[Wave 2: Cleared]
[Stabilization Countdown: 00:57:49]
[Catalyst Core Integrity: Green – Lockdown Complete]
[Scenario Evaluation In Progress…]
Noah sat against the cold wall of the train station, chest rising and falling, pain throbbing with every breath.
His ribs hadn't healed.
His left eye was swelling shut.
His legs ached like they'd been driven over by a truck.
But he was alive.
And more importantly—
[You have been awarded: Trait Evolution Ticket (1)]
– Choose any trait to evolve.
– Warning: Evolutions are irreversible.
– Evolution Path may shift story flags.
He stared at the prompt in silence.
In Endgame Protocol, this reward was granted only after defeating the fifth boss, and even then, only under hidden conditions.
He'd broken that flag in Scenario 3.
And earned something even Lucien hadn't by this point.
I'm no longer following the script. I'm writing my own.
But evolution could wait.
He closed the window and stood slowly.
Across the platform, the survivors huddled near the safer corners of the station. Blood had dried. Bodies were covered with torn cloth. The chaos was gone—but the tension remained.
A few of them looked at him like he was a savior.
Others, like a monster.
Noah wasn't surprised.
He knew what always came next in stories like this: politics.
"Are you the leader or not?"
The question came from a heavy-set man with a squared jaw and a bloody bandage around his thigh. His name—Noah vaguely recalled—was Kyle Mathers, a mid-level support-type from the novel who'd originally died in Scenario 4.
He was alive now.
And angry.
"You bark orders. You knew the monsters. You have a contract with something that made half of us pass out just by existing. If you're not the leader, what the hell are you?"
Noah didn't reply right away.
He stepped forward, eyes scanning the group.
Kyle continued, "I lost two friends back there. And I know people are calling you a hero, but you dragged us into this just as fast as the monsters did. You used us."
Noah shrugged. "If I hadn't, you'd be dead."
"Maybe. Or maybe we'd have chosen different sponsors. Not the ones you told us to."
Someone else stood beside Kyle. A woman. Older. Former military, maybe.
Noah recognized her now—Nadia Roe, a minor antagonist from the book's early chapters. She took control of a survivor group in Sector 14 and sacrificed half of them for a shortcut to Scenario 5.
She was dangerous.
And she was here.
This scenario really is off-rails.
"I propose we vote," Nadia said. "Pick a leadership council now—before the next wave."
"We're not in a democracy," Seraphine shot back. "We're in hell."
Noah raised a hand, silencing both sides.
"I don't care about your votes," he said calmly. "But I'll say this once."
He pointed to the ruined wall behind him, where the Rift had cracked open.
"That thing was not part of the scenario. It was a narrative distortion. It happened because the story is trying to balance itself around me."
Kyle frowned. "What does that even mean?"
"It means I'm not supposed to be here. And the world is trying to fix it."
Noah's voice turned colder.
"I read this story. Every chapter. I remember every flag, every death, every shortcut. And I've already deviated so far, the plot's started to bleed."
He stepped forward until he was only inches from Kyle.
"If I step back now, you die. If I die, the story collapses. You don't need to like me. But you will listen."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Nadia narrowed her eyes.
"You're saying you're the only one who matters."
"No," Noah said. "I'm saying I'm the only one who knows what's coming next."
[System Notification – Private Message Received]
[Sender: ???]
[Title: You Don't Belong]
[Message: The story is rejecting you. Proceed further, and your presence will trigger total scenario collapse.]
Noah stared.
A private system message.
That… should be impossible.
Only developers or narrative entities can send private messages... right?
Ashtiel appeared beside him, uninvited. "You look troubled, reader."
"Something's watching me. Not just the Watchers."
Ashtiel's smirk vanished.
"I see."
"What does it mean when the system itself talks to a player?"
The Watcher was silent for a moment.
Then, with a sigh, "It means you're no longer a variable. You're a threat."
Noah's mouth tightened.
Ashtiel continued. "The system was not built to accommodate your presence. You're introducing foreign logic. Alternate outcomes. The longer you survive, the more the world will fracture."
"So what happens when it breaks completely?"
"You'll have to find a new ending," Ashtiel said, vanishing.
Later, while the survivors gathered supplies and reinforced their positions, Noah sat alone at the edge of the platform. His eyes were fixed on the Trait Evolution Ticket, still unused.
[Available Traits:]
– Insight (Locked – Cannot Evolve)
– Despair Immunity (Lesser)
– Ruin Step Lv.1
He selected Despair Immunity.
If this world is going to break, I can't afford fear. Not ever.
[Despair Immunity (Lesser) → Despair Immunity (Advanced)]
– Mental status debuffs reduced by 80%
– Immune to Fear, Dread, Hallucination, and Narrative Collapse
– Immune to Class-C and lower emotional-type Watcher effects
He exhaled sharply as something settled inside his chest—like a weight had lifted from his spine. The static behind his ears was gone. His thoughts cleared.
No more doubt.
[Trait Evolution Complete.]
And just as he closed the window—
[Main Scenario #4 Unlocked: Dominion Selection]
– Objective: Secure Authority in a contested zone.
– Time Limit: 72 Hours
– Conflict Zones: 8
– Warning: Other Readers and Entities have also been selected as Candidates.
[You have entered a PvE-PvP Convergence Scenario.]
[Your presence has triggered a special condition.]
[Hidden System Title Acquired: The Usurper]
Noah stared.
The next arc had begun.
Other Readers…?
Wait… am I not the only one reincarnated into this story?