How to Live as an Extra (1)
The next day, the magic department orientation was on the schedule. I got up at the crack of dawn to prepare for heading to the academy dorms. After tending the fire, gathering grass for wipes, and taking a shower, I left the house.
"Hoo— hoo—."
I jogged lightly toward the dorms. The morning breeze was cool and refreshing, just the thing to shake off the lingering sleepiness. Thirty minutes later, I arrived at the Magic Tower, what they called the magic department building. It was an imposing structure piercing the heavens like the Tower of Babel. I took the elevator up to the lecture hall on the 20th floor.
Everyone's already here.
The entire floor was one big lecture hall. Hundreds of students were packed into the front rows, all eager to catch the professor's eye. Get on a professor's good side, and not only would your grades soar, but you could even apply to join their lab—kind of like grad school.
But my goal was to stay under the radar.
Tap—
I slipped into a quiet seat on the outskirts. It wasn't empty, either—kids who'd lost the battle for the prime spots, plus those who couldn't care less about impressing the prof.
"V-everyone's already here...."
"It's fine! We can snag good seats next time!"
Take Sedric and Roden, for example. And Lumina had claimed a spot with some other girls. She'd tied her hair back with a ribbon. When I glanced her way, she looked over and nodded.
'Hi, Kyle!' The words echoed in my head. I quickly looked away.
Up front sat Siel, Elena, and Rien. Even side characters who weren't mains dotted the crowd. Seeing them in person, not just on character sheets, hit different. I closed my eyes and waited for class to start. The run here had left me a bit winded, after all.
"Hey, you look familiar?"
Then a guy who must've just strolled in late struck up a conversation. Red hair slicked back—classic punk vibe. He acted like he knew me.
"How the hell'd a reject like you get into the academy? Been a while since your expulsion. How's commoner life treating you?"
Hmm—here comes the trash talk. Classic extra treatment. But I'd sprinted here; no time to waste on this clown.
I gave a vague reply. "It's surprisingly doable."
"Good for you. You'll be slumming it as a commoner from here on out. Who'd have thought the great Kyle would end up like this? Haha!"
He started yapping right in front of me.
"I'm really looking forward to it. Time to show your 'real' skills from now on. No more cheap tricks like before...."
Orientation was about to kick off, so I straightened up and tuned him out. He wasn't even on any character sheets. Just some dude with a massive inferiority complex toward Kyle—probably got humiliated big time once.
Perfect solution for times like this.
"Sorry, but I don't know you."
Play dumb. Done.
"W-what?!"
His face was priceless. He started trembling, then bellowed.
"You dare not know me? Listen up! I'm Lucas!"
Right then, a shadow loomed over Lucas.
Click—
"And who might that be?"
It was Professor Mason. He glared icily at the kid blocking his path.
"Do I need to know you?"
The class erupted in awkward laughs. Lucas's face burned crimson as he slunk back to his seat with a grunt. Professor Mason took the podium and cut straight to it.
"Today's orientation. It was delayed a day due to unfortunate circumstances, but the academy has matters well in hand—no need to panic. We'll cover the department's courses, electives, exam and attendance scoring. Then class."
Standard first-day orientation, right on script. But this was the magic department.
"First, though, one more thing."
Mason set a case on the desk and whipped off the cloth. A transparent crystal orb gleamed under the lights.
"We'll measure your mana sensitivity. Before diving into studies, you need to know your current level and shortcomings. A chick doesn't fly better just by following a stork—it just lags behind. Learn at your own pace."
The room buzzed. Straight-up talent-based grouping from day one. Artina Academy's hardcore meritocracy in action—not surprising, but it sure crushed freshmen's dreams.
Mason pointed to the crystal. "This is an advanced processed mana stone. It holds vast condensed mana, impossible to fully draw without mastery of mana engineering. But that's fine. You just need to pull a handful. Not quantity—quality. Draw the purest mana you can sense."
Advanced processed mana stone. The one that shatters later to hype the protagonist's awakening.
This test was about extracting your best mana from a pool dozens of times your capacity—like picking the most useful grain from a beach. Low sensitivity? You get sand. High? You snag the buried diamond.
"Come up when called, in order of entrance exam scores. Siel Dunhart."
The mana sensitivity test began. First up: Siel Dunhart, magic department top scorer, once-in-a-millennium genius from the mage powerhouse Dunharts. Ice princess, fragile as a crystal but with unbreakable will. She ascended the podium, ponytail swaying like piled snow. That haughty confidence screamed Siel.
"Begin."
Siel reached slowly for the crystal. Blue mana streamed out, coalescing around it into a golden glow. Mason scored her on the spot.
"Top score, Siel Dunhart. A+."
Jaws dropped. A+ was basically perfect—even pros would envy it. A near-complete mage right out the gate.
She's this strong now? Post-awakening...
Chapter 1, Act 4: underground cavern episode. Siel's event—cures her incurable curse. She'd be a powerhouse then. Just grow steadily, please.
The tests rolled on.
"Elena Valencia, B+."
The imperial princess scored solid, if below Siel—but her face said unsatisfied.
"Rien Roderan, B."
Rien smiled faintly, a step down. Grades mattered less to her than her merchant empire.
"Lumina Haloway, B-."
Great for a spirit summoner. The rest flew by.
"Ruby Fron, C+."
"Lucas Mirun, C."
"Sedric, D."
"Roden, D."
Top kids maxed out; bottoms hit walls fast. Thirty seconds each. The weak ones looked hopeless once they realized no amount of trying would work.
"Last student. Kyle."
My turn. I stepped up, touched the crystal. Felt the mana.
"Hm."
Mason's verdict: "Kyle, F."
No reaction. Sadly predictable. My mana sensitivity was 10—average for mana-using civilians. Mid-grade stone might twitch, but advanced? No dice without serious talent.
I knew it. Basic spells still worked fine.
But an F in the magic department? The room exploded.
"An F?!"
"How'd that guy pass the exam?"
"He's a commoner? No connections?"
"Cheated?!"
Fair. Even I'd question an F sneaking into Artina's elite magic program.
But hey, I passed.
Waiting for Mason, one guy burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! F-grade? The expelled Kyle? How'd he even get in?"
Lucas again. "Expelled Kyle" lit the fuse—murmurs swelled.
'Kyle...?''Sounds familiar...''That delinquent?''Whoa, for real!'
Nice vibes. Kyle's karma was stacked.
I eyed the annoying trait.
● [The Empire's Premier Scoundrel]
[No scoundrel in the empire rivals you. When intimidating foes, instill 300% fear.]
Whoa, insane. I'd ignored it till now, but damn—that was a completed title. Like turning demon slayer into demon exterminator. Kyle's infamy ran deep. Felt it now.
"Quiet down."
Mason's command silenced the chaos instantly.
"F sensitivity but passed the exam? Means excellence elsewhere. Hunting beasts, traps, exploiting student fights—understood survival rules. Talent's low, but effort might surprise. Study hard."
Study hard. From Mason? First time ever. The cold-blooded prof dropping encouragement? My F must've hit even him.
"Mana sensitivity test complete. Know your level now."
Mason launched into class details—game lore I didn't know, so I listened up. Orientation wrapped.
"Begin. Buy textbooks later. Intro to Magic, Chapter 1."
With that, Professor Mason projected the text and dove in—forcing us into a three-hour full lecture hell from day one.
"......"
·····
But throughout the lecture, for some reason, it felt like Siel kept glancing my way. Nah, just my imagination... right?