Have you ever imagined a mix between an open-world Souls-like, an eroge, and a social simulation?
No?
Well, screw you—it already exists, and it's freaking awesome.
[Kings Roads]
Since its release, it's become the new obsession of gamers, the nightmare of speedrunners, and the goose that lays golden eggs for the company.
Bosses so tough their third phase traumatizes players.
A world so vast it's not uncommon to get lost before you even commit to the main route you've chosen.
Builds so varied you need Excel spreadsheets just to keep track of your path.
Alright… and that's only for exploration and experience grinding.
Now, let's go back to the other two strong points of the game.
{Social Simulation}
The game heavily relies on interactions with NPCs and how you build solid relationships with them to unlock upgrades, items, and special—or brutally difficult—missions.
It's tricky to determine an optimal relationship order; there are so many characters you basically need a compatibility chart just to avoid missing benefits.
Some relationships have synergy that can make the adventure easier, while others will force you to rely on grinding.
Managing your social life to advance your character's growth will make you question your life choices.
And finally…
{Eroge}
Okay. Brace yourself.
120 heroines.
120 routes.
Only God knows how many endings there actually are.
The game takes its open-world aspect very seriously. As an 18+ game, it puts a lot of effort into the design of both female and male characters.
The hero is disgustingly handsome—so much so that many players draw fanart of him looking uglier than he is.
Anyway, out of all the heroines, only three have their routes fully mapped out.
Each with their own adult scenes and happy endings.
As a rule, choosing a heroine usually turns the others antagonistic, or reduces the routes and builds available to the MC.
So picking a waifu means aligning with one faction in a war against the others.
How do I know this?
Well…
I'm a streamer. For the past year, thanks to refusing to choose any heroine, a good chunk of the community has thrown every insult under the sun at me.
[Kings Roads] is the game I've been trying to beat—the game where I'll claim the throne of the King of Souls.
King of Souls? Oh, yeah. That's the title of the former God-King in the game's lore—the theoretical goal of every player.
But almost everyone opts to become "Lords," meaning they pick a waifu and reach an ending.
Apparently, those endings don't count as the "true ending." They're just the conclusion of the story you chose.
That's why I decided not to do it.
Without a waifu by my side, everything has gotten exponentially harder—and the community's hatred doesn't help.
No items that restore more than half your health. No buffs just for having a favorite girl.
The fights are insane. Every enemy feels like a boss.
With three monstrous phases.
But…
Nah, I'd win.
And here we are, with the whole world watching me face one of the game's toughest bosses.
Helal
[The Sage Who Bears All Names]
The penultimate boss in almost every route.
After the third phase, the victory cinematic began to play.
The monstrous boss, shrouded in darkness, dissolved into the shadows of the world itself. All that remained was the body of an old man with a long beard—whom the fandom lovingly called "Evil Santa."
It was satisfying to see him fall. After nine days and nine hours of attempts, I finally landed the last blow.
I gathered the items he dropped, then took a moment to read the stream's comments.
Iguanaking: {The bastard did it}
Lookatme: {He did it—without a waifu. He did it}
52newboy: {Hell yeah!}
Wahthagame: {Let's go!}
Imnotagoose: {All without a girl}
I smiled and leaned toward the microphone.
"I did it."
When I started playing, I was a streamer with almost no notoriety. This game is what made me visible to a ridiculous number of people.
I watched the comment section explode, and my smile widened.
On-screen, my character stood alone.
Without a waifu, I had to build optimally. I went with dual wielding—twin short swords in different colors—then poured points into strength and speed to keep up with bosses past the game's midpoint.
Light armor. Black robes with extra resistance. White shoulder pads with gold detailing. A white cloth at the waist functioning as an amulet.
Basically, I mixed and matched gear until the stats were decent.
Tomorrow, I'll be the talk of the community of Kings Roads.
"Alright. Time to finish this," I said, grabbing the controller and walking toward the blue steps of light that formed after Helal fell.
The throne of the King of Souls awaited.
It felt almost impossible to have made it this far alone.
"Thanks to everyone for your support during this adventure." The chat instantly lit up with cheers.
Finally—inside the sky castle, just before the Midnight Throne—I could see the end.
I smiled. I'm close. I'm really close.
When I entered the throne room, I saw a message left by the developers:
"The confined King will regain his life after 900 years.
He will regain his power after 90 years.
He will regain his essence after 9 years.
And the world will end in 9 days."
"Lore…" I muttered, unimpressed. Throughout the adventure, bits of the protagonist's fate were scattered through item descriptions and conversations.
Needless to say, in a game about waifus and epic battles, the protagonist's lore is the least interesting part.
Anyway—back to what matters.
The Throne of the King of Souls was magnificent: blue crystal that seemed to hold entire universes, suspended in a golden glow with firelike effects.
Normally, this is where the player and their waifu would destroy the throne and absorb the power within—effectively becoming gods.
Well, screw that.
I moved my character up to the throne, and the options appeared.
{Sit}
{Destroy}
I was going to savor this.
My phone rang, ruining the moment.
"One moment, please." I glanced at the phone on my desk.
A message from Dylan Whatcher.
Another streamer.
And my number-one hater.
During the game's initial boom, he became infamous for posting a "review" that said nothing while demanding an easy mode.
Git gud.
He was also the first to use every discovered exploit and copy every build other people created—and the first to call himself "the best [Kings Roads] player in the world."
It was rare for him to contact me. Last I heard, he was getting canceled for being toxic to basically everyone.
I'm one of the smaller content creators who spoke out against his memecoin.
He slandered me until a gaming channel accused him of botting his views—then he redirected his tantrum at them, until someone else exposed him as a scammer.
He's supposed to have me blocked on social media.
Dylanreview: [Congrats, you pathological liar. Now you'll be half as relevant as I am.]
I sighed, looked at the camera, and smiled calmly.
"Our friend Dylan—fresh off the failure of his fifth scam and harassing a cosplayer who rejected him—has shown signs of life."
My chat erupted.
Babayouga: {Hey, groomer—weren't you being canceled for harassing a Vtuber?}
Mikerealperson: {Dude, it's literally projection.}
Lookatme: {Trash.}
Lordskeleton: {Why isn't he already in jail?}
I don't like mocking people with obvious issues, but Dylan had crossed so many lines it was hard to empathize.
When I started streaming, I wasn't in a great place—emotionally or financially. Those were rough days.
Back then, Dylan made a habit of harassing up-and-coming streamers to keep them from stealing his audience.
I was one of his favorite targets:
"A mediocre guy like him barely gets a hundred viewers a day."
"I don't know what people see in him—he has no charisma and he's an egomaniac."
"People like him always end up being p*ahem*philes."
Dylan had a habit of projecting.
I joked about it once on stream. His hardcore fans told him.
From that day forward, I was an enemy of Dylan and the "Bees."
Honestly, his fans sometimes feel like a cult.
Dylan—being the physical embodiment of egocentrism—replied:
Dylanreview: [You're disgusting.]
"Being a bad person in your eyes automatically makes me a good person, Dylan. Go see a therapist, man."
I ignored him. Dylan wasn't worth it. I refocused on the game, mind sharpened.
{Sit}
The protagonist sat. I waited for the final cinematic and the credits.
Then, golden letters appeared above the character—an unusual animation, and no options.
"What is your wish?"
I blinked. "There's nothing to pick…" Maybe it was a bug. God, I'd hate to beat Helal again because of some stupid glitch.
"Reveal your greatest dream."
Okay. That was weird.
The chat was just as confused as I was.
"Well, folks, it looks like we've stumbled into something completely new. What do these evil developers have in mind?" This was what I wanted: a new outcome.
My chat started offering theories.
Bananalag: {Maybe it's connected directly to the devs. Ask for money.}
MrLol: {What if you load from the last save point and see if it happens again?}
"I'm a gamer, MrLol, not a masochist," I said flatly.
Noagainthis: {What if you make a real wish?}
Honestly, I had nothing to lose by playing along.
"Okay. Let's see. What's my wish?"
Money? No—I'm fine with what I make streaming. Fame? Also no.
Lookatme: {You can be honest with us}
My first fan.
Lookatme had been there since the beginning. For seven years, they'd been one of the most loyal and supportive people in my community.
I don't open up much, but when I do, old sadness tends to crawl back out.
"Guys… have you ever felt like you just don't belong anywhere? I don't know. It's weird."
Eight years ago, I lost everything because of someone I loved. When I finally healed, I realized I'd never been anything to her.
Raul2451: {Man, I think you're just tired of people coming to bother you.}
"Yeah," I said. "Maybe that's it."
It wasn't.
I thought about my dad. We'd never had a good relationship. Last I heard, he remarried.
Good for him.
My siblings probably think I'm dead. Or… no. They just don't care.
And I'd never been great at making friends.
I shoved the thoughts away and checked the chat again.
Lookatme: {So what do you wish for?}
I looked back to the game.
"Reveal your greatest dream."
I remembered my old cat, Mychelle.
And suddenly, I knew.
I smiled at the camera.
"I'd wish for a place to belong, you know? Somewhere to come back to when I'm tired—where I know someone's waiting for me. A home. That'd be great."
Maybe I was being too sentimental.
I checked the chat. They were in the middle of a fight with…
Dylanreview: {This sicko must dream of eliminating those who expose him as a scammer and manipulator.}
Mikerealperson: {Dylan, everyone knows you've been brainwashing your fans.}
Lordskeleton: {You need professional help, Dylan.}
Bananalag: {How's your new scam going, Dylan?}
Lookatme: {Weren't you the one with a crush on a character who's a little girl?}
"Dylan, damn it," I muttered. "I wish you'd just be a decent person for once."
I said it out loud, and then—
"Your wish has been heard.
Our best wishes, King of Souls."
Vertigo slammed into me. Still seated, I pitched backward, flailing for something to grab.
It was like being thrown into the sea.
Darkness swallowed everything—so deep I couldn't even see my hands.
I floated in nothing.
I… I was struggling to stay awake.
Hey… I don't want… I don't want—
"Aah!"
I jolted upright, drenched in sweat, my heart hammering.
I raised a hand to my face. My head felt like someone had drilled into my skull.
I threw off the blanket, got out of bed, and headed for the bathroom—
Then froze.
My body had moved on autopilot, but this wasn't my room.
It was elegant: black-and-gold ceramic floors, a dark-wood ceiling, everything absurdly expensive.
A king's bedroom.
This isn't my room.
The bed looked like a cloud, draped in golden cotton fabrics.
I'd never seen this place before.
Where am I? What am I doing here?
I have to get out. Obviously, I've been kidnapped. I need—I need—
"Calm down," I told myself.
The voice that came out… wasn't mine.
Mechanically, I turned to the mirror beside a massive black-wood wardrobe.
My reflection made the world feel wrong.
White hair—completely white.
Blood-red eyes.
Pale skin, corpse-pale.
And younger. Much younger than I should be.
And then—
"Jakob Liedschlag."
The name slipped from my lips like it had always been there.
But that's impossible. My name is—
"AAAH!"
Agony detonated in my skull, like molten metal being poured into my brain. I collapsed, teeth clenched so hard my jaw ached.
I couldn't breathe. The edges of my vision turned black.
My veins felt like they were pumping lava. My muscles locked up.
Smell, touch—everything dulled. My whole body burned.
God, make it stop. It's too much.
Kill me… kill me—
I… I… I—
Then the pain vanished.
"I am Jakob Liedschlag."
My mind snapped clear. Memories that weren't mine—of a life I'd never lived—flooded in.
I am Jakob Liedschlag.
Oh, shit.
I pushed myself off the floor.
Jakob Liedschlag is a newly enrolled student at Eozän Academy, from the Kingdom of Erdeder Gnade.
And he's the tutorial boss in [Kings Roads]—the first enemy the game used to teach you the basic combat mechanics.
So yes, I've been isekai'd into a Souls-like game.
But not as the hero. Not as a special character. Not as a secret character.
I'm a tutorial boss with no real significance.
A tutorial boss who will almost certainly die in the upcoming conflict.
Well.
"Shit."