Now then, for some commentary on the 3rd Act.
First, from the act title drug, there has been quite a bit of expectation. But that is fine in and of itself. There’s no rule saying an author has to always go beyond the readers’ expectations. It’s important to have a story that goes according to expectations sometimes, I believe.
Nevertheless, though it may be expected, in the comments, the moment Futaba-chan arrived, the keyword berserker has been flowing around quite a bit. C’mon, you did the Nightmare Berserker thing in Kuro no Maou so doing it again was, completely necessary! Well of course it is, cause I love stuff like that![1]
Well, if I may give my best excuse, in Kuro no Maou, the berserker is the protagonist, while in Shaman, it’s the heroine; see, completely different!
I’ll take this opportunity to say it, when Futaba-chan got her berserker vocation, that was the exact moment when she became the heroine. The last part in the 2nd act on the Kotarou side, being ‘Shaman and Pig’, and the 3rd having ‘Shaman and Berserker’ was meant to give that contrast. I’ve said this on the last one and I’ll say it again, a heroine who can’t fight is simply a sow...
With that, please give your regards to our berserker-class heroine Futaba-chan!
The composition of this 3rd act goes like, Crisis → Awakening → Victory! that kind of cliché thing. Was it the hero who awakened, or the heroine, or maybe they awakened to the many sensations, there’s a few twists here and there, but the story flow was pretty much the tried-and-tested, cliché one.
I must admit that there’s a lot of fun to find in perpetuating these clichés, but having an easy awakened victory makes me sick, though there’s the feeling it’s become the norm. So there, taking the awakened victory as the conclusion, how far to the edge can I go with this, making it fit this story even more; I tried to pursue that and this was result.
Only because Futaba awakened as a Berserker did I write her as so useless in the first half of the act. Again, on Kotarou’s crisis preceding the victory, he was beaten down in mind and body, and I wanted to draw out that shameful display. Kotarou’s pitifulness in being so one-sidedly harassed by Goma isn’t something I can write for Kurono. I can write it because he’s weak. It’s almost writing itself.
If I may digress, showing the protagonist’s shameful display, is quite difficult to write I believe. Especially in scenarios like the one in Shaman, in stories where the class is summoned, where the bullied kid gets a cheat power and goes on all out revenge, in that kind of story, there isn’t any specific scene detailing the all important past bullying, that is, at least to my reading experience. In many cases, the bullied kid is picked on by someone only putting on the airs of a typical DQN, making fun of his weak-looking (but actually a cheat) power, maybe tricking him some, landing him in a few traps, dropping him into a hole in the dungeon, only that level of harassment. The protag will only feel weakness, but never any boiling hatred for the actions done against him.
As for why this factor of misery is cleanly extracted from the bullied kid... it’s because he doesn’t need it.
Even these bullied kids are protagonists in the end. It’s been already promised that the mean DQN bully will be avenged upon, sometimes exhilaratingly, sometimes cruelly, with the cheat powers. What’s needed is only the promised triumph, the descriptions of pain and suffering aren’t required. And say they did that, the norm right now is that it’d simply backfire, and result in tons of hate mail will come flooding in.
And naturally, there wouldn’t be a problem with the protagonist himself which incited the bullying. It’s all the DQN bully’s fault and god would have a special place for him in hell. For proof of that, in most cases, it’d turn out that the prettiest girl in class is actually in love with the bullied kid, or maybe he’s on her mind at least.
Now, after attaining that convenient power, is it right as a person to use it for revenge? Cheat abilities are tremendous, but the protagonist who uses those powers, is he really strong? If he got his hands on such overwhelming power, he’d take his revenge, but while still weak, he’d keep to himself. Internally deeming it impossible, is that attitude truly commendable as a man?
In the protagonist of a story, I try to find parts of him I can respect. I couldn’t do something like this, I couldn’t think that up, couldn’t endure that much, couldn’t work as hard... anything. Instead of a long wow MC so epic explanation, I’d much rather try and feel those traits from him from the heart, and I’m convinced that it’d make for a great story.
Anyway, that’s that kind of story. That kind of protagonist isn’t bad per se. And in reality, it’s because it isn’t bad that it’s popular. The rest is a problem of personal opinion.
So, since it’s a problem of preference, I’d say it’s not to mine, I’m sick of it, no thanks... is my general stance.
It’s because I have these dissatisfactions that Kotarou needs to suffer. Kotarou is weak, but he’s someone who can stay weak and still appeal as a protagonist. I see Kotarou being beaten up by Goma as something where he shines brightest.
And that is why, this many painful experiences are necessary to seek value from an awakened victory, and the full emotion conveyed from their new-found strength would be all the more grand.
Having raised the heroine from Pig to Berserker, Kotarou can finally try to truly tackle dungeon capture. So please look forward to what these two who’ve started from the very bottom, will do from now.
So it’s now time for the Q&A part
Q. So you can change a vocation?[2]
A. Of course.
The vocation granted by God is strictly one that suits the person at the point in time it is given, and with new experiences and growth, new possibilities can open up, and the vocation can respond to that and give the user some choices.
Q. About cursed weapons...
A. Curse weapons are, a thing!
They exist, and that being said, whether they can be found is another question.
Q. The hero and knight seems to have a goddess, a hint?
A. They’re different people. Different goddesses.
There’s plain old gods, and even one’s made of bone with indecipherable gender like Ruinhilde, and many more sorts; It’s pretty similar to the polytheistic divine protection system of the Black Gods.
Q. About drugs, wasn’t a warning note necessary?
A. After some deliberation, I decided not.
Personally, I think this kind of thing shouldn’t be a must. Sometimes, the plot is completely messed up with warnings, I occasionally feel.
Of course, now that it’s there, there’s no helping it but...
Just in case, I’ll say this: the narcotic that appeared in the story is not a narcotic, but a magical drug that is very similar. It doesn’t exist in real life, it is a fantasy medication, and even using these stimulants, there won’t be any cheat powers. It is a crime to use illegal drugs. Say no to drugs kids.
Q. So Futaba, how’s she look anyway?
A. Please look up Super Pochaco. Futaba should currently look something like that. Though, the individual herself is self-conscious about her figure.[3]
Recently, she’s been trying out this shady diet pill by the name of power seed, that a boy from class has been recommending her.
Q. Is Kotarou-chan being delicious, cannibalism?
A. It’s simply a bit of irrepressible sexual desire, not really any cannibalistic tendencies involved. Aren’t there people who sometimes bite when in that state?
But the real secret to Kotarou being delicious is...
Q. Is Kotarou a chubby chaser?[4]
A. The bigger the tits the better (breast lifts are a NO) and pursuing that thought process he enthusiastically dove into the sea of electrons every night, collecting important bits of intel, finally coming to expand his strikezone, which happened to happen right about the time he rose to his 2nd year
He’s at the level where he can turn a blind eye to the fat if the chest is large enough, so he’s not a genuine chubby chaser. Frankly, he’s just into huge breasts.
Well, I guess indulging in the protagonist’s inclinations too much would leave much to be desired from the story...
Q. Kotarou: “Do it, Baazaaka!”
A. Futaba: “▂▂▃▃▅▅■■■■！[5]