Transmigrating as an Extra, But the Heroine Has Regressed?!

They also had archers. The archer stayed to the left flank, bow in hand, an arrow loosely knocked but not yet drawn. Her sharp eyes scanned the underbrush, watching for movement.

At the rear, the last two members, the mage and the healer watched the path behind them, ensuring nothing followed.

The group moved through the forest as if they were a single cautious creature, each member alert and ready to respond to danger.

Their formation was tight but flexible, keeping enough distance to avoid crowding yet close enough to protect one another.

Hearts pounded quietly in their chests, the unspoken tension connecting them more strongly than any words could. Every footstep felt heavy in the damp soil, and each small sound—a crunch of leaves or a crack of a twig—echoed in their ears.

At the front, Edwin's eyes never stopped moving. Every few steps, he scanned the dense shadows between the trees, alert for any flicker of movement: the faint glint of predatory eyes in the darkness, the subtle shiver of a branch that might betray a hidden beast.

His grip on his sword tightened instinctively whenever the wind brushed the leaves the wrong way.

The Eastern Forest was alive with a silent, invisible danger. Nothing attacked yet, but the forest itself seemed to be watching. Every whisper of leaves overhead, every soft rustle in the distance, felt like a warning.

It was as though the entire woodland was holding its breath, waiting to see whether these intruders would survive—or become prey.

Directly behind Edwin, the twin mages, Mira and Talia, moved in practiced harmony.

Mira, the fire mage, held a slender staff that glowed faintly, the light pulsing in rhythm with her steady breaths. Now and then, tiny embers flickered at the tip of the staff, casting faint sparks into the mist.

"I am scared… I am practically not used to it", she said with a low voice.

Talia, was her opposite in every way. Her lips moved in silent chants, her focus sharp, and frost clung to her fingertips, leaving little trails of cold mist whenever she shifted her grip.

While Mira was a burst of heat and energy, Talia's presence felt like the still, cutting cold of winter.

"Having Ediwn on our side is blessed", she said.

At the rear, Alina, the group's support mage, adjusted his slightly crooked glasses for the third time in ten minutes. His job was the most important, healing wounds and creating barrier shields to protect his teammates.

His hands trembled slightly on his staff, and sweat clung to his brow despite the forest's cool air.

It was a balanced formation, one they had trained in countless times at Arcadia Academy. Edwin led, the tank was ready to intercept any frontal attack, the mages were safe in the middle, and

Alina protected the rear. In theory, it was perfect.

But training could never recreate the real thing.

A classroom duel didn't have the killing intent of a Savage-rank beast. A wooden practice sword never prepared your heart for the thought that one wrong step could mean death.

Here, in the Eastern Forest, every heartbeat and every decision mattered.

The deeper they moved, the more they felt the forest closing in around them.

Then—

It came without warning.

A deep, guttural roar shook the forest, rolling through the trees. It vibrated in their chests, making their hearts skip a beat. Flocks of startled birds screeched and exploded into the sky, scattering through the mist.

Edwin's eyes snapped toward the source of the sound.

"Formation! Tank, shield up!" he said, his voice was commanding.

He called the boy Tank, because he didn't even remember his real name—only his role.

The armored youth rushed forward without hesitation. With a grunt, he slammed his massive rectangular shield into the ground, the bottom edge digging into dirt and roots.

He braced his body behind it, knees bent, ready to absorb whatever came. The soft clink of his armor echoed in the tense silence that followed.

Then, from between the misty trees, it appeared.

A hulking shadow emerged, then stepped fully into the dim light. Black fur bristled along its spine, matted with dirt and leaves. Its four muscular limbs moved with a predator's grace, and crimson eyes glowed like coals in the gloom.

Its long snout dripped with saliva, each drop hissing faintly as it touched the cold ground. A low, rumbling snarl escaped its throat, revealing jagged, yellowed teeth that looked strong enough to crush bone with ease.

Edwin's breath tightened. "Savage beast… Ironfang Wolf," he muttered, his voice low. "And a big one…"

Before anyone could respond, the mist shifted.

Two more pairs of red eyes appeared in the darkness. Then a third. Then a fourth.

"…Four of them," Mira whispered, her voice trembling as the fog seemed to close around them.

Her grip on her staff tightened, and the faint glow of fire at its tip flickered like her fear.

"How did you know it's an Ironfang Wolf?" one of the newer students blurted out in a shaky whisper, panic rising in his voice.

Edwin's eyes stayed on the wolves. "I fought them two years ago during my lower school training. I know their gait, their eyes… and that stench of wet fur and blood."

"Oh…" the student mumbled, his voice shrinking.

(Two years ago, fighting a Savage-rank beast? If it were me back then, I wouldn't have even dared to face a Feral-rank—the lowest-ranked beast.)

"Four Ironfangs.", slicing through their fear like a blade. "Perfect."

He turned his head slightly, his commands crisp and clear:

"Tank, hold the line. Archer, stay with him."

"Mira, flank left—cut them off if they split."

"Mages, prep your spells! Frost first to slow, then fire to burn!"

"Alina, barrier first. Healing only if someone drops—don't waste mana."

Everyone moved as drilled, boots sinking into the damp forest floor, breaths shallow and tense.

The wolves began to spread out, their crimson eyes glinting with hunger. Mist curled around their dark fur as if the forest itself wanted to hide their approach.