The Extra's Rise-Chapter 357: End of Inter-Academy Festival (2)

The Inter-Academy Festival between the six greatest academies in the world had concluded with spectacular displays of talent, power, and skill. Now began the true celebration—a grand festival marking the end of the formal competitions before students from the five visiting academies would return to their respective homes.

The sprawling campus of Mythos Academy had transformed overnight. The normally sleek, modern training facilities and high-tech lecture halls now burst with colorful decorations, holographic light displays, and festive music pumping through strategically placed sound systems. The administration had arranged for vendors and entertainers from Maven City to teleport in and set up elaborate stalls along the pedestrian walkways that wound through the campus grounds.

Projection drones hovered overhead, displaying spectacular light shows against the evening sky. The scent of food from various fusion cuisines filled the air—artisanal pastries incorporating mana-infused ingredients, savory street food from globally renowned chefs, intricate molecular gastronomy creations that changed flavor profiles with each bite. High-tech games of skill and chance lined the main promenade, where students tested their abilities with augmented reality challenges that were a far cry from the intense arena battles of days past.

Seol-ah walked through it all with a detached expression, her golden eyes taking in the festivities without truly seeing them. Her black hair was pulled back in its usual severe style, though a few strands had escaped to frame her face. She wore a designer black jacket over a simple white top and dark jeans—casual by most standards, but still carrying the understated elegance that marked all members of the Moyong family. She moved with precise grace, but tonight her usual confident stride seemed mechanical.

"Seol-ah, why are you down?" Ava asked, skipping to keep pace with her friend's longer strides. Her pink-tinged hair bounced with each step, and her round face was alight with the joy of the festival. She had embraced the vacation spirit fully, wearing a brightly patterned sundress and a denim jacket decorated with pins from each of the cities they had visited during the tournament tour. "You came fifth! You did very well!"

Seol-ah's gaze drifted upward to the night sky, where magical fireworks shaped like mythical beasts chased each other between the stars.

"The world is so big, Ava," she replied after a moment of contemplation. "There are so many strong people in this world."

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Seol-ah had always been confident in her strength—perhaps too confident. The Moyong family had hailed her as their greatest genius in three generations. She had watched recordings of previous tournaments, studied the techniques of past champions, and believed she would at least come close to claiming the top position. She had trained relentlessly, pushing her body and mind beyond what most would consider reasonable limits.

But the world had a way of dousing such unfounded desires with the cold water of reality.

The battle between Arthur, Jack, and Lucifer had been a humbling experience. The sheer display of power, technique, and tactical brilliance had left her feeling like a child playing at combat. She hadn't even reached Intent yet, while Lucifer was already at Resonance with a higher mana rank and two Gifts to her one. Jack was equally formidable, and Arthur was just a step behind them both despite his ultimate defeat.

"You're being too hard on yourself," Ava insisted, her cheerful demeanor undimmed by her friend's melancholy. "Fifth place among all the academies is incredible! Most students would sacrifice their favorite cultivation technique for such an achievement."

"Would you look at that face," came a smooth, confident voice from behind them. "I've seen happier expressions on people attending funerals."

Both girls turned to see Aria Gu approaching, her crimson uniform perfectly pressed despite the day's activities. Unlike Seol-ah's severe appearance, Aria wore her dark hair in an elaborate style adorned with small golden pins that caught the festival lights. Her sharp features were set in a knowing smirk.

"Aria," Seol-ah acknowledged with a slight nod.

"I've been looking everywhere for you two," Aria said, falling into step beside them. "The Eastern Pavilion just set up a mana resonance challenge that's actually worth our time. Three hundred points if you can maintain the correct frequency for more than two minutes."

Ava's eyes widened. "Three hundred? That would be enough for one of those specialty cultivation manuals they're offering as prizes!"

Seol-ah merely shrugged. "I'm not particularly interested in games tonight."

Aria fixed her with a penetrating stare. "Is this about your match with Ren? Or is it the finals that have you so morose?"

"I'm not morose," Seol-ah replied stiffly.

"You're practically radiating gloom," Aria countered. "It's disrupting my enjoyment of perfectly good candy." She punctuated this by popping a brightly colored sweet into her mouth.

"I simply realized how far I still have to go," Seol-ah admitted after a moment. "The gap between fifth and first might as well be an ocean."

"Then learn to swim," came a deep, resonant voice that made all three girls turn.

Lucifer stood a few paces away, his tall frame easily visible above the crowd. His golden hair caught the festival lights, creating a halo effect that seemed almost too on-the-nose given his reputation. His green eyes held a warmth that belied his fearsome battlefield presence. He wore dark designer jeans and a casual emerald henley that complemented his eyes, with an expensive smart-watch on his wrist that probably contained more computing power than most students' laptops. Despite the casual clothes, there was no disguising the aura of someone destined for greatness.

Beside him stood a slightly shorter young man with stark white hair and striking purple eyes that regarded the world with cool assessment. Ren, the fourth-place finisher and Eastern prince, maintained his characteristic stoic expression even surrounded by the festival's exuberance. His casual attire—premium dark jeans and a tailored gray button-down with subtle Eastern-inspired detailing—still managed to convey royal dignity despite the relaxed setting.

"Your Highnesses," Aria greeted them with a casual nod that somehow managed to convey both respect and nonchalance. Her sleek black jumpsuit and statement jewelry marked her as someone equally comfortable on fashion blogs and tournament battlefields. Ava quickly followed with an enthusiastic wave that nearly upset her drink. Seol-ah inclined her head with just the appropriate degree of deference—no more, no less.

"Please, none of that tonight," Lucifer said with an easy smile. "The tournament is over. Tonight, we're just fellow students enjoying the festival. Even if some of you are visiting our humble academy."

"Some more than others, it seems," Ren observed, his purple gaze settling on Seol-ah with analytical precision.

Seol-ah met his eyes without flinching. This was the man who had defeated her directly in the quarterfinals, his ice-based techniques countering her fire arts with methodical efficiency.

"Congratulations on your victory," she said formally.

"And yours," he replied, surprising her. At her questioning look, he elaborated: "You fought well and honorably. That is its own victory."

"Fifth place is hardly—" she began.

"Do you know how many students competed across all six academies in the preliminary rounds?" Lucifer interrupted, his tone conversational but his eyes serious. "Six hundred. You finished fifth. That places you in the top 0.83%."

"Statistics don't change the fact that the gap in our abilities is substantial," Seol-ah countered, though her tone had softened slightly.

"The gap is temporary," Lucifer said with the easy confidence of someone who had never doubted himself. "I've watched your technique. Your foundation is exceptional, and your understanding of fire principles surpasses many instructors I know."

"He's right," Ren added, his usual economy of words making the statement more impactful. "Your loss to me was only because of my Fist Intent."

Ava looked between the two princes with barely contained excitement. "Are you both actually hanging out at the festival with us? Like, actually walking around and doing festival things?"

Lucifer laughed, a sound that seemed to brighten the air around them. "Why not? The responsibilities of princes can wait until tomorrow. Tonight is for celebration."

"We were actually hoping you might share which attractions impressed you most as visitors," Ren said, his formal tone softening slightly. "Sometimes we take our local amenities for granted. It's valuable to see our academy through fresh eyes."

"Oh! You absolutely have to try the molecular gastronomy station near the central plaza," Ava gushed, misinterpreting his question in her enthusiasm. "They use some kind of nanotech on the filling so it hovers just above the wrapper when you take a bite!"

Lucifer smiled patiently. "The Quantum Cuisine Lab. Professor Zhang's latest project. We eat there at least twice a week, don't we, Ren?"

Ren nodded. "The novelty wears off after the fifteenth floating dessert."

Seol-ah remained quiet, still processing the unexpected encounter with the two princes—one of whom had tied for first place, the other who had defeated her directly. Both were students at this prestigious academy, while she and her friends were merely visitors who would be returning home soon.

"And what impressed you most about our academy during your stay, Seol-ah Moyong?" Lucifer asked, his green eyes finding hers with genuine interest.

The direct address from the tournament champion startled her from her thoughts. "The augmented observatory on the north quad," she said after a moment's consideration. "The enhanced telescopic arrays are beyond anything we have back home."

"Dr. Ishikawa's pride and joy," Lucifer nodded with appreciation. "I spend a lot of time there myself. The view of the Andromeda nebula through the filter is particularly stunning."

"I'd enjoy seeing it again before we depart," Seol-ah admitted. "We leave tomorrow evening."

After a long week of battles and competition, it was time for the students to take a collective break and enjoy their youth together.