Episode 19: Genre Misunderstanding: An Extra's Survival Story

Episode 19: An Attack Is a Required Event

If there is an academy in the world, then that academy being attacked is only natural.

It’s not a matter of narrative logic or causality—it’s just a rule of the genre.

Even so, this rule should at least come with a minimum of reasonable justification.

Why would a massive academy like this allow itself to be breached?

There should be an explanation for how it was so easily penetrated, even with elites living within its walls.

“It’s the Imperial Prince!”

“Kill him!”

“Flam Phoenix! That guy would be incredibly valuable as a hostage!”

“Get him!”

“And that’s Portus next to him!”

“Take him no matter what!”

Every time they tried to move to a safe location, someone else would pop up.

It wasn’t just the masked intruders in black.

Some of the classmates and seniors who’d greeted them just yesterday suddenly began using their powers and charging at them.

Most shocking of all was that even some of the faculty were among them.

“What the hell! What the actual hell is going on!”

“No way… There were this many traitors inside the academy? Are you kidding me?!”

Flam and Portus were clearly shaken.

All their lives, they had been surrounded by people who worshipped them and their families.

No one had ever dared even think of betrayal.

No one would dare betray them—not when the powers backing them were the strongest in their respective elemental domains.

Even after entering the Continental Academy, not much had changed.

Everyone still wanted to get close to them.

Classmates, upperclassmen, and even some faculty who used fire or water-based powers.

And yet, a handful—no, more than a few—of those very people had joined the attackers.

They shouted that abilities should be used for the sake of ability users, boldly proclaiming that there was no reason to sacrifice themselves for the “weaker” non-ability users.

“…How utterly disgraceful.”

Though Caligo was clearly disturbed, he wasn’t as rattled as Flam and Portus.

More than anything, his reaction was one of fury and shame—because this was happening within the Empire’s own domain.

So much effort had gone into gathering the continent’s top ability users into this academy.

So much political maneuvering had taken place to justify it.

So many campaigns had been waged to sway public opinion and convince people that enrolling was the right choice.

And now, this had happened.

A disaster inside the very academy—and betrayal from within.

No one had foreseen this. Judging by how unprepared the defenses were and how long the chaos had gone on, that much was obvious.

“…Haah.”

And Abel had already sighed multiple times by now.

He wasn’t just stunned—he was furious. He couldn’t hold back the rage building inside him.

Was it because the academy, such an important place, was under attack?

No, that part he’d already expected.

The real reason he couldn’t contain his feelings was just one thing:

‘They’re all going after the prince and those two idiots—what about me?!’

According to Flam and Portus, they had received advance notice of assassination attempts.

It made sense that the attackers and traitors were going straight for them.

But what about him? What about Abel?! Wasn’t he a rising star too?

He came in third during power measurement. He’d even defeated a third-year student!

So why hadn’t a single enemy shouted, “It’s Abel! Take him out!”

No one was targeting him.

There were five people in the group, but only three were being hunted.

Flam and Portus received the most attention. Occasionally, someone recognized Caligo and tried to eliminate the prince too.

But not a single enemy had shown any hostility toward Abel or Seria.

It hurt his pride. It felt like all his efforts up until now were being denied and ignored.

‘Seria must be thinking the same, right?’

He turned his head slightly—and sure enough, Seria’s face was flushed red.

She was even biting her lip. Clearly, she shared his sentiments.

Being completely ignored, excluded like they didn’t matter—it stung.

That’s why Abel welcomed this academy raid even more.

After all, heroes were said to emerge in times of chaos.

In times of peace, true heroes could never rise.

Most of the students at the academy had supportive powers.

Their ultimate goal was to rise in society and become part of the ruling elite.

But Abel was different. He held in his hands something that others desperately craved but couldn’t obtain—power.

To use that power merely as a stepping stone in a political game was a disgrace.

He would grow stronger. He would rise higher.

He would climb to the top with power alone.

And to do that, what he needed more than anything else was fame.

The one thing he lacked, while Flam, Portus, and Caligo already possessed it.

“Miss Seria. Do you remember our training? Let’s call today the real thing. A live battle.”

In truth, Seria had been frozen in fear amidst the chaos.

With fires erupting all around them, loud explosions, and constant ambushes—

She was beginning to despair, wondering if there was anything she could do.

“You can do it. Once you get through this, Miss Seria, you’ll come out stronger than ever.”

“Do… do you really think so?”

“Without a doubt.”

Wherever there’s an academy, an attack is bound to happen at some point.

This isn’t a crisis—it’s a stepping stone for growth.

It’s an ancient tradition, even mentioned in the legendary Goguryeo Watermelon Diagram.

So Seria would surely gain something from this too.

No—she must gain something from it.

“Perfect timing. I was getting bored bullying only the water freak.”

“The fire freak who always lost still has a big mouth, huh.”

“Both of you, knock it off. The situation isn’t exactly ideal right now.”

Flam raised an enormous wall of fire that kept enemies from approaching.

Beyond the wall, shimmering spears made of water wavered, ready to shoot at any moment.

Watching the scene unfold, Abel thought, ‘Yup, classic rival characters who actually get along.’

In the middle of the total chaos inside the academy, the five of them steadily carved a path forward.

Along the way, they helped those who were injured or being attacked.

And each time, Abel felt more certain: these supremacist fanatics had planned everything very thoroughly.

“Hey, Flam, when’s the empire sending reinforcements?”

“What’s that? Calling me by name now? Feeling sentimental because death’s near?”

“I was foolish. I apologize, arsonist. Now answer the question.”

“How should I know?! It’s endless! I mean, who in their right mind would even think of attacking the Continental Academy?! Our power level alone rivals most imperial forces!”

He had a point. Since the Continental Academy’s founding, nothing like this had ever occurred.

That was exactly why Flam, Portus, and many others were caught off guard and responded poorly in the early stages.

“If you think about it the other way, isn’t it obvious?”

Abel, who was overly familiar with this kind of plot progression, spoke up like it was no big deal.

“The fact that it’s never happened before means our preparedness has gotten lax. Something that never happens—of course we’d struggle to respond when it finally does.”

“Still… this is the Continental Academy.”

“All the more reason that, if this attack succeeds, the repercussions will be massive.”

If the Academy is no longer seen as a safe place, would other nations still send their talent here?

If this institution—once a symbol of peace among ability users—falls, the world will return to secrecy and hostility.

Countries will start hiding their ability users again, only fueling more tension.

And that benefits the supremacist fanatics.

It tips the balance from responsibility to privilege.

And in that chaos, some power-drunk users may awaken to their ideology.

“…So this is all a wicked scheme by truly evil people, isn’t it, Abel-nim?”

“Well, yes. You could say that, Miss Seria.”

The shift from fear to anger—Abel found that to be a good sign.

It was a decent emotional reaction for an ability user.

He was just about to take a step forward, thinking again that this academy raid really was a good growth event, perfect for a rebound…

“Oh. What luck.”

…when trouble arrived.

The problem was that the person who appeared was not some growth-tier villain.

“Didn’t expect to catch such big fish this fast. And three of them, no less.”

This incident wasn’t created for “growth.”

It had always been meant as the worst-case scenario.

“Looks like another supremacist freak.”

“I’ll take care of this one again. Just sit back and watch.”

Flam’s hands erupted in vivid crimson flames, crackling and dancing in the air.

Compared to Seria’s small sparks, it was on an entirely different level.

Though just a first-year, Flam’s control and power already exceeded that of many upperclassmen.

FWOOSH!!

Determining the man was an enemy, Flam didn’t hesitate for even a second.

He unleashed his flames at full force—

The heat was so intense, even those standing far away could feel it scorch their skin.

It wasn’t just powerful—it was fast.

So fast that the enemy didn’t even have time to dodge.

FWIP!

“…Huh?”

But then, something strange happened.

Flam’s fire vanished into thin air before it could reach its target.

“That idiot…”

Now it was Portus’s turn.

He summoned his signature water spears, gently rippling into form.

But soon, his expression turned just as confused.

“What the hell is this?”

His powers wouldn’t manifest.

As soon as they neared the man in front of them, they fizzled out like smoke.

Impossible. His energy was fine. He wasn’t exhausted.

So why?

“Nice to meet you, young friends. And welcome—to my domain.”

||Previous||TOC||Next||