Extra Pages: The Author's Odyssey

Lyra Morningstar A gentle and kind Elf.

I already told you that Lyra is my favourite character in the whole 'Blades of Destiny'.

I like her character more than my MC-Adrean.

When I was creating her character I made her kindness of all.

But it doesn't mean that she doesn't get angry or anything.

When I talk about Lyra, you must remember that she is a goddess in human form.

Let's take jokes aside for now.

What meant to say was that Lyra, Emma, Elera and Isabella are from [ Union Academy ].

Union Academy is an institute that teaches kids from 12-16. It's an academy that only the elite can enter, in short reach and big-shot family kids are only allowed there.

Anyway, the main point is when Evelyn mentions that she met Lyar in a different school after transfer I know, that it was Union Academy.

She must have met her at Union Academy and with her and the other main character. And their friendship must have gotten so deep that she also joined Nova Academy.

I think I solved one mystery here, but there is still one more question I have.

Why? Why did she go to Union Academy and not the other academies? And there is still [ that man ], I have to find him about to.

And 'First Arc' is also about to begin now.

Things are just getting complicated.

"Anyway, what time is it now?" I said myself as I looked at the time on my AI watch.

[ 3:44 am ]

"Oh, shit I hope that I just do not get lait for tomorrow."

I said as I went to bed.

In morning.

I was late. At 1 hour at a time, I also heard an earful lecture from Miss Lilian about 'tiredness is a human weakness.'

And many students chuckle at my misfortune.

Among them was Lyra too. I feel betrayed by her.

'Oh well, what can I do? That's how life is.'

***

The Hero Corus was a place where people with outstanding talents gathered, but that didn't mean they were all smart. Some students even dozed off during lectures, paying no heed to the valuable knowledge being imparted.

My eyes wandered across the classroom, observing the various types of students. There were those like Emma and Isabella, who remained entirely focused, absorbing every word from the instructors. Some of the physically gifted students managed to concentrate too.

However, there were plenty of students who seemed just average or who skipped class entirely, often due to their youth. In this school, students were chosen based on their talents rather than their intelligence.

Even someone like Lucas, whose potential was considered average at Nova Academy, would be highly sought after in a normal institution. But then again, I wasn't Lucas.

As someone who had already completed their education before arriving here, I often found these classes either boringly easy or reliant on rote memorization.

Now, I was once again on the training ground, enduring the gruelling physical training.

"Run! Don't stop! Jump!"

Gasping for breath, I pushed myself harder, trying to keep up with the relentless pace.

"Gasp... Gasp... Gasp..."

"I... I can't anymore..."

"Wheeze... Wheeze..."

"Why do I have to do this?!"

The physical training exercises felt like a form of corporal punishment. My stamina was only at [G+], and to make matters worse, Instructor Ravi had prohibited the use of mana during these sessions.

His reasoning? To improve our stamina.

"You are the future of the world," Instructor Ravi bellowed between exercises. "If you do not meet a certain level of physical fitness by the end of this semester, I will fail you! Keep that in mind!"

It was an eye-opener that mages couldn't afford to be physically weak. Relying too heavily on mana had its consequences, and those lacking in stamina wouldn't be able to study or perform well in the field.

I couldn't help but remember that I had written these very sentences myself.

It was ironic that I was now paying the price for my own words.

"Hey, you there! Don't walk!"

I sighed, drenched in sweat, as Instructor Ravi continued to bark orders. The lack of sleep from the late-night practice added to my exhaustion.

I felt a simmering anger building within me. If anyone dared to pull a prank or cross the line, even the so-called "main character," I wouldn't let them get away with it.

That's how infuriated I was at that moment.

The training ground felt like a living nightmare, and I couldn't help but wonder if I could endure this for an entire semester. Twice a week, every week.

As I glanced at my classmates, Adrian's exceptional stamina stood out.

"Wha, what kind of monster is he…."

My other classmates had their mouths wide open when they saw Adrian's crazy stamina.

Well, they have a reason for it.

His E+ rank stamina seemed monstrous compared to my G+ rank. I wasn't jealous or admiring; I was simply too drained to care.

I questioned whether I could keep up with this gruelling regimen, but I had no choice. The challenges of The Hero Corus were a trial I had to endure, no matter how daunting they seemed.

***

After two hours of gruelling classes with Instructor Ravi, everyone headed to the showers and changing rooms to wash up and change clothes.

This was my first time in this facility. After the match between Adrian and Aric, I left quickly without checking it out.

One of the other students, Loisei, grumbled loudly about the integrated showers and changing rooms.

"Why are the showers and changing rooms integrated?" he complained.

Loisei was another extra like me. I was too drained to care about such minor inconveniences, given the punishing physical training we had just endured.

As we changed, I couldn't help but hear the complaints around me.

"That's not the problem… We have to do this again on Thursday… Aaaaarg…."

Moans and groans filled the changing room, regardless of whether students were from Class A or Class B. We all had to endure the same hardships, so the details seemed insignificant.

But then something strange happened. I hit my head in frustration at myself for writing such a dog-like novel. Everyone in the room turned to look at me with strange expressions.

I gave a slight apologetic nod to my fellow students.

However, another problem arose while changing. George, the student who had opposed my victory over Kalu, approached me.

"Hey, you," he said.

I responded wearily, "What?"

George seemed to be on the brink of exhaustion as well, so I wondered what he wanted.

"You're not in particularly good shape, are you?" he questioned.

I sighed. "What about it?"

It appeared that George was trying to boost his ego by pointing out my struggles during Physical class. He must have thought that we weren't so different after all.

"So what gives you such confidence, huh?" he taunted childishly.

I found his behaviour rather childish, but I decided to tolerate it for now. I was too tired to engage in another confrontation.

His taunts continued, "Fucking with me again… Hah, what weird nonsense are you talking about?"

I remained silent, refusing to be baited into an argument.

George tapped my shoulder again, saying, "Don't do that."

Finally, he snapped, "Why, wanna try me again? Go ahead. It's ridiculous for a bastard like you to be in the Hero Course. What kind of trick did you use? A guy with no talent? Did you bribe them with money?"

It seemed that George couldn't accept the blow to his pride that my victory over Kalu had delivered. I had underestimated how deeply it had affected him.

I was growing impatient with his antics when he called me a derogatory term.

"Arg!" I exclaimed.

In the heat of the moment, I grabbed George by the scruff of his neck and threw him to the ground. He was already weakened from our Physical class, making it an easy task.

George looked up at me in puzzlement from the floor.

It was almost comical how quickly the tables had turned.

I decided to teach him a lesson, saying, "There are children who understand things they are told immediately, and then there are brats who first need a beating to understand."

His pride had taken a hit, and he couldn't back down.

I continued, "I think you're a brat."

-Pow!

"Arg!"

"Let me give you that beating."

I kicked the guy who fell to the floor in the stomach.

There were several types of bullies, but when it came to fighting, there were two types you absolutely shouldn't touch.

One who's good at fighting. Or one who's a completely crazy bastard.

If you touched someone good at fighting, you'd get beat up if you touch them.

But it was a bit different in the case of a crazy bastard. People shouldn't touch someone like that because they wouldn't know what he'll do.

Some guys hit someone over the head with a chair, you know?

so I chose the latter option to not get trampled over. A person who could act strong was indeed strong.

One just had to show some guy, who's all talk, that you are not. I was going to act like that while everyone was watching.

With that, I stomped on George's face.

All I had to show them was that if they touched me for no good reason their life might get seriously endangered.

I wasn't strong.

I couldn't even be strong yet. But I could be cruel. Family Background and rankings don't show everything.

That's why I had to show them.

"Stop!" someone shouted.

I heard Andrin and Sunny's voices as they pulled me away from George.

Sunny, my friend from my new team, asked me, "Lucas bro, what happened? Why are you beating George?"

I was too angry to respond. My anger stemmed from my earlier vow that if anyone crossed the line, even the so-called "main character," I wouldn't let them get away with it. That's how infuriated I was at that moment.

George, lying on the floor, groaned in pain and couldn't even look at me as I was dragged away by my friends.

"If you're so confident in yourself, try me again, why don't you?" I challenged him.

George couldn't muster a response, and I left him there, feeling a mixture of anger and exhaustion.