The Extra Who Stole the Hero's System-Chapter 49: New Override
The warmth of the bathwater had done little to calm the turmoil in my mind. I stepped out, the cool air of my room sent chills down my body. Grabbing a thick, plush towel, I began to dry my hair, the friction served as a small distraction from the relentless waves of my thoughts. Herald. His demands. His seamless power. His insistence that I become his disciple and him, my mentor.
I needed to tell him no. But how? How did you tell a centuries-old warrior, a man who could effortlessly shatter A-tier artifacts and casually erase guards from existence, that you didn’t want to join his personal crusade? And how did you do it without sounding like you didn’t trust him, without provoking him? It was a delicate move, one I felt utterly unprepared for.
My reasons for declining were clear, at least to me. The risk, as I saw it, far outweighed the reward. Going to the Academy was supposed to be a path to stability, a way to find a sense of peace after the chaos that had erupted in my life. It was a chance to integrate, to blend in, to perhaps even build a new, safer existence as Kai Lorne. But acting as Herald’s "hand," his "infiltrator," would utterly sabotage that goal. It would plunge me headfirst into the very conflict I was trying to avoid, turning the Academy into a battleground, not a sanctuary.
And the cult. The Face of Asmodeus. My analysis, based on the novel’s lore, suggested that since Theodric wasn’t the head of the cult anymore, their immediate lethality might be less than what the original story depicted. Theodric, with his ruthless ambition and his demon artifact, had been the driving force behind the cult’s most aggressive actions in the novel. Without him at the helm, the cult might be less organized, less immediately dangerous. It would be unwise, I reasoned, to follow a man filled with primal rage, a man whose vengeance had already led to such widespread destruction, especially when the enemy might not be as potent as he believed. My strategy was about calculated risk, about minimizing exposure, not about charging headlong into an apocalyptic war.
Mid-way through drying my hair, a sudden, sharp ping echoed in my mind. My vision blurred, and the familiar blue interface of the Narrative Override Engine materialized before me, its light pulsing with a familiar intensity.
[DRAW AVAILABLE]
[You are eligible to participate in an override draw.]
[Cost: 24 Override Point]
[Chance of success: 15%]
[Reward: Unlock 1 random potential override]
[Do you want to proceed with the draw?]
[Yes]
[No]
My hand, still holding the towel, froze in mid-air. A draw? I stared at the message, utterly surprised. This was unprecedented. From the novel, I knew that the system never asked the protagonist, Eren Valtor, to perform any "draw" to activate overrides. The only way Eren unlocked new overrides was by deviating from canon events, by changing the narrative, altering scripted events and being rewarded for it. It was a direct, almost organic process. This "draw" felt... different. It felt like a gamble. A game of chance. And the cost was staggering.
Twenty-four Override Points. My current balance. The system was asking me to use all my remaining Override Points on this draw. If I proceeded, I would be left with zero points. Completely vulnerable. My carefully accumulated resources, the very currency of my continued survival and manipulation of the narrative, would be gone. This would make me incredibly vulnerable for the time being, leaving me without any immediate means to activate ’Pause & Observe’ or ’Scene Override’ if another crisis struck. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
I began to critically contemplate the decision, my mind a whirlwind of pros and cons, possible advantage and disadvantages.
The Risks where clear,
It will lead to my Complete Vulnerability, zero override points meant no immediate access to any overrides. If another matter arose, if Lord Sapphire’s death causes more unforeseen chaos, if Evelina’s condition worsened and I needed to intervene, I would be helpless.
The obvious Low Success Rate, A 15% chance of success was incredibly low. That meant an 85% chance of failure, of losing all my OP for absolutely no reward. The odds were heavily stacked against me.
Some Random Reward, Even if I succeeded, the reward was "1 random potential override." It could be something incredibly useful, an OP override that could turn the tide. Or it could be something utterly useless, a minor, situational ability that wouldn’t help me in my immediate predicament. It was a blind gamble.
The Unprecedented Mechanic, This "draw" mechanic was completely new, not something Eren Valtor ever encountered. It suggested a deviation in the system itself, perhaps a consequence of the increased Glitch Coefficient, or my status as an "unauthorized user." It was an unknown variable, and unknown variables were dangerous.
if successful, there could be potential rewards,
A New Override, The possibility of unlocking a new override, especially a powerful one, was tantalizing. It could be a game-changer, providing me with a new tool for survival, for manipulating the narrative in ways I hadn’t even imagined.
An increased Power, A new override, especially a high-tier one, could drastically increase my overall capabilities, making me less reliant on Herald, more self-sufficient in this dangerous world.
A deeper Understanding of the System, This new mechanic, if successful, might reveal more about the system’s true nature, its limits, its potential. Understanding the tool was crucial to wielding it effectively.
The thought of losing all my OP, of being left completely exposed, sent a shiver of fear through me. It went against every instinct of self-preservation. My entire strategy revolved around accumulating resources, not gambling them away on a long shot.
But then, the counter-argument. Herald. His power. His demands. His unwavering resolve to drag me into the cult war. My current plan to simply refuse him felt flimsy, inadequate. What if this "random override" was exactly what I needed to defy him? What if it was a way to gain power without becoming his direct disciple, without being forced into his brutal methods? What if it was the key to truly forging my own path, to finding that elusive sense of peace and safety?
The 15% chance of success gnawed at me. It was so low. But Herald had just shattered an A-tier artifact with his bare hand. The world was clearly more dangerous, more unpredictable, than the novel had let on. Perhaps conventional methods, conservative strategies, were no longer enough. Perhaps I needed to take a risk, a desperate gamble, to truly survive.
The system’s blue light pulsed, a silent countdown. My hair was still damp, the towel clutched in my hand. My heart hammered against my ribs. This was a pivotal moment. A choice that could define my future, or end it.
I closed my eyes, a long, shaky breath escaping my lips. The image of Evelina, screaming in agony, flashed in my mind. The memory of Lord Sapphire’s severed head. The cold, unyielding power of Herald. I needed more. I needed something new. Something unexpected.
I opened my eyes, my gaze fixed on the glowing interface.
"Yes," I whispered, the word a desperate gamble. "Proceed with the draw."
