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Chapter 52 - 91

He had already decided—long before this moment—that he would go alone.

It wasn't because he was arrogant. In fact, he knew he was one of the weakest students in terms of power. But Kael had something no one else did:

Knowledge.

Knowledge of what was coming. Knowledge of the hidden traps, the ambushes that weren't mentioned, and the secret events that weren't supposed to happen—at least not to normal students.

These events were supposed to happen only to the original "main characters" of the story.

But Kael was not the main character. And yet, ever since he came to this world, things had started to shift.

So he made a choice.

He wouldn't risk joining a group and putting others in danger. He wouldn't let anyone interfere with the routes he needed to take—the paths he had memorized from the novel, the shortcuts, the rare item spawns, and the enemy patrols no one else knew existed.

He would move alone, using stealth, strategy, and traps to survive.

Kael walked back to his spot without drawing attention.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Elysia glance toward him. It was only for a second, but her gaze lingered just long enough to be noticed. Her expression was unreadable—perhaps surprised? Curious?

Cecelia also looked his way, though more concerned. Her lips curled slightly, not into a smile, but into something thoughtful—as if she wasn't expecting Kael to step up like that.

Neither of them said a word.

But their brief looks said enough: Kael was into something.

As the groups stood in quiet clusters, going over their plans, their formation orders, and what items to bring for the exam, the crowd stirred again.

Professor Sylvia walked through, "since some of you had formed groups, there will be no changes."

"You will depart at dawn tomorrow."

"Study your routes carefully. Prepare your equipment thoroughly."

"And remember—this test is not just a regular exam. It may decide your standing in this Academy... from this moment onward."

Her final words hung in the air like a heavy cloud. There were no more jokes or casual conversations after that.

For many, it was a turning point.

Later That Evening

As the light of the sun dipped below the Arcadia Academy, the campus began to settle into a quiet hum.

The excitement from the earlier group gathering had faded, and students were now returning to their dorms, some in loud clusters, and other those who were days scholars went home.

And Kael moved through the corridor of the first-year dormitory. A few students passed by him, chatting among themselves, but no one spoke to him. No greetings. No nods. Just brief glances before they turned back to their conversations.

Kael didn't greet either.

Finally reaching his room, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. A single desk, a neatly-made bed, a shelf stacked with a few basic supplies and borrowed books from the library.

He closed the door gently behind him, shutting out the noise of the academy.

Kael walked over to his desk and sat down. He pulled open the top drawer and took out a folded piece of paper—thin, worn at the edges, with tiny creases from how many times he had studied it.

He carefully unfolded it and laid it flat on the wooden surface.

It was a map.

A hand-drawn sketch of the midterm testing grounds.

A map that he had drawn by himself.

Using every memory he could recall from the novel he had read, the very novel that had brought him to this world, Kael had drawn this map from scratch.

He had spent nights piecing it together from fragmented memories—remembering how it had been described, where beasts had appeared, where heroes had fallen, and where hidden dangers had quietly claimed their points.

It wasn't perfect. But it was close.

Lines crisscrossed the paper, some faint and some bold. Arrows pointed in directions certain characters would take. Circles marked known locations—beast nests, abandoned shrines, poisoned ponds, mana wells.

And now, in the fading light of his room, Kael picked up a pencil and started adding something new.

Red Xs.

"This area," he murmured under his breath, marking a jagged path between two cliffs, "a hidden trap gets triggered on the second day. It only appears if someone steps here while injured."

He moved the pencil to another location near a fallen tree sketched in faint graphite.

"That path... the mutated beast appears here by the second morning. Too strong for most first-years. Most of it won't come near it."

Another X went over a narrow stream branching off the main trail.

"This corner... It becomes a temporary safe zone... but only if I get there before noon on the second day. Timing is everything."

He leaned back for a moment, studying the map as a whole.

To anyone else, it would just look like a mess of lines and marks.

While the rest of the students were strategizing in groups, reviewing the terrain with vague maps, or enjoying dinner and laughter with their teammates, Kael prepared alone.

He didn't have powerful magic to rely on. And unlike the others, he couldn't afford to make a single mistake.

Because Kael knew something they didn't.

This exam was only the beginning.

He wasn't trying to pass an exam.

He was trying to survive a story he was never meant to be a part of.

A story where background characters like him never made it out alive.

And so at that night Kael took a huge amount of food and slept early to get fully rested.

The Next Morning

The sun was just rising when the students gathered at the southern terminal gate—the designated starting point for the first-year midterm exam.

There were twelve official groups, each organized and ready. A few solo students stood off to the side, keeping to themselves. Everyone was dressed in equipment that suited their personal fighting styles:

Agile students wore light leather armor, meant for speed and mobility.

Frontline fighters had heavier gear like chainmail or reinforced armor.

Spellcasters were draped in enchanted robes, their bodies protected by glowing runes.

Many had special gear—mystical gauntlets, magical pendants, scrolls tucked into belts, and colorful potions strapped to their sides.

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