The Unlimited Ascension: Reborn as an Extra

”I—I am.... I am Lyris Veyra.”

Alen stood perfectly still with his arms folded across his chest, not knowing who she was even after she finally told him her full name. How would he know? He had heard this name for the very first time in his entire life!

”I said, what is your relationship with me, and how do you know me?...”

Lyris looked surprised at his total lack of knowledge about her name and even her family’s. But that made things much easier for now. She bit her lip nervously while secretly looking around the room, frantically searching for some escape route, of which she found none.

”Umm... I—ah—actually, we don’t know each other! I just babbled whatever came to mind when I was trapped in that illusion...”

Alen narrowed his eyes suspiciously; he didn’t buy her answer for a second. Even if she was in an illusion, it would be impossible for her to know his exact name and also recognize Ravena, who was a weapon sealed inside the Crimson Sky Realm just a few months ago. So whatever flimsy excuses she tried to give him, unless she actually knew him from the real world, it would have been impossible for her to know him here.

”Can you shut up and tell me who you actually are?!”

Lyris flinched at his outburst. Just as it seemed that she really didn’t have any escape route and would ultimately have to tell him the truth, a golden energy suddenly started to shape beside them. A golden crystalline staircase formed out of thin air, leading straight to the top of the hall where the ceiling was closed. But as the staircase reached the very top, a glowing door manifested which hadn’t been present there just a few seconds ago.

As if the world itself was helping her to hide her identity, she quickly walked toward the staircase to escape answering such an embarrassing question.

”Hey, where are you running away to?! Answer me first!”

Alen followed suit, as he also didn’t have anywhere else to go except that exact route. He desperately wanted to hear her answer; she had just raised his curiosity to an overwhelming degree. Now his mind was in full chaos. If she didn’t answer him soon, he was definitely going to lose his mind for sure.

As both of them climbed the golden staircase, one was climbing to escape from him, while the other was actively following her to get a straight answer. As they reached the top landing, without waiting for him to open his mouth, Lyris pushed open the door and stepped inside. Alen, looking at her disappearing figure, also stepped out and entered inside the door right behind her.

...

Outside a breathtakingly beautiful palace, two lone figures suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Their bodies manifested directly in front of it, standing on a grand marble pathway leading straight to the palace doors.

The boy looked everywhere with pure awe, stunned by the incredibly beautiful surroundings.

The palace was far too luxurious for a simple name. It was as big as several kilometers tall, and the massive towers of the palace reached high up through the bright sky.

The entire palace was made up of what seemed to be diamond and gold. The pathway was paved with crystal marble. As Alen looked back over his shoulder, he could see a massive city which was safely covered by a large, dome-shaped barrier.

The city also featured different kinds of small luxury palaces, which were of a completely different class compared to the main palace, each holding its own unique beauty. A series of tall, vibrant trees were settled on the divider of the path, beautifully separating the two contrasting ways.

The whole city was immaculate and clean, without any sign of dust or garbage present on the streets. A peaceful silence was maintained in the surroundings; only the gentle breeze of air could be heard and felt. No visible people could be seen anywhere around them; only their own presence showed in this vast place.

Lyris stepped toward the palace without looking back. Her steps were light but careful, as she didn’t know what she might be going to face next. But she wasn’t afraid of anything. Her journey up to this point had been amazing and beautiful, drastically compared to the silver-haired guy standing behind her, who had been through god-knows-what.

Alen stepped up to walk beside her, looking at her calm, relaxed face as if she wasn’t worried about anything at all—as if this was just a fun vacation tour and not an actual trial floor.

”Why are you so calm? And how did you climb the floors up to now? How are you even sane after climbing this Spire?...”

”Hmph? What are you saying? I just had to find a staircase to climb. There wasn’t any real problem, except for one time a tricky spirit appeared...”

Alen stopped dead in his tracks after hearing her casual answer. His eyes widened as he felt like something horribly unfair had happened behind his back.

”Wait—didn’t you ever die while passing through the lower floors?...”

”Umm... Why would I die? There aren’t any monsters here to begin with to kill me... And if I had died, I wouldn’t be standing here alright, would I?...”

As she looked back at his subtly shivering figure and saw him bite his lip, she couldn’t help but feel like he had been through a very different path reaching up here compared to her peaceful walk.

”How did you reach up here? Did you face any difficulties on your side?...”

Alen looked at her and forced himself to calm down. He forced a strained smile onto his face as he answered her while stepping forward to walk away.

”Oh, it’s nothing. I just had to kill a bunch of monsters, nothing else... It just was easy...”

He shook his head and focused his eyes on the shining path before him without looking back. He had no intention of telling her what hell he had been through; no one would be happy to hear such a disgusting, traumatizing story. It was useless to tell her anyway, as they were going to be separated once the trial was over regardless.

Lyris walked beside him, noticing his heavy steps while maintaining the quiet silence. She had clearly noticed his forced smile, but she didn’t press the matter further. If the other person wasn’t willing to tell her his deep insecurities, then there was no need for her to pry into his pain.

As they walked side-by-side, climbing through a smaller set of stairs to reach the higher platforms, they finally reached a tall, luxurious door made up of a brilliant mix of diamond, gold, and other precious substances.

Beside the door, two giant knights stood tall. They were holding heavy swords whose edges rested on the floor, their armored hands resting on the hilts. The knights were not real; only their imposing statues rested beside the door, or at least that was all they could currently see.

They both looked at each other and gave a firm nod. They moved forward and together pushed open the giant doors.

*CREAK—!*

What rested behind the door was something which they hadn’t expected at all. Not even in their wildest, most dreams could they have conceived such a sight.

Alen looked at the glorious sight before him with disbelief. He couldn’t help himself but feel surprised.

”What the hell... are we really still in the Ascension Realm?!”