Transmigrating as an Extra, But the Heroine Has Regressed?!
Chapter 82: Behind their backs.

Chapter 82: Behind their backs.

"No. I work better alone."

Up front, Elysia’s eyes followed his retreating figure. Her expression sharpened, lips curling downward slightly.

(You better be alone), she thought coldly. (Sooner or later, I’ll kill you with my own hands.)

But even with that dark resolve, there was a small flicker of something else in her eyes—an emotion she couldn’t quite define.

From the sidelines, Cecelia stood beside, quietly watching. Her eyebrows furrowed in concern as Kael walked away.

Her grip tightened around the small journal she always carried.

(Why do you keep pushing everyone away, Kael? You don’t have to fight alone...)

Kael didn’t look back as he walked away from the crowd of students.

Then, a familiar voice called out from behind.

"Kael, do you want to join me in my group?" Cecelia asked, her voice gentle but clear enough to catch everyone’s attention.

Kael stopped in his tracks.

The moment Cecelia’s words echoed across the training ground, many students turned to look at her in surprise. But the sharpest reaction came from Elysia.

She stood frozen for a second, her brows twitching slightly. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides. Her usually calm and cold expression twisted into fury, something in between.

(Why would she say that? In front of everyone?)

(She doesn’t know how dangerous this man is)

Elysia didn’t speak, but her eyes locked onto Kael’s back with intensity. It felt like a warning.

Kael, meanwhile, was silent. He didn’t turn around. He just stood there, processing what had been asked of him.

(If I join her group, I’ll have to move as a team... which means I can’t freely set traps, explore on my own, or make decisions based on tactics.)

(And if I get dragged into a team strategy... it’ll only slow me down. I don’t have the power others do. All I have is knowledge. I need to use it well.)

He closed his eyes for a brief moment.

(Sorry, Cecelia. It’s not that I don’t appreciate your offer... but I need to walk my own path.)

He shook his head gently—still not facing her—and quietly said, "Thank you, but I’ll go solo."

His voice wasn’t loud, but Cecelia heard it. Her expression softened with a sigh, though there was concern in her eyes.

Behind her, Elysia was fuming.

She could barely keep herself from storming over.

(He dares to reject her in front of everyone... Good. Go solo. That will only make it easier for me to kill you.), Elysia.

The mood around the field shifted slightly. A few students murmured under their breath.

"Is he serious?"

"He’s going solo ?"

"Didn’t he just recover from the infirmary?"

"Huh.... he does want to die early".

But Kael didn’t respond to any of them.

Without another word, he walked away from ground zero and vanished while Cecelia looked sad.

Just as the students were still buzzing with discussions about forming teams, a sudden voice caught their attention.

Professor Sylvia walked onto the field with her usual calm. In her hand was a single sheet of paper, neatly folded.

"In case you’ve forgotten," she began, raising her voice slightly so everyone could hear, "these are your marks from the recent dungeon quest."

The crowd of first-year students instantly quieted down.

Professor Sylvia continued, "These marks will be added to your upcoming midterm exam scores. So if you did poorly... Well, good luck catching up."

A murmur of nervous whispers rippled through the students.

"I won’t read them out loud," Sylvia said casually. "I’ll just put them up on the First-Year Notice Board. If you care about where you stand, go take a look."

"And train hard to improve"

With that, she turned and walked away with the paper. Everyone’s eyes followed her as she headed toward the board on the side of the training field.

In one smooth motion, she pinned the paper with a small glowing charm so it wouldn’t fall, then walked off without another word.

As soon as she was gone—

"Let’s go check!"

"I hope I didn’t fall behind..."

"What if I’m dead last?!"

The students rushed toward the notice board like a wave, pushing and craning their necks to see their rankings.

At the top of the list, bold and clear:

Edwin Leonhart – 70 Points

Cecelia – 69 Points

Jin Halden – 68 Points

Kael Ashford – 65 Points

A stunned silence fell over the group.

Someone gasped.

"Kael?! He’s... fourth in the list?"

"No way," another student whispered. "Did the professor make a mistake?"

"I thought he was weak..."

Students exchanged confused and surprised glances. Some who had never paid attention to Kael were now staring in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Elysia’s eyes locked onto the name "Kael Ashford" on the board, her gaze sharp and unreadable.

Cecelia, standing close by, smiled quietly to herself.

(Don’t pretend to be weak Kael,)

And Edwin, upon seeing the results, raised a brow—but said nothing. Instead, he simply crossed his arms and turned away, thoughtful.

The ranking board had spoken. And Kael Ashford’s name was no longer one that could be ignored.

That evening.

Kael walked toward the dormitory.

There was no time to waste.

"Just three days left until the midterm exams..." he muttered under his breath. "I’ve already fallen behind. I can’t afford another setback."

His eyes narrowed with quiet determination.

"I owe Cecelia a lot. She stayed by my side while I was unconscious. Even when no one else did." A trace of guilt crossed his face. "I need to repay her somehow. Not with words... but with results."

The dormitory lights of the academy were glowing in the distance, but Kael didn’t head that way.

Instead, he quietly turned and walked down a dark path between the east garden and the alchemy greenhouse.

He wasn’t going back to sleep.

Tonight, he had something else in mind.

Kael bent down and slipped under the hanging ivy that hid a small side door to the greenhouses. The old wooden door made a soft creaking sound as he pushed it open. Inside, warm and slightly wet air brushed against his face, and he could smell a mix of unusual herbs and strange minerals.

Inside the greenhouse, rows of rare magical plants gave off a soft, glowing light under enchanted lamps. Around them, small bottles filled with colorful liquids floated gently in the air, held up by light levitation spells.