The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 141

“Haha… Hahaha…”

Laughter was flowing out. It was a weird thing.

Kaleid had caught and killed countless non-humans on the battlefield.

However, that heyday was now in the distant past. And yet, he would never forget his days on the battlefield, where every single day was like walking on thin ice.

The enemies he met on the battlefield all had a grudge in their eyes. That was because, for them, surrender didn’t exist.

If you were pushed into a corner, admitting the difference in skill to your opponent and humbly accepting your defeat, the next thing that awaited you was a cruel death.

“That’s right… You are definitely stronger than those half-hearted active-duty members.”

Kaleid shoved both of his hands into his pockets as he gave a bitter grin.

It seemed as if the hangover and alcohol in his system had gone away. Only then did he recognize the cold stare behind Ed’s eye.

That… was something only possible in the eyes of those that had faced death countless times.

When he had travelled though the battlefield, he fought with his life on the line dozens of times in a day against people with those same eyes.

The feeling of those days, which he had slowly been forgetting. Chills ran down the back of Kaleid’s neck.

The high-ranking wind spirit Merilda.

Since she was a wolf the size of a house, the large arena now seemed cramped.

Aside from that, the area was full of spectators. So, if Ed were to have her move around hastily, he risked the students around them getting hurt.

No matter how much he wanted to win, he would make sure to avoid crossing that line.

So, even though he summoned a powerful, high-ranking wind spirit, there were too many restrictions to properly utilize it. The fact that their duel was in an arena was a disadvantage for him.

But the same was true for Kaleid.

He had to aim carefully, afraid that using advanced lightning magic might end up hurting the nearby students. Still, as a wolf of that size, it would surely be more limited than him.

Boom!

As Kaleid leapt backwards, he gathered magic power in his hands.

Ed, who had his head lowered, leapt after him. Just as Kaleid expected, Ed had no intention of using Merilda as a means of physical combat.

However, it was still a pain to deal with all the spiritual skills and wind magic that Merilda wielded.

The wolf stood firmly like a mountain behind Ed’s back. As it let out a roar, a vibration filled with magic power resounded throughout the large arena of Nail Hall.

Roaaaaar!

Keeeuk…! My ears are ringing…!

Dozens of Wind Blades shot out from the wolf. The power of each blade was an issue, but the number of them was also extraordinary.

Some magicians had to completely focus just to use one Wind Blade. But now that such a large number of them were attacking Kaleid, it was impossible to avoid them all.

Intermediate Ice Magic, Ice Wall. A frozen wall rose up, blocking the blades. But after getting struck by half of them, the wall crumbled down.

Slash! Slash!

The remaining blades sliced through Kaleid’s body.

However, by forcibly squeezing out his magic power, he was barely able to cast defensive magic to block the remaining blades. Unfortunately, he had allowed Ed to close the distance.

Ed held his dagger to the side as he flew towards Kaleid.

His defensive magic had already been canceled by Merilda’s magic.

Kaleid raised his drunken eyes as he quickly twisted his body, grabbing Ed’s wrist. He didn’t use magic—he moved his body directly.

Ed then pulled him with the wrist that Kaleid had grabbed onto. In an instant, Kaleid’s center of gravity collapsed—but Kaleid stood up with one leg on the ground as he clenched his teeth, withstanding Ed’s strength.

“Your strength… Is impressive.’

If he were just a regular magician, he would have gotten hurt. Kaleid was sure of that fact.

Even though there was a giant wolf right in front of him, he wasn’t shaken emotionally. Kaleid was a person that had gone through all sorts of hardship throughout his life.

Naturally, his next move was decided.

Kaleid cast the intermediate fire magic Point Explosion.

Point Explosion was a ridiculously fast magic that shone when you had to chant before your opponent.

However, it was the wrong choice to use against Ed.

Fwooooosh!

Flames rose from Ed’s body.

Point Explosion was already fast, but for Kaleid, who had reached peak mana resonance, the speed was truly unfathomable.

But Ed stood still, as if he didn’t need to react.

Fwoosh.

Ed’s arm popped out from the flames as it grabbed Kaleid’s collar. It looked as if he was prepared to strike him with the dagger again.

He survived that…? Completely unharmed?

Ed’s appearance as he came out of the flames was terrifying.

Even though Point Explosion had the weakest firepower among the intermediate magics, it still didn’t make sense for him to endure it and remain completely unharmed.

Only then did the possibility of a ‘Spirit’s Blessing’ come to Kaleid’s mind.

Blessing of Fire Fortune.

It was a blessing that usually came from low-ranking spirits. However, for Mugg, who had become a mid-ranking spirit after a status change, his blessing was powerful enough to handle the firepower of intermediate magic.

As Ed put magic power into the wand he was holding in his other hand, Mugg’s spiritual skill, Explosion, began to engulf the arena again.

The flames had the property of burning everything in the world fairly. But things weren’t so fair this time.

Right now, Ed was temporarily immune to fire magic. That meant the gigantic explosion would only bare its fangs towards Kaleid.

This guy… is really something…

Kaleid smiled contentedly as he decided to do all he could, drawing out all the magic power in his body once more.

Alright… Losing will also be a good experience for this kid.

Boooooooom!

In the midst of an exchange of quick attacks that were difficult for each other to react to, most of the audience had already given up trying to keep up with their movements. It was difficult to follow along with the naked eye because of their quick movements and the magic that obscured their view.

After the rising flames and dust disappeared… Kaleid was caught in an explosion and thrown aside.

A roar was heard from the crowd. Ed had really beaten a senior professor.

…However, Ed didn’t relax. He already knew.

Even in that dire situation… Kaleid could have blocked Ed’s attack. He was sure that Kaleid had gathered an unbelievable amount of magic power in an instant.

It wasn’t that Kaleid couldn’t stop it—rather, he didn’t. And the reason was obvious.

In order to trick him.

Fwoooosh.

A gust of wind erupted from Ed, enveloping his body.

It wasn’t magic that Ed had cast. Rather, it was Storm’s Blessing that surrounded his body.

The fact that Storm’s Blessing, which would prevent an attack he was unaware of, activated meant that there was an attack that Ed hadn’t noticed.

Ed frowned as he looked around. Five or six ice spears had tried to strike him from behind, but his blessing had stopped them.

And when he looked back to front, Professor Kaleid’s face was right in front of him. It was like a scene from a horror movie.

“On the battlefield… a moment’s inattention can cost you your life.”

Spiritual Skill. He endured the explosion by casting a defensive magic with the minimal amount of magic power. With the rest of it, he invested it all into casting Ice Spear.

“You understand that fact really well. You were short just a single step.”

The reason he had forced himself to cast Ice Spear was to remove Merilda’s blessing in advance.

After seeing Mugg’s blessing, he had predicted that Ed must also be wearing Merilda’s blessing, Storm’s Blessing.

Professor Kaleid put both hands into his pocket as he grinned, looking at Ed.

As Ed was confused and turned around, he had already cast another spell.

The advanced ice magic, Permafrost.

It was simple magic that didn’t discriminate, freezing everything around it.

However, sometimes simplicity was a powerful weapon.

The floor of the arena was completely frozen. All of the magically engineered items that Ed had thrown all around the floor to use as potential variables had been frozen, turning into lumps of scrap metal. Turning around, he even saw that Merilda had become nothing more than a massive ice statue, unable to move.

The only reason that Ed wasn’t affected by the magic was because the mid-ranking fire spirit Mugg had quickly shown itself, blowing the cold air away.

However, no matter how strong a mid-ranking spirit might be, they could never completely neutralize an advance magic.

Ed’s ankles were completely frozen, so he couldn’t even fall down onto the floor.

“Let’s finish this.”

Kaleid brought forth magic power on his hand to finish things. But Ed was quicker, putting his hands into his pocket.

Paaaaak!

Shock-Enhanced Wave Ball. Although it was a basic machine, its power was certainly worthy of a magically engineered item.

Since things had gone bad, he left it in his pocket to use to escape a crisis.

Kaleid’s body was thrown aside by the shock. Ed drew out his magic power as he melted the ice on his feet.

“Keuk… What…? Again and again, you keep bringing something else out…!”

Crack! Crack!

The ice surrounding Merilda also began to crack little by little. No matter how strong of an advanced magic it was, it was only able to keep the high-ranking wind spirit’s feet tied up momentarily.

Kaleid got back up as he stared at Ed.

The ice that he had cast still bound Ed’s body tightly to the ground. He tried to melt it quickly, but it wasn’t going to be that easy.

Merilda would also be free soon, but she wasn’t yet.

Storm’s Blessing was gone. He couldn’t move around freely. The high-ranking wind spirit, which was the hardest to deal with, was temporarily subdued.

If he was going to finish things, now was the time. Kaleid quickly began to chant his next magic spell.

Intermediate ice magic, Ice Spear. A huge number of ice spears, more than a dozen or so, began to rise behind him. It was different in size compared to the Ice Spears that the students used.

Ed leaned down, clenching his teeth as he released magic power towards his feet. Even though he was continuously casting fire magic, it seemed that the ice created by advanced magic wouldn’t melt so easily.

The audience was so nervous they forgot to breathe. If he were to get struck by all those ice spears, it was clear that he would be seriously injured.

However, Kaleid, who had already become caught up in things, wasn’t showing any mercy.

Even Ed started to feel like he had no idea how he was going to deal with it.

In any case, now was the time for Kaleid to win.

If he didn’t win now, the situation would only become more complicated with Merilda being freed again.

The Ice Spears flew towards Ed, who was completely suppressed.

The moment Ed raised his head to look in the direction—

Boom!

—a man intervened, entering the arena with his fists out.

* * *

Boom! Boom! Boom! Crash!

All of the Ice Spears had been deflected. The speed of his fist was comparable to that of a bullet.

He had short hair and various scars on his body. He was incredibly large, with a grand physique. It was as if he were a bear, not a human, running rampant.

Ed already knew who that man was.

The top fourth year student in Silvenia Academy, and the head committee member.

Daike Elpelan.

“Professor Kaleid.”

After deflecting all the ice spears, Daike stood between the two of them, speaking softly.

“This… It seems you have crossed the line too much. Ed Rothstaylor was already unable to fight.”

“Older Brother…!”

Afterwards, student council president Tanya Rothstaylor came running over onto the arena’s stage.

She sprinted towards Ed, whose legs were frozen. She grabbed his arms, checking his complexion.

“Ed…! Are you okay? Are you seriously hurt…?!”

The student council, who couldn’t see everything, had decided to interfere.

The students already felt that something was wrong. They were witnessing a full-fledged battle instead of a mere practical evaluation.

Halfway through, Professor Kaleid had gotten too excited and failed to stay within the boundaries during the exam. That was a clear reason for disciplinary action if reported to the academic department.

Kaleid sighed deeply, as if he were aware of that fact. He couldn’t help but admit that he had gone too far after remembering the time he spent on the battlefield.

Kaleid rubbed his chin a few times, looking at Ed.

He was still kneeling, just like at the end of the fight, when he was trying to melt the ice on his feet.

Student Council President Tanya had run towards Ed with an expression that said she was ready to burst into tears. She pulled out a handkerchief, wiping the dirt off of his face.

Seeing that, Kaleid realized just how unreasonable he was acting.

“Haah…”

“Professor Kaleid.”

“The older you get, the more your blood boils from things like this. My wife always did say men will act like kids no matter how old they get.”

After laughing bitterly at himself, Kaleid got rid of all his magic power.

Daike, who stood in front of Ed, bowed his head as he gave his greetings.

“Thank you for your understanding.”

“What understanding? I’m just excited as I think about writing my apology letter.”

After talking politely with him, Daike turned his head to look at Ed.

If the ice spear had struck him, it absolutely would have been a fatal hit. He must have been quite afraid.

The moment he tried to say something to reassure Ed…

Fwoosh.

The dark red magic power that surged from one of Ed’s hands dispersed into the air, disappearing.

Seeing that, Daike’s eyes widened. Naturally, Tanya’s did as well.

Even Kaleid felt something strange as he quickly looked towards him.

“Ed Rothstaylor. Just now…”

“Thank you for your help, Daike.”

Ed greeted him politely, wiping his hands.

Daike looked down at the ice still binding Ed’s feet. It hadn’t melted in the slightest.

He thought that he was trying to melt through the ice with his fire magic, but… that wasn’t the case.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t melt the ice, he just wasn’t.

It was clear that he had purposely knelt down, covering his hands as he gathered Celestial Magic Power.

Celestial Magic Power was distinctly red in color, unlike regular magic power. Therefore, it was easy to determine whether or not someone was using Celestial Magic Power just by looking at the color.

So, Ed had pretended to melt the ice as he hid his hands and drew out Celestial Magic Power.

Then, at the last moment before the Ice Spear came flying… he planned to use Forced Collection to drag Kaleid to him and block it. He planned to use Kaleid’s body to block the attack.

Then, in his other hand—in which he held his dagger tightly—he was planning to end things with a spiritual skill.

Closing his eyes and imaging it…

The flying ice spear. Ed suddenly changes his complexion as he stands up and casts Celestial Magic. Kaleid is quickly dragged forward in front of him to block the Ice Spear. If Kaleid managed to somehow block it, Ed was ready behind him with a dagger infused with a spiritual skill.

That was the very last improvisation he had come up with after being suppressed.

Kaleid realized it after seeing him. What would have happened if Daike hadn’t intervened at the end? Now, no one would know.

Magic Power ability, experience on the battlefield, combat ability. Kaleid was clearly superior in all of those areas.

But the ability to somehow come up with the optimal means to overcome any situation, at any given moment… Even Kaleid couldn’t help but be in awe.

“Ed Rothstaylor.”

Kaleid had his hands in the pockets of his coat as he spoke to him with those tired eyes of his.

“You are really, seriously, a crazy guy.”

“…Can I take that as a compliment?”

“Is it an insult? Ah, well, I guess it is an insult.”

Professor Kaleid laughed as he looked at the crowd. Everyone seemed to be watching with wide eyes.

That couldn’t be helped for a duel of that level. They fought so earnestly that it was hard to dismiss it as a mere final exam.

Ed had even taken out a high-ranking spirit and come up with various means to be on par with a senior elemental studies professor. After doing that much, no one could voice their disapproval towards him.

“You get perfect scores on your elemental studies practical exam, Ed Rothstaylor.”

Elemental studies was one of the core subjects that held a large importance among the magic department’s exams.

“If you did well on your written exam, then it won’t be a dream for you to become the top student among the third years.”

The crowd roared. The top student of the third years in Silvenia Academy. At that moment, there was someone that was the undisputed number one.

“Well, that elementalist who is the current top seat is also out of the ordinary, so… I can’t say for certain that you will be able to take that spot…”

Kaleid was also familiar with Yennekar Palerover, who was famous within Silvenia Academy.

Wasn’t she a girl that came straight out of a fairytale? Born with good resonance, received a good education, and walked a rosy path while achieving good grades.

Kaleid remembered that girl. He then looked down at Ed, who looked as if he had been clenching his teeth and crawling through the mud.

Each person had a different standard when it came to judging others. Therefore, Kaleid’s opinion couldn’t represent all of the school’s faculty members. It was only his own.

“At the very least, I think you are better suited to be the top student.”

After saying that, Professor Kaleid staggered down from the arena’s stage.

He couldn’t hold back any longer as he rolled up some tobacco, smoking it.

“Well, if you’re having a hard time in school or if Assistant Professor Cleoh is acting like an ass, you can come and tell me about it. If there’s one thing I’m really good at, it’s harassing someone.”

After waving his hands and saying farewell, he staggered out into the hallway, hoping to take a small break before the next test.

“Then, I’ll teach you how to handle advanced magic.”

It was truly a Kaleid-like speech.

* * *

“I can’t believe there are even people like that…?!”

Tanya continued to fume as she stomped her feet.

“Wandering around drunk in the middle of school hours! Conducting a practical exam by striking down students with advanced magic…! I’m going to have to formally complain to the school about it! I’ll take care of all of this and make sure he is fully held responsible…!”

I had my arm wrapped around Tanya as she helped me walk while we left the student center.

The experience of walking through the audience with my arm around the student council president wasn’t a very great feeling. Hearing all the whispers around us, it was as if they were looking at a celebrity.

Well, I was sure that seeing the student council president with me like that must have been quite a sight. I was grateful to have her there, but it was also a bit burdensome.

“Student Council President. I’ll hold him up instead.”

“No, it’s fine… Since you are so big, Daike, my brother would only feel uncomfortable.”

Watching the way that she clenched her fists as she supported me, her legs trembling like a small animal’s, Daike and I laughed as we thought about how ridiculous it was.

“Thank you for earlier, Daike. To be honest, I was a little nervous.”

“You’re quite the smooth talker. Didn’t you already finish your preparations to take that attack? Rather, weren’t you bothered that I got in the way?’

“I was fine with just getting good grades on my practical exam. What’s the point of trying to do any more than that?”

After saying that, with Tanya’s support we went all the way towards Obel Hall. There was nothing I could do as they made a fuss, saying they were going to give me first aid.

“By the way, I believe this is the first time we’ve met face-to-face, Ed Rothstaylor. Though, I’m sure you were as aware of me as I was of you. You’re quite a popular guy these days, and I’ve been a top student since my first year.”

Daike Elpelan stuck his hand out towards me.

“Looking at you, it seems that soon you’ll end up as the top student among the third years. Soon or later, you might end up appearing at the meeting for top students instead of Yennekar.”

I grabbed Daike’s hand and shook it.

“I’m not sure. As you know, Yennekar isn’t any easy opponent.”

“Well, we’ll find out before vacation. But in my opinion, the next top student will be you. Yennekar, she’s nice and all, but… How should I say it?”

Daike pointed his index finger towards my eyes and grinned.

“She doesn’t have that feeling of grit I feel from you.”

“Well, she has her own charm.”

“Now that you’ve said that, I just remembered how you were close with Yennekar. Did… I make a mistake by saying that? Well, it’s not like I was talking poorly of her.”

Daike shrugged his shoulders as he looked up at Obel Hall. It was the same building that the members of the Student Council did their activities in.

“As the underclassmen start to rise up, one after another, I’m also starting to slowly feel a sense of crisis…”

Daike put in a large smile as he looked up at the red sky dejectedly.

“Sometime next week the grades will come out and then it will be break… But I’ll probably be busy getting ready for graduation…”

Daike murmured as he walked ahead.

Seeing him like that, I started to get the feeling that I would be in the same boat next year. It was a strange, yet special, feeling.