Help! I'm just an extra yet the Heroines and Villainesses want me!-Chapter 95: Unexpected Request

Kai woke at five-thirty the next morning, got dressed, and made his way to the training grounds while the sky was still dark.

He arrived to find Seraphina already there, stretching and looking far too energetic for this hour.

"Morning!" she said cheerfully. "Ready to fix our mess?"

"It was your mess. I was just fefending my self."

"Details." She gestured at the scorched and cratered practice area. "So, earth manipulation or manual labor?"

Kai walked to the edge of the damaged zone and knelt down, placing his hand on the ground. He channeled earth essence carefully, feeling the disrupted soil and stone beneath the surface.

"Earth manipulation will take about an hour if we work together. Manual labor would take all day."

"Earth manipulation it is." Seraphina moved to the opposite side of the damaged area and also knelt down. "I’m not great with earth essence, but I can manage basic reshaping."

They worked in coordinated silence, channeling essence into the ground to smooth out craters, compress loosened soil, and repair scorched sections. It was tedious, precise work that required more control than power.

After about forty-five minutes, Master Henrik appeared, carrying two cups of what smelled like strong tea. He surveyed their progress with an approving nod.

"Good. You’re taking this seriously." He handed them each a cup. "Take a short break. I want to discuss something with both of you."

Kai and Seraphina accepted the tea gratefully and sat on a nearby bench. Henrik remained standing, his expression thoughtful.

"Your sparring session yesterday was excessive and dangerous," he began. "But it also demonstrated combat capabilities significantly above your supposed skill levels." He looked at Kai specifically. "Particularly you, Mr. Wraith. A first-year who skips most classes shouldn’t be able to defend against Seraphina’s advanced techniques."

"She is known for being a very aggressive fighter you know."

Kai sipped his tea and said nothing.

"I’m not asking you to explain yourself," Henrik continued. "Every student has their reasons for hiding their abilities. But I have a proposition that might interest both of you."

Seraphina leaned forward. "What kind of proposition?"

"In three days, we’re sending a group of senior students—third and fourth years—on a supervised dungeon excursion. It’s a training exercise designed to prepare them for post-graduation mercenary work or military deployment." Henrik paused. "The expedition was supposed to be led by Instructor Varen and myself, but Varen has been called away on urgent academy business. We need additional supervision."

"You want us to help supervise?" Kai asked.

"Not supervise exactly. You would be participants with additional responsibilities. The senior students need exposure to working with skilled partners in such dangerous environments. You two would provide that experience while also ensuring safety protocols are maintained."

Seraphina’s eyes lit up. "A real dungeon excursion? Not just the training dungeons under the academy?"

"Correct. This is a genuine expedition to the Thornvale Ruins, about two days’ travel from here. The dungeon has multiple levels, ranging from relatively safe upper floors to significantly more dangerous lower levels. We’ll be gone for approximately one week total and two days travel to each direction, three days exploring the dungeon."

"And you want both of us to go?" Kai asked, already seeing problems with this plan.

"Yes. Seraphina because her combat abilities and leadership skills will be valuable. You, Mr. Wraith, because despite your preference for anonymity, you’ve demonstrated strategic thinking and combat competence that would benefit the expedition." Henrik smiled slightly. "Also because I’m curious to see what you can actually do in real combat situations rather than practice sparring."

"Maybe this might be a chance to redeem yourself and you might be promoted to your actual class."

Kai considered this. A week-long dungeon expedition meant a week away from the academy. But William wouldn’t return until Thursday anyway, and the expedition didn’t leave until then.

"What level are these senior students?" Seraphina asked.

"Mix of skill levels. We have eight third-years and four fourth-years participating. Most are B to C-rank in combat assessment. A few are approaching A-rank." Henrik looked at them seriously. "The Ruins are well-mapped and generally considered a safe training dungeon, but there’s always risk. You would be compensated appropriately with academy credit plus a share of any valuable materials recovered from the dungeon."

"I’m in," Seraphina said immediately. "This sounds amazing."

Henrik looked at Kai. "Mr. Wraith?"

Kai thought about it. A week in a dungeon with students who didn’t know him well it wasn’t much of a bad idea and there would be opportunities to further refine combat skills in such environment. Plus the compensation that might be useful and worth it.

And honestly, sitting in an empty dorm room waiting for William to return sounded significantly more boring than a dungeon expedition.

"Fine. I’ll go."

"Excellent." Henrik looked satisfied. "Finish repairing the training ground, then meet me at my office this afternoon. I’ll brief you both on the expedition details then you would be introduced to the team leaders, and provide equipment lists. We will depart on Thursday morning at dawn."

He left them to finish their work. Seraphina immediately started talking excitedly about the expedition while Kai focused on smoothing out the remaining damaged sections of ground.

"I’ve never been on a real dungeon expedition! Just the training ones under the academy where everything’s monitored and safe." She channeled earth essence into a particularly stubborn crater. "The Ruins are supposed to have interesting essence crystals and sometimes rare monster materials. Plus actual combat experience against real threats can help us improve significantly!"

After saying this she immediately remember the last trip she had with William and how many times they almost died which made her pause.

"Well... Improve better at least."

"You realize this is still a training exercise," Kai said. "Henrik will keep us on the safer floors."

"Maybe. But it’s still more exciting than practice sparring." She grinned at him. "And now we get to see what you can really do. You won’t be holding back when there are monsters trying to kill you."

"It’s quite easier than you think" Kai said with an uninterested expression as he turned back to what he was doing