#1 – Original Work:
This story is a work of fanfiction inspired by Kingdom, the anime and manga series created by Yasuhisa Hara and produced by studios Pierrot and Signpost. All characters~(OC's aside), settings, and source material belong to their respective creators.
If you happened to encounter this fanfiction before seeing the original work, I strongly recommend watching or reading Kingdom and supporting the official release. It is an outstanding series well worth your time~(especially manga)
#2 – Deviations:
For the sake of both our mental health and well-being, please consider this story an AU~(alternate universe). While it was not my intention to diverge heavily, certain details will inevitably shift, blur, or change as the story progresses. That's just how it goes with fanfiction.
In addition, the story's first arc introduces plenty of OC's~(original characters). And the opening may differ substantially from what readers might expect from the usual Kingdom fanfic. So to avoid unnecessary confusion or nitpicking, it is best to treat this work as an AU from the outset.
#3 – About Myself:
English isn't my first language. That said, it is good enough for me to write all of this, post it online, and graciously provide readers with opportunities to practice their dunking on.
Btw, it's also one of the reasons updates may occasionally be delayed or arrive on a less-than-predictable basis. That and I've a life of my own, so I ask for your understanding. Your patience and understanding are greatly appreciated.
If you happen to spot any typos, grammatical mishaps, or any other linguistic crimes along the way, feel free to point them out. Helps me improve the quality of my work. Thanks in advance! (づ ᴗ _ᴗ)づ♡
#4 – Constructive Criticism:
Feel free to criticise, l've no problem with it and actually welcome it, as long as it's written in a neutral/respectful tone. But obviously, the keyword here is constructive. If you feel the urge to get personal about me or my work, don't be surprised if your comment mysteriously disappears… or if you earn a few profanities in reply. You're dealing with an erratic and mildly unstable individual here, so consider yourself warned.
#5 – Experience:
This is my first time writing something like this, so please go easy on me. There will probably be beginner mistakes along the way.
Of course, I'm not going in completely blind. I'd read plenty of other works and seen how they were written. But once I started writing on my own, I quickly realized there's a big difference between reading someone else's story and thinking "I could do that too," and actually sitting down to do it yourself. And when you try to do it properly, you realize how many things you need to keep in mind and juggle at once, and how easy it is to get overwhelmed. You're bound to be unprepared at first, make mistakes, and slowly learn as you go.
So please be gentle, and try not to slaughter me too hard in the comments~don't pretend to be innocent now. Yes, you! I know you're out there waiting for a chance! Let's try to keep it civil, okay? Or at least only mildly savage.
#6 – Story Development & Changes:
This story kicks off before the canon timeline and focuses on life outside any wars, major battles, or canon events. Think of it as extra content to flesh out the MC, his goals, his family, and the surroundings around him. In other words, a lot of good ol' worldbuilding.
There's the foundation arc where everything develops, the transition arc(#2) where action spikes, and the third arc is where the canon events begin. If the first arc isn't your cup of tea, please bear with it for a bit. The progression is gradual, though there's still action early on. I personally enjoy a slow, grounded buildup rather than having the MC pull sudden miracles out of his ass later.
So buckle up for a slower start. As it will take time to set everything up. But trust me(as much as you can trust the man on the internet), it'll pay off when the blood, sweat, and chaos finally hits the fan.
#7 – Tags and Themes:
System & Power:
There are no systems, cheats, or supernatural powers that don't exist in the original Kingdom world.
Putting this out here just in case, to eliminate any possible confusion. But there may still be some of the shenanigans with the so-called 'martial might','chi manipulation' or 'life energy'. But hey, I guess that all acceptable as the precedents were set by the original story itself. Yours truly just humbly following along.
Romance/Harem/R18:
There will be all the mentioned elements. For all the non-harem fans, don't worry, I'm keeping it low-key. The number of girls probably won't even hit three(never saw the point of going higher, it just gets messy).
As for why include it at all? Well, soldiers need a bit of joy in the middle of all the misery. I can't imagine a war story without at least a bit of stress relief. Plus, there's the MC's wealthy background to consider, so such things are kinda expected.
Faction Building:
From the early chapters, you'll see that the MC is interested in growing his influence and power in multiple ways. This will affect the plot quite drastically and have a tangible impact, especially on the battlefield.
He is a modern guy after all, there's a lot of stuff he could pull off, just wait and see.
Dark/Cruelty:
It's Kingdom, so yes, except violence, injustice, and moral greyness are all part of the package. I think it's only natural, as it's an inseparable part of the ancient world. Just a simple example, one Qin general famously buried 400k surrendered soldiers(prisoners of war) alive because there wasn't enough food to feed them, and he couldn't risk them rebelling or rejoining the enemy ranks…
And for those faint-hearted, sunshine individuals, it wouldn't be just the battlefield. There'll be all sorts of dark and ugly things happening in the cities and villages, too. The MC will have his 21st-century mindset, which won't survive unscathed, the environment and the world around will shape him, whether he likes it or not.
#8 – Images & Additional Info:
I'll do my best to drop relevant images of characters and locations whenever I can, no promises though~sometimes laziness gets its way.
For additional info, explanations, or random ramblings from yours truly will appear in the [A/N: Author Note] before or after the chapter. Don't skip it(for whatever reason) if you're curious about my thought process, weird headcanons, or just want to see me over-explain stuff for no good reason.
#9 – Webnovelitis:
I'm not rewriting chapters that are already published, what's done is done. But if you've got a killer idea for future developments and we haven't reached that point in the story yet, feel free to share it. Especially now, while the story is still in its infancy and we're gloriously seven years behind canon. Who knows? Your idea might just magically appear in the story.
So throw all you have while it matters. Don't let your genius go to waste.