Birth in a humble countryside estate.
Age: 21.
A robust adult male.
Having grown up in an orphanage, I received modest education and gradually accumulated knowledge.
One day, by chance, an Arcane professor who visited the village recognized my talent, granting me a special admission.
“There’s nothing particularly remarkable about me.”
After being possessed, all of Theonar’s memories were transferred to me.
Back then, the situation was so urgent I had no time to analyze it.
To figure out when the heroines started to change, I briefly revisited past memories.
Why?
“You never know. Maybe we met before…”
I even dug through trivial memories, imagining a story like:
“The academy’s top beauties were actually childhood friends from the past!?”
But…
“Damn, let’s just drop it.”
Theonar’s memories turned out to be utterly useless.
“Sigh… I’ve checked Sylvia and Venice, but the other two are the problem.”
Their attitudes toward me, subtly different speech patterns, and altered behaviors—
All point to the fact that these two are no longer aligned with the original story.
But the key issue is this:
Why are they showing interest in me, not the protagonist?
“Is it because the protagonist isn’t drawing attention, or is it something about me?”
As of now, I have no certainty.
Over the past year, I’ve shared small conversations with them, but…
“It’s a romance fantasy, so they had clear ideal types.”
The heroines lived for the protagonist and died for him.
Why did I call this novel a trashy, toxic disaster?
It’s entirely because of the heroines’ personalities.
A grim and dark world?
That’s fine.
Dark fantasy is everywhere these days.
Characters dying left and right?
Also fine.
It adds drama.
But the heroines’ twisted personalities?
That’s a different issue.
Their warped actions when they couldn’t get what they wanted were downright revolting:
Experimenting on the protagonist with drugs to force his attention.
Eliminating any woman who approached him.
Deceiving him under the guise of divine revelation to go on a pilgrimage alone.
Or attempting to kill other heroines who showed interest in him.
“Ugh, creepy.”
Instead of working together to defeat the final boss, they engaged in jealous squabbles, plunging the continent into chaos.
No wonder readers went mad.
“Looking back, the author must’ve lost it. The story became an awkward hybrid of romance fantasy and generic fantasy.”
For now, the heroines are out of my reach.
Perhaps things will change if the protagonist gains more attention and becomes the talk of the town.
“But… the heroines are one thing. What should I do about the protagonist?”
Ian, the protagonist of this world.
At this point, he should be making a name for himself by taking down challengers among the students one by one.
Instead, the idiot lost a major fight early on, leaving him with no noteworthy moments to shine.
While I secretly observed him and felt relieved to see him training diligently, his declining prominence as the protagonist is not a good sign.
“Hmm… what should I do?”
His growth hinges on fighting in extreme situations.
Beating relentless enemies is how he becomes a powerhouse.
But now, instead of being in the protagonist’s position, he’s just a capable freshman.
Enemies won’t naturally seek him out.
As his silent benefactor, what should I prepare for him?
“Should I just toss him into the enemy’s lair?”
I’d love to throw him into the jaws of the enemies he’s bound to face.
But doing so might prematurely end the story.
“Maybe I need to create a dire situation for him.”
If enemies won’t come to the protagonist, I’ll need to give him a reason to seek them out.
“Wait and see, I’ll spoon-feed you, my golden boy.”
***
It’s the second week of the new semester.
Today is the day of the special joint class.
“Here’s the roster. Gather with your teammates. The class involves hunting magical beasts near the academy, so stay alert and focused.”
“Yes, sir!”
A practical class mixing first- and second-year students.
[Group 24]
[2nd Year – Ilde Kanua]
[2nd Year – Theonar (me)]
[1st Year – Ian (protagonist)]
[1st Year – Terua Minerva]
“Woohoo, jackpot!”
I had been wracking my brain trying to figure out how to approach the protagonist, but here we are.
Seeing my name alongside Ian’s on the roster was a stroke of luck.
Our golden boy Ian.
At a time when he should be brimming with confidence, his broken demeanor tugged at my heartstrings.
The protagonist needs to act a little cocky to be entertaining.
It was a bleak novel filled with despair, scandals, and constant turmoil, but I liked the protagonist’s character.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t have read it to the end.
“The scenes where the protagonist navigated hopeless situations in solitude after being separated from the heroines were truly impressive.”
That part was the most memorable for me, probably because it was the most thrilling.
“Squad 24, move out!”
While reminiscing with a satisfied smile, the signal to depart was given.
“Alright, let’s go.”
The squad leader was Ilde Kanua, my classmate.
He was ranked among the top 100 second-year students, making him naturally suited for the role as a senior and a skilled leader.
We were in the Forest of Beasts located near the academy, a place created by the empire for student training.
The beasts here weren’t supposed to be that strong.
“At most, we might encounter a Grade 5 beast.”
But if things went smoothly, it wouldn’t be a proper romance fantasy.
A powerful mutant suddenly appears, dragging a heroine into danger, and the protagonist shows up just in time to save the day—that’s a classic trope of the genre.
This novel had scenes like that, of course.
The problem was…
“The squad has changed…”
Originally, the protagonist was in Squad 1.
But now, I was part of Squad 24.
Considering the departure times and routes, it was practically impossible to reach the location where the mutant would appear.
And since I wasn’t the leader, I couldn’t change the route on a whim.
“Guess I have no choice.”
With the situation as it was, I had to use my ace.
[Beast Pheromone (C)]
[Attracts the attention of beasts even from a distance.]
[EXP – 1,000]
[Would you like to purchase?]
“Hurry up and give it to me!”
I’d been saving up my points for a long time.
I hadn’t found the right time to use them, but now was perfect.
“Let’s take a short break. Catch your breath and drink some water,” said Kanua as he sat under the shade of a tree after three hours of wandering the forest.
The other squad members followed suit and found their spots, while I took the opportunity to gulp down some refreshing water, enjoying the brief respite.
Of course…
“Ian, sorry! I slipped—”
Whoops.
“…It’s fine.”
While pretending to make a mistake, I made sure to smear the monster pheromone on him.
‘I wonder how effective it’ll be.’
Items bought with EXP are mostly unpredictable.
If something was mentioned or used in the original story, you can roughly guess its power.
But monster pheromone?
I’ve never seen it before, so I had no clue about its exact effect.
“Well, it should be enticing enough.’
I wasn’t hoping for dramatic effects.
I just wanted the monsters we encounter to be double… no, triple their usual numbers.
Humming a tune, I strolled through the monster’s forest.
Within just an hour, I had no choice but to regret my transgressions.
“Damn it!”
The corpses of monsters rolled around like boulders.
The once vibrant green forest had turned red as if autumn leaves had painted it.
The pungent and sticky stench of blood was so strong it dulled my senses, and the decayed flesh polluted the air.
‘Damn you, store!’
One hour.
Just one hour.
In that short time, I had encountered monster hordes eight times.
A relentless parade of battles with no time to catch my breath.
‘I must be crazy. Absolutely insane.’
I only wanted to help the protagonist grow but ended up putting myself in danger.
At this rate, forget helping the protagonist-I might not survive.
“Couldn’t they have mentioned the proper dosage for a single use?’
Was it my fault for using half the bottle?
Or was it just that the effect was too strong?
“Minerva! Contact the professors immediately!”
Terua Minerva, another first-year like Ian, panicked at Kanua’s urgent voice.
“Y-Yes, right away!”
She tried to channel her magic into the communicator given for emergencies.
Crack.
“Minervaaaaa!”
A monster suddenly appeared from above and smashed her head, sending the communicator tumbling to the ground.
“Ugh… ugh…”
Her skull was slightly caved in, leaving her gravely injured.
Thankfully, she seemed to still be breathing, but at this rate, she might actually die.
‘Damn it, this wasn’t my intention.’
I just wanted to create a situation for the protagonist to grow.
So, I used the pheromone, and monsters appeared.
The only thing I overlooked was…
This is a hopeless, hellish world with no dreams or hope.
The monster that attacked Minerva was quickly dealt with by Ian,
But this was only a temporary reprieve.
Soon, more beasts will swarm in.
“The communicator?”
The communicator that had fallen to the ground.
It was already shattered and broken.
“Damn it!”
Kanua and Ian, who were at the forefront facing the beasts,
were also reaching their physical limits.
‘What do I do? What should I do?’
A solution must be found.
They couldn’t just sit back and wait for death.
As they bit their nails, racking their brain that was spinning at full capacity.
Crunch!
Beyond the blood-stained bushes, a presence was felt.