Chapter 1.
"What the hell..."
The curse sprang out of his mouth without hesitation
Standing there was not a man in his 20s with unkempt black hair and a scruffy beard, but a young man with long, silver hair that flowed down like a woman's.
A slim figure with silver hair, sharp eyes, and golden irises within them.
A heavy, solemn voice.
And the tower master who has a half-dragon as an assistant.
Jinhyuk took all of these facts into account.
'There's no doubt.'
Jung Jinhyuk had become Reed Adeleheights Roton.
"Damn it."
Jinhyuk cursed once again.
The fact that he had entered the game <Disaster 7>, which he loved enough to play five times, made his heart race.
Moreover, he was even more excited about being in the role of the villain he had always admired.
However,
'Out of all the villains in <Disaster 7>, I had to become this piece of trash!'
The fact that he was Reed Adeleheights Roton infuriated him.
"Um… Tower Master?"
As he turned his head, he saw a blonde head peeking out from the door of the bathroom.
Reed's loyal assistant, Phoebe, stammered like a frightened puppy.
"Is something wrong, sir? I don't know what I should do. if I did something wrong, if I did, I, I, I apologize..."
She rambled on and on, looking flustered.
'Calm down, Jung Jinhyuk.'
Jinhyuk's actions were completely opposite to those of Reed Adeleheights Roton.
So, it must be confusing for Phoebe, who was watching.
Jinhyuk spoke to her as cautiously as possible in his most serious voice.
"It's nothing. You may leave now."
"Ah, well, then I'll step out!"
Her face, which had been peeking out, quickly disappeared, and the sound of the door closing followed.
Although she seemed to find it strange, there was no doubt that it had been handled reasonably well.
'After all, he was an impressive character in a different way.'
As much as Jinhyuk disliked the arrogant villain, he knew his information well.
An authoritative attitude that didn't fit his position.
Most of the time, that would make him look like Reed.
In fact, it worked.
"Phew... Let's calm down for now."
It was time to stop looking flustered.
Jinhyuk knew that there was no escaping from his current situation.
Those who show weakness are the first to fall.
That's the rule for all villains.
So, there was only one thing he could do right now.
'First, learn as much as possible about Reed Adeleheights Roton.'
He had no choice but to blend in as Reed while observing his surroundings, regardless of how pretentious it may seem.
As the place became quiet, Jinhyuk leaned against the sink and took another look at his face.
'My current age is... much earlier than when encountering the protagonist.'
At the time the protagonist encountered Reed, he was approaching 45 years and had wrinkles starting to form.
Usually, gray hair would make one look old, but because he took care of it well, he appeared like a man in his mid-20s.
He hated to admit it... but he was also handsome.
'Can I see my body condition? If this is really a game, there must be a status window... right?'
Ding!
As soon as he thought about it, a status window appeared in front of Jinhyuk.
Name: Reed Adeleheights Roton
Job: Tower Master of Silence Tower
Age: 35 years old
Disposition: (Unknown)
Health: 1,432/1,432
Stamina: 340/340
Mana: 4,982/4,982
[Traits]
「Tower Master of Silence Tower」,「Talent Appraisal」,「Bloodline of Adeleheights」, 「Escolleia Second Seat Graduate」
[Abilities]
<Magic Lv. 4>, <Alchemy Lv. 3>, <Crafting Lv. 3>, <Magic Science Lv. 4>, <Mana Sensitivity Lv. 4>, <Elemental Sensitivity Lv. 4>, <Spirit Sensitivity Lv. 4>... and 10 others.
The abilities were divided by levels, and there was a trait section.
What Jinhyuk saw was definitely the character status window from <Disaster 7>.
'The character seems complete, but the specs aren't as good as I thought.'
A complete character refers to one that has no more room for growth and can only play a significant role in the early and mid-stages as a temporary supporting character.
Although he was a fake boss, he was still a man with abilities that were almost on par with the final boss.
'I thought there would be at least one transcendence...'
The typical level limit for ability is 5, and if certain conditions are met, they can transcend and increase their level to 7.
However, even the protagonist can only achieve one transcendence, and it's safe to say that level 5 is the limit for anyone who isn't a major supporting character.
Of course, level 4 wasn't a number to be underestimated in a world where the limit was level 5.
In addition, Reed's attributes were diverse enough to be considered a master of all magical things, making him a versatile mage.
'Though, It's different for being a Tower Master...'
A level 4 mage could be within the top 20% capable of wiping out a group of monsters, but becoming a Tower Master requires a minimum of level 5 in magic.
If the <Magic> level isn't 5, one must gain an advantage in other aspects, but <Mana Sensitivity>, which affects total mana and recovery rate, was also 4, as were the necessary <Elemental Sensitivity> for elemental magic and <Spirit Sensitivity>, the foundation of spirit magic.
'Well, if you think of him as the Tower Master of Silence Tower, it's not that surprising.'
Reed Adeleheights Roton's residence was the Red Curtain Tower.
[T/N: Red Curtain is the literal translation of ‘붉은 장막이’, I can’t find any better word for it. Later on, I might change it if I find a better word. (Can suggest in comments)]
However, many mages sarcastically called it the "The Tower of Silence" because nobody visited it.
Seeing the specs of Reed, the tower's owner, it was easy to understand why he was made fun of.
Jinhyuk focused on more relevant information that could serve as a clue.
It was his age.
Ten years before his death at the hands of the protagonist... This meant that it was before the game <Disaster 7> even started.
The story of <Disaster 7> spans three years until the ending, so it is now seven years before the game starts.
"10 years..."
Jinhyuk unconsciously muttered the words.
Let's say he entered the world of the <Disaster 7> game.
But why did he come as Reed from 10 years ago?