Help! I'm just an extra yet the Heroines and Villainesses want me!-Chapter 57

The Thorn Brute’s charge shook the ground as it barreled toward them with surprising speed for something so massive. Astrid met it head-on with her sword already enhanced as she blocked one of its club-like arms. The impact sent her sliding back several feet, her boots leaving trails in the dirt.

"It’s strong!" she called out, recovering her stance.

Liam circled right while William went left, both trying to flank the creature while it was focused on Astrid. The smaller plant beasts scattered around the chamber stirred to life, responding to their guardian’s aggression.

"On the adds!" Marcus yelled, engaging three Thorn Sprouts that rolled toward Elena.

William kept his attention split between the Brute and his surroundings. A Vine Crawler dropped from above and he severed it without breaking stride, his blade cutting through plant matter like it wasn’t even there.

Liam struck at the Brute’s left side, his sword biting into the twisted vine mass that made up its leg. The creature roared and swung its arm in a wide arc that forced both Liam and Astrid to retreat.

"William, hit it with fire!" Liam shouted.

William channeled more essence into his blade and launched a wave of flames toward the Brute. The fire washed over its body and the creature recoiled, the plant matter smoking where the heat had touched it. It wasn’t major damage but the Brute clearly didn’t like it.

"Keep the pressure on!" Astrid moved back in, striking at the same leg Liam had hit.

The fight settled into a rhythm. Astrid and Liam maintained close combat, forcing the Brute to focus on them while William provided fire support from medium range. Marcus and Elena handled the smaller beasts that kept spawning from the edges of the chamber, preventing the group from being overwhelmed.

And Kai was somehow everywhere at once.

William watched his roommate move through the chaos with an almost casual efficiency. A Thorn Sprout rolled toward Elena’s blind spot and Kai intercepted it with a kick that sent it flying into a wall. A Vine Crawler descended toward Marcus and Kai grabbed it mid-air, used it to clothesline another vine, then tossed both away.

He still hadn’t drawn his sword.

"Is he showing off or is he always like this?" Astrid asked while dodging a Brute attack.

"I have no idea anymore," William admitted.

The Brute swung both arms down in a massive overhead strike that would have crushed Astrid if she hadn’t rolled aside at the last second. The impact cracked the ground and sent debris flying. Liam took advantage of the opening and drove his sword deep into the creature’s exposed back.

The Brute howled and spun, trying to dislodge Liam, but he had already pulled his blade free and retreated. Dark sap oozed from the wound, the equivalent of blood for plant-based beasts.

"It’s weakening!" Liam called out. "Keep going!"

William intensified his fire attacks, sending concentrated bursts of flame that scorched the Brute’s body and created smoking patches across its form. The creature was clearly struggling now, its movements becoming slower and less coordinated.

Astrid and Liam pressed their advantage with a coordinated assault. Astrid went low, her blade cutting deep into the damaged leg, while Liam struck high, targeting the creature’s torso. The Brute tried to defend but it was fighting two skilled opponents simultaneously while taking fire damage.

"One more push!" Astrid yelled.

William gathered his essence and created the largest fire burst he could manage without completely draining himself. The flames engulfed the Brute’s upper body and it staggered backward, its movements jerky and uncoordinated.

Liam saw the opening and took it. His sword came down in a powerful overhead strike that split the Brute’s torso nearly in half. The creature let out one final rumbling sound and then collapsed, its body breaking apart into chunks of dead plant matter.

The smaller beasts in the chamber immediately went dormant, their connection to the guardian severed. The chamber fell silent except for everyone’s heavy breathing.

"Everyone good?" Liam asked, checking the group.

"Fine," Astrid said, wiping sweat from her forehead. "That went better than expected."

"Speak for yourself," Marcus said, examining a tear in his sleeve where a thorn had caught him. "I got stabbed like five times."

"Only five? I got at least seven," Elena said quietly, showing several small puncture wounds on her arms.

"I didn’t get hit at all," Kai mentioned casually.

Everyone turned to stare at him.

"Of course you didn’t," William muttered.

Astrid walked over to the Brute’s remains and started examining them. "The core should be here somewhere... ah, found it."

She pulled out a fist-sized crystalline sphere that pulsed with green light. "This is a Thorn Brute essence core. These sell for decent money or can be used in cultivation. Since we all contributed, we should split the profit."

"That works for me," Liam agreed.

They spent a few minutes catching their breath and treating minor injuries. Elena had brought medical supplies and set about cleaning everyone’s cuts and applying basic healing salve. Even Kai accepted treatment despite claiming he hadn’t been hit—apparently a Thorn Sprout had managed to nick his leg at some point without him noticing.

"So," Marcus said while Elena bandaged his arm. "That was the first floor. How are we feeling about the second floor?"

"Tired," William admitted. His essence reserves were still decent but not full, and the sustained combat had worn on his stamina.

"Same," Liam said. "We should probably rest before going deeper."

"There’s a safe room between the first and second floors," Astrid explained. "It’s a chamber the dungeon doesn’t spawn beasts in. The academy policy is to use it for breaks during extended runs."

"That sounds perfect," Elena said.

They gathered their things and the essence materials they’d collected, then headed toward the passage Astrid indicated would lead to the safe room. The tunnel sloped downward more steeply than the previous ones, the temperature dropping noticeably as they descended.

After about ten minutes of careful walking, the passage opened into a chamber that felt immediately different from the others. The air was clearer, less heavy with essence. Simple stone benches lined the walls and there was even a small spring of clean water in one corner.

"Welcome to the safe room," Astrid said, dropping her pack with obvious relief. "We can rest here as long as we need."

Everyone found spots to sit and started unpacking food and water. William settled onto one of the benches and took a long drink from his flask, feeling the exhaustion from the first floor settling into his muscles.

"Not bad for a first dungeon run," Liam said, sitting next to him. "How are you holding up?"

"Alright. Tired but not dead." William pulled out some dried meat from his pack and started eating. "This is definitely different from academy training."

"Way different," Liam agreed. "The unpredictability makes it harder to prepare for. You can’t train for having a Vine Crawler drop on your head from the ceiling."

"You kind of can," Kai said from across the room. He was examining one of the Essence Bloom petals they’d collected earlier. "You just need better spatial awareness."

"Not everyone has your mysterious protagonist powers," Astrid said with a grin. She’d stretched out on one of the benches like it was the most comfortable thing in the world. "Some of us are just normal talented people."

"I’m not a protagonist," Kai said.

"That’s exactly what a protagonist would say," Marcus pointed out.

"I’m really not."

"The denial just makes it more suspicious."

William watched them banter back and forth and felt a strange sense of contentment. This was nice. Just a group of students exploring a dungeon together, fighting monsters, collecting loot, and joking around. No curse complications, no romantic tension, no academy politics.

Just normal adventuring.

"So what’s the second floor like?" Elena asked Astrid. "You said you’ve done it before."

"More of the same but harder," Astrid said. "The beasts are tougher, there are more environmental hazards, and the chambers are more complex. There’s poison spores in some areas that we’ll need to be careful about."

"Poison spores?" Marcus sounded concerned.

"Nothing deadly if we’re careful. Just avoid breathing them in too much and we’ll be fine. I have some antidote pills if anyone does get affected." Astrid patted her pack. "Came prepared."

"What about the boss?" Liam asked. "Is there another mini-boss like the Thorn Brute?"

"Yeah, but it’s stronger. A Poison Bloom Guardian. Think of it like a massive flower with tentacles that spray poison and can regenerate damage if you don’t kill it fast enough."

"That sounds terrible," William said.

"It is terrible," Astrid confirmed cheerfully. "But also profitable. The Poison Bloom core is worth twice what a Thorn Brute core sells for."

They rested for about thirty minutes, eating and recovering their essence reserves. William could feel his pathways slowly refilling with ambient essence from the environment, though it was slower than active cultivation would have been.

Kai had produced a book from somewhere and was reading it casually like he wasn’t sitting in the middle of a dangerous dungeon. William didn’t even know where he’d been keeping it—his pack wasn’t large enough to hold a book that size comfortably.

"Where did you get that?" William asked, pointing at the book.

"I always carry a book," Kai said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why?"

"In case I get bored."

"We’re in a dungeon. How could you possibly get bored?"

"I manage."

William gave up trying to understand his roommate’s logic and went back to resting. Eventually, Astrid stood and stretched, signaling it was time to move on.

"Everyone ready for the second floor?" she asked.

The group gathered their things and prepared to continue deeper. William checked his sword and made sure his essence was flowing properly. His reserves were back to about seventy percent, which should be enough for the next section if they were careful.

"Stay close once we enter the second floor," Astrid warned while leading them toward the exit passage. "The visibility is worse and the beasts are better at ambush tactics. Don’t wander off alone."

They left the safe room and descended further into the dungeon. The passage grew narrower and the bioluminescent moss dimmed until they could barely see a few feet ahead. The air became thick and humid, carrying a sweet cloying smell that made William’s nose wrinkle.

"That’s the poison spores," Astrid said quietly. "Try not to breathe too deeply. Short, shallow breaths through your nose."

The passage finally opened into the second floor’s first chamber and William immediately understood why Astrid had emphasized caution. The space was filled with a light mist that obscured vision beyond twenty feet. Strange plants covered every surface, many of them pulsing with sickly colors that suggested poison or disease.

And in the mist, things were moving.

"Everyone take positions," Liam said quietly. "William, be ready with fire. Kai, Marcus, watch the flanks. Elena, Astrid, center formation."

They moved cautiously into the chamber, weapons ready and senses alert. The mist swirled around them, creating shapes that might have been threats or might have been nothing.

Something lunged from the mist toward Marcus. He blocked it reflexively and William caught a glimpse of what looked like a snake made of vines before it retreated back into the obscuring fog.

"Poison Vipers," Astrid identified. "They’re fast and venomous. Don’t let them bite you."

More movement in the mist, coming from multiple directions now. The second floor had begun its welcome, and it was considerably less friendly than the first floor had been.

"Here they come!" Liam called out.

The chamber erupted into combat as Poison Vipers emerged from the mist in coordinated attacks. William’s fire cut through them effectively but the low visibility made it hard to see threats before they were right on top of him.

This was going to be a long second floor.

But at least it was keeping things interesting.

William tightened his grip on his sword and focused on the fight ahead, trusting his teammates to watch his back as they pushed deeper into the Verdant Hollow’s more dangerous regions.