The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 236

I was expecting things not to go as planned.

That was why, even when Velbrok suddenly began descending and plunged the entire island into chaos, I was still able to move quickly and make rational judgments.

The fact that the flow of’s storyline was constantly twisting away from what I knew… I had already gotten used to it.

I had always managed to overcome it.

When Yennekar Palerover was taken over by Velosper a month early. When Lortel Kehelland was nearly ruined by Elte Kehelland. When Lucy Mayreel didn’t fall into darkness and despair, and Saint Clarice didn’t fall into distrust as planned. Even when Krepin unexpectedly summoned Mebula during the gathering at the Rothstaylor Estate…

Each time, I somehow survived by making the optimal decisions for the situation.

However, the reason I had been able to deal with every sudden crisis… was because the enemy itself hadn’t changed.

Because I knew what target needed to be defeated and how to do it, I could make proper preparations in advance.

But the enemy before me, visible through the storage room window… transcended such rules.

The Great Sage Silvenia Robester.

Said to be the greatest genius in all of human history, she had left behind countless research papers on magic and an extraordinary list of achievements. She was the founder of Silvenia Academy and a master of Celestial Magic.

And… a person from the distant past.

She was someone who should not have existed in the present.

According to’s storyline, she was a magician who had lived in an era when magic was still underdeveloped.

And… she was also the one who had maintained Velbrok’s seal deep beneath the sea below Acken Island.

I checked the message written with a quill once more. Though it had clearly been written in haste, it was unmistakably addressed to me and no one else.

Silvenia Robester was aware of my existence.

Not only that… it was Silvenia Robester herself who had summoned me to this world.

Why would she go out of her way to leave a message on the Sage’s Seal?

If she had summoned me herself, shouldn’t she have appeared before me and given an explanation directly?

“Could… she not find me…?”

Several possibilities came to mind.

“Or… did something major happen to her… for example…”

I looked out at Silvenia through the storage room window.

She wore a glamorous robe, her hair loose, standing in a hallway lined with shattered windows.

Outside, the scene resembled the end of the world—Velbrok rampaging while Lucy bombarded it with advanced magic.

Against that backdrop, Silvenia let out a bizarre laugh.

At a glance, it was obvious that she was completely different from the image of the Great Sage Silvenia passed down through history.

As she laughed in a state of madness, Deputy Headmistress Rachel—who had been thrown against the wall—looked up at her with wide eyes.

At that moment, the identity of the girl who had suddenly invaded Trix Hall and subdued the administration and senior professors was beginning to surface.

It wasn’t easy to recognize her at first glance.

She looked nothing like the historical depictions, and given that she came from the distant past, it would have been unreasonable to expect immediate recognition.

“You are…”

As her consciousness faded, Rachel tried to speak—but Silvenia’s expression suddenly darkened.

She had been laughing hysterically only moments ago, yet now her face was eerily devoid of emotion.

“You’ve struggled enough.”

She spoke without a smile, and the abrupt shift made Rachel’s skin crawl.

“You can rest now.”

Silvenia cast the intermediate ice spellIce Spear, sending two spears straight through Rachel’s heart.

With that, the last person who held authority over all final decisions within Silvenia Academy died.

Silence filled the hallway.

Only Velbrok’s distant roars, the sounds of battle throughout the campus, and the monsters pouring from magic circles could be heard.

In the middle of the hallway, Silvenia burst into mad laughter. When it finally subsided, her solemn expression returned.

She slowly scanned her surroundings, as though considering whether Trix Hall had been fully cleared.

All the students hiding in the storage room held their breath.

One student crouched beneath a shelf, dust clinging to their body, their mouth tightly covered to stifle their screams.

Even Taylee, leaning against the wall and pressing on his wound, endured the pain in silence. Ayla stayed close to him, repeatedly swallowing her dry saliva.

Other students from the combat and alchemy departments were also hiding, watching Silvenia through the storage room window.

Silvenia… began walking slowly down the hallway.

She glanced out a window before abruptly turning her head toward the storage room door.

Thanks to Rachel’s last-minute camouflage magic, the door appeared to be nothing more than a solid wall.

However… Silvenia Robester was someone who had reached heights in magic unmatched in all of history.

Lowering her head, she twisted her body grotesquely as she approached the door.

Staggering closer, she pressed her forehead against the glass window.

As the cold surface touched her skin, the corners of her lips curled upward.

Her eerie gaze, visible through her disheveled bangs and bulging veins, sent chills down my spine.

She had become the Great Sage of Madness, an embodiment of death itself.

Smiling at the wall, she spoke.

“What do we have here?”

“Everyone, get down!!!”

Boom!!

Before Silvenia could act, I raised my hand and gathered my magic, casting the intermediate spellPoint Explosionat the entrance.

The other students were within range since I had to cast it at close proximity, but there was no time to hesitate. If I did nothing, we would all die.

“Kyaaaaak!!”

Ayla screamed, covering her head, while Taylee gripped her shoulders tightly.

The other students braced themselves, preparing to be caught in the blast.

Yet… there was no explosion.

Whoosh!

The spell was instantly devoured by Celestial Magic, vanishing as though swallowed by a black hole.

Advanced Celestial Magic—Extinction.

A spell that erased the very existence of anything containing magic.

Celestial Magic did not physically exist, could not be intercepted, and had no means of neutralization.

According to the laws of the world, the area should have been engulfed in heat and devastation—but Silvenia’s magic completely eliminated my attack.

Still, the impact shattered the entrance, creating an opening for her to enter—though she could have destroyed it herself regardless.

“There you are.”

The students in the room recoiled, swallowing their breath.

“You little rats… running off and hiding from me. Just in case… I suppose I should remove these ‘variables’ as well.”

The magic radiating from Silvenia was overwhelming.

Her lips curled upward as though she were savoring some twisted ecstasy.

Before she could act, I gathered my magic again and castPoint Explosion—this time toward the inner wall on the opposite side.

Boom!!!

The wall collapsed, opening a massive hole leading outside. Wind rushed in, flapping my collar.

“Everyone, jump!”

I shouted, grabbing Taylee by the collar. He grimaced in pain, but I threw him through the opening regardless.

We were four stories up. Serious injury would have been expected, but I cast wind magic, allowing him to land safely.

The other students screamed as they followed.

Fear made them hesitate—jumping from the fourth floor was no simple task—but Silvenia approaching them was far worse.

I cast wind magic on each of them as they jumped. They landed roughly, but none suffered fatal injuries.

“……”

Silvenia, of course, did not stand idle.

With a single sweep of her arm, a wave of magic filled the storage room.

Protecting Ayla, who had yet to escape, I leapt through the hole.

Boom!!!

A massive explosion consumed the storage room behind us.

It took Silvenia less than a second to cast.

It was absurd—such power, unleashed in an instant.

The entire fourth floor of Trix Hall was obliterated. Debris rained down onto the front courtyard.

Crash! Crash!

“Kyaaaaaaak!”

Several students were struck, suffering severe injuries, though most managed to dodge or defend themselves.

Everyone fled from Trix Hall, looking up in terror.

Trix Hall was in ruins.

Debris floated in the air, suspended by Silvenia’s magic.

Countless magic circles filled the sky—most belonging to Velbrok, continuously releasing monsters.

Standing atop what had once been the fourth floor, now a rooftop, Silvenia gazed down upon the world as battle and explosions echoed across the academy.

***

“Kyaaak!”

“Save me…! I don’t want to die! Please, I don’t want to die…!”

“Run! Everyone, run! You’ll die if you stay here!”

The students who escaped the storage room fled down the hill. Some sprinted; others limped, wounded but desperate.

Even injured, running was the only option. Encountering a monster would mean death.

Their best chance would have been to flee together, but chaos ruled.

They scattered in every direction.

“K-Keuk…! Th-That…!”

Taylee stood, clutching his wound, staring up at Trix Hall.

Anyone with sense could tell.

That was not an opponent to fight—it was something to flee from.

Yet Taylee McLaure drew his sword. Injured, trembling, he still prepared to face her.

That was who he was. No matter the trial, he always charged forward.

But there was a line between courage and foolishness.

I might not have the right to stop someone from choosing such a death—but I at least had to save Taylee.

I gathered magic from my entire body and manifested Merilda. Summoning a high-ranking spirit strained me heavily, but there was no time to worry about that.

Whoooooosh…!

Yet despite pouring magic into it, Merilda resisted.

I frowned, looking at her incomplete form.

She wasn’t a wolf. She stood in her usual human shape, neat white hair flowing as she stared at Trix Hall.

“Hey, Merilda!”

I rushed to her, grabbed her shoulder, and forced her gaze to meet mine.

“Get a hold of yourself! We’ll die if you hesitate even for a moment!”

[U-Uhm… B-But… that’s…]

I knew Silvenia had once been her closest friend. Merilda, who had lived for ages and observed the world carefree, couldn’t help but panic.

But there was no time.

“Look at her, Merilda. Does she look sane to you?”

I tightened my grip, breathing deeply as I tried to stay calm.

Students fled in disarray. If they continued like this, they would be slaughtered by monsters. Those who tried to fight Silvenia stood no chance either.

[I want to talk to her.]

Merilda spoke quietly, her tone calmer.

[I need to know what happened to her…]

It made no sense.

Even if they had once been close, Silvenia didn’t appear to recognize Merilda at all.

There was no way she wouldn’t sense Merilda’s magic if she were still herself.

An ominous feeling settled in my chest.

“If you act recklessly, she’ll kill you instantly. She has that power.”

Regardless of recognition, Silvenia would react to any sudden movement.

Merilda met my gaze, closed her eyes, and nodded.

I understood how she felt—but this was an emergency.

Silvenia gently raised her massive staff.

A torrent of magic surged skyward, covering all of Acken Island. I had no idea what she intended to do. There was no precedent, no information to rely on.

The only certainty was that we couldn’t stay still.

“Run.”

My arm was scraped, my wrist stained with blood, but I could still move.

Taylee stared at me, eyes wide.

“What did you say…?”

“I’ll find a way to buy time against that thing. You go to the education district and figure out how to destroy that dragon in the sky. Gather your allies and make a plan.”

“But… that magician… how are you going to—? Do you have a plan?”

“I don’t.”

She wasn’t an enemy anyone could defeat alone.

Even with every force on Acken Island, victory was uncertain.

But Taylee could defeat Velbrok.

And the fortunate thing was… Velbrok hadn’t fully broken free yet.

I didn’t know why it was still partially sealed while Silvenia ran rampant—but that delay was our chance.

Taylee had learned the sword technique needed to cut through Velbrok’s heart. By my calculations, he had the necessary specs.

While Velbrok was partially sealed, it was possible.

Meanwhile, I had to face Silvenia.

I had no idea how.

From this point on, everything recorded inended with Velbrok’s subjugation.

Everything beyond that was unknown—including why the Great Sage had returned.

And that was only natural.

Life was full of the unknown.

Until now, knowing the future had allowed me to survive—but that wasn’t how life truly worked.

No matter how high the wall, you had to break through it yourself.

That was life.

“Gather as many party members as you can and subjugate Velbrok.”

“Ed Rothstaylor…”

Taylee lowered his sword, staring at me.

“No. That’s not something you can handle alone. We may not get along, but this isn’t right.”

“Stop talking and go. We don’t have time to argue.”

Of course, Taylee wasn’t going to run.

So… I turned to Ayla instead.

She understood immediately.

When I glared at her, she shut her eyes tightly, grabbed Taylee’s arm, and pulled him away.

“Taylee! You have to go!”

“A-Ayla…!”

“Hurry! Defeating Velbrok… you’re the only one who can do it!”

“But how can I leave him with that monster?! Rival or not, I can’t leave him to die!”

“You’re not leaving him to die!”

Ayla yanked him forward.

“Ed is doing his best to survive too! You need to trust that!”

“What…?”

“Stop hesitating and go! There’s no time!”

As Ayla dragged Taylee away, he glanced back at me.

I understood his hesitation—but he had to go.

Magic surged through my body.

Activating various magic tools, I waved my hand, forcing them away.

“……”

Taylee clenched his teeth and ran.

Ayla nodded to me before chasing after him toward the education district.

At least with her there, he wouldn’t lose his way.

That alone gave me some comfort.

I pressed my palms to my face, inhaled deeply, swept my bangs back, and looked up at Trix Hall.

Silvenia stood alone, unfazed by the fleeing crowd.

She lowered her staff, gathering immense magic.

My chances of winning were nonexistent.

Still, I stood my ground.

Because I had to fight.

And that was reason enough.