The Nameless Extra: I Proofread This World

After Ruvian finished cleaning himself and drying everyone’s clothes, he joined Yerin by the campfire to help prepare tonight’s dinner. The two of them worked side by side in front of the stove artifact while the others rested nearby.

Yerin sprinkled a handful of coarse salt over the steak before grinding dried mountain herbs between her fingers.

The herbs scattered across the sizzling meat, releasing a fresh aroma that quickly mixed with the smell of melted fat.

”Ah, I won’t lie, they smell so good.” Horren said from behind them, his stomach letting out a quiet growl.

”It does.”

Yerin replied while flipping the final piece.

Once the last piece finished cooking, Ruvian placed the pan aside and wiped his hands with a clean cloth.

Then, he decided to address one of their discussion on the ship again.

”Anyway,” he said, his voice becoming calmer, ”do you guys still remember what we talked about on the ship?”

The smiles around the campfire slowly disappeared.

The mood changed in an instant.

”Are you really going?” Yerin asked, her expression turning serious.

Even though Ruvian never said it outright, everyone already knew what he meant. After all, it was the very topic they had argued over more than once.

Tomorrow, on the fourth day of the Vazrun Island Test, they would finally go their separate ways.

Ruvian would move solo.

Of course, there was a very specific reason why Ruvian had decided to make this part of their strategy, even though he knew full well that staying together as a team would be far more efficient and far more effective.

Ruvian needed strength.

He needed to grow stronger on this island, yet remaining with his teammates would only slow that growth.

More importantly, as long as they stayed by his side, he could never obtain the opportunities he needed without constantly explaining how he knew they existed in the first place.

So then, how had he managed to convince everyone to let him go alone?

The answer was surprisingly simple. It was something he had already prepared long before they ever set foot on Vazrun Island.

The reason he stepped in to help Vanessa in the dining hall and deliberately provoked Julian was for this exact moment.

He wanted Julian to mark him as a target, and once that happened, he could use it as the perfect reason to move alone instead of dragging his teammates into a conflict that had nothing to do with them.

Ruvian looked around, taking in everyone’s expression.

”Like I said, I’ll take responsibility for my actions,” Ruvian said. ”And this is one of them. I won’t let my own decisions become a burden that all of you have to carry with me.”

Yerin lowered her eyes for a moment before looking back at him.

”Ruvian...” she began, ”I want you to reconsider this again, because I’m still very against it. I understand that you want to take responsibility for what happened with Julian, but moving alone will only increase your chances of getting eliminated.”

She inhaled quietly.

”And at the same time, it weakens our squad. We have five people for a reason, and splitting up now doesn’t feel like the right decision.”

The cave fell silent again as the sound of the muffled rain — due to the darkness outside — filled the empty space between them.

Ruvian quietly listened without interrupting her.

Then Shima, who had been sitting beside the campfire with her arms resting on her knees, finally raised her head.

”Honestly, I have to agree with what Yerin said,” she said, her eyes meeting Ruvian’s. ”If Julian really comes after us, then the five of us fighting together gives us a much better chance than you running around the island while his squad hunts you down.”

She paused for a second before adding the last part. ”And if something happens out there, none of us will be close enough to help you.”

Ruvian smiled faintly, a trace of warmth rising in his chest.

’Would you look at them?Back then on the ship, they agreed with this plan without much hesitation because it was the safest choice for everyone.’

’But now... they’re actually worried about me?’

Ruvian wanted to sigh.

Though, if he was being honest, they were right.

After thinking it through carefully, with how well they had been working together over the past few days, there was a real chance that Squad 69 could defeat Julian’s squad if they fought head on.

However, that wasn’t the issue here. The real issue was that Ruvian needed that confrontation with Julian to be between him and him.

He needed to confirm whether his suspicions were correct.

Which demon is pulling strings on Julian? What is his goal?

And because this involved demons, Ruvian had no intention of letting anyone else learn about their existence, at least not yet.

If news of demons spread before the right time, it would become a wild card that even he could no longer predict. The entire kingdom would fall into chaos, while humanity was still nowhere near ready to face an enemy like that.

After all, Althea, the Goddess of this world, had yet to choose her Paragons — the seven heroes who were destined to stand against the coming end. Sadly, even in the original novel, their identities had never been fully revealed.

One of them was almost certainly Zian.

But what about the other six?

Ruvian still didn’t know.

Until the next Age of the Paragons finally arrived, all he could do was prepare as many capable people as possible before the world was forced to face its greatest enemy.

Ruvian inhaled deeply then began explaining:

”Listen, I understand why all of you think this is a bad idea, and honestly, your concerns make sense,” Ruvian said. ”But trust me, even if we manage to defeat Julian’s squad, that still doesn’t solve our biggest problem. We still have to deal with the existence of the [Bounty] Card.”

Everyone remained silent.

Ruvian continued before anyone could interrupt him.

”If they place a [Bounty] Card on me, my location will be exposed and when other squads learn that we just fought Julian, then they’ll immediately assume we’re exhausted,” he said. ”At that point, they won’t hesitate to come after us. So instead of fighting one squad, we’ll end up fighting several.”

He sighed.

”Anyway, remember that me moving alone prevents the worst possible outcome,” Ruvian said. ”Even if they decide to chase me, the rest of you won’t be dragged into it. At the very least, it keeps the entire squad from being wiped out together.”

Arlok rubbed his chin for a moment before raising a hand.

”Then... erm, why don’t you just wait until the seventh day?” he asked. ”Wouldn’t that be safer than leaving tomorrow?”

Ruvian slowly shook his head.

”No,” he answered. ”The [Bounty] Card lasts for 48 hours. If I were Julian, I wouldn’t activate it on the seventh day.”

”I’d use it one day earlier,” he continued. ”That way I’d have enough time to track our movements, predict where we’d go next, and prepare an ambush before the seventh day even begins.”

Arlok blinked a few times before scratching his head again. ”Okay... but then why tomorrow?” he asked. ”Why not leave on the sixth day instead?”

The cave suddenly became quiet.

Yerin, Shima and Horren slowly turned toward him.

’...Huh.’

’That’s actually a good question.’

Honestly, for that question, Ruvian had already run out of convincing excuses. There was no carefully prepared lie left for him to throw out.

So, because of that, this time, he decided to tell them a small piece of the truth.

”Alright,” he said, ”how about I answer that question with another question?”

Hearing that, everyone tilted their heads.

”Have any of you ever heard this saying before?”

Ruvian smiled shrewdly.

”The one who first occupies the battlefield and waits for the enemy is at ease, while the one who arrives later is already exhausted.”

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[Chapter 265: The Art of War]

Plot Points= 42,200