An Extra’s Rise in an Eroge

Alicia stepped forward, brushing a lock of hair from her flushed face. "Sorry, Nyra… I didn't know it was your kill."

Nyra's eyes narrowed, her bow still half-drawn. "Didn't see the arrow sticking out of its eye?"

Alicia scratched her head sheepishly, her fingers fidgeting at the edge of her staff. "I… did. But I'd already cast the spell before that, and… well… I don't know how to dispel mid-cast."

"You—" Nyra's lips parted, the sharp retort bubbling up. But then she sighed, her shoulders sinking. "Forget it." Normally, if it had been a stranger, she would have loosed another arrow right between their eyes, whatever the reason. But this was Alicia. Her friend. That changed things.

Yet there was no time to dwell on it.

A guttural cry ripped through the air.

Both girls froze. The troll—whose corpse should have been cooling on the dirt—stirred. Its mangled frame straightened with sickening cracks, wounds knitting, muscle fibers weaving back together as if mocking death itself. The arrow in its eye snapped out with a spurt of blood, the socket regenerating before their eyes.

"T-Tch… It's still alive!?" Alicia's voice quivered with disbelief.

"That's why you should pay more attention in class instead of staring at your prince charming all the time" Nyra muttered, her gaze sharpening. "It's a troll. Their regeneration is second to none. As long as there's life left in them, they'll crawl back. Even torn limbs can grow back in minutes."

The monster's roar shook the trees, and the ground trembled as it lunged forward. The two girls leapt aside instinctively, the troll's claw gouging deep scars into the earth where they had been standing.

"Forget the why—move!" Nyra shouted, rolling into position.

Alicia smirked nervously. "Well… bright side. Since it's alive again, you can have your kill back."

Nyra shot her a glare but gave a small, curt nod. "Fine. Don't get in the way."

She loosed another arrow, enchanted with fire, but the troll was no longer a stationary target. Its body moved with feral speed, slamming fists, swiping claws, forcing Nyra to twist and dodge. Every shot had to be taken in fleeting openings, each arrow flying dangerously close to her own skin as she tried to keep her aim steady.

The troll roared again, snapping a tree in half as it lunged toward her. She rolled beneath its arm, pivoted, and released—only for the arrow to graze its shoulder. Sparks erupted, but the wound sealed almost instantly.

"Damn it…!" Nyra hissed, sweat dripping down her temple.

Alicia stood at the edge of the battlefield, hands folded behind her back, watching the chaos unfold as though spectating a stage play. "You're getting better with that bow," she called out casually. "And binding spells to arrows? Genius."

"Less talking, more—ugh—helping!" Nyra snarled as she ducked another swing. Her chest heaved, but her eyes stayed sharp, her hands steady. She couldn't afford to miss again.

She planted her foot, drew the string back until it sang, and whispered the incantation. The arrowhead glowed, burning hotter and hotter as she fused fire into its tip.

The troll charged, its jaw wide, drool and blood spilling from its mouth.

"Burn."

The arrow flew true. It buried itself into the troll's skull—and exploded.

BOOOOM!

The shockwave knocked dust and leaves into the air, scattering debris like shrapnel. When the haze cleared, the troll's head was nothing more than a cratered mess of charred flesh and splintered bone. The massive body swayed once before collapsing with a thunderous crash that shook the ground.

Nyra lowered her bow, her breathing ragged. A victorious grin tugged at her lips.

"That…" Alicia clapped her hands with a bright smile. "Was excellent, Nyra. Truly excellent."

Nyra puffed out her chest proudly. "Well, what do you expect? I am a genius, after all."

But before either could bask in the victory, the forest floor began to tremble again.

THUMP.

THUMP. THUMP.

The sound was steady, heavy, multiplied. Like a drumbeat of war rolling closer.

Both girls went still. Their instincts screamed at them, weapons raising as they spun toward the source.

The thumping grew louder. Louder.

And then they appeared.

Figures broke from the treeline, looming in the mist. One. Two. Three… five… then more.

A dozen hulking trolls emerged, their eyes burning with a savage light, muscles rippling as they moved in near-unison. Each one was larger than the troll they had just slain—twice as broad in the shoulders, twice as wild in their movements. Veins bulged against their skin, their chests rising and falling with frenzied breaths.

The air thickened with the stench of blood and earth.

The two girls found themselves surrounded.

Alicia swallowed hard, her face paling. "Tell me I'm imagining things… Are these really trolls?"

Nyra didn't answer. She could only grit her teeth, knuckles white around her bowstring. The battle wasn't over—it had only just begun.

~~~~ The forest shook as the thunderous roars of the trolls reverberated through the trees. Shadows loomed over the battlefield—hulking figures, their skin gray and mottled, eyes glowing blood-red with berserk rage. These weren't the ordinary trolls one might read about in the guild's bestiary. No, these beasts had been driven beyond reason. Their veins bulged, their muscles rippled with unnatural fury, and the way they pounded their chests and snarled at the two girls made the air feel heavy with primal bloodlust.

Alicia and Nyra stood shoulder to shoulder, the tension etched into their expressions. They had faced monsters before, but the sheer bloodthirst radiating from this pack was overwhelming.

"Stay sharp," Alicia muttered, raising her staff, the blue light of condensed mana pulsing at its tip.

Nyra drew her bow, her keen elven eyes narrowing as she tracked the trolls' movements. "Sharp? With those things charging at us, I'll be lucky if I stay alive."

The ground trembled as the first troll lunged. Its massive club-like arm swung with such force that the air howled around it. Alicia dodged, but the shockwave sent her skidding across the dirt, tearing her academy-issued skirt at the thigh.

"Shit—!" She stumbled, barely managing to hold her staff upright.

Nyra released an arrow. The projectile whistled through the air, glowing faintly with enchantment. It struck the troll in the shoulder, embedding deep, but the beast barely flinched. With a roar, it charged straight at her.

"Not good!"

Nyra leapt backward, branches snapping under her boots. The troll's massive fist grazed her side, sending her crashing into a tree. Pain flared through her ribs, blood splattering from her lips. She coughed hard, clutching her side.

Their situation worsened quickly. The trolls moved like an unstoppable tide, every strike heavy enough to pulverize stone. Torn earth, shattered bark, and the scent of blood filled the battleground. Nyra's uniform was shredded at the waist, her bare skin smeared with dirt and crimson streaks. Alicia wasn't faring much better—her blouse torn across the chest and shoulder, exposing scratches and bruises, sweat and blood mixing down her skin.