I Was Transmigrated As An Extraordinary Extra

Chapter 323

I froze. ’Excuse me?’

That word echoed in my head like a personal attack.

Predictable?

Me?

Absolutely not.

...Okay, maybe a little—but that wasn’t the point.

I never win against him—ever. Not in arguments, not in sparring, not even in cooking (which was frankly the most offensive part of all). So clearly, the problem wasn’t me.

It was... strategy.

Yes.

Strategy.

Which meant there was only one solution.

Abandon all logic.

I lunged at him like a dog that had finally gotten rabies.

As expected—because apparently everything with him is expected—he sidestepped effortlessly, like he’d been expecting this exact level of unhinged behavior.

"Are you even practicing the core breathing technique I taught you?" he asked, sounding mildly disappointed.

I spun on my heel and charged again. "Not everyone’s like you!" I snapped, baring my teeth as I closed the distance.

I closed the distance fast this time, pivoting on my heel and throwing a kick straight at him.

He turned just enough to deflect it, and before I could recover, he was suddenly behind me.

And then—

A firm push landed on my back.

"Hey—!"

I stumbled forward, barely catching myself before faceplanting into the ground like a complete amateur.

"Then how are you planning to catch up?" he added, voice laced with that infuriating hint of amusement.

I whipped around, glaring at him. "By hitting you at least once!"

"At this rate?" he tilted his head. "Unlikely."

I inhaled sharply.

Hold on.

Stay calm.

Stay—

No.

Absolutely not.

I dashed at him again.

Because clearly, violence was the answer.

This time, I feinted left, then shifted right, aiming low—

He blocked.

I pivoted, aiming for his side—

He dodged.

I tried to grab his arm—

He slipped away like smoke.

"Stand still!" I snapped.

"That defeats the purpose."

"You’re insufferable!"

"You’re reckless."

"I’m determined!"

"You’re loud."

"I’m—"

I tripped, embarrassed that I would face plant again, I closed my eyes and accepted it.

Just then, he stepped in, grab my wrist, and steadied me before I could completely lose my balance.

We paused.

’Too close... We were way too close...’

I blinked, my thoughts screeching to a halt as I found myself staring straight into his eyes.

’When did he get this close?’

I could clearly see the way his gaze sharpened slightly, like he was trying to hide whatever emotions he was desperately trying to hide.

Say something.

Do something.

Attack him.

Why am I not attacking him?

...

Oh right...

Because we’re still too close.

A distant bird suddenly squawked, loud and offended, like it had just witnessed something it absolutely did not approve of.

The sound snapped the moment as reality came rushing back in.

"...You done?" he asked first, completely unaffected.

I narrowed my eyes. "No."

I twisted my wrist and tried to headbutt him but he leaned back just enough for me to miss.

"...That was your plan?" he asked.

"It almost worked!"

"It didn’t." I huffed, trying to yank my hand free.

He let go immediately.

I stumbled back a step, regaining my balance, chest rising and falling, "one hit," I pointed at him again. "That’s all I need."

He crossed his arms, clearly entertained now. "You’ve said that before."

"And I’ll say it again."

"Then stop thinking like me," he said, smirking. "And start fighting like you."

I blinked. ’That was an annoyingly good advice.’

I scowled. "I don’t like it when you make sense."

"That sounds like a you problem."

"...I’m still going to hit you."

"I’m counting on it."

We were just about to start round two when we noticed a presence seething with anger beside us.

We both turned at the same time and nearly jumped out of our skin.

He was right there standing next to us.

Close enough that I had absolutely no idea how long he’d been there. Close enough that if he leaned a little, he could’ve bonked both our heads together like an annoyed parent.

Thorne didn’t say anything at first.

He just stood there, arms crossed, staring at us with the kind of expression that screamed I have been watching this entire nonsense unfold and I am deeply, personally offended by it.

"So," Thorne finally said, voice dangerously calm, "would either of you like to explain why the meat I’ve been waiting for is still not in the cave... while the two of you are out here playing?"

Playing.

He called it playing.

Excuse me, I was engaged in a very serious, highly important, completely necessary attempt to land a hit on this guy.

Priorities first.

"It’s his fault," I said immediately, pointing at Kairos with zero hesitation and absolutely no shame.

Kairos didn’t even react.

Thorne’s gaze slowly moved to him.

I crossed my arms, fully prepared to witness the rare and glorious sight of someone scolding Kairos.

Thorne opened his mouth, closed it, then swallowed so hard he might have choked.

I watched, fascinated, as every single word he was about to say got violently swallowed.

"...We should head back," Thorne said instead, voice suddenly much calmer. "The others are waiting."

I stared at him.

"You’re not even going to try?" I asked, deeply disappointed.

He didn’t even look back. "I enjoy breathing."

I clicked my tongue. "Coward."

"I value my life."

Behind me, Kairos started walking again like nothing had happened.

I fell into step beside them, still annoyed. "...I almost had you," I muttered under my breath.

"You didn’t," Kairos replied without missing a beat.

I scowled.

One day.

One day, I swear—

Thorne glanced between us and sighed. "Please don’t start again."

Somehow, we managed to eat without completely killing each other—though Thorne’s snide remarks kept the atmosphere lively.

Apparently, he was still bitter that we’d eaten late, which had, in his eyes, ruined the entire portal-hunting schedule.

We set off through the jungle, stepping over roots, dodging thorny bushes, and fighting every kind of monster the forest could throw at us. Swarms of insects, oversized reptiles, and things that definitely had way too many eyes for comfort—all in a day’s work.

And then—just like that—the world shifted.

One moment, the air was thick and humid, sticking to my skin like a wet blanket. The next, it was as if someone had thrown the thermostat straight into negative temperatures.

My breath came out in little clouds, and the ground underfoot was crunchy, frozen, and suspiciously slippery.

I took a step back, shivering, trying to get a feel for the terrain. "It seems... we’re in a tundra region right now," I muttered.

Seraphiel must have transported every group to different regions.

Stepping back didn’t help either. We’re still stuck in this region.

Seraphiel, of course, had to make everything more complicated. He had transported every group to different regions.

How should I know if we are in the unli-respawn time?

Just then, I heard a faint sound a few feet away from me.

A man was slowly being freezed to death. "P-please... just... k-kill m-me..." he muttered.

"As you wish," I said as I drove my dagger straight to his heart.

I waited for a few seconds and the man vanished and instantly appeared again before me, now perfectly alive.

"Thank you miss for killing me! Did you know how long I suffered, slowly being consumed by death and ice?! Fuck no!!! Hahahaha!" then he run away.

He must have been tortured for so long that he finally gone crazy.

I went back to the group. "The portal in this region is still active, meaning we have an unli-respawn time."

Then I heard it—a faint, shivering sound a few feet away.

A man crouched on the ice, slowly succumbing to the cold. His lips quivered. "P-please... just... k-kill m-me..." he muttered.

’Perfect timing.’

I mean, the guy was practically begging for it—why not make him the perfect test subject? What was that saying again?

Right. It’s killing two tasks with one dagger.

"As you wish," I said, and for the first time all day, I felt a little spark of excitement as I drove my dagger straight into his chest.

He didn’t scream. Didn’t collapse. Didn’t even flinch, actually. For a brief second, I wondered if I had just poked him politely instead of stabbing him.

Then—poof!

He vanished.

I waited for few seconds, long enough to get annoyed.

He finally reappeared, alive and looking around with those crazy eyes before me like a very confused puppet.

"THANK YOU, MISS, FOR KILLING ME!" he yelled, voice cracking somewhere between hysteria and relief. "Do you know how long I suffered, slowly being consumed by death and ice?! FUCK NO!!! Hahaha!"

And just like that, he ran off, cackling, leaving me standing there with my dagger in hand and a very conflicted sense of pride.

Well... I satisfied my curiosity anyway.

Clearly, he had been tortured for so long by the endless respawn that sanity had fled him entirely.

I shook my head and trudged back to the group, teeth chattering just a little. "The portal in this region is still active," I said calmly. "Which means... unli-respawn time."