Chapter 1: Possession (1)  

It seems I've transmigrated into a character from a game I used to enjoy.

Judging by the room's structure and size, it's undoubtedly a dormitory in the academy.

The room is quite spacious for a single occupant, and medieval-style furniture is scattered throughout.

The furniture, seemingly reflecting the owner's taste, is uniformly extravagant and splendid.

I lowered my head and scratched it vigorously. Nothing would change, but the situation was absurd.

Just moments ago, I had been sitting in front of my computer, waiting for the new patch to download for this game. I had been eagerly anticipating the newly added shop system and the surprising additional story.

"..."

I slowly raised my head and surveyed the surroundings. As expected, it was a room in the academy's dormitory that I had seen many times before.

The pale silver hair and striking red eyes of a handsome boy were reflected in the full-length mirror in front of me.

Of course, I recognized the character.

A transparent window, faintly glowing, appeared before my eyes, signaling that this was the new me.

"Ah..."

But why did it have to be this character? If I had to transmigrate, shouldn't I become at least a main supporting character, if not the protagonist?

The character from the game 'Kyren Zena Chronicles' I had transmigrated into was Theo Lyn Waldeurk.

This guy was not an ally of the protagonist; instead, he was a third-rate villainous extra with little presence.

He was a character the developers inserted for comic relief and moral education in the early stages of the game.

Although he came from a prestigious family of heroes, he possessed the worst qualities and temperament.

In other words, he was a weakling with no special abilities.

His distinguishing feature was that he would die in any route—killed by the enraged protagonist, killed by monsters while showing off, killed by his disappointed fiancée, or killed by various other characters.

[Main Quest: Graduate from Elinia Academy's Hero Department with excellent grades.]

Time remaining: 3 years, 5 months, 23 days Reward: ???

But graduating from the Hero Department with excellent grades as this failure of a character was an incredibly difficult task. I didn't know what the reward would be, but the difficulty was too high.

In the 'Kyren Zena Chronicles', excellent grades meant being in the top 10%.

...I couldn't even run away.

In 'Kyren Zena Chronicles', failing the main quest led to immediate death. Of course, it might not be the case, but it was too risky to try.

In the end, to survive, I had to somehow graduate from this academy's Hero Department with excellent grades...

I had once achieved the world's first ending with a discarded martial artist character in the original game, but even I had no confidence in accomplishing this task.

Why?

Regardless of origin, gender, age, or race, the Hero Department only accepts the most talented individuals on the continent. Only about half of them safely finish their fourth year and graduate.

Setting aside excellent grades, graduation seemed impossible with this character.

The Knight Department and Magic Department were also full of talented individuals, but the Hero Department was in a league of its own. They desired one genius over a thousand prodigies.

That's why, in the original game, 'heroes from Elinia Academy' were highly respected simply for that reason.

About an hour passed like that.

"Sigh..."

Before I knew it, my once cluttered mind had settled down.

A hero must make rational judgments even in the most extreme situations. This is a phrase heavily emphasized not only by teaching assistants, but also by professors and the principal.

Although I was originally quite rational, I accepted this idea too quickly. Being able to calm my mind this quickly must mean that Theo is influencing me.

I guess even someone as pathetic as me is still a student in the Hero Department.

[Name: Theo Lyn Waldeurk]

Gender: Male

Age: 16

Race: Human

Affiliation: Elinia Academy Hero Department / Waldeurk House

Strength: 7 Stamina: 7

Mana: 0

Tenacity: 2

Traits:

Descendant of the Hero (Passive Effect / Bloodline Ability) [View Details] Twisted Noble's Dignity (Passive Effect) [View Details]

As I imagined the information window, a green-tinted window that I had seen thousands, if not millions of times in the original game appeared.

My stats were too pathetic for a student in the Hero Department.

The average strength and stamina of third-rate mercenaries are 5. At 7, I'm barely in the lower ranks of the Knight Department.

Mana is an absolute zero, making me the only one with 0 in the academy. Even a common innkeeper has 2 or 3.

Unless I'm reborn, I can't use magic.

Tenacity is 2, just 1 higher than the local gambling thugs. The average for ordinary people is 5. With this level, I wouldn't be able to run for more than 10 minutes.

"Sigh."

It's still pathetic no matter how many times I look at it. How could someone like me, the eldest son of a prestigious hero family, have been admitted to Elinia Academy, let alone the Hero Department?

[Descendant of the Hero] [Twisted Noble's Dignity]

These two traits, the only ones I have, offer no immediate help.

'Descendant of the Hero' is only effective against powerful enemies like demons, demon kings, and ancient dragons, while 'Twisted Noble's Dignity' is a rather useless trait in the meritocratic Hero Department.

I'm truly a hopeless character. But I can't run away. I don't want to die.

In the end, I have no choice but to graduate with this trash character in order to survive.

So, what should I do?

Although it's difficult to execute, the answer is incredibly simple.

Become stronger.

Hero.

A being who can shake and hold a nation.

The one who will save the continent from destruction.

That is the ultimate goal, but things have changed significantly now.

It has been over 200 years since the disappearance of beings like demon kings and ancient dragons that sought to destroy the continent.

In the present day, a hero could be considered a top-tier problem solver. If we compare it to modern times, it's an extremely specialized profession.

In the past, heroes walked a path of hardship, but now it has become a dream job that everyone desires.

Naturally, they receive countless envious gazes. They are treated well socially and earn a good income.

The tasks they carry out the most are monster subjugation and artifact exploration. Of course, due to the high cost of hiring them, they mostly handle tasks beyond the capabilities of mercenary guilds.

Some heroes even intervene in disputes between nations. There are heroes who make a low-ranking prince into a king and secretly control the nation from behind the scenes.

...And I must become such a hero.

With a clear mind, I made a plan.

Time remaining: 3 years, 5 months, and 23 days. No matter how much time I have, it won't be enough to graduate with excellent grades using my current abilities.

Fortunately, as a veteran user acknowledged by the game's operator, I knew about the many events that could happen in all routes.

Hidden pieces' locations or helpful NPCs, for example. I'm confident that I can count the users with more game knowledge than me on one hand.

[Main Quest: Graduate from Elinia Academy's Hero Department with excellent grades.] Time remaining: 3 years, 5 months, and 23 days [View Details] Reward: ???

Elinia Academy requires a total of 4 years, 8 semesters, to graduate. Judging by the remaining time, the story is at its very early stage, just one week after the start of the second semester.

Depending on which route the protagonist, Neike, chooses, the story and difficulty change greatly.

Neike, who is the same age as me, 16 years old, is a fellow student in the Hero Department.

The first thing I need to check is "What route will Neike choose?"

Neike officially chooses his route in the second year, third semester.

However, since the first semester has already passed, he must have already made up his mind to some extent.

'I hope it's an easy route.'

That way, I can obtain more hidden pieces.

Even with the help of hidden pieces, it's questionable whether I, an overwhelmingly inferior character, can graduate from the academy with excellent grades.

I can't just go around collecting hidden pieces without knowing what route Neike is on.

In the wizard route, following the main story alone is enough to graduate from the academy without any issues, but in the merchant route, one dies before graduating from the academy without the help of hidden pieces. And in this work, without Neike, the academy cannot withstand the numerous incidents and accidents and will fail.

Neike is absolutely necessary.

"Hmm, in that case..."

Let's go out and gather information for now. Time keeps passing by, after all.

At that moment,

"Ugh!"

I felt a sharp pain. It was only this painful because of my Tenacity stat, which is only at level 2.

Swish-

My unwilling gaze was drawn to the bed.

The thick, fluffy pillow looked extremely inviting.

I wanted to lie down right away.

"Damn it."

But I had to resist.

After all, my stats would naturally increase over time.

I wouldn't be able to accomplish anything with Tenacity at 2.

"Phew."

Fortunately, it was bearable.

It's just annoying and puts me in a bad mood.

I should take a shower before leaving.

I headed to the bathroom connected to my room.

As befitting a high-nosed noble, the bathroom was extravagant.

It was clear that it had been remodeled recently.

It was entirely different from the bland bathroom I had seen in Neike's game.

Dorm room assignments changed annually, and Theo Lyn Waldeurk─Theo─spent a fortune remodeling it for the year he would live there.

I felt once again that the person I possessed was a vain madman.

"Still, for a third-rate extra, you have a pretty good appearance."

I was tall, and my body was slender.

I admired my appearance, which was more dazzling than the reflected interior, and left the bathroom after washing up.

I glanced at the window. Time had passed, and the sun was setting.

I didn't even dry my hair, and I was about to leave the room after barely wiping my body when─

"Uh, ugh─!"

I felt a pain much greater than before.

It was as if I had been struck by an electric shock throughout my body.

I cried out in pain.

"Ah, why again!"

Then, another sharp pain struck me.

It was then that I realized the reason.

[Twisted Noble's Dignity]

It was because of this passive effect trait.

As a descendant of the prestigious warrior family and a child of a viscount, I tried to go out without even drying my hair and let out a loud cry that could be heard by others.

Both actions were in stark contrast to a noble's dignity.

"Geez."

This really is something else.

Before my possession, I recalled the various despicable acts that Theo had done.

He publicly humiliated commoner-born academy students, and loudly claimed he couldn't attend classes taught by commoner-born professors... and so much more.

Ah, so that's why it's called the "Twisted" Noble's Dignity?

...But what can I do? You're me now.

I don't know how to go back.

Time continues to flow even while I'm feeling hopeless.

"First, I need to dry my hair."

After that, I could only step outside after putting on appropriate outdoor attire and spraying matching perfume.