The Hidden Ending Strategy of a Veteran in a Dead Game

Chapter 2: Bayerle

The room was silent.

The cursed necklace no longer spoke, and the unnecessarily large and extravagant room only added to my mental burden.

“Alright, let’s try to get a grip.”

Lying on the bed to calm myself, I couldn’t deny it anymore—I had been transported into the body of someone from another world. If what the Golden Ruler said was true,

“In the end, I just need to see the final ending.”

The difference was that instead of controlling a character, I’d have to do it myself.

It was an endless series of unbelievable events, but I wasn’t panicking.

Instead, a cold sense of urgency washed over me. I’d experienced this before—during my time in the special forces. Adaptation was my strength.

The first step was to figure out what I could do.

“I have one advantage.”

I’d spent an absurd amount of time playing this godforsaken game. If everything in this world was based on the game, even down to the personalities and backstories of its characters, then there was plenty I could work with.

“Thank goodness I’ve seen all the other endings.”

Both the Empire’s side and the demons’ side—I had played through them all.

I knew the key figures that needed to be recruited to prevent the Empire from falling. I knew the events that had to be resolved.

I also knew the demons’ secrets, schemes, and weaknesses.

Hidden pieces and events scattered across the map? I had them memorized.

Good. So far, so good.

“But what am I supposed to do with all this?”

Knowing was one thing, but being able to act on it was another.

The Glacier Grass in the Everlasting Snow Mountains? Sure, it’d be great to eat, but I’d freeze to death before I got there.

The secret archive in the Imperial Palace? It held overpowered skills, but I couldn’t even open the entrance.

Why?

“How am I supposed to use magic? I’m not a superhuman either!”

This was a world of magic, mystery, and auras.

Unlike Earth, those who wielded mana were the ones with power and authority.

Should I start studying magic now? As someone from the Bayerle family, I’d probably get plenty of support.

“How long until the betrayal?”

The timeline was unclear. If the Count betrayed the Empire right now, I wouldn’t have time to leisurely study.

Even if I did study, how far could I realistically go? It’d be like kidnapping an Amazonian tribesman and asking him to win a Nobel Prize in physics.

Sure, natural talent and intelligence might make it possible, but what were the odds?

“Ah, life.”

The absurdity of the situation made me laugh. Then anger welled up.

“You said you’d set things up! You said you’d help!”

At the very least, I expected the bare minimum conditions to struggle effectively!

Something like a status window would be nice.

“Status window! Stats! Info screen! Save me!”

Just as I shouted in frustration—

-Clunk!-

The door burst open, and a maid and a servant entered.

“What’s wrong, young master?”

“Are you alright?”

There was even a knight among them. They must have heard my shouting.

‘Wow, look at that intensity.’

The knight glared around the room, ready to draw his sword at any moment. His commanding presence was no joke.

It was my first time seeing an actual knight, so maybe that’s why I was so impressed.

The sight of a maid in uniform and being called “young master” was new, but my attention was drawn elsewhere—

To the faint, semi-transparent hologram floating in midair.

[Kellen von Bayerle]

-Age: 15.

…

It was there. A status window!

And then I noticed the name.

“Kellen? The Kellen I know?”

The name displayed in the status window shocked me, and my jaw dropped.

But I didn’t have time to examine it further.

“He must still be recovering.”

“Why are you standing there? Go call the physician immediately!”

“It seems the aftermath of sparring with the third young master hasn’t fully passed.”

The people who had rushed in began fussing over my body.

It felt like overprotection, but considering this body belonged to the Bayerle family, it wasn’t surprising. Just overwhelming.

“I’m fine. I just felt a little dizzy, that’s all.”

The informal tone came naturally.

The memories embedded in this body guided my reactions.

Although some still looked concerned, they stepped back after confirming I was okay.

Their gazes were heavy with expectation.

But the person they knew no longer existed.

Thanks to the meddling of a grand mage, I now occupied this body.

If they found out, I couldn’t imagine their reaction.

“I’ll need to deceive everyone around me first.”

I wasn’t sure, but being discovered wouldn’t end well.

If they realized the truth, I might be burned at the stake as possessed by a demon.

At least the memories left behind by this body’s original owner would help me.

Glance.

Despite the rising tension, my attention kept returning to the floating hologram.

“It looks like I’m the only one who can see the status window.”

If they could see it too, they’d be acting very differently.

“I’m fine now. Please leave. I’d like to rest a little more.”

Waving my hand dismissively, I sent them away.

I wanted to check the status window in peace, but there were too many eyes on me.

“We’ll prepare for your comfort after dinner. You are expected to attend tonight’s meal.”

The knight gave a slight bow, signaling the maids to bring in clothes.

Dinner?

Growl.

Hunger hit me out of nowhere.

I’d been too distracted by the sudden possession to notice, but it must’ve been dinnertime.

As the knight and others filed out,

“We’ll help you prepare.”

The maids naturally began undressing me to change into formal attire.

It was awkward, but the body’s original owner seemed used to this, so I showed no reaction.

“This is oddly embarrassing.”

In no time, I was dressed.

“Please, this way.”

Following the servants’ guidance, I entered the dining hall, where noble-looking figures were already gathered.

“Take your seat.”

“Apologies for being late.”

The members of the Bayerle family were all present.

Since I arrived last, they were already seated.

At the head of the table was a burly man—Count Bayerle himself.

“He’s exactly like in the game.”

This was the man who would become the first to betray humanity.

His broad build and golden hair, paired with a long scar running from his chin to his neck, spoke of a life far from ordinary.

It made sense—Bayerle was a family of conquerors, and the Count was one of the Empire’s most formidable warriors.

His rank?

“A 9th-ranked knight.”

Count Bayerle was close to the pinnacle of power.

In this world, knights ranked from 1st to 9th, and above them were the Star Rank, individuals considered to have transcended humanity. Excluding those at the Star Rank, few could stand against him.

“I need to stop the Count first. But is it even possible?”

My top priority was obvious: prevent the Bayerle family from becoming traitors.

It was already hard enough to deceive both the Empire and the demon realm; if I lost this foundation, I’d be out of options.

Twitch.

Perhaps it was because my gaze had lingered too long, but the Count’s eyes met mine.

I froze as if I were a rabbit caught in the stare of a predator.

Slowly, I averted my gaze and sat down.

Next to the Count sat a woman.

“Lephela de Bayerle.”

She was the Count’s wife.

Her beauty was undeniable, but her sharp eyes exuded hostility.

Her gaze toward me was icy, teetering on outright hatred.

“Hiding for days, and now you can’t even be punctual. How pathetic.”

It was clear—she hated me.

This body’s memories reacted instinctively, causing me to shrink back.

She had taken the position of the Countess after my mother’s death.

Brought in because the original Countess couldn’t bear children, she had since given birth to the Bayerle family’s eldest son, third son, and youngest daughter.

If things had gone as expected, her eldest son would inherit the title of Count.

“But before the third son was born, my mother gave birth to me.”

My mother had died in childbirth, leaving me with the title of the true heir, born of the original Countess.

To Lephela, I was a thorn in her side.

Her overt animosity stemmed from this fact.

I understood.

Without me, her eldest son would inherit the title without issue.

“But understanding doesn’t mean I like it.”

“I’ll make sure not to be late next time, Second Countess.”

“What… What did you just call me? Second Countess?!”

“As far as I know, proper dining etiquette doesn’t involve raising your voice.”

Bang!

Lephela slammed her chair back as she stood, enraged, but that was as far as it went.

“Enough.”

The master of the Bayerle family, Duke von Bayerle, unleashed his aura.

Shatter!

With just a flare of his aura, a glass on the table shattered under the pressure.

The oppressive force paralyzed me.

“I… can’t move.”

It felt as though a giant invisible hand was holding me in place.

My body was frozen, sweat dripping down my back.

Lephela, too, seemed affected, though she showed little outward reaction beyond a slight furrow of her brow.

As a noble, she must have undergone basic training in mana techniques.

“It was just a warning.”

As expected, the oppressive force disappeared shortly after.

“I’ll prepare the table again.”

The Countess sat down, and the head butler led the servants in clearing and resetting the table.

Their swift, practiced movements made it clear this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

This body’s memories confirmed as much—similar incidents had occurred before.

Still, the atmosphere was tense.

No one spoke, and the Count remained silent, leaving the dining hall feeling more like a battlefield.

“This isn’t bad.”

For me, the tense silence was welcome.

It gave me an opportunity to examine the status window.

The name displayed there had caught my attention:

Kellen von Bayerle.

It was a name I knew well.

Anyone who played the game would recognize it instantly.

The Empire’s Betrayer.

Enemy of Humanity.

The Demon with a Saint’s Face.

All these titles referred to him.

Kellen was a key figure who betrayed the Empire in every playthrough.

He was the sole survivor of the Bayerle family after their downfall.

“A human who joined the demons.”

He completely betrayed humanity, aligning himself with the demons.

This wasn’t unusual—plenty of characters in the game defected to the demon side.

But Kellen stood out for being particularly infuriating.

His unique trait allowed him to shift his alignment between good and evil.

“He was once a candidate for the next Saint before turning demon and dealing a massive blow to the Church.”

He was one of the main reasons for the Empire’s collapse.

From good to evil—or the other way around.

This ability to deceive everyone made him a nightmare to deal with in the game.

I’d cursed him countless times while playing.

“And now, I’m him?”

Life truly had a twisted sense of humor.

I opened the status window.

“As expected.”

[Kellen von Bayerle]

Alignment: Neutral (Good-Evil Ratio: 50:50)

Trait: The Two-Faced Noble

The trait that allowed alignment shifts—”The Two-Faced Noble.”

This was an incredibly broken trait.

In the game, alignment wasn’t just a cosmetic detail.

It determined how NPCs treated you and what abilities you could learn.

“Good alignment unlocked one set of skills, while evil unlocked another.”

Neutral alignment existed, but it only provided general-purpose skills, which weren’t as powerful.

This limitation forced players to choose between good and evil alignments carefully.

Here’s the kicker: passive skills could be learned freely, but active skills were limited to four per alignment.

“Most players could only use eight active skills in total.”

For example, a good-aligned character could access four neutral skills and four good skills.

The same applied to evil-aligned characters.

This restriction made skill selection a crucial part of the game.

Choosing one alignment locked you out of the other’s abilities.

But someone like Kellen, who could switch alignments?

“In theory, he could use even more skills.”

Four good skills.

Four neutral skills.

Four evil skills.

A total of twelve active skills—50% more than a normal character.

I couldn’t help but grin.

“Hmm.”

Through the semi-transparent status window, I saw the Count staring at me.