The Extra's Rise-Chapter 253: Prelude to Second Mission (3)

It was time to select a mission.

The first practical evaluation of our second year at Mythos Academy had begun, and as Rank 1, I had the privilege—and the responsibility—of choosing a suitable challenge.

The list of options was vast, a scroll of assignments that ranged from subjugation of rogue beasts to artifact retrieval in dangerous ruins. Plenty of missions, each stamped with its own level of importance, each with its own dangers.

But my eyes stopped on one.

Mission: Investigation in the city of Redmond. Collaborate with the guilds and discover the root cause of the disturbances in the city.

Redmond.

That name alone was enough to make my mind sharpen.

It was a place of silent warfare, a city of veiled threats and unseen puppeteers. More importantly, it was where Reika Solienne was.

Although I’d already met Reika in Avalon, Maveren Academy—her academy—was located in Redmond. That meant she was there, living under the looming shadow of a secret war she had no idea about.

A war that, if things played out as they had in the novel, would consume her.

Because the real problem wasn’t the disturbances.

It was Redknot, a Silver-ranked guild that masqueraded as a legitimate organization but was nothing more than a front for Red Chalice, a cult hiding in plain sight.

Nobody knew that yet.

Not the Barony overseeing the city. Not the mercenaries who worked with the guild. Not even the investigators who had come before.

Redknot moved quietly, burrowing into the city’s underbelly like a parasite, slowly infecting its institutions. On the surface, they answered to the Baron of Redmond—a man who had influence but lacked the sheer brute force to contend with a battle-hardened guild.

The two sides were locked in a cold war.

For now.

But that was going to change soon.

Because Redknot wanted Reika.

They wanted to claim her for themselves, to turn her into a tool, to force her to awaken her latent power through sheer trauma.

And they were going to do it the worst way possible.

Her foster family, who would attend Maveren Academy’s end-of-year festival?

Slaughtered.

Right in front of her.

A sacrifice to break her.

And I was going to stop that.

’A Silver-ranked guild… are you sure you’re up to it?’

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Luna’s voice echoed in my mind, thoughtful, testing.

’Of course.’

If I couldn’t deal with a single Silver-ranked guild, then I had no right to dream of reaching the top.

There was no hesitation. No room for doubt.

Because doubt wouldn’t save Reika.

Doubt wouldn’t be there when the cult came to take her.

Doubt wouldn’t do a damn thing.

’Your standards are very high,’ Luna mused.

’They have to be,’ I replied.

I tapped the selection panel, locking in my mission. The notification blinked green, sealing my choice.

But there was one last thing I needed to do before heading to Redmond.

I needed to secure Jin Ashbluff.

It was time to bring him into Ouroboros.

The training field at this hour was nearly deserted.

Nearly.

I could see a lone figure standing in the center of the training ground, sword in hand, his back turned to me. Jin Ashbluff.

He moved with controlled intensity, his blade carving through the air with the precision of someone who had done this a thousand times before. Sparks of dark mana pulsed along the edge of his sword, the mark of his lineage.

Since he hadn’t yet reached Integration-rank or begun the Integration process, he didn’t have Deepdark. But that would change in the future since he also had a Black Star like me.

It was a sight few had the privilege of witnessing. Because Jin, despite his reputation, rarely let anyone see him train.

But I wasn’t just anyone.

I took a step forward, my presence rippling through the mana-rich air. Jin stopped mid-swing. His shoulders tensed. He didn’t turn around immediately, but I could feel his senses sharpening.

"…Arthur." His voice was steady, unreadable. "What do you want?"

Instead of answering, I lifted a hand.

Behind me, Erebus emerged from the shadows.

Dark energy coiled from my Lich’s form, seeping into the ground like ink spilling into water. The training field dimmed, as if the moon itself had been blotted out.

A supernatural domain.

A space beyond the Academy’s surveillance.

The world outside faded. No spying spells. No outside eyes. Nothing but me, Jin, and the truth I was about to drop on him.

Jin finally turned, his dark eyes narrowing. "What are you doing?"

I smiled faintly. "Just making sure no one listens in."

He exhaled through his nose, clearly irritated. "I’m not in the mood for games, Arthur."

"I know about Rin."

Silence.

Jin didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Didn’t even breathe.

For a moment, I wondered if I had broken him.

Then—

The world exploded.

Jin lunged without hesitation, his sword cleaving through the air with all the force of a thunderclap. His mana surged, a dense, suffocating wave of deathly energy aimed straight for my throat.

Fast.

But not fast enough.

I sidestepped, my body tilting just enough for his blade to miss by a hair’s breadth. At the same time, I flicked my wrist, redirecting the force of his swing just enough to throw him off balance.

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Jin spun mid-air, using the momentum to launch another strike—this time coated in necrotic aura. Faster. Sharper. Stronger.

I still caught it.

With a flicker of Deepdark, my fingers met the flat of his blade, twisting it away. A perfectly timed counter. Jin’s eyes widened as his own weapon was ripped from his grip, flipping end over end before embedding itself into the ground a few meters away.

I stood over him as he staggered back, panting.

"Are you done?" I asked.

Currently, the level between us was wide. Jin was yet to reach even White-rank while I was already beyond that.

Jin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, glaring at me with the kind of raw fury that only came from being utterly outmatched.

"…What do you want?" His voice was lower this time. More dangerous.

I met his gaze. "A mana oath."

His fingers curled into fists. "For what?"

"You will support me," I said simply. "In everything I intend to do."

Jin narrowed his eyes. "And what do I get in return?"

I tilted my head. "I won’t tell anyone about Rin."

Jin’s body tensed.

"And more importantly," I continued, "I will save her."

For the first time, hesitation crossed his face.

"You think you can save her?" His voice was quiet now. "You don’t even know what she is."

"I know more than you think," I replied. "The Gift of Duality—the power to wield both mana and miasma. A Gift so unstable that it’s breaking her mind. A power so dangerous that your father will be forced to kill her before she reaches Radiant-rank."

Jin’s hands trembled.

Because I was right.

No matter how much he loved his sister, no matter how much he wanted to protect her…

If Rin reached Radiant-rank, she would become something beyond salvation.

Something not human anymore.

Something even the Ashbluffs couldn’t control.

He knew this.

And yet, he still wanted to believe she could be saved.

"I’ll do what your family can’t," I said. "I’ll keep her alive."

Jin looked at me, something unreadable flickering in his dark eyes.

A long silence stretched between us.

Then, slowly—reluctantly—he extended his hand.

The air crackled.

Mana surged between us, intertwining, forming the unbreakable contract of a mana oath.

Jin clenched his jaw. "If you break your end—"

"I won’t," I interrupted. "Because I don’t make promises I can’t keep."

The oath sealed.

A pulse of mana. A binding force. A contract between two monsters who would one day change the world.