I only wanted to retire, but I ended up becoming an extremely popular character.

On the outskirts of Hessen, at the scene of a murder of a merchant.

A severed tree trunk lay across the middle of the road, and a horse-drawn cart loaded with goods overturned in a ravine, its cargo scattered all over the ground.

Three corpses lay on the ground.

You can tell someone's identity by their clothing; those wearing fine linen coats and leather money bags around their waists are merchants.

The man in the coarse cloth and short clothes standing to the side was a servant accompanying the group.

The one closest to the carriage had a long sword lying beside him that he hadn't had time to draw; he must have been a hired guard.

The servants and guards had deep, thin cuts on their necks, and the dark red blood stained the green leaves beside them with an eerie black.

The merchant was pierced through the chest by a sharp object, and the clothes around the wound were soaked in blood, which congealed into a hard scab.

All three were killed instantly, and there were no signs of resistance at the scene.

A young officer wearing a Shak military cap and an Imperial military uniform walked up to Zod and gave a crisp salute.

His name was Cassius, the sergeant major of Zod, his young face full of sharpness and determination.

He spoke clearly as he reported the situation to Zod: "Warrant Lieutenant, the body has been looted. A chest in the carriage was found pried open, and all the valuables inside have been stolen."

"The forensic doctor deduced that the victim died around yesterday evening."

After a brief pause, Cassius added, "Judging from the situation at the scene, the perpetrators seem to have only wanted to rob us."

Cassius's loud voice shattered the tranquility of the forest, even sounding somewhat jarring.

Zod nodded slightly, then changed the subject: "Shouldn't this kind of murder case be handled by the local sheriff's office?"

He has reasons for not being able to take on the case, and he will decline it if he can.

During this period, he absolutely cannot make any contributions, let alone increase his "popularity value" by even a fraction.

Not long ago, he was drinking soda and watching anime on Earth when he woke up to find himself transported to a popular anime called "Empire Rising," becoming a minor character.

After transmigrating, he was bound to a "popularity value" system. As long as he continuously increased his "popularity value", he could obtain various rewards.

The rules of the "Popularity Value" system are as follows:

The system will evaluate a character's popularity based on a combination of factors, including audience discussion, voting, and the volume of bullet comments. Popularity scores will be tallied every two weeks, with the following rewards:

[Reaching 1000 popularity points: You will receive a newbie gift pack and your appearance rate in later episodes will increase by 5%!]

[When your popularity reaches 3000: You will receive a free chance to draw a martial arts secret technique, and your appearance rate in later episodes will increase by 10%!]

[When your popularity reaches 6000: You will receive 3 potential points and your appearance rate in later episodes will increase by 15%!]

[Reaching 10000 popularity points will unlock the Popularity Point Exchange Shop and ensure a 20% increase in your appearances in later episodes!]

……

[Note: If a character dies in the story, they will die permanently. If a character fails to break 6000 popularity points in three consecutive popularity calculations, they will be completely removed from the main storyline and forced to "retire" as a background character.]

If a character's popularity plummets due to inconsistencies with their established personality, reaching an irreversible point, the character will be forced to "retire."

In the "retirement" state, the character will not participate in any main or side storylines, and their story will be in a state of stagnation.

"Retirement" does not mean death, but rather that the character will permanently become a background character, like a "passerby".

Please make your choice carefully!

】

The empire is currently mired in the quagmire of war and cannot extricate itself; the front lines are the true stage of this world.

Smart people have already seen through the biggest "trap" of this "popularity value" system.

That's right, as your "popularity value" increases, you'll receive various generous rewards.

However, increasing Zod's appearances is not a reward, but a death trap.

As for his so-called screen time, it's necessary for the plot; it's impossible for Zod to just sit back and relax, drinking tea and reading newspapers until retirement.

Once the "popularity value" increases, Zod will most likely be sent to the front lines to fight. In any case, dying heroically on the front lines will increase his screen time.

Once on the battlefield, enemies and bullets won't avoid Zod just because he has a system; death will be as commonplace as drinking water.

The anime series "Tales of Empires" doesn't care how popular a character is; members of the main cast can die at will for the sake of the plot.

Zod knew his own limitations; he was just a slacker, a good-for-nothing.

He's good at slacking off, but he's completely inept at fighting. If he were really on the battlefield, he probably wouldn't survive a single episode.

Zod wouldn't risk his life for some bullshit "popularity value" from the system.

It is precisely because they have a clear understanding of their own strengths and positioning.

He absolutely cannot go to the battlefield!

Zod's goal is to "survive" without contributing to any plot or increasing his "popularity".

If you survive a month and a half and keep your popularity value below 6000 for three consecutive months, you will trigger the system's guaranteed "retirement" mechanism and become a "passerby" character.

Zod wouldn't have to participate in the extremely dangerous main storyline, nor would he have to become cannon fodder like a background character.

By hiding in the back, Zod's chances of survival will greatly increase.

Only after surviving will he have the opportunity to reflect on the dangers, consider retreat, and think about change, and then find a way to escape to a safe country to live out the rest of his life in peace.

The Empire's war wasn't started by Zod, so what business is it of his? He's only making a meager salary, why is he risking his life?

My thoughts drifted back to reality...

After a moment's thought, Cassius replied, "Ensuring the safety and smooth flow of roads in Blackwood Town, and guaranteeing the safe transport of the Empire's supplies to the front lines, is our military's responsibility. Besides, those bandits aren't ordinary thugs; even if we hand them over to the police station, they..."

Realizing he couldn't shirk responsibility, Zod interrupted Cassius, "Alright, I understand. We're in the middle of nowhere, and we don't even know which way the thugs fled. Let's go back to the camp and discuss this further!"

He didn't want to stay at the crime scene; what if he found out something?

At that moment, a soldier suddenly reported to Zod: "Reporting to the warrant officer, we found several fresh footprints in the woods not far from the crime scene, and there are also some goods that appear to belong to the victim left near the footprints."

What I feared most came to pass.

Criminals these days are so unprofessional; they actually leave traces at the crime scene.

Now that a clue has been discovered, Zod can't just ignore it; he has to at least check the situation at the scene before making a conclusion.

Led by the soldiers, Zod arrived at the woods not far from the crime scene.

He did find several fresh footprints, with vendors' goods left nearby, and several different sets of footprints clearly extending into the depths of the forest.

Before Zod could give any instructions, Cassius couldn't contain himself: "Warrant Lieutenant, these footprints are still very fresh. They must have been left by the thugs when they escaped yesterday. They can't have gone too far tonight. We can still catch up with them now."

Zod stared at the footprints, remaining noncommittal.

His concern wasn't whether he had enough time, but rather how to handle the situation once the criminals were caught.

Making a contribution? And then increasing your "popularity"? These factors could send Zod to the battlefield.

Zod sighed and said solemnly, "Sergeant Cassius, you're right, we must organize a pursuit immediately!"

Cassius's lips curled into a firm yet gentle smile: "Yes, I will organize men to follow the footprints and pursue them immediately."

"Following the footprints? What are you talking about, Sergeant Major?"

"Isn't it...?" Cassius asked, his face full of questions.

Zod asserted confidently, "This is clearly a deliberate ruse by the enemy. Would a normal person leave such obvious footprints after robbing and killing someone? I don't believe they would be so stupid as to not even erase their footprints."

"Without a doubt, the criminals must have fled in the opposite direction!" Zod pointed in the direction completely opposite to the footprints.

He pointed in a direction he thought was least likely to be inhabited by criminals.

In reality, he believed that the perpetrators, who committed the crime at dusk, might not have noticed their footprints when they fled in haste because of the darkness.