The Extra Who Thrashes the Leads
A cave studded with mana stones that glowed with a faint blue light. A desolate, heavy tension hung in the air before the entrance to the boss room.
“Well, look who it is. Hound, I had a feeling you'd already be here.”
Whinston, a handsome young man with silver hair and round glasses, asked, “Do you know him?”
“He's that famous commoner, the Special Scholarship Student.”
“Ah, the one who beat up Young Master Edelian...”
“Who said anything about getting beaten up?”
For some reason, sparks seemed to fly as Whinston and Lutera locked eyes.
“Everyone, please stop!”
“My apologies, Seri. It's just that this Young Master Arcadia here...”
What the hell are these bastards doing? We got here first, and in a situation where a fight could break out at any second, they're bickering amongst themselves... I stood up to shatter this ridiculous atmosphere.
“Excuse me, but I don't think this is the time or place for that.”
Whinston narrowed his eyes, glaring at me with a sharp gaze. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
“You seem awfully confident that our party won't fight yours.”
“Come now, Hound. Is there any need for us to go that far? Let's just settle this amicably.”
What do you mean, 'between us'...? “Unfortunately, I have no intention of settling this amicably.”
Screeech. I drew my sword from the scabbard at my waist. At that, Whinston prepared to draw a magic circle as he spoke. “Are you declaring a fight right now?”
“Yes. I happen to be in a very foul mood today.”
“You're as mad as the rumors say. Did you get admitted as a Special Scholarship Student because of your insanity rather than your swordsmanship?”
“...” A brief silence fell, and then Ronia stepped forward. “It has been a while, Young Master Arcadia.”
“You...!” “I hope you have been well.”
“Ha! Did you throw yourself at that man the moment our engagement was broken? The reputation of the House of Cardelia is bound to be dragged through the mud.”
Look at the way this bastard runs his mouth. I definitely can't let him off easy. I pulled Ronia behind me and stepped forward.
“Young Master Arcadia, you have a terribly foul mouth. Did you receive no education other than magic?”
“What did you just say?” “I asked if you were never taught anything besides magic.” “You bastard!”
Unable to contain his rage at my provocation, Whinston began drawing a magic circle. “Ice Magazine!”
Already? Was that three seconds, or maybe two? Countless chunks of ice came hurtling toward us.
“Ronia! The magic circle we prepared, now!” “Yes! Flare!”
Boom! A breath-like torrent of flames clashed with the chunks of ice, erupting into a thick cloud of steam. The entrance to the boss room became completely obscured, as if blanketed by a dense fog.
But who was I? A suspicious extra equipped with the Eye that Sees Crisis. Red lines immediately highlighted the positions of Lutera and Whinston.
The slightly fainter red line was likely Lutera, while the brilliantly glowing red line had to be Whinston. Thwack! I dashed toward Whinston and delivered a brutal kick straight to his abdomen.
“Cough!” “Lord Whinston!”
Even with Seri Verdia, a holy magic major, on their side, he wouldn't be able to recover easily. The steam completely blocked their vision. I had to take out Lutera in the meantime. Just then, I sensed a sharp red line aiming directly for my neck.
Clang! Lutera's sword clashed against mine.
“A sneak attack? That doesn't seem very fitting for a young master.” “And you think it's fine for you to launch a sneak attack?” “Well, I'm just a commoner you young masters look down on, aren't I?” “...”
As expected of an Aura user, he could perceive his surroundings even through this fog. If I could do it, so could Lutera. However, unlike before, I was a 5-Star while Lutera was only a 4-Star. Lutera would struggle to block even a single strike of my sword.
“Young Master, I'm sorry, but you are not the main character of this fight.” “What?” I swung my sword, channeling my Aura into the blade.
Clang! The 4-Star and Aura clashed. The very air trembled. He seemed to have successfully blocked my attack, but Lutera's body was already being sent flying backward.
Crash! Ultimately, Lutera crashed into a corner of the cave. “Wait there for a moment. I'll deal with you shortly.” “You... how did you amass this much Aura in such a short time?!”
It seemed he was thoroughly wedged in, as Lutera couldn't free himself. He could probably get out quickly if he used his Aura, but in that posture, it was impossible. His butt was literally stuck in the wall...
Just then, Whinston's ice sphere came flying at me. Shatter! I had already sliced through fire and lightning, so ice was child's play. I cut it down effortlessly.
“Did you just... perceive and slice through my magic?” “It's not my specialty, but I can manage.”
Whinston's brow twitched. Having his abdomen kicked must have dealt a severe blow to his pride. I channeled my Aura to its absolute limit and warned him.
“If you want to get out of this easily, apologize to Lady Cardelia. The broken engagement is none of my business, but what you just said was highly offensive.”
Whinston scoffed. “Ha! What, are you Ronia's new fiancé or something? Mind your own business! Ice Spear!”
Spikes of ice erupted from beneath his feet, hurtling toward me in a thorny barrage. Top left, top right, middle left, dead center. Whoosh! Utilizing the consecutive strikes of the Edelian swordsmanship, I sliced through the incoming projectiles.
“You sliced through that too?” “That swordsmanship is...!” “Now, prepare to get hit, Young Master Arcadia.”
Dash! I fully activated the muscles in my thighs, ankles, and calves, launching myself forward. It didn't even take a single second.
Clang!'What?' “I blocked it, Lord Whinston!” It was Seri Verdia's holy magic.
'To block a 5-Star Aura... how is this possible? The protagonist should only be at the 3rd Circle at this point.' I thought this would end easily, but it seemed the protagonist's growth was faster than in the original novel.
I shouted to Mycaris and Ronia. “Mycaris, Ronia! Keep Seri Verdia's holy magic in check!”
“Got it! Lightning Edge!” “Yes! Flare Bomb!”
Ronia and Mycaris's spells focused entirely on Seri Verdia. However...
“Did you... forget about me?” Lutera threw his entire body in the way to block the attacks.
“Lord Lutera! Oh no, you got hurt trying to protect me!” Seri Verdia swiftly began casting healing magic on Lutera.
“No... if it's to protect you, I would...” “Sniff, Lord Lutera!”
What the hell are you two doing? Flaunting your romance in front of a guy who's been single since birth... For some reason, a surge of raw power began to boil within me.
By the way, how did he even get out of there? His butt was wedged in the wall and his waist was folded, so I didn't think he could escape so easily. Looking closely, Whinston had shattered the rocks around Lutera. I guess those Ice Spears hadn't just been aimed at me.
“Ice Spear! Ice Magazine!” Whinston didn't miss this opening. Countless chunks and thorns of ice came raining down on me.
'This is going to be hard to block.' Still, I had to try my best. Clang! Slash! I sliced through the magic as fast as I could, but there were simply too many. As expected of a talented mage destined to become the Master of the Magic Tower, his choice of spells was impeccable.
My decision... avoid vital spots, and just tank whatever wouldn't kill me. Right then— “Flare!” Ronia's shroud of fire enveloped me. Thanks to her, I didn't get hit by Whinston's magic, but... it was a bit hot.
As the shroud of fire surrounding me dissipated, I saw Whinston and Ronia clashing. Mycaris was continuously firing spells at Lutera and Seri. At this rate, Mycaris's mana would be completely depleted. Even if Lutera was practically out of commission, everything would go to waste as long as Seri Verdia was there to heal him. Ultimately, I had to finish Whinston off quickly.
I shouted toward Ronia. “Ronia! Support Mycaris! I'll handle Arcadia!” “Yes!”
“Arrogant bastard! Ice Partizan!” Tridents made of ice filled the air. 'Am I going to die?' Magic really was more broken than swordsmanship. If I had known, I would have saved some coins...
But that wasn't important right now! The trajectories of the incoming spears were aimed at my left arm, right leg, dead center of my abdomen, and so on. Why were there so many things to block? I made up my mind. Block what I can, dodge what I must. Simple, clear, and the most effective method.
I tucked in my left arm to dodge one spear, and lifted my right leg to avoid two more. Performing a vault reminiscent of a gymnast to evade the spear flying straight down the center, I closed the distance to Whinston.
“What absurd physical capabilities!” “I hear that all the time, so it doesn't even feel like a compliment anymore!”
Channeling my Aura into my sword, I fully activated the muscles in my right triceps and swung with all my might. “Ugh! Ice Wall!”
A sturdy-looking barrier of ice materialized, but it didn't matter. The current Whinston couldn't block a 5-StarAura. Just as expected, the barrier shattered effortlessly, sending Whinston flying.
“What, again?” A golden barrier enveloped Whinston, preventing him from being cut. He was merely blown away. “How on earth...”
Looking back, I saw that Ronia and Mycaris had depleted their mana and could no longer cast spells. “Sorry, I'm out of mana!” “I'll squeeze out the last of my strength to cast my strongest spell! Flare Maelstrom!”
Ronia's flames materialized, trapping Lutera and Seri. “I've bought us some time with this... I'm done for...” “Great job, please rest!”
I focused my mind entirely on a single point. Feeling my Aura, I gathered the energy of my body into the tip of my sword. “Aura Release.”
Whinston panicked as the wave of energy tore through the cave floor, surging toward him. “Damn it! Ice Wall!”
A massive wall of ice and Seri Verdia's holy barrier rose. It would be utterly useless. This was a technique the original Lutera had used against a dragon. Well, unlike the Lutera of that time, I was a 5-Star.
Crash! The ice wall was cleanly sliced in two, and the holy barrier shattered. “Cough.”
Unfortunately, it didn't seem to have dealt direct damage to Whinston himself. “How do you possess that kind of power at your age?!” “Because I'm a Special Scholarship Student.” “What kind of nonsense is—!”
Swish. Before Whinston could even finish his sentence, I slashed through his body. With a spray of blood, Whinston dissolved into a fine white powder and was eliminated. ...I'd felt this ever since I cut down those viscount bastards, but it wasn't a pleasant feeling. In fact, it was rather unpleasant.
Just then, Lutera lunged at me. “You bastard!” Clang! Our swords clashed. I smirked, mocking Lutera.
“Young Master, it seems Young Master Arcadia has already departed. You should follow him.” “Did I not make myself clear? Mocking or looking down on your opponent goes against the code of chivalry!”
Against chivalry? Bullshit. Does this bastard have absolutely no self-awareness? “I'll take those words as advice you should give to yourself, Young Master.”
I parried his sword away and brought my blade crashing down from above. “Urgh...” Lutera, too, turned into white powder and vanished, just like Whinston. The protagonist's party... has officially shut down its service.
Step, step. I slowly walked over to Seri Verdia. “Lady Verdia, you should forfeit.”
Tears welled up in Seri Verdia's eyes. “Sob... Why you! You shouldn't be doing this to me...!”
What is wrong with her all of a sudden? It's not like she's actually dying anyway. “I have no desire to cut down a lady. Please, forfeit.”
I turned around and walked back to Ronia and Mycaris. “It's over. Let's rest for a bit before we subjugate the boss.”
“Phew, that was incredibly satisfying.” “Me too. I really didn't think we would win...”
I took Ronia's hands in mine. “Ronia, don't take Young Master Arcadia's words to heart. You remember what I told you, right?”
“Of course. Thank you...” Seeing my sincerity, Ronia looked a bit bittersweet, but at the same time, she seemed completely relieved. With this, the loneliness that had been wedged in her heart must have vanished.
But then... a sudden chill ran down my spine. I turned my head, only to find Mycaris staring at me with a freezing gaze. “What do you think you're doing right now?” “Pardon?” “I asked what the hell you think you're doing.” Ah...