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Taking It All From The Protagonist

章 1: ONE...

"Haha," a laugh cut through the once quiet woods, making light of the darkness of the night and the creatures that dwelled within.

"So, I've transmigrated into the novel 'Above All Else,' huh?" The voice said with excitement. Looking closely, one could tell that the voice belonged to a young boy not past the age of twelve. The darkness all around was too deep to discern the color of his hair or the clothes on his back without a fire-light spell.

Standing in the middle of a clearing, this young boy did not seem worried about his current location. He knew all too well what he was doing and where he was. Around him, to his feet, lay a strange circle with mysterious inscriptions and a strange energy that seemed to permeate and disrupt the very air around them.

"Even so, which character is this?" he said again, talking to himself.

…A few moments ago…

"AH, FUCK!" A shout was heard from inside a dorm room, followed by a loud thud indicating the collision of solid objects.

"Why in the fuck is this book so messed up? Who would create such a uselessly overpowered book where the main character cannot even fight because of the innocence of his mind... such power and strength, and yet not the mind to put himself at the top."

Gates complained as he punched his bed in frustration. The novel he complained about was called "Above All Else," set in a time of fantasy and magic. Beasts and creatures of old could be found, and the fights against the rising portals in the world seemed to reach their peak. The main character was an overpowered innocent brat who stood above all beings regardless of their schemes and plots. He was the definition of insane plot armor, a broken character surpassed only by his own stupidity.

There were many amazing characters that could have been number one in the novel, but compared to the protagonist, they paled in comparison.

"Tch, now my mood is all bad. Better play some games and kill some people's children," Gates said as he descended from his bed and headed for the game console, leaving his phone to its fate on the floor. He was wealthy enough to purchase the dorm room for himself alone as well as buy a measly new phone.

As he played, he failed to notice the weird fluctuations on his screen, obviously being distracted. Something emerged from the screen, projecting itself like a hologram, which did not look anything like one given its large size. Looking at Gates, it said nothing as it pointed its fingers toward him.

Feeling an immense pressure on his mind, Gates could not take it as he groaned and soon fell into a state of unconsciousness.

…Back to the present…

"Hm, this should be the Alpine Forest, but who's this? And why was he in such a dangerous place..." Gates had a lot of questions and no answers. Picking a direction, he started his walk toward the north, or at least what he thought was north.

Meanwhile, entering the forest was a mysterious figure cloaked and carrying an aura of grave dilemma. The silhouette of this cloaked figure was not clear enough to determine the exact features as they took off in a certain direction, following a very small wisp of mana.

Gates walked along the path he chose but did not seem to have reached any particular point to ascertain that he was anywhere near civilization. From his memories, he knew that north of the Alpine Forest was a small village. This village was not special, but it did have one secret... it was the very place the protagonist would arrive to save the day against a bunch of dark magicians, otherwise known as dark mages.

Dark mages practiced differently from regular mages. Their sole intentions were selfish in their search for power, not caring about morals, bonds, or even blood. They and dark cultivators took a path that wasn't much different from demonic beings except for the fact that they were not demons.

Gates looked around him; the forest was unnerving and unending. No light in sight nor life, but it felt as though he was being watched by something. Turning toward a sound that made him think of the rushing winds, he saw something standing in the dark, gloomy forest. He saw no eyes, nor limbs, but he could tell that this something was humanoid as it resembled one in its silhouette, a cloak and hood obscuring his vision of the person's features.

"Who are you?" Gates questioned. He had no reason to fear death. If he was to die, then he would. There are things that cannot be changed no matter how much you overthink it, especially seeing how weak he was.

"Gates Amon, I have been looking for you," the distorted voice said as he walked slowly toward Gates.

"Wait, what? Gates Amon?" The name sounded familiar. It finally occurred to him why he never knew this character. Gates Amon, part of the very wealthy Amon family, a family of talented mages. But for him, Gates Amon was a talentless bastard born from the infidelity of the patriarch and a low class. He was to be thrown aside after they had found out his non-existent aptitude for magic.

When he would be found, he would have long been dead and all evidence removed. A fate that no one would cry about; he was nothing noteworthy for the patriarch to consider taking care of him. The death of Gates Amon made sense to Gates when he read the novel, and yet he was put in the very body of the side character that had been killed at the very beginning of the book...

Gates looked at the mysterious man. He was no longer mysterious to him, however... he knew the identity of the man in front of him, but what could he do to leave this situation alive?

"Ha... let's have a talk, Yusuf," Gates said, betting on the knowledge he had to come out alive.