Chapter 1 - Possession

Frustrated by having possessed someone with such low stats even for a level 1, I began to wonder once more how it all ended up this way.

I mean, how did I end up in the world of [Arcanus Academy], which as far as I knew was just a game I spent hours playing?

"In moments like these, this is when Flashbacks happen."

I look around, waiting for something to occur.

"Any moment now."

I look around again, now a bit more annoyed, waiting for the Flashback until memories of the day before possessing Rurik come to mind.

"Finally."

****************

There is a game called [Arcanus Academy].

It is known worldwide for its gameplay and attention to detail. Essentially, it is a game where you play as Darius Thorne, capturing all the heroines and resolving various incidents at the academy.

This game contains hundreds of possible routes, thousands of items you can use at your discretion, and unique NPCs with captivating stories. Thanks to its immersive experience, many people have played [Arcanus Academy], and I am no exception.

I have been playing [Arcanus Academy] for over 8 years. I had explored several possible routes with different strategies. I had played so much that I almost knew the map and items by heart.

I had become very well-known in the [Arcanus Academy] community, to the point where I started live streaming my games, which earned me a lot of fame in a short time thanks to my guides and challenges.

Then one day, I came up with one of the stupidest ideas I could have had, and against all possible logic, I decided to do a live stream where I would play [Arcanus Academy] for 48 hours straight with breaks for eating and using the bathroom.

Everything was relatively fine. I gained several followers and donations thanks to this idea, managing to cope with the lack of sleep with a lot of coffee and energy drinks.

When I finished the 48 hours, I turned off the stream and prepared to go to sleep because the exhaustion was killing me until I received a message on my computer.

"A message?"

It was strange. I rarely received a message because my account was private, so out of curiosity, I decided to check the message.

When I did, I was completely puzzled to see that the sender was an admin with a name I had not seen on the list of admins for the server I was on.

[Admin - Showman]

"Who is this guy? Is he a new admin?"

Now I was more intrigued by the message I had received. The admins for each server are carefully chosen by the creators of [Arcanus Academy], and they rarely send messages, even when they are going to ban someone for cheating.

That's why it seemed so strange to me to have received a message from an administrator, and even stranger that this one had a name that wasn't on the list of administrators on the server I often played on.

My curiosity was greater than my intrigue, so I opened the message he had sent me.

[Congratulations user 'Raven Knight'. Due to your contributions to the world of 'Arcanus Academy', you have been selected to test a more immersive version of 'Arcanus Academy'. If you decide to accept this invitation, you will try a never-before-seen version that will be so realistic you will feel the grand adventure ahead in your own flesh. We eagerly await your response to this message.]

Upon finishing reading the message, a text box with two options 'Yes/No' appeared on my screen.

"A more immersive version?!"

This was something new to me, so unable to contain my excitement, I quickly pressed 'yes', but nothing happened until I received a new message.

[Thank you for being part of the new 'Arcanus Academy'. When the time comes, you will be claimed by this new world and will be one more in this grand and vast scenario. Thank you for deciding to be part of the Show.]

"Okay, that last part was a bit weird."

I decided to ignore the last message and focus on recovering all the lost sleep, but as I approached my bed, the fatigue overwhelmed my body, and I began to feel everything spinning.

I tried to move, but my body was completely rigid, and all I managed to do was fall to the floor as an intense tingling sensation enveloped my head, preventing me from thinking clearly.

On top of that, the only thing I could hear was a high-pitched noise that kept increasing, and as if that wasn't enough, I began to feel a sharp pain in my heart.

I tried to open my mouth to call for help or at least scream for someone to come help me, but I couldn't even do that.

Little by little, my eyes started to close, and I began to feel everything fading away.

In the midst of the darkness and uncertainty, a light appeared in the void. Looking at it closely, I saw that it was a blue screen with text.

[You have received a message.]

[Congratulations, you have met all the requirements to be part of the new 'Arcanus Academy'. Now that your soul has left your body, it can finally be claimed by this new world.]

"What?"

[Unfortunately, due to certain complications, you will not be able to inhabit the avatar 'Darius Thorne', so a substitute vessel will be found for your soul to inhabit in this new world.]

"Wait a second, what is all this? Where am I?"

[.....]

[A new vessel has been successfully found. Possession will begin shortly. We wish you luck on your adventure. We will be watching and monitoring your progress, so please put on a great show that we can enjoy.]

"Don't ignore me, answer me!"

I watched as the screen disappeared and darkness once again ruled the place until a new light appeared, growing and devouring all the darkness around.

My eyes began to open as my vision adjusted to the sudden light, but before I could do anything, I heard a voice I knew very well.

"Did you hear me? I don't want you to ever go near Eliora Bernett."

'What?'

That's Darius. How is he in front of me? What is he saying? Isn't this the final cutscene of the [Arcanus Academy] tutorial?

'Wait, what am I wearing?'

I look at myself closely and see that I'm wearing what looks like a uniform. Upon closer inspection, I realize it's the uniform of [Arcanus Academy].

'Am I cosplaying? Am I at a convention?'

I start to look around until my mind begins to connect the dots, and I realize something isn't right. This all seemed too exact to be an act.

'Wait, if this is the final cutscene of the tutorial and I'm not Darius Thorne, who am I?'

At that moment, I start to panic and quickly look for a mirror until I can see my reflection in the sword in front of me.

White hair, pale skin, and heterochromatic eyes. There could be no mistake; this was undoubtedly the joke boss the developers put in for the tutorial, the most detestable, vile, irritating, and pathetic character in the whole game: Rurik Valtor.

'This has to be a joke.'

I lift my gaze and see Darius Thorne, who has a serious and angry look, surely because I've been ignoring him all this time.

"Rurik! I'll repeat this one last time, and I hope you listen well."

Darius approaches me and looks at me with eyes filled with fury.

"I don't want you to ever go near Eliora Bernett or intimidate anyone else again."

While Darius was talking, many questions went through my mind: What is happening? Is this a dream? Why won't he stop yelling? Am I dead? Does he have something stuck in his teeth? Did I get into my favorite game world like in those Web Novels I read so much?

"Are you going to stay silent?"

Darius stands up and takes the sword that was in front of me.

"Well, I don't care. I'll take this as part of the deal we made."

I opened my mouth, about to ask one of the many questions that came to mind upon seeing the huge problem I had gotten myself into. What I was about to say would be my first words in this new world, so I decided to think carefully.

I had to be careful; the slightest mistake could worsen my current situation, which, judging by how things look, doesn't seem good at all, especially considering I'm Rurik Valtor, the most hated character in this world.

"Can you remove that thing between your teeth? It's distracting me."

Everyone near the place fell silent and focused their gaze on me until a burst of laughter erupted, and Darius covered his mouth, visibly embarrassed.

'Damn it, I already messed up.'

Darius, noticeably angry, quickly approached me and struck me hard in the stomach with the sheath of his new sword, knocking the wind out of me and making my vision blur once again.

'Not again.'

My consciousness faded, and I lost consciousness once more. I don't know how much time passed, but at some point, I abruptly woke up to someone shouting.

"You're nothing but a mistake, Rurik! You're a disgrace to the Valtor family!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Looking closely, I saw that this middle-aged man had distinct white hair similar to mine. A clear question came to my mind.

'Who is this guy?'

I began scratching my head while the man continued yelling at me. I could see his face turning red.

"I can't believe you lost in a duel against some commoner while wielding the 'DragonsFang,' the family's most prized sword, cared for generations. Not only that, but you also lost it in a stupid bet."

I lower my head, feeling the anger of this person who, although I don't know him, I can recognize the frustration and disappointment in his words, words I know very well because I had already heard a similar speech before.

"Damn it, Rurik! You're a disgrace to this family! I overlooked many of your stupidities just because you were my son, Rurik, but this is the last straw. This time, I cannot forgive you. You've tarnished the Valtor family name for the last time. Our venerable family no longer needs someone as incompetent as you!"

"Ah, sorry, I don't know who you are or what you're talking about."

"Stop playing, Rurik! For once in your life, take responsibility for your actions."

"I'm serious, I don't know who you are. I have no memory of who Rurik is."

The man stops and looks at me incredulously, as if doubting my words.

"What?!"

We both stay silent for a few seconds while looking at each other awkwardly.

"Damn it, if it's not one thing, it's another! I don't care anymore, you're not my problem! Pack your things from your dormitory; I won't keep paying for it. Be grateful that your tuition is already paid; stay if you want, as I said before, I don't care."

"I don't know which room is mine."

"B-32, you have until tomorrow to collect all your things. Despite everything you did, for the family's honor, we can't leave you like this."

The man throws me a bag. Opening it, I see it contains several gold coins.

"There are a thousand gold coins, use them well. You can also keep the family shield, the 'DragonWing'. Anyway, it's just trash like you, but let me be clear that if it were up to me, I wouldn't give you anything."

The man approaches the door and looks at me one last time.

"I don't want to see your face again!"

After saying these words filled with rage, the middle-aged man leaves the room indignant.

I finally realize I am lying in a bed in what appears to be a medical room. I try to make sense of the situation in my head, but everything seems so unreal and strange.

Judging by the way the man was yelling at me and by his appearance so similar to mine, it seemed that man was Rurik's father.

My head keeps spinning as I try to understand how all of this could be real.

I mean, I know this situation very well; there are many things I still don't understand, but the storyline clearly points to the well-known reincarnation in another world, following the classic pattern of being reincarnated as a villain.

"Why couldn't it be a more important villain?!"

To be honest, I had read many Web Novels with this theme, so in a way, I already knew what awaited me in the future, that is, if I played my cards right.

I get up from the bed, taking the bag and my shield, and start walking until I stand in front of a mirror in the room.

It's a bit strange because what was reflected there was not the face I had been seeing for twenty years, but the appearance of a young man with white hair, one red eye, and one green eye.

I was surprised even when my reflection repeated my expressions, but I stopped when I realized, well, I was quite handsome.

'Maybe it's not so bad after all?'

I regained my composure upon feeling my self-pity. I open the hospital room door and leave the place, heading to the room the man had indicated, hoping the original owner of the body has something valuable there.

As I walk, I can feel everyone's gaze as if they were needles. Some look at me with hatred, others laugh, and one throws a rock that hits my head.

I decide to ignore all this and reach the room that belonged to the original Rurik.

I open the door and find a depressing environment. I decide to ignore all of this to start packing the things in the room. The first thing I did was look for a suitcase, which wasn't too difficult.

While packing Rurik's clothes or should I say my clothes? I mean, now I am Rurik. Well, the important thing is that I started feeling as if someone was watching me.

Turning my head, I found no one; it was strange, but I decided to focus on one thing at a time.

After packing, I was a bit disappointed not to find many valuable things except for three red potions of Level (VII) and four blue potions of Level (V).

The red ones restore health and the blue ones restore mana, depending on their level the regeneration varies, with Level (I) being the lowest quality and Level (X) being the highest quality.

So the ones I had were not bad at all, still, I didn't find what I was truly looking for, which was a weapon, as I would seriously need one because this world is plagued with various monsters of different shapes and sizes.

I decided to leave that for later and grabbed my things to get out of that room, which, I won't lie, looked very comfortable.

Before I could leave, an academy student handed me a letter saying it was from the principal.

After giving me the letter, the student left, as if saying he didn't want to waste time with someone like me.

[Sender - Principal]

[Dear student 'Rurick Valtor', the student council informed us of your despicable behavior towards the plebeian students of the Academy. As you know, this institution does not allow such behavior, so I have no choice but to suspend you for the next week. Therefore, you are prohibited from approaching 'Arcanus Academy' from tomorrow until your suspension week ends.]

"Great, just what I needed."

Still in disbelief at the situation, I continued my way and finally left the dormitories and then the academy.

I ended up sitting under a tree, trying to convince myself that all of this was nothing more than a very lucid dream.

****************

"Damn, that just made me feel more miserable than I already was."

Damn, I'm too depressed to do anything.

"Well, first things first, I need a weapon."

If my knowledge of the story is correct, Darius should have the 'DragonsFang' in his hands right now, a famous sword, but later it's revealed that what gives it its magical attributes is a sphere in the hilt of the sword, which turns out to be a 'rune core' that can be placed in any weapon, granting great capabilities.

This is because 'rune cores' are high-ranking magical objects. By the way, my 'DragonWing' shield contains a 'rune core', this is because I have to lose to Darius again later for him to get the shield.

Which I don't intend to do because, to be honest, I will seriously need all the help I can get to survive in this world.

Also, although the rune core in the shield is very good, it's not vital for the adventure and many people skip the event to get it, mainly the 'speedrunners' as they skip almost 10 minutes.

"I remember when I tried to do one, it didn't turn out well."

Now I had to focus on finding a weapon I could use with my low stats, which now that I think about it explains why Rurik in the game couldn't lift it properly.

In fact, now that I was thinking things through, I realized why my stats were low.

This is because I'm a tutorial enemy programmed to never beat the protagonist, Darius. This is because his stats vary depending on the class we choose for Darius.

For example, if we choose the [Mage] class, Rurik will also be a mage, and his weapon will be a staff, but it will deal little damage due to his low intelligence stat.

In this case, it seems that Darius has the [Knight] class, so my strength and dexterity stats are low compared to his, what I didn't expect is that the missing points were put into intelligence.

'That's why my best route is to become a mage.'

By the way, classes only determine how your initial stats are distributed, so you can change them later as you wish. Additionally, being a mage doesn't mean you can't wield a melee weapon, which is very useful considering you might run out of mana and if your mana regeneration is slow.

I started thinking about a place where I could get a weapon. At first, I considered going to the guild shop in the neighboring town, but then I thought of going to the dump that this academy has.

This was for two reasons: first, if you know the password, you can enter a secret dungeon there, which has a secret boss on its last floor, while on the first floor there are no monsters, so you can collect some flowers and mushrooms used for making various high-level potions, as well as minerals to upgrade your weapons.

The second reason is that any discarded weapon I find, I can keep completely free of charge.

"To the dump it is."

**********************

After a walk, I arrived at the dump, which looked exactly as I remembered it in the game. Before entering, I checked to see if anyone was watching me. Confirming that I was alone, I decided to go in and look for a new weapon.

"I remembered this place being more cheerful."

There was one more reason I came here for weapons: the weapons from this dump, being worn out, require half the normal stats to be wielded properly.

I started searching, but everything I found was either completely broken or so rusted that instead of killing you with the cut, it would kill you with tetanus.

I came across a sword that looked decent, but when I checked the stats, I was disappointed.

[Item - Worn Sword]

- Damage: 40

[Requirements]

- Strength: 3

- Dexterity: 6

"Damn it."

I kept searching through broken spears, stringless bows, broken hammers, and other weapons that required higher stats, until I found an axe that wasn't too bad. Out of curiosity, I checked it.

[Item - Rusty Battle Axe]

- Damage: 60

[Requirements]

- Strength: 4

- Dexterity: 2

"Finally."

"Alright, I need to recite the necessary runes."

On the ground, I wrote the four runes needed to open the door.

"Gebo."

Upon mentioning the first rune, a blue light appeared on the ground and inscribed the rune I had recited.

"Sowilo, Tiwaz, Mannaz."

The ground opened up, revealing a set of stairs. Quickly, I descended the newly formed stairs and made my way to where the mushrooms and flowers needed for my potions were located.

As I hurriedly gathered everything I could to leave as soon as possible without being discovered, I got distracted and tripped over a rock, falling to the ground and dirtying my uniform.

"Ha, just what I needed, as if being in these conditions wasn't enough."

Frustrated, I struck my weapon against the ground, but to my surprise, a metallic sound echoed in the cave.

"What?"

I was puzzled by the metallic sound, so I started removing the dirt covering whatever I had struck. After clearing away a good amount of dirt, I saw what appeared to be a large robotic hand.

"What the hell is this?!"