Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game?

Prologue

The sudden appearance of a monster turned the banquet hall into chaos.

Eden took a deep breath as she watched the monster, barely restrained by fragile magical energy, thrash violently.

“Phew…”

She gripped a sharp shard of glass tightly and looked around once more. The Imperial Knights were forming a protective circle around the emperor, and within that perimeter stood the target of her mission, the chancellor.

The prime minister was watching the confrontation between the demon and the third prince with an expressionless face that was not disturbed at all by this chaos. It was an indifferent face that seemed to not care at all about what happened to the third prince.

“Cold-blooded…”

Eden muttered under her breath, shifting her gaze.

Unlike those scrambling to the corners or doors to avoid the monster, the grand duke stood in clear view of the beast, swirling a glass of wine leisurely, thoroughly entertained by the spectacle.

If the chancellor was indifferent to the chaos, the grand duke was clearly “enjoying” it.

“…”

This is crazy.

Eden, groaning as the future became increasingly bleak,  took one last look at the spot she had to reach, where the holy knight captain—capable of handling the monster single-handedly—stood.

The holy knight, sword already drawn in readiness, displayed neither the indifference of the chancellor nor the delight of the grand duke.

He seemed to recognize the gravity of the situation, though he didn’t look frantic or uneasy.

The fact that he hadn’t rushed to kill the monster, despite his sword being drawn, indicated that he, too, understood the political situation. And it was Eden’s job to compel him into action.

“…”

Eden made a final decision, looking once more at the monster, or rather, at the third prince who stood silently in front of it.

The feeble magic that restrained the monster’s powerful body was on the verge of breaking. The monster, which was extremely excited by the drug, roared wildly, seemingly intent on tearing out the prince’s throat the moment the magic broke, yet the third prince’s face remained stoic, as if lost in thought.

Today, Eden’s mission was to save that third prince.

Her body tensed as she confronted the ferocity of a real monster for the first time. Slowly, she forced herself to move, swallowing dryly.

The monster was larger, more terrifying, and more savage than she had imagined. It was nothing like the cute, tiny monsters she had encountered only on screens.

If it bites me, I’ll probably die…

“…”

In other words, I might fail. And if I fail…

“…Will it reset?”

Muttering in a voice so faint no one could hear, Eden spread her left palm wide.

And if it doesn’t reset…

“Sigh…”

Eden tried to banish that dreadful thought, squeezed her eyes shut, and used the shard in her hand to slice her palm deeply.

“Ugh…!”

A raw, searing pain surged through her hand.

“It’s breaking loose!”

But before she could even catch her breath, the monster—Tannir—finally broke free of the magic and let out a furious roar.

Eden grabbed a small bottle from her pocket, opened it with her teeth, and poured its contents over her bleeding hand. The dark, viscous liquid mingled with her blood, releasing a nauseating stench.

“…!”

Detecting the smell, the monster abandoned its approach toward the third prince and turned around. Its pupils dilated, and saliva dripped from its gaping mouth at the scent of something delicious.

Eden locked eyes with the beast and forced a grin.

“That’s right, here I am. Good boy.”

As planned, the monster abandoned the prince and charged at Eden, who immediately turned and ran.

Screams erupted around her as the monster rampaged.

“Aaah!”

Now, the rest was entirely up to the player.

Episode 1

So, it all started with that damned game.

Last Kingmaker was a strategy game where you took on the role of a tactician, guiding a chosen prince to the throne and saving an empire overrun by monsters.

The Kingmaker theme was intriguing, but what drew Ji-won in the most was the game’s high-quality illustrations.

The characters in the game’s promotional images—princes and powerful allies alike—were meticulously crafted, each radiating a level of detail that suggested the artist had poured their very soul into them.

“This looks almost like a dating sim.”

Ji-won looked seriously at the game’s rating.

“…1.2?”

Her eyebrows furrowed at the absurdly low score.

Is that even possible?

Ji-won scrolled through the reviews, taking in the disgruntled comments.

[Is this the legendary ‘dead game’ with a 0% clear rate?]

[xx. High-quality illustrations but can’t be cleared. At least there’s no pay-to-win.]

[Insane game. Balance is terrible. If anyone has cleared it, seriously, come forward. I’ve been stuck for a month, and it’s impossible.]

[Why the hell does Hegenti go berserk; it’s happened seven times now.]

[2 stars for the art. It’s not unplayable, but you can’t clear it. Is the system broken?]

[Asmun becomes a tyrant, but he’s so handsome I’ll allow it.]

[How do you even kill Hegenti? I just want to kill him.]

└ [You can if you max level.]

└ [How do you max level?]

└ [You have to clear the game.]

└ [Is this for real?!]

[★Dear Developers★ Pretend you didn’t release it and re-release it as a dating sim. I won’t tell anyone.]

“…”

As she read the overwhelmingly negative reviews, Ji-won realized her uneasy suspicion had been correct.

A sigh escaped through her clenched teeth.

No matter how gorgeous the illustrations, this was clearly a nightmare of a game that should never be touched.

“…”

But despite knowing that, something about human psychology is strange. Would you call it a sense of challenge?

Somehow, these reviews only stoked Ji-won’s competitive spirit. Besides, the Kingmaker theme was truly tempting.

“Clear rate, 0%…”

Staring down the game thumbnail as if in a standoff, Ji-won finally clicked download with a defiant huff.

If no one’s cleared it…

“Then I will.”

With a strangely exhilarating feeling, Ji-won clicked the icon that had appeared on her phone’s home screen as the download completed.

She had a feeling that if she could clear this game, she’d be overwhelmed with pride.

Six hours later, her lofty ambition was utterly exhausted.

Having failed nine times already, Ji-won was watching as her empire was once again destroyed in her tenth attempt, thanks to Hegenti’s sudden rampage.

“…”

What the hell, really.

Ji-won clenched her teeth.

The game’s rules were simple enough.

Set in the Hesmore Empire, where no successor had yet been chosen, the player picks one of three princes—the First, Second, or Third—and strives to make that prince a wise ruler, ushering in an era of peace for the empire.

Though it sounded straightforward, the conditions attached to that simple goal were absurdly challenging.

“You have to win the princes’ power struggles…”

Ji-won reviewed the game’s victory conditions.

“Stop this mysterious sorcerer Hegenti from going berserk, and on top of that, find the Silver Stone to conquer the monsters.”

But leaving aside the elusive Silver Stone, even persuading the allies necessary to support the chosen prince was nearly impossible.

Ji-won now fully understood why the reviews were so full of rage. This game was virtually unwinnable.

“…”

Realizing the futility of the game, quitting now would have been the sensible choice.

But, once again, human emotions aren’t rational.

“Fine, just one more round, one more.”

Gritting her teeth, Ji-won pressed replay. The dreaded title screen appeared once again.

The first task was to choose which prince to turn into the emperor.

The choices were the first prince, Kyris Declend—the eldest son of the empress, with strong external backing and the strongest claim; the second prince, Patrian Declend, also the empress’s son; and the third prince, Asmun Declend, who, with no family support and a deceased mother, was alone in the court.

Ji-won, habitually about to click on the first prince, paused.

Her gaze shifted to Asmun, the third choice.

“…”

Unlike the other two blond-haired, blue-eyed princes, Asmun had black hair and red eyes. Oddly, Asmun looked even more handsome than his golden-haired brothers—a sentiment shared by several other players, judging by the reviews.

Ji-won recalled some of the feedback she’d read.

[One point for Asmun’s stunning looks.]

[Take my life, Asmun.]

[He’s a tyrant, so what?]

[Black-haired, red-eyed tyrant is insane.]

But this was a strategy game, not a dating sim. It wasn’t a game where appearances mattered.

Each prince had unique stats and traits, but Asmun had a fatal flaw: a 90% chance of becoming a tyrant.

Because of that staggering probability, Ji-won had mostly ignored Asmun. Yet, now she found herself torn.

The first prince was the easiest choice given his claim, but precisely because of that, he lacked appeal. Besides, she’d failed repeatedly already.

“Maybe they made it like this to balance things out? The first prince’s setup does feel a bit shallow…”

Even the descriptions suggested that the second and third princes had a bit more wit than the first.

“Maybe I should just go with the second prince.”

Ji-won’s finger hovered between the second prince, Patrian, and the third prince, Asmun.

Ninety percent chance of tyranny.

That unsettling statistic lingered in her mind. With a raised eyebrow, Ji-won made up her mind.

“…Let’s give it a try.”

That tyranny… I just have to prevent it, right?

A gleam of excitement appeared in Ji-won’s eyes.

Right. If I’m going to do it, I might as well go for the hardest challenge.

Resolute, Ji-won selected Asmun. The next screen opened.

Now, she had to choose the character who would become the Kingmaker, guiding her prince to the throne.

Previously, she’d chosen reputable scholars, skilled magicians, or powerful dukes—all characters in a natural position to assist the prince.

“Safe choices, but perhaps too safe…”

Still, since scholars had high intelligence stats, maybe she should choose one again.

Or perhaps a magician would be better to handle Hegenti…

As she pondered, her gaze drifted, and she noticed a character option at the bottom she hadn’t seen before.

“What’s this?”

With no description except a question mark and a shadowed silhouette instead of an illustration. It was an extremely sloppy introduction, but Jiwon sat up from her half-lying body.

“A hidden character? Was this always here?”

Ji-won’s eyes sparkled.

In any game, there’s always a way to win, and it seemed that her previous plays had unlocked some hidden condition for this character.

“Aha, there we go!”

Feeling as though a blockage had suddenly been cleared, Ji-won smiled brightly.

Without hesitation, she clicked on the hidden character.

An unnecessary confirmation message popped up, and Ji-won let out a chuckle.

Was there any need for confirmation?

With a grin, she clicked “Yes.”

“Of course, it’s hidden.”

And that was the beginning of it all.