The Extra's Rise

So it was time.

I leaned back slightly, watching as Nero explained the details of the third mission, his voice crisp and authoritative as it cut through the tense silence of the classroom. The holographic display behind him showed maps of various conflict zones, shifting and highlighting as he spoke.

The frontlines.

This mission was a significant step up from the last two. Mythos Academy students would be deployed into actual battle zones—real wars against real enemies, not simulations or controlled engagements. The stakes were higher, the dangers more immediate, and the consequences far more permanent.

I already knew what was coming.

In the novel, this was where Lucifer made a name for himself, taking down a high Integration-rank orc in single combat and earning even more widespread recognition for his strength. It was a pivotal moment in his rise to prominence, one of the first stepping stones on his path to becoming the legendary hero who would eventually challenge the Demon Overlord himself.

I glanced at him. The current Lucifer was even stronger than the one in the novel, his mana signature already settling into the patterns characteristic of low Integration-rank. That fight would be easier than ever for him—perhaps even disappointingly so. His verdant eyes were focused on the display, absorbing every detail with the calm assurance of someone who never doubted his own abilities.

"As you all know," Nero continued, his sharp eyes scanning the room, lingering momentarily on each face as if assessing our readiness, "there are three major continental front lines. We are pushing all of you out of your comfort zones, so you won't be deployed to your home continents."

It was a reasonable approach. Seven of the ten students in this room were either princes or princesses—if they were sent to their own territories, they'd receive royal treatment, making the mission pointless. They'd be protected, coddled, kept safely away from any real danger. That wouldn't serve the Academy's purpose.

"Because of this, here are the decided groups," Nero said as the display behind him lit up with new information, names and destinations appearing in crisp, glowing text.

I shifted my gaze to the holographic screen, studying the assignments with interest.

Northern Continent – Jin, Ian, Cecilia.

Southern Continent – Seraphina, Lucifer, Ren.

Western Continent – Arthur, Clana, Rachel, Rose.

I tilted my head slightly. Rachel and Rose were with me.

Not bad.

"The rest of Mythos Academy's students will also be deployed, but in separate zones from you within the same continental front line," Nero added, his finger tracing the map to indicate the broader deployment strategy. "You will be working with local forces to support their ongoing efforts."

I tapped my fingers against the desk, deep in thought.

The Western Continent…

That meant facing the forces of ogres and orcs that had been waging war for decades. The Western Front was known for brutal, grinding combat—less about finesse and more about raw power and endurance. The enemies there were physically stronger than humans, with thick hides that could resist conventional weapons.

"Your specific objectives will be provided upon arrival," Nero continued, his tone growing more severe. "But I can tell you now that these won't be simple search-and-destroy missions. You'll be expected to integrate with the command structure, understand the strategic situation, and make meaningful contributions to the overall war effort."

Ian raised his hand. "Professor, how long will we be deployed?"

"One week," Nero replied, "You'll be departing next week."

As Nero continued outlining logistical details, my mind was already racing ahead, formulating plans, considering contingencies. The Western Continent presented unique opportunities—and not just for combat experience.

The classroom was dimly lit, and not just because someone forgot to tell the lights to do their job. It was by design. The air itself seemed to buzz faintly with something uncomfortably close to dread, like the scent of ozone before a storm—or perhaps the smell of burning coffee right before an exam.

I stepped in and found my usual seat at the front, which is where all the people with something to prove tend to sit. Today, though, there were three upper-year students already in the room. They weren't being loud or intimidating, which somehow made them even more so. One of them had silver tattoos curling down his arm like a spell that regretted being cast. Another wore a visor that filtered light like his eyes didn't quite agree with how photons worked. The third just radiated the quiet menace of someone who knew they were better than you and didn't need to say it out loud.

Professor Helvain arrived two minutes late.

"Welcome," she said, her voice somehow smooth and sharp at the same time. "Today, we begin your formal instruction in Deepdark Manipulation."

She walked to the front of the class and tapped the desk. A hologram bloomed to life in the air.

"Deepdark," she continued, "is not a sub-element. It is mana pushed beyond its limits—dark mana compressed and warped so densely it stops behaving like mana entirely. It is what emerges when Integration-rankers form a Black Star before their breakthrough."

The upper-year students shifted slightly in their seats. There was a tension in their postures that spoke volumes.

She paused and let the silence sit for a moment, heavy and twitching like a predator in tall grass. The hologram continued its slow pulse, drawing the eye despite the discomfort it caused.

"It is the opposite of Purelight. Both Deepdark and Purelight are beyond normal mana."

She turned her gaze on us, eyes lingering on the upper-year students before landing, just a little too long, on me. There was a knowing quality to her look, as if she could somehow sense the duality within me, the light and dark that existed in precarious balance.

"But then, some of you already have both."

Her words hung in the air, weighted with implication. Her eyes never left mine, and I felt a cold certainty that she knew something about me—perhaps more than she should.

I tried not to smile. Not because I was flattered, but because Luna was already muttering in my head, her voice a sharp counterpoint to Professor Helvain's measured tones.

'Oh, this is going to be fun,' she said, with a voice like someone unwrapping popcorn in a theatre where the movie is explosions. Her eagerness was palpable, a warm current of anticipation flowing through our shared consciousness.

She wasn't wrong.

Not this time.

Professor Helvain moved away from the desk, circling the holographic Black Star like a predator assessing its prey. "Deepdark manipulation is dangerous," she continued. "It requires precise control and absolute focus. A momentary lapse can lead to corruption—or worse, consumption. Your mana becomes the predator, and you become the prey. At the same time, it is capable of fuelling so much more when used properly."

She tapped the edge of the hologram, causing it to ripple like disturbed water. "Most of you have only scratched the surface of what Deepdark can do. You've learned to generate it, to hold it, perhaps even to shape it into rudimentary forms. That's like learning to light a match and thinking you understand fire."

The Black Star in the hologram pulsed, expanding slightly before contracting again, its edges growing sharper, more defined.

"Advanced application requires understanding that Deepdark isn't just dark mana taken to extremes—it's fundamentally different. It follows its own rules, has its own logic." She paused, letting that sink in. "Rules that often contradict everything you've been taught about conventional mana manipulation."