"Ugh, nn... Where... is this...?"
The man—Cyan Fail—woke up in a back alley on Wind Island just as the morning sun began to rise.
With his head still swimming, he staggered out of the alley. He realized the surrounding scenery was completely different from the familiar sights around Luminous Academy, and for a moment, he was gripped by confusion.
But as he shook his head to clear his blurred vision, Cyan began to piece together the events that had led him here.
"That's right. I was kicked out of my party—no, I was expelled from the academy—and then...!"
What came flooding back were days of humiliation. The scenario hadn't progressed as he’d planned; he had struggled against powerful enemies, had his achievements stolen by Yugo, and after a string of pathetic failures, he had been betrayed and abandoned by the very party members he’d supposedly been looking after.
In a fit of pique, he had foolishly plotted revenge against the former party members who had dared to expel their "protagonist," but that too had failed due to the interference of Yugo and his group. Charged with numerous counts of misconduct, he had ultimately been handed a sentence of school expulsion from Luminous Academy.
Under normal circumstances, this would have been "game over," but he was different. He hadn't given up yet.
The proof lay in the fact that he had traveled alone to Wind Island—the destination of the school trip—intent on staging a grand turnaround.
His memories of the journey were hazy because of how hectic things had been, but he was fairly certain he’d managed the travel expenses by selling off the equipment his party members had returned to him.
He couldn't recall exactly why he’d been sleeping in a back alley afterward... but he assumed the exhaustion of the sea voyage and the mental strain he'd endured had simply caught up with him, knocking him unconscious.
Since he had virtually no money left beyond his gear, he considered himself lucky that he hadn't been robbed.
Well, even if he had, the loss would have been minimal, he reflected. Recalling the glorious days when he was hailed as a hero candidate at the academy and lived a life of luxury, he felt a sharp pang of bitterness at the gap between his former status and his current, pathetic, fallen state. However, he shook his head violently to dispel the negativity and muttered to himself.
"It's fine. I can still pull off a grand turnaround. After all, the Clear Plates are here...!"
The Clear Plates... special items that granted immense power to their possessors. If he could get his hands on them here on Wind Island, the setting for the school trip, a total reversal of his fortunes would be more than just a dream.
He knew the exact locations of the plates with the most powerful abilities, and securing them shouldn't be too difficult.
(Thank God for game knowledge...! I have to hurry and snag them before those other protagonists do!!)
The Clear Plates were formidable items. Without a doubt, the other reincarnators would be after them as well.
However, they likely didn't even know he was on Wind Island, and the reincarnators surely wouldn't be able to move effectively while they were busy keeping each other in check.
He would exploit that opening and snatch the Clear Plates for himself. Then, using the power he’d gained to outshine them all, he would resolve the incidents occurring during the school trip, win back the support of the student body, and make a triumphant comeback.
For that to happen, he absolutely could not let the Clear Plates slip through his fingers. He had rested enough; he needed to start moving immediately.
"Just you watch—I’ll be the one laughing in the end! I’m going to win back my standing as a hero no matter what!!"
He wouldn't lose to the other reincarnators, or Yugo, or the game characters... not to anyone.
He was the one destined to lead the best life and find true happiness in this world. This world and every life within it existed for the sole purpose of praising the hero known as Cyan Fail.
He had already secured the dramatic narrative of a grand turnaround from rock bottom. Now, all he needed was the power to make it a reality.
The people who had betrayed him, those who had abandoned him, the trash who had stood in his way, the other reincarnators... he would crush every last one of them.
Driven by deep-black desire and a delusional sense of conviction, Cyan rushed out into the city to chase his grand turnaround.
He ran, fueled by the thought that this time, he would finally show everyone who had looked down on him what he was truly made of... but he remained blissfully unaware that every single one of those thoughts had been fabricated by someone else.
Why did Cyan know about the existence of the Clear Plates, which shouldn't have even existed in Luminous History?
Who had provided the location information for the powerful plates and imprinted it into his mind?
And for that matter, who had brought him to Wind Island in the first place after he’d vanished following his expulsion?
In Cyan’s head, he believed he’d raised the funds for his trip by selling the weapons Neries and the others had returned... but in reality, he should have spent every last cent in his failed attempt at revenge.
The reason Cyan was frolicking about so lightheartedly, babbling about a grand turnaround while oblivious to the truth, was painfully obvious.
From the deep shadows of the alley he had just vacated—a darkness untouched by the morning sun—they emerged. Watching Cyan’s retreating back with expressions that bordered on exasperation and amusement, they began to speak.