"Haaaa!!! Is she trying to kill me?" I collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily.
My training with Neko-sensei was even more punishing than the first day, with her insisting I needed to build more muscle since, according to her assessment, I was suited to be a battle wave controller, meaning I would need to adopt a more direct approach in utilizing spells, like any other mid-range combatant.
"And here I was trying to avoid the front lines at all costs." I glanced at Anica, who still refused to leave my room and occupied most of the space in my bed. "Get up, it's time to return to your room."
Anica rubbed her eyes vigorously, gave a slight bow, and then vanished. It appeared that, unlike us mundane cadets, she didn't require walking.
"Let's do something productive," I muttered, retrieving the computer from the laptop desk.
Since I had already showered back at the training chamber, I didn't require another bath.
Powering on the device, I quickly connected it to the school's Wi-Fi.
Through extensive research, I discovered a few peculiarities about the transmigrating laptop,
First, the laptop apparently didn't require charging, allowing me to watch shows or play games endlessly without depleting its power source.
Secondly, the specifications of the laptop were absurdly high-end, to the point that even the most demanding and resource-intensive games could run flawlessly, which also meant it handled mundane tasks effortlessly. Lastly,
It didn't merely keep records of me in the form of the second story document.
---
REBORN AS AN EXTRA IN MY OWN NOVEL
---
A CERTAIN FEMALE YOU DON'T KNOW IS THINKING OF YOU WHILE M...
"Wrong one." I quickly selected the next section on the new app, Reborn As An Extra In My Own Novel.
ANICA WANTS CHOCOLATE FROM YOU...
---
MATT'S TRUST IN YOU HAS INCREASED; HE WANTS TO SPAR WITH YOU.
"That muscle-head," I sighed.
It appeared the final feature of the computer allowed me to discern who was deeply thinking about me and the reasons behind it, which, in my opinion, was extremely useful.
"At least I can differentiate friend from foe." Exiting the app, I opened the next one I had in mind. "Let's invest."
Catalogue, the leading e-money platform, was set to launch today, and according to the original story, no one would be aware of it.
The only reason I knew, was because a main cast member outside the academy accumulated wealth through it, even though he had only invested a small sum.
So, what would happen if I invested a fortune, I would be wealthy within a week.
And since Hari was unaware of it, all I needed to do was borrow from her and repay later.
"This should suffice, right?" I examined the investment of one million, five hundred thousand Meltons, which equated to three million dollars or four billion, two hundred million won.
If everything proceeded as planned, I intended to earn over a thousand times the initial profit, which, if I were on Earth, would make me a billionaire in dollars.
A dark chuckle escaped my lips as my eyes narrowed at the invested amount.
"Let's leave everything for later."
There were still more items I needed to buy and sell, but the timing wasn't right, I had to move step by step.
As I laid motionless on the bed, I began noting down all the tasks I needed to accomplish.
Before I knew it, sleep had claimed me, the next time I opened my eyes, it was morning.
------
The rest of the day was relatively calm. Strangely enough, I received two confessions which, contrary to my claims of loneliness, I still declined; it simply wasn't the right time to entertain such matters.
However, it was a well-known fact that not dating in Noctis was a poor decision for any cadet since there would be no time for such things in the real world, making new relationships difficult to form.
The professor of cultural arts was rather unusual, someone I didn't recall writing.
She exuded a maternal aura, and her warmth enveloped the room, making the students, including myself, feel at ease.
"Kai, I heard from someone that you plan on attending the class meeting. May I accompany you?" The gentle voice of a girl who would likely be considered a gyaru reached me.
It was Rebecca Watt, one of the female students who had confessed to me earlier that morning.
'It seems she's moved on.'
"No, you may not, and I'm not even certain." I replied, my gaze fixed outside the window.
Matt had already approached me this morning about meeting after the second period, which was nearly over.
But since he hadn't left his seat, located at the very front, beside the window, I didn't have to do anything either.
As if sensing my thoughts, he stood up, glanced in my direction, and exited through the door.
Rising from my seat, I slung one strap of my bag over my shoulder and left the class, Matt was already waiting at the door, so we departed quickly.
"From what I've heard, the primary leaders of the first years and the most powerful will be in attendance."
Matthew Von Sliver and Isabella Abraham from Class C, Amelia Reinhart and Derick Hillman from Class A, Yaoyao and Princess Frieren Hohenzollern from Class B, and finally, Cordelia Blackwood and Klien Fall from Class C as representatives.
But I doubted they would be the only ones present, characters like the princess's bodyguard or the main deuteragonist were bound to appear.
And truthfully, I wasn't particularly eager to meet them.
Why would I be? These were characters I had created, so of course I would know their personalities by now.
Yet despite all the red flags, here I stood in front of the large crimson door that led to the meeting office.
I swallowed hard as Matt knocked twice before entering.
A round table furnished with roughly twenty chairs stood before us, with a projector mounted on the wall.
Thirteen individuals were already seated with neutral expressions, none willing to reveal their emotions, and I couldn't care less.
Their gazes were piercing the moment I entered the room, it was evident I wasn't welcome there.
Only a few, like Amelia and Hari, or those indifferent like Ikenna, refrained from wearing scornful expressions.
'I was forced to attend, so stop glaring at me like that,' I thought, shifting my eyes away from the group.
As if intending to isolate me, the princess motioned for the students to shift, leaving at least two seats of distance between me and the next person.
It was her way of enacting silent ostracism, making me question why I had written most of my characters to be so insufferable.
Frieren Hohenzollern exhaled before speaking. She was seated directly in front of the projector, as if declaring her position as the leader of the first years. "Let the meeting commence."
"I believe we should begin by discussing how we plan to proceed with classes and combat training," Yaoyao said, adjusting her glasses.
She was an elegant beauty with blue hair and matching eyes, and her circular glasses somehow enhanced her features.
Her remarks soon sparked a series of discussions on topics I personally found irrelevant.
Why were they petitioning for new food options when students could cook? Or requesting permission to host a party, utterly pointless topics.
Even though I was only one years older than them mentally, if you account for me being Korean, I could confidently say I had never been this foolish.
What were they even suggesting, that boys' uniforms should differ more from girls'? Or that we needed to explore a real dungeon?
I sighed silently as the conversation gradually wound down. Matt, who had remained silent throughout, finally raised his hand to offer his own input.
"Oh, Rank One, you need no permission to speak." The princess's calm voice addressed him.
Matt nodded and rose from his seat, which was three spots away from mine. "I believe something is happening in this school."
The students gasped as the princess's expression darkened. "Mr. Rank One, do you realize what you're implying?" she asked.
"Yes… My friend here can even confirm it." Matt gestured toward me, prompting me to curse inwardly.
'Idiot.' I thought frantically.
The reason I had approached Matt, besides the fact that the sub-act would grant him a power-up, was so he would persuade the others, not shift the spotlight onto me.
"Oh, ho, your friend." The princess examined me as if I were some foreign document.
Her gaze drilled into me like I was some kind of filth under her royal boots.
My stomach churned, as my heart pounded louder with each passing second. 'Stop. Ignore it. Just look away.'
But her eyes irritated me so much that I unknowingly muttered something I shouldn't have. "Why the hell are you looking at me like that?" Only after the words left my mouth did I realize I'd spoken them aloud.
One thing Princess Frieren Hohenzollern was known for was her ruthlessness and intolerance toward informal speech.
She was a spoiled aristocrat who relished flaunting her imperial authority, which meant any form of informality could be fatal.
"What did you just say, Mr. Bookworm?" Her voice was sharp, and I felt the glares of the other students.
Frieren Hohenzollern's eyes narrowed. She didn't look angry—but that in of itself wasn't a good sign.
My breath caught; was I really about to get executed for one sentence? "Rank One, I don't know what nonsense this lunatic fed you, but you'd best be more careful in your choice of companions."
The words lunatic rang in my head, my fists clenched tightly beneath the table.
As if on cue, Yaoyao's voice rang out. "Wasn't he the one who got a professor expelled during the entrance exam?"
Her question ignited a wave of conflict among the students. "Did he bribe a teacher to let him in?"
"Does he think book knowledge will save him in a dungeon?"
"Pathetic weakling."
Their words felt like I was struck by a hammer, but I forced my mouth shut and stayed still.
Those words continuously echoed through the room before Isabella chimed in. "I heard he had been snooping around another professor... I think it was the magic theory professor."
I felt my heart sink, my feet grew numb, and even my hyperactive senses seemed to become dull.
The pressure from the princess made the air around me feel thinner—further reminding me how insignificant I was in this world.
"What are you trying to pull, commoner? Did the demonic humans send you to disrupt the academy?"
"Princess, I think that's..." Hari's words were cut off by a sharp glare.
Not even she could do anything in this situation. "The council will hear of this and judge... don't worry, you will definitely be expelled."
I gritted my teeth, stood up, and left the room—at that moment, I truly felt how powerless I was.
Neither Matt, Hari, nor Amy could do anything, just because Kaiser Vanguard was nothing.
As I left the building and squatted on the manicured grass near the skyscraper I had exited, I felt cold tears slide down my cheeks.
The words of the students replayed in my head over and over again.
"Oi, do you think just because you got the first rank in written exams or you entered the same team as Princess Rachel, you are something? Don't kid yourself."
"Haha, he thinks he can amount to anything."
"It's better to humble him a bit."
How did it come to this? The memories of days long past, the era when I happily wrote my story, enjoying and appreciating every character's journey, played in my mind.
As I shut my eyes, realization crept in. I had grown too complacent. This world doesn't reward those without goals or ambition.
Thinking I could be a mage, thinking I was different—I am nothing but an extra. Someone irrelevant to the plot, unprotected by plot armour.
It wasn't just about being smart—maybe that's how Deerheart felt when it happened to him.
The only thing that truly matters in any world—whether this one or my last is power.
The powerful use the intelligent, they use the resourceful, and everyone else is left to kneel before them.
It might have felt horrible seeing the characters I loved and created look at me with such eyes, maybe a little like how a father would feel when his son or daughter points a gun at him.
But I couldn't help but feel something else growing inside me—my resolve to win, to live in this world and conquer it.
I wasn't Cha Jin-sung the writer anymore. I was Kaiser... Kaiser Vanguard, so even if it meant death—
"I will be the protagonist."