The Extra Who Shouldn't Exist novel Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Way back home(1)

Chapter 17: Way Back Home (1)

Alex staggered out of the collapsing ruins, still slightly dizzy from his ordeal. He paused, taking a deep breath as he watched the ground settle where the ancient structure had once stood.

"Why do all ancient places have self-destruct buttons?" he muttered, rubbing his temples. "Can't they just give rewards and let people leave in peace?"

He plopped onto a rock, stretching his aching limbs. The exhaustion of the trials still clung to him, and despite his new power, he felt like he'd been hit by a thousand boulders. A small smirk tugged at his lips.

"Well, at least I didn't die. That's progress."

After resting for a while, Alex stood up and dusted himself off. He needed to get moving before nightfall. With his enhanced abilities, he figured traveling back home wouldn't take too long.

"Let's see how Shadow Step works now."

He focused and activated the skill. Instantly, his vision blurred, and a split second later—

BAM!

His face slammed into a tree with a force that rattled his skull. He slid down to the ground, groaning in pain.

"Ow... ow... okay, note to self: teleporting blindly is bad."

Shaking his head, he rubbed his nose and pushed himself up. He flexed his fingers, realizing his strength had increased significantly. But power without control was just asking for disaster.

"Alright, I need to get accustomed to this before I accidentally break my own bones."

For the next hour, Alex experimented with his skills, gradually getting the hang of his enhanced agility and strength. He practiced dodging, jumping, and even swinging his sword with more precision.

By the end of his practice session, he felt much more in control.

"Alright, time to head home. Hopefully, no more unexpected surprises."

Fate, however, had other plans.

A Surprise Encounter (Minor Combat Scene)

As Alex made his way along the main trade route, he noticed something unusual ahead. A group of hover cars had stopped in the middle of the road.

A gang of heavily armed bandits surrounded the vehicles. Unlike the usual ragtag criminals, these ones wore high-tech combat suits and wielded energy blades and plasma rifles.

Alex sighed. "Great. Fancy bandits."

The bandit leader, a burly man with a mechanized arm, barked orders. "Hand over all your valuables! We don't like spilling blood, but don't test our patience."

Alex debated just minding his own business, but then he noticed the fear-stricken faces of the travelers inside the hover cars. His eyes landed on a young girl, barely ten years old, clutching her mother's hand.

His expression darkened.

"Alright, time to be a hero... or something."

Without hesitation, Alex activated Phantom Shift, blurring towards the bandits. The leader barely had time to react before Alex appeared behind him.

They all looked at his tattered clothes, blood-stained from the trials, and his intimidating aura. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

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