The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

Sitting alone in a meadow...

I looked at the paper in my hand, the one handed to me by one of the butler-looking men earlier.

The letter was filled with formal language...

But basically, it said that I was being exiled from the family for the embarrassment I brought upon its name.

After reading the letter, a frown formed on my face.

Not because of what it said...

But because it wasn't written in English.

I had never seen these characters before...

But somehow, I could read and understand them perfectly.

"Fuck."

I cursed.

This just made my speculation earlier to be more likely true.

Wanting answer...

I stood up and looked around, spotting a small pond not far away.

I marched toward it, and when I reached it.

I looked down at my reflection in the water...

And what greeted me...

Is a young man that has striking blue eyes, sharp and intense, standing out against his white hair that fell casually around his face.

He was handsome, exuding an air of both arrogance and elegance...

I recognized this face, it's one of the early third-rate villains from the game Brave Hearts.

The one who entangles the protagonist with the Alvah Family... Raye Alvah.

And currently, for some unexplained reason...

I'm in control of this body!

"..."

Now, I can be sure.

"I'm really inside of the game..."

The Brave Hearts.

...

***

The Brave Hearts, it's an RPG that took place in a magic and swords medieval world, where you play as a genius commoner boy who gets into an academy called Zion Academy through a scholarship.

You decide what course you will enter.

Whether it's a swordsmanship course, magic course, summoner course, or something else from multiple choices.

And along with the other main characters, you are supposed to get stronger as the story progresses.

And ultimately free the world from the terror of demons.

...

"That's the main objective in the game..."

For the main protagonist that is.

'I'm no protagonist, I'm just a third-rate villain in the story. I hold very little significance in the game.'

I'm Raye Alvah.

Leader of the delinquents in the academy, I do nothing but sabotage the main characters and cheat.

And at the start of the 2nd semester of the 1st year, I will be beaten by the protagonist one-sidedly.

Later on, I'll be deemed a no-good scumbag and expelled from the academy.

And after that, I will make no more appearances in the story.

'Oh...'

I was wrong, in the credit screen after completing the game, Raye Alvah was briefly shown, being beat up in the slums for stealing a bread.

That scene was added to satisfy the players who got annoyed with him early in the game.

'I also got satisfaction from that cutscene, I even laughed a little.'

But now...

"That's my fate."

No way in hell!

"I won't just let that be."

That's the fate of the scumbag Raye.

'But I'm not him!'

"I didn't do anything wrong. I don't deserve that."

I won't suffer because of that scumbag's life choices.

"I will survive and see this through to the end."

I declared with resolute tone.

...

***

I liked how Brave Hearts lets you choose your course at the beginning, so I cleared it multiple times, picking different courses each time I started a new file.

I remembered the story progression really well.

So if I play my cards right...

"I can take advantage of it."

After calming down and assessing the situation, I realized it wasn't so bad that I possessed a third-rate villain's body instead of one of the main or cheat characters.

At least I have no obligation to clear the game's events and scenarios.

In short, I'm free to do whatever I want, as long as I don't mess up the flow of the story.

Sure, I got exiled from the family, but looking on the bright side, now I don't have any obligations to them either!

Besides, that family is bound to fall anyway, since they're one of the protagonist's enemies.

And one more good thing is...

"I'm currently a student at the famous Zion Academy!"

It's the most prestigious academy in the entire Rakon Empire!

Anyone who graduates from it is guaranteed to live a prosperous life.

So, I've decided, my goal from now on...

"Is to graduate and have a more comfortable life than before."

Though, my first problem is that tuition is ridiculously expensive!

And now that I'm exiled from the Alvah Dukedom, no one's gonna pay it for me!

So the only way for me to continue studying at this academy is...

"A scholarship."

Yes, I need to somehow raise my grades and skills enough to secure one.

And if that's my only way...

'I need to see how far away I am from my goal.'

So with that in mind...

"Status."

I mumbled that word.

And a bluish window, like something from a game, appeared in front of me...

It's not a special skill, this is a function of a ring artifact all students receive upon enrollment. It lets us keep track of our own progress.

Anyway, that's that.

'It's time to check my stats...'

=====

Name: Raye Alvah

Age: 18

Year Level: 1

Race: Human

Stamina: 4

Intellect: 3

Mana: 2

Strength: 3

Speed: 4

Talent: 8

Luck: 7

Overall Grade: F-

=====

"Oh..."

My excitement quickly died down after seeing my stats.

Why?

Because they're weaker than those of an average person!

The protagonist starts with stats three times higher than these!

And a farmer at least has 6 stamina points!

I know my character is a lazy scumbag, but isn't this way too low?!

"The biggest number I see is my age..."

I grumbled.

But there's nothing I can really do about it, is there?

So knowing that...

"Haaah..."

I just sighed in resignation.

...

After a few moments, I calmed down and fully accepted my situation.

Also, after experimenting with the ring artifact, I learned that...

The second semester will start soon.

And I'm in my first year.

In other words...

"The protagonist will beat me up soon, and after that, I'll be saying bye-bye to this academy."

Just my luck...

I laid down on the grass and closed my eyes, I'm pretty exhausted with all of this...

I remembered when I find myself here.

The young man in front of me when I opened my eyes earlier.

A handsome young man with fierce black eyes and tousled dark hair, exuding intensity and strength...

"He was the protagonist, huh."

I whispered to myself.

I thought, long and hard, all by myself.

"..."

And after a few moments...

"I've decided."

I opened my eyes and sat up.

"I'll take care of myself, nothing else."

I said those words and resolute myself.

'I should do what I must to survive and attain my goal.'

I thought to myself.

Then I turned to the two bags the butler-looking men had given me earlier...

"What the hell are these, anyway?"

I reached for one of them...

"Hmm?"

And noticed that the bag I grabbed had an engraved spatial magic on it!

Meaning, it could store way more than it looked like it could, and without getting heavier too!

'I can sell this bag if money becomes really tight.'

I thought as I peeked inside of it.

There, I found a bunch of clothes and personal items.

"Must be Raye's belongings."

I then put the bag down and picked up the other one.

"This one's just a normal bag."

I mumbled, feeling a bit disappointed. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

It was small, but pretty heavy.

'What the hell is inside?'

I wondered as I opened it up.

And to my surprise...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

It was full of gold coins!

"Ohhhhhhhhh!!!"

Looks like I won't start penniless after all.

And just as I thought that...

Swoosh—

"Huh?"

A bluish window appeared in front of me.

It wasn't from the ring artifact, that much I was sure of...

Curiously, I looked at it and read what was written on it.

=====

Act I: The Exiled Scumbag (Complete)

=====

"Huh?"

This... This window appears on-screen after completing a game scenario.

I didn't expect to see this in this life too...