The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 188

As the raindrops fell off his sword, hitting the muddy ground, Taylee leapt forward.

It was a speed that was hard to follow with one’s eyes. As the mud splashed in the air, it was as if the world had come to a stop.

For Taylee, who had his senses heightened by his Swordmaster’s Skills, the world seemed to have completely slowed down.

In reality, the world hadn’t slowed down. Taylee’s senses had simply sharpened to such an extent that it seemed that way. The only people who knew of that fact were those who had faced Taylee before.

Hwaaaaaak!

Clang!

Ed Rothstaylor jumped back as he spread magic engineering items across the ground.

As soon as Taylee saw those items slowly fall to the ground, he quickly swung his sword, cutting them all.

With his greatsword, he accurately aimed at those small items, cutting them down. Not just once, but two or three times more, all at a ridiculous speed.

It was so fast that, by the time Ed Rothstaylor—who had leapt backwards—had landed and regained his posture, all of the magic engineering items had been cut down.

He had already become accustomed to fighting against a fighting style that utilized spreading magic engineering equipment across the battlefield thanks to his fight against Elvira on the first floor.

Thus, he didn’t give his opponent any chance to place his magic engineering items around the battlefield. For Ed, Taylee was an extremely difficult opponent to face, as he already had experience dealing with such a fighting style.

“Where is Ayla?!”

In the pouring rain, Taylee shouted that question.

Ed swung his sleeves for a bit, shaking off the mud. He then smiled slyly.

“I’m not sure I can say.”

Right before Taylee arrived, he had put her to sleep, placed her in the wooden shelter, and blocked the entrance.

It seemed that the timing worked out, as Taylee hadn’t seen anything.

If he had witnessed Ayla being restrained through Celestial Magic, he would have become even more heated.

As he glanced at the wooden shelter that was shut tight, Ed gripped his dagger.

“You’ll have to find her yourself.”

“…You really have gone too far in your study of Celestial Magic.”

Taylee picked up the greatsword again as he looked at Ed with intense eyes.

“I also know that Ayla has quite the resonance with that special magic power, but… There’s no need for you to use such an extreme method to study it!”

“The more extreme the method, the greater the research.”

“…You’ve clearly been negatively influenced by Professor Glast.”

Grinding his teeth, Taylee ran towards Ed again.

Taylee was running out of time, as there was a time limit to strengthening his body.

“I should have cut you down back in the underground waterways.”

Taylee showed an even greater level of strength the more dire the situation. However, that didn’t mean he would always be able to accomplish what he needed to.

What he needed was an immediate resolution to the present problem.

If Ed didn’t plan to ever reveal Ayla’s location, he would just have to subdue the kidnapper, Ed Rothstaylor.

That way, even if Taylee fell unconscious, Ayla’s safety would still be guaranteed.

That was the conclusion he came to. The most important thing at that moment was to defeat the blond aristocrat in front of him.

He also had the power to do so. Regardless of the fact that Ed Rothstaylor was a top student among the third years, ultimately, Taylee McLaure was the protagonist.

Even if their destination was the same, their paths differed. The world favored Taylee McLaure, and there was no spotlight shining down on a supporting character.

Ed Rothstaylor took another magic engineering item out of his pocket, tossing it to the ground.

At the same time, a fairly large amount of smoke began to rise throughout the camp.

Kwaaaaaang!

“Keuk!”

A means of temporarily obscuring one’s view. It was a ‘Smokescreen Generator’.

However, the effect was greatly diminished due to the rainy weather. Taylee swung his sword, completely removing the smoke… It didn’t take much time.

Fwoosh!

However, it was still long enough for Ed Rothstaylor to grab the bow that he had stored in a corner of the camp.

A couple of arrows quickly flew through the smoke, but…

“Hup—! Haa—!”

Taylee took a deep breath as he then let out a cry that was full of magic power. All of the simplistic, handcrafted arrows were deflected.

The arrows weren’t powerful enough to be worth raising his sword. Rather, Ed had exposed his position. He was running towards the cabin.

Taylee kicked off from the ground as he quickly closed the distance between him and Ed. Taylee landed on the other side of the campfire as he tried to grab Ed by the neck.

However, his hand couldn’t reach Ed.

Scwick.

The moment his hand reached Ed’s face, Taylee’s feet sank into the mud.

“Keuk!”

The moment he lost his center of gravity, Ed lifted his foot and kicked Taylee’s thigh.

Taylee was in pain as he fell down into the mud.

They were in Ed’s camp.

From where the puddles of mud formed in the rain to where his tools were, Ed had it all memorized in his head.

Ed then kicked Taylee’s greatsword, sending it away.

Clang!

The moment Ed aimed straight at Taylee’s shoulder with his tightly gripped dagger…

A sword attack made from magic power sent Ed’s dagger flying away.

The magic power Swordmaster’s Skill that followed was aimed straight at Ed’s body.

Clang!

Although Ed managed to somehow cast a basic defensive spell, his strength was not even half of his usual self.

Claaaaaang! Thud!

Even though Taylee’s attack was cast in a rush, Ed Rothstaylor’s magic power wasn’t enough to completely block the impact.

Sent flying by Taylee’s sword, Ed rolled on the muddy ground before ending up at the side of the cabin.

Ed was completely drenched from the pouring rain, and since he was sent rolling through the mud, he looked terrible.

Even so, he casually got up, wiping the mud off his face.

Taylee also stood up, clutching his sore right thigh.

“Huff, Huff…”

His body was already past its limit. At any moment, he was going to lose consciousness.

That clear sense of fear ran through Taylee’s body.

However, there was something he didn’t understand.

He’s not using… magic power…?

That blond aristocrat who was standing under the rain had been keeping his magic power usage to a minimum the entire time.

Taylee’s attack was only cast in a rush, so it didn’t have a tremendous amount of power. However, Ed couldn’t even stop it after casting defensive magic… For a magician who had risen to being the top student among the third years, he was much too weak.

The same went for his bow. Ed Rothstaylor wasn’t someone who would have to use such crude arrows. He was a magician who had raised his magic power resonance quite a bit, to the point that he could use magic power arrows instead.

And… He wasn’t even using Elementalism. One of his main sources of strength, elemental spirits, hadn’t appeared even once.

Seeing the way he was strangely conserving his magic power, Taylee frowned.

He’s… Saving his strength…

Was it really possible for him to defeat Taylee without using magic power?

Ed was much too cautious a person to show such arrogance. Something was strange.

A magician who didn’t use magic power. That was beyond just a handicap. It was as if one were to fight without their hands or feet.

Taylee gritted his teeth as he glared at Ed.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but… I can’t afford to consider your situation!”

The power of his Swordmaster’s Skill once again enveloped Taylee’s body.

That should have been a frightening sight to see for Ed Rothstaylor, who was struggling to even cast the most basic of defensive magics.

But Ed Rothstaylor… only muttered to himself in a relaxed manner.

“Empty Swordsmanship…”

The swordsmanship that Taylee had learned and had just used.

As if he was reciting a checklist, there was no sense of fear as he quietly whispered to himself.

It should have been the first time Ed Rothstaylor witnessed and experienced such a skill, but as if he had already experienced it dozens or hundreds of times… He calmly watched on.

Seeing Ed’s relaxed expression, Taylee felt even more nervous.

He didn’t know why, but Ed Rothstaylor was using very little of his magic power.

In that case, Taylee—whose strength had risen to the extremes thanks to his Swordmaster’s Skill—should be in a much more advantageous position.

However, Ed showed no signs of panic or fear.

Rather, as if there was more he needed to check… He urged Taylee on.

“Come on, is that all you’ve got?”

It was as if he was an examiner testing Taylee.

His actions… If it were under normal circumstances, he would think Ed was just bluffing or acting like that out of fear.

But his opponent was none other than Ed Rothstaylor.

There was a high possibility that he had a hidden trick up his sleeve, or that he was plotting something. Taylee was confused for a moment, but the only thing he could do was to subdue Ed before he lost consciousness and collapsed.

With that being the case, he needed to act quickly.

He needed to use his entire strength to defeat him. Whether he was hiding his true power or if he was in a position where he couldn’t use it…

None of that mattered.

Magic power started to rise again from Taylee’s body. It was impossible to know when he would run out.

He was at his limit. Completely finished. That same thought was repeated over and over again as Taylee was sent flying onto the cold floor. And yet, he continued to get up, over and over again, until one would get sick of him.

His greatsword was far away. However, a true swordsman didn’t need a sword.

It was great to have one, but one didn’t need a sword to cut. Just as Luden McLaure had said, Taylee McLaure was the same.

Clang! Scrrrrrrrrrrr!

The sound of scraping iron. It wasn’t the sound magic power should make.

The full extent of Taylee’s magic power and its strength was at a level far beyond normal.

Swordmaster’s Skill – Space Slicing.

If you were cut by it, you would definitely die. Before one’s body was cut, their existence itself perished.

It was the strongest and most extreme of the Swordmaster’s Skills, but the recoil it had on one’s body couldn’t be easily ignored.

Teslin McLaure, a disciple of the Great Sage Sylvania, completely lost sensation in his right arm due to the recoil of using that Swordmaster’s Skill while in bad condition.

Depending on what was cut, the burden on one’s body differed. It wasn’t a skill that could be casually used.

However, Taylee McLaure was one of the most powerful descendants of the McLaure family.

Overcoming the recoil of that Swordmaster’s Skill out of pure will, he swung at Ed Rothstaylor.

Hwaaaaaaak!

The only aftermath of his magic power was the falling rain.

His magic power had exploded in a straight line, leaving behind dark red traces.

It was an attack that could not be stopped. The moment he felt reassured by that fact—

Paak!

Being reassured by that fact… also meant he had cut Ed in two.

The moment he saw Ed’s body completely cut into two, Taylee felt a sense of reassurance and anxiety at the same time.

He felt a sense of relief that he had finally defeated Ed, but also the guilt of having committed murder. However, he was sure that ‘there was no one that would try to take advantage of Ayla ever again.’

Overwhelmed with such emotions, right as he was losing consciousness…

Hwaaak.

Ed’s body started to disappear as if it were a hallucination.

“……?!”

He didn’t notice because of the rain, the smokescreen that blocked his field of view, and his mental state that was past its limit…

The device that uses the Magic Engineering Item ‘Apparition Disk’ rolled down onto the ground.

Ed had already perfectly mastered the structure of that magic engineering item during the first year’s class assignment exam.

With his magic engineering skills having been raised to such a high level, it was no longer difficult for him to imitate the structure of such a device.

When he had temporarily used a smokescreen to block Taylee’s field of view, it wasn’t for him to grab his bow to shoot arrows.

It was because, after realizing that Taylee was conscious of magic engineering items—cutting them all at the start of the fight—Ed came to the conclusion that he couldn’t be caught setting up more of them.

So, he had used a smokescreen to completely hide the fact that he was setting up an Apparition Disk.

While fighting Elvira, Taylee had already learned his lesson to not leave magic engineering items unattended.

The moment he saw Taylee deal with the first batch of items, Ed had come up with his next steps, all within his head.

Not only that, but to naturally trick him into thinking that he had used a smokescreen to shoot arrows… His reaction time could only leave one speechless.

Ed Rothstaylor was a master at improvisation.

Taylee knew that, but he had never fully imagined that it would be to such a degree.

Even his defensive spell to stop Taylee’s Empty Sword was just a bluff to protect the apparition. That was because it was the only way to fully trick Taylee into thinking the apparition was real.

Then, where was his real body?

Clang!

Before he could finish gathering his thoughts, he noticed the door to the wooden storage next to him was completely open, as if it had been broken into. That was because Ed was in a rush, trying to hide, and he had to brute force the door open.

Ed stumbled out, completely covered in mud. Taylee’s magic power attack that landed on him before wasn’t all that powerful, but it looked as if that was enough to wear him out.

However, the same was true for Taylee, whose body was already way past his limit.

Taylee lost his center of gravity as Ed grabbed the back of his neck, throwing him down on the muddy ground.

Splash!

“Keuuuuk!”

Rainwater seeped into the corners of Taylee’s mouth as he screamed in pain. Ed Rothstaylor had his foot placed on Taylee’ stomach.

“Huff, huff… To even use… Space Slicing… You’ve learned quite a lot…”

Ed, the final mastermind behind this stage, uttered those words with satisfaction.

Whether his emotions came from a sense of relief or the joy of victory… For Taylee, there was no way to know.

“Keuaaaak… Huff… Huff…”

Was he finally at his limit? He couldn’t shake off Ed, who had his foot on his stomach.

He clenched his fist, fighting in the mud, but he could no longer even lift his forearms.

“Yeah, you should at least do that much…”

Ed Rothstaylor also looked exhausted. At that moment, Taylee was convinced.

It wasn’t that Ed Rothstaylor wasn’t using his magic power, it was that he couldn’t.

A magician who couldn’t use magic power? How ridiculous.

Still, there were skills that Ed Rothstaylor had that Taylee didn’t. The ability to quickly think and judge a situation, as well as experience.

The calm and collected nature he had that could allow him to defeat Taylee… It created a gap between them. Despite not being able to use magic power, he was still confident that he could defeat Taylee, who was in bad shape.

“Ed… Rothstaylor…! Why… Why are you doing this?!”

Not even wiping away the raindrops that fell on his face, Taylee clenched his teeth.

“There’s no need… To sacrifice Ayla…! There’s no need to go this far…!”

“Taylee McLaure. I know your story very well.”

Unlike Taylee, who was in flames, Ed Rothstaylor was ice-cold as he spoke.

“But what can I do?”

Taylee had his eyes wide open as he looked at the blond-haired boy, who looked down at him with rain clouds behind him.

“There is no one in this world without a story. I even have one of my own.”

Seeing Ed Rothstaylor’s expressionless face, Taylee McLaure’s eyes trembled.

What Ed Rothstaylor carried on his shoulders, Taylee McLaure had no idea.

Unlike a game where the distinction between good and evil was clear… Reality was full of gray areas.

In the end, it was just a confrontation between different beliefs.

“You did good coming this far.”

The final stage, prepared by Ed Rothstaylor. After that, there was nowhere else to go.

Now, it was time to finish things.

The moment he raised his dagger and said that…

Taylee clenched his teeth…

Clang!

Magic power surged through Taylee, exploding once more.

Taylee’s constant groans kept showing up, no matter the circumstances… for his opponents, it was a disgusting thing to deal with.

As if he had lost his temper, Taylee’s eyes were filled with anger. Magic power started to rise all around him, suddenly changing its form into various weapons.

From small daggers, long swords, broadswords, two-handed swords, giant swords… Mana Armament was cast, and different types of swords filled the area.

Seeing Taylee continue to grow stronger as he used the magic power in his blood… It was as if he was no longer human.

Not only had he absorbed Clevius’ Blood Swordsmanship, but Ziggs’ Mana Armament as well, using them in his own way.

It was as if the world would not allow him to lose.

One could only open their mouth in awe as they witnessed just how much stronger he could become when pushed into a corner.

Paak!

Ed Rothstaylor, who was pushed back by the surge of magic power, was sent flying off to the side as he fell down. After rolling in the mud… he grunted as he stood back up again.

Hwaaaaak!

Bang! Clang!

His Swordmaster’s Skill, right before Death Throes deactivated.

A complete last-ditch effort. Taylee McLaure had weapons floating in the air from all directions. It was impossible to predict the direction of his attack.

Taylee held his greatsword as he sat upright in the mud. His vision was completely blurred, as he could no longer see where Ed Rothstaylor was.

“Huff, huff…!”

He lowered his head as he pushed against the floor to fix his posture… But then he felt it.

The Swordmaster’s Skill, Death Throes, was about to end. That would really be the end of it all. His final attack needed to put an end to Ed Rothstaylor.

Taylee closed his eyes tightly as he clenched his teeth.

The first swordsman, Luden McLaure, called the flow of that skill Heart Sword.

The Swordmaster’s Skill that was engraved on one’s heart, able to be taken out at any moment one faced a dire situation… Only accessible to those who had reached the extremes of a sword.

The memories of the many powerful men he met while wandering around Kohelton’s Lawless Zone were engraved on his body.

And through his blood, those memories were then piled up and passed down to Taylee.

A descendant of a swordsman. A story only to those who were born of such blood would know.

“I can’t see…”

Blurry vision. Unable to see where he should be aiming to cut down Ed Rothstaylor.

Because of the pouring rain, it was impossible to judge by hearing.

Once his skill ran out, he would no longer be able to fight to protect Ayla.

If that was the case… He would just have to cut down the entire area.

There was little to no chance Ed would be struck by a randomly thrown attack.

He probably already finished judging the situation. He should know there was no need to try and block Taylee’s attack or fight against him any longer.

All he had to do was take shelter at a distance, waiting for Taylee McLaure to self-destruct.

However, Taylee couldn’t sit still and do nothing. If there was even the slightest chance, he would do all he could to take down Ed Rothstaylor.

He gripped his sword tightly and clenched his teeth, sending off his attack.

One that would cut everything around him indiscriminately. At the end of it was Ed Rothstaylor.

Hwaak! Kaak!

Using his Swordmaster’s Skills in succession, yet there was no sensation of cutting anything. Only the tools and workbench nearby were cut.

Still, Taylee clenched his teeth as he continued to attack.

Even though he knew that there was no way that Ed Rothstaylor would suffer from the indiscriminate attack, he clenched his teeth tightly as he continued.

Just once, if someone from heaven could help… If a god is watching…

If you’ve been watching my miserable life all this time…

Please, let this attack reach Ed Rothstaylor.

As he prayed, right before the skill wore off… he sent out his final attack.

Kwaaaak!

Claaaang!

Even his blurred vision was starting to darken.

Did God answer his wish?

When he looked up, the tip of his greatsword was being pushed into Ed’s shoulder.

Splat.

Blood splattered as a few drops flew into Taylee’s face.

“Keuk… Hnn…”

Although he blocked the sword with his dagger, it wasn’t an attack that could be fully prevented with such a small blade.

Taylee’s greatsword had been stabbed into Ed Rothstaylor’s shoulder firmly. His trembling dagger was only blocking it from going any deeper.

Did God really help Taylee?

However, the world wasn’t so convenient.

“Hey, Taylee McLaure.”

Ed Rothstaylor’s posture suddenly caught his eye… It seemed as if he had been moving closer to Taylee.

If he had just run out of his range and quietly watched Taylee collapse on his own, then wouldn’t he have won?

And yet, Ed Rothstaylor had come into range of his greatsword.

“If you are going to swing your sword, you need to know what you are cutting. You stupid bastard.”

What was he saying? As he barely remained conscious, barely grabbing hold of his vision… He saw Ed Rothstaylor’s back.

He was standing firmly in front of the entrance of a wooden shelter, blocking it.

He didn’t know what was inside, but Ed had rushed into range to protect it.

Clang!

“Keu…Keuk…”

Ed Rothstaylor pushed the greatsword away as his upper body fell forward.

Clang!

His dagger rolled to the floor. Blood dripped from his shoulders onto the muddy ground.

“Yeah. You must have suffered a lot, too.”

Ed Rothstaylor clenched his teeth as he swung his arms out widely. It was as if he was letting the world know he was there.

As if it was difficult to even stand on his own two legs, Ed barely moved his body as he spoke.

“I already accomplished what I had intended to do. So, I can at least let you land an attack on me… It’s the least I can do.”

Shouldn’t a villain leave the stage cleanly?

Ed didn’t have the hobby of losing, but he at least understood Taylee’s position.

So, he let him get a clean attack on him.

After all, Taylee wasn’t in a condition where he could kill him. In the first place, he was already at his limit, so he couldn’t swing his sword properly. It would be difficult for him to leave a deep wound, let alone take his life.

Even the Swordmaster’s Skill, Death Throes, had deactivated. Taylee’s hand that was holding his sword trembled as if he were about to drop it at any moment.

Still, that didn’t mean Ed didn’t feel pain. Being cut by a greatsword was a dangerous act, no matter how injured his opponent might be.

However, in order to finish Taylee’s journey without any issues, it only made sense for him to take his leave there.

A supporting character had a meaningful life when they knew when to leave.

When their role was over, it was time to move to the back of the stage.

And in doing that… it might just set the stage for him to finish getting his diploma and finding his own life…

Ed Rothstaylor closed his eyes as he muttered quietly.

“Now, let’s end it here.”

“You follow the path of the protagonist.”

“And I go backstage as a supporting character.”

Those who were sitting down in the audience… They were all the supporting characters who had already completed their roles. All over were familiar faces.

Only Ed Rothstaylor’s seat remained empty. All of the other supporting characters who had arrived first sat down as they chatted with each other.

Originally, Ed Rothstaylor was supposed to be the first to take his seat. However, the story had gone off track, and his arrival was delayed.

Still, now that he finally arrived at his place… there was no reason to complain.

“Ed Rothstaylor! You… This is your end…!”

Kwaak!

Paaaaaak!

Stab!

A final attack with a hand that was running out of strength. He clenched his teeth.

From his left shoulder to the right side of his waist, Ed’s blood spurted out.

It wasn’t a deep wound, but just looking at the bleeding, it seemed as if it could be life threatening.

The pouring rain and dripping blood.

Slowly, Ed Rothstaylor’s legs relaxed.

Thud.

At night, as the rain poured down, Ed took a few steps backwards… Then he leaned back against the entrance to the wooden shelter, clutching his bloody wound.

Slowly… his body slid down the door.

“Keuk… Keuuuk. Yeah…”

Ed closed his eyes and spoke again.

“Good work…”

And like that, the final boss of Act 5… Ed Rothstaylor was defeated.

A drop of rain ran down his chin as it fell onto his school uniform, which was drenched in blood.

As he fell, leaning against the entrance of the wooden shelter, he quietly closed his eyes and lowered his face…

Despite rolling in the mud, he neatly finished the job.

* * *

Schwaaaa!

And like that, the stage came to an end.

The swordsman Taylee McLaure had overcome every ordeal and, in the end, rescued Ayla.

No one expected it to end with a happy ending, like the last line in a fairy tale.

That was because things never went completely as planned. However, he only hoped that the overall direction was the same.

It was impossible for Taylee to know what Ed was planning.

Seeing Ed lying against the entrance of the wooden shelter, as if he were asleep… he wondered what kind of weight he was carrying.

However, more important than that was the safety of Ayla.

Taylee clenched his teeth, barely staying conscious.

He wanted to find out where Ayla was while he was still barely conscious.

“Uh… Kehuk… Keuk…”

Anyway, all of the ordeals were done. He thought it would be impossible to defeat them, but Taylee had managed to come all the way to where Ed Rothstaylor was waiting, defeating them all.

It was a tough road, but in the end, he arrived. That was the life of the protagonist.

Once everything was done, they would have time to talk. Why would Ed Rothstaylor go to such lengths to do that? He might be able to find out his true goals later on.

However, the most important thing was to find Ayla.

“Somehow… I need… To find… Ayla…”

The moment he stopped to rest, relying on the sword to hold up his two legs…

Boom.

The world turned upside down.

For a moment, Taylee couldn’t even figure out what had happened.

He felt nauseous from the rapid change in vision. His head hit the floor as he lost his breath. Only then did he realize he had been thrown back into the mud.

It was strange. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t breathe.

After finally catching his breath underneath the rain, he realized that someone had kneed him in the stomach.

“Oh my gosh! Medic! Call the medic, quickly!”

“I-I’ll go to the school to ask for one!”

Only then did he finally see it. A magnificent convoy that seemed to have just arrived.

The escorts entered the forest, parking their carriages at the entrance of the North Forest… And between them all, there was even the third princess of the Kroel Empire, Penia.

As her voice reverberated through the rain, Taylee’s eyes turned to the one holding him down.

In the mud, a girl had her knee placed by Taylee’s chin as she held him by his collar.

He couldn’t clearly see her face because of the shadow of her witch hat. However, he could clearly see her eyes, which glared at him in the darkness.

It went beyond goosebumps. A feeling of fear that made his entire body stiffen just by making eye contact.

She was just a petite girl that shouldn’t have been intimidating…

But Taylee couldn’t breathe.

Schwaaaa!

Thud.

Lucy Mayreel hated rainy days. That was because she didn’t have many good memories of them.

As she placed her knee on Taylee’s stomach, her eyes were wide open, glaring at him.

“You…”

The following words were drowned out by the sound of rain, unable to be heard.