The morning sun cast long shadows across Celestia Academy's training grounds as Ethan Blackwood completed his hundredth sword swing. Sweat dripped down his face, his muscles burned with exhaustion, but he didn't stop. He couldn't afford to stop.
Forty-seven days remained until the Inter-Academy Tournament.
Forty-seven days until the assassination attempt on Seraphina.
Forty-seven days until Aria's kidnapping.
Forty-seven days until the First Apostle would manifest through Damien Vale and slaughter hundreds of innocent people.
The weight of that knowledge pressed down on Ethan like a physical force. In his previous life as Han Seojun, the heaviest burden he'd carried was whether he could afford rent that month. Now he carried the lives of hundreds—maybe thousands—on his shoulders.
"Your form is improving," Professor Marcus Ironheart's gravelly voice cut through Ethan's thoughts. The massive former knight commander stood at the edge of the training ground, his prosthetic arm gleaming in the sunlight. "But you're still thinking too much. Combat should be instinct, not calculation."
"I've always been better at calculation," Ethan admitted, lowering his practice sword.
"That's your weakness and your strength." Marcus walked closer, his heavy footsteps leaving impressions in the packed earth. "Your mind is sharp—sharper than most students I've taught. But a sharp mind means nothing if your body can't keep up."
"Then help me make my body keep up."
Marcus studied him for a long moment. Those scarred features, hardened by decades of warfare, softened slightly with something that might have been approval.
"You're different from the other noble brats," he said. "They train because they're told to. You train like your life depends on it."
Because it does, Ethan thought but didn't say.
"I've seen that look before," Marcus continued. "In soldiers who've survived their first battle. Men who understand that death isn't abstract—it's real, it's close, and it's hungry." He crossed his arms, metal fingers clicking against flesh. "What happened to you, boy? What did you see that put that look in your eyes?"
Ethan considered lying. It would be easier—some story about a childhood trauma or a near-death experience. But Marcus Ironheart had spent forty years leading men into battle. He could smell deception like a hound smells blood.
"I've seen the future," Ethan said quietly. "Not clearly—not completely. But enough to know that something terrible is coming. Something that will kill a lot of people if I'm not strong enough to stop it."
Marcus was silent for a long moment.
"A seer," he finally said. "I thought they were extinct."
"I'm not exactly a seer. It's... complicated."
"Most things worth knowing are." Marcus uncrossed his arms and walked to the weapon rack. He selected two practice swords and tossed one to Ethan. "Complicated or not, if you've seen something bad coming, then we'd better make sure you're ready for it. Again. And this time, stop thinking so damn much."
They trained for another three hours.
By the end, Ethan could barely stand. His arms felt like lead, his legs trembled with each step, and his mana reserves were completely depleted. But his status screen showed improvement:
[STATUS UPDATE]
Physical Training Complete
Strength: 24 → 26 Agility: 29 → 31 Combat Reflexes skill improved
New Technique Learned:
[Ironheart Stance] (Basic)
Defensive posture that reduces incoming physical damage by 15% Foundation for advanced Ironheart techniques
Ethan dragged himself to the academy baths, letting the hot water soothe his aching muscles. The bathhouse was mostly empty at this hour—most students were in afternoon classes that Ethan had been excused from due to his Special Studies status.
He closed his eyes and let his mind drift to the challenges ahead.
The Inter-Academy Tournament was the first major event where multiple plot threads converged. In the original novel, it had served as a showcase for Lucien's growing power and the introduction of several important characters from rival academies. But it had also been a bloodbath.
The tournament's finale—the championship match between Lucien and whoever made it through the brackets—was supposed to be interrupted by Damien Vale's transformation into the First Apostle. The demon entity, Malachar, would possess Damien's body and go on a rampage that killed over three hundred spectators before Lucien managed to defeat it.
But that was just the most dramatic event. Before the finale, three other disasters would strike:
First, agents from the Eastern Alliance would attempt to kidnap Aria Evergreen. In the original timeline, they succeeded—Aria was held captive for three months, tortured for information about the Church's holy artifacts. The trauma changed her fundamentally, turning the gentle healer into someone haunted and withdrawn. Lucien eventually rescued her, but the psychological damage was never fully healed.
Second, an assassination attempt on Seraphina von Crystallis. The assassin was hired by political rivals who wanted to destabilize the Northern Kingdom's claim to contested territories. Seraphina survived in the original novel, but the attack left her with a cursed wound that weakened her ice magic for years.
Third, Luna's father would send elite Shadow Guild operatives to retrieve his "property." In the original timeline, Luna killed three of them before being overwhelmed and dragged back to the Guild. She didn't escape again until Lucien raided the Guild's headquarters fifty chapters later.
All three events happened within the same week. All three could be prevented if Ethan prepared properly.
But preparation required resources he didn't have.
System, he thought, show me current point balance.
[SYSTEM SHOP]
Current Points: 2,847
Available Purchases:
Random Skill Box: 500 points Attribute Boost (Minor): 200 points Attribute Boost (Major): 1,000 points Skill Book (Common): 300 points Skill Book (Uncommon): 800 points Skill Book (Rare): 2,000 points Information Packet (Minor Event): 100 points Information Packet (Major Event): 500 points
Not enough. Nowhere near enough.
Ethan had been accumulating points through daily quests and minor achievements, but the rate was too slow. To properly prepare for the tournament, he needed at least ten thousand points—enough for multiple skill books and information packets that might reveal details his novel knowledge didn't cover.
What generates the most points? he wondered.
The answer came from his memories of the novel: major events. Changing significant plot points. Saving lives that were originally lost.
But he couldn't trigger major events at will. They came according to the story's natural progression.
Unless...
Unless he created his own major events. Not by causing disasters, but by solving problems before they became disasters. The system rewarded prevention as much as intervention.
His mind began working through possibilities.
What minor events were scheduled to occur before the tournament? What small disasters could he prevent to accumulate points?
The Knowledge Archive provided answers:
[KNOWLEDGE ARCHIVE - MINOR EVENTS BEFORE TOURNAMENT]
Week 1:
Supply caravan ambush (Chapter 52 reference): Demons attack a caravan bringing tournament supplies. 12 deaths in original timeline.
Week 2:
Laboratory accident (Chapter 54 reference): Elena's experimental spell goes wrong, injuring three students. Not fatal but delays her development.
Week 3:
Political incident (Chapter 56 reference): A minor noble insults the Eastern Alliance delegate, nearly causing diplomatic breakdown.
Week 4:
Training accident (Chapter 58 reference): A student named Thomas Bright is crippled during combat practice when his opponent uses excessive force.
Week 5:
Poisoning attempt (Chapter 60 reference): Someone poisons the academy's water supply with a slow-acting toxin. No deaths, but widespread illness weakens students before tournament.
Week 6:
Beast outbreak (Chapter 62 reference): The academy's contained magical beasts escape due to sabotage. 3 deaths, multiple injuries.
Six opportunities. Six chances to accumulate points while simultaneously making the academy stronger for the tournament.
Ethan's exhaustion faded as his mind raced with plans. He climbed out of the bath, dried off, and headed for his quarters with new purpose.
He had work to do.
The first test came three days later.
"The supply caravan should be passing through Thornwood Valley today," Ethan said, spreading a map across Professor Marcus's desk. "I have reason to believe it will be ambushed."
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Your visions again?"
"Something like that."
"And you want me to do what, exactly? Divert imperial resources based on a student's premonition?"
"I want you to let me go. With a small team. If I'm wrong, we've wasted an afternoon on a patrol. If I'm right, we save lives."
The professor leaned back in his chair, studying Ethan with those weathered eyes. "Who would be on this team of yours?"
"Luna Nightshade. Victoria Blackthorn. Maybe one or two combat-capable students who need field experience."
"The assassin's daughter and the duke's heir? You aim high."
"They're the best suited for this kind of mission. Luna's stealth abilities would let us scout ahead. Victoria's firepower would handle any serious threats."
Marcus was quiet for a long moment. Then he stood and walked to his window, looking out at the academy grounds.
"When I was young—younger than you—I had a commander who trusted his instincts above all else. General Aldric Stonewall. The man could smell an ambush from miles away. Saved my life more times than I can count."
He turned back to Ethan.
"You remind me of him. That same certainty. That same willingness to act on information others would dismiss." He sighed. "Fine. I'll authorize a training patrol. But I'm coming with you. If there's an ambush, I want to see it for myself."
Four hours later, Ethan crouched behind a boulder in Thornwood Valley, watching the road below.
The caravan hadn't arrived yet—they were early, thanks to Luna's knowledge of shortcuts through the forest. Professor Marcus waited fifty meters behind with Victoria, ready to provide heavy support. Luna herself had melted into the shadows somewhere ahead, scouting for enemy positions.
"This is boring," Victoria muttered through their communication crystals. "Are you sure something's going to happen?"
"Patience," Ethan replied. "They'll come."
"How can you be so certain? Your 'visions' can't be that precise."
They're more precise than you know, Ethan thought.
In the original novel, this ambush had been described in a single paragraph—a throwaway event mentioned as backstory for why tournament supplies were delayed. Twelve people had died, including a promising young mage named Sarah Winters who was escorting the caravan as part of her graduation requirements.
Sarah Winters. A name that appeared exactly once in the entire novel, in a list of casualties. A person who had existed, had dreams and fears and people who loved her, reduced to a single line of text.
Ethan was done letting people become footnotes.
"Contact," Luna's voice whispered through the crystal. "Twelve hostiles. Humanoid but wrong—they move like demons wearing human skin."
"Demons? Not bandits?"
"Definitely demons. Lesser variants, but still dangerous. They're setting up an ambush point five hundred meters ahead."
Ethan's mind raced. Lesser demons were far more dangerous than the bandits he'd been expecting. In the novel, the ambush had been described as a "demon-influenced bandit attack"—he'd assumed that meant bandits with minor demonic enhancement. Instead, it seemed they were actual demons disguised as humans.
"Professor," he said, "the enemy is demonic. Twelve lesser variants."
Marcus's voice came back hard and focused. "Understood. New plan. I'll engage directly while you support from range. Victoria, burn anything that tries to flank. Luna, prioritize protecting the caravan when it arrives."
"What about me?" Ethan asked.
"You wanted field experience. Now you get it. Stay alive, stay useful, and try not to die. That's your mission."
It wasn't a heroic role. It wasn't the protagonist's position at the center of the action. But Ethan had never wanted to be the protagonist.
He just wanted to survive. And to make sure others survived too.
"Understood," he said. "Let's do this."
The battle was nothing like the training sessions.
When the caravan appeared on the road—three wagons protected by eight guards and a single mage—the demons struck with coordinated precision. They burst from the treeline in their human disguises, then shed those forms like snake skins, revealing twisted bodies of muscle and claw.
The caravan guards screamed. The mage—a young woman with bright red hair who must have been Sarah Winters—raised her staff and launched a fireball that caught one demon in the chest.
Then the demons were among them, and everything became chaos.
Professor Marcus hit the demon line like a meteor. His prosthetic arm glowed with channeled mana as he punched through one demon's skull, then spun and bisected another with his blade. He moved with a grace that belied his size, decades of combat experience compressed into every motion.
Victoria's fire rained from above, catching demons who tried to circle around. She stood on a rise overlooking the battlefield, her crimson hair whipping in the wind of her own flames, her golden eyes blazing with battle joy.
Luna was everywhere and nowhere—a flicker of shadow, a spray of black blood, a demon collapsing with its throat cut. She protected the caravan guards, appearing whenever a demon got too close and disappearing before they could react.
And Ethan...
Ethan did what he could.
His barriers weren't strong enough to block a full demon strike, but they could deflect. They could slow. They could give others the split second they needed to dodge or counterattack.
He cast barrier after barrier, his mana draining rapidly, positioning each one to maximum effect. A demon lunged at an injured guard—barrier. Another tried to flank Victoria—barrier. A third went for Sarah Winters while she was mid-cast—barrier.
It wasn't glamorous. It wasn't heroic. But it was necessary.
"Behind you!" he shouted at Marcus, throwing up a barrier just as a demon tried to backstab the professor.
The barrier shattered on impact, but it bought Marcus time to spin and counter. His blade took the demon's head off.
"Good eyes, boy!" Marcus called.
Then there were no more demons. Just bodies and blood and the heavy breathing of survivors.
Ethan's legs gave out. He sat down hard in the dirt, his mana completely depleted, his body shaking with adrenaline crash.
"Is everyone alive?" he managed to ask.
Luna materialized beside him, her violet eyes scanning the battlefield. "Caravan guards: two injured, none dead. The mage is fine. Professor Marcus is fine. Victoria is fine."
"And you?"
"I am uninjured." She paused. "You saved several lives today with your barriers. Including mine, at least twice."
"I was just supporting."
"Support can be the difference between victory and defeat." Her voice was softer than usual. "You did well, Ethan Blackwood."
Coming from an assassin raised to never compliment anyone, that meant something.
[QUEST COMPLETE]
"Prevent the Caravan Ambush"
Original Outcome: 12 deaths, including mage Sarah Winters
New Outcome: 0 deaths, 2 minor injuries
Rewards:
800 System Points Reputation increase with Professor Marcus Reputation increase with all heroines present Sarah Winters saved (Butterfly effect: Unknown)
Bonus Reward (Perfect Completion):
Skill Book: [Mana Shield] (Uncommon)
Ethan smiled despite his exhaustion. One event down, five to go.
The tournament was still weeks away, but he was making progress.
Sarah Winters approached him as the caravan prepared to continue its journey. She was younger than he'd expected—maybe seventeen, with freckles across her nose and eyes that were still wide from the battle.
"You're the one who threw those barriers," she said. It wasn't a question.
"I helped where I could."
"You saved my life. That demon would have killed me if not for your shield." She bowed formally. "I am in your debt, Lord...?"
"Blackwood. Ethan Blackwood. And I'm not a lord."
"You're a hero." She straightened, her expression fierce. "I won't forget this. When I graduate, when I become a proper mage—I'll repay this debt. I swear it."
In the original novel, Sarah Winters had died in this valley, her name forgotten by everyone except whoever had written her obituary.
Now she was alive, with fire in her eyes and a future ahead of her.
This is why I do this, Ethan thought. Not for points. Not for power. For people like her.
"Just stay alive," he told her. "That's payment enough."
They returned to the academy as evening fell.
Ethan wanted nothing more than to collapse into his bed, but there was one more thing he needed to do first.
He found Lucien in the hero's private training room, practicing sword forms by candlelight.
"Ethan." The protagonist smiled that golden smile. "I heard about the caravan. Professor Marcus said you predicted the ambush."
"I had a feeling."
"Quite the feeling." Lucien lowered his sword. "Twelve demons. You could have been killed."
"But I wasn't. And neither was anyone else."
Lucien studied him for a long moment. Those azure eyes seemed to see more than they should.
"You're not what you appear to be, are you?" the hero asked quietly. "The shy extra from a minor family. The F-Rank nobody. That's a mask."
"We all wear masks."
"True. But most people's masks don't save lives." Lucien walked closer. "Whatever you're really doing, whatever secret you're keeping—I want you to know that I trust you. You've proven yourself today."
"I haven't proven anything."
"You have." Lucien clasped his shoulder. "You proved that you're willing to fight for people who can't fight for themselves. That's the only proof that matters to me."
He returned to his training, and Ethan left the room with complicated feelings.
In the original novel, Lucien had been a somewhat flat character—perfect and heroic but without much depth. The Lucien standing before him now was different. More real. More human.
The butterfly effect, Ethan realized. I'm not just changing events—I'm changing people.
The thought was terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure.
That night, Ethan opened the skill book he'd received as a quest reward.
[SKILL BOOK: MANA SHIELD]
Would you like to learn this skill?
[YES] / [NO]
"Yes."
Knowledge flooded his mind—not just the technique, but the understanding behind it. How mana could be hardened into a protective shell. How to layer shields for maximum efficiency. How to shape them for different purposes.
[NEW SKILL ACQUIRED]
Mana Shield (Uncommon)
Creates a barrier of condensed mana around the user or a target Shield strength scales with Intelligence attribute Can be layered for additional protection Mana cost: 30 per shield Duration: Until broken or dismissed
It wasn't a powerful skill by S-Rank standards. But for Ethan, at this stage of his development, it was perfect.
He practiced for an hour, creating shields of different sizes and shapes, testing their limits. By the end, he could maintain three shields simultaneously—one for himself and two for allies.
Not enough, he thought. But better than before.
He fell asleep with the system notifications still floating in his vision, dreaming of battles yet to come.