RE: The Extra's Dominance

"..."

Raven's eyes squinted slightly as he stared at the necklace dangling in Blake's hand. The way the dull light from the shop's lanterns reflected off the stone hanging from the cord made it look faintly mysterious, though he couldn't immediately tell if it was truly an artifact or just some trinket.

'The fuck is that...?'

Raven tilted his head a little. Curiosity prickled at him, and without thinking too long about it—

"What's that?"

Raven asked bluntly, his voice low but direct, his gaze never leaving the necklace.

"Huh?"

Blake blinked, looking surprised for a moment before turning to face him. His grin didn't fade, though— if anything, it widened the moment he noticed Raven's interest.

"Oh, this?"

Blake lifted the necklace higher, letting the stone dangle and sway lightly in the air.

Raven's eyes instinctively followed its movement, carefully studying it. Then Blake answered casually, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"I just saw it earlier, and it looked interesting, that's why I'm going to buy it."

He declared that with absolute confidence, his wide smile making it sound like a perfectly reasonable decision.

"..."

Raven simply stared at him, expression blank but eyes showing disbelief.

'Now, this guy really has a lot of money growing up to have that kind of mindset.'

He thought sourly, suppressing a sigh. There was a small pinch of jealousy in his chest. Not because Raven wanted the necklace for himself, but because Blake had the carefree luxury of buying something without even knowing if it was useful or not. Shaking his head a little, Raven decided not to waste time.

'Appraise that thing.'

He ordered inwardly.

[On it.]

Sariel's voice came fast and serious, showing no hesitation.

A moment later—

Swoosh~

A faint shimmer of light danced in front of Raven's eyes as a bluish system window unfolded, the details of the necklace now revealed clearly to him.

=====

[Necklace of Defense]

-Multiplies the wearer's defense by two.

=====

"Hmm...?"

The noise escaped Raven's lips before he could stop it. His brows furrowed slightly as he reread the line.

And after doing so a few more times—

'That's it?'

He questioned in his head, waiting for more details to appear on the panel— maybe some hidden skill or a secondary effect. But no matter how long he stared, nothing else surfaced. That was all.

"..."

Raven fell into silence, his expression flat. Then, after a few heartbeats—

"Pfft— haha..."

A small chuckle slipped out of him. He raised a hand to cover his mouth for a second, but it was too late; the sound had already escaped.

'That necklace really suits Blake.'

He thought with faint amusement.

'Straightforward, blunt... The name is literally [Necklace of Defense], and the only thing it does is strengthen someone's defense. Nothing fancy, no hidden trick, just exactly what it says it does.'

Raven shook his head slightly, his lips still curved.

"If Blake ever learned to make artifacts, he'd definitely create something like that. Same name, same function— simple and direct."

He whispered under his breath, half mocking but also oddly entertained.

(The necklace itself wasn't impressive in appearance. It was just a fairly thick black string, the kind of cord you could find anywhere. Its centerpiece was a rock— not a gem, not a jewel, just a rock. A cool-looking one, sure, with faint patterns running across its surface, but still... just a rock.)

******

Moving on, after that...

As expected, Alec finalized his purchase of the [Ring of Greed], while Blake, true to his words, really did buy the [Necklace of Defense].

Both of them walked away satisfied, neither realizing what they were truly holding in their hands.

And after paying up to the old man—

"We'll be going first, Raven."

Alec spoke with a polite nod.

"Yeah, we're going to have these items appraised and then keep checking out the other stores!"

Blake added enthusiastically, holding up his necklace as if proud of his find.

"Enjoy."

Raven simply replied, his tone casual as he waved them off with one hand.

Thud-

The door closed behind them, and silence briefly filled the space they left behind.

Raven exhaled slowly, then a small smirk pulled at the corner of his lips.

"Well then, time to start looking for that book then."

He muttered, eyes sharpening with focus.

One of the reasons Raven attended this field trip is to go to this store and find something.

...

...

...

Currently, the shop has seven people including Raven and the shop owner.

Raven knew this without even needing to look directly at everyone. He already had a count.

-Kyuu!

And the reason for that was simple— Yuki. She had flown around the shop earlier while cloaked in her stealth skill, scouting silently. She peeked at every corner, counted each head, and then relayed everything back to him.

(She had been resting comfortably inside the [Ring of Gluttony] until Raven called for her, so her energy was still full and her movements quick.)

Anyway—

"You said there are four men including me and the shop owner, right?"

Raven asked in a hushed voice.

-Kyuu!

Yuki bobbed her head, chirping softly as she confirmed his words.

"Then, did you see someone wearing circular glasses?"

-Kyu!

Yuki answered affirmatively without hesitation.

The moment Raven heard that—

"Haha, that's good..."

He whispered quietly, relief washing over him.

"Lead me to where he is."

He instructed firmly.

And Yuki, never questioning Raven's intentions, only chirped again—

-Kyuuu!

Her tone was cheerful, as if she were simply happy to be given a task.

"Let's go."

Raven said.

-Kyu!

FWOOSH~

Then Yuki darted forward in a sudden burst of speed, wings flapping rapidly as she zipped between shelves.

Raven followed right behind, his footsteps measured but his expression twisting into a smile— not the warm kind, but one sharp and laced with intent.

TAP- TAP- TAP-

...

...

*****

"That's him... Thank you, Yuki. Go back in the ring and rest up for now."

Raven whispered softly, keeping his voice low as he crouched behind a tall bookshelf.

-Kyu.

Yuki chirped once in acknowledgment before nodding her tiny head and slipping back into the [Ring of Gluttony].

Swoosh~

And with her gone, Raven straightened up... Then he moved around the shelf!

TAP-

And there—

"...?"

He found the man he had been looking for.

The man appeared to be in his thirties, wearing circular glasses. His build was thin, his black hair short, and his brown eyes sharp— but not sharp in confidence. No, his gaze was laced with bitterness, the kind of hateful look that wasn't aimed at one person but rather at everything around him.

"..."

Raven locked eyes with him because he can feel his prickling gaze. The air seemed to thicken for a brief moment.

Then—

SWOOSH—!

A sudden wave of pressure erupted! Raven released his aura, condensing it tightly so that it engulfed only the man and himself!

"Guh...?!"

The man's eyes widened instantly. His chest constricted, his limbs froze, and his throat locked up under the suffocating weight.

And in that exact moment—

"Do you have something to say to me?"

Raven's voice cut through the air, cold and demanding.

"N-no..."

The man stuttered, barely able to open his mouth. His lips trembled, his words forced out with great effort.

FWISH-

Then, just as abruptly as it came, the aura vanished. The crushing weight lifted from his shoulders.

"..."

Raven turned away without another glance, his face calm, as though nothing had happened. He casually began browsing the nearby books, his fingers brushing along the spines while reading their titles.

Then behind him—

"..."

The man stayed frozen, sweat dripping down his temple, his breath ragged. Even freed, his body still trembled from the lingering fear.

He swallowed hard, his eyes darting to Raven's back.

'I-I better leave...'

The thought hit him instantly. His mind screamed, and his body obeyed.

Tap- Tap- Tap- Tap-

His footsteps echoed as he walked quickly, almost stumbling in his rush. Without looking back, he left the store entirely.

"..."

Raven, catching the movement out of the corner of his eye, smirked faintly.

"Well, this is the biggest thing I have changed in the novel yet."

He murmured while sliding a book off the shelf.

FWIP-

[Are you sure this is fine?]

Sariel's voice questioned him, tinged with concern.

Raven shrugged his shoulders casually before answering.

"I don't know, and I honestly don't care anymore. The Highest Beings are going to fuck up the story anyway, whether I do something or not."

He declared with certainty.

Then he looked down at the book in his hands, reading the title.

[Dominating Darkness Sword Technique]

And reading that—

Raven groaned, pressing a palm against his forehead.

"The name of this swordsmanship is cheesy as fuck... I should've thought of a better and much simpler name, ugh..."

He muttered, embarrassed of his past.

Anyway, just now—

Raven straight up took the lucky encounter of a major character in the novel!

The man that was here just— He would've been a big villain that Alec and the main characters are supposed to face about a year from now.