An Extra’s Rise in an Eroge

The simulation chamber buzzed with energy as the battle between Arthur and the two prodigies came to a close. As Eveline and Althea vanished in sparkling fragments, the audience erupted in a mix of stunned silence and wild applause.

Professor Samantha leaned back in her seat, arms crossed under her chest, a knowing smirk tugging her lips.

"He didn't even break a sweat…" she murmured.

"Still a heartless bastard," Professor Layla quipped, chuckling beside her. "Poor girls looked way too into it."

The other professors laughed lightly—though some were still wide-eyed from the raw dominance Arthur had displayed.

Then, the view shifted—

Alex and Akira stood glaring at each other waiting for other to make first move.

Akira raised her hand.

"Domain: Absolute Zero."

A shockwave burst from her body—ice spreading in a wide radius. The ground froze solid, air turned frigid, and frost began crawling up the edges of the arena. Everything within 50 meters was covered in a thin layer of ice.

Alex felt it instantly.

His limbs stiffened. Breath fogged up. Even the air felt heavier.

The ground beneath his boots was glass-smooth. His first step nearly had him slipping.

"She's starting with a domain skill already?" he muttered, stabilizing his footing.

"Ice Spires!"

Large icicles erupted from the ground, spearing upward toward him. Alex rolled to the side, barely avoiding a jagged spike that sliced through the air like a blade.

Akira was already following up.

"Cryo Javelin!"

Three massive javelins of blue ice formed behind her, launching toward him with high speed.

Alex's eyes sharpened.

He gritted his teeth and pushed mana through his body.

"Internal Enhancement: Burst Flow."

A subtle ripple passed over his body. Muscles tightened. His movement sharpened. His feet found traction even on the slick ice.

He vanished in a blur, dodging the incoming javelins by a hair's breadth.

CLANG!

He closed in and slashed, but Akira raised a wall of ice just in time. His sword bounced off.

She countered immediately.

"Frost Chains."

Chains of solid ice burst from the ground, wrapping toward his arms and legs.

He twisted, slicing through them before they could bind him, but Akira didn't let up.

"Flash Shards!"

A storm of sharp, glowing ice fragments launched from above like a meteor shower. Alex kicked off the frozen wall behind him and moved through the chaos, slashing and ducking as razor-sharp shards tore past him.

One grazed his side, cutting through his uniform.

He ignored the pain.

In a single leap, he closed the gap again—faster now.

He swung his sword downward.

CRACK!

Akira reinforced her body with mana and parried with an ice rapier, but her feet skidded back across the ice from the force. Her boots left deep gouges in the frost.

Alex didn't give her time to reset.

He ducked under her counter-thrust, slid to her blind spot, and struck again.

She turned—barely—raising a curved ice shield.

It shattered on impact, but she had already jumped back, landing on an ice platform she conjured mid-air.

"Avalanche Spear."

A glowing spear of condensed ice formed above her and launched like a missile toward him.

Alex planted his foot and enhanced it with mana.

BOOM!

He dashed straight through the ice field, cutting the massive spear in half with a wide arc, sending shards flying everywhere.

The audience leaned forward.

"This is a fight."

"Akira's improved a lot. Those aren't beginner spells."

"And that kid—Alex—he's reading her like a book."

Inside the arena, Akira was panting now, her mana visibly low. Her domain was still active, but fading.

Alex crouched into a stance.

"Let's end it."

Mana Surge.

His aura exploded—his body glowing faintly as he focused everything into one last burst.

"Flash Step."

He vanished.

Akira tried to cast another spell—too late.

CRACK!

Her ice rapier flew out of her hand as Alex appeared behind her and placed the blade at her neck.

She froze, chest heaving.

"Don't take it to heart" Alex said and slid her neck.

Her figure disappeared.

[+21 points]

Samantha crossed her arms. "That girl has improved tenfold."

Luke smirked smugly. "Still not enough to beat my student. My student is destined for the top," he said loudly. "Mark my words, by the end of the year, he'll stand above all."

Samantha snorted, turning to him sharply. "Don't count your trophies yet, Luke. Arthur hasn't lost a single match. He'll be the one at the top."

Luke's brow twitched. "Tch. We'll see about that."

The two locked eyes, tension crackling between them.

It was subtle at first—but then their mana flared for a brief moment, just enough to make some of the junior instructors scoot back uncomfortably.

"Oh, don't start glowing again, you two," Professor Layla said, grinning as she leaned over. "Why don't you put your pride where your mouth is?"

Luke raised a brow. "Go on…"

"Let's make it interesting," Layla said. "Whoever's student loses has to bow before the other, wherever they meet—for an entire month."

The entire chamber fell silent for a moment.

Then Luke grinned sharply. "You're on."

Samantha smirked. "Hope your knees are flexible."

They both turned toward the crystal displays again, eyes narrowing, now dead serious.

No more casual chatter. No more smiles.

The next matches would be war.

And silently—both made a private decision. If their student lost…

Training would become hell incarnate.

Inside the Simulation

Alex adjusted his grip on his sword, wiping a thin sheen of sweat from his forehead.

Arthur, elsewhere, casually twirled his blade after his match.

At the exact same moment—

Both of them froze.

A sudden, inexplicable chill crept down their spines. Like two predators had just set their sights on them from somewhere far away.

Arthur blinked. "...What the hell was that?"

"…Did it just get colder?" Alex muttered.

~~~~

Somewhere inside the simulation, Arthur crouched on a thick branch high above the forest floor, his breath steady, body still.

Shadows wrapped around him like a cloak, muffling his presence. His eyes, however, were razor-sharp—waiting.

He didn't have to wait long.

Rustle.

A subtle sound, barely perceptible, drifted through the underbrush below. Arthur's eyes narrowed. A lone figure walked into view—confident, calculated, and fast.

Alex.

Arthur's lips curved into a smile. "Found you."

With a sudden blur, he vanished.

[Shadow Step]

In the blink of an eye, he reappeared behind Alex, blade drawn, a downward slash already in motion.

CLANG!

Alex twisted mid-air, drawing his sword in a silver arc just in time to block.

Sparks flew.

"Always hiding in the trees, huh?" Alex smirked, pushing back. "You'd make a good monkey."

"And you talk too much," Arthur replied coolly, flipping back with cat-like grace.

The forest burst into motion. Arthur darted forward with a flurry of slashes—

[Blade Dance]

His sword blurred—seven slashes in one breath. Alex deflected the first four, parried the fifth, evaded the sixth, and blocked the seventh with a powerful crossguard.

The air shimmered from the speed.

"You've gotten better," Alex commented, stepping back.

Arthur's foot slid across the ground as he shifted stances. "I've always been better. Just didn't feel like showing off."

Alex lunged.

Their swords met in a beautiful clash of metal and willpower—strikes flowed like water, deflections rang like music, and footwork cut through the grass.

Then Alex grinned. "Try this."

[Flash Step]

He vanished.

Arthur's eyes glowed faintly—his world slowed for a moment.

[Foresight]

Left. High swing. Then low feint.

Arthur turned just in time, raising his blade to parry the high strike and pivoting low to avoid the feint, countering with a rising slash toward Alex's ribs.

Alex narrowly stepped back, grunting. "Tch. That prediction skill is cheating."

"You still almost got me," Arthur said, a trickle of sweat forming on his temple.

The next moment, Alex's blade gleamed—[Piercing Fang], a forward thrust with explosive speed.

Arthur raised his hand—[Arcane Shield] pulsed to life.

BOOM!

The clash created a shockwave, pushing both back. The shield cracked and shattered—but held long enough to stop the lethal blow.

Both landed, panting.

Alex chuckled. "You're really not using any magic offensively?"

Arthur smirked. "Don't need to."

"Show-off."

They charged again. This time their movements were less predictable—Arthur weaved in and out of trees, using [Shadow Step] to slip past Alex's guard, while Alex danced along the forest floor, his own [Flowing Step] evasion technique keeping him just out of range.

Steel sang. Trees fell. Leaves burned mid-air.

The simulated forest trembled under their clash.

"You're holding back," Alex said between exchanges, blade locking with Arthur's.

"So are you," Arthur retorted, sweat and thrill in his eyes. "Afraid to go all out and still lose?"

That struck a nerve. Alex grinned darkly. "Alright then."

He slammed his foot into the ground—activating a powerful stance technique. The earth cracked.

Arthur responded by blurring sideways again—[Shadow Step]—this time appearing above Alex mid-air, spinning with brutal force.

Alex raised his blade just in time, and the impact sent both fighters flying in opposite directions.

Dust rose. Wind howled. Animals scattered from the clearing.

Both men stood—breathing hard, weapons steady.

Alex's shirt was torn, sweat tracing lines down his chest.

Arthur's jacket was slashed at the sleeves, his hands tingling from the last impact.

No words now.

Just action.

Their final clash began with a roar—swords moving faster than eyes could follow, parries turning into counters, dodges blending into ripostes. At one point, Alex threw a feint low and tried to disarm Arthur—only for Arthur to drop his blade mid-air and catch it with the other hand, continuing the combo like a dancer in rhythm.

Their thoughts were sharp:

Arthur: He's stronger than before. But not invincible.

Alex: He's matching me with just swordsmanship. Bastard.

They leapt apart—blood trickling from small cuts.

Both grinned.

"Let's finish this," Arthur said.

"Gladly," Alex replied.