One day, without any warning, Nick found himself inside a game. The name of the game was Throne of the Supreme.
It was a fantasy game set in the medieval era, where players became one of the warlords and waged conquest.
The objective the game presented to Nick was simple:
[Victory Condition: End your life as the ruler of a domain.]
However, the conditions were tough. He was born in a rural village. Although he had noble blood, he was an illegitimate son. To make matters worse, he had no exceptional talents.
From the very start, he was in a disadvantaged position. In terms of difficulty, it was rated above advanced. Yet, Nick simply laughed.
"That's nothing."
He had played this game over and over, hundreds of times. Becoming the ruler of a domain? That wasn't a problem at all.
It wasn't like he had to become a king, just a noble with some land. A baron or a viscount would suffice. What could possibly be so hard about that?
There was a time when he thought like that.
"Huff, huff!"
Nick—no, the man now called Sylas in this world—was riding his horse frantically.
His body was covered in wounds from the fierce battle he had just fought, and every part of him was screaming for rest.
Sylas wanted nothing more than to collapse and sleep right then and there. The problem was the men chasing him from behind.
"Catch him! He went that way!"
"Let the others know! We can't let him escape!"
Persistent bastards. Sylas ground his teeth as he listened to the mercenaries' voices. It would've been nice if they were amateurs, but no, their moves proved they were seasoned veterans.
Just as expected, the footsteps around him started to multiply. It was clear the net was closing in on him.
"Damn it, this is so unfair."
The mess Sylas was in wasn't even his fault. It was all because of the Corleone family's foolish blunder, which had earned them the emperor's wrath. The emperor had vowed to wipe out the entire Corleone family. For Sylas, who had left the family long ago, it was like a bolt out of the blue.
"Damn that emperor."
Even in an era where familial punishment was normal, wiping out an entire family was extreme. Many nobles had protested the emperor's excessive order, but he had ignored them all and carried out the massacre.
Now, Sylas—who was guilty of nothing—was caught up in this nightmare. Then, from a distance, a knight shouted.
"Sylas Corleone! Aren't you ashamed as a knight? Stop running like a rat and face me with honor!"
"Are you serious right now?"
Was he really calling for a duel while hiding behind an army of mercenaries? Sylas couldn't believe it and swore under his breath.
"Who's the loudmouth? Acting all noble while hiding behind hired swords like some kind of honorable knight!"
"That... that bastard!"
Sylas's taunt worked, and the knight trembled with rage. Watching this, Sylas casually flicked his middle finger in a crude gesture. The knight, now furious, screamed.
"Catch him! No—kill him! We won't even get a ransom for this scum!"
"Shit!"
Sylas cursed. In most battles, nobles preferred capturing rather than killing their opponents. It was simple: dead enemies brought grudges and no money, while live ones could be ransomed for a hefty sum.
Sure, deaths happened in battle, but the idea was to avoid fatal blows. Even a traitor like Sylas might be spared, depending on the emperor's whims. Capturing was usually the smarter move.
But when someone aimed to kill, the game changed. Sylas saw the mercenaries' eyes sharpen at the knight's command.
"Fire!"
The mercenaries, who had been using nets, now switched to crossbows without hesitation. A bolt grazed Sylas's cheek, drawing warm blood. Feeling a chill run down his spine, Sylas grabbed his bow and nocked an arrow. He had to break through!
Thwip!
"Ugh!"
'Nice shot!' Sylas cheered as one of the mercenaries fell. It had been a while since he'd hit a target so cleanly, especially while on horseback.
[You gain experience points from perfect shooting.]
[Due to the trait 'Mediocre' proficiency is capped.]
[You have reached your limit; shooting proficiency will not increase.]
For a moment, the good feelings I had experienced fell back into despair. 'Mediocre'. A negative trait that prevents all abilities from rising above 'Expert.'
This was one of the reasons Sylas could not achieve greatness in this world.
What was the point of honing his skills if he couldn't raise his abilities beyond a certain point?
'Why the hell did they include something like this!'
Cursing internally, Sylas spurred his horse. Fortunately, the mercenaries hesitated a bit due to his previous shot.
Maybe he could escape if he just kept running !
"Don't let him get away! I'll reward you handsomely with gold coins if you bring me his head!"
"That bastard…!"
Just when it seemed he might escape, the knight encouraged the mercenaries. The mercenaries, who were about to back off, went wild at the mention of gold coins and charged again.
Crossbows and bolts rained down from all directions, and spears repeatedly lunged at him. He dodged as best as he could, but there was a limit.
Thud.
"Cough!"
A bolt struck Sylas in the back. As his body swayed, the horse sensed its rider's instability and recoiled.
That small opening proved to be fatal.
"Fire!"
Bam! Bam! Bam!
At the signal of the mercenary captain, bolts flew in from all directions. There was no time to evade or any way to survive.
Sylas shut his eyes tightly, feeling the slow approach of death. A phrase he had long held in his heart echoed in his mind.
'If I could just have one more chance.'
Having played this game hundreds of times, he had let his guard down. When things didn't go as planned, he made the mistake of giving up on moving forward and settling instead.
Above all, it was deeply frustrating to die like this because of something that wasn't even his fault.
If he could start again, he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. It was all too late for regrets.
Thud.
"…!"
Sylas couldn't even scream as pain pierced his body like a porcupine's quills. His consciousness began to fade, and it was the moment Sylas fell from his horse.
[Ending the 'First Playthrough' for tutorial purposes.]
[Preparing to enter the main story, 'Second Playthrough.']
[Data inheritance complete. Removing the 'Mediocre' trait exclusive to the first playthrough.]
[Starting the second playthrough from the restart point.]
'…What?'
Before he could react to the words that echoed in his ears as he was dying, a white light enveloped Sylas.
In the pitch-black darkness, Sylas gradually regained consciousness. When he opened his eyes, a blurry vision flickered across his retinas.
"Am I alive?"
What happens when someone dies in this world was still a mystery. Would they be reincarnated in another world, or would they disappear forever? Luckily, it seemed that disappearing wasn't the case. After blinking a few times, the surrounding scenery became clear.
Tanned animal hides, deer antlers, a bow and arrows leaning against the wall. It was an all-too-familiar cabin.
"My hunting cabin?"
Sylas wasn't born a noble in this world from the start. He had begun as nothing more than a rural hunter. His mother had passed away long ago, and he had lived in the hunting cabin with his grandfather, learning hunting skills.
He only became a part of the nobility later when his father came to find him. And now, the place where he had woken up was that same cabin from back then. Thinking it might be a dream, Sylas pinched and twisted his cheek. The stinging pain caused him to wince.
"Since it hurts, it's not a dream."
Rubbing his now-reddened cheek, he tried to recall his last memory. He was sure he had been dying after being hit by a crossbow.
"Wait, now that I think about it, at the very end..."
As he was dying, he had heard a voice. The memory was a bit fuzzy, but as he tried to recall it, the words came back to him clearly.
[Ending the 'First Round' for tutorial purposes.]
[Preparing to enter the main 'Second Round'.]
[Data inheritance complete. Removing the first-round-only trait 'Mediocre'.]
[Starting the Second Round from the restart point.]
"Second round!"
His mind snapped into focus. So, everything he had experienced until now had been the first round, used solely for practice? And now, this was the start of the real game, the second round?
"Haha."
A hollow laugh escaped as mixed emotions surged within him. He felt dumbfounded, angry, relieved, and overjoyed all at once. Either way, he had another chance. He could now start anew, something he had dreamed of. That alone made him feel as if all had been forgiven. Sylas grabbed the bow and arrows hanging nearby and headed outside.
Whoosh.
"Brr, cold."
A sudden gust of cold wind made his body shiver, but going back into the cabin was out of the question. He wanted to immediately test whether the trait 'Mediocre' had really disappeared.
As soon as he stepped outside, a few birds perched on a nearby tree came into view. Sylas carefully aimed his bow and pulled back the string.
Whoosh, thud.
-Screech!
Sylas often shot arrows even while riding a running horse, so hitting a stationary bird wasn't difficult. Whether or not he could catch the bird wasn't important.
"Please, please!"
Sylas silently prayed and swallowed nervously. Thankfully, he heard the result he had been hoping for.
[Due to a perfect shot, your experience has increased.]
[Current archery level: 'Skilled'.]
"...!"
Sylas's body trembled with excitement. The rank limitation caused by his 'Mediocre' trait had vanished. He nearly screamed with joy.
"Yes, this is it!"
How much suffering had he endured because of the rank limitation? Every time he reached the skilled level, everything was forced to stop at that point, leaving him in mediocrity. But now, that damned 'Mediocre' trait is gone. He felt like dancing with joy.
"Whew, calm down."
Sylas took deep breaths, suppressing his emotions. While it was good to celebrate, now was the time to plan. First and foremost, he needed to figure out where in time he was right now.
"Let's head down to the village for a bit."
Picking up the game he had just hunted, Sylas prepared to head out.
* * *
Brick Village. It was the village where Sylas had lived for 15 years after being reincarnated into this world. In a way, it was his second hometown. But Sylas had no attachment to this village whatsoever.
"It was a garbage place."
Expecting morality from people in this era was foolish. It was a world where overall moral standards were terrible. Scamming outsiders was common, and robbing and killing travelers with no connections was nothing unusual.
But among them, Brick Village was particularly bad.
"For 15 years, they exploited my grandfather."
Sylas's family had moved to Brick Village just before he was born. Naturally, they were subjected to the local villagers' hostility towards outsiders. He had no complaints about that. This kind of hostility was normal in any village.
Since no one knows what kind of people new settlers are, it's natural to be cautious. If there's a troublesome story behind them, the entire village could be at risk, so they had to be wary. As time passes and trust is built, the newcomers are eventually accepted as part of the village.
"But there should be limits."
Even if Sylas's family were newcomers, they had been living there for 15 years. By then, they should have been acknowledged as villagers rather than outsiders. However, the people of Brick Village continued to treat them as outsiders. The reason was simple.
They could exploit Sylas's grandfather's labour as a hunter at a cheap price. Outsiders have to curry favour with the villagers, so Sylas's grandfather had to sell animal meat and hides at reduced prices, and he had to help fend off wild beasts without much reward.
Once they accepted his family as villagers, they could no longer exploit them like this. That's why Sylas's family remained treated as outsiders for 15 years.
"Those bastards."
Sylas clicked his tongue as he looked around the village. It was still early in the morning, so people were just starting to wake up. At that moment, a middle-aged man suddenly appeared next to him.
"Sylas? What brings you here?"
"Oh, Uncle Andy."
Seeing the person who had appeared, Sylas bowed his head slightly. Andy was a woodcutter who often went into the forest, so they knew each other well. Of course, that didn't mean their relationship was a good one.
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