The Extra's Supremacy

Alvin didn't know how much time had passed since his fight against the beast.

The bleeding wound showed no signs of slowing down.

All he could do was try his best to prevent blood loss, so he tied his right hand tightly using the very clothes stored in his bracelet.

A single fight was all it took. He couldn't use his right hand in battle anymore.

"Shit. I just had to use my dominant hand for that stunt."

He stared at the corpse. Even in death, the panther's monstrous presence lingered. But there was no victory in this. Just pain, exhaustion, and the bitter sting of survival.

Gazing at the swamp below, Alvin kicked the corpse, watching as it fell into the murky water.

Plop.

The dead body floated for a few seconds before something dragged it down in the blink of an eye.

Seeing that, Alvin's suspicion was confirmed. This wasn't a minor ruin.

"It might be a prohibited ruin or higher."

The sun started to rise in the distance.

As the light crept over the horizon, the swamp water began to recede into the earth below.

Within seconds, the wet marsh transformed into dry land.

"Haha."

A small laugh escaped from Alvin.

He recalled the time when he had strolled on that dry land confidently. But after witnessing the corpse disappear into the depths, that confidence now felt foolish.

And now, there wasn't even a trace of it left.

Alvin was about to jump down but stopped himself.

"Better be safe than sorry."

He broke a small branch, coated it with wind energy, and threw it.

The branch hit the ground. This time, it didn't sink.

"Haah."

Alvin exhaled in relief before jumping down.

Turning towards the lone mountain, he carefully and silently started walking toward it.

'I can't complete the mission like this.'

'Alvida is a late-stage Expert while I'm just an early-stage one.'

'But things changed because of this injury.' 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

'I need to find the doorway back to the real world.'

'If I go back like this, that bastard will definitely put me through five years of non-stop training.'

The memories of his exile resurfaced. A particular sentence echoed in his mind.

"Killing Alvida? Since when did my disciple become a comedian?"

"Just survive."

Alvin's fingers curled into a fist.

'Th-that bastard knew about this ruin.'

"Fuck you, you red-haired creepy old bastard!"

The words burst from him before he could stop them, breaking the silence of the forest.

'Oh no.'

His pulse quickened. Without wasting time, Alvin picked up his pace, sticking to the shadows.

But no matter how far he walked, the lone mountain didn't seem to get any closer.

Hours passed.

"Ugh."

The subdued pain flared again.

'The wound started bleeding again.'

Unbeknownst to Alvin, droplets of blood stained the cracked earth beneath him.

And then, without warning, his feet began to sink.

'What's this?'

He glanced down. His legs were already halfway submerged in the earth.

"No. No. No!"

Panic surged through him. His heartbeat thundered in his chest. He tried to move, but the ground clung to him like a vice.

'I don't want to die.'

He gasped for air, his breath quickening. Every nerve screamed at him to escape.

'Calm down. Calm down!'

He forced his breathing to steady, channeling his wind energy.

A gust erupted beneath him as he tried to propel himself upward.

But the harder he struggled, the faster he sank.

The earth devoured him.

In seconds, he disappeared without a trace.

***

Cough. Cough.

"Fucking sand all over my mouth."

Thuu. Thuu.

Alvin spat out the grit, wiping his face clean.

'Where am I?'

He scanned his surroundings. Crumbling walls. Stale air. Rows of ancient, engraved stone.

A catacomb.

Alvin glanced upward, searching for the spot where he'd fallen.

There was... nothing. No hole. No trace.

'This ruin is too dangerous. I was lucky the sand threw me here. If not, I'd be dead.'

"Not really, lad. It was me who summoned you here."

A voice echoed in Alvin's mind.

'What the hell was that?'

He instinctively drew his dagger, every muscle tensed.

"Poor lad, you were bitten by a ghoul."

"You won't live much longer. But lucky for you, I just happen to have a solution."

'Bitten by a ghoul? But it was the panther that bit me.'

"Not quite. That panther itself was a ghoul, an undead creature."

"Ghouls cannot be killed. Even in death, they take on a ghostly form, intangible to the living."

"Once their energy recovers, they resurrect themselves."

Alvin's breath slowed. His mind raced to connect the pieces.

'That explains why I couldn't touch the cat... and its transformation.'

'But a ghoul? That's news to me.'

Then, narrowing his eyes, Alvin asked,

"Who are you?"

"And stop reading my goddamn mind."

"Now, now, there's no need to be so on guard. Let me ask you this

"Why are you so anxious?"

Alvin stood there, dumbfounded.

"You said I was dying, and now... you're asking me why I'm anxious?"

"Ahem, my apologies. It's been a while since I last spoke to anyone."

"Anyway, this place is the sealed domain of Lumina Obscura."

Alvin repeated the name slowly, his brows furrowing.

"Lumina Obscura... Sounds like some kind of legendary artifact."

"Not quite. It's a cursed artifact."

Alvin shook his head. Artifact or not, it didn't matter.

"You said you could save me, right?"

"Then tell me, who the hell are you?"

The voice paused. Seconds stretched. Then, it answered.

"I am someone who has yet to serve a master."

"I am someone who sought to be feared."

"I am someone born in flames and bathed in blood. I am the blade that drinks both blood and despair"

"And now, I stand before you."

"I am a... Eternal Slave"