I Became the Terminally Ill Character in My Friend’s Academy Novel – Chapter 1

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

The Holy Sword Hero of the Academy. That was the web novel my friend was serializing. It was shockingly unpopular and was currently on hiatus.

Honestly, it wasn’t just not fun. No, it went beyond that. It made you wonder if the author was deliberately trying to pick a fight with the readers. It was more accurate to describe it as a depressing, frustrating story, full of angst and with almost no catharsis.

And even then, it wasn’t even an utterly depressing story. Despite the protagonist being overpowered and ridiculously competent, his inherent personality led to mostly frustrating situations.

Because of this half-baked approach, it failed to satisfy anyone’s tastes.

Well, the novel failing or being terribly depressing might not have been a big problem. If I hadn’t been transmigrated and dragged into the novel like a protagonist of a cliché possession story, that is!

-5 minutes 5 seconds until the main quest begins.-

“This is crazy. Shit.”

Although it was a bit better than before, my head was still dizzy and my memory still hazy, so I couldn’t clearly remember what I had been doing until yesterday.

But no matter how much I thought about it, I was sure I hadn’t done anything that would lead to something like, “I woke up inside my friend’s failed novel?!”

No, this wasn’t the time for such thoughts.

This hopeless novel didn’t start with a bright and cheerful atmosphere. Specifically, in the prologue during the academy entrance ceremony, a large number of cadets died.

-Some envied the two boys on the podium while others blessed them. But none of them anticipated the tragedy that was about to unfold.

A sentence from the novel suddenly came to my mind.

Tragedy.

It was a simple word, but its insane content, where about 20% of the new students died right at the start due to a terrorist attack targeting them, wasn’t pleasant to read. Now, as I was facing it myself, it was so despairing that I wanted to wring my friend’s neck.

I had to pull myself together.

There wasn’t enough time to wallow in despair.

If the protagonist finishes his greeting as a freshman representative, I would die for sure.

If I had possessed a main character, I could have at least tried to escape using their abilities, but as far as I could tell, I currently wasn’t in the body of a main character.

-The students near the left wall of the auditorium were killed in a sudden explosion without a chance to resist. But perhaps they were the lucky ones. They wouldn’t have to face the despair that followed.

Lucky ones my ass. What was so lucky about dying right away?

I turned my head and the left wall of the auditorium was still in view.

And it was still, with no exaggeration, within arm’s reach.

In other words, I was one of the many characters about to die.

Of course, considering the later developments, those who weren’t near the left wall weren’t necessarily safe either, but at least while I was here, death was certain.

Escaping the auditorium would be the surest way to survive, but according to the setting of this crazy novel, the academy, overconfident in its abilities before the incident, strictly prohibited any entry or exit during the ceremony.

Oh, and for the record, the reason they suffered a terrorist attack despite their supposedly ironclad security was, of course, because of a traitor inside!

As I actually tried to leave the ranks, a person who looked like a professor glared at me.

-4 minutes 7 seconds until the main quest begins.-

But what was I supposed to do when I was about to die….!

Of course, the calmer I stayed, the better.

There was a saying that even if you were caught in a tiger’s den, you could still survive if you kept your wits about you.

Considering the impending crisis, I needed to gather as much information as possible.

‘Status window.’

Just in case, I tried calling out the all-too-familiar phrase in my mind, but unfortunately, there was no response.

“…Status window.”

Just in case, I tried saying it out loud, but still nothing appeared before my eyes.

Damn it.

Honestly, I didn’t have much hope for it!

My friend, in the final stages of his “I’m so unique” syndrome, absolutely hated status windows appearing in novels!

I didn’t know why he liked the academy settings despite that, but whatever, it was his preference!

Suddenly, I felt a gaze and turned my head. The female student next to me, perhaps having heard my muttering, was looking at me with a rather strange expression.

I muttered very softly, but maybe she had some kind of hearing-related ability.

…This was incredibly embarrassing.

No, this wasn’t the time for this.

The protagonist’s speech was already nearing its end, meaning there wasn’t much time left before my head went flying.

But where there’s a will, there’s a way.

And if there wasn’t? Well, I’d make one.

How?

I’d just run.

Since everyone was lined up in neat rows and columns, the faculty watching from behind and the other students around me noticed my movement. But if I didn’t escape now, I would die. Who would care about their stares in this situation?

It pained me to deviate from my friend’s novel so early on, but I wasn’t about to die for the sake of preserving the original story.

Besides, with all the web novels I’ve read, none of the characters who worried about this stuff ever stuck to the original plot.

Honestly, I felt a bit guilty, but then again, he shouldn’t have written it this way in the first place.

Who told him to write a novel where I’d get transmigrated like this?

I tried to run, but I was caught by a professor after only a few steps.

Without a hint of surprise, he manipulated his tablet, sighed, and looked at me.

“What’s the matter, prospective cadet Kang So-hyun?”

Kang So-hyun.

Surprisingly, it was a name I’d seen in the character settings my friend showed me. No, it was a name I knew very well.

It wasn’t a particularly important character, but that bastard had put a few characters modeled after his friends in the novel, and among them, Kang So-hyun was the one based on me.

There were all sorts of details in the character settings, but the most memorable part was this:

-Kang So-hyun. The character who dies first after getting caught in the explosion in the prologue. Physically weak. Has a high-grade talent, but with strong penalties, making it practically useless.

That bastard.

Why even bother creating the setting then?

Why? To make fun of me, of course!

“No answer, prospective cadet? If you need to use the restroom, hold it in. The auditorium doors won’t open until the ceremony is over.”

Perhaps because similar incidents occurred every year despite the strict proceedings, he was openly treating me like a troublemaker.

But I wasn’t.

Having heard some of the surrounding students snickering at me, the professor’s expression darkened further.

“If you understand, return to your place. You should be grateful you’re not officially a cadet yet, so no points will be deducted from you.”

-2 minutes 50 seconds until the main quest begins.-

I was annoyed.

Of course, it was a natural reaction for the professor who didn’t know what was about to happen, but the sight of him unknowingly pushing people to their deaths didn’t sit well with me.

“There’s going to be a terrorist attack soon.”

I was a little surprised that a voice that wasn’t mine came out when I opened my mouth, but that wasn’t important right now.

“What?”

“A terrorist attack targeting the new students. There will be a huge explosion on the left outer wall, and monsters will invade through the collapsed area. The professors will be trapped by a pre-set trap by a traitor and a terrorist’s ability, forcing them to do nothing but watch as the students die.”

The professor was already looking at me like I was crazy, but there wasn’t a single lie in my words.

“I know there are many students who like to stand out, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen one cause such a commotion at the entrance ceremony. I’ll remember your name, so please just graduate quietly.”

Well, I understood his perspective.

What I just said was hard to believe.

They would proudly boast about their ironclad security, and with their long record of safety, there were hardly any who dared to challenge their claim anymore.

An attention-seeking freshman causing trouble was more plausible than a group attempting to terrorize the academy.

But that wasn’t a reason to put my life at risk.

“Let go.”

“Ha, now you’re talking back to an instructor. Just…”

“Shut up.”

My voice seemed to echo unusually loudly in the large auditorium.

“Can you take responsibility? Everyone can still live, but they’re all going to die because of your stupid stubbornness. It’s your responsibility. Of course, you can act like it wasn’t your fault, believing that they would have died regardless of your involvement. It’s your freedom to regret it for the rest of your life, wondering what would have happened if you had listened to that one student.”

-1 minute until the main quest begins.-

The people who had been looking at me with amusement started to frown, probably thinking I was going overboard.

I was used to it, but the fact that no one believed me was quite disgusting.

The professor glared at me.

But what was he going to do? I haven’t finished talking yet.

“But whether you get caught up in this or not is none of my business. So please, if you’re not going to be of any help, just shut up and stay put.”

My voice must have been louder than I thought because the freshman representative’s greeting had stopped. The professor’s face was filled with rage, probably thinking I was being impertinent.

“Sigh.”

In this vast auditorium, not a single gaze directed at me was favorable.

“Idiots. Just die then.”

“You…!”

As the professor yelled something, I looked at the dwindling timer.

-7 seconds until the main quest begins.-

Oh, I was screwed.

As the timer relentlessly ticked down and the remaining time disappeared, a huge explosion roared, and the left outer wall of the auditorium crumbled.

Thanks to the professor shielding me, I was able to avoid immediate death, but the other students probably weren’t so lucky.

It was a bitter thought. But as I looked at the gaping hole to see what monster would appear, surprisingly, there didn’t seem to be any fatalities, although there were some injured and collapsed individuals.

-First achievement acquired: Changing One’s Fate. You have survived a predetermined death.

A boy had blocked the explosion.

Lilac, the protagonist of the novel who should have been on the podium just a moment ago, was injured after neutralizing the impact of the explosion.

Huh? Why?

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

The students were supposed to get caught in the explosion, and the professors were supposed to be separated from the students, unable to penetrate the trap set by one of the terrorists and the barrier used by the traitor. To make matters worse, the protagonist was supposed to reveal his talent and try to stop the monsters only after they appeared.

However, aside from most of the professors being isolated, many things were different now.

First, the professor holding me was outside the barrier, and although the protagonist was injured from blocking the explosion, no one had died.

As I stood there bewildered, the protagonist suddenly looked at me and waved.

Wait, could it be that this guy…

“Hey! Thank you!”

The gazes that had been focused on the protagonist who blocked the explosion shifted back to me.

Seriously?

He believed me just like that and ran all the way to here from the podium?

I was grateful that he believed me, but now that he actually did it, I wondered if he was crazy.

What if I had just been a crazy attention-seeker?

Well, in the original novel, his personality was the source of endless frustration for the readers.

He was the poster child for those who believed in the inherent goodness of humanity.

Anyway, was everything alright now?

It was at that moment.

This damned fictional world, as if inheriting the author’s personality, seemed determined not to let things go so smoothly.

-Confirmed the change in original plot and casualties. The subsequent event will be intensified to correct the deviation.-

-The appearing monster, a lower-class enhanced Orc, will be significantly strengthened by the Creator’s power.-

What kind of nonsense was this? Readers these days don’t like this kind of thing.

Before I could finish my thought, a giant fist emerged from the hole created by the explosion and sent the protagonist flying.

He seemed to have blocked the attack with his sword, but since he was already injured, he probably couldn’t completely deflect the damage.

“What’s this…?”

The instructor who was still holding onto me didn’t move and just stupidly muttered nonsense.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh?”

“Do you really want to see everyone die without helping?”

“No, no. Right! I’ll ask you about this later!”

Ask me later, my ass.

But it should be alright now, right?

A so-called academy instructor wouldn’t lose to a slightly powered-up Orc.

-Also confirmed the presence of a helper who originally couldn’t intervene.-

Oh, for fuck’s sake, stop playing around. It’s not funny. Readers don’t like this kind of development.

-Deploying one additional Orc.-

Stop screwing around, please, I beg you.

Lilac was an overpowered protagonist, but he was also a growth-type protagonist. He might be able to handle a single powered-up monster if he was in perfect condition, but it was uncertain whether he could do so after being injured while blocking the explosion.

Moreover, given his personality, it was obvious he’d try to protect all the other students and be put on the defensive as a result.

The instructor wasn’t losing, but for whatever reason, he wasn’t overwhelmingly defeating the Orc either.

The students were in a state of chaos, trying to get away from the monster, but their escape route was blocked by something similar to the barrier that trapped the professors.

Oh, were we really doomed?

At that moment.

“Perfect.”

Cheon Yoo-hak, the other protagonist, pulled out his weapon, a spear, and thrust it towards the Orc that was pushing Lilac back.

What was this now?

Cheon Yoo-hak, you weren’t the type to help people, were you?

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

T/N – Dang, dude. That’s one nasty friend he has, making a character modeled after him for his novel only to immediately kill said character in the prologue. Coupled with this overseeing system making things difficult for the MC, I don’t blame the guy for wanting to choke the life out of his friend. I would too, if I was in his shoes.

If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.