“Please give me the cheapest drink you have.”
Responding to my request, the robust-looking tavern owner brought me a glass full of cheap liquor.
Thud!
The sound of the glass hitting the table slightly jostled the noisy tavern.
“You always go for the cheapest one. Here you go.”
It was broad daylight.
I was sitting in a tavern, drinking. My life seemed like that of a carefree idler, but what of it?
I had been transmigrated into the world of a game. A little deviation like this didn’t seem so bad, honestly.
So, to sum it up.
I had entered the world of my favorite game, [Garland Eternity Saga].
As soon as I arrived, I desperately tried to access the status window.
But as if to mock me for being in an old-fashioned game, no convenient status window appeared before my eyes.
However, I was able to glean quite a bit of information without much difficulty.
Rather than saying I was able to, it’s more accurate to say that upon being transmigrated into this body, its memories felt like my own.
My name was Sven.
I was 20 years old.
Not a noble, so I had no family name.
No family ties either. The perfect form of an extra character who rolls around in the story, easy to transmigrate into.
The only way to return to my original world was for this continent to be unified.
Precisely, if the nation I belonged to succeeded in unifying the continent, I would be able to return to my original world.
‘That’s a pretty common cliché.’
Since I can’t change the given situation.
The next step was to check my abilities.
Since I couldn’t check my exact stats with a status window, I had to move my body to gauge them.
Considering how hard it was to climb a small hill, it seemed safe to assume that my physical and strength stats were low.
Ironic how I felt weaker even though I was eight years younger than my actual age. My guess was my stats were somewhere between 5 and 15.
As for charm… honestly, I had no idea.
Looking in the mirror, I didn’t seem ugly, but not particularly handsome either.
Apart from my almost pure white hair, I had no other distinctive features.
Just a mundane appearance, which made sense given this game’s medieval fantasy setting where characters had all kinds of hair colors.
In fact, in the game, there was no specific text stating that in-game charm equates to a character’s level of attractiveness.
It was just my assumption.
In the game, charm mainly affected persuasion or diplomacy.
I’d say about 50 to 60.
There were other various stats like politics, leadership, and so on.
But for now, there was no way for me to find those out.
I’d probably be able to check once I got enlisted in some army.
And the most important thing was… intelligence.
In the past few days since I’d been transmigrated, after several experiments, I could confirm it.
‘My intelligence is… indeed 100.’
“Ah, there you are. You’ve come again today.”
Sitting next to me drinking cheap liquor, a middle-aged man I had become acquainted with over the past few days approached. This man was just a local. At least, he wasn’t any named general I knew of.
“Hello.”
“Yeah. Did you hear? Brans’ army successfully recaptured Heizel Castle.”
“Is that so?”
As expected.
Brans’ army, to which the city I was in belonged, was led by a named character, Lin Brans. She was the most capable among the talented Brans siblings. Despite being the third child and a woman, she became the monarch solely based on her abilities. Her two elder brothers now served under her as generals.
If I were to summarize Brans’ army in one sentence:
A monarch recommended for beginners!
With no particularly disadvantageous modifiers and a good pool of talents, it was an ideal choice for players with basic knowledge of the game. Once players cleared it, they moved on to other countries, as there was no need for special strategies.
“Remarkable, really, you are.”
“Me?”
I feigned ignorance as I spoke.
“You accurately predicted that Brans’ army would lose Heizel Castle to the sudden invasion by Walnut’s army, and even their recapture of it, despite going in unprepared.”
Walnut’s army was a fairly average country, suitable for mid-level players. In this world, they spawned next to Brans’ army. Poorly for them, their monarch was doomed to a swift end, being one of those countries that never achieve unification unless directly controlled by a player.
In this world, power dynamics from the game were directly transplanted – even ordinary citizens like this man naturally thought Walnut’s army stood no chance against Brans’.
But.
My predictions suggested otherwise. Walnut’s army could take Heizel Castle.
I didn’t know why, but the conclusion ‘Walnut wins’ was inevitable.
And they did win.
A miraculous event, followed by Brans’ army haphazardly regrouping to reclaim it the next day. This man explained to me all the reasons he thought Brans’ army would struggle this time.
However.
For some reason, I could only conclude that ‘Brans’ army will win’. I didn’t know why, but I felt sure – no, certain of it.
That was the result that just came in today.
It wasn’t just these two situations.
I had many discussions with various people about the current state of affairs, and each time, things turned out exactly as I thought. After dozens of cross-verifications, I was certain.
It’s hard to explain rationally, but it was as if the whole universe was conspiring to make things happen my way!
Considering this was the world of [Garland Eternity Saga], there could be only one reason.
My intelligence was 100!
“Well, it just seemed like it.”
“Are you some kind of prophet? I’m about to go gambling, can you tell me if I’ll win?”
He joked, looking at me. I responded with small talk.
“Ahaha, well… I think you better not gamble, sir.”
“That’s true. If I gamble again, I’ll really get divorced this time.”
Whether this man would win or lose in gambling?
Sadly, I couldn’t predict that.
Apparently, I could only make perfect predictions within the scope of what intelligence 100 could predict in the game.
‘If I could predict everything, I’d be gambling myself.’
Having intelligence 100 didn’t suddenly make me super smart, with brilliant strategies popping up in my head.
But my predictions to any question were always 100% accurate. Whatever happened, that was the right answer and the optimal decision, just like the game characters with intelligence 100 always gave the correct advice.
‘How can I make use of this?’
After saying goodbye to the man who had left his seat, I sank into thought again.
In fact, there was a non-penalty penalty to my ability.
I could only make predictions if someone asked me a question.
I couldn’t come to a clear conclusion just by thinking, ‘Can country A win the war against country B?’ in my head.
So far, I could answer because the man had clearly asked what I thought.
Considering that in the game, military characters don’t offer any advice until asked, it made sense.
Still, once I was asked, I could make predictions multiple times.
Anyway.
This was the world inside a game, and it was operating by the game’s rules, but-
I wasn’t an avatar. I was a living, breathing human.
It was an era of chaos. Gaining fame wasn’t a bad thing, but being too conspicuous could endanger my life.
In the game, a player would simply press a conscription button to gather about 2,000 soldiers for battle and attack the neighboring castle.
2,000 soldiers meant 2,000 health points, engaging in fierce battles with opponents.
But.
What felt like health points in the game were actually people.
As the numbers decreased, people were literally dying.
And I was not some god-like being overseeing this but just one among those 2,000, a human worth a single statistic.
Of course, becoming a vassal of a unified state would safely return me to the original world.
But I didn’t know how long unification would take, and the chances of dying in the meantime were quite high.
So rather than seeking a high position, it seemed better to join the stable Brans’ army as a retainer, living like a government official on a decent salary.
If Brans’ army unifies the continent, great; if another potential unifying nation emerges, I could just switch jobs.
That was my plan for life in this other world.
So, that’s why I was spending my time in a tavern from early in the day. In this game, recruiting talents often took place in taverns, and with my intelligence at 100, surely someone would take interest in my abilities and come to recruit me.
But.
In the entire week, only one ruler had come to recruit me.
Considering that in the game, CPU characters would invariably scout a character with intelligence of 100 who was unemployed, this was an improbable scenario.
‘In the game, you could check the characters’ stats… but in this real-like world, certainty is elusive.’
Even the man who had just left my table was not an element from the game. The cheap beer I was drinking wasn’t detailed in the game to such an extent either. So, was sitting idly in a tavern not going to get me recruited by Brans’ army?
‘Maybe I should take direct action?’
To achieve greatness, I had to move. Risky, yes, but better than being conscripted as a common soldier and possibly getting killed. Even as a weakling, I was still a man, and in this game, conscription could take every able-bodied adult male. I could easily end up as cannon fodder.
As I emptied the glass of cheap liquor, contemplating how to join Brans’ army, a voice interrupted my thoughts.
“Excuse me… Mr. Sven? May I have a moment?”
“…?”
I turned to the source of the voice. A woman with cute, short, cream-colored hair and red eyes like the strawberries on a strawberry cake. Her clothes, although elegant, looked somewhat worn from extensive use.
Her name was Lunarien Iniang.
In the game, her nickname was ‘Luna,’ a character for super advanced players boasting the game’s hardest difficulty.
Her starting state was more of a military group than a nation, with little territory and forces, coming from a fallen noble family. Though her potential was enormous, her talent pool wasn’t very helpful initially. But if one could survive the early stages, her companions would all become SSS-grade, enabling a so-called ‘King’s Return’ play.
Just now, I mentioned that only one ruler came to recruit me over the week.
That ruler was Luna.
“Have you come again?”
“Yes, I… I wanted to talk… Can I? I’ll buy the drinks.”
“No need for drinks.”
Having played as Luna in the game, I was well aware of her army’s dire financial situation. It’s like trying to squeeze blood from a turnip.
“Then…”
She cautiously took a seat. I recalled my surprise upon first meeting her. Her beauty, undetectable in the game’s outdated graphics. If I had known Luna was this stunning, I would have played more to unify the continent with her character.
“Mr. Sven… I’m sorry to bother you again, but… could you please help me…?”
“As I said before, I’m not capable enough to serve under you, Lady Luna.”
She shook her head vigorously at my evasive answer.
“No! I’ve heard you are a highly esteemed person. We currently have no advisors in our army… We truly need your help.”
“…”
Truth be told.
If I rejected her this time, it would be the fifth time. She had come four times in one week. Three rejections should have been enough hint for her to stop coming, but she, a ruler, kept approaching me, using honorifics.
I felt sorry for her, but I don’t have two lives.
I couldn’t join Luna’s army, likely to disappear from the map soon alongside Walnut’s army.
‘Maybe it’s because I’ve been too kind in refusing.’
Perhaps it was time to tell her the harsh truth.
“…Lady Luna. May I speak frankly?”
“O-of course… Please, speak your mind.”
“Why did you decide to raise an army, Lady Luna?”
“To… to unify the continent, to make everyone live in peace-”
“So you wish to become the empress?”
She seemed slightly flustered by my direct question.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But it’s odd. You’re aiming to be an empress, yet you approach everyone, including me, with such humility.”
“I… That’s because…!”
She seemed startled, unable to continue. I knew this was her character in the game, but to her, it must have felt like I knew something impossible.
“Lady Luna seems kind to everyone. I won’t say it’s a bad trait. But in these troubled times, it’s unnecessary. I don’t think you’re the ruler who can unify this continent. Therefore, I can’t join your cause.”
“……”
Hopefully, this would discourage her from returning.
I had my plan, after all.
As I took another sip of my cheap beer, turning away from her-
I heard her trembling and sobbing softly next to me.
“Is… that so…?”
“…”
Lunarien Iniang
was a fragile person.
Her love for peace and her desire to establish it through raising an army were admirable, but they made her unsuitable for a founding ruler in these chaotic times. In the game, her army was doomed to failure if left to the CPU.
I felt my resolve wavering at her tears, but I had no choice.
I only have one life.
“Mr. Sven… do you think… I can’t unify this world…?”
“…”
Well…
……
……
……
At that moment.
My world, for a brief second, halted.
‘…What?’
Luna’s question.
‘Can I, Lunarien Iniang, unify this world?’
And then-
The conclusion drawn by my intelligence of 100.
————————-No, that’s not the case.
