Became the final boss in the game

Episode 3
The entrance to the academy was in three days.

During that time, I had to be careful not to reveal my identity to the Reapers.
‘I need to watch what I say.’
I only knew what was shown in the game.

Anything beyond that was unknown to me. If I said something strange, I might expose myself.

I had to be extra cautious.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, I heard a knock on the door.

Since there were no footsteps, it was probably a Reaper.
“Come in.”

“Excuse me.”
As expected, the visitor was the Reaper.

In his right hand, he held a potion glowing with a clear blue light.

A potion I had seen dozens, no, hundreds of times in the game.
“Here is the ‘Breath of Eternity’ you requested.”
[Breath of Eternity]
[Rank: S]
[A potion refined from the breath of an immortal spirit.]
[Increases all stats.]
[Cannot be used multiple times. After consumption, no other potions can be taken for 30 days.]
I almost gasped in shock.

But with my EX-rank mental stat, I regained composure before making a sound.
“Well done.”
Given Jay Laon’s personality, it made sense for me to say that.

And based on the Reaper’s personality, he would likely hand over the potion and say, ‘If you need anything else, just call me,’ before leaving.
“If you need anything else, please call me anytime.”
Just as I expected.
The Reaper gave a slight bow before leaving the room.

Now alone, I maintained my composed act, aware that I might still be under surveillance, while gripping the potion.
‘Wow. Holy shit. I can’t believe I’m drinking this so early in the game.’
S-rank potions were rare.

And among them, potions that increased all stats were even rarer.

You could only obtain this one after reaching level 60 and completing extremely difficult conditions in the Spirit’s Sanctuary.

And now, I had it in my hands.
Suppressing my excitement, I kept a serious expression as I opened the potion’s lid.
‘Time to drink it.’
Without hesitation, I downed it in one go.
‘Ugh.’
Was bitterness a sign of effectiveness?

A horribly bitter taste overwhelmed my tongue.
‘Hold it in. I have to endure this.’
Luckily, enduring wasn’t difficult.
[Your EX-rank mental stat calms your confusion.]
Whenever my mind felt like breaking, my mental EX-rank naturally stabilized me.
‘God, this is disgusting.’
About a minute passed, and the intense bitterness in my mouth slowly faded.
[All stats have increased.]
A system message appeared, confirming the stat boost.

The horrible taste no longer mattered.
‘How much did my stats increase?’
Actually, what were my stats in the first place?
Come to think of it, I hadn’t checked my level or stats yet.
‘How do I check?’
Since system messages existed, there had to be a way to view my status screen.

But how?

Did I have to say “status window” out loud?
‘I can’t say that right now.’
Someone might be watching.

Saying “status window” out loud wasn’t an option.
‘What if I just think about it?
Status window!’
I tried thinking of the command in my head.
[Status Window]
[Name: Jian]
[Race: ???]
[Level: 11]
‘It worked?’
The status window really appeared.

Thankfully, I could check it just by thinking about it.
[Status]
Strength: C
Agility: C-
Endurance: D
Mental: EX
Magic: C+
…What the hell?

Why are my stats so high?
‘At level 11, my stats should be around E+ at best.’
But aside from my Mental stat, my average was C- equivalent to someone around level 30-40.
‘Even if the Breath of Eternity boosted everything by one rank, that means my original stats were around D.’
That was way too high for level 11.

Has this body been given potions before?

Since someone would eventually take over this body, maybe they used potions to prepare it in advance. That would explain these stats.
[Potion History]
[Breath of Eternity]
‘This is the first one?’
The log only listed the potion I just drank.
That meant no previous potions had been used.

So… were these stats just natural?
‘Why?’
The answer appeared under the Innate Traits section of my status window.
[Flawless Talent]
Has natural talent in all areas.
All professions become “compatible professions.”
[Born with a Strong Body]
Possesses a powerful physique.
Starts with increased physical stats.
[Loved by Mana]
Has exceptional skill in handling mana.
Starts with increased magic stats.
‘W-What the hell…?’
Not only did I have Born with a Strong Body and Loved by Mana—both of which were already overpowered—but I also had Flawless Talent?
‘This is insane.’
This character was completely broken.
‘Wait… but if I think about it, it makes sense.’
Jay Laon had sacrificed his current strength just to obtain this body.

It had to be extraordinary.
‘With this level of talent, sacrificing his current power makes sense.’
If I were in his shoes, I’d have switched bodies too.

Jay Laon had little time left to live, so rejecting this opportunity would’ve been foolish.
‘With this potential, surpassing the Reapers within three years might not be impossible after all…’
Three days passed quickly.

Thankfully, nothing went wrong during that time.
‘Finally, I can get out of this suffocating situation.’
I had been on high alert the entire time, worried about being watched.

If my Mental stat wasn’t EX-rank, I might’ve had a mental breakdown.
“Master, please be careful.”
While I was reflecting on the past few days, Yodala, who had come to see me off, suddenly hugged me.
“I’ll miss you.”
At the same time, a pinkish aura radiated from Yodala’s body.
[Resisting the Aura of Enchantment.]
But my EX-rank Mental stat easily blocked the effect.
“Yodala.”
Sensing what she had just attempted, the Reaper called her name in a cold voice.
“What?”
Still hugging me, Yodala glared at the Reaper.
“Your intentions are impure.”

“Impure? What exactly is impure about what I just did?”
Yodala let go of me and laughed as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“I was just expressing my feelings to the Master. I was simply confessing my love.”
…That’s what this was about?
“Since when is hypnotic enchantment considered a love confession?”

“It wouldn’t be considered one under normal circumstances. But Master isn’t a normal case, is he?”
Yodala turned to me and gave a seductive smile.
“Whether my hypnotic aura affects him or not depends entirely on his will. In other words, whether he accepts my love is also up to his will.”
What the hell is she talking about?
“I see.”
The Reaper’s eyes lit up as if he had just realized something.
“Accepting an aura that could harm you… That would mean trusting the other person. So, in a way, it could be seen as another form of expressing love. Is that what you mean?”

“Exactly.”
My brain went blank for a second.

Not only was Yodala’s logic ridiculous, but the fact that the Reaper actually accepted it made it even worse.
How the hell does hypnotizing someone count as confessing love?!
“Master, if your youthful energy ever starts overflowing… call for me. My heart is always open to you.”
That’s weird. In the game, Yodala never showed any affection toward Jay Laon. Why is she acting like this?
“Ahh, really… the more I see you, the cuter you get. No, not just cute, cool too. And not just cool, charming as well.”
Her eyes burned with pink desire.
‘Now that I think about it, all of Yodala’s subordinates were handsome men.’
Wait, could it be that she’s acting like this because of my face?
“Ahh, I can’t hold back anymore, Master. Let’s just go together. I should be the one seeing you off, not Reaper—”
Her face inched closer.

At this rate, she’d kiss me any second now.
“Yodala, Master seems troubled.”
Reaper stepped in to stop her.
“And seeing Master off is my role as his right-hand. I won’t give it up to anyone.”
“Your opinion doesn’t matter. What matters is the Master’s will, right?”
Reaper frowned at me, his face painted as if his heart was being torn apart.
“If Master prefers Yodala’s company over mine, I will back down…”
“Master, choose me. Honestly, wouldn’t it be better to travel with me than this gloomy guy?”
Personally, I’d prefer if neither of them came along…

But they wouldn’t take no for an answer.

I had to choose one.
And if I had to choose…
“I’ll go with Reaper, just as planned.”
Reaper was the safer option.

With Yodala, who knows what she’d try if we were alone?
“Master!”
Reaper shouted in joy.
“Tsk.”
Yodala pouted in disappointment and stepped back.
“Oh well, I’ll back off for now.”
She licked her lips with a sultry smile.
“Thinking about it, you’ve only just gotten used to your new body, so your desires probably aren’t that strong yet. It’s not the right time anyway.”
I felt like a hamster facing a snake.
After that, Reaper and I left for the academy, leaving Yodala behind.

We traveled in a carriage that Reaper had prepared in advance.
‘How much farther?’
Thankfully, Reaper was sitting in the driver’s seat, which made things a bit more comfortable.
“Master.”
Just as I was feeling relieved, Reaper called me.
“A group of royal family members is about one kilometer ahead. I can sense their mana.”
Royalty?

From which kingdom? Who exactly?
“As expected, the knight commander is not present.”
As expected? What does he mean?
“Proceeding with the plan as discussed.”
Wait, what plan?!
Before I could ask, a loud screech rang out from above.
“That sound…”
It was familiar from the game.
A pack-based monster that always moved in groups of at least ten.

Considered the rulers of the sky in the world of Eryngia.

Ranked between S and A.
“Wyverns!”
Looking out the carriage window, I saw a massive flock of them.

Even at a glance, there were more than forty.
‘Don’t tell me… the plan is to wipe out the royal family with those wyverns?!’
If that’s the case, then the royal family ahead must be extremely important.

Who could it be?
As I was lost in thought—
“Pardon me, Master.”
Reaper suddenly grabbed me and channeled mana into my body.
[Mental Resistance EX rank resists Puppet Manipulation.]
My body instinctively repelled the skill.
‘I don’t know what’s happening, but I feel like I shouldn’t resist this. Just go with it!’
[Overriding resistance. Accepting Puppet Manipulation.]
The system obeyed my will.
‘Phew, that was clo—!?’
Before I could even relax, I was flung out of the carriage—soaring through the sky.
‘WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!’
Was he trying to get rid of me because he figured out I was a fake?!
‘I’m slowing down.’
Luckily, that didn’t seem to be the case.

My speed gradually decreased until I stopped near an extravagant carriage.
‘Is that the royal family’s carriage?’
As I stared at it, a terrifying screech rang out from behind me.
“W-Wyverns!”

“The commander is absent at the worst time…!”

“Everyone, prepare for battle! No matter what, we must protect them!”
Panic spread among the guards as they braced for a fight.
I watched them, deep in thought.
‘Why did Reaper send me here?’
The answer came immediately.
Their defenses are weaker than expected. No need to observe further.
Reaper’s voice echoed in my mind.
And the next moment…
I was flying again.
‘I can’t see anything…!’
I was moving too fast for my eyes to focus.
Then—
Puuuck!
I heard the sound of flesh being pierced.
And then—
“KIEEEEEEEEK!”
Then, the dying screams of the wyvern echoed.
Thud.
After that, I felt my feet slowly touching the ground, and my vision cleared.
‘What… is this situation?’
My head was spinning.
I couldn’t make sense of what was happening.
“Y-You… who are you?”
A voice called out.

I turned my head to see a guard staring at me with wary eyes.

Looking around, I realized I was standing right in front of the royal carriage I had seen earlier.
‘This is…’
At that moment, a wyvern from above crashed down lifelessly.
“Took down a wyvern in one strike…?”

“Who are you…?”
At that moment, I understood what Reaper meant by “the plan.”
‘This is… the ‘create danger, then save them’ trick?’
The idea was simple:

Put the royal family in danger, then have Jay Laon swoop in to rescue them, making them indebted to him.

That was the plan.
‘That means the royal inside this carriage must be a new student this year…’
Before I could finish my thought, my body moved on its own again.
‘Ugh, I feel dizzy…’
Shwip! Slash!
The scenery blurred again.

When I came to, I was holding a sword.
Slash! Slash!
Again, the scenery shifted at a crazy speed.

By the time my vision settled, my sword was drenched in wyvern blood.
“W-What is this…?”
When my vision cleared once more, shattered wyvern wings scattered like flower petals in the air.
Dozens of massive wyverns plummeted, spraying blood as they fell.