Kang Joon-ho sat hunched over his second-hand laptop, the buzzing fan louder than his will to live. Outside, the sun blazed over Seoul's skyline, but inside his cramped goshiwon room, there was only stale air, half-eaten convenience store ramen, and disappointment.
He scratched his head, eyes locked on the novel's final chapter.
> "And thus, the Demon King poured his final cup of tea, smiling as his subordinates and friends gave the readers a farewell."
Joon-ho stared at the line for a full minute before slamming the laptop shut.
"This is the dumbest thing I've ever read," he muttered.
He had spent the last three days binge-reading The Demon King's Tea Time, a web novel with thousands of glowing reviews. Everyone called it "deep," "philosophical," and "life-changing."
He called it nonsense.
"How can a Demon King sit on his butt, drink tea all day, and still win? What kind of brain-dead author writes a climax where the hero trips on a teacup and becomes disabled?"
He opened the review page.
Username: BitterRealist97
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
> "This novel is proof that society is doomed. The protagonist is lazy, the world-building is trash, and the ending feels like the author gave up halfway. If the Demon King spent less time sipping Elven tree and more time doing something, maybe the story wouldn't be such a joke."
Satisfied, he clicked "Post."
Then, the lights went out.
The screen flickered. His laptop crackled — then smoke. He jumped up, but before he could curse the building's cheap wiring, his feet gave out beneath him.
It was like gravity reversed. His body twisted, weightless, as the room turned black.
He wasn't falling.
He was being dragged.
---
When Joon-ho opened his eyes, the sky above was grey, heavy with storm clouds. The air smelled of ash and something sour. He was lying on cracked stone, surrounded by the remnants of what had once been a grand castle — now reduced not by war, but by economic collapse.
The buildings stood. The roads were intact. But there were no people. Just rot. Just dust. Just silence.
"…what the hell?"
He sat up slowly. His body felt different. Not weaker, but… unfamiliar. A sudden pain shot through his temples, and memories not his own surged into his brain.
Kairon Elshade. The fallen crown prince of the Kingdom of Avelra.
Once a wealthy capital of trade and magic. Now bankrupt, isolated, and dying.
Joon-ho clutched his head.
"I studied political theory and macroeconomics, not kingdom management—!"
He looked around: faded banners, sealed granaries, abandoned markets. No war had done this.
Corruption had. Mismanagement. Greedy nobles. Weak kings.
Then came the voice.
> "Since you hated the Demon King's story so much… try rewriting it yourself."
A glowing screen appeared in front of him.
[Congratulations! You have been transmigrated. Get up and do something.]
Joon-ho blinked.
"…I should've been a little respectful."
---
He calmed down and thought to himself.
"Okay, since I've transmigrated… let's check where I am. Avelra… Avelra…"
He closed his eyes, trying to recall the map he'd glimpsed during the memory flood.
There were vague outlines, borders, and flags—but nothing clear.
"…I don't remember!" Joon-ho panicked. "What the heck!? There's Venius, Rainsworth, uh… something with a Z?!"
He looked around desperately, as if a map would magically appear from the ruins. All he saw was a moss-covered wall with some cracked carvings and what might've been a royal crest. It was faded, almost mocking.
His voice echoed in the empty air. "Seriously? You give me a dead kingdom and not even a geography lesson?!"
The screen dinged.
[Tip: Regional knowledge locked. Complete 'Reclaim the Crown' to unlock the World Map.]
"…Are you kidding me? Is this a game now?"
[Yes.]
Another screen popped up.
[New Quest: Reclaim the Crown]
Objective: Re-establish basic rule over the capital of Avelra.
Reward: Access to kingdom info, regional map, and beginner administration rights.
Penalty for failure: Starvation. Probably.
Joon-ho exhaled sharply. "At least it's honest."
He sat on a crumbling step, staring at the cracked courtyard.
"So… I'm a crown prince of a dead economy with zero allies, no food, no money, and a kingdom smaller than most K-dramas' apartment sets."
Another ding.
[Bonus Trait Acquired: Former Unemployed Political Science Graduate]
Effect: +15% Planning Ability, +20% Realism, -10% Morale under job pressure.
"…Not helping."
He rubbed his temples, already feeling the headache. He had studied politics and economics to work in government. Maybe join a think tank. Solve real-world problems. He didn't expect to be isekai'd into a literal case study on economic collapse.
"Well… at least I'm not starting from zero."
A piece of parchment fluttered across the stone. Curious, he picked it up. It was a tax record. Ancient, but legible. Scribbled at the bottom were a few calculations… and a signature.
Chancellor Arvis, Year 431.
"Huh. So someone was trying to fix things…"
He looked up toward the broken throne room ahead.
"I need people. Advisors. Labor. Trade. Anything."
Then the realization hit.
"…I need to rebuild a state from scratch."
---
Inside the castle, there were almost no servants. There was just a single woman doing laundry just in the backyard. He went ahead, and headed into the meeting room from where he heard a voice.
Joon-ho paused at the cracked doorway, listening.
"…We've gone from twelve ministers to two surviving officials. We can't manage a capital with this," the man's voice trembled, low but bitter. "The granaries are sealed, the treasury is empty, and the people… the people stopped coming to the palace months ago."
The woman responded quietly, but firmly. "We can't abandon Avelra, Chancellor. This is still the heart of the kingdom. If the royal family returns—"
"The royal family is dead," the man snapped.
A long silence followed.
Joon-ho stepped in.
"Not all of them."
Both turned sharply. The man—a balding figure with dark circles under his eyes—stood up, eyes wide in disbelief. The woman, in a faded military uniform, instinctively reached for a blade that wasn't there.
"Who—who are you?" she asked.
Joon-ho straightened his back, suddenly aware of the weight on his shoulders—figurative and literal, as his posture naturally adjusted into something regal.
"…Kairon Elshade," he said. "Crown Prince of Avelra. Back from exile."
The chancellor looked like he'd just seen a ghost. "Th-that's impossible. You… His Highness died three years ago in the Battle of Eldenreach—"
"Do I look dead to you?"
A heavy silence settled. Then the woman stepped forward, scrutinizing him. Her eyes narrowed, but something in his tone… the confidence, the weight behind the words… made her hesitate.
"…Prove it," she said. "Say something only Prince Kairon would know."
Joon-ho's mind spun. He didn't know a thing—until a system screen popped up in front of his eyes:
[Memory Assist Activated: Accessing Last Known Conversa-]
He smiled, then suddenly became angry.
"Ha?! F*ck? What did you say you son of a b*tch? Prove? Am I standing here not enough or are you blind?"
"Quite prince kairon-like.."
The woman blinked, stunned. The chancellor's jaw dropped.
"W-What?!"
Joon-ho—no, Kairon—stepped forward with righteous indignation. "You think some imposter would crawl out of exile just to cosplay as royalty in this dump? You think I want this job?!"
The woman exchanged glances with the chancellor. Slowly, the man whispered, "…That temper. That tone. He sounds like Prince Kairon, alright."
Joon-ho muttered under his breath, "Thank you, Memory Assist…"
[+1 Loyalty from Commander Elira. +1 Suspicion from Chancellor Varn.]
She gave a slow nod, arms crossing. "If you're truly him… then prove it not just with words. Give us a command. What's your first order, Your Highness?"
Joon-ho paused.
He had no army, no gold, no detailed knowledge of the land, and only two tired-looking people in front of him.
"…Then my first royal decree is simple."
He stepped toward the dusty table in the center of the room and slammed his palm down.
"Clean this damn castle. We're rebuilding from ground zero, and I'm not ruling from a rat's nest."
Elira stared, then gave the faintest smirk.
Varn muttered, "He's insane…"
[Quest Updated: Reclaim the Crown → Part I: Restore the Heart]
> Objective: Rebuild the throne room, reactivate the estate system, recruit 3 core officials. Reward: Unlock basic governance functions, open public audience system.
Joon-ho looked down at the glowing screen only he could see and sighed.
"…This is going to be a nightmare."
And yet, deep inside, a fire he hadn't felt in years began to flicker.
After all, political theory might finally be useful.