I Was Transmigrated As An Extraordinary Extra-Chapter 288

"Breaking news! The Gilded Sword Guild has officially formed a partnership with Talon Mercenary!"

"How did Eldoria manage to move Talon? What did they offer in exchange?"

"Talon’s mercenary Tigris annihilates thousands of sea monsters in just two hours!"

The moment the announcement went public, the world exploded.

News outlets across every major nation scrambled to cover the sudden alliance. Analysts argued on live broadcasts, reporters speculated endlessly, and forums crashed under the sheer volume of traffic. No one had expected Eldoria—teetering on the edge of collapse—to secure a partnership with Talon, a mercenary group notorious for its independence and refusal to bend to political pressure.

Within a single trading cycle, the Gilded Sword Guild’s stocks soared. Investors who had already written Eldoria off scrambled to buy back in, while critics were forced to swallow their words. The Phantom Herald released three separate special editions in one day, all dedicated to dissecting the implications of the partnership.

The political world wasn’t idle either.

The prime minister personally extended an invitation to Talon’s mercenary leader for a formal banquet. Naturally, Thorne attended in disguise—charming, agreeable, and entirely unrecognizable to anyone who didn’t know him well enough. Smiles were exchanged, glasses were raised, and promises were hinted at but never spoken aloud.

Additionally, Ezekiel was appointed as the successor to the guild leader for his achievement in this negotiation.

Behind closed doors, Eldoria’s leadership quietly shifted.

For his role in securing the partnership, Ezekiel was officially appointed as the successor to the guild leader. The announcement was framed as a recognition of his competence and foresight, and for once, public opinion largely agreed. The once-overlooked crown prince was now being praised as Eldoria’s saving grace.

Of course, not everything was praise.

As always, rumors spread just as fast as the truth.

Some tabloids whispered about under-the-table deals. Others went further, suggesting outright sexual favors as the price Talon demanded. The most vile articles didn’t even bother disguising their intent—painting me as something cheap, something transactional, something less than human.

I scoffed when I read them.

If I ever found out who was deliberately dragging my name through the mud like that—

Well.

I’d make sure they’d regret ever learning how to write and feed them to Glacier myself.

In any case, a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Eldoria’s situation had mostly stabilized by then. Sirens no longer blared daily, evacuation drills eased, and people had finally begun returning to the streets without constantly looking over their shoulders. Still, it would have been dishonest to say everything was resolved purely because of Talon Mercenary.

After all, Talon only had thirty registered members on paper—and even that was misleading. Every one of those identities was fake. In reality, only seven to nine of us were actively operating.

What truly mattered, however, wasn’t numbers.

The goal of the partnership had never been to slaughter monsters endlessly. It was far more fundamental than that: eradicate their habitats. Destroy the nests and the breeding grounds. Once those were gone, monsters would naturally stop reproducing. Given time, even an overwhelming surge would fade into manageable levels.

And Talon excelled at exactly that.

In just one month, ten sea-monster habitats were wiped off the map.

Dagur and Akali were responsible for most of them. All I had to do was point out a location, and those two would charge in like unleashed disasters. What began as a mission quickly turned into a competition—each determined to destroy more than the other. Entire underwater caverns collapsed under their hands, leaving nothing but frozen debris and drifting remains behind.

"I’m glad this was resolved without any civilian casualties," Ezekiel said.

We were walking side by side along Eldoria’s shoreline, the soft crunch of sand beneath our boots accompanied by the steady rhythm of the waves.

"I agree," I replied.

We’d arrived about fifteen minutes earlier, following reports of a large horde of Swordflies emerging near the coast. By the time we got here, I quickly sprang into action. Ten minutes was all it took before I fully wiped them out.

Since we had time to spare, the emergency had turned into something almost leisurely—a quiet stroll beneath the open sky.

Macaron flew low over the sea, wings glinting as he dove and rose again, proudly clutching small fish in his talons. Farther down the beach, Glacier sat calmly, chewing on a Swordfly he’d caught himself, ice mist curling faintly from his jaws.

"By the way," I said casually, "I’ll be transporting these corpses back to Aeonia."

Ezekiel glanced toward the frozen remains scattered along the shoreline. "That’s fine, but how will you move them? If they aren’t preserved properly, they’ll spoil quickly."

"Glacier will handle it."

As if on cue, I peeked toward him. Glacier was already at work, spreading a chilling aura across the area as layers of frost crept over the Swordfly bodies, sealing them in ice.

"Glacier," I called out quickly, "be careful with the freezing!"

The last time he got careless, a few unlucky bystanders had nearly turned into ice sculptures.

"I see..." Ezekiel murmured.

He turned back toward the sea, watching sunlight dance across the waves. The tension that had weighed on him for months seemed lighter now, almost washed away by the salty air. A small, relaxed smile curved his lips—one that looked far too peaceful for someone who’d been carrying a nation’s burden on his shoulders.

Everything was going smoothly—right up until it wasn’t.

My foot suddenly slid out from under me.

Before I could even react, a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"O–Oh, thanks," I said, a little startled.

Ezekiel steadied me, guiding me upright, but fate clearly wasn’t done with us yet. The moment I shifted my weight again, his own footing betrayed him.

"Wait—!"

We both slipped.

He nearly fell on top of me, but at the last second he twisted his body, planting one palm firmly into the ground to stop himself. We ended up uncomfortably close, close enough for me to notice the sharp intake of his breath.

I blinked, then looked around.

The sand beneath us glittered faintly.

Ice.

I groaned. "I’m so sorry about this. Glacier’s still adjusting how to limit his ability."

"No, that’s oka—waah!"

His sentence was violently cut short.

Glacier lunged forward, clamped his teeth onto Ezekiel’s coat, and flung him away from me like a sack of laundry.

"Glacier!" I yelped.

Ezekiel sailed through the air, landed with a rough thud a few meters away, and skidded across the frozen sand.

Meanwhile, Glacier turned back to me and immediately began rubbing his massive head against mine, letting out a low, apologetic rumble.

"It’s fine," I said, sighing as I scratched behind his ear. "At least you didn’t freeze me, right?"

He purred.

...Oh. Right.

Ezekiel.

Glacier carefully nudged me onto his back and stood, carrying me over to where he’d thrown him. Ezekiel was already sitting up, brushing sand off his clothes with a grimace.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said, standing. "I’m fine."

"Once again, I’m really sorry about that."

He let out a small laugh, shaking his head. "Let’s just continue our walk."

"Okay," I agreed.

Glacier promptly inserted himself between us.

Ezekiel glanced at the massive Frostbane now walking at my side. "...Glacier sure is... protective of you."

"I don’t know what’s wrong with this cat," I muttered. "He’s usually sweet and calm around Kai— I mean, Boss."

Glacier flicked his tail.

A familiar chime rang inside my head.

[System Update: 100% Complete]

[Initializing System 2.0]

My steps slowed almost imperceptibly.

’Hey, System. Are you finally back?’

[Ah, damn it! Is it this day already?! My vacation! I wasn’t even fully satisfied yet!]

I had to bite back a laugh.

Instead of being annoyed, a small, satisfied smile crept onto my face. Serves you right for vanishing without a word and leaving me to figure things out on my own. Listening to the System complain like a disgruntled employee dragged back to work was oddly comforting.

While it continued grumbling in the background, I turned to Ezekiel.

"Shall we head back?" I said lightly. "I just remembered I still have something I need to take care of."

Ezekiel blinked, clearly thrown off by the sudden shift in my mood—and the unexplained smile. Still, he nodded.

"All right," he said, following alongside me, no doubt wondering what had just happened.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Once I was back inside my hotel room, I shut the door behind me and immediately flopped onto the bed. The moment my back hit the mattress, I summoned the interface without hesitation.

A translucent screen unfolded in front of my eyes.

————————————

Achievement Unlocked:

"Too Cool for the System (Clearly, You Don’t Need It)"

Description:

Congratulations! You’ve somehow managed to survive—and even thrive—in complete chaos without so much as a tiny assist from the system.

————————————

I stared at it.

Silently.

My brow twitched.

"...What kind of achievement name is this?" I frowned deeply. "Are you mocking me now? You couldn’t come up with anything better?"

[Give me a break!] the System snapped back immediately. [My vacation literally just ended!]

I scoffed. "Vacation? Vacation? You vanished for years! Isn’t that enough of a vacation for you?"

[No. I still want more!]

"Wow. You had a long break, but what about me?" I shot back, sitting up. "Without you, I couldn’t access Cybersky to hack secure networks, I couldn’t buy equipment on demand, and I couldn’t even emergency-purchase supplies mid-mission!"

I gestured angrily at the empty air.

"Do you know how many times I realized halfway through a mission that I forgot something important?! Oh, and by the way, I almost died, a couple of times!"

[Typical,] the System replied dryly. [Always wanting the easy way out.]

"Well, excuse me for wanting conveniences," I retorted. "I don’t even belong in this world."

There was a brief pause.

[You’ve been living here for over five years now.]

"...That’s not the point," I muttered. "Just show me the rest."

The screen shifted again, as if sighing along with me.

————————————

Reward Unlocked: Soulbrand

A unique skill that allows the user to carve or embed a personal mark—using their own blood—into any living being or object.

When applied to living creatures, Soulbrand binds their essence to the user. The branded target becomes permanently connected, allowing the user to:

• Track their location 24/7• Receive instant positional updates• Monitor movement in real time• Bypass all known distance or barrier limitations

Once marked, escape is impossible. The target will always remain within the user’s awareness.

When applied to non-living objects, Soulbrand grants a different form of authority. The user may freely manipulate and move the branded object as if it responds directly to their thoughts. This control persists regardless of distance, enabling remote manipulation across vast spaces.

————————————

My irritation drained away almost instantly.

"...Oh." I leaned back slowly, eyes narrowing as I reread the description.

"Is that all?" I asked flatly.

There was a brief pause.

[Wow... You really haven’t changed. Greedy as always.]

"Greedy?" I scoffed. "I’m just being realistic. I need every skill I can get if I’m going to survive in this world. You disappear for years and expect me to be satisfied with just one absurdly broken ability?"

[You’re insufferable.]

"Efficient," I corrected. "It’s called being efficient."

Before the System could fire back another sarcastic remark, my phone suddenly vibrated against the bedside table. The abrupt interruption made me glance down in mild surprise. I picked it up without thinking and answered the call.

"Who’s this?"

"...Remillia, I think this must be what you’re looking for."

I blinked.

"Really?" I straightened immediately. "Can you tell me more?"

"We just finished conquering a tower. Inside, we found several... strange-looking scrolls. None of us touched them. They’re sealed and stored safely in a reinforced chest."

My heart skipped.

"And as what the contract stated," he continued, "you’re the first one who gets to examine them."

I was already on my feet.

The lethargy from moments ago vanished in an instant, replaced by a sharp, familiar thrill crawling up my spine.

Finally.

The things I’d been waiting for had finally shown themselves.

"Send me the location," I said, unable to keep the edge out of my voice. "I’ll be there in a second."

The call ended.

I looked forward, a slow grin spreading across my face.