001: Not Even A Single Cheat

"Master Eclipse, why don't you go outside more?"

"Fuck no, I'm not doing that."

The maid froze, eyes wide. First, because her master's decisions were always final. Second, because she had no idea what "fuck" even meant.

Not surprising. That word didn't exist yet.

It wasn't hard to see that Eclipse didn't belong here—not in this world, and definitely not in this time.

Where he came from, people drove cars, and a machine the size of your hand could store the entire contents of a library. But here? People still used horses and inked scrolls.

Yup, Eclipse had definitely landed in the past.

The maid, confused but dutiful, nodded and closed the polished wooden door behind her, leaving Eclipse alone in his misery.

She didn't get it—no one did. Eclipse wasn't just hiding from the world outside; he was hiding from something far worse.

"I will absolutely fucking die if I go out there," Eclipse muttered, staring at himself in the mirror.

The reflection staring back was, by all accounts, the picture of nobility. Pale, glowing skin, the mark of a wealthy, privileged family.

His dark eyes looked heavy, and his unkempt hair hinted at a guy who had way too much on his mind for someone living in luxury.

This was Eclipse Warbringer—a name that, back in the modern world, might've sounded cool. But in this world?

He was just a minor villain in a story he already knew too well. A video game he played based on a myth.

According to the legends—legends he'd read about years later—the time he was in now was called the Heroes Era.

It was supposed to be a myth. Well, not anymore, because here he was, stuck in the middle of it. 

And in a small part of the large story? Yeah, it involved a specific villain.

A young noble who pissed off the Great Hero by hurting the people he cared about. The hero didn't just lose it on the first offense, though.

No, the villain had to screw up ten times before the Hero finally snapped. And when he did? Well, the villain was erased from existence.

End of story.

Guess who that villain was?

Eclipse sighed, pulling at his face. This sucked. Big time.

"I always imagined getting isekai'd into my favorite game," he muttered, "but not like this."

He wanted to be the Hero—or at least the main villain. But Eclipse? Even in the game, he was just a side quest.

One you could finish in ten minutes to earn three mana potions. Nobody cared about him, not even the players.

With another groan, he collapsed onto his oversized bed, staring at the ceiling.

The room was warm, not like back in his time where he could just crank up the AC to cool off.

His brain felt like it was frying with how long he'd been thinking about his situation.

And then there was the worst part. Remember how the Hero gives the villain ten chances?

Yeah. When Eclipse woke up in this world, the Hero was already pissed off eight times.

Two strikes left.

Two more chances before the Hero ended him. It was like living under a sword that could drop at any moment. And the worst part? He knew it was coming, just like in the game.

Could he make amends? Apologize? Maybe try to befriend the Hero? Yeah, no. That was impossible.

Fighting him? Hah, that was even worse.

The Hero wasn't just some overpowered character—he was practically a demigod.

Sure, maybe this version of him wasn't at his peak yet, but he was still ranked number one at the academy.

Meanwhile, Eclipse wasn't even in the top 100. No wonder the original Eclipse had such a massive chip on his shoulder.

"And then there's this…" Eclipse swirled his finger, and with a soft whoosh, a blue screen appeared on the ceiling.

His stats, laid out in painful detail. Nothing to write home about, except for his big fat zero in mana and two annoyingly specific traits.

Traits

- Warbringer Heir: Enhances all other Warbringer family members' P.ATK, M.ATK, and DEF by 15%. 

- Dignity+: Communication with lower-status individuals reduced by 80%.

Eclipse stared at the screen, frustration bubbling up. This was all it could do—just show him information.

No cheats, no secret power-ups, no in-game shop to bail him out of this mess.

Then there was that trait.

Being enrolled in the Hero Academy should've been a good thing, right?

It was where students trained to fight the oncoming demon hordes from the East. Unlike other schools, students were chosen based on potential, not status.

So, naturally, there were a ton of low-class kids in the academy—kids who didn't care about noble titles or family names.

Which made Eclipse's life way harder.

Because of Dignity+, every time he tried talking to someone of lower status, he ended up insulting them.

No matter what he said, it always came out wrong. And since almost everyone in the academy was lower class, well... his social life was pretty much screwed.

That's why, for the past week, he'd locked himself in his room.

He couldn't afford to tick off the Hero two more times. One wrong move, and that was it. Game over.

But that was only a temporary solution.

Because tomorrow, he had to leave his room. One of the Academy's tests was happening, and skipping it wasn't an option.

Eclipse stared at the ceiling, his stomach twisting in knots. "I'm so dead."