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

In another world, the anime series "Empire Rising" has been airing for some time now.

The main themes of the anime series "Empire Rising" are the power struggles and intrigues in the imperial court and the battle scenes on the front lines.

As for the story that follows, only a small segment will be shown occasionally.

Its main function is to introduce the characters, explain the background, or use the peaceful life at home to highlight the cruelty of the war on the front lines.

Zod's first appearance in the anime is in a toilet, where he urinates while muttering to himself, "The Empire's war, it's not like I started it. Why risk my life for such a meager salary!"

After urinating for a while, Zod suddenly shuddered. He shook a few times, then pulled up his belt: "I need to find a way to retire. No reward will do me any good. I just want to retire, I don't want to go back to the battlefield."

Zod had only recently acquired the system, and after weighing the pros and cons, he made the decision in the toilet to retire and avoid war.

This soliloquy was entirely directed at himself.

He probably couldn't figure it out even if he racked his brains, that his mutterings in the bathroom would be edited into part of an anime series.

Upon exiting the toilet, a soldier reported to Zod that a murder and robbery had been discovered on the outskirts of Hessen.

Those involved are often blinded by their own perspective. None of the soldiers, including Sergeant Cassius, understood why Zod, seeing obvious footprints, was pointing in the opposite direction to search.

But the viewers in front of the screen knew perfectly well.

From God's perspective, they understood that Zod deliberately didn't want to go to the battlefield and was leading the troops in a direction where there were no villains at all.

When all the viewers were bracing themselves to see how this minor character would end up without finding the culprit.

But then a turning point occurred: Zod casually pointed in a direction and discovered the Grizzly Mountain Bandits.

This small twist brought the plot to a minor climax.

Zod's "popularity" has also begun to grow slowly, but there is not much discussion about this new character in the comments.

Warrant Officer Zod's popularity increased by 1!

Warrant Officer Zod's popularity increased by 1!

Warrant Officer Zod's popularity increased by 1!

Warrant Officer Zod's popularity increased by 1!

……

During the one-on-one duel with Iruk, the leader of the Grizzly Mountain Bandits, the scene where Iruk kicks a tree root and then crashes into Zod's sword was given a special close-up shot in the anime.

At the end, a serious-looking Cassius apologizes to Zod and expresses his gratitude, while Zod remains completely bewildered throughout the entire process, which is given a close-up by the camera.

Zod's appearance lasted only 2 minutes and 28 seconds, but the entire short storyline was very complete and interesting.

The story perfectly captures the O. Henry-esque plot of a minor character who loathes the battlefield, deliberately sabotaging things to avoid being sent to the front lines, only to successfully complete his mission.

It quickly established the character of a minor figure who struggles in the vortex of the times but is instead swept up by them.

This gave viewers who were getting a bit tired of battles and political intrigue a refreshing viewing experience.

There isn't much intrigue, bloodshed, or death; it's just a story about an ordinary person, much like many other office workers, struggling to secure a peaceful retirement.

This resonated with many people who work 996 hours a day to make a living, and made them remember this seemingly ordinary character among hundreds of main characters.

The dramatic ending, in particular, brought the barrage of comments to a fever pitch.

"Wow, what incredible luck!"

"Absorb some good luck!"

"Is this the man who ate the 'Super Luck' fruit? Terrifying!"

"As expected of Warrant Officer Zod, he hits exactly where he's pointed."

"Here they come! The person who wields the causal weapon from the show has appeared."

"Your bandit group is here not because of plot requirements, but because that's the direction I, Warrant Officer Zod, am pointing!"

"Who in the show can understand Zod's intentions? He genuinely wanted to retire!"

"Retirement is out of the question. I bet 5 cents that Zod might get promoted in the next episode."

"It's so delicious! I ate an extra bowl of rice today because of Warrant Officer Zod's appearance."

"Looking forward to Warrant Officer Zod's appearance in the next episode."

……

As discussions about Zod increased, Zod's popularity also experienced a small surge.

Warrant Officer Zod's popularity increased by 1!

Warrant Officer Zod's popularity increased by 2!

Warrant Officer Zod's popularity increased by 1!

Warrant Officer Zod's popularity increased by 3!

……

At this time, Zod was completely unaware of what was happening in the other world.

He had no idea about his appearance in the anime series.

He was still waiting for his soldiers to assemble so they could prepare for their mission.

Until a system message popped into his mind.

[The popularity score for this system session has been tallied. Your popularity score for this session is: 3581!]

WTF! How can the popularity score be 3581?

Zod's interrogation system: "Did you make a mistake in the statistics, or did you get the roles wrong?"

[System: No error. Warrant Officer Zod - Popularity: 3581, not ranked in the top 99!]

Although Zod had already anticipated that his popularity would increase due to the capture of the bandits.

However, I never expected it to reach over 3500. Keep in mind that 3581 is only 2400 away from 6000, and popularity will accumulate over time.

Because there will be a constant stream of new viewers watching the anime, and existing viewers will also discuss the plot, promoting the spread of the anime.

If Zod doesn't do something soon, his popularity might actually break 6000 points.

This is something he cannot accept.

The main problem is that he can't see the audience's feedback. If he knew where he did something too well or what the audience liked, he could just change it.

No! He needs to figure out a way to mess things up.

In short, the popularity rating cannot rise any further.

Congratulations! Your popularity score has reached 1000!

You will receive a new player gift pack and your appearance chance in later episodes will increase by 5%!

[Distribution complete, please check your account!]

Congratulations! Your popularity score has reached 3000!

[You will receive a free chance to draw a martial arts secret technique, and your appearance rate in later episodes will be increased by 10%!]

[Distribution complete, please check your account!]

There's no point in saying anything more now that things have come to this.

Let's see what the system rewards are!

Zod returned to his office and locked the door from the inside.

He directly opened the panel in his mind and clicked on the "Newbie Gift Pack" icon.

You've opened the newbie gift pack:

[You have gained access to the Virtual Dream Training Ground for 30 days!]

You have obtained any weapon specialization *1!

You have gained 3 points of any potential value!

These are all very useful things for Zod.

The development of physical potential in this world is not subject to the numerous limitations imposed by genes as it is on Earth.

In this world, theoretically there are no limits to the development of the body's various potentials.

There are many powerful individuals whose fists are as strong as cannons.

Therefore, developing one's body and martial arts skills to their fullest potential is already powerful enough.

In the military, there are quite a few officers who become captains solely based on their physical skills.

To increase the chances of survival in the upcoming mission, whether the mission can be completed is secondary.

Zod plans to use up the rewards of any weapon specialization and the free draw of martial arts techniques first.

Both of these rewards can quickly improve Zod's strength.

The first is any weapon specialization.

Zod can choose any existing weapon to specialize in, such as a gun, sword, knife, club, or axe.

Zod was used to swords, so he naturally chose to specialize in swordsmanship.

The moment he chose to specialize in swordsmanship, he suddenly felt a deeper understanding of how to use a sword.

As for why not choose firearms.

That's because the biggest drawback of firearms as long-range weapons is that they cannot undergo a qualitative change as the strength of the wielder increases.

No matter how strong the user is, the damage caused by a firearm is fixed.

As the opponent becomes stronger, the effectiveness of firearms becomes increasingly limited.

Next, you can draw any martial arts secret technique.

[Drawing random martial arts techniques for you...]