Chapter 3
Three burly men entered the shack, carrying clubs, sneering.
"Well, look who finally woke up," the leader said.
"The little rat who owes us three copper coins."
Lucas' eyes narrowed.
Old Lucas would've frozen. But Earth Lucas— He straightened slowly.
His throat was dry.
His limbs were weak.
But he had one thing he didn't have before.
Resolve.
He lifted his chin. "Stay back."
One man snorted. "Or what? You'll starve us to death?"
They charged.
Lucas stepped backward— instinctively activating Talent Source Part 1: Perception Boost.
The world slowed.
Movement paths.
Angles.
Openings.
Weak points.
He saw them all. His heart pounded.
"I can… see their movements…?"
It wasn't strength or magic. It was perception— enhanced by the Talent Source.
He dodged the first swing by a hair, ducked the second, then kicked a weak point behind the leader's knee.
He collapsed with a cry.
Lucas stumbled— his body too weak for sustained combat— but he kept his balance.
The men cursed, scrambling.
"You little—!" They rushed again.
Lucas grabbed a broken broomstick from the floor and swung.
Crack.
The stick hit the man's ribs. Not strong enough to break anything, but enough to scare them.
"Enough!" Lucas shouted, voice shaking but sharp.
"Leave. Now."
For a moment—
For the first time in Lucas Starlight's life—
The gang men hesitated.
"…Tch. Whatever. Not worth killing a starving rat anyway."
They spat curses and left. When they finally disappeared,
Lucas collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.
His arms trembled.
His muscles ached.
His vision blurred.
But— He was alive. He had fought back. He laughed weakly.
"I… actually survived."
A small victory, but it fueled him more than anything.
Then something caught his eye.
A sealed envelope on the table.
Thin, dusty, but still intact.
He picked it up.
The symbol on the wax seal— A crescent moon intertwined with a burning sword.
Lucas' breath caught.
"…Arcane Academy."
The letter that changed Lucas Starlight's destiny.
He opened it with trembling fingers.
Inside was elegant handwriting:
"Lucas Starlight, We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected as a candidate for enrollment at Arcane Academy. Due to unique circumstances, you have been granted an opportunity to take the Entrance Examination.
You have Five months to prepare before the examination. If you fail to appear within the given timeframe, your candidacy will be revoked.
May the Goddess guide you."
He stared at the words.
It wasn't just an opportunity.
It was a lifeline.
A path out of the slums.
A path to power.
A path to survive the future disaster he knew was coming.
And he had something the original Lucas didn't:
Knowledge of upcoming events.
The ruin where hidden inheritance lay.
The Demon Cult lurking in shadows.
The dungeons that would soon crack open.
Lucas clenched the letter tightly.
"This time… I won't die. I'll survive. I'll grow. I'll reach the Academy."
He looked at the broken window where morning light spilled through.
A new day. A new life.
And Lucas Starlight— once a forgotten extra— took his first step toward rewriting destiny.