Goodbye world... again (Bonus)

Alive.

Still alive.

Thanks to luck and a half-baked plan, once again.

''Fuck!''

I was spat down the stairs like the System itself decided to kick me out of the instant dungeon with its cosmic boot.

Rolled once. Twice.

And then, managed to catch myself before slamming my head against the stone steps.

Breath ragged. Chest heaving.

The stairs I'd climbed—those that led straight into a prepackaged hell—looked… normal now.

Just stone. Just walls.

No shimmer. No veil.

No magic.

Above and below, just steps. And they seemed… to close in?

The walls… were tightening.

Slowly. Like a final warning.

I gave myself a few seconds.

Shrugged the weight of the armor off my shoulders.

It had returned the moment I snapped back into my original body—and just as quickly vanished back into my now functional inventory.

''That's gonna leave a hell of a mental mark.''

I said as I sat down on one of the stone edges.

Back aching, stomach still feeling the ghost of a monster-child's punch, and dried blood itching against my skin.

But my heart was beating. My organs were in their proper places.

[Congratulations on completing the challenge, Perseus.]

Luxxion's voice rang out, same as ever—somewhere between formal and sarcastic.

I sighed, resting my face in one hand. "How does dying twice in a row count as an achievement exactly?"

[You overcame trauma. And survived redemption. Both are fundamental techniques for your long-term survival.]

"Redemption, huh?" I looked at my hands. Still trembling. "Felt more like masochism, honestly."

[Technique and masochism are not mutually exclusive.]

I chuckled. Didn't know what else to do.

"And where the hell were you?" I asked. "That whole thing felt more like a simulation than a dungeon. You could've stepped in, helped, I don't know—"

[That was not part of the design.]

"Of course. You and your invisible moral contract with the System. Bet it doesn't even have a mental health clause."

[Perseus.]

"What, freak ass magic robot?"

[You did well.]

…

That shut me up.

Just for a second, I was genuinely caught off guard.

Because hearing that from Luxxion, of all entities… it hit different.

"…Thanks."

The soft blue glow above flickered.

[Initiating reward delivery process.]

Panels began to pop up.

—

[+50 Conquest Points acquired.]

[Restrictions on select System features may have been minimized.]

Ding!

[Title Unlocked: "Witness of the Trial"]

└ Description: One who saw the truth hidden behind what was shown. The successor of he who endured the first test of fate.]

└ Effect: Slightly increases mental resistance against fear effects and intimidation-based skills. Grants a moderate boost to perception in critical situations.]

That alone would've been solid enough for everything I went through.

But then—

[Special condition met.]

[As a reward, all attributes have been increased by 15%.]

I stared at the screen, leaning back even further.

Then laughed.

A dry, tired, borderline hysterical laugh.

Because sometimes… surviving the impossible came with perks.

Luxxion stayed quiet for a few seconds.

Then he said:

[There's one last reward. I saved it for last on purpose.]

"What is it? More points? Another skill? A car?"

[Another title.]

A new window opened, its glow deeper—almost ominous.

—

[Title acquired: "Frankenstein"]

└ Description: One who died so many times that death became just another uncomfortable chair.]

└ Effect: Grants immunity to a fatal attack once every 6 hours, as long as the user still has more than 1% of their total energy. The resistance triggers automatically.]

—

I stared at it for a good few seconds.

"This… is serious?"

[Nothing could be more fitting.]

The sound of gears grinding cut through the silence.

Beside me, a stone door slid open.

The end of the dungeon.

The end of that whole shitty nightmare.

But not the end of what would come next.

And even with my body wrecked, head pounding, chest tight with anxiety… I smiled.

Because, in the end—

—even stitched-up monsters can still keep walking.

______________

It's been three days since I cleared the instant dungeon.

I made sure everything was prepped before disappearing this time.

Paid rent in advance to the old lady who owned the building — a kind soul who smelled like lavender and, for some reason, gave me a discount because I reminded her of her grandson.

Three months paid. Just in case.

I also trained my aura during the breaks.

Or rather, I annoyed Kim Gongja so much through messages that he gave me some new tips out of sheer exhaustion, not kindness.

Taking control of Hyeon-U's body — with all that refined mana flow — had given me ideas.

Stuff that used to be just theory now made more sense.

And of course… I told the others I was going to visit my parents.

Said goodbye to Sung Jin-Woo, Song Hana, Jisoo, and the rest.

"My dad's a retired hunter. My mom's still a practicing lawyer in Gwangju."

Every word was a lie — except for their actual jobs.

But it worked.

"This is the place, right?"

[Exactly.]

Luxxion had given me the location.

An empty alleyway, soot-covered walls, and a crooked sign hanging over a shut-down corner store.

A place even the surveillance drones didn't bother with.

"Classic isekai alley, huh… just missing a truck."

[We've decided to follow a different protocol this time.]

"We've decided, huh? What is this, a System committee now?"

[Body and mind stable. Transition space initializing...]

Time froze again.

But this time, there wasn't a crack opening in the air.

There was a rabbit.

Snow white. Cute like a plush toy.

With glowing red eyes… and a navy-blue suit that materialized out of nowhere — complete with a wide-brimmed hat.

I blinked.

"Luxxion…?"

[Don't ask too many questions. Just follow the rabbit.]

"You've got to be kidding me. What the hell is this?"

[A small attempt to make world transitions more… friendly.]

The rabbit looked over its shoulder, then gave a little hop.

"This is the most overused cliché in the world!"

[Exactly why it's comforting.]

I sighed and followed.

The creature bounced forward lightly, almost floating, until it stopped in front of a subtle crack in a concrete wall. It looked like it could crumble at any moment, but the rabbit stared at it solemnly.

"Here we are. The place between places."

It turned to me.

"Just step through, dear sir. Otherwise, we won't have time."

"You're going in first, right?"

Without answering, the rabbit simply dove into the wall.

Immediately, the crack split into dozens more, forming a small archway — way too small for my size.

That thing was, what, five feet tall? I was almost 5'8".

I crouched down.

"If I get stuck halfway through, I swear I'm deleting you from the system, Luxxion."

[Good luck with that.]

I touched the makeshift stone handle.

And stepped in.

The sensation this time wasn't like being sucked through a straw and spat into the void.

It was like being taken apart and rebuilt, piece by piece, cell by cell. Like a LEGO set reassembled with care.

The light around me dissolved and rebuilt itself simultaneously.

Everything was white.

No sound. No smell.

Just me.

Floating, like drifting on a lifeboat in the middle of the sea.

Until—

A touch.

Like someone placing a hand on my shoulder.

Then, a push.

Gentle, but firm.

"...?"

I thought it was 97.

But the muffled voice that echoed… it was different.

Masculine. Low.

Certainly new.

Another push.

And then—

[Transfer complete. Welcome to the new universe, Perseus.]

The light blinked.

I opened my eyes.

Chairs. Row after row in a descending slope, all facing a large central stage.

A classroom. No… an auditorium.

My body was slouched forward over the desk like I'd fallen asleep there.

I straightened up. My head throbbed.

"Hey. Cadet Liam Han. You sleeping during the combat training briefing?"

I turned to the side.

A tall guy, light tanned skin, slicked-back hair, wearing dark sunglasses, stared at me with a neutral expression.

The symbol on his chest gave everything away.

It was a cube — which, ironically, was the name of this institution.

"Are you just gonna sit there and stay silent, cadet? Or are we adding insubordination to your file?"

"..."

Before I could answer, I noticed the silence.

The whole room was staring at me.

But that wasn't what froze me.

It was them.

The main characters of this whole place. The ones I rooted for over and over while reading the original story.

Yoo Yeonha, eyes narrowed, posture flawless.

Chae Nayun, arms crossed, visibly irritated.

Shin Jonghak — impatience practically radiating from his furrowed brow.

Kim Suho, calm as always… but clearly paying attention.

And right at the center, among all of them, staring at me with bored disinterest in his eyes—

Kim Hajin.

The protagonist of this world.

The true center of The Novel's Extra.

And, to some extent, a mistake in the plot, just like me.