Chapter 1
0.
'Was this the infamous trashy-affair game I had only heard about?'
On an early spring day in 2022, as a nasty virus rose up and manhandled the entire human world at its whim, I had suddenly, for some reason, resolved to play the game [Europa Kings] that I had had my eye on previously.
'Why were there so many settings? I would leave everything at default and only remove fantasy.'
I had heard the first ten hours of playtime were an entry barrier, and the moment I started, the screen full of settings made my head spin... but I removed only the most conspicuous fantasy settings and went straight into the character creation window. My game didn't need vampires or werewolves.
'I would start with a random scenario, random faction, and just redesign the character. First, to survive, you needed strength, smarts, and charm... it seemed like you needed everything high. I would crank them all to the max.'
If I were a veteran with over five-digit play hours in this game, I might have tried all sorts of bizarre concepts. But I was a frail, delicate newbie, so I humbly set the difficulty to beginner and all stats to MAX.
[Warning! If you proceed in this state, achievements cannot be earned! (Ironman Mode also unavailable!)]
'Yeah~ I didn't need achievements~ Not using Ironman was fine~ I had already been thinking of the first run as just getting a feel for the game, so it wouldn't be a problem.'
Without any lingering attachment or hesitation, I dismissed the warning window, then opened the trait window, and with a 'Ah, whatever~' attitude since I didn't know much, I grabbed every trait that seemed helpful.
'Oh, genius was a must. Iron constitution? Add that. Handsome? Hmm. Alright, let's achieve all the dreams I couldn't in real life here...'
So with a dash of self-deprecation. After toying with various things for about ten minutes, I had created a truly peerless hero. With medieval European-style background music swelling my heart, I clicked the start button in excitement.
'Now- let's go-!!!'
[Click!]
*****
[Now that I thought about it, maybe it was a matter of how I clicked. Maybe I should have pressed more gently, or perhaps I should have smashed the mouse to pieces with both fists... Still, I didn't know why this happened. This was clearly-]
Scratch- scratch-
The rough surface of parchment—a crude, primitive sort of paper made from thin animal hide—was scratched in a dancing motion by a quill pen fashioned from goose feathers.
The hand gripping the slender quill was massive, and anyone could see at a glance that inexhaustible strength surged from those fingertips. It was, rather, the fact that such delicate work—writing, for instance—was possible in that huge grip that was all the more astonishing.
The man's eyes, staring steadily down at the parchment, shone a deep green, silently revealing a firm will. His long hair, neatly arranged and streaming down, was dyed black as pitch, fluttering over his face along the shadows that flickered with the flame.
The bridge of his nose, drawn straight down between his writhing, solid brow, and his firmly shut lips exuded a stubborn resolve. The shaved upper lip and the beard neatly trimmed from his jaw to below his earlobes seemed to prove that this man was no longer a child. Of course, his natural, towering physique alone would make most people think twice before uttering a single word to him.
Scratch- scratch-
[ -Therefore, if this writing should ever reach posterity, take heed, O descendants! Do not even glance at trash games like Europa Kings! It is Bitcoin that is the true faith! Be sure to remember-.]
Scratch- tap.
'What use was all this?'
Riiip- riiip-
That was surely a paper made from tough animal hide. Yet, as if tearing a flimsy sheet of paper, the man's sturdy hands lightly tore the parchment to shreds.
'I would not forget. I was Helgi, I was Helgi Ragnarsson.'
This man's name was Helgi Ragnarsson.
Born in 848, Helgi.
Aged 17. Son of Ragnar Sigurdsson, Konungr of the Danes and Svear.
And, a dual citizen of a country that did not yet exist in this world, the Republic of Korea (military service completed).