The Nameless Extra: I Proofread This World

Now, it was finally their turn to face the Scarix predator.

Just as they had discussed beforehand, Griffer and Melia would take the vanguard. Noelle would act as the striker, watching for openings and exploiting them the moment they appeared, while Corwin and Ruvian stayed at the rear as support.

After orientation week, it seemed Corwin and Melia had switched their primary weapons. This time, Melia wore a pair of gauntlets, the metal fitted tightly around her forearms, while Corwin held a wand in hand instead of his usual sword.

’I suppose the trial of confrontation taught them something.’

Honestly, Ruvian wasn’t too concerned about whatever weapons they chose. After all, they understood their own strengths better than anyone else.

"Alright, everyone ready? Give me a thumbs-up and I’ll begin the drill," Airin called from the sidelines.

She adjusted the machine before adding, "Don’t worry too much. If you’re in real danger, I’ll cast my [Magic Barrier]. But if I’m a little late, just endure it I guess. Like I said, it’s only a simulation, though the pain is still somewhat real."

They glanced at one another and let out sheepish laughs. Even if it was only a simulation, none of them wanted to experience that "somewhat real" pain.

Clapping her hands once, Noelle gestured for them to regroup.

"From what we saw, that thing is surely fast. It won’t stay in one place, and it’ll test our gaps first. So Griffer, Melia, focus on holding your ground, don’t chase it blindly. Make it think there’s an opening."

Then, she looked toward Corwin and Ruvian. "As for the support, don’t fire all at once. Stagger your spells and cut off its escape routes instead of aiming straight for it."

"Let’s try to limit its movement and options first."

Ruvian nodded in agreement.

One by one, they raised their thumbs, signaling to their instructor that they were ready. The machine activated at once, a low hum spreading across the hall as the mechanism activated.

Ruvian lowered his gaze and inspected his Runeheart.

=====[Affinity Mastery]=====

– [Pure Mana (Basic)]

======================

His mastery of the Pure Mana affinity was still at the Basic stage. If possible, before the dungeon expedition, he had been planning to break through to the next level.

That, he thought, would have been the ideal outcome.

’Either way, I can slowly feel that I’m at the edge of breaking through it...’

Hopefully, what he felt was the truth.

From the center of the stage, a cerulean light began to gather, slowly shaping itself into the creature’s physical form.

It started from the legs, outlining them in shimmering blue, then climbed upward until it finally formed the top of its head.

Once it fully materialized, the beast let out a gutteral roar.

Just like in Airin’s demonstration, it charged the moment it locked onto them, its body compressing for a fraction of a second before exploding forward in a burst of raw, predatory speed.

Gripping his wand tightly, Ruvian forced the surge of adrenaline down, enhancing his focus. He drew a calm breath through his nose, letting the familiar pathways of mana settle into alignment.

Ahead of him, Griffer instinctively lowered into his usual stance. By narrowing his profile and aligning the spearhead with the Scarix’s most direct path, he reduced the angles from which the beast could slip past him.

Beside him, Melia slammed her gauntlets together with a sharp, ringing clang, before settling into a boxer’s guard, fists raised, and weight balanced on the balls of her feet.

Finding no immediate opening to strike, the beast veered sideways instead, circling them with predatory patience.

Griffer caught onto its intent immediately.

"Watch out! It’s going for the back row first!" he shouted.

But Ruvian had already anticipated that, and he already knew who its main target was. The beast suddenly accelerated, its body blurring as it lunged toward Corwin with a guttural roar.

Startled, Corwin hastily began casting [Magic Missile], but the spell collapsed midway when he stumbled over the incantation.

Seeing Corwin falter, Noelle moved immediately to intercept, stepping into the beast’s path with her twin daggers.

Yet the creature twisted its body mid-charge, evading her entirely and continuing straight for Corwin.

"Damn it," Noelle cursed as the beast shot past her.

Just as the beast’s claw was about to tear into Corwin, Ruvian executed what Airin had demonstrated earlier, though with a subtle adjustment of his own.

Finishing the chant of the spell, Ruvian unleashed it.

"[Magic Barrier]."

A shield of condensed blue mana flared into existence in front of Corwin, its surface humming with compressed force.

Bam!

The beast collided with the barrier.

However, Airin herself couldn’t help but stiffen slightly at what she saw.

One of the beast’s forelegs became wedged within the lattice of Ruvian’s barrier formation. The Scarix had not merely collided with a wall, it had been caught!

The mana construct did not repel it outright. Instead, the barrier manifested a fraction deeper than a standard cast, its layered structure forming around the incoming limb at the moment of impact.

The beast’s momentum drove it forward, but the interlocked currents of mana constricted just enough to trap the leg mid-motion.

And just like that, its charge was halted.

’Airin had already given us the answer. If it relies on agility and speed, then the most efficient way to hunt it... is to take that away first.’

At first glance, it almost looked like mistimed casting, as though Ruvian had released the spell too late and the Scarix had simply crashed into it by chance.

That was what most of them assumed for a split second.

But the composed expression on his face told a different story.

"Noelle!" Melia shouted.

The moment her name echoed, she understood her role. Noelle dashed in from the flank and went straight for the immobilized leg.

Both daggers flashed in a clean, crossing arc, biting deep into its exposed joints.

Shriekkk!

The Scarix let out a piercing scream, raw and furious.

A sharp crack splintered through the barrier.

Finally, the [Magic Barrier] reached its limit.

The entire formation collapsed into shards of fading light. Freed from its restraint, the Scarix lurched backward, wrenching its injured leg out with a violent twist.

But it was no longer the same charge-driven predator from moments ago.

Noelle’s blades had done their work.

Dark blood seeped from the slashed joint, and when the beast tried to reestablish its footing, its movement slightly faltered.

For a creature that relied on explosive acceleration and fluid repositioning, that fraction was everything.

Now, the advantage rested firmly with the Polaris members.

──────── ✦ ────────

[Chapter 92: Working as A Team (3)]

Plot Points= 14,080