Extra Nobody [Rewrite]

The world’s greatest training institute, boasting state-of-the-art magic, science, and engineering—that’s Cube. For three years, I’ll be stuck attending this place. Exciting, right?

Cube itself was set on an artificial island in the East Sea, a solid 16.8 square kilometers of—well, I’d call it "extravagant," but that feels like an understatement. You’d think with all that space, they could’ve done something a little more… practical? Because despite all this fancy-schmancy stuff, 5000 Hero Cadets was squished in here. The whole thing reeks of wasted potential. Seriously, what was the odds there’s still homelessness in this world when a literal floating fortress exists for teenage egos and bad cafeteria food?

But, anyway, I was on my way to class, trying to enjoy the scenery. Keyword: trying.

I wasn’t that annoyed by the fact I had to come here, dodging plotlines left and right like I’m Neo in a magical version of The Matrix. But let me tell you what really gets on my nerves—hormones. Everywhere.

I mean, I get it. Cube was filled with 17 to 19-year-olds, and emotions was running high. But do I really need to witness the fourth public display of affection before even making it halfway to class? These lovebirds was out here multiplying faster than my math homework. And I’m here wondering if there’s some kind of internal policy to keep these hormone-fueled romance novels in check so we can actually study. I can’t be the only one asking, right?

Then again, I probably brought this on myself by heading out so early. Should’ve just slept in.

I arrived at the classroom earlier than expected, grinning like a fool at the signs on the wall. Novice—Veritas, Year-1-Class-1. The main cast’s class, which meant I could continue sticking to Hajin like glue. Oh, how glorious my future looked already.

Inside, there were three long cascading desks, each one looking sleek and spotless. I found a seat for myself, muttering, “Not bad,” as I settled in, pleased with the dust-free, pristine setup. The whole place looked like a catalog for future superhero prodigies, and I wasn’t complaining.

Then came the waiting. The painful waiting. I sat in my seat, scheming away, my mind a well-oiled machine. My brilliant plan? Bringing the biggest, bulkiest bag I could find, stuffed with all sorts of useless things—rulers, books, a brick if I had one. The bag was heavy, obnoxiously large, and more importantly, it was perfect for hogging two seats. My precious personal space needed protection, after all.

I plopped the bag beside me, flashing a victorious grin. This seat was mine. Both seats were mine. Finders keepers! "He he he…” The malicious chuckle slipped out before I could stop it. A true villain in the making.

But then, trouble.

“You there…” an annoyed voice snapped me out of my moment of evil glee. I looked up and immediately regretted it. Yoo Yeonha. Scowling.

Oh, no. Not her.

She stood before me, arms crossed, dark hair practically vibrating with irritation. Now, Yoo Yeonha wasn’t just anyone. One of the heroines of the original novel, the future Queen of Seoul, and most annoyingly, a key ally and supporter of Kim Hajin. She was kind of a big deal. And right now, she was staring at me like I’d committed some heinous crime.

“What did I do to you?” I thought, mentally pleading with the universe for mercy.

“Move it,” she demanded, her voice dripping with condescension. Then she leveled up her aggression. “No, you also move. I will claim both seats.”

BOTH? Was this girl serious?

I glanced around in a panic. The classroom had filled up faster than I expected, and if I lost this seat now, my carefully laid plans of having Hajin as my seatmate were done for. I had to think fast. Could I somehow charm her? Appeal to her softer side, if she had one? I had a suspicion that side was currently on vacation.

“Uuuummm… Can you pick another seat?” I asked, in my most pleading, puppy-eyed voice.

Yoo Yeonha raised an eyebrow, her scowl deepening. Clearly, the puppy eyes weren’t working. Great.

***

Yoo Yeonha wasn’t the type to be swept away by silly emotions. At least, that’s what she told herself. But surveys, articles, and whatever nonsense on the internet insisted that what she was feeling was a mere crush or, worse, puppy love. But Yeonha knew better. She wasn’t just some girl with a fleeting crush—no, she was in love. And not just with anyone, but with Shin Jonghak, grandson of the legendary hero Shin Myungchul.

In her mind, they were perfect for each other. Prestige, status, wealth—it all aligned so perfectly. They were the ultimate power couple, destined to be together. So when her smartwatch buzzed with a message from Jonghak, letting her know he’d be late this morning, Yeonha had a sudden, brilliant epiphany.

"Is there a way for me to have Jonghak as my seatmate?" she wondered aloud. It was clear to her now. If there was a will, there was a way. All she had to do was secure the perfect seat for him, right next to her. She envisioned their grand entrance, side by side, admired by everyone. It was flawless.

Excited by the idea, she rushed to school, her heart racing at the thought of her clever plan. But as she stepped into the classroom, her mood soured. Most of the seats were already occupied, and the odds of finding two adjacent seats were looking grim. "Are there no longer two adjacent seats available?" she muttered under her breath, scanning the room with growing frustration.

Then, she spotted him.

A bag. A big, obnoxious bag occupying not just one seat, but two. And the person responsible? Some guy she didn’t recognize, sitting there with an almost comical grin plastered on his face.

How childish, Yeonha thought. Still, she wasn’t one to back down. If this boy thought he could hog two seats and get away with it, he had another thing coming. Yeonha straightened her posture, exuding the confidence and authority befitting her status. She would get what she wanted—through pressure, aura, and the subtle weight of her family’s prestige.

She approached him with an air of calm superiority, her tone sharp but polite. “You there, can you please remove your things?”

The boy looked up, blinking at her as if she’d just asked him to move a mountain. “Like I am saying, I don’t want to... Can you please find another seat?” he said, his voice dripping with stubbornness.

Yeonha’s eye twitched in irritation. Who was this guy? Did he not realize who she was? Most people would’ve folded by now under the weight of her presence alone. But this guy? This seat-hogging menace? He was holding firm, making her life needlessly difficult.

“Move it,” she repeated, her voice more demanding this time, her irritation bleeding through. She needed these seats. They were for her and Jonghak. That was how it was supposed to be.

Unfortunately, it seemed she was dealing with one hell of a stubborn opponent.

The problem was that this seat hogger, infuriating as he was, spoke with a reasonable tone. And Yoo Yeonha, for all her flaws, prided herself on being a reasonable person. She couldn’t blow up and cause a scene, as much as she might want to. So she took a deep breath, reigning in her frustration.

“I’m just saying,” she began, her voice cold and clipped, “hogging two seats at once is just wrong. Why is a pleb like you even here?”

That stung. Or at least she hoped it did. If she could disgust him enough, make his life just a little more uncomfortable, maybe he’d decide it wasn’t worth the trouble and leave voluntarily. It was a solid plan. Yeonha gave herself mental points for creativity. But, like most things, even the best plans fail if not executed properly.

The boy didn’t budge. Instead, he calmly explained, “You see, I’m saving this seat for a friend. That’s why I wake up so early—to make sure I can save a spot. Don’t be too unreasonable, miss.”

Yeonha blinked. Her first instinct was to snap back, but his words had a weirdly rational ring to them. He wasn’t being hostile or rude, just… patient. Too patient. And it threw her off balance. Despite her best efforts to keep up her icy exterior, she could feel the creeping sensation of defeat. She could see it coming a mile away.

She gritted her teeth. Was she really about to lose this battle over seats? She cast a glance at the clock. Time was ticking, and if she didn’t resolve this soon, Jonghak would arrive to find her sitting alone. The mere thought sent a shiver down her spine. No, she had to act.

Desperation crept into her voice as she made one last offer. “Hey, if you give up these two seats, I’ll put in a good word for you with Essence of the Strait.”

It was a long shot, and she knew it. But this was for love. For Jonghak. Yeonha repeated that to herself like a mantra, holding on to the conviction that this small, humiliating compromise was worth it if it meant her future with him would remain intact.

The ball was in the hogger’s court now. All she could do was hope he took the bait.

***

"Hey, if you give up these two seats, I'll put in a good word for you with Essence of the Strait..." Yoo Yeonha said it so plainly, like it was nothing, all while gesturing to her face as if to remind me of her prestigious status. Daughter of the Guild Master of Essence of the Strait, huh?

Crazy bitch.

Essence of the Strait was currently the second-ranked guild in the entire world. Famous, powerful, filthy rich. And here she was, casually offering to sell her guild’s reputation like it was a mere bartering chip to get a seat in a classroom. Was she nuts? Well... maybe she was just young. Immature. Yeah, that had to be it.

“Now—!”

A thunderous shout interrupted my thoughts. The instructor had arrived, standing behind the podium, glaring at both me and Yeonha with the kind of disdain usually reserved for particularly annoying students. Which, to be fair, I probably was.

“Sit down. Class is about to start.”

I glanced around, bewildered. My eyes landed on Kim Hajin, who seemed to be waking up from a nap. Since when has he been here? I groaned internally as I begrudgingly grabbed my gigantic bag and stuffed it between my legs under the table.

Yeonha, for her part, grumbled while taking the seat beside me. Great, just what I needed—a pissed-off Yoo Yeonha as my seatmate.

“And just to add,” the instructor continued, his voice sharp, “the seats will remain like this for the current semester. Remember your seatmates. I will make a headcount and check the attendance. No need to say 'present.'”

I froze. What? This wasn’t supposed to happen. It didn’t happen in the novel. I met Yeonha’s eyes, and she shot me a look of pure hatred. I returned the gesture with my best “this is all your fault” glare. How dare she separate me from the love of my life? Not that I, you know, swing that way or anything. But I’d just lost my seat next to Hajin, and that was a problem.

Sighing in defeat, I turned my attention to my oversized bag. It was ridiculously big, stuffed with all sorts of nonsense. As I tried to shove it under the table, three rulers popped out of the opening and slapped me in the face one after the other.

Perfect. Just perfect.

I glanced at Yeonha, expecting her to be laughing at my misfortune, but instead, she was giving me a look that said, “Are you crazy?” I couldn’t blame her. Carrying around such a massive bag and getting smacked by rulers probably made me look insane. Maybe I was insane.

While trying to keep one eye on the class, I stuffed the rulers back into the bag, contemplating my poor life choices. The instructor, Kim Soohyuk, finally started his warm-up speech after finishing the attendance check.

“Today’s the first day, so there won’t be any special training. But I hope you all did your morning exercises. Training is never wrong, especially in the morning when the magic power density is high.”

Training, huh? I’d thought about doing some this morning, but thinking about it was way easier than actually doing it. The training grounds opened at 5:00 a.m., and I didn’t exactly have the luxury to slack off if I wanted to, you know, live. But, with no gift, no special characteristics, and no real access to magic power, I was in the same boat as Hajin. Except... worse.

The instructor continued his introduction. “Now, let’s start the introductions. I’m Kim Soohyuk, the instructor in charge of you all for the first year. My ranking point is 3850. World Rank 9737. By the Association’s classification, I would be high-intermediate rank grade 5.”

The students around me lit up with excitement. That was impressive. There were over two million Heroes in the world, so to be in the top 10,000 was no small feat. I felt compelled to show some appreciation.

clap clap clap

I started clapping. Loudly.

In the deafening silence, I was the only one left clapping. Every single student turned to stare at me, their eyes wide with confusion or disbelief. But did I stop? Hell no. If anything, I clapped louder.

“S-student... please...” Kim Soohyuk stammered, clearly uncomfortable. “You can stop now, student…”

I finally stopped, but the damage was done. Soohyuk sighed, rubbing his temples, before wrapping up his intro. “I think that’s enough about me. The first day will feel special. You might not have slept due to excitement or worry. Or maybe you’re feeling great about improving yourselves. Heh, maybe some of you are just happy to see your crushes again.”

At that, I glanced sideways at Yeonha, who was glaring at me like she wished she could shoot lasers out of her eyes. If only she knew the irony. Her crush wasn’t anywhere near here.

The cadets reacted in different ways to the instructor’s words, some bursting into laughter, while others, particularly a certain minority, looked glum. I couldn't help but notice Yeonha's expression, her face was an unreadable mask. I wondered what was going through her mind.

Suddenly, the instructor tensed, his expression growing serious as he scanned the room. "But..." he said, letting the word hang in the air like a ticking time bomb. "Cube isn’t the same as it was before. I promise you, there will be no time for relationships. In Cube, you will experience real combat situations. Look forward to learning how truly terrifying the real world is."

His roguish smile sent chills down the spines of everyone in the class… except me.

“I OBJECT!” I shouted at the top of my lungs.

“Eh?” The instructor, visibly flustered, stared at me, clearly not expecting such an outburst.

And so began my performance.

“RELATIONSHIPS ARE POWER! ROMANCE IS POWER! LOVE IS POWER!” I declared, rising dramatically from my seat. "WHEN THERE IS REAL DANGER IN FRONT OF YOU! AND WHEN ALL HOPE IS LOST! THE LITTLE POWER THAT OFTEN TILTS THE BALANCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH IS THE MOTIVATION THAT COMES FROM LOVE!"

"W-what? What the actual fu—" The instructor stammered, seemingly at a loss for words.

I continued, undeterred by the growing confusion around me. "I BELIEVE THIS HOLDS TRUTH! WHEN JESUS WAS PUT ON THE CROSS, HE SAVED US FROM ETERNAL DAMNATION WITH THE POWER OF LOVE! AND IN EVERY STORY, WHEN THE HERO IS LOSING, HE SOMEHOW PULLS THROUGH WITH THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP! RELATIONSHIPS ARE IMPORTANT, SIR!"

The instructor's face turned red as he rubbed his temples in frustration. "Where did this crazy psycho come from?" he muttered under his breath, but I heard him clearly.

“MOREOVER!" I pressed on. "WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF IN TROUBLE YOU CAN’T ESCAPE, ONLY RELATIONSHIPS CAN SAVE YOU! IF I ACCIDENTALLY KILL SOMEONE, I CAN JUST ASK THE PRESIDENT OF KOREA TO BAIL ME OUT—"

At that, the entire class erupted into laughter, students clutching their sides, unable to hold it in anymore. Even the instructor gave up trying to maintain control. It was complete chaos.

I smirked, my inner "Cringe Overlord" mentally bowing as I reigned in my emotions, my job well done. I scanned the room for Chae Nayun, curious to see what her reaction would be. But there was no way to tell what she was thinking through all the noise and laughter.

I finally returned to my seat, completing my utterly ridiculous and cringe-worthy performance.

“C-calm down, class. Calm down..." Kim Soohyuk raised his hands, trying to restore order to the room. "I understand... Relationships are important... Sigh..." He massaged the bridge of his nose, clearly worn out by my antics. “Yes, relationships are important. Things like comradeship... But we don’t live in a novel, Mr. Hyon Hyung…”

At his words, I chuckled softly to myself, content. If only you knew, sir...

The instructor knowing my name was a surprise. They must really be memorizing each student’s face, huh? I thought, a little amused. I let my gaze wander to Kim Hajin, who seemed to be fidgeting at the mention of "don’t live in a novel." Interesting. His reaction wasn’t lost on me, and neither was the subtle curiosity in Chae Nayun’s eyes as she glanced my way. This was different from what she must have remembered, throwing her slightly off balance.

Despite the ruckus I caused, the instructor made an enormous effort to calm the class and collect himself. He resumed the program with a practiced calm, masking whatever lingering frustration he had toward me.

“Next, Cube is objective,” he stated, his voice more grounded now. “The only indicator of your success will be your grade. Guilds will only look at your grade. Thus, we will grade you accurately and strictly. If you underperform, you will be held back. Statistically, less than half of Cube’s cadets graduate without repeating a semester. Even then, you can only be held back up to two years. Any more than that, you will be expelled. If you can’t become a Hero, you will become an agent or a mercenary. I take it that’s not what you want.”

He paused, scanning the room, his eyes lingering on a few students. I could tell he was thinking of saying something along the lines of 'I can already see a few faces I’m familiar with.' But he held back, probably feeling awkward. Instead, his gaze settled on me once more, burning with unspoken irritation. I smiled brightly and waved at him with exaggerated fanfare.

From across the room, I heard a distinct tsk. He was definitely annoyed.

But my crazy antics weren’t just for show. No, I had a purpose in mind. I turned my gaze once more toward Kim Hajin. One of his absurd cheats was his ability to use SP (Story Points) through his laptop, letting him create gifts and upgrade items. However, to gain SP, he had to draw attention to himself—become an attention magnet, if you will.

Kim Hajin’s power thrived on attention, and the more he got, the stronger he became. My plan? To become his manager of sorts. How, exactly? I hadn’t fully worked that part out yet, but with today’s performance, I was sure I could influence him somehow.

I then glanced at Chae Nayun again. She wasn’t showing much on the surface, but I could tell she was onto me. There was something in the way she kept observing me, as if trying to figure out what my deal was.

“I repeat,” the instructor’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “At Cube, you will need to confirm the things you’ve learned until now and hone your skills to be used in battle. There will be no 'kind' training here. Remember that.”

With that, he wrapped up the class orientation. “Now, get ready. What’s scheduled for today won’t take long. The first task is ‘main weapon selection.’”

And just like that, the first curtain to our story fell.

Welcome to Cube.