I CHOSE to be a VILLAIN, not a THIRD-RATE EXTRA!!

The Southern Duchy is governed by House Midasvale, a family that stands apart from the other noble houses in the empire, primarily because of its relatively recent establishment.

Unlike the ancient and storied lineages of the other three duchies, House Midasvale has the shortest history than the other three.

The story of the Southern Ducal family is one marked by a sudden and mysterious turn of events. The ducal family that once held dominion over the Southern Land—a house deeply rooted in the region's history—vanished without a trace, disappearing in a single, inexplicable day. This abrupt disappearance of a leading house left a vast power vacuum, one that would have caused considerable turmoil throughout the empire.

To fill this vacuum, House Midasvale, a family of vassals who had long served the previous ducal house rose into power to become the new ducal family. The rise of House Midasvale was not a mere coincidence. Their ascension was the result of a unanimous vote from the region's other vassals, who, after the sudden disappearance of the former rulers, sought a stable and capable leader.

'One of the main characters of the game hails from the now-vanished noble house, and he harbors a deep-seated grudge against the Midasvale family. But who am I to care about his grudge?

If it benefits me I will do every single act that turns the lives of the main characters upside down.

The reason I came here is simple the Duke of Midasvale is the only one, aside from the King of the Imperial Family, who possesses the power to force open the closed gates of the Academy for me.'

No other Dukes could do that, even the Cindergarde family this body comes from cannot open the Gates of the Academy after it is closed.

It's a well-known fact that the Academy operates independently, free from the influence of any noble house. The only one with the authority to bypass this rule is the King of the Imperial Family, and even his power is not absolute — he can only compel the Academy to act under very specific and exceptional circumstances.

So, what makes the Southern Duke so exceptional? How is it that he, despite not being an Ascended Ranker, holds the same ability to defy this impenetrable Academy?

The Southern Duke wields a power that none of the other Three Dukes can ever truly possess in its entirety—MONEY.

'The Southern Duke is rich—filthy rich, blindly rich, any term that signifies unimaginable wealth, can be applied to him. If the head of the Cindergarde family is known as the Flame Emperor, the head of the Midasvale family is called the Golden Lord. And the gold is not just in the name...' thought Ashok.

Ashok had just stepped out of the main market, the hustle of the crowd still echoing in his ears as he looked over to his left. There, stretching across his vision, was an imposing black wall—more than 20 meters in length.

Ashok moved closer and reached out a hand to touch the wall. But the moment his fingers neared the surface, a sharp resistance jolted his body, and his hand recoiled on itself.

[Attention Level: None]

'It starts from here.' Thought Ashok not caring about the notification and started to run along the wall. The longer he ran the longer he felt that the wall was extending in his view like it was never ending.

'This will not do it; I would have taken a carriage if I had money but now, I don't possess a single penny. Technically, I am a beggar wearing good clothes.'

Ashok then thought of the best trait he had in his status.

[Sole Survivor]

[AGI: F+ --> D+]

Ashok's feet suddenly propelled forward with a burst of speed that nearly doubled his pace. His body felt lighter than ever before. He felt like he had downed ten bottles of an energy drink in one go. Every stride felt effortless, every muscle fueled by the sudden surge of agility. He ran with everything he had, pushing himself harder than before.

He ran giving it his all but the moment he took his tenth step, he stopped in the place and started breathing heavily, gasping for air like an asthma patient.

He wanted nothing more than to collapse onto the ground from sheer exhaustion but his charisma would never let him do that. It was because of his charisma that, despite his labored breaths and the tension in every muscle, he managed to maintain an image of calm. On the outside, he appeared as if he was simply taking a brief break after a long run—composed, controlled, and unflinching.

But inside, it was a different story. His throat felt dry, a parched, desperate longing for water gnawing at him.

'This trait is truly an incredible end-game one. It comes at the highest grade, and the effects are incredible— being able to increase any stat by two major ranks and also the ability to change the chosen stat anytime without causing any damage to the body.'

In the game, you had to kill the Apostle of Darkness to obtain this trait. But here, in this world, he had earned it by surviving the Abyss.

'Though to think it would be this hard to manage... in real life.' thought Ashok. His Agility had surged with incredible speed, but in doing so, it had drained his near less stamina completely. He hadn't even noticed the toll it was taking until the momentum had worn off. The only thing keeping him upright, maintaining the appearance of someone in control, was his Charisma.

Ashok decided to adjust the rank changes of his chosen stats to optimize his stats.

[Sole Survivor]

[AGI: D+ → E]

[END: F- → E]

The description of the [Sole Survivor] Trait offered him the option to increase any stat by two full ranks.

Given that each rank was divided into three sub-ranks, Ashok decided to raise his Agility by two sub-ranks, starting from the original F+, which gave him a slight boost in speed compared to before. However, this time, his primary focus was on improving his stamina. To achieve this, he raised his Endurance by four sub-ranks, originally F-.