Chapter 1
<Isn’t This a Strategy Game? Episode 1>
The sudden appearance of monsters turned the banquet hall into a chaotic mess.
Watching the weak monster, barely bound by its feeble magical power, struggling to break free, Eden took a slow, deep breath.
“Huh….”
Then, gripping a sharp piece of glass tightly, she looked around again. The Royal Knights were protecting the Emperor in a circle, and inside that circle was the target for conquest, the Chancellor.
The Chancellor, with a completely expressionless face, was observing the standoff between the monster and the 3rd Prince without losing composure even in this chaos. He looked utterly indifferent, as if he didn’t care what happened to the 3rd Prince.
“How calm…”
Eden muttered softly, shifting her gaze.
This time, unlike others who fled to the corners or the doors to evade the monster, the Grand Duke stood confidently in plain sight, casually swirling a wine glass filled with red wine.
While the Chancellor showed no reaction to the commotion, the Grand Duke was clearly “enjoying” the situation.
“…….”
This is insane.
With the future looking increasingly bleak, Eden groaned and checked once more where she needed to run: the place where the Commander of the Holy Knights was, someone who could handle the monster single-handedly.
True to his holy and noble title, the Commander of the Holy Knights, instead of being indifferent like the Chancellor or gleeful like the Grand Duke, looked serious as if he recognized the gravity of the situation.
However, he didn’t appear anxious or flustered either.
The fact that he held his sword at the ready but didn’t immediately engage the monster indicated that he understood the political situation at hand as well. And it was my job to mobilize him.
“…….”
With a final resolve, Eden looked again at the monster—or rather, at the 3rd Prince standing silently before it.
The weak magical power that tightly bound the monster was on the verge of breaking. The furious, agitated monster roared as if it would snap the 3rd Prince’s neck as soon as its magic was severed, yet the 3rd Prince’s expression showed no sign of movement, as if he were contemplating something.
And today, Eden had to save that very 3rd Prince.
With her body stiffening in the face of the monster’s ferocity for the first time in her life, Eden slowly swallowed hard.
The monster was bigger than she expected, terrifying, and brutal. It was on a whole different level from those cute little monsters she had seen on her screen.
If it bit her, she’d probably die…
“…….”
So, I might fail. If I fail…
“……Will it reset?”
Eden muttered in a voice so small it couldn’t be heard by anyone as she spread her left palm wide.
If it doesn’t reset…
“Hah…”
Eden squeezed her eyes shut, trying to avoid thinking of the most dreadful scenario, and with the piece of glass she was holding, she made a long cut on her palm.
“Ugh…!”
A sharp pain quickly enveloped her hand.
“I’m free!”
But before she could catch her breath, the monster Tannir finally severed its magical power and let out an ear-splitting roar.
Eden took a vial from her pocket, used her teeth to pop the cap off, and poured it over her bleeding palm. The dark red liquid mixed with her blood, creating a horrific stench.
“……!”
Soon, the monster caught a whiff of the smell and stopped its charge towards the 3rd Prince to turn around. Its pupils dilated at the delicious scent, and drool flowed from its wide-open mouth.
Eden, locking eyes with the monster, forced a smile.
“Yeah, over here. Isn’t this nice?”
Just as planned, the monster abandoned the 3rd Prince and lunged towards her instead, and Eden quickly turned and ran.
Screams echoed from all around as the monster rampaged.
“Gyaaaah!”
Now, it was all up to the player.
So, this disastrous game was the root of all this.
『Last Kingmaker:
There’s nothing greater than ascending to the holy throne than to create a worthy ruler with your own noble hands.
Will you finally become the Kingmaker who will save the Empire?』
Last Kingmaker was a strategy game where you became a strategist, choosing a prince and turning him into an emperor to save an empire crawling with monsters.
The intriguing premise of being a Kingmaker drew attention, but above all, the high-quality illustrations piqued interest.
The characters showcasing in the game introduction were not only the princes but also powerful figures from the Empire, each one crafted to perfection, as if the artist had sucked a third of their soul into them.
“This looks almost like a dating sim.”
Ji-won, with a serious expression, checked the game’s rating.
“……1.2?”
Her eyebrows furrowed at the absurd score.
Is this even a possible score?
Calmly, Ji-won scrolled down to glance at the reviews.
[Is this the legendary trash game that’s supposed to have a 0% clear rate?]
[xx. They can’t decide whether to tell us to clear it or not. At least it doesn’t have pay-to-win mechanics.]
[This is a crazy trash game. It’s so imbalanced. If anyone has cleared it, please come forth. I’ve spent a month and can’t beat it.]
[What is this Hagen’ti dude? There must be a reason he’s acting this way; this guy’s gone berserk seven times already!]
[I only give 2 points for the art. It’s not that it’s not fun but I just can’t clear it. Is there something wrong with the system?]
[The tyrant Asmun has been a handful. But he’s so handsome, I’ll let it slide.]
[How do you kill Hagen’ti? I just want to kill him.]
[└You can do it once you reach max level.]
[└What’s the max level?]
[└You have to clear the game to hit max level.]
[└Are you insane?]
[★Game developers, please read★ Pretend you didn’t make this game and release it as a dating sim. I’ll ignore it.]
“…….”
Ji-won realized her bad feeling was right, as the reviews were filled with harsh criticisms.
A sigh escaped her tightly closed lips.
No matter how high-quality the illustrations were, it was undeniably a terrible game she should never touch.
“……”
—She knew that well but the psychology of humans is truly strange. Would it be appropriate to call it the spirit of challenge?
For some reason, those reviews made her subtle competitive spirit flare up more. And the idea of being a Kingmaker was incredibly appealing.
“A 0% clear rate….”
Ji-won stared at the game’s thumbnail as if in a staring contest before finally clicking on download with a sigh.
If no one has cleared it…
“Then I’ll just do it.”
With a strangely exhilarating feeling, Ji-won pressed the icon that had appeared on her phone’s home screen after the download was complete.
Somehow, she felt that once she cleared this game, a tremendous sense of accomplishment would rush over her.
“Ugh, this trash game…….”
Her grand ambitions burst precisely after six hours.
Ji-won was already witnessing her ninth failure and watching the Empire fall apart from a sudden rampage by Hagen’ti in her tenth playthrough.
『The Empire has fallen due to the rampage of the Great Mage Hagen’ti.』
“……”
What the heck, seriously?
Ji-won clenched her jaw.
The basic rule of the game was simple.
The setting was yet another Empire, Hesmoro, without an heir assigned.
The player had to choose one of the three princes—the 1st Prince, 2nd Prince, or 3rd Prince—and make that chosen prince emperor, nurturing him into a wise ruler to bring peace to the Empire.
It seemed like a straightforward rule, but the conditions attached to that simple rule were outrageous.
“You have to win the power struggle among the princes.”
Ji-won carefully recited the criteria for clearing it.
“And you’ve got to stop that unknown Great Mage, Hagen’ti, from rampaging, and find Silverstone to conquer the monsters.”
However, putting Silverstone aside, convincing the target characters to help elevate a prince to emperor was extremely difficult.
Ji-won personally realized why those reviews were so filled with frustration. This was a game that was simply impossible to clear.
“……”
Now that she had faced the undeniable truth, it would be wise to quit.
But again, the human heart doesn’t operate on logic.
“Ugh. Just one more round, I swear. Just one more.”
Ji-won grit her teeth and pressed replay. The now all-too-familiar opening screen reappeared.
The first thing to do when playing was to choose which prince would become the emperor.
The 1st Prince, Kiris Decland, favored by the First Empress and the most likely candidate for the throne.
The 2nd Prince, Patriar Decland, also the offspring of the First Empress.
And lastly, the 3rd Prince, Asmun Decland, who was born from the Second Empress, who had died shortly after giving birth, a solitary child without any powerful connections.
Ji-won instinctively hovered over the 1st Prince but halted.
All of a sudden, her gaze landed on Asmun, who was the third option.
“……”
Unlike the 1st and 2nd Princes, who had striking platinum hair and blue eyes that looked like they’d shatter, Asmun had black hair and red eyes.
Surprisingly, Asmun’s character looked far more handsome than the lavishly golden-haired princes, which surely wasn’t just her imagination considering the reviews she read earlier.
Ji-won recalled the reviews once again.
[Asmun is so handsome, I give him a point.]
[Asmun, take my life.]
[So what if he’s a tyrant?]
[Black-haired, red-eyed tyrants are mad.]
But this game wasn’t a dating sim; it was a strategy game. In other words, it was not a game focused on looks.
The princes had their own stats and special traits listed, and Asmun, who was already in a difficult position, had a particularly fatal special trait.
A 90% chance of becoming a tyrant.
Ji-won hadn’t even looked at him due to that ridiculous stat, but now she felt a conflict rising within her.
The 1st Prince was at the closest position to the throne but that also made it feel dull, and she had already been failing continuously anyway.
“Ugh, is this a balance thing? The 1st Prince’s settings feel so one-dimensional…”
It was clear that, just from the introduction, the 2nd and 3rd Princes had superior intellect compared to the 1st Prince.
“Should I just go for the 2nd Prince?”
Ji-won’s finger hesitated between the 2nd Prince Patriar and the 3rd Prince Asmun.
A 90% chance of becoming a tyrant.
Reiterating those unsettling words in her mind, Ji-won suddenly raised her eyebrows.
“……Should I give it a go?”
So, that tyrant. I just have to make sure he doesn’t become one.
Ji-won’s eyes sparkled with subtle excitement.
Yeah. It’d be thrilling to clear a high-difficulty challenge.
With that resolve, Ji-won selected Asmun. Then the next choice presented itself.
Next, she had to select a character who would help make the Prince a King and ultimately an Emperor.
Up until now, she had mostly chosen renowned scholars, skilled mages, or powerful dukes—characters who would naturally help the prince.
“Too safe to a fault…”
Yet, since scholars had high intellect, maybe she should choose one again this time.
No, if she’s to stop Hagen’ti, a mage might be a better option…
While pondering, Ji-won furrowed her brow as she glanced at the bottom of the screen where a character she had never seen before was unlocked.
“What’s this?”
『【?】Hidden Character』
Its job was a question mark, and even the illustration was shrouded in shadow. The description of the character ended there. It was a terribly lackluster introduction, yet Ji-won shot up from her slouched position.
“A hidden character? This was a thing?”
Her eyes gleamed again.
Of course, there must be a way to clear every game. There had to be a condition among her past plays that unlocked this hidden character.
“Ah, that makes sense!”
A feeling of something long stuck bursting free left Ji-won smiling brightly.
Without hesitation, she clicked on the hidden character.
『Are you sure you want to play as the hidden character? If you proceed with the hidden character, you will log out from your previous account and log in with a new account.』
When the meaningless confirmation window popped up, Ji-won snickered.
Was there really a need to confirm this?
With a grin, Ji-won pressed ‘Yes.’
“Of course. It’s hidden, after all.”
And that was the start of it all.
