Chapter 01 : Ethan Voss, the Expendable.
The memories came like a second read-through of a book you wrote drunk.
Fragmented. Out of order. But familiar enough that Kang Jiwon could fill the gaps himself, because he'd been the one who invented them.
Ethan Voss, second son of the middling Voss merchant family. Admitted to Vaelmoor Academy on a legacy scholarship that his father had purchased rather than earned. D-rank mana aptitude — barely above civilian grade. Too proud to admit it, too scared to be seen trying.
'I wrote him to be pathetic,' Jiwon thought, buttoning the uniform jacket. 'A cautionary tale. The kind of side character who makes the protagonist look better by contrast.'
He caught his reflection in the small mirror above the washbasin. Sharp jaw. Tired grey eyes. A mouth set in a permanent almost-sneer — the kind of face that read as arrogance from a distance, which was exactly why he'd chosen it. Minor villains needed to look punchable at introduction.
'You looked punchable, Ethan. I'm sorry about that too.'
He turned away from the mirror and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling up everything the Author's Perspective skill would give him.
[ Passive Skill · Author's Perspective [Unique]]
[RANK ········ Undefined (Origin: World-Author)]
[EFFECT ······ Grants perception of narrative roles, plot trajectories,death flags, and hidden character parameters.]
[EFFECT ······ Allows detection of System-class anomalies in other characters.]
[⚠ Note: Skill operates on original manuscript. Unwrittenplot sections will appear as [UNDEFINED REGION].]
There it was. The gift and the curse. He could see the narrative bones of this world — but only as far as he had written it. Crimson Era had 340 chapters, which covered roughly the first two years of the Academy arc and the beginning of the Great Fracture war. After that: nothing. Blank. His own creative failure, now a literal blind spot in his survival map.
'I have until chapter 340's events to figure out what happens next. That's... actually quite a lot of time.'
He checked the date. First day of the Autumn Term. Crimson Era, Chapter One.
The opening event of the entire series was about to occur approximately as he counted for four hours.
In the original story: Ethan Voss spots Leon Ashford getting assigned to D-class (the system's standard "hiding the chosen one's power" move), decides this is an insult to his merchant-noble status, and publicly demands Leon be removed.
Leon responds with a calm one-liner Ethan escalates. Leon demonstrates his real power level by barely moving and Ethan goes flying into a pillar.
'I wrote that scene in one sitting. I was proud of it. Leon looked so cool.'
'I hate Past Me.'
[ Death Flag Detected · Flag #1]
[EVENT ······· "First Confrontation with Protagonist"]
[LOCATION ···· Main Hall, Vaelmoor Academy — 09:00]
[OUTCOME ····· Ethan Voss publicly humiliated. Enmity locked in.]
[LONG-TERM ··· Leads to Ch.10 death. Probability: 87%→ AVOID.]
Do not attend the Main Hall event.Simple enough. Don't go to the Main Hall at nine. Skip the scene entirely. Eat breakfast somewhere quiet. Let Leon be Leon without Ethan's convenient cameo as a punching bag.
He stood, straightened his jacket, and opened his door.
The corridor was already crowded with first-years anxious, buzzing, carrying the collective nervous energy of a cohort who had no idea that a catastrophic monster breach would destroy the east wing in chapter seven.
Jiwon scanned faces automatically, the Author's Perspective flickering labels above each one like subtitles.
[ Support Character — Survives ].
[ Background — Role: Crowd ].
[ Secondary Character — Late Bloomer Arc Ch.80 ].
He turned left toward the quieter west corridor, toward the small student dining room that barely appeared in the novel ,a location so minor he hadn't even named it and was halfway there when someone grabbed his arm.
"Voss." The voice was sharp and flat. "Main Hall. Now. Everyone from the legacy intake is gathering."
Jiwon turned.
The student gripping his sleeve was slim, dark-haired, with the kind of bone structure that suggested old money and a short temper.
The Author's Perspective placed a label above him immediately, flickering like a warning sign:
[ Named Character · Cassian Marre ]
[Ethan's Social Anchor — Ch.3 to Ch.9 · Dies Ch.10 ]
'Oh no.'
'I forgot about Cassian.'
Cassian Marre. Ethan's only real companion in the original story.
A boy from a collapsed noble house who'd latched onto Ethan because they were both, in their own ways, pretending to be more than they were.
In the original narrative, Jiwon had used him as a prop — someone for Ethan to look impressive in front of, someone to mourn Ethan's death briefly before being written out himself three pages later.
He was looking at Jiwon now with the impatient expression of someone who had no idea he was scheduled to die in chapter ten.
"Well?" Cassian said. "Are you coming or not?"
Jiwon looked at the path to the west dining hall. I looked at Cassian. Looked at the very-avoidable Death Flag sitting in the Main Hall four corridors away.
'I wrote this boy to die. I used him as furniture. And now he's standing in front of me asking if I'm coming to the exact event that starts the chain reaction that kills us both.'
He exhaled through his nose.
'I am not going to let chapter ten happen.'
"Change of plans," Jiwon said, in Ethan's voice, which was slightly smoother than his own. "We're not going to the Main Hall."
Cassian stared. "What? The whole cohort is—"
"The whole cohort is going to watch a D-rank scholarship student embarrass someone twice his level and then act surprised when it doesn't go well." He plucked Cassian's hand off his sleeve, almost gently. "I have better things to do with my morning."
He turned and kept walking west.
A pause. Then footsteps behind him.
"...You're strange today, Voss," Cassian said, falling into step.
Jiwon almost smiled 'You have no idea.'
← To be Continued →