The story of Academy Extra’s Way to Survive is structured in chapters and acts.
Each chapter represents one semester, and each act is distinguished by events that occur during the semester.
When a semester ends, the story moves on to the next chapter, and every time there is an academy event, like exams or festivals, the act changes.
After the third year, graduation happens, so the story is made up of six chapters in total, and each chapter has different acts.
The latest episode I saw was toward the end of chapter five, and after that, the story was unknown to me.
‘Still, I remember everything from chapter one to chapter five without missing a thing.’
‘Since I know the future, I can prepare for it.’
‘Moreover, I know Luke’s future too, so I can respond in a more well-rounded way. The problem is, everything got messed up from the start. Even before I intervened, the situation was already different from the original.’
Luke was fighting with a female student who didn’t appear in the novel.
Azuki almost died because she didn’t receive help from Luke.
I had no choice but to intervene during the entrance ceremony to prevent Azuki’s death.
I had planned to remain a thorough bystander.
‘Of course, I have no regrets about saving Azuki. But Luke’s neglect of the heroine was a serious issue. This means there’s a high chance similar situations will arise in the future.’
‘The story of the protagonist overcoming crises with the heroines no longer exists. I may want to replace Luke, but I’m not an academy student, after all. If you’re not an academy student, there are some academic schedules you can’t get involved in. For incidents I can’t intervene in, I have no choice but to wait and do nothing.’
“Sigh…”
A deep sigh escaped my lips.
The more I thought about it, the more confused I became, and I couldn’t come up with a good solution.
It seems like this is something that will require long-term consideration.
“Anyway, the immediate issue is resolved.”
***
Before the afternoon classes started, I barely finished the restoration work at the duel arena.
I missed a meal, but seeing the arena look clean made me feel a sense of pride.
As I turned to report that the work was finished, Assistant Professor Louis happened to arrive.
“Tao? Did you work all this time without even having lunch?”
“You’re right on time. Since I finished the work, I’ll leave the final inspection to you, Professor.”
“Don’t change the subject! I’m asking if you skipped lunch and worked this whole time!”
Assistant Professor Louis, who always showed a gentle smile, narrowed her brows.
She seemed displeased with the current situation and frowned, kicking the floor repeatedly.
However, there was a slight tremble in her voice, so it didn’t feel like she was blaming me.
It seemed like she was feeling guilty for me skipping a meal while working.
Being the selfless person she is, I guessed that was why she was upset.
“Yes, I got so absorbed in the work that I didn’t even notice lunchtime passed.”
“If you knew it would take so long, you should have told me earlier! If you had, I would’ve stopped you, even if it meant getting scolded by the professors!”
“Ah, come on! Missing one meal won’t kill me.”
“That kind of careless attitude will get you into big trouble later!”
Assistant Professor Louis didn’t stop at scolding me.
She grabbed my arm firmly.
She pulled me by the arm as if to say, “Follow me!”
She dragged me out of the duel arena, her grip on my arm surprisingly strong.
I realized today that Assistant Professor Louis had quite a fiery side to her.
“The staff cafeteria is probably already closed, so let’s go outside! I’ll buy you lunch!”
“Wait? Professor Louis, don’t you need to prepare for your afternoon class? And there’s the inspection for the duel arena…”
“It’s fine! If anything goes wrong, I’ll just take the criticism and move on!”
“Wow…”
She was far more straightforward and bold than I had imagined.
I decided to accept her offer.
Refusing would only make things worse.
“Ah!”
As I was being pulled along, we unexpectedly ran into a group of freshmen gathered for a tour of the facilities.
It seemed I had unintentionally drawn their attention, and most of them were looking at me with disdain.
I felt awkward.
At least, it was a bit reassuring that most of them didn’t seem to recognize me.
But that reassurance was short-lived when I felt a burning gaze from somewhere.
Turning toward where the gaze was coming from, I saw Erin staring at me intensely.
‘What was that about? Did I do something wrong?’
Right after the entrance ceremony, the students all headed to the dormitories.
It was only natural for them to want to check out the dormitory they would be staying in for the next three years.
However, Erin, unlike the others, visited the professors’ offices instead of the dormitory.
She went around to each professor, bowing deeply and greeting them, showing utmost respect.
Her polite demeanor impressed all the professors.
Being from a hero lineage, it wasn’t surprising that she carried herself with such dignity.
The professors couldn’t help but praise her, secretly anticipating the future of having her as their pupil.
But no one was able to understand the hidden intent behind her actions.
‘What’s going on? None of the professors should be the one she’s looking for, right?’
Erin wasn’t simply going around to make a good impression.
While the surface purpose of her visits was to greet the professors, her true intention was to meet a specific person.
She thought there might be someone she was looking for among the professors.
But her guess was completely off.
‘It can’t be the president, since I saw him at the opening speech. Could it be an assistant professor? No, that doesn’t make sense.’
Erin evaluated the professors as having above-average skills, but none of them seemed overwhelmingly powerful.
It felt like a wall she could easily surpass with a little more effort.
On the other hand, the power she had witnessed during the entrance ceremony still sent chills down her spine.
‘Someone like that couldn’t be an assistant professor, could they? Maybe they aren’t even related to the academy.’
In the end, Erin couldn’t find the person she was looking for and spent her first day in confusion.
***
And then came the second day…
After the orientation that made me yawn, it was time to tour the academy’s facilities.
•”Found it!”
As soon as Erin saw Tao coming from the opposite direction, her eyes lit up.
Amidst the pathetic scene of being dragged by Professor Louis, Erin spotted a hidden side of him.
‘Incredible…! Not a single flaw!’
In her mind, it was as if she could picture him easily handling any sword drawn against him.
Magic was the same.
No matter what technique was used, it would all be useless.
It felt as if she were standing face-to-face with a mountain, and Erin shuddered.
It wasn’t fear, but awe and a bit of competitiveness.
Erin’s vision was entirely focused on Tao, and no one else entered her sight.
“Erin, don’t stray from the line.”
Following her gaze, Erin’s feet naturally moved towards Tao.
It was as though her legs were following him involuntarily, as if under a spell.
“Pl-please wait!”
“I’m sorry, but due to feeling unwell, I will have to forgo today’s tour.”
“The infirmary is on the opposite side…”
Before the supervising professor could finish speaking, Erin stepped away and began to follow Tao’s trail.
She was aware that she was forcing an excuse that wouldn’t work.
However, she didn’t want to miss a chance that might not come again.
Determined not to regret it, Erin followed Tao outside the academy grounds.
As she followed behind him, waiting for the right moment to speak, luck struck when Professor Louis briefly stepped away.
It was the perfect moment to start a conversation.
‘First, I should greet him politely and respectfully ask for his guidance.’
Erin cautiously approached him, wanting to tap him on the shoulder without making him feel pressured.
If he rejected her for being busy, she wanted to set a date for their next meeting.
Just as her hand reached out to touch Tao’s shoulder, A sudden sense of foreboding rushed over Erin, and she quickly pulled her arm back, stepping away.
***
Swooosh-!
At the same time, an arrow shot through the air and struck the exact spot where Erin had been standing, staining the ground black where it landed.
Someone in the crowd had shot a poisoned arrow aimed directly at Erin.
What was worse, it wasn’t just any poison, but one refined by magic, meaning it was likely the work of demons.
“To interfere at such a crucial moment…!”
Not only did they try to kill her, but they also made her miss the perfect opportunity.
Erin’s face twisted in anger, resembling that of a demon.
By judging the direction of the arrow, Erin quickly guessed where the assassin was.
With the determination to catch the assassin before they could escape, Erin ran forward.
Using the ground to propel herself, she leaped up to the building’s rooftop in one swift motion.
‘The assassin already escaped without leaving a trace?’
By the time Erin arrived at the scene, the assassin was long gone.
The assassin, just as fast as Erin, had skillfully evaded her pursuit.
Realizing her own lack of strength, Erin clenched her fist so tightly that blood began to seep from her palm.
Overcome by rage, she almost struck herself in the face with her fist.
“AAAH!”
The scream of a nearby resident snapped Erin out of her thoughts, and she immediately changed course toward the source of the sound.
As she got closer to the target, she could smell blood in the air.
Erin’s breathing grew shallow as she suspected the assassin might be dealing with a witness.
“Please don’t let it be too late…”
With a burst of strength, Erin broke a window and rushed inside the building.
As soon as she entered, the first thing that caught her eye was a body.
The head was crushed, and the body twitched from post-mortem rigidity.
A faint trace of magic lingered in the darkened skin.
The arrows scattered nearby were similar to the one that had targeted Erin, so she knew the corpse belonged to the assassin.
‘This wasn’t just any skill… it was a Dark Elf.’
An elf who had fallen into demonhood by embracing magic.
Specialized in guerrilla warfare, stealth, infiltration, assassination, and sabotage—an elite demon.
Because of this, Erin’s current abilities couldn’t possibly match up to the assassin.
‘This must be their work, right?’
As Erin surveyed the scene, she picked up something from near the assassin’s head.
A simple hammer, stained with blood.
The hammer’s side had a seal proving it belonged to Wellton Academy.
“?”
While examining the hammer, Erin noticed finger-shaped indents on the handle.
It meant the hammer had been gripped so tightly before being thrown.
The warmth still remaining on the handle transmitted the feeling of rage.
‘So you dealt with the Dark Elf for someone else…’
Erin’s lips parted slightly before a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
Despite her uniform being stained with blood, she didn’t care at all and hugged the hammer close to her chest.
A faint flush spread across her cheeks, and in her slightly squinted eyes, the flames of admiration and desire began to flicker.
***
‘What the hell?! That scared the crap outta me!’
While waiting for Assistant Professor Louis to return from the restroom, an arrow suddenly whizzed past.
It had been just off-target enough that I didn’t bother deflecting it, but it still grazed my head, and that gave me chills.
“Is this guy insane?”
‘Shooting an arrow in a crowded street? What if it had hit someone by mistake?’
Fury bubbled up inside me.
Someone needed to be taught a lesson—
So I pulled a hammer from inside my jacket and, without hesitation, hurled it at the fleeing attacker.
The guy was darting between buildings, but I managed to hit him square in the head.
Unfortunately, I messed up the force again.
The hammer crushed his skull and even broke through the outer wall, ending up inside the building.
‘If anyone was in there… well, my bad.’
“Still…”
It was only after the fact that I remembered something important—
The hammer I’d thrown in a moment of rage was one of the Academy’s maintenance tools.
I was supposed to return it to the supply room.
‘Using an academy-issued tool as a weapon?’ That was going to be a problem.
The admin guys are real sticklers about lost inventory…
“Hmm.”
‘Maybe I could just blame it on the demons?’
‘Yeah, that’ll work. It’s the demons’ fault!’