Day 127.
The practical exam began at dawn.
First-year students were divided into groups and sent into the academy's controlled wilderness zones. They were supposed to hunt low-level magical beasts and collect materials.
Ethan made sure to position himself near the eastern forest—the epicenter of the coming attack.
His group included other D and F-Rank students. Nobodies. Cannon fodder.
Not today.
An hour into the exam, the attacks began.
But they weren't the weak demon beasts that were supposed to be in the zone.
These were B-Rank creatures—massive, vicious, lethal. They emerged from shadows that shouldn't exist, summoned through dark portals.
Screams echoed through the forest.
"Stay behind me!" Ethan shouted to his group. He raised his hands, and barriers of mana flickered to life around them.
Weak barriers. They wouldn't hold long.
But they didn't need to.
A wall of ice exploded from the ground, freezing four demon beasts solid.
Seraphina appeared, her silver hair flowing, her expression cold as winter.
"You were right," she said to Ethan. "Now tell me where the traitor is."
The battle was chaos.
Demon beasts flooded through portals faster than they could be killed. Students fled in panic. Teachers fought desperately.
But the heroines responded.
Seraphina's ice carved paths through the hordes. Victoria's fire reduced enemies to ash. Aria's healing kept the wounded alive. Elena's spells targeted the portal anchor points with surgical precision.
And in the shadows, Luna cut through demons with blades that seemed to drink light.
They had believed Ethan.
They had prepared.
The death toll was a fraction of what it should have been.
Ethan found Professor Damien in a hidden clearing, maintaining the largest portal.
"You," Damien said, turning. "The Blackwood boy. I wondered who was interfering."
"It's over," Ethan said. "The portals are collapsing. The students survived."
"Did they?" Damien smiled—and it was no longer the kind professor's smile. It was something ancient and cruel. "You've saved some. But the lesson has been learned. This academy is vulnerable. The Demon King will know."
"And everyone will know you're a traitor."
"Will they?" Damien raised his hand. Dark energy gathered. "Dead men tell no tales, Mr. Blackwood."
The attack came faster than Ethan could react.
But it never landed.
A blade of light intercepted the dark magic, shattering it like glass.
Lucien Ashford stood at the clearing's edge, his divine power radiating like a beacon.
"So," the protagonist said, "Ethan was right. You're the traitor."
The battle between Lucien and Damien was brief but intense.
Damien was powerful—far more powerful than a professor should be. But Lucien was the chosen hero, blessed by the goddess herself.
In the end, Damien was captured.
But not before he issued a final warning.
"This is only the beginning," he rasped. "The Demon King knows of this academy now. Knows of the hero. And he knows of you, Ethan Blackwood—the one who should have died but didn't. You've changed too much. Fate will correct itself."
[MAJOR QUEST COMPLETE]
"Survive the Demon Beast Attack"
Original Outcome: Death
New Outcome: Survived, exposed traitor, saved 47 lives
Rewards:
2000 System Points Rank Increase (D → C) Title: "Fate Defier" Unique Skill: [Temporal Sense] - Vague awareness of immediate danger
Hidden Rewards:
Increased affection from all five heroines Increased respect from faculty Protagonist's genuine friendship Attention from Demon King (WARNING)
Ethan stood in the ruins of the eastern forest as healers tended to the wounded and soldiers secured the area.
He had survived.
He had changed his fate.
But Damien's warning echoed in his mind.
Fate will correct itself.
The Demon King knew about him now. He had painted a target on his back.
But looking at the students who should have died—who were alive because of him—Ethan couldn't bring himself to regret it.