The Unrecorded Extra



The midterm exam.

It was a mini-arc of the novel, telling a story of what was happening on the midterm exam.

All the events that occurred in the academy were but a small story arc. An appetizer before the main dish. 

In fact, this midterm exam would be the last two mini-arc along with Ayano's arc. After these two were done, the first main plot event would finally occur.

The exam would be divided into two different categories; written exam and practical exam.

The written exam would be as easy as ripping the paper with a scissor, as long as I could remember what I had learned and known about this world, scoring first in the ranking would be possible. 

I didn't need to prepare much for this exam, just some reread on the file I'd gathered to refresh my memory and it was done.

Looking around, everyone was focused on their digital tablet that served both question sheets and answer sheets. Just like how it was done at the entrance exam.

Focusing on my own digital tablet, I quickly filled out my answer.

While I was doing the last two questions, my eyes widened as I saw Ember get up from her seat and submitted her answer. Leaving the classroom earlier than anyone–than me. She just did a speedrun on her exam answer! In less than 20 minutes!

Shaking the thought away, my focus was back on the question on the digital tablet. Filling everything in as fast as I could but also didn't forget to double-check it once I was done with the last question.

Feeling satisfied, I submitted the answer to the invigilator waiting on the desk in front of the classroom, while the other one was roaming the classroom.

The written exam which lasted 4 days of 4 different classes happened in repetitive and monotonous. Ember always be the first person to submit her answer and I followed after.

I never thought I would get beaten in a written exam that I was so proud of. To make it worst, she was never been a part of the novel.

Thus, what she was doing in the exam convinced me further that she was the same as me– a reincarnator, or might be a transmigrator, a reader who had read my novel.

Though I was still unsure about the idea of the accusations. I meant if she was one, everything–the plotline wouldn't be the same as I remembered before I decided to ruin it by myself.

Unless she was the type that didn't care about the whole idea and just wanted to enjoy her new life as the granddaughter of the Crimson family? That also seemed wrong because if she was going for that route, then she shouldn't have brought herself to the spotlight by scoring first place in the entrance exam.

Haa. I don't know, I guess the only way to confirm it is to ask the person herself.

The fourth day of the written exam week had finally concluded.

On the fifth day of the week, I went for some training again. This time I was going to try dual wielding a sword.

The training center was crowded with students, which was to be expected because everyone wanted to improve themselves. Not to mention that some of them had now rejuvenated with new energy after consuming the Horizon Elixir.

I didn't know if most of them bought the premium subscription though. If they were not buying it, well, I hoped they could get even a tiny of the elixir's essence and raised their potential significantly. If they were unlucky, then I could only thank them for the money.

As I prepared for the warm-up session, someone's voice broke the air and made me shudder.

"Rat!"

'Oh, no. Not her again…!' I complained inwardly.

Running away was too late, I could only prepare myself to receive the incoming damage. But, no matter how long I waited, the thing that I expected was never happen.

Turning around, I found no one. Eh, I meant, a lot of people were there but it was just that the one that I expected was not there. 

'Where is she?' I said, my eyes scanned the crowd but after a long search and I ended up just wasting my time, I returned my focus to training.

I tried swinging the sword a few times before pausing for a while, once again searching for the person that might be jumping at me anytime. The result was still the same, she was nowhere to be found.

'Am I getting hallucination now?'

Taking a deep breath, I continued to swing the sword a few more before eventually grabbing another sword.

With two swords each in my hand, I determined to improve my dual wielding as well as my swordsmanship. 

At first, swinging the swords in synchronized movements was difficult. But as I focused on my training, I managed to do it, slowly but surely. What seemingly unfamiliar feeling of long-bladed weapons in my hands gradually became more familiar and comforting just as when I wielded two daggers.

However, the absence of the person I had been expecting continued to bother me.

I couldn't shake off the feeling that she was playing some sort of game, hiding and watching from a distance. It was as if her presence lingered in the air, even though I couldn't see her.

Despite the constant distraction, I remained determined to push myself on training and make the most of it. After all, I only had three–two days to prepare for the practical exam.

Why did I so determine for the exam? Well, let's just say that I was a rather competitive person. 

Ember, she had sparked the flame inside me that had been long gone– If I ever had one.

I increased the intensity of my movements, focusing on my footwork and the fluidity of my sword swings. The sound of blades cutting through the air became a rhythmic melody as I lost myself in the training.

Time seemed to slip away as I continued to hone my skills.

The sun began its descent, casting an orange glow over the facility buildings.

Fatigue started to set in, but I refused to let it deter me. Just for this once I felt like I wanted to push myself to my limit, it would even be better if I collapsed from exhaustion. After all, this is the first time since I came to this world that I felt like this.

As the evening sky painted hues of purple and pink, I finally decided to end my training session.

I wiped the sweat from my brow and put the swords back on the shelves spanning over the edge of the facility.

Ding–!

The familiar noise of the system notification clicked, and coming together with the sound was a transparent system panel.

[Your Stamina stat has increased from <E-> to <E>]

I smiled at the information, and the smile widened as I recalled the sweet memory from a week ago when I got my Agility stat raised to <E> rank. 

"Haa… It has been a long journey to even reach E rank," I said as my legs led me out of the building. 

"I have one Horizon Elixir in my storage. The Catalyst Potion is already prototyping… Between them, it would be best to consume the potion first and save the elixir for later after I've got the core of a high-ranked monster."

Arriving in my room, I immediately found myself sinking into the soft bed. As my consciousness drifted away, I felt something–someone was sitting on top of my back.