CHAPTER 2 – The Novel’s Extra’s… Extra?

"Damn, that was really confusing… But at least I could finally get here on time…"

I was finally at the venue for the graduation ceremony, still confused about everything that I saw or heard on my way here. Really, everything was so weird, I know South Korea is kind of a modern country but didn't know it was so advanced.

Though I must say, it is more like a futuristic version of the one that I could probably find in the world I remember. Also, I did note that I could practically hear anything anyone was saying by just putting some attention to the person talking. That's not so weird for me, the OLD me, but it surprises me that I can do it in this new weird body of mine.

Also, nobody seems to see the same black thing that is now my face, so maybe I'm the only one that can see it?

But, of everything I noticed, the most important thing is, that little by little I started to find things familiar, like I know where I'm, but can't really reach a conclusion, at least not until I got to the huge auditorium of the Agent Military Academy's graduation ceremony.

Some time has passed, and I could see two cadets, or students if you like, being called to the stage, those where Kim Suho and Shin Jonghak, ranked first and second in all 2024 promotion class of the Agent Military Academy…

"Who could tell that I somehow ended up inside a novel, and to make it even funnier, the one I just finished reading…"

That's right, somehow, I ended up waking up inside the novel I just finished reading the night before, and I'm sure of it because those two on stage are part of the principal cast of the novel, not the protagonists, mind you, at least not completely.

That is because, The Novel's Extra is about a failed author, Kim Hajin, that gets transmigrated inside his own novel in order to "finish" it, being switched with some guy named Kim Chungdong and becoming some kind of "extra" inside his own novel, but to be honest, he is no extra, he is basically the main character while thinking he is still an extra, kind of funny really.

And more so, it seems like I'm an extra in this novel too, so what does that make me? The Novel's Extra's Extra? Hilarious.

Also, now I get how I can clearly listen and see the people I want to. That's because of a gift that's given to the author when he's transmigrated, "Observation and reading"; but why I have the author's gift is still a mystery to me.

A gift is something that should be unique to everyone, no two persons should have the same gift. As it is some kind of power given randomly to each one the moment they're born and that somehow fits their personality or inner self. Not too many cadets know their own power unless they're enlightened, but what I assumed to be mine is precisely what Kim Hajin had from the very beginning.

In the novel I read, Kim Hajin is sent here by some kind of interdimensional being, that basically "creates" worlds based on series, animes, or novels made by beings of higher dimensions, which would be the original author, or even me, who knows. Being some kind of "co-author", he keeps making changes to make the novel more complete, or at least, more coherent with its own universe. So, is this a novel, or is this a whole new world?

Right now, Kim Hajin should be somewhere in the crowd, not one out of the 3.000 students, but one of the crowd, a total average background character, like me right now, and as for me, he should be going through a lot of confusion.

But, if this keeps going like the web novel, I would not have anything to worry about, my real self should be synchronized with the guy I took the body from… Sorry for him though…

From what I remember, Kim Chundong didn't have a good ending… I don't even want to know what the fuck happened to the guy that was originally in my place.

By the way, I could find while coming here, that his name was "David Ross", which seems kind of funny to me since my middle name is David as well. Hopes he doesn't have it too rough at least…

"Well, it is interesting enough to see how the novel goes in the first person, maybe I'll be able to play a little here, see if I can find something I can truly enjoy"- I whisper only for me to hear.

At least I can fight in this world, where everything is slowly going to shit. I rarely get the chance to use my full power, at least in my own world, that is.

While at the ceremony I could see all kinds of people, cadets, parents, teachers, even higher-ups from some guilds that are looking for promising cadets to recruit once they end their "superior" education.

Guilds in this world are truly important, as they are the guys in charge of protecting humanity from monsters and other things, even from humans themselves. I would say that Guilds are even more important than the governments, so catching the eye of a big guild is the dream of every cadet, and a way to make their future shine in gold.

I could even find some of the cast of the novel, from Yun Seung-Ah, which will become Kim Suho's love interest and part of the first guild in Korea, to some important characters that would have a role after the first part of the plot.

Everyone had very boring conversations, mostly about the first two ranked cadets, Kim Suho and Shin Jonghak. How they are so strong or handsome, or how Kim Suho is a promising hero with his oh so powerful gift… BORING! Still, it amazes me that I can understand whatever they're talking about like it automatically gets translated in my head, I mean, I know a few languages, even ones that probably only I know, but Korean was never part of the list as I haven't been there before.

"I really want to leave this place right now… *sigh*"

"I feel you, man… Everyone is just paying attention to those two, what's the point of us normal folks being here, really?" - Said the guy to my right who apparently listened to my previous comment, whose name doesn't even know, but isn't someone from the main story as I would have noticed thanks to the presumed gift of the author.

"Right? They should just bring those two. Why bringing everyone here to listen to all this shitty ceremony that seems more like a bragging speech" – Said the guy to my left, who also isn't part of the main story.

"Even worst, we are not even going to Cube, we're already graduating and have to listen to all this bullshit…" – Seems like leftie is somewhat grumpy, well, I do understand where he's coming from, I too hate to be taken to places I don't like, even more, if I don't even need to be there.

When everything ended, I tried looking for the soon to be protagonist, but couldn't find him, not like I tried too hard, just some quick glances around, nothing else. Maybe I'm too far away from him, and even now, he should still be Kim Chungdong, which isn't part of the original story, and shouldn't appear in "Observation and Reading".

For the record, "Observation and Reading" is a gift that allows the original author to look into things that belong to the novel's main plot and things that follows the laws of the universe he had created, like names of monsters, names and info of the major or secondary characters, dungeons' information and more. Although it is not like some kind of appraisal that you can see in almost every isekai novel, it somehow works like one.

After that, I went back to my room, which, by the way, is a nice place to stay, an apartment for myself with all commodities, and stuff to do, and more importantly, food to eat. Let me tell you that food is one of the only things I love, so I'm glad to be able to taste the food I never tasted, not because of lack of chance, but just didn't try to look for it.

From what I've seen, I guess I'm also an orphan, just like Kim Chungdong, who will become Kim Hajin in the near future. And with no friends to add, a complete loner. It is not like I was any different back home.

"Well, is time to start planning for the near future, because there's nothing to do for almost two weeks while the plot actually starts"

What I know for the moment, is that I'm going to Cube, some kind of university for superhumans who go there to train their abilities and gifts, among other things, for 3 whole years and then look for a career as a hero in some guild in Korea or any part of the world.

For the record, Cube is the most respected training center for heroes in the whole world. But it is a nest of rats and snakes if you look into it closely. Though that doesn't matter to me, not right now at least.

Now, what I know is, that my synchronization won't end until we start Cube, which is the first main plot of the novel, and where Hajin receives his laptop from the real world and start to get a gist of what is happening.

Until then, I could start trying to adapt this body to natural energy, though I don't know if that would help to accelerate the sync rate or if I would keep the rewards of any kind of effort I make before the true start.

Also, I did find I have small amounts of mana or "magic power" as they call it inside my body, but is really negligible, almost as if it wasn't there. Don't know why, but the first time I came here, I couldn't feel it at all. Guess I was somehow exhausted from it while coming here.

I'll have to train both natural energy and mana to mix each other, in case the synchronization doesn't resolve this problem by itself. I still hope it does, though, and brings back everything I lost while getting here.

After all, it would be a pity to lose everything I worked for since the start of the second part of my life, starting from my energy, which was kind of unique in the way it adapts and reproduces other kinds of energies.

At least I still have my memories with me, so I could use some info from this world and all my previous experiences while I'm here.

Well, too much of me for the day. Guess I'll grab something to eat and then go to bed. Tomorrow will be a busy day trying to figure out a good training plan for myself. I could use some of my old training to try to tune this new body up just in case. Just because I'm used to going with the flow doesn't mean I don't prepare myself for the incoming future.

After all, if the worst-case comes, I would need some power to safely play my role as the Novel's Extra's Extra, right?