"It’s been so quiet lately," the young maid murmured. "Peaceful, I know, but… doesn’t it feel a little unsettling?" An unnatural calm had settled over the von Falkenberg grand mansion, a silence so profound in a residence of its scale that it felt more like a held breath than genuine tranquility. "Hush. Don't speak such foolishness into being," the head maid chided gently. "Just be still and do your work." The tranquility had felt strange to the maids and butlers at first, but after a week, they had begrudgingly grown accustomed to it. "Do you think… things are going well between Lady von Waldenburg and Master von Falkenberg?" "I doubt it," the head maid replied, shaking her head. "In fact, I would wager the opposite is true." "Really? But it’s just… he’s never shut himself in his room for a whole week before. He won't even let us in to clean," the young maid whispered. "Then let him have his rest. We never know when his demands will begin again." The servants’ gossip always returned to their master's recent, peculiar behavior. “Has anything like this happened before?” the young maid asked, her curiosity piqued. "Well, Master Kaiser-Licht took up residence here about ten years ago..." Their master's fame and prickly nature always provided ample fuel for gossip, and once started, the conversation flowed freely. Just then, the sharp clack of heels echoed down the hall, followed by the groan of the great front doors swinging open. The sound cut through the quiet with a cold and ominous finality. The maids scurried into a line before the unexpected visitor, bowing their heads as they recognized her. "Where is he?" she demanded. The newcomer was a striking woman with short-cropped black hair—Lieselotte, a woman whose sharp tongue was as infamous as her older brother Kaiser-Licht's. "Master Kaiser-Licht is currently—" "Take me to him," Lieselotte cut in, her tone leaving no room for argument. None of the servants dared to meet her gaze. They quickly led her up the grand central staircase to the highest floor of the mansion, an entire level that served as Kaiser-Licht’s private suite, and stopped before his door. Lieselotte knocked, the sound sharp against the wood of a door that everyone else in the house feared. There was no response. Knock—knock! Knock—knock! Her patience already gone, Lieselotte threw the door open and stormed inside. Within the immaculately organized room, a man of chiseled, fair-skinned features and blue-tinted hair lay upon the bed, his expression weary. It was a sight that might have stirred another woman's heart, but it left Lieselotte utterly cold. "What are you doing?!" Her sharp, informal address to her older brother, the head of their house, made the servants flinch. Kaiser-Licht, however, merely murmured in a low voice, "I thought I might wake after a few more dreams. But it seems this dream is persistent." The maids exchanged a glance. Something had indeed gone terribly wrong between Lady von Waldenburg and Master von Falkenberg. "Again with this…" Lieselotte scowled, misunderstanding his words just as the maids had. Instantly, the same name surfaced in every mind in the room: Isolde von Deya-Freyden. She was the second daughter of the northern von Waldenburg family and the fiancée of Kaiser-Licht von Kaiser-Licht. Theirs was a well-known story of mismatched affections. Kaiser-Licht seemed to genuinely love Isolde, while Isolde’s feelings for him were common knowledge to border on utter contempt. "Are you going to stop thinking about her? You've even cancelled all your lectures." "Lectures?" Kaiser-Licht asked, his voice distant. "Yes!" Lieselotte snapped, pulling a sheaf of documents from her designer clutch and flinging them onto the bed. "You promised to handle this. Lying here like some lovelorn fool is a disgrace to our family name!" Kaiser-Licht said nothing. "You had better attend today's lecture unless you want to lose that prestigious professorship as well!" Lieselotte shouted. "You are certainly audacious," Kaiser-Licht chuckled, a sound that only seemed to fuel Lieselotte’s fury. A vein throbbed on her temple. "I'm not audacious, you're just a fool! An idiot!" The maids trembled at her tirade, but their master, who would have once punished such insolence without a second thought, showed no reaction at all. I wish he were always like this, the maids thought in unison. "Understood. Now leave," Kaiser-Licht said, his voice drained of energy. "Hmph." Lieselotte snorted and turned on her heel. She refused to watch a man fall apart simply because a woman had rejected him. "W-would you like something to eat, Lady Lieselotte?" "But you've come such a long way! If you'll give us a moment to—" "I said no!" Lieselotte yelled, venting her remaining frustration on the staff as she swept past them. The servants hurried after her, sensing their master’s foul mood. It would be wise, they decided, to make themselves scarce for the rest of the day. My gaze fell to the papers Lieselotte had left on the bed. The title read, Professor Kaiser-Licht of the Kaiserliche Akademie: Basic Understanding of Magic and Mindset Toward Mana. 1. Categorization of magic by properties and categories. 2. General understanding of magical formulas for destruction, support, summoning, and elemental spells. 3. Proper use of mana… "How can there be so many types of magic?" In a world suffused with magic, science was nowhere to be seen. Someone once said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, but that was just me, spouting nonsense to myself in bed. A week had passed in what felt like a blink. In that time, I had failed to find any reason for why I was trapped in this game. It wasn't a dream, lucid or otherwise. It wasn't virtual reality. The most plausible theory I could muster was that I’d been struck by lightning and this was some bizarre afterlife. Somehow, I had become Kaiser-Licht von Kaiser-Licht, the very character I had modeled after myself in this damnable game. Kaiser-Licht was a linchpin of the story, a named villain who served as a nemesis to countless characters and a mid-boss for players. He was the ubiquitous antagonist: the enemy of one’s parents, the murderer of a lover, the destroyer of a hometown, the thief of another’s achievements. Worse, he was a character designed to attract death and adversity, a man who made enemies as easily as he breathed. Haneul had hinted there was a small twist to his character, but I never imagined the twist was that I would become him. "My fate is to die in almost every scenario of this game." True to his villainous nature, his end was almost always a violent one. Whether killed by players, by named characters they hired, in a reckless duel, or by assassination, he died. He was the game's great, inevitable catastrophe, not unlike some purple-skinned tyrant from an old superhero film. "And now, a lecture…" I said, gathering the papers Lieselotte had thrown. The lecture was scheduled for today. "…That seems like the right thing to do for now." It would be the first lecture of my life, but I couldn't simply rot in this room. The only way to gather information and decide what to do next was to go outside. And besides… [Chroma Survival Goal: Become necessary to the game.] [Side Quest: University Lecture] ◆ Store Currency +0.5 These strange sentences flickered in the corner of my vision. Between these system messages and Lieselotte’s outburst, it was time to move. After all, Lieselotte herself was one of the many variables that could lead to my death. That store currency was crucial, too. Thankfully, the knowledge, attitude, or experience needed for the lecture wasn't a problem. The ability to understand anything. Can be activated by consuming mana. Before being trapped here, I had mistakenly added the "Comprehension" attribute to Kaiser-Licht, thinking it was something akin to empathy. It was a Unique-grade attribute, the kind that only appeared late in the game, something even my own player character could never acquire. "First, a shower." I rose from the bed and walked into the bathroom. I shed my clothes and turned on the water. A pristine environment, perfectly heated water, a showerhead with immaculate pressure—it was all exactly to my liking. After the shower, I opened the door to a dressing room larger than my old apartment, a space overflowing with fine suits and valuables. I chose an outfit on a whim. A crisp white shirt and a dark blue suit of aristocratic cut, a matching blue tie, and a pair of fine-rimmed glasses that lent him a scholarly air. I finished the ensemble with a coat, a subtle cologne, and slicked my hair back neatly. I studied my reflection in the mirror. Frankly, the style could have looked cheesy, but on this man, it appeared dignified. An overwhelming arrogance radiated from him, yet it was tempered by an undeniable elegance. This, I presumed, was the work of his in-game attributes: Intimidation, Dignity, Aesthetic Sense, and the personality trait Noble Etiquette. That last one was a problem. I found I couldn't act crudely or speak my mind; every word and gesture had to conform to the highest standards of etiquette. No matter how hungry I was, I couldn’t just dig in. No matter what I thought, I couldn’t just blurt it out. Everything had to be refined. From Kaiser-Licht's perspective, it felt completely natural. It seemed my own personality was already adapting to this inefficient code of conduct, finding it more comfortable than something as simple as sitting cross-legged. Worse, I found myself feeling a subtle disdain when witnessing crude or ignorant behavior. "I won't be devoured by this guy, will I?" The character had several powerful personality traits. The system logs showed that Noble Etiquette, Elitism, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Authoritative, and Cultural Obsession were actively influencing me. It was because of them, I realized, that the duty to give a lecture felt so natural. I was a distinguished and noble aristocrat, after all. Yeah, right. "Min-jun," I said to the handsome face in the mirror. "Kim Min-jun." I will not lose myself. I will not be swallowed by this damn game character. "Home Woo and Genuine Jin—Min-jun. That is your name." A healthy Korean man, objectively tall and handsome, but in the words of another, a bit of a petty loser. "A lazy, worthless guy." I slapped my cheeks hard, then stepped out of the room. The steady, distinct sound of my own shoes on the floor, the smooth motion of long legs, an impeccably dignified stride—I couldn't help but admire the elegance of my own movements as I came to a stop before the car waiting in the garden. "Master von Falkenberg," a servant said, bowing. An automobile styled like an antique from a bygone century waited for me, a clear symbol of wealth in this world. "Let's go," I replied to the servant. As he opened the back door for me, I saw a small, huddled figure already in the back seat. A charming but stiff face peeked out from under the hood of a robe. "G-good afternoon, Professor! T-this is for you!" a nervous voice squeaked, and a bundle of documents was thrust into my hands. "...Are you a mage?" "Eh? Oh, yes. Yes… I-I’ve been under your guidance for… for three years now—" I gave a graceful smile and glanced at the documents. It was a detailed script for the lecture, from start to finish. Of course Kaiser-Licht wouldn’t prepare a lecture himself. The man was all show and no substance, with an attribute of Average Argent, not Genius or Prodigy. This script was exactly what I needed. "Excellent." The single word of praise made the young mage jump. The compliment felt like acid in my throat—clear proof that Kaiser-Licht’s personality was wrestling with my own—but I forced myself to overcome it, even adding another. "You've done well. Rest until we arrive." "Ah, ah yes! Yes! Yes, sir!" The young mage bowed his head so low he nearly touched his knees, staying as quiet as a corpse for the rest of the ride. The pleased curve of his mouth, however, was visible just beneath his hood. I began to read the script. The texture of the paper was irritatingly coarse, almost dirty, making me think I should wear gloves next time… No, focus. I knew the game's settings well enough, and with Comprehension, the content of the script flowed into my mind with perfect clarity. About thirty minutes later, a scene outside the car window caught my eye. I looked up, an unintentional smile touching my lips. Under the noon sun, the distant scenery shimmered. A towering statue of the founding Emperor guarded the entrance, its path lined with a harmony of vibrant flowers and trees. The sprawling campus was dotted with magnificent buildings, and a soft light descended from the high sky as if blessing the very ground. It was the Kaiserliche Akademie, Kaiser-Licht’s workplace, brought to life in more detail than any 3D render. It was a world born from my own design.

Chapter 2: The Silence Holds Its Breath