Far away from the safe lands of the Four Empires,
in an unknown place—
Inside a vast hall, seven pillars rose dozens of meters high, supporting the towering ceiling.
Shadows occupied the corners of the majestic chamber, while strands of light slipped through, drawing glowing threads in the air.
Everything looked imposing, as if it had been crafted by higher beings.
At the center of the hall stood a round table, surrounded by seven thrones.
Most of them were empty—only three were occupied.
Three figures, concealed by mist, sat around the table as silence filled the hall.
But the silence did not last forever.
"It seems the others won't be coming," one of them spoke, his voice echoing through the chamber.
Another sighed. "That annoying one is still absent, even though he confirmed he would attend this time."
The third spoke, "I wish he wouldn't come. The meeting would be better without him."
In the next moment, all the shadows in the hall distorted and began to move on their own, as a fourth figure appeared before one of the empty thrones.
A smile formed behind the mist. "It seems these old hags are talking behind my back as usual."
With those words, he sat down, leaned back against the throne, and without any hesitation, raised his legs and placed them on the table.
Silence spread through the hall once more, but this time it was thick with tension.
The three looked at the fourth as if they might attack him at any moment, while he showed no sign of concern.
"That rude shadow," one of them spoke, her voice clearly indicating she was a woman.
The shadow laughed at her words. "Thank you."
She gritted her teeth. "I'm not flattering you."
"Alright, let's stop here before things escalate. And you—why did you decide to show up today all of a sudden?" spoke the man sitting to the woman's left.
The shadow slowly raised a finger and pointed at the man. "Because of you. I heard that one of your laboratories vanished in an instant… so I'm here because I'm curious about what happened."
He didn't hide the amusement in his voice.
At his words, the others turned toward the man. It was clear they were curious as well.
The man sighed. "The reactor core exploded and wiped out everything there… so no evidence remains of what happened."
"Weren't you conducting human experiments there? So isn't it possible that one of the experiments went out of control?" the woman asked.
The man nodded. "That's possible, especially since the main headquarters received no communication indicating external interference."
"Do you have the data from those experiments?" the shadow asked.
"No. The data was stored only in that laboratory… but just before communication was cut off, a message arrived from there titled 'Experiment 01,'" he said, emphasizing the last words.
"And its contents?" the woman asked.
"Nothing. Just the title, as if the transmission stopped the moment it began," the man replied.
"And what do you know about this experiment?" This time, it was the shadow who spoke.
"Not much. Just that he was a young man who showed astonishing results, according to what the lead researcher of that laboratory reported," the man answered, his tone devoid of emotion.
The shadow's smile deepened. "So what's the chance that he tried to escape and destroyed the place along the way? I mean, if it were me, I'd try to do the same."
He seemed oddly pleased with his own speculation.
"It's not impossible, but it's also not very likely given all the security measures there," the man agreed.
The shadow laughed, ignoring the looks from the others.
"Hehehe… 01. This is getting interesting."
Then he looked up at the ceiling and murmured, "I want to see him… if he's still alive."
...
I rested my chin on my hand as I watched the scenery continuously change outside the train window.
But in the next moment, a cold shiver ran up my spine, and I nearly jumped out of my seat.
"Someone must be talking about me," I muttered, glancing around the compartment I was in.
It was a second-class train compartment.
After obtaining my identification card from the Red Eye, I opened an official bank account and transferred all the remaining money I had into it—not much, really, about thirteen thousand.
After that, I bought a second-class train ticket. To where?
Of course, to the Axis.
I stared at my phone, focusing on today's date.
Registrations had started a while ago, and only two days remained before the entrance exam registration closed.
It's worth noting that anyone—nobles or commoners alike—can take the exam as long as they meet the basic criteria, such as age and being awakened.
However, only 400 of those who pass are accepted each year.
For me, passing the exam wasn't the problem—but the fee that had to be paid afterward was.
One million credit points…
An absurd amount of money. If I had time, I could have gathered it—but unfortunately, I don't.
Which leaves me with only one option.
Getting first place, and being exempt from all fees.
In truth, I was planning to take first place anyway… but now I truly need it.
I thought about what I would have to face to reach where I wanted to go.
Naturally, the protagonist of the story and the one who would take first place… along with the main characters who occupied the top ranks.
But why does something feel slightly off?
Aren't I supposed to be the villain in this story?
Isn't it supposed to be the hero who goes on a journey, challenges hardships despite poverty and suffering, enters the Axis, achieves his goals, and builds his character—
While I'm supposed to be the rich noble's son, holding the keys to every back door, never having to go through all these annoying struggles?
I sighed as I leaned back into my comfortable seat. "There's definitely something wrong with this world."
[The train has arrived at its final station. Passengers are requested to prepare to disembark.]
The announcement pulled me out of my childish thoughts.
I felt the train slow down before coming to a complete stop.
I stood up from my seat. "Finally, we've arrived."
I stretched slightly before heading toward the exit, which opened automatically—just like the doors for the other passengers, most of whom were around my age… probably here for the same reason.
When I stepped outside, I saw no houses or buildings—only a massive wall stretching to the horizon in both directions. Ahead of me stood a gigantic gate, toward which countless young men and women were heading.
I remembered the characters that awaited behind that gate.
I smiled as I walked with the crowd inside.
"Let's see how fighting the main characters will turn out."