I Want to Be an Extra

Bill, a simple country boy, grew up as an orphan but was surrounded by love from those around him.

The nun who took him in became his parent, and the other children in similar situations became his siblings.

While it wasn’t a life of wealth, it wasn’t one of poverty either.

The villagers were kind-hearted, and by lending a hand with their work, Bill never had to worry about going hungry. However, an event occurred that would change his ordinary existence.

-Child, you are the chosen one destined to save the world.

These were the words of the Goddess of Creation, the fabled deity said to have brought forth the world itself.

Thus, Bill transformed from an ordinary country boy into a Hero, handpicked by the Goddess.

His purpose became everything.

Everything he did was for the sake of humanity.

Everything he did was for the world.

Everything he did was for the Goddess of Creation.

As Hero Bill, he dedicated his life to upholding his duties and protecting the world. He ignited his own existence, confronting the Demon King during the first ever recorded invasion of demons, and successfully saved the world.

Was it the Goddess’ compassion?

Bill was reborn with his memories intact, this time taking on the name Dane.

Dane Bagregard.

Born into a weak nation, even as a member of a powerless noble family, his second life felt exceedingly opulent compared to his first life as an orphan.

Of course, not everything was perfect.

Unlike his previous life where the siblings helped each other due to their poverty, the siblings in this life were consumed by greed.

The eldest brother was greedy, the elder sister possessed an even greater greed than her brother, and the youngest sibling overflowed with desire beyond mere greed.

Nevertheless, Bill, or rather, Dane, found contentment in the life bestowed upon him.

Then, one day…

-Child, you are the one who saved the world.

He recognized the voice from his past life.

Though the message differed slightly, Dane knew it was the voice of the Goddess.

Trust.

Once again, the world faced a crisis.

Human traitors, swayed by the demons’ deceit, had already infiltrated the heart of the empire, with even the emperor himself becoming their puppet.

The battle was no longer against demons, but against his fellow humans.

The tumultuous fight, shrouded in uncertainty as demons infiltrated the human realm and warlocks followed suit, persisted for over a decade, hardening Dane’s spirit.

The situation could not endure.

With unwavering determination, Dane awaited the opportune moment to gain the upper hand against the empire, aiming directly for its core.

Thus, he managed to vanquish the warlock leader who controlled the empire’s emperor and the demon who manipulated him.

Yet, in a final moment of sacrifice, Dane lost his life to a curse devised by the warlock leader, bringing his second life to what seemed like a futile end.

But then…

“Huh?”

A third life commenced.

“Huh?”

Was it the Goddess’ compassion, granting him another chance at life?

He believed so, but once again, the world found itself in peril, and he was chosen as a hero.

Fighting for the world, he perished alongside the enemy.

“Huh?”

The fourth life.

He began to sense something peculiar.

Was another crisis looming over the world?

Was he destined to be a hero once more?

Living with such thoughts, this life proved to be peaceful.

Thus, he attended an academy, enjoyed a pleasant school life, and even became a graduate student, earning recognition from a professor who held him in high regard.

“Huh?”

Something felt amiss.

He realized this upon discovering the true nature of the seemingly kind professor.

However, it was already too late.

From student to graduate student.

Although the discrepancy in character count was minimal, there were aspects that couldn’t be compared to the enjoyable school days.

Thus, he found himself as a slave, no, a second-year graduate student.

Just as he thought that life would be easier as a hero…

-You are the child who saved the world.

Fortunately, the world faced a crisis, allowing him to escape the clutches of graduate school with joy, assuming the role of a hero once again.

And so, he lived through the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth cycles of life.

The hero who saved the world nine times muttered to himself.

“Uh,”

‘Again?’

Lewin Dee Dryerf.

As the hero who had saved the world nine times contemplated, he pondered over his own name given to him in the tenth cycle of life.

‘My hypothesis was correct: gods are beings devoid of conscience.’

The Goddess of Creation, the deity of humankind, and the Demon God, the deity of demons.

He believed that the fact that they constantly made their children fight was evidence of their lack of conscience.

‘Otherwise, she wouldn’t have saved me ten times.’

Initially, he had held admiration, thinking, ‘The goddess has granted me another chance!’ But now, his perspective had shifted.

Was the world growing weak, causing a crisis to arise every time he was reborn?

That didn’t make sense.

It was more logical to assume that he was saved when the world appeared to be in crisis.

“Oh.”

‘Damn it.’

The murmuring individual glanced around.

‘It’s disgustingly grand.’

Did the goddess wish to boast about taking care of him?

With each reincarnation, the environment he was born into improved.

From an orphan to a baron, and after several rebirths, he became a viscount, an earl, and in his previous life, he even bore the title of the duke’s eldest son.

‘But not the eldest in this life.’

He now held the position of the third son in the Dryerf Duchy, one of the empire’s two pillars and a family boasting the world’s greatest military power.

‘That’s not too bad.’

The higher one climbed in the ranks of nobility, the more responsibilities one had to shoulder.

As a family head or successor, the workload became overwhelming.

Since Lewin had experienced various hardships as both a hero and the successor to the Duke in his previous life, he had no desire for power.

In this life, he yearned for freedom.

He wanted to be like everyone else, living a normal life.

‘Go to the academy, have some romance, and get married!’

It was his tenth life, with three romantic experiences but zero marriages.

‘Even then, I was betrayed in the worst way.’

It felt like a dagger piercing through his heart, colder than the coldest ice.

To think that his most trusted lover and friend turned out to be such people.

Unending rage consumed him, and the unfortunate Demon King Apelios, on whom he vented his anger, met a glorious end.

‘After everything I’ve been through, if I end up saving the world, am I a damn fool?’

Lewin no longer cared about saving the world.

‘Give me one more chance,’ he thought.

He would show them a hero wreaking havoc in the temple.

Even if it meant undoing the achievements of the previous heroes, Lewin had confidence.

After all, he himself was the one who accomplished all of those feats!

“Auuu.”

Lewin sensed a presence and interrupted his thoughts, uttering a sound.

“His features are distinct, and the flow of mana within him is smooth.”

An old man, who appeared to be a wizard to anyone, spoke with a friendly smile.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It’s safe to say that you have been blessed with mana.”

“Auuu!”

Lewin made a sound as if to respond to the old man’s words.

‘Because it’s actually quite similar.’

Perhaps this body was meant to prevent future world crises?

Throughout his ten lives, he had never been told that he lacked talent.

In his first life, he couldn’t use mana simply because he didn’t have time to learn it, not because he lacked ability.

In his second life, during a decade-long war, he had the opportunity to learn mana. And in his third life, he developed an optimal method to efficiently utilize his mana.

‘I’m doing well with the breathing exercise.’

He called it the breathing exercise.

According to the explanation he received when he first learned about mana, everything in the universe contained mana, and all he had to do was borrow it.

This explanation remained unchanged even in his ninth life.

In his third life, he interpreted those words in his own way and eventually found an answer.

Breathing.

There were three common methods for people to gather mana.

The first was instinctive, similar to the natural act of breathing. It was a slow process, but occasionally, geniuses emerged who could acquire or replenish mana quickly without specific training.

The second method involved using magic stones, artifacts, or herbs. For instance, the Mandrake herb, when processed and consumed, could swiftly increase one’s mana.

Finally, there was mana training, which encompassed various techniques employed by knight and wizard training establishments. Each institution had its own approach to gathering mana.

 Allowing people to feel the flow of mana more precisely in a space made of magic stones, or an act of a master making his disciple directly feel the movement of mana.

The first and last methods shared a common thread: breathing.

Breathing.

Through this action, similar to the instinctual act of most living beings, small amounts of mana accumulated in the body from the world around them.

Lewin optimized this process.

By simply breathing, unconsciously drawing in mana, he allowed his body to naturally absorb it, to the point where he could grow stronger just through his breath.

It might sound absurd, even laughable, but in a dangerously weakened world, Lewin, from his third life onwards, believed it was necessary to protect himself. After living through three more lives, he devised a method to truly become stronger through the act of breathing.

“Auuu.”

At that very moment, Lewin inhaled the minuscule traces of mana in the air with his breath.

The mana was incredibly subtle, but by repeating this action constantly, the body grew accustomed to mana and became capable of accepting larger quantities.

The earlier one started, the more effective this mana training method became.

This was the secret of a hero who grew stronger simply by breathing.

“With a sword, he won’t be easily obstructed by walls, and with magic, he can challenge advanced spells.”

In this world, the measure of strength was mana. No matter how skilled a swordsman might be, without the support of mana, they could never reach the level of a master. Even if they understood the techniques intellectually, they would be unable to execute advanced skills.

‘But that’s not the goal I’m aiming for.’

For a hero, attaining mastery or performing advanced skills was a mere jest.

The breathing exercise was a training method crafted to conquer the Demon King while staying alive—a feat that surpassed those standards entirely.

“Auuuu!”

The roar of the tenth life resounded.

Lewin no longer had any intention of saving the world, but he had experienced one too many times the feeling of powerlessness in a grim and wretched world, even as a hero.

‘In retrospect, they could only get away with what they did because I was dead!’

Had he not been on par with the likes of the Demon King, would those cunning individuals have dared to openly manipulate and deceive?

‘No.’

The hero was strong.

Throughout his nine lives, he faced battles to the death against demons and their affiliated monsters.

Nobles offered him artifacts just to appease his gaze, and even entire dynasties were left with no choice but to yield to his threats with money and soldiers.

‘This filthy, miserable world…’

This time, he would endure until the end.

Whether it was the machinations of the goddess or the disgustingly diligent demons.

Anyone who obstructed the path of his life, all of them.

“Auuuuau!”

‘I’ll kill them.’

His outcry was fierce, but unfortunately, his vocal organs weren’t functioning properly.

And so…

“The young master is full of energy.”

“All children are like that.”

The two individuals observing the child simply smiled kindly at Lewin’s outburst.