The Likely Rise of an Extra

Kiel exhaled slowly, keeping his expression neutral.

No sudden movements.

No suspicious glances.

He wasn't about to start looking over his shoulder like some paranoid idiot.

If someone really was tailing him, letting them know he was aware would only make things worse.

Instead, he tapped his fingers against the desk, mind already running through possibilities.

Who the hell would bother following him?

The academy? Maybe.

If his test results were better than expected, some teacher might've taken an interest.

Someone dangerous? …That was worst-case scenario material.

Nah. Couldn't be. He shook his head.

No way his life was already spiraling into assassination plots.

[You're way too calm about this.] Hyphen muttered.

"Not like freaking out will help," Kiel replied, scratching his head.

After a few moments murmurs began to spread through the library.

"Hey! The first-year rankings are about to be revealed. "

"Already? That was fast."

"Let's go check it out!"

The library emptied fast, all the first year students rushed to see their placements.

Kiel could've just checked his ranking on his bracelet.

But… there was something about joining the crowd, walking up to see the results with everyone else, that just clicked with him.

Maybe it was just habit from his old world.

With a sigh, he followed the others out.

.

.

.

The moment Kiel arrived, he felt it—the suffocating weight of anticipation.

The hall was packed, bodies pressing together as students craned their necks, whispering in hushed voices.

The air was thick with nervous energy, a mixture of excitement and dread swirling between the noise.

Some students stood on their toes, desperately trying to get a glimpse of the board.

Others shoved forward, elbows digging, tempers rising.

Kiel spotted first-years, some second-years and even third years in the mix.

Not all of them were here for the same reason.

Some were just spectators.

And some… were predators.

The scouts—upperclassmen lying in wait, ready to pounce on the Page One students.

If you ranked high enough, you weren't just a name on a list.

You were a prospect.

Kiel didn't care about any of that.

He just wanted to get in, check the board, and get out without attracting attention.

But, of course, the universe wasn't on his side today.

"Yo, Kiel! Over here!"

That voice.

Zach.

Kiel's eye twitched.

Slowly, he turned his head—and there he was.

Zach was standing in the middle of a group of girls, waving like an idiot, practically beaming at Kiel.

Kiel immediately considered walking in the opposite direction.

Then the girls started talking.

"Hey, hey! What rank do you think you'll get, Zach?"

"You promised to treat us to lunch if you made Page One!"

"Who's that you're waving at?"

Kiel didn't even need to look to know the girls were already analyzing him.

They were from Zach's class.

But that was the thing about Zach.

He wasn't just good-looking. He had this infectious energy that drew people in, making them want to be around him.

And it had only been two days since school started.

'How the hell did he manage to build a fan club that fast?'

Kiel sighed. It wasn't like he disliked Zach. It was just…

Zach had a personality.

And Kiel couldn't handle it.

The guy was too much—too charismatic, too confident, too good at pulling people into his orbit.

Kiel preferred to keep his distance.

Standing beside Zach was Leon.

Poor, Leon.

He wasn't ugly or anything quite the opposite even, but compared to Zach? He might as well be invisible.

There was just something about Leon's presence that made people overlook him.

'Dude must be cursed or something.'

But Kiel could sympathize. He also knew another person like that.

A person who was part of the main cast, and will join Zach an Leon to make a trio.

But it wasn't time for them to meet yet.

For now, he just needed to avoid Zach.

But Zach? He was persistent.

Still waving. Still grinning.

Even when Kiel gave him the universal sign for "I don't wanna look," Zach didn't budge.

Kiel let out a long, slow sigh and reluctantly walked over.

"Hey, buddy! Took you a bit to get here, huh?" Zach greeted, completely oblivious to the glares from some of the girls.

Kiel laughed awkwardly.

"Didn't wanna disrupt… whatever it is you've got going on."

"Hm? You mean waiting for the rankings?"

…Oh.

'He's actually serious.'

For someone who was such a playboy, Zach could be stupidly dense when he wasn't supposed to be.

'Or maybe… maybe he just enjoyed gaslighting people.'

Kiel sighed and moved a little away from Zach before he got dragged into something.

"Hey, Kiel."

This time, it was Leon.

Kiel turned to him. "Leon, Hey… So, Zach totally just abandoned you, huh?"

Leon smiled weakly. "Yeah."

Then he asked,

"Do you think you'll rank well?"

Kiel blinked.

That wasn't a question he expected.

He thought for a moment, then answered honestly.

"No, I doubt it. I totally bombed."

Leon's eyes lit up.

Like he had just found a comrade in suffering.

Now this, Kiel expected.

Leon was the kind of guy who was just happy to not be the only failure.

"Right? Same here!" Leon said, scratching the back of his head with an awkward smile.

"I'm just hoping I at least make Page Two…"

Of course Leon had his reasons for that goal.

Kiel thought he'd ask him but he refrained.

He just laughed along with him—

Until Hyphen's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

[Hey, Kiel… This kid… Does he also—]

Kiel cut her off with a whisper.

"Yeah. Don't worry about that. I'll explain everything when I get home."

[O-Okay…]

Kiel wasn't sure if Hyphen had sensed Asterix or not, but that was probably what she was going to ask.

She did say she was part of the Punctuation Series and if memory serves Kiel knew that Asterix was also part of that series.

Either way, he was going to explain everything later.

Everything about how he wasn't from this world.

And how Leon came into possession of his system.

His gaze flickered to Leon—just in time to see his lips moving slightly.

Kiel narrowed his eyes, trying to read his lips, but he couldn't make out what he was saying.

Kiel guessed that he was probably talking to Asterix about the same thing he was thinking about.

Leon hesitated for a bit.

Then, cautiously, he met Kiel's eyes.

"Kiel, I have something to—"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence when a students voice echoed.

"Hey! It's coming up now!"

"Oh man, the anticipation is killing me!"

"I think I'm gonna puke."

The entire hall surged forward.

People pressed closer, their excitement boiling over as the rankings finally loaded on the massive screen.

Then the display flickered.

Letters reformed. Words shifted.

Until finally.

The Rankings appeared.

And the hall exploded.

Some students were happy. Others groaned. A few even collapsed to the floor in despair.

A girl near Kiel looked like she was about to cry. Another one was pumping her fists in the air.

Everywhere, there was chaos.

But Kiel only focused on the names.

〔Page One〕

Rank 1: Levi Aster.

Rank 2: Clara Ashfield.

Rank 3: Zach Thorne.

Rank 4: Jenna Markovol.

Rank 5: Amelia Crestfoud.

Rank 6: Louise Vermiel.

Rank 7: Shiro Kaiser.

Rank 8: Emi Starfell.

Rank 9: Kieran Everheart.

〔Page Two〕

Rank 1: Harlett Nikks.

Rank 3: Shirley Hathaway.

Rank 7: Leon Calder.

Rank 9: Kiel Selfort.

◇◇◇

Kiel froze.

Page Two?

He stared at the screen, his brain refusing to process what he was seeing.

There had to be some mistake.

His first instinct was to check again—to make sure he hadn't misread it, that maybe there was some other "Kiel" on the list.

But no.

Right there, clear as day—Rank 9: Kiel Selfort.

He blinked. Once. Twice.

Then let out a quiet, stunned laugh.

"What the hell…?"

This wasn't supposed to happen.

He thought he'd bombed. No, he knew he'd bombed. His test-taking strategy was closer to bullshitting with confidence than actual problem-solving.

And yet—here he was.

Page Two.

His fingers twitched slightly, the weight of the realization settling in.

This was bad.

Page Two meant attention.

And attention meant—

"KIEL! LEON!"

Zach.

Kiel barely had a second to snap out of his daze before Zach's arm slammed onto his shoulder.

"Congrats, boys! We're all Page Two material!" Zach grinned, looking way too proud of himself.

Leon rubbed his neck. "Yeah, it's kinda crazy…"

Kiel barely registered the conversation. His mind was still caught up in the absurdity of it all.

Page Two.

That was too high.

It meant people were going to notice him.

Clubs. Study groups. Potential factions.

They'd try to recruit him, trap him in long-winded conversations about "the future."

He needed to leave. Now.

But Zach? Zach was already dragging Leon into another conversation, something about going to the first-years "victory party."

Kiel barely caught Leon's hesitant laugh before the two of them got swallowed by the crowd.

And just like that—Kiel was alone.

Which was great.

Because now was the time to run.

He cleared his throat, glancing left and right.

Second-years. Third-years. They were already on the move.

Scouts.

Hunters.

And he?

He was a very attractive prey.

So, before anyone could grab him, before he got roped into something he didn't care about—

He clutched his stomach and groaned dramatically.

"Ah, man… gotta go! Running stomach—real bad! REAL BAD!"

And then?

He booted it.

Straight out of the hall.

◇◇◇

5:55 PM

Three hours had passed since Kiel got home.

By now, he'd usually have at least a message from his sister.

But today?

Nothing.

Kiel stared at his blank notification screen, tapping his fingers against the table.

Maybe she's just busy?

It wasn't that unusual, was it?

He didn't know his "sister" very well to tell.

He pushed the thought aside. He had other things to focus on.

Like—

[So this is the trap you devised?]

Hyphen's voice rang in his mind, a mix of curiosity and skepticism.

Kiel smirked, leaning back in his chair.

"Yeah. Hopefully, it'll catch our stalker."