How to get on the protagonist’s flower path

I’m a reincarnator.

When I opened my eyes, I realized I had reincarnated into a modern fantasy novel I used to read out of boredom.

Fortunately, I vaguely remembered the plot of the novel.

.

The novel was a typical male-oriented fantasy where the male lead, who’s possessed by a villain, defeats evil at the academy and builds a harem.

Why do I remember a typical male-oriented fantasy novel, you ask? It’s because a friend recommended it to me.

Harem novels are a landmine, but my friend recommended it so much that I reluctantly started reading it. I struggled through it but eventually gave up halfway.

Luckily, my unnecessarily good memory retained a lot of information. Thanks, past life friend.

But until I grew up and turned sixteen, recalling the novel’s plot didn’t help me at all. Despite reincarnating, I became an orphan at a young age.

There was nothing an orphan without any special powers could do just by knowing the future. In the end, I was too busy surviving to pay attention to the information I learned in my past life.

And then, when I turned sixteen,

I received a notice from the government saying I had the potential to become an “Awakened One” after taking a national aptitude test.

I hit the so-called “Awakening lottery!”

I felt a surge of hope that my life, which had been nothing but hardship, might finally bloom into something better.

The orphanage I belonged to turned into a literal festival that day.

“Oh my goodness, our Nahyeon has awakened!”

“Sis, does that mean you’ll make a lot of money now?”

Anyway, I went through the awakening process with high hopes for a life-changing event…

[Congratulations! You’ve awakened as a ‘Sniper!’] [Status] – Name: Kang Nahyeon
– Class: Sniper
– Level: 1
– Strength: F
– Agility: E
– Stamina: D
– Magic Power: E
– Magic Attribute: None
[Skills] – Passive: Eagle Eye
– Passive: Bullseye
– Active: Magic Bullet

Out of all things, I awakened into a position that requires connections and money!

Being a sniper requires a lot of money for proper equipment and connections to pass on the necessary experience. It’s a job only the privileged can truly make the most of.

I glared at the system window floating in the air.

If someone reincarnates into a novel, shouldn’t they be enjoying life more than in their previous one? Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work? Huh?

“The awakening-related paperwork is over there. All awakened individuals are required to submit their basic personal information.”

The civil servant glanced at my trembling form with disinterest and recited the necessary details.

“You’ll receive further instructions about entering the Awakener Academy in a few days. Admission to the academy is mandatory, so be sure to submit your application within the deadline.”

“…Okay.”

At least the academy tuition was fully covered by scholarships, which was a relief.

After finishing all the necessary tasks, I walked down the street, feeling dejected.

Well… yeah.

I didn’t expect to get protagonist perks just because I reincarnated.

Still, human nature is such that when you find out you’re special, especially if you’re a reincarnator, you can’t help but expect that something…

Something special in this world will be prepared just for you, right?

I didn’t even ask for anything big.

I just hoped to find some way to help my orphanage, which was always on the brink of financial collapse.

This world is one that’s crumbling due to the Gates.

It’s a world with far less morality and ethics than my previous one.

In such a world, places like orphanages are hell on earth.

It’s common for orphanages to sell children to make money. Caregivers often beat the children just to let off steam.

The orphanage I was in was originally like that too.

Until it was reformed, and the current head teacher became the director.

I looked up at the sky quietly.

A teacher who didn’t give up on me in dire circumstances and raised me. My younger siblings, who always supported me.

And the orphanage’s worsening financial situation.

I’m not shameless enough to ask the teacher to pull more funds from nowhere. I can’t be childish anymore.

I had planned to use a decent ability to work as an Awakened One, save some seed money, and invest in companies that would boom in the future…

But with such a mediocre ability, the amount of money I can gather is less than I expected. It’s barely more than what I could earn from a part-time job, so there’s no real advantage to being an Awakened One.

Besides, I even have to earn the money to invest in myself.

You need money to make money, but I don’t have any. Damn reality.

At that moment, loud noises filled my ears, and I looked up.

A large screen was showing a program about the Awakened Ones.

[It’s already January! The Guardian Academy’s admission season has returned! So, what do we need to check? The rookie rankings, of course! Which new heroes-in-training will be protecting our citizens?]
The loud host rattled off familiar names.

Names of promising hunter prospects streamed out, including the main characters from the original novel.

[“Of course, we can’t leave this person out! The star of the prestigious Na family! Na Yuri!”]
A flash of realization struck me.

Wait a minute, I’m in the same class as the protagonist, aren’t I?

Guardian Academy.

The only Awakener Academy in Korea and the most famous one in the world.

It’s the main setting of the novel. Where a lot of incidents happen.

And I’m about to enter that school as an Awakener.

This means I can finally use my knowledge from the novel!

I started thinking fast.

One rule of modern fantasy novels: when an incident occurs, the protagonist resolves it and gets rewarded.

Second rule: the protagonist nurtures companions by investing in them.

In other words, if you look at the big picture, the protagonist and their companions walk the path of success!

If I don’t have any special abilities and don’t get protagonist perks, making the world still feel like a crappy place…

I can just jump on the protagonist’s success bandwagon!

I’ll have the protagonist invest in me!

Pride? I lost that long before I turned ten. I can be a loyal dog if needed.

Risk? Who cares. I need money badly enough to face any danger!

Thinking of the rabbit-like siblings and the puppy-like teacher I need to support, I made up my mind.

Yeah, I’m getting on the protagonist’s bus!

***

As soon as I got back to my room, I opened a notebook.

To hitch a ride on the protagonist’s bus, I needed to fully understand the protagonist and their environment.

Usually, protagonists in modern fantasy novels fall into two major types.

First, the stoic type who quietly focuses on their tasks.

Second, the opportunist type who eagerly grabs any advantage they can.

There are hybrid types and exceptions, but these are the two major categories.

The novel I reincarnated into has a protagonist in a game world who’s the stoic type, but the main character, possessed by a villainous extra, is an opportunist.

The novel, which could be called “Villain Academy Possession,” goes something like this:

The protagonist of the game… Let’s call them Stoic.

The main character of the novel, who possesses a villainous extra defeated by Stoic early in the game… Let’s call them Opportunist.

Since Opportunist was a game enthusiast before they possessed the villain, they know everything about the game.

On top of that, they gain a cheat-level skill called “Insight,” which lets them see everyone’s status.

Using this skill and their knowledge, Opportunist gathers all the hidden treasures (called “Hidden Pieces”) and nurtures their companions while building up their influence.

They help Stoic, sometimes even taking their place in battles, and eventually defeat villains while also building a harem.

I stopped reading before finishing the novel, so I don’t know how it ends.

Anyway, I wrote down “Opportunist,” “Insight,” and “Companions” in my notebook.

Here’s the key point:

Opportunist generously invests in their companions.

To the point that, in the original game, they even saved an extra character who was supposed to be expelled early on and nurtured them into a named character.

This character later became one of the heroines, though only as a minor one before fading into obscurity.

So my goal is to secure the position of this extra companion… not as a heroine, but just as a side character.

Opportunist’s initial stats were even lower than mine, with all F-ranks. I remember the novel describing them as the weakest in the academy.

My stats are pretty low too, so I’ll probably end up in the same lowest-ranked class… Class F.

So, the plan is to become friends with Opportunist in the same class, and then benefit from all the resources and support they invest in their companions.

Afterward, I can discreetly switch to the golden connections around Opportunist and naturally fade out from the story’s center!

With my current stats, I’ll probably only be useful early on, so fading out should be easy.

Perfect. The plan is flawless.

The only problem is, I have no idea how to approach bold and energetic male students like Opportunist.

The only boys I’ve ever been around were the cute little ones at the orphanage.

What kind of character should I play to attract their interest…?

Tsundere? There’s already one in the novel.

Cool-headed? There’s one of those too.