〈 Chapter 0. The Beginning is Always Difficult 〉

Suggestion: Make the Optimal Decision. (0/1)

Route 1 ― 〈 Chapter 1. God Helps Those Who Help Themselves (1) 〉

Route 2 ― 〈 Death 〉

‘Is this… could it be….’

…….

A quest?

But the surprise didn’t last long.

Waking up in this world was shocking enough, so whatever else happened, it seemed better than entering someone else’s body.

In fact, the appearance of this strange window gave me some control over my fear.

‘There are two routes.’

‘Move to the next chapter’ or… die.

Coincidentally, I had two choices too.

Avoid the poison, or drink it. One of these choices would lead to my death.

Just one choice could determine life or death. The tension made it hard to breathe, and my fingertips began to tingle.

‘…No.’

Calm down.

I loosened my clenched fingers and looked at the bottle in his hand.

The poison left blue traces and shimmered in the bottle. Drinking it seemed like a sure way to the afterlife.

I glared at the dark blue liquid and spoke briefly.

“…I drank it yesterday.”

“Well. Of course, I believe you always tell the truth. But mistakes can happen when things pass through multiple hands. For example, the person who served you tea might not have mixed the medicine….”

“……”

“Even if everything is true, it doesn’t matter. I just want to ensure your symptoms are clearly managed. If you make a mistake in front of your friends… you’d be very sad, wouldn’t you, Luca?”

Even the devil couldn’t be this evil.

He was always like this. In the novel and in Luca’s memories, he always pretended to be the good brother.

No one would know what kind of inferiority and superiority complexes hid behind those kind words and smiles.

I exhaled and lowered my head deeply.

Since my life depended on this choice, I needed to be mentally prepared.

‘It did say to make the optimal decision.’

I took a deep breath.

Then I grabbed the bottle from his hand and downed the poison.

Every spot the poison touched, from my tongue to my stomach, burned as if on fire. The coldness of the stone floor seeped into my left cheek, and the poison I had just swallowed surged back up from my mouth. The sound I made was faint and muffled in my ears.

It was a bizarre experience.

“Hm, you really did drink it yesterday.”

From the corner of my fading consciousness, I heard my brother’s amused voice.

Of course, it must be amusing. It’s understandable to laugh at the situation of a brother who must follow orders even while knowing the truth. So….

‘Laugh as much as you want now.’

Ding—!

Congratulations!

‘Suggestion: Make the Optimal Decision.’ Successful!

‘Chapter 0. The Beginning is Always Difficult’ Complete!

‘Route 1 ― 〈 Chapter 1. God Helps Those Who Help Themselves (1) 〉’ Confirmed.

‘…Right. This is how it should be.’

Earlier, he said, ‘It’s a relief you can still go to school.’

In the novel, Luca died after graduating from school, so it’s not time yet.

Of course, there was no guarantee the novel’s content would apply to me exactly, so it was a bit of a gamble….

‘I succeeded.’

Although my consciousness felt like it was floating away, my body felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. Even as my mind distanced itself from my body, a faint smile formed on my lips.

‘Route 1 — 〈 Chapter 1 〉’ Begins.

「 Chapter 1. God Helps Those Who Help Themselves (1) 」

The pain didn’t matter. My pride wasn’t hurt.

After all, the one who survives to laugh last will be me. There’s no way I’m going to die unjustly in this world, especially not at the hands of someone like my brother.

So, I have no choice but to be the one to end my brother’s life instead of the protagonist.

* * *

Who knows how much time had passed, but white sunlight filtered through the curtains.

I felt no pain in my stomach and esophagus, which had been burning from the poison. My body felt light, possibly due to healing magic.

‘Hm.’

I slowly raised my hand.

My pale, bony hand moved according to my will.

I was alive.

And still in someone else’s body.

‘What was that… earlier?’

Was it really a quest window?

As soon as I thought that, something appeared before my eyes.

〈 Chapter 1. God Helps Those Who Help Themselves (1) 〉

Suggestion: Life is Up to You! Find What You Need to Do. (0/3) (71 hours 52 minutes 09 seconds)

Route 1 ― 〈 Chapter 2. God Helps Those Who Help Themselves (2) 〉

Route 2 ― 〈 Chapter 2. Even a Blind Chicken Finds Grain Sometimes 〉

Earlier, it was Chapter 0.

The number had changed. I didn’t know how it worked, but it was fascinating.

‘If there’s a window like this, does it mean there’s a status window too?’

It wasn’t a game, but still….

But if it’s not a game, why is it giving quests called ‘Suggestions’?

Then, white letters appeared in the air.

Lucas Rene Askanian

Title: The Empire’s Biggest Fool

Health: -5

Mental Strength: -10

Magic Power: ?

Skill: 0

Impression: -10

Luck: -10

Trait: Dawn777

“…Oh.”

It appeared. But….

‘Why are all the stats minus?’

No.

Skills are at 0. But that’s no comfort.

‘And what’s with that title?’

I laughed bitterly as I scanned the window.

Lucas Rene Askanian.

Yes, originally it was Lucas.

Luca was just a nickname his brother used; it wasn’t his real name.

In the novel, everyone except the protagonist and his brother called him Lucas.

Impression probably refers to my reputation. And traits….

‘Traits.’

Can I click this?

I brought my finger to the name that reminded me of a hangover cure.

Dawn777

―777 days 1 hour 6 minutes 37 seconds until final outcome ‘Chapter X. Death’

―Probability of change: 0.2%

“…….”

I dismissed the window and turned my head away.

I didn’t know what I saw, but I was sure it wasn’t something I wanted to confront.

But… no matter how much I didn’t want to see it, I couldn’t just ignore it.

“…Damn….”

I gritted my teeth and read the status window again. Clicking on Dawn777 brought up the same window.

‘777 days until death.’

That’s about two years and a little over a month.

‘And a 0.2% chance of change.’

The reason it wasn’t 0 but a vague 0.2% was probably because I succeeded in the ‘Suggestion’ during Chapter 0.

If I continue to succeed in the Suggestions, I might be able to increase that probability.

‘Not bad.’

Even without this guide, it’s obvious that my survival depends on my choices. At least now I can see it.

Let’s aim for the best outcome with the best choices from now on.

“Young Master.”

Just as I was about to look around the room, a servant cautiously opened the door and came in.

“You’re awake. It’s been almost a day since you collapsed. The older young master treated your injuries with magic yesterday.”

Treated?

Of course, ‘Brother’ always pretended to be kind. While I held back a scoff, the servant continued speaking.

“Your eyes were severely damaged from sudden exposure to bright light. Be careful not to look at direct light until today, and don’t push yourself with meals as your stomach hasn’t fully recovered. All your belongings have been sent to the dormitory, so please rest here until you move tomorrow morning.”

The servant quickly rattled off his speech with a tense face and then cautiously withdrew.

“Well, I’ll bring you your meal shortly.”

“Hey.”

The servant’s eyes widened in shock.

He gaped at me before finally managing to stammer out a small question.

“…Yes?”

Of course, the servant wasn’t the only one surprised.

‘Hey’? That confirmed for me that this wasn’t the world I lived in.

The servant wasn’t shocked because I called him without formality. He was just stunned that I spoke to him at all.

‘Makes sense.’

Luca had become extremely introverted because of his brother. He hardly spoke even to the servants he saw every day.

The servant, still in disbelief, hesitated before asking again.

“…Did you mean me?”

“Who else is here if not you?”

The continuous stream of rude remarks made me bite my lip.

Is this the norm here?

Reflecting on my memories, I recalled that Luca, as a member of the family, didn’t necessarily speak politely to the servants.

Of course, his tone was usually timid and lacking confidence. My current tone was more like my brother’s. It seemed my personality was influencing the way I spoke.

‘Well, this might actually be good.’

To drag my brother down and rise above him, the original timid personality wouldn’t suffice.

However, if I kept using this tone, everyone would notice my change. Though I couldn’t help what I’d already said, I needed to start behaving more like the original Luca.

I subtly relaxed my voice, unnoticed by the servant.

During this, the servant collected himself and straightened up.

“Sorry. Please speak.”

“…Ahem, where is my brother now?”

“He left for the Imperial Palace the day after he arrived here.”

“The Imperial Palace?”

“Yes.”

The Imperial Palace.

Of course, my brother’s physical location would determine the difficulty of my success.

As a magician affiliated with the royal family, my brother often engaged in diplomatic activities and was frequently dispatched overseas in the novel.

Given that I was supposed to die two years from now, and considering my brother was in his mid-twenties, he might soon be heading abroad.

“Do you know when he will return to the estate?”

“It will take at least another year to finish his current assignment. Even after returning to the Empire, it’s uncertain if he will stay at the estate.”

He’s gone overseas.

That was somewhat relieving news.

I would have a bit more freedom for the next year.

“Is there anything else you need, young master?”

“No, you can….”

Wait a moment.

I had a thought and decided to call up the status window for the servant.

Anton Clausen

Favorability: -5

Title: —

Health: +2

Mental Strength: +2

Magic Power: +0.5

Skill: 0

Impression: +3

Luck: +1

Trait: —

“…Cough…!”

“Young master?”

I choked on my saliva seeing the entries under his name.

Favorability… probably a score regarding my image.

Did I really need to see my already rock-bottom image in such stark numbers?

‘…I guess this guy is only -5 because he’s my servant….’

I accepted the handkerchief the servant offered and coughed slightly.

Well, whatever the score is, the important thing is that I can see other people’s information.

‘This could be useful.’

Noticing I was silently staring at the status window, the servant cautiously asked again.

“Young master?”

“Yes. You may go now.”

“Yes, I’ll bring your meal shortly.”

The servant left the room and soon returned with my meal.

As a patient, my meal consisted only of a watery aperitif and grain porridge.

I quickly finished my meal and looked around the room.

‘I need to find what I need to do.’

I didn’t need the suggestion to tell me to do so.

I summoned the suggestion window again.

〈 Chapter 1. God Helps Those Who Help Themselves (1) 〉

**Suggestion: Life is Up to You! Find What You Need to Do. (0/3) (70 hours 53 minutes 01 second)**

* Route 1 ― 〈 Chapter 2. God Helps Those Who Help Themselves (2) 〉

* Route 2 ― 〈 Chapter 2. Even a Blind Chicken Finds Grain Sometimes 〉

The meaning of Route 2 is irritatingly vague.

It means the story will progress even if I fail the suggestion… but there’s no need to go down a negative route.

Let’s try one step at a time.

I picked up a notebook from the bedside table. It was time to organize what I needed to do and the novel’s plot.

Although I had a good memory, I couldn’t rely on it alone. I picked up a pen and began to write.

‘First, the overall plot.’

In a nutshell, it’s the story of a delinquent protagonist, born a collateral member of the current emperor, who experiences various events over ten years and finally becomes the emperor.

In the process of ascending to the throne, the protagonist eliminates Luca’s brother, who was almost like the emperor’s right-hand man.

Luca’s death is highlighted during this process, and the true nature of his brother is revealed to everyone.

Luca’s story is just one of the many incidents the protagonist deals with.

I paused to breathe after scribbling down everything, even skipping the meal that arrived again, and noting down every piece of information that came to mind.

I also organized the major character relationships.

‘Now it’s time to decide how I should move forward.’

It wasn’t a difficult question.

I need to build my strength and secure as many allies as possible without openly using magic or doing anything that would provoke my brother to come after me.

So, there’s a more important issue.

Even if I can’t act freely, I need at least one ally to act as my hands and feet.

‘I think the protagonist attends the same school as Luca.’

That could be a great connection.

Although he’s just a problematic student now, he will become the emperor in ten years.

Should I try to get close to the novel’s protagonist?

‘No.’

Maybe later, but now I need to focus and choose wisely.

I turned my gaze away from the protagonist’s name.

Then, I underlined another name next to it.

Ding—!

**Applause for Your Insight!**

‘Suggestion: Life is Up to You! Find What You Need to Do’ 1/3 Achieved!

Achieving this goal in the next stage will increase your survival probability by more than 3%.

‘Hm.’

It seems I made a good choice.

I will align myself not with the emperor but with the kingmaker who made the protagonist the emperor.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep