Chapter 1
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Omen -1-
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Commonly, characters who get possessed into novels or games end up entangled with the main characters and live out their lives that way.
In such cases, they've all seized an opportunity soaked in heavenly luck.
Human life is something you can't even predict tomorrow, so knowing how the world unfolds is practically the same as knowing all things in existence.
I thought I stood on the exact opposite side of words like heavenly luck or fortune.
Then, to me—a life dotted with pitch-black regrets—a once-in-a-lifetime chance arrived.
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From the moment I opened my eyes after birth and started walking, I knew right away that I'd been reincarnated into a game.
It wasn't exactly possession since my face was the same as in my previous life.
The game from the novel original, [Academy: Savior of Light], shortened to 'Akarite'.
It's a story where a Korean protagonist possesses a noble's son and resolves incidents at the academy.
Just from the title and content, it's a game littered with hidden pieces everywhere—perfect for the protagonist's growth and overcoming crises.
The problem was that when I was born, neither the protagonist nor the heroines had been born yet.
The playable character is a 100th-term enrollee at Lofty Academy.
Calculating from now until the moment of adulthood and enrollment...
"Haa... No answer for this."
I opened my eyes 25 years before the starting point of the novel and game.
If only I'd possessed a third-rate villainous noble following the usual cliché, but no—I was the child of a poor farming family.
The peasants' lives, which you couldn't experience in a game played from a noble's perspective, were beyond harsh; they were brutal.
With famines dragging on, my parents tried to swap me with the neighbor's kid while sobbing.
I bolted from there at full speed and lamented.
The fantasy world I'd dreamed of surely wasn't like this.
I knew what would happen in the future, and I knew about hidden pieces like elixirs or artifacts, so why did I have to live like this?
From the day I was left alone, every single day felt like a nightmare reminiscent of my previous life.
Memories of those hellish mercenary days during endless wars resurfaced.
Past I didn't want to remember saved the current me.
Even with this immature body, I filled the gaps with the experience stored in my head and survived.
Living in the mountains, I fought turf wars with goblins.
At night, I slept lightly while guarding the campfire.
I kept moving from place to place, searching for villages.
Never succeeded, but if there was a cart, I'd plead for a ride; on unpaved roads, I'd empty my mind and walk for days.
Wandering dozens of villages, I took any odd job, even the filthy ones everyone avoided, to earn money.
Anyone who ordered work but withheld pay? I didn't let them off.
Skimping on food as much as possible, sleeping rough to save every penny, I eventually amassed an amount worth using toward my goal.
I didn't hesitate for a second.
I headed to the village I'd been eyeing.
The village's name was Red Myer.
Not the top-grade ruby like pigeon blood, but a ruby mine workable without issue had been found, making it more prosperous than a mere village yet not quite a city.
It appears early in the novel and game as a location.
The protagonist wanders the forest searching for his first elixir.
Such a tiny plant, I crawled on the ground, eyes nearly popping out, scouring for it.
Blood dripped from my knees, and my joints ached so badly I could barely stand.
Whether someone up there watched over my ordeal...
I bore fruit.
"Shiiit!!!"
The moment I saw it, a guttural yell burst from my suppressed frustration.
I grinned and chewed the foul-tasting herb.
Physical Ability Increase
Flame Resistance Increase
Vitality surged into my frail body, starved and twig-thin from malnutrition.
Using my suddenly developed physique for even more grueling work naturally increased my earnings, so whenever I had a spare moment, I hunted for hidden pieces.
The start was promising, but life in the world wasn't so kind.
Elixirs and artifacts? Ten trips, and success once was a win.
If not for that lucky first break, I might've given up already.
The reason hidden pieces sat unguarded and empty was likely because the protagonist's episodes hadn't started yet, with high probability.
Even so, in this world where your innate power was your right and very humanity, I never stopped once.
When I hit 15 and my age caught up, I scraped together every coin and headed to the capital to join the Adventurer's Guild.
Plenty of reckless kids my age chased quick riches.
Guys with no other way to eat or survive became adventurers everywhere.
The adventurers around me mocked, but I ignored them.
It was ridiculous even to my eyes, after all.
A month later, all the guys who'd registered with me that day were dead, and I was the sole survivor.
I got my first party invite but turned it down.
The reason I stuck to solo play was clear.
I wanted to monopolize as many hidden pieces as possible to grow stronger. With a team, there's too much to hide, and you can't control the pace.
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Inventory registered.
One day, I snatched the subspace that was meant for the protagonist.
I hadn't expected much, but it was the biggest haul of the year.
An absurd item that could store a hefty capacity.
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I learned through the information guild that a playable character's name existed among noble families.
But it didn't faze me much.
That guy was going to abandon this world and flee back to Korea anyway.
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Back in the day, this heaven-sent fool racked his brains over sneaking into the academy somehow to skim some benefits from the story gaps.
But time wore those thoughts away into vagueness and rooted me in this world.
I even met a good woman.
Got guys to grab a drink with when time allowed.
Sometimes, when mentally drained, I'd dream of just settling down with a normal family.
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It was a first in Adventurer's Guild history.
Even Urus, called the strongest adventurer, partied up.
Yet a solo adventurer reached the guild's highest rank, Platinum, in one piece.
Regulations cap at Platinum, with skill gaps within the rank.
Mid-20s young age. A comparatively short 10-year career. And solo to Platinum—each one unprecedented.
"Phew—exhausted."
Back in the capital after a month, tension eased.
I headed to the tavern in the guild basement and took a seat.
My habit after a commission: fill the gut here before heading home.
Home felt lonely, and the sun hadn't set yet; I'd just have to come back out for dinner anyway.
"Roman! Didn't die this time either. Tough life, kekeke."
"Ugh—ruining my appetite, man, scram."
Ignoring my 'scram,' a burly guy plopped down opposite.
Following him, one of his party members approached.
A woman radiating brightness and elegance, total contrast to the stuffy middle-aged guy.
"Roman! Hello!"
"Liliane—long time. Grab a seat."
She gave a quick nod and sat in the empty spot at the table.
Born nobility shows no matter what.
"Every time, but isn't the treatment way too different...?"
"Jealous? Turn into a beauty and come back."
"Hehe—Roman's the same as ever."
Mindless, trivial banter requiring no deep thought.
My heart settled calmly.
After commissions, I always looked forward to this time.
One of the few joys in my current life.
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"Next commission's TBD?"
Chatting with them, I sensed something off and asked back.
They were one of the rare parties hard to spot in the guild.
Rak's party had decent name recognition.
With more experience, Rak's crew had potential for the rank below Platinum at least.
They knew it coldly, so they pushed nonstop without rest.
First time Rak's party left commissions open for a break.
"Actually, it's because of me..."
Liliane the cause? Her personality hated burdening others—couldn't be.
"You get hurt or something?"
"No! Nothing like that! Our little sib's enrolling in the academy, and I wanna see it..."
The two at this table knew her noble birth.
Knew she'd cut ties with parents and run, but still looked after her sibling.
"Can't be helped then. If Rak skips, I'll beat him up for you, no worries."
"You psycho! Would I?!"
"...I'm truly sorry."
Liliane, who laughed easily at jokes, hung her head with a bitter look—really weighing on her.
Rak wasn't the type to hold grudges anyway...
"Liliane. What term's academy enrollment is it now?"
Chatting brought back that this world revolved around the academy.
I'd assimilated pretty deep.
Living as if fantasy monsters were a given.
"Heard it's exactly the 100th this time. So the ceremony's a festival-style public event, I think."
"Hmm—milestone number for sure. Guess that's why you can go watch."
"Yes! Competition was insane, but our little sib... just so touching."
Liliane's emotional swings were a rare sight—entertaining.
I filled my belly while listening to her baby sib brag.
'The day has come after all.'
At first, I wondered when; eventually forgot naturally. But Akarite's starting point arrived.
About a month till enrollment.
Time to head home and reread my memoed info.
'Then the incident with the 99th-term enrollees is right around the corner.'