In many organizations, the ability to navigate relationships is often more important than one’s skills. You see it frequently—an employee with exceptional talent might fail to get promoted due to poor relationships, or someone gets demoted for upsetting the wrong person who was parachuted into the company.

History proves that social skills are critical. For instance, in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, Zhang He served three lords—Han Fu, Yuan Shao, and Cao Cao—but eventually found favor under the Wei kingdom. He was so highly regarded that his name became synonymous with the "Five Elite Generals."

On the other hand, Lü Bu, though known for his unmatched martial prowess (with a perfect 100 in strength in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* games), is often remembered as a traitor. Despite serving Ding Yuan, Dong Zhuo, and Liu Bei, his reputation as a betrayer stuck with him both in the past and in modern times.

In my view, the key difference between Zhang He and Lü Bu was their social skills. Zhang He, after Han Fu’s defeat, was absorbed into Yuan Shao’s army, but later defected to Cao Cao when he was unjustly branded a traitor. Lü Bu, on the other hand, actively killed his previous masters, Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo, with his own hands.

In the end, Zhang He died honorably on the battlefield as a general of Wei, while Lü Bu was captured and executed, begging Cao Cao for his life.

This is why, when I was suddenly thrust into a strategy game world, I quickly realized the importance of social skills after some initial bitter experiences. After all, you can’t conquer the world if you don’t stay alive.

Even if I couldn’t be the most likable person, I made sure to avoid being so hated that people would reject me outright like Lü Bu.

“His Majesty has ordered your arrest.”

“…”

Even though the kingdom I first served turned its back on me, I didn’t act recklessly. I didn’t like the kingdom, but openly showing my displeasure would only make people question my loyalty.

So, I played the role of the loyal servant, unjustly exiled, with dignity. By creating the impression that I surrendered for the sake of peace, it helped build my reputation later when I moved to the empire.

“Very well, I’ll accept your suggestion.”

“Thank you.”

“But if you fail, you’ll lose your head. Are you okay with that?”

“Yes.”

Even though the emperor had it out for me, I couldn’t afford to show fear. If I appeared weak, it would undermine the strength of all my future proposals. So, I hid my trembling hands and stood tall.

After a few of my suggestions succeeded, the emperor stopped threatening to have me beheaded.

“I... surrender.”

“And what exactly is your reason for telling me this?”

“I’ve heard that you’re the real power behind the empire.”

“That’s not true.”

When the chance came for me to amass great power, I thought back to Han Xin, who was executed after helping unify China. I wasn’t aiming to be emperor—I just wanted to conquer the world. So, I politely declined several offers.

Eventually, no more strange people came looking for me.

“Fine! You win! Do whatever you want!”

“I’m not sure what you mean by that…”

“Profit! Do I have to spell it out for you?”

Even when the queen of an enemy nation stormed into my quarters and started spouting strange demands, I handled it the same way. Knowing that even a defeated leader could still be dangerous if harboring resentment, I calmly talked her down over the course of a long conversation.

“I… I’ll come back another time.”

She left with a more composed expression than when she had first barged in, red-faced.

In this terrifying world, as long as I had my hard-earned social skills and my mini-map, I wasn’t afraid. After all, the scariest thing in the world has always been people.

“Come to the garden after the meeting.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Shall I…”

“Alone.”

“…Understood.”

...I’m not afraid!

---

**Grand Strategy Games**  
A genre of games where you choose a nation and aim to conquer the world. Examples include the *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* series and *Civilization*. Thanks to my father, who loved these types of games, I played through every grand strategy game I could get my hands on.

While my friends were playing legendary action or RPG games, I was at home managing a country. I found it incredibly satisfying to paint the map with the color of the country I’d chosen, and before long, I was clearing new games with ease.

Then came a game called *The Great War*. Despite its name, which evoked World War I, it featured a fantasy world filled with orcs, elves, and dragons. One of the game’s highlights was the tactical control of units in battle.

Each battle would evaluate my tactics with words like “decisive victory,” which drove me to replay the same battles over and over to get higher ratings.

Though the game penalized you for choosing powerful nations, I mostly played as the large and mighty Dragonnia Empire. From mediating the internal power struggles between the noble and imperial factions at the start, to eventually leading the empire to conquer the world—it was all so much fun.

As a result, most of my thousands of hours of playtime were spent on the empire.

Instead of trying many different nations, I went all in on mastering the empire’s strategies and learning every detail about its unique military units and key figures.

In hindsight, I probably should have tried other nations as well.

Because one day, without any warning, I woke up in the world of that game. And it wasn’t in the empire.

---

I found myself in the Ruth Kingdom, located north of the empire. It was a kingdom with very few resources, a small population, backward technology, and utterly incompetent leaders.

How could such a country even exist? Because Ruth Kingdom wasn’t a playable nation—it was just a stepping stone in the Dragonnia Empire’s tutorial campaign.

In the game, the new emperor’s rise to power caused chaos, and the Ruth Kingdom provoked the empire multiple times, triggering border disputes. The moment Ruth’s soldiers crossed the border, the empire’s lords responded, and the *North War* began.

This war was the tutorial for the empire’s campaign in the game. Unsurprisingly, Ruth Kingdom couldn’t even win against the empire’s frontier vassals in the first battle.

Once the remnants were cleared out, the noble faction would rise to power, starting a power struggle with the imperial faction, and that marked the end of the tutorial, launching the empire into the real campaign.

Ruth Kingdom was doomed to fall the moment the real game began.

...I became a 16-year-old orphan named Viktor.

Out of all the countries, I ended up in Ruth Kingdom. It was a nightmare. The defeat itself wasn’t a big deal for the common folk who just had to switch flags, but the real problem was the event that happened at the end of the tutorial.

An event called *Forced Conscription* would take place, where Ruth’s population would be drastically reduced, generating hordes of poorly equipped peasant soldiers with low morale.

In the game, it was an annoyance, but in reality, it meant I could very well become one of those peasants, forced to march with nothing but a sickle against mounted knights.

I had to come up with a plan to escape the kingdom, and the only comfort was that I had something akin to a mini-map, just like in the game.

If I could just get out of this doomed nation, I could use my knowledge and mini-map to achieve something great.

After much thought, I decided to use this country as a stepping stone for my success. My plan was to make a name for myself and avoid being drafted as a peasant soldier, then switch to another nation at the right moment.

It might seem odd, but the game’s rulers didn’t hesitate to make use of talented defectors, so I figured it wasn’t impossible.

After considering my options, I decided to enroll in the kingdom’s military academy. In the game, I had always been better at commanding units in battle than handling personal stats, so it made sense.

---

It wasn’t easy.

I entered the academy as the top student, thinking everything would go smoothly. But in an institution dominated by well-bred nobles, I was always an outsider. Even the professors treated me poorly to avoid upsetting the nobles, and the other commoners either resented or ignored me.

No matter how well I did in classes, war games, or tactical exams, nothing changed.

Trying to prove myself through ability alone was reckless. I blamed my background, and the pettiness of those around me, but of course, the situation didn’t improve.

Despite never losing my position as the top student for four years, I was sent to a remote post in the mountains.

The second-ranked noble got a great assignment, and even the lowest-ranked commoners were spared from such an obvious exile.

At that moment, I realized what I had been missing: social skills.

It wasn’t about my talent—it was about how I managed relationships. If I had just kept a low profile instead of trying to stand out, things wouldn’t have turned out so badly.

From then on, I began to revisit my fading memories, learning everything I could from figures like those in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*.

It wasn’t without reward. I discovered that my mini-map had a tactical feature. Not only could I see the positions of enemies and allies, but I could also directly command my troops in battle.

Being able to issue orders instantly without relying on flags or bugles was a huge advantage, and any fears

 I had about my skills not being enough vanished.

Thanks to that, I could bide my time and wait for the right moment.

---

Four years passed after my assignment to the remote region.

Knowing that a war was coming, I prepared as much as I could without drawing attention. I spent my own money to gather supplies and trained my soldiers.

At the same time, I tried to keep up with the latest news, reading newspapers and gathering rumors from taverns and inns.

I also made sure to build good relationships, and my reputation here was much better than it had been at the academy. My soldiers followed my orders, and I didn’t have much conflict with other officers.

Just as I was preparing for the start of the campaign, the *North War* broke out.

---

Two years later.

I had planned to flee at the right time.

But somehow, I ended up as the Acting Supreme Commander of the Ruth Kingdom.

___________________________

TL NOTE:
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Santos ❣️