How to Survive as an Extra

Chapter 1

Have you ever tried stretching taffy?

If you stretch it as far as you can, it gets thinner and thinner until, at a certain point, it hardens and breaks.

My novel was like that right now.

I had stretched out the plot without a plan, and the plausibility was snapping left and right, practically dislocated.

I had stubbornly continued the serialization, and it was only after the daily views dropped to double digits that I realized it.

“It’s ruined……”

That it was a failure.

From the moment I had that thought, the pressure of writing ironically disappeared.

I poured out the story without any obstruction.

Without a second thought for how my few remaining readers would feel, I selfishly wrote until the very end.

『S-Rank Hunter’s Regression Monopoly – Chapter 999 (END)』

What a sense of accomplishment.

If I had been swayed by this and that, I probably would not have been able to finish it.

Right after completing it, overwhelmed by a liberating sense of relief and accumulated fatigue, I went straight to bed.

I fell asleep without even realizing my eyelids were closing, but…….

WHOOSH─.

“……Achoo! Sniff, sniff.”

When I opened my eyes due to a sudden drop in body temperature and an unexpected draft, a bizarrely shaped clock tower and a huge plaza unfolded before me.

It felt like I had been summoned to a city square, just like a newly created game character.

There was even a fountain behind my back.

“Is this the afterlife……”

As I checked my clothes, I suddenly realized I was holding a letter sealed with melted candle wax in one hand.

-Are you even human? I had a bad feeling when you made the main character regress, but to end it like that…….

A letter from a ‘devoted reader’ full of affection.

It was a long letter, but the content was simple.

The devoted reader who saw the ending was extremely angry, and accordingly, demanded a remake of the novel, and since they knew about my laziness…….

“……Don’t be ridiculous.”

I was told to remake it myself, from within the novel.

***

It was a world where Hunters and monsters existed.

The place where I had opened my eyes was the ‘Clock Tower Plaza’ in Seoul’s District 2.

The clock tower was one of the most prominent landmarks in the ‘Seoul Special Self-Governing City of Superpowers,’ and at this evening hour, tourists flocked to see its night view.

“No, I’m telling you, some ruffian took all my clothes, my ID, everything!”

“Then you should have come to the Dispel branch office right away. What are you doing just standing in the middle of the plaza? Do you know how many complaints have come in already?”

“……I’m sorry.”

I was currently under investigation at the 3rd Branch of Seoul’s superpower police, ‘Dispel.’

The charge was public indecency.

After all, having been summoned while lying in bed, I had ended up wandering a famous tourist spot in my underwear.

A silver lining in a bad situation, it was much better to be inside a building like this than shivering outside.

Most importantly, there was a heater, and they had even draped a jacket with the Dispel shield emblem over my shoulders.

And that was not all.

“Delivery! For the person who ordered sundae soup with rice!”

They even ordered me a bowl of hot soup with rice.

“Student, it’s not much, but fill your stomach. It seems those ruffians are well-known around here. We’re tracking them ourselves, so you don’t have to worry. If we happen to find your ID, we’ll contact your school separately.”

Well-known ruffians in the area…….

Did things just happen to line up perfectly?

“Ah, thank you.”

Could you believe that these kind officers had dragged me from the plaza like a dog?

Of course, Dispel often dealt with Awakeners, so a certain degree of forceful subjugation was tolerated.

However, they were not such a warm-hearted group as to provide a bowl of soup with rice.

At least, not in my original story.

Their attitude had changed when I presented the ‘Hero Preparatory School’ admission certificate that was enclosed with the devoted reader’s letter.

Hero Preparatory School.

Hero Prep for short.

A place where students entered at the age of 20, underwent three years of elite education, and where the greatest talents of each generation gathered.

It was also the main stage for my novel.

Among the many academies in Seoul, the Hero Preparatory School was considered an unspoken title for becoming a leader in the society of Awakeners.

Therefore, there was no need to question their sudden change in attitude.

Hero Prep’s annual admission quota was 300 students.

Additionally, there were 9 spots for a social consideration admission program.

According to the admission certificate, I was a social consideration student.

In the novel’s plot, I had only mentioned the existence of the social consideration program, so I could be considered a nameless supporting character.

The peculiar thing was that the face in the mirror and the name on the admission certificate represented the ‘me’ from my original world.

“My very existence has been swapped out……”

Or perhaps a non-existent role was inserted.

Whatever the case, if I did nothing, this world would flow just like the novel.

It was an unfortunate thing to say to the devoted reader who wanted a remake, but I was not going to do anything.

I had no intention whatsoever of getting involved in zero-plausibility, life-or-death incidents with strange villains and bizarre events for the sake of a satisfying plot.

“Right, it’s probably best to earn some money.”

Money was the best, in this world or that one.

First, I would need to find a decent broker.

And before that, I would have to make at least a minimum amount of seed money.

Although I had entered the world of the novel, my identity was not a problem.

Dispel’s information network was able to verify my identity by name.

“The entrance ceremony is one day from now.”

The point where the novel began was also tomorrow.

Since I had no money on me, I would have to spend the night on this sofa…….

Lost in my own thoughts, my gaze shifted to the TV, from which I heard a familiar name.

─Yes! Ms. Do Minyeong, descendant of the Sword Saint, has just arrived at Incheon Airport! She is scheduled to enroll in the Hero Preparatory School…….

Do Minyeong.

A first-generation Awakener and the granddaughter of the Sword Saint, Kim Yuseong, who was hailed as a hero.

She was one of the main characters in the novel.

One of them, but…….

It seemed I had gone a bit overboard with her appearance description.

“I’m surprised every time I see her. Was that old Sword Saint’s DNA just different from the start……”

“Of course it’s different. It’s been a while since the announcement that awakening is influenced by genetics.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

Because she was a main character, I had used even cheesy words to describe her appearance, and perhaps because of that, everyone’s attention in the branch office was focused on the TV.

The Dispel staff, and the people dragged in by Dispel.

I munched on the sundae and watched until the TV screen changed.

It would have probably been the same reaction for the other main characters, Cha Yeri and Gong Minwu, and the protagonist, Lee Eunho.

It was quite fascinating to see a character whose appearance I had painstakingly described walking around in real life.

Not only that, but all the other characters whose names and descriptions I had never even written.

─Here is the next news story. The recent series of incidents…….

When the screen finally changed, everyone looked away from the TV as if on cue.

I also turned my gaze away without any lingering attachment and drank the soup straight from the earthenware bowl.

“Kuhh……”

This is really delicious.

I did not know what kind of meat it was, but it did not seem to be pork.

I thought about asking, but then decided against it, figuring there would not be any problem if it was being used for consumption.

Somehow, I felt it was better not to know.

Well then, now that I have warmed up, it is time to think about how to make a living.

First, I focused on the translucent text that had been lingering in the corner of my vision from the beginning.

[Remake Coins in Possession: 9,999]

For starters, it seemed they were given when you remade the contents of the novel, just as the name suggested.

Though a few things would need verification, including the quantity.

Then, the important question was what I could do with this…….

Out of curiosity, I touched the text.

And then…….

[1 Remake Coin will be consumed.]

Along with that message, the flow of time suddenly stopped.

In addition, the colors of my surroundings turned to ash.

“……”

It felt like I was fiddling with the system options in a video game.

The only things that could move were my arms and my voice, to manipulate the system window.

“By the way, it took 1 coin as soon as I touched it.”

It felt like I was extorted, but first, I checked the new message that had appeared before my eyes.

[Endurance 4.0] [Strength 3.1] [Stamina 3.2]

[Agility 6.1] [Intellect 4.0] [Magic Power 4.0]

[Fire 0%] [Water 0%] [Wind 0%]

[Earth 0%] [Lightning 0%] [Light 0%]

[Dark 0%] [Null 15%]

Status, Attributes, and Abilities.

Each of these were values I had recorded in the setting notes to distinguish a character’s capabilities.

Naturally, these were details that were never directly described in the novel.

“But if I’m enrolled in Hero Prep, why are my stats so low?”

According to my settings, the average status value for a one-month-old Awakener was 4.

The maximum value for a stat itself was 20.

If I was enrolled in Hero Prep, the average of my stats should be at least 10 to be normal…….

“Could it be that my real physical abilities were recorded?”

Considering it was the result of sitting around tapping on a laptop day in and day out, it was easy to accept.

I tinkered with the system window in front of my eyes a bit.

[Increase Endurance by 0.1?]

[Required Remake Coins: 1]

[Increase Fire Attribute by 1%?]

[Required Remake Coins: 2]

Just as I thought.

It seemed the coins could be used to modify my stats and attributes.

As I adjusted the values, the coin consumption gradually increased according to the numbers.

If the increase in coin consumption was not just applied to one stat but continuously accumulated, I would not be able to upgrade many things.

“The Null attribute costs 10 coins for 1%.”

Just how many would it take to raise it to 100%?

I touched the Abilities section, which I was most interested in.

And then…….

[This record cannot be created or modified.]

Is what it said.

“Coins can’t directly affect abilities……”

This corresponded with my settings.

I had once described an ability as a collection of possibilities possessed by a single individual called an Awakener.

Simply put, it meant that if I made certain stats and attributes stand out by using coins, an ability would manifest.

Usually, one would gain an ability upon awakening, but there were also cases like mine where no ability manifested.

They were usually called the powerless, and they were not treated very well.

“But why was I given 9,999 coins……. This seems like the maximum amount.”

If it was indeed a reward for remaking the novel, then I had no choice but to assume it was given because of the existence of ‘me’ being mixed into the novel.

Though I had no idea what influence I was having on the novel’s plot at this point.

“Whatever it is, I just need to get the maximum effect with the appropriate amount of coins.”

If I had to use them anyway.

After tinkering with the system window enough, I touched the coin text just as before.

And then the flow of time returned.

The ashen surroundings were once again colored.

“Then, I should borrow a tracksuit or something……”

As I stood up from my seat, my gaze naturally fell on the TV.

─Next up, a location believed to be where the infamous phantom thief of decades past hid his treasure has been discovered…….

“Ah……”

The Phantom Thief.

Among the phantom thieves who had made a name for themselves in this world, he was the one referred to simply as the Phantom Thief, without any other epithet.

Why had I not thought of that name from the beginning?

The Sword Saint, the Witch, and the Phantom Thief were masterpieces and ex machinas created for the sake of plausibility.

In other words, they were characters behind the scenes created to serve as the cause of certain events.

To be precise, they were the very ones who had snapped the plausibility of my writing.

In the case of the Phantom Thief, I had even created a fortuitous encounter for the protagonist, Lee Eunho.

Something like obtaining various items and abilities from the Phantom Thief’s hideout.

Although, due to concerns of breaking the balance, I had only recorded it in the setting notes and never actually used it…….

─According to expert opinion, this is a hideout primarily used by the Phantom Thief, taking advantage of the fact that it is a border area in the Gangwon Province region, which has been occupied by monsters…….

“By the way, that’s not the place……”