We call them “protagonists,” and we admire or sympathize with them.
In most, if not all, novels, the protagonist has some kind of extraordinary talent, birth, or ability to think.
They are entertaining and own the story as if they were inside the medium.
They become fully immersed in the story.
They’re the most directly involved in the process.
That’s the value of a protagonist.
But what if the protagonist doesn’t exist?
‘The work cannot be established in the first place. The story itself loses its power.
There are no novels where everyone is the main character.
There is also no novel where everyone is an extra.So, the current situation can be summarized in one word.
Sh*t happened.
‘I was too complacent. I went back to my memories of playing Inner Lunatic, and I thought that just taking the side stage would do the trick… but it didn’t.’
When I first entered the world of Inner Lunatic.
I blacked out during characterization and was possessed Nox.
Not only did some of my customizations sync, but I was also given a trait [Insight] that is only given to the main character.
What does this mean?
“It means that the protagonist doesn’t exist in this world.”
F*ck.
I’ve been so busy scrambling to stay alive that I’ve lost sight of what’s really important.
D*mn it, why do things always go so wrong for me?
‘Haah….. this is not the time. I need to calm down.’
I took a deep breath, trying to control my expression.
Then I think back to the moment before the entrance exam started.
All those cadets surrounding the podium, all those people who had talents to use, all those characters who would later have a direct or indirect impact on the main story.
But as I scanned them all, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease.
I didn’t notice it at the time, but…….
there was a definite oddity somewhere.
So,
Where the hell is the main character to drive the main story…?
I mean, where’s the guy who’s going to roll with all the units and the main story while I figure out the secret of the letter?
That’s right.
He never existed in the first place.
I had inherited some of the main character’s powers.
I was like, ‘This is crazy. This isn’t right.’
The first one I customized, the real one, had disappeared altogether?
‘Oh, my God.’
The last few hours.
I’d been trying to ignore the anxiety that had risen in my chest.
I’d just have to survive somehow, I thought.
But I wasn’t.
My head is throbbing and I have a pounding headache.
I realized that if I messed up, this could go really badly.
The first main story had already started.
This is the story where the hero and heroine get together.
It’s a typical heroic narrative where the hero saves the heroine.
But there are two problems here.
First.
The hero is about to die, which means that if he doesn’t save her, his character will be destroyed.
What kind of game is Inner Lunatic?
Notorious for killing off units no matter how important they are to the overall game.
It was notorious for it, wasn’t it?
As you can imagine, this was a bad situation.
‘It happened an hour before the end of the test. It’s been about 8 hours and 50 minutes… I have 10 minutes left. I have to come up with something in that time. ṘàＮôꞖƐs̩
It’s no small feat.
Of course, you might be thinking.
“Oh. Surely the death of a single unit can’t really upset the game balance that much?”.
…Sadly, it does.
The heroine you must save now.
She’s the unit that will make the biggest difference in the world in the future.
She’s also the most troublesome unit for me to save.
If you’re wondering why I’m saying this, the reason is simple.
The heroine being saved is my worst enemy.
Yes, you’ve guessed it by now.
Eleanor de Rivalin.
Daughter of the Colossus, a.k.a. the Fox of Gold, who nearly dies in the first story. She’s a poor victim.
Sh*t.
What am I supposed to do here…?
One thing’s for sure: time is running out.
And I had to make a move, no matter what.
I’ve learned the hard way that standing still doesn’t change anything.
F*ck it. Make something happen.
With that thought, I moved forward to Eleanor de Rivalin. I quickly retraced the original arc of the first main storyline involving the fox of gold coins.
* * *
-You will one day rise to the pinnacle of House Rivalin.
-Become the Matriarch, you have the talent for it.
-You quarreled with the master of House Reinhafer? How could you do such a thing? Didn’t this father tell you that in order to make sure no one looks down on us, we must rise to…… higher!
-That you had to give him all of you, if necessary, to capture him!
Eleanor de Rivalin was taking her entrance exams. A brief flashback.
She was engrossed in it.
Was it because she’d just seen Nox?
For the first time in a long time, a horrible remnant of her childhood floated through her mind.
His father. It was about Clarkson.
‘The man who never once thought of me as his daughter.’
Her father, Mr. Clarkson, had been a money-obsessed man.
He neglected his family. For all his money, he never gave her mother a single flower.
For this reason, Eleanor despised him.
It was his greed that drove him to become a noble.
It was his greed that caused him to hide his inner self so thoroughly, and to put on an outer façade. It was probably for similar reasons.
Her father had robbed her of her life as a commoner.
Of course, this may seem a bit awkward.
After all, it’s a world where it’s easier to be a noble than a commoner.
She knew all too well the discrimination faced by those not of the nobility in the rotten Empire of Arkheim.
But, Eleanor thought.
The improper table manners, the stooped posture. Was it really so important to lead a life of nobility that you had to be force-fed manners?
The young girl didn’t know. She just wanted more time with her mother.
She just wanted to live happier with her father.
So from a young age, Eleanor tried to make her father, who didn’t see her, see herself.
Little by little, I helped him with his top job and showed my talent.
Before long, Eleanor was reading the market faster than her father with her natural talent.
‘But the attention he was giving me wasn’t what I wanted.’
From then on, Clarkson pushed his daughter to the limit.
To make her top grow bigger.
And to rake in more gold coins.
Eleanor gradually broke down, and her mother soon fell ill and died without proper care. It was a disaster.
A complete collapse.
There was one more event that pushed her over the edge.
That first social encounter with Nox.
He had hurt her in ways she would never forget.
Never, money can’t buy honor and a past.
No one from a lowly birth could ever stand with her.
Now, she could see it.
She could see the eyes looking at her, eyes that were filled with an incomprehensible, lowly desire to use her.
From then on, she closed the door to her heart.
Her father died soon after, and she became the de facto representative and head of the household.
The rest is history.
Her name became the Fox of Gold, and the world came to call her a money-crazed woman.
* * *
Main Quest.
In order to pass the Entrance Examination by the Hidden Route, two conditions must be met.
The first is the strongest unit you’ll encounter at the top of the mountain.
It’s Paracelsus.
There’s only one thing that matters here.
Earning his “favor” is key.
Paracelsus is an insanely strong unit. A knightly character whose overwhelming power is unrivaled by any other cadet unit.
He takes the hidden route, and when the main character reaches the top before him and gets his hands on the Black Jewel, he’s there to steal it.
And, as befits a monster unit, there is no way to defeat him here.
However, this can be solved by agitating Paracelsus and subsequently recruiting him… but there are a few conditions.
The protagonist must be of the “good” alignment, have no animosity towards commoners, and not be a noble.
Why?
Because he has a terrible aristocrat-hating trait.
Though that’s not surprising, given his birthright grievances….
The fact remains that this is not good news for me.
I am the aristocratic, commoner-despising Nox von Reinhaber.
…and I’m playing him.
In many ways, I’m not likely to be a favorite of his.
Anyway, once you’ve survived the first trial, there’s another one waiting for you.
Saving Eleanor.
I stroked my chin for a moment, pondering.
‘Eleanor de Rivalin is a character who lives or dies with the help of the main character in this entrance exam. Most people choose to keep her alive because she’s helpful later on.’
I calmly reflected on her backstory.
Eleanor.
A fox of gold, she flaunts her wealth in exams and organizes parties, where she sweeps up all the resources to get her hands on the gems.
However, she steps out of her comfort zone to go deeper. Finally, with an hour left in the test, she reaches the top.
All the factions have gathered together, except for the Shadows.
There, she gives up the jewel with surprising ease.
She doesn’t like to get involved in fights she can’t win.
But then something happens.
Shortly after Noah decides that the entrance exams are over and heads back, one of the boss monsters that had been lurking in the forest swoops in and attacks her.
It was a Night Walker, a creature known for its agility.
Unbeknownst to the instructor, it quickly lunges to kill her, leaving our heroine with one of two choices.
Save her?
Or abandon her?
Obviously, if you don’t do the former, the Empire and the entire marketplace that the Rivalin family operates in will completely collapse for some time afterward.
What if the top shareholder, whose wealth rivaled that of the Archheim Empire, suddenly dies?
The consequences are obvious.
The top would be torn apart and absorbed by others.
We cannot allow that to happen.
Not if I want to see an ending for Inner Lunatic.
And personally, given the character Nox’s involvement in her trauma. I didn’t want to leave her here to die.
I can save her, it’s just that I don’t have a good reason.
Like that, I mulled it over for a while.
Before I knew it, the full ten minutes had passed.
A man reached the top of the mountain before me.
Paracelsus.
He was one of the wanderers of the East with the title ‘Ashen Eagle’.
A victim of a five-nation war in the East in the past.
As a result of this event, he was orphaned and wandered the harsh wilderness. He stumbled upon a teacher and was accepted into the academy.
‘The problem is, I don’t know who that master is, and he’s a ridiculously strong unit, and I have to fight him…….’
I tilted my head up and looked into those fierce eyes.
The dark ash-colored hair, and the bristling nose beneath it.
Coolly outstretched limbs and an already imposing height of nearly 190. A distinctive monocle crowned his savagely handsome face.
The corners of Paracelsus’s mouth curved into a seductive arc.
“I wasn’t expecting a great nobleman to reach the summit first. This is a funny way to go, isn’t it?”
A distinctly mischievous tone.
I replied, trying to keep my face stoic.
“A lowly commoner. How dare you ask me for business?”
“No, I don’t. How could I?”
Paracelsus continued with an exaggerated gesture.
“I’m just… a little puzzled. I’m pretty good with a sword myself, but you reached the top before me. It’s almost as if you… ‘already knew the way,’ isn’t it?”
“If you have something to say, then say it, before I blow your head off.”
At my words, Paracelsus’s mood changed drastically.
His eyes went cold. An icy chill radiated from him.
“Haha, sure… if you can.”
“How dare you, a lowly creature.”
[Talent ‘Master of Smoke’ shakes].
Sh*t.
Paracelsus was a formidable foe.
That laid-back demeanor from the conversation.
Also, where his gaze was now was not a good place to be.
Please… don’t hurt me.
I made myself look as calm as possible and said nonchalantly.
“If you don’t want to see me, go f*ck yourself.”
“I’m sorry, but… I just realized that I do have something to do.”
Thwack!
seuleung!
Paracelsus suddenly drew his sword and pointed it at me.
It’s a crude-looking, pure white bladed sword.
But I know who it belongs to, and I know how dangerous the Master’s presence can be.
That’s why I’m afraid.
It looks like a monstrous unit….
Paracelsus laughed nonchalantly.
“That black jewel you’re holding… you’ll have to hand it over to me.”
“You want to take it from me? What a lowly way to think.”
“I don’t know about nobles like you, but… we’ve grown up in a world where you can’t survive unless you’re number one, so… you’ll have to make a concession, unless you want to see blood.”
‘Shit… it’s not working.’
I immediately realized that persuasion wasn’t going to work.
I quickly used [Insight] to bring up the current status of Parakelsus.
__________________
[Basic Info]
Name: Paracelsus
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Race: Human
Primary Element: Steel
Achievements: -.
[Traits].
Positives: [Genius with the sword and martial arts] / [Master of medicine].
Neutral: [Favoritism] / [Strength] / [Weakness].
Negative: [Slothful] / [Obsessive] / [Disdain for nobility]
[Stats]
Physique: 10
MP: 8
Luck: 2
Will: 10
Charm: 25
[Skills]
Passive Skills: [Sword Extreme].
Active Skills: [Divine Sword Combination] / [Wanderer’s Sword] / [Bow Blade (Beginner)]
__________________
Insane.
The maximum number for a single stat on an early student unit is 10.
But he already has 10 Physique and Willpower and 8 MP?
Is this balanced…….?
On top of that, he has the trait [Favoritism].
Every single one of them has this trait. If there’s someone who looks stronger than them, they’ll run at them.
So, now that I have surpassed Paracelsus in the test. That means I’ve already made quite an interesting opponent for him.
Damn it.
‘It’s certainly possible to deal with him now, but…… I’ll have to activate [Time of Genius] to do so.
However, if I use the skill I need to save Eleanor here, it will be disastrous.’
I glanced behind me, but Noah had already left.
She must have had enough of the entertainment after I collected the gem and withdrew.
The instructors seem to be waiting nearby, but…….
They’re not prepared for Eleanor’s attack a little later.
There’s no reason for this.
It’s just what the first main quest says.
Anyway.
A little later, Eleanor is targeted by a Night Walker and killed.
Unless the protagonist intervenes.
‘But if I told my instructors that I was going to save Eleanor, would they believe me? Of course not.’
Not only that, but now Paracelsus is glaring at me with a pair of twinkling eyes. To take the black jewel from me.
I suck in a breath.
What the hell is the best decision I can make right now?
Obviously, I don’t have time to think long and hard.
I can’t help but jump to a quick conclusion.
[Talent ‘Master of Smoke’ reverted to normal].
“Come on, lowly thing. I’ll teach you your lesson.”
I too drew my sword.
It was the best I could do for now.
Maybe I could stall for ten minutes and save Eleanor, who would come up later, from the demon’s attack.
Sh*t, I don’t even know if that’s possible.
I’m just doing it because I have to.
“Then no thanks, your nobility.”
Boom!
(paas)
Paracelsus kicked the ground.
I place the black jewel in my hand into the subspace and immediately draw my sword.
The energized, blackened Stormbringer sucks the light from the surrounding atmosphere.
A violet darkness emanates from the pitch-black surroundings.
My black sword clashes with the pure white of Parakelsus.
Chae-ae-ang!
Sparks leap from my sword.
The group of commoners who had been lurking around the perimeter follow Parakelsus up the mountain, and then Eleanor, the true aristocrat who has reached the summit, is stunned.
The tip of the sword burst into flames.
The magical energy from them bound their swords together.
For the first time since I was possessed here, I felt my sword shake.
A sword of terrifying destructive power. Yet he still seemed relaxed.
“Surely… this is not all?”
Paracelsus said softly, and I scoffed back.
“You’re so cocky.”
Meanwhile, the auburn-haired girl watched from behind.
Eleanor couldn’t help but raise a brow.
“Paracelsus… I’d heard he was strong, and that he was called ‘Ashen Eagle’ in the East. But… how in the world could Nox… look like that…!
She chewed her lip involuntarily.
With the sight of the sword he had so deeply traumatized her.
Even she, a mage herself, found herself distracted by it.
What the hell was going on?
Was it because the sword was a masterpiece?
No, it wasn’t.
It’s draining his magic.
A deep question arises in her mind.
What.
What could have made him grow so powerful?
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