An Extra’s Rise in an Eroge

"Damn it! What the fuck is going on?!"

A girl's furious voice echoed through the dense, eerie woods as she unleashed another wave of holy attacks at the relentless creatures surrounding her.

Three-eyed, fire-coated wolves with razor-sharp fangs snarled and lunged at her. Infernal Hounds.

"Holy Strike!"

"Purging Flames!"

"Retribution Wave!"

Golden light erupted with each spell, but no matter how many she struck down, more kept appearing.

The girl—Saintess Eveline—gritted her teeth as she gracefully dodged their attacks, her body glowing with divine energy. [Holy Step], [Light Shield]—she weaved between the beasts, striking with divine precision.

But her movements were growing sluggish.

"Why hasn't Althea found me yet? My mana is running out."

She exhaled heavily, trying to create distance between herself and the relentless monsters.

"Huff… huff…"

No matter how many she killed, they kept coming.

At first, she had been excited. The monsters were practically delivering themselves to her—easy points! But that excitement turned into horror when their numbers only increased. Eventually, she had to flee, but Infernal Hounds were expert trackers. They had been hunting her nonstop since she entered the dungeon.

Now, she was surrounded.

Dozens of glowing red eyes locked onto her exhausted form. The Infernal Hounds closed in from all sides, fire licking at their fangs as they prepared to tear her apart.

And just when she thought she was finished—

KREEEEE!

A high-pitched cry echoed through the forest.

Suddenly—

BOOM!

Massive bolts of lightning rained from the sky, striking the ground with explosive force.

The forest erupted in chaos.

The Infernal Hounds yelped and scrambled to escape, but those caught in the storm were instantly turned to charred corpses. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air.

Eveline, still gasping for breath, lifted her gaze toward the sky.

A small, familiar silhouette circled overhead.

She squinted, trying to make it out, and she finally recognized it. It was Arthur's familiar Zephyra. She had seen her with him quite a few times.

'If she is here, then is Arthur also around?' She wondered

Then—

A voice called out from the trees.

"I hope I wasn't too late."

Eveline turned to see a figure emerging from the shadows with a calm, confident smile.

Alicia.

*****

Inside a dimly lit monitoring room, several instructors observed the students' progress through magical projection screens. The images flickered as they displayed various groups battling monsters deep within the Devil's Forest.

Instructor Luke leaned back in his chair, stroking his chin. "Hmm~ This batch has quite some potential."

Instructor Elena nodded. "Indeed. By this point last year, more than half the students were already eliminated. But this group is holding out quite well."

Instructor Samantha crossed her arms. "Not surprising. This year, we have an influx of noble children. The level of competition was bound to rise."

"Yeah," Instructor Ann chimed in. "Not to mention, we've got the heirs of three ducal families, the elven princess, the genius daughter of the Water Mage Tower Master, the Saintess of the Church of Light… and above all—" She lowered her voice into a whisper. "The Hero."

At that, Isabella, who had been silently observing the screens, subtly perked up.

The Hero.

Although she knew someone in her class possessed the Hero class, she had yet to confirm their true identity. Her strongest suspicion? Arthur Ludwig. His excellence in every field made him the most likely candidate.

Professor Elena turned to Samantha with a teasing smile. "So, Professor Samantha, how does it feel to be the homeroom teacher of such prodigies? How does our Hero compare to the other geniuses?"

Samantha clicked her tongue. "Hah~ It's not as glamorous as you all think. They're a handful. As for the Hero… tsk, he's just a little more talented than the rest."

Elena chuckled. "Oh? Sounds like you're unimpressed."

Samantha smirked. "Not unimpressed. But there's another student who's caught my eye more."

"Oh? One of the strongest warriors in the Empire has taken interest in a student?" Elena leaned forward, intrigued. "Who is it?"

Samantha's expression turned serious. "Arthur Ludwig."

The room went silent for a moment.

"Even as a first-year, he's already reached the advanced rank in swordsmanship. But that's not all—he's skilled in multiple weapons, almost like he was born with them in his hands. He adapts quickly, learns fast… It's as if wielding any weapon is second nature to him."

Instructor Ann raised an eyebrow. "You have quite a high evaluation of him."

Samantha leaned back and smirked. "If he performs well in the expedition today, I'm going to take him as my disciple."

Elena's lips curled into an amused smile. "Now that's interesting. Should we check in on him, then? Let's see how your potential disciple is performing."

The moment the screen displayed the scene—

Pfffft—!

Instructor Luke burst into laughter, completely caught off guard. Meanwhile, the other instructors stared in stunned disbelief.

On the screen, a silver-haired girl dangled upside down, her hands and feet bound tightly with vines. Her mouth was open in a silent scream, her silver hair swaying with every slight movement.

Below her, a bonfire crackled ominously.

And standing nearby, a black-haired boy, smirking wickedly, casually controlled the rope holding her up. His expression practically screamed 'So, do we have a deal now?'

Instructor Luke wheezed. "Holy shit—" He immediately pulled out his phone. "I need a picture of this."

The other instructors snapped out of their daze.

"The heir of the Ludwig Duchy has hung the heiress of the Frost Duchy upside down. Hahahaha—!" Luke doubled over, struggling to breathe between laughs. "I can't wait to show this to the Frost Duke. His face will be priceless."

Meanwhile, inside the forest—

Akira groggily opened her eyes, blinking against the dim glow of the fire.

Then, she realized—

Her body was suspended in mid-air.

Her wrists and ankles tightly bound together.

Her head hanging down, the flickering flames beneath her sending an uncomfortable warmth to her face.

A sudden, sickening realization hit her.

"W-Wha—WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"

A voice, dripping with amusement, greeted her.

"Ah, you're awake."

She twisted her head, spotting Arthur holding onto the vine suspending her. He smiled, looking every bit like a villain enjoying his handiwork.

"Now then, let's ask the princess who just woke up… You'd like to cooperate with me now, right?"

Akira's silver eyes blazed with fury.

"I'll make you regret this, you bastard! You should've finished me off instead of tying me up with such a sloppy rope!"

She gritted her teeth and attempted to cast a spell—

But nothing happened.

Her mana, which should have surged at her command, remained completely still.

Her eyes widened in shock.

"W-What?! Why can't I channel my mana?!"

Arthur smirked, giving the rope a playful tug.