The Extra Who Stole the Hero's System
Chapter 44: Aftermath

Chapter 44: Aftermath

I heard, the sickening thud of Lord Sapphire’s head hitting the ground. Herald, the hero’s master, the living legend, stood before me, his blue-glowing eye fixed on me, the severed head of my ’adopted father’ barely an afterthought.

"But it doesn’t matter," Herald said, his voice as calm, utterly devoid of remorse. "You would work with me whether you like it or not, because what I would tell you, about the cult will utterly ruins your world."

My breath hitched. The mana saturation had lessened after Lord Sapphire’s death – Herald must had closed his Mythic Dragon’s Eye again . He knew. He knew I had "special abilities." He knew enough to be here, to make this horrifying, brutal play.

"How... how did you know?" I managed to say, my voice hoarse. My mind raced, trying to reconcile the novel’s lore with this immediate, terrifying reality. Herald in the novel sought out the hero’s system, to help aid him in his fight against the cult. But how specific was his knowledge?

"This," he said, tapping a finger lightly against his closed left eye. "One of its main abilities. It sees beyond the veil, discerns unique signatures." He paused, his gaze unblinking. "But I will refuse to explain further until we can have a proper discussion. Away from... this mess." He gestured vaguely to the carnage surrounding us, his voice utterly non-chalant, as if discussing a slight inconvenience rather than a brutal massacre.

He knew enough to see I was different. That was critical information. My secret, my core ability, was already partially exposed.

"From henceforth," Herald continued, his voice firm, leaving no room for argument, "you will be my disciple. I your master, and we will be leaving here immediately."

My mind immediately rejected the idea. Follow him? A man like Herald, who just brutally murdered a noble and effortlessly slaughtered an entire guard detachment?who drew the attention of the continent’s most dangerous people? That went completely against my desire to survive. My entire strategy was about being an unnoticed extra, staying out of the spotlight, altering the main plot points if needed. Following Herald would throw me directly into the core narrative conflict. He was an eye-catching target for dangerous people, which would undoubtedly put me at extreme harm. I needed to maintain my low profile.

"I can’t," I stated, my voice firmer than I expected. "I have... an exam. The Sword Knight entrance exam. It’s in less than a month. I’ve already committed to it. Lord Sapphire—" I almost corrected myself, thelate Lord Sapphire—"had arranged for my training. I can’t just abandon that. It would raise too many questions within the manor. Too much suspicion."

Herald’s faint, grim smile did not waver. "I know about your sudden interest in the Academy." He paused, his gaze softening almost imperceptibly, a flicker of something in his blue eye that bordered on understanding. "And yes, I will train you. You will pass that exam and you will enter the Academy as you desired."

It this wasn’t an escape route. It was a new, equally dangerous path. "Won’t me entering the Academy go against your plan to defeat the cult?" I pressed, forcing myself to sound merely curious, not desperate. "If you’re hunting the cult, why not... Stop me from entering the Academy, I thought you neede my ’special abilities’?"

Herald’s expression hardened, the brief flicker of softness vanishing. "Because the cult has made a significant appearance there. The Academy is no longer just a place of learning. It’s become a new battleground. And they seek something within its hallowed halls that could shift the balance of power entirely."

My blood ran cold. The Sword knight Academy. One of the central hub of power and training in the novel. If the cult was there, actively, then my plan to simply enroll and lay low was already compromised. Herald, with his vast knowledge and ancient crusade, was simply anticipating the inevitable.

In the novel, the cult never made any moves at the Academy. I suspected that the divergences I had caused were beginning to alter the story — that my actions had shifted the original course. But it was also possible that the cult simply acted before the hero ever entered the Academy in the first place.

"So," I began, trying to weigh my options, trying to find a loophole in his terrifying logic. "You want me to train under you, pass the exam, and then... fight the cult at the Academy?"

"Precisely," Herald affirmed, his voice clipped and efficient. "My methods are... unorthodox. My presence there would cause a stir I cannot afford, not when ’The One’ remains hidden and influential. You, however, are a clean slate. A new face. A perfect infiltrator. And with your abilities, you are uniquely positioned to be my eyes, my ears, and eventually, my hand, within one of their stronghold."

My mind spun. Infiltrate? His hand? This was a nightmare. This was precisely the kind of main character plot I wanted to avoid. I was an extra for god sake, I just have one goal—to survive not to take down a cult.

Extras didn’t get powerful masters who forced them into high-stakes espionage against ancient evil cults.

"I... I don’t want to be anyone’s hand," I replied, choosing my words carefully. "My goals are simple. Survival and a quiet life."

"A quiet life? My boy, the moment your ’special abilities’ manifested, a quiet life became a distant fantasy. Did you truly believe you could remain unseen, unheard, while wielding such unique power?" He gestured towards the silent, still body of Lord Sapphire. "This man suspected you. He was, in his own twisted way, studying you. He would have used you. Or worse, delivered you to ’The One’ if he ever figured out about your ability. You were already drawn into this war, Kai Lorne. You simply did not know it yet."

"So, you’re not giving me a choice, then?" I asked, a bitter taste in my mouth.

"A choice?" Herald tilted his head slightly. "Perhaps not in the manner you envision. This is not an invitation, Kai. This is an order. One you cannot refuse, not without facing far graver consequences than any you currently imagine. Your world, as you know it, is about to be irrevocably altered. You may cling to your notions of a ’quiet life,’ but I assure you, it is already gone. Your only true choice now is how you navigate the storm that is coming. With me, you will survive. Without me... well, your odds are not favorable."