〈 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.