The rest of the lecture passed without incident.
Ms. Clara continued explaining mana theory while holographic diagrams shifted across the walls. Most students focused on their screens while others whispered quietly among themselves.
No one paid attention to me anymore.
Which was exactly what I wanted.
Eventually, a soft chime echoed through the classroom.
Class dismissed.
Students began standing up almost immediately. Chairs slid back, conversations filled the room, and groups quickly formed as people headed toward the exit.
I stayed seated for a moment.
My mind was still racing.
Alright… think.
If this really is the world of Leon's Odyssey…
A faint vibration suddenly came from my wrist.
I looked down.
Wrapped around my arm was a sleek metallic watch-like device I hadn't noticed earlier.
A small holographic screen flickered to life above it.
[Student Profile – Chrono]
Below that, several pieces of information appeared.
Eldoria Nexus Academy – First Year
Dormitory Assignment: Nexus Dorm Block C – Room 314
My eyes widened slightly.
Dorm room…
Without wasting another second, I stood up and quickly left the classroom.
The hallways outside were massive.
Students filled the corridors, talking, laughing, and moving in groups.
I pushed past them, moving faster and faster.
Soon I was practically rushing through the halls.
Eventually the academy buildings gave way to a massive residential complex connected to the main campus.
The dormitories.
Using the glowing map on my watch, I navigated through the building until I finally reached the door marked:
Room 314
My hand hesitated for only a second before I pushed the door open.
The room inside was quiet.
Minimalistic.
Two beds.
Two desks.
Large windows overlooking the futuristic skyline of the academy.
But I barely noticed any of it.
I moved straight toward the attached bathroom.
My breathing had grown heavier.
Slowly…
I stepped in front of the mirror.
And looked up.
The person staring back at me wasn't the face I knew.
A boy stood in the reflection.
He looked around 5'11.
Messy black hair fell over his forehead.
His face was decent—above average, but nothing extraordinary.
But that wasn't what caught my attention.
It was his eyes.
Purple.
Deep.
Strange.
Almost unnatural.
They gave him an eerie look, like something about him didn't quite belong.
My stomach suddenly twisted.
The memories of the void flashed in my mind.
The laughter.
The smile in the darkness.
The classroom.
Ms. Clara.
The rankings.
My grip tightened on the sink.
This wasn't a dream.
This wasn't some strange hallucination.
I had actually—
Transmigrated.
And not just anywhere.
I had transmigrated into the world of the novel I had been reading.
Leon's Odyssey.
"Ugh—"
The realization hit too hard.
I leaned over the sink and puked.
The sound echoed slightly in the quiet bathroom as my breathing became uneven.
Cold sweat ran down my neck.
When I finally lifted my head again, the purple-eyed reflection in the mirror stared back at me.
Not the protagonist.
Not the villain.
Just a nobody.
The last ranked student of Eldoria Nexus Academy.
Chrono.
The reflection in the mirror stared back at me.
Purple eyes.
Black hair.
A completely unfamiliar face.
I gripped the edge of the sink, breathing slowly as I forced myself to calm down.
Think…
If this was really Leon's Odyssey…
Then that meant this body belonged to someone who already existed in the story.
Someone I had read about.
My stomach sank.
Because I remembered.
Chrono.
The name flashed through my mind like a warning.
A background character.
An extra.
A student who barely appeared in the novel.
And the worst part?
I remembered exactly how his story ended.
Dungeon Incident.
Chapter 17.
During a training expedition outside the academy, monsters suddenly broke through the defensive barrier.
Chaos followed.
Students panicked.
Several died.
And among them…
Chrono.
A nameless casualty.
A student who survived less than three paragraphs before being killed by a beast while trying to run away.
My face slowly paled.
"...You've got to be kidding me."
Three months.
That was roughly how long it took in the story before the dungeon incident happened.
Three months until the character named Chrono died.
A cold chill ran down my spine.
Instinctively, I looked down at the metallic watch on my wrist again.
The holographic screen flickered back to life.
If this was really the academy system…
Then it should show more information.
I tapped the screen.
The display shifted.
[Student Profile]
Name: Chrono
Academy: Eldoria Nexus Academy
Rank: 2500 / 2500
I grimaced.
Of course.
DING.
The sound echoed sharply in my mind.
I froze.
Slowly, I looked around the bathroom.
The room was empty.
The sound hadn't come from outside.
It came from inside my head.
Then suddenly—
A blue translucent screen appeared in front of my vision.
Floating in midair.
[System Initializing…]
[Host Detected]
[Temporal Compatibility Confirmed]
My eyes widened.
"…What?"
The screen flickered once more.
[Paradox System Activated]
Welcome, Host.
My heart started racing.
A system?
Just like the ones in novels?
Another message appeared.
[Main Objective Registered]
Survive the future.
Before I could process that, a warning appeared beneath it.
[Warning]
Future Event Detected: Dungeon Incident
Time Remaining: 89 Days
Probability of Death (Current State): 97.3%
"…Ninety-seven percent?"
That wasn't even bad odds.
That was practically a guaranteed death.
The screen shifted again.
[Starter Reward Granted]
Skill Unlocked:
Time Perception – Lv.1
Effect: Slightly slows perceived time during moments of danger.
The screen expanded again, revealing a full interface.
[Paradox System]
Host: Chrono
Location: Eldoria Nexus Academy
Status: Alive
Future Threat Level: High
[1] Status
[2] Skills
[3] Inventory
[4] Quests
[5] Titles
[6] System Log
I stared at it for a few seconds.
Then experimentally thought about the first option.
Status.
The screen instantly shifted.
[STATUS]
Name: Chrono
Age: 18
Academy: Eldoria Nexus Academy
Rank: 2500 / 2500
Strength : F
Speed : F
Defense : F
Mana Core: F
Charm : C
Special Trait:
Temporal Compatibility – Unknown
System Energy: 0
I stared at the screen.
"…Wow."
That might actually be worse than I expected.
Four F ranks.
Even the average academy student probably had better stats than this.
No wonder the original Chrono died.
I mentally switched to the next menu.
[SKILLS]
Time Perception – Lv.1
Type: Passive
Effect:
Slightly slows the user's perception of time
during moments of danger.
Future Skills: Locked
So that was my only skill.
Still…
A time-related ability.
That alone made my heartbeat speed up.
I opened another tab.
[INVENTORY]
Starter Reward Box ×1
Low Grade Mana Potion ×2
Academy ID
Inventory Space: 3 / 20
Then another.
[QUESTS]
Main Quest
Survive the Dungeon Incident
Time Remaining: 89 Days
Reward: Unknown
Penalty: Death
"…Straightforward."
At least the system wasn't hiding the consequences.
I leaned back slightly against the sink.
The blue screens hovered quietly in front of me.
For a moment, the room was silent.
Then slowly…
A smile formed on my face.
Not because the situation was good.
It really wasn't.
I had woken up in a completely different world.
Inside a novel.
Inside the body of someone ranked 2500 out of 2500 at Eldoria Nexus Academy.
And according to the system, there was an event called the Dungeon Incident happening in less than three months with a 97.3% chance of killing me.
None of that was comforting.
But there was one thing that changed everything.
The glowing interface floating in front of me.
The Paradox System.
I didn't know what happened to the original Chrono.
I didn't know why I had been brought here.
And I definitely didn't know what that thing in the void really was.
But if the system was real…
Then this wasn't just some hopeless situation.
It was a chance.
My purple-eyed reflection stared back at me from the mirror.
Slowly, I straightened my posture.
"Alright," I muttered quietly.
"If I'm stuck in this world…"
My gaze shifted back to the floating system interface.
"…then I'll just have to survive it."