[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-extra-s-rise":3,"chapter-the-extra-s-rise-the-extra-s-rise-chapter-32":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Extra's Rise",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1513017,1965,"Chapter 32 Island Survival (9)","the-extra-s-rise-chapter-32",32,"\u003Cp>I woke up in the medical wing of Mythos Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather, calling it a 'medical wing' was an understatement. This place was closer to a fully equipped, state-of-the-art hospital, complete with the latest in mana-assisted healing, advanced technology, and—judging by the sterile scent in the air—enough potions to make an alchemist weep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My head felt oddly light, my limbs heavier than usual, but the telltale absence of pain told me that whatever they had done to me had worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, you're finally awake!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cheerful voice rang out, and I turned my head to see a nurse approaching, her uniform perfectly pressed, her smile as bright as if she weren't speaking to someone who had very nearly gotten flattened by a six-star beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You were mostly suffering from overexertion and exhaustion, but you're fine now after some treatment,\" she said, giving me a quick once-over, nodding to herself in satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah, I feel better now,\" I muttered, stretching my fingers experimentally before grabbing my phone from the bedside table. The screen lit up, and the time blinked at me, mocking me with how much of my life I had just lost to unconsciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, just as I was about to check my messages, the nurse said something that made my brain stop completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By the way, congratulations on coming first!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blinked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"First?\" I repeated slowly, looking at her like she had just grown a second head. \"Me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She laughed. \"Of course, you! Who else?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pointed at myself, still half convinced she was talking about some other Arthur Nightingale who had miraculously replaced me while I was unconscious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You got 113,730 points,\" she said brightly, as if that number was anything other than completely absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My rank isn't first though,\" I pointed out automatically, grasping onto the one logical fact I could still process. \"Ranks only change twice a year.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's true,\" she admitted. \"But still, you came first in points. That's an achievement on its own, isn't it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I barely managed to mumble a thank you before my fingers moved on instinct, opening the Academy's website, scrolling straight to the rankings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then I froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was right there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In bold letters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur Nightingale – 113,730 points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared at Lucifer's name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucifer Windward – 56,893 points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I doubled his points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had actually doubled the score of second place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucifer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strongest student among the first years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one person everyone, including myself, had assumed would dominate this survival test without effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I had beaten him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not by a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By a lot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I had killed a six-star beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I let my phone drop onto my lap, my brain still catching up with the sheer weight of what this meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'This is something to be happy about,' I decided. 'But not too much.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had come first, yes. But not on my own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rachel's Gift had pushed my body beyond exhaustion. Cecilia's magic had cleared my path. And even then, the Elder Dark Treant hadn't been a true six-star beast—it had been mid-evolution, caught at a moment of instability that I had exploited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If any of those factors had been even slightly different, I wouldn't be lying here in a comfortable bed with a ridiculous number of points to my name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I'd be unconscious, or worse, recovering from an absolute defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought was enough to keep me grounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the door swung open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, you're awake!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rose's voice filled the room, full of relief and energy, her auburn eyes bright with concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She rushed over, moving quickly—but there was something off about the way she did it, like she was escaping from something rather than heading toward me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I found out why a second later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hi, Art.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cecilia stepped inside, yawning lightly, her posture relaxed, completely at ease, as if she had just rolled out of bed and decided to cause trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike Rose, who still carried the worried energy of someone checking on a hospitalized friend, Cecilia looked like she was here to personally deliver bad decisions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both of them were in casual clothes—it was the weekend, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rose wore a simple T-shirt and skirt, something comfortable, something practical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cecilia, on the other hand, was in a crop top and a skirt, looking effortlessly lazy, effortlessly elegant, her golden-red hair slightly tousled like she had just woken up from a nap and couldn't be bothered to fix it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The contrast was almost comical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You did well,\" she said, an amused smile curving her lips, her crimson eyes gleaming with something undeniably pleased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You actually managed to win.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She leaned against the doorframe, tilting her head slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I didn't think you could.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you mean?\" I asked, voice level, but my grip on the sheets tightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cecilia sighed, tilting her head, mocking patience dripping from her every movement. \"You're an idiot, Art.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I waited. That much was obvious. Say something new.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She smirked. \"You charged at that thing without a care in the world. No hesitation, no caution, no sense of self-preservation. Honestly, be happy you had the protective artifact, otherwise, you wouldn't have even had the guts, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I met her gaze, feeling something hot coil inside me—something sharp, something hungry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don't care.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cecilia blinked. Just once. A flicker of surprise before she masked it beneath that infuriating smirk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don't care?\" she echoed, amusement laced in her voice, but there was something new underneath. Something uncertain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I leaned forward, the sheets rustling under me. My body still ached, my mana reserves were running on fumes, and yet—I had never felt more certain of anything in my life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don't care about the artifact,\" I said, voice steady, absolute. \"I don't care about safety nets or what would have happened if I didn't have one.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I met her gaze head-on, unflinching. \"I would have done it anyway.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cecilia's amusement flickered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You say that, but—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I say that because it's true.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room felt smaller, the air pressing in, thick with something unspoken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don't care about dying,\" I continued, and I meant it. Truly, deeply meant it. \"I care about getting stronger. That's all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rose shifted beside me, uncomfortable, but I barely noticed. My entire focus was on Cecilia, watching her carefully, because for the first time since I had met her—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked genuinely thrown off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not much. A twitch of her fingers, a brief hesitation, a split-second where her ever-present smirk faltered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then it was back. \"That's cute,\" she said, but her voice wasn't as smooth as before. \"But strength alone doesn't—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, it does.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I interrupted her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cecilia stared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn't stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You say I wouldn't have done it without the artifact,\" I said. \"But the fact is, I did. I took down a six-star beast. I doubled Lucifer's points. And I'm still not satisfied.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The admission should have scared me. It should have felt reckless, irrational.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But all I felt was determined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don't care what you or anyone else thinks about how I fight,\" I said. \"I'll keep pushing forward. I'll get stronger. And one day—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smiled, and for the first time, Cecilia didn't.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"—I'll surpass Lucifer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence stretched between us, thick and heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, slowly, she exhaled, rolling her shoulders. The smirk returned, but this time, it felt forced, her usual teasing ease just a little too deliberate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You really are insane, Art.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned on her heel, heading for the door. \"Good luck with that,\" she tossed over her shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>__________________________________________________________________________________\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cecilia walked out of the medical room, her steps slow, measured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur's words lingered in her mind, looping back over themselves like an unsolved riddle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had expected him to deny it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had wanted him to admit he wouldn't have done it without the artifact, that he wasn't that reckless, that he had a limit like everyone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he hadn't.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now—now, she doubted herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Surpass Lucifer.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had said it like it was inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like it wasn't just a goal, but a fact waiting to happen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She should have laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even she knew how absurd Lucifer's talent was. It wasn't just unfair—it was unnatural. The kind of talent that made monsters look human and humans look like ants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the laugh never came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had looked into his eyes when he said it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there had been no arrogance there. No delusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just certainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cecilia ran a hand through her hair, her fingers lingering for a second at the strands before she let them drop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Interesting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her crimson eyes glinted, and for the first time in a long while, she felt something she hadn't expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>",1446,"2026-06-06T05:13:22.572Z",1,"novelbin.me","cad1536e7b9cf7c6e8aff1efa97adf2d8d23a91bb404a768e242f47f73821efc","the-extra-s-rise-chapter-33","the-extra-s-rise-chapter-31",1100,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-extra-s-rise-cover.jpg"]