Chronicles of Forgotten Extra

Why…?

Why is this fucking world so against me?

Alden's bloodshot eyes were fixed on the boy who had just entered—no, invaded—his room after barely a single knock.

The boy in question was none other than Aziel.

Alden's expression stayed eerily calm as he stared at the blabbermouth, whose voice kept spilling nonsense he couldn't even be bothered to process.

It had been fifteen minutes.

Fifteen.

Fucking. Minutes.

That's how long it took for peace to die again.

Alden had thought, just thought that he could finally rest.

Maybe get two hours of sleep before the inter-academy initiation ceremony, which, of course, was mandatory for everyone.

Especially for him—one of the top three first-years of Noaxvalen Academy.

But no.

The universe clearly hated him.

The moment he heard the knock, Alden knew who it was.

He had felt that familiar, annoying presence and decided to ignore it completely.

Surely, if he stayed quiet, Aziel would just… give up and leave.

That was the hope, at least.

But when had anything ever gone the way he planned in his small, chaotic and not-so-uneventful life?

He was used to it by now.

And finally, Alden had accepted the fact that the universe had no intention of letting him sleep today.

"Bro… you listening?" a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Ah, yes, go on. You were talking about those hot elf girls," Alden replied with the most polite smile he had ever managed.

"Right, right! So you are listening. Anyway—after I picked them up, we went to karaoke and had a blast. Then two more of their friends joined us…" Aziel continued, grinning like an idiot, clearly proud of himself.

Alden's smile deepened as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his ManaSync.

He tapped the screen once.

"You heard everything, right, Cecilia?" he said calmly but to Aziel, the words sounded like the whispers of the devil.

"Yes," a cold, feminine voice answered through the ManaSync's speaker. "I heard everything, loud and clear."

"C—Cecilia?" Aziel stuttered with his eyes wide. "How could you, bro?!"

A look of pure betrayal crossed his face.

Alden just smiled wider.

That's what you get for ruining my sleep.

May the Gods forgive you because I sure as hell won't.

Alden ended the call with a soft click.

"I would say you have… about five minutes before she gets here," he said, slipping his ManaSync back into his pocket. "You should probably start running."

Aziel stared at him, eyes full of betrayal.

"I hope you stub your toe, bro."

With that heartfelt curse, he bolted out of the room.

"Finally… peace," Alden muttered, exhaling in relief.

But before he could even celebrate the moment, his ManaSync buzzed in his pocket.

He glanced at the screen.

A message from the academy.

Alden just stared at it for a long moment, dead inside.

The message was simple.

A meetup for the top students of all the academies participating in the inter-academy is being held in ten minutes.

And because Amyra and Nyx couldn't make it for some reason, he was compulsorily required to attend in their place.

The message was from Jeremy himself.

He never really cared about ranks.

But after defeating Zephyr, he had somehow ended up as the new rank three.

So now… he didn't have a choice.

With a sigh, he dragged his body to the bathroom to take a shower.

—

After freshening up and getting dressed, he made his way toward the meeting location.

The Artificial Island had a simple structure.

At its core stood a massive arena, surrounded by rings of commercial buildings with the residential blocks stretching beyond them in order.

The meetup was scheduled inside one of the arena's conference rooms, since the Inter-Academy Initiation Ceremony would start there soon after.

It didn't take long before Alden arrived.

As he stood before the conference room, his heart was eerily calm and his face completely neutral.

He didn't feel any excitement.

He only felt the quiet acceptance of someone too tired to care anymore.

With a quiet push, Alden opened the door and stepped inside.

The room was already full, students from different academies each wearing their uniforms with pride stood chatting with each other.

In contrast, Alden stood out effortlessly.

No polished coat or crest, he just wore a plain black tee and matching jeans—simple, comfortable and unapologetic.

There had been no mention of any dress code in the message… so, Alden had decided to go casually.

The moment he stepped inside, he felt countless stares fall on him.

Handsomeness is a sin. Tsk.

Alden sighed inwardly. He was used to it by now.

—

Meanwhile, some distance away, a boy frowned.

His brown hair framed his face like a lion's mane and his golden eyes were narrowed in open contempt.

He was the Prince of the Beastmen Continent—Fenric.

And right now, he was not amused.

His gaze locked onto the boy who had just entered, walking carelessly in casual clothes.

It made him furious, especially when he, the prince, had been forced to wear the formal uniform of Lycancrest Academy.

He had never liked formalities but even he hadn't been able to refuse when his sister insisted.

So then… Why hadn't that boy been made to wear one?

"Who is he, Rexica?" Fenric asked, his golden eyes never leaving the human. He hadn't bothered to learn the names of humans as most weren't worth remembering.

The blue-haired girl beside him followed his gaze, her cat ears, perking up. Her eyes lingered briefly on the boy before turning back to Fenric.

"He is Alden, Young Master," she said softly.

Her voice was quiet but Fenric's sharp hearing caught every word with crystal clarity. "He is the disciple of Jeremy Voidforge."

Fenric's frown deepened.

He had heard of Jeremy Voidforge, the Walking Calamity.

The man who had subdued the previous Duke of Greed single-handedly.

Countless tales sang praises of his power and his feats.

And yet… such a man had chosen that boy as his disciple?

Fenric felt his contempt bubbling up, especially after sensing the faint, almost pitiful level of strength radiating from the human.

Even if the boy had been hiding his strength, Fenric's senses were sharp enough to detect danger and he felt nothing.

Nothing at all.

That could only mean one thing.

The boy was weak.

Fenric's restraint snapped.

His golden eyes narrowed with cold disdain as he started walking toward the human.

It was time to teach him a lesson about strength, status…

… and the cruelty of the world.

—