Transmigrating as an Extra, But the Heroine Has Regressed?!

Kael exhaled and lowered his gaze. Near the center of the field, half-buried in dirt and grass, lay his sword.

It was left there earlier when he disappeared into the forest. Now, seeing it again, he felt relief.

He picked up his sword and put it on his back.

As he straightened, Kael's eyes swept across the training ground and stopped.

On the far side of the field, standing near the side of the training ground, Elysia watched him.

For a heartbeat, Kael forgot to breathe.

(No wonder she's ranked number one) he thought.

(She's so much stronger… exactly like in the novel. To reach her level, I need more training. Much more.)

Almost as if sensing his thoughts, Elysia turned her head.

There was no hostility in his eyes when they saw each other, only an unshakable seriousness that carried like the weight of his resolve.

Elysia stiffened.

(What is this… feeling?) He thought.

(Why does it feel like his aura is pressing down on me? That look… It's so serious, so unyielding. Damn it.)

She quickly looked away, trying to mask the flicker of unease that tightened her chest.

Before either of them could speak, Professor Sylvia reached the training field.

She stopped abruptly when she saw Kael standing unharmed in the center of the training ground and his sword at his back.

"Kael," she said. "You… you're unharmed?"

"Yes, Professor," Kael replied evenly.

"I'm fine."

There were no wounds, nothing to suggest he had spent an entire day lost in a beast forest known to devour even experienced hunters.

For a long moment, she said nothing. Then, with a small shake of her head, she spoke.

"Very well. We will discuss this later. For now, everyone, return to your dormitories. Training is over for today."

The students exchanged uneasy glances but obeyed quickly.

"Did you see him?"

"He doesn't even look tired!"

"It's like nothing happened at all…"

Kael ignored the murmurs. He slid his sword back into its sheath and stepped aside.

Elysia lingered for a moment longer as she watched him leave the ground. But when Professor Sylvia glanced her way, she turned and walked off with the others.

That night!

Kael stood alone for a moment, staring at the sky where faint stars began to peek through the twilight haze.

Turning away from his dorm, he made his way toward the academy's personal training room.

The corridors were mostly empty at this hour, the muffled sounds of distant conversations fading behind heavy doors.

It was kept open twenty-four hours a day for students who refused to let exhaustion stop them.

Kael pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The room was vast and dimly lit, with walls lined by racks of practice weapons and dummies scarred from countless hours of combat.

Mana crystals embedded in the ceiling glowed with a soft bluish light, giving the space a calm, otherworldly atmosphere.

Kael drew his sword and let the blade rest against his shoulder. The familiar weight brought a quiet sense of comfort.

To hunt demons, he reminded himself silently, (I need to become an expert with this sword.)

Taking his stance, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the sword.

"Again" he told himself.

"Strike, recover, strike again. Faster. Cleaner. Until the blade becomes an extension of my will."

The training hall was silent except for the dull thud of Kael's sword striking wood.

He stood alone under the lantern light and sweat dripping down his forehead and soaking through his cloth.

He lifted his sword again, and aimed at the wooden figure in front of him. With a sharp exhale, he swung.

Thud!

The impact echoed through the empty room. Kael gritted his teeth and swung again, but after only two strikes, his strength was nearly gone.

His shoulders burned, and his grip weakened until the sword almost slipped from his hands.

For a moment he paused, chest rising and falling as he tried to catch his breath.

His body begged him to stop, but his mind refused.

Kael tightened his grip and raised the blade again. Each swing was slower than the last, but he kept moving.

(If I can't even last a few swings, how will I survive against real enemies?) he thought.

Minutes turned into hours. Sweat dripped onto the polished floor, forming small dark spots around his feet.

His breathing grew ragged, and every muscle in his body screamed in pain, but Kael welcomed it.

Pain meant growth. Pain meant he was pushing beyond his limits.

Again and again, the wooden figure shuddered under his strikes. Sometimes his form faltered; sometimes the blade barely grazed its target.

Still, he refused to stop. Whenever his legs trembled too much to stand, he clenched his teeth, straightened his back, and forced his body to move.

Hours passed unnoticed while he practiced. When Kael finally looked up at the clock on the far wall, it was already 4 a.m.

His eyes widened slightly in surprise. He had trained through the night without realizing it.

His arms were numb, and his cloth clung to his skin with sweat. Slowly, he lowered his sword.

A small, tired smile tugged at the corner of his lips.., Kael left the training room.

He collapsed onto his bed the moment he entered, falling asleep almost instantly.

At Elysia's home!

Inside her home, she stood alone in her private training chamber.

In her hands was her Oath Blade.

She stepped forward, swung, and the air seemed to split a little with the speed of her strike. The blade hummed as it sliced through the stillness.

Then she pivoted, slashing in another direction, her footwork smooth and flawless. But even with her perfect form, she did not feel satisfied.

The memory of Kael standing unharmed earlier that day lingered in her mind.

(He shouldn't have returned without a scratch)… she thought.

She tightened her grip on the Oath Blade, her strikes growing faster. Sweat rolled down her face.

She practiced and practiced.

Hours slipped by as Elysia trained relentlessly, perfecting each movement, repeating each stance until her body ached.

By the time she finally stopped and lowered her sword, the clock also read 4 a.m. She exhaled slowly, wiping sweat from her brow.

Like Kael, she pushed herself to the very limit, driven by an unspoken rivalry and a future neither of them could yet see.