Chapter 2

* * *

“Excuse me, could I have the cheapest drink you’ve got?”

At my request, the well-built tavern mistress arrived with a cup brimming with cheap booze.

Clunk!

The sound of the mug hitting the table slightly shook the bustling inn.

“You’re always after the cheapest stuff. Cheapskate.”

It was broad daylight.

There I was, sitting in the tavern drinking alcohol.

As if living the life of a total layabout, but who cares?

I mean, I had reincarnated into the world of a game. A little indulgence like this wasn’t all that bad. Truly.

Anyway, to sum up…

I had entered the world of my favorite game, [Garland Eternity Saga].

Right when I got here, I anxiously called out for my status screen, but alas, no such luck.

No way was some retro-style status window going to pop up right in front of my eyes just because I asked nicely.

Still, I was able to learn quite a bit of information without much trouble.

Or rather, it wasn’t so much that I learned it as that the memories of this body I’d reincarnated into now felt like my own.

My name is Swoen.

I’m 20 years old this year.

I’m not a noble, so I don’t have a family name.

I don’t have any special family ties either. It’s a setup perfect for reincarnation—a rolling extra character, if you will.

The only way to return to my original world…

Is for this continent to be unified.

To be precise, if the country I belong to succeeds in unifying the continent, I’ll be able to safely return to my original world.

‘This much is pretty common cliché.’

Since I can’t change the situation already given to me…

Next is checking my stats.

Since I can’t confirm exact stats through a status window, I tested them by moving my body directly.

Judging by how climbing even a small hill behind the house left me breathless, it seems safe to say my physical strength and muscle stats are on the low side.

Somehow, I’ve gotten younger by eight years since my real age, yet I feel weaker than my previous body.

I’d say they’re probably somewhere between five and fifteen.

As for charm… Honestly, I don’t really know.

When I look in the mirror, I don’t think I’m particularly ugly, but I’m definitely not handsome either.

Aside from my hair color being almost pure white, there aren’t any other standout features.

In short, it’s an average look.

This game has a medieval fantasy vibe, so the characters’ hair colors span the rainbow.

Actually, there’s no indication in the game that charm affects a character’s appearance level.

It’s just something I vaguely assume.

In the game, charm mainly influences diplomacy-related persuasion attempts.

I’d say around fifty to sixty would be about right.

There were various other stats too.

Things like politics and leadership skills and whatnot.

But there’s no way for me to check those right now.

Once I join some army, I should be able to confirm them then.

And the most important thing… intellect.

Through a few experiments over the past few days since my reincarnation, I’ve been able to confirm with certainty:

‘My intellect is… definitely 100.’

“Ah, there you are again. You sure do come here often.”

A middle-aged man who’d become familiar over the last few days approached me as I drank my cheap booze.

This guy was just your regular neighborhood uncle. Definitely not one of the named commanders or anything.

“Hello.”

“Hey. Did you hear? The Brance Army successfully recaptured Haizel Castle.”

“Is that so?”

Of course.

The Brance Army, which governs the land where this city is located, is led by one of the named characters, Lin Brance.

Lin Brance. The most talented among the multi-talented three siblings of the Brance family.

Despite being the third child and female—two difficult conditions—she succeeded her father as ruler solely based on her own abilities.

Both her older brothers currently serve under her as generals.

If I had to summarize the Brance Army in one sentence, it would be:

Beginner-friendly ruler!

With no particular disadvantages across most parameters and a fairly strong pool of talent, it’s a faction where, if you just understand the basic mechanics, you can easily unify the continent without much trouble.

Once you’ve cleared it once, it’s the kind of nation that doesn’t require much strategy, so players tend to quickly move on from it.

“Man, you’re amazing.”

“Me?”

I responded nonchalantly.

“Not only did you predict that the Brance Army would lose Haizel Castle to the sudden invasion of the Walnut Army, but you also predicted that despite seemingly not reorganizing their forces, they’d retake the castle. Incredible.”

The Walnut Army was just your average nation, a plain vanilla mid-to-upper-tier country suitable for moderately experienced players.

Here in this timeline, they spawned next to the Brance Army.

Poor Walnut. He’ll likely meet his end on the execution grounds soon enough.

He’s one of those rulers who, unless directly controlled by a player, will never achieve unification.

In this world, where the power dynamics of the game have been transplanted, it’s natural that even regular citizens like this uncle believe the Walnut Army can’t defeat the Brance Army.

However…

From what I’ve predicted, the Walnut Army should have been able to take Haizel Castle.

I don’t know why. No matter how I think about it, the only conclusion I can reach is that “the Walnut Army wins.”

And they actually did win.

Which was already improbable, but then the Brance Army, without properly reorganizing after losing the castle, immediately gathered their scattered troops the very next day and launched a counterattack.

This uncle tried to explain to me all sorts of reasons why he thought the Brance Army wouldn’t win this time.

But…

For some reason, the only conclusion I could reach was that “the Brance Army will win.”

Again, I don’t know why, but I just had this feeling—no, this conviction—that it would happen.

And today, the results just came out.

Not only these two situations…

I’ve had the opportunity to discuss the current state of affairs with various people, and every time, things have turned out exactly as I expected.

After cross-checking dozens of times, I finally understood.

It doesn’t make much logical sense, but it’s as if the entire universe bends to my will!

Considering this is the world of [Garland Eternity Saga], there’s only one possible reason.

My intellect is 100!

“Just seemed that way to me.”

“Are you some kind of prophet or something? I’m about to go gambling. Can you tell me if I’ll win?”

The uncle laughed heartily after saying this to me.

I gave him an appropriate small talk response.

“Hahaha, that’s… Uncle, it’s probably better if you don’t gamble.”

“That’s right. If I gamble again, I’ll really get divorced this time.”

Will this uncle win or lose if he gambles?

Unfortunately, I can’t predict that.

Apparently, with intellect 100, I can only perfectly predict things within the scope of what’s predictable in this game.

‘If I could predict everything accurately, I’d be the one gambling.’

Just because my intellect is 100 doesn’t mean I suddenly became super smart with brilliant strategies popping into my head.

Rather, my predictions hit the mark 100% of the time. Whatever happens, that’s the correct answer, and it’s the optimal decision available in that situation.

Much like how intellect 100 characters in the game would always give spot-on advice when consulted.

‘Is there any way I can use this ability?’

After bidding farewell to the uncle who had left after exchanging pleasantries, I fell into thought again.

Technically, my ability comes with a penalty of sorts.

My predictions only work when someone asks me a question.

Thinking to myself, ‘Can Country A defeat Country B in War X?’ won’t yield a clear conclusion.

Until now, I’ve been able to answer because the uncle asked me a specific question.

Even in the game, military personnel usually don’t ask questions until they reach a certain point, so this makes sense.

Still, once I’ve been asked a question, I can make repeated predictions based on it.

Anyway…

Though this is the world of the game and follows its rules…

I’m not some avatar. I’m a living, breathing human being.

It’s an era of chaos. Making a name for oneself isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but pushing it too far would undoubtedly put my life at risk.

In-game, users routinely press the conscription button to gather around two thousand soldiers, then invade the neighboring castle.

Those two thousand soldiers translate to two thousand hit points, engaging in fierce battles with the enemy.

But…

Those two thousand hit points represent two thousand actual people in this world.

Every time the number decreases, it’s akin to people dropping dead one by one.

And I… am not some divine entity overseeing this. I’m just another potential conscript among those two thousand.

Just another individual with a value of one.

Certainly, becoming a vassal of the unified nation would allow me to return safely to my original world.

But I have no idea how long unification will take, and the likelihood of dying during that time is quite high.

So instead of striving for greatness, it’s better to enter the relatively stable Brance Army as a vassal, live like a civil servant receiving a modest salary…

And if the Brance Army manages to unify, great. If another promising nation emerges during that time, I’ll just switch jobs to that country.

That’s my plan for life in this other world.

That’s why I’m spending my time in a tavern drinking during broad daylight, isn’t it?

In this game, recruitment of talents happens in taverns, and with my intellect at 100, someone is bound to notice my abilities and come to recruit me.

But…

In the past week, only one ruler has come to recruit me.

Given that characters with intellect 100 who are unemployed are automatically scouted by CPUs in the game, this shouldn’t be happening.

‘In the game, we could check character stats… but since this is more like real life, I can’t be sure.’

Take the uncle I just talked to, for instance. He’s not a game element.

Neither is the cheap beer I’m drinking now. This game wasn’t detailed enough to describe such minutiae.

Then… does that mean waiting around in the tavern won’t bring the Brance Army to recruit me?

‘Seems like I might have to actively seek opportunities.’

Do I need to start moving to make a name for myself?

It might be dangerous, but it’s still better than getting conscripted as a random soldier and dragged off.

Even though I’m frail, I’m still a man. And in this game, conscription targets all adult males.

Meaning I could end up dying as mere cannon fodder.

Just as I emptied my cheap drink and pondered how to join the Brance Army…

“Excuse me, Sir Swoen. May I disturb you for a moment?”

“…?”

I turned my head to see who had called me.

Cute short hair in a cream color.

Eyes as red as the strawberries on a strawberry cake.

An elegant outfit, albeit somewhat worn from long use.

Her name is Lunarien Iniyan.

Known in-game as “Luna,” she represents the highest difficulty setting, aimed at advanced players.

Her starting territory and troops are pitiful, making her group resemble a band of mercenaries more than a proper nation.

Her pool of talents is underwhelming initially, though their potential is great.

Still, her loyal followers eventually all become SSS-ranked once they reach a certain point, allowing for what’s known as the “Return of the King” playstyle.

I mentioned earlier that only one leader came to recruit me in the past week.

That leader was Luna.

“Are you here again?”

“Yes… I wanted to talk…”

“Is that alright? Would you like me to buy you a drink?”

“The drinks are fine.”

Knowing Luna’s financial situation from playing the game, I couldn’t let her pay.

Better to eat a flea’s liver than spend on me.

“Then…”

She cautiously took a seat.

It struck me again how surprised I was when we first met.

Her stunning beauty was something the outdated pixel graphics couldn’t convey.

Had I known Luna was this attractive, I would have played more games featuring her leading to unification.

“Sir Swoen… I apologize for disturbing you again… But could you possibly help me…?”

“I’ve already said my talents are insufficient to serve under Lady Luna.”

“No! Sir Swoen, I’ve heard you’re an exceptionally wise person. To be honest, our army currently has no strategists… We desperately need your help.”

“…”

Actually…

Refusing her this time would make it the fifth rejection.

She’s come four times in the past week alone.

Three refusals should have been enough. Yet here she is again, persistently seeking my recruitment despite my repeated rejections, addressing me respectfully as a ruler would.

I’m sorry for her, but I only have one life.

I can’t join the Luna Army, which will surely disappear from the map soon along with the Walnut Army.

‘Am I being too polite?’

It seems the time has come to enlighten her with harsh reality.

“May I speak frankly, Lady Luna?”

“O-of course… Please speak freely.”

“Why did you decide to raise an army, Lady Luna?”

“Well… T-to unify the continent… So everyone can live peacefully…”

“So, you aim to become emperor, do you?”

My uninterrupted words leave her slightly flustered.

“Yes…”

“How strange. If you’re aiming to be emperor, why are you so humble to everyone, including me?”

“B-but…”

She’s caught off guard, unable to continue speaking.

While I knew her personality was generally like this from playing the game, she must be wondering how I figured it out.

“Lady Luna seems kind to everyone. I won’t say this is a bad trait. However, it’s unnecessary in these times. I don’t believe Lady Luna can become the ruler who will unify this continent. Therefore, I cannot serve under you.”

“…”

At this point, she should stop coming, right?

I’m sorry, but I’ve already planned everything out.

As I took another sip of my cheap drink, ignoring her…

I could hear her trembling and sniffling beside me.

“S-so… Is that true…? Do you really think… I can’t unify this world…?”

“…”

Well…

…

…

…

At that moment.

My world paused for just a brief second.

“…”

What was that?

The question Luna directed at me.

‘Do I, Lunarien Iniyan, lack the ability to unify this world?’

And…

The conclusion reached by my intellect 100.

————————-No, that’s not true.