Chapter 13
After finding my assigned seat from the seating chart and sitting down, I scanned the surroundings, looking to see if any characters from Become an Extra had arrived. Far off in the distance, I spotted Stia, the protagonist of Akarnak Star. Her black hair was tied up tightly, and her golden eyes sparkled like stars. Those golden eyes were the unmistakable mark of a hero—impossible to hide. Of course, those who didn't know she was the hero would just think they were pretty and move on.
My goal was to get into Class A, the same class as Stia and Dina. Sure, being in the same class as them would mean getting dragged into all sorts of incidents throughout academy life and suffering for it... but.
It's way better to befriend the protagonists and get their protection.
Class A got caught up in the most events, but that didn't mean the other classes were safe. In Akarnak Star, Class C got wiped out almost entirely, and the other classes had tons of casualties too. If I could win over Stia and Dina, my chances of dying would drop dramatically.
Dina was the top authority on dark magic, second only to the Demon King. And Stia was the hero who'd eventually face him. Plus, Stia wasn't just strong—she had a few unique traits that set her apart from other Awakeners.
One of them was her ability to wield both aura and magic. Most people could only use one: aura for physical enhancement through mana, or magic by channeling mana directly. Sure, some used magic for physical enhancement to swing a sword, but it was inefficient and limited compared to aura.
But Stia was different. She could use both.
Having grown up near war zones since childhood, swinging a sword was second nature to her. Stray magical beasts or demons from the battlefield often raided villages—it was common. To survive, even women and kids had to fight.
Luckily, Stia had insane talent with the sword. Soon after, she was chosen as the hero, and her mana gained the Blessing of the Stars. Her evolved mana was superior in every way, and it even let her use magic. She picked it up with hero-worthy talent, mastering it quickly. Even now, not long after becoming the hero, she was probably better than most active heroes. And she'd grow even faster into the true hero.
Yeah, Class A—with the future strongest characters in the world—was definitely my best shot at survival.
The once-empty Halo Hall started filling up with new students. And one by one, the faces I'd been searching for began to appear. As major characters, they were easy to spot.
Ifelthar, Yuhwa, Eris... And that big guy over there has to be Kind Guy.
Kind Guy—a massive dude whose name didn't match his bulging muscles at all. One of the few in Become an Extra who didn't fall for Dina.
Though Dina was the one who recoiled first and never even tried seducing him.
The guy was completely obsessed with working out. He couldn't sit still even in regular classes, always squeezing a hand gripper. Except for eating and sleeping, he was constantly exercising somewhere. In Become an Extra, he wasn't a key player—just a gag character who popped up occasionally to help out. A pure idiot who only cared about workouts and friends, he was like a breath of fresh air in that crazy harem/reverse harem novel, providing comic relief.
He could beat magical beasts barehanded, and with aura-enhanced physical strength, he reached absurd levels. Among the freshmen, no one except Dina and Stia could beat him. Even including upperclassmen, only a handful could.
Thank goodness he wasn't a twisted personality. He didn't enjoy fighting, and even if a fight broke out, his raw physical prowess could overpower most students.
"Whoa! There are so many people!"
Suddenly, a voice right next to me made me jump. I turned to see Scarlett plop down in the seat beside me, grinning ear to ear.
"Why are you here?"
"This is my seat?"
By sheer coincidence, our seats were next to each other.
But what was her ability again?
As I stared at her face, she tilted her head like what's up?
There were so many characters in Become an Extra, and Scarlett wasn't a major one, so I couldn't remember well.
Status window.
As expected from someone I didn't know well, a lot was hidden.
She doesn't have a single stat lower than mine.
Thanks to the Dark Sword of Swiftness's stat boost, I could at least keep up—barely. Of course, she was definitely stronger, so I resolved not to act cocky.
Aspiring knight, huh...
I was about to ask what weapon she used when a crackle came from the speakers. On the podium, an elderly white-haired man tapped the mic, testing it.
"Ahem, ahem. Hello, freshmen. I'm Galowin Millennium, the headmaster of the academy."
Galowin started with a welcome to Astel Academy, then ran through basic school rules. Nothing special for an entrance ceremony—just formalities since new students had arrived. It boiled down to "don't cause trouble and behave."
"Once again, welcome to the academy."
Those words signaling the end of the boring ceremony lit up the students' faces. But as someone who'd read Become an Extra, I could only sigh alone.
The real 'entrance ceremony' started now.
*
Every academy story has one ironclad rule: On enrollment day, they fake a sudden crisis to test students' qualities.
Of course, Become an Extra had that too. The difference from most? While other stories start the test before the ceremony, here...
It kicks off right after the ceremony, when everyone's relaxed.
Everyone in this world knew faculty tested students during the ceremony. So many came overprepared that this year, they waited until after, when guards were down.
As students left Halo Hall for class assignments, illusory beasts and demons would attack. That's why they held the 'simple' ceremony in the hall instead of classrooms. The assignments announced outside were 'fake classes.' The test determined the 'real' ones.
As I said, my goal was Class A with Stia and Dina.
To get into A, I need to shine...
Class A was for the top students. Half-hearted effort wouldn't cut it. Examiners valued three things most:
Response speed to sudden crises, combat ability, and camaraderie.
My hand tightened on the hilt of the sword at my waist.
"Freshmen, please proceed to your assigned classrooms."
The announcement played, and students started filing out. Whether early or late, once the test hit, suffering was the same—so I planned to wait until the crowd thinned.
"Siu! Let's head to the classroom quick!"
Scarlett, oblivious to my plan, grabbed my arm and dragged me.
"Huh? Wait, let me rest a bit..."
I tried resisting from my seat, but with her higher stats, it was futile. I got dragged out helplessly.
Finally squeezing through the crowd...
BOOM!
"...A car?"
Someone muttered at the sight of a burning car hurtling toward us. The test had begun.
Obviously not real—even Awakeners with superior physiques could die if weak ones got crushed at that speed. Probably an illusion. Hitting it wouldn't kill, but...
If I blocked it, I'd nail all three key elements: response speed, combat power, and camaraderie.
While others panicked, I drew my sword. Slipping free as Scarlett's grip loosened, I crouched low. Mana surged from my heart to my calves, swelling the muscles. I kicked off explosively, launching toward the car.
We closed the gap in seconds—it was right in front of me. I poured mana into my gripped sword. The A-rank blade devoured it greedily, without a drop wasted.
Couldn't just slash it—that'd show response and combat, but fail on method and camaraderie. Halved chunks could hit other students. Same if shredded.
Then...
When Park Serin first demoed the Serin Style, she wielded her sword like it wasn't one.
I wasn't even close to her level, but I could mimic it a bit.
I blunted the sword aura coating the blade. Blunter... blunter... even blunter. Until it couldn't cut anything.
Then I swung at the car.
THUD!
The sound wasn't a blade slicing metal, but a blunt weapon smashing it. The car flew back the way it came.
I landed steadily, catching my breath. Not tired—just a bit tense.
Far off, dust clouds billowed, drawing nearer. Silhouettes of countless beasts charged through the dust.
I gripped the hilt again, settling into stance.
The real test started now.