The Extra Who Shouldn’t Exist

Draven blinked.

He wasn't used to genuine praise.

For a brief second, he stood straighter. 'Wow… so this is what being acknowledged by a legend feels like.'

Aldric snapped his fingers. "Alright. When the fight starts, you sneak in and find Research Lab No. 3. Don't mess up."

Before Draven could ask even one question, Aldric's eyes glowed pure white.

A massive fireball suddenly formed high in the sky—

BOOOM!

It crashed down onto one section of the castle, incinerating hundreds of soldiers in a single instant. Flames erupted, alarms rang everywhere, chaos spread like wildfire.

Aldric rolled his shoulders. "There. Now go. I'll keep them occupied."

Draven nodded frantically, adrenaline pumping through him. "R-right! I'm going!"

He sprinted toward the shattered entrance, slipping through smoke and fire.

Meanwhile, inside Research Lab No. 3…

Cold metallic walls reflected the glow of hundreds of holographic screens. The entire room was cluttered with mechanical limbs, surgical tools, and vials of unknown substances.

Dr. Kellian stood in the center, alone, laughing like a madman.

"Finally. Finally! The results are so perfect I frighten myself!" His wrinkled face twisted with excitement. "How is it possible? How did I create a being that may surpass all others in this world? Ahahahahaha!"

He stopped laughing and gently approached a large pod filled with shimmering blue fluid.

Inside was a young woman.

Her eyes were closed. Her face serene, as if she were asleep.

A perfect beauty inside a glass coffin.

Kellian placed both hands on the pod and hugged it like a long-lost lover.

"Soon… just a few minutes more. When you awaken, there will be no one capable of standing against us." His voice grew darker. "We might even be able to crush that monster Kyle with you by my side…"

Footsteps quietly entered the lab.

Draven slipped inside, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Good thinking… all the security is too busy trying to stop the Headmaster."

Then he heard the old man's voice and peeked around a machine.

There was Kellian, hugging a pod, whispering to it lovingly.

Draven stared at him with wide eyes.

'Yeah… that old guy is absolutely, one hundred percent a maniac.'

Not wanting to be seen, Draven tapped the rune tattoo on his chest. His form instantly faded into invisibility.

He slowly approached, keeping his steps silent.

Dr. Kellian finally pulled away from the pod.

"Hmm… strange. I sense… something off."

He looked around suspiciously.

Draven held his breath.

But Kellian shook his head and returned to a floating holographic screen.

"Now then… I just have to reprogram her brain so she can never be separated from me. Perfect, perfect my love…"

He lifted a glowing red cube. Runes flickered across its surface.

The pod's occupant twitched faintly as the reprogramming began.

Suddenly—

The lab doors burst open.

A man in a white coat sprinted inside, panicked.

"Dr. Kellian! We must evacuate immediately! The hideout has been attacked—Aldric Verlane himself is here!"

Kellian's hands trembled. "Damn it. Damn it! Of all times!"

He grabbed his assistant by the collar. "What about the High ranked marionettes stationed as security? Release them all!"

The assistant shook violently. "W-we can't! They were created from night-rank specimens… only the higher-ups and you know the security codes. Without your handprint authorization, they can't operate!"

Kellian's expression shifted from rage to a twisted grin.

'Hah… perhaps this is a good opportunity to test her strength against a transcendent.'

He straightened himself. "Fine. Come with me. All of you are useless without me anyway."

Before leaving, he glanced at the holographic progress bar.

{ 40% }

"Good… the marionettes should buy enough time for her awakening."

He marched out of the room with his assistant, leaving the pod humming softly in eerie silence.

And Draven still invisible in the shadows, gripping the storage device with trembling hands.

When the lab finally went quiet, Draven released his invisibility with a soft shimmer of light.

He staggered out from behind a cluster of machines, taking a long, shaky breath.

"Damn… that was dangerous. That perverted old man is stronger than he looks."

He wiped sweat from his forehead and then turned his gaze toward the pod.

Inside, the girl floated motionlessly in the blue fluid, her hair drifting like silk. The liquid made everything blurry, so he couldn't make out her face clearly.

Draven exhaled slowly.

'I really hope I'm not wrong about this…'

He rushed toward the main control console, the same holographic interface Kellian had been working on earlier.

The moment Draven touched it—

A sharp beep rang out.

[ Access Required ]

[ Enter Password ]

[ Fingerprint Authorization Needed ]

Draven froze.

Then his eyebrow twitched violently.

"Seriously? Password? For me?"

Another message flashed.

[ Unauthorized user detected. Security protocol activated. ]

Draven slammed his palm onto the console.

"Now you're hurting my pride. Who do you think you are to ask for security clearance from Draven Stone Everforge—world's number one tech genius and hacker?"

He clicked his tongue.

"That silver-haired bastard's habit of sarcasm is rubbing off on me…"

He cracked his fingers dramatically.

"Alright. Let's do this properly."

Lines of code and encrypted runes began flooding the screen. Barriers layered on top of one another. Alarms flashed.

But Draven's fingers flew across the holographic symbols at blinding speed.

"Come on… too slow… wrong encryption… who even wrote this garbage?"

Every second, more alerts appeared.

[ Firewall Activated ]

[ Anti-Hack Countermeasure Initiated ]

[ Neural Lock Engaged ]

Draven grinned.

"Too easy."

A loud digital *clang* sounded as he force-bypassed the final lock.

The system unlocked.

He immediately reached into his pocket and pulled out the high-tech storage device the robot had given him.

His throat tightened.

'Alright… here goes nothing.'

He connected it to the console, uploading the unknown program.

Progress bars appeared.

Uploading: 7%

Uploading: 12%

Uploading: 23%

Uploading: 54%

Uploading: 68%

Beads of sweat ran down his cheek.

Uploading: 82%

Uploading: 89%

"Come on… come on… don't fail now…"

When it hit 90%—

A deafening boom erupted behind him.

Draven didn't even have time to turn.

Something slammed into his back like a sledgehammer.

CRASH!

He was launched across the room, smashing into the metal wall hard enough to crack it, his breath knocked out of him.

Blood dripped from his mouth as he lifted his head with blurry vision.

Standing at the entrance, eyes glowing red with fury, was Dr. Kellian.

His twisted face pulled into a snarl.

"What did you do… to my greatest creation, you little bastard?"

Before Draven could react, Kellian flickered.

In a blur of motion, the old man appeared in front of him and grabbed him by the throat.

Draven gasped, legs kicking helplessly as he was lifted into the air.

"You touched her. You interfered with my masterpiece!" Kellian roared. "I will tear you apart piece by—"

BOOOOOOM!!

The pod behind them exploded in a violent shockwave of blue fluid, shards, and steam.

Kellian froze.

Draven's eyes widened.

From within the swirling mist of the shattered pod…

A voice echoed—smooth, cold, and filled with overwhelming dominance:

"Finally… finally… I have my body back."

Both of them turned their heads slowly.

And what they saw made their hearts stop.

A figure stepped out of the shattered pod, steam drifting around her like a divine veil, water cascading down her skin as if the world itself bowed before her emergence.

Her glowing eyes opened for the first time—

And both Draven and Kellian felt their souls tremble.