Raze sat back down on the straw mattress, the rough fabric scratching against his palms. His heart still hammered in his chest, each beat a reminder that this was real. Too real.
"Okay. Okay." He took a deep breath. "Panicking won't help. Treat this like a new game. Learn the mechanics first."
The translucent blue status window still hovered before him. He'd opened it on instinct, and it had appeared. Just like in Records of Istea. Just like he'd done thousands of times before.
He focused on his Strength stat.
Ding.
The window expanded, text flowing across it like water.
[Strength: D (+)]
Physical power and raw force. Below average for combat class. Growth potential detected.
Raze stood and moved to the washbasin stand. The three legged furniture looked rickety, ready to collapse. He gripped it with both hands and lifted.
Thunk.
It came up easily. Too easily. The wood felt light as foam in his hands despite being solid oak. He set it down carefully, testing his grip, his arm strength. Weak by warrior standards, maybe. But stronger than his old body ever was.
"D rank is low, but the plus means I can improve it." He flexed his fingers. "Good enough to start."
Next: Agility.
[Agility: D (+)]
Speed, reflexes, and coordination. Below average. Growth potential detected.
He did a few experimental stretches. Touched his toes, rotated his shoulders, shifted his weight side to side. The body responded smoothly, but not exceptionally. Like a car that runs fine but won't win any races.
"Need to train this. Speed keeps you alive."
Endurance came next.
[Endurance: B (+)]
Stamina, resilience, and physical toughness. Exceptional for Initiate rank. Significant growth potential.
Raze paused. B rank. That was... that was actually incredible. In Records of Istea, most starting characters had C or D rank endurance. Players didn't usually hit B rank until level twenty or thirty.
"I can take hits and keep going." He pressed a hand to his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat. "That's huge. That's actually insane for a level one character."
The magical stats came next. He focused on Mana.
[Mana: A (+)]
Magical power and spell potency. Exceptional. Far above average for Initiate rank.
Raze closed his eyes and reached inward, trying to feel it. Trying to sense what the stat described.
Whoooosh.
There. Like a warm ocean inside his chest. A vast reservoir of energy, sleeping but present. It pulsed with each breath, waiting to be used. The sensation was intoxicating. Like standing on the edge of a cliff, wind in your face, ready to jump.
"A rank," he whispered. "Most protagonists started at C rank. This is broken. This is actually broken."
He checked Mana Well next.
[Mana Well: A (+)]
Mana capacity and regeneration. Exceptional reserves. Extended casting capability.
The ocean inside him seemed to expand at the thought. Not just power, but an enormous amount of it. Like comparing a backyard pool to the Pacific. He could cast dozens of spells before running dry. Maybe hundreds if he was efficient.
"This means I can fight longer than almost anyone at my level." His hands trembled slightly with excitement. "I can outlast them."
Will was next.
[Will: B]
Mental fortitude and magical resistance. Strong. Resistant to mental manipulation and fear effects.
Solid. Not his highest stat, but B rank meant he wouldn't crumble under pressure. Wouldn't fall for mind control or illusions easily. In a world with magic, that could mean the difference between life and death.
Then Perception.
[Perception: F (+)]
Sensory acuity and danger sense. Very poor. Minimal threat detection capability. Growth potential detected.
Raze winced. F rank. His worst stat by far. That meant he'd walk into ambushes. Miss hidden enemies. Fail to read people's intentions. Every assassin's dream target.
"Great," he muttered. "I'm a glass cannon who can't see the cannon aimed at him."
But the plus sign gave him hope. He could train it. It would just take time.
Finally, Charm.
[Charm: A (+)]
Social influence and physical appeal. Exceptional. High diplomatic potential.
He glanced at his reflection in the warped metal again. The white haired stranger with luminescent blue eyes stared back. Too handsome. Too noticeable. The kind of face that turned heads and drew attention.
"Perfect for making allies. Terrible for staying hidden." He sighed. "Can't have everything."
---
Raze moved to his skills next. Three of them, listed in simple text.
[Swordsmanship D (+)]
He looked around the tiny room for something to test with. The chair had a loose leg. He grabbed it, giving it a firm yank.
Crack.
The wood came free in his hands. Not quite a sword, but close enough. He stood in the center of the room and swung it experimentally.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
His body moved on instinct. Basic forms, simple strikes. The muscle memory was there, baked into this body like firmware. Not masterful. Not even particularly good. But competent. Like someone who'd trained for a few months.
"D rank swordsmanship. Better than nothing." He set the chair leg down. "At least I won't cut my own leg off."
Next: [Mana Manipulation D (+)]
Raze closed his eyes and reached for that ocean inside him again. Drew on it, trying to pull the energy up and out.
Fzzzt.
A tiny spark of blue light flickered at his fingertips. It danced there for a moment, crackling softly, then fizzled out like a dying match.
Pop.
Gone.
"I can touch it, but I can't control it well." He stared at his hand. "Training priority number one."
The last skill was [Inspect D].
He focused on the washbasin.
Ding.
[Cracked Washbasin]
Quality: Poor. Value: 2 copper. Condition: Damaged.
Basic information, but useful. He could identify items, check their properties, maybe spot hidden details others would miss. In a world where cursed swords looked like normal blades, that could save his life.
---
The special attributes were last. And the most concerning.
[Core: Fragmented]
Raze focused on it, and a cold feeling settled in his stomach.
[Fragmented Core]
Cultivation pathways severely damaged. Advancement difficult. Mana flow restricted.
"Shit." The word came out flat. "This body was crippled."
In Records of Istea, a fragmented core was a death sentence for cultivators. The pathways that channeled mana through the body were broken, making it nearly impossible to advance in rank. Most people with this condition never made it past Initiate.
"That's why these stats don't match the situation." He looked around the shabby room again. "Raze Dragonheart had incredible potential, but a broken core kept him from using it. No wonder he's living in a closet."
[Bloodline: Dormant]
He tried to get more information, but the screen just repeated the same word. Dormant. Locked. Could be dragon blood. Could be ancient hero lineage. Could be nothing at all. The game had hundreds of possible bloodlines, each with different abilities.
"Unknown variable. Can't plan around it."
[Authority: Dormant]
This one made him pause. Authorities were rare in Records of Istea. God given powers, usually reserved for major characters. Protagonists, main villains, secret bosses. Not random NPCs living in cheap inns.
"Why would someone like this have an Authority?" He frowned. "Unless..."
Unless Raze Dragonheart wasn't a nobody. Unless there was more to this character than met the eye.
Finally, his Talent.
[Absolute Genius]
Ability to Comprehend and Understand All. Learning speed vastly accelerated. Complex concepts become intuitive. Mastery progression significantly enhanced.
Raze read it three times. This wasn't a normal talent. He'd memorized the game's talent list during his three month binge. Every single one. And this? This didn't exist.
"The being gave me this." The realization settled over him like a warm blanket. "He actually set me up to succeed."
---
Raze sat in silence, staring at the status window. At the stats that were simultaneously impressive and confusing. At the skills that were barely adequate. At the special attributes that raised more questions than answers.
The interface. The ranks. The plus signs indicating growth potential. The way information expanded when he focused on it.
It all matched perfectly.
Not similar. Not inspired by. Identical.
"Records of Istea." His voice came out barely above a whisper. "I'm actually inside Records of Istea."
The implications crashed over him like a wave.
The timeline. When in the game was he? The location. Where on the continent? The events. What had already happened?
And then the name hit him.
Thump thump.
His heart rate doubled. His hands started shaking.
Alex Dawnsblade.
"Oh no." Raze stood abruptly, nearly knocking over the washbasin. "Oh no no no."
Alex Dawnsblade. The protagonist. The player character. The Chosen of the Goddess of Light. The wielder of the Divine Sunblade. The hero of the main storyline.
And the character who ruined everything.
---
Raze paced the tiny room, memories flooding back.
The forums had been divided about Alex. Half the players loved him: "Finally, a morally complex protagonist! He makes mistakes like a real person!" The other half despised him: "This idiot gets everyone killed and never learns!"
Raze had been firmly in the second camp.
Because Alex's story wasn't heroic. It was a cascade of disasters held together by divine plot armor.
Thunk thunk thunk.
His footsteps echoed on the wooden floor as he paced faster.
The Thornhaven incident. Early game quest. Alex was supposed to save a village from bandits. Simple. Easy. Except Alex found a sealed vault the bandits were after and opened it because "it might have something useful inside."
It contained a demon. The village burned. Three hundred people died.
The Silver Knights betrayal. Mid game questline. Alex was supposed to unite the holy orders against the Demon King. But he trusted the wrong advisor, revealed their strategy to a spy. The entire order was ambushed. Wiped out to the last man.
The Eastern Kingdoms. Late game content. Alex tried to use an ancient artifact to boost his power. Lost control. The resulting magical backlash shattered three kingdoms, killed tens of thousands, and created a permanent dead zone.
"And that's just the main quests," Raze muttered. "The side content is worse."
The seven Saints. Heroes who were supposed to survive to the endgame. All dead because Alex led them into traps, made reckless decisions, or failed to listen to their warnings.
The pattern was always the same. Alex would rush ahead, consequences be damned, trusting his divine favor to fix everything.
It never did.
People died. Kingdoms fell. The world descended into chaos.
And at the end...
Whoooosh.
Raze felt cold just thinking about it.
The Chaotic Collapse. The final questline. Where reality itself started breaking down because of all the accumulated damage Alex's choices had caused. Where the player had to choose between terrible endings.
Save the world but lose everyone you care about.
Save your companions but doom humanity.
Sacrifice yourself and hope it's enough.
There was no good ending. Just different flavors of tragedy.
"He's here." Raze stopped pacing. "Somewhere in this world, Alex Dawnsblade exists."
The system was active. The interface worked. Which meant the story was in motion.
Which meant all those deaths were coming.
Master Aldric, Alex's mentor. Dead in the tutorial zone. Princess Seraphina, the love interest. Dead in the capital siege. The entire city of Radiant Hope. Destroyed in a quest gone wrong.
Thousands more. Tens of thousands. All because the protagonist was reckless and the goddess kept bringing him back.
"The story is a tragedy disguised as a hero's journey."
And Raze knew exactly how it ended.
---
He stopped in front of the warped mirror. Stared at his reflection.
White hair. Blue eyes. The face of Raze Dragonheart, whoever that was.
But behind those eyes? The mind of someone who'd played through this story. Who knew every quest, every tragedy, every mistake before it happened.
"I know the plot." His voice came out steady. Certain. "Every major event. Every disaster. Every person who dies."
His knowledge was encyclopedic. Three months of obsessive gameplay. Forum deep dives. Wiki marathons. He knew which sealed evils to avoid. Which allies would betray. Which artifacts were cursed. Which paths led to destruction.
The being's words echoed in his mind: "A chance to become everything you wish you'd been."
"I can't let it happen." His hands clenched into fists. "I won't let it happen."
But how?
He couldn't stop Alex directly. The Chosen of the Goddess was too powerful, protected by literal divine intervention. Couldn't kill him. Divine resurrection was canon. Couldn't convince him. Every NPC who tried in the game got ignored.
But...
Ding.
His Absolute Genius talent pulsed, and suddenly he saw it. A web of causality spreading out before his mind's eye. Thousands of threads connecting events, people, choices.
"The plot only works if the pieces fall into place."
Every tragedy required specific conditions. Every disaster needed Alex to be in the right place at the wrong time. Every death happened because certain events occurred in sequence.
The demon at Thornhaven only mattered because the seal was weak.
The Silver Knights only died because they trusted that specific advisor.
The Eastern Kingdoms only fell because that artifact was available.
"What if the pieces never align?"
Raze's reflection stared back at him, eyes gleaming.
"What if the sealed vault is already empty? What if the spy is exposed first? What if the dangerous artifacts are already claimed?"
His mind raced, talent working overtime, connections forming faster than he could process.
"Alex gets to play hero because the world hands him the story. Convenient demons to fight. Convenient betrayals to stumble into. Convenient disasters to make him look dramatic while everyone else dies."
A smile spread across his face. Not happy. Determined.
"But what if there's no story to follow? What if every quest is already completed before he gets there? What if every tragedy is prevented, every artifact is claimed, every ally is recruited by someone else?"
He placed his hand against the warped mirror, palm flat against the cool metal.
"I won't confront the protagonist. I won't challenge the hero. I won't stand in his way."
His reflection's blue eyes blazed with purpose.
"I'll swallow the entire plot."