Became the final boss in the game

Episode 7

The duel that started because of the unprecedented chaos at the entrance ceremony quickly spread throughout the academy.

Naturally, the upperclassmen heard about it right away.

“I heard it’s a fight between brothers.”

“Apparently, the older brother attacked the younger one out of nowhere.”

And, of course, almost every upperclassmen who was free rushed to the duel site.

Academy life could get boring, so when something this exciting happened, how could they not watch?

“So did the older brother just lose it? Or did the younger one do something wrong?”

“Rumor has it that the older one just snapped all of a sudden. If that’s true, then he’s just crazy, isn’t he?”

“I don’t know… If he was accepted into this academy, he must at least have some skills. Would he really attack for no reason? Maybe the younger brother actually cheated his way into the student representative position.”

The crowd buzzed with speculation. Did the older brother know something and risk everything to expose his sibling?

Or was the younger brother falsely accused?

“If it turns out the younger one really did cheat to become the student representative, this is going to get very interesting—”

At that moment.

“That’s impossible.”

A stern-looking man stepped forward, his chest adorned with an emblem featuring a star and a tower.

“There is no corruption at Garam Academy. And securing such a visible position through cheating? Even more impossible.”

The student council president. The eldest son of the Velota family, a prestigious ducal house of the Kanarion Kingdom.

Marlatin Velota.

His expression was filled with irritation as he scanned the crowd.

“So don’t go spreading nonsense about corruption.”

“S-Sorry!”

The student who had suggested the possibility of corruption paled and bowed his head in apology.

Marlatin shot him a look of disdain before turning his gaze toward the duel arena.

“To cause such an uproar at the academy’s most prestigious ceremony… how disgraceful.”

Breaking the rules was one thing.

But disrupting the entrance ceremony, a moment of honor, was utterly unacceptable.

“…I don’t like this.”

His anger wasn’t directed at just one person.

Both Jian and Chaan had caused this mess.

That’s when—

“Oh! Marlatin! It is you!”

A familiar voice rang out.

Aris stepped forward with a cheerful grin.

“It’s been a while! That stiff face of yours hasn’t changed a bit!”

“…Princess.”

Marlatin’s expression darkened ever so slightly.

He had hoped to avoid her, but clearly, that was wishful thinking.

“It’s been a while. I trust you’ve been well?”

“Yes, I have.”

At that moment—

Jian and Chaan stepped into the duel arena.

Chaan looked like a volcano about to erupt, his face twisted with rage.

Jian, in stark contrast, was as calm as a still lake.

“…Interesting.”

Marlatin’s eyes glinted.

He had assumed both of them were nothing but troublemakers.

But perhaps he had been too hasty in judging the younger one. At the very least, Jian seemed useful.

Bellomata… Wasn’t that a noble family from the western desert nation, Hessan?

If that was the case, bringing him into his fold wouldn’t be too difficult.

I should observe him. If he’s impressive enough, maybe I’ll make a move.

Just as he was considering this—

“Give up on that idea.”

Aris smirked, almost mockingly.

“That man ‘Jian’ is far too great for you to handle. If you try to claim him, you’ll be crushed beyond recognition.”

Marlatin didn’t feel anger, only shock.

He didn’t want to admit it, but when it came to assessing people, Princess Aris was rarely wrong.

For her to hold Jian in such high regard?

What did she see in him?

As he frowned, deep in thought—

“No need to be so impatient. You’ll understand soon enough.”

Aris said it like she was looking forward to something.

And then—

“Begin!”

The instructor signaled the start of the duel.

“I’ll kill you!”

Chaan charged the moment the duel began.

Despite his overwhelming rage, his sword barely wavered.

At least his fundamentals are solid.

In contrast, Jian wasn’t even in a proper stance.

Does he think he doesn’t even need to draw his sword?

His relaxed posture seemed to say as much.

Sure enough, Jian sidestepped with minimal movement, tilting his head just slightly to avoid the blade’s path completely.

Swish! Swish!

Chaan launched more attacks.

But Jian dodged every single one with just a slight step.

“Stop dodging! Fight me like a man!”

Frustration boiled over as Chaan yelled in fury.

But Jian remained unbothered, evading without a care.

“What the hell? He’s just toying with him.”

“If he had drawn his sword, the fight would’ve ended in one strike.”

“And they think he cheated to become the student representative? Ridiculous.”

“Seriously. If he isn’t fit to be representative, then who is?”

The duel felt less like a battle and more like an adult humoring a child.

But—

…Something’s off.

There was one person who saw things differently.

Marlatin.

It looks like… they’re acting.

Chaan wasn’t going all out. And Jian… wasn’t even looking at his sword.

It felt less like a real fight and more like a choreographed performance—as if they had rehearsed it in advance.

Could this be a scheme by the Bellomata family? A way to boost Jian’s reputation?

Now that he had this thought, everything seemed staged. Jian and Chaan weren’t fighting.

They were performing.

Like swordsmen on stage, putting on a show for the audience.

Has even Princess Aris fallen for this farce? Has Kanarion’s decline reached even her?

He had thought she was different…

Just as Marlatin frowned in disappointment—

“You think this is staged, don’t you?”

Aris grinned knowingly.

“If so, you’re mistaken. They’re not acting. Their movements are just that perfect.”

“No, Princess. You’re the one who’s mistaken. This is just—”

At that moment—

“DIE!”

Chaan’s sword flared with mana, its energy more than doubling in an instant.

His attacks sped up by at least 1.5 times. He was hiding this much power?!

Marlatin had known Chaan was holding back.

But he hadn’t expected it to be this much.

Here’s a simple English translation of your text:

A perfect surprise attack. Jian was completely off guard. If he had drawn his sword, maybe he could have done something, but right now, there was no way for him to block or dodge it.

As expected, Chaan’s sword shot forward in an instant, aiming straight for Jian’s neck.

Even so, Jian didn’t move at all.

‘He’s dead.’

The sword slashed through Jian’s neck. Soon, his head would separate from his body and roll on the ground.

Blood would spray from the wound like a fountain.

“Kyahhhhh!”

A scream rang out at the shocking scene.

But then—

“Kyahhh… huh?”

The scream suddenly stopped.

“…Huh?”

There was no reason to scream.

“What…?”

“Why is he fine…?”

Jian was completely unharmed. Even though the sword had clearly slashed his neck, his head was still attached to his body.

“Did I see it wrong?”

“An illusion…? Or was it a fake sword…?”

While everyone was struggling to understand what had just happened, the instructor, unable to watch any longer, shouted:

“Match over! Chaan Bellomata is disqualified!”

As the crowd remained speechless in shock, Marlatin was just as confused.

‘What the…’

Maraltin had clearly seen it. Just before Chaan’s sword reached Jian’s neck, something strange had happened.

Jian’s neck seemed to flicker for a moment. And his upper body moved slightly backward, just a tiny bit.

He hadn’t seen it clearly, but he was sure of these two things.

‘Did he dodge at a speed too fast for the eye to see… and then return to his original position?’

If he put those two observations together, there was only one conclusion.

‘What kind of insane speed is that…?’

Marlatin swallowed hard and stared at Jian with eyes full of awe.

‘I was wrong, not the princess.’

Marlatin was sure of it.

Among the new students, the one who would be the representative was this man—Jian.

And three years from now, the one who would graduate as the top student would also be Jian.

After the duel ended and Chaan was taken away by the instructor, people rushed toward me.

“Wow, what was that? How did you dodge at the end?”

“That was insane. I couldn’t see anything at all.”

“I don’t get it. How could your brother say you cheated your way into being the representative when you’re this strong?”

Of course, everyone was praising me. Some were just genuinely impressed.

But most of them were trying to get close to me, hoping for some kind of benefit.

They figured that making friends with someone as skilled as me would bring them advantages.

“Hey, have you thought about joining a club? Want to join ours?”

“Hey now, don’t cut in line! Freshman, how about joining our club instead?”

Even upperclassmen were trying to recruit me.

Normally, I would have given some kind of answer. But unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to deal with them right now.

[Due to the blessing of ‘One Loved by All Things,’ you automatically evade any attack that would be fatal once per battle.]

‘…Shit.’

I almost died just now.

‘That damn doppelganger really tried to kill me?’

That last attack wasn’t staged.

The doppelganger had been serious about killing me.

‘If I hadn’t gotten the blessing from Aris before the match, I’d be dead right now.’

The only reason I survived was because of Aris’s blessing.

Her ability, the reason she was considered a broken character, had saved me.

‘Damn it. Seriously, damn it.’

Just thinking about what would’ve happened if Aris hadn’t grabbed my hand before the match made my spine tingle.

I couldn’t help but curse.

[Your EX-rank Mental Strength calms your emotions.]

Luckily, my panic faded quickly.

But my anger didn’t.

‘He really is a villain. The moment he thought I was weak, he stabbed me in the back.’

Doppelganger.

I’m going to kill you.

As I was boiling with rage—

“Make way.”

“Huh…?”

“The princess…?!”

Aris appeared.

“Jian has an appointment with me. Sorry, but I’m taking him with me.”

She gestured for me to follow her.

‘Just when I was wondering how to escape… perfect timing.’

I bowed slightly to the students around me and followed Aris.

Aris didn’t take me away because she actually had business with me.

‘That should be enough.’

‘What? You seemed troubled, so I just stepped in. Consider it a small repayment for what I owe you.’

She had simply seen me struggling and found an excuse to get me out.

‘I thought you came to hear my answer to your offer earlier.’

‘No need to rush. It’s about changing countries, after all. Take your time and think it over.’

Before the match, she had asked me if I wanted to defect to her country.

So when she said I had an appointment, I thought she wanted to discuss that.

But no.

‘She’s trying to build up goodwill so I’ll be more open to defecting later, huh?’

Not a bad strategy. By helping me now, she makes me more likely to consider it in the future.

‘Clever. Very clever.’

I smirked.

“Master!”

At that moment, the doppelganger appeared.

But this time, it wasn’t in Chaan’s form, it had taken on the appearance of a maid.

“I’m so sorry! I acted on my own at the end…”

I hadn’t expected it to come back. It must have realized that running away was useless and decided to change its approach, pretending to beg for forgiveness.

“I had no intention of harming you! It’s just that Lionel, the captain, was watching closely, and I feared he would suspect you…”

I stared at the doppelganger with a blank expression.

“I thought if I didn’t act, he’d become suspicious of you, so I made up for that last attack…”

It was trembling slightly, clearly scared of my reaction. I smiled warmly.

“Haha, it’s okay. You don’t need to explain. I know you acted with my best interests in mind.”

For a moment, the doppelganger looked surprised.

Then, its face lit up with relief.

“I knew you would understand, Master!”

“At first, I thought you betrayed me, but then I realized, you knew that attack wouldn’t hurt me, right?”

“Yes! Exactly!”

Its eyes sparkled with sincerity.

“I was impressed. You noticed Lionel’s suspicion and reacted immediately. I’m seeing you in a new light.”

“Ah…! Thank you…!”

The doppelganger looked deeply moved.

I gazed at it kindly.

“So, I have a new mission for you.”

“A mission…?”

“Yes. It’s a difficult task, but I trust you. Can I count on you?”

“O-Of course! Please give me your command!”

“Good.”

I held out my hand.

“The mission is simple. I need you to take my place and act as ‘Jian’ for a while.”

“You want me to act as you…?”

“Yes. I have somewhere to go. While I’m away, I need you to pretend to be me.”

I could see the greed hidden in its eyes. I knew exactly what it was thinking.

“Before I explain further, transform into me first.”

“A-Alright! Understood!”

To transform, the doppelganger had to maintain physical contact for one minute.

It held my hand for a minute, then let go.

“I’ll transform now.”

“Go ahead.”

As its body started shifting like black sludge—

I drew my sword. And drove it straight into its heart.

“Guh… M-Master…?”

Doppelgangers are vulnerable while transforming.

If you strike their weak point at that moment, they die instantly.

“Hah. Did you really think I wouldn’t see through your plan to kill me and take over my place?”

As if I would believe that nonsense. I had been playing along just for this moment.

“Damn… it…”

With those final words, it died.

[You have slain an ‘Overwhelmingly Powerful Enemy’!]
[You have earned free stat points!]

A level 72 villain.

And yet, such a pitiful death.