An Extra's Rise in an Eroge-Chapter 237: Midterms

"Fuck it."

I muttered under my breath, hands shoved deep into my pockets as I walked down the quiet hallway toward my dorm.

My steps were slow, but not because I was tired. My mind was racing—spiraling.

The news about the midterms being moved up... it wasn’t just some small shift in scheduling. It was proof. Concrete proof that my interference was throwing the entire game-world off its original track.

And it wasn’t just one change.

’My actions have altered the future far more than I expected...’

I had known it might happen. Tampering with events, saving people who were meant to die, befriending characters who originally had no role at this stage... But this?

This was the kind of shit that set off chain reactions.

Butterfly effect.

A concept simple in theory—dangerous in application. A single flap of wings on one end of the world could cause a storm on the other. That’s what they said.

My involvement in the royal museum attack. The public duel with Alex. The Fenrir’s rescue, etc.

Each one of those things had weight.

And now, the timeline was spiraling away from the version I knew. The original plot was dissolving, morphing into something unstable.

The midterms, which were supposed to be months away, were now next month.

Why?

Because those old fucks in the towers and the knight orders noticed.

They saw first-year students standing shoulder to shoulder against rebels and void monsters, and they didn’t see "students." They saw assets. Resources to be pulled, recruited, branded.

Arthur Ludwig, Alex Stale, Nadia Mystic, Eveline and many more

Now they were all rising too fast—too early.

And the power players in this empire? They don’t like to be late to the party.

The Magic Towers—a bunch of robed egotists obsessed with research, arcane hierarchies, and bloodline compatibility.

The Royal Knights—military dogs chasing bloodline prestige, sword talent, and loyalty.

Both factions technically serve the Hestia Empire, but in truth? They’re constantly stepping on each other’s toes. The only reason a full-blown civil war hasn’t broken out is because the Emperor keeps them in check.

Barely.

So now, seeing talents bloom before schedule, they were scrambling to plant flags on our backs.

Midterms weren’t just exams anymore. They were now open hunting season.

I could already imagine it—"special invitations," "recommendation letters," "elite training programs." All lures. All traps.

But that wasn’t even the real problem.

The real problem... was the event tied to the midterms.

And just thinking about it already made my head hurt.

The midterms were split into two parts—Theoretical and Practical.

Simple enough on paper.

The theory part? Whatever. Books, formulas, mana constructs, artifact studies—shit I could cram if needed. As long as I didn’t sleep through the exam or pick a fight with a professor mid-test, I’d be fine.

But the Practical exam?

That was the real shitshow.

A full-blown field test, where students were thrown into designated monster zones—some illusion-based, some real—and forced to survive, fight, or accomplish missions under stress.

And when I say dangerous, I mean it.

People died in the original.

Some were torn apart by monsters. Some froze under pressure. Some were simply too unlucky.

Of course, the academy tried to control the chaos. They planned every route, monitored every zone, deployed emergency retrieval squads... but in the end, monsters are monsters. All it takes is one slip.

But worse than the monsters—were the moles.

Yes, monsters were supposed to be the threat.

But in the game, a twist dropped mid-exam: saboteurs. Infiltrators posing as staff, guards, even medics.

They let monsters loose outside the designated zones. They cut off safety enchantments. They blocked teleport recalls.

And their targets?

Noble heirs. Children of dukes, high-ranking families. Key future players.

The enemies weren’t just trying to disrupt the academy—they were trying to cripple the next generation of power holders.

Originally, I knew the attack came during the midterms. I knew where, when, and who the targets were.

But now?

Now the timeline was scrambled. The exam was preponed. The factions were alert. Students were growing faster than expected.

Which brought one question:

Did the infiltrators adjust their plan too?

Or were they still following the original timing?

If they moved with the exam, then everything would happen now, weeks earlier than expected.

Were the targets still the same? Was the death toll going to rise? Or were they shifting aim toward even bigger fish?

There were too many damn questions. And zero answers.

If—my old self from Earth—had been given clearer information about the moles, I could’ve stopped this with ease.

But the game was vague. Just shadowy mentions. No names. No faction tags. No breakdown of how the bastards got in.

Back then, it was fine. It was just plot. A scripted twist.

But now I was living it.

And I couldn’t even trust what the next day might look like.

I let out a sigh as I stepped out into the courtyard. A soft breeze brushed my face, warm, almost gentle.

What a contrast to what’s coming.

Still... overthinking wasn’t going to solve anything. The pieces are moving whether I like it or not.

All I can do now... is be ready.

By the time I reached my dorm, my body had finally realized just how drained I was.

Physically, mentally, spiritually.

Too much thinking. Too much fucking. Too many portals.

So, the moment my head hit the pillow, I didn’t even bother undressing or covering up properly. I just collapsed face-first into the soft sheets and let the world blur into black.

And then—just as I was starting to enjoy the sweet oblivion of sleep...

Peck.

Peck. Peck!

Something sharp hit my cheek.

Then again. Then again. Faster. Harder.

"Ggh—OW! The fuck—?!"

I jolted up, eyes fluttering open only to see two very familiar little flying menaces hovering above my face.

One crackling faint sparks of lightning across its feathers.

The other trailing a faint embered glow with a simmering heat on its wings.

"Zephyra. Ignis."

The thunderbird and the phoenix.

My beast companions.

Both looked about this close to divebombing me into a coma. frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

"...Shit."

Right.

I’d left them with Lily before the royal palace. Told them I’d be back in two days but from there I returned to Ludwig duchy.

It’s been more than a week.

No calls. No summons. No snacks.

No wonder they were pissed.

Zephyra chirped sharply and zapped a tiny bolt right at my pillow.

Ignis responded by puffing a gust of hot air straight into my face.

"Alright, alright! Easy! Damn it, I get it—you’re mad!"

I sat up, hands raised in surrender while both birds circled above my head, still giving me the silent treatment... punctuated by the occasional hard peck to my scalp.

"Ow! Zephyra, that was my forehead, not a worm! And Ignis—stop heating my damn blanket like you’re trying to roast me alive!"

They didn’t listen.

They never do when they’re mad.

"Okay, okay! I admit it—I messed up, alright? I should’ve checked in. I should’ve summoned you at least once! But things got... hectic."

Still nothing.

Just more pecking. More zapping. More singeing.

"I was fighting rebels, saving kingdoms, getting pounced by women with authority issues—you know how it is!"

Zephyra crackled louder.

Ignis let out a high-pitched screech.

"Okay, clearly you don’t care about my excuses."

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck.

"...Fine. I know how to win you little shits back."

I walked over to my drawer and opened the reinforced lockbox. Inside, among some spare gems and rare drops, sat two small pouches.

One pulsed with faint reddish warmth—Fire Elemental Stones.

The other sparked gently with streaks of violet and gold—Thunder Elemental Stones.

I turned and held them up.

Zephyra froze mid-air. Ignis tilted his head.

"See these?" I shook the pouches. Chink. Chink. "Grade-B stones. Fresh. Untouched."

They hovered in front of me, suspicious but visibly tempted.

I knelt down and held them both open.

"Peace offering. Accept my apology, and you get the loot."

Zephyra darted in first, grabbed a thunderstone with her tiny talons, and perched on the backrest of my chair, chirping smugly.

Ignis followed with a little squawk, snatched a firestone, and landed on the window sill, glowing contentedly.

And just like that—no more pecking. No more lightning. No more threats of arson.

I exhaled.

"Bribery works every time."

While the birds were busy tearing into their mana stones like starving hyenas, I took the opportunity to slip into the bathroom and clean myself up.

A long, cold rinse did wonders to clear my head.

When I stepped back into the room, towel around my neck, the sight that greeted me was... surprisingly wholesome.

Alicia was sitting cross-legged on my bed, smiling softly as she held out a firestone between two fingers, letting Ignis circle around and snatch it with a happy chirp.

Zephyra, ever the jealous one, fluttered onto her shoulder and gently zapped the sleeve of her uniform. Alicia just laughed.

"Didn’t take long for you two to forgive him, huh?" she said.

I leaned against the doorframe, watching her for a second.

"I see you’ve bribed them better than I did."

She glanced up at me. "They were angry, but not that angry. They just missed you."

"Tch. They’ve got a funny way of showing affection."

"Like someone else I know," she teased, eyes narrowing slightly.

I smirked. "Flirting this early, Alicia? Be careful. My birds aren’t the only ones with bad habits."

She blushed faintly but turned away with a scoff, stroking Zephyra’s feathers like I wasn’t even worth a comeback.

I liked that.

But unfortunately, I didn’t have the luxury of lounging around. Not today.

Follow current novels on (f)reew𝒆bnovel