Reborn as an Extra Chapter 519: The Next Mission is... Part-1.
Previously on Reborn as an Extra...
Rio and the others exited the room, leaving Anna and Jin to themselves for a while.
Having concluded their own ascension trials, Link and Riya finally returned to the mansion.
The pair first offered their congratulations to Jin and Anna for Jin’s successful recovery. Shortly after, they excused themselves to provide the two lovebirds with some private time.
Jin and Anna were thrilled to learn of Riya’s breakthrough to S-rank; they reciprocated with congratulations for both her and Link.
Since Riya was not only their student but also a significant benefactor, they felt an immense sense of pride in her achievement.
After leaving the couple alone, Link and Riya headed to the room where the other three were currently waiting.
"Hoh, the young boy has finally grown up into a proper man. Ahhh... it feels like just yesterday when little Link was so fragile, weak, and adorable..."
Raji began teasing Link the moment he stepped inside, making him feel quite embarrassed.
"Ahem, t-that was ages ago; I don’t even have any memory of it anymore..."
Even Ashtel nodded in agreement, offering a rare word of praise.
"You have finally taken your initial step toward the pinnacle of power; reaching S-rank is merely the start. It provides you with the basic level of qualifications needed to survive in this world..."
"However, do not let arrogance take hold; before you surpass everyone else, it is wiser to remain cautious, composed, and calculating..."
Link etched Ashtel’s advice into his heart before taking a seat on the sofa across from Rio.
Riya, meanwhile, was showered with candies as a celebratory gesture; everyone in the room, Rio included, had prepared sweets for her.
She accepted them all with a smile and curled up into a ball, resting her head on Link’s lap in a relaxed, lazy posture.
Rio gave a slight smirk and questioned Link,
"Now that you’ve finally reached S-rank, how about a ’friendly spar,’ hehe? Anything goes, as long as we don’t kill each other! Actually, why don’t we just try to kill each other! Keke..."
Link licked his lips with excitement at the suggestion, clenching his fists as he replied,
"I’ve been waiting for you to say exactly that!! Hehehe, let’s do it! I’ve been itching to smash my head against your sword for quite some time now!"
Sparks flew as they stared each other down with intense glares; it appeared as though they might spring at one another at any second like wild beasts.
"Cough!... Save your ’friendly spar’ for another time. Also, do not do it within the capital... if the two of you fought, half of the city would be reduced to rubble in mere minutes..."
Rio had already been at S-rank for nearly six months, and he had clearly stabilized his realm while acquiring a massive amount of skills from his various hunting missions.
Although Link had only just reached S-rank, he possessed one terrifying advantage: his absurd defensive capabilities!
Even if it was difficult for him to land a hit on Rio with his current speed, Rio might find it equally hard to wound Link! His defense was already beginning to rival that of SS-rankers!
This was the primary reason Rio was so eager and excited to face Link in battle.
Other S-rankers could no longer keep pace with Rio; he required an opponent who was stronger and more durable—someone who wouldn't perish instantly after a few exchanges.
In Rio’s eyes, a tank like Link was the perfect opponent and punching bag.
"Furthermore, there is something I must discuss right now; that is why I requested Raji’s presence as well..."
Raji had planned to go rest after greeting Jin and Anna, but Ashtel had insisted she stay to discuss matters of great importance.
"Ugh, can’t we discuss the troublesome stuff in a few days? I’m exhausted and I really don’t want to take on any more burdens..."
Upon hearing Raji’s complaints, Ashtel shook his head and spoke in a grave tone,
"No, this cannot be put off... I woke up yesterday and haven't had the opportunity to speak with you all about this until now for several reasons..."
"But I cannot delay this any further, as the longer we wait, the more complicated it will become..."
The gravity in Ashtel’s voice caused everyone to feel a sense of tension and pressure.
Any matter that could make the strongest man on the planet look so solemn and troubled was clearly no small thing.
Rio and Link stopped their staring match and turned toward Ashtel with confusion, wondering what could be so serious.
"I... I wish to speak to you all about ’Liam Aldif’ and ’Neo Aldif’..."
At the mention of those names, Raji sat up straight, and the others widened their eyes as their interest was immediately piqued.
Ashtel let out a heavy sigh, looking at each of them before beginning,
"Let me start from the very beginning... as you are likely aware, Neo Aldif was seen with the Demon Prince Alverto. Many SS-rankers witnessed him standing at Alverto’s side when the ’Spire of Ascension’ was summoned..."
"I was teleported into the ’Spire of Ascension’... although I could have used my strength to resist the teleportation, I had an intuition that I should not..."
"I allowed myself to be teleported and reached the ’100th Floor’ of the ’Ascension Spire’..."
Ashtel’s words gripped everyone as he recounted his personal experience of the event.
"There, I encountered ’Neo Aldif.’ It was confirmed beyond any doubt that Neo Aldif was collaborating with the Demon Prince Alverto and had betrayed humanity..."
As he said this, Ashtel looked toward Raji to emphasize that Neo was a traitor and that she should not attempt to defend him.
Despite their complicated history, Raji had once truly loved him, so it was better to explain the situation clearly with hard evidence.
"Hmph! I already knew he wasn't a decent person; I’m not even shocked that he betrayed us!"
Ashtel sighed and resumed speaking after hearing Raji’s remark.
"Neo Aldif intended to assist Alverto in his plan of ’Connecting to the origin’ of the world..."
"I do not know what Alverto hoped to achieve by forming such a connection, but Neo was making those claims proudly, so I cannot say if it is true or false..."
"Because of his twisted ideals and his betrayal of our race, I could not allow him to proceed... to halt his plans, to stop his support of the demon prince, and to ensure humanity's safety, I had to make a grim choice..."
Ashtel looked directly into Raji’s eyes before declaring,
"I killed Neo Aldif inside the ’Spire of Ascension’..."
Once Ashtel finished speaking, a terrifying silence filled the room.
It felt as though the entire world had gone quiet as looks of pure shock and disbelief appeared on everyone’s faces; even Rio failed to maintain a calm expression at such a startling revelation.
Raji’s eyes went wide with shock, and it took her several moments to process the news; she leaned back into the sofa as if her strength had vanished, falling into a daze.
"I kept telling him not to play with fire... he never listened... sigh, in the end, he died pursuing his ’selfish’ path until the very end... why did I even... sigh..."
At one time, Raji had genuinely loved him; she was furious at his betrayal, but some lingering emotions remained buried in her heart.
Even though she wanted nothing more to do with him, she had never wished for him to meet such a miserable end.
Seeing her sister in such a broken state, Riya had no choice but to move over and comfort her, wrapping her in a small, consoling hug.