The city gates opened at dawn.
Cold mist drifted across the stone roads.
Hundreds of academy applicants gathered outside the walls, each carrying weapons, supplies, and nervous expressions.
Today was examination day.
For most of them, it was the first step toward becoming knights, mages, heroes, or legends.
For Noah...
It might be the day he died.
He stood near the back of the crowd, his hood pulled low.
The broken crown mark on his hand remained hidden beneath a leather glove.
The events of yesterday continued to haunt him.
The assassin.
The warning.
The impossible quest.
None of it made sense.
Yet the fact remained.
Someone wanted him dead.
And somehow, they knew things they shouldn’t know.
His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Still alive?"
Noah glanced sideways.
Eric Walker stood beside him.
The blond teenager wore light armor and carried a longsword.
A grin stretched across his face.
Noah snorted.
"Barely."
Eric laughed.
"Good. Try not to die today."
Noah almost choked.
The irony wasn’t lost on him.
If only Eric knew.
A horn echoed across the gathering.
The crowd immediately fell silent.
Several academy officials stepped forward.
At their center stood an elderly man wearing silver robes.
His presence alone commanded respect.
Noah recognized him instantly.
Professor Aldric.
One of the academy’s senior instructors.
A powerful mage.
And more importantly—
Someone who was supposed to survive until much later in the story.
Aldric’s gaze swept across the applicants.
Then he began speaking.
"The academy examination begins now."
His voice carried effortlessly across the crowd.
"Those who pass shall enter Valhalla Imperial Academy."
A wave of excitement spread through the students.
"The weak will fail."
The excitement diminished slightly.
"The unlucky may die."
Complete silence followed.
Noah noticed several applicants pale immediately.
Good.
At least the academy wasn’t pretending this was safe.
Aldric continued.
"You have been assigned to different locations."
His eyes hardened.
"Trust your strength."
"Trust your judgment."
"But above all..."
The old mage paused.
A strange expression crossed his face.
Almost hesitation.
Almost concern.
Then he finished.
"Trust nothing else."
The statement felt directed at someone.
Noah couldn’t shake the feeling that it was meant for him.
Then the instructors began separating the applicants into groups.
One by one, students departed.
Silverwood Canyon.
Ashen Valley.
Frostfang Ridge.
Locations Noah remembered from the novel.
Normal examination sites.
Normal dangers.
Normal stories.
Then his name was called.
"Noah Blackwood."
Several instructors exchanged uneasy looks.
Noah immediately noticed.
So did Eric.
The blond teenager frowned.
"What’s going on?"
Nobody answered.
An instructor approached Noah.
His expression looked uncomfortable.
Almost nervous.
"Follow me."
Noah obeyed.
The farther they walked from the other students, the more isolated things became.
Eventually, they reached a lone carriage waiting beyond the city walls.
No horses.
No driver.
Nothing.
Just a black carriage.
Waiting.
The sight alone made Noah’s skin crawl.
The instructor stopped walking.
"You’ll travel alone."
"What?"
The instructor avoided eye contact.
"Blackthorn Forest only has one participant."
Silence.
Noah stared.
Then laughed.
A short, disbelieving laugh.
"You’re joking."
The instructor didn’t laugh.
Noah’s smile vanished.
"You mean I’m taking the examination alone?"
The man nodded.
"Correct."
"What kind of bullshit is that?"
The instructor sighed.
"I don’t know."
The answer sounded genuine.
"We received the order this morning."
"From who?"
Silence.
The instructor’s face darkened.
"No sender."
Noah froze.
"What?"
"The order appeared in the academy archives."
A pause.
"Nobody knows who wrote it."
A chill ran through Noah.
The instructor stepped back.
His job was clearly finished.
"Good luck."
Noah stared at the carriage.
The black wood seemed to absorb the surrounding light.
The windows were completely dark.
Impossible to see through.
His instincts screamed.
Danger.
Predator’s Instinct activated.
Pain stabbed behind his eyes.
A warning.
The strongest warning yet.
Every fiber of his being told him not to enter.
Then a notification appeared.
[Main Quest Progression Detected.]
[Blackthorn Forest Access Point Located.]
[Quest Cannot Be Abandoned.]
Noah’s jaw clenched.
"Of course it can’t."
For several moments, nobody moved.
Then Noah released a long breath.
If he ran now, the countdown would still reach zero.
The System wouldn’t disappear.
The people hunting him wouldn’t stop.
Running solved nothing.
Slowly, he stepped toward the carriage.
The door creaked open by itself.
Darkness waited inside.
Noah looked back one final time.
The city stood behind him.
Safe.
Familiar.
Alive.
Something told him things would never be the same once he entered Blackthorn Forest.
Then he climbed inside.
The door slammed shut.
And the world disappeared.