Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

Adrian's mind raced as he tried to formulate a plan amidst the chaos.

"T-They are sucking away their life force!" Just then, Aurelia warned everyone loudly again, as she healed one of the rescued students. "We have to separate them from the monsters quickly-!"

Adrian glanced around, assessing the situation. The hypnotized students were entangled in the sticky webbing of the monsters, their life force being drained visibly, their skin paling.

"Screw the plan," Adrian cursed inwardly and used the Shadow Glide.

In an instant, Adrian disappeared from his spot, reappearing right next to one of the monsters draining a student. His sword flashed, slicing through the creature's grotesque form. The monster shrieked, green blood spraying everywhere, but it was not strong enough to save its life. Adrian quickly moved to the next creature, cutting it down in a similar fashion.

Each time, he freed the students from the immediate threat, but he noticed the life force draining didn't stop.

"Why isn't it stopping?" Adrian muttered, frustration boiling over. He looked at the pale students and realized the webbing was still glowing, still draining their life force despite the monsters' deaths.

'Webs are the problem-!' He noted, 'But what is effective against it?'

'Fire! Fire can burn through webbing!' he found the solution quickly.

"Everyone with fire affinity, burn the webbing!" Adrian shouted loudly. "Don't worry about the trapped students, just burn the monsters and the webbing! Or else they will die."

Aurelius, hearing Adrian's voice, summoned a torrent of flames in his hands. "On it!" he replied, hurling the fire at the nearest monster he slayed and its webbing. The flames engulfed the creature and the sticky web, burning them away and breaking the hypnotic hold.

The affected student gasped, their pallor starting to fade as the webbing dissolved. Adrian nodded in satisfaction and continued his assault, focusing on directing his classmates.

"Fire users, spread out and target the webbing!" Adrian ordered, moving swiftly to cut down another monster. "Non-fire users, protect the fire users or just kill the monsters!"

The students quickly formed teams, those with fire abilities leading the charge while others defended them from the aggressive creatures. The clearing echoed with the sounds of battle: the crackling of flames, the shrieks of the monsters, and the determined shouts of the students.

Ren, channeling his fire sword, ignited a blazing inferno around it, slashing through the webbing and creatures alike. "Keep it up, everyone! We're making progress!" he called out, his voice steady despite the chaos.

A few mages with earth affinity created barriers, shielding the fire users from the monsters' attacks. "Stay behind the barriers! Focus on burning the webs!" They called, their eyes darting around to ensure no one was left unprotected.

Aurelius, directing a stream of fire, burned away the webs ensnaring a group of students. "You're free! Move back and regroup!" he shouted, helping the freed students to safety.

As the battle continued, the combined efforts of the students began to turn the tide. The once formidable monsters fell one by one, their webbing burned away by the relentless flames. The students, now working in coordinated teams, managed to free their entrapped friends and push back the monsters.

Finally, the last of the creatures was defeated. The clearing, once a scene of serene beauty, was now a battlefield marked by the remains of the deceptive creatures and the smoldering webbing. The students, exhausted but victorious, gathered together, catching their breath and tending to the wounded.

The most busy one was none other than Aurelia since she was the best healer among the first years.

Meanwhile, Adrian was roaming around the bodies of the monsters, making sure all of them were dead and no threat was left.

'If this was the challenge he gave us, now I understand why he told us we would stay here for two days.' He thought looking at his sister and the injured students. 'It will take a day for them to recover. But since nearly half of them were drained of their life force, their battle power decreased by a large margin.'

'That will make today's night a lot more difficult to spend than yesterday's...'

'Sigh... I have to stay here for the night then...'

'Just when I thought I could sleep normally once again...'

'I hope there won't be too many attacks, or else I will have to forget even to sleep...'

'We have to move from here too, the scent of blood will attract more monsters.'

Soon, under the command of Adrian, everyone moved to another location, found by Ardel who told them this was the only place with the least monsters.

Since the experience with those deceptive monsters was enough and only about three hours left in the evening, they decided to start preparing for dinner and the night.

Adrian had a promise with Aurelius - they would provide them the lunch and dinner.So, they didn't have to worry about preparing the dinner.

Two hours passed.

Adrian sat by the fire, his mind still occupied with the events of the day. Ardel, sitting beside him, stared into the flames, lost in his own thoughts. The camp buzzed with activity as students prepared for the night, their earlier ordeal leaving a palpable sense of weariness in the air.

As the aroma of dinner wafted through the camp, a familiar face approached them. Eluna, the girl Adrian had saved, carried a tray with their meal. Her cheeks flushed a light pink, and she seemed a bit shy as she walked up to them.

"Hi, Adrian, Ardel," she greeted softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I... um... brought you dinner."

Adrian looked up, meeting her gaze. He noticed the slight tremble in her hands and the way she avoided direct eye contact. "Thanks," he said, taking the tray from her.

She lingered for a moment, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "I just wanted to thank you for saving me today, Adrian," she continued, her voice sincere. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't..."

"It's alright," Adrian replied, his tone flat but not unkind. "Just doing what needed to be done."

'And you weren't the only one I saved, but you might be the only one who showed gratitude.' He commented inwardly.

Eluna hesitated, then gathered her courage. "Um... could I join you for the dinner? Just for a little while?" She glanced at Adrian, her eyes hopeful.

Adrian studied her for a moment, taking in her demeanor. He understood her gratitude and her desire to feel safe after the terrifying encounter, but he also knew they needed to keep a distance, especially with the night ahead. Some misunderstandings might spread. Not to mention he had a half-girlfriend back at the academy.

"No," he said flatly, his expression unreadable. "You should just get some rest."

Eluna's face fell, disappointment clear in her eyes, but she nodded. "I understand," she murmured, turning to leave. "Thanks again, Adrian."

"..." Adrian didn't reply instead focused on the meal.

Ardel glanced at the leaving Eluna and silent Adrian but chose not to comment. After all, he also knew a little about Adrian and Aria's relationship.

'But why do I have no luck with the girls?' He mumbled inwardly, jealous of Adrian. "You are a playboy, Adrian."

"Eh?" Adrian looked at Ardel confused. "Why am I a playboy? I don't even have a girlfriend, you know."

"..."

"Whatever."

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(I have released an auxiliary chapter (chapter 0) about the power system. You can read it to remember or learn the power system ranking.)