One year.
Three hundred and sixty-five days.
The glowing red notification lingered before my eyes like a death sentence.
One Year Until the Fall of Wall Maria.
No matter how many times I read those words, they refused to lose their weight.
The future was approaching.
Fast.
Far too fast.
I sat on my bed long after midnight, staring at the ceiling.
Sleep was impossible.
In exactly one year, the Colossal Titan would appear.
In exactly one year, Shiganshina would become a battlefield.
In exactly one year, Carla Yeager would die.
At least... according to the original timeline.
My jaw tightened.
No.
I wouldn’t let that happen.
Not without a fight.
The next morning, I made a decision.
If I wanted to change the future, simply growing stronger wasn’t enough.
I needed information.
Knowledge.
Preparation.
Every advantage I could get.
Because unlike everyone else, I knew the enemy.
Or at least, I thought I did.
After breakfast, I headed toward Armin’s house.
The blond boy was exactly where I expected him to be.
Reading.
As always.
A pile of books surrounded him.
Maps.
History books.
Travel journals.
Information that most people ignored.
To Armin, however, they were treasures.
"Eren?"
He looked surprised.
"What’s wrong?"
I sat beside him.
"Can I borrow some books?"
His eyes widened.
"Books?"
"Yeah."
For some reason, that seemed to excite him more than anything else.
Within minutes, he was enthusiastically showing me every book he owned.
I smiled.
Some things never changed.
While others saw a weak child, I saw one of humanity’s greatest minds.
And unlike the original timeline, I intended to help him grow.
Because one day, humanity would need Armin.
The future demanded it.
That evening, after returning home, I opened the system.
==================
Host: Eren Yeager
Age: 8
Strength: 22
Agility: 21
Vitality: 22
Spirit: 23
Skills:
Enhanced Memory
Danger Sense Lv.1
Adaptive Growth
Basic Swordsmanship Lv.2
==================
My progress remained steady.
Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t enough.
Not even close.
Then a notification appeared.
[Ding.]
Special Event Available.
My eyes narrowed.
Special Event?
That was new.
I immediately selected it.
A completely different screen appeared.
Dark gold.
Far more elaborate than usual.
==================
Special Challenge
The Future Cannot Be Changed?
Objective:
Successfully alter a canon event.
Reward:
Unknown
Failure Penalty:
None
==================
I froze.
Then slowly reread it.
Alter a canon event.
A strange feeling spread through me.
Up until now, everything had followed the original story.
Mostly.
Minor differences existed.
But the major events remained unchanged.
The kidnapping.
Mikasa’s awakening.
Everything had happened almost exactly as before.
Was the system challenging me?
Testing me?
Before I could think further, another notification appeared.
[Hint: Small changes create larger waves.]
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The system seemed to be encouraging divergence.
And if that was true...
Perhaps fate wasn’t as fixed as I feared.
Over the following months, I focused on preparation.
Training.
Studying.
Planning.
Every day followed a strict schedule.
Every day pushed me further.
My skills improved rapidly.
My body grew stronger.
And then, finally—
[Ding.]
Mission Complete.
All Attributes Above 25.
Reward Granted.
10 Gacha Tickets Obtained.
1 Epic Gacha Ticket Obtained.
I nearly jumped out of my chair.
Epic Ticket.
At last.
The reward I had spent years working toward.
My hands trembled.
Unlike the Rare Ticket, the Epic Ticket radiated a deep purple glow.
Even looking at it felt different.
Powerful.
Dangerous.
Promising.
I wanted to use it immediately.
But experience taught me patience.
First, I checked my status.
==================
Host: Eren Yeager
Age: 9
Strength: 25
Agility: 26
Vitality: 25
Spirit: 27
Skills:
Enhanced Memory
Danger Sense Lv.2
Adaptive Growth
Basic Swordsmanship Lv.4
==================
Danger Sense had evolved.
Swordsmanship had improved.
Everything was progressing beautifully.
And yet...
A sense of unease remained.
The countdown continued.
Relentless.
Unstoppable.
One night, while everyone slept, I finally activated the Epic Ticket.
The moment I did, the world vanished.
Darkness surrounded me.
A colossal wheel appeared overhead.
Far larger than any previous gacha.
Rewards flashed across its surface.
Sword Saint Talent.
Advanced Regeneration.
Lightning Breathing.
Combat Genius.
Observation Haki.
Titan Adaptation.
Mana Heart.
Royal Blood Fragment.
Each reward looked absurd.
Any one of them could change my future.
The wheel began spinning.
My heart pounded louder and louder.
Faster.
Faster.
Faster.
Then slowly—
It began to stop.
The rewards passed one after another.
Combat Genius.
Observation Haki.
Titan Adaptation.
My breathing became shallow.
Please.
Anything useful.
The wheel slowed further.
Then finally—
DING!
The entire wheel exploded into brilliant purple light.
For a moment, silence filled the darkness.
Then a notification appeared.
[Congratulations.]
[Epic Reward Obtained.]
[Unique Skill Acquired.]
[Battle Instinct]
For several seconds, I simply stared.
Unique Skill?
That sounded far more impressive than Rare.
The description appeared.
==================
Battle Instinct
Rank: Unique
The Host possesses heightened combat awareness.
Predict hostile intent.
Improve reaction speed.
Increase combat efficiency.
Minor battlefield foresight.
==================
I inhaled sharply.
Minor battlefield foresight?
That was insane.
Not only would it improve combat...
It would combine perfectly with Danger Sense.
Together, the two skills would make surprise attacks nearly impossible.
A grin spread across my face.
This reward was incredible.
The strongest one yet.
But before I could celebrate—
A final notification appeared.
One unlike any I had ever seen.
[Ding.]
Warning.
Key Story Characters Have Entered Wall Maria.
Identity Hidden.
Mission Status Updated.
The smile disappeared from my face.
My blood ran cold.
I knew exactly what that meant.
Three warriors.
Three infiltrators.
Three enemies.
The future holders of the Colossal Titan, Armored Titan, and Female Titan had arrived.
And for the first time since my rebirth...
The real game had begun.
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