{° ???° POV}
I had failed.
Again.
This time, I didn't even get further than the last. The faces were the same, the screams became blurred, but the result never changed
There was Always more I could've done—more allies I could've saved, more people I could've strengthened. But it never mattered. Sooner or later, everything unraveled. And eventually everyone would die, I began to hate myself because oh how incapable i was
The timeline resets. The choices shift. And still... I lose.
This was another start. Another doomed cycle. Another step toward inevitable failure another turn of misery.
I was back at the academy's entrance exam
I could've aced the trials without blinking, but that would attract attention. And attention was a luxury I couldn't afford—not this early.
So I faked struggle. Held back in Trial One. Stumbled in Trial Two. Let the instructors write me off as just another middling student with untapped potential.
The thing is I've already passed these trials so many times that it seemed easier to pass than fail
Now came the third and final trial—the combat evaluation. I knew every match-up, every victor, every injury. I didn't need to watch. But the distant sounds of fire and fury were familiar—comforting in a way. The screams and collisions had become... background music to my strategy sessions.
That was probably a bad sign.
Time passed.
The next match was announced: Michael Flash.
Of course. He'd win. . . i didn't even need to know the future to guess that. I mean over half the academy can't hold a candle against him at the moment . He wasn't someone I liked, but he was someone I needed—for the endgame.
I leaned against the railing, gaze unfocused, mind already spinning through revised contingencies and alternate routes for the fifteenth timeline.
Then the crowd gasped.
I ignored it at first.
Crowds always gasp. When watching strong contenders It didn't mean anything. Except—
Except when I looked down, I saw something that shouldn't have been there.
A boy. With Green hair. Wielding fire with an incredible horrible control, slashing at Michael with an improvised spell. A weak one. Barely enough to scratch.
But he landed a hit.
And pushed flash back
He has survived way longer than he should have.
I stood slowly, brows furrowing.
"...WHO IS THAT!?!?"
After a moment, I even contemplated killing him.
I'd never seen him before.
That was impossible.
I hadn't changed anything this loop. Not yet. Not enough to cause an anomaly like this.
"Did I miss something? No… I replicated the setup exactly. Same diversions. Same delays. Same candidates."
Then who is he?
The chill in my spine wasn't fear. It was disruption. A fracture in the expected.
I sat back down before I could draw attention, trying to smother the surge of killing intent that flared unbidden.
But I couldn't look away.
When the certain future becomes your greatest ally, even the smallest anomaly keeps you alert—constantly reevaluating every possibility.
That kid—that anomaly—was holding his own against Flash. Weaker by miles, yet surviving. Dodging. Landing blows. Barely hanging in but. 'For someone so weak, he was performing incredibly. What kind of combat experience is that?
"This is wrong," I muttered.
The crowd roared again.
I leaned forward slightly, watching the green-haired boy fall, then rise, then speak—. Like he wasn't staring death in the face.
This was new.
Too new.
In the previous turns there was no one like him
I ran simulations in my mind, reviewing every name, every face from prior runs.
Nothing.
No match.
The kid didn't exist in the previous timelines.
Which meant...
He wasn't supposed to be here.
"I have to keep an eye on him."
---
(Aster POV)
After surviving Michael Flash—barely, let's not kid ourselves—I was escorted off the arena floor like some half-dead VIP. The crowd stared. Some with awe, some with confusion, and a few with pure irritation, like I'd just stolen their favorite character's spotlight.
Still not sure how I made it through that fight.
My body ached in places I didn't know could ache. My robe was singed, my arms felt like overcooked noodles, and my mana reserve was running on fumes. I'd gotten a healing spell thrown my way—bare minimum recovery—but my pride? That was still very much limping.
As I followed the faculty member down a long marble corridor, I noticed something weird.
No one talked to me.
Not the staff. Not the students passing by. Just... silence. Either I was suddenly famous or radioactive. Possibly both.
We stopped in front of a large wooden door with brass accents. Fancy. Too fancy for a green-haired nobody who just scraped through the trials by throwing glorified firecrackers.
'I also have to get used to having green hair -weird'
"This is your assigned dormitory," the faculty member said. No emotion. No praise. Not even a side glance. Just handed me a small envelope. "Uniform. Basic materials. Timetable starts tomorrow. Good luck."
Then he vanished down the hall like an underpaid ghost.
I stood there for a moment. Just breathing. Just… existing. Letting the weight of the day crash down now that no one was watching.
I'd done it.
I'd survived the opening ceremony.
Barely.
I opened the envelope. Inside:
One academy uniform, black and silver, the jacket weirdly cool to the touch.
A folded piece of parchment detailing my first week's schedule.
And a single silver key.
The room itself was clean, borderline luxurious. Way too generous for a place that nearly killed me twice today. Soft bed. Polished floor. A window with a view of the training grounds. A small bookshelf. Even a mirror.
I stood there for a while, just staring.
Then I threw myself on the bed and exhaled like I'd just dodged a meteor.
"Day one: survived.
Mentally? Debatable.
Physically? Questionable.
Academically? Unrated.
Socially? Already doomed."
I smiled at the ceiling.
And that's when the system pinged.
> [Main Quest: The Orientation Ceremony - Complete.]
[Rank: 7th Place Achieved | Bonus Reward Earned.]
[Reward: 200 Coins | 1 Skill Ticket | 1 Mystery Item (Unclaimed)]
…Huh.
I guess even the system didn't expect me to live.
---