Leo Auston—an extra. Not exactly what I expected. He has no real affinity, or rather, his affinity is so weak it barely even qualifies as one. And as strange as it sounds, I have no idea how I know this. It's as if the knowledge is just there, without any recollection of where it came from.
My biggest concern right now is what happens when I use up my final respawn. Will I return home? Will this world glitch and collapse around me? Or... will I simply cease to exist? I sincerely hope it's not the latter.
The classroom was eerily silent as everyone tried to etch the teacher's words into their very souls. No one wanted to hear the dreaded sound of failure echoing in their ears. Here, students were graded on both intellectual and physical exams, and like workers, we received credits based on our performance. But that wasn't my main concern. I still had no clue how I died.
I remember waking up in this classroom, disoriented and confused. Yet, for some reason, I managed to keep my composure long enough to assess the situation. I had transmigrated—that much I figured out. Into a game. Another fact confirmed. But beyond that, I was lost. No idea what to do or how to move forward. While I stared blankly at the teacher, lost in thought, a sudden *ding* pulled me back to reality, followed by a pop-up screen.
The realization that I was living in a world where the respawn timer could hit zero and I would die for real was horrifying. Anxiety bubbled in my chest, and as soon as the bell rang to signal the end of class, I made my way to the cafeteria.
The food display was vast, and I was absurdly hungry. I devoured my lunch quickly, mentally calculating my next steps. Just as I finished, another jingle signaled the end of lunch, and I headed back to class. That's when it hit me—a sharp, excruciating pain in my stomach.
With directions from a few students who eyed me strangely, I made my way to the restroom. But just as I was about to enter, someone knocked me to the ground. Before I could react, I felt a violent stab in my back, and then... darkness.
I never saw my attacker.
*Sigh.*
*Ding-Ding-Ding.*
Wait—what the...? It's lunchtime again.
I stood up, ready to head for the exit when a hand grabbed my wrist.
"Hey, Leo, can I borrow your notebook? I didn't copy anything from class," Jayden said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
"Uh... sure," I replied, handing it over. The notebook was partially filled with the real Leo's notes before I took over his body, but that didn't matter now. What mattered was that I was staring at the protagonist himself. Just looking at his ridiculously perfect face irritated me.
He had the typical protagonist look—blond hair, blue eyes, and a level of attractiveness that bordered on unreal. His uniform barely contained his chiseled physique.
What a damn cheat.
I didn't know what I looked like, but I had a gut feeling I was just an average Joe. Why would an extra like me be anything but average?
Still, I remembered this scenario clearly: he had asked to borrow my notebook before, and I had handed it over just like this. Nothing noteworthy had happened then either.
I stretched my arm out to pass him the book from my seat a few rows above. The classroom was set up like a theater hall, with a central platform for the teacher. Noticing Jayden's distracted state, I flicked the notebook onto his desk and shoved my bag over my shoulder.
I made my way toward the exit, climbing the numerous steps to the top of the theater-style classroom. The layout was designed to accommodate up to a thousand students, maximizing efficiency. Once I was out, I stood in the hallway, staring outside.
Everything looked the same as before. Most students were hurrying off to the training grounds for what they probably thought would be a fruitless emergency session.
Then came the announcement—today was the augmented reality exam. Panic rippled through the students. This exam was a big deal. It carried the highest point allocations, meaning even the top-ranked student could drop to the bottom if they weren't careful.
But I had bigger concerns. The cafeteria was out of the question. The sudden stomach pain and my mysterious attacker—it was too much of a coincidence. It had to be part of some elaborate scheme. I needed to find the safest place in the facility, somewhere no one could ambush me without me knowing.
And what better place than the dormitory?