Page 6

Card Velique.

He’s a notorious playboy with golden hair at Zerion Academy.

Not only does he flirt shamelessly, but he also constantly gets himself into trouble involving women.

In Act 1, he messes with Lucas’ childhood friend, Isabel, leading to a fight between the two.

Despite his carefree appearance, Card's skills are surprisingly decent, giving Lucas a tough time.

However, Lucas, spurred on by Isabel’s encouraging words, musters his strength and defeats Card.

‘Classic story progression.’

I can’t help but feel a slight kinship with him.

After all, I was also one of those extras defeated by the protagonist.

But there’s one major difference between us: I was expelled from the academy, while Card, instead of bothering Isabel again, took on the role of Lucas’ advisor, often offering advice on relationships.

And perhaps because of this, Card has one particularly troublesome trait:

‘The Meddler.’

Card is a meddler.

In other words, he just talks too much.

“Lord Card, this is Lord Hannon Irey. You’ll be sharing a room from today,”

Introduced Marie, the head maid.

Card looked down at me with a smirk.

In my disguise as Hannon, I was much shorter than him.

Perhaps because of this, he casually rested his elbow on my head.

‘Oh, this punk?’

“Yeah, I know. The guy’s famous,”

Card said with a sly grin.

“It’s good to see you two are acquainted. I’ll take my leave then. Lord Hannon, your belongings are inside,”

Marie said, showing no further interest.

Marie was the dormitory’s head maid.

Regardless of any rumors, she treated all residents equally.

With a polite bow, she left, and Card waved her off.

In the meantime, I brushed his arm off my head and strode into the room.

“Feisty little thing,”

Card chuckled.

‘Sorry, but that doesn’t faze me.’

My real height is 3 cm taller than yours, and in my original form as Vikamon, I’m a tall and handsome guy.

Ignoring his comment, I checked the bag on the bed.

Everything was neatly packed.

“Hey, Conon.”

Card’s voice trailed after me.

As expected, this meddler had no intention of shutting up.

And he had already started calling me by a nickname of his own invention—one that sounded downright annoying.

“Call me by my actual name.”

“Heh, why? It has a nice ring to it. Or are you insecure?”

I glanced at him briefly before letting out a short laugh.

‘It’s fine. You’ll find out soon enough.’

Card blinked, clearly unaware of my cryptic smile's meaning, then shrugged.

“I heard you had a big fight with Isabel.”

Card, despite his appearance, was part of the magic department and hadn’t witnessed the incident in the combat department firsthand.

“Apparently, you insulted Lucas as soon as you arrived. No wonder Isabel flipped out. She and Lucas were really close—probably would’ve ended up as a couple.”

I finished inspecting my luggage and closed the bag.

‘No issues here.’

“Lucas was like a trigger for Isabel. You really knew how to push her buttons.”

Time to wash up and get some sleep.

There’s much to do tomorrow.

“You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”

That made me pause.

Slowly, I turned to face him.

Card was smirking knowingly.

“You purposely provoked her for Isabel’s sake.”

“I don’t know what nonsense you’re spouting,”

I replied nonchalantly.

“Lucas’ death left Isabel in a fragile state. She’s been extremely unstable lately. Even though she’s popular and surrounded by people looking out for her, it hasn’t helped.”

Losing a childhood friend she’d grown up with was like losing a piece of herself.

“She’s been like someone who’s lost their will to live. She didn’t even flinch when I talked to her—just responded like she didn’t care.”

An unusually self-deprecating statement, though Card didn’t seem to mind, clicking his tongue in frustration.

“To be honest, I thought if this went on, Isabel might follow Lucas to the grave.”

Card had perfectly read Isabel’s state.

Perhaps it wasn’t just Card—many around her likely sensed something was wrong.

“She needed something to focus on, even if just for a little while. And then—”

Card pointed a thick finger at me.

“You gave Isabel a source of anger, a new drive.”

“That’s an overinterpretation.”

“Maybe so,”

He shrugged, not denying it.

“But I’m just saying—keep doing it, even if it’s just for a while. Be her source of anger.”

I stared at Card quietly.

“Do you like her or something?”

Given his past of hitting on Isabel, it was a fair question.

But Card just chuckled.

“I like all women—they’re all charming.”

Yet there was no real sincerity in his words.

“But Isabel’s different. She’s my friend’s childhood friend.”

‘My friend.’

I knew who he was referring to: Lucas, the protagonist.

w

Gone now, but still deeply meaningful to Card.

“I can’t just stand by and watch her fall apart—not after what happened to my friend.”

Card genuinely considered Lucas his friend.

His friend was dead, and he couldn’t bear to see Isabel follow the same path.

Understanding his intentions, I packed my bag and pushed it aside.

“Don’t worry. I won’t be taking back my words.”

“Oh, that’s good to hear.”

Whatever else, Card genuinely cared about Isabel.

Apart from being a meddler and hitting on women, Card had always been a decent guy.

“So, why are you wearing those bandages? Don’t tell me... cross-dressing?”

This guy, seriously?

I gave him a deadpan look.

“Want me to drop my pants?”

I’ll do it right here, right now.

Even if I’m at a disadvantage in height because of the disguise, I’ll prove I’m not lacking elsewhere.

“Ah, not really into guys.”

As expected, his nosiness and chatter ruin all his points.

* * *

The next day.

It was the calm, blue-tinged dawn, just before sunrise.

A time when everyone was still asleep.

Through the forest, a man ran, his breaths steady and rhythmic.

And that man was none other than me.

I’d been running for over an hour now.

Not slowing down, my legs continued to propel me forward.

‘Honestly, I always had an inkling, but still...’

I glanced down at my legs, which kept moving without faltering.

‘This guy’s stamina is insane.’

Legs that had been running for over an hour without rest.

Yet they showed no signs of fatigue.

‘Why the hell was Vikamon in the Magic Studies Department?’

Vikamon Niflheim, the guy I’ve possessed, was once a student at Zerion Academy, majoring in Magic Studies.

To be honest, Vikamon’s magical aptitude was almost nonexistent.

Not as bad as Nikita’s, but still.

He had barely a shred of talent for magic.

With such meager ability, his achievements in magic were minimal, leaving his grades at the bottom of the department.

‘Vikamon liked Nikita because...’

It was a mix of empathy and admiration.

Born into a family of mages yet completely devoid of magic, just like him.

But Nikita didn’t let that stop her.

Through sheer effort, she climbed to the position of vice president.

Seeing her succeed where he failed, Vikamon developed feelings for her.

This led him to torment Lucas, Nikita’s rival relentlessly.

Lucas constantly disrupted Nikita’s efforts, and Vikamon couldn’t stand it.

But every time, Vikamon ended up getting thrashed by Lucas.

Fueled by the "Flame of Resolve," Lucas was among the top in the Martial Studies Department.

No way Vikamon’s feeble magic could hold its own against him.

The issue, however, was Vikamon’s endurance.

His stamina was absurd despite lacking any special traits like the Flame of Resolve.

He could endure Lucas’s onslaughts and still get back on his feet.

‘They called him "Bounce-Back Vikamon."’

What kind of mage has stamina like that?

Even in online communities, Vikamon was often a topic of discussion.

Thus, the community gave him a label:

‘A training dummy character.’

Designed to have excessive stamina so that new players could practice combos and gain experience.

The problem?

The person who’s now stuck as Vikamon is...

‘Me.’

Well, having great stamina isn’t all bad.

I’m a marathon pro now.

My legs are million-dollar legs.

‘Good stamina is an excellent asset.’

Before inhabiting Vikamon’s body, I’d been an athlete for years.

Though I quit due to an injury in high school, I still remembered how to move.

How to read a situation.

And those memories, combined with Vikamon’s endurance, were yielding impressive results.

‘Is it because this body’s naturally athletic?’

Honestly, my physical condition already feels like it did at my peak.

So, I figured I might as well make the most of this stamina.

Since the day I arrived, I’d been running every morning to build it further.

Start by enhancing your strengths, as they say.

Stamina is power.

And so, I kept running today as well.

That was when—

Whoosh!

I heard something heavy slicing through the air.

Whoosh!

The sound was sharp, rhythmic, and undeniably hefty.

Instinctively, my gaze followed the direction of the sound.

There, I saw a girl with her hair tied back.

A girl with long, dark blue hair.

She exuded a graceful, almost ethereal aura.

But that illusion shattered when I noticed what she was holding.

In her hands was an enormous greatsword, nearly as tall as she was.

And in that moment, I realized who she was.

The first-year, the iron wall of the greatsword.

Aisha Bizvel.

No one knows who gave her that nickname, but it fits her perfectly.

I’d never seen anyone else swing a greatsword that massive.

‘Come to think of it...’

When I played as Lucas, there was a morning event involving Aisha, but only one.

It triggers in Act 4, after getting caught up in a ghost incident at the girls’ dorm.

Sneaking back to the dorm at dawn, you hear the sound of something heavy being swung.

If you choose to follow the sound, you encounter Aisha during her morning training and have a brief chat.

The downside is you waste enough time that the head maid catches you for staying out overnight, resulting in dorm penalties.

A typical trap event.

‘Lucas had a curfew back then, but now...’

This is reality.

As long as I get permission from the duty maid, morning runs are no problem.

That’s how I got to witness an Act 4 event early.

‘Not something I need to focus on right now.’

I decided to ignore Aisha and keep running.

Until her greatsword came flying down right in front of me.

Boom!

The sword crashed into the stone-paved ground, shattering it.

I stared, horrified.

If that had hit me directly, forget missions, I’d be dead today.

“Ah, ahhh! A-are you okay?!”

Aisha’s panicked voice rang out as she ran toward me.

‘Seriously, just because I tried to skip an event, you're trying to kill me? That's a bit much, don't you think?’

w