The Nameless Extra: I Proofread This World

Azure light gathered at the tip of his wand, condensing into a tight cluster of force.

The familiar structure of [Magic Missile] formed easily in his head. Ruvian made a small correction and fixed his aim on the reptile’s chest.

With the angles aligning in his favor, Ruvian trusted his judgment to unleash the spell as the beast was already cornered.

His teammates were already shifting their footing too, subtly clearing the lane as they sensed the spell forming behind them.

For that reason, he believed the timing was precise.

Or it should have been.

The very next second, the Scarix’s pupils snapped toward the incoming light. Its body acted first before its mind did.

With a violent twist, it abandoned its balance and lashed its tail sideways with desperate strength.

”HUEKK—”

The thick limb caught Griffer across the torso.

Because of the sudden blow, Griffer was knocked off his footing and shoved directly into the path of the oncoming spell.

”Damn it!” Ruvian cursed.

Both Noelle and Melia saw it at the same moment. Their eyes widened as they both pushed off the ground and launched themselves towards Griffer, to get him out of the line of fire.

But the spell was already too close.

They won’t make it.

And yet, in that short fragment of time, Ruvian’s mind sharpened to a single point. It was the same strange sensation he had felt before when invoking [True Authority].

That faint impression of touching something beyond the visible layer of the spell.

Not the mana itself, but the principle behind it.

The memory of that sensation aligned with the understanding of casting [Pure Mana].

And so, his focus narrowed.

He subconsciously reached for that spell. He felt its trajectory as if it were a line drawn across his thoughts. He pressed against that line with intent, forcing it to deviate.

For a fraction of a second, the resistance met him. But then, the connection formed.

The spell and his thoughts suddenly aligned.

[Your mastery over Pure Mana Affinity has increased!]

’Come on!’

’Bend now...’

Then, guided by that fragile connection, the glowing missile curved just slightly off its original path. It brushed past Griffer’s shoulder, grazing his cloth and skin.

The scent of burned fabric filled the air as it tore onward and slammed into the Scarix’s upper shoulder.

The impact drove deep into its scales, punching through flesh with a sharp flash of light.

Even as the beast thrashed, Griffer took this chance to plant his spear with both hands and drove the tip down through the sweeping tail, pinning it against the ground.

”You damn lizard!”

And as if on que, Melia closed in and delivered a heavy, downward strike straight into the beast’s skull.

Crack!

The reinforced gauntlet cracked against bone with a solid, echoing blow that forced its head low.

The beast staggered.

Seizing the chance, Noelle slipped in along its weakened flank using her [Shadow Phase]. In one swift move, she crossed her twin daggers along its throat and pulled through.

The strike was clean and deadly.

The beast gave one last strained sound before its form began to unravel. Scales dissolved into fragments of light. Its massive body broke apart into drifting particles of cerulean glow.

And with that, they had finally defeated a Lesser Voidspawn.

Lowering his wand, Ruvian let out a relief sigh.

’I actually did it...’

’...I really bent the spell in the middle of its trajectory.’

More than anything, he felt a quiet sense of contentment knowing he had managed to push his mastery over this affinity a little further.

True, it wasn’t a grand breakthrough, but it was still something. And really, who wouldn’t be satisfied with that? To feel something that once resisted his control now responds slightly to his will.

It was a small step, but it was forward.

A sharp clap broke through the lingering tension. Ruvian’s head snapped up at the sound, the echo carrying from below the stage.

”Congratulations, that was splendid teamwork, you guys.” Airin began walking toward the steps. There was a lightness to her expression, a visible pride that softened her usual features.

”So, how was it?” she asked with a gentle smile.

”Your first experience fighting against a Lesser Voidspawn?”

Griffer rolled his shoulder as if testing whether it still hurt, then gave a crooked grin.

”Not so bad if I’m being honest. But Ruvian over here almost burned me like a piece of toast.”

He hooked his thumb toward Ruvian.

Ruvian frowned at him.

’This guy... you were the one who lowered your guard, and got hit by the tail,’ he thought, a bit annoyed.

Noelle stepped closer, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she looked at Ruvian with clear curiosity.

”But Ruvian, did you actually bend your [Magic Missile]? I saw it curve slightly along Griffer’s shoulder. I was so sure that it would hit him.”

The memory replayed in his mind. The spell had already been released. Its path should have been fixed. Yet he remembered the sensation clearly of when he redirected it.

”Well, that was something I did on the spur of the moment,” he said, holding his chin. ”I was not really expecting much from it.”

He was telling the truth here.

The adjustment had come instinctively, without calculation or any sort of preparation. Even now, he struggled to put the feeling into words. He did not fully understand what he had grasped in that instant, only that something within his control had changed.

But thanks to that, he had managed to awaken a deeper mastery over that affinity, and the realization of it settled warmly in his chest.

Airin gave a slow nod. She stepped closer and placed a firm, reassuring hand on Ruvian’s shoulder.

”By the way, I will just say it just in case... that means you have already broken through your mastery of Pure Mana,” she said, her voice filled with honest satisfaction.

”If I have to say it plainly, you are doing exceptionally well. In fact, I do not think that phrase is enough to describe it.”

A soft laugh escaped her before she continued, still looking at him as a teacher would look at a student who had exceeded expectations.

”Not many scholars manage to reach the Intermediate stage within a week. Most would take around a month, and some even a year.”

The others around him reacted almost immediately. Some lifted their eyebrows in disbelief, while some in admiration.

’...She has a point.’

When he thought about it more carefully, it had only been a week since he first learned the [Pure Mana] spell, and he had already stepped into the Intermediate stage.

By ordinary standards, that alone would be enough to label someone a prodigy.

The thought lingered for a moment.

Then he quietly dismissed such a notion.

He knew better than anyone that his progress had not come from raw talent alone. It was built on his meta knowledge, on his understanding of how [True Authority] functioned at its core.

That insight had allowed him to grasp the structure of Pure Mana more quickly than most. Without it, he doubted he would have advanced at this pace.

Besides, Pure Mana was widely regarded as the most straightforward affinity to master. Compared to elemental or conceptual branches, its foundation was simpler and more direct.

When he weighed all of that together, his achievement no longer felt extraordinary. It felt explainable.

But that...

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[Chapter 94: Was What He Thought]