Don't Want to Be Ordinary Even Though I'm an Extra Character-Chapter 90: [89] The Art of Leadership

-Third Point of View-

To be honest, Arkan didn’t need to act that way.

He had known from the start just how valuable Rune Stones were. But sometimes, pretending to be surprised and playing along with a bit of roleplay could be... entertaining.

Besides, there was another reason.

He didn’t want the people around him to see him as too perfect—as if he knew everything.

A leader who seemed flawless was harder to trust. It was better to build an image of intelligence, but also willingness to learn from others. That way, his people would feel more comfortable relying on him.

Across from him, Elara carefully examined the contract he had just placed before her. Her keen violet eyes scanned every detail, her focus unwavering.

"I see," she murmured, leaning back into her chair with ease.

She tapped her fingers lightly against the desk, her expression neutral. "You really aren’t messing around with this deal."

Arkan smirked. "Of course not. If I wanted to play games, I’d be doing something far more entertaining."

Elara studied him for a moment before letting out a small chuckle. "Fine. I like this offer. You’ve given me enough freedom to work without breathing down my neck."

"I’m not the type to micromanage," Arkan said smoothly. "As long as you deliver results, I don’t care how you get them."

Elara’s lips curled into a faint smirk. "You’re different from the nobles I’ve met before."

"Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment."

Meanwhile, in the corner of the room, Faustus was already packing up his notes and documents. He let out a long sigh before standing.

"Alright, I need to get back to the lab. There’s an experiment I need to finish before tonight."

Arkan gave him a knowing look. "Make sure your lab doesn’t explode again, Faustus."

Faustus scoffed. "Explosions are a natural part of scientific progress."

Elara rolled her eyes with a mocking smirk. "Just admit you’re reckless, old man."

Faustus glared at her. "I am NOT reckless! A true scientist isn’t afraid of risk!"

Elara let out an exaggerated sigh. "Yeah, yeah. Try telling that to the students who nearly went bald because of your experiments."

Faustus turned to Arkan with a dramatic pout. "Arkan, do you see this? She has no respect for her teacher!"

Arkan let out a deep sigh, rubbing his temples. He had no energy for this anymore.

"Just go already. You’ll age faster if you argue too much."

Faustus grumbled under his breath but eventually walked out, still muttering complaints to himself.

Elara simply shook her head, then picked up the quill and signed the contract in front of her.

"Alright, then. I officially work under you now, Lord Arkan."

Arkan smirked. "Welcome aboard."

But just before Elara finished her signature, she looked up at him with an amused yet meaningful gaze.

"Just one thing."

Arkan raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Elara grinned, her eyes glinting with mischief. "If Faustus starts acting up again, I can’t promise I won’t blow something up near him."

Arkan could only pinch the bridge of his nose.

###

After finalizing the contract, Arkan returned to his work—handling administrative affairs, ensuring the stability of his territory’s governance.

However, far to the north, at a military outpost bordering the outer regions, an unusual training exercise was underway.

Amidst the vast training grounds, a man with blond hair and piercing blue eyes stood tall among a group of fresh recruits.

Rainer Astoria—the protagonist of Destiny of a Warrior.

In the original story, he was merely an adventurer who gradually rose to become a warlord. But this time, his fate had already begun to shift—sooner than it was supposed to.

Standing beside him was a towering, battle-hardened man with a scar across his cheek, observing the recruits with sharp, calculating eyes.

Kael Darnath—a former Royal Guard of the Empire, betrayed and cast aside, now serving under Arkan.

Once a sworn protector of the Empire, he had lost everything due to the treachery of corrupt nobles.

Now, he was training the new army under Arkan’s command.

The three of them—Arkan, Rainer, and Kael—had decided to reform the military from the ground up.

One of the greatest innovations Arkan introduced was a modern military structure, adapted from the United States Armed Forces.

In this world, military command structures were still disorganized, rooted in feudal traditions, where leadership was often determined by status rather than competence. Inefficient.

To change this, Arkan implemented a more structured hierarchy, with systematic unit divisions, allowing for greater efficiency in battle.

And today, they were putting that system to the test in the first recruit training simulation.

- Recruit’s Perspective -

My breath was heavy.

My heart pounded violently, as if it was about to leap out of my chest. My hands trembled on the wooden sword’s hilt, now slick with sweat. Droplets of perspiration ran down my forehead, mixing with the dry dust beneath me.

I crouched behind the bushes, holding my breath alongside my team.

We did not move.

We only listened.

Somewhere across the training field, Red Team—led by Rainer Astoria—was lurking.

Damn it. I knew he was talented, but still... this fear wouldn’t go away.

Today wasn’t just a normal training session.

Today was our first war simulation.

It wasn’t just a test of our physical strength—it was a test of our mental fortitude.

Our objective, as Blue Team, was simple: Defeat Red Team.

I swallowed hard.

Easier said than done.

BANG!

A loud signal exploded through the air, shattering the silence.

"ADVANCE!"

Garrick, our team leader, shouted the command.

Without hesitation, we rushed forward.

Our strategy was simple—move in a semi-circle formation, surround the enemy, and corner them.

But as we reached the rocky area where Red Team should have been hiding...

They weren’t there.

I frowned. Something was wrong.

"Where are they?" one of my teammates whispered.

Too quiet.

Garrick raised his hand, signaling for us to halt.

We immediately dropped low, taking cover behind rocks and thick shrubs.

Damn it...

This was a trap.

And I realized it too late.

DOR!

A loud impact rang out from the right flank.

I whipped my head around, eyes widening in horror.

"AMBUSH FROM THE SIDE!"

Damn it! They’re faster than we expected!

Before we could react, three Red Team members stormed into our formation, moving with terrifying speed.

Garrick barely had time to issue a command before a wooden sword slammed against his back.

BUGH!

"GARRICK IS DOWN!"

I turned, attempting to swing my weapon, but—

A sudden kick struck my ankle.

DOR!

I collapsed onto the ground, my breath catching in my throat.

Before I could recover, a dark figure loomed over me.

A wooden sword pressed lightly against my neck.

I swallowed hard.

Rainer Astoria.

He gazed down at me with a calm expression, as if this was all just a game to him.

"You’re dead," he stated flatly.

Damn it. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

We were wiped out in less than five minutes.

I sat on the dirt, staring up at the mocking blue sky.

This was humiliating.

I thought I was strong. I thought I could fight.

But in reality? I couldn’t even last five minutes.

After the simulation ended, we all sat in a circle at the center of the training field.

My clothes were soaked in sweat, my muscles aching from the beating we just received.

Before us, Kael Darnath, our head instructor, stood with his arms crossed over his chest.

His cold, calculating eyes swept across us.

"That performance was... pathetic."

We all lowered our heads.

No one dared to speak.

He paced slowly, letting the weight of our failure sink in.

"Do any of you know why you lost?" he asked, his tone firm but not cruel.

Silence.

I bit my lip before hesitantly raising my hand. "Because they were faster?"

Kael stared at me for a moment before shaking his head.

"Not just that."

He turned to Rainer, who still stood calmly, arms folded, completely unaffected by the battle.

"Can you explain why your team won so easily?" Kael asked.

Rainer nodded.

"We won because we thought as one unit. We didn’t act individually. We always moved together.

Blue Team, on the other hand?" His sharp eyes landed on us. "They still think like individual fighters."

I clenched my fists.

Damn it. He was right.

I had only been thinking about myself.

When the battle began, I didn’t consider my team’s positions, I didn’t listen to orders, I only followed my instincts.

And the result?

A crushing defeat.

Kael let out a long sigh.

"All of you are too used to thinking like individual fighters. But on the battlefield, that will only get you killed faster."

He gestured toward us, his gaze sharp.

"In this world, most armies still fight using outdated feudal tactics—relying solely on individual strength or the status of their leader."

Then, he turned to Rainer, a small smirk tugging at his lips.

"But here, we don’t use that foolish system. We train you with a modern approach—where a unit moves as one entity."

Kael stepped closer and crouched down in front of me.

His knife-like gaze locked onto mine.

"On the battlefield, the strongest doesn’t always win—it’s the smartest who survives.

And you?"

He tapped my forehead with his index finger.

"You need to start thinking."

I was speechless.

This was more than just physical training.

This was about survival.

Rainer patted Kael’s shoulder before turning to the rest of us.

"Tomorrow, we’ll run this exercise again. Make sure you don’t repeat the same mistakes."

I clenched my fists.

I won’t lose again.

I turned to my fellow recruits—and in their eyes, I saw the same determination burning inside me.

Kael grinned, clearly pleased.

"Good. I like seeing people who finally start to think."

He straightened up, scanning the group one last time before delivering his final words.

"Training has only just begun. Try not to die too soon."

I took a deep breath.

Tomorrow would be different.