The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 185

Ed Rothstaylor.

Act 1 mid-boss.

A piece of garbage that spat out lines that suited a third-rate villain. He ridiculed Taylee McLaure before falling from nobility miserably.

It seemed as if he was a character that was created in a hurry, placed at the start of the story to build up tempo… A wasteful character.

The mid-bosses and final-bosses of each Act all had their own stories and reasons as to why they became filled with darkness.

All sorts of enemies stood in the way of the main character, Taylee McLaure, but Ed Rothstaylor was the most insignificant and shallow person of them all.

Yennekar Palerover, Professor Glast, Lucy Mayreel, Krepin Rothstaylor, and even the Holy Blue Dragon Velbrok.

Pushed to the brink by the weight of others’ expectations that weighed on her shoulders. The pain that comes with loss that made him grow twisted. Because of a promise made to someone she lost. A character that had to commit an act of pure evil to survive.

The antagonists that ended each act stood on the stage with their own reasons and stories.

So, for Ed Rothstaylor, who had quietly disappeared without any narrative… What was his story?

Even people who didn’t live the life of a protagonist held value. However, the weight of each person was clearly different.

So, if the story had changed and he managed to rise and stand on the final stage… What would he say? What reason would he give for him to act like that?

Someone who wanted to end his life pitifully after leaving his family… What would he even have left to say?

That was why didn’t create a stage for his story.

He quietly walked behind the stage as he looked up at the setting sun, reflecting on his life.

To those who looked back on their unfair lives, in a place where the spotlight would never reach, just what sort of story would they tell if the stage was lit for them?

Even though things had become twisted, and he was dragged onto the stage as the final boss of the final Act, nothing changed.

From a third-rate villain who left the stage in an unsightly manner at the start, to being responsible for the final Act in the final stage.

Even though the story changed drastically, in the end, there was only one reason for his actions.

To survive

He needed to survive.

Drip, Drip.

With that thought in mind, a few drops of rain started to fall. He thought it was going to rain, but it was happening earlier than he thought.

A few drops of rain fell on the campfire right in front of Ed Rothstaylor.

With the campfire slowly dying, Ayla Triss raised her voice…

“You didn’t say all of this would happen.”

And…

“It wasn’t going to be anything this major. It was only going to be a simple duel.”

Ed Rothstaylor had tricked Ayla into thinking that. Ayla raised her voice as she spoke.

“I need to go back to Taylee.”

Even though Ayla said that, Ed Rothstaylor only kept his forearm in his lap, not answering.

Ayla looked back. If she were to run there immediately, how long would it take for her to reach the Elte Store?

She thought of Taylee, who was struggling. Would Taylee really be able to break through all of those ordeals on his path? Was that even possible?

When she turned her head again, the one responsible for everything—Ed Rothstaylor—quietly looked at Ayla in the rain.

He was a much more rational person than Ayla had imagined.

He was someone who always moved because of a rational decision. That was why she couldn’t understand the current situation.

* * *

The rain started getting stronger. The same was true back at the Elte Store.

The third floor of the Elte Store.

With Yennekar Palerover in front of him, Taylee pulled out his sword.

His intuition whispered to him.

He could never win. There was not a one-in-a-thousand chance. Not even a one-in-ten-thousand chance that he would be able to defeat her.

She could freely use high-ranking spirits, and if you added up the mid-ranking and low-ranking spirits, too, her army easily reached the hundreds.

If he could land an attack on her, he might be able to win. However, there was no way all of those spirits would let him get close to their master.

Additionally, she was wearing various self-defense measures to protect herself.

Even if he rushed in at an imperceptible speed, the Shock-Enhanced Wave Ball would activate. If he tried to use magic, the Magic Power Phase Shifter would activate.

And even if he managed to break past all of that and land a blow on her… the tiny hourglass hanging from her waist would completely nullify his attack.

The Legendary Magic Engineering Item – Dell Heim’s Hourglass.

A legendary magic engineering item that could only be created by devoting an extreme amount of time to put together.

And for Ed Rothstaylor, who had many close connections, it was a treasure that he could only give to someone he truly trusted.

That meant she was one of the most trusted allies of Ed Rothstaylor, who stood at the end of the stage.

As if to emphasize that fact even further, all of the various support items she wore… each one of them boasted an incredible performance.

As Taylee’s mindset weakened, he heard a whisper in his ear.

“Put your sword down.”

“Quickly run away.”

“No one in the world blames you. Even if you run away now, no one will call you a coward.”

“You’ve done all you can. Blood covers your entire body, and your legs are about to lose all strength.”

“It’s okay to fall here. You’ve gone through a lot already.”

However, Taylee McLaure shook his head. Getting rid of the thoughts that filled his mind, he opened his eyes.

* * *

The rain fell on the outer wall of the store as it dripped to the ground.

Clevius was completely exhausted in the front garden of the Elte Store.

Elvira grabbed Clevius, who was completely worn out, as she dragged him under a small roof attached to the outer wall of the store.

She sat down on the floor, hugging Clevius’ head… Then she calmly looked up at the falling rain.

* * *

On the first floor of the store, Ziggs pushed aside all of the debris as he stood up, shaking off the dust.

He didn’t have any serious injuries. In the first place, Taylee had no intention of hurting Ziggs. He just wanted him to get out of his way.

However, he never thought that Taylee would be able to destroy the entire floor with a single sword attack.

Ziggs looked at the raindrops that hit the window in the hallway on the first floor.

Taking a deep breath, he sat on the rubble to rest, hoping that there wouldn’t be any serious injuries.

Sitting like that for a while, he then shut his mouth, as if he had decided on something.

* * *

Lortel, who was running through the forest at night, also felt raindrops on the tip of her nose.

Looking up at the sky for a while, she took a deep breath as she put on her hood. As she moves towards the less-crowded education district… The night continued.

Lortel prayed.

Please let everything go well. Please let me get my power back, so that I can go back to lighting a campfire and exchange playful jokes with Ed.

* * *

In front of Dune, who was sweating profusely as he spoke, Lucy and Princess Penia also felt the rain.

The guards ran around in a hurry, trying to cover Penia and Lucy’s heads with a veil.

The sound of rain falling onto the ground filled Penia and Lucy’s ears.

Dune took some time to organize his thoughts, but the fact remained that he was in a predicament.

In front of Dune, who was speaking, Lucy wiped her skirt and looked at him.

* * *

The same was true for Trayciana Bloomriver, who sat alone on the fourth floor of the Elte Store, cleaning her wand.

Raindrops fell through the hole in the ceiling. The girl ruffled her hair as she headed deeper into the hallway.

She sniffled with her chin tucked in as she watched the rain.

The fate of many things depended on that one night. The last night before school started up again. Everyone was looking up at the rain with their own circumstances and feelings, all waiting for the morning sun to rise.

The same was also true for Taylee and Ayla.

* * *

Clang!

His sword collided with teeth.

The lizard spirit bit into Taylee’s right forearm. Taylee screamed as he tried to rip the lizard off of his arm, but the wound only grew larger.

Immediately after, other spirits—in the shape of a lion and a tiger—attacked. Their teeth were blocked by his sword, but he was losing strength in his legs as his body began to give out.

Crash! Clang!

It was an attack that he would normally have been able to handle, but Taylee was already in an awful condition.

As he flew into the wall in the hallway, the windows shattered, and pieces of glass fell onto his body.

Taylee screamed as the rain came through the broken window, falling onto him. The rainwater fell into his wounds, causing him to be in even more pain.

“It’s time to give up.”

“No one is forcing you to keep fighting anymore.”

He heard that voice again.

However, Taylee only clenched his teeth, getting up again.

The open front gate. Beyond that, the VIP waiting room.

Yennekar Palerover was there, sitting still on the sofa with an unpleasant expression on her face.

She didn’t want to continue beating on Taylee, who was rushing at her in that injured state of his.

But she would keep her promise to Ed Rothstaylor.

She looked as if she simply wanted Taylee to give up. As if she didn’t want to keep beating someone who was already a wreck into the ground.

Yennekar, Ziggs, and even Ayla all wanted him to give up and fall down.

Still, Taylee… continued to stand back up, his body covered in pieces of glass and rainwater. His uniform was covered in water, sticking to his skin, and his white hair was drenched as it stuck to his face, making him look shabby.

A burning willpower. However, him standing there in that state was a difficult sight to see.

* * *

“You don’t even know… How much Taylee has had to go through already!”

The campfire was completely extinguished.

In the rain, Ayla shouted at Ed.

“This is enough!”

“……”

“Even if he didn’t overcome every single ordeal and make his way here… Taylee has already done enough!”

The obstacles prepared by Ed Rothstaylor… No matter how strong-willed Taylee might be, he wouldn’t be able to break through them.

She thought that Ed was simply going to encourage Taylee to fight to his utmost for his growth. Contrary to her thoughts, Ed was just completely trampling on Taylee.

Even if it needed to be serious, what he was doing was much too severe.

She owed Ed a lot, and there were many things she felt sorry for. That was why Ayla had agreed to his proposal.

However, she didn’t want to hold Ed’s hand any further.

“Do you think you are doing the right thing, Ed?! Even if you say that Taylee is going to get stronger from this, is this really for his sake?!”

Ayla screamed at him as they stood in the rain.

The antagonist that completed the final battle of the chapter. The Fallen Aristocrat, Ed Rothstaylor.

Even if Taylee managed to overcome all of the other obstacles, reach him, and defeat him… even if it made him stronger, would it really all be for Taylee’s sake?

“Don’t force your self-righteousness onto Taylee.”

The rain continues to hit the ground.

The sound of the pouring rain filled their ears.

Yet, Ayla’s voice definitely reached Ed.

Ed, wet in the rain… Lowered his head, not responding to Ayla’s mournful cry.

“Taylee… Taylee…! He’s done enough. This much… is enough.”

“Ayla Triss.”

Ed Rothstaylor quietly stood up and looked at Ayla .

Ayla swallowed her breath upon seeing Ed’s expression, which was more serious than she had expected.

Ed Rothstaylor was a man who was always both calm and rational. So, seeing emotion in his eyes for the first time, Ayla panicked and lost her breath for a moment.

One of the first characters everyone thought of when they heard the title .

The one who was always next to the main character, Taylee. His closest companion, Ayla Triss, who always encouraged and supported him.

He had always lived in a hellish reality. Whether it was in the flames of war, or a city intoxicated with peace—not once had he not been in pain.

That may have been why he found solace in watching Taylee. While playing over and over again, seeing Taylee go through countless hardships and cruel twists of fate… He felt encouraged.

Even if it was part of a meaningless past now, it certainly remained in his memory.

Ed Rothstaylor approached her in the rain, grabbing Ayla by the throat.

“Even if everyone else thinks like that, how can you, of all people, not believe in him?”

“…Ke…Keuk… Wh-What…?”

“He’s doing his best to fight through it all, so how can you give up on him…? How could you… Of all people, why are you saying that, Ayla…?”

Ed clenched his teeth as he spoke to Ayla.

It was the first time she’d seen Ed Rothstaylor so close, showing raw emotion.

Not anger, not disappointment… It was something in between.

It was completely different from the Ed Rothstaylor she saw at school, who was always quiet and somewhat mysterious as he diligently did his work.

“There’s no reason… for him to go this far…!”

“If he doesn’t do this, everyone will die.”

“What…?”

“In the first place, I didn’t think you would believe me… But at this point, that doesn’t even matter. If you’re going to keep acting like this, how can I not tell you the truth?”

Ed Rothstaylor spoke as he held onto Ayla’s collar.

“Whether you think I’m crazy or some coward who is spouting some ridiculous excuse… Think whatever you want…”

Then.

“The Holy Blue Dragon Velbrok.”

As that name came out of Ed’s mouth, Ayla’s pupils trembled.

The final bosses of each stage always had a burden weighing on their shoulders.

However, the stage had already drastically changed.

Act 4 may have finished, but it was impossible to know if Act 5 had started. At that point, everyone was like a labyrinth.

The final battles for each act had already been pulled forward by several months. It had been a while since the original timeline had lost its value.

At that moment, it was impossible to know when the Holy Blue Dragon Velbrok would be resurrected or when the story would finish.

It was impossible to know if Act 5 would even occur. Perhaps the story had already finished.

His goal of living a leisurely life, aiming for his diploma quietly, had long since passed. The world wouldn’t let Ed Rothstaylor sit still.

With that heavy weight on his shoulders in the rain, Ed Rothstaylor held onto her throat as he spoke.

The image of him reflected in Ayla’s pupils… was extremely serious.

If Act 5 had properly started, then the one who had to figure out how to defeat the final boss—to end the entire story—had already been decided.

The Fallen Aristocrat, Ed Rothstaylor.

The name of the person who had to end the story that had lost all direction.

* * *

Yennekar Palerover didn’t even move an inch.

Even the heartless way she looked at Taylee was enough to be incomparable to her usual self.

Clang! Whaaack!

Taylee, who had tried to attack her from the side, flew away with one swipe of Takan’s tail. After sliding down the wall of the VIP waiting room, Taylee stood back up from the dust.

He was barely conscious. It was almost as if he was being driven by instinct. It wouldn’t be strange if his eyes suddenly rolled back and he lost all consciousness.

Yennekar swallowed her dry saliva.

It was as if she were fighting a bug that would keep on rising up, no matter how many times she knocked it down. At the rate he was going, he would completely lose consciousness… But he wasn’t giving up.

Rather, Taylee’s attack patterns were becoming more and more diverse. Holding onto his sense of reason, which was fading away, he continued to try and find any means to win.

An opponent that could not be defeated simply through force.

However, the way to defeat an elementalist was simple. You needed to strike the elementalist’s body, rather than their spirits.

Yennekar quietly raised her wand. There were various kinds of magic equipment hanging from the blackened wood. There were also various spiritual skills engraved on it.

‘Thousand-year-old wooden wand struck by lightning’. Even without it, Yennekar’s resonance level was already at a ridiculous level.

Taylee clenched his teeth as he jumped from the floor. Taylee flew towards the ceiling, spun his body around, and then stepped off the ceiling as if it were the floor.

The place he was aiming for was Yennekar Palerover’s body.

Swordmaster’s Skill – Elemental Slash.

Taylee’s sword strike, which could cut even elemental spirits into two, cleared all of the low-ranking spirits in the area.

Those that were attacked were dismissed as they disappeared.

Taylee flew off the ceiling, heading towards Yennekar’s body.

There was no way the remaining spirits would let Taylee do as he pleased. Takan tried to stop him by swinging his tail, but… Taylee’s Elemental Slash cut Takan’s tail in half.

It was a skill that had a superior advantage against elemental spirits. Even according to the original story, in the Act 1 battle against Takan, Takan could not withstand Taylee’s Elemental Slash.

However, no matter how advantageous that skill might be, it couldn’t overcome the absolute difference in force.

As Takan roared, sending out magic power, the impact alone caused Taylee to lose control of his body.

As he fell to the floor, he took aim at her body once more. However, he was suddenly struck directly by the elemental magic of the mid-ranking spirits.

Since his body was already a wreck, even the slightest impact would briefly cause him to lose consciousness. Even though his body was covered in blood and screaming out in pain, Taylee turned his body around, glaring at Yennekar.

And then, he activated the next Swordmaster’s Skill.

Space Slicing.

His Swordmaster’s Skill cut through the countless spirits, again and again.

However, Yennekar Palerover didn’t move a single step. He finally succeeded in reaching her, when the ‘Shock-Enhanced Wave Ball’ suddenly activated, pushing Taylee away.

“Keuaaaaak!”

Even the slightest impact seemed to tear his body apart.

Still, Taylee regained consciousness and stood up. Grinding his teeth, he glared at Yennekar.

“Why…? Why…?”

Even as he bled out, Taylee clenched his teeth and spoke.

“There’s no reason… for you… to work with that guy… to this extent… So why… are you stopping me…?”

Watching Taylee bleed out, Yennekar frowned.

In the first place, she was a girl whose heart wasn’t so cruel. Regardless of who her enemy was, she couldn’t help but feel bad upon seeing them clench their teeth like that.

Still, that wasn’t enough to break Yennekar Palerover’s heart.

Behind her was Ed Rothstaylor, and Yennekar Palerover had no intention of sending Taylee to him.

“It’s not that complicated.”

Yennekar, with not a scratch on her body, stood up in the dark. With his strength, Taylee was unable to inflict even the smallest scratch on her.

“If Ed… thinks of himself as a villain…”

Yennekar spoke clearly, without a single change in her expression.

“Then I’m a villain, too. That’s all there is to it.”

Whatever the case, Yennekar Palerover was on Ed Rothstaylor’s side. That fact would never change, even if the world were flipped upside down.

“If you meet Ed in this state, his life might be at risk.”

Ed Rothstaylor was currently unable to fully use his magic power. The recoil of the ring was still active.

No matter how bad Taylee’s physical condition might be, she wasn’t sure what might happen.

“…Of course that’s it.”

“That’s why I don’t plan on letting you get to Ed.”

There was no hesitation in Yennekar’s tone as she spoke firmly.

“Give up. You know it well yourself. Your journey ends here.”

The Elte Store under the pouring rain. The building had been completely ruined, to the point that it couldn’t fulfill its original role as a store anymore.

And Taylee McLaure could never make it past the third floor.

That heavy truth weighed on Taylee’s shoulders.

Thunk!

The hand that gripped his sword slowly lost all strength. Taylee’s sword, which was used past its limit, fell to the floor.

Completely exhausted, his legs trembling, Taylee knelt on the floor.

His shoulders dropped down and slowly… Taylee closed his eyes.

“……”

Yennekar took a deep breath as she looked at Taylee.

He had gone through a lot.

It couldn’t have been easy.

The moment she was going to report to Ed through her spirits that things had finished—

Hwaaak!

Swordmaster’s Skill – Empty Swordsmanship.

Without a sword, using only magic power, a sword strike… cut through the air.

Magic swordsmanship alone wasn’t enough to break through the spirit corps protecting Yennekar.

However, Taylee, who was nearly unconscious, took another action through pure instinct alone.

“……!”

Yennekar quickly covered her body in magic power as she grabbed Dell Heim’s Hourglass. However, the place Taylee’s sword strike was aimed at wasn’t Yennekar’s body.

It was at the gigantic fire lizard that served as the general commander of the spirit corps protecting Yennekar’s body.

That high-ranking spirit… which had restored its severed tail in an instant and took up nearly the entire area of the massive VIP waiting room.

Kwaaak!

The next Swordmaster’s Skill that followed his Empty Swordsmanship, cast from Taylee’s body.

Swordmaster’s Skill – Dragon Slaying Sword.

A sharp blade that could cut through skin and scales, no matter how thick, suddenly cut Takan in two.

The high-ranking spirit Takan, who even the teachers couldn’t easily defeat. As it briefly closed its eyes, it was cut into pieces.

Taylee barely had any consciousness left in his eyes. He was being guided purely through instinct alone… He then tried to direct a sword attack towards Yennekar, who was in control of the entire spirit corps, but…

Clang!

Just like that, Taylee rolled on the floor. He was completely out of strength and unable to attack her.

He used nearly all of the energy he had left just to cut down Takan, but before Takan could even fall over, Taylee had fallen to the floor.

“……”

Yennekar looked at Taylee with wide eyes.

Taylee tried to use whatever strength he had left in his body to push back up from the floor and stand up.

“Ugh… Keukkkk….!”

He tried his best to stand up, but his body couldn’t move the way he wanted it to anymore.

Yennekar watched him silently as he clenched his teeth over and over again.

There was still a bit of fighting spirit left in Taylee McLaure’s eyes.

And that was the last variable