An Extra’s Rise in an Eroge

The battlefield in the dense forest was turning into chaos. Everywhere, the sound of metal clashing against stone echoed as students threw themselves against the endless wave of golems.

Arthur casually sliced down another golem, his Abyssal Fang cleaving through its chest like paper. He barely even shifted his posture, moving leisurely forward while whistling softly. To the instructors watching, his movements might look calm and calculated—an air of dominance radiating without him even trying.

Alex, on the other hand, was cutting down golems like a storm. His blade technique was sharp, his movements crisp, and every strike carried intent. Sweat trickled down his forehead, his expression filled with determination and frustration all at once.

"Damn it, Arthur!" Alex muttered under his breath, glaring at the black-haired youth ahead who didn't even break a sweat. "Why does he always look like he's strolling through a garden?"

Evelyn wasn't far behind. The saintess held her staff firmly, blasting golems apart with concentrated beams of light. Unlike the others, she fought with efficiency—each spell precise, clean, and aimed to conserve mana. A faint glow surrounded her as she healed a few injured students on the side, before turning back to obliterate another wave.

Alicia darted through the battlefield with sharp agility. Her blade left arcs of light as she pierced the core of every golem she touched. Instead of focusing on brute force, she weaved between their heavy attacks, striking at weak points and slipping past before the golems could even register her.

Despite everyone's efforts, the situation became clear after only a few minutes. No matter how many they cut down, the number of golems didn't decrease. The ground trembled as more emerged from the earth, crawling up like ants from a nest.

Alex's sword sank into the chest of another golem, its body crumbling into rubble. His breath came out ragged as he shouted, "There's no end to them!"

Arthur, still calm, stepped past a crumbling golem and answered in his usual nonchalant tone, "Of course there isn't. Didn't you listen? The point isn't to wipe them out. They're just obstacles."

That realization spread among the sharper students. The stronger ones like Alex, Evelyn, Alicia, and Arthur caught on quickly, but many others kept fighting desperately, wasting stamina and mana.

"Forget killing them!" Alicia shouted, her voice sharp as her blade. "The goal is Neil Mountain. If you waste your energy here, you'll never even see the halfway point!"

A few students around her finally understood and began retreating, slipping past the golems instead of fighting them head-on.

Evelyn raised her staff, firing a blinding flash of light into the air. "Everyone with a brain, move! Don't get stuck here!"

Arthur chuckled faintly at her words but didn't comment. Instead, he simply walked past the rubble of fallen golems, weaving between them with ease. His movements looked casual, but every step was precise, avoiding danger without even needing to fight unless something got too close.

Alex gritted his teeth. He wasn't about to follow Arthur's "lazy" pace. Instead, he cut his way forward like a spearhead, slicing a path through the golems with relentless force. Every strike was aimed to clear space, his body moving like he carried the pride of being number one on his shoulders.

Evelyn's strategy differed. She didn't bother clashing with every enemy. Instead, she used wide-range spells that pushed golems back, creating openings for herself and others. Her light magic blinded them momentarily, then she slipped past with her robes fluttering.

Alicia relied on speed. She ducked, dashed, and flickered between the stiff movements of the stone giants. Every time a golem swung its heavy arm, she was already gone, a step ahead, carving her way forward without getting caught.

Meanwhile, students across the forest began splitting up. The stronger ones forced their way through with brute strength, leaving trails of rubble behind. The weaker but clever ones started using distractions—throwing rocks, luring golems into each other's paths, or simply sneaking past while others fought.

And then there were the hopeless ones—the ones who neither had the strength nor the brains. They kept swinging their weapons desperately, wasting energy until they were overwhelmed. Their cries echoed across the forest, but no one stopped to help. This was a test, and not everyone was meant to pass.

Arthur, moving steadily, finally glanced up at the faint outline of Neil Mountain visible in the distance through the trees. He smirked lightly.

Without breaking stride, he slipped past another pair of golems as if they weren't even worth noticing, his figure moving deeper into the forest while the chaos raged behind him.

~~~~~

More than half of the students had already pushed past the golem defence line.

The ones who remained were either drained of strength or lacked the wit to adapt.

Still, they hadn't completely given up. The golems had stopped advancing on them, only standing guard at the periphery. It was clear now—unless someone moved close enough to trigger their aggression, the golems would not attack. That alone gave the weaker students breathing room.

They sat in small clusters, catching their breath, patching themselves up, and regaining mana. Some gnawed at dry rations, others quietly meditated. The idea was simple—recover tonight, strategize, and attempt again tomorrow.

It was obvious the exam planners had anticipated this. Throw enough pressure and obstacles, and the weak would either band together or crumble. This was the real test. Whether the stragglers realized it or not, it was survival of the fittest playing out right in front of them.

"Taking out these golems by ourselves is impossible," one of the exhausted boys muttered, his voice hoarse.

"Even if we can handle the 2-circle ones, the 3-circle golems are way beyond us."

"Unless…" someone hesitated, "…we draw their attention away somehow."

The group went dead silent.

The idea wasn't bad, but the reality was cruel. Drawing attention meant someone would have to act as bait.

"Do we really have no other option?" a girl—let's call her Girl A—spoke up. She looked around at the others, searching for a counter-plan.

"I don't think so," another girl, Girl B, responded bluntly.

The heavy atmosphere weighed down on everyone. Some avoided eye contact, some clenched their fists in frustration, others sat in thought, trying to deny the inevitable truth.

That's when the ground shook. A faint tremor, but noticeable enough to break their tension.

"…Am I the only one feeling that?" one boy asked, his eyes darting nervously.

"No," another replied immediately, standing to his feet. "The ground's shaking for real."

A third voice shouted, panic breaking through, "Something's wrong!"

Everyone rushed out from their resting spots, craning their necks toward the direction of the tremors. At first, there was nothing but the blanket of night. Then—red dots. Dozens of them. Flickering in the darkness, one after another.

"Are those golems?" someone asked, voice tight with unease. "But… shouldn't they glow greenish?"

His words fell flat. No one answered.

As the figures moved into the light of the moon, the truth became clear. These weren't the same golems they had fought before. The rocky bodies radiated a reddish haze, pulsing faintly like molten cracks in stone. Their glow was violent, chaotic, not the steady aura of the earlier ones.

A suffocating wave of pressure spread across the clearing. The air itself seemed heavier, sharper. Students shivered without meaning to, their breath frosting as the temperature around them suddenly dropped.

The reddish haze of the hell-class golems reflected in their wide eyes. No one spoke this time. They didn't need to. The deathly chill that spread through their bones said it all.

The silence broke the moment the first red glow became clear. Unlike the usual dull green glow of the exam golems, these ones radiated crimson, as if the stone itself was soaked in blood. Their eyes burned with hostility, and even at a distance, their steps shook the ground harder than before.

"They… they look different."

"Stronger."

"Don't tell me they put another kind of golem here?!"

Panic rippled through the group. Many were already tired, drained of mana and stamina from the earlier fights. Even the thought of fighting a 3-circle golem again made their hearts sink, but these new ones were giving off a pressure far beyond that.

The students instinctively stepped back from the periphery, hoping the new golems would remain inactive like the normal ones had. But the moment one student shifted too close, a crimson golem's head snapped in his direction. Its glowing eyes locked onto him, and it charged forward with a roar-like grinding sound of stone crushing against stone.

"RUN!" someone screamed.

The students scattered instantly. Some tripped in their panic, others bolted without looking back. The unlucky boy who had drawn the golem's attention raised his sword in desperation, only for the creature's arm to swing down. His blade cracked under the pressure, and though he managed to dodge, the impact left a crater where he had been standing.

"They're stronger than before! These aren't the same golems!"

Girl A gritted her teeth. "Damn it! Is this a test? It's clearly aiming for kill."

"We can't fight those!" Girl B's voice wavered as another red golem emerged from the shadows, followed by another, and then three more. The reddish haze multiplied, illuminating the night like an army of demons marching forward.

The students huddled together, breathing heavily, their eyes darting everywhere. They had been lucky with the green golems, managing to slip past or stall them with group tactics. But now? These ones looked like they were designed to hunt them down.

"W-We can't win like this."

"Then what the hell do we do?! Just sit here and die?!"