Transmigrating as an Extra, But the Heroine Has Regressed?!-Chapter 318: Priority Saving.

Kaigaku remained crouched in the bushes, chest rising and falling in uneven breaths.

Nathan’s footsteps slowly faded... step... step... step...

And then silence.

Only then did Kaigaku dare move.

"Hah... haah..." he exhaled shakily, wiping the cold sweat that had collected along his jawline.

"That was... too damn close."

He pressed his back against a tree, breathing through clenched teeth as he replayed what had nearly happened: Nathan—rank 1 of the third-years—walking straight toward the bush he was hiding behind.

If Nathan saw him...

"It would’ve been over," Kaigaku whispered.

His fingers twitched from left-over tension.

He wasn’t scared of fighting.

But being caught as the one who released the Frostfang Direwolf?

That meant punishment. Expulsion. Maybe imprisonment.

And Kaigaku wasn’t planning to be thrown out of the academy that easily.

He peeked toward the Beast Fence again.

Screams echoed. Chaos.

The sound of bodies hitting the ground.

Flesh tearing.

Students crying for help.

Kaigaku’s lips curled.

"This is what you get, Kael..." he whispered harshly.

"You think you can humiliate me? Beat me senseless in front of everyone? Make me fix the ground alone?"

His fists clenched tight.

"Let’s see you survive this."

He was about to turn around when he froze.

Nathan had stopped walking.

Far away, Nathan glanced over his shoulder.

"...Someone definitely came from here," Nathan muttered. "And I’m going to find out who."

Kaigaku held his breath.

Nathan stared for three long seconds...then turned and finally left toward the Beast Fence.

Only after the third-year was gone did Kaigaku allow himself to breathe again—deep, shaky, panicked breaths.

He slid into the forest, moving quickly, pushing through bushes and shadows and avoiding every open path.

He wanted to get far, far away.

Before someone connected him to the outbreak.

Leaves rustled behind him as he sprinted deeper, disappearing into the academy forest.

The screams grew louder behind him

—students collapsing, bodies hitting the dirt, Frostfang’s icy roar slicing through the morning air.

And then he vanished into the shadows.

Meanwhile, at the Forbidden Library

Elysia stormed out of the hidden chamber, cheeks red, eyes wide, breath uneven.

As soon as they stepped out of the narrow crawlspace—

SLAP!

Her palm collided with Kael’s cheek so fast even he didn’t see it coming.

Kael’s head snapped to the side.

"W-What was that for?!" Kael held his cheek.

"You—!" Elysia opened her mouth... closed it... opened again.

Nothing came out except angry breathing.

She looked away sharply, hair swishing.

She was embarrassed.

She could still feel the memory of Kael’s lips—

She shook her head violently.

"D-Don’t talk to me!" she snapped, then walked away with stiff, hurried steps.

Kael rubbed the back of his neck.

"...She was about to scream. I just didn’t want the principal to hear," he mumbled to himself.

Still...

He felt guilty.

And awkward.

But worse—

He couldn’t let Elysia know he had stolen something.

Because inside his robe, hidden between his clothes, was the ancient mana scripture he found.

He hadn’t had time to read it, but he knew—It was important.

Kael sighed and stepped out of the chamber as well.

When the hidden door slid open, Professor Yulia—the one assigned to oversee the library today—had just turned a page of her book behind the desk.

She saw Elysia leaving in a hurry earlier, and now Kael emerging too.

She narrowed her eyes.

(Kids these days... always sneaking around romancing.)

She shook her head and returned to reading.

Kael kept walking, pretending he had done nothing wrong.

But the moment he exited the library—

BOOOOM!

RAHHHH!!!

A deep, distant roar shook the very air.

Kael stopped.

"...What was that?"

He looked left and right, searching for anyone who heard it too.

A group of seniors—second-year boys—walked by holding notebooks and laughing.

Kael quickly walked up to them.

"Um—Senior! Can you hear that sound?" he pointed toward the distant forest.

One senior blinked at him.

Then looked at his friends, confused.

"...Huh? What sound?"

"Are you hallucinating?"

"Maybe he didn’t eat breakfast."

They shook their heads and walked away.

Kael frowned.

(How can they not hear it?)

Another roar echoed—far, but powerful.

It vibrated through Kael’s bones.

"...Something’s wrong."

And Kael started running—straight toward the Beast Fence.

Meanwhile, Nathan Approaches the Beast Fence

Nathan sprinted across the academy field, the string of his spear bouncing against his back.

He wasn’t panicking.

But the uneasiness gnawed at him.

"First-years aren’t supposed to be near the Beast Fence..." he muttered.

And yet he had been told earlier that some were there.

"Now there was screaming?

Not good.

Not good at all."

Nathan slowed as he neared the tall steel fence covered in frost.

His breath formed mist.

"...Tch. That’s definitely a Frostfang," he muttered. "This is gonna be a mess..."

"The cold wasn’t natural."

"This was a beast’s aura."

"A strong one."

Before stepping in, Nathan glanced back once more.

"...Someone definitely came from here," he whispered. "And I’m going to find out who."

He turned toward the gate—

And then he heard it.

A dozen screams at once.

Nathan’s expression hardened.

Without another thought, he rushed in.

Inside the Beast Fence — Chaos

Dozens of first-years, Cecelia’s group, Veyla, and several others—were running in circles, trying to escape the freezing breath of the Frostfang Direwolf.

Snow and frost spread across the grass, turning the ground into ice.

Some first-years slipped and fell, unable to stand again.

CRUNCH!

The wolf pounced on a student’s shield, shattering it into pieces.

"RUN—!"

"HELP!"

"My leg! I can’t move—!"

The direwolf swung its massive claw, sending a boy flying ten meters into a tree.

Cecelia, standing nearby, paled.

"Everyone, grab the injured and move back!" she shouted.

But panic spread too quickly.

Another girl screamed as frost engulfed her arm.

"AAAHHHH—!"

Students scattered.

The beast howled, icy breath turning the air white.

The Frostfang Direwolf slammed into three students at once, throwing them like dolls.

Frost crept along the grass.

The temperature dropped sharply.

Cecelia backed away, shielding two trembling first-years.

"We need to move!"

Her voice trembled.

The direwolf turned its head slowly toward them, its glowing blue eyes narrowing.

Cecelia froze.

This wasn’t like the normal beasts they fought.

It was faster.

Smarter.

Deadlier.

She swallowed hard.

"We’re not going to make it at this rate..."

The wolf let out a low growl, crouching, ready to pounce.

Cecelia closed her eyes.

"Not good..."

Back to Kael

Kael sprinted through the trees, following the monstrous roars.

Each roar vibrated in his chest, guiding him like a compass.

"Hold on... someone must be fighting..."

He picked up speed.

Branches slapped against his shoulders.

Leaves scattered behind him.

Soon, thin layers of frost coated the ground beneath his feet.

Kael’s eyes sharpened.

"...Definitely a Frostfang."

He’d read about them once.

Fast enough to tear apart multiple students.

Their bites froze blood.

Their claws sliced like razors.

And there were first-years inside.

Kael tightened his fists.

He accelerated—

faster than he had ever run before.

"Everyone... please be safe."

Back to Kaigaku — Fleeing Deeper

Meanwhile, Kaigaku ran through the inner forest, ducking under branches, avoiding light, staying far from the outbreak.

His heart still raced. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Nathan... damn him..." he muttered. "Why did he have to show up?"

He leaned against a tree, panting.

The guilt didn’t hit him.

The fear of consequences did.

He wanted Kael to suffer.

He wanted people to fear him.

To remind the academy that beating Rank 2 had a cost.

Kaigaku exhaled.

Then, hearing more screams echoing far behind him, he smirked...

...and ran deeper, disappearing into the shadows of the academy woods.

Back to Kael — Approaching the Beast Fence

Kael burst through the final tree line.

Cold air slapped him in the face.

He looked ahead—

Dozens of students were injured.

Some screaming.

Some lying motionless on the icy ground.

Others desperately dragging their friends away.

The Frostfang Direwolf stood in the middle—

Towering.

And Cecilia...

She was standing between two injured first-years and the monster, her hands trembling.

Kael’s heart dropped.

"...Cecelia?"

He took one step forward—

And the Frostfang lowered its body, preparing to pounce.

Kael’s eyes widened.

He sprinted forward.

The Beast Fence roared with chaos—screams, crashing wood, the chilling echo of the Frostfang Direwolf’s snarls.

Cecelia.

Frozen in place, her eyes wide, unable to dodge the lunging Frostfang.

Kael’s heart stopped.

"No. No."

He pushed harder, legs burning, lungs screaming, but Kael didn’t care. He cut through the steam of cold breath and debris.

"CEC—!!" Kael reached his hand out toward her.

The direwolf lunged.

Cecelia’s trembling hand extended toward Kael—

But someone else dropped from above, like a shadow slicing through the chaos.

WHOOSH—!

A strong arm wrapped around Cecelia’s waist and yanked her away just a split second before the beast’s fangs snapped shut where she had been standing.

Cecelia gasped, twisting her head.

"Senior Nathan?!"

Nathan landed on the frozen ground, boots skidding slightly on ice, but he held her firmly.

"Tch... you almost died," Nathan muttered. "What are first-years doing here without supervision?"

Kael stopped mere inches away—his fingers had been just a breath away from reaching Cecelia’s hand.

He blinked hard.

He missed.

His hand hung uselessly in the air for a moment before he clenched it into a fist.

"No time to dwell on it."

Around him, the screams were rising. Three students were bleeding, two collapsed, and another was crawling away with frostbite spreading up his leg.

Kael exhaled sharply and dashed toward them.

"Hang on! I’m coming!" he shouted.

He slid beside the nearest injured boy and pulled him out of the frost-covered zone, then shielded a girl who was about to be struck by the direwolf’s tail, taking the impact on his forearm.

Another student, barely conscious, was dragged back behind a broken boulder Kael used as cover.