NOVEL WEB Chapter 1
『Many nations have fallen, but your homeland stands tall. You have become a hero recorded in the history of your people, and future generations will praise your deeds for generations to come.』
Pom pom~♪
With grand music, the end credits rolled.
[Game Victory!]
[Playtime: 6 hours 32 minutes 18 seconds]
“Phew.”
I let out a sigh and stretched. After being glued to a game for 9 hours, there was no way my body wouldn’t feel stiff all over.
Hearts of General.
A masterpiece strategy simulation game that has been out for over 5 years.
The main objective is to win wars taking place on the fictional continent of Pantera, featuring excellent graphics, research, sound, and various systems.
Even though it’s a simulation game genre with a high entry barrier, it swept numerous game awards the year it was released.
And I am a veteran player who has enjoyed this game for about 10,000 hours.
“Hmm, let’s check my record, shall we?”
[Mr. Jin-Hyeok Kim’s Account Information]
[Playtime: 12,452.4 hours]
[Record: 1000 Wins / 32 Draws / 237 Losses]
“Oh, I’ve reached 1,000 wins with this.”
It feels somewhat surprising.
Since I played Hearts of General almost 12 hours a day, I didn’t expect to have accumulated 1,000 victories.
‘This would definitely be a concept post if I share it on the community.’
By the way, I already got real-time best certification for playing 10,000 hours.
As I was smiling and about to take a screenshot of the game screen, a system message suddenly popped up.
[Congratulations on achieving 1,000 victories! A new difficulty level has been unlocked!]
New difficulty?
Hearts of General has difficulty levels ranging from beginner to god, but I’ve only been playing on god difficulty since its release.
I wanted an even harder difficulty, so maybe it unlocks after reaching 1,000 wins.
“I knew it. They kept releasing DLC every year without adding new difficulties, but it was hidden like this?”
I had never heard of content beyond god difficulty being unlocked.
So, does that mean I’m the first?
This could be more than just a concept post. It’s bound to be quite a topic on overseas forums as well.
The title of being the world’s first! Isn’t that what gamers always crave for?
I captured each screen one by one while starting the newly unlocked difficulty play.
[New Difficulty: Reality]
After god comes reality.
That must mean it’s incredibly realistic, right? As it’s a new difficulty, there might be game mechanics we haven’t seen before.
I selected the Reality difficulty and started a new game. Soon, the familiar nation selection screen appeared.
Originally, you choose a nation from either the Free Alliance or the Empire Alliance and lead that faction and nation to victory.
The management style and pros and cons vary greatly depending on which faction and nation you choose.
However, for some reason, I couldn’t select a nation. It didn’t seem to be a bug.
[In Reality difficulty, you can only play as the Duchy of Okhraine.]
“Ah, yeah, this much should make it harder than god difficulty.”
I readily agreed.
Duchy of Okhraine.
It’s a nation in the game that remains permanently neutral and isn’t part of any faction.
Unfortunately, it’s situated between the alliance and empire front lines, so its territory gets devastated as soon as war breaks out, regardless of which side chooses to fight.
In short, it’s a punching bag and sacrificial lamb.
Winning a war by choosing such a nation?
Just that fact alone pushes the game’s difficulty to the extreme.
Because Hearts of General is not a ‘character musou’ game where one character can dominate; it’s a ‘strategy’ simulation game.
“This is going to be interesting.”
Unable to hide my racing heart, I pressed the next button immediately.
[Please set the character who will be active in this nation.]
Character customization.
While I roughly made the appearance decent, I opened the most crucial part of customization—the traits window.
These are literally the traits the character possesses, and their abilities are determined based on which traits they have.
Although I usually use a preset, this time, since it’s completely raw, I wanted to try out entirely new traits.
“But… what’s this?”
Among the many traits displayed on the screen, one particularly caught my eye.
《Savior of the Fallen Nation》
“Never seen this trait before. Why does it cost 3,000 points for just one trait?”
The trait system is simple.
You’re initially given 1,000 points. Good traits reduce your points, and bad traits increase them.
But why does this trait cost three times the base points?
The restriction of 3,000 points was enough to spark my curiosity. Since I need to try something when I’m curious, that’s my style.
To create the additional 2,000 points, I began adding various negative traits.
First, impression traits.
Literally, how others perceive someone’s impression.
“Charisma can be slowly increased, so I’ll add coldness, stiffness… and arrogance.”
Next were physical traits.
Since I wanted to develop this character towards the mage corps rather than infantry, cavalry, or artillery, I added traits that wouldn’t interfere with using magic.
Besides, I already have the frailty trait, so I also included slow recovery and chronic illness traits for similar effects.
Even if they overlap, I can squeeze out extra points.
It’s the character who’s sick, not me.
However, I was still short by about 400 points.
“If I add more, I’ll just be walking around like a corpse.”
Since mental traits are really important in this game, I tried to hold back as much as possible…
Ultimately, the only solution was to add mental traits.
[Stress-sensitive]
[Insomnia]
[Nicotine addiction]
After carefully selecting the ones with the least side effects, I finally managed to add the Savior of the Fallen Nation trait.
At least these are better than severe mental disorders, right?
“If the trait is trash, I’ll just restart the game.”
Simple.
Since traits can easily be changed just by entering and exiting the menu once.
After completing all the settings, I clicked the start button confidently.
[I wish you good fortune.]
A message I’d never seen before appeared, and as the monitor lit up brightly, memories of all sorts of web novels, anime, and game openings I’d encountered during my NEET life came flooding back.
The instinctive uneasy feeling.
“Hey! Is this seriously that kind of thing…!!”
But regretting now is already too late.
Yeah, now I have no choice but to admit it.
The fact that I’ve fallen into the game, that is.
I looked at the full-length mirror in the room. Neat blonde hair, green eyes, and skin color closer to Caucasians—there wasn’t a single trace left of Kim Jin-hyeok, the native Korean.
“Damn, this is bad.”
My head throbbed.
When I saw those trap-like system setups leading to reincarnation in novels, I laughed uncontrollably at how absurd they seemed.
Turns out they were all plausible?
I just casually started the game, and bam, I was reincarnated into the game world.
What am I supposed to do with this? Have I gone crazy?
I was losing my mind.
And worse yet, it’s Hearts of General.
A world where soldiers and junior officers die by the dozens or hundreds every day—a worldview devoid of dreams and hope.
If it was an erotic game where you die unless you romance a heroine, or a fantasy game set in a hopeful academy, it would have been less harsh, right?
Does it make sense to be reincarnated into a hardcore war simulation game?
I confirmed it wasn’t a dream or illusion long ago. I hit my head hard against the wall and fainted because it hurt so much.
What can I do? There’s no way I can return to my original world just by whining endlessly.
I quickly resigned myself and decided to focus on conquering the game.
“At least if they have any decency, they gave me this, right?”
I took a deep breath and cautiously spoke.
“Status window.”
As if casting a magical spell, a panel predictably floated in front of me.
“Yes!!!!”
I clenched my fist and cheered. The status window! Isn’t it always the privilege granted to reincarnated individuals?
But.
——————-
[Name: Enok Revendale]
Army Mage Lieutenant of the Duchy of Okhraine
Affiliation: Northern Corps, 3rd Mage Battalion, 2nd Platoon
Position: 5th Squad Leader
Title: None
[Owned Traits]
Savior of the Fallen Nation★
Cold
Stiff
Arrogant
Frail
Slow Recovery
Chronic Illness
Stress-sensitive
Insomnia
Nicotine Addiction
——————-
“Shit?”
I felt like I’d just been dealt a heavy blow to the back of my head. There’s no way I don’t remember what happened just a few minutes ago.
The fact that I went all-out with character traits to include the “Savior of the Fallen Nation” trait.
-If the trait is trash, I’ll just restart the game.
I shouldn’t have done that.
Somehow, hitting my head against the wall made me faint. The soldier’s durability is too weak.
If I had known I’d be reincarnated, I wouldn’t have chosen this trait.
“Well, let’s put the traits aside for now. How about the stats, ability window?”
As I swiped my hand, the screen transitioned like a touchscreen interface.
The stat window that followed.
But the contents written there were starkly different from the broken trait window.
That’s because.
——————-
[Abilities]
※Savior of the Fallen Nation Trait Applied
Politics: MAX
Combat: MAX
Command: MAX
Insight: MAX
Endurance: MAX
Intelligence: MAX
——————-
All stats were maxed out.
“Uh… Hmm.”
Now I understand why the “Savior of the Fallen Nation” trait consumed so many points.
If it was a trait that maxed out all stats, it was only natural. In fact, it’s strange that it only costs 3,000 points.
Even with the preset traits I usually set up, I couldn’t max out all six abilities.
Maybe two or three at most?
And even then, I had to give up on other abilities drastically, resulting in a畸形playstyle.
All stats MAX, huh?
Apparently, this body wasn’t completely useless after all.
Realizing that, hope began to slowly sprout within me.
In Hearts of General, each stat is incredibly valuable.
Since it’s fundamentally a strategy simulation game, unlike RPGs or other games, there’s no arbitrary way to boost stats within the game.
The only ways to increase stats are by achieving promotions through accomplishments, managing subordinates well to receive stat bonuses, or joining special groups.
Moreover, in the later stages, the abilities of the player character’s comrades, rather than the player character themselves, become more important.
Therefore, after a certain point, the standard approach is to focus on cultivating subordinates rather than the player’s own stats.
But if the stats are maxed out from the start?
That means there’s no need to invest an enormous amount of time in personal training or discipline.
Instead, I can spend that time cultivating subordinates better, right?
Right, subordinates.
The key now is my current subordinates.
What good are maxed-out stats if there are no troops under command? In battle, nothing can be done without forces.
Since the affiliation and position were clearly defined in the status window, I must undoubtedly have a squad to manage right now.
Especially since the mage corps evaluates differently based on the type of subordinates under command.
Quickly assessing the capabilities of my subordinates will be the top priority in planning ahead.
“Let’s see… Does this show up in the status window?”
Swiping my hand again moved the status window to the next page.
Unit Management.
The screen displaying the flower and main content of Hearts of General appeared immediately.
“But it doesn’t show. Is it locked?”
While the unit management window showed the insignias of the members, it was impossible to review their stats or see their faces.
Apparently, it needs to be unlocked by meeting them directly or something.
That’s when I noticed a single envelope lying on the desk.
Mesmerized, I tore open the seal and examined its contents. Four white sheets of paper were inside. The writing on the top sheet read…
[Squad Member Information Sheet]
“Of course.”
I shook out the envelope and quickly checked the scattered documents on the desk.
Typically, the starting point of ‘HOG (Hearts of General)’ is five years before the outbreak of the major world war, regardless of which country or faction you choose.
That applies whether it’s the Rhinehardt Empire, which creates all kinds of new weapons with advanced science, or the Federal Republic of America, which churns out insane amounts of resources based on powerful industry and population.
Or even the Duchy of Okhraine, caught in the crossfire of the great powers.
Ultimately, the timeline is the same. This is where I begin.
“Five years, I need to at least reach the rank of major within five years. Only then can I do anything worthwhile.”
For that, having exceptional squad members is essential.
“Let’s see how the first squad members are.”
Given my overwhelming stats, I should be able to cultivate them into incredible experts in no time—within two years instead of five.
Strong friends!
Elite army of Okhraine!
Filled with anticipation, I picked up and read the first document.
Her name was Lumina Blue, 23 years old.
Rank: Sergeant.
She had snow-white hair tied down on one side, and despite the drab dark brown uniform depicted in her photo, her beauty shone through unmistakably.
“Wow.”
I involuntarily gasped at her stunning beauty.
Since the background of Hearts of General includes the noble class, she might possess a trait like “fallen noble,” which grants bonuses to political skills.
If she’s a fallen noble, that’s a pretty good trait. Her appearance stopped registering in my mind.
Putting aside her looks, what mattered now were her stats.
She hadn’t received any medals or achieved significant accomplishments, it seemed. Perhaps they matched her with an average skill level due to the early stage of the game.
Having confirmed everything down to the last line of the document, including the “Special Notes” section, I couldn’t help but doubt my own eyes.
“?????”
Absolutely not good content.
To make matters worse, there was another sentence that drove the point home.
“Special Notes: Claims to suffer from mental weakness. Current family identity unknown. Strong tendency to avoid close combat. Follows orders well, maintains mild relationships with others but gives off a distant vibe.”
“…”
Jackpot. And the worst kind.
Judging by her background and family, there’s a high probability she’s not even a noble. So much for the fallen noble trait—I guess there’s no reason to keep her.
Why did I end up with someone like this?
Next!
I tossed Lumina’s document carelessly onto the desk and reviewed another paper.
“The next one is Roxanna Elrim, Lieutenant, age twenty… What about the special notes?”
“Congenital heart condition. High-intensity exercise or training may pose a serious health risk.”
“Should generally live in the medical unit unless under special circumstances.”
This one’s even worse than the previous one. How did a heart patient even end up in the military?
“What the hell.”
I flipped through another document.
The third squad member was Bella Meyer, 26 years old, Sergeant.
“Sustained depressive disorder. Suffers from dissociative amnesia. Tends to experience mana surges occasionally. Requires particular attention to stress management.”
The next one was Claude Rain, 31 years old, Staff Sergeant.
“Veteran soldier. Appears to suffer from PTSD. Has disciplinary records from previous units due to insubordination. Shows a tendency to dislike officers, so caution is advised.”
“Requires special management.”
“Caution needed.”
“Attention required.”
“Caution advised.”
Not a single positive phrase appears in the special notes.
Thump.
My headache, which I had barely calmed down, returned with a vengeance, and I could feel heat rising in my body.
“Damn it, difficulty tweaking should have limits.”
There’s no other way to interpret this lineup except that the system harbors pure malice towards me.
In short, my current situation boils down to one phrase…
‘My squad is completely hopeless?’
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