I Became the 3rd Imperial Prince NPC
Gulp.
The sound of my dry swallow echoed like thunder — that's how tense I was.
I'd experienced this card shuffle thousands of times while playing T.W.A.G. (The World Abandoned by God), but never had my hands shaken like this.
What I was hoping for was small and modest (well, kind of).
A normal one! An A-rank tank!
Just give me one of these!
High Knight, Retired Martial Artist, Senior Monk, Elite Shieldbearer…
Anything like that would do.
'This is totally possible!'
So come on! Show up!
This wasn't blind optimism — it was hope built on some logic.
The game had 1,024 Fate Cards, but at least one of the three would definitely be a melee combat card.
'And the average grade of the first three cards is B-rank.'
I could be sure of it.
Because I knew about the unwritten rule of the first shuffle.
One of them was always a melee combat card that guaranteed a manageable start.
Not many people knew it, but it was a first-shuffle rule of thumb.
'Even those clowns at GodSoft had at least that much decency for beginners.'
Sure, they were crazy enough to toss you into random jobs right from the start, but at least they'd built that in.
The rotation of stars slowed.
And then, three cards glowed brightly.
I opened my eyes wide.
Those were the Fate Cards that would decide my destiny.
Please! An A-rank tank!
Of course, a decent B-rank wouldn't be bad either.
'Still, an S-rank would be great if I'm lucky!'
So what would it be?
What kind of card would this world hand to someone who'd suddenly ended up in the body of an NPC, not the protagonist?
Swish.
The three cards descended from the night sky and flipped over one by one.
"…Huh?"
I couldn't believe my eyes.
[F-rank Fate 'Slave Gladiator' has appeared!]
[D-rank Fate 'Third-rate Actor' has appeared!]
Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!
What a cursed game!
"…F and D?"
Was this real?
Like I'd said, the average grade of Fate Cards in the first draw was B.
Yet F and D had shown up, plain as day.
'So what the hell is next?'
As I stood speechless, unable to comprehend, a deep-blue light suddenly flared.
[EX-rank Fate 'Archmage' has appeared!]
"This is insane! Completely insane!"
I wanted to throw my mouse — but I couldn't.
Because I wasn't looking at a monitor.
Even seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn't believe it.
'An EX?'
And not just any EX — Archmage?!
Holy crap.
The odds of drawing an EX-rank Fate Card were known to be less than 0.01%.
Yet here it was.
No wonder I was stunned.
'EX-rank Fate Card: Archmage.'
Even I had never started a game with this card before.
In this speechless moment, a thought flickered through my head.
'Is it because I'm not a player character but an NPC?'
Maybe that had influenced the draw somehow.
I had no idea why, but this body my consciousness now inhabited was an NPC's: "Gilroshan Valtz."
Unlike a player-made character, this guy had a full background and bloodline.
So maybe the royal blood of the Valtz Magic Empire interfered with the card draw, pulling in the Archmage card.
After all, canonically the Valtz royal family had produced generations of powerful mages.
Anyway, that aside.
'Now what?'
I swallowed hard, staring at the three cards.
Of course my eyes were locked on the EX-rank card.
How could they not be?
That deep-blue brilliance scattering light in every direction!
'The ultimate ranged DPS!
Just looking at it filled me with reverence and awe!
'The King of Cards! The God of Cards!'
Ka-King-Ka-God!
Come to think of it, other EX cards would probably feel slighted by this.
Still, Archmage was that desirable a card.
My countless playthrough memories testified to it.
But…
'What do I do?'
Even with a transcendence-level card in front of me, I couldn't choose easily.
Because there was a very serious problem.
"…"
The assassins' blades were still pressed against my neck.
A sharp, vivid sense of imminent death weighed on my whole body.
My problem was this deadly situation itself.
If I were a player, I could just die once and respawn back in town…
But this was different.
If my head got cut off, I would die.
And dead NPCs don't respawn.
I have to live!
My instincts screamed it.
My mind spun, calculating like crazy.
To survive.
To dodge those blades.
And the conclusion I reached…
—I have to throw away the Archmage card. Picking it means death!
I wanted to scream my lungs out.
'How can this be?!'
The EX-rank Archmage was every player's dream card.
But for me right now, it wasn't.
Because no matter how great, a mage is still a mage.
Among tank/damage/heal, mages are the squishiest ranged DPS!
'It's killing me to pass this up!'
Every spell required casting time.
According to the game mechanics, you had to draw mana from the circle around your heart and materialize it externally — a process that took time.
But time was exactly what this fat body wouldn't get.
Fail to dodge the descending blade, and my head would separate from my body in an instant.
Bound to this body, I couldn't escape that.
That's why I couldn't pick the Archmage card.
Sniff.
The conclusion I'd reached almost made me cry.
'My transcendence card!'
But gritting my teeth, I had to tear my gaze away.
The answer had been decided from the start.
Mocking me, almost…
'Slave Gladiator.'
The F-rank tank card was gleaming mischievously.
Here and now, I had to refuse the transcendence card and pick that trash card instead.
It was the only way to survive.
Because of that one skill — its single saving grace.
As ridiculous as it was, I knew it better than anyone.
[F-rank Fate 'Slave Gladiator' has been selected.]
[Are you sure?]
…I wished I wasn't sure.
But I was.
Which made it feel even more cursed.
Wow. The day I pass up a transcendence card for garbage has finally come.
[F-rank Fate 'Slave Gladiator' is bestowed upon 'Gilroshan Elo di Valtz'!]
Ssshhh…
The other two cards faded away.
I felt like crying.
Goodbye, Archmage…
Let's meet again someday… please.
[You have acquired 3 unique skills of 'Slave Gladiator'.]
[May fortune be with you.]
'I already had fortune!'
The greatest fortune had appeared, and I couldn't even take it!
In another game, maybe. But this was T.W.A.G., and I knew almost everything about this world.
Pathetically, that was the case.
'I never studied—just played this game.'
And ironically, that was why I could refuse the Archmage and pick the Slave Gladiator.
[The game will begin in 5 seconds.]
[5.]
[4.]
Of course, I knew.
'From ancient times, the answer to a trash character has been immediate deletion.'
But right now, there was no way to delete this character.
Since I was directly controlling Gilroshan's body…
What then, should I commit suicide?
"…"
I didn't even want to think about that.
[4.]
[3.]
Alright, time to change my mindset.
'Even if I'm not the protagonist.'
Even if I'm a degenerate known as the disgrace of the royal family.
As long as I was in Gilroshan's body, I had to use this situation to survive.
In the original story, this guy died here, bleeding out.
But I would be different.
I swore, this neck was not going to fall.
I would survive.
[2.]
[1.]
…But how do I even use skills?
Left click, right click?
Left hand, right hand?
[0.]
All pointless worries.
The moment the F-rank Fate Card 'Slave Gladiator' was fully absorbed into Gilroshan's body—
[The game has begun.]
—I instinctively knew what to do.
And everything resumed.
Shhhk!
The blades came down at once, as though they'd been waiting.
I reflexively stretched out my hand.
It was hard to explain, but something inside me surged.
All I had to do was push this foreign force outward.
[Survival Skill: Fetters of Desire]
The Slave Gladiator's unique skill unfolded simply.
A faint wave rippled through my body, starting from my fingertips.
And then—
"—!"
Blades struck me.
The sharp sensation at the back of my neck and across my spine was cold and heavy.
Two swords pierced into me at once.
But shockingly… I didn't die.
"…Khk."
Even with my neck cut and my back stabbed, I held my head high, grimacing.
In truth, not a drop of blood spilled.
It must've looked like time itself had rewound.
"What is this?"
"H-how is he still alive?"
The men who drew their swords back were flustered to see me unharmed.
"Ghhhk!"
Pain had my eyes bloodshot, and a scream was forcing its way up, but I bit it back.
[You have successfully used a skill.]
[Skill is now unavailable for some time.]
Either way—I was alive.
Gilroshan's head was still attached.
Thanks to the Slave Gladiator's skill.
[Survival Skill] Unique ability of the Slave Gladiator. When the body is partially or fully bound, one lethal attack can be ignored. Can be used again after 24 hours.
'Once a day, you ignore fatal damage.'
That was the effect of 'Fetters of Desire,' one of the Slave Gladiator's unique skills.
And the reason why I'd chosen the trash card over the transcendence card.
Bound hand and foot, with blades at my neck—the Archmage's spells wouldn't help me. The Slave Gladiator's survival skill was what I needed.
That's why I chose the F-rank card, through tears of blood.
For survival!
'Ughhh!'
So this is the endurance meta!
But the skill could only be used once a day. Its cooldown was 24 hours.
Even in the original game, Fetters of Desire couldn't be used again until the next day.
So saving my life this way was a luxury that required both luck and timing.
'This is why F-rank is F-rank.'
Now, I had to think of what came next.
The men who had kidnapped Gilroshan still surrounded me. My body, barely alive, was still bound tightly.
If they tried to kill me again, I'd have no chance.
'I have to act first.'
Before they recovered from their shock, I had to make the first move.
I quickly opened my mouth.
And shouted at the top of my lungs.
"Vamiro Dimark! You bastard!"
The assassins, startled by the sudden outburst, froze mid-motion.
The old man who had ordered my death frowned.
"3rd Prince, how do you know my name…?"
Even the hooded player character turned to look at me with interest.
My heart pounded like mad.
But I had no choice now.
No turning back.
I screamed like a madman, raving:
"How dare you fail to recognize your master's vessel?!"
Since I knew the whole story of T.W.A.G., of course I knew who they really were.
"It's me! I am your master!"
"…?"
Spewing the most ridiculous nonsense with a straight face—
"I am Aeolem!"
The very god they had praised earlier.
"The God of Vengeance! Aeolem! I have descended into this body, you fools!"
"…!"
"Untie me at once! I am in a foul mood!"
Yes—I decided to impersonate the god they served.