Alfred Nite... has always hated system novels and the talent of copying, reincarnation, and resurrection... Specifically, he does not hate them, but rather he hates the main characters who possess these blessings... Characters who possess arrogance without a foundation to support that arrogance, haughty, disrespectful, and dishonorable with their friends, rivals, and enemies.
Why would you be arrogant and condescending toward someone who exerted all their effort in training and you defeated them because of a copying talent or a system? You did not exert effort like theirs, and you have no right to mock them even if they are your sworn enemy.
Why would you be arrogant because of people's praise for an effort you did not make and not be humble? For example, you find a main character who stole the efforts of others through copying or a system, or even stole the knowledge of another person in a future the main character lived through, and takes credit for it, and is not humble, and does not respect the minds of others, but rather accepts that praise and honor as if it were meant for him?
Why do most main characters who possess such blessings have no pride or honor towards their opponents? You find him defeating them with numbers, or with power he does not own, or knowledge from the future, then he scorns his opponents.
And worse than all of that, they possess no sincerity or respect for their rivals. Their rivals who shed blood, sweat, and tears to surpass their limits to defeat the protagonist, then find that the protagonist, because of "cheating," has surpassed them by leaps and bounds, then the author patches it up by saying the rival accepted this and does not feel injustice, and his chapter is turned once and for all.
Alfred does not hate "cheating" — it would be foolish not to use it when you are threatened with death, right? But he hates characters who are under the guise of a protagonist while the author hides the ugliness of these characters.
Alfred Nite loves protagonists who exert their own effort, arrogant with the strong, humble with the weak — arrogance and pride supported by a true foundation and not just inflated pride. He loves heroes who do not like to submit no matter the circumstances against them. Even if the king of the world is before him, he will mock him with a sarcastic laugh. Even if he dies, he prefers breaking to bending. Heroes who respect their opponents, respect their friends and rivals, and do not boast of mere external power and act arrogantly before people and be glorified for it, but rather reject this false glory.
A kind human hero, not a saint. He does not say, like some characters, "I'm not a saint, I won't protect all people," and when a benefit appears, he chases after them under a guise of sanctity and says, "I saved you out of the kindness of my heart." No, but a kind hero who saves people as long as he has the power to do so, even if it puts him in danger. A hero who refuses submission or humiliation, even if an empire's king tries to humiliate him, he will cut off his head.
Rarely has Alfred Nite found novels that embody such a concept, even imperfectly, and he enjoys every second of those novels.
But this time, Alfred Nite found such a complete character he was fascinated by, not in a novel, but in a game... The game Exodia, but as the game's hero, a hero as a side character.
Eon Drakis, a true hero and not a fake one...
People may see him as just a side character in a game, but Alfred saw Eon as the game itself. Even, unfortunately...
--
"Alfred, why haven't you registered for the second part of Exodia yet, man? The third part is already out and you haven't even played the second one... Hurry up, man, our team misses you."
In a cafe, a young man who looked about nineteen, wearing green clothes, said this while sitting among a group of people. He was addressing the young man sitting in front of him—Alfred, nineteen years old, with messy black hair, dark black eyes, and somewhat handsome features.
Alfred said with some annoyance: "Man, I already told you I was studying for the university entrance exams. I don't want to fail because of a game."
The young man in green replied: "You need to relax a little, man. Look at the dark circles under your eyes... Putting too much pressure on yourself will only lead to negative results... Download the game and let's play a little today. I'll show you some tricks to level up fast, hehe."
Alfred frowned and said in a playful tone: "Taking a break from studying to play all night... maybe only someone like you could give such rude advice, Mike."
Mike's face flushed red before he replied: "Alright, man, I already downloaded the second game. Let's play a bit tonight... I just hope the hero of the second game is better than the first one's."
Another voice joined in: "Alfred, you might not know this, but the protagonist of the second story is way better than the first one's, even though he's still a womanizer who falls for every pretty girl he sees, to the point that we're still struggling to balance between the girls in the romance route. But at least, man, his diverse skills make him better to play as—Arthur."
Alfred said: "Really, Ryo? You said the same thing about that fraud hero Arthur."
Ryo replied in astonishment: "Man, what's your problem with Arthur really? Sure, he's a womanizer—and I don't blame him if I were in his place—but he's strong, and his personality is great. It suits a hero who will save the world in the second part, and someone chosen by fate..."
Mike interrupted: "Maybe you don't know this, Ryo, but Alfred hates anything related to heroes who don't put in their own effort to increase their power... You know Arthur's talent, right? Copying. And Alfred hates copying, the system, and anything that makes the hero stronger than others in a ridiculous way without any effort."
Alfred interjected, "Man, I told you I don't hate copying and the system specifically… yes, I hate them, but having the power of copying and not using it in a world like Exodia is just stupid. But what I really hate is… how main characters act when they steal someone else's skills—skills someone worked hard for—and then act carelessly and arrogantly, and how they never stay humble after being praised by people who don't know he's just a thief of others' efforts…"
Ryo smiled at Alfred and said, "Well, I don't really care, man. Arthur has diverse skills from all classes. In the second part, he got a neutral lineage… I used the Lightning Phoenix lineage and got the lightning element, then copied the Lightning Phoenix's skills… I became almost unbeatable."
Alfred sighed at Ryo's words.
Mike said, "I understand what you're saying, man, but even if you were in Arthur's place—and he's just a pre-programmed game character… you probably wouldn't be any better than him…"
Alfred shook his head, "This is a matter of principles for me, Mike… imagine you study day and night, then someone comes and shakes your hand and suddenly has all your knowledge… that wouldn't be fair or respectful to you or to other competitors… or like someone who cheated or used connections in an exam and then boasts endlessly in front of people who worked hard to study… I would never do something like that."
Ryo said indifferently, "The result is what matters. The process doesn't really matter."
Alfred replied, "The result is important, but the process shapes you and teaches you, even if you fail… during the process, you'll see the scenery around you… if you rely on shortcuts, a day will come when those shortcuts will end."
Ryo replied mockingly, "Oh, like what happened to your favorite? That extra character—what was his name again, man? The one who only appeared a few times and died in the final exam of the first semester?"
Mike replied, "It's Ion, Ion Drakis. Man, he was a really great character. I wish they had made him a secondary playable character after finishing the first part… he was ridiculously strong in the entrance exams. Did you know that no matter what you do, you can never defeat him? I've never heard of anyone beating him, no matter which character you challenge him with in the entrance exams—even if multiple main characters team up, even if you memorize all his movement patterns… forget about something called victory, he'll completely crush you."
Alfred, who seemed excited at the mention of Ion, replied, "Yeah, man, I actually tried challenging him with a team of 5 main characters, but we barely managed to land a critical hit before he wiped us out with Aura Rocket… even if you avoid Aura Rocket and put Ion in a tight spot, he'll use Blood Burn and wipe us out with just a wave of his palm."
Ryo frowned and said, "Tch, just an extra character who can't even use mana—only aura—and the developers made him this ridiculously strong. Isn't that a bit exaggerated?"
Alfred replied with the same frown, "Didn't you read the character summary, idiot? He has a fractured soul with a neutral lineage and two mysterious lineages he couldn't activate—even the academy director couldn't do it… yet he reached this level of strength purely through his own effort and talent… and it was also mentioned that when he was 13 years old, he was already fighting on the front lines of battles with other kingdoms against barbarians, and even fought sea demons… so his strength makes sense… at least he's not like someone who puts in no effort and boasts about it."
Mike said, "Unfortunately, if Ion had the power of copying, maybe his fate wouldn't have been bullying at the academy and early death."
Alfred replied, "I read that Ion is extremely arrogant and proud… maybe even if you offered him the gift of copying, he would refuse it strongly."
Ryo clicked his tongue, "Just an extra character added by developers with exaggerated traits and a vague description to make the game look flashy… even though they actually succeeded."
Mike replied, "It doesn't seem like you're a fan of Ion's character. Believe it or not, I found an entire forum praising this character."
Ryo widened his eyes in shock, then turned to Alfred, "Hahaha, if there's a forum like that, I'm sure Alfred would be its admin, hahaha."
Mike was a bit surprised, then laughed as well. It seemed that this possibility had a very high chance of being true.
Alfred blushed slightly because it was actually true, but it was impossible for him to admit that.
"Alright, guys, let's stop here. I need to go early to study, then I'll open the second part of the game so we can play a bit… I just hope the second protagonist is better…"
The three friends left the café, each heading to his home.
---
Alfred had just finished taking a shower… then hesitated whether he should study or go try the second part of the game.
In the end, his conscience won, and he went to study.
He finished studying early today and thought about what Mike said—that he needed rest—and it was completely true.
He prepared a light dinner for himself, then went to his bedroom and turned on his computer.
While his mouse cursor hovered over Exodia: The Central Continent, a notification caught his attention—it was an email. He quickly went to check it.
His heart suddenly pounded as he saw the sender.
"Damn… is this real? I didn't expect them to reply at all."
The sender was the Exodia company itself.
That morning, before leaving for high school, he had sent a message to the company's email, asking if there was any hope in the future of adding Ion as a playable character.
In the game Exodia, you can play as the main hero and heroines, of course—but the strange thing is that even some side characters are playable.
But Ion Drakis was nothing more than a minor character mentioned only five times in the game, so this possibility was extremely remote. He had only sent the email as a desperate attempt after his favorite character's death.
What surprised Alfred was that the reply came after only two minutes.
And their reply was simple:
"Dear Ion87, yes, we can offer you this exclusive experience just for you... If you agree, please send your reply to confirm your acceptance."
...
Was this real?
Alfred checked his eyes to make sure the email was indeed from the company and not a scam.
In the end, it turned out to be the same one listed on the company's official website.
He couldn't help but feel excited.
To give Ion the happy ending he truly deserved.
A character like Ion should see the peaks of the world—not die unknown while undeserving people receive the world's entire care.
He sent his reply:
"Yes, I agree."
He waited patiently.
30 seconds.
One minute.
Two minutes.
A notification sound rang out.
"That was fast..."
He opened the message and began to read it.
"Welcome back, ***********."
Alfred was puzzled by the reply: "Welcome back."
Then he continued reading, but before he could finish—
He suddenly felt extremely drowsy, and his limbs froze. Cold spread from his fingertips to his heart until he felt his heartbeat slowing rapidly.
He tried to speak.
"..."
But nothing came out. He didn't even have the strength to move his tongue.
What Alfred thought in terror was—
"He's dying."
The last thing he heard before sinking into utter darkness was the sound of the chair hitting the floor—a sound that seemed so far away, as if infinite distances separated them.