Eric never would have believed that something like this could happen, but the memories he had just received made it undeniable. The world, the notable places, the names of certain individuals—everything was exactly as it was in Humanity's Strongest Mage.
"How did this happen?" he muttered, pure disbelief on his face.
How did he end up in the novel? What was going on?
"Arin Vale..." Eric muttered, quickly realizing that was the name of this body.
This name had never been mentioned in the novel, which could only mean one thing...
"I'm an Extra... A character that was never mentioned... An insignificant character."
Looking down, "Arin" realized he was lying on a bed. He quickly got up and observed his surroundings.
He was in a room larger than the one he had on Earth. To the left was a door leading to the toilet, and beside his bed stood a small cupboard. A mirror hung close to the room's door, and he rushed towards it to take a look at himself.
Short brown hair, brown eyes, and an oval face. As expected of an Extra, he looked average—perhaps even more so than he had on Earth. He was dressed in a white short-sleeve button-up shirt, black trousers, and a pair of black shoes.
"This is the Academy's uniform..." Arin muttered.
He had the memories of the former owner of this body and, armed with knowledge of everything that happened in the novel up to the current chapter, he knew a lot of things... and I mean a lot.
"I don't see any scar or injuries, so I'm not sure the original Arin died. Then how did I end up in this body?"
Though, there was currently no answer to his question.
"Hmm, I had nothing important to me back on Earth, so this isn't bad at all." A grin suddenly appeared on Arin's face as a certain thought surfaced in his mind.
"Yes... yes, this is the same Academy Alex Whiteheart attends, so..." Arin's grin slowly turned into a smirk as he realized the kind of opportunity he now had.
The chaos he had always sought... he could finally bring it.
"The knowledge I have is to my advantage... it would be a waste not to use it. Why don't I do what I've always wanted?" Arin questioned himself.
"Why don't I... cause trouble for the protagonist?" A chilly smile bloomed on his face.
Suddenly...
WHOOSH
A screen appeared in front of Arin, displaying some words, accompanied by a mechanical voice.
[Congratulations, Arin Vale. You have met the conditions.]
[You, the Extra, have been granted the System.]
[Preparing Skills...]
[Preparation of Skills has been completed.]
"Huh, what is this?" Arin muttered. "There was nothing like a System in the novel."
[The Four Skills have successfully been given to the Host.]
[The two Main Quests have been generated.]
The more he saw, the more confused he became, but he kept his composure. There was no need to panic. Instead, he waited for the System to finish before saying anything.
[Since the Skills have been given and the Quests have been generated, the requirements have been met.]
[System assimilating...]
[The System has completely assimilated with the Host.]
[You have gained the title: The Extra.]
"The Extra..." Arin muttered, raising his brows in astonishment.
"System," he called out.
[Do you need help?]
Seeing that the System responded, Arin asked the questions he had in mind.
Who was the System? There wasn't anything written about it in the novel. Did the System bring him to this world? Was it created by someone?
But the System didn't answer a single question.
He even tried rephrasing the questions to not make it obvious, but there was still no response.
"It's definitely hiding something..."
That aside, Arin moved on to other things he was curious about.
"Show me the Quests."
Instantly, the System screen appeared again, showing Arin the Quests.
[Quest 1: Disrupt the easy life of the Main Character, Alex Whiteheart.]
[Reward 1: ???]
[Reward 2: ???]
[Quest 2: Bring Chaos to this world & Kill Alex Whiteheart.]
[Reward 1: The title: Harbinger of Chaos.]
[Note: This reward will be given to you after you cause Chaos at least once.]
[Reward 2: ???]
[Reward 3: ???]
[End of Information]
"Did this System read my mind?" Arin couldn't help but ask after seeing the Quests.
These were things he originally planned to do, so it was actually surprising.
As for killing Alex, he wasn't sure yet. Yes, he hated him and wanted to disrupt his easy life, but he hadn't planned on killing him.
But that could change in the long run...
"The rewards are unknown, except for the title reward, and I can get the title if I cause Chaos at least once."
He had no objections; after all, he had already planned to do these things, so...
"And for those rewards to be unknown, they must be powerful, no doubt," Arin said as he placed his finger on his chin.
Finally done with that, the last thing he had to do was check out his Skills.
[Skill 1: Extra's Cloak]
[Extra's Cloak: You are The Extra, a character that has never been noticed and will never be noticed. You don't have a... Presence.]
Suddenly, information rushed into his brain, and he instantly understood the Skill, a grin appearing on his face.
"So, apparently, I can erase my presence to the point that I can be in a place completely unnoticed... sweet."
This also meant he could pass by someone without being noticed.
He was already imagining the different ways he could use this Skill.
Like a true Extra, he wouldn't be noticed.
[Skill 2: Transfer]
[Transfer: You have knowledge of everything that took place from the start to where the "author" currently stopped, and you can share some of your knowledge or a particular scene.]
Just like before, Arin instantly understood the Skill after receiving information directly into his brain.
"So, I can show someone a certain part of the novel in the form of memories. Any part of my choice, huh?" Arin's lips curled up as he remembered something.
"It seems this Skill will be used sooner rather than later."
[Skill 3: An Extra's Stand]
[An Extra's Stand: You are The Extra; you don't want to fall in battle.]
[Effects: Physical Capabilities will be tripled once this Skill is activated.]
[Condition: This skill can only be activated when facing a strong opponent and you are in a dire situation.]
"Another sweet Skill. Not just doubled, but tripled. Nice."
Though, for him to activate the Skill, he would have to be in a dire situation, not nonetheless, it was still a great Skill.
[Skill Four: .... ]
Arin's eyes suddenly widened in shock as he looked at the fourth Skill.
"W... what is this...?"
Shock would be an understatement to describe what Arin was feeling right now.
Instantly, his expression changed, and a wide grin appeared on his face.
"This world is really for me," he muttered.
Though, the system wasn't done.
[You have two items in your inventory.]
"Inventory? As in a separate space where I can keep things?"
Arin knew that the inventory would surely be a place to keep things, there was no other explanation for it.
[Item 1: Extra's Mask.]
[Rank: Unranked]
[Skills: N/A]
[Note: This mask can also contribute to masking your presence, and it cannot be removed by anyone except you]
"Unranked? Now this is mysterious," Arin muttered as he squinted his eyes.
In fact, everything about the system was mysterious. The creator of this system certainly had a goal..... A goal that was certainly related to Alex.
Arin couldn't help but grin as thought about all these.
"Everything will eventually be unveiled, and I'll make sure of it...."
[Item 2: Dark Cloak.]
[Rank: Unranked.]
[Skills: Repair.]
[Repair: If the cloak is torn, it can instantly repair itself, and also clean itself.]
"Another Unranked item..... something is going on."
Though, he couldn't dwell on it too much, because it was also almost time for him to leave.
"I'll check the mask and the cloak later."
He looked outside and noticed that it was bright.
"It's time for the entrance ceremony."
But that was not all.
Arin's grin suddenly widened.
It was also time to meet the person who would be his greatest ally.
"...the Female Lead..."