*Prologue*
*Beniamin's Perspective*
"My name is Beniamin. I'm a normal high school student."
Or at least, I was.
One moment, I was eating. The next, I'm sprawled on a grimy tavern floor reeking of ale and dwarf body odor. Rough laughter boomed around me as a burly dwarf kicked my ribs.
"If that's so, where the *F* am I?!" I wheezed, clutching my stomach.
No one answered. Not that I expected them to. The dwarves just jeered, tossing empty mugs my way. I scrambled out of the tavern, my head throbbing. This has to be a dream, I told myself. A hyper-realistic, trash-tier isekai dream inspired by that garbage novel I skimmed last week. Magic & Stuff? More like *Magic & Shit*.
---
*Two Days Later*
Hunger gnawed at my guts like a rabid rat. I hadn't eaten in days. My clothes—a weird blend of medieval rags and my old hoodie—were caked in mud and… something worse. The "dream" hadn't ended.
Flashback: Me, getting thrown out of another tavern after failing to charm a bartender into free stew. His fist meeting my jaw.
"Well. That hurt," I muttered, prodding my still-swollen cheek.
A translucent blue window flickered to life in front of me:
*[Main Mission: Attend the Academy]*
*Time Limit:* 6 months
*Penalty:* Death
"What academy?!" I yelled at the void. No reply. Just the same sadistic text.
Another window popped up:
*[New Mission: Learn About the Academy]*
*Reward:* 1 Silver Coin
*Time Limit:* 6 months
*Penalty:* Death
I groaned. "Two things I've figured out: One, this isn't a dream. Two, I'm trapped in Magic & Stuff—that shit unbalanced novel that looked like it was written by a 9-year-old."
*[??? - Applied Temporary Pain Lvl-1]*
"AW, WHAT THE FUCK!" I doubled over as a searing pain shot through my body. It felt like someone had lit my nerves on fire.
The original MC, Kael, started as a "hero" before going full tyrant. Should I stop him before he gets too powerful? I mean, he had like 3 S-Rank skills, 5 A-Rank, 5 B-Rank, and so on. And me? I don't even have food, let alone a skill. Perfect.
At least Kael only has one skill now, even though it's an S-Rank. I, on the other hand, have… nothing.
---
*The "System" Isn't Subtle*
I limped toward a market stall, where a surly merchant hawked cabbages. "Hey, sir," I began, forcing a smile. "Can you tell me about the academy here?"
The man scowled. "Piss off, beggar! The academy's for nobles and rich brats. You? Ha!" He jerked a thumb toward the city center. "It's in the capital district. Now scram!"
*[Mission Complete: Learn About the Academy]*
*Reward:* 1 Silver Coin
A coin materialized in my palm. 1 silver. That's like what? $10 if I remember correctly? At least inflation isn't high... Speaking of inflation, how is materializing a coin in my hand not going to decrease the value? Whatever, it's only one.
---
*Finding an Inn*
"Why's everything in Romanian?" I muttered, squinting at a sign for Hanul Stelelor—an inn. "Wasn't this supposed to be Korean? Did the author just Google Translate this shit?"
---
*Dinner and Despair*
The innkeeper charged me a silver coin for a stew, some bread, and a closet-sized room. As I ate, I pieced together my reality:
- *Academy Tuition:* 1,000 gold/year. 5 years total. 5,000 gold.
- *Currency:* 1 gold = 10 silver = 100 dollars. 1 silver = 10 copper = 10 dollars.
- *Translation:* I needed 100,000 silver. Or 1,000,000 copper. Or a miracle.
The novel's lore floated back: Monsters existed here, corrupted by "demonic energy." Hunters killed them, MC saves the world, typical trash-novel. But even a lowly E-rank monster could shred me.
---
*The Plan (Or Lack Thereof)*
I flopped onto the room's straw mattress. Six months. 1,000 gold. How?
Hunting? I'm weak af. Stealing? Well, that's an option. The system's next mission would probably be *[Don't Die Tomorrow]*.
But then I remembered: Kael, the future tyrant, was enrolling in the academy in 6 months. Well that's just *G.R.E.A.T*
I stared at the ceiling. "First step: Earn money. Lots of it."
And the next step..
Zzz