I Possessed The Worst Character In The Hellish Game

"It’s good to know that my reputation still precedes me. Sometimes I worry that the young people these days have forgotten who I am."

’He’s surprisingly very weak to compliments.’

Mikael thought, carefully keeping his expression blank this time.

"Now then." Nicholas leaned forward, his posture shifting from relaxed to intent. "I suppose you’re wondering why an old man like me is sitting in your room at this hour, watching you sleep."

"I would be lying if I said the thought didn’t cross my mind."

Nicholas nodded as he spoke in a more serious tone.

"First, I should tell you that the King wanted to thank you personally. He was planning to visit you this morning, but the aftermath of last night’s incident has kept him occupied. There are questions that need answering, security measures that need reviewing."

He paused as his red eyes studied Mikael’s reaction.

"The King has asked me to convey his gratitude in his stead. What you did last night--protecting Alice, fighting alongside Elara--it won’t be forgotten. You have the Crown’s thanks."

Mikael inclined his head.

"I appreciate that, Headmaster. Please convey my respects to His Majesty."

"I will." Nicholas nodded. "But there’s more. The King also wanted me to ask you... a favor."

"A favor?"

"It’s about Princess Alice’s awakening. The Crown would like you to keep what you saw and heard confidential. Alice’s awakening at her age is... unprecedented. And the nature of what she awakened--the ability to see the future--is not something that should become public knowledge. There are factions, both within the Empire and beyond, who would see such a power as either a threat or a tool. Alice’s safety would be compromised."

"The Crown can rest assured. I have no intention of speaking about it."

"Good. I thought you’d say that, but I had to be sure."

Nicholas leaned back as his formal tone shifted into something more casual.

"Now, let’s move on to more pleasant matters. The King has also decided to reward you for your actions. As a token of his gratitude, he’s granting you access to the royal treasury. You may choose a single artifact that suits you."

Mikael’s breath caught.

The Royal Treasury?

He hadn’t expected this.

In all his hours playing Eclipsed Realms, gaining access to the Royal Treasury had been a mid-to-late-game achievement.

It required completing quest chains, building reputation, and sometimes even political maneuvering.

He’d never heard of anyone getting access in the first week of the story.

"That’s.... generous."

"It is."

Nicholas inclined his head.

"But I’d advise you to choose wisely. The treasury contains artifacts of all grades, and not all of them are safe for someone at your current rank. Artifacts above Elite grade--Saint, Transcendent, and Divine--often carry side effects that can be debilitating or even dangerous for lower-ranked awakeners."

The old man’s expression grew serious.

"I would strongly recommend you restrict yourself to Mortal or Elite-grade artifacts. They may not be as flashy, but they won’t have any side effects."

Mikael nodded.

"I understand, Headmaster. I’ll keep that in mind."

He paused and added. "And thank you for saving me last night."

Nicholas’s eyebrows rose slightly, his hand stilling on his beard.

"Saving you? My boy, from what I saw, you and Elara were handling yourselves remarkably well. What makes you think I had anything to do with it?"

Mikael met the old man’s red eyes without flinching.

"The aberration was at least Peak Tier 3, maybe Early Tier 4. I’ve been thinking about it since the fight ended, and the math doesn’t add up. Elara is strong, but she’s not that strong yet. And I’m... well, I’m barely worth mentioning in a fight like that. We should have died a dozen times over."

He paused.

"But we didn’t. Every time a tentacle came close, it missed my vitals by inches. Every time I thought I was done for, something happened—a stumble, a shift in the creature’s attention, a fraction of a second that saved my life. At first, I thought it was luck. But it happened too many times to be called luck."

Nicholas said nothing, but his expression shifted almost imperceptibly as the corner of his mouth twitched.

"When Alice awakened, the resonance of the World’s Will would have been felt by every high-tier awakener within range. Any essence-dampening artifact can’t block that kind of soul connection. You and the King must have sensed it immediately. You should have been there in seconds. But you didn’t arrive until after the elf showed up."

"That means you were already there, watching from the shadows, deflecting attacks just enough to keep us alive without revealing yourselves. Letting us fight because you thought it would be a good experience for us--because awakeners grow stronger by pushing themselves to their limits, by facing death head-on and refusing to break."

Mikael continued in a calm voice.

"And when the fight went too far, when you were about to step in and end it yourselves, the elf beat you to it. So you teleported us to the infirmary before we could process what had happened."

He tilted his head slightly.

"Am I wrong?"

Nicholas stared at him for a long moment, then he burst out laughing, which seemed to fill the room.

"Hahaha! Marvelous!" Nicholas slapped his knee, his eyes gleaming with delight.

"Absolutely marvelous! The rumors really don’t do you justice, young Mikael. You’re far more interesting than I thought."

"So I’m right."

"Yeah, you’re right."

Mikael’s jaw tightened a little, but he didn’t show it on his face.

He understood the logic — the world of awakeners was harsh, and growth came only through struggle.

But the memory of those near-misses, the feeling of tentacles missing his vitals by inches as they tear through his skin....

"I’d prefer to be informed next time before being used as training material."

"That’s fair." Nicholas’s smile faded slightly. "But in the future, you’ll face things that are far worse than this aberration. And when you do, you’ll be grateful for the experience."

The words hung in the air between them as silence prevailed for some time.

"Headmaster, can I ask you a question?"

"You may ask. Whether I answer depends on the question."

Mikael hesitated for a moment, then pressed forward.

"The green-haired elf who saved us. Who was he? And why did he call Alice saintess?"

*****

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