Elias Carter gasped for air as his eyes shot open. Pain throbbed in his head, and his entire body felt strange, foreign. The last thing he remembered was the screech of tires, the blinding headlights of a truck, and the thought: This is how it ends?
But he wasn't dead. Or at least, this wasn't the afterlife he'd expected.
Instead, he found himself lying on a cold, hard surface. The scent of damp stone, faintly mixed with the acrid smell of ink and parchment, filled his nostrils. Slowly, he sat up, blinking at his surroundings. He was in a room with cracked stone walls, lined with shelves stuffed with books, scrolls, and glowing crystals. Faint sunlight filtered through a tall, arched window.
"Kane Elgard!"
Elias turned to see an imposing man in flowing black robes, his sharp eyes glaring down at him. Around the room, rows of students in dark uniforms sat at desks, their eyes fixed on him with varying degrees of amusement, pity, and disdain.
"Kane Elgard!" the man repeated, his voice like the crack of a whip. "Sleeping in class again? How typical of you to waste everyone's time."
Elias blinked. Kane? Is that me?
The instructor continued, clearly enjoying the spectacle. "To be the son of House Elgard and still perform at this level… pitiful. Truly pitiful."
Snickers erupted from the other students. Elias's face burned, though he had no idea what he'd done to deserve this. His heart raced as fragments of someone else's memories began to flood his mind—memories of a boy named Kane Elgard, a third-rate noble and the laughingstock of Arcanis Academy, a prestigious school for magic and combat.
Kane is… me now?
The instructor, clearly done with him, turned back to the chalkboard, where glowing runes shimmered faintly. Elias—or Kane—lowered his head, trying to make sense of what was happening.
"This has to be a dream," he muttered under his breath.
Suddenly, a faint chime echoed in his mind, followed by a screen appearing before his eyes. It was translucent and blue, with glowing text floating in midair.
Survival Life System Activated Welcome, Host.
Elias froze, staring at the text as a chill ran down his spine.
Mission: Survive Your First Day
Objective: Avoid expulsion, humiliation, or injury during the day.
Reward: Basic System Functions Unlocked.
Failure Penalty: Increased hostility from peers.
"What the hell?" Elias whispered, his hands trembling. No one else seemed to notice the glowing interface floating in front of him.
The timer at the bottom of the screen ticked down ominously: Time Remaining: 6 Hours, 45 Minutes.
This is insane. A system? Missions? Penalties? What kind of game world is this?
Before he could process it further, the instructor turned back to the class, his voice sharp. "Elgard! If you're done embarrassing yourself, perhaps you can answer this question."
Elias snapped his head up, panic setting in. He hadn't been paying attention. Worse, he had no idea how magic worked in this world.
The instructor pointed at the glowing runes on the board. "Explain the principle behind the Second-Level Fire Affinity Circle."
Elias froze, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. The class erupted into quiet snickers and muffled laughter.
A soft chime echoed again, and new text appeared in front of him:
System Assistance Activated
Suggested Response: Channel mana through a dual-core structure while focusing on elemental resonance.
Elias's eyes widened. Dual-core structure? Elemental resonance? He had no idea what any of it meant, but it was better than standing there in silence.
He cleared his throat. "Uh… Channel mana through a dual-core structure while focusing on elemental resonance?"
The room went silent.
The instructor narrowed his eyes, clearly suspicious, but he gave a reluctant nod. "Correct. Perhaps you've finally decided to study for once, Elgard."
Elias exhaled sharply, his heart pounding.
Mission Progress: 10%
The text faded, and Elias slumped in his seat. As the class continued, he mulled over his situation. The memories of Kane Elgard had become clearer, and one thing stood out: Kane was irrelevant. He wasn't a hero or even a major antagonist in this world. He was a third-rate villain destined to be forgotten. And honestly? Elias was fine with that.
I'm not here to be a hero, he thought. If I keep my head down and stay out of trouble, I'll survive. No heroics, no getting involved in the storyline. Just survive.
The system's interface shimmered faintly, almost as if mocking his decision. But Elias didn't care. He had no interest in rising to greatness or rewriting Kane's story. If the world wanted him to be a nobody, then so be it. All he wanted was to live a quiet, trouble-free life.
Mission Timer: 6 Hours Remaining.
Elias sighed, staring blankly at the glowing runes on the board. Survival first, everything else later.