A young man lay still beneath the twisted canopy in the middle of a deep, old forest. His blond hair was matted and unkempt, and his once-nice clothes were ripped and bloody. Nearly every inch of his body was slashed by a sword, and innumerable wounds gushed new blood.
He appeared briefly to be dead.
Then he moaned.
Pain flashed across his face as his brilliant blue eyes snapped open. "What the devil? I feel like I've been stabbed a thousand times.
His mind was suddenly filled with a robotic voice.
[Initiation of the Kingdom System...]
Linking Up with the Offline Kingdom Network Achievement.
Critical is the host condition. Protocol for emergency stabilization: Initiated.
The healing process is finished.
System binding to the host...Binding Successful
connection to an online network Failed
Kingdom Realm is now accessible to the host. You are allowed to enter and exit.
The man jerked to his feet, gasping. His eyes went wide with shock.
He had felt as though death was pulling him beneath him only moments before. And now? He was no longer wounded. He was no longer in pain.
It resembled magic.
He blinked at his surroundings as he stood up in a daze. dense woods. Unsettling quiet. Odors unfamiliar. A world other than Earth.
It didn't seem genuine. But he had a gut feeling that it was.
He tried to quiet his racing mind by whispering, "I... I was just playing a kingdom strategy game."
He distinctly recalled that a new kingdom simulation game had appeared on his mobile device only a few hours prior. For more than fifteen years, he had been enamored with such games.
However, darkness seized him as soon as he pressed Start Game.
Then—this.
His heart thumping, he balled his fists. "Have I... transmigrated?"
A wave of panic swept over him. "Where am I? I was lying here, but why? Why does it all seem so real?
A sharp pain shot through his skull before he could process any more. He screamed and gripped his head as memories that weren't his own suddenly flashed through his head.
He fell.
He stood up a few moments later, gasping, trembling, transformed.
These were a life, not merely recollections.
Karl Altharys was the second prince of the powerful kingdom of Evrador.
He was shrewd, clever, and a superb administrator.
And yet—he had been betrayed, humiliated, and tortured.
His older brother, Aeron Altharys, who was three years older than him and was referred to as the "Child of Prophecy," was the golden son from an early age; he was intelligent, strong, and adored.
Karl? Only the backup. The king's third wife, who passed away when he was still a young boy, had a forgotten son.
He had been through it all. By themselves.
However, he was transformed by his final visit to the Aestra Kingdom.
Princess Sera, a kind, elegant woman with strength and poise, captured his heart there. He saw hope for the first time.
Aeron, however, learned.
Aeron took that too, just like everything else Karl loved. In the interest of diplomacy, he proposed to the princess. Their father gave his approval right away. Karl received a cold order and a slap in response to his objections: "Grow up. Learn from your brother."
Karl made a desperate attempt to reveal Aeron's true character.
Nobody paid attention.
Karl finally decided to turn into a villain by hiring an assassin.
However, that was also a trap.
He was betrayed by the assassin, who swore loyalty to Aeron. Karl was taken into custody, charged with treason, and his father condemned him without any proof.
His name was taken away.
exiled to the Borderlands.
Nestled next to the Forbidden Forest, teeming with ancient monsters, was a place no kingdom dared claim.
A place that everyone knows is a death sentence.
No companions.
No allies.
His closest subordinates even spat in his face.
All of them were terrified of the "Child of Prophecy." Nobody dared to support the fallen prince.
Karl became aware that he was being followed while traveling into exile. At the edge of the forest, he cornered his horse after pushing it harder.
Too late, the truth was revealed.
To complete what the exile was unable to, his brother had dispatched assassins.
And Aeron's own personal guard delivered the decisive blow.
Karl was dead.
And yet here he was, alive.
However, this was more than merely a resurrection. No.
Reincarnation was what this was.
Breathing heavily, he glanced at his hands. "This body, this world, this suffering." Everything is real.
Now he recalled this world's name.
A planet 100 times bigger than our own. A world with races, kingdoms, and long-kept secrets. One Beastman Empire, which controls 40% of the land; seven Human Kingdoms, which control 55% of the land; and one Elf Kingdom, which is located deep within the northeast forest.
One Dwarf Kingdom, tucked away in the mountains
The realm is home to countless minor races.
A Goblin Kingdom had once existed as well; it was so strong that everyone banded together to destroy it. Evrador and the Beastmen now shared that ruined land.
And the monster-infested area close to the Forbidden Forest was the edge of it all, the cursed 5% of unclaimed land where Karl now stood.
A place no rational person would venture to.
As he took in the memories, his mind raced. "Death is here." Tears filled his eyes as he laughed bitterly. "I came here to perish. And they made another attempt to kill me after that.
His fist clenched.
However, fate had erred.
He had gotten a System from it.
Furthermore, he was no longer constrained by lies, royal politics, or favoritism.
His eyes were burning with new purpose as he gazed up at the sky.
"I lost everything because of you.
I will now construct something so magnificent that even the gods will bow down.