A massive auditorium filled with thousands of people watching the center stage, where someone was stepping up — the number one cadet from the Military Academy, Kim Suho.
"Is that Kim Suho? He's pretty handsome."
"Do you think I'll be in the same class as him?"
Several women, among cadets, civilians, and heroes, admired Kim Suho.
"… That's why people say the Gift is all that matters. Who cares if you work hard? People like him always end up in first place."
"That guy just got lucky with his Gift."
Some young men spewed venomous jealousy toward Kim Suho.
The crowd kept talking so much that it could almost make someone deaf, but I didn't really care about what they were saying.
"This is kind of weird."
"Hey, Lucien... You hate him too, right?"
"What? Are you talking to me?"
"Obviously. Who else would be the only dumb-looking Lucien around?"
"Lucien..."
"Did you hit your head or something?"
Next to me was a chubby young man with brown hair. I glanced at the nameplate in his hand — it read 'Choi Minjae' — a name I didn't recognize.
"An extra..."
"What did you say?"
I pulled an ID badge from my pocket that read 'Lucien Cross', which made me realize I didn't recognize that name either.
"What a joke."
I laughed a little, knowing where I was and how absurd it all seemed.
A while back, I started reading a webnovel called The Novel's Extra. It was about an author who had written a story called The Returnee Hero. He put it on hiatus, unsure how to continue it, until one day he got an email inviting him to remake it. Upon accepting, he was trapped inside his own work and had to finish the story by living through it to return to his world.
"Kim Suho and Shin Jonghak — those are names from that world… but which world is this? The Novel's Extra or The Returnee Hero?"
Just then, Shin Jonghak stepped up as the second-place cadet in the military academy, which was odd. Everyone began praising him as if it were normal for him to be so strong.
Though the guy next to me kept cursing him too.
"Why do all the top guys have those pretty-boy faces? Can't even one of them be ugly?"
He seemed more pissed about their looks than their Gifts.
If Kim Hajin felt like a speck of dust, how was I supposed to feel when I didn't even have his knowledge?
"I'm in a pretty complicated situation."
I laughed a bit nervously, knowing what was waiting for me.
*****
After the graduation ceremony from the Academy, I went to an address I had written in my pocket — which I found odd, but at least it told me where I lived.
It was a small apartment among several buildings in Korea. The place barely had lighting, the walls were cracked, and the floor was damaged from moving furniture around.
"This is terrible. How long did he live here?"
I started checking every corner of the apartment, trying to find anything about Lucien Cross's past — since I'd never heard that name mentioned once in The Novel's Extra.
"Absolutely nothing... It's weird that someone would just leave their things out like this."
I looked at a small desk with a laptop sitting on it, so I opened it and saw that the password was written on a piece of paper nearby.
"Was this body forgetful?"
I turned it on and began checking through it.
I searched everything on the laptop to find out who I was now.
Lucien Cross, originally from England, moved at the age of five with a family "friend" and lived there until he joined the Military Academy.
"And that's it? There's nothing else?"
I kept digging until I found access to Violet Banquet.
"This can't be normal."
Violet Banquet — the most famous site in the world, functioning as a platform for exchanging information, weapons, requests, bounties, etc.
"Seeing something like that on this laptop worries me a bit… How much money do I have?"
To be part of Violet Banquet, you need to pay a large sum — meaning you must be wealthy.
"I doubt I have that much."
I checked the bank account — roughly $10,000.
"That's a lot for someone who doesn't seem to have any family left."
I checked the emails, but nothing stood out — only a message saying that Cube classes would start in two weeks, meaning I was enrolled too.
"Ten thousand dollars… How did he even afford Cube's tuition?"
Cube — a massive island in the East Sea that serves as a Hero Academy.
"No debts, no messages from people demanding money, nothing. Who is this Lucien? Or was he just a character created for me to possess?"
I leaned back, staring at the worn-out ceiling.
"I don't get any of this. He has money, no contacts, got into Cube, no debt… and worst of all, I still don't know if I'm in The Novel's Extra or The Returnee Hero."
If I were in The Novel's Extra, I'd know most of the plot. But if this was The Returnee Hero, I'd be in trouble — things would be different, especially without Kim Hajin.
"Well, the only thing I can do now is..."
I threw myself onto the filthy bed, only to feel something jab into my back.
"I don't know why I thought it would be soft."
Pain shot through my back, making me wonder how Lucien even got into Cube while sleeping on something like that.
"None of this makes sense. Why am I here?"
The last thing I remember before coming to this world was being on a crowded train. Then everything went dark, and the next moment, I was here.
"Did I die and reincarnate here? Or was I transported into this body in this world?"
Without answers, I tried to settle down and rest.
"This body... What weapon did it use? What Gift does it have? What's its past? Why am I here?"
Trying to figure out what was going on or how I'd survive in this new world, I fell into a deep sleep.