The aroma of grilled meat and fresh bread wafted through the cafeteria as I carried my tray to an empty table. It was a sprawling space, filled with students buzzing with energy after the morning classes. The food was nothing short of indulgent: perfectly seared steak, fluffy mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, and a golden-crusted roll that looked straight out of a culinary magazine.
I dug in.
"This is amazing," I muttered through a mouthful of steak.
The meal was a stark reminder of how far I was from Earth. Back home, meals were rushed, cheap, and forgettable. Here, even something as mundane as lunch felt luxurious.
By the time my tray was empty, I leaned back with a satisfied sigh.
With the morning's compulsory classes done, I had the rest of the day free. Optional classes weren't starting yet, which left me with one question:
What now?
Back in my dorm, I flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. The events of the day so far replayed in my mind.
Miss Veris' expectation during Magic Theory.
The faint bitterness in Professor Aleric's lecture.
And the persistent voice of the Book of the End, a silent weight in the back of my consciousness.
The book was the wildcard in all of this, the one thing that didn't belong in the story as I knew it.
I was my greatest clue on what could have brought me into this world.
What were its abilities? Why was it where magnus legacy was located? Who's body was that? there were a endless storm of questions in my head yet nothing and no body to get asnwers from.
"I need to figure it out," I muttered. "And this might be the perfect time."
I have to figure it out."
The problem was where. The academy was filled with prying eyes. I couldn't just experiment out in the open.
My gaze fell on the VR pod across the room.
The Astral Nexus.
"Perfect."
The Nexus was a safe space. Controlled. Anonymous. A place where I could test the waters without risking too much.
I climbed into the pod, its interior humming softly as the system powered on.
[Welcome to the Astral Nexus. Please select a mode.]
A holographic menu appeared, options glowing in soft blue light. My eyes landed on the one that felt the most appropriate.
[Arena Mode.]
I tapped the selection.
[Do you wish to make your identity public?]
A toggle switch hovered in the air, defaulted to "Off."
"Absolutely not," I muttered, flipping the switch. No one needed to connect me to anything unusual, especially not the Book.
The next prompt appeared.
[Please select a username.]
I paused, my fingers hovering over the ethereal keyboard.
A username. Something simple. Cool. Intimidating?
"What should I even pick?" I muttered.
For a moment, I considered something tied to my past life maybe an old gaming tag or nickname.
Let's think this through," I said aloud.
Something subtle? No, I didn't want to come off as boring.
Something edgy? Too try-hard.
Something memorable? Definitely.
My eyes flicked to the faint, crimson glow that sometimes pulsed from the mask when I was deep in thought.
"The Spectator," I said aloud, typing it in.
It felt right and it represented what I was in this world a spectator in this story.
Although unfortunately I was in this tragic story now.
But was it real now that I was here It felt real but was it truly.
[Username: Spectator. Confirmed.]
The interface shifted again.
[Anonymity protocols active.]
A mask appeared in my hands. It was plain and smooth, glowing faintly. As I slid it on, I felt a strange shift, like my presence was being cloaked. My body became wrapped in seamless black fabric, clinging to my form yet moving effortlessly.
My eyes glowing faintly blue were the only visible part of me.
"This'll work," I said, my voice distorted by the mask's enchantment. It sounded deeper, almost commanding.
[Please select a weapon.]
Weapons materialized before me swords, spears, axes, and more. My hand hovered for a moment before settling on a wakizashi.
The short blade materialized in my grip. Compact, sharp, and fast.
[Scanning mana core rank...]
The system flickered.
[Rank: Novice (Early Stage, 18%)]
It broke the ranks down for me:
Early: 0–25%
Middle: 25–50%
Late: 50–75%
Peak: 75–100%
I was barely in the Early stage. Great.
Although that was still further than most 1st years.
[Match Found: Opponent Selected.]
The screen displayed my first opponent:
[Opponent: Crimson Reaver.]
Rank: Novice (Mid-Stage, 36%)
Element: Blood
Artifact: None
But before confirming, I hesitated.
I summoned the Book of the End into my hand.
Its familiar weight settled in my grip. The cover was dark, smooth, and unnatural, as though it rejected the light entirely. Holding it felt like clutching a fragment of a nightmare.
"Let's see what secrets you're hiding," I whispered.
The world around me dissolved into a swirl of light and sound.
When the light faded, I stood in a massive coliseum. Towering stone walls surrounded a sandy battlefield, the artificial sky above painted in hues of twilight.
A pillar of red light erupted across the arena.
My opponent materialized in the glow.
The Crimson Reaver.
He was tall and muscular, with wild crimson hair and piercing red eyes. A jagged scythe pulsed with mana in his hands, its crimson energy casting flickering shadows across his smirk.
He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the book in my hand.
"A book?" he asked, spinning his scythe lazily. "You brought a book to a fight? You must think you're something special."
I said nothing, tightening my grip on the wakizashi with one hand, the book still clutched in the other.
He seems pretty cocky for someone pretty old and yet still a novice.
The Reaver laughed, his voice echoing through the arena.
"This is going to be fun," he said, stepping forward.
[Combat Commencing in 3… 2… 1…]
The countdown ended, and Crimson Reaver lunged, his scythe carving through the air in a deadly arc.