The Extra's Reincarnation-Chapter 67: The Royal 8 Challenge (5)

Within the blink of an eye, Julian disappeared.

The vines that held him suddenly slackened, as if there was nothing to restrain. The girl’s razor-sharp blades sliced through thin air, and the earth spikes meant to impale him shattered against the ground itself.

"…!"

The group of 3 were caught off guard from his sudden disappearance as if he was never there.

"Where did he go?!"

They all looked around for him but he was gone, the only trail he left was towards the cut off tree trunk footprints.

The mist-cloaked figure hovered over the remnants of their failed ambush, eyes narrowing as they scanned the luminescent foliage.

"Spread out, he can’t have gone far. If he’s avoided combat, he must have one of the mana orbs,"

With a commanding tone, he directed the other two, despite his youth. This demonstrated that natural-born leaders can emerge in any world.

The girl with the daggers nodded sharply and dashed towards the dense underbrush, while the earth guy remained on his feet keeping an eye out for any kind of ambush.

BAM!

Out of nowhere, a piercing blue light shot through the forest, from the direction Julian had left in.

"Watch out!"

The girl with twin daggers screamed as she realized that the earth guy was the one being attacked.

As he turned his head towards the light, he reacted as fast as he could.

"Spell Arts Of Earth: Stone Wall!"

He firmly planted his hands onto the solid ground, causing intricate magic circles to materialize beneath them. A surge of pure mana pulsated through his body and into the earth, creating a low rumble that could be felt by anyone around him.

WHOSH!

In an instant, a massive wall formed from the ground, two layers thick thanks to the earth user’s powerful defense abilities.

BAM!

The attack hit the wall, but a blue light could still be seen from behind it.

"What…?"

CRACK…

The earth user was taken aback as the blue light easily penetrated through his defensive layers, bringing the bullet dangerously close.

He had underestimated the strength of the attack and realized he couldn’t dodge it.

BANG!

With a loud bang, the bullet left a mark on the boy’s forehead, causing excruciating pain.

"AHHH!"

With a sudden, agonizing cry, the intense pain engulfed him, causing his HP bar to plummet to a mere 5% as he crumpled to the ground.

The mist-cloaked figure turned around, his eyes wide with shock, he’s never seen an attack that could pierce through a reinforced wall.

"What kind of attack was that?!"

"I’m grateful I was never on the receiving end of that before,"

The girl with the twin daggers replied with relief and gratitude for her safety.

As the first challenge drew to a close, 672 orbs had been distributed among the 20 worlds. This also meant that exactly 672 participants had survived.

Julian had expertly managed his way through the first 5 challenges, avoiding all encounters with the 6 unique characters and the main contender vying for victory.

The second challenge was to protect the mana orb, which proved to be a simple task for Julian as he expertly concealed himself within his designated area. He easily made it through to the next challenge, where he faced the task of subjugating monsters. Each participant had to defeat 10 low-grade monsters, 4 low-mid grade monsters, and 1 low-high grade monster. However, Julian didn’t struggle with any of them and confidently breezed through the challenges.

However, it was now time for the Sixth royal challenge: teamwork and subjugation.

The remaining participants who had passed the fifth challenge had been returned with thinner numbers than before.

CLAP…CLAP…CLAP…

As the nobles clapped in admiration for the children’s impressive display of endurance, Meredith emerged on stage to introduce the next challenge.

"I’d like to say congratulations to all of you that have survived so far, there was originally 10,000 participants on stage but now only 300 of you remain, So without further a do we will now get onto the next challenge. Which is teamwork subjugation. With this task, you will all be in groups of 5, with 10 groups fighting a boss at a time. This will allow you all to rest whether it would be now or after the fight, however you cannot bear the fruit of your efforts now as you’ll be fighting a Low-High Grade Boss monster."

-No way... is she being serious?

-I’ve never defeated a low-mid grade boss monster before, let alone a low grade boss monster!

-Is it even possible to do that with just 5 people?

The disbelief in the air was clear.

Kids from the ages 5 to 10 have most likely never fought a boss monster before, but those who have, will already have an advantage against those who have not because of their experience.

However, to fight a Low-High grade boss monster requires at least the power level of a regular adult adventurer, which the measurement of 5 kids should be the equivalent to.

"Now for the teams, all of them will be randomly selected based on the data shown from their previous challenges,"

Julian listened carefully, taking in the words of Meredith seriously.

He had managed to avoid major confrontations so far, but this challenge would force him to work with others which he hasn’t done since his boss fight with Ezekiel.

WHAM...WHAM...WHAM!

As names began appearing on the large screen above, Julian scanned for his own.

[Group 7: Julian Ryker Uzziel #10,000 - Marcus Renfield #0,001 - Kyra Devereaux #0,005 - Faustino Skye #0,006, Jake Banter #2,451]

-What the hell?!

Julian’s eyes widened as he recognized some of the names. Marcus Renfield, the destined champion of the Royal 8, would surely triumph in the challenge even without the influence of fate.

Kyra and Faustino, prominent nobles, who would also join the main cast in entering Aethel Academy. However, Julian was unsure of the last person on the list and assumed they were just another minor character in the subjugation challenge.

As the groups began to take shape, Julian made his way towards his assigned teammates, who huddled in a corner.

He approached slowly, and as he reached them, he couldn’t help but notice the difference between an extra and a side character.

Glancing at their appearances, matching faces to the names he’d seen on the screen. Marcus Renfield stood tall and imposing, his brown hair neatly combed and his brown eyes studying the group with an air of authority. Despite his young age, he exuded an aura of intimidation that made Julian slightly uneasy.

Next to Marcus was Kyra Devereaux, her green hair falling in soft waves around her face. Her green eyes darted nervously between her teammates, and she seemed to be trying to make herself as small as possible. Julian could sense the fear and anxiety radiating off her in waves.

Faustino Skye’s bright orange hair was hard to miss. He stood with his arms crossed, brown eyes narrowed as he assessed the group. While not as overtly intimidating as Marcus, there was still a cocky aura that spoke as if people should adore him.

And the fifth member, Jake Banter, hung back slightly from the others.

He had an unremarkable appearance, with mousy brown hair and grey eyes that seemed to blend into the background.

As Julian approached the group, he greeted them with a warm smile and a friendly wave. However, most of them returned his gesture with hostile glares, excluding Kyra who smiled back warmly.

"Hello, I’m Julian-"

"Enough with the introductions,"

Marcus cut in abruptly, taking charge of the situation without acknowledging Julian’s attempt at introductions.

"We need to strategize before we’re thrown into this challenge. What are everyone’s abilities?"

Julian paused, taken aback by Marcus’s abrupt interruption. He watched as the others quickly fell in line, responding to Marcus’s authoritative tone.

"Well, as you can see I specialize in fire magic if you didn’t know already,"

Faustino was the first to speak, and Julian could tell from his appearance alone that he was an insufferable asshole.

"I guess if we’re talking about roles, I’m a Battle Mage not afraid to get up close and personal," he declared with a smug grin.

He took a step towards Marcus to intimidate him but he didn’t budge, so instead Marcus pushed Faustino out of his way to figure out everyone else’s role.

"Damn bastard," Faustino muttered under his breath, glaring at Marcus with hate.

"What about you Miss?"

Marcus spoke in a rough tone, however his tone sounded less harsh to Kyra who backed herself into a corner.

"I... I’m good with supporting magic and I know some offensive spells and defensive spells. But I was trained more as a Frontcaster than a support."

Kyra fidgeted nervously, speaking in a soft voice.

"That’s fine, what about you airhead?,"

Julian thought Marcus was gesturing towards him, but his words were actually directed at Jake beside him.

"I specialize in wind magic. It may not be the most powerful, but I can enhance speed and agility," he explained.

"But what’s your role?" Marcus’s face remained stoic as he posed the question.

"Uhm… I’d say uh… Frontcaster?"

Jake hesitated, unsure of what role to take on. Faustino had already claimed his usual position.

"Well, unfortunately for you, you’ll act as our tank."

Jake’s eyes widened in surprise and dismay. "Tank? But I’m not built for—"

"We don’t have time to argue," Marcus cut him off sharply.

"You’ll act as our shield and distraction. Your wind magic can at least help you dodge."

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Jake opened his mouth to protest further but seemed to think better of it, shoulders slumping in resignation.

Marcus then turned his attention to Julian, his gaze sharp and assessing.

"And you? What can you contribute?"

Julian hesitated for a moment, acutely aware of the scrutiny from his teammates. He had been hoping to laze around a bit longer, but it seemed that wouldn’t be possible in this challenge.

"I’m... versatile," he said carefully. "I can support or attack as needed."

Marcus raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by the vague answer.

"Care to be more specific? What kind of magic do you use?"

Julian shifted uncomfortably. He couldn’t exactly tell them about his unique abilities or the fact that he was from another world.

"I’m still... discovering my strengths," he said evasively.

"Wow... Great. We’ve got a newbie who doesn’t even know what he can do. I think it’s safe to say that we’re screwed! We have scrawny wind loser, a scared front caster of a girl, and a cocky show-off wearing a number 1 on their shirt,"

Faustino scoffed sarcastically and Marcus’s eyes narrowed dangerously at Faustino’s words. He had definitely hit a spot on his nerves.