Solo leveling x The Novel's Extra (Rewrite)

(Karma's POV)

I strolled over to my team, hands in my pockets, my usual smug smirk plastered across my face.

Chae Nayun, Demian, and Rosen...my teammates for this exam.

Demian and Rosen looked like they weren't too thrilled about being paired with me. Typical high-rankers acting like they own the place.

Chae Nayun, on the other hand, had her arms crossed, her expression already full of annoyance.

I flashed a grin. "Well, since we're all stuck together, let's start fresh. I'm Karma Akabane. Let's shake hands and forget everything that happened between us."

Chae raised an eyebrow but shrugged. "Fine."

We clasped hands

And then I felt it.

A vice-like grip, strong enough to make most people flinch.

I looked up to see Chae grinning smugly, her eyes glinting with challenge. Oh, so that's how it is?

Instead of pulling away, I tightened my own grip, increasing the pressure.

Chae's expression twisted slightly in discomfort. "Tch—!"

I laughed, my voice low and amused. "I like this new type of handshake. A little pain makes it more memorable, don't you think?"

Chae clicked her tongue, pulling her hand back while shaking it off. "Damn psycho."

Before I could retort, Demian and Rosen spoke up, clearly irritated.

"Tch. What a childish stunt." Demian scoffed, his gaze filled with condescension.

"Just proves he's an idiot. I don't know why they paired us with someone so far below our rank." Rosen added with a sigh, looking at me as if I were a burden.

I tilted my head, my grin fading into something much more… cold.

I casually pulled out my dagger, letting it twirl effortlessly in my fingers.

"Ranks don't mean a damn thing on the battlefield." My voice dropped into a dangerous whisper. "You think some numbers make you untouchable? I could cut your throat before you even see it coming."

Demian and Rosen visibly tensed, their hands twitching toward their weapons.

Oh? Looks like they finally get it.

Before anything could escalate further—

"Oi! Dumbass!"

Chae stepped in between us, glaring at me with her usual tomboyish scowl.

"The hell is wrong with you?! We just started and you're already threatening teammates?"

I blinked, then shrugged. "They started it."

"Because you act like a damn lunatic! Why are you even in Cube? Did you sneak in just to mess with people?"

I grinned, leaning in slightly. "Who knows? Maybe I just like getting on your nerves."

"Oh, trust me, you're already an expert at that." She rolled her eyes.

I smirked, stepping back. "Besides, I made a bet with my friends that I'd ace this test. Can't lose now."

Chae huffed, crossing her arms. "Hah?! You think I don't have something to prove too? I need to outrank my friend!"

I raised an eyebrow. "So we're both in it to win, huh?"

"Obviously."

For a brief second, we locked eyes, both of us grinning slightly despite our earlier argument.

Demian and Rosen, who had been watching with dumbfounded expressions, looked between us in disbelief.

"...How the hell are they suddenly working together?" Demian muttered under his breath.

"They were just at each other's throats a second ago…" Rosen added, still trying to process the shift.

Before they could say anything else, Chae turned to them and snapped.

"Oi! Quit standing around! We're moving out!"

Without waiting for a response, she took off toward the cave.

I chuckled, stretching my arms. "Guess that means you guys should hurry up too."

And with that, we all ran toward the enemy's hideout, ready to take on whatever was waiting for us inside.

As we reached the entrance of the dark cave, the atmosphere around us felt heavy.

Chae Nayun projected her smartwatch into the air, the holographic screen illuminating our faces.

A detailed description of our target appeared.

[Dark Mana Bear – 47° 12' 25" W]

Chae clicked her tongue. "Tch, so we're dealing with a mana beast bear. That's a pain."

Demian adjusted his sword, nodding. "Dark bears have ridiculous endurance. Their vitality is no joke."

Rosen, gripping his spear, added, "They can fight for a long time without stopping. Even though this one is a puppet, it's based on the real model. That means it won't go down easily."

Oh? Sounds fun.

Before anyone could say another word, a deep, guttural roar erupted from within the cave.

The ground beneath us shook slightly as the Dark Mana Bear emerged—its massive frame, dark fur pulsating with eerie purple veins of mana, and its glowing red eyes locked onto us.

My smile stretched unnaturally, as if I had just laid eyes on a pile of gold and diamonds.

Chae Nayun noticed my expression and immediately sighed in frustration.

"Oi, wipe that creepy smile off your face. We don't have time for your weird hobbies."

I shrugged, twirling a dagger in my hand. "Didn't you say not to waste time? I'm just following orders."

And with that—

I vanished.

Or at least, to them, it looked like I did.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing, lunatic?!" Chae yelled.

I was already in front of the bear, daggers in hand. "Helping."

Without waiting for anyone else, I slashed at its front legs, brutally slicing into the joints to slow it down.

The Dark Mana Bear roared, swinging a massive claw at me.

I leaped, barely avoiding the strike, and landed on a tree branch just as Chae's mana-infused arrow shot toward its neck, hitting dead-on.

The bear let out a furious roar, and suddenly—

My body froze.

"Paralysis skill? Damn."

Chae was still able to move, thanks to her natural resistance, but the others? Completely frozen.

A normal person would panic.

But me?

I simply smirked, raised my dagger—

And stabbed my own palm.

A sharp, stinging pain surged through my nerves, breaking me free from the paralysis.

The Bear tried to catch me.

Chae took advantage of my distraction, launching another set of arrows at the bear's legs.

I didn't waste time either.

I jumped, spun in mid-air, and with a mana-infused dagger strike, sliced through its neck—

A clean cut.

The Dark Mana Bear's body stiffened, its eyes losing their glow as mana leaked out.

A few seconds later—

Thud.

The massive puppet collapsed, motionless.

The fight was over.

And the best part?

Demian and Rosen hadn't even moved.

Talk about being Burden!! Hahahaha.

I turned to them, my smirk widening into a full-blown shit-eating grin.

"You know, I was really looking forward to seeing how high-ranked elites like you fight." I sighed dramatically. "But man, all that talk about 'endurance' and 'stamina' and yet, here you are. Not even a scratch on your weapons. What a shame."

Demian scowled. "Shut up, commoner."

Rosen gritted his teeth. "Tch."

Chae rolled her eyes. "Would you stop messing with them already? Let's check our ranking."

She projected her smartwatch again.

[Rank: 2nd Place]

I blinked.

Then grinned.

So, we weren't first…

I immediately knew who had beaten us.

I chuckled to myself. "Looks like Ritsuka got first. That bastard actually won the bet. He really became strong than me."

But, of course, I wasn't about to say that out loud.

Instead, I casually stretched, sheathing my daggers.

"Well, at least we didn't come in last."

Chae gave me a pointed look. "We were almost first. You better not slow me down next time."

I smirked, leaning in slightly. "You say that, but I carried, didn't I?"

She immediately punched my shoulder, making me chuckle.

Demian and Rosen sighed, probably regretting all their life choices that led them to being in the same team as me.

Too bad.

This was just the beginning.

-----

(Oreki Houtarou's POV)

Ah, perfect.

The princess would take care of everything now.

That meant I could sit back, relax, and save energy.

Without hesitation, I planted my spear into the ground, leaning on it as if this whole exam was someone else's problem. Technically, it was. I had teammates, after all.

The roster?

Arua Raven, a female swordsman with sharp eyes and an even sharper tongue.

Brown Maxwell, a gauntlet user with an obvious desire to prove himself.

Rachel Elizabeth Louise, the Princess of England, wielder of a rapier.

Rachel had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a face that the world would probably pay millions just to stare at.

But in my eyes?

Nothing special.

The moment our eyes met, I noticed how cold and unreadable her expression was.

My green eyes locked onto her blue ones, and for a solid moment, neither of us moved.

The wind blew, causing our hair to sway slightly—yet we just stood there, locked in a silent staring contest.

I wasn't sure what it was about, but neither of us backed down.

Until—

"Princess Rachel!"

Arua and Brown immediately stepped forward, their entire demeanor shifting into one of absolute respect.

I could practically hear the unspoken thoughts running through their heads.

If we impress her, maybe we can join her guild!

This is our chance to climb the ranks!

...Ugh. How boring.

The two of them started bombarding Rachel with formalities, questions, and unnecessary flattery.

It was clear she wasn't used to this.

I could tell from the way her fingers slightly twitched, as if she wanted to shut them up but didn't know how.

She had zero social skills—even worse than my energy-saving lifestyle.

And now I had a problem.

If they kept pestering her, we'd never move forward with the exam.

Which meant...

Sigh.

I begrudgingly stepped in.

"Alright, that's enough," I said lazily, waving a hand between them. "Let's not waste time with useless chatter."

Arua frowned. "Useless? She's a princess, you know!"

Brown huffed. "Show some respect, low-ranker."

I sighed again. "Respect is important, sure. But so is not annoying your own teammate to death."

Rachel didn't say anything—she just silently glanced at me, as if assessing my words.

It was obvious that she didn't like the excessive attention but wasn't sure how to shut them down properly.

Good thing I was here.

With a small, effortless nudge, I redirected the entire situation to my advantage.

"Since Rachel's the highest-ranked among us, it only makes sense for her to take charge."

Rachel blinked, surprised.

Arua and Brown looked at each other, then nodded enthusiastically. "That makes sense!"

"Right?! She's a princess, so naturally, leadership suits her."

"Exactly. We'll follow her lead!"

Just like that, my responsibilities vanished.

Rachel, on the other hand, found herself suddenly burdened with leading the group.

She opened her mouth, as if about to object-

But then closed it, accepting it without realizing she had been manipulated.

As a princess, she had a natural sense of duty. Being a leader was something she'd have to do anyway in the future.

And I just happened to push that responsibility onto her right now.

Win-win.

Rachel turned back toward the path. "Let's move."

Arua and Brown immediately followed her, looking eager to prove themselves.

As for me?

I picked up my spear, slung it over my shoulder, and followed at a comfortable, lazy pace.

o need to rush.

After all—

The princess was handling everything now.

---

Running is exhausting.

I mean, seriously. Why the hell did this exam involve so much of it?

Wasn't there a better way to test our skills? Like a written test? Or better yet—a nap evaluation?

Tch.

I sighed, dragging my feet as we approached the designated coordinates. The only reason I was here in the first place was because my older sister forced me into this Cube program. Something about "expanding my horizons on future" and "making lifelong friendship memeroies."

Right. Like I needed that.

I just wanted to live my life in peace.

Instead, here I was—chasing after monsters with a bunch of overenthusiastic idiots.

[Thunder Blue Bird – 27° 42' 35" E]

The words glowed on Raphael's smartwatch as she projected the mission details into the air.

We stood beneath a massive tree, its branches stretching so high that they looked like they could touch the sky.

And there it was.

Perched on one of the highest limbs, feathers crackling with electricity—

The Thunder Blue Bird.

"…Great," I muttered, taking a long sip from my water bottle.

Raphael and I exchanged a silent glance. We both knew what this meant.

A flying enemy.

My bad luck was on full display today.

No archer.

Not a single person in our group specialized in ranged combat. And now, we had to fight something that could fly and electrocute us at the same time.

Wonderful. So that's why I felt werid on our team formation. We chosen from very beginning for this exam. Great.

I took a deep breath, mourning my own misfortune in silence.

"We shouldn't give it a chance to attack."

The words came from Rachel—short, blunt, and to the point.

As expected. She wasn't one for long-winded speeches.

Normally, I'd appreciate that.

But before we could even come up with a proper strategy, the two biggest idiots on our team—Arua Raven and Brown Maxwell—decided to act first.

They shouted, waving their weapons around like maniacs.

I could already see what they were thinking—

If we impress the princess, maybe we'll get into her guild!

Yeah. No.

What they actually did was piss off the bird.

A deafening screech rang out as electricity surged across its wings.

Crackle—

BOOM!

A lightning bolt struck the exact spot we had been standing just seconds ago.

I barely managed to jump aside, my heart pounding from the close call.

I turned to the two culprits, my expression blank but my patience already running thin.

"…Are you guys stupid?"

Arua and Brown flinched. "We just—!"

"Shut up," I sighed, already regretting my life choices.

The Thunder Blue Bird hovered above us, flapping its wings and preparing another lightning attack.

Raphael and I immediately realized that the situation had spiraled out of control.

"Alright," I muttered, gripping my spear. "You guys keep distracting it and bring the bird to forest near. I'll bring it down."

Raphael's brows furrowed. "You sure?"

"I'm not crazy," I reassured her. "I'll protect myself first."

That seemed to be enough for her.

She nodded, though there was still a hint of concern in her eyes.

Then, while Arua and Brown continued their disastrous attempts at distracting the bird, I vanished into the forest.

From the ground, Raphael's attacks barely reached the bird.

Every time she aimed, the damn thing flew higher, staying just out of reach.

But I wasn't aiming for it from the ground.

I was aiming from above.

With more effort than I usually bothered with, I infused my mana into my spear—something I normally avoided doing because it required more energy than I liked to use.

But if I wanted to end this fight quickly, I had no choice.

I gritted my teeth, focused my energy, and—

Threw.

The spear ripped through the air, cutting through the wind like a bullet.

Then—

—Direct hit.

The Thunder Blue Bird screeched, its body jerking as my spear embedded itself into its feathers.

It plummeted from the sky.

Raphael took immediate action, finishing the job before it could recover.

By the time I made my way back, Raphael was already cleaning off her weapon.

She glanced at me and gave a small nod. "Thanks. That was impressive."

For her, that was practically a long speech.

Arua and Brown, on the other hand—

"Ahaha, Oreki, buddy! That was amazing!"

"Seriously, man, that was cool!"

Yeah, right.

They were only saying that because they wanted to look good in front of Rachel.

I sighed. "Next time, don't be idiots."

They laughed, pretending not to hear me.

Then, with a small chime, Raphael's smartwatch lit up, displaying our results.

[Rank 4]

…Not bad.

I yawned, stretching my arms.

"Alright, then. Mission's over. I'm taking a nap."

And before anyone could say anything, I walked away, searching for the best place to rest.

Raphael was speechless to see his behaviour.

He actually slept right on the spot.