An Extra’s Rise in an Eroge

After sending Ignis away, Arthur ventured deeper into the forest, casually cutting down any goblins or gnolls that crossed his path.

Just then—

SWOOSH!

Arthur instinctively leaped to the side as a dagger whizzed past him, piercing the air before embedding itself in the spot where he had stood just a second ago.

His gaze snapped to the source of the attack.

A familiar girl stood alone, gripping a cane.

Akira Frost.

"We've met before, haven't we?" she asked, her cold blue eyes locking onto him.

"Not exactly, but we are classmates," Arthur replied, dusting off his sleeves. "So, why the sudden attack?"

"We're competitors, aren't we?" Akira shrugged, completely unfazed. "Besides, I didn't expect you to dodge that so easily."

Arthur smirked. "And yet, you showed yourself right after. Aren't you being a little too relaxed?"

"I don't make a habit of underestimating opponents." Akira lifted her hand, and several ice spears materialized, hovering in the air around her—her family's signature Ice Magic.

Arthur eyed the floating projectiles with mild amusement. If he charged in recklessly, those spears would pierce him straight through.

With a hint of interest, he stroked his chin.

"You know, I've imagined plenty of ways we'd meet for the first time," he mused. "This wasn't one of them."

Akira smirked. "Funny. This is exactly how I pictured it." She tightened her grip on her cane. "I've watched you spar in combat class. Since then, I've been itching for a fight."

As she finished speaking, the ice spears shot toward him.

Arthur didn't even flinch.

He simply raised his hand, and an invisible shield materialized in front of him, effortlessly blocking the incoming attacks.

Shatter! The spears burst into shards upon impact.

Akira's eyes widened. "Chantless magic?!"

Arthur chuckled. "Why are you getting so worked up?" He lowered his hand. "If you don't mind, I have a suggestion."

Akira narrowed her eyes. "A suggestion?"

"In this test, the one who kills the most monsters gets the highest score, right?" Arthur said, casually resting his sword on his shoulder. "So why don't we cooperate? Since you're a mage, wouldn't it be better to team up with a capable fighter?"

Akira smirked at his suggestion.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm fine," she replied, twirling her staff. "I'm a Battle Mage. I don't need a fighter."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. Battle Mage.

Unlike traditional mages who focus on casting spells from a safe distance, Battle Mages directly engage in combat, blending magic with physical prowess.

"So, there's no room for negotiation?" he asked.

"Of course not."

With that, Akira aimed her staff at him.

A gust of mana surged, and a razor-sharp Wind Scythe shot toward Arthur at terrifying speed.

SWOOSH—!

Arthur didn't hesitate. He stepped forward, his sword flashing—

BAM!

BANG!

Sparks erupted as metal clashed against compressed air, dispersing the spell mid-air.

Akira's eyes widened in shock.

How did he stop it?!

She had seen no signs of him using mana—no aura, no spell casting. Yet, he had deflected a 2nd Circle spell with nothing but his sword.

She instinctively raised her guard.

Is he using invisible mana? she wondered. There's no way a non-mana user can block that without reinforcement.

But Arthur had done no such thing.

He had simply read the spell's trajectory and twisted his sword at the perfect angle, redirecting the force instead of trying to overpower it.

It was a technique only possible against physical-impact spells.

However, doing so required an impossible level of mana perception—one had to see the flow of mana itself.

For an ordinary person, it was near-impossible.

But for someone like Arthur, who possessed the cheat-like ability Dragon's Gaze, it was effortless.

Even without activating it fully, his heightened senses naturally picked up the flow of mana in his surroundings.

Frost Scythe!"

"Frost Arrow!"

SWOOSH—!

A chilling gust surged around Akira as her magic activated. She shook her silver hair, her icy blue eyes locking onto Arthur with confidence.

"Why don't you just surrender before your blood gets spilled?" she taunted. "This won't be as easy to block as last time."

Arthur chuckled, rolling his shoulders.

"I'll admit, your magic is powerful," he said, his tone casual. "But your attacks are too predictable for someone from the esteemed Frost family."

Akira's expression darkened.

"You—!" Her voice rose with indignation. "How dare you lecture me about magic?! A mere outsider criticizing a direct descendant of the Frost family?!"

She scoffed, gripping her staff tightly.

"Enough. I won't waste any more words on you. I'll just eliminate you by force!"

With a swift motion, she swung her staff, releasing her stored magic.

A scythe of frozen wind and a razor-sharp ice arrow hurtled toward Arthur at blinding speed.

Arthur smirked. I told you… it's simple.

WOOSH—!

His figure vanished.

The moment his target disappeared, Akira's spells lost their lock-on and halted mid-air.

"Fast—?! Where did he—"

Panic flickered in her eyes as she immediately activated Mana Detection.

As a proud Battle Mage, she prided herself on her ability to react quickly in combat.

But there was something she hadn't realized.

Arthur wasn't using mana.

There was no mana fluctuation, no presence of energy flow—nothing for her detection magic to latch onto.

In an instant, Arthur was already in front of her.

"Wha—"

PUCK—!

A solid fist struck her stomach before she could react.

"Kuh…?!"

Her breath hitched, and her body crumpled. Darkness swallowed her consciousness as she collapsed.

Arthur stood over her unconscious form, rubbing his knuckles.

"Well then," he muttered with a grin. "Time to use my Master Persuasion skills."

He sighed, crossing his arms.

"She's really a handful," he murmured to himself. "If it weren't for hidden tests, I would've just eliminated her from the expedition and saved myself the trouble."

The professors had said that scores would be based on the number of monsters killed. They even encouraged stealing points from other students. But Arthur, knowing the real system behind the academy's evaluation, wasn't fooled.

Monster kills weren't the only factor in scoring.

Teamwork played a crucial role.

After all, as future warriors meant to defend the world, their priority wasn't individual strength but cooperation against a common enemy. The real rule was simple: those who focused solely on robbing points would face a penalty—their scores would be halved.

In short, it was a trap.

That was precisely why Arthur had restrained himself from completely knocking Akira out of the competition and instead offered to team up.

But then, why had he rejected his other classmate's proposal earlier?

Arthur smirked.

Bro, please. Why would I team up with a bunch of dudes when there are plenty of girls wandering around this forest waiting to be partnered up with?

And better yet—one of the heroines just happened to be right in front of him.