38 Rain's Plan

On an isolated island, far from the Holmes Family's Mansion in Karoon City, stood a modest two-story house.

The plain exterior featured a small garden in front and a gravel driveway leading to the entrance.

Inside, the sparsely furnished hall held only a wooden dining table and a couple of chairs.

A staircase led up to the second floor, where the bedrooms were located.

The master bedroom was the largest, with a king-sized bed dominating the room's center.

Despite its elegance, the room was in disarray. Sheets and pillows were scattered as if the man had tossed and turned all night.

Clothes lay in a pile on the floor, and an empty pizza box sat on the nightstand beside the bed. 

Yet, despite the chaos, the room held a certain charm. A large window overlooked the garden, and a chandelier hung from the ceiling.

Rain was lying on the bed, without any care. His messy hair fell in waves around his face, and his toned body was visible under the rumpled sheets.

After some time, Rain slowly opened his pair of black eyes.

The sunlight streamed in through the window of his portable house, and he blinked as his eyes adjusted to the brightness.

"Good morning," he said with a yawn, rubbing his eyes.

He stretched his arms and scratched his head, feeling the stiffness from a long night of celebrating. 

Still, he was able to get a good sleep.

He was so happy last night after gaining his freedom that he ended up overdoing his celebration. 

'This bed is so comfortable, and this portable House is also good.'

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► [Comfy bed – Rare high-tier 

Design and Materials:

─ Its materials include a sturdy wooden frame and a soft, plush mattress made of high-quality fabric that feels cool to the touch.

Effects:

─ Quickly restoring the user's stamina, banishing accumulated fatigue.

─ The mattress, meticulously engineered, contours to the body, providing optimal support and inducing a restful sleep.

─ Its fabric is breathable, preventing the user from becoming too warm or sweaty during the night

─ Allows the user to record their dreams upon waking, providing a vision of their dreams.

═─┈─═─┈─═

This bed and the portable mansion, where he was staying, both of them were bought by Rain from the black market.

When he went to collect the hidden pieces from Black Market, he liked them from the first sight. 

"The Black Market sure has some good things." Rain couldn't help but remark. 

Still, it was surprising how Rain got on this unknown island. 

***

[A few days ago]

In the library, Rain was spending days diligently absorbing the world's basic knowledge, like a hungry bookworm. 

He wasn't much interested in those books of library. Rathe he was trying to remember about plot as much as he could, and gather some useful information if he could.

After completing his indoor training, he had recalled rough outline of the plotline. The weight of the plot settled in his mind, every twist and turn etched into his memory.

As he meticulously transcribed every detail into a series of PDF files within the system, Rain couldn't help but marvel at the intricate web woven by the author.

'Even though Dead author wrote trash book, the planning too good to be true.'

However, as Rain compared the game's plot with the real world, a nagging feeling crept in.

'Still, there are loopholes.'

Rain knew that no one is perfect. But now that he is in this world, Therefore, these gaps where explanations were absent. It bothered him to no end.

Rain didn't fear known disasters like demons, cults or monsters. The reason of his uneasiness was unknown variables. 

Rain won't call it plot armor or fate. He didn't believe in them anyway. 

Without my involvement with Main characters, more gaps will appear and to fill those gaps, the plot will be more deviated from original line.

Then I can only pull it back on original track forcefully. 

A cunning idea started to take shape in Rain's mind.

A mischievous smile played at the corners of his lips.

He would tread carefully, not wanting to disrupt the delicate balance. Because risk of bad ending was too great. Rain wasn't crazy enough to end the world yet. 

'I won't interfere directly. But what if I can still have an impact? If I can find a way to be indirectly involved, to influence events from behind the scenes...'

Before plunging headfirst into the realm of the main characters, Rain would lay the groundwork, setting the stage for his indirect interactions. The gears in his mind turned, plotting the course of his subtle involvement.

"I'll be the puppeteer," Rain murmured, his voice filled with anticipation. "I'll carefully pull the strings, guiding their paths without them even knowing it."

With his elaborate plan taking shape, Rain's thoughts shifted.

The task of restoring his rank beckoned him. 

"Now, how can I climb back up the ranks?" Rain mused aloud, a determined glint in his eyes. "I'll need to think outside the box, find the hidden pieces, and become stronger."

***

[Few days passed] 

'After outdoor training, my rank has been promoted E, and I'm just on the verge of breaking through E+. Although it's little lacking, it's bearable.'

Now with this much strength, Rain could start working on his plan, which was to cut all of his death flags. 

After all, as someone said, 

["There is always a cause for every effect."]

But what if you remove the cause? 

About killing them to cut off the death flags? That would be epitome of stupidity. 

'With my current strength, even not getting seriously injured would be luxury.'

It's not like he didn't have any way to kill them, but it's just too troublesome and not worth the effort. Moreover, he doesn't have any mortal hatred with them yet. Killing them indiscriminately would just raise another cause and effect. 

So he would remove the cause of his death by giving his former acquaintances what they wanted.

After all, he died because he was getting in the way of what they wanted. 

Kaya desired the head position of the family, while Emma wanted to terminate the engagement.

Rain's parents didn't ask for anything, but they were troubled by not being able to help their friends (Emma's Parents).

Charles felt guilty about his inability to do anything about his brother's and sisters-in-law's death.

Despite his sympathy for his parents, Rain was determined to cut ties with them to avoid future trouble.

While I'm doing this, let's cut ties with Holmes family, too.

He did all of this to gain his freedom because even if he cut ties, his every action would still be monitored, and cutting ties with them would give Kaya some relief.

Some old dogs of the Holmes family would continue to pressure him to work if he stayed, so Rain left to avoid further problems. In addition, a broken family who can't even take revenge from little cult is bound to doom sooner or later. 

However, It was worth noting that the things he gave to everyone weren't his, but rather the Protagonist's. 

'In the storyline, Kaya and Ken (protagonist) got married, making him the head of the family. Emma also married the protagonist, and our engagement was dissolved as a result.

I was disowned by his family, even though my parents silently supported me from behind the scenes. But all of it was futile.'

Rain remembered how much his mother cried after hearing news of his death. In the absence of Rain, his father became the temporary head of the family, while Kaya held the main position.

However, Rain's parents were never seen in the novel or the game again. 

"In this life, I should at least make those people guilty for what they did." Rain had decided. 

He vowed to live a happy life, never forgiving those who wronged him.

He intended to become their heart disease, a constant reminder of their misdeeds. 

Regarding Arya, Rain had helped her enter high society, and she fared well.

Although he didn't hate her, he didn't particularly like her either.

Without his support, she would have been vulnerable to mistreatment by arrogant members of high society.

'I wonder how long she will last before the protagonist saves her. Will she break down before the protagonist saves her?' 

In his previous life, Rain had learned from Mark's side story that Mark had always wanted to become friends with him. 

Therefore, this time, Rain decided to make that wish come true.

'I'm glad I could help Mark avoid a bad ending. He deserved better,' Rain thought. 'He should rather stay here instead of getting dragged down by me.'

Rain also gave his mother an elixir that he had obtained from one of the corpses in Blood Mountain.

Although the elixir was of lower quality than the one he had consumed, Rain hoped that it would help his mother become an SS-ranker.

He knew that strength would be essential in the coming years as the world descended into chaos.

"I hope this elixir will help mother. She's always supported me, and I want to do what I can for her. After all, this might be the last time I help her." 

Rain also gave the elixir recipe to his father, which would provide more funds for the family.

However, the main reason he gave his father the recipe was that someone else had used it to rise in the plot.

It was a Merchant Queen, and Rain felt a sense of satisfaction in stealing her chance.

Although she still had many opportunities, this would delay her rise.

"I can't help but feel a little pleased that I caused problems for the Merchant Queen.

It's fun to mess with the heroines and see them struggle."