It was a morning in the southern part of the city of Letin.
Letin was the most crowded city in the country, a place where young people from across the nation came in search of their future.
In a small one-room apartment, a young man stirred awake. Seventeen years old, he was just entering the prime of his life—or so people would say. But he had other thoughts.
His name was Alex. A high school student in his senior year, he was like most others: without clear goals, without remarkable talent. He brushed his teeth, got dressed, and caught the bus to school.
Upon arriving, he headed straight to his classroom.
"Yo, Alex! How's it going? Did you hear about the latest game that launched?"
At the classroom door, his friend greeted him.
"No," Alex replied. "Shouldn't you be focusing on studying? Exams are coming soon."
His friend, confident as ever, replied, "Don't worry, I'm ready for anything."
With that, he revealed a collection of cheat sheets, pens, phones, and recorders—an arsenal that made him look like a professional cheater, which he was.
Alex shook his head at his friend.
This was Michael. Addicted to video games, he treated cheating in exams as the ultimate challenge. He would spend more time preparing ways to cheat than actually studying.
As Alex took his seat, Michael leaned closer.
"Did you hear? There's a stunning new transfer student—she came yesterday."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? What kind of stunning?"
Michael's eyes sparkled. "The legendary kind. People say she's the most beautiful girl in the country. Rich, powerful family, smart—she ranked in the top 10 nationwide last year exams."
Alex sighed. "Looks, money, power, intelligence… those people really hit the jackpot in life."
Michael stared at the ceiling, dreaming aloud. "Whoever dates her will have reached the ultimate level. I'd die happy just to spend a day with her."
The class went silent as a new presence entered. Alex turned—and froze.
A girl with snow-white hair, skin pale as porcelain, and a cold, unreadable expression scanned the room. Her gaze settled on the empty chair next to Alex.
Michael's jaw dropped. "Alex… When did a beauty like that… start taking class with us."
The chair next to me was empty today. Normally, a girl sits next to me, but she didn't come.
The white-haired girl started walking toward me. Michael, sitting in front of me, couldn't close his mouth—he hadn't closed it since the moment he saw her.
The white-haired girl didn't look at us. She sat in the empty chair, took out her book, and started writing.
Michael's eyes widened with envy. "She's sitting next to you! Can I… buy your seat?"
"Scram," Alex muttered.
"But I can pay you real money!" Michael persisted.
I considered it. If the beauty had this many admirers, imagine how valuable a seat next to her might become. A sly smile formed—but I quickly suppressed it.
"Impossible. Scram from my face," he said firmly.
As the teacher entered, Michael fell silent. She was in her forties, a typical high school teacher. "Class, today we have a new student. She ranked in the top 10 nationwide in middle school exams. I expect her presence to raise the competition to an even higher level."
Nobody was listening. All eyes were on the new girl.
The teacher continue.
"Can you introduce yourself to the class"
Catherine—the girl with white hair,
She walked to the front of the class with icy expression. "Hello. My name is Catherine. I'm 15 years old, have skipped two grades, and will be your classmate from now on."
Everyone was stunned. Michael whispered, "Her voice… it's as beautiful as she is."
Alex gave him a deadpan look but couldn't deny it: she had a calm, enchanting voice.
As Catherine returned to her seat next to Alex, he could feel everyone's eyes on him, filled with envy—even the girls'.
He sighed and smiled. Well, at least a beautiful girl is sitting next to me. Maybe that'll motivate me to focus in class and not look stupid in front of her, he thought.
Catherine POV
This was the day she had been waiting for. She was finally going to his school.
Internally, she was thrilled—but her face remained cold and unreadable. People stepped aside on the streets, staring in awe at her beauty, though she didn't care.
Catherine was not ordinary. She was a regressor, sent back 30 years from a future devastated by repeated apocalypses. Monsters, zombies, natural disasters, and even fallen gods had plagued humanity. She had survived through skill, willpower, and luck, witnessing horrors that no human mind could truly comprehend.
She remembered him—Alex—the hero of humanity. Once a normal high school student, he had survived every calamity. He dominated the third apocalypse, ruled the fourth, and remained unbeatable in the fifth. When the gods themselves arrived, he faced them alone, sword in hand, and held his ground. She had watched him from the future, shivering at his power, until a traitor ended him.
Before dying, his remaining powers were sent to her master along with a unique artifact, entrusted to Catherine to return to the past and ensure humanity's survival. She wasn't the only one; two other artifacts existed, likely held by two others.
Returning to the past, her first priority was to find Alex. The strongest human, the one who could challenge even gods. She had to protect him from any harm her regression might cause.
She imagined what every her regressor caused him to die early before he had the chance to advance and she didn't want to imagine what might the future will be without him standing at the front of humanity.
She decided that since her regression would change the future anyway, it was better to get close to him now. She could help him grow faster than before, and at the same time, she would secure a strong bond to rely on in the future.
In her mind, she imagined a life where she stood beside the hero—the strongest person in the world—someone no one would dare even look at. Lost in that dream, she didn't notice she had already arrived at the classroom.
As she approached the door, she steadied herself. This first impression mattered. She had to appear as the genius, beautiful new student.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.
The moment she looked inside, her eyes found him instantly.
Yes… it was him.
He looked weak now—nothing like the person she had seen in the future—but his eyes, the way he carried himself… it was the same. There was no doubt. It was him.
She forced herself to hold back her excitement. She couldn't scare him or make him think she was strange. She couldn't tell him the truth—not yet. Maybe after the first apocalypse… or even the third.
While lost in thought, she realized she was already walking toward him.
Confusion set in. What should she do? She had moved without thinking. Should she greet him? Ask him something? But that would be strange—walking straight up to him while ignoring everyone else would only make him suspicious.
As she hesitated, her eyes shifted to the seat beside him.
An empty chair.
Perfect.
Pretending that had been her destination all along, she walked over and sat down. As she did, a thought crossed her mind—
Please don't let this be someone else's seat.
The idea of making such a bad first impression—taking someone else's chair right in front of him—made her inwardly cringe.
When the teacher called her to introduce herself, she stepped forward. "Hello. My name is Catherine. I'm 15 years old, have skipped two grades, and will be your classmate from now on."
Internally, she groaned. Why did I have to mention my age and grades? I sound arrogant and nerdy.
She glanced at Alex. He seemed he is talking with the guy in front of him but she couldn't hear what they were talking about.
The next moment, the teacher entered the classroom. He glanced at me, then turned to the students and began introducing me. As I listened.
As the teacher entered.
"Class, today we have a new student. She ranked in the top 10 nationwide in middle school exams. I expect her presence to raise the competition to an even higher level."
You hear that, right? I thought. This is the impression I should leave on him—the genius, beautiful girl.
Then the teacher called my name.
A bit of nervousness crept in. I glanced at the boy sitting beside me. Alex… Yes, that was his name—the Number One human during the apocalypse.
Okay, Catherine, hold it together, I told myself. This is the first impression he'll have of you. Make it count.
I stepped to the front of the class and said,
"Hello, my name is Catherine. I'm 15 years old, skipped two grades, and I'll be your classmate from now on."
The moment I finished, I screamed internally.
Why did I say that?! Why did I mention my age and how smart I am? Now I sound like an arrogant, nerdy girl!
I quickly glanced at him.
But he didn't seem to notice. He looked distracted, as if he were thinking about something else.
Thank God… she thought, relieved. It doesn't seem like he's thinking about me.
But she didn't know—
At that very moment, he was thinking about her.
Not as an arrogant girl.
But because, somehow, her personality reminded him of his little sister.
She also seemed like a cold girl, someone who didn't quite know how to express herself—just like his little sister. He hadn't seen his sister since he moved away to continue his studies, and he couldn't help but wonder how she was doing now.