A Commoner's Cheat Code

My head was spinning. Just as I was trying to make sense of this absurd situation, the memories of the body I had possessed began to flood my mind.

I had a feeling this might happen, but still...

It seemed I had transmigrated into a novel.

And not just any masterpiece, or some story overflowing with dreams and hope. No, I had ended up in Surviving a Romance Fantasy Crawling with Villainesses—a novel where I was literally the only person responsible for the latest chapter's single-digit view count.

How did I know? Because the name of the story's starting point and primary setting, Estrada Academy, was etched clearly into my mind.

"Whew..."

A heavy sigh escaped my lips at the sheer bleakness of my future. Sure, it was true that I'd wished to transmigrate because I wanted to see the villainesses in person, but I hadn't wanted it to happen like this. I was a nameless extra who didn't have a shred of importance in the original plot.

I mean, seriously, if you're going to transmigrate me, at least make me a powerful figure like a young duke or the Crown Prince...

Anyway, the character I possessed was...

Despite being a commoner, in a month's time, he would turn 17 and enter Estrada Academy as a Special Scholarship Student. That explained why the memory was so vivid.

How did a commoner secure a spot as a Special Scholarship Student? Apparently, inheriting the blood of a famous adventurer father gave him a natural, genius-level talent for swordsmanship and Aura.

But that wasn't the real issue. A commoner entering an academy dominated by nobles, armed with natural talent? Even if the academy claimed to disregard social status, this setup practically screamed the "bullying" cliché.

To make matters worse, Surviving a Romance Fantasy Crawling with Villainesses was written in the first-person perspective of the original protagonist, meaning the narrative scope was incredibly narrow. Because of this, I had absolutely no idea what happened to a character named Hound in the original story—or if he even survived.

Wait, was there even a Special Scholarship Student setting in the novel?

"..."

And then there was the message that had been floating in the air, nagging at my attention for a while now. As if someone had shown mercy to this transmigrator, a Special Shop interface was hovering right before my eyes.

When I tapped to open the Special Shop, I found various packages laid out like a cash shop in a mobile gacha game. There were so many items that the scroll bar seemed endless.

The catch, however, was the currency required. Coins. And those coins were none other than the 1,000 coins I had donated to the author before. This was currently my entire net worth. I supposed I should be grateful to have anything at all, but still...

If that damn author had just waited one more month before dropping the novel, I would have started with 6,000 coins.

"..."

No use crying over spilled milk. Dwelling on the past would only hurt my own feelings. I focused on the Special Shop, scrolling down to examine the available items in detail.

And many more. They were ridiculously expensive. I only had 1,000 coins to my name, and most of these items cost half of my entire fortune.

They certainly weren't bad deals. Just looking at the names—Sword Saint, Archmage—it was clear they were top-tier. If I bought any of them, I'd have no trouble making a comfortable living in this world.

But did I transmigrate into this novel just to survive? No. I came here to make the villainesses I'd set my eyes on mine.

Even if I became an Archmage or a Sword Saint, would that automatically make them mine? It would depend on how I played my cards, but my answer was a flat 'no.'

An Archmage or a Sword Saint, and yet the answer is no? The reason was simple. While I was busy training, building up achievements, and working my way up to a noble title, what if someone else snatched them away?

Stealing them away from someone else wasn't a terrible option, but unfortunately, NTR wasn't my cup of tea.

For that reason, I needed to make an overwhelming impact right from the start of the academy, building a reputation so massive that they couldn't help but notice me.

My goal was set. I needed to find a package that would give me immediate, tangible results. I began flicking through the Special Shop, scanning the items.

I never imagined my speed-reading skills, honed from years of devouring web novels, would come ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in handy like this...

After scrolling for what felt like ages, I finally found it.

A package with unmatched cost-efficiency and insane performance. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I had no idea what the creator of this shop was thinking when they priced it so low, but they had to be an absolute pushover.

Well, works for me. Without a second thought, I purchased the package.

With this, I now possessed an overwhelming growth rate that would break any genre. Seriously, isn't this a total cheat?

My remaining balance was 700 coins. Since the character I possessed already had the talent of a Sword Saint, I could skip the Sword Saint package. The Path of the Archmage caught my eye, bringing the concept of a Magic Swordsman to mind.

But... I decided to save the rest, since you never know what might happen. Life has a way of throwing curveballs when you least expect it.

The house where Hound lived seemed quite well-off, fitting for a famous adventurer's family. Back in my modern life, I had lived in a cramped, suffocating studio apartment. In contrast, Hound's house was a spacious two-story home—enough to make even some minor nobles jealous.

When I went downstairs to the first floor, Hound's mother, Rosel, greeted me with a warm, crinkling smile.

"Are you awake, Hound? Come sit down, breakfast is ready."

"Yes, Mother."

"Why are you speaking so formally all of a sudden?"

"I'll be entering the academy soon. I figured it's time I started acting more mature."

"My, look at you talking like a grown-up! You're too much, dear."

Hound's father, Fenrir, let out a boisterous laugh.

"Bwahaha! A man can change overnight, dear. You just don't understand how we work!"

Well, I did change overnight... but I can't exactly tell them the soul inside has been swapped.

"Fenrir? Stop talking nonsense and sit down."

"Ahem."

The menu consisted of cream soup loaded with meat and vegetables, a fresh salad, and soft, warm bread.

This is going to cause muscle loss...

But I couldn't exactly throw a tantrum and demand chicken breast. There were no chocolate-flavored protein shakes or sous-vide chicken breasts here. Since I was a resident of this world now, I had to adapt.

"Thank you for the food."

And so, a warm family breakfast began. Having always eaten alone in my past life, I hadn't realized how much better food tasted when shared with others. A strange warmth swelled in my chest. Maybe because I had lived by myself in a tiny studio for so long, even a simple moment like this made me feel like tearing up. Loneliness had always been gnawing away at me, after all.

To hide my awkwardness, I quickly finished my meal.

"Thank you for the meal."

"Oh my, finished already?"

"I want to get straight to my swordsmanship training."

"Alright, work hard..."

Perhaps worried by her son's sudden change in behavior right before entering the academy, Rosel's eyes softened with maternal concern. Pretending not to notice, I quickly made my way out to the yard.

Shring.

I drew the sword I had received as an academy entrance gift. It was the very sword my father, Fenrir, used to wield. Though the hilt was quite worn and battered, the blade itself was incredibly sharp.

But I don't even know how to use a sword.

The only blade I'd ever handled was a utility knife back in school... Still, treating it like a heavy gym workout, I blindly swung the sword up and down.

Whoosh!

It was heavy. The sensation felt awkward, yet strangely familiar.

Is the body remembering this?

It was surprisingly easy to handle, as if the sword and my body were one. And... the physical workout from swinging this heavy sword was absolutely phenomenal.

The muscles in both arms as I swung, the core muscles in my lower back keeping my posture centered, and the leg muscles supporting it all—I could feel the muscle fibers tearing across my entire body.

Ah, this familiar sensation. It was a full-body teardown. I hadn't been able to focus on working out lately, but this swordsmanship training was the ultimate substitute for lifting weights.

As I kept ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠swinging the sword for a while, a message window popped up.

"What?"

It hadn't even been an hour since I started this sword-lifting workout, and my proficiency had already gone up.

Is this the power of the 500% proficiency buff? My dream of dominating the academy and winning over the villainesses was practically within arm's reach! Motivation surged through me.

No stopping now. My swordsmanship training showed no signs of slowing down, continuing straight into the night.

Thud.

I collapsed flat on my back, splayed out like a starfish.

"Haah... I'm freaking exhausted."

Seeing my swordsmanship proficiency rise in real-time had made me lose track of time, keeping me lifting until nightfall. I had definitely overtrained. But I wasn't worried. This world had a concept called Aura.

Though it hadn't been detailed in the novel... searching through Hound's memories revealed an Aura cultivation method his father had taught him.

Combining the physical energy circulating within the body with the environmental Mana to form a core in the heart—that was Aura.

I returned to my room, washed off the sweat, and sat cross-legged on the floor.

"..."

I tried gathering Aura based on the memory, but... as expected, it didn't go smoothly.

Well, I hadn't expected to succeed on my very first try. But didn't I have the 500% proficiency buff purchased from the Special Shop? It was far too early to give up just because it wasn't gathering. I had to become an absolute beast at the academy.

I spent the hours before sleep trying my best to sense the Mana and the flow of energy within my body. But... I felt absolutely nothing.

Damn it, should I just buy the Path of the Sword Saint? No, there's no need to rush. I still have a whole month left, don't I? I'll become a Sword Saint through my own hard work. Let's save the remaining coins for later...

And so, my first day of transmigration came to an end.

...

Day two of transmigration.

Today, without fail, I was swinging my sword again. The constantly accumulating proficiency and the feeling of my entire body being torn apart—it was utterly addictive.

Building muscle while raising my sword proficiency. This was a complete win-win, killing two birds with one stone.

As I swung the sword tirelessly, Fenrir approached me.

"Working hard, I see?"

"The academy entrance is just around the corner."

"Hmm..." Fenrir watched me for a few minutes, his brow furrowing as he spoke.

"Did something happen to you?"

"Pardon?"

What? Did he notice?

"Your swings are incredibly straight and true. How about a quick spar? It's been a while."

Ah, I thought he realized his son had changed. That gave me a real fright.

"Sure, I'd love to learn a thing or two from you."

The moment Fenrir picked up a wooden sword, his jovial, easygoing gaze transformed into that of a wild beast locking onto its prey.

Thud!

Fenrir lunged forward, swinging his wooden sword.

"Ugh!"

I almost took a direct hit. Whether it was because this body's dynamic visual acuity and reaction speed were absurdly high, I somehow managed to dodge it.

But Fenrir didn't give me a moment to breathe. Capitalizing on my off-balance state, he immediately swept his wooden sword in a low strike.

Clack!

Despite having lost my balance, I displayed a near-miraculous level of flexibility and blocked the low sweep.

Holy crap, what was that?

Fenrir's eyes widened in shock.

"Where on earth did you learn to move like that?"

"Pardon?"

"No, seriously, that movement just now made absolutely no sense."

"My body just reacted on its own."

"Well, I'll be..."

Honestly, even I was amazed by what I'd just done. Did raising my swordsmanship proficiency also automatically boost these kinds of reflex tricks?

Fenrir lowered his wooden sword and spoke.

"You have a monstrous talent."

"I am your son, after all..."

"Haha, that you are!" Fenrir walked over and ruffled my hair.

"The bigger your goals, the better. You know what I always say, right?"

The words Fenrir always repeated. They were deeply ingrained in Hound's memory, so I knew them instantly.

"Aim high. For a man will only ever achieve eighty percent of his target..."

"You remember well. Keep up the hard work, then." Fenrir turned around and headed back inside the house.

Somehow, my motivation flared even higher. Did raising my swordsmanship proficiency also boost my basic physical abilities? No, maybe it was because I was actively using the sword. It wasn't just sword proficiency, but swordsmanship proficiency.

And so, dedicating my days to swordsmanship and my nights to Aura cultivation, the days steadily ticked away toward the academy's opening ceremony.

"Did you pack everything? Are you sure you didn't leave anything behind? Did you double-check?"

"Of course, Mother. I checked everything."

"Make sure to send a carrier pigeon as soon as you arrive, okay?"

It was the day before the academy's opening ceremony. I was finally setting off for the Imperial Capital. Perhaps because of this, Rosel ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a bundle of nerves and anxiety.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to return with great results."

"Sniff, yes, just be careful!" Rosel wiped away a stray tear.

As I offered an awkward smile and prepared to leave, Fenrir gripped my shoulder.

"Listen closely. No matter what those noble bastards say, don't you dare let them look down on you. Whose son are you?"

"The son of the adventurer Fenrir."

"That's right. Keep my words in mind, and have a safe trip."

"I'll be on my way, then."

With that, I climbed into the carriage bound for the Imperial Capital.