The Extra Who Shouldn’t Exist

All of the dark tendrils enveloped Lily's frail body, wrapping around her like living shadows.

Her still frame, frozen in suspended time, began to shift as the essence of the cosmos within Alex forced the world around her to resume its flow.

The air grew heavy. The chamber vibrated faintly, like the heartbeat of some unseen giant. Alex's eyes never left Lily.

'Just hold on.'

"Success or failure—it will decide both of our lives."

Slowly, slowly, the tendrils began to sink into her skin, latching onto the veins corrupted with abyssal blackness.

Piece by piece, Alex's trait Abyssborne Sovereignty dragged the corruption out, threading it into himself—the corruption itself obeyed him.

Almost instantly, Lily's lips parted, a faint groan escaping as her body twitched. Her eyelids fluttered with agony she could not voice.

Alex snapped, his voice sharp with desperation.

"Now's the time."

He channeled the Cosmic Essence, weaving micro-threads finer than a strand of silk into her nerves.

Each signal of torment that tried to climb its way to her brain was intercepted, redirected like a river dammed and diverted.

The pain slammed into Alex's own body instead.

The result was immediate. His muscles locked up as if set aflame.

His teeth ground together, his body trembling violently. Sweat poured down his forehead as his focus began to waver. His lungs struggled for air.

The system's voice surged into his mind.

[Host, just a little longer. Endure this.]

Alex's vision blurred, but through the haze of suffering, something primal inside him stirred. His physique—his body itself—began adapting in real time to the torrent of pain.

Every second was like drowning in fire, yet his body stubbornly adapted, hardened, absorbed.

'Pain is nothing… nothing compared to losing her.'

Slowly—so slowly—her face began to regain its natural color.

The pitch-black veins receded, drained into the dark tendrils. The corruption that had ravaged her skin was stripped away, absorbed into Alex.

Her rotten legs twitched as the corruption was pulled out from them.

Her arms followed. Inch by inch, the grotesque corruption was sucked away until her skin glowed pale and flawless once more.

A flood of pure violet light—life energy—surged around her body. It wrapped Lily in a cocoon, mending what the corruption had shattered.

Slowly, her legs reformed, her thighs strengthened, her fingers lengthened.

Rotten flesh became new, smooth, unmarred.

Alex never blinked. Not once. For an entire hour, his eyes remained fixed on her, burning with focus and willpower.

His hands locked onto hers, as if letting go meant her death.

After some time, Lily's body finally lay whole, pristine, and beautiful again.

Not a single scar remained. Her breathing softened into a peaceful rhythm.

But Alex knew the hardest part was yet to come.

The system's voice echoed, hushed but grave.

[We have to be most careful here, Host. Her mana core… it's fragile. One mistake and it will shatter beyond repair.]

"I know," Alex hissed through clenched teeth.

"Stop distracting me."

The dark tendrils writhed, shifting like serpents as Alex directed them inward, deep into her chest, into the very essence of her being.

They wrapped around her core—a tiny crystalline seed, glowing faintly but drowning in black filth.

Every movement required delicate precision. One slip, and her mana core would break into countless shards, leaving her crippled for life and destroying her body as well.

The corruption resisted at first, writhing like a beast cornered in its den.

As Alex dragged it out, an agony unlike anything before ripped through his body.

His nerves screamed, his muscles spasmed, and for a moment his mind teetered on the brink of breaking.

His passive skill Unyielding Will came into effect.

Still, he held on. His teeth bit down until blood filled his mouth.

His body adapted again, reshaping under the torment, forcing itself to endure what should have been unbearable.

Two long hours passed.

Finally—the last tendril of corruption peeled away from Lily's core.

Her body glowed with pure light, her breathing soft and calm. Her mana core, though inert, was intact. She was safe.

Alex's body collapsed. He fell to his knees, then sprawled onto the cold floor, chest heaving as though he had been dragged through hell itself.

Yet as he stared at Lily's peaceful face, a broken laugh tore from his lips.

"I did it."

"I fucking did it."

"Fuck death."

"Fuck the gods."

"I am the man!"

"It's a success!"

His laughter echoed in the chamber, half-insane, half-triumphant.

A smug voice rang in his head.

[Hell yeah! Now all we need is a medical degree, and we can become the best doctors in the world legally instead of going to jail for malpractice.]

Alex barked another laugh, rolling onto his back.

"You bastard! You should be worshipping me first—I did all the hard work!"

[Hard work? You fucker, I was the one who came up with the ideas, guided your sorry ass through the process, and manipulated all those energies.

Without me, your brain would've melted! You'd be drooling in the corner right now. ]

Alex's eyes widened.

"What the hell did you just say?!"

[You heard me, you bastard. From now on, pray to me ten times every morning when you wake up.]

A pause lingered in the room as Alex lay on the floor, chest still rising and falling heavily.

He let out a small breath and muttered, half serious, half playful,

"Ten times? Seriously? You know I'm not a morning person, right?"

The system's reply came sharp and smug.

[Yeah, seriously. I'll wake you up myself if I have to.]

For a moment, silence. Then both cracked at the same time.

"Pfft—hahaha! Hah hah hah hah!" Alex's laughter echoed across the chamber, raw and unrestrained.

Inside his mind, the system's laughter rang in sync.

[Pfft! Pfft! Ha ha ha ha ha!]

It was madness, it was relief, it was victory all rolled into one, and their hysterical voices filled the space until Alex was coughing from laughing too hard.

On the other side of the room, the woman lying on the second bed trembled, her wide eyes never leaving the silver-haired boy.

Despite the corruption eating away at her own body, despite the searing pain crawling through her veins, she couldn't look away—not for even a second.

For two whole hours she had watched him.

Every scream he bit back. Every tendril of darkness he wrestled into himself. Every shred of agony he bore just to protect the girl in the bed beside her.

And as she stared, only one thought consumed her mind.

'What… what the hell is he?'

She had heard it herself from the doctors—zero percent chance of survival.

Lily Dragonheart was already halfway to the grave, her body consumed, her core rotting. And yet… this boy…

This boy had reached into the maw of death itself and dragged her back out.

Her lips trembled, words slipping out like broken whispers before finally rising into a shaky voice.

"Y-You… who the hell are you?

Some kind of divine being?

An angel? …

A demon king?

Or maybe…

a god himself?"

Her eyes glistened with fear and awe. "I would not have a hard time believing you are any of those things."

Alex froze as he heard her voice, then his lips curled into a wild grin. He clutched his stomach and burst into harder laughter than before.

"Ha! Hahaha! Did—did she just call me a demon king?!"

The system's smug voice joined in.

[She also called you an angel. And a god, you know.]

"Yeah, yeah, I heard that!" Alex wiped a tear from the corner of his eye as he sat up.

His silver hair gleamed faintly in the chamber's dim light, and when his gaze turned toward the woman, her blood ran cold.

He rose to his feet with a slow, deliberate motion and began walking toward her bed.

Each step made her chest tighten further. Even as weak as she was, her body instinctively tried to push back, to retreat, but her limbs failed her.

She trembled, pressing into the headboard of her bed as her voice cracked.

"D-Don't come near me!"

Alex smirked, sharp and dangerous. He tilted his head, amused by the fear in her eyes.

"Relax," he drawled. "If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't waste time walking."

Inside his mind, his thoughts sharpened.

'Well, we can't kill her. But she's seen too much… what should we do?'

The system responded almost instantly, voice low and confident.

[Host, I have a plan. Let me analyze her first.]

Alex gave the faintest nod. Immediately, blue energy burst out from his body, threads of mana uncoiling like a predator.

They slithered through the air and wrapped around the woman's frail form.

Her eyes widened in sheer terror as the glow enveloped her, sinking into her skin.

She screamed, thrashing weakly against restraints that weren't physical but absolute.

"What are you doing to me?!"

Alex said nothing, just stood still, his silver hair falling over his face, shadows veiling the sharp grin tugging at his lips.

The voice in his head broke the silence.

`[Host, the corruption has already climbed to her neck. But she's no ordinary woman. She's a Grandmaster–mid rank, barely holding her mana core and heart together, preventing the corruption from reaching it.

But she won't be able to maintain that barrier for long. At best, she has little more than a month. And since she's been kept here for treatment, it means she's someone important. You know exactly where I'm going with this, don't you?]`

Alex's grin widened, cruel and amused. Without hesitation, he flicked his wrist and drew out a folded parchment from his storage ring.

Mana slithered across his fingers as he began writing, his strokes smooth and deliberate, every word carrying weight.

He turned the paper toward her, holding it inches from her trembling face.

"Read it carefully."

The woman blinked, then lowered her gaze.

Her eyes raced across the words, her face paling with each line. The terms were like chains, dripping with veiled cruelty.

Her thoughts spun like a storm.

'What… what the hell is this? A slave contract?'

But then her eyes reached the last two clauses, and she froze. Her pupils widened, heart lurching in her chest.

She raised her gaze slowly, disbelief etched into her voice.

"Will you really… do that?"

Alex's expression darkened into something hard, unyielding.

"Yes. After all, it benefits us both.

Now if you do agree to it… just say yes, and it will be done."

Her lips trembled. For the first time, tears welled in her eyes and spilled freely.

The figure whose name once carried fear, who had endured endless torment after her downfall because of the corruption, now wept as her voice came out frail.

"Please… help me. I'll forever be grateful."

Alex smirked at her words, sharp and merciless.

"Of course I will. After all… I don't give false hope."

She gave a broken laugh at that, realizing he had thrown her own words back at her. With trembling hands, she lifted her palm to the parchment and signed it.

A surge of light flashed as the contract seared itself into their souls. The paper crumbled into shimmering motes, dissolving into their bodies. The pact was sealed.

Relief washed over her features. Her shoulders sagged as she let out a shaky breath, believing salvation was finally at hand.

But before she could fully exhale, Alex's hand snapped forward.

His palm clamped over her face, fingers digging into her cheeks like iron talons.

"Be prepared," his voice dropped into a low growl. "This will be very painful. But since you're a Grandmaster, I expect you to endure it."

Her muffled protest came sharp and fearful.

"Mmmph—! But when you treated Lily, it didn't look like she felt anything! Can't you… treat me like her?"

Alex tilted his head, his grin widening into something devilish. His blue eyes gleamed with mockery.

"Well… you're not Lily."

The shadows around him writhed, and once more, the chamber filled with the wriggling tide of dark tendrils.

They coiled and surged, slithering over her body, sinking into her flesh.

An instant later, the room erupted with her screams.

"Kyaaaaaaahhhh!"

"Ahhhhhh!"

"Someone—someone save me!"

Alex's voice snapped back, harsh and impatient, like a cruel teacher disciplining a child.

"Shut the hell up, you old hag! Let me focus—or do you want to die right now?"

Her shrieks rose higher, echoing through the chamber walls.

Outside the room, tension ran high. The silence from within had stretched into hours as Alex still did not come out.

No one wanted to open the door, but unease clawed at their hearts.

If only they knew what was happening inside…

The chamber itself had become a scene from a nightmare.

Shadows writhed like living things.

A boy with silver hair laughed with the manic glee of a mad scientist, while a woman's inhuman cries tore at the air.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

"You bastard! I'll kill you!"

"Aaaaaahhhh—!"

"You demon—!"

Alex snarled back, fury etched on his face.

"You crazy bitch—don't bite my hand!"

Her thrashing only fueled his laughter, deep and unrestrained. The sound of pain and madness intertwined into a macabre symphony.

And amidst the chaos, in the other bed, Lily slept peacefully. Noise-cancelling headphones had been placed on her head by Alex.

Her face was serene, her lips curved faintly into a smile. Wrapped in gentle warmth, she drifted in sweet dreams, her soft voice murmuring.

"Alex… don't eat my chocolates… or I'll murder you."

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Author here ----- Guess who this lady is and how is she related to anyone if someone guesses correctly an extra chapter will be dropped tomorrow.

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A/N:

So how was the chapter? Tell me in the comments!

Thanks for the golden tickets:

@Hmd95, @SleepyR26, @BlacKain,

@dreamchasing, @Harry_Sangoi,

@BluuuuTea, @Kyle_Kerswell, @Arist_Babi

I really appreciate the support, guys. 😊

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