I Was Transmigrated As An Extraordinary Extra-Chapter 298

I woke up early the next day, greeted by pain.

Every single muscle in my body protested as I rolled onto my side. The ground might as well have been a slab of punishment disguised as stone. I stared up at the sky with half-lidded eyes and sighed.

"Ah yes," I muttered. "A wonderful morning in paradise. Five stars. Would suffer again."

My stomach growled but I ignored it and forced myself up and dusted off imaginary dirt—because at this point, I was just dirty everywhere anyway.

Caves. I needed caves.

The system said caves had "valuable materials," which in system language usually meant suffering with benefits.

I started walking.

Ten minutes in, I was fine.

Thirty minutes in, I was still confident.

One hour in, my confidence was replaced with denial.

Two hours in, I was surviving on pure spite.

By the time two and a half hours passed, I was dragging my feet, sweat dripping down my back, lungs working overtime like they were about to file a complaint.

Then—salvation.

A cave.

I squinted at it, tears welling in my eyes. "You... you beautiful hole in the ground..."

I took one triumphant step toward the entrance and immediately blacked out.

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

I woke up face-first on the dirt.

My body jerked upright as I gasped, eyes wide. "Hey, system," I snapped. "What the hell was that?!"

A familiar, infuriating system screen popped up.

[Did you forget that your stats are reduced? You literally walked for two and a half hours without resting or replenishing. So naturally, you would sleep due to exhaustion.]

"...So you’re saying this is my fault."

[Yes.]

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I hate you."

[Noted.]

Grinding my teeth, I sat there and ate the leftover from yesterday and rested like a responsible adult—which offended me deeply. After a while, I stood up again, ready to continue.

Surely it wouldn’t happen again, right?

Wrong.

Every cave after that followed the same cursed routine.

Find cave.

Approach cave.

Collapse like a fainting Victorian noble.

By the fifth cave, I was no longer angry. I was just tired.

This one was near a stream, I staggered over and dropped down beside it, panting dramatically.

"That damn system," I wheezed. "I know you’re laughing."

Silence.

"Oh sure," I muttered. "Now you pretend you’re not listening."

As I caught my breath, I became painfully aware of another issue.

I smelled terrible.

My clothes were stiff with dried sweat, dirt, and leftover monster blood. I sniffed myself and recoiled.

"...I smell like a war crime."

I glanced at the stream again. Clear water. Calm surroundings. No monsters in sight.

"Well," I said, standing up, "if I’m going to die here, I’m not doing it stinky."

I stored my equipment in my inventory and cautiously stepped into the water. The cold hit me instantly.

"—HNGH!"

I froze, every nerve screaming. "WHY IS IT ALWAYS FREEZING?! Who designed this island, a sadist?!"

Once the shock passed, I started scrubbing myself aggressively, like the dirt had personally wronged me. Grime washed off into the stream as I splashed water everywhere.

I sighed, shoulders finally relaxing.

"...Okay," I admitted. "This is nice."

As I was diving, I spotted an underground cave. My eyes widened.

"...Oh."

I froze mid-swim, bubbles escaping my mouth as realization slapped me across the face.

"I forgot that caves can also be underground."

[Idiot]

I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly drowned. "Wow. Thank you. Truly. Your wisdom knows no bounds."

Taking a deep breath, I dove down toward the cave entrance. My lungs screamed immediately.

Bad idea. Very bad idea.

Luckily—miraculously—there was air inside. I burst out of the water like a washed-up hero, coughing violently as I clutched the cave wall.

"WHY," cough, "DOES EVERY IMPORTANT DISCOVERY REQUIRE ME TO ALMOST DIE?"

[Character development]

"Shut up."

Once my lungs stopped trying to escape my body, I crept forward carefully. The cave was dim, illuminated only by faint glowing moss clinging to the walls. Water dripped rhythmically, echoing just enough to make my nerves itch.

After walking for a while, I stopped dead in my tracks.

Something was there.

Curled in the center of the cavern was a massive creature, its body coiled protectively around a skeleton. Orange and black striped scales shimmered faintly under the moss light.

Sleeping.

Very. Much. Sleeping.

A system window popped up before I could stop myself from panicking.

————————————

Tigara

Level: Elite Grade 5

Description: A tiger combined with the mystique of a serpent. Its lithe, muscular body is covered in striking orange and black striped scales, reminiscent of a tiger’s fur but with a sleek, serpentine texture. It has a pair of sharp, curved horns atop its head.

Weak Spot: ???

————————————

"...Another Elite?" I whispered.

My eye twitched.

"When," I continued quietly, "will I be allowed to fight something that doesn’t want to turn me into abstract art?"

[Skill issue]

"I sure am waiting for the day I’ll get out of this portal just to stop seeing you."

My gaze flicked back to the monster. It shifted slightly in its sleep, scales scraping softly against stone.

I immediately froze, breath caught in my throat.

"...Not now. Not now. Please don’t wake up. I’m poor and fragile."

It settled again.

I exhaled so hard I nearly passed out.

I glanced at my trembling arms. "I am not in the perfect condition to fight an Elite Grade 5 monster. I’m barely in condition to fight a mild inconvenience."

[Running away is also an option]

"Oh really? Thank you, Captain Obvious."

I cracked my neck quietly. "Which means there’s only one thing I can do."

I crouched low and began sneaking forward, every step slow and deliberate. My heart pounded so loudly I was convinced the Tigara could hear it.

I reached the skeleton trapped in its coils. Whoever this poor soul was, they clearly had a very bad day.

That’s when I noticed it.

A long, sharp fang pierced straight through the skeleton’s chest—right where the heart would’ve been.

My eyes sparkled.

"Oh?" I whispered. "Ohhh?"

Another dagger.

Carefully—very carefully—I reached out and wrapped my fingers around the fang. I pulled slowly, inch by inch, stopping every time the Tigara’s breathing shifted.

Please don’t wake up.

Please don’t wake up.

Please don’t—

The fang slid free.

I nearly cried as I stared at the weapon in my hand.

"...You’re beautiful," I whispered reverently.

I carefully tucked the fang away, resisting the urge to kiss it.

Then I noticed something else near the skeleton.

A scroll.

My smile widened dangerously.

I quietly unfurled it, holding my breath the entire time. The parchment revealed a crude but clear map—with a big, bold X marked on it.

My jaw dropped.

"...No way."

I looked up at the sleeping Tigara, then back at the map.

"...Is this a treasure map?"

My hands trembled—not from fear this time, but excitement.

"Oh my," I whispered dramatically, clutching the scroll to my chest. "Did I ever tell you that I love you, system?"

[You’re only saying that because of the item isn’t it?]

"...Yes," I replied shamelessly. "And I’ll do it again."

Behind me, the Tigara shifted in its sleep.

I stiffened.

"...Okay," I whispered urgently. "Love you later. Bye."

I slipped the fang and the scroll into my inventory and began backing away, every step was quiet enough that even my conscience wouldn’t squeak.

Just a little more and I’d be out.

Then—maybe out of instinct, maybe because I’m terrible at knowing when to stop pushing my luck—I glanced back.

The Tigara’s eye was wide open.

Wide. Sharp. Fully awake. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

It was staring straight at me.

The other eye remained half-closed, clouded and scarred from an old injury, but the one that worked was more than enough. It wasn’t glowing with rage. The creature didn’t even move. Didn’t growl. Didn’t even shift its coils.

It was simply watching.

Cold crept up my spine, flooding my limbs until my fingers felt numb.

’Since when...?’

My heartbeat slammed against my ribs. Since when had it woken up? And more importantly—how long had it been awake while I was stealing from right under its nose?

We locked eyes.

I froze.

Time stretched painfully thin. I didn’t dare breathe too loudly. Didn’t dare blink. My mind raced through every possible outcome, and none of them involved me walking away unharmed.

Any second now, it would strike.

Any second—

The Tigara blinked.

Once.

Then, slowly, it shifted its gaze away from me, as if I had already stopped being worth its attention.

"...Huh?"

That was it. No roar. No attack. No sudden burst of murderous intent. It simply stared at something else, completely indifferent to my existence.

I stood there, frozen and utterly baffled.

"...You’re just going to ignore me?" I whispered, half offended.

[Emotionally rejected by an Elite Grade monster]

"Now is not the time."

As the adrenaline faded, something finally clicked. I looked at the Tigara again—really looked this time.

Despite its size and presence, the Tigara was thin. Too thin. Its striped scales clung closer to its frame than they should have, and now that I wasn’t panicking quite as hard, I could see how sluggish its movements were. Weak.

"...You’re starving," I murmured.