The Extra Who Shouldn't Exist novel Chapter 395

Chapter 395: Chapter 396 : Protection Zone

The moment Alex stepped past the massive gates of the Tower of Ascension, reality itself seemed to stutter.

The air warped.

Space folded inward.

And then—

Countless translucent windows exploded into existence before his eyes.

Notifications layered over one another, flooding his vision in rapid succession.

Warnings.

Greetings.

Mocking messages.

Excited reactions from higher beings.

System confirmations.

Unknown entities reacting to his return.

They stacked endlessly, overlapping like a broken interface gone mad.

Alex didn’t even blink.

He walked forward calmly, hands in his pockets, completely ignoring the chaos screaming for his attention.

’Still as noisy as ever,’ he thought flatly.

Then—

One window forcibly pushed itself to the very front.

It was different.

Clear.

Centered.

Impossible to ignore.

{ Do you wish to take on the trial on the Second Floor? }

[ Yes / No ]

Alex stopped walking.

He stared at the window for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly behind the mask.

’Hah... already trying to drag me back into trials.’

He considered it.

Just for a moment.

Then his lips curved beneath the mask.

"I’d love to," he said casually, "but I don’t have time for that right now."

His gaze sharpened.

"Gotta reach Hephaetaestus before he changes his mind about giving me the weapon he promised."

Without hesitation, Alex raised his hand and pressed—

No.

The window shattered into particles of light.

For half a second, everything went silent.

Then—

Another window materialized immediately.

{ The candidate has been restricted due to lower rank. }

{ Access is limited. }

{ The candidate currently has access only to the First Floor. }

{ To gain access to other floors, the candidate must: }

{ Clear other floors. }

{ Complete Tower-designated tasks. }

{ Or increase Rank. }

{ Do you still wish to continue? }

[ Yes / No ]

Alex let out a slow sigh.

"So I can’t even explore freely unless I clear the other floors. Interesting," he muttered.

He tilted his head slightly.

A faint chuckle escaped him.

"Annoying... but fine."

He pressed—

Yes.

The window vanished.

Immediately, another one appeared, its text glowing brighter than the rest.

{ Teleporting candidate to First Floor Protection Zone. }

Before Alex could say another word—

His body dissolved.

Not violently.

Not painfully.

He broke apart into countless motes of silver and violet light, scattering into the air like glowing ash.

The world folded inward.

Darkness swallowed everything.

Then—

Light returned.

Alex’s form reassembled smoothly, particles stitching together into flesh and bone.

The moment his boots touched solid ground—

He froze.

Completely.

For the first time since entering the Tower...

He was genuinely stunned.

In front of him stretched a city unlike anything he had ever seen.

Endless skyscrapers of black crystal and silver steel pierced the sky, their surfaces etched with glowing runes and shifting symbols.

The city bustled with life.

Crowds moved everywhere.

Humans.

Beastkin.

Demons.

Angelic figures.

Mechanical beings.

Races he had never seen before.

Some wore advanced armor humming with technology he had never encountered.

Others were dressed in flowing robes, spiritual rings floating behind their backs, exuding an unmistakable cultivator aura straight out of the cultivation novels he had once read.

Alex slowly exhaled.

"So they’re candidates too," he murmured. "Just like me."

His eyes swept across the streets.

Many of them radiated terrifying strength.

Dense.

Refined.

Oppressive.

Some presences made even Alex pause for half a heartbeat.

’Wow... now this is something.’

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