The Art of Doing Nothing
When Oh Ji-o (32) saw this concept post, he laughed his ass off.
Even thinking about it again, it was a funny story. If this wasn’t my story, I would have laughed even harder.
“War, huh? Yeah, it’s pretty much a done deal.”
It was a story that had already spread widely among the high-ranking nobles. The imperial family’s unique ability was future foresight. They refrained from speaking about trivial matters, but they would leak information little by little about major disasters or big events.
The Helisbort Count family was a place that could be called a prestigious and high-ranking noble family. It wasn’t strange for Father to hear the imperial family’s future foresight.
“A war that’s become a foregone conclusion…”
The lower the level of civilization, the more culture spread that honored battle and war. It was a very reasonable method to dilute the instinctive fear of death and send more able-bodied men to battle without hesitation.
In a world where the idea of working diligently to earn money and achieving success was a joke reserved for some privileged classes, it was a natural conclusion.
In that sense, this world could be seen as standing on that boundary line. An era where violence was affirmed, while at the same time other values were slowly rising to the mainstream. An era where chivalry and the honor of war were gradually becoming outdated values.
“I don’t want to join the military…”
With that being the case, my attempt to avoid military service was quite a reasonable thought. To me, who possessed Oh Ji-o (32)’s memories, the battlefield was not a place of glory and honor but a dirty, dangerous, and bothersome place.
‘But there’s no way I can avoid it.’
It was a matter that came before talking about the honor of nobility. Families with unique abilities were powerful military forces in and of themselves. The reason the imperial family kept other unique ability users alive wasn’t only because they couldn’t uproot the unique abilities that awakened spontaneously, but also to use them in situations like this.
“Would it have been better if it was that side?”
If it was that other world with a lot of interest in children’s rights, I might have been able to delay it for a while due to the boy soldier issue. However, unfortunately, the fact that they were only just beginning to break away from the honor of war meant that such ideology was still in active duty. In other words, to protect the family’s honor and the empire’s peace, there was no such thing as being too young.
In seven years, on the day of the Great War, I would be a perfectly fit candidate for active duty.
“That aside, it’s a really strange feeling.”
Anyway, there were still seven years left until the war broke out. Worrying about it more would only make my stomach burn. Half in escape, I shifted my thoughts to my ability.
Confirming Oh Ji-o (32)’s memories felt similar to searching data, but it wasn’t the same as reading a book or viewing an internet page. Just like how I recalled a page from the community earlier, Oh Ji-o (32)’s memories came up as vividly as if they were my own.
‘No, in a way, it’s safe to say it’s even more than that.’
The information obtained through Descent didn’t deteriorate and could be checked immediately. On top of that, his memories spanned nearly three times the time of mine, who was merely an eight-year-old child.
Considering that personality formation comes from the accumulation of memories, logically, I should have been closer to Oh Ji-o (32) than to Helio.
“But I’m perfectly fine.”
However, there was no particular shaking for me. Even if there was a nearly threefold difference, even if this world existed in the form of a game on Earth, Oh Ji-o’s personality didn’t erode me.
‘Is that to be expected?’
Because Descent was Helio’s unique ability, and it was Helio who had overlaid Oh Ji-o. No matter how elaborate the tiger skin, it was just a skin, and the one wearing it was a human — the same principle.
But at the same time, it couldn’t be said that there was no influence whatsoever.
“If it’s not a possession story… what genre should this be called?”
Like worrying about the war, my mental age having increased, and having these useless thoughts come to mind, I couldn’t go back to being a perfectly innocent eight-year-old. This was also the same principle as getting hot when you wear a tiger skin.
“No, that’s not what’s important.”
I slapped my mouth that was spouting nonsense and focused on what was truly important. It was true that my mind had been hazy from the aftermath of the Descent. However, the reason I immediately mistook it for having possessed the game in that situation was because there was a good reason. It was because the most important information had come to mind first.
“I’m the protagonist…”
Because Helio Helisbort was the player’s default name.
In any game, the story flows centered on the protagonist. Sometimes from the beginning. To the end at the conclusion. The protagonist, the player, intervenes and chooses, and the story flows as the creator arranged.
Therefore, the protagonist is an important being on a world scale. Even more so if the game has a bad ending.
“So that’s me…”
In fact, the Great War has such a strong impact, but it’s a story as heavy as the war itself. Thinking that Helio defeats the final boss in the ending made it even more so.
‘Although the protagonist’s importance decreases a bit due to the genre shift in the latter half of the game, the protagonist is still the protagonist.’
In other words, if I don’t do it, there’s no guarantee someone will definitely take my place.
If at least the ending had been a strategic victory, I wouldn’t have had to feel burdened by the fact that I was the protagonist.
‘The good thing is that the protagonist doesn’t need something special.’
It was a common thing in single-player games. It was a storytelling technique that added special settings to the protagonist so that only the protagonist could solve everything. Things like being the reincarnation of a key figure, or needing a mysterious artifact that only they could use.
There was no such backstory for the protagonist Helio. It was simply that, as the protagonist of the first half, it naturally led to the development where he defeated the final boss in the story cutscene.
‘From the beginning, even if you don’t defeat the final boss directly as Helio, the ending cutscene still features Helio.’
It meant there was no guarantee that someone else would definitely defeat it, but at the same time, it wasn’t as if everything would one hundred percent fail without me.
“…Still, I need to build up some strength first.”
It wasn’t certain whether I would face the final boss. However, the war was already a foregone conclusion foreseen by the imperial family, and I was precariously on the line of being drafted. If I didn’t have even the minimum strength, it wouldn’t be strange to die screaming in the middle, let alone face the final boss.
‘Let’s think positively.’
Being the protagonist was quite a burden, but on the other hand, it was also a tremendous advantage.
The first half of Academy Great War was a nurturing game. It meant that raising the protagonist Helio was the main content.
In this world with mana, training and growth had large individual variations, but I was in a situation where the player’s knowledge could all be applied.
‘That means I can find and apply all the high-point builds in the game!’
My heavy heart lightened a bit and my chest started to flutter. It was too simple even for me, but originally, aren’t men attracted to strong things regardless of age?
Even if I couldn’t pull up all the specs in the game, if I could grow even half of that, becoming one of the strongest in the empire wouldn’t be difficult.
Moreover, the Helisbort family’s unique ability was Descent. This unique ability that allowed one to swap out their talents and abilities according to the situation was a top-tier cheat unique ability that helped one reach the peak not just in one field but in multiple fields.
It meant it wasn’t absurd to become a Sword Master, Archmage, Shadow Walker, Nature Keeper, and Grand Archer all at once.
‘Of course, the stronger I get, the higher the chance I’ll be dragged to the battlefield.’
But originally, I would be dragged even if I did nothing. In that case, wouldn’t becoming the strongest be safer?
‘Okay. Let’s do that.’
I took the first step toward becoming the strongest with confidence.
“Helio! Stop playing around and study!”
“Aah, you mean dealing with mana? That’s still premature. Mother, you too will soon come to know. But seeing is better than explaining, is it not? Therefore, let’s conclude this discussion here.”
“What in the world did this child descend…”
Doing nothing. Even if looked at with absurd eyes, even if contemptuous gazes are directed, even if I become a parasite! More fiercely! With all my strength! I do nothing!
‘It’s heartbreaking to see Mom looking at me with worried eyes…’
But this was the fastest way to grow.