Noah didn’t sleep.
How could he?
The crimson countdown remained suspended before his eyes like a death sentence carved into reality itself.
[67:13:42]
The numbers continued decreasing.
Second by second.
Minute by minute.
Drawing him closer to the grave.
The sun had already risen, yet Noah still sat motionless at the desk.
His mind raced.
Think.
There had to be a way.
He knew the future.
He knew how Noah Blackwood died.
That alone should have given him an advantage.
Right?
Right?
A bitter laugh escaped his lips.
"Then why the fuck am I panicking?"
The answer was obvious.
Because knowing about a bullet didn’t make it any less deadly.
And the monster waiting at the academy examination wasn’t some weak creature.
It was a nightmare.
A monster powerful enough to slaughter dozens of students.
Including Noah Blackwood.
The original Noah had never stood a chance.
And neither did he.
At least not yet.
Noah pushed himself from the chair.
If he wanted to survive, sitting around wouldn’t help.
The first step was avoiding the examination entirely.
Simple.
No examination.
No monster.
No death.
He quickly dressed and left the dormitory.
The moment he stepped outside, memories flooded his mind once more.
Massive stone buildings stretched across the city.
Horse-drawn carriages moved along crowded streets.
Merchants shouted.
Adventurers laughed.
Knights patrolled.
The world looked exactly as described in the novel.
A strange mix of medieval fantasy and magic.
Normally, Noah would’ve admired it.
Today, he couldn’t care less.
He had bigger problems.
The academy registration office stood near the city center.
It took nearly thirty minutes to reach it.
By the time he arrived, a line had already formed outside.
Noah waited patiently.
Minutes passed.
Eventually, his turn came.
A bored clerk glanced up.
"Name?"
"Noah Blackwood."
The clerk searched through several papers.
Then nodded.
"Academy applicant."
"Yeah."
Noah took a breath.
"I’d like to withdraw."
The clerk blinked.
"What?"
"I want to withdraw my application."
The man stared at him.
Then shrugged.
"Denied."
Noah frowned.
"What do you mean denied?"
"The application deadline passed two weeks ago."
"What does that have to do with withdrawing?"
"Imperial law."
The clerk pointed toward a framed document hanging on the wall.
"Any accepted applicant must attend."
Noah stared.
His brain struggled to process the stupidity.
"You can’t be serious."
The clerk looked annoyed.
"Next."
Noah remained rooted to the spot.
"No, seriously. I don’t want to attend."
"Then don’t."
The clerk shrugged.
"But your family will be fined. Your name will be blacklisted. Future opportunities will be revoked."
"..."
"Next."
Noah slowly stepped aside.
His jaw clenched.
Well.
There went Plan A.
"Fuck."
A few pedestrians glanced toward him.
Noah ignored them.
Fine.
If he couldn’t avoid the examination, he’d avoid the location where he died.
That was still possible.
Probably.
Hopefully.
Maybe.
The uncertainty was becoming increasingly irritating.
Noah spent the rest of the day gathering supplies.
Food.
Water.
A cheap knife.
Anything useful.
By evening, he finally returned to the dormitory.
Exhaustion weighed heavily upon him.
The countdown continued.
[61:42:18]
Still decreasing.
Still mocking him.
Noah collapsed onto the bed.
At least he’d accomplished something.
Or so he thought.
Then a memory surfaced.
A tiny detail from the novel.
A detail he had forgotten.
His eyes widened.
"No..."
The original Noah Blackwood hadn’t chosen the examination site.
The academy assigned locations randomly.
The day before the examination.
His blood ran cold.
Everything he had planned.
Everything.
Was useless.
Because he didn’t even know where he’d be sent.
The realization struck him harder than any punch.
No matter what he did.
No matter how much he prepared.
He was still trapped.
Still moving toward the same future.
Like a prisoner marching toward execution.
The room suddenly felt colder.
Noah sat upright.
A strange feeling crawled across his skin.
Instinct.
Danger.
His eyes narrowed.
Someone was outside.
Standing beyond the door.
Watching.
Silence filled the room.
The presence remained.
Unmoving.
Waiting.
Noah slowly reached for the knife beside his bed.
His heartbeat thundered inside his chest.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Then—
A voice echoed from the hallway.
Low.
Whispering.
Impossible.
Yet Noah heard it clearly.
"Found you."
His blood froze.
Because he recognized those words.
They weren’t supposed to be spoken until much later in the story.
Much later.
Months later.
Not now.
Not three days before the academy examination.
Not here.
Not to him.
Something had changed.
And whatever had changed...
Knew exactly who he was.