How to Survive as a Trash Extra Villain

Chapter 112

Like water spilled, it couldn’t be undone.

"Wait, hold on!"

The referee’s shout couldn’t stop the fired gun or the swung sword.

Gilbert slashed the incoming bullet with his sword.

I’d heard guns required reloading, making rapid fire difficult, but astonishingly, I completed the reload in 0.5 seconds and fired a second shot.

Scatter shot. Hundreds of pellets could turn even steel into a honeycomb.

"Hmph!"

Gilbert, cloaked in an aura of strength, charged forward, taking the scatter shot head-on. As he swung his sword, a sharp blade of energy sliced through the air, threatening to cleave me in two.

"Prepare yourself, Martin!"

"No chance."

But I aimed my shotgun at the ground. Smoke erupted from the impact point, obscuring the surroundings. Whether the blade hit me didn’t need checking. I quickly channeled mana, attuning my senses to the environment.

‘He’s coming!’

Gilbert, eyes closed, deflected a bullet with his sword, parried the stock and bayonet thrust that followed, and even sidestepped a fierce kick.

It looked fluid, but inwardly, Gilbert was stunned.

Was this really the same person I fought during the Marquis Vistavern incident? My physical stats were at least five times higher than before. Maybe six, seven times!

‘Growth?’

No, that was impossible. Absurd. How could this be human growth?

‘This is Martin’s true strength, hidden all along!’

From beyond the smokescreen, my gritted-teeth praise reached him.

"Monster."

It was clearly an insult, yet the thought of connecting, even like this, made Gilbert smile.

"That’s my line, Martin!"

Hearing that, I thought, ‘Bullshit.’

I reached into my ammo pouch, pulling out a handful of magic rounds.

‘I trained for this moment!’

I tossed five magic rounds into the air. Like a train, they ascended in a line, then turned downward, warheads aimed below.

Opening the chamber, the first round loaded itself. I closed it, aimed at Gilbert. The fog was no issue. I fired at the spot my Wild Instinct indicated.

Without checking the result, I opened the chamber. The second round, floating in the air, loaded itself. Close, fire. I repeated this five times. An extreme reload, shaving off even 0.1 seconds.

The drawback was immobility, but the effect was supreme.

Flames roared, ice shattered, and winds howled where Gilbert stood.

‘Did it work? No, of course not.’

As expected, Gilbert emerged unscathed through the storm resembling a natural disaster. He shouted boldly.

"That won’t work on me, Cadet Martin!"

He was a true monster with Bord’s defense, Elisha’s speed, Mary’s firepower, and Lina’s swordsmanship.

‘I expected as much.’

I fired to keep Gilbert at bay, trying to retreat. Had Gilbert not charged like a tank, ignoring my shots, I might’ve succeeded.

"You can’t keep your distance now—the match is over!"

At close range, Gilbert unleashed dazzling swordsmanship. Heavy broadsword. Flashy illusion sword. Swift rapier. Three styles harmonized in one, a master’s realm.

Movement (Lv 3) pushed my body’s agility to its limit!

I tensed every muscle, focusing my consciousness until my optic nerves felt like bursting.

"You don’t decide that!"

I’d even dodged fantastically against Dominic, a platinum knight.

Wild Instinct (Lv 4) fiercely resisted Gilbert’s Combat Sense (Lv 5)!

No matter how much stronger Gilbert was than in the original, this was still early in the story!

Know-It-All (Lv 4) struggled to block the miraculous variables Protagonist Correction (Max) could produce!

Scouts in the stands leapt to their feet. They marveled at Gilbert’s beautiful swordsmanship, then at my perfect evasion. Their duel was near artistic, believable as a staged play!

Spotting an opening, I fired another smoke round at the ground.

***

"It won’t work twice!"

The biggest flaw in warrior vs. gunner: distance. A warrior must consider how to keep a gunner pinned once caught.

Gilbert unleashed a wide burst of prepared mana. Not for sensing, but for striking. A precise control that blew away the surrounding air. The moment the smoke cleared.

"…!"

Gilbert saw a barrel aimed at him, like a skull’s eye socket.

A flash, and bullets rained down. Not one or two—dozens in an instant. Their power was leagues beyond before. They pierced his protective aura, shredding chunks of his cadet uniform’s shield.

Realizing the bullets’ transformed might, Gilbert understood.

‘I thought I’d grown several times stronger!’

He had to admit he’d been careless.

‘He was hiding even that strength!’

I’d perfectly fallen for the trap I induced.

"Urgh!"

He moved his sword at blinding speed, forming a sword barrier in front. Mana and stamina drained rapidly, but his honed senses screamed he’d die if he didn’t defend.

‘What are these bullets?!’

The glowing white bullets weren’t metal. When deflected by his barrier, they left no trace, dissolving into the air. The holy energy that lingered after my fights with demons. To Gilbert, an unknown force… yet somehow familiar.

Above all, reloading.

I fired without reloading, just pulling the trigger while supporting the gun. Yet these white bullets loaded and fired automatically!

‘A new technique!’

He didn’t know what, but it was dangerous.

Then I moved. I circled him at high speed, darting around.

‘Impossible! This fast?!’

Despite giving him no time. Bullets hailed from behind, right, left—like fighting eight of me.

Gilbert had to expand his frontal sword barrier omnidirectionally.

"Arghhh!"

Bullets pierced the barrier, striking indiscriminately. Thanks to his boosted aura, no wounds formed, but dull impacts lingered.

He’d lose like this. He needed to raise his output!

"Martin of Ulvhadin!"

Three times the mana erupted from Gilbert’s body. Overheat. It drastically shortened his active time but doubled his strength!

In the narrow arena, Gilbert and I flashed like lightning.

Gilbert left blue trails, darting across the arena, while I left green trails, prowling like a hunting dog.

Gilbert gave up counting the bullets hitting him. Hundreds already.

I gave up tracking the sword strikes I dodged. One hit would end it.

I just focused on the present with all my might.

‘Unbelievable!’

But time wasn’t on Gilbert’s side.

Overheat lasted 10 minutes. Against goblins, he could’ve swept 1,000 effortlessly.

But he couldn’t catch one Martin.

"More! More! More!"

Overheat x2. His mana drained nine times faster, but he grew three times stronger.

***

I glanced back and gasped. Gilbert, cloaked in blue mana, charged like a monster.

‘Counterattack!’

New technique. I stopped loading bullets with stellar force, taught by the Star Child, and drew five magic rounds from my pouch. I fired one into the air.

"What are you doing, Martin!"

Another into the air.

"I’m right here!"

Another.

"Got you!"

Another.

"Martin! Prepare…!"

The last. As Gilbert raised his sword, a chilling sensation made his skin crawl. The sense of death.

"You’ve lost your reason, Gilbert!"

The five bullets I fired in an arc circled the arena. At the same time, same place. The spot I’d lured him to. Where Gilbert stood.

A gem bullet infused with stellar force caused a massive explosion. Not as grand as Nerjin’s Big Bang, but enough for a small mushroom cloud.

But.

"Huh?!"

My shoulder split open. The mana around me and my cadet uniform’s protective magic shattered in one blow, slicing my shoulder. At the last moment, Gilbert’s sword strike.

I looked up… at Gilbert. His cadet uniform was in tatters. His body was covered in wounds and burns, yet he stood. His eyes still gleamed, fixed on me.

"Martin…"

Exhausting. Damn protagonist.

"Gilbert, you leech."

Gilbert, aiming his sword at me, declared.

"I grew stronger because of you."

"…"

Those words infuriated me more than anything.

"I, Gilbert."

Gilbert, the protagonist.

"Will surpass you, Martin."

I, Kim An-hyun and Martin, the trash extra villain.

A sacrifice, fertilizer, stepping stone arranged for the protagonist’s growth.

As Gilbert’s resolve peaked, my thread of reason snapped.

"Martin! Let’s settle this!"

"Fine. Die, you bastard!"

Gilbert charged forward.

"Graaah!"

He leapt high, then plummeted, swinging his sword down.

‘That’s!’

Mana Cravass. A crude technique that infused vast mana into the earth to detonate it. But its power was undeniable. A frequent execution move in the original story! But! Not a technique for this point in time!

"…!"

The arena split open. I leapt upward to escape, but beneath the cracked ground, blue mana surged like a sea. It would soon erupt toward me, obvious without saying.

I was caught off guard. A technique I hadn’t anticipated.

‘I have to respond!’

To survive, to beat Gilbert, for Lilac watching. I loaded the finest holy diamond bullet into the chamber.

Unlike Gilbert, I needed no grand preparation. Just shove the best bullet into the heated chamber, close it, and aim.

I pulled the trigger. A blinding flash burst forth.

Below, a blue sea. Above, a white sun.

In the small world of this confined space, sea and sun collided, singing of apocalypse with a massive explosion.

***

It was over. The blinding sensation forced all spectators to turn away or close their eyes. But those at the pinnacle were different. They stood, eyes wide, witnessing the two cadets pour everything into their clash. Platinum knights from across the continent.

"…"

"…"

"…"

No one dared speak carelessly. They didn’t know what small disturbance might affect the duelists.

Even other matches halted. Inevitable, as the clash’s aftermath swept the entire Great Training Ground.

The platinum knights grew curious. Who were these two? How did they possess such strength at such a young age? What was the technique and vast mana the sword-wielding boy used, like a sea? What was the unknown power the gun-wielding boy wielded?

Their mouths itched to speak. One by one, the platinum knights spoke, as if trading words.

"…Has the match been decided?"

One stood on the arena. Even if his body was in rags, bleeding profusely, using his weapon as a cane, he stood on two legs.

Unlike the other, sprawled on the ground.

But regardless of victory, both cadets displayed chilling skill.

"They’re not at cadet level…"

The clash’s aftermath forced knights below platinum rank to close their eyes. Not from brightness, but the sheer force.

"Two first-year cadets, at least gold knight level…!"

But even cold water has hierarchy. Unlike the motionless gunner, the swordsman slowly raised his sword, using it as a cane.

"A victory pose?"

If he raised his sword and the referee judged, the match would end.

But in this duel assessment, victory wasn’t the point.

‘Incredible.’

‘Must recruit them.’

‘Cannot let these talents slip!’

How many had become gold knights at this age through history? All later called heroes. First Emperor Hamerd was one. The current strongest platinum knight, genius Hectia, was another.

Such talents stood here now. Two of them.

"Well, then…"

The referee, regaining composure amid the intense aura, prepared to judge.

Gilbert’s sword hand neared its zenith.

But suddenly, something seized the platinum knights’ senses. Dozens of eyes turned to one spot in the stands.

"…?"

A maid. Or rather…

[Woof!]

A hound guarding her leapt high. It grew massive… descending with the force to swallow Gilbert whole.

How could they not know? The hunting clan, the hounds’ haven, Ulvhadin. The Ulvhadin hound, one with the gunner’s soul.

"…!"

Everyone watching realized. The match wasn’t over.