A Background Character’s Path to Power Chapter 152 152: I Died So Others Would Live [1]

Where should I start, huh?

I exhaled, the sound muffled by the bandages wrapped around my face, and t Zephyr's expectant stare. He hadn't moved an inch since I'd admitted the truth—that my "death" had been planned.

His arms were crossed, his expression unreadable, but his aura humd with its usual sharpness. Impatience. Maybe anger.

No, it was definitely a demand.

Fine.

I sighed again, louder this ti, just to annoy him. Then I began.

"It started after what you told . About you and Luna. About the five years running."

Zephyr's eyes flickered—just a fraction—but I caught it. Good. He rembered.

That day, after he'd confessed how villages burned, how people got hurt just for being near them, how Luna blad herself for every single loss… sothing in had snapped.

Not at him.

Not even at their pursuers.

At myself.

Because wasn't my situation even worse than theirs?

Zephyr and Luna were being hunted for sothing valuable—Luna's blood, her lineage, so ancient power, whatever.

But ?

My pursuers didn't want alive. They didn't want to use . They just wanted gone. And if they couldn't get to directly…

My fingers twitched under the bandages.

They'd go for the people around .

The family I hadn't even t yet.

The kids at the orphanage who'd started calling "Big Bro Aman." Emory, who'd sohow beco a friend despite his paranoia. Aeron, Emilia, Livia, and probably Luna and Zephyr would get involved too.

And...

I knew better than anyone how these scenarios would go.

In almost every similar tale, the main character survives—through grit, luck, strength, or sheer stubbornness. But the people around them?

They suffer.

Parents will get murdered. Friends will be tortured. Hos will be burned to ash—all to make the protagonist hurt, to make them rage, to give them a reason to surrender 'nicely' - as if it would work against them.

How stupid.

Anyway, even though I was just a background character, the pattern was still the sa. So...

If I stay alive…

The others may die...

I also ran several scenarios in my head.

- Scenario One: I survive the monster attack, go ho to my family, and lead the assassins straight to them. We will probably get ambushed on the road—or worse, after I reach ho. My family would pay the price for my survival. I didn't have to doubt anymore since I got that letter.

- Scenario Two: I stay at the academy. The attacks escalate. The next ti, it wouldn't just be monsters or simple poison in the food, it would be a blade in the dark, an "unfortunate accident" that leaves soone else dead instead of . Soone close to .

- Scenario Three: I run. Disappear. Like Zephyr and Luna. But then what? Do I live like a fugitive forever, always looking over my shoulder, while the people I left behind beco targets anyway?

Every path led to the sa damn ending.

Unless…

The thought had slithered into my mind that mont, dark and quiet.

What if I die?

Not for real, of course—I wasn't that crazy or brave—but in a way that looked real.

Convincing enough that my enemies would stop hunting . Believable enough that the people around would truly accept my death.

It was insane.

But it was also perfect.

Because if I died, others would live.

I'd even told Zephyr about it, saying, "I just want to die."

Zephyr had glared at as if staring at soone crazy.

Honestly, I was considering telling him about my intention, but decided to keep it for myself after that.

But after that, I started working on the details and crafted a plan.

It wasn't that complex; in fact, it was a simple one.

First, I would proceed with the monster attack plan.

I was the perfect cover after all.

Chaos. Destruction. A body that could be lost in the wreckage.

And I needed to make it spectacular and real. No half-asures.

If I was going to "die," it had to be undeniable—sothing no one would question.

But I would need to survive too.

Therefore, Virion's help was non-negotiable. Only he could pull out at the last second and make sure no one—no one—knew I'd survived.

And lastly, I would need to stay dead for a long ti. Probably till I was strong enough.

But, I couldn't contact anyone and couldn't afford any slip-ups.

Long enough for my enemies to lose interest. Long enough for my family and friends to grieve and move on.

And most importantly, it was obvious I couldn't predict every outco.

I just hoped… that it would be enough. That it would work

....

I explained it all to Zephyr—short but easy to understand, while leaving no room for misunderstanding. Of course, I didn't exactly tell everything.

When I finished, he nodded slowly, his gaze distant.

"I see," he muttered.

I couldn't tell if he blad himself for my decision—if he thought his words about Luna and their past had pushed to this. But in truth, I was grateful to him. Because of him, I realized the danger before it was too late.

Zephyr exhaled sharply, then looked up.

"Tell what happened that day," he said. "I want to know how it really went."

I nodded.

"The plan, no, the plans were working—mostly. The fake monster attack drew out the perpetrator, just like we expected. They took the bait, made the fake real, and chaos broke out in the academy."

Zephyr nodded since he already knew the other plan and had witnessed everything himself.

"You already know the rest," I continued. "We fought together till the end—just like we'd planned."

He nodded again, but then his eyes narrowed.

"...Right, but... Aeron was a variable," he said. "Why did you take him with us that ti?"

I smirked beneath my bandages, the motion pulling at healing burns. "Actually, that was a last-minute decision."

Zephyr's eyebrow arched slightly, waiting.

"We both know Aeron's aiming to beco the Sword Saint's disciple and enter the Nexus Resonance Academy," I continued, shifting carefully against the pile of borrowed treasures. "But let's be honest— although he was training every day, he wasn't pushing himself hard enough. He was a bit too comfortable being the academy's golden boy."

A bitter chuckle escaped . "Figured watching die might... motivate him. Give him that kick in the ass he needed."

"...Is that so?"

"Yeah, if my death would make him stronger, I thought it wouldn't be a waste."