Episode 2
Seriously.
How did things end up like this?
‘What am I even supposed to do about this?’
I looked to my right.
Standing there was Reaper, the number two in the dark organization Black Night, led by Jay Raon.
He seemed annoyed by the atmosphere, arms crossed, face frowning.
[Reaper]
[Executor of Death]
[LV.91]
I looked to my left.
There stood Yodala, number three in Black Night’s hierarchy, just below Reaper.
She looked at me with curious eyes, like I was some strange creature.
[Yodala]
[Priestess of Illusion]
[LV.89]
Next to her sat number four, Absoluter.
[Absoluter]
[Devourer of All]
[LV.87]
And next to Absoluter sat number six, Clover.
[Clover]
[Symbol of Luck]
[LV.89]
Absoluter looked completely uninterested in what was going on. He had his legs on the marble table, leaning back in his chair, yawning lazily.
Clover, however, was scowling at me like I had personally offended him.
‘This is insane…’
There were four monsters here—each powerful enough to destroy a country on their own.
And they weren’t just gathered. They were releasing their auras, all trying to overpower each other.
Being in the middle of it all? It was enough to drive anyone crazy.
‘Good thing my Mind stat is EX-rank.’
[Resisted ‘Illusion’s Temptation.’]
[Resisted ‘Curse of Hunger.’]
[Resisted ‘Luck Manipulation.’]
Thanks to my EX-rank Mind stat, I can resist all abnormal effects.
If it weren’t for that, I would’ve gone mad just from their presence.
‘I had no choice but to invest everything into my Mind stat. Looks like that gamble paid off.’
Now that it’s EX-rank, my mental strength is basically godlike.
I don’t shake easily—so I can stay calm even in this crazy situation.
“I can’t accept this.”
Clover, the only one clearly upset, stood up and shouted.
“I pledged loyalty to Jairon and Black Night because I was drawn to his unmatched strength and dignity! I believed I could give him everything!”
Clover’s red eyes glared at me from behind his mask.
“And now what? This… this kid is supposed to be our Master? Just an ordinary nobody? I won’t accept it! That’s not a Master—he’s no Master at all—!”
“Enough.”
Suddenly, Reaper was behind Clover, holding a dagger to the back of his neck with a killing glare.
“You’d better stop talking now.”
Clover looked surprised for a moment, but quickly returned to his confident self.
“Don’t bother. Your dagger can’t harm me.”
A sparkling aura surrounded Clover—almost like the embodiment of luck itself.
Clover’s ability was Luck Manipulation—he could control the luck and misfortune of anyone around him.
“Your little knife won’t break through my luck.”
“Is that so?”
Tension filled the room.
I watched the standoff, thinking:
‘Is Clover crazy? Of all people, he’s picking a fight with Reaper?’
Clover’s ability is definitely overpowered.
But it’s not invincible.
It has one clear weakness—and that’s Reaper’s power, Execution.
Reaper’s dagger ignores Clover’s luck manipulation.
If this continues, Clover will die.
“Let’s stop it there, both of you.”
Yodala stepped in.
She seemed annoyed, but also like she knew things would get bloody if this kept going.
“Is this really how you act in front of the Master? Don’t you feel even a little ashamed?”
“Clover insulted the Master. That’s unforgivable.”
“I get it. You probably want to kill him. I feel the same.”
Yodala’s pupils suddenly turned vertical—like a snake’s.
[Resisted ‘Eye of Illusion.’]
“To be honest, I’d love to tear him apart and feed him to my illusion snake. So I can imagine how you feel.”
Clover flinched.
He clearly didn’t expect Yodala to react so violently.
“But we don’t have the authority to kill Clover. Only one person does.”
Yodala turned to look at me with a dreamy, almost obsessed expression.
“Master. Please give the order.”
She looked like a girl in love—or a snake about to devour a feast.
“If you order me to devour Clover, I will.
If you command me to keep him alive and in pain, I will trap him in my snake’s body forever, feeding him healing water and poison in turns.”
…Crazy woman.
That thought popped into my head before I realized it.
‘She’s not joking either… She’ll actually do it.’
“Everything depends on the Master’s will. Isn’t that right?”
Reaper lowered his dagger and returned to his seat on my right.
“Only the Master can decide who lives or dies.”
He got on one knee and bowed to me.
“Please. Give the order to execute the one who dared insult you.”
“……”
I looked at Clover, still frozen in shock, and thought:
‘Clover might be part of the enemy now, but later he switches sides and becomes an ally—one of those “was the enemy, now a friend” characters.’
Clover plays an important role in the final battle against Jay Raon.
‘Killing him now would be a loss. Strategically and personally.’
Jairon might be dead now, and I don’t know what’s coming next…
But Clover has a high chance of becoming a valuable ally.
“I won’t punish Clover.”
Even setting aside the benefits of keeping him alive…
Jairon himself wouldn’t have killed Clover here.
He always chose practicality over emotion—he was the ultimate realist.
“…Master?”
Yodala and Reaper looked surprised.
“I’d like to punish you right now… but I’ll hold back. With my power weakened, getting rid of Clover would be too much of a loss for Black Night.”
“B-but…”
Right now, Black Night’s strength has dropped a lot because of Jairon’s weakened state.
If they get rid of someone like Clover, who is ranked 6th, the loss would be huge.
Jairon is a practical person. So instead of killing Clover now, he’d likely keep him around and use him—then get rid of him when he’s no longer useful.
“I understand what you’re saying. But letting a traitor live sets a bad example…”
“Clover’s words weren’t completely wrong.”
“M-master?”
I just said what I thought Jairon might say in this situation.
“I’ve lost a lot of strength after transferring from my old body to this one. I’m not the same Jailaon who ruled over you.”
This is exactly the kind of thing Jairon would say to control the mood.
“No! Even if you look different, Master, you’re still—!”
Reaper started yelling, but then realized I wasn’t finished speaking and quickly went silent.
“The truth is, I’m weaker than you all right now. Clover’s anger is understandable.”
I looked Clover in the eye, trying to act serious and powerful.
“So, I’ll forgive you this one time. Consider it a special pardon due to the unusual situation.”
Clover’s eyes flinched slightly at my stare.
“But there won’t be a next time. If you say something like that again…”
“No need for you to act, Master.”
Reaper said coldly, like a grim reaper himself.
“I’ll cut Clover’s head off right then and there.”
[The Power of Death is Stirring!]
A dark killing intent filled the room.
Even Yodala, Clover, and Absolutor looked deeply shaken by Reaper’s deadly aura.
“Scary. That feeling never gets easier,” said Yodala.
“To have that kind of pressure… just from his presence?” Clover muttered.
“You haven’t changed, Reaper,” said Absolutor.
[Your ‘Mental Resistance: EX Rank’ resists the Power of Death!]
‘This guy’s on another level.’
Even Yodala, ranked 3rd, was overwhelmed.
‘He really feels like a mid-game boss.’
‘What do I do about Reaper…?’
Reaper is ranked 2nd in Black Night—and also 2nd in the entire world’s combat rankings.
In other words, he’s the strongest person alive now that Jailaon is “gone.”
‘As long as he’s alive, escaping Black Night and hiding isn’t possible.’
His job is assassin. Hiding from a monster like him is impossible. He’ll find me no matter where I go.
‘Unless I had someone to protect me… but there’s no one like that.’
Now that Jailaon is gone, Reaper is the most powerful person in the world.
No matter who I rely on, I won’t be able to avoid Reaper’s reach.
‘The only way to survive is to keep pretending to be Jairon.’
Until I’m strong enough to fight him, I have no choice but to keep up this act.
“For Master’s sake, I’ll let it go for today. But Clover—remember, there won’t be a next time.”
After that chilling warning, Reaper finally sat back down.
“……”
Clover said nothing. He just bit his lip and trembled—maybe from the overwhelming difference in power.
“Oh, right. Master, I meant to ask—are you really okay going alone when you’re so weak right now?”
Yodala looked at me with concern.
Alone? Going where?
“Yodala! Are you doubting Master?” Reaper asked.
“Do you not have ears? Or maybe no brain? I was worried, not suspicious.”
Yodala glared at Reaper, then looked back at me with a sweet smile.
“Master~ should I come with you? I could enroll too. Or just be your maid.”
Enroll?
That sounded like an important word.
“Yodala, do you really think the head of Garam Academy won’t notice what you are?”
“If I seal my powers, I can avoid detection.”
“And you’d protect me while your powers are sealed?”
“If Master’s in danger, I’ll break the seal.”
“You make that sound as easy as taking off clothes.”
As I listened to their conversation, I pieced things together.
Garam Academy.
And she said she could go with me.
‘…So Jairon planned to go to Garam Academy after taking my body.’
It looks like I’ll be entering Garam Academy soon.
Later, I learned more from Yodala and Reaper’s conversation.
Jairon’s goal for entering Garam Academy?
‘To steal the King’s Tomb hidden underneath it.’
His target was the soul of the First King stored inside the tomb.
‘The top graduate of Garam Academy is allowed to enter the tomb and take the King’s trial.’
Jairon planned to pretend to take the trial and secretly steal the soul.
‘Jairon gets stronger by consuming souls.’
The First King’s soul is an EX-rank—one of the highest classes of soul.
‘For Jairon, who just switched bodies, it’s the perfect boost.’
Since he had to rebuild his strength from scratch, spending 3 years at the academy wasn’t a waste—it was actually the best choice.
‘Garam Academy is the world’s top training institution for a reason.’
‘Of course he had everything planned. No wonder he was the final boss.’
I looked at the 3-year training plan Yodala had prepared in case something happened.
It was extremely detailed and efficient.
‘Not just the training, but all the elixirs prepared… insane.’
He basically had it planned to drink powerful potions as often as possible.
If things had gone according to plan, he would’ve regained up to level 90 strength in 3 years.
‘But none of that matters now.’
Jairon is dead.
The plan he worked so hard on will never come true.
‘Still, I should say thanks. Thanks, Jairon. I’ll use your potions well.’
Reaper, Yodala, and the others still believe I’m Jairon.
But that won’t last forever.
‘If I want to survive, I need to get stronger.’
Before they find out who I really am, I need to gain enough power to escape—or even fight back.
I need to build power. And build a force of my own.
‘In that sense, Garam Academy is the perfect place.’
It’s the starting point of the game.
A place filled with royalty, nobles, and future heroes.
Garam Academy is the best place to grow stronger and gather allies.
‘At the academy, I’ll get stronger and recruit people to build a group that can fight Black Night.’
That’s the best move I can make right now.
