"Do you usually sleep with your eyes open, cadet…?"
The voice came again, deeper, suspicious, and loud enough to bounce off the slanted classroom walls.
I looked up a bit belatedly.
Then I forced a confused expression.
The man before me had dark skin, hair combed with so much gel it looked like a backwards sword, and sunglasses—yes, sunglasses in a closed room.
"Let me see… Cadet Liam Han, right? You just racked up your first infraction. How about starting with less embarrassment?"
"…Sorry, sir. I didn't sleep very well last night."
He crossed his arms, muscles creaking beneath his dark blue uniform.
"It's not the first creative excuse I've heard. And it probably won't be the last. But since it's your first…I'll let it slide."
He turned away with a sharp movement.
The soles of his boots clicked down the stairs.
"Anyway, Veritas Class, everyone with me. Let's get to the practical area. It's time to see if you're just good at theory or if you have any real use."
The murmur in the room instantly faded.
Chairs creaked, backpacks shuffled, a few sighs here and there.
The crowd's gaze was no longer on me.
Regardless of the world, attention always shifted too quickly when it came to combat.
I stood last, adjusting the collar of my white and blue uniform with the Cube symbol embroidered on the chest.
Subsequently, I joined the line descending the wide stairs of the classroom.
Halfway there, I glanced at the digital board floating above the lectern.
The notes were still there, scrawled in a direct, somewhat grumpy style:
Special Simulated Combat Training – Veritas Class Practical Assessment Based on Realistic Performance.
Recording devices will be activated. Basic support items will be made available.
Avoid relying on them.
Participation is mandatory. No exceptions.
That was it.
The day of the artificial dungeon.
And the beginning of the second main story of The Novel's Extra.
Now I knew exactly where I was in the timeline. It had been worth asking Luxxion to review the information with me last night.
"Cool..."
I took one last look at the empty classroom, admiring the scenery. Then I followed the others.
____________
Cube's outdoor training grounds looked like a sci-fi coliseum.
It was gigantic. Surrealistic, maybe?
Surrounded by enchanted steel walls, with drones hovering overhead and sensors scattered like invisible eyes in every corner.
My eyes rose to the colossal ceiling, supported by pillars that seemed ripped from some lost temple, forcibly adapted for a modern world.
The entire structure was bizarre—equal parts magical and military.
In comparison… the training grounds of my world looked like abandoned warehouses with traffic cones for cover.
The instructor—the same one from before, wearing sunglasses and a neutral expression—stood at the front of the class.
He clapped his hands.
"Everyone present?"
A faint murmur answered.
"As I explained earlier," he continued, "today's practical training will be… special."
More whispers.
"This structure behind me is an artificial dungeon. A direct product of the advancement of magical engineering. Created to simulate the environment and hazards of a real dungeon."
My eyebrows rose. This was more elaborate than I remembered.
"Inside, you'll find puppet monsters—simulations modeled after real creatures. Their blows hurt. And yes, they can break bones if you're stupid enough to let them."
He paused.
"Today, you'll practice dungeon raids in this environment. And before anyone thinks about playing… no. This isn't a video game simulation."
A new wave of whispers ran through the cadets. Some excited. Others clearly nervous.
Of course… for most of them, monsters were the stuff of news reports, school bulletin boards, theory. Never flesh, blood, and the smell of death.
I was the exception.
"As part of the joint training between the Veritas class and the Cultivation class," he said, turning and waving his hand.
A blue hologram appeared behind him, a list projected in the air.
"Each group will be composed of members from both classes. Meet with your respective teams."
I walked closer. My eyes scanned the panel, line by line. I saw familiar names—characters I recognized.
Some forgotten in the original story, others so important it was almost strange to see them there like any other cadet.
And then… My name.
Next to Chae Nayun's.
For a second, my eyes narrowed.
"...Are you seeing this, Luxxion?"
[I am.]
Something flashed through my mind. It was a huge opportunity.
"If I stand out, will I get more story points?"
[Theoretically. It could also lead to new plot branches.]
I sighed, already moving toward the group.
One by one, all the cadets gathered. I greeted each one briefly—automatic smiles, quick handshakes.
But two names stuck in my mind.
Chae Nayun.
As expected, bow in hand, and a handful of arrows on her back. Her face was determined but youthful, light brown hair tied in a ponytail. Training gear under her Cube uniform.
And of course… she was already more dangerous than most of the people I knew in my home world.
The other name that caught my attention was Sven.
From the Cultivation class.
Blond, with blue eyes.
Harmless, if you didn't know what I know.
Because no one there—besides me and maybe Kim Hajin—knew what he would become.
A traitor... A Djinn.
A man broken by the temptations of a demon.
Chae Nayun was the first to speak as soon as we gathered as a group.
"Okay, let's get this sorted out."
Chae Nayun pulled back her hair and positioned herself in the center of the makeshift circle.
"Veritas this way, Cultivation that way. We'll join in now."
She pointed to the rest of the group.
"Kang Dongyul, you're the tank. Seori, continuous damage. Yeon Juhan, magic support. Lucas Han, backup damage."
Backup, huh? Okay...
And she'd gotten my name wrong, too.
"On the Cultivation side, Sven is the main swordsman. Goeun, support. Junghwan, secondary tank. And the mage, area control."
Sven nodded. His face was as animated as in the original.
But he didn't even look at me. Not even when I was mentioned.
"Let's follow the pattern. Dongyul and Junghwan in front, Sven and I in the rear. Seori and the rest covering the flanks. Lucas Han in the back. Goeun and Yeon Juhan handle central support."
I paused.
"This formation has a blind spot behind you."
She turned her neck slowly, as if certain she'd heard wrong.
"What?"
"The rear guard has too much space for low-profile monsters to sneak in from the sides. And you'll be too busy shooting to notice. Especially if the monsters are swarm-type.''
''And who exactly are you to change my plan?''
Before I could answer, Dongyul—a short guy with arms like a tree trunk—whispered with a snicker,
''It's the guy who fell asleep in class today.''
Nayun's mouth tightened.
Those brown eyes seemed to be judging even my blood type.
On the other side, Sven looked at me as if he'd just diagnosed me with a terminal illness.
"Okay. So, tell me, genius," Nayun said. "What's your suggestion, since you know so much?"
I took a deep breath.
"Rotate."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
I traced my palm with my fingers.
"Sven and Nayun take turns on the wings while Seori stays in the center with Dongyul, who acts as the first blocker. Junghwan plays pivot and drops back to the back line if necessary. Goeun can support him. Yeon Juhan and I cover the blind spots. Lots of mobility, but keeps the core protected."
Silence took us for an instant.
Goeun even stopped chewing his gum.
Junghwan scratched the back of his neck. Seori let out a thoughtful "hm."
And Sven… just kept his eyes glued to me, as if my mere breathing was an offense.
"This is…" Nayun began, but was momentarily speechless. "Unconventional."
"But efficient," I finished. ''And easier to adapt if we're at a disadvantage."
The instructor in the background shouted, "TEAM THREE! GET READY!"
Everyone drew their weapons.
The group still seemed a bit divided, but no one complained.
The stone bridge opened, and we stepped inside.
The first thing I felt was the absence of light.
Not even the basic magical glow of mana stones existed.
"…"
The walk had been silent until then. My footsteps rang softly on the polished floor.
The dungeon was too clean to be natural—the kind of environment where everything was carefully constructed to seem accidental. As much as it was supposed to look like a normal dungeon, it was nothing more than a decorative maze full of traps waiting for the right moment to spring.
It was then that Chae Nayun stopped.
"Wait," she held up her hand, and everyone stopped. "Crossroads."
In front of her, eight distinct entrances opened.
They all looked the exact same.
I'd watched enough Indiana Jones movies to know that wasn't the case.
"Which one do we follow?" Goeun asked, cringing.
Nayun took a few steps forward. She observed it.
The tension on her face was subtle, as the girl tried to maintain a steady gaze as she analyzed.
Her eyes narrowed. She looked the way a sniper should—reading shadows, studying angles, trying to pick up on even the slightest flow of mana in the air.
But still… She was unsure.
"I think it's the third entrance," she said, pointing. "The air is slightly drier. That usually indicates an area of more intense magical circulation…"
"Or traps," Sven murmured.
"You know it could be a trap, right?"
"I know," Nayun replied. But her voice sounded less confident than usual.
I took a deep breath.
With the decision made, I said:
"It's the sixth one."
It's quite possible that if I just waited, they would have ended up going through the sixth entrance, but I wanted to speed things up.
Everyone turned to me.
"Huh?" Nayun frowned. "The sixth?"
"It's that way," I pointed. "The mana flow is building up in that tunnel. It seems faint, but it has a rhythmic pattern."
Sven snorted.
"And what are you now, an environment reader? Since when?"
"Since now," I shrugged. "But you can keep relying on 'dry air' if you want. I just hope you enjoy contact magic traps and monsters with corrosive poison."
Sven looked ready to cut me in half with his sword. When he wasn't being nice, he was just a fucking ass-kisser.
But Nayun raised her hand again.
"Wait," she glared at me. "What makes you so sure of that?"
"Intuition. Experience. And, well… luck," I smirked. "Which, honestly, is my best attribute."
She stared at me for a few seconds, assessing.
Luxxion, silent until then, murmured in the corner of my mind:
[Confirmation: Path six is the ideal route. Based on Cadet Kim Hajin's original trajectory.]
"Okay," Nayun said finally. "Let's follow the sleepyhead's hunch'', she looked at Sven and my face. ''And avoid unnecessary conflicts, both of you.''
Sven clicked his tongue, visibly annoyed.
She had probably accepted the proposal because she wasn't confident in her own decision... and because she wanted to prevent the problem from getting worse.
It was a wise choice as a leader.
"But if you're wrong," Nayun pointed at me, "it's your responsibility. You go first to the next fork. Are we clear?"
"Completely, miss."
We followed the sixth entrance, and the pressure changed immediately.
The air grew denser, hotter.
That's when Nayun felt it. I did too, but way later after her. Something crawling; a bit large, about the size of a small child.
''It's about time,'' Nayun began, as her eyes narrowed on the darkness ahead. ''...Salamander,'' she whispered.
And then the orange glow appeared like embers being lit in the darkness.
Red scales and flames burst from its mouth as a dry, low roar escaped it.
The first monster of the dungeon.
Shit had just gotten real.