Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

As they continued their discussion, the ship steadily approached its destination, the Thunderclap Ruin looming in the distance. The excitement among the students was palpable as they prepared themselves for the adventure ahead.

As the ship approached its destination, they saw a massive bronze portal emitting an otherworldly glow.

The students gathered at the ship\'s edge, their anticipation reaching its peak as they prepared themselves for the adventure ahead.

With a soft thud, the ship landed gracefully at the entrance of the Ruin. The students disembarked, their eyes wide with excitement as they took in the sight of the imposing portal before them.

The instructors gathered the students once again, their expressions serious as they reminded them of the dangers that awaited inside.

"Remember, safety is our top priority," Professor Maunt said, his voice firm. "Stick together, follow instructions, and watch out for each other."

He gestured toward the Ruin. "Inside, we will be watching your progress in real-time using a four-star spell that has been cast throughout the Ruin. If you encounter any trouble, send a distress signal immediately."

The instructors then distributed small white crystals to each student. "These Return Crystals will transport you back to the entrance if activated. They are a lifeline provided by the academy, so use them wisely."

With their warnings given, the instructors stepped back, allowing the students to enter the Ruin.

The students started crossing the portal one after another entering the ThunderClap Ruin.

Adrian and his teammates, Aria included, stepped through the portal and found themselves inside the Thunderclap Ruin. As they looked around, they saw a dense forest stretching out before them, with ancient trees peeking through the foliage in the distance.

The students began to form into their previously arranged groups, each discussing their strategies and plans for exploration. Adrian glanced at his teammates, a slight confident smile playing on his lips.

"We\'re going to have an easy time in this Ruin," Adrian declared, his voice carrying a sense of assurance. He shot a meaningful glance at Ardel, who returned the smile, understanding the silent communication.

Lila and Kairen looked at Adrian, puzzled by his sudden confidence. Aria, however, observed the exchange between Adrian and Ardel with a knowing look, though she maintained her usual calm expression.

"Ok, lead the way then," Lila said, slightly irritated but still hopeful. Who wouldn\'t want to have an easier time in a Ruin?

"No," Adrian shook his head.

"Huh? Then why are so confident?" Lila asked puzzled.

"I won\'t lead the way," Adrian repeated. "Ardel will."

"Huh?" Lila was confused. "Him? Is it because he is an assassin?"

"I think it would be more right if we let Kairen lead the way." She continued, clearly not convinced. "Since he is an elf, he would have a better understanding of the Ruin\'s terrain better than any of us."

\'Girl, you are clearly trying to push your crush, aren\'t you?\' Adrian thought to himself. Then he looked at Kairen. "What do you think?"

"..." Kairen looked at him and Ardel. "I think his affinity with nature is on par with the Elf Princess. And it\'s not his limit. So, I believe in him."

"Huh?" Hearing Kairen\'s evaluation of Ardel, everyone was stunned for a moment, even Ardel himself.

\'If Kairen says it, it must be true.\' Adrian then nodded in thought before looking at Ardel in a new light. \'His ability is really kind of OP. I wonder how it will become in higher tiers...\'

"Oh... Well, if you say it then he must be good." Lila also nodded convinced by Kairen\'s words. "Lead the way then."

\'So you only listen to your crush, huh.\' Adrian complained in his heart. \'And you are just ordering him even after your previous rude attitude!\'

"Ardel, please can you bring us to monsters but not the ones Professor warned about." Adrian faced Ardel. "We should first see how the weaker monsters are, then can we aim for the stronger ones or search for opportunities."

Ardel nodded in response to Adrian\'s request. He closed his eyes, focusing his energy as he activated his ability - Blessing of the Wilderness.

As he did so, a subtle change began to occur in the surrounding environment. The air seemed to hum with energy, and the vegetation around them started to react. The leaves rustled, and the branches swayed gently as if responding to Ardel\'s command.

A soft green light emanated from Ardel, enveloping the group as they stood within the Ruin. Adrian and his teammates watched in awe as Ardel\'s connection with nature became apparent.

With his eyes still closed, Ardel extended his senses, feeling the pulse of life within the Ruin. He could sense the presence of creatures nearby, their movements and intentions. Filtering out the dangerous monster, Ardel spotted a less threatening inhabitants of the Ruin.

"I found it." He muttered after opening his eyes. "Follow me."

"Let\'s go." Adrian said and they all followed after Ardel.

Ardel led the group deeper into the dense forest of the Thunderclap Ruin, his steps sure and steady as he navigated through the tangled undergrowth. Adrian, Aria, Lila, and Kairen followed closely behind, their senses alert for any signs of danger.

As they ventured further into the Ruin, about three minutes later Ardel stopped, and so did the others.

"They are about 30 meters straight from us." Ardel turned back and said.

"Ok, I and Kairen will take the lead now, you can take your spot." Adrian nodded while being satisfied with Ardel\'s performance and improved communication.

Then, with Adrian in the lead, they quickly arrived at the spot. It was also then they noticed about 7 wolf-like creatures, however, their pitch black foor looked charred but sturdy.

Adrian gestured for others to follow his commands. "Now."

He shouted and leaped right behind the nearest monster.

Adrian\'s sudden leap startled the creatures, but he managed to end his target\'s life with one slash. The others reacted quickly, snarling and baring their sharp teeth as they prepared to fight to avenge their comrade.

With swift movements, Adrian easily dodged the creature\'s lunges, while secretly smirking at monsters\' foolishness.

With all of them focusing on Adrian, the monsters were too late to notice the large flying fireball and three rock spikes hurtling toward them from Aria and Lila. The fireball exploded upon impact, engulfing two of the creatures in flames, while the rock spikes impaled another two, pinning them to the ground.

Using the chaos, Ardel also managed to finish one of them.

The last of the monster stood on its legs, frozen both from fear and shock.

Adrian approached the remaining monster, his sword drawn and ready. With a swift strike, he ended its life, and the creature collapsed to the ground, defeated.

"Well done, everyone," Adrian said, his voice filled with satisfaction. "That went better than I expected."

Aria nodded in agreement, her eyes scanning the area for any signs of movement. "It was a good warm-up indeed. Let\'s search for the stronger ones this time."

\'A warm up she said? Truly worthy being of her character.\' Adrian secretly thought in his mind. Then he looked at Ardel with a helpless smile. "We are counting on you."

"Of course." Ardel nodded with a smile, clearly happy with their acknowledgment.

"Good. But we should take their cores first." Adrian said looking at the dead bodies of the monsters. "That is the only valuable thing they left after all."

The others nodded but it was Adrian and Ardel who did the job of extracting their cores. After the job was done, Aria used her earth magic to bury the bodies back to earth.

"Now, we can go. Come on, lead the way, Ardel."

Just like this, the group moved from one location to another, hunting down the monsters. They also met other groups of students occasionally but chose not to interact with them.

Their first stronger target was a group of three Thunderbeasts which professors initially warned about. However, thanks to their somewhat efficient teamwork and skills, they managed to beat them in a short time. That boosted their confidence.

"Alas, we can\'t take their corpse back since they are too big." Adrian sighed looking at the large bodies of Thunderbeasts. Since they were more powerful, having peak strength in their respective rank, they would fetch a good price in the outside world.

"Do you want to take them?" Aria suddenly asked, looking at Adrian with a serious expression.

"Yes?" Adrian answered though confused.

"Ok," Aria nodded before moving toward the corpses. She then touched them one by one, and the bodies disappeared one after another.

"Ah, you don\'t have to take them." Adrian addressed Aria in an awkward tone. "Your storage ring will be filled up quickly if you do that. Besides, I just that out on a whim."

"Don\'t worry, my storage ring can another hundred of this monster." Aria shook her head, while not realizing her answer stunned the four. "I also have another spare one."

"O-Oh!"

"Ah..."