The Unlimited Ascension: Reborn as an Extra

Alen turned around as he heard a familiar voice. A figure stood a few feet away from him, but Alen couldn’t see him clearly. He squinted his eyes, peering through the suffocating darkness that enveloped the domain.

Slowly, the darkness cleared around that particular spot. As the face came into view, Alen’s calm expression completely dropped.

It was the same black hair and the same black eyes he had once known so well. It was the same bright expression that had always made his days feel a little warmer. The same boy he had taken care of for years, the same boy he had played with in the snow, stood right in front of him.

Rian. His one and only brother.

He stood there, looking at Alen, though his expression was completely blank.

A soft voice echoed out, shattering Alen’s remaining composure into pieces.

"Did you miss me, brother?"

Alen looked at his little brother, his eyes shaking. His mind scrambled, unable to instantly tell if this was an illusion or reality. After a few agonizing seconds passed, Alen couldn’t hold back anymore.

"Rian?... Is that really you?"

Rian looked at Alen, and a small, soft smile appeared on his lips.

"You have changed a lot, brother... It seems you have even forgotten about me."

Alen looked at him with deep longing and replied with a shaky voice.

"No, I—I could never forget you! Never!"

Rian chuckled softly at his words and stepped forward.

"It seems you really have changed quite a lot, brother. I can barely even recognize you on the outside... but on the inside, you are just as dumb as ever." Rian tilted his head.

"Hehe... You’re still the exact same kind-hearted guy you were before."

Alen stared at him, his expression slowly flattening.

"No. I am not the same as I was back then. I have changed a lot. I am walking a new path to achieve what I couldn’t in the past..."

Rian’s face twisted into a hint of disgust.

"Is that so? How pathetic."

Alen stopped in his tracks, his eyes narrowing at Rian.

"Do you really think the ’path’ you’re walking is the right one, brother?"

"Do you think you can really achieve your goals? Do you honestly believe that the kind-hearted guy who constantly sacrificed himself for others can suddenly become ’selfish’?"

Rian took another step closer.

"You are just lying to yourself. You claim to be selfish, yet just a moment ago you helped your comrades and saved their lives. And now you’re just trying to deny the kind act you just did."

"You’re denying your own kindness for what? To walk a ’new’ path when you don’t even know if it suits you?"

"Rather than wasting your time trying to change the person you were—the caring brother you were, the kind and proud son you once were—you should just come with us."

"Brother... don’t change yourself just because the people in this world can’t understand you. People are just pathetic creatures who think and behave however they want. They can’t appreciate your humility."

"This world, and this path, are not made for you. You shouldn’t walk it. I know that if you truly walk this path, there will be no one left to stand alongside you. You will be left completely, utterly alone. There will be no one to love, no one to care for, no one to protect. The only thing that will remain in your life is emptiness."

Rian extended his hand, his eyes softening again.

"Rather than living such a dark, lonely life, you should come to us, brother. You will be free from the burdens you’ve carried until now. You will be free from the self-blame. You will be truly free from this pathetic life of yours."

"So, I request that you come with me. Our parents are waiting for you in the heavens."

Alen stared at his welcoming hand. For a long minute, he remained completely still. He glanced at his brother’s face, taking a slow step forward.

"Yes, brother. You will be free from the suffering," Rian smiled warmly. "There will be no one left to ever hurt your feelings. I will be with you. You don’t have to worry about anything anymore."

As Alen closed the distance, Rian stepped forward to grab Alen’s hand.

Suddenly, Alen violently slapped the hand away.

Rian stumbled back, looking at Alen with a surprised expression.

"What happened, brother? Aren’t you coming?"

Alen stepped back, looking at the illusion with absolute coldness.

"You know, ’Rian’... you’re wrong about one thing. I am not the helpless, innocent guy you’re claiming I am."

"Yes, it’s true. I was a kind-hearted guy once, and I was utterly betrayed by many people. But that doesn’t mean I think my kindness was a mistake. That wasn’t the reason I changed my path."

Alen gripped the hilt of his sword.

"Do you think I chose to become a selfish person just because I was betrayed by others?"

"No. That was never the reason."

"I didn’t change because of other people. I changed because I want to know what my absolute limits are. I changed because I want to experience what it feels like to live a completely different life than the one I had been through before."

Alen’s azure eyes glowed with fierce resolve in the darkness.

"There is no such thing as a universally ’good’ or ’bad’ path. Those are just imaginary concepts created by weak people. Everyone has their own path to walk. It is my decision to walk this new path, and nobody has the right to judge me or my capability to achieve it."

Alen drew his blade.

"Even if my real brother stood in front of me right now and begged me to change my ways, I wouldn’t listen to him. So why the hell would I listen to a pathetic, vile creature like you? You rotten piece of shit!"

The illusion of Rian stood perfectly still. Suddenly, his figure began to violently warp. Purple light enveloped the boy, shifting and expanding until it transformed back into the towering, cloaked form of the original Dungeon Master.

As the illusion broke, the dark domain around them began to slowly disintegrate.

"HAHAHA... IT SEEMS YOU HUMANS DEFINITELY ARE INTERESTING CREATURES. IT IS TRULY FUN TO PLAY WITH YOU."

The Dungeon Master floated closer, his booming voice echoing in Alen’s mind.

"ESPECIALLY YOU. IT IS QUITE INTERESTING TO SEE THAT A GUY LIKE YOU SUDDENLY ENTERED THIS WORLD FROM A COMPLETELY UNKNOWN WORLD."

Alen froze.

"IT IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER SEEN SUCH A CASE... HMMM... BUT YOUR CASE SEEMS QUITE FAMILIAR TO ME. I DEFINITELY HEARD ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THIS FROM SOMEWHERE... WHERE DID I HEAR IT? I CANNOT SEEM TO REMEMBER..."

Alen looked at the Dungeon Master with wide, cold eyes. He hadn’t expected this disgusting entity to suddenly see through his memories. A severe sense of crisis washed over him. There was absolutely no way for him to defeat such a powerful, mind-reading entity without resorting to incredibly risky methods.

[Ding! Your Passive Ability ’?????’ Triggered!]