Chapter 1

Introduction

Valhǫll, a fantasy game with a modern twist.

I tried to play it one last time, enticed by the rewards of the challenge.

Even though I had obtained a cheat-like trait that I wouldn't usually choose.

I shouldn't have started.

I found myself in a game where seeing the ending was impossible, as an orphan wandering the market alleys.

And to top it off, I had a hidden penalty trait.

“Damn.”

Can I survive?

No. I must survive, no matter what.

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Chapter 1 Prologue

“...Are you really crazy?”

I stared at the black and white screen for a long time, so astonished that I couldn't even speak.

This was because this playthrough had been going so well.

I started as a bastard of a noble family with a legitimate claim to the throne and was just a step away from the king's seat through politics and war.

I had also established ties with the empire.

‘But assassination...’

The game message explained that the death was due to an unknown acute food poisoning.

But I knew without checking that it was a result of a murder plot.

Of course, in this game, it's common for characters to die like this.

Still, the futile loss of the time I had invested was something I couldn't get used to.

“Really bad luck, bad luck.”

A deep sigh escaped my lips. Saying it was bad luck is what gamers with insufficient skills often do.

But in my case, it's different.

...It's really true.

Not just an excuse, but a game where, like a bullet that has a 1% chance of missing even when fired at point-blank range, events are based on probability.

I had recruited quite a few decent plot characters to avoid assassination, yet I still fell victim to it.

Well, one of them might have been involved.

In a realistic game, it's impossible to satisfy all human relationships.

But even so, the probability shouldn't have been that high.

They say that if you try 200 times with a 1% chance, you'll eventually succeed, but I doubt it was that many attempts.

As a gamer, it was a situation where I naturally blamed my luck.

“Damn. I should have struck first.”

I muttered, but it was a futile statement.

I didn't know who had hired the assassin. It was likely a demon worshipper, but I couldn't be sure.

Starting as a bastard and being so close to the throne, I had many enemies.

And...

I hadn't even intended to cultivate a character for plotting.

Focusing on military power, even if my subordinates were skilled in plotting, the success rate was low.

“Sigh.”

Even though the game over screen was displayed, I hesitated to press the confirmation button. It was a rare character that had gone well in a game where reloading was impossible.

Well, there's nothing I can do.

‘Let’s stop.’

Valhǫll was an early access game I stumbled upon after discharge. Set in a medieval fantasy world with a modern twist, it offered a very high degree of freedom in gameplay.

It was quite hard but also very fun, so I spent a lot of time on it even after returning to school.

But now, I really needed to find a part-time job.

I had spent all the money I had saved from playing, so I needed to earn some living expenses before the semester started.

When I pressed the confirmation button to turn off the game, a parchment-like window appeared in the center of the updated main screen.

“Huh?”

Was there a challenge to achieve a meaningful death?

When I hovered the mouse cursor over it, it added that it was the death of a character who had played for over 10 hours.

Are they crazy?

A challenge that requires at least 1,000 hours of play, when many characters don't even last 10 hours, is absurd.

Apart from that, it made me a little self-conscious that I had played Valhǫll so much.

But the fact that the tutorial was ending was a bit surprising.

‘Does it mean the tutorial lasts at least 1,000 hours?’

Hmm... I think I understand what that means.

Any player of Valhǫll would have thought the same thing.

Once the main story reaches the middle, the character 'inevitably' dies under suspicious circumstances.

Of course, getting that far is a difficult journey.

Still, 1,000 hours seems excessive no matter how you look at it.

Maybe because it's an early access game, the developer just went overboard.

‘Or is it a new game developer who is overly confident?’

While I did this, most gamers don't play a single game for over 200 hours.

Sighing, I tried to turn off the game, but my fingers wouldn't move.

‘You can choose three high-level traits...’

Traits are randomly assigned at character creation. They are supposed to vary based on values, but it didn't feel that way.

It was more like a system that left everything to chance.

I had restarted countless times due to trash traits or penalty traits.

Among them, high-level traits were special. I had envied other characters' high-level traits.

I had only received five high-level traits in over 1,000 hours of play.

Even if things didn't go well, the playtime itself was quite long.

But now, I could choose them, and not just one, but three?

“...One more time?”

As a game addict, my instinct was blocking my rationality that wanted to quit the game.

Hmm.

Since I've already wasted so much time, should I just play one more time?

With three high-level traits, I could enjoy it and then quit, right?

‘Yeah. One more time.’

My rationality was telling me to stop, but I couldn't resist the temptation and pressed the start button.

With a thud, the screen refreshed.

Five simple choices for the character's values appeared. After choosing the values, the character is randomly generated.

You could end up as a noble, a knight, or a commoner.

Because of this, I had rerolled character creation dozens of times. But that wasn't the important thing right now.

‘What should I do this time?’

Actually, the most efficient was combat. In a fantasy setting, military power is the best, no matter what anyone says.

In contrast, charm, learning, and politics required too much attention.

Some people use charm to play the role of a Casanova...

I didn't want to date in the game, and it was more about self-satisfaction than clearing the game.

The most ambiguous was plotting. It was difficult to cultivate and the risk of being caught was too high.

But if I kept ignoring it, I would get frustrated when I fell victim to it.

‘But with three high-level traits, it might be worth a try.’

Hmm. I'll probably reroll a few more times, so there's no need to overthink it right now.

If I get a good roll, I'll give it a proper try; if not, I won't.

I chose plotting. Normally, a loading screen would appear and the character would be randomly selected.

Instead, a screen I had never seen before appeared.

-Magic's Favor

-Beauty of the Nation

-Brave and Fearless

-Strategist

-Beloved Diplomat

-Midas' Touch

-Genius

...

There were some I had never seen before and some that were familiar. But the scroll was longer than I expected.

There were so many high-level traits? As I scrolled down, one caught my eye.

-Warns of death when it is imminent.

It was a new trait. The description was short and simple, but I had to choose it.

Nothing in this game is as good as this. It's much better than dying without knowing why.

You might even find a way to survive, and even if not, knowing why you died can help you survive next time.

I clicked the mouse, and the death warning trait filled one of the three slots. I scrolled down again.

“Huh?”

Then I saw something that stood out. It had a different color from the other high-level traits.

The meaning was clear.

-Unique Trait.

-Controls the Wind.

Unique trait.

A trait that only one person in the world can have. Wow, can I choose this too? Is a unique trait a high-level trait?

The description was simple, but that made it better. It meant it was versatile.

At this point, I was getting quite excited. I quickly scrolled the mouse.

“Oh, I can't choose two.”

I found another unique trait, but I couldn't select it. It seemed impossible to choose two unique traits.

I said I would play one more time, but I know myself. Knowing I would play multiple times, I chose the wind without much hesitation.

Since I chose plotting, I thought the wind would be better. It would allow me to move secretly.

-Extremely strong, healthy, and robust body.

Choosing the Ironman last was a natural choice. I had picked one for survival and one for ability, so I needed one for health.

I had also experienced sudden illness and falling to disease before.

There was nothing else to see.

Actually, I didn't think too much about it, but after a few tries, I would know what was good and what wasn't.

‘How should I play this time?’

If the end of the tutorial means unlocking the main story, as I suspect...

It would be better to have a rough plan.

The process of repeatedly rolling random characters is quite tedious.

Especially if you don't narrow down your options, you'll keep overthinking.

Having a plan in advance can reduce the amount of thinking when a suitable character appears.

Of course, if a really good character appears, it's better to change the plan.

Valhǫll is a game where you stop the great work of demon worshippers who are rampant as the empire splits.

Their power is quite strong and widespread, so the orthodox approach is to unite the divided empire to oppose them.

‘I've never finished it, but...’

My short thoughts led to one conclusion. It seemed best to side with the princess.

To unite the divided empire, the only person who is sane and won't cause controversy later is the princess.

The other princes are all crazy. Some have abnormal sexual desires, some are cannibals, and I've seen some die for choosing the wrong side.

In fact, none of the princes have the emperor's blood.

‘When I found out, it felt like a punch in the back of the head.’

There are demon worshippers within the empire, so it won't be easy, but with plotting and mysticism, it might be okay to use assassination actively.

I already knew how to get the princes' weaknesses. I pressed the confirmation button.

And...

The game message updated.

What? That wasn't supposed to happen.

As I thought this, a bright white light burst from the monitor.

* * *

Humans always repeat the same mistakes.

When the medieval city with a modern twist, which I had seen countless times in the game, appeared before my eyes, this thought came to mind.

It means that pressing the game start button instead of looking for a part-time job led to an extremely unfortunate outcome.

Just like wasting time on the game after discharge.

No. No, that's not it.

Can this be called a mistake?

It was almost a natural disaster. No one could have imagined such a result.

I don't know how to describe it, but...

I entered the game.

Specifically, I entered Valhǫll, the game I enjoyed.

At first, I thought I was dreaming.

I had been playing Valhǫll non-stop except for sleeping and eating recently. I had even had dreams about Valhǫll before.

But...

The vivid sensations and the living, moving people around me told me this wasn't a dream.

Adventurers, knights, and mages I saw around me kept reminding me of my reality.

It's better for my mental health to accept what I can. Denying reality won't help.

I definitely entered the game.

But that doesn't mean I wasn't swearing.

“Damn.”

Yeah, I entered the game.

No matter how much I wanted to deny it, I had to accept it. I had slapped myself and pinched my arm, but the familiar pain only confirmed the reality.

The problem was that this was a game I had played for over 1,000 hours without ever seeing the ending.

Not to mention the absurd difficulty of the game.

And... the scenery in front of me was a major issue as well.

“Damn.”

After choosing the values, Valhǫll randomly selects a character.

While the main story characters are impossible, nearby characters can be chosen.

Of course, that's not always a good thing. If you're unlucky, ten or more people will be after your life from the start.

But seeing a shabby back alley and the market floor as soon as I entered...

“Damn...”

It meant my luck in rolling was also bad.