The Extra is a Hero?-Chapter 235: FIRST BLOOD

Chapter 231: First Blood

The barrier around the arena hummed to life, a shimmering dome of translucent mana designed to contain stray spells and shrapnel.

Inside, the sand was pristine.

Eric William stood at the southern gate, his white coat fluttering in the artificial wind generated by his opponent. He held his sword, Lux, low at his side. The blade glowed with a faint, steady luminescence.

Opposite him, hovering a few inches off the ground, was Sarah Vane.

She was a Second Year, a D-Rank Wind Mage, and a distant cousin of Councilor Vane. She had the same arrogant set to her jaw, the same violet eyes that looked at the world as if it were a dirty rug she had to walk on.

"A First Year," Sarah called out, her voice amplified by the wind swirling around her. "And a William, no less. I heard you played hero on Sky Island. Did you enjoy the cameras, little boy?"

Eric didn’t bite. His face was a mask of cold, noble indifference.

"I enjoyed saving the civilians your family failed to protect," Eric replied smoothly.

The crowd gasped. A direct hit at the Council’s security failure.

Sarah’s eyes narrowed. The wind around her whipped into a frenzy, picking up dust and sand until she was the eye of a miniature tornado.

"Insolent brat," she hissed. "I’ll strip that white coat off your back."

[Match Start!]

Sarah didn’t wait. She flicked her wrist.

[Wind Blade]

Three crescents of compressed air, sharp enough to cut steel, shot toward Eric. They were fast—invisible to the naked eye, traceable only by the distortion in the air.

Eric didn’t move his feet. He raised Lux.

FLASH.

He didn’t block. He slashed the air. A beam of solid light intersected the wind blades.

BOOM.

The energies collided, canceling each other out in a burst of sparks.

"Too slow," Eric stated.

"I’m just warming up!" Sarah shrieked.

She ascended higher, floating ten meters above the arena floor. From her vantage point, she began to rain down a bombardment.

[Wind Volley]

Dozens of air bullets hammered the ground where Eric stood.

He was forced to move. He dashed to the left, his [Light Steps] leaving glowing footprints in the sand. He was fast, his E+ agility pushed to the limit, but Sarah had the high ground.

She strafed him, her attacks tearing up the arena floor, forcing him into a defensive dance.

"Dance, noble!" Sarah laughed, gathering a massive sphere of compressed air in her hands. "This is the difference between us! You’re stuck in the mud, and I rule the sky!"

[Grand Aero Bomb]

She hurled the sphere. It wasn’t a blade; it was a siege weapon.

Eric stopped running. He looked up at the descending bomb. He had nowhere to dodge. The blast radius would cover half the arena.

In the stands, the Second Years cheered.

"Crush him, Sarah!" "Show the fresh meat their place!"

I watched from the tunnel, my eyes analyzing the mana flow.

"She’s overcommitted," I whispered. "She put too much mana into the payload and not enough into her shield."

Eric saw it too.

He didn’t try to block the bomb. He stabbed his sword into the ground.

[Arts of the William Family: Prism Mirror]

A hexagonal barrier of light sprang up around him.

The wind bomb struck.

KABOOM!

Dust billowed. The shockwave rattled the barrier dome.

"Direct hit!" the announcer shouted.

Sarah smirked, floating down to inspect her work. "Pathetic. All flash, no—"

A beam of light pierced the dust cloud.

It didn’t aim for Sarah. It aimed for her eyes.

[Flashbang]

"Gah!" Sarah screamed, clutching her face as the blinding white light seared her retinas. Her concentration broke. Her flight spell faltered.

She dropped out of the sky, tumbling toward the sand.

As she fell, the dust cleared. Eric was standing inside his barrier, untouched. His uniform was spotless.

And he was charging.

He didn’t run like a berserker. He moved like a beam of light.

[Light Speed Thrust]

He closed the twenty-meter gap before Sarah hit the ground.

As she landed, stumbling and blind, Eric was already there.

He didn’t stab her. He stopped his blade an inch from her throat. The heat from the glowing edge singed her collar.

"You rule the sky?" Eric asked, his voice cold. "Then why are you on your knees?"

The arena went silent.

Sarah froze, feeling the deathly heat of the blade. She opened her watering eyes, seeing only the blurry, glowing silhouette of the boy she had mocked.

"I..." she stammered.

"Yield," Eric commanded.

"I... I yield."

[Winner: Eric William (1st Year)]

The First Years erupted. It was a deafening roar of vindication.

Eric sheathed his sword with a flourish. He didn’t celebrate. He turned and walked back to the tunnel, ignoring the cheering crowd.

As he passed me, he paused.

"Your turn, Wilson," he said, not looking at me. "Try not to embarrass the class."

"Good job, Vice-Captain," I said. "You blinded her. Efficient."

"It was tactical," he corrected, walking away.

I watched him go. He was getting stronger. And more annoying.

The trials continued.

Leon Lionheart faced a D-Rank Fire Mage. It wasn’t even a contest. Leon’s White Flame consumed the opponent’s fire, and he knocked the senior out with the flat of his blade in thirty seconds.

Lyra Braveheart struggled against a Water Mage but won through sheer firepower, vaporizing the water with a massive explosion.

The First Years were holding their own. But the losses were mounting too.

Magnus Daven, still recovering from his humiliation in the Tower, lost to a C-Rank spearman.

The Twins, Finn and Freya, won their 2v2 match instantly, their coordination baffling the seniors.

Finally, the screen flickered.

[Match 12] [Michael Wilson (1st Year) VS Gareth ’The Wall’ (2nd Year)]

A cheer went up—but it was mixed. The First Years cheered for their "Monarch." The Second Years booed, throwing popcorn and jeering.

"Kick his ass, Gareth!" "Break the anomaly!"

I walked out into the sunlight.

My opponent was already waiting.

Gareth was huge. He wore full plate armor that looked two inches thick. He carried a tower shield that was larger than a door and a flail that dragged on the ground.

[Target: Gareth] [Rank: D] [Affinity: Metal / Reinforcement] [Status: The tankiest student in the 2nd Year.]

He slammed his shield into the ground. THUD.

"So you’re the one who scared Varkas," Gareth rumbled, his voice echoing inside his helm. "Cheap tricks won’t work on me. I am iron. I am steel. You can’t intimidate a wall."

He activated his skill.

[Iron Fortress]

His armor glowed grey. His skin turned metallic. His defense stats skyrocketed. He was effectively a D+ Rank bunker.

"Come on, little King," Gareth taunted, hunkering down behind his shield. "Try to scratch me."

I stood ten meters away. I didn’t draw Draken.

I looked at him.

"You’re a wall?" I asked.

"The unbreaking wall!" he shouted.

"Okay."

I took a step forward.

I didn’t run. I didn’t use [Swift Step].

I just walked.

The crowd quieted down. What was he doing? Was he going to punch the shield?

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a single, small object.

It wasn’t a weapon. It was a coin. A gold coin from the Mimic floor.

I flipped it in the air.

Ping.

As the coin reached the apex of its arc, I snapped my fingers.

[Space Affinity: Vector Shift]

I didn’t use a high-tier spell. I used a utility skill.

I changed the coordinate of the coin.

Instead of falling back into my hand, the coin vanished.

And reappeared inside Gareth’s helmet.

Right next to his ear.

"Huh?" Gareth flinched, hearing the clinking sound inside his own armor. "What the—?"

Distracted, he lifted his visor for a split second to shake his head.

That was the gap.

[Swift Step]

I blurred.

I crossed the ten meters in a heartbeat.

I didn’t attack his shield. I didn’t attack his armor.

I jumped, placing one foot on the rim of his massive shield, and vaulted over him.

As I passed over his head, while his visor was still half-open, I reached down.

I didn’t use a sword.

I flicked his forehead.

[Skill: Aura Dominion (Concentrated Pulse)] [Target: Brain Stem]

Thwack.

It was a light tap. Physical damage: Zero.

Psychic damage: Catastrophic.

The concentrated wave of fear and dominance shot straight into his skull, bypassing his physical defenses entirely.

Gareth’s eyes rolled back so hard they almost vanished. His brain, overwhelmed by the sudden command to SLEEP, shut down his motor functions instantly.

I landed softly behind him.

CLANG-CRASH.

The mountain of metal collapsed. Gareth fell face-first into the sand, unconscious before he hit the ground.

The coin I had teleported rolled out of his helmet and spun on the sand.

Ping... ping... ping... silence.

The arena was dead quiet.

Even the announcer forgot to speak.

I picked up the coin and put it back in my pocket.

"Walls don’t work if you leave the door open," I said to the unconscious tank.

I looked up at the dais where Arthur Pendragon sat.

Arthur was leaning forward, his chin resting on his hand. His eyes were locked on me. He wasn’t bored anymore.

He was interested.

[Winner: Michael Wilson (1st Year)]

I walked back to the tunnel, ignoring the stunned silence that slowly transformed into a roar of disbelief.

"He... he one-shot The Wall?" "Did he even use mana?" "He flicked him. He literally flicked him."

I met Seraphina in the tunnel. She was shaking her head.

"You have to stop doing that," she said.

"Doing what?"

"Making everyone else look like they’re trying too hard."

"I have a dinner reservation at 7:00," I said, checking my watch. "I can’t be late."

[The Upper District – Ristorante Luna]

The restaurant was exactly as I had promised: quiet, expensive, and discreet. It was located on the rooftop of a private club, overlooking the glistening skyline of the Academy city.

I sat at a corner table, smoothing the fabric of my suit.

It wasn’t a uniform. It was a midnight-blue suit tailored by the best artisan in Rolune, paid for with the Syndicate’s lost profits.

I checked the time. 6:59 PM.

"Nervous, Boss?" Victor texted me.

"Shut up, Victor. And stop monitoring my heartbeat through the ring."

The elevator chimed.

Maria Frostheart walked out.

I stood up involuntarily.

She wasn’t wearing her armor. She wasn’t wearing her training gi.

She wore a dress of silver silk that seemed to flow like liquid moonlight. It was elegant, understated, and stunning. Her hair was loose, cascading down her back like a waterfall of starlight.

She spotted me and walked over. The waiters seemed to part for her, stunned by her presence.

"Wilson," she said, stopping at the table. She looked me up and down, a small, approving smile playing on her lips. "You clean up well. I was half-expecting you to wear the cloak."

"The cloak is for business," I said, pulling out her chair. "This is pleasure."

She sat down, the silk rustling softly.

"I saw your match," she said as I took my seat. "The coin trick. Spatial displacement?"

"A parlor trick," I dismissed. "Let’s not talk about the arena. Tonight, no ranks. No dungeons. No impending doom."

"That leaves very little conversation for people like us," Maria noted dryly, picking up the menu.

"We could talk about the rock," I suggested.

She laughed. It was a soft, musical sound that seemed to ease the tension in my chest.

"The rock," she agreed. "Fine. Tell me, Michael Wilson. Why did you really give me that [Frost-Heart Geode]? It’s a catalyst for S-Rank ice magic. You could have sold it for millions."

I leaned forward, resting my chin on my hand. The candlelight reflected in her eyes—eyes that were usually cold, but tonight, held a warmth I hadn’t seen before.

"Because," I said honestly. "It matched your eyes."

Maria froze. She stared at me, her mouth slightly open.

Then, the blush returned, stronger this time. She hid her face behind the menu.

"You are..." she mumbled from behind the cardstock. "You are dangerous."

"I try," I smiled.

The waiter arrived with wine. The city lights twinkled below us.

For the first time since I woke up in this world, I wasn’t plotting. I wasn’t fighting. I wasn’t surviving. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

I was just living.

And as I looked at Maria Frostheart, the Ice Queen who was currently peeking over her menu with a shy smile, I realized that maybe, just maybe, the "Extra" could have a happy ending after all.

(To be continued)