Chapter 1
"Congratulations on your promotion, Second Lieutenant Max."
The regimental commander personally pinned the new insignia onto my shoulder.
The single silver diamond had become two, both gleaming.
"Your valor and strategic skill in the recent recapture operation have become an example to the entire Imperial Army. Accordingly, I hereby award you the Imperial Iron Cross."
"Loyalty!"
I gave a loud, crisp shout, then raised a salute.
The moment the commendation ceremony ended, my comrades swarmed around me like a swarm of bees.
"Hey, Max Jaeger! So you're a first lieutenant now! Don't you think you owe us a proper treat?"
"A first lieutenant only half a year after being commissioned as a second lieutenant? That's insanely fast promotion! You're going to become a legend, aren't you, buddy?"
"If it hadn't been for you in the valley, we'd all be dead. Who would've thought you could single-handedly blow up a mortar position?"
Voices full of praise and envy surrounded me.
They kept patting my shoulders and chattering away until my head throbbed.
I waved my hand with a forced smile.
"All right, all right, I get it. See you next time. I'm tired, so I'll head in first."
Only after escaping the raucous noise did my ears finally feel at ease.
*
Before I knew it, I had arrived in front of my barracks.
The moment I opened the creaking door and stepped inside, the tension drained from my body.
I sat in the chair for a while, fiddling with the newly received first lieutenant's insignia.
The feel of the cold metal. It was as if I could hear my comrades' envy and praise all over again.
'An example to the entire Imperial Army…'
A hollow laugh escaped me.
An example, my ass.
I closed my eyes. At once, the artillery battle in the valley from five days ago unfolded before me again.
Whooosh-!
A mortar shell exploded right beside me with an ear-splitting shriek. Dirt and pebbles rained down, and the shock wave slammed into my whole body. When I came to my senses a moment later, the lower half of my comrade beside me was gone.
A ringing that felt like it would split my head filled my ears, and my heart raced madly. I was on the verge of freezing up from panic.
[Skill 'Iron Mind' is active.]
[Resistance to all fear and confusion statuses has greatly increased.]
The dry system messages echoed inside my head. Just like that, the fear surging toward me subsided as if it had never been there. My heartbeat steadied, and I regained my reason.
I barely managed to get up and aim my rifle at the mortar position.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
And so I brought down the mortar position.
I slowly opened my eyes.
My fingertips were still trembling faintly, but a sensation like cold water being poured over my head came with it, and calm soon returned.
It was all thanks to this thing called a 'skill.'
Until six months ago, I had been an ordinary civilian living in Seoul. More specifically, I was a contract worker suffering under all manner of workplace abuse and endless overtime. Naturally, I knew nothing about war or combat. My only relevant experience was my time in the military.
The reason I had ended up in this situation was a game. The game I had clung to in order to forget my wretched reality.
[Heart of the Empire: Chronicle of the Eagle]
A twentieth-century-style strategy simulation game where other races such as orcs and elves, as well as magic, existed—but the mainstays were trenches, barbed wire, and a hail of artillery shells.
I had been obsessed with that game. I must have sunk hundreds—no, thousands—of hours into it. In reality, I was an insignificant nobody, but in the game, I was a great commander who had led countless battles to victory.
But that could only last so long. I had long since wrung every last drop from the vanilla game without mods. I needed a new thrill. That was when I found a strange file in a corner of some obscure overseas forum.
"Fuck… that damn mod."
Yes, downloading that 'all-in-one pack' had been what got me into this mess. The title itself had been suspicious. [Harem Overlord All-in-One Pack].
It supposedly transformed the grim, blood-soaked battlefield into some kind of passionate romance involving attractive female officers. Some insane crap like that.
That day, too, I came home late at night, exhausted from overtime. I filled my stomach with a convenience-store lunch box and was a little tipsy from the canned beer I'd angrily downed. I don't know what I had been thinking, but I absentmindedly installed the mod file.
[Mod installation complete. Experience a new Empire!]
With my eyes half-closed from exhaustion, I clicked the 'Start New Game' button. That was the moment. My last memory was of a flash of light erupting from the monitor and swallowing the whole world in white.
And when I opened my eyes again, I was no longer the person I had been in my one-room apartment. I was in the barracks of a dusty field training camp. I had become an Imperial Army second lieutenant named 'Max Jaeger,' wearing an unfamiliar uniform.
The price of wanting to escape my wretched reality had been unbearably harsh. It was like a forced transfer from a hellish reality to an even more hellish one. A second stint in the military? There could be no more horrifying nightmare than this.
'Fuck, does this make any sense?'
I clutched my head. I wished it were really a dream. I wanted to throw everything away and run away.
'…Should I just desert?'
[Skill 'Iron Mind' is active.]
[Resistance to all fear and confusion statuses has greatly increased.]
…It was an infuriating situation, but the skill steered my mind toward the most effective way of thinking.
'Desertion is irrational.'
Under the skill's influence, a clear conclusion formed in my mind.
'If I desert and get caught, I'll be executed by firing squad. Even if I somehow manage to hide successfully, I'll become a fugitive.'
The odds of staying alive while evading the Imperial Army's pursuit and the gunfire of war were extremely low.
Paradoxically, my best chance of survival was to remain in this army and make the most of the power I'd been given—in other words, my skill.
"Skill."
I sighed at the conclusion the skill had forced into my mind and called out to it. A window that only I could see floated up like a hologram.
[Skill 'Iron Mind' is active.]
[Skill 'Minimap' is active.]
Fortunately, the [Harem Overlord All-in-One Pack] seemed to be a cheat mod, since it had given me overpowered abilities from the start.
[Iron Mind] and [Minimap].
Those were the two skills I currently possessed. The first skill I had received was [Minimap] by default, while I obtained [Iron Mind] after leveling up as a reward for successfully completing some training.
That was when it happened.
With a clear ding, another translucent window appeared.
[Rank increase (Second Lieutenant -> First Lieutenant) confirmed.]
[Congratulations on your promotion!]
[Your level has increased to 3 due to your promotion.]
[You can acquire a new skill. Select one from the list below.]
1. [Bullet Time (Bullet Time)]
Detailed description: When the skill is activated, you enter a state of super-acceleration in which you perceive the flow of the world, excluding yourself, at 1/10 speed for up to 3 seconds. Can be used once per day. The number of uses increases as your level rises.
2. [Status Analysis (Status Analysis)]
Detailed description: Identifies information about a target within your field of vision. Basic information such as [Name], [Race], [Affiliation], and [Status: Fatigue, Injury, Anger] is displayed to one side of your field of vision. It can be used not only on people, but also on equipment and facilities. As your level rises, you can view more in-depth information.
'What the…?'
So it was possible to level up through promotion too? When I had leveled up from 1 to 2, it had definitely been a reward for successfully completing training.
But my level had risen through promotion as well. There seemed to be more ways to level up than I had thought. And back then, I hadn't even been given a choice.
Anyway, I began reading through the skill descriptions slowly. Both [Bullet Time] and [Status Analysis] looked incredibly useful.
First, [Bullet Time].
Just as its name suggested, it was a cheat-like ability that let me dodge bullets. It was a skill that could drastically increase my chances of surviving on the battlefield tomorrow. As a soldier who actually had to slog through battle, there could be no sweeter temptation.
But…
I shifted my gaze to the second skill, [Status Analysis].
Survival on the battlefield. Of course it was important. Nothing was more important than my life. But [Bullet Time] was ultimately closer to a one-time insurance policy for evading a crisis. Once a day, for a mere three seconds. Getting past that brief moment wouldn't change the course of a battle.
'…It wouldn't be much use in a situation where mortars were raining down in the first place.'
I recalled the previous battle. Shells had continued raining down over a wide area. In such a situation, even with [Bullet Time], there was a high chance I wouldn't survive.
But [Status Analysis] was different. This went beyond a simple survival tool and gave me an information advantage. Its benefits were ongoing as well. By using that information, I could prevent dozens or hundreds of crises before they happened. In the end, it was obvious that the latter would increase my long-term chances of survival.
With my hesitation gone, I reached toward the translucent window floating in midair.
[You have selected the skill 'Status Analysis'.]
[You acquire a new skill!]
With another ding, information about the skill flowed into my mind.
I understood how to use it as naturally as if I had been using it for a long time.
'Shall I try it out?'
I turned my gaze toward my uniform.
[Name: Imperial Army Combat Uniform (Low Grade)]
[Grade: Common]
[Durability: 78/100]
[Condition: Carries faint smells of gunpowder and sweat.]
[Special Effect: None]
'Oh-ho.'
It was quite intuitive and detailed. I then used the skill on myself.
[Name: Max Jaeger]
[Race: Human]
[Affiliation: Imperial Army 7th Infantry Regiment]
[Rank: First Lieutenant]
[Status: Slight fatigue, slight excitement from the promotion]
'Useful. I suppose I'll see more as my level rises.'
That was when it happened.
A single green dot began moving on the minimap floating at the edge of my vision.
Minimap.
Think of the minimap in an ordinary strategy game. Green and red dots are displayed in real time against a square background. A green dot approaching meant an ally was on the way.
Knock knock knock.
"Lieutenant! It's Private Erich!"
It was a youthful voice. Instead of answering, I grinned and activated the skill. Fixing my gaze on the firmly closed wooden door, I saw the information beyond it unfold before my eyes.
[Using the skill 'Status Analysis' on 'Private Erich'.]
[Name: Erich]
[Race: Human]
[Affiliation: Imperial Army 7th Infantry Regiment]
[Rank: Private]
[Status: Nervous from running an errand for his superior, with a mixture of awe and slight fear toward the officer]
'…It can even show me this?'
I sucked in a breath. I hadn't expected it to reveal even his inner thoughts.
"What is all the commotion about?"
I stood up, lowering my voice and pretending to be as unconcerned as possible. When I opened the door, Private Erich stood at attention, his face tense.
"I think you should come out right away, sir. Someone is looking for you."
"Me? Who?"
Erich swallowed hard before speaking.
"It's Captain Seraphina."
'…Oh, fuck!'
Was the superior officer they said was coming the new company commander?
I immediately put my uniform back on. I got every crease as sharp as possible, quickly but precisely. After making sure my cap was perfectly set, I opened the door at once.
I walked straight down the corridor. Though I'd merely been summoned to speak with someone, I was moving at practically a run.