"If I had been exceptional, maybe I wouldn't be here."
I heard a scream, it was high-pitched, irritated and far too close.
I frowned before my eyes were even open. Who the hell was in my apartment…
Then I opened my eyes and light stabbed into me. It was not the ceiling lights, rather it was the sunlight. Along with the harsh and endless blue sky. As well as grass beneath my back.
Grass?
I pushed myself up, my head spinning. My body felt wrong, it felt heavier and unfamiliar…like I'd borrowed it without permission.
As I moved my head to my right I saw a girl with shoulder-length blonde hair standing a few meters away, hands on her hips, yelling at a boy with short blue hair.
They wore matching blue jackets over white shirts. Polished boots. An embroidered crest stitched neatly over the left breast.
The buildings surrounding the lawn weren't like the ones I was used to seeing. They were made up of stone alongside them having arched windows, tall spires and a gothic vibe.
No.
No, that wasn't possible.
I looked down at myself and I was wearing the same blue jacket, white shirt and boots along with the academy insignia.
I almost laughed.
"...Fuck."
I knew this courtyard, the uniforms and even the blonde girl.
It was all from the Death Eroge I had been playing.
And let me tell you, it was a punishing, route-collapsing and everyone-dies version.
"Adam? Why are you zoning out?" The woman asked.
Adam. That was not my name. Adam Vale was the NPC who died in every single route.
The expendable one and the guy who existed to motivate the real protagonist.
My throat went dry.
Of course.
If I had been exceptional, maybe I would've woken up as the hero.
A sudden pressure slammed into my skull. They were memories which forced themselves into my brain, they were of the original Adam. It included names, schedules, embarrassing moments, small humiliations and finally the names of these two…Nina and Amon.
The only two who ever spoke to him. I dropped to my knees, coughing, as I dug my fingers into the grass.
This wasn't a hallucination, this was something much worse. I was inside the Death Eroge.
This was the tutorial.
And I knew exactly how it ended.
***
The dorm room was average sized, still it was much larger than anything I had lived in back on Earth.
I paced around as I tried to take in my situation. Other than being on the verge of dying I had nothing to my advantage.
I—no Adam Vale was from a Count family in the West of the Empire. The family had nothing but barren lands, a withered castle and only a few troops which one could count on both hands.
Hell I couldn't even ask the Count for money as he's dirt poor. I sat down on the bed and put my hands on my face.
That was all I could do, someone who was an expandable NPC used to elevate the protagonist.
Thinking about that blonde bastard was making me seethe. For now I could only try seeing how f'ed up I was.
"Status Window." I called out and a green screen manifested in front of me.
[Initialization Complete]
Designated Vessel: Adam Vale
Role Assignment: NPC
Scenario: Royal Aether Academy—Year 1
Route: Undetermined
Canon Alignment: 100%
Core Attributes
STR: 11
AGI: 14
VIT: 10
INT: 16
WIS: 15
CHA: 13
Derived Values
HP: 120
MP: 240
Mana Control: 10%
Spell Stability: 2%
Physical Proficiency: Never Trained
Passive Traits
Rehearsed Genius
Skills learned under external pressure convert 25% faster into applicable world mechanics.
Pattern Recognition
Slightly increases detection of irregular narrative events.
Composure Under Evaluation
Reduced penalty during public assessments and examinations.
[Locked Systems]
I looked in awe at the pathetic excuse of stats this guy had. But one thing was interesting. Did Adam always have the [Rehearsed Genius] passive trait.
All in all, it was a disaster. But I was not Adam Vale—well I was but I was not him at the same time.
I was someone who had only played this damned game for the past week. Skipping work meetings, and even at times my meals as I was too indulged in the game.
It's beyond my understanding as to how I was transported into the game, but one thing is for certain.
I won't be accepting this fate set upon me, I will survive…I have to survive.
First things first, if I had the status window. I would also have a quest log. And just like that the screen glitched and changed.
[Tutorial #1 - Orientation]
[Task #1 - Survive the first magic and combat class]
[Reward: +30 Stat points]
[Additional Reward if you survive and perform well: ???]