The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 219

Throughout Daike’s fight, the audience held their breath.From the very start, the duel had been entirely dominated by Ed Rothstaylor. Watching Daike Elpelan’s desperate appearance as he somehow continued to hang on was a rather sad sight.

After the two of them exchanged a short conversation in the middle of the arena, for some reason, it seemed as though Daike’s movements had grown lighter.

Raising his guard as he weaved his body to and fro, he rushed toward Ed. However, his advances were repeatedly blocked by magic or elemental techniques, creating a monotonous cycle. Each time it happened, the number of wounds on Daike’s body increased. Daike himself didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

Students and members of the imperial guard who were born with an innate sense of combat could easily perceive Daike’s years of effort through his movements.

Ed effortlessly used magic to dodge or block every one of Daike’s powerful attacks.

But that was all.

No matter how much power Daike poured into his strikes, it meant nothing if he couldn’t land a hit.

By repeatedly ducking and feinting, he miraculously managed to land a single blow against Ed’s side. However, it was little more than a fluke—he was only able to land that hit once.

As soon as Ed realized that Daike was attacking not only with speed but also with evasive movements and feints, Ed’s own movements became noticeably more cautious.

Even when a perfect opportunity for a counterattack presented itself, he did not commit easily. He carefully read every one of his opponent’s movements, striking only when he was certain that Daike would be unable to respond.

Daike continued to fall to the ground, his body accumulating more and more wounds. However, he clenched his teeth and rushed toward Ed once again.

However—

“Princess Selah.”

Princess Selah’s butler, Dest, quietly whispered into her ear.

“There’s nothing more to see. It appears that the eldest son of House Elpelan will be defeated.”

It was a signal for her to prepare for what was to come.

House Elpelan had long given their full support to Princess Selah. Satisfied with and grateful for their loyalty, Princess Selah shared a special relationship with them—so much so that she had used her influence to greatly contribute to the revival and prosperity of House Elpelan. As such, if a member of their house were to claim victory in the duel, it would bring great benefit to Princess Selah.

Selah knew that Ed Rothstaylor was a formidable individual. She had been present at the Rothstaylor estate during the catastrophe.

She had personally witnessed Ed Rothstaylor summon a fragment of an ultimate spirit with her own eyes, leaving her no choice but to acknowledge that he was no easy opponent.

However, she also knew that there was no way he would manifest an ultimate spirit in such a small and crowded venue.

She believed that Ed Rothstaylor’s strongest asset in the duel would be the wind wolf. That assumption stemmed from the image she held of him as merely a powerful elementalist when compared to others of his age.

After reaching that conclusion regarding Ed’s strength, the head of House Elpelan had confidently declared to Princess Selah that they would win.

Eshtel Elpelan had proclaimed that Daike Elpelan was capable of destroying Ed, and Princess Selah had nodded in satisfaction upon hearing those words.

Yet the situation had unfolded very differently.

Using advanced magic from the very start of the fight and even dodging Daike’s attacks in close combat…

Ed Rothstaylor’s fighting style resembled that of an all-rounder with deep knowledge across multiple disciplines rather than that of a typical magician. Contrary to her expectations, his combat style was refined and optimized for battle.

That ultimate spirit I saw back then… was it merely one of his many hidden cards…?

Princess Selah frowned as she watched the duel. The conclusion seemed all but decided. At this point, Daike was merely continuing his struggle.

Ed Rothstaylor outperformed Daike Elpelan in nearly every aspect. Not only Princess Selah, but the majority of spectators gathered in the arena were forced to admit that fact.

“That student, Daike—he’s an excellent warrior. In terms of mental strength and willpower, he truly deserves to be an inspiration to all warriors. He must have endured years of grueling training. However…”

Daike pushed himself closer to Ed and extended his fist, only to be sent flying once again by Storm’s Blessing as soon as its cooldown ended.

“It’s unfortunate that he was born with such a disgracefully low level of innate combat sense. Those who train their bodies and minds in an attempt to polish themselves endlessly… there will always be an inherent limit to their growth.”

Hearing Dest’s words, Princess Selah frowned.

Her butler had once worked in combat himself. As such, he could easily discern Daike’s innate limitations through his movements.

“Daike likely understood better than anyone else that he has already reached the highest level achievable through sheer effort.”

Dest closed his eyes as he spoke.

“Beyond this point lies a dead end. I know… from experience. If this were a duel against someone younger, he might have walked away victorious through effort and willpower alone. But against someone aiming for the very summit… that is simply not enough.”

As if sympathizing with Daike, Dest whispered his final words.

***

A wall.

Standing before Daike, who continued to raise his guard, was a massive, magnificent wall—one so vast and unyielding that it could neither be broken nor bypassed.

Even if they clenched their fists in the same manner, the fist of a dud was fundamentally different from that of a genius.

From the subtlest bodily movements, the innate ability to sense an opponent’s timing, the capacity to instantly twist and shift one’s center of power, and the agility to use inertia and gravity as propulsion rather than constraint—

The realm of practice and the realm of innate talent were entirely separate.

That innate sense with which Clevius, Ziggs, Taylee, and Velos were born… Daike had never possessed it from the beginning.

Mastery of technique could be achieved through training.

If you learned how to kick later than others, you might need to practice twice as long to catch up.

In reality, it was closer to five times as long—sometimes even ten or twenty. Through sheer willpower and effort, such gaps could be overcome through training alone.

However, once the limits of effort were reached, there would inevitably be a wall that could not be surpassed through determination alone.

A turtle might defeat a rabbit who naps by the roadside by clenching its teeth and trudging straight ahead. Yet after surpassing those lazy geniuses and reaching the end of the road, what awaited was a towering rock—one far too high to climb unless you were a rabbit.

And the whisper that reached the turtle’s ear was this:To proceed further, you must jump.

Bang!!

Daike, who forced himself upright once more, was slowly losing consciousness. Even so, he clenched his teeth tighter as he stood, raising his guard.

He took another deep breath.

Inhale…

Exhale…

As he showed no sign of surrender, the school staff slowly began to move, preparing to intervene and end the duel.

The audience had already witnessed the full extent of what Silvenia’s top students were capable of.

The duel had long since reached a point where continuing served no purpose.

As the prolonged battle dragged on, Daike’s close-combat patterns had become completely ineffective.

His fists still carried tremendous power, but he lacked the sensory sharpness needed to deliver unexpected blows. Even if he managed to close the distance, there was no way to catch Ed off guard.

Fa Jin, a technique that activated without warning, consumed an enormous amount of magic power. For Daike, who lacked strong magical resonance, it was a skill he could only use a handful of times. Rock Skin, which mitigated physical damage to some degree, was equally useless against repeated, overwhelming magical assaults.

In every conceivable aspect, there was no remaining path to defeat Ed Rothstaylor.

That blond-haired nobleman was strong—monstrously so.

Yet Daike laughed.

“It’s my loss, Ed Rothstaylor.”

The sudden declaration of defeat shocked not only the audience but even the faculty members.

Daike Elpelan had never once thrown in the towel, despite suffering countless hopeless defeats in the past.

And yet, despite declaring his defeat on his own—

He still did not lower his guard.

“……”

“From the beginning, I had a feeling I would lose. This isn’t the first time my pride has led me to defeat… this useless, stubborn pride of mine. But kneeling in forfeit before those bastards who haven’t trained even a tenth as much as I have? That was too frustrating to even consider.”

“Didn’t you say you were used to losing? I didn’t expect you to be so emotional.”

“Yeah. To others, I probably seem mature—never debasing myself in a duel. But that’s just because I don’t want to show such an embarrassing side of myself. It would hurt my self-esteem.”

Daike understood. Defeat was humiliating.

What was far more dangerous was becoming accustomed to defeat—losing the sense of shame and simply accepting it.

No matter how many times he collapsed, bloodied on the ground, he could never allow himself to lose that yearning to improve and move upward.

That was what Daike treasured until the very end. Even as his pride was worn down, he clung to it tightly, engraving that stinging resentment into his heart. That was how Daike Elpelan lived.

“But for some reason… I’m not angry today.”

“…What?”

“It’s probably because I’m facing a guy like you.”

A torn, loosened bandage clung weakly to Ed’s arm.

Beneath it, his wounds and finely honed muscles were visible—the result of enduring hardship again and again, walking the razor’s edge of death countless times.

It wasn’t difficult for Daike to imagine the thorny path Ed must have walked. He spoke in a tone of relief.

“Have you reached the end of your road yet?”

Daike felt it. His own path was blocked.

He could no longer move forward, a towering wall standing firmly in his way. Attempting to go around it would be equally futile.

Hearing Daike ask the question with a hearty laugh, Ed paused briefly before answering.

“Not yet.”

“I see… I’m jealous.”

After his casual response, Daike prepared for the final exchange.

Though he knew he would lose, he still wanted to attempt one last attack. It was a gut instinct.

Even with his unwavering determination, all the strength remaining in his body had reached its limit. His willpower could no longer be matched by his physical condition.

He intended to gather every remaining ounce of strength into a single final blow. If it succeeded, he would win. If not, defeat awaited.

And it would not succeed.

Knowing this, Daike had already declared his loss.

Yet a declaration was merely words. As long as he had even a fragment of strength left, he would continue to raise his fists. That was the only way he knew how to live. Ed understood this well and never lowered his guard.

Because when one has lived their entire life that way, it is impossible to change.

Inhale…

Exhale…

Daike drew a deep breath and raised his fists.

Fwoosh!

Boooooooooooooooooom!

Ed manipulated wind magic to alter his movement trajectory, effortlessly evading Daike’s punch.

He ducked low and cast Point Explosion directly into Daike’s chest.

Daike, already grievously injured, failed to raise his guard. He merely braced himself, having completely exhausted his magic reserves.

The attack struck his body directly, completely unblocked and undefended.

Boooooom!

Crash!

As the rising dust cloud dispersed with the wind, only Daike remained—kneeling, head bowed.

He was unconscious, yet his expression was peaceful.

***

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Cheers erupted for the victor.

Admiration poured toward Ed Rothstaylor, who stood tall at the center of the arena.

The audience hurled flowers into the air, painting the sky with color. One by one, they fell, carpeting the arena floor.

Ed bowed his head toward Daike, who remained kneeling with his head lowered.

The school staff entered, placing Daike onto a stretcher and carrying him away. Afterward, Ed turned and bowed toward the audience.

Cheers surged once more. Following a prolonged, thunderous applause, Ed Rothstaylor raised a finger, signaling for silence.

As if they had anticipated it, the audience fell quiet. It was time for him to speak and offer words befitting his victory.

Princess Selah narrowed her eyes, biting her lip.

Had Daike won, he would have dedicated his victory to Princess Selah.

He would have smiled proudly, thanking her on stage for helping his house escape crisis.

All the glory of the duel would have belonged to Princess Selah.

Such words of gratitude would have further elevated her prestige, especially under the watchful eyes of nobles from across the empire—and Emperor Kroel himself.

But her plans had unraveled. She had assessed Ed Rothstaylor’s strength as carefully as possible, yet he was far stronger than she had anticipated. His growth exceeded every expectation.

Since he openly supported Princess Penia, it was only natural to assume he would use this victory to raise Penia’s name.

Selah shut her eyes tightly, preparing to sigh—

“My victory today is thanks to the great Princess Selah, who calmly adapts to any situation and always views the world objectively, even in the midst of the tragedy that occurred at the Rothstaylor mansion.”

Those were words she never expected to hear.

“It was a great honor for me that Princess Selah personally attended my duel. I admit, there were moments when she looked upon me with suspicion and hostility. However, as a fair and impartial monarch, such caution was only natural. After all, the former head of House Rothstaylor committed a grave crime.”

The entire audience held their breath, listening intently to Ed Rothstaylor’s speech.

“And I know this as well. It was thanks to Princess Selah—steadfast in her morals and confident in her actions—who stood at the forefront of the Rothstaylor mansion during that incident. Because of her decisive actions that day, I am able to stand here now. That is why I wish to express my deepest gratitude to Princess Selah for correcting the misguided path of House Rothstaylor. Through her rebuke and guidance, she led us toward a righteous future. Therefore, today’s glory belongs entirely to Princess Selah!”

Amid the falling flowers, Ed Rothstaylor delivered his praise.

The crowd erupted, chanting Selah’s name. It truly felt as though she had become the protagonist of the arena.

Emperor Kroel patted Selah on the back with a satisfied smile, clearly proud. It was a speech worthy of admiration.

What…?

Princess Selah was the only one who failed to understand what was happening.

There was no reason for Ed Rothstaylor to defend or praise her.

And yet, with a sincere expression, he was placing all the honor of the duel at her feet.

What… is going on…?

Surrounded by cheers calling her name, Princess Selah alone stood frozen.

Her intuition screamed at her.

That man is plotting something.

However, his intentions remained hidden.

It was as though a dense fog obscured them entirely.