‘This can’t be happening.’

Blood flows down from my right eyebrow, covering my eye. With my remaining eye, I glare at the man with hatred. His face is devoid of any facial hair like most of the orients. Pure pitch black paints his eyes and hair hinting his devilish origin. He wore a navy blue t-shirt with its cuff, collar and edges colored in white while wearing a black pants. These are the uniform of the Mythos Academy. He has a deceitful small body but underneath his uniform he has a well-toned muscles.

I wipe the blood from my lips with my sleeve. With my eye still focused on him. He hasn’t sustained an injury during our duel. While my uniform is soaked in blood with gashes all over my body.

Grinding my teeth, I try to stand up, using my sword as a cane.

“You dare stand against me, oriental swine!? I will have your head served on a platter!”

Surrounding us are our classmates watching. Because they are in the same class as me, they are also in Class A, which is only reserved for the elites. As ridiculous as it may sound, there are also commoners among our ranks.

I look at the professor on the left side. The one who oversees the duel, making sure that no accident may occur. A testament to how low the requirements for profession plummets. Even ignorant fools with no titles can now be called professors.

I once again grind my teeth. She can’t even see my opponent cheating.

“I respect your tenacity, Lord Vanir. But I ask you to please stand down.” The man calmly said.

“Shut up! Know your place swine! You do not have the authority to order me around!” I then pointed my blade at him.

“Very well, I will end it here.” He also aims his sword at me.

“Come! I will slice you into pork chops!”

In a flash, something fast hit me hard in the forehead. I couldn’t react at all.

———

*gasp

My head is throbbing in pain. I move my right hand to massage my temple, but my body feels sluggish, weak, and painful. I opened my eyes and saw a white unpatterned ceiling. Glancing at my right arm, I see it wrapped in bandages with red stains at the parts where it stings.

Horrified, I lift the blanket from my torso and saw more bandages wrapped around. Below, I tried to wiggle and feel my legs and feet. Glad that there wasn’t any pain discovered.

I hover my vision around. On my left side, a blood pack hangs on a metal stand with its tubes connected to my left wrist. A table and a chair beside my head and at the end a door with a clock above. It's short hand hovers at 10 while the long hand at 2. On my right side, there is only a window. Beside

I heard knocking sounds.

“Excuse me for the intrusion.”

With a creaking sound, the door opens.

A woman comes in. She wears a starched white uniform and cap, which goes over her white skin. A hand goes over her pair of glasses, correcting it, and scrutinizing me with her green eyes, which fall on to me. I also notice her hair to be colored red in a braided bun. And with her small stature, I am more inclined to believe that she is a cosplayer than a nurse.

‘Probably an on-the-job student’

In her hands, she is holding a silver tray which carries a pair of gloves, cottons, bandages, tweezer, and some sort of vials. One is probably an alcohol as it is a transparent liquid, although it is a first for me to see it contained in a glass.

She flinches a little but immediately regains her composure. She gives me a bow and greets me.

“Good morning, young master. Will you allow this one to clean your wounds and replace the dressing?”

‘Yep, she is a cosplayer.’

I gave her an awkward nod. My head hurts.

“What happened?” I asked, while holding my head.

“You got hit hard on the head.”

She is already walking close to me.

‘Hit hard?‘ while clutching my head harder.

And then, with visual clarity, I fully remembered everything that had happened. I was going home from a gaming convention. I finally got my long awaited figurines of every character from my favorite game called ‘Legends were Made’ which I played for over five years.

I was too busy bragging to my friends when a truck struck me.

“I see. How long was I asleep?”

“2 hours.”

She took a sit beside me and lay down her equipment on the table. She gently takes my left hand and starts unwrapping the bandages. Afterwards, she took a cotton, dipped it in a black liquid and then applies it to my wounds, which stung a bit. She then wraps my hand with a new bandage. Finally, she gently puts down my hand and fishes out the other.

I was flinching earlier when I saw the deep gashes in my hand.

“Okay. For how long would I be admitted here?”

“A day or two.”

I nodded to her.

I slump back and close my eyes. I could feel her fingers covered in something rubber clasp my hand as she cleans my wounds. It stings whenever her cotton pats on my wound. Although painful, it was more pleasurable than hurtful.

“Will you allow this one to ask a question?”

“… You may do so.”

“Why aren’t you concerned?”

‘At what? To the driver or the accident?’

As hard as it is to admit it. I got what I deserve for not paying attention on a road. It is not cool to just blame the poor driver when I was the one at fault. And there is nothing I can do with the accident. It had already happened.

“Well, there is nothing I can do at the moment. Besides, this is way too comforting. Also, you may speak informally. It is getting a little awkward.”

“… Thank you?”

“You’re welcome.”

“…”

And then she works in silence. She gently lifts my head and then starts unwrapping the cloth. After which she slowly put down my head to lie down again. Something soft and wet touches my forehead.

“Aren’t you worried? You still have to take the written exam. You might fail the Prelims, given your poor performance.”

‘Ah, that’s her concern all along.’

Currently, I am a college student studying for a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. Although I am lazy and aloof, I am crazy good with cramming during the last hour. Developed from constantly playing computer games, then later realizing I had to study. Besides, they will hold the preliminary examination two weeks later.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

“I’ll be fine. I have all the time to study. And I believe I did well on my last exam.”

For code related subjects, the exams are split into two, which are the practical exam and the written exam. Practical exams are hands on coding and solving problems within a time limit. Written exam are like your typical one which test your knowledge of computer and coding’s terminologies and histories.

Surprisingly, I did well for the practical exam.

“I will be cleaning the wounds on your chest. I will require you to sit up, but don’t worry, I will support you.”

“Okay.”

“This will hurt, but please bear with it.”

With one hand on my shoulders and another on my back, she helps me sit up slowly and steadily. With my two hands on the bed, I pushed my body. It definitely hurts, but not unbearable.

“Well done. Now sit still.”

She unwraps the bandages from my torso and continues with her treatment.

“Why do you believe you did well with your last exam?”

“Why should I not? I certainly struggled, but I was able to do it without the need to cheat.”

She frowns.

It is universally known that IT students will always find a way to lessen their workload. And I am not exempted from it. It just so happens that the practical exam is almost cheat proof.

After finishing her treatment, she holds my shoulder and pat the bed twice. She wants me to lie down and rest. So I give her an affirmative nod.

She gently guides my body until I lie on the bed. Although she was done with her work, she kept eyeing me. Feeling awkward, I tried to dismiss her.

“You may go now.”

“A piece of advice. Study for the upcoming written exam.”

“Jeez, I get it. You may go now.”

“If you know what is best for you, then you will study.”

“I get it, I get it.”

She stood up and gave me a small quick bow. She packs her equipment and is ready to leave.

“Before you go, I would like to know if there is a mirror around. I would want to see the damage done on my face.”

She frowns but didn’t complain.

“Certainly.”

She puts the tray down on the table again. On its side, she pulled one of its drawers and takes out a hand mirror. It is unnecessarily well decorated.

She then hands over the mirror to me.

“Thank you. You may go now.”

She gives me another bow and leaves.

‘What a weird girl’

I shrug it off and just looks at the mirror to see the damage done to my face. I almost had a heart attack when I saw the change on my face.

Golden yellow hair with extra glossiness. Red fierce eyes glaring angrily at me from the mirror. And a white smooth facial skin. Even with the bandage on my forehead, it is almost like a painting, a piece of art. With an impeccable face like this, he could score a girlfriend in no time. Rather than a downgrade, this is a massive upgrade from your average Joe to a veritable Casanova.

‘Is this person, me? No freaking way.’

I slowly touch my face with my fingers. On the other side of the mirror, the man also touches himself. I pinch my cheek and the man also pinches his cheek, confirming that this is not a dream. I run my hand over my hair, which felt smooth to the touch. It felt incredible.

I immediately put down the hand mirror. Out of my sight.

‘Calm the fucking down.’

I took a breather before I asses my situation.

‘That is definitely me, but it is not the face I know of. Last I check, I am very much single.’

I shrug off the sadness building up from my own self ridicule and tried to think of something else.

‘There are three possibilities. One, I am in heaven, which I have no way of proving or disproving. Two, they gave me a surgery to fix my disfigured face, which I highly doubt. Three, this is all a prank.’

If it was a prank, then they will definitely bug this room and conceal some cameras to capture my reactions. I look around while squinting my eyes, hoping to see a glint from a camera’s lens. But because I am in an unfamiliar room, I wasn’t able to find any abnormalities. I gave up after trying for a couple of seconds. They may not bug the room at all and it would only stress me out if I keep thinking about it.

‘Prank is on hold.‘

I tried to consider the other 2 possibilities, but I immediately toss one to my mental trash bin. I may have some fascination when it comes to religion’s histories, cultures, and stories. But I am an atheist at heart, just not one of those neckbeards wearing a fedora hat.

‘As ridiculous as it may sound, but the other possibility might be for real. What if they gave me a surgery to hide something? What if a mafia bought me and had a doctor announced my time of deceased? They can have me do what ever mafia thingy they need in secret. Or the driver wanted to hide the body, so he had to alter my persona so that nobody will believe me when I report it. Wait, the nurse earlier was already dropping some hints. There might be something more sinister going on.’

‘…’

Meh.

I instantly threw the other possibility into my mental trash bin. That is just how ridiculous at it sounds. She may be weird, but she is still an on-the-job student. I tried to venture to a more plausible possibility.

*Gah

My head hurts again. And then a collection of visions and blaring noise played to my mind in a fast-forward. It started from a young boy’s perspective kicking a frog to growing up and attending an academy to getting knocked down from a duel. All of this worth of a lifetime got played in a mere second.

‘Or four, I died and possessed a narcissist, racist bastard. Which is more implausible.’

I try to recall my new found memories.

The man I currently possess is a narcissist and a racist who sees his nation as the supreme being while others as mere peasants that were just beneath his soles. When given an opportunity, he would always flaunt his family name. He is always in conflict with the students from the Union and Orient, mostly from his own classmates at Class-A. Fortunately, he got utterly demolished during the combat exam. An extra and a stepping stone that is Vanir Cambern, one character from “Legends were Made”. A game I love.

‘Of all the people I could possess, it has to be an extra that will be forgotten after the first act.’

The day Vanir lost in a duel was the start of his downfall, as he will become more aggressive. By the time he got demoted to Class C, he got pulled out of the Campus by his own father. He became a disgrace to his family.

Vanir put no effort into his grades. He never studied nor practiced his sword skills. To stay relevant and be part of Class A, he had been paying the institution. It had become the norm for professors to accept the money and pretend like nothing happened. This stemmed from the empyreans being mostly lazy and the institution couldn’t do anything about it as it would create conflict if they declined, which is the opposite of the peace they wanted to achieve.

Thus, half of the students from Class A are empyreans.

‘Forget about the about the bastard. I am right now living the dream.’

‘While it is saddening to know I possess a worthless piece of crap. Living on my favorite game, on the other hand, had been the best thing I had in my whole life. Or last life.’

“Legends were Made” is a Japanese role-playing game set when nations around the world had finally ceased war and agreed to have a peace treaty. To further promote this peace, they established an Academy called Mythos where all children of commanders, generals, knights, kings, leaders, elders and war veterans were admitted. Although they had the bright idea, it is still merely an idea. There had been massive conflicts between students from opposing nations. Rather than adults it is teenagers that are waging war on a small scale.

I raised the mirror again. Within the reflection, I saw a handsome man gazing back at me.

And among the forerunners, Vanir is the one in the center of the massive battleground. And one of the first fallen soldiers. He didn’t make it in the end.

‘Now that I am Vanir, what do I want?’

As much as people want to deny it, humans by nature are greedy, self preserving narcissists, we are just too good at hiding it. We are driven to achieve our own happiness, which is why we plundered cities in the name of religion and felt no remorse. Even saints who go out of their way to save people are merely pretenders who do it for clout. In the name of love, parents force their children to take doctor, lawyer or other high-paying jobs. And I highly doubt its love and if it is so, they should have considered tradesman or entrepreneur.

As for me?

‘I do not want to be the protagonist of a story. Reality slapped me in the face once for it and it sucked, knowing I was not the hero. But if I am going to live here. I want nothing else but to be part of the main characters, to be part of their journey, to be part of their adversities and to be part of their circle. Not as fictional friends from my computer, but as my genuine friends.’

I put down the mirror again.

‘To achieve my goal, I should never fall down from Class A where all the main characters are gathered. Regan Cambern highly values his reputation and I will definitely get dragged out if I get demoted. Just like the original story. To at least remain in Class A I must have a passing grades in my written exam.’

I look at the door where the girl had left earlier. We had a massive misunderstanding.

‘She knows.’

Mary Rose Greenhill is a student from the Union. She is always the one who treats the main characters whenever they got injured. She is currently studying as a Field Doctor. Therefore, she always gets deployed whenever the main characters were having a field day. She is like the nurse Joy of Pokemon, always there ready to heal the characters at any moment.

Now that the world is at peace, the technology is now advancing at a rapid pace. And among those technologies introduced, one of them gave a heavy blow to the empyrean students. One that is so massive, 15% of them got pulled out from the campus. And that is the data storage manufactured by the Union.

It was still in its early stage so they were still using floppy disks. But because of data storage, professors couldn’t just change the test answers. Once they input the data, they cannot change the answers anymore. If the grade they handed doesn’t reflect the score from the test answers, they will be the one getting pulled out from the campus.

*knock *knock *knock

I heard knocking sounds.

‘Is she back?’

I waited for the door to open but a series of knocks resounds instead.

‘Am I supposed to answer?’

I cleared my voice before speaking.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me for the intrusion.”

The door opens, and a shriveled man comes in. He has a white hair, a twirling mustache and a shaved beard. He wore a monocle in his right eye, a black suit, pants and shoes, and a white shirt underneath.

He bows to me.

“Greetings young master. I am relieved to see that you are being taken care of properly. Although it pains me to see you bedridden because a hairless swine cheated.”

Wilfred Walter is the servant of Vanir. He was a retired cook who took a liking to Vanir before his retirement. Because empyrean students don’t do the chores on their own, the institution allowed them to bring only one servant. When Wilfred heard that every single servant and maid was reluctant to take care of Vanir, He volunteered himself before the head of the family chose the servant who would accompany Vanir.

Not only is he doing all the household chores, he is also the one bribing the professors to make sure that the young master doesn’t fall down from the elite class.

I smiled when I saw him.

‘He is the ticket I need to pass the exam.’