When I finally stepped into the classroom, almost all the students had already arrived.
I'd hoped to slip in quietly, sit at the back, and figure out how to survive in a school designed for future war heroes.
Although I knew what would happen in the future, it wasn't exactly guaranteed that it would unfold the same way—especially now that I was here.
Moreover, there was no way I was going to just sit quietly and let the story play out as normal.
After all, if that happened, 90% of these students would die—with a high chance of me being one of them.
Perhaps I was one of those extra characters who died in the first year.
Considering I hadn't heard the name Kael Ashford even once in the novel, that was a pretty solid possibility.
In any case, Kael Ashford was definitely an extra meant to die sooner or later—and I had to do everything I could to prevent that.
The moment I walked in, the noise didn't stop.
A few heads turned toward me, but they quickly lost interest. Just a nobody.
Students had already formed their groups, and I knew I'd missed the ideal window to make friends.
Well, I didn't think too much about it.
Maybe it was even better this way. No one would suspect anything strange about me possessing Kael Ashford.
Though that also meant it'd be harder to gather information about myself.
Still, it was already obvious who was popular and who wasn't—just based on the clusters of people around certain individuals.
One person stood out more than anyone.
The main hero!
Edwin Leonhart.
Just like in the novel's prologue.
Tall. Sharp. Regal without even trying.
His golden hair looked like it belonged in a shampoo commercial, and his uniform was tailored so perfectly it had to be enchanted.
And of course, he had the aura of someone who'd just walked out of legend.
Not to mention the group of students already orbiting around him like moons caught in his gravity.
(Damn! Is he an idol?)
It was surreal seeing him in person. Like a movie character stepping into real life.
Except in this movie, I was the background extra who gets stabbed by goblins in the first thirty minutes.
He was everything the book described—and more.
Effortlessly charismatic.
Confident without being cocky.
The kind of guy who made the world believe he deserved to be its savior.
And he wasn't the only one glowing.
I scanned the room and found Elysia and Cecilia sitting near the front.
Elysia looked a little off from how she was described in the novel.
She gave off this tense, dangerous aura—not the bright, noble charm I'd expected.
But then again, not everything described in a book had to match reality. And maybe she was just having a rough morning?
Cecilia, on the other hand, gave me a small, polite smile when she noticed me.
(That smile could cure diseases...)
She was every bit the gentle, kind soul the novel described. More like a saintess than the actual Saintess.
Beside them was Jin Halden—full of energy, wearing a cocky grin like he was born to be a shounen protagonist.
Of course, that role had already been filled by Edwin Leonhart, the actual protagonist of Savior's Dawn.
Still, they were all here—some of the most important characters in the story.
The ones guaranteed to survive no matter what hell the world threw at them.
And here I was—Kael Ashford.
A guy who'd go unnoticed by readers even if my name was mentioned.
"Oh, he died? Anyway, who was he?"
That kind of character.
Well, no point getting upset about being transmigrated as an extra. The main characters didn't exactly have easy lives either.
Constant threats. Constant battles. Near-death experiences. The kind of stress that could turn anyone into a caffeine addict.
Thud! Thud!
I made my way to the farthest, most out-of-the-way seat I could find—by the window, of course.
The classic loner spot.
I set my bag down and collapsed into the chair, resisting the urge to groan.
(This really is the start of the novel...)
All the key characters were present. Edwin, Elysia, Cecilia, Jin—future legends in the making.
Each one bursting with talents that broke the rules of common sense.
Each one vital to saving the world.
And then there was me—a guy who didn't even exist in the story.
A complete extra.
A nobody.
A death flag just waiting to be triggered.
(I need a plan!)
Just surviving the school year would be a miracle—let alone lasting all five years.
Because sooner or later, this class of prodigies would be tossed into hell.
And I'd read every arc of that hell.
Monster attacks. Betrayals. Political conspiracies. Endless casualties.
This academy wasn't a school—it was a survival game with bonus lectures.
If I wanted to live, I needed to avoid the main cast as much as possible.
Especially Edwin.
That guy attracted disaster like it was a part-time job.
Even standing near him could mean getting caught in a magical explosion or cursed by some ancient relic.
Sure, he would survive.
But the same couldn't be said for everyone around him.
If you weren't a main character, it was better to avoid Edwin entirely—because you wouldn't even know what killed you.
And Elysia?
Forget it.
The look she gave me earlier was enough to confirm one thing: she hated me.
Which was weird. Elysia wasn't the type to hate people for no reason.
Maybe she found Jin annoying, sure—but she was generally kind to her classmates.
So what was her problem with me?
Did I do something in the past that upset her?
I had no way of knowing. I didn't inherit Kael Ashford's memories.
But one thing was certain—I must've had some kind of encounter with Elysia.
And it definitely wasn't a good one.