But by the time I reached the auditorium, the students were already coming out.
Looks like the entrance ceremony has ended.
I thought I could mingle with the crowd and avoid being noticed that I didn't attend the ceremony, but—
"Are you Kael Ashford?"
A teacher immediately spotted me.
He had a stern appearance, his robes trimmed in deep navy blue.
I knew I was in deep trouble.
"How can you be late on the first day of school?"
He asked.
I wanted to answer, Because I didn't know there was an Entrance Ceremony, because I just transmigrated, and I've been trying to figure out what's happening and what I'm supposed to do.
Well, there was no way I could say any of that.
"I—I'm really sorry, Professor! I overslept."
The most basic excuse a student could give.
"You better not make this a habit!"
The professor warned, arms crossed.
"I'll let you off with a warning this time, but next time, there will be consequences."
Although he looked stern, he seemed like the lenient type—someone who didn't want to be too harsh.
He also had a photo of me. The other teachers nearby had one too.
Perhaps they were planning to search for me, thinking something might have happened?
"Yes, sir. Thank you!"
I thanked him—whether it was for not punishing me or for the concern he showed, I wasn't sure.
After that, I looked around at the crowd of students chatting and walking together.
Many of them already seemed to have formed groups or knew each other.
I glanced at myself and thought: this body… doesn't have any friends.
The evidence?
No one came to get me for the Entrance Ceremony.
If he had friends, surely someone would have knocked on his door.
Even his smartwatch had a contact list that was completely empty.
Like, seriously—doesn't this guy have any social life? He doesn't even have one person's number saved.
"Wasn't Edwin amazing? Ah! As expected of a genius—he is just on another level from us!"
I overheard a nearby conversation—and instantly froze.
(Edwin!)
There was no way I didn't know that name.
If I wasn't sure before, I am now.
This world was really Savior's Dawn.
And this… this was the very beginning of the novel—when the protagonist Edwin first enters Arcadia Academy.
And I was in the same first year as him.
(Damn it!)
I might've figured out where I'd transmigrated, but I wasn't happy about it.
Savior's Dawn wasn't some cheerful school-life story.
No, it was the complete opposite.
And being one of Edwin's classmates? That meant I had a 99% chance of being killed before graduation.
In the novel, Edwin constantly got into dangerous situations—and his classmates suffered along with him.
By the time he graduated, nearly all of them were already buried six feet under.
And me? I'd never even killed a fish before.
There was no way I could survive in this kind of insane world.
I might not even make it through the prologue—much less the next five years, when the real war begins and destruction spreads everywhere.
The main characters would survive.
But me?
Kael Ashford!
It wasn't the name of a side character either. That meant he is a complete extra—just one of Edwin's classmates who dies.
There is a 99% chance that this character dies.
"Just why?"
Why was I transmigrated into this world—where extras like me get disposed of every few chapters?
(Should I just run away?)
That might be a good idea. At least I wouldn't die right away.
Though even that might not save me—once the war breaks out three years from now, not even leaving Arcadia would guarantee survival.
(What should I do? What should I do?)
"Kael Ashford!"
Just as I stood frozen in confusion, contemplating my fate, I heard someone yell my name.
(Huh? Does this guy actually have friends?)
I blinked. I'd been convinced this guy had no connections in the academy.
Moreover, the voice was definitely that of a girl.
I turned toward the sound, blinking in surprise.
Two girls stood out from the crowd—so striking that the other students around them seemed to fade into the background, like the world had dimmed just to highlight their presence.
One had short, black hair, and her golden amber eyes were burning with intensity.
Her soft, serious expression had sharpened into something more dangerous—furious, even.
A slight frown tugged at her lips as she stormed toward me, and the way she glared could've melted steel.
I instinctively straightened my back.
The warm sunlight caught in her hair and eyes, casting her in a soft, golden glow—deepening the melancholic aura around her.
But all I could feel at that moment… was danger.
Beside her stood someone who looked like she'd stepped out of a storybook.
She had long, wavy platinum blonde hair, with a single braid tucked behind one ear.
Her soft silver-gray eyes blinked with innocent curiosity, and a faint blush colored her pale cheeks.
Delicate. Doll-like.
She seemed like the kind of person you'd hesitate to touch, afraid she might disappear.
(Was it them?)
I wondered if one of them had been the one to call my name.
Before I could figure it out, the short-haired girl stormed right up to me, eyes practically searing through my soul.
I thought that she was going to slap me in the face.
"Elysia, what's wrong? Do you know him?"
The blonde girl asked, concerned in her voice.
A confused look crossed her face as her gaze shifted back and forth between her friend and me.
It was confirmed that the one who yelled his name was the one giving him the death glare.
(Did I do something? Wait! Elysia?)
Elysia!
I immediately recognized the name.
The main heroine of Savior's Dawn—the one destined to save the world alongside Edwin.
The description matched her perfectly.
(Then… she must be Cecilia!)
The soft-spoken girl beside her.
She looked exactly like I'd imagined when I read the novel… no, even more beautiful.
There was no mistaking it now.
These two were main characters.