I Want to Be an Extra

Lewin Dee Dryerf was on his tenth life, still in his first year of existence. 

“Now, what’s this? What do you call this?”

“Baba.”

“That’s right, fool.”

“You idiot, what are you teaching my brother!”

“Well, it’s true. And isn’t he my brother too?”

He watched as his two siblings began to squabble in his cradle, their youthful appearances barely reaching ten years old. Their striking resemblance confirmed that they were indeed blood-related.

Latel Dee Dryerf…

Lagil Dee Dryerf…

Lewin looked at the eldest and second sons of the Dryerf duchy and pondered, ‘Aren’t kids these days not busy?’

During his previous life, he had been thrust into successor classes at the age of five, burdened with the education befitting a future duchy heir. Recalling his own experiences, Lewin looked at his siblings.

“Baba.”

“See? I told you he’s a fool.”

“I bet you’re the one who taught him.”

The sight of his brothers grumbling at each other brought a smile to his face. Despite being 7-8 years older, age held little significance in his tenth cycle of life.

“Alright, leave those foolish brothers alone and play with me.”

Lewin felt a small, delicate hand wrap around him. He turned his head to see the owner of the hand.

“Luna!”

Luna Dee Dryerf, Lewin’s sister, was six years older than Lewin and the eldest daughter of the Dryerf duchy.

“That’s right, it’s your sister.”

Luna attempted to lift Lewin, but her seven-year-old strength proved insufficient. The commotion caught the attention of their bickering brothers.

“Luna!”

“That’s dangerous.”

“Uh oh.”

Reprimanded by her brothers, Luna pursed her lips and gave up trying to lift Lewin.

“I could have done it this time.”

Observing Luna’s disappointed expression, Lewin spoke up.

“Auuu!”

‘If things aren’t fair, get stronger.’ 

Luna, at the age of seven, struggled to lift a one-year-old baby. Having experienced the world’s trials nine times before, Lewin worried about whether his sister would survive the harsh realities of life.

“Lewin laughed!”

Unaware of Lewin’s concerns, Luna simply laughed along with him.

“Kids.”

A tender voice called out to the siblings. They turned their attention to the source of the voice.

“Mother.”

“Uh.”

“Mom!”

The mistress of the Dryerf duchy and Lewin’s mother, Erzen Dee Dryerf, had come to see Lewin once again.

Although she was approaching her 40s, Erzen appeared remarkably young, easily mistaken for someone in their mid-20s. One reason for this could be the exceptional care she received as the mistress of the duchy.

“I know you love your brother, but you can’t escape from your lessons.”

“Ew!”

“Ugh!”

A gentle breeze brushed past, and the two brothers wore crestfallen expressions.

Hand of Wind.

It appeared to be a simple magic, but it was known as one of the challenging intermediate spells.

Erzen, a remarkable wizard, effortlessly wielded it without the need for a wand as a conduit.

“Understood?”

As Erzen smiled and spoke, Latel and Lagil could only nod in response.

“Then you should hurry. The instructors are waiting.”

“Yes…”

Observing her brothers depart, Luna realized an opportunity had presented itself.

“The obstacles are gone!”

The chance to have her adorable little brother, Lewin, all to herself!

Merely a year or two ago, Luna was the center of her brothers’ attention, but that time had passed. Her brothers, who once showered her with boundless love, had become nothing more than hindrances to her cherished moments with her baby brother.

Thus, she didn’t want to miss this opportunity and intended to reclaim her place beside her younger sibling.

“Unfortunately.”

Luna’s body was gently lifted into the air.

“Doesn’t my daughter have classes to attend as well?”

“Ugh.”

As the family’s heir, approaching the age of entering the academy, Luna’s brothers may be ahead of her, but being the eldest daughter of the Duke’s family, she had to dedicate an unusual amount of time to her studies at her young age.

“Lewin.”

Luna waved at Lewin, wearing a weary expression, before fading away. Erzen sighed, cradling Lewin in her arms.

“I don’t understand why my children always act this way when a younger sibling arrives.”

Perhaps it’s a trait within the family.

Erzen mused as she looked at Lewin.

“My Lewin shouldn’t behave like that even with the arrival of a younger sibling, right?”

“Auuu!”

Lewin nodded in agreement.

In his tenth life, he had no intention of skipping classes or running away just because a younger sibling was born.

‘Though I won’t be attending anyway.’

In this life, he planned to enjoy life diligently, and studying wasn’t a part of his agenda. Having lived through nine previous lives, he remembered everything he needed to learn at a young age. Thus, Lewin aimed to play without any regrets.

“My child responds well.”

To Erzen’s attempt to make herself laugh, Lewin smiled in return.

Is filial piety a significant matter?

This, too, is filial piety.

‘I should show my filial piety in this way, as it may become problematic later on.’

Lewin’s life plan had a higher chance of being away from any conventional son.

‘Don’t cry suddenly, don’t keep crying, especially don’t wake people up at night.’

But if he didn’t cry enough, others would worry if something was wrong.

It was a delicate balance to maintain.

Lewin, who remembered every instance of being a newborn baby except for his first life, was capable of achieving it.

“Auuuu!”

“There, there.”

Seeing his parents pleased with his small act of filial piety, Lewin managed to ease his conscience slightly.

***

Lewin Dee Dryerf.

In his tenth life, now six years old.

Gone were the days when Lewin simply lay in bed, passed from one person’s arms to another. He could now walk on his own and speak naturally.

A period of newfound freedom had arrived.

Lewin took full advantage of this time.

“Young master.”

“Yes?”

Even as Alex, who had become Lewin’s personal butler since the previous year, spoke, Lewin’s focus remained unbroken.

“What are you doing right now?”

“Can’t you see? I’m breathing.”

Breathing exercises.

It was a secret technique of a hero, honed over three lifetimes and more.

To optimize the efficiency of this technique, Lewin practiced his breathing exercises in the mansion garden today.

“Young master…”

However, in this world, nobody knew about the hero’s secret technique of breathing exercises.

He had shared it with a few individuals in his past life to prepare for the unpredictable threat of the demon tribe and demon king, but that was hundreds of years ago.

Sadly, human lifespans were not long enough to withstand such a span of time.

“You can do your breathing exercises inside as well. Let’s go indoors now.”

“The air is better out here.”

Lewin declined Alex’s suggestion and took a deep breath with a hint of ostentation.

“Huuuuu. Haaaah.”

Inhaling for approximately seven seconds.

Holding the breath for about eight seconds.

Exhaling for roughly nine seconds.

As he did so, he circulated the minute mana contained within, spreading it throughout his body.

This practice was not limited to gathering mana in the heart or the so-called “Danjeon” region.

It involved infusing mana into every component that composed the body: flesh, muscles, bones, blood vessels, and blood. The mana was gathered, circulated, and ultimately assimilated as his own.

This was an exceedingly important task.

The more Lewin diligently performed this practice during his formative years, the more dramatically his future potential would increase.

However, there lay a predicament.

“Young master.”

“Yes?”

“You need to stop playing and attend your classes.”

To others, it appeared as though he were merely spending time in the garden, merely breathing.

“I’m not playing.”

“From your perspective, young master, that may be true. However, by the world’s standards, it is considered playing.”

With a sigh, Alex spoke.

He was aware that Lewin’s brothers, Latel and Lagil, had also skipped classes during their childhood.

But…

‘It seems the young master has no intention of attending classes at all, from what I can see.’

There was a clear distinction between occasionally skipping class and doing it every time.

“But…”

Lewin gazed up at Alex, his face brimming with discontent.

It was a petulant expression befitting his age.

Undeniably cute, but for Alex, who had been taking care of Lewin for a year, it was beginning to give him a headache.

“There’s nothing to learn.”

It was an outrageous statement.

To claim that there was nothing to learn.

Such words were not fitting for a mere six-year-old to utter.

However, Alex found himself rendered speechless in the face of those words.

Because whenever Lewin made such a statement, it was always because there truly was nothing left for him to learn.

‘Young master Lewin is a prodigy.’

Calling him a genius wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Lewin’s ability to learn was so astounding that it was as if he had already lived through his second lifetime.

It was not an overestimation on Alex’s part; after all, Lewin was his master.

The tutors who came to instruct Lewin held the same opinion.

It was common knowledge to anyone paying attention that the third son of the Dryerf family was a prodigious talent.

However, therein lay the problem.

If one knew everything, would it still be necessary to learn?

This made it incredibly difficult to dissuade Lewin from his arguments.

“Young master, an ancient sage once said, ‘Even a chance encounter with a person on the road can teach us something.’”

Hoping to persuade Lewin, Alex attempted to quote the words of an ancient sage.

“Yes, that’s true.”

However, Lewin, having grasped Alex’s intentions, cut him off.

“Even a destitute beggar can offer us wisdom. Just as everything in the world possesses mana, learning can be found in all things.”

“You’re familiar with that story?”

“Of course.”

Nodding his head, Lewin closed his eyes.

Once again, he took deliberate, audible breaths before addressing Alex.

“That’s why studying in a room isn’t the only way to learn.”

“…”

“Feeling the energy of nature throughout your entire being can also be a form of learning.”

Huuu. Huuu.

Witnessing Lewin purposefully continue to breathe loudly, Alex couldn’t help but be filled with awe.

Indeed, the young master he served was undeniably a prodigy.

‘To come up with such an excuse at just six years old.’

He wondered how much chaos Lewin would cause as he grew older.

Considering his future self, who might need to rely on digestive medicine, Alex had no choice but to resort to his final strategy.

“Ah!”

“Young master, we must go inside. Today, a professor from the Royal Academy is visiting—an exceptional occasion!”

Despite Lewin’s resistance, Alex simply scooped him up and began running.

While it wasn’t appropriate conduct for someone in charge of the heir to a prestigious family, Alex had concluded that this was the only way to bring the somewhat mischievous young master to his scheduled class.

“Look, the butler is carrying someone!”

“Young master, it’s alright to be caught once in a while.”

Knowing that Lewin would make a swift escape the moment he was set free, Alex did his utmost to hold onto the squirming boy as he sprinted.

Thanks to Alex’s determined efforts, Lewin ultimately attended the class.

“It’s over!”

“Already?”

Only 30 minutes had passed since the beginning of the class.

Observing Lewin, who had completed all the lessons, Alex couldn’t help but feel a sense of despair.