Waking up in an unfamiliar world with no memories, I had only one advantage, a mind filled with knowledge of fictional tropes, clichés, and common sense learned from countless novels.

At first, I thought I was trapped in a romcom nightmare when I started triggering events like "Helping a Girl on a Rainy Day", "Damsel in Distress", and "Tripping Into the Heroine’s Arms." Naturally, I shut those nonsense down before they could escalate. No forced romances. No misunderstandings. No cringe.

But something was clearly off.

The world wasn’t just a slice-of-life comedy. 

Beneath the cliché academy setting, there were whispers of awakening powers, hidden dangers, and a brutal magic academy entrance exam. 

And every challenge I prevented or manipulated was an opportunity to grow stronger.

[Title Earned: Background Character.]
[Achievement Unlocked: Firm Mind.]
[New Skill Acquired: Background Character's Aura.]
[New Ability Acquired: Anti-Narrative Influence.]

I may be just a background character, but if fate insists on throwing these events at me, I’ll turn them into stepping stones.

Let the protagonists play their scripted roles — I have my own path to power.

Instead, I carried it to the reading table along with the book it had been hidden behind. The tea I'd brought earlier had cooled, but I poured a cup anyway, the herbal scent sharpening my focus as I took a deliberate sip.


Then, and only then, did I open the notebook.


I kept flipping, my fingers moving methodically through the pages, but nothing revealed itself - no hastily scribbled notes, no hidden sketches, no sudden rush of forgotten memories.


My initial surge of anticipation began to wane with each empty sheet. 


Was it truly empty? Or was this just another dead end?


However, I refused to give up, my gaze sharp, scanning every inch of every page as I reached the very end of the notebook.


And there, subtly written on the right side of the last page, was a single line:


Chapter 189 - The End Before the Beginning (Bonus 3)