Hum... I actually have a question:
-Kumi is the currency used in the RP to buy abilities right?
Its also what you may use to buy CJs from others, etc. but, what is the income of an RPear?
Think about the following: any RPG game has a currency income to your character from doing everything. That currency can be XP, Gold, Glimmer, wtv depending on the game. The amount you earn is linked to the activity you do, but everything gives you the currency. Want to earn more? do harder things. Don't want to do harder things? you'll earn less. But you'll always earn.
So, outside missions and the NW, what is the basic income of an rpear?
And its important to have the kumi flowing, both as income and expense. You want people to want to play to want to earn kumi to want to buy the abilities thus spending kumi. You want the economy to move and by dynamic. Atm, it seems it isn't.
As someone who just popped back up from a hole in the ground, the whole system is a wall. A very time consuming wall. Its a very well structured and seemingly fun wall. But a wall nonetheless.
I think a good addition to the RP would be alternative income for active RPears and promoting different ways to enjoy the RP that are also rewarding. You can be a NW rpears, a battle arena one or simply like teaching others. But all paths should be rewarding in their own ways. As a result, you'd appeal to more people as a whole. You'd appeal still to the avid NW rpears but also the more moderate, less time invested ones that just want a fight here and there or that just want to teach.
Just my two cent guys
A bio can cost...lets say 25k kumi for for example, a children of tiamat bio. Thats 8333 posts with more than 50 characters. Thats 50 months of premium.... (more than 4 years). I had a battle in the battle arena and no Kumi, so I assume you're saying battles in the NW. Again, what if an RPear is active but doesn't want to go into the NW? Also, unless the prize is 25k kumi, then its mute. Prizes before were permissions to make a given bio.
What I mean is, is the goal of the RP to grow and appeal to more people? Then it needs to broaden its appeal to engage diferent types of players. To do so, it has to create a dynamic economy that allows people to grow in power but also makes people do cjs, make bios, post battles, etc. Generate activity. Unless, the goal is to only catter to the current RPears in which case, power creep and slow progression will still be an issue.
And I don't mean as a criticism. Just a suggestion. The RP is broad and as such can appeal to different types of players. Putting all your eggs in the NW basket might allienate other types of players. And the more players you have, the more active the RP. Which in turn makes it more dynamic, promotes further economic growth, brings more people to the forum to experience other areas, might bring more premium, etc etc etc.
Thus why I suggest that the overal Kumi economy be re-assessed as I feel it could be rebalanced a bit to promote more diversity and activity. Again, just my opinion.
You can sell your created abilities, including custom jutsu, custom summoning contracts, custom elements, everything. That can be your income if you like creating. Custom elements usually go for 5k, individual customs can be sold in scalable amounts up to 5k so if you get max profit by connecting with the right people who desperately want what you have for 5k a pop you can get your Children of Tiamat biography by selling five custom slots. Keep in mind you get 6 slots per custom jutsu, so that means 1 of your customs, sold to the right individuals can make you 5000 kumi x 6 slots = 30000 kumi. That's investing in the creation of one custom you can sell, make that bitch worth it and you'll get what you've earned. The system to gain exponential kumi wealth is there.
You can also sell biography templates, someone just sold me one for 4k and they can sell for up to 5k as the system allows single things to be sold for at maximum 5k. That's 5 biographies at max profit and you have a Children of Tiamat biography or Yin/Yang and those are high tier 5 abilities. You're getting EIG in 2, or Poison Ninjutsu in 1. This is another way a non-NW-roleplayer can gain a steady source of income. If they like making biographies look dope for other people and are good at it they can do that and get paid to.
Also, prizes for tournaments are still rather big things let's take the last tournament and
@ReXii for example he just got a
Sage Weapon for his prize along with other things including a special artifact, and a new biography specialty. That's worth more than 25k kumi in retrospect. If he had taken just plain Sage Rank, which was an option, sans Sage Weapon that is a 25k kumi prize. That's not including the secondary Time Dial and the tertiary biography specialty. That's easily a 35k kumi prize for the tournament. You like fighting in tournaments and you're good at it? Do it, it's worth the investment if you can win, you're getting a value worth a tier 5 ability.
The system doesn't revolve directly around the NW itself, the NW is just a way to access currency for being active in it and differs from trading because like battling it is a "production" method over a "circulation" method. You can instead battle to gain it, trade to gain it, sell things to gain it, but you have to do something. You're not going to get it by doing nothing at all, you have to interconnect with and roleplay with others, find people willing to buy your things, create things worth buying etc. Merchants can even sell their creations for ryo or kumi respectively, which can be a source of income.
There are various ways to obtain it, and it has an economy built around it. The main difference is missions in the NW, and battles in the battle arena produce it. Trading customs etc doesn't "produce it" it merely "circulates" already created kumi. Then of course spending it on abilities destroys it. That is an economy by definition and makes it so everyone can have access to what they want. Compared to the archaic permission-based system which judged people solely on how well others thought they were. Now individuals have the ability to directly take the initiative to get what they want.
Look at me, I went from nothing to having full Yin-Yang in a year. Something I would have never gotten without the system.
As a returning roleplayer, I just don't think you get all of the ways you can obtain kumi which is understandable.
You have some dope oldie cj, or are really good at creating customs people vie for? Sell em.
You have biography making skills, that attract people's eye? Use em.
You have battle skills and want to beat the shit out of people for kumi? Do it.
You want to play solo and do missions, building a story of your own, while being compensated? Go for it.
You want to win tournaments and get tier 5 abilities? Again, do you.
You can sell anything you have, but the shirt off your back, and knowing this roleplay you might find someone willing enough.
People even doing shady black market deals, selling their accounts and stuff. Just don't get caught, and if you get burned it's on you.
I didn't tell you about that last one, if any one asks. It's just between you and me, and this happy little tree.

Edit: Rereading what you said fully if you're asking "Can roleplayers come back after 4 months and have accumulated wealth for no reason." Nolol. Activity = rewards. Inactivity = nothing. Just find the activity that works for you, and lean into it. No one is going to get paid for just sitting around, you'd not be doing anything worth abilities if you're not playing. So for example, if you want to show up once every month for a battle, then if you win you'll be getting 500 kumi, though you shouldn't be rewarded as much as someone who is avidly battling numerous people, or someone who is working tirelessly in the NW, or creating cj non-stop, or busting their ass on biographies etc.
It's also my personal opinion there shouldn't be any payment for inactivity, ever, nor do we need a passive income system. Even mods and sensei only get paid for working, not for just existing. Power creep happens when people play the game. As someone with full Yin-Yang, Medical Ninjutsu, and every other ability, you shouldn't feel power creep unless you're talking about missing out on the meta. Yeah, you're behind on the meta because it shifts. Customs changed. Boosts and abilities are paramount right now.