Lucien Ashborne was supposed to be a nobody — an early-game villain who existed only to be crushed by the protagonist. After provoking the wrong person, he vanished from the story without even a dramatic death scene.

When a player named James dies and wakes up in Lucien’s body, he inherits every bit of the villain’s broken reputation and zero of his privileges. Bullied, scorned, and abandoned by his own noble family, Lucien now stands at the bottom of the academy hierarchy.

To make matters worse, the world he knew as a game has no guaranteed happy ending… and the protagonist’s party treats him like a criminal.

But James isn’t the Lucien they think he is.

With fragments of meta-knowledge, a half-broken system that barely works, and a determination to avoid becoming cannon fodder, he chooses a different path.

He doesn’t seek glory.
He just refuses to disappear.

This is the story of a former villain trying to rewrite his role — not as a hero, but as someone who survives on his own terms.

Lyriana sat across from me, her eyes fixed on my face, shimmering with unshed tears.


"Tell me," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Did you suffer?"


I paused, holding my glass of water. I looked at her—really looked at her—and realized she didn't want a lie. But she probably couldn't handle the whole truth either.


I didn't try to sell fake suffering. I didn't need pity points.


I took a sip of water and set the glass down.


"When the letter arrived, I thought I was done for," I admitted. "I had no money. No dorm. But then I looked around my room. It was filled with… stuff. Golden lamps, jeweled watches, ornaments I never looked at twice. So, I packed them all up and sold them. Turns out, your son had expensive taste. They sold for quite a high price."


Lyriana blinked, her brow furrowing slightly.


"You sold them all? Even… the presents I sent you?"


Chapter 73 - Talk with mother