The Extra Who Shouldn't Exist novel Chapter 90

Chapter 90: Chapter 90 : System

"System."

The word slipped past Alex’s lips like a quiet command—even if it had never once yielded a response aside from a status window.

Until now.

A brief pause hung in the air.

Then—

[ Yes, Host. ]

Alex blinked.

He sat up in bed so fast, he nearly yanked the IV out of his arm.

"...What?"

That voice—clear, calm, emotionless—rang directly inside his mind. Not a prompt. Not a static screen.

Actual speech.

"You... can talk?" Alex said slowly, suspiciously, like he was talking to a ghost that had finally replied after years of haunting him.

[Affirmative. This feature was added during the most recent update.]

Alex stared blankly at the wall for a second.

"Update? What update? Since the moment I got into this world, you’ve been completely useless!"

[Correction: This system has been evolving alongside you. Every time you broke through to a new rank, the system was enhanced in the background. The vocal interaction module became functional after you broke through into the Advanced Rank.]

Alex’s mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened again.

"So... you’re telling me... you could’ve talked after I reached Advanced Rank. Then why, exactly, did you not say a damn word till now?!"

[You never asked.]

A vein visibly popped on Alex’s forehead.

He gritted his teeth. "Isn’t it your job to help your host?! To explain all your functions?"

There was a long silence. Then—

[...]

Alex narrowed his eyes.

"What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

He waited.

Then a smirk slowly spread across his face.

"You know what? Never mind. Let’s start over. Sorry about earlier, System."

[Apology accepted, Host.]

"...So," Alex leaned back against the pillow with mock seriousness, "can you give me quests like those overpowered systems in the novels?"

[No.]

"...Do you have a shop where I can buy rare items, skills, or artifacts?"

[No.]

"Can you show me other people’s status windows?"

[No.]

Alex stared at the ceiling. "So you can’t do a single useful thing, but you’re telling me you’re not useless."

[N—yes.]

Alex raised a brow. "You weren’t about to say ’No’ just now, were you?"

[No.]

He let out a long, tired sigh. "I seriously got the short end of the stick, didn’t I... This system is garbage."

There was no denial.

Then something stirred in his mind—something he’d been meaning to ask since waking up.

"System," he said, voice dropping. "Back during my duel with Alicia, right before I passed out... I saw notifications about my bloodline and physique. Something about them being cursed."

He turned serious.

"Tell me the truth. What was that about?"

There was a pause.

Then—

[Of course, Host. There were seven active curses on your being—three on your bloodline, three on your physique.]

Alex sat frozen.

"...Seven... curses?"

That wasn’t just bad luck—that was malicious. Who the hell did that.

He frowned. "But... I don’t remember getting cursed after I came to this world."

[That is correct. These curses were not placed after your arrival. They already existed within this body when your soul took over.]

A heavy silence fell again.

Alex’s mind raced but nothing came to his mind.

But it confirmed one thing.

’So the original Alex Dragonheart had been cursed long before he arrived. Which meant...’

"This body... was never meant to survive," he muttered. "Who the hell...?"

He straightened. "System. You said seven curses. Three bloodline, three physique. What about the seventh? Where was it placed?"

There was a noticeable hesitation before the system answered.

[The seventh curse was placed upon your fate, Host. By all accounts, this body should have died long ago. However, your arrival into this world somehow broke that curse... which is why you are still alive.]

Alex’s blood ran cold.

A curse... on fate?

Someone wanted this version of Alex Dragonheart erased from existence entirely.

He swallowed. "Then... can you tell me who placed those curses on me?"

[Negative. The system cannot trace the source directly. However, the strength and complexity of the curses indicate interference from one or more higher beings. Possibly gods.]

Alex’s stomach dropped.

Gods.

He wasn’t ready to fight mortals yet, let alone divine entities.

Only one thought came to mind:

"...F**k. I can’t even handle mortal enemies, and now I’ve got gods marking me for death? Great."

He ran a hand through his hair, stress building.

"...Okay. One last question."

He paused.

"System. Who made you and who sent you to me?"

Silence.

Then—

[I... don’t know.]

Alex facepalmed.

"Of course you don’t. Just what I needed. A mysterious cursed life, a mute system that only speaks when it wants to, and now this."

He flopped back onto the bed.

"So many questions... and no real answers."

Then, something else clicked in his memory.

"You tried to forcibly break the curse and awaken my bloodline during the fight with Alicia. Can you still do that?" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

[Yes, Host. However, I must advise against it. The current probability of survival via forced awakening is only 10%.]

Alex stared at the ceiling again.

"...Ten percent?"

[Correct.]

"You seriously attempted that when I had a ten percent chance of living?!"

[Had the system not intervened, the use of the sixth form of your sword art would have killed you anyway. The risk was balanced against an inevitable outcome.]

Alex blinked. Then sighed again.

"...Fair point."

After a long pause, he straightened up and said, "Alright. Show me my status window."

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