For a minute, Alex didn’t move and just sat there, thinking.

According to Villian’s Ascension, he was on an Earth that had been upgraded because of the mana seeping through the gates connecting to the realms beyond.

And on every first January, every 18-year-old entered Zyandra as a Player.

A few Players awakened talents that gave abilities that couldn’t be learned, and after three months of tutorial in the local server, they joined the other older players in the global server.

He went over the story, which had now become his reality, and surprisingly, it only took him a minute to remember the information he needed.

Normally, such a thing shouldn’t be possible, but there were cases where it was.

Cases such as Photographic Memory, Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory, or Acquired Savant Syndrome.

But James or Alex never had any of them.

The only thing James had in his past life was the experience of witnessing corruption and how to survive in it from a young age.

The original Alex was about the same.

However, Alex wasn’t worried about this abnormality, as he had already concluded.

In his past life, he had read many books in which a reader transmigrated into a book, and they would remember the story as if it was engraved in their skull, which meant similar to how transmigration had healed his wounds, it had also made his memory sharper.

Transmigration is the most convenient thing that can happen to a dying person, Alex thought and rose to his feet. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

As he now remembered the story like he had written it himself, he had to move fast.

Obviously, he had the same thought that his predecessors had at least once in their lives.

Maybe I should just follow the original plot?

However, that thought only lasted for a moment because even if he wanted to, he couldn’t follow the plot.

If he didn’t change the plot, Alex and the other characters that he had come to love would still die, and that horrible ending would unfold uninterrupted.

His boots scraped against the grit, and he stepped out the door. Far away at the wall was a clock which showed 12:57

Only four minutes were remaining for the first call.

"Shit," he cursed and dashed toward the exit.

With Alex’s original memories and his knowledge, he left the old academy building within a few seconds and ran towards the newer building in the distance.

He wanted to stop and take in the gorgeous scenery of the Solace Academy, but unfortunately, he didn’t have time.

Alex stepped onto the stone pathway toward the awakening hall.

It took him a minute to reach the Awakening Hall.

His steps slowed down on their own as he stared at the tall gates looming before him. Golden light spilled out of them, and students wearing the same outfit as him chatted inside.

It’s really Solace Academy.

His steps quickened once again, and he entered the Awakening Hall.

At the same time, a blue holographic screen with glowing golden text appeared before him.

[System: Alex Blade, you have been chosen as a Player.]

"Wait!" he shouted, and every student, who was staring at the screen with nervous faces, turned toward him.

He ignored them and searched for the person for whom he had come here.

Where are you?

He looked around frantically.

"Has he turned stupid?" a student muttered.

Laughter rippled throughout the Awakening Hall, and someone added.

"How hard did you beat that orphan, Marcus?"

With each passing second, Alex turned more frantic, and suddenly, his gaze stopped at a young woman.

The young woman had long, wavy purple-blue hair with soft braids and bangs, her eyes were the same color, and she wore a white frilly blouse with a black folded skirt.

He blinked a few times as if unsure of what he was seeing and mumbled in a barely audible voice.

"How is she here?"

Seeing him stare, the young woman frowned and looked away.

Unable to understand why someone who was supposed to appear near the third volume was already here, Alex froze.

What’s going on? That’s not how it’s supposed to be...

His nails dug into his palm, and he shook his head.

I’ll think about it later.

As he only had a few seconds left, he hardened his heart and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Andreus Lionel! Meet me after we return!"

Every student glared at him in confusion and anger.

"What the hell is wrong with this lowborn?!" One snapped.

Somewhere within the crowd, Andreus heard him, but before he could answer, bright light seeped from the ground and engulfed everyone.

[System: Player Alex, you are being Awakened.]

Alex’s world turned white as the light assaulted his vision.

He crossed his arms over his eyes, and gradually, the light dimmed.

After some time, he lowered his arms and found himself suspended in a groundless space full of distant stars and shapes.

"Whoa..." His gaze landed on an enormous ethereal pyramid with countless iridescent strings stretching out to infinity.

He blinked, and the structure transformed into a sphere – its strings stayed unchanged, though.

He blinked again, and the structure reconstructed itself into the pattern of a lotus.

Every time he blinked, the structure of Origin Dominion changed.

It was truly ever-changing.

I’ve never seen anything like this...

Even though he was so close, he knew that no matter how hard he tried, he could never reach it.

His gaze shifted toward the strings coming out of it. Just by glancing at them, he felt his mind split, and his eyes turned unfocused.

A new bright iridescent string shot out from the Origin Dominion and pierced straight into him.

"Ugh..." he gasped, and a surreal sensation filled every cell of his body.

[System: Congratulations! Player Alex, you have awakened a talent.]

Red sparks swirled around him and converged toward the center of his forehead.

[SSS-Rank: Hall of Great Evils]

Alex’s lips curled upward.

This was the same talent Alex had possessed in the story. Since he wasn’t the original Alex, he had worried that he might awaken a different talent - or none at all - but those fears were quickly proven wrong.

Suddenly, the string began to glow even brighter.

Multiple red screens flooded his vision.

[Error! Error! Error!]

"Huh?!" Alex frowned.

[System: Player Alex, you have been assigned as an (Anomaly).]

"Anomaly?" he mumbled with a dumbfounded expression.

[System: Your Origin Spark has formed a stronger connection with Origin Dominion.]

[Ding!]

[Origin Dominion: Alex, you have been chosen as the host of the Evolution System.]

"W-What? A system?!"

[System: You are being sent to Zyandra.]

Before he could even understand what had just happened, his vision twisted violently.