The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character

Aether Core.

A priceless artifact coveted by all magic users.

It acted as a reservoir for pre-stored spells, allowing the wielder to cast powerful magic instantly—no incantations, no formulas, no delay. While the output was a bit weaker than a manually cast spell, its sheer speed and convenience made it indispensable in real combat.

"Tch. I was aiming for his heart, but he had to twist at the last second? Damn talented brats always get under my skin."

Kai frustration was clear. The lightning bolt should've been a death blow, but Leo had managed to shift his body just enough, turning a fatal wound into something that would leave him in agony for a while instead.

Even so, Leo wasn't getting up anytime soon. The magic's force had torn through his body, his muscles locking up, his breaths coming in short, strained gasps.

The only reason he wasn't dead was because he was Leo.

Anyone else would've been a pile of ash by now.

With a cold, dismissive smirk, the man raised the Aether Core once more, preparing to finish the job.

But before he could release another spell—

A figure stepped forward.

Ryen.

The protagonist of this world. The one who was always ready to stand up for what's right, no matter the odds.

Right now, he was the only thing standing between Leo and certain death.

Ryen's talent was something special, especially when compared to Leo's Weapon Master ability, even though both of their talents were ranked the same.

The name of Ryen's ability? The Holy Sword of Justice.

It was an A-rank talent, but not in the same way Leo's was.

Where Leo's Weapon Master talent was simple, direct, and powerful, Ryen's was unique.

Every action he performed with a sword was buffed. His strikes were faster, more precise. And any object he recognized as a sword, no matter what it was, could be wielded as a weapon with holy and sword attributes.

Kai Foster narrowed his eyes as Ryen stepped forward, his grip tightening around the Aether Core.

"You really want to do this?" Kai scoffed, rolling his shoulders. "I thought you were smarter than that."

Ryen didn't answer right away. His stance shifted slightly, his grip firm on his sword, but his expression remained unreadable.

Kai let out a short chuckle. "Look at him," he said, nodding toward Leo's limp form. "Your friend's barely breathing. Do you really think you stand a chance?"

Ryen exhaled slowly. His fingers curled tighter around the hilt of his sword, but he didn't draw it. Not yet.

"I don't need to win," he said, his voice steady. "I just need to stop you."

For a brief second, Kai's smirk faltered—but then it twisted into a grin. "That so?"

He flicked his wrist, and the Aether Core in his grasp began to hum, arcs of electricity crackling around it.

"Let's see how that works out for you."

Ryen's gaze sharpened. Without hesitation, he stepped forward.

While the confrontation between Ryen and Kai unfolded, I watched from a distance, my expression unreadable.

To be honest, I never liked Ryen's character from the start.

He was written as the self-sacrificing type—the kind of hero willing to throw away everything, even his own life, to save someone. But in the end, he never truly saved anyone.

…And then he'd drown in despair and self-pity.

Whenever my friend asked me to read his novel and give feedback, we always ended up arguing over Ryen's character traits, his development, and everything else.

I hated that about him.

And right now, I knew I was right.

Take this situation, for example.

Ryen was desperately trying to save his so-called rival from an enemy he couldn't even defeat yet. But he wouldn't be able to save Leo in the end.

Even if, by some miracle, he did, he wouldn't be praised for it.

That's just how the novel was structured.

It wasn't likely that one of the two protagonists would be taken out this early. But if things continued like this, that pretty face of his would probably end up with a nasty scar.

Right now, he was barely holding his own—defending against the magic, but nothing more.

And Kai Foster still had a hidden card.

He had a second Aether Core tucked inside his robe.

The magic contained within it was Deathflame, a devastating 5th-tier fire spell.

Aether Cores weren't meant to be used recklessly. The stronger the sealed magic, the more unstable they became. Using them drained their essence quickly, making them fragile and prone to breaking. Most people avoided sealing high-tier spells because of this.

But Kai Foster?

He was a lunatic—a guy who committed terrorist attacks just to relieve his stress.

So of course, to relieve his stress, he would do anything—even if it meant burning everything to the ground with 5th-Tier DeathFlame.

And let me tell you, even if Ryen used every ounce of strength he had, he'd maybe be able to save himself and Leo.

That's it.

Everyone else?

Gone.

DeathFlame wasn't some small-scale spell. It wasn't something you could dodge or defend against with sheer willpower. It was a wide-range annihilation spell, consuming everything in its reach and reducing it all to ash.

The situation wasn't just bad—it was a death sentence.

I knew what was coming in the next few minutes. Or at least, I could predict it.

Everyone was going to die.

The cadets, the instructors—hell, even Kai Foster himself. Because DeathFlame wasn't just a spell. It was a sacrificial spell, meant to be used only in situations where there was no other way out.

Like right now.

Kai Foster took a step back, creating distance.

"You held on pretty well," he said, voice laced with amusement. "But it's time to end this."

Ryen's expression darkened the moment he saw the second Aether Core in Kai's hand.

He must have felt the ominous energy radiating from it.

From Ryen's perspective, if he dodged the attack, the magic's sheer force could burn down the entire auditorium. The blast would injure not just Leo and the instructors, but all the other cadets as well.

Was that why?

Even though he knew he couldn't block it, he still gripped his sword tighter.

Damn idiot.

Ryen had no idea what was coming.

The attack Kai was about to unleash wasn't something he could tank. It wasn't something he could just counter with sheer willpower and grit.

It was a death sentence.

I sighed.

Honestly, I didn't like Ryen's character.

He was one of those righteous protagonists—the type who helped others without expecting anything in return. A hot-blooded fool who refused to tolerate injustice, even when he didn't have the power to stop it.

That kind of protagonist wasn't exactly popular these days, right?

But still…

Even if I didn't like him, even if his self-sacrificing personality pissed me off—

This world needed him.

And that meant I couldn't let him die here.

Because he was the protagonist.

I, on the other hand, was just a disposable side character.

If I died, the story wouldn't change. The world would move on without me.

Ha… looks like I'm really gonna die just minutes after getting this second chance at life, huh?

A dry chuckle escaped me.

Guess fate couldn't be changed after all.

If this world wanted me dead, so be it.

But I wasn't going down without a fight.

Alright, folks—

It's time for the grand entrance of…

Rin Evans!