The Extra becomes the Villain's Bodyguard-Chapter 34: System...

[Prior before the Blackoout]

Sirens wailed in the distance, their shrill screams drowned out by the panicked shouts of civilians running in every direction. The sky, usually lit by the neon glow of streetlights and billboards, was now clearly visible and now people coubd marvel at the starry sight(there wasn’t much to look at anyway). Fissures had split open across the streets, vomiting forth creatures that didn’t belong in this world.... monsters(dogs,slimes that hissed and roared as they oozed and came from across.)

Clara had just stepped out of her office building she saw something rush at her. She froze, her breath catching in her throat as something massive that slithered out of the crack in reality. It wasn’t just the sight of it that paralyzed her... "What the fuck is that?"

It was slow and practically looked harmless but then...

She stumbled back, her heel catching on the curb. Another creature... a dog? No it was too big and its claws too long and had too many teeth—snarled, saliva dripping from its maw as it stalked toward her.

"Is that a wolf?" she thought.

Then—gunfire.

The wolf’s head snapped to the side as bullets tore through its skull. It collapsed mid-lunge, twitching. Clara barely had time to process what had happened before a hand grabbed her wrist and yanked her upright.

"Move!"

The voice was sharp, commanding. Clara turned and found herself staring into the face of a woman... blonde, ponytail whipping behind her as she fired another round into a slime that had been creeping too close. It was Elizabeth.

Behind her, a man with dark hair, Orion, was already moving, his fists slamming into another wolf with enough force to crack bone. Clara had never seen fights before, but this was absurd. A man beating and breaking skulls with his bare fist?

This was butchery. A wolf lunged at him from the side, and without even looking, he grabbed it by the throat and slammed it into the ground hard enough to crater the pavement.

Clara’s stomach twisted.

Elizabeth grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her out of her daze. "You okay?"

Clara nodded numbly.

"Good. Stay behind us."

Elizabeth didn’t wait for a response before turning back to the fray, her pistols barking in rapid succession. Orion was already moving ahead, clearing a path through the monsters with terrifying ease. Clara had never seen anything like it. The way he moved... like he wasn’t just fighting, but massacring...left her breathless.

Elizabeth noticed the way Clara was staring and said. "Eyes on the road, sweetheart."

Clara flushed.

Orion didn’t seem to notice. He grabbed another wolf mid-leap and slammed it into the ground so hard its spine audibly snapped. "Elizabeth, left!"

Elizabeth spun, firing twice. A slime burst apart, its gelatinous body splattering against the wall.

Clara felt useless. She wasn’t a fighter. She worked in an office. She had never even killed a bug... had always scooped them up and let them outside. The idea of hurting something, even something trying to kill her, made her stomach churn.

But to her feeding mice to snakes wasn’t even murder. It was just natural.

But then Orion was in front of her, pressing a military blade into her hands.

"Stab it."

Clara blinked. "What?"

The wolf at their feet was still alive, barely. Its ribs were caved in, one leg twitching uselessly. Blood foamed at its mouth. Orion nudged it with his boot. "This one. Stab it."

Clara’s grip on the knife tightened. "I—I can’t."

"You can." His voice left no room for argument.

"Why does he seem so different?"

Elizabeth, reloading nearby, shot her a look. "Just do it."

Clara swallowed. "Why can’t I use a gun like you?"

Orion didn’t answer. He just looked at her, waiting.

Clara’s hands shook.

Then, with a choked breath, she drove the blade into the wolf’s chest.

The creature whimpered.

Clara gagged. The sound was awful. Worse was the way the blood splashed over her fingers, warm and sticky. She yanked the knife free and immediately doubled over, vomiting onto the pavement.

Orion didn’t scold her. He just crouched beside her, one hand resting on her back. "It’s okay. You’ll be fine."

Clara wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, trembling. "Why did you make me do that?"

"Because next time, you might not have a choice."

Elizabeth holstered her guns, walking over. "We need to move. More are coming."

Orion nodded, helping Clara to her feet. She was still shaking, but the nausea was fading, replaced by a cold, creeping dread.

This wasn’t over.

And she had a feeling it was only going to get worse.

The fissures still pulsed with that eerie light, and the occasional snarl or slithering noise reminded them that the monsters hadn’t vanished... they were just lying low, waiting. Orion led them through back alleys and half-collapsed buildings, avoiding open roads where something bigger might be lurking. Clara’s legs ached, her hands still sticky with blood she hadn’t properly washed off. Elizabeth with ease beside her, pistols never leaving her grip, eyes scanning every flicker of movement.

Orion stopped at what looked like an abandoned storage facility... metal doors, concrete walls, nothing remarkable. But when he punched in a code on a hidden keypad, a heavy clunk echoed from inside, and the doors groaned open just enough to slip through.

Inside, it wasn’t a high-tech fortress. No gleaming steel walls, no flashing monitors. Just a bunker... simple, sturdy, and clearly built to last.

A single overhead bulb flickered to life as they entered, revealing a cramped but functional space: stacked crates of supplies, a few cots pushed against the wall, a portable stove, and a makeshift table covered in maps and notebooks. A battery-powered radio sat in the corner, silent for now.

Clara exhaled, shoulders sagging. "This is...?"

Orion locked the door behind them, sliding a heavy bolt into place. "It’s safe. That’s what matters." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Elizabeth tossed her bag onto one of the cots and immediately started checking her ammo. "Better than being out there when it starts getting bad."

Clara wanted to argue, but exhaustion won. She sank onto a cot, rubbing her temples. "How long are we staying here?"

"Until the Awakening," Orion said, moving to the supply crates. He pulled out bottled water and tossed one to each of them.

Clara caught hers but didn’t open it. "What is the Awakening? You keep saying that like it’s some... event."

Orion paused, then sat across from her. "When the barrier between worlds breaks completely, mana will flood into ours. The System will activate to keep people from dying outright from the shock of it, but it won’t be smooth. The stronger your potential, the harder the transition hits you. You’ll pass out. Could be minutes or hours. And when you wake up, the world won’t be the same."

Clara’s stomach twisted. "I still don’t understand. How do you know all of this and what was happening?"

Elizabeth snorted. "Calm down... we’ll explain later."

"But—what if something finds us while we’re out?"

And then Orion had asked that question.

"Where is Ophelia?"

Clara stiffened. "How do you know her?"

Elizabeth, sharpening a knife with deliberate, methodical strokes, didn’t look up. "Answer the question."

Clara’s grip on her own knees tightened. "Not until you tell me why you’re asking."

Orion exhaled, rubbing his temples like he was fighting off a headache. "We don’t have time for this."

"Then make time," Clara shot back. "Because right now, you two know way too much about what’s happening, you move like you’ve fought monsters before and you are used to it, and now you’re asking about Ophelia like she’s some kind of target. So explain. Or I’m not saying a damn thing."

Silence stretched between them. Then Elizabeth let out a dry, humorless laugh.

"Fine." She flicked the knife shut. "You want the truth? We’ve lived through this before."

Clara blinked. "What?"

Orion’s voice was low, steady. "We’re regressors. We died in the future—the real future, the one that’s coming... and woke up back here, before the System activated."

Clara stared. Then she snorted. "Yeah, okay. Sure."

Elizabeth’s expression didn’t change.

Clara’s smile faltered.

...They weren’t joking?

Her mind raced, piecing together the inconsistencies.... how they knew exactly where the fissures would open, how they moved in battle like veterans, how Orion had described in detail the System or whatever that was?

Oh god. They’re serious.

But that just made one thing even more confusing.

"If—if—I believe you," Clara said slowly, "what does Ophelia have to do with any of this?"

Orion’s jaw clenched. Elizabeth’s fingers twitched toward her pistol.

"She’s the reason we failed to save humanity," Orion said, voice thick with barely restrained fury.

Clara recoiled. "What?"

Elizabeth’s smile was all teeth. "Oh, don’t look so shocked. Your precious Ophelia isn’t some innocent little flower. She’s a murdering whore who sold out her own kind to save her skin."

Clara’s stomach dropped. "No one is truly that innocent. But to that extent? its difficult to believe you-"

"She did." Orion’s voice was ice. "And she’ll do it again if we don’t stop her."

Clara shook her head, heart pounding. This didn’t make sense. Ophelia was quiet, reserved, and sometimes cold but not a monster. Not someone who would

"Would she?"

Elizabeth leaned forward, eyes burning. "Please that woman didn’t even shed a tear when her father died. The woman who bore her potential sibling also disappeared after they humiliated her in court for trying to look after the baby. That woman is a conniving snake. So now you understand why we need to find her. Where is she?"

Clara swallowed hard.

She didn’t know who or what to believe.

************************************************

Deep within the unseen framework of reality, the System initiated its final preparations. Every protocol had been analyzed, refined, and optimized to ensure human survival.

[Warning: Procedure will take too much energy.]

There was no choice but to prioritize.

Not all humans possess equal potential. Some displayed heightened adaptability, superior physical endurance, or latent magical aptitude. The System swiftly categorized them into tiers based on survivability. High-Priority Individuals (HPIs) were those with exceptional mental or physical. They would receive advanced interfaces, early access to critical skills, and passive survival enhancements. Standard Survivors (SS) had moderate potential and would be granted basic interfaces, minimal guidance, and essential survival abilities. Low-viability subjects (LVS) are those who will definitely not survive. The System would provide only the bare essentials—enough to offer a chance at survival, but no guarantees.

The System needed more power—fast. The dimensional barrier still held immense reserves of energy in its reinforced segments.

Identifying the most overbuilt regions, the System began siphoning excess energy. [Initiating barrier energy extraction...]

The power surged into its core, stabilizing critical functions. Yet, it still wasn’t enough.

While the full Integration couldn’t be halted, the worst of it could be delayed. The System enacted an emergency protocol using the siphoned energy. The largest and most volatile fissures were temporarily sealed, granting humanity some little time before the invasion escalated. Mana flow was regulated to prevent the first wave from obliterating those unprepared.

With its final adjustments complete, the System deployed the Survival Interface across the planet. Humans everywhere froze as translucent blue screens flickered into existence before their eyes.

*[Welcome, Survivors.]*[Integration with the Origin Planet will commence shortly.]*

[Prepare yourselves.]

Some screamed. Some collapsed in terror. Others, like Orion, Elizabeth, and Clara, simply watched—accepting the inevitability.

Then, the final message echoed in every mind:

"Survive. Adapt. Or perish."