In a dark room filled with discarded clothes, scattered trash, and the pungent stench of mold, a young man, seemingly nineteen years old, sits in front of a computer.
[You have died.]
[Good luck next time.]
"Damn you! What luck? This is my thousandth time in this cursed game!"
The young man starts yelling madly, slamming the table in frustration, cursing loudly.
"If I can't even conquer one empire, how do they expect me to conquer six empires and unite the world?"
[Empire Unification], a global game that appeared five years ago, gained fame for its high-quality graphics, excellent mechanics, and expansive world-building. The player's goal is to conquer and unify six empires.
During the protagonist's childhood, a mysterious man prophesies the world's future, foreseeing its destruction. To prevent the end of the world, the man asks the protagonist to unite all empires so humanity can stand together against the impending threat.
The protagonist's journey begins from humble origins—a farmer turns into an adventurer, an adventurer becomes a student at the academy, and from a student, he rises to knighthood.
The beginning of the game is solid and well-executed, but trouble starts when the protagonist graduates from the academy and begins his quest to unify the empires.
This is where the game starts to falter. The first empire to conquer is the [Northern Empire, Tirshtain], where the academy is located.
This empire is ruled by [Orlax Tirshtain], a ruthless emperor with a cold heart—a cliché villain often found in novels and games.
This madman slaughtered his entire family in a single day—all his brothers, sisters, and even his father, the former emperor—claiming the throne while drenched in their blood.
When the protagonist reaches the imperial palace throne room, he faces off against this tyrant.
But despite the game being out for five years, no one has ever defeated him—not even once.
Why, you ask? Because he's simply a monster.
At nineteen, he has already reached the highest ranks of swordsmanship, and to make things worse, he is also the strongest mage in the world.
To ensure that he is utterly undefeatable, the game developers made him a master tactician, skilled in planning, strategy, and battlefield tactics.
The protagonist cannot surpass him—not even once, let alone kill him.
Reaching the throne room itself is a challenge, but once there, Orlax crushes the protagonist and all his companions like insects. Everyone falls in one strike, and the protagonist lasts merely two.
The problem isn't the protagonist—he is strong and highly talented—but this monster is simply on an entirely different level.
"Haah, I wasted five years playing this cursed game."
The young man sighs, shutting down his computer and heading toward his bed.
"I need to clean up. This place is a mess."
He mutters as he stumbles through the trash and chaos surrounding him.
Collapsing onto his bed, he starts browsing his phone.
"I'll clean up tomorrow. I'm too tired now—time to sleep."
Muttering to himself, he drifts into slumber, entering the world of dreams.
But when he awakens, he finds himself floating in darkness.
"What? Where am I? What's happening?"
Before panic grips him, an unseen force yanks him forward.
"Urgh! This hurts."
He gasps, feeling an unbearable pain.
After a brief moment, the pain begins to subside, and his consciousness gradually returns.
As he opens his eyes, he finds himself in an entirely unfamiliar place.
His vision slowly clears, and he takes a deep breath, scanning his surroundings.
He is standing in a vast hall, yet the sight before him makes him want to vomit everything in his stomach.
Corpses. Corpses scattered everywhere. Elderly men, middle-aged individuals, and teenagers—all lying lifeless.
The floor is stained red with their blood, and the metallic stench dominates the air.
There is no distinction between men and women—all appear to have died brutally and mercilessly.
As he tries to calm himself, he notices something strange—his unsettling calmness.
'Why am I calm? I wanted to vomit at first, but now this feels normal. It's terrifying—I feel like someone else entirely.'
When he looks forward, he sees his right arm gripping a sword, its blade piercing the chest of a man seated on a throne, barely clinging to life.
'Did I stab this man? Does this mean I killed the others? Am I dreaming?'
He mutters in disbelief, his mind racing, seeking an escape from reality—until a voice interrupts him.
"Ngkt-chh..hhhng."
The dying man before him gasps, struggling to speak, choking on his own blood.
"Y-you monster... I wish I had killed you when you were an infant."
With these final words, his voice weakens as if he has spent all his remaining strength speaking them, and silence falls upon the room.
His sanity begins to unravel, but once again, it feels as though cold water has been poured over him, restoring his composure.
Then, he notices something in the corner of his vision.
'What is that? What's happening here? How did I get here? I have so many questions—but first, let me see what this is.'
Focusing on the corner of his eye, a transparent screen appears before him, displaying several words.
-----
Name: Orlax Tirshtain
Age: 14
Level: 1 [100/0] EXP
Health: 100% (Feeling energetic)
Mana: 100%
Aura: 100%
Attributes:
-Strength: 98 (Affects physical power overall)
-Speed: 99 (Affects movement speed and reaction speed)
-Wisdom: 95 (Affects mana control, aura management, and response speed)
-Intelligence: 98 (Affects mana capacity, aura levels, and overall intelligence)
-Endurance 96 (Affects stamina and defense)
-Charm: 99 (Affects appearance and aura)
(The average person has a score of 5 in each attribute.)
Stat points: 0
Status: Active, Healthy, Cursed
Personality Traits:
[Pride]
[Emperor]
[Cold-blooded]
[patience]
[Loyalty]
[Cleanliness]
[Genius]
Skills:
-Sword Skills: Level 7
-Fire Magic: Level 7
-Earth Magic: Level 4
-Water Magic: Level 4
-Control Magic: Level 6
-Hand Combat: Level 5
-Cooking: Level 7 (Max)
-Cleaning: Level 2
Unique Abilities:
-Emperor Presence
- Hyper Focus
-Loyalty Scale
Skill points:0
---
"You must be joking, right?."
A voice unfamiliar to me emerged, laced with confusion and a faint coldness.
"I am Orlax Tirshtain! The infamous tyrant! The cold-blooded lunatic!."
The black-haired man screamed into the air like a madman but soon calmed down.
"Once again, this feeling… Whenever I get flustered, I quickly regain my composure."
The black-haired man—Orlax now—focused on the floating screen before him, analyzing his stats.
"Cold-blooded… I suppose that's why I calm down so quickly."
As he thought this, another smaller screen suddenly appeared.
[Cold-blooded]: Always calm and difficult to anger. Due to this trait, your body temperature remains below the normal level.
"Great. Now I've become some sort of cold-blooded reptile."
He muttered sarcastically before shifting his gaze to his remaining stats, but before he could examine them, he heard a sound behind him.
The massive door to the hall, which had been closed earlier, slowly creaked open due to its enormous size, drawing his gaze toward it.
Several people entered, and upon seeing the scene inside, some began vomiting while others trembled, trying to stifle their screams.
A middle-aged man with white hair and blue eyes stepped forward from the group.
He had a slightly muscular build, proof of his training, and stood tall in elegant white clothing matching his hair.
'That person is…'
"Your Majesty! Congratulations on your victory in the royal battle. May we speak elsewhere to brief you on the remaining details?."
The white-haired man bowed slightly, his voice trembling at the horrifying sight before him.
'Seeing him in real life is different from the screen.'
The man standing before Orlax was Grand Duke Armanthor Zephirius of the Tirshtain Empire—one of the strongest mages in the world, a figure whose status was nearly equal to the emperor himself.
In the game, he was a key figure in the protagonist's growth, as Armanthor was dissatisfied with Orlax's cruelty and tyranny. Therefore, he allied with the protagonist to overthrow him.
Of course, they ultimately failed, and Orlax later eliminated Armanthor along with his entire family upon discovering his betrayal.
'Alright, based on what I understand so far, this is the day Orlax murdered his family and ascended to the throne.'
The game never mentioned anything about a "royal battle" or anything of the sort. Naturally, one couldn't just become emperor by killing the current one; otherwise, chaos would engulf the empire. There had to be some form of agreement or established process.
After finishing his thoughts, Orlax descended the steps leading from the throne until he stood before Armanthor.
"Lead the way."
The words emerged colder than intended, but Armanthor didn't seem disturbed. He simply gestured for Orlax to follow and began walking out of the throne hall.