Reborn as an Extra Chapter 548: Raika and The Lyre of Faith. Part-1.
Previously on Reborn as an Extra...
"Shouldn’t the real question be, who exactly are you?"
"Well, I don’t mind sharing my name... I’m Raika, just a simple wandering bard..."
A steady smile lingered on the young man’s face, while his handsome features lent even more appeal to that grin.
"A bard, huh... what an odd twist, since I’m Rio, a simple wandering bard myself..."
Rio’s face twisted into a scowl as he pulled out his flute and gripped it firmly in his right hand.
At that instant, Rio shifted into full battle mode.
He stood prepared to handle any threat that might arise, with his alertness pushed to its highest peak.
"But here’s the issue... I don’t buy into coincidences, and besides, no regular bard would just roam freely in a nightmare spot like this..."
"So, spill it, what exactly are you, Raika?"
Raika responded to Rio’s query with a smile, resting a hand on his cheek in a bid to seem adorable and innocent.
"Um... I could turn that question right back at you, you know? What’s a guy like you doing wandering such a dangerous area while calling himself a bard?"
"Do you even have a clue about music?"
Rio’s scowl grew deeper upon hearing that remark.
"That’s none of your business. You’re the one who looks way more shady; you’re not even shielding yourself from the miasma and just lounging here strumming tunes..."
"Suspicious on every front..."
Raika showed no reaction to Rio’s accusations and countered with the same serene smile.
"No chance, in my view, you’re the shadier one! A young guy with jet-black hair and eyes shielded by a barrier of ’miasma’!"
"And to top it off... you’re radiating such intense ’Sword Intent’! You couldn’t be more suspicious..."
Rio found himself speechless in the face of Raika’s retort.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Rio sensed he was losing ground in their verbal exchange and debate.
Normally, Rio held the advantage, outtalking anyone with ease, yet this time, he couldn’t keep that edge for once.
’I detect zero soul fluctuations from him... I can’t even pick up his presence or any murderous aura... it’s like he’s not even there!’
’This kind of concealment... this fellow’s disguise skills are nearly on par with my freakish talent...’
Rio wondered if the sight before him was genuine or some illusion.
Much like how Rio could transform his appearance entirely by manipulating surrounding light elementals, anyone with strong command over light elements could pull off the same trick.
Typical S-rankers lacked the finesse for such intricate work; only a prodigy like Rio, boasting legendary skill mastery, could manage it.
Or else they needed true expertise in light magic.
And the last possibility might be,
"An SS ranker... Why bother hiding your power if you’re that mighty?"
Even after Rio voiced that, Raika kept smiling, his face unchanging.
"I’m nowhere near as powerful as you imagine. As I mentioned, I’m merely a humble bard journeying through this forsaken wasteland..."
"To me, you appear far more threatening... I’m not sure how you pull it off, but you’re ’controlling’ the miasma, right?"
Rio maintained an invisible detection field and protective barrier of miasma around himself, unseen by ordinary eyes.
Yet those attuned to shifts in miasma currents could quickly spot that Rio was indeed manipulating it.
"You don’t strike me as a demon... but you’re no human, that’s for sure..."
"Rather than you grilling me, I ought to be questioning you: ’What are you, Rio?’..."
With that query hanging in the air, both Rio and Raika fell quiet, locking eyes without a single blink.
Rio felt utterly uncertain about his next move.
The cube of possibilities had guided him to this spot, seeking hints on Liam’s whereabouts, but he had no idea what Raika truly was or his reason for being here.
On top of that, Rio couldn’t gauge this man’s strength, so he avoided sparking a fight.
Raika appeared unarmed, holding only his lyre, the instrument he’d been playing moments ago.
An uneasy quiet settled in, thickening the tension until the surrounding miasma stirred restlessly.
As the standoff dragged on, Raika’s gaze landed on the cube hovering near Rio, and for the first time, his expression shifted.
"Oh! So that’s the reason you showed up! No surprise there! I get it now, I get it... I was puzzled before, but it all clicks..."
He bobbed his head repeatedly, his face lighting up as if a vital piece had fallen into place.
Rio disliked how his rival seemed to hold all the cards while he grasped nothing about the other side.
"You recognize this cube?"
Raika nodded in response to Rio’s words, answering with his typical composed smile and soft voice.
"That’s the cube of possibilities, isn’t it? It served as a key artifact for the former demon king!"
"Believe me, it packed a serious punch; it helped the demon king ambush and take out at least dozens of SS-rankers from the world alliance..."
Rio’s brow furrowed at Raika’s explanation, prompting him to ask,
"You know way too much about it... why do you figure it directed me straight to you?"
Raika grinned at the question and gave a casual shrug.
"You’re probably hunting for something specific, maybe with a hint or two; that’s likely why..."
"That artifact’s downright weird, after all; it’s tough to rein in completely..."
Those statements made Rio briefly wonder if Raika was some demon general or similar.
However, he sensed not a trace of miasma from him, which left him perplexed.
In truth, Rio picked up that he was warding off miasma somehow, but he couldn’t probe deep enough to identify the method.
If Raika were a demon, he’d have no need to resist the ambient miasma and could simply absorb it freely.
But then, Rio would have detected clear signs of miasmic taint on him.
’Plus, demons’ soul signatures are wildly turbulent and disorderly; hiding them is nearly impossible without a legendary skill like ’soul resonance’ to tame souls...’
’Alverto possessed it, but he’s long buried...’
’So, what’s this guy’s deal, and how does he know so much about the cube of possibilities?’
Rio scowled as he inquired,
"The cube truly guided me here... actually, I’m after a certain shadow dragon’s lair. Got any leads on that?"
Rio held back details on Liam and Ellie, opting for a vague phrasing to conceal the full story.
Raika smiled back at the query and responded,
"Shadow dragons? That’s intriguing... why seek them out? They’re not the sort anyone would casually want to encounter under normal conditions..."
"Don’t say you’re one of those aiming for a dragon slayer title, trying to bag a shadow dragon since dragon valley’s off-limits..."
Rio denied it with a shake of his head.
"I couldn’t care less about such titles... and just so you know, I’ve already visited dragon valley in the past..."