BFBG 02

Chapter 02

Seriously.

How did things end up like this?

‘What exactly am I supposed to do with this?’

I looked to my right.

There was Reaper, the second-highest ranked member of Black Night, the dark organization led by Jeyraon.

He had his arms crossed, frowning as if displeased with the atmosphere around him.

[Reaper]
[Herald of Absolute Death]
[LV.91]

I looked to my left.

There was another Black Night executive, ranked third after Reaper—Yodala.

She was staring at me with obvious curiosity.

[Yodala]
[Shamaness of Illusions]
[LV.89]

To Yodala’s left sat the fourth-ranked member, Absoluter.

[Absoluter]
[Devourer of All Things]
[LV.87]

And beside him sat the sixth-ranked member, Clover.

[Clover]
[Symbol of Fortune]
[LV.89]

Absoluter looked completely uninterested in the situation, leaning back with his feet up on the marble round table and yawning.

Clover, on the other hand, glared at me with a deeply displeased expression.

‘Are these people insane…?’

Four monsters capable of destroying entire nations on their own were gathered in one room.

And they weren’t merely gathered.

Each of them was releasing their own pressure while subtly checking the others.

Standing at the center and receiving all those auras at once…

I felt like I might go insane.

‘Thank god my Mental stat reached EX rank.’

[Resisting ‘Temptation of Illusion’.]
[Resisting ‘Sin of Hunger’.]
[Resisting ‘Manipulation of Fortune’.]

Because my Mental stat had reached EX rank, granting resistance to all status abnormalities.

Otherwise, I would’ve been consumed by these three and lost my mind.

‘I only dumped everything into Mental because I couldn’t think of another survival method… but turns out it was the right answer.’

Once Mental reached EX rank, my mind had effectively entered the realm of gods.

I no longer wavered mentally.

That was why I could stay calm even among these lunatics.

“I cannot accept this.”

Among the four, Clover—the only one visibly dissatisfied—stood up and spoke accusingly.

“I joined Black Night and swore loyalty to Lord Jeyraon because I was captivated by his immeasurable strength and solemn presence! Because I believed he was someone worth devoting everything to!”

Through his mask, Clover’s red eyes fixed directly on me.

“But what is this now? This little brat is the Master? Something this ordinary? I refuse to accept it. That thing is not the Master. I cannot acknowledge that as—”

“Enough.”

At some point, Reaper had moved.

He now stood behind Clover, pressing a dagger against the back of his neck with eyes filled with murderous intent.

“It would be wise not to continue.”

Clover flinched briefly but soon regained his composure.

“Don’t do something pointless. Your dagger cannot harm me.”

At the same time, dazzling lights symbolizing fortune burst forth around Clover.

His ability was Fortune Manipulation.

The power to freely alter the luck and misfortune of himself and nearby beings.

“A mere dagger cannot pierce my fortune.”

“Do you truly think so?”

The atmosphere instantly turned explosive.

Watching their confrontation, I thought:

‘That crazy bastard Clover… Is he desperate to die? Out of everyone, he picks a fight with Reaper?’

Fortune Manipulation was undeniably broken.

But being overpowered didn’t mean invincible.

It had one clear weakness.

And that weakness was Reaper’s Absolute Death.

Reaper’s dagger ignored Clover’s fortune.

At this rate, Clover would definitely die.

“You two should stop here.”

Yodala moved.

As if she knew blood would spill otherwise.

With an expression that said this is annoying, but unavoidable, she intervened.

“In front of the Master… what disgraceful behavior is this? Do neither of you know shame?”

“Clover insulted the Master. I cannot forgive him.”

“I completely understand that feeling. Of course you want to kill him.”

Yodala’s pupils stretched vertically like a snake’s.

[Resisting ‘Demonic Eyes of Illusion’.]

“If it were up to me, I’d tear Clover apart right now and feed him to my illusion serpents. Imagine how much worse it must be for you.”

“…!”

Clover’s shoulders trembled.

Apparently, even he hadn’t expected Yodala to react this strongly.

“But… the right to tear Clover apart and kill him does not belong to me or you.”

Yodala stared at me with a strangely entranced expression.

“In this world, only one person may command Clover’s death.”

“Master. Please give me the order.”

Her expression looked like a girl in love.

Or a serpent staring at a feast.

“If Master commands me to tear and devour Clover, I shall. If you order eternal suffering while alive, I’ll trap him forever within my serpent’s body—feeding him healing spring water and poison alternately so he survives endlessly in agony.”

…Crazy bitch.

That description fit her perfectly.

‘She’d actually do it…’

The terrifying thing was:

She wasn’t joking.

She would really do it.

“Everything is decided by Master. Correct. Isn’t that right?”

Reaper withdrew his dagger and returned to my side.

“The only person in this world who may decide our life and death… is Master.”

He knelt on one knee and bowed his head.

“Now. Please give the order. The execution of that sinner who dared insult Master.”

I looked at Clover, frozen and unable to grasp the situation.

‘Clover… one of Black Night’s executives. But later he switches to the protagonist’s side—a former enemy turned ally.’

He was indispensable in the final battle against Jeyraon.

‘From both a strategic and personal standpoint, killing him now would be a loss.’

Jeyraon was dead.

I didn’t know how the future would change.

But killing someone likely to become an ally was too risky.

“I will not punish Clover.”

Besides, even if sparing Clover was beneficial—

The real Jeyraon wouldn’t kill him here.

Jeyraon was an extreme pragmatist who valued results over emotion.

“Master…?”

Yodala and Reaper looked surprised.

“I would prefer immediate punishment. However, I shall endure. Black Night’s forces have already weakened due to my reincarnation. Eliminating Clover now would be too great a loss.”

Current Black Night had already lost significant power due to Jeyraon’s weakened state.

Removing a Rank 6 powerhouse on top of that?

The losses outweighed the gains.

A pragmatist would preserve him until no longer useful.

“What you say makes sense. However, allowing an executive who defied Master to live sets a poor example—”

“Clover’s words were not entirely wrong.”

“M-Master?”

I improvised something Jeyraon would probably say.

“After abandoning my aged body and transferring into this one… I lost much of my power. I am no longer the Jeyraon who once ruled over you.”

That sounded exactly like something he’d say.

“No! Even if your appearance changed, Master is—!”

Reaper shouted instinctively before realizing I hadn’t finished speaking.

He immediately lowered his head.

“Indeed, I am weaker than all of you now. It is understandable Clover cannot accept me. Understandable that confusion clouded his judgment.”

Meeting Clover’s trembling gaze, I narrowed my eyes and spoke solemnly:

“So this once… I shall forgive him. Consider it a special pardon under extraordinary circumstances.”

Clover visibly flinched.

“However, there will not be a second time. Should you speak such nonsense again…”

“Then Master need not act.”

Reaper’s cold eyes resembled death itself.

“I will sever Clover’s head immediately.”

[The Karma of Absolute Death trembles!]

The dense killing intent filled the room.

Even Yodala, Clover, and Absoluter became serious.

“How frightening. No matter how many times I see this aura, I never get used to it.”

“So mere pressure… carries this much weight…?”

“You haven’t changed, Reaper.”

Yodala.

Clover.

Absoluter.

In that order.

[Mental EX Rank resists the Karma of Absolute Death!]

‘This guy really is on another level, even among executives.’

Even Yodala, ranked third, was overwhelmed.

No wonder he was a mid-boss.

‘What the hell am I supposed to do about Reaper…?’

Reaper wasn’t just Black Night’s Rank 2.

He was also World Combat Power Rank #2.

Meaning:

After Jeyraon, the strongest person alive was Reaper.

‘As long as he’s alive, escaping Black Night and hiding is impossible.’

His class was Assassin.

There was no escaping a monster assassin like him.

He’d find me no matter where I hid.

‘Unless someone stronger protected me… but nobody like that exists.’

Without Jeyraon, Reaper was effectively Rank 1 in combat strength.

No one could shield me from him.

‘So the only way I survive… is pretending to be Jeyraon forever.’

Until I became strong enough to defeat Reaper.

For now—

That was my only path to survival.

“Since we are before Master, I’ll tolerate this today. But there won’t be a next time. Clover, remember that.”

After releasing murderous intent for a long while, Reaper finally sat down again.

Clover said nothing.

Only clenched his fists and bit his lip while trembling.

Perhaps he had realized the difference in power and fallen into despair.

“Ah, Master. Speaking of which… are you sure it’s okay to go alone now that you’ve become so much weaker?”

Yodala looked at me with genuine concern.

Go alone?

Where?

“Yodala. Are you doubting Master as well?”

“Do you not have ears? Or a brain? How was that doubt? I was worried.”

Yodala glared irritably at Reaper before turning back to me.

“Master~ Should I come with you too? We could enroll together. Or if not, I could go as your maid.”

Enroll.

A critical keyword appeared.

“Yodala. Do you think the principal of Garam Academy wouldn’t see through your true nature?”

“If I seal my powers, I can avoid detection.”

“And with sealed powers, you’ll protect Master?”

“If Master is endangered, I’ll simply unseal them.”

“You say that as casually as changing clothes.”

Listening to them, I thought:

Garam Academy.

And going together.

‘…That bastard Jeyraon. He planned to steal my body and enroll in Garam Academy.’

Apparently—

I’d be attending Garam Academy next.

* * *

Afterward, through conversations with Yodala and Reaper, I learned many things.

First:

Jeyraon’s purpose for entering Garam Academy.

‘His goal was to rob the King’s Tomb beneath the academy.’

Specifically:

To obtain the soul of the First King stored there.

‘The academy’s top graduate earns the right to enter the King’s Tomb and undergo the king’s trial.’

Jeyraon intended to use that right.

Enter legally.

Pretend to take the trial.

Then steal the First King’s soul.

‘Because Jeyraon grows stronger by consuming souls.’

The First King’s soul would be at least EX Rank.

‘For someone rebuilding strength in a new body, there’s no better elixir.’

Since he’d need years rebuilding from scratch anyway—

Three academy years weren’t wasteful.

Actually…

For someone restarting growth, the academy curriculum was advantageous.

No wonder Garam Academy was considered the greatest training institution in the world.

‘As expected of a final boss. His preparation is absurdly thorough.’

I looked at the three-year growth plan Yodala had prepared.

It was frighteningly efficient.

‘Forget training methods… the amount of elixirs prepared is ridiculous.’

The plan was basically:

Consume every possible elixir whenever cooldowns allowed.

Had everything gone according to plan—

Jeyraon likely would’ve recovered around Level 90 power in three years.

‘But none of it matters now.’

Because Jeyraon was dead.

His meticulous preparations would never become reality.

‘Still… I should thank him. Jeyraon, thanks. I’ll make good use of the elixirs you prepared.’

Reaper, Yodala, and the others still mistook me for Jeyraon.

But that misunderstanding wouldn’t last forever.

‘If I want to survive, I have to become stronger.’

Before they discover my true identity—

I need enough power to at least escape them.

Strength.

Influence.

Both.

‘Which makes Garam Academy the perfect place.’

The starting point of the game.

A place where princes, nobles, and future heroes from all over the world gathered.

For building power and gathering allies—

There was nowhere better.

‘Grow stronger at the academy. Recruit talent. Build a force capable of opposing Black Night.’

That—

Was the best plan available to me right now.