I Became an Extra Without Growth in the Academy

Student Council Vice President Diggerus.

After the last Rift conquest, he had gone missing following a fight with Rudion.

However, seeing his face after so long wasn’t exactly a heartwarming reunion.

He had been obedient and capable, which was why I had kept him close as vice president… but I couldn’t shake the feeling of something twisted about him, so I had kept my distance.

The last time I saw him, that twisted nature had peaked. It was hard to feel excited about this reunion.

Especially in such a confined situation.

“Vice President… or should I just call you Diggerus now?”

“That’s a bit upsetting, isn’t it? Have you booted me out of the Student Council? Well, that aside… It’s been a while, President.”

Unlike before, he oozed thick and sticky malice but was oddly calm, greeting me with a smile just as he always had.

It made my skin crawl, and without meaning to, I snapped back.

“It hasn’t been that long. Only just over two months.”

“I wish you’d understand that for me, it felt like an eternity.”

Nonsense. I thought as I tried to break free from the cage, but for some reason, my body wouldn’t cooperate.

…Why is that? The answer came from Diggerus.

“Ah, right. In there, even a president can only muster the strength of a delicate girl. You were hoping someone would protect you, right? Now I’ll be the one protecting you. You’ll stay there… forever with me.”

That was horrifying.

I didn’t know what had happened to him or why he was acting this way, but if things went his way, it was clear I’d end up as nothing more than a puppet.

He didn’t seem to want to harm me, but he also showed no signs of letting me go.

If it had been an honest fight from the beginning, it might have been different, but starting out trapped here meant I had no chance.

I couldn’t do anything.

It had been a long time since I felt this powerless… or maybe not.

‘It hasn’t been that long.’

Just a little while ago, I had felt something similar during a battle with a Demon Race.

‘…Demon Race?’

Now that I thought about it, I felt a familiar energy coming from Diggerus.

It was faint, but it was definitely…

“Diggerus, you….”

“Oh, you’ve caught on? As expected of the president, your instincts are sharp. That’s right, I’ve become a Demon. I’ve even given up my humanity to protect you.”

Crazy. He gave up being human to become a Demon? No one would willingly do that unless they were insane.

But as much as I denied it, the faint magical energy pouring off him forced me to face reality.

Moreover, it also meant I had no chance of escaping on my own.

So, what hope was left?

The only thing I could hope for was that the Student Council members would come to conquer this Rift.

I had no idea where I was, but from the energy I felt, it was clear I was still inside the Rift.

So, who knows when it might happen, but when they finish the conquest, the Rift will probably disappear, allowing me to escape naturally…

“Oh, right. I have one Rift Stone with me, so no matter what you’re thinking, it won’t go as you wish.”

…Was my last hope going to vanish just like that? Alkiné couldn’t help but show her despair.

Seeing that, Diggerus started chuckling as if he found it amusing.

My head felt foggy. Of course, when my disappearance becomes known, someone would surely come looking for me.

Even if no one comes to help, I believed my father would rush to save me.

But when would that be?

The North is far away. It would take quite some time before news of my disappearance reached him.

During that long time, could I really endure without falling prey to Diggerus’s intentions?

I couldn’t be sure.

‘I’m… not that strong of a person….’

I was just pretending to be strong in front of others with sheer force. In reality, I was simply an immature student failing to control my own desires.

Knowing that all too well, I couldn’t trust myself.

“Someone… save me…”

But all I could do now was mutter those words, well aware that no one would hear me. I let my desperate wish slip out.

…Why was I picturing that guy’s face here?

Without finding an answer, I just blocked out Diggerus’s laughter with my hands.

///

“Hey, is it alright for us to go this far?”

It had been just over two hours since we started moving. The scenery around us remained the same, and the further we got from the Rift’s exit, the greater my anxiety grew.

It was only natural. Rudion and Seria had entered this place empty-handed, and I hadn’t brought anything with me since I planned to join Alkiné’s party.

The original exploration party, led by the president, had been loaded with all kinds of supplies they needed for the expedition. If I had joined, I could’ve used those resources.

But in the end, I didn’t join and was heading in a different direction.

That meant we had nothing prepared.

We had no supplies, not even food in our current situation.

When exploring a Rift, which might never end, how could one not feel anxious?

So I asked, but the answer was still absurd.

“No matter how late, we’ll be done before tomorrow morning. You won’t die if you don’t eat or sleep that long.”

“If Rudion said so, then I’ll believe it.”

Done before morning? This massive Rift? How could that even make sense?

It felt like I must be gravely misunderstanding something about this Rift since he spoke so confidently, I couldn’t even argue back.

What an incomprehensible couple. That was all I could think.

However, it didn’t take long to realize that his words were indeed true.

When he once again asked me to use my ability, I vaguely felt the energy of the Rift Stone.

“So, what do you think? I feel like it should be either this way or that way.”

“…How did you know? It’s this way.”

“Bingo. Let’s go.”

Instead of explaining a hundred times, showing it once was better.

After proving it once, all my doubts vanished.

But… how did he figure that out?

I had a moment of confusion, but I quickly gave up trying to speculate.

He was a man with an unknown ability that even I couldn’t comprehend. It would be foolish to try to figure him out.

I couldn’t go back now, and since I was actually seeing results, I had no choice but to believe and follow.

Maybe it was the small trust that blossomed, but I had no anxiety left in my steps as I followed.

After that, everything moved like clockwork.

By pinpointing the location of the Rift Stone, the only thing left was to go find and smash it.

It took exactly three hours to destroy the first Rift Stone.

And… it took just one hour to find the next one.

Thanks to Rudion pinpointing the direction, that was possible.

In the end, we had destroyed two out of three Rift Stones in just four hours.

Thinking of how the Student Council had searched all day and found nothing, it was truly absurd speed.

Of course, it significantly helped that I could forcibly utilize my ability, but still, it was undeniably remarkable speed.

Whether he knew that or not, the one responsible for this outrageous pace remained nonchalantly deciding the next direction to head.

“We’re at the last one now. This should be the way, but just in case, could you use your ability one more time?”

“Got it.”

The initial resistance I felt was nowhere to be found now.

I activated my ability as if it was only natural, following his words.

“I feel like I’m just a tool now.”

Of course, I always took on such roles, but up until now, at least I had the feeling of leading the exploration.

Now, I truly felt like I was being used like a tool.

I didn’t particularly mind. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t even have been able to use my ability so comfortably.

With those thoughts, I widened my sensing range.

Normally, this would have felt like my head would explode, but I breezed through it and pressed forward.

While expanding my range, I detected some really familiar figures.

They were members of the Student Council, still exploring this place.

For a moment, I felt a rush of joy, but I soon realized something was wrong.

They seemed extremely flustered. It was clear they didn’t know what to do and were running around in confusion.

Why? I didn’t even need to ask.

The reason was glaringly obvious.

‘The President… is missing.’

She wasn’t beside them.

The one who’d never leave the side of any of the members, she was gone.

Hoping against hope, I looked around the area more but couldn’t find the President.

Realizing this, I cut off my ability. I needed to hurry and report this situation.

Was my urgency showing? Rudion and Seria looked at me as if asking what was wrong.

“I think something is off.”

With no time to waste, I quickly explained the situation, and the expression of Rudion, who had been relaxed, suddenly stiffened.

“Let’s go right now.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, he started moving forward.

Unlike a moment ago when he acted with certainty, I now saw anxiety etched on his back.

But for some reason… it felt reassuring.

‘Ah, so that’s what it was.’

I felt like I had some understanding of where Seria’s inexplicable trust came from.

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