I'm an Extra, so What?-Chapter 81: Ranger Selection Trial (2)

[Windrunner]

[Predator's Pace]

[Spirit of the Wilds]

Three students surged forward, each skill enhancing their speed to an incredible degree.

One of them, moving like a blur, sprinted up a few steps of a nearby tree, using the height to his advantage as he drew his bow taut and aimed downward with a deadly glint in his eye.

Another crouched low to the ground, adopting a predatory stance.

With a sudden burst of explosive force, he lunged forward, twin daggers flashing in his hands like the fangs of some wild beast.

The third—a woman—seemed to almost merge with her surroundings.

She breathed deeply, her senses sharpened by the wild spirits she channeled, feeling the heartbeat of every living thing around her as she slipped into an uncanny state of heightened awareness.

Watching their coordinated charge, Luka let out a long, tired sigh.

'Are we serious right now?'

He didn't move in panic.

Instead, he calmly weighed his options.

'Better not waste too much stamina,' he thought. 'The real threats will come later.'

The moment the man loosed his arrow from above—

Luka's eyes caught the glint of it slicing through the air.

Without a second thought, he pivoted gracefully; the arrow thudding harmlessly into the ground where he had been standing a moment earlier.

At the same time, the other man with the daggers came darting out from below.

Luka, with a swift, fluid motion, grabbed the fallen arrow and rose with sudden violence, driving the shaft into the attacker's shoulder.

The man let out a strangled cry, his body seizing as the poison from the arrow tip sank deep into his bloodstream.

In seconds, paralysis spread like wildfire, and he collapsed heavily onto the ground, foam already bubbling at the corners of his mouth.

Without slowing—

Luka moved forward a step and delivered a powerful kick to the descending man.

He hadn't even fully recovered from his shot, and the force of the blow sent him hurtling backwards—right into the woman who had been too absorbed in her heightened senses to notice.

The two crashed together awkwardly, toppling over in a heap as their momentum broke in a tangle of limbs and startled gasps.

'Inexperienced…' Luka thought to himself, easily picking up on their clumsy movements, sloppy attack patterns, and laughable mistakes.

It was obvious—

They had never fought in a real battle before.

Luka stood there for a moment, casually brushing invisible dust from his sleeves, a lazy smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"You…" a voice called out shakily.

Luka's gaze shifted forward, spotting the last member of the group still standing—a woman who appeared to be their leader.

Her face was pale, her hands twitching slightly as she reached behind her back and swiftly pulled out a crossbow.

She hadn't expected her entire group to be crushed so quickly.

A surge of panic showed in her trembling hands as she hastily tried to load an arrow, even activating [Fast Hands] in desperation to speed up the process.

Luka merely watched, almost bored, as she struggled with the mechanism, her fingers fumbling despite the skill's boost.

"This is too embarrassing," Luka muttered under his breath, shaking his head slightly as he began walking toward her.

Her eyes darted up and down in frantic motions, panic growing more visible by the second.

She bit her lip hard, forcing herself to work faster—only for the arrow to slip from her grasp and clatter to the ground.

"Damn it!" she cried out, crouching down to retrieve it.

By the time she straightened up, she found herself face-to-face.

Luka stood there, an easy smile playing on his lips, so close she could see the calm amusement in his eyes.

Before she could react—

"…" Luka plucked the crossbow right from her hands, loaded the arrow with one smooth, practiced motion, and pointed the weapon squarely at her forehead.

"Give up?" he asked nonchalantly.

The woman's legs gave out.

She fell to her knees with a wet sound, tears streaming down her cheeks as she lost control of herself.

"I surrender..." she whispered brokenly.

The remaining ones, those still conscious enough to move, slowly pushed themselves up from the ground.

However, any spirit they once had was long gone.

Beaten, broken, and humiliated, they all put up their hands.

"We also surrender," they said in unison.

On the outside…

The entire stadium erupted into thunderous cheers, the sound shaking the very stands, as most of the screens displayed Luka casually strolling away, completely unbothered.

Charlotte and Elysia were among the loudest, both of them clapping and cheering with wide smiles on their faces.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the stadium—

Arthur sat with his arms crossed tightly over his lap, an annoyed expression tugging at his features.

"What a damn show-off. I could've handled that just as easily," he muttered under his breath, clicking his tongue in irritation.

"…" Nike, right next to him, fought the strong urge to join the cheers.

She really wanted join in, but she didn't want to upset her childhood friend at a sensitive moment — especially since she still needed to speak to him later about that matter.

So instead, she chose to remain quiet, her hands clenched together in front of her.

A little away…

Standing next to the Headmaster—

Kira struggled to suppress the proud grin pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"Listen to them," the Headmaster said with a booming laugh, patting his stomach as he gestured toward the roaring crowd.

"They can't get enough of your student."

Kira flashed a cocky, toothy smile. "As expected," she said smoothly.

"My student isn't like the average Ranger."

"Ahaha!" The Headmaster chuckled again, but his gaze drifted to one of the other screens — one that showed another Ranger.

His voice lowered slightly, carrying a hint of warning.

"Well, we'll see if he can hold up. So far, he's only crushed the weakest of the weak. Sooner or later, he's going to have to face the real threats — and they won't go down so easily."