Became the final boss in the game

Episode 2

Seriously.

How did things end up like this?

‘What am I supposed to do with this?’

I looked to my right.

Standing there was Reaper, the second-in-command of the dark organization

“Black Night,” led by Jey Laon. Arms crossed, he frowned, clearly displeased with the atmosphere.

[Reaper]

[Harbinger of Death]

[LV.91]

I looked to my left.

There was Yodala, ranked third in Black Night, staring at me with curiosity.

[Yodala]
[Enchanting Priestess]
[LV.89]

Next to Yodala sat Absoluter, ranked fourth.

[Absoluter]
[Devourer of All]
[LV.87]

Beside him was Clover, ranked sixth.

[Clover]
[Symbol of Luck]
[LV.89]

Absoluter didn’t seem interested in the situation, leaning back in his chair with his feet on the marble round table, yawning.

Clover, however, looked furious, glaring at me with an intense scowl.

‘This is insane…’

Four monsters, each capable of destroying a nation alone, were gathered here.

And not just sitting together, they were releasing their aura, keeping each other in check.

Standing in the middle of this pressure, I felt like I was losing my mind.

‘Good thing my Mental Resistance is EX-rank.’

[Resisting ‘Enchanting Allure.’]
[Resisting ‘Hunger’s Curse.’]
[Resisting ‘Luck Manipulation.’]

Because my mental status had reached EX rank, I could resist all status effects.

Without it, I would have already gone insane from their presence alone.

‘I had no choice but to max out my mental stat. Turns out, it was the right decision.’

With my EX-rank mental status, my mind had reached the realm of gods.

I wouldn’t waver, no matter what.

That’s why I could stay calm even among these monsters.

“I cannot accept this.”

The only one visibly unhappy with the situation, Clover, stood up and protested.

“I joined Black Night and pledged loyalty to Jay Laon because of his immeasurable strength and dignity!

I was willing to dedicate everything to him because I believed he was worthy!”

His red eyes, visible through his mask, stared directly into mine.

“But what is this?

This weakling is supposed to be our Master?

A mere ordinary person as our Master?

I refuse to accept this.

I cannot acknowledge this as our Master…!”

“Enough.”

Before anyone realized it, Reaper had moved.

He now stood directly behind Clover, pressing a dagger against the back of his neck.

His eyes were filled with killing intent, as if ready to strike at any moment.

“It would be wise not to say anything more.”

Clover flinched slightly but quickly regained his composure.

“Pointless. Your dagger cannot harm me.”

At that moment, a dazzling aura of luck radiated from Clover’s body.

His ability “Luck Manipulation” allowed him to control luck and misfortune at will.

“A mere dagger cannot pierce my luck.”

“You think so?”

The tension was about to explode.

Watching their standoff, I thought to myself…

‘This idiot Clover. Does he have a death wish? Why would he provoke Reaper of all people?’

Clover’s Luck Manipulation was indeed a broken ability.

But it wasn’t absolute.

It had a clear weakness and that was Reaper’s “Death Sentence.”

Reaper’s dagger could bypass Clover’s luck manipulation.

If this continued, Clover was going to die.

“That’s enough, both of you.”

At that moment, Yodala stepped in.

As if she knew blood would be spilled if things continued, she sighed and intervened, looking reluctant but resigned.

“Acting like this in front of our Master…
Aren’t you both ashamed?”

“Clover insulted the Master. I cannot forgive that.”

“I completely understand.
Of course, you want to kill him.”

Yodala’s pupils shifted, turning into vertical slits like a snake’s.

[Resisting ‘Enchanting Eyes.’]

“I, too, would love to tear Clover apart and feed him to my Enchanted Serpents.”

“…!”

Clover flinched, visibly startled.

He hadn’t expected Yodala to react so strongly.

“But.”

Yodala smiled eerily.

“The only one who has the right to decide Clover’s death… Is not you. Nor me.”

She slowly turned her gaze toward me. Her expression filled with devotion as if entranced.

She turned to me, her gaze filled with twisted admiration.

“Master, please give me the order.”

Her expression was both like a girl in love and a serpent eyeing its prey.

“If you command it, I’ll devour him. Or, if you prefer, I’ll trap him inside my serpent, feeding him between healing elixirs and venom, keeping him in endless agony for eternity.”

…She’s insane.

That was the only thought in my mind.

“She’s not joking. She would actually do it.”

“All decisions belong to the Master. That is how it should be.”

Reaper withdrew his dagger and knelt beside me.

“The only one who decides life and death is the Master.”

“Now, please give the order to execute this traitor.”

I turned to Clover, who was still frozen in shock, and thought,

“Clover… He’s an enemy-turned-ally type character. He starts on the villain’s side but later joins the protagonist’s group.”

Clover played a crucial role in the final battle against Jay Laon.

“From both a strategic and personal standpoint, killing him here would be a loss.”

I didn’t know how the future would unfold now that Jay Laon was dead.

But Clover had a high chance of becoming an ally.

It would be stupid to kill him now.

“I will not have Clover executed.”

That decision was secondary, though.

More importantly, if I was going to keep pretending to be Jay Laon aon, I had to make the same choices he would.

Jay Raon was a ruthless pragmatist.

He prioritized logic over emotions.

“Master…?”

Yodala and Reaper looked surprised.

“As much as I’d love to dispose of him right now, I will not. Black Night’s strength has already weakened due to my reincarnation. Losing another high-ranking member is too great a loss.”

“But Master, if we let him live, it sets a bad example—”

“Clover’s argument wasn’t entirely wrong.”

“What?”

I pretended to take on a Jay Laon like tone and continued,

“I lost a great deal of power when I abandoned my old body. I am not the same Jay Laon who once ruled over you.”

Reaper’s eyes widened.

“No! Even if your appearance has changed, you are still—”

“I am weaker than you now. Clover had every reason to doubt me.”

I locked eyes with Clover, speaking with as much authority as I could.

“So, I will grant you mercy. This is a one-time pardon, given due to special circumstances.”

Clover flinched.

“But there won’t be a second chance. If you ever speak such nonsense again…”

“No need for Master to even bother.”

Reaper’s voice was ice-cold.

“I’ll cut his throat on the spot.”

Clover didn’t say a word.

He just trembled slightly, clenching his fists and biting his lips.

Had he realized the gap in power and fallen into despair?

The room filled with absolute killing intent.

[Resisting Death’s Judgment]

“This guy is on another level.”

Even Yodala, the third strongest, was frozen in place.

As expected from the second-in-command.

“I need to figure out how to deal with Reaper…”

He was the second-strongest person in the world.

There was no escaping Black Night as long as he was alive.

For now, my only choice was to keep pretending to be Jay Laon.

At least until I became strong enough to fight him.

Through Yodala and Reaper’s conversation, I learned several important things.

Jay Laon’s Real Goal for Entering Garam Academy

His goal was to steal the “First King’s Soul” hidden in the King’s Tomb beneath Garam Academy.

“The academy’s top graduate gets permission to enter the tomb and take the King’s Trial.”

Jay Laon planned to use this right to enter the tomb officially, pretend to take the trial, and secretly steal the First King’s Soul.

Why Jay Laon Wanted the First King’s Soul?

Jay Laon had a special ability, he grew stronger by absorbing souls.

And the First King’s Soul was EX-rank, one of the highest-level souls.

For Jay Laon, who had just switched to a new body and needed to regain his strength, this soul was the perfect power boost.

Since he would have to lay low for a few years to rebuild his power, spending three years at the academy wasn’t a waste, it was actually beneficial.

The Perfect Plan

Garam Academy is the world’s best training institution for a reason.

And as expected from a final boss, Jay Laon had planned everything in detail.

Yodala even handed me a three-year training plan Jay Laon had prepared just in case.

The plan was extremely efficient, covering everything from training methods to an insane amount of potions.

Basically, he had prepared tons of powerful elixirs to drink as soon as their cooldowns reset.

If everything had gone as planned, by the time he graduated, Jay Laon would have regained at least Level 90 strength.

But Now, It’s All Meaningless

Jay Laon is dead.

His carefully prepared plan will never happen.

But… his potions won’t go to waste.

“Thanks, Jay Laon. I’ll make good use of your elixirs.”

I Need to Get Stronger

For now, Reaper, Yodala, and the other executives still believe I’m Jay Laon.

But that won’t last forever.

Before they figure out the truth, I need to get strong enough to escape them.

I need power and allies.

Garam Academy is the Best Place for that.

It’s the starting point of the game.

It’s where the world’s royalty, nobles, and future heroes gather.

Garam Academy is the perfect place to grow stronger and build a faction.

The Plan:

1. Train at the academy to get stronger.

2. Recruit powerful people and build a force strong enough to fight Black Night.

This is the best strategy for survival.