Not-So an Extra

After half an hour of challenging the Wyvern, they eventually gave up.

One team after another attempted to awaken the Wyvern, but each one failed miserably.

As the sun was beginning to set, Adrian and his group decided to set up camp for the night in the clearing.

Nevertheless, the white-haired boy couldn't help but scoff when he saw that the players, previously hiding like a rat, were now making their campsite.

'Those bastards.'

.

.

—Hoot —Hoot —Hoot 

When the sun disappeared below the horizon, the world around them transformed into a black, darkened abyss. 

The silence was only broken by the occasional hoot of an owl and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

—Crackle!

The fire crackled and popped, sending sparks flying into the night sky. 

The warm glow of the flames illuminated the faces of the youngsters as they grilled the bird meat skewered on their hands.

Nibbling on the bird meat in his hand, Adrian's cerulean eyes darted sideways and locked onto the ominous Wyvern silhouette at the center of the clearing.

"You don't have to push yourself so hard about it."

Adrian glanced at the voice, and Sylvina offered him a benign smile.

She knew that Adrian was someone who wanted everything to go according to his plan.

However, the one they were currently grappling with was unlike any they had encountered before—there was no lead or clue to follow.

"It's alright if we fail sometimes."

After a brief silence, she continued.

"We found a lot of treasure. Furthermore, we will be rewarded for achieving first place. Therefore, failing once is not the end of the world."

Yet, the white-haired boy shook his head and responded.

"No. You don't understand—"

But before he could finish his sentence, Ralph placed his hand on his shoulder and cut in.

"What Vivi said is true, Ian. You don't have to be so hard on yourself."

Rhea and Péréz added.

"The most important thing is that we're having fun!"

"Hum, hum."

They all nodded in agreement, and Adrian couldn't help but furrow his forehead.

What the hell was this again? 

Who gave a damn about the treasure? 

He only wanted to fight the Wyvern. 

It wasn't every day he could encounter a monster with a C+ to B- rating! 

Simply, it was like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, one that he couldn't afford to miss!

Not to mention that tomorrow was the last day of the Treasure Hunt game.

Regardless…

As Adrian didn't want to be nagged anymore, he decided to go along and let out a thin smile.

"I understand. Thanks." 

"Don't mention it! After all, we're a team!"

Perez grinned; however, unexpectedly, Adrian's smile vanished, leaving his face devoid of any expression.

The group exchanged nervous glances as the atmosphere grew awkward; they were taken aback by Adrian's sudden change in demeanor.

Trying to break the tension, Perez asked.

"Uh, are you okay?"

However, what came out of the boy's mouth was truly unexpected.

"Pftt, haha!"

Adrian burst into laughter for no apparent reason and ran his fingers through his hair.

The group flinched and felt a chill run down their backs.

They learned that if the Imperial Second Prince laughed for no reason, it meant something was going on inside his head.

Suppressing his laugh, Adrian's lips curled into a smirk, and he muttered under his breath.

"Ah, how foolish of me."

Soon, he turned to face the wheat-haired boy.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Y-yes! Certainly! Of course! What is it?"

"Could you send my words to each group?"

Péréz tilted his head.

"Every group…?"

"Yes."

Little did Adrian know, Péréz was actually the founder of a forum for sharing information—or you could call that a gossip club.

So, Adrian assumed that he would have no difficulty completing the task at hand.

"Uh, okay. What message would you like me to convey?" 

"Inform them that I have discovered the method to awaken the Wyvern."

.

.

.

Early in the morning, the students gathered at the clearing.

Their whispers and murmurs filled the air as they discussed the rumor that the Prince had discovered how to awaken the Wyvern—the Guardian of the hidden treasure.

After scanning the sea of people in front of him, Adrian shifted his gaze to the area near the clearing where the trees were located.

Despite his instructions to gather at the bottom of the clearing, they chose to hide behind the trees like rats.

'Seems like they really are interested in Kill-Stealing, huh?'

Without hesitation, Adrian chanted inwardly.

As they witnessed a gigantic Magic Circle form behind the white-haired boy in front of them, the students fell silent and fixed their gaze upon him.

Shortly after, multiple lightning bolts shot out from the Circle and hurtled towards the surrounding trees.

—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!

The trees exploded into showers of splinters, followed by screams of terror from the students.

"Uwaaa!!"

"Arrghhh!!"I think you should take a look at

—Thud! —Thud! —Thud! 

Several students collapsed and gasped for breath, their faces turning pallid and their chests heaving uncontrollably.

Miraculously, they had managed to avoid being struck by lightning.

—Slap!

Nathaniel facepalmed upon seeing his little brother's action. 

The other proctors who witnessed it exchanged nervous stares while Nathaniel massaged his wrinkled forehead in frustration.

'What the fuck, Ian!'

Moving to the ground below, Adrian's group sighed as they watched the scene unfold, feeling conflicted.

Although Adrian had predicted this and explained his plan, they still couldn't fully support it.

However, Adrian had a valid reason for his actions.

Ralph couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart and voiced his thoughts.

"He's willing to become the villain in the eyes of the people just to beat this game."

"That's just how amazing our leader is."

Péréz added, and the rest nodded their heads in agreement.

Amid the chaos, a stern voice echoed through the trees.

"I clearly instructed you to gather at the clearing, not to hide like a rat in the skewers."

For some reason, the students couldn't help but shudder at the sight.

Not only was his face indifferent, but his actions were also indifferent as well!

"Come here."

As Adrian's words fell, ignoring their shocked and haggard breath, they immediately scrambled to their feet and joined the crowd.

His icy cerulean eyes scanned the trees once again; there was still some presence hiding a bit far away.

"I don't like to repeat my words thrice, so you better come down here, or my lightning will strike you, not the trees anymore."

The moment the Magic Circle formed behind the white-haired boy, he pressed on.

"I'm dead serious right now."

Adrian warned, his voice laced with a hint of danger.

—Tap! —Tap! —Tap! 

Numerous students could be seen descending from the trees in the distance, walking towards the crowd with embarrassment written all over their faces. 

When there was no presence detected around the clearing except for Nathaniel and his friends, Adrian instructed them to count.

"One…"

"Two…"

"..."

"120…"

Since his team was excluded, it meant that all the players had gathered here.

He swept his gaze across the area, making eye contact with each of them before he began to speak.

"Do you all remember what the woman said at the opening of the game?"

The players furrowed their brows, trying to recall the details of the day's events.

"She just opened the game?" 

One of them ventured tentatively, and Adrian responded.

"No, there was more to it than that. She gave us a clue, a hint about what we needed to do to awaken the Wyvern."

"!"

As a gasp was heard, and all eyes turned to the pink-haired girl standing behind Adrian.

"It's teamwork! She said that the clue of this game was teamwork!" 

Sylvina exclaimed, and Adrian nodded.

"That's right. While some of us thought that it was referring to the teamwork of our team, it was the other way around."

"So…"

"The key to awakening this monster is teamwork. We need to attack this monster together."

The crowd erupted into a frenzy of nods and murmurs, their confidence swelling with each passing moment.

The students exchanged glances, and a sense of determination began to build within them.

"So, what do you want us to do?"

Adrian quickly conveyed the plan, and the group sprang into action, moving into position to encircle the Wyvern.

The tanker and melee attacker were on the front line, while the mage and long-range specialist stood on the second line.

Adrian conjured an earth plate and leaped up to ensure that all the players saw him give the command.

After they all stood in positions, Adrian called out.

"Are you ready?"

His voice rang out across the field.

There was a moment of silence as the players took a deep breath, steadying themselves for what was to come. 

Then, in unison, they shouted back.

"Yes!"

Adrian held his hand high in the air; his heart fluttered in excitement in his chest.

And then, with a wave of his hand, he gave the command.

"Fire!"

The players sprang into action, launching their attack with all the strength and skill they could muster.

—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!

A deafening explosion reverberated, sending debris and black smoke billowing into the air.

"Fallback!"

But then, just as quickly as it had begun, the attack was over. 

Adrian's voice echoed out once again, directing his team to fall back and regroup.

The air was thick with the smell of smoke and acrid fumes as they waited, their hearts pounding in their chests. 

—Flap!

At the sound of flapping wings, they flinched and froze in their tracks.

Suddenly, a deafening roar shattered the silence, echoing through the air like thunder.

"RRROOOAAAARRR!!!!"

Upon hearing it, Adrian couldn't help but grin from ear to ear, his lips stretching wide in a triumphant smile. 

The thrill of excitement that filled his heart was almost overwhelming, like a burst of fireworks exploding inside him.

'That's right. Wake up, you bastard!'