"What the-..?"
After hearing the sound of a mechanical voice and feeling the heat of the light above me diminish, I decided to reopen my eyes.
.
.
.
"Wait, what-?"
In front of me was an entirely normal train cabin, filled with passengers who looked neither afraid nor panicked.
'I don't get it. Just a second ago, it was chaos, and I was sure I was about to die!'
The people aboard the train were calm, unaffected as if nothing had happened.
I glanced behind me toward the previous cabin where I had been, but there was nothing—just the train's public restrooms.
Cautiously, I moved forward and sat in one of the seats, trying not to attract any attention.
"I don't get it. What's going on?"
I muttered to myself before turning toward the window to look outside. The view was incredible.
The city before me was enormous—buildings as tall as skyscrapers stretched endlessly, but unlike anything I'd ever seen. They looked futuristic.
At the edge of the city stood towers—the same towers I'd seen crashing to the ground moments ago—but these appeared much older.
The city looked eerily similar to Artemia, one of the human-protecting cities in the year 2159, just like in the novel.
Out of reflex, I pulled out my worn-out phone to check the time—no, the year.
To my surprise, my phone wasn't worn-out anymore. It looked brand new, almost pristine.
<9:25*>
It was 9:25 in the morning, but how was that possible? I'd checked the time just before entering the door to this cabin. Then, I looked at the exact date displayed on the screen, and my eyes widened.
I couldn't believe it. This was the exact date when the novel began.
'I must be dead. This is impossible-..'
I thought, terrified.
And then the mechanical voice I'd heard earlier came back to mind:
[Kim Sugil, you have been chosen to uncover the 'ending' of the novel 'Save the Humanity.']
'Could it be that I've been-..?'
[Player Kim Sugil, you have been chosen to find the ending of the novel Save the Humanity. To ease your experience in this story, you will have the choice between one of three two-star cards. Would you like to proceed?]
[Yes / No]
A window suddenly appeared before me, startling me slightly. I glanced around, but no one else seemed to notice anything unusual. It was just me seeing the system—just like the elite hunters in the novel.
I scrutinized the system with caution. How could I already have a system?
Ordinary hunters didn't have systems, even after awakening their powers. To obtain one, you needed to be admitted into a hunter academy, like:
UMBRA: The first of the three academies, known for producing powerful mages who specialize in shadow-element mastery.
NOVA: The second of the three academies, celebrated for training powerful hunters over the course of fifty years. Most of its graduates are skilled healers and elemental masters.
But the crème de la crème was SERA: the top of the three academies, where the protagonist and the main cast were enrolled.
To enter, one had to pass an aptitude and survival test, followed by an interview with the professors. Every year, more than 2,000 hunters under the age of 18 applied, but only 500 were admitted—a fair number.
That's how you'd receive your system. But the entrance exam was only a taste of what awaited; the first year would be much tougher.
But does this mean I passed the entrance exam? No. My system clearly knows I'm not from this world, and besides...
[...you will have the choice between one of three two-star cards. Would you like to proceed?]
No one ever used a gacha system in the novel, which only confirmed my suspicions.
I glanced down at the prompt:
[Yes / No]
'Should I accept or not?'
It seemed wiser to accept. I didn't know what abilities I might have—if I had any at all. So, there was no reason to refuse this offer.
I pressed [Yes], and the window disappeared. In its place, three bronze-colored cards, each marked with two stars, floated in the air before me.
Without hesitation, I grabbed one of the cards—the one on the left.
[Blue Flames: Beginner Mastery: Card Rank: 2 Stars]
[Description:
In the shadow of night, a fire ignites,
Blue as the sky, a star's bright light.
They dance, wild, like souls unbound,
Consuming all, even the sound.
The user stands, invoking fate,
Hands raised, defying divine weight.
But the beauty they wield hides a cruel price,
For Blue Flames are eternal chains of ice.]
[Attribute: Fire Element Variant]
[Mana Cost: 14 pts]
'Is this a description or a poem?'
I scratched my head, staring intently at the card.
'Well, that's done. Now what?'
The other two cards disappeared instantly, and the system reappeared:
[Player Kim Sugil, you have drawn the card Blue Flames, a fire element variant. Your adventure at SERA may now begin.]
[You have received a quest. Would you like to view it?]
'Wait, what did it say? My adventure at SERA?'
Then, a voice caught my attention:
"Ticket, please."
I looked up to see an elderly man, likely in his sixties, dressed in a conductor's uniform. He held a strange device in his hand, which I quickly realized was for scanning train tickets.
"Ah… yes, here."
"Wait, your uniform… Are you a SERA student?"
I glanced down at myself and froze. My clothes had changed into a blue uniform adorned with a golden lion crest over my heart. It was exactly as the author described in the novel.
.
.
"Huh? Uh… yes, I am."
"Oh! My apologies for the disturbance, young man."
The conductor bowed in apology before moving to the next cabin.
"Ah…"
I remained frozen in place for what felt like ages. Could this be true? Was I really part of SERA?
I looked down at my uniform again. It was the same elegant attire, complete with the golden crest on the left side of my chest.
A surge of joy overwhelmed me, and I couldn't help but bounce in excitement. I was about to meet the protagonist and the main cast!
[You have received a quest. Would you like to view it?]