* * *
"One glass of the cheapest thing you’ve got, please."
At my request, the stout tavern mistress brought over a glass filled to the brim with cheap liquor.
Thud!
The sound of the glass hitting the table briefly cut through the noisy chatter of the tavern.
"You always go for the cheapest stuff, don’t you? Here you go."
It was midday.
I was sitting in the tavern, drinking.
It might’ve looked like the life of a lazy bum, but so what?
I was soone who had been possessed into the world of a video ga.
A little indulgence like this didn’t seem so bad. Honestly.
…Anyway, to sum it up—
I had sohow entered the world of my favorite ga, Garland Eternity Saga.
The first thing I did upon arrival was desperately call out for a status window.
But, as if to mock for being in an old, outdated ga, no convenient status window appeared before my eyes.
Even so, I was able to figure out a lot of information without much trouble.
Or rather—it wasn’t so much that I figured it out, but that the mories of this body naturally felt like my own after I had [possessed] it.
My na was Swen.
I was 20 years old this year.
No noble title, no family na.
No family to speak of either. Basically, the perfect form of a disposable extra character.
The only way to return to my original world—
was to unify this continent.
More specifically, if the country I belonged to succeeded in uniting the continent, I could safely return to where I ca from.
‘Up to this point, it’s a pretty common cliché.’
Since I couldn’t change the circumstances already given to —
The next step was to check my stats.
Without a status window to display exact values, I had to test my abilities physically.
The fact that I was out of breath just from climbing a small hill ant my strength and endurance were likely low.
Even though I’d gotten eight years younger, my body felt even weaker than before.
Probably sowhere between 5 and 15 points, give or take.
As for my charm stat… honestly, I had no idea.
Looking in the mirror, my face wasn’t particularly ugly, but it wasn’t especially handso either.
Aside from my almost pure-white hair, I didn’t have any distinct features.
The most accurate way to describe it was… plain.
Since this ga had a dieval fantasy vibe, characters often had vividly colored hair anyway.
In fact, there was never any specific text in the ga that said the charm stat directly determined a character’s appearance.
It was just my own vague assumption.
In the ga, charm mainly affected persuasion and diplomacy.
So I guessed mine was probably around 50 or 60 points.
There were plenty of other stats, too—things like politics and leadership.
But I had no way to check those right now.
Maybe once I managed to join so army, I’d be able to see them.
And the most important stat… intelligence.
Over the past few days since my possession, I had run several tests to be sure.
‘My intelligence stat… it’s definitely 100.’
"Hey there! You’re back again today, huh?"
A man I’d seen around a few tis approached as I drank my cheap liquor.
He was just a regular villager—at least, as far as I knew. Not so nad officer or anything like that.
"Hello."
"Yeah. Did you hear the news? The Brans Army successfully recaptured Hyzel Castle."
"Did they?"
I figured as much.
The Brans Army controlled the land this town was part of, and it was led by one of the ga’s nad characters, Lyn Brans.
Lyn Brans—the most talented of the Brans family’s three siblings.
Despite being the third child and a woman—both of which were disadvantages—she had taken the throne purely through her own abilities.
Her two older brothers now served under her as generals.
To put it simply, the Brans Army was:
“The beginner-friendly ruler!”
It had no particular weaknesses in terms of stats, and its talent pool was excellent.
With a decent grasp of basic ga chanics, it was easy to unify the continent under this faction.
But after one successful playthrough, most players would quickly move on, as the Brans Army didn’t really require complex strategies.
"You’re really sothing, you know that?"
"?"
Feigning innocence, I replied casually.
"You predicted it perfectly! First, you said the Brans Army would lose Hyzel Castle to Walnut Army’s sudden attack. Then, despite the Brans Army barely having ti to reorganize, you said they’d retake the castle right away. And they actually did!"
The Walnut Army was about as average as a faction could get—suitable for mid-level players but not particularly unique.
Apparently, it had spawned next to the Brans Army in this tiline.
Unfortunately for them, their leader was dood to die early unless directly controlled by a player.
It was one of those factions that could never unify the continent under normal circumstances.
The ga’s power dynamics seed to have transferred into this world as well—
even regular citizens, like this man, naturally assud that the Walnut Army had no chance of defeating the Brans Army.
But.
When I analyzed the situation, the Walnut Army could capture Hyzel Castle.
I didn’t know why, but no matter how I looked at it, that was the conclusion I kept reaching:
“Walnut Army wins.”
And sure enough, they did.
That alone was strange enough, but what ca next was even more bizarre—
the Brans Army, without even reorganizing properly, threw together whatever remnants of their forces they could find and retook the castle the very next day.
This man beside was explaining all the reasons why he thought the Brans Army wouldn’t win this ti—listing every logical argunt he could think of.
But.
For so reason, the only conclusion I could co to was:
“The Brans Army wins.”
I didn’t know the reason.
I just knew.
No—I was certain.
And today, the results had just co in.
But this wasn’t the only situation.
I’d had countless discussions with various people about current events, and every single ti, things unfolded exactly as I had predicted.
After verifying it dozens of tis, I could finally be sure.
It didn’t make logical sense, but it felt as if the entire universe was bending over backward to make my thoughts a reality!
Considering that this world was Garland Eternity Saga, there was only one explanation.
My intelligence stat was 100!
“Well, it just seed like it would happen.”
“What are you, a prophet or sothing? I’m heading to gamble soon—can you tell if I’ll win?”
The man laughed heartily after asking, and I casually played along.
“Haha, well… I’d suggest you avoid gambling, sir.”
“Right? If I gamble again, my wife’s definitely divorcing .”
Whether this guy would win or lose at gambling?
Unfortunately, that wasn’t sothing I could predict.
It seed my intelligence stat of 100 only applied to things within the bounds of the ga’s systems.
‘If I could predict everything, I’d be the one gambling first.’
Even with an intelligence stat of 100, I hadn’t suddenly beco a genius capable of coming up with brilliant sches out of thin air.
It was just that my guesses, when responding to specific questions, were always 100% correct—no exceptions.
No matter what, my answers were right, and my decisions beca the most optimal choices.
It was exactly like how characters with 100 intelligence in the ga always gave flawless advice when consulted.
‘There has to be a way to make use of this.’
I waved goodbye to the man as he left and sank into thought again.
The truth was, my ability ca with a condition—a penalty, in a sense.
I could only make predictions when soone asked a direct question.
If I just thought to myself, “Will Country A defeat Country B in War X?” the answer wouldn’t co to clearly.
So far, I’d only been able to predict outcos because people like that man had asked straightforward questions.
It made sense, considering how military advisors in the ga wouldn’t say anything useful unless asked specific questions first.
Once I was asked, though, I could keep predicting as many tis as needed.
Anyway.
This was the world inside a ga, and it operated according to the ga’s rules—
but I wasn’t so avatar.
I was a living, breathing human being.
In these chaotic tis, making a na for myself wouldn’t be bad, but standing out too much would definitely get killed.
In the ga, players would hit the conscription button, recruit about 2,000 soldiers, and march straight to the nearest castle.
Those 2,000 troops were basically just a number—a stat to manage in combat.
But here?
Those 2,000 troops were actual people.
If the numbers dropped, it ant real lives were being lost.
And ?
I wasn’t so god overseeing it all—I was just one of those 2,000 soldiers, a single number in the stats.
Sure, if I beca a vassal of the unified kingdom, I could safely return to my world.
But there was no telling how long that would take—or how high my chances of dying before then were.
So instead of aiming for glory, my plan was to get hired by the stable Brans Army, collect a paycheck like a civil servant, and wait it out.
If Brans unified the continent, great.
And if another faction rose to power, I’d just switch sides.
That was my isekai survival plan.
Which was why I was here, drinking in a tavern in the middle of the day.
In this ga, talented recruits were scouted at taverns, and with an intelligence stat of 100, soone was bound to notice and make an offer.
But.
In the entire week I’d been sitting here, only one ruler had co to recruit .
Compared to the ga, where CPUs would instantly snatch up a 100-intelligence character, this was absurd.
‘In the ga, you could check stats easily, but now that it’s like reality, no one can be sure.’
Even the man who just left wasn’t part of the ga’s system.
And this cheap beer I was drinking?
There was no way the ga would’ve added such detailed elents.
So… was waiting in the tavern pointless?
Would the Brans Army never co to pick up?
‘Looks like I’ll have to take action myself.’
Maybe I needed to move if I wanted to climb the ranks.
It’d be risky—but better than staying a nobody and getting drafted.
Even if I was weak, I was still a man.
And in this ga, adult male populations were conscripted without exception.
Which ant there was a very real possibility I’d end up as cannon fodder and die.
Just as I drained my cheap drink and started contemplating how to join the Brans Army—
“Excuse … Sir Swen. May I speak with you for a mont?”
“...?”
I turned to the voice that called my na.
Cream-colored, short bobbed hair.
Eyes as red as the strawberries on a strawberry shortcake.
Luxurious clothes, though slightly worn-out from age.
Her na was Lunarian Iniang.
Better known as Luna—the hardest, most advanced ruler in the entire ga.
Her starting position?
A fallen noble, closer to a wandering militia than an actual country.
Her territory and troops? Utterly pitiful.
While her potential was incredible, her initial pool of talent was almost useless in the early ga.
But the companions who followed Luna…
If you managed to survive long enough, every single one of them beca SSS-tier.
In other words, she was the epito of the “Return of the King” playstyle.
I’d ntioned earlier that only one ruler had tried to recruit this week.
And that ruler was Luna.
"You’ve co again?"
"Y-yes. I just really wanted to talk… Would that be alright? I’ll buy the drinks."
"I’m fine without drinks."
Having played this ga before, including Luna’s route, I knew her army’s financial situation better than anyone.
I might as well rob a beggar for pocket change.
"Then…"
She carefully took a seat across from .
Thinking back, I was still a bit stunned by our first eting.
The outdated pixel graphics of the ga never hinted at just how stunningly beautiful she was.
If I’d known Luna was this pretty, I probably would’ve played her route more often.
"I… Sir Swen, I’m terribly sorry to bother you again, but… could you please help …?"
"As I ntioned before, Luna, I don’t think my skills are suited to serve under you."
At my shallow excuse, she shook her head so vigorously that her cream-colored hair bounced.
"No! Sir Swen, I’ve heard you’re an incredibly brilliant man. It’s embarrassing to admit, but my army doesn’t even have a single strategist right now… We desperately need your help."
"……."
Honestly.
If I rejected her now, it would be the fifth ti.
She’d already co to see four tis in a single week.
By the third rejection, most people would’ve taken the hint and stopped coming.
But here she was, the ruler herself, still visiting in person and using honorifics.
I felt bad for her, but I didn’t have two lives to spare.
Luna’s army was bound to disappear from the map along with Walnut’s soon. I couldn’t afford to join her.
‘Maybe I was too polite with my rejections.’
It seed like it was ti to be brutally honest.
"…Luna. May I speak frankly?"
"Y-yes, of course…! Please, go ahead."
"Luna, why did you raise an army?"
"That’s… to unite the continent and bring peace to everyone—"
"So you intend to beco an emperor?"
She faltered slightly at my direct question.
"Y-yes."
"Then sothing doesn’t add up. For soone who aims to be an emperor, you’ve been bowing and scraping to everyone—including ."
"T-that’s…!"
She looked like she’d been struck speechless.
I knew her personality from the ga, so I expected this reaction.
From her perspective, though, it must’ve seed like I could read her mind.
"Luna, you’re kind to everyone. I’m not saying that’s a bad trait. But in these chaotic tis, it’s unnecessary. I don’t believe you have what it takes to unify this continent. That’s why I can’t serve under you."
"……."
Surely, after saying this much, she wouldn’t co back.
I felt a little guilty, but I already had my plans laid out.
With that, I turned away from her and downed my cheap drink.
And then—
I heard her quietly sobbing.
"I… I see…"
"……."
Lunarian Iniang was a fragile person.
She loved peace and even raised an army to spread it, but—she was completely unsuited to lead during these chaotic tis.
Even in the ga, if left to the CPU, her army was dood to collapse.
Her tears shook a little, but… I had no choice.
I only had one life.
"Sir Swen… do you truly believe… that I can’t unify this world…?"
"……."
Well…
………
………
………
And in that mont—
my world ca to a halt.
‘…Wait, what?’
Luna’s question:
"I, Lunarian Iniang, cannot unify this world?"
And my 100 intelligence—
Delivered its conclusion.
-------------------------That’s wrong.
Reviews
All reviews (0)