Smoke. Screams. Shattered skies.
Raith stood at the edge of the burning city, his black coat fluttering in the scorched wind, a strange gleam in his eyes. Around him, the world had turned to fire. But not chaos—no. This was a design. A wheel in motion.
Behind him, the ground cracked like thunder. The sound wasn't from a monster or a spell. It was… wheels.
A golden chariot, pulled by skeletal warhorses cloaked in burning shadows, surged through the streets, smashing buildings like toys. It roared with terrifying power, its presence distorting time, space, even logic. Above it, a single tarot card spun in the air—
VII – The Chariot.
⬛ Skill Unlocked: Chariot of Ruin – You may now summon the will of triumph and destruction, burning through all hesitation and resistance. When summoned, gain massive movement and offensive buff. Ride the path of absolute will.
Raith's hands trembled as the system message faded. This wasn't just a skill. It was a revelation.
The Chariot didn't just represent destruction. It was momentum. Unstoppable force. Progress against the odds.
And now… it was his.
Just minutes ago, Raith had stood on the ruins of a fallen Cathedral in the dying city of Thal'Mire. The Seventh Layer Dungeon had collapsed. His borrowed allies were gone. Time was frozen. Again.
🕒 You've unlocked a Time Seal – Hidden Timeline Branch Initiated.📜 Alternate Outcome: The One Who Burns the World rides the Chariot of Ruin.🌌 Warning: You are no longer on the Author's path. You are the anomaly.
"Good," Raith muttered under his breath. "I don't want their ending anyway."
He had been following the "original" story—the one written by the unknown Author, the world-builder behind this insane realm. But now, Raith had gone off-script.
His very presence had rewritten fate.
As the Chariot burst forth, it crushed a horde of mutated beasts under its wheels, their monstrous bodies turning to vapor. Raith leapt onto the vehicle, his grip firm, his gaze cold. The reins weren't real—they were instinct. Mental. Willed by his Willpower stat, which now pulsed red-hot.
🔸 Willpower +3🔸 Charisma +2🔸 Momentum Gauge: 42%
He leaned forward, and the world moved.
Buildings, enemies, even reality itself blurred as the Chariot surged across space like a star collapsing inward. No one could stop him.
But someone tried.
At the edge of Thal'Mire, a lone figure stood in gleaming blue armor. Her eyes were gold, ancient, and filled with sorrow.
Artemis, Knight of the First Verse.
"You were never meant to wield the Chariot," she said, raising a sword taller than herself. "You've altered the rhythm of fate."
Raith's smirk was full of bite. "I'm not following a song someone else wrote anymore."
Artemis sighed. "Then I must break your wheel."
She charged, and time cracked.
Raith willed the Chariot forward. Momentum clashed with elegance. Her blade sang through the air, but the Chariot bent around space, forcing her to shift defensively.
A normal reader—someone without experience—would've died here.
But Raith wasn't normal anymore.
He remembered every line, every strategy. In the original novel, this battle was unwinnable. Artemis was a Trial Boss, meant to humble the protagonist and force them to retreat.
But now?
🔔 Active Perk: Reader's Paradox☑️ You know the true weaknesses of all canon bosses.
Raith narrowed his eyes. "Chapter 121… Artemis's shield has a blind spot after the fourth parry."
He baited her into a sequence. Slash. Spin. Guard. Step.
Then—BOOM!
The Chariot surged sideways, wheels smashing against the ground, creating a wave of temporal energy. It disrupted her rhythm.
Raith jumped from the platform mid-charge and brought his fist glowing with [Burning Will] into her chest plate.
💥 CRITICAL HIT!💢 Weakness Exploited: Divine Sync Breakage⬆️ Willpower +1
Artemis staggered. "Impossible…"
Raith landed, panting. "Not impossible. Just unapproved."
She fell to one knee. "You… you really are the Reader."
As Artemis collapsed, the world rippled. The tarot card above Raith's head expanded and split into fragments. One piece drifted into his hand. It pulsed like a living heart.
🃏 Tarot Fragment Acquired: Will of War⚔️ Bonus Trait: "Unyielding Path" — You no longer suffer mental debuffs when facing enemies stronger than you.
But that wasn't the reward he cared about most.
A second system message appeared.
🔓 New Quest Unlocked: Rewrite the War.📘 Objective: Replace the Chosen Hero and ascend as the True Chariot Wielder.🎭 Side Note: The Author has noticed your actions.☠️ Be ready for deletion.
Raith blinked.
"So, the Author finally noticed me?"
He clenched the tarot fragment tightly. "Good. Watch closely."
As he mounted the Chariot once more, the city began to collapse behind him. Reality unspooled. The world—this arc—was ending.
He had hijacked the path.
Stolen the power meant for the real protagonist.
And now, Raith wasn't just a side character with system hacks.
He was becoming the Final Boss.
The wheels turned again, and the Chariot surged toward the next city.