The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character

I was just another expendable side character.

And side characters didn't get second chances.

Damn it.

This was beyond frustrating.

Before I could even process my next move, Kai's gaze shifted away from me, locking onto the instructor.

Then, without warning—

He moved.

"Hey, watch out—!" I barely had time to shout before Kai cut me off.

"I don't care about you." His voice was flat, uninterested. His words weren't even directed at me—he was talking to the instructor. "Why don't you take a nap for a while?"

The instructor's eyes widened, but before he could react—

Kai flicked his wrist.

A staff materialized from beneath his cloak as if conjured from thin air. And the moment it appeared—

A spell was unleashed.

Fast. Too fast.

A surge of dark energy shot forward at a terrifying speed, giving the instructor no time to dodge.

My breath caught in my throat.

Shit.

This was bad.

And the worst part? The instructor should've seen it coming! What kind of idiot lets their guard down in a situation like this? Didn't they train for surprise attacks?

For a split second, everything was silent.

Then—chaos.

Screams erupted as cadets finally registered what had happened. Their faces paled, eyes darting between the collapsed instructor and the boy who had just taken him down.

I turned back to Kai.

He hadn't even moved from his spot.

The bastard simply tilted his head, as if analyzing his handiwork, before letting out a quiet sigh.

"Tch. That was disappointing," he muttered.

The instructor wasn't dead—I could see his fingers twitch slightly—but he sure as hell wasn't getting up anytime soon.

Kai chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, would you look at that? He's still breathing. Lucky him." Amusement flickered in his eyes. "Guess I still have a long way to go. Haha."

His tone was light, almost playful, but I wasn't fooled.

Behind that fake amusement, I could tell—he was pissed.

Because in the end, his attack hadn't been strong enough. The instructor had survived.

Not because of some hidden skill or secret technique.

But because Kai's magic wasn't powerful enough to kill him outright.

Yeah, Kai Foster was a dark mage. But he wasn't some prodigy or hidden monster.

He had a C-rank talent. A common, unimpressive affinity for dark magic.

And he hated that fact more than anything.

Dark Magic was a combat-type talent, sure, but it lacked the overwhelming force of elemental magic, the precision of swordsmanship, and the versatility of spatial abilities. In short, it was nothing special.

And in a world where strength dictated status, that made him insignificant.

Especially compared to the two standing before him.

Ryen and Leo Taylor.

Both born with A-rank talents—monsters in their own right.

But Kai? He wasn't just going to roll over and accept defeat.

"Alright then, shall we—"

Before he could finish, a sharp gust of wind whistled past his face.

His grin faltered.

Leo Taylor's spear was already closing in, its momentum far greater than he had anticipated.

"Tch!" Kai twisted his body at the last second, barely dodging the attack.

"Oh? Didn't expect that, did you?" Leo smirked, smoothly spinning his spear back into position. "I hear catching you would make for quite the achievement."

The moment those words left Leo's mouth, another attack came from the side.

Kai's pupils shrank.

Ryen's blade flashed toward him, cutting through the air with deadly precision.

"Shit—!" Kai barely managed to roll out of the way, the sword slicing through the space where he had just been standing.

Before he could regain his footing, Ryen's voice cut through the chaos.

"If you want to live, surrender."

There was no mockery in his tone—just cold certainty.

As if surrendering was the only logical conclusion.

The thought made Kai's blood boil.

From the sidelines, the cadets—who had been frozen in fear just moments ago—started cheering for Ryen and Leo.

"This… this is unfair! F-Fuck!"

Kai growled, fists clenched.

In terms of raw talent, he was no match for the two of them.

But talent wasn't everything.

At this stage, it might not seem like much. Later on, it might not matter at all.

But right now, Kai Foster had one thing they didn't.

Experience.

What he hated the most in this world—

Was talent.

It was only natural. He had spent his whole life feeling inferior to those who had it, believing every failure of his was because he lacked it.

And that was why he was here today.

The reason he orchestrated this terrorist attack.

Not for some grand ideology.

Not to make a name for himself.

But simply to prove a point.

To crush those who had been gifted with talent.

And how many people would believe him if he said he caused all this—just to satisfy his own bitterness?

No way. Not even an idiot would believe that.

But then again… did he really need to explain himself to anyone?

The answer was obvious. No.

The atmosphere was thick with tension, the air practically crackling with unspoken threats.

It looked like the worst possible situation for Kai.

But…

Kai didn't seem fazed in the slightest.

Instead, a slow smirk stretched across his lips.

"Surrender?" He let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head. "You actually think I'd roll over just because you said so?"

Ryen didn't respond. He simply tightened his grip on his sword, his stance shifting ever so slightly—ready for whatever came next.

Leo, on the other hand, scoffed. "You do realize you're outmatched, right?" He spun his spear in a lazy arc, the wind whistling as the weapon sliced through the air. "There's no way you're walking away from this."

Kai tilted his head slightly, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Outmatched? Sure… if this were a fair fight."

The moment those words left his lips Ryen know something was wrong.

"This is…"

"Stop wasting time."

"Wait—!"

Ryen, being the protagonist, seemed to have noticed something was off. But Leo, convinced it was just a bluff, didn't hesitate. His spear shot forward in a decisive thrust.

And that was his downfall.

"Tch. This is getting on my nerves."

In that instant, a second magic tool slipped from beneath his robe, crackling with power. A bolt of lightning shot out, striking Leo square in the shoulder.

"Damn it—!"

His eyes widened in shock as he stumbled backward, clutching his burned shoulder.