MidSpire National Soul Academy
It was a bright morning, the golden sun hung in the beautiful blue sky, bleeding its radiance over a large field within the MidSpire National Soul Academy, where hundreds of youths were gathered, their faces brimming with eagerness and glee.
At the front, facing the gathering, was a raised podium, and standing atop it was a handsome man in his early thirties with shoulder-length black hair and blue eyes, addressing the youths in a serious tone.
"Welcome to MidSpire National Soul Academy." He cleared his throat and began. "You lot are the chosen ones, those who have been handpicked by fate to stand against the horrors tormenting our world, and this academy is your first major step to becoming invincible soul hunters."
As he spoke, his eyes gradually scanned the looks on the youths' faces, observing the sparks in their eyes.
Something about them reminded him of himself a few years ago when he was on their side, how eager he had been to face the horrors of the world. And now, after much experience with the dark side, he knew their eagerness would vanish soon, and only the strong-willed would survive and continue.
While this thought process ran through his mind, his eyes landed on a young lady standing in front of the crowd with a refined expression on her face.
She had bright purple hair and reddish-purple eyes that made her stand out amongst the crowd.
"Among this year's batch, the future best soul hunter has already been handpicked," he announced, his voice clear and loud.
Even without mentioning the name of the special student, all eyes had already turned toward the purple-haired young lady at the front, who remained calm and still as a lake.
"Miranda is a once-in-ten-thousand-years anomaly. I heard she awakened her soul system at the age of seven, becoming the youngest person to ever do so in the entire world," a young lady among the crowd whispered to her friend.
"And she exorcised her first ghost at the age of ten! She is nothing short of blessed and awesome," her friend responded.
"Too bad her power also came with a dark price..."
"Please don't talk about it. I don't want to be reminded of what she had to go through. It is torturous."
Other whispers went off among the crowd, students admiring the young lady with purple hair, some wishing they could become friends with her and grow together, and others dreaming about forming romantic relationships.
Nonetheless, at the back of the gathering, a young man with red hair and blue eyes observed his surroundings with astonishment.
"What is happening?" Dorian panicked. "This is the unforgettable opening scene of the novel I was reading last night called The Seven Heroes of Horror."
As he whispered this, his eyes darted to the raised platform — the speaker matched the exact profile of Instructor Gravis, one of the popular side characters in the novel.
"Miranda Graves, the first heroine, my favorite protagonist among the seven protagonists of this novel," he muttered, swallowing cold air as his eyes landed on the refined lady at the front of the crowd.
He knew everything about her, starting from the tiniest details like her morning routine to her dark backstory — and also what was going to happen to her in the future.
He gulped nervously once again, sweat breaking out on his face.
"Miranda, could you come up here and address your classmates?" Instructor Gravis waited for the noisy crowd to settle down before calling out.
Miranda nodded softly, then she began striding toward the raised podium with refined and graceful steps, drawing all eyes.
Once she arrived, following a small tap on the mic, she began addressing the students.
Her voice was sweet to the ears — gentle, sophisticated, and powerful all at once.
The entire gathering turned silent, listening to her with every ounce of attention they could afford, while Dorian remained shivering at the back, wondering if he was stuck in a dream or if he had miraculously transmigrated into the world of the novel.
He pinched himself in an attempt to break out of the dream, but all he felt was pain — genuine pain — and the realization dawned on him.
I have indeed transmigrated into the world of The Seven Heroes of Horror. But what character am I? he wondered.
An answer already appeared in his mind — an extra. But he neglected the thought instantly... being an extra in this novel was similar to holding an inevitable death sentence.
"Hey, bro." He tapped the boy beside him.
The blonde turned to him with an upset expression. "What?"
"Can you please tell me my name?" Dorian asked.
"The heck, you called me for something that stupid?" The blonde frowned, anger broiling in his blue eyes.
Dorian nodded. "My brain isn't functioning as it should right now. Please, if you know my name, tell me."
The frown on the blondie only deepened. "Dude, you're the only one in this entire gathering who has his name stamped on his clothes. Funny how you're still the only one asking."
Saying this, he scoffed and returned his attention to Miranda on the podium. The upset expression on his face quickly vanished and turned into a lovely smile.
"A name stamped on clothes?"
Dorian brought his head down to observe his shirt. His eyes widened as he saw a small rectangular badge on his chest pocket with the name — Dorian Blackwood.
A name that never appeared in the novel... and also the name he bore on Earth.
"This..." His frustration only grew worse upon this realization. "I am an unwritten character, an extra."
In the first two chapters, during Miranda's speech, an event would occur that took the lives of more than seventy percent of the background characters — which he, unfortunately, was part of.
He sweated even more profusely, shivering intensely.
He realized he had to act, else his death trap would be inevitable.
So he ran, straight toward the raised podium like a madman, pushing others aside, causing a small commotion that quickly drew the attention of Miranda and Instructor Gravis, who turned to look in his direction with deep frowns.
Great! I've drawn their attention!
"Instructor Gravis! Miss Miranda! You both need to get ready — something's coming! This place will be attacked any moment now!"
Albeit, he was already too late.
The sky went dark in an instant. The sun disappeared and was replaced with a dark purple ball of light that blasted a gloomy glow over the world.
The peace that had settled over the gathering shattered in an instant.
Just then, the sky grumbled as lightning sparked.
A single bolt of lightning flashed down from the sky, straight toward the gathering, and with clean precision — like the handiwork of a divine archer honed over aeons — it struck Dorian.
His body exploded with electrifying pain, his vision blackened in an instant.
[ You've died ]