Chapter: The Stealing Begins

{Great Avalon Academy, Boy's Dormitories}

Raja sat by the window, gazing at the sky. It was... disturbingly beautiful. Way too peaceful for a world destined to explode in a thousand chapters. He sighed.

"I swear, if I knew this was gonna happen, I'd have at least deleted my browsing history. Imagine dying and your internet history is still floating around somewhere..." He winced at the thought, shaking his head.

"Anyway, back to reality. Or whatever this is."

He leaned back, letting the fresh air from the window cool his frustrated mind. "According to these new memories..." He tapped his temple as if trying to absorb them faster. "This body? Yeah, it belonged to some poor orphan who 'awakened' a mana circuit. Fancy, huh? He got selected to attend *The Great Avalon Academy*, the biggest academy in human territory. Why? Apparently, the village chief sent him here."

He paused, narrowing his eyes. "And no, it wasn't out of kindness. You'd think they wanted to give this kid a chance at greatness, right? Nah. The village chief shipped him here because there's a huge chance he'll die in the academy, and—here's the kicker—the village gets compensated for his death! Resources, money, maybe even some government support." He scoffed. "It's practically a business model every year."

He leaned closer to the window, speaking to the readers. "Look, I know it's messed up. But this is common here. Talented kids from villages die mysteriously, and suddenly their communities get a welfare check. Demons, magical accidents, 'training incidents,' you name it. And the government? Totally looks the other way."

Raja rolled his eyes and threw up his hands. "But oh, that's not the only kind of crap floating around this world. Racism? Yeah, it's a thing. Commoners, middle-class, other races... if you're not a noble, you might as well be dirt. Orcs, Fox Beast clans—man, don't even get me started on them." He scratched his head. "There was some bad blood during the 'Golden Age,' between them and human, and let's just say the humans haven't exactly rolled out the red carpet for them since nor them."

Raja shook his head. "Sure, they signed some peace treaty—King Uther Pendragon and all that jazz—but come on, you and I both know hate doesn't just disappear because someone wrote a fancy piece of paper."

He paused for dramatic effect. "So yeah, this world sucks. And Atleast Now I have Raja's memories."

Standing up, Raja bowed his head slightly, closing his eyes. "Thanks, Raja. I'll do my best to survive in your place. Rest in peace, buddy."

A moment of silence passed before he broke the somber mood with a sudden outburst. "But seriously, no system? No magical powers? Not even a *side quest*?! Come on! I get tossed into a dying world, and I'm stuck as an extra—no plot armor, no cheat codes—just me. I might as well be a background NPC waiting for the demon invasion."

He threw himself back onto the bed and sighed. "This is just great. The world's gonna implode soon, and I don't even get a starter pack."

Raja groaned, rubbing his temples. "Curse these fragmented memories from *Rama's* mind... I can barely recall anything useful about this trashy harem novel. Only bits and pieces out of the 1,380 chapters. And I've already made it to the academy. Great." He sighed.

He squinted, trying to pull more from his memory. "If I'm remembering right, I've gotta survive until at least the end of the second year. That's when I should have enough merit points to skip the third year entirely and join one of the three big Hunter Guilds: The Cabela's Guild, The Phoenix's Guild, and the Monster Hunter Guild."

He rolled his eyes. "First two? Forget it. They only care about nobles and elites. But the Monster Hunter Guild? Now that's where I need to be. They don't mistreat commoners, and every low-class student dreams of joining them."

Raja sighed again, leaning back. "In the third year, there's some kind of political power struggle between Grey—the 'hero'—and the nobles. Honestly, I don't even remember why that fight happens. Probably some useless drama. No point in getting involved."

He clenched his fist, feeling the determination swell. "First thing's first: I need to get stronger. That's the only way a commoner survives in this place. Power. I need power as my backup."

With that, he focused inward, attempting to tap into his mana circuit. But as the faint energy flowed through him, disappointment immediately hit. His mana circuit was ranked *E*. The worst.

"Well, I expected that," he muttered. "Most of the main characters are running around with B or C-rank circuits. Even the original protagonist, Grey, had a B-rank—and that's considered for a chosen one."

Raja looked around his empty dorm, his eyes narrowing in focus. "So, how am I gonna catch up? Easy. By stealing the original MC's powerful items before he can get his hands on them."

He smirked, imagining the frustration that would hit Grey if he knows. "And don't worry. This won't even change the plot that much. Remember, even with all his luck and *plot armor*, the original MC still failed to save the world."

Raja chuckled, recalling a line from his old life: "Like Oliver's famous words: 'You failed this world.'"

He turned serious, eyes glinting with purpose. "And if you're in my shoes, you wouldn't give a damn about the protagonist's story or if the plot falls apart. When your life's on the line? The only thing that matters is *your* survival."

Raja paced back and forth in his small dorm room, frustrated. He only remembered four powerful items from the novel's plot, but three of them were out of reach for now. He wouldn't be able to use them, even if he could somehow snag them early. His current strength was far too weak to wield such power.

"But that fourth item..." Raja muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair. "I can get my hands on that one."

In this world filled with demons, villains, and magicians who could read the memories of others, protection for his brain was essential. Without it, his future knowledge was as good as useless. But there was a problem.

"I don't even remember what the damn thing's called."

Sighing, he stood up and started rummaging through his clothes. He needed to get outside the academy and retrieve that item before the entrance ceremony tomorrow morning. Glancing at the old, worn calendar pinned to the wall, he noted the date: **May 12, Year 892.** Time was ticking.

The dormitory was quiet, students from various races having already begun arriving at the prestigious **Great Avalon Academy**, founded by King Uther Pendragon himself 500 years ago. He hadn't seen many yet, but he was curious to see how main characters look in real life—*not* like the 2D characters he was used to in the novel.

Now dressed in his casual outfit, Raja checked his coin pouch. He only had 60 Copper Pennies. His face soured. "Barely enough for a 2 decent meal," he cursed under his breath.

"Stupid village chief. Probably pocketed most of my scholarship money."

His thoughts were interrupted as he made his way downstairs to the receptionist's desk. There, standing behind the counter, was a wolf-woman from the **Beast Wolf race**, her name tag reading **Selina**. She was undeniably cute, with her silver fur and piercing eyes, but Raja knew the world was full of people who'd put even her beauty to shame.

He hesitated for a moment, realizing he needed to ask permission to leave the dormitory.

'Okay, Raja. Don't blow this. It's just talking to another person.'

"Uh... e-excuse me. I, um, need to... go outside?"

Selina raised an eyebrow, her expression amused. After a moment, she granted him permission, clearly feeling sorry for the poor, awkward commoner who was about to be trapped inside the academy after tomorrow.

*"Did you see that? I talked to someone and didn't say anything too weird. Progress, folks. I should get an achievement for this."* Raja smiled to himself as he headed out the door.

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Raja arrived at the commoner station just as the sun began to rise. The warm glow of the morning light reflected off the **mana train**'s sleek, silver surface. It was 8 AM, and the station was already bustling with other commoner students.

"Alright, step one complete. Now to get that memory-protection item before the ceremony tomorrow."

He leaned back against a wall, waiting for the train to arrive. He closed his eyes.

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**To be continued...**