Noah stared at the mark on the back of his hand.
The broken crown seemed ordinary at first glance.
Yet something about it felt wrong.
Alive.
As though it possessed a heartbeat of its own.
His fingers brushed against it.
Instantly, a new screen appeared.
[Ragnarok System]
Host: Noah Blackwood
Level: 0
Bloodline: Dormant
Titles: None
Skills: None
Stats: Locked
Noah blinked.
"That’s it?"
For a supposedly divine system, it looked disappointingly empty.
Then another notification appeared.
[Host has awakened the Ragnarok System.]
[Awarding Beginner Package.]
The words barely appeared before a sharp pain struck his hand.
A stream of crimson light flowed from the crown mark.
The light condensed above his palm.
Slowly taking shape.
Noah’s eyes widened.
A dagger.
The weapon hovered before him.
Its blade was pitch black.
Ancient runes covered its surface.
The edge seemed capable of cutting through reality itself.
The moment Noah grabbed it—
Information flooded his mind.
Shadowfang
Rank: Unknown
Description:
A weapon forged during the First Ragnarok.
A blade used to execute gods.
Current State: Sealed
Power Released: 1%
Noah nearly dropped it.
Execute gods?
What kind of ridiculous weapon had he just received?
A laugh escaped him.
Not because it was funny.
Because the situation was insane.
Three days ago, he had been a normal human.
Now he possessed a mysterious bloodline, a divine system, and a weapon supposedly used to kill gods.
His life had officially gone off the rails.
A new notification appeared.
[First Skill Acquired.]
Skill: Predator’s Instinct
Rank: Divine
Description:
Allows the user to detect killing intent and incoming danger.
Current Efficiency: 5%
Noah froze.
Then smiled.
For the first time since arriving in this world.
A real smile.
Finally.
Something useful.
Because if there was one thing he desperately needed right now—
It was a way to stay alive.
The following day arrived quickly.
Noah spent every waking hour preparing.
Food.
Water.
Medical supplies.
Anything useful.
The examination was tomorrow.
Blackthorn Forest awaited.
The thought alone made his stomach twist.
Yet something had changed.
The fear was still there.
But now it shared space with determination.
He had a chance.
A small one.
But a chance nonetheless.
Then evening arrived.
And disaster struck.
Noah was walking through the dormitory courtyard when Predator’s Instinct suddenly activated.
Pain exploded behind his eyes.
A warning.
A powerful warning.
Danger.
Extreme danger.
His body reacted instantly.
He threw himself sideways.
BOOM!
The ground where he had been standing exploded.
Stone fragments flew everywhere.
Students screamed.
Noah rolled across the ground.
His heart nearly burst from his chest.
"What the fuck?!"
A figure stood atop a nearby rooftop.
Cloaked.
Masked.
Watching him.
The courtyard fell silent.
No one understood what was happening.
Except Noah.
Because the assassin wasn’t looking at anyone else.
Only him.
The masked figure slowly raised a hand.
Then pointed directly at Noah.
A chill ran through his body.
The assassin’s voice drifted across the courtyard.
Cold.
Emotionless.
"You should have died."
Noah’s blood froze.
Because those were the exact same words spoken by the mysterious entity in the original novel’s final arc.
An arc that shouldn’t happen for hundreds of Chapters.
Yet here it was.
Again.
The assassin tilted their head.
Almost curious.
Then vanished.
Just disappeared.
As though they had never existed.
Silence followed.
The students erupted into panic.
Teachers rushed toward the scene.
Chaos spread.
But Noah remained frozen.
Because he finally understood something.
The changes weren’t random.
Someone was actively trying to kill him.
Someone who knew he shouldn’t exist.
Someone who knew the story had changed.
And tomorrow...
He would enter Blackthorn Forest.
A place that wasn’t supposed to exist.
A place connected to Ragnarok.
A place where the System itself had declared survival to be Impossible.
[Main Quest Updated]
Survive Blackthorn Forest
Difficulty: Impossible
Reward:
Bloodline Evolution
Noah stared at the notification.
Then toward the dark horizon beyond the city walls.
Where Blackthorn Forest waited.
Waiting.
Watching.
Hungry.
For the first time since arriving in this world...
Noah had the feeling that he wasn’t walking toward an examination.
He was walking toward the beginning of a war.