I Was Transmigrated As An Extraordinary Extra-Chapter 174

Behind him, Christian was battling with the guards, throwing punches and kicks, using every ounce of his strength to hold them back. The guards struggled against the debris and chaos, but they were beginning to regroup, realizing that their chance to stop Rex was running out.

"Rex, hurry!" Christian called out amid the commotion.

Rex gritted his teeth and struck again, a powerful blow that shattered the barrier entirely. The barrier dissolved with a spark of energy, scattering like glass shards in all directions.

"Got it!" he exclaimed triumphantly as the mirror shard floated within reach.

Rex reached out, grasping the mirror shard.

Christian, realizing the guards were finally gathering, yelled. "We need to move, now! Grab it and let’s go!"

Rex nodded and quickly pocketed the shard, making sure it was secure. He then turned to Christian, who was fending off two guards with fierce determination.

"Let’s retreat back down the stairs! We can regroup with the others!" Rex shouted, ready to back up his friend.

With Rex’s encouragement, Christian took one last swing, knocking a guard back and creating a momentary opening for them to escape. "Right behind you!" he yelled as they began their descent down the stairs.

Just as they reached the bottom, they could hear the shuffling of footsteps and yelling echoing through the library. "They’re coming!" Rex warned, panic sparking as they raced towards the exit.

"Where’s Whitney and Angela?" Christian asked urgently, scanning the area as they sprinted towards the doorway.

"They should be right behind Cypher," Rex replied, his heart racing as they pushed through the entrance.

They paused momentarily, catching their breath as they looked around for their teammates.

"Let’s regroup!" Rex called out, adrenaline still thrumming through him. "We got the shard, but we need to get out of here safely!"

After a moment, they spotted Whitney and Angela emerging from the shadows, alongside Cypher, who appeared relatively unscathed despite the chaos they had just evaded.

"Did you get it?" Cypher asked, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.

Rex held up the shard triumphantly, beaming with pride. "We did! But we need to move before they figure out we’re gone!"

"Let’s go—we’ll take the back routes!" Cypher instructed, steering the group away from the route they took to get here.

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

Three hours later, the atmosphere around the campfire was lively and warm. Cypher’s group had taken longer than expected to return, walking in circles to avoid being tracked. But now, with both teams back and successfully retrieving the mirror shards, they were all in high spirits.

The tantalizing aroma of the roasted wild boar filled the air, and laughter echoed around the camp as Cypher’s group joyfully recounted their battles. They seemed to be riding the high of their adrenaline-fueled adventure, recalling moments of bravery and teamwork that had brought them together during the mission.

"Hey, what about the two of you?" Whitney asked, her brow furrowed in inquiry as she noted our silence.

"Huh?" I responded, looking up as if startled from my thoughts.

"Did you have fun on your mission?" Angela asked innocently, trying to break the tension.

"No," We both replied simultaneously, our expressions mirroring each other’s annoyance.

Their faces filled with curiosity as Christian chimed in, leaning forward. "What happened?"

"The plan should have been perfect, if ONLY the person who shall not be named sat quietly and wait for my signal!" I said to them although I was looking at Edge.

Edge raised an eyebrow, not backing down. "I got bored, so what? You were enjoying knocking down all the guards while I had to endure watching you have fun!"

"I—what?!" I exclaimed, standing abruptly and pointing at him. "So that’s the reason why you suddenly joined me out of nowhere! You alerted all the guards instead of letting me take them down one by one!"

"Hey, that makes it easier to deal with them!" Edge shouted back, also getting to his feet, his expression fiery. "With all of them in one place, we could knock them all out at once! You were just wasting your energy knocking them out one by one!"

"Wasting my energy? At least I wasn’t surrounded and almost killed because of your impulsiveness!" I shot back, my voice rising with frustration. "They also attacked us all at once because of YOU!"

We were now standing face to face each other. I could feel the eyes of our teammates darting back and forth between us,

Edge was still glaring at me, his stubbornness refusing to let go of the fight. "If you think you can just take them down one by one without anyone noticing, then more power to you. But I prefer efficiency."

"Efficiency doesn’t always mean rushing in recklessly!" I retorted, frustration boiling beneath my skin.

We continued our bickering, the tension lingering in the air, when Rex’s voice suddenly broke through the noise.

"Umm, guys? I’m having trouble breathing," he managed, clutching his throat as if he were choking. He gasped for air, smacking his chest and reaching for his water, his face paling to a ghostly white.

I quickly approached him, scanning for any visible injuries, my heart racing. He seemed uninjured, but then I noticed something alarming—his hair was noticeably shorter. My heart dropped.

"Did someone cut your hair?" I asked, a hint of panic in my voice.

"Hey, is this really the time to ask about his hair?" Edge interjected, annoyance creeping into his tone.

"Shut up, I’m still mad at you," I shot back, my eyes never leaving Rex.

"A guard was about to cut my head off," Rex said, his voice shaky. "But luckily, I ducked. That’s probably why I got this new haircut." He laughed weakly, attempting to lighten the mood despite his pale complexion.

"Shit..." I muttered under my breath, feeling dread twist in my stomach.

If Cypher’s team had only suppressed the guards, it was entirely possible that those who survived had returned with evidence of the fight—like Rex’s hair. And that couldn’t mean anything good.

This was surely the work of a witch.

Rex continued to thump his chest as if to dislodge whatever was causing him discomfort. "Why does my chest feel so heavy?" he asked, confusion and distress etched on his features.

If my thoughts were correct, this was a curse. A witch’s curse could be much more sinister than mere physical injuries; in the hands of a skilled witch, even a single strand of hair could be enough to bring someone to the brink of death.

Things just became a lot more complicated.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I’m not that sick!" Rex complained, frowning at our concerned faces.

I took a deep breath, turning to the rest of the group and gauging their reactions. "Listen, guys... a witch’s curse is stronger in high mana-enriched environments like this one. I should have warned all of you. If her hands got hold of that hair..."

It was partially my fault for not warning them about the potential dangers.

I recounted what would happen if Rex’s hair ended up in the witch’s hands, laying out the consequences plainly, not sugarcoating the gravity of the situation. The curse of weakening could only be broken by killing the witch itself. While the curse might not be directly fatal, in a place devoid of medical facilities, the consequences could spiral into the worst outcomes.

When I finished explaining, the atmosphere grew grave. An anxious yet heavy silence settled on us for a moment, the weight of the situation sinking in.

Just then, Rex broke the tension with his usual cheeriness, his expression bright despite his condition. "Why are all of you so serious?" he laughed, his tone light-hearted. "You should have seen your faces, haha!"

His laughter abruptly ceased when I gently patted his head. "Tell me if it hurts..."

To my surprise, his cheeks flushed faintly before he gently shoved my hand away. "Don’t worry about me! To be honest, I’m not really that surprised that a witch cursed me, considering I like to call you ’witch’. Is this my karma?"

I smacked his head lightly, half-amused and half-annoyed. "You still have the nerve to crack jokes in a situation like this?"

Suddenly, Edge stood up, his expression serious and determined as he caught our attention. "The enemies should be busy organizing themselves after being ambushed. So let’s infiltrate another two and crush them before the sun comes up!"

I glanced at my watch—3 in the morning. We had limited time before dawn would break. If Rex was indeed cursed, there was no time to waste. We had to take action before the witch could solidify her hold over him.

As we stood up in unison, gathering our gear, everyone checked their equipment with urgency.

"L-Let me go too. I’m still okay...." Rex insisted, struggling to stand.

"Just stay put," Edge commanded, stopping him in his tracks.

Knowing that leaving him behind was the only option, we divided into two groups: Edge, Angela, and Christian would head towards the shrine, while Whitney, Cypher, and I would make our way to the cave located in the eastern forest. Time was of the essence, and every moment we wasted could intensify Rex’s curse.

This time the battle was swift and fierce, ending it within an hour and retreating back to our base.