the Fifth Wave of Gehenna. She didn't hold it for a king, or for glory. She held it because of the weak and helpless who would have died if not for her. When the Awakeners finally arrived after recovering, they found a corpse. She was dead, but she had bought the world enough time. ⸥
Max knew that the Greatest Gate had taken longer than usual to open during the Fifth Wave of Gehenna.
There had never been an explicit reason for it. In the novel, it was presented as a random occurrence; an unexpected period of luck that allowed the Awakeners time to recuperate and prepare for the Wave.
The author of Awakener Supreme had written it that way without much thought, but now it gave Max an opening to weave a character's lore into the world without fracturing the story's established canon.
By placing Astensia at that Gate, he wasn't overwriting history. He was filling a vacuum. He was providing a physical, bloody reason for why that "miracle" occurred.
'Heh,' Max thought with a smirk. 'Perks of obsessively reading a novel is that you remember every lore detail.'
He moved to the next.
⸢ Motive ⸥
This one he'd decided back then, but with the newly added detail of her lore, he included some new information.
⸢ Motive: Astensia is driven by her oath to defend the weak. She returns now not only to serve a master, because even as she is loyal to her master, she desires to keep her oath to defend the weak. She will never harm them, she will never kill unjustly, she will always protect who ever needs her. She doesn't believe in a lesser evil. ⸥
Then, he moved on to ⸢ Role Assignment ⸥.
He selected ⸢ Heroine ⸥.
The interface shimmered, expanding to show the Heroine-specific sub-menus. This was where the CP cost would skyrocket.
⸢ Heroine Details ⸥
⸢ Class: Knight ⸥
⸢Advanced Class: ⸥
Lancet paused at that section. He had simply written Astensia as a Knight before. But now, he had thought of an Advancement that would make her extremely overpowered.
As he needed her to be.
⸢ Advanced Class: Ironwill Knight ⸥
⸢ Description: The Ironwill Knight does not rely on talent. She relies on the refusal to yield. Her power grows infinitely as long as she possesses the will to get something done. This is the pillar of one of her unique traits; 'Instant Comprehension'—if she wills herself to master a weapon, she masters it instantly. Her will bends reality. ⸥
The System immediately blared red.
It knew instantly how overpowered that Advancement was, especially considering the motive and personality he had given Astensia.
Someone like her would have an abundance of will.
⸢ System Warning: 'Ironwill Knight' is a High-Tier Advancement. Your Heroine is extremely overpowered. CP Cost is now critical. ⸥
'Just wait,' Max thought with a grin. 'Let me cook.'