Noa and the two teachers passed through the gate.
Colorful particles danced around him, showing him the true magical sense of this world.
'I used this gate so many times in-game,' he thought.
Awakened Extra with Plundering System was a game that didn't allow players to change anything in the story, as everything was already set in stone.
He was forced to play with Arthur Ashe's character to fight against monsters and other major enemies.
The Velrox was constantly in instability, making life a struggle for survival.
But it wasn't a game anymore.
Noa was in a world where no players existed, and he had to survive upcoming apocalypses, meaning strength was the only way to protect himself and the people near him.
'And I am going to meet her as well.'
Musing with cheerful thoughts about the woman who turned out to be a god, Noa's eyes were blinded by a light.
As soon as he crossed the gate, a dazzling glow assaulted his face.
"We are back," Elowen said to him, releasing his hand.
Noa stood in the great hall, surrounded by mundane walls, paintings, and a familiar atmosphere.
'This is Arcane Academy. And I am in a Gate Room.'
He immediately recognized his surroundings, knowing that he was back in the Velrox.
The Gate Room was a specially designed chamber.
It allowed students to reach the First Abyss for the very first time, and only awakened Embers could cross the gate.
Everyone who couldn't awaken a talent was expelled from the academy.
This was a harsh reality…
Talentless people didn't need to practice combat, as their meager strength meant nothing in the face of true power.
Today was a special day.
The event where every single academy conducted an awakening ceremony by testing if students could use a Gate Room.
After that, students and teachers roamed inside for an hour, allowing freshly awakened Embers to experience what the Abyss was like.
"Here he is. What a lucky bastard."
Klaus Stark spoke, and as always, his attitude was cocky, mocking Noa with a glare.
He was a tall, blonde, and handsome guy with striking features.
Noa heard him, making his skin crawl with a mix of fear and anger.
The fear belonged to the old Noa, who was terrified of the influential, strong bully, the one who had taken his starting gear, essentially sentencing him to death.
And Klaus waited for his response.
His desire to see Noa tremble because of his voice was unmatched.
Yet the only thing he saw was a smirk.
It was nothing like the usual response he got from the boy, and the grin on Noa's face blatantly ridiculed him, as if he were looking down on him.
"How dare you!"
Klaus almost roared but stopped upon seeing the emerging teachers beside Noa.
He thought Noa was rescued by them and that this was where his confidence was coming from, and even if he sold him out, Klaus wasn't afraid.
His family was capable of dealing with puny instructors, but he also believed that Noa wouldn't have the guts to oppose him.
As for Noa, he snorted at Klaus.
'As dumb, cliché, and hateful as I remembered.'
His anger subsided, knowing that the guy was nothing but an asshole with just an S-tier talent.
Not wanting to waste any time, Noa decided to kill him sometime in the future and changed his attention to the other students.
He overheard students conversing about the global announcement, sharing their eagerness and confusion.
Almost every important character was in his class, observing him.
Starting from female protagonists and ending with other enemies, everyone was present.
The game went on a harem route, allowing Arthur to romance five girls, but after experiencing his first time with a god, Noa had no intention of repeating this affair.
Arthur was close as well, hiding from attention and living like a proper extra.
Noa held eye contact with him for one second, which was enough to know that Arthur had truly transmigrated.
He had SS-ranked talent, and Noa felt his burning passion with a single glance.
Unlike Klaus, Arthur looked scrawnier and less threatening, fully playing the role of an extra.
'Great! He is suspecting me because I survived.'
As someone who should have died, Noa looked very much alive, raising suspicion in Arthur, who knew it shouldn't have happened.
Noa met characters he had studied and knew so much about, and it was a dream come true.
He was cheerful that he got this chance.
'Good for me, but bad for you,' he mused. 'I am going to use every bit of knowledge and hoard every benefit.'
Noa planned to defeat both protagonists in resource farming.
Arthur knew as much about the Velrox as Noa did because he had read the novel about it.
However, Noa had played a game where Arthur was the protagonist, which meant his knowledge far outweighed Arthur's.
The more he thought, the faster his heart beat in excitement.
"The ceremony is over. Everyone who awakened will receive a week of holiday before continuing their studies. As for the others, follow me."
Gio spoke, guiding students outside of the chambers.
'I have one week of free time. I'm going to register as an Ember first and sell some of my orbs.'
As Noa was thinking about his future and followed Elowen's lead, Klaus roughly brushed his shoulders and whispered so only he could hear.
"We will have some fun when you get here."
His words carried malice and confidence, a promise to punish Noa for his arrogance.
It was a threat, aiming to frighten him.
Only a handful of people had tier-S talent, and it was the highest known tier, which explained his cockiness.
Though he didn't disclose his aptitude, saving it for the registration ceremony to humble and shake the world.
Little did he know Arthur would crush his dreams, as he would receive more benefits later down the line.
Enjoying the show and biting his tongue to hold back, Noa deliberately trembled, creating a weak persona to lower onlookers' guard.
His acting worked splendidly, and seeing how others mumbled behind him proved that.
Even Klaus had a disgusted face, still proud because he thought he could push him around.
Some students had seen Noa in action.
However, they couldn't recognize him due to the bloody mess he had been.
Yet they still chatted about him.
They wondered, fearing the monster they escaped from, and started new rumors.
But as a loner, Noa knew nothing about this.
"How did you survive for so long?"
Suddenly, a cheeky lady asked him, moving her head closer to him.
Her name was Rika, and her attention toward Noa caused other boys to feel jealous of him, as she was their class goddess, capturing every heart with her beautiful face and lustrous body.
Noa glanced at her, scrutinizing her red hair and subtle features.
She was part of Arthur's harem, and because Klaus also liked her, it created tension between the leads.
'My old self would have lost strength in my knees.'
Noa mused because Rika's cute personality had captivated even his heart when he had played the game.
But not anymore.
He didn't care about her one bit and ignored her altogether, startling an entire class, including the girl herself.
'She should be around here.'
Noa had another concern.
He knew his sister was waiting outside the academy, hoping for his success.
Leaving everyone behind, Noa dashed to meet Aeris, expecting to see her crying face after hearing the delightful news.