Transmigrating as an Extra, But the Heroine Has Regressed?!
Chapter 55: Light in the Depths.

Chapter 55: Light in the Depths.

Everyone was settled after that illusion trap and they began to move forward.

An hour later, the corridor split again. This time, a chill blew from the left path—cold, unnatural.

Edwin stopped at the fork, staring at a moss-covered wall of symbols.

"There’s power here," he said. "Old. Strong. I think it leads somewhere important."

Cecilia frowned. "It feels... wrong."

Ren, a quiet boy from the back, suddenly stepped closer, his eyes glazed. "I hear something..."

They turned.

"What?" Edwin asked.

Ren’s voice was soft. "It says... Follow the path. Find true power."

(Damn it.)

He grabbed Ren’s shoulder. "Snap out of it. That voice isn’t real."

Ren blinked hard, then stepped back, shaking his head.

Edwin looked uncertain. "You think this leads somewhere dangerous?"

Kael examined the markings.

There were claw marks forming a spiral pattern on the ground or wall, and in the middle of them was a dark, burned-looking symbol (sigil). When he saw it, he immediately knew what it was that he had read about it before.

(A remnant of the Demon Lord’s cult.)

"This is cursed ground," Kael said quietly. "If we keep going, we’ll trigger something we can’t undo."

"You sure?" Edwin asked.

"I am sure of this".

Edwin hesitated—then, reluctantly, nodded. "Alright. We’ll reroute."

As the group shifted direction, Kael subtly drew a chalk symbol on the stone near the cursed entrance. His own marker. A code only he would recognize if he ever came back.

As the others moved ahead, chatting lightly now that the tension had eased, Kael remained at the rear, watching the shadows stretch along the walls.

He had steered them clear of a deadly path. Collected a secret no one else even noticed. And earned a small bit of trust from Edwin.

Just as they reached the core chamber.

The chamber was huge, shaped like a giant circle, almost like an old cathedral or temple.

Around the edges stood tall, sharp stone pillars that looked worn and cracked with age. The ceiling was very high, so far up that they couldn’t even see where it ended—it just disappeared into darkness.

Above them were thin wisps of magical energy floated through the air, glowing faintly like drifting mist.

In the middle of the room, there was a large stone platform. And an earth core.

(So that is where we should light up our crystal there)

Edwin, "here we are! Finally! The core chamber where we light our crystal".

From that platform of the core, three thin paths stretched out like bridges. Each path crossed over a deep, dark pit and led into a different tunnel on the other side.

"We made it," one student breathed.

"So this is the dungeon’s core..." another said, their voice filled with a happy face.

Professor Yulia raised a hand. "Stay alert. The core is rarely undefended."

Kael, standing near the rear, instinctively placed a hand on his sword hilt. His eyes scanned the platform and the three bridges branching towards the core.

Edwin stepped forward. "There should be a mechanism here to light the dungeon core, right?" he asked.

"Yes," Cecilia nodded. "Just like professor Slyvia said, the crystal is the key. Once it’s lit, it purifies the dungeon and ends the trial."

One of the students from the group rushed to the core with excitement. As soon as he stepped on the bridge, a sound came...

"Did you hear that?" someone whispered.

Then came the thud.

Another.

And another.

Shadows started moving near the edge of the deep pit.

Then, from the darkness, dozens of glowing red eyes slowly appeared—watching them from the dark.

It felt like something dangerous was waking up, hiding just beyond the light.

"Beasts!" someone shouted.

The shadows began to move and change, slowly turning into scary creatures.

They were tall and hunched over, with long, sharp claws for hands. Their faces were hidden by swirling dark mist, making them look even more frightening.

When they growled, it sounded like deep smoke rumbling through the air.

"Shadow beasts!" one of the students from the back shouted.

"We’ve got to light the crystal!" Edwin barked. "It’s the only way to seal them!"

Kael stepped beside him. "They won’t be easy to handle. The more we fight, the more they’ll come. We need to act fast."

As if on cue, the beasts lunged forward. The first wave hit the outer ranks.

Clang!

Steel met claws. Students scattered and regrouped, their weapons clashing against the dark creatures.

Cecilia raised a barrier to shield a wounded classmate. Two students were knocked off their feet, scrambling to rise again.

"They just keep coming!" one cried.

"This dungeon quest is too hard!" another yelled, slashing wildly.

But others gritted their teeth and fought back.

"All that brutal training back at the academy is finally paying off!" shouted a boy from the front, fighting with his spear.

"Focus and protect the crystal!", someone said.

Edwin grabbed the crystal tightly. Inside, a single crystal shard pulsed with inner light. It was fragile—meant to be cracked at the right moment at the core.

"Anyone, cover me!" he shouted.

Kael nodded quickly and ran ahead.

One of the shadow beasts came at him, but he swung his sword fast and clean, cutting it down in one blow.

Before he could breathe, another beast jumped at him from the side. Kael reacted fast—he ducked low, rolled under its attack, and then stabbed his sword upward into the creature’s belly.

Right behind him, Cecilia was helping. She threw firebolts at the shadow beasts, each blast lighting up the dark chamber.

The flames pushed the monsters back, stopping them from getting too close or surrounding the others.

Edwin made it to the center, breathing heavily.

"Now or never," he muttered.

With a swift motion, he cracked the crystal shard against the core.

CRACK!

A burst of light exploded outward, illuminating the entire core chamber. The light washed over the shadow beasts—and they howled in agony.

One by one, they melted into smoke, their forms disintegrating into nothingness.

"It’s working!" a girl cried.

"The crystal! It’s driving them away!"

The light spread across the three paths and into the cavern above. The pressure in the chamber lifted, as if a weight had been pulled off their chests. The air cleared.

The students stood frozen for a moment.

Then, slowly, cheers erupted.

"We did it!"

"We survived the core!"

All the students light up the crystal at the core and Kael lights the crystal at the last.

Some students dropped to their knees, panting.

Cecilia looked at Kael, who was still standing near the core. "You did it."

(It wasn’t me though), Kael thought.

But she looked only for kael though Edwin did it.

Edwin exhaled, then turned to Kael. "Couldn’t have done it without your backup."

"I appreciate you for taking those weak beast"

(Is this an insult or appreciation?), Kael thought.

Kael simply nodded. "Well it was a team effort."

Professor Yulia walked to the core, inspecting the now glowing crystal. She nodded once, then turned to the group.

"Well done. The core is lit. You’ve passed the hardest part of the dungeon quest"

Some students slumped against the walls, others helped their friends stand. One or two began tending to light injuries with spare healing salves.

Kael stood quietly, gazing at the three branching tunnels. The battle might have been over but....