[Rin's POV]
When I opened my eyes, everything was white.
A strong, sterile scent filled my nose.
Sniff—Sniff—
The sharp smell of medicine.
Wait… medicine?
Why the hell would there be medicine in the afterlife?
Panic surged through me as I jolted upright. My breath hitched, my body tensed—only for a sharp pain to shoot through me, forcing me back down onto the bed.
I blinked, my vision adjusting. White walls. A clean, crisp sheet covering me. The steady beep of a monitoring device somewhere nearby.
I wasn't dead.
I was in the infirmary.
What the hell happened…?
And in the next moment, something unimaginable happened.
"Ahhh—shit…! This hurts like hell!"
Pain exploded through my body, raw and unforgiving.
It was unbearable. Every nerve in my body …screamed, as if my very soul was on fire.
My arms twitched.
My legs felt like lead.
My insides churned, twisted, writhed beneath my skin like something unnatural had taken root and refused to let go.
I bit down on my lip to keep from screaming—but even that small motion sent another wave of agony crashing through my skull.
"—Nngh…!"
Honestly, I thought depleting my Primal Qi would kill me.
After all, I knew that in the novel, Rin Evans' body was too weak to withstand the backlash of his talent. The moment he overused it, his body would shut down completely.
And yet…
I was still alive.
Somehow, …this body held on.
Barely.
My vision swam, my limbs felt like lead, and each breath came with a stab of pain—but I was breathing. My heart was still beating.
The backlash had hit me like a truck, no doubt about it. But I hadn't died.
That alone defied the rules the author had written.
Maybe it was because I had only partially activated Enhancement… or maybe it was because I wasn't just Rin Evans anymore.
I clenched my jaw as the pain flared again, but this time, I didn't scream.
This wasn't just Rin's body anymore. It was mine. And I was going to figure out exactly what I could do with it.
I lay there for what felt like an eternity, body shaking, breath ragged. The pain eventually dulled to a more tolerable level, but just as I started to relax—
A voice echoed in my mind.
A voice I had heard before.
—The Owner didn't like the changes in his world —
My eyes widened.
—You have have committed Sin according to Owner —
My heart pounded.
A cold sweat ran down my spine.
—As punishment you must lead the world to a more complete ending.—
…What?
What the hell did that mean?
Seriously, this whole situation was turning into some cosmic joke.
Me? Lead the story?
The same story where I was supposed to die in the prologue for laughs?
I would've laughed—if I wasn't too busy trying not to pass out from the pain.
Still, that voice…
It wasn't just in my head. It wasn't a hallucination. It felt real. Like something had reached beyond the veil of reality to shove this responsibility into my hands.
And just like that, a system window popped up.
A glowing screen—translucent, faintly blue—floated before my eyes.
> You have disrupted a predetermined narrative event.
The timeline has shifted.
—"Protagonist Death Flag: Prevented."
—"Support Character Value: Recalculated."
New Role Assigned: Catalyst
Objective: Guide this world to a new, complete ending.
—Failure to comply will result in reality collapse.
My throat went dry.
Reality collapse?
Like boom, lights out, game over?
"What the hell is wrong with this world…" I muttered, dragging a hand over my face.
I let my head fall back against the pillow, The sterile ceiling stared back at me as the system window faded, leaving only silence.
Catalyst.
Not protagonist. Not villain. Not some third-rate extra to die for a cheap emotional hook.
Catalyst.
A spark.
Something—or someone—that sets everything into motion.
I wanted to laugh. I really did.
Was this supposed to be an upgrade? A demotion? Divine punishment? Or maybe just a cosmic middle finger?
"New complete ending, huh…" I whispered to myself.
And then it hit me.
This world… wasn't just a story anymore.
It was alive.
Breathing. Changing.
All because I had the audacity to do something different—to break the script.
I turned my head slightly, ignoring the twinge in my neck. Outside the window, I could see the faint light of morning creeping through the blinds.
The aftermath of the duel must have passed. The arena, the fortress, everything—it was probably being cleaned up. Or studied. Or buried.
And Ryen…
My thoughts paused.
I hadn't seen him since everything went white.
Was he okay?
He had poured everything into me—into Judgement. And then Sanctum. Even with his talent, that wasn't something he should've survived without consequences.
My chest tightened.
Did he… make it?
I needed to know.
I tried to sit up again, slower this time. My body still screamed, but I bit down and forced myself to move.
My fingers twitched. Good.
Toes responded. Barely, but they did.
I swung my legs off the side of the bed, the cool tile biting against my bare feet.
Then I stood.
And promptly collapsed.
"Gah—! Shit!"
The fall was graceless. Loud. Painful.
I barely caught myself on the edge of the nightstand, the monitor beside me beeping like it was about to alert the entire world.
The door burst open.
"You're awake?!"
A voice I didn't know about.
The voice was soft but carried a note of relief.
I didn't know her but it's seems that she knows me.
She wore glasses, and her long, grey hair was tied neatly into two braids.
An awkward silence filled the room.
I couldn't help but wonder—why exactly was she here?
To see me? That much was obvious.
But the real question was why?
I cleared my throat, deciding to break the silence first.
"Hey, Sorry for asking this but who are you?"
The girl straightened slightly, as if she had been waiting for me to speak.
"Ah, yes. My name is Aria Collins. It's nice to meet you."
She gave a polite smile, introducing herself with the kind of grace you'd expect from a professional.
Oh man, if some otaku saw this, they'd probably make her their goddess on the spot.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Rin Evans."
Since she introduced herself, I didn't really have much choice but to do the same.
Aria nodded. "I see. Then pardon me for asking, Mr. Rin Evans, but… do you remember what happened? You suddenly collapsed, and bought here."
"Yeah," I muttered, shifting uncomfortably under the sheets. "I remember. Mostly."
I left out the part about the voice in my head, the system window, and, you know, the threat of a collapsing reality.
Let's not jump straight into mental asylum territory.
Aria tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing just a bit behind those thick-rimmed glasses. She wasn't convinced.
Smart girl.
"Actually, like you I'm also a students that's going to join this academy."
I nodded my head without much interest.
"I have to say this year exam was pretty difficult."
"Compared to last year, they made it particularly hard but despite that many managed to pass."
"Also—"
God, she talks too much.
I wasn't in the mood for this. I tried giving her half-hearted replies, hoping she'd take the hint and leave me alone. But no, she just kept going, like she wouldn't stop until she got whatever it was she wanted from me.
With a sigh, I finally turned to face her.
"Aria Collins, right?" I said, cutting her off. "Can you just tell me why you came to see me? Because, honestly, I'm not in the right mood for a chat."