Chapter 1. I'm a Lord? - Episode 1

"…My lord, it's time to wake up."

"…My lord?"

I thought I was in a deep, sweet sleep.

Was that why?

Despite the hand shaking my body, I pushed it away and swallowed the saliva of deep sleep several times.

I want to sleep more.

I really want to sleep more.

But right then.

An astonishingly rational thought popped into my head.

It was about where I had last fallen asleep!

"Damn it! I was working overtime at the company, me!"

I jumped up.

I was sure that the place where I had fallen asleep was my desk in the corner of the office.

I was working overtime.

It was a common practice in a company with a heavy workload, where working overtime was as routine as eating.

That was fine.

But when all my colleagues were working overtime with clear heads, and only I was sound asleep?

That was impossible.

If someone found out, it would surely lead to bad rumors.

So, I hurriedly tried to get up.

"Huh?"

Something was very wrong. Very wrong.

I was clearly on a creaky old chair when I fell asleep.

But now, I was lying on a very cozy and soft bed.

Moreover, someone was standing there with a tray, staring at me intently.

On the tray was a glass of water and a towel that seemed to be slightly damp.

The first reaction was to deny reality.

"Is this a dream?"

"My lord, what do you mean?"

I asked if it was a dream, but the reply came back calling me "my lord."

What does "my lord" mean?

I am Shin Tae-geun, a low-level office worker at Han Trade.

Not a lord.

Right at that moment.

"Ugh!"

My head started to hurt terribly.

For a moment, it felt as if someone had forcibly opened my head and stuffed it with all kinds of knowledge and enlightenment.

It felt like cramming things into a space that had no more room.

It was very unpleasant and painful.

But there was nothing I could do.

The pain continued regardless of my will, and with each wave, countless pieces of information and facts were implanted in my head.

At that moment.

I naturally realized that this place was not the Earth where I had lived, nor the chair in the office where I had fallen asleep.

"…Overwork death. Is this real?"

The scenes of my life flashed by like a movie.

The life of Shin Tae-geun, the office worker, had become my "past life."

That's right.

My past life had died.

And it was from overwork.

Falling asleep while working overtime was the end of my life.

"Wow, I died at 34 without ever having a relationship?"

I wanted to deny it, but the awareness that arose in my mind clearly recognized the reality.

I am not Shin Tae-geun, the office worker.

He was just a fragment of my past life, which had ended in death.

I understand, I understand.

But I needed some time to calm down and adapt.

"My lord, did you have a nightmare?"

Only then did I clearly see who had woken me up.

Haez.

One of the maids who worked under me.

How did I know her name right away?

Because all the memories naturally merged. The memories of my past life and this life.

"I'm fine, Haez. Don't worry, I'll call you if I need anything."

"Yes, my lord."

Haez left without a word in response to my words.

Now I was alone in the room.

Thanks to this, I could focus on the situation more rationally.

I got up.

I knew this was not the body of my past life, but I couldn't remember what my current body looked like.

I hadn't seen a mirror in a long time, so I only remembered my body from when I was young, about 10 years ago.

Why?

Looking back, I had a pretty good face at least until 10 years ago.

But now, I couldn't remember.

I needed to check my body, which had changed over the years.

So, I looked for a full-length mirror.

But something was strange.

Mirrors are usually placed in the most visible spot in a room.

But for some reason, the mirror was in a corner, far away, covered in dust and spider webs.

I wiped the dust off with a towel that was nearby and stood in front of the full-length mirror.

But.

"Wow."

A pig was standing there.

What stood out in the full-length mirror was not a sleek body or a handsome face, but a wobbling belly and a black hole-like navel.

The belly part of my pajamas was stretched out, probably due to the fat.

Jesus Christ.

This must be a dream, it has to be a dream.

I pinched my cheek, but all I got was a bitter pain.

'No, even if I was lazy with exercise in this life, how could I get this fat?'

I was flabbergasted.

In movies, dramas, and novels, when someone is reincarnated, they usually become handsome and live a life of luxury!

This was the worst.

My past life was better.

Although I was a 34-year-old man who had never been in a relationship, I had a decent body from regular exercise.

But my current body is a complete mess.

My face was also covered in fat, making it completely different from how I looked 10 years ago.

"First, first… Status."

This phrase slipped out unconsciously.

It was a shortcut I gained from the awareness that came with the headache.

Then, as if waiting for it, a status window appeared in front of me.

'What, my life expectancy is reduced by 20 years?'

My eyes were drawn to the red warning message.

And when I read the text, I was shocked.

To be reincarnated with this body and have my life expectancy reduced by 20 years!

What kind of nonsense is this?

"Phew."

I let out a sigh without realizing it and looked up, where I saw a list of dates at the top of the status window.

'Wait, this… the calendar and continent name are the same as the game I used to play? Not just that, but other things too.'

I was so shocked that I quickly recalled the memories of my current life, which I had momentarily forgotten.

The first thing that came to mind was the god of this world.

The God of Transcendence.

Upper, middle, and lower gods.

Just because they are gods doesn't mean they are all solemn.

Some gods enjoy playing very cruel pranks.

So, it's not uncommon for them to take an innocent person and swap their soul.

A middle-level god would probably find it easy to do such a thing.

Because they are gods.

There is no such thing as impossible for an absolute being.

'The problem is that the knowledge about these gods matches the world of the game I used to play.'

The scattered fragments of memory began to merge.

And I could easily recall it.

It was this.

"I've been reincarnated into the game I enjoyed for a long time since I was young. I don't know why, but anyway."

I don't know the reason.

Is it a prank by a god, a dream, or is there really a parallel universe like this?

But what is certain is that I have been perfectly brought into the world of the game.

Not only that, but the memories of my past life were also stored in my mind without any leftovers.

That's why it was not difficult to recall the information about the game from my past life's memories.

"Jilsaisa, Samsa. March 4, 1424. The day the Holy War breaks out on the Nas continent. The day the main quest of the game starts. The day the protagonist begins his great journey."

I immediately recalled the most significant event, which I had memorized.

Current date: January 1, 1414.

Quest start date: March 4, 1424.

In 10 years, the great war known as the Holy War will begin on this continent.

A war where the death of hundreds or thousands of people is nothing.

At that time, the protagonist of the game appears to fight against the Demon King and his army.

The player's story begins from there.

After that, the player can either save the Nas continent from the Demon King's claws or conquer the entire continent to become a ruler, leading to the true ending.

Of course, since it's a game, the player fights intensely in a virtual reality setting.

But this place is different.

It's not a game but the real world.

It's just that the world is wearing the mask of the game's world.

The people in this world have no idea that they are in the world of a game.

To them, it's reality.

Of course, it's a harsh reality for me too.

If I fail or die, it's all over.

I die in my past life and in this life. I die twice!

'Then, my starting point is really important.'

I tried to keep my head and heart as cool as possible and started to think rationally.

The game is a typical RPG but also has elements of a strategy simulation.

In other words, it's a game where you grow yourself while building and expanding your territory.

So, it was really difficult and challenging.

It was only natural that I had to invest a lot of time in the game.

'So, it's 10 years before the main story, the era of the 5 empires and 16 kingdoms.'

Looking at the date on the Nas continent, it's the closest to the Warring States period.

Five great empires and 16 kingdoms are competing and fighting with each other.

And in 5 years.

The main quest of the game will start in 5 years.

In 1419, according to the Nas continent calendar, a great war breaks out. It's called the "Nas Great War."

The reason is one.

Food, which is the foundation and essential element of a country, and sometimes everything.

Drought and famine.

Volcanic activity and earthquakes.

The spread of a pandemic.

These three major disasters caused a continent-wide food shortage on the Nas continent.

Naturally, the emperors and kings of the game's various countries had to wage war to seize the food stored by others.

Otherwise, they couldn't secure the power to run their countries.

The Nas Great War involves all countries and territories.

In other words, as a lord, I can't avoid being involved.

So, the importance of the territory becomes even greater. Much greater.

'Earlier, Haez called me "my lord." So, I must have a territory somewhere.'

Where was the territory that this body, Lord Jared, managed?

What I was sure of was that I had no memory of a user named Jared.

In other words, he was not a named character.

Perhaps he was an unfortunate lord who disappeared from the game's world before the main quest started.

First, my body is a mess.

Basically, lord users put a lot of effort into beautifying themselves.

So, it was rare for a user to have such an unprepared body. In fact, it should have been impossible.

But there was an abnormal one. How badly did he manage himself?

"Please."

I hadn't confirmed anything yet, but my hands came together naturally.

I started to pray.

Please, not the worst.

I checked the territory window.

Then a name appeared.

"What, this unheard-of territory?"

I remembered many territory names, but I had no memory of the Crebia territory.

Moreover, I noticed another serious problem.

"Damn, my stats."

I was so focused on the extreme obesity that I had overlooked the status window.

All the stats were plastered with the number 5, as if by agreement.

Only magic and wisdom were slightly higher, but even that was just enough to meet the basic requirements of a lord.

'4th-class mage. With a magic stat of 40, I can barely cast a 4th-class spell more than twice. This is my reality.'

My expression naturally darkened.

4th-class mages are common in the Nas continent. There's nothing special about it.

Moreover, except for magic and wisdom, the other stats were practically a disaster.

Even the relatively high magic and wisdom stats were not normal.

Considering the class, the stats should be 10 times higher, but they were much lower.

So, my overall judgment was.

"C-grade, low-grade, no, this is scrap! Trash, absolute trash!"

That's right.

I was reincarnated into this life as a lord, but in reality, I had stats that were practically trash.

And the low-quality body was an added bonus.

I was not reincarnated as a king, emperor, or noble who would receive the spotlight in this world.

I was reincarnated as a perfect unheard-of extra lord.