How to Survive as an Extra

Chapter 5

With his whole body wrapped in discharged electricity, Lee Eunho blindly rushed towards his opponent.

The moment Park Oseok kicked off the ground to leap, my shadow caught his ankle.

Bind.

Simultaneously, my own body was also fixed in place.

“What, what is this! My body! Suddenly!”

A panicked Park Oseok.

I was the same.

Bind was an ability that restricted both the opponent and my own body, but I really could not move at all, only my voice came out.

“……What a ridiculously rigid ability.”

Lee Eunho seemed to hesitate for a moment at the sudden situation, but he soon continued without slowing down and struck Park Oseok.

KABOOM!

CRACK-CRACKLE─.

An immense bursting sound and a gust of wind so strong it was hard to keep my balance.

SHWAAAAAA…….

Park Oseok was sent flying.

At the same time, the Bind was released, the Demonic Eye was released, and the Stealth was released.

I took a step to lean my body under a structure.

“……!”

But suddenly my vision spun, and I lost my balance and was swept up in the gust of wind.

Was it because I was using an ability for the first time and had not been aware of it?

I had fallen into what was commonly called, or rather, what I had set as, a state of ‘mana depletion.’

With only 4 magic power, I had used Stealth, maintained the Demonic Eye, and bound the movements of an opponent of a higher class than me; how could I not have?

The time I had bound the shadow was barely 3 seconds.

It was not just because my magic power was low.

Even if I had enough mana, I probably would not have been able to hold Park Oseok for more than 3 seconds.

In this case, it was Intellect.

If my Intellect had been higher, I would have maintained the Bind for longer with better efficiency.

“Grrbl…….”

I could not even speak.

I was pushed back a long way, hitting various structures, and exquisitely fell into a shallow trench.

From Lee Eunho’s direction, the sound of instructors rushing in could already be heard.

If I had been even a little bit later, I would have ruined the episode…….

How best to describe the feeling of mana depletion?

Ah, they say there are the three great human desires.

It was a sensation beyond that.

The feeling that if I did not pour a mana potion into my mouth right now, I would never find my sense of self again…….

[Episode completed.]

[2 Remake Coins have been awarded.]

I stared at the system message floating in my vision and lost consciousness.

[Congratulations! You have completed an episode for the first time!]

[Remake Coins equal to the amount of Remake Coins awarded will be awarded…….]

***

In the midst of the entrance ceremony.

“It’s, it’s a sniper!”

The moment the vice principal was shot, Cha Yeri was the first to leave the training ground, chasing the direction and trajectory of the bullet.

It was almost at the same time the golems were summoned.

‘This situation is set up more crudely than I thought…….’

For those in the Combat Division, fighting the golems was at the top of the evaluation list.

However, for a ranger like her, finding the enemy sniper was also high on the list.

‘Seizing enemy equipment in a situation where weapons are limited is also a bonus.’

Sniping the golems with the seized weapon was also a bonus.

The reason she moved with such confidence was because she possessed an ability to visualize the mana released by a specific target.

Therefore, in her eyes, the sniper’s mana, scattered through the bullet, was connected like a thread in a maze.

She was essentially moving by following the bullet’s trajectory exactly.

There were many talented individuals in the Investigation Division, but they were a step behind her, who tracked intuitively without any other analysis.

No, in the first place, the majority of the Investigation Division were those who had been pushed out of combat and support.

Cha Yeri arrived at the sniper’s position before anyone else.

The place where the sniping took place was the Hall of Truth, a tall building on campus also known as the Magic Tower.

However, the instructor had already disappeared, leaving the equipment behind.

‘……I knew it.’

The rifle used for sniping.

A portable device used for wind speed and direction.

A notebook with information on the target.

And an unopened can of soda…….

Without a doubt, it was a scene set up for the Investigation Division.

‘A mini-game where you find the instructor through on-site reasoning.’

A scene where some tricks were hidden.

But it had nothing to do with Cha Yeri from the Combat Division.

It was unfortunate for the Investigation Division students, but her tampering with the scene was also one of the variables of the situation.

‘Who told them to come crawling.’

Cha Yeri hugged the rifle and lay prone.

When she tilted her head to the scope, Training Ground 1 was in her sights.

‘The Millennium Sniper 2000 from the guild Critical Cartridge, weight 21.1kg, muzzle velocity 970m/s, 14.224mm extended magazine with 9 rounds, rate of fire 24r/m, scope deviation 0.05 ticks, effective range... approximately 1,550m.’

Cha Yeri clicked her tongue in displeasure.

“It’s recycled scrap metal.”

Including the prepared spare magazine, there were a total of 17 rounds.

She soon controlled her breathing and began sniping the golems.

THUD-.

THWOOM─.

A heavy firing sound.

A loud recoil.

Only after mercilessly piercing through 10 golems did she take her eye off the scope.

On the ground, Investigation students who were slowly approaching the Hall of Truth could be seen.

Just as she was about to leave the spot before getting any glares.

Light flashed several times from about 4km away.

Cha Yeri immediately checked with her scope.

‘A battle, is this part of the situation too?’

One had the hideous appearance of a half-monster.

The other was…….

‘……Lee Eunho, why is that person over there?’

Although it was a long distance, the only new student who used lightning was Lee Eunho.

She had never met him, but she had heard the story of the lightning user who took the entrance exam with a recommendation from the principal.

According to the students who had teamed up with him during the entrance exam, while Gong Minwu was a handsome man with strong features, Lee Eunho was a classic pretty boy.

Furthermore, they said his personality was as exquisite as his looks.

Cha Yeri had also given a slight nod as she watched Lee Eunho on the stage.

‘A narrow-minded idealist who gets angry at injustice without objectivity.’

Simply put, an opponent she did not want to get involved with.

‘Still, he looks a little endangered…….’

Cha Yeri removed the magazine and emptied the chamber.

It was a distance far beyond the effective range, but that was just the gun’s specifications.

As she waited for the right moment and pulled the trigger…….

THWOOM─.

Mana gathered in the empty chamber, forming the shape of a bullet, then passed through the barrel at an incredible speed.

“Damn, did it go a little high.”

The result was a hit.

But it was a disappointing graze.

If Lee Eunho had not continuously discharged electricity and obscured her vision, she would have hit him properly.

‘So annoying, really.’

Cha Yeri, avoiding the so-called blinding flash, adjusted her scope and discovered another student at close range.

“……Wait a minute.”

‘That person…….’

It was a figure that looked familiar.

The bottom part of his hair was buzzed short, while the top was left as it was, a man with a peculiar hairstyle that looked like a block had been divided…….

‘That’s right, that rash bastard.’

For a moment, Cha Yeri chewed her lip nervously.

“……Should I just shoot him.”

An opponent who was standing blankly on a structure was no big deal.

But…….

‘He’s so close, why isn’t he caught up in the battle?’

The distance was too far to use her ability to see.

“Could he be in a state of cognitive impairment or something……”

The questions mounted.

The moment Lee Eunho was about to unleash a fully intended blow, the opponent’s movements had stopped unnaturally.

Furthermore, the man who had been standing still had misstepped on his own, and his arms and legs had dangled as he was swept up in the aftershock of the attack.

Pitifully hitting, scraping, and bouncing off structures…….

He was so disheveled and…… pathetic, that it seemed fortunate he had fallen into a trench.

‘How on earth did he get into Hero Prep. No matter if he’s a social consideration student…….’

Soon, the instructors arrived at the firing range.

It seemed to have been a real situation.

The half-monster figure was taken care of by the instructors, and Lee Eunho, who also seemed to be affected by his injuries, was helped off the scene.

“……”

An overwhelming sense of unease.

No one rescued the person who had fallen into the trench alone.

No, in the first place, it seemed they did not even know of his existence.

Although the scene cleanup was not finished, the instructors did not even look in the direction where the person had fallen.

Furthermore, because Lee Eunho had rampaged through the field with all his might, there were no drones left.

‘Why isn’t he getting up? He was just pushed by the aftershock.’

It was a part she could not understand at all, but she did not have the leisure to just assess the situation.

Cha Yeri picked up the magazine that had fallen beside her, inserted it, and pulled the trigger towards a structure near the trench where the man had fallen.

THWOOM-.

***

I was in the infirmary for two days.

Although the medical instructor was absent, mana depletion could be naturally cured by drinking some mana potions and occasionally a healing potion.

It was a faster recovery compared to the usual three days of unconsciousness.

It was thanks to Lee Eunho and the instructors who had taken turns visiting the infirmary and pouring mana potions into my mouth during that time.

I thought I had woken up quickly because the amount of mana I needed to recover was low in the first place, but…….

When I heard that I would have been discovered much later if Cha Yeri had not revealed my location with her shot, I could not help but nod my head.

“I probably would have been lying there for much longer.”

Leaving aside the lecture progress and relationships with classmates, such a gap was fatal for someone who was on guard against the episodes.

It was not an exaggeration to say that a moment could come when I would receive a heap of coins overnight.

Of course, I had also thought about what it would be like to give up the original plot and collect coins.

However, that was the worst choice, one that could not even be called a gamble.

“Coins are a reward for remaking an episode.”

If the plot progressed to the point where it was impossible to compare with the original work, at some point, the very meaning of the episode’s existence would disappear.

If that happened, episodes would no longer fly in as a system window, and naturally, the way to acquire coins would disappear.

“The coin’s dilemma……”

If this world was as safe and secure as the one I used to live in, it would be somewhat better, but this world was an abnormal world composed of the blind pleasure of a satisfying plot.

Therefore, in order not to become a victim of ridiculous plausibility, a delicate balancing act between remaking and the episodes was necessary.

“It would be ideal to hold on to the episode side as much as possible.”

Anyway, on the Thursday morning I greeted in the infirmary.

To stand on the line of that balancing act, I put on my student uniform and wore the suspenders with it.

After leaving the infirmary, I arrived after a 20-minute walk at the main building of the Investigation Division, the Hall of Justice.

When I set foot in the spacious, tiered lecture hall, the 80 or so Investigation students all turned their gazes towards the entrance.

“……”

It had been a while, this feeling.

I should probably find a mouse hole to hide in…….

Without even bothering to climb the stairs, I sat in an empty front seat.

Then, the murmuring around me began to tickle the back of my head.

The words I could make out were roughly these.

Social consideration admission.

The bastard who fainted during the evaluation.

A powerless person without an ability.

He must have cheated to get first place in the written exam, and he’s a parasite who latches onto Lee Eunho because he’s quick to know his place.

Well, right.

According to the settings, they used legal age, not Korean age, so they were probably around the second year of university and from ‘well-off families,’ but their skill at slandering others was no joke.

The reason for this blind criticism was probably because of my setting for the social consideration students.

I had used the unspoken discrimination between rootless, ordinary Awakeners and Awakeners with a family background as a source of conflict.

STEP STEP…….

For a moment, the murmuring subsided.

“Ah, good to see you all.”

It was because the Investigation Division’s supervising instructor, Yun Jeongseop, had entered the lecture hall.

“There’s something I need to announce first. Some of you might already know, but it’s about the points. The distribution was delayed because there were a few things to discuss among the instructors, but points have probably just been awarded according to the entrance ceremony evaluation criteria. Everyone, check your smartwatches.”

Yun Jeongseop’s indifferent tone.

As he manipulated something on his smartwatch, a hologram was projected onto the front of the lecture hall.

“The detailed point values are confi……”

Just as Yun Jeongseop was about to continue, the lecture hall stirred greatly.

I also gulped hard.

Because a matter that was hard to overlook was displayed in huge letters on the front of the lecture hall.

1st Combat Division Lee Eunho

2nd Investigation Division Ji Seokhyeon

3rd Combat Division Cha Yeri

…….

1st Ji Seokhyeon

2nd Do Minyeong

3rd Gwon Chihun

…….

The back of my head was itching.

Things like ”no way,” ”show us the point values,” and ”why did he get a high score when he didn’t do anything”…….

Various other comments poured out, but Yun Jeongseop blinked his eyes lazily and dug into his ear once.

“Ah, be quiet. In accordance with the time-honored tradition of the Investigation Division, the 1st place for Week 0, Ji Seokhyeon, is the head student of the Investigation Division 1st years. Congratulations, Suspenders.”