The Extra Who Shouldn't Exist novel Chapter 96

Chapter 96: Chapter 96 : A untrustable snake

After stepping out of the Nexus Core facility, Alex strolled through the Academy’s glass-and-steel corridor, hands in his pockets, the faint glow of mana-reactive panels lighting the path.

The air buzzed faintly with residual energy, but his mind was elsewhere.

"Okay, Useless, tell me what the hell just happened back there," he said, his tone somewhere between annoyed and curious.

Silence.

No prompt. No sarcasm. No condescending remarks. Nothing.

He raised an eyebrow. "Hello again? You’re there, right?"

Still no answer.

He sighed dramatically, throwing his hands up. "Alright, alright. I get it. Let me rephrase. My good, kind, all-knowing, highly efficient system... could you please tell me what happened back there just now?"

A voice finally echoed in his mind, smug and immediate.

[Host, you should have started with that.]

Alex groaned. "Now you decide to talk?"

[You do not seem surprised.]

"Of course I’m not surprised! So tell me what the hell just happened back there!"

[Okay, Host, I was just recalibrating your mana readings.]

He paused mid-step. "Wait... recalibrating? What does that even mean?"

[You have not realized it yet, but your mana is far denser and several times purer than the average cadet. That’s why the crystal began absorbing it like a sponge.]

Alex blinked. "Is that why the crystal started going crazy? Why it glowed... green in the end?"

[Correct. That evaluation crystal is designed to quantify mana density and quality on a linear spectrum—from white to silver. For avatars such as Ethan, they installed a mechanism that shows gold.

But your mana output overshot the expected range. It reached saturation beyond Monarch- and gold-tier purity, and then surpassed it.]

[Due to the overwhelming concentration of your mana, the crystal’s measurement scale was overloaded, and it couldn’t analyze your mana core’s potential signature.

Once its detection matrix failed, it defaulted to a defensive reboot state. When it recalibrated because of the overflow, the response was—green.]

He raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn’t it have exploded or turned silver at least? Or something dramatic? And can you please speak human?"

[Your mana core output exceeded the calibrated threshold mid-scan. To prevent system overload, the crystal initiated a containment protocol and terminated the analysis early.

The green coloration was not a reflection of your true rank—it was a default indicator used when the scan cannot process or classify the core accurately.

As the Academy didn’t expect something like this, they did not install any kind of mechanism for situations like yours.

In essence, the crystal only managed to analyze your core partially before failing to keep up with its complexity.]

Alex gave a thoughtful look. "So, what you’re saying is..." he tapped his chin thoughtfully, "the crystal couldn’t measure me properly."

[In other words, yes, Host. You could say that.]

Alex nodded, satisfied. "Well, I expected something like that when it started going crazy."

He stopped, gazing out a window at the training arenas below. A light smirk curled on his lips.

"Well, it doesn’t matter if it’s Master or Monarch rank. If I can’t surpass Monarchs myself... I’ll just have to make Monarchs—and even Transcendent-rank talents—serve me."

He chuckled darkly to himself. "And I already have a few candidates in mind."

That laugh slowly grew deeper, more theatrical, full of villainous flair. It echoed through the corridor, sending a visible shiver down the spines of nearby cadets who were just passing by.

A few students froze mid-step.

"...What the hell?" one whispered before backing away quickly.

One poor soul nearly dropped his Etherpad after seeing his smile.

Even the system hesitated for a beat.

[...Host, you might be a lunatic. And a dangerous lunatic at that.]

"How rude. But I’ll take it as a compliment."

---

Meanwhile, in the sealed lab where Alex had taken his potential test, the air shimmered with the remnants of a mana overload.

The crystal at the center of the chamber, now blackened and split, gave a low hum before cracking violently. With a sharp snap, it burst apart like a miniature bomb.

A wave of force shot through the room. Fire burst from the overloaded containment runes.

Instantly, the lab’s Flame Suppression Protocol activated—a cutting-edge system that released a nanite-infused mist laced with cooling mana threads. Within seconds, the fire was neutralized, the air crisp and dry again. The walls hissed with steam.

Alarms blared across the hallway.

Chloe was chatting casually with Selena on the outdoor terrace overlooking the courtyard when the shrill alarms cut through the ambient hum of the Academy.

Both turned.

"That’s coming from the evaluation wing," Chloe muttered.

Without hesitation, they sprinted toward the source.

Smoke still lingered in the air when they entered the lab. The evaluation chamber was a mess—runes blackened, instruments fried, and in the center, the crystal that had been used for Alex’s evaluation lay in glittering fragments.

"What the hell...?" Chloe stared wide-eyed. "It’s in pieces!"

She turned toward Selena, expecting concern. Instead, what she saw made her skin crawl.

Selena was smirking.

That wasn’t just a pleased smirk. It was a maniacal, lip-twitching, eyes-glinting-in-amusement expression.

"Selena... why are you smiling like that?"

Snapped from her thoughts, Selena quickly wiped the expression from her face. "Ah. Nothing. I was just... thinking."

Chloe narrowed her eyes but said nothing.

Selena, however, whispered under her breath as she looked at the ruined crystal, her voice barely audible even to herself.

’A devil... among monsters.’

---

Back in the main building, Alex, having sorted through his thoughts—and successfully spooked a few classmates with his villain monologue—headed toward his next class.

Today was a big one.

Rune Arts.

Just thinking about it made his pace quicken. When the time had come to choose additional elective subjects aside from the compulsory ones, he hadn’t hesitated at all.

Rune Language was one of the most complex, versatile, and dangerous arts in the world.

And exactly the kind of knowledge Alex wanted.

The classroom was in a more secluded corner of the Academy. As the door slid open with a soft shh, he peered inside.

The professor hadn’t arrived yet.

Only a handful of first-year cadets were present, scattered throughout the rows, many with confused expressions, already flipping through thick rune books.

Alex walked in and, for once, chose a front-row seat. There were plenty available too.

He looked around, amused. "Guess most first-years aren’t too interested in this stuff. Makes sense. It’s one of the hardest arts to learn in the entire world."

Before he could get too comfortable, a voice—smooth, playful, and just a bit mocking—came from beside him.

"Well, well... if it isn’t our mighty Apex.

Alex Dragonheart himself. Gracing us with his presence in the runic wing of academia."

Alex turned—and his eyes widened slightly.

Lilia Scott.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify