Is It Wrong for an Extra to Steal the Protagonist's Harem?-Chapter 48: Jackpot

The carriage jolted to a halt.

We stepped out. The Whispering Forest loomed before us. It wasn’t a normal forest. The trees were massive, their bark grey and twisted like old muscle. The canopy was so thick that the sun was reduced to thin, piercing beams of light.

And the sound.

Sssshhhh...

The leaves rustled constantly, creating a sound like thousands of people whispering secrets. It was psychological warfare.

Professor Cassandra stood at the entrance, checking her watch.

"Group 11. Your designated zone is Sector 4. Objective: Retrieve the Core of a Moss Golem or defeat 10 Goblin Warriors. You have 48 hours."

She handed me a magical flare gun.

"If you’re dying, fire this. We’ll come save you... eventually. But you’ll fail automatically."

"Understood," I nodded.

"Good luck," she whispered, her eyes lingering on me. "Don’t disappoint me, Alex. I have thirty retests riding on your success."

We entered the treeline.

The transition was instant. One moment, we were in civilization. The next, we were in a humid, green hell. The ground was soft and mossy, absorbing our footsteps.

"Formation," I ordered. "I’m on point. Martin, watch the left flank. Emily, right flank and rear."

"Why do I have to listen to you?" Martin grumbled, though he fell into line.

"Because I have the map in my head," I lied. I actually had the game wiki in my head.

We walked for twenty minutes. The tension was palpable. Every snapping twig made Martin jump.

"It’s too quiet," Emily noted, her staff glowing with a faint blue light. "There should be birds."

"The spiders ate them," I replied casually.

"Spiders?!" Martin yelped.

Skitter. Skitter.

As if on cue, a sound came from the canopy above.

"Stop," I commanded, raising my hand.

I closed my eyes. I felt it. A disturbance in the ambient mana. A web of intent.

"Above us," I whispered. "Three targets. Eleven o’clock."

"I don’t see anything," Martin squinted.

"Martin, cast [Gust] at the branch above your head. Now."

"What? Why?"

"Do it!"

Martin panicked and fired a blast of wind.

WHOOSH.

The leaves parted.

SCREEE!

A massive, hairy shape dropped from the darkness. A Forest Ambush Spider, the size of a large dog, landed right where Martin had been standing a second ago. Its mandibles dripped with green venom.

"GYAAAH!" Martin screamed, falling on his ass.

Two more dropped behind us.

"Ambush!" Emily shouted.

She didn’t hesitate. She slammed her staff into the ground.

[Ice Field.]

The ground around us flash-froze. The spider nearest to her tried to jump, but its legs slipped on the sudden ice.

CRACK.

An icicle erupted from the ground, impaling it through the thorax. One down.

The one near Martin recovered. It hissed, rearing up to pounce on the terrified boy.

"Help! Help me!" Martin wailed, scrambling backward in the mud.

I moved.

I didn’t use magic. I didn’t have enough MP to waste on trash mobs.

I used physics. And my new Strength: 7.

I sprinted, my boots crunching on the ice. I slid the last few meters, baseball-sliding under the spider’s raised legs.

As I slid past, I slashed upward with my obsidian sword.

SHING.

The blade was incredibly sharp. It sliced through the soft underbelly of the spider like a zipper.

Green blood sprayed over me.

"Gross," I muttered, rolling to my feet.

The spider convulsed and collapsed, curling into a death ball.

"Two down," I called out. "Where’s the third?"

"Above!" Emily warned.

The third spider wasn’t attacking. It was shooting.

Thwip!

A stream of sticky white webbing shot toward me.

I couldn’t dodge. I was still recovering from the roll.

"Shit."

But the web didn’t hit me.

A wall of ice materialized in front of me. The web splattered harmlessly against it.

I looked back. Emily stood there, her hand extended, her blue eyes glowing.

"Pay attention, leader," she said coolly.

I grinned.

"Thanks."

I grabbed the Smoke Bomb from my belt.

"Cover your nose!"

I threw it at the spider in the tree.

POOF.

A cloud of acrid, grey smoke enveloped the branch. Spiders breathe through their skin. Smoke suffocates them instantly.

Thud.

The third spider fell out of the tree, writhing and choking.

I walked over and finished it with a clean stab to the head.

[Combat End.] [XP Gained: 150]

I wiped the green blood from my cheek.

"Clear," I announced.

Martin was still on the ground, hyperventilating. Emily lowered her staff, the ice wall dissolving into mist.

She looked at me. For the first time, there was no disdain in her eyes. Just calculation.

"You knew," she stated. "You knew exactly where they were."

"I have good ears," I shrugged.

"No," she stepped closer, ignoring Martin’s whimpers. "You ordered Martin to fire before the spider even moved. That’s not hearing. That’s precognition."

She stared at me, her gaze piercing.

"Who are you, really, Alex?"

I smiled, sheathing my sword.

"Just a guy who reads a lot of books, Emily. Now, let’s get moving. The smell of spider blood will attract the Goblins."

I offered a hand to Martin, who looked at me like I was a monster.

"Up, hero. We have a long walk ahead."

As we started walking again, I noticed Emily staying a little closer to me than before. Her guard was still up, but the distance had closed.

[System Notification: Emily Frost Interest Level: 20/100 (Intrigued)]

’Step one complete,’ I thought. ’Now for the camping trip.’

****

Night fell quickly in the forest. The "whispering" grew louder, turning into a constant, unnerving hiss.

We set up camp in a small clearing protected by natural rock formations.

"I’ll take first watch," I volunteered.

"No," Emily said, sitting on a log. "You took point all day. Your stamina is low. I’ll take first watch. You sleep."

"I can’t sleep with that noise," Martin complained, huddled in his sleeping bag. "It sounds like people... talking."

"It’s the wind through the hollow bark," I explained, stirring the pot of instant stew over the magical campfire (smokeless, obviously). "Or it’s the ghosts of students who failed last year. Take your pick."

Martin paled and pulled the sleeping bag over his head.

I sat down next to Emily. She didn’t move away.

"You handled yourself well back there," I said softly, handing her a bowl of stew.

"It was basic combat," she replied, taking the bowl. Her fingers brushed mine. They were cold. "But you... you fight like a mercenary. No wasted movement. Brutal efficiency."

"Is that a compliment?"

"It’s an observation. Nobles usually duel. You... kill."

She took a sip of the stew.

"It’s decent," she admitted. "Did your maid teach you?"

"Something like that," I chuckled, thinking of Lily. "She taught me a lot of things."

"I bet," Emily muttered, looking into the fire. "I’ve heard rumors about you, Alex. That you’re a debauched playboy who spends his nights in the red-light district."

"Rumors are fun," I leaned back, looking at the stars through the canopy. "But let me ask you something, Emily. Why do you use a staff?"

"What?" She looked confused. "Because it amplifies mana."

"True. But it slows you down. Your casting speed is instant. You don’t need the amplifier. It’s a crutch."

I looked at her.

"You’re afraid of losing control, aren’t you? The staff acts as a limiter. You’re holding back because you think your ice will hurt your allies."

Emily froze. Her eyes widened.

"How... how did you..."

"I told you," I tapped my temple. "I read a lot."

In the game, Emily’s personal arc revolved around her fear of her own overwhelming power. Her mother, the Tower Mistress, had drilled it into her that "control is everything," making her rigid and cold.

"Drop the staff," I challenged softly. "Trust your own flow. You’ll be twice as fast."

Emily stared at me. The firelight danced in her eyes, melting the ice for a brief second.

"You’re a strange man, Alex Edelhart."

"I get that a lot."

Just then, a rustle came from the bushes.

"Shh."

I signaled for silence.

Martin was snoring loudly.

"Goblins?" Emily whispered, reaching for her staff—then pausing, and lowering her hand.

"Maybe," I whispered back. "Or something bigger."

I stood up slowly.

"Stay here. I’ll check it out."

"I’m coming with you," she insisted.

"No. Martin is defenseless. If it’s a diversion, he’s dead. Guard the simp."

Emily hesitated, then nodded. "Be careful."

I slipped into the darkness.

I moved silently, following the noise. I activated [Stealth]—well, the amateur version of simply being quiet.

I pushed through a dense thicket of ferns.

And then I saw it. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

It wasn’t a goblin. It wasn’t a monster.

It was a Hot Spring.

A natural, glowing blue pool of water, hidden in a grotto. Steam rose from the surface.

"Jackpot," I whispered.

In the game, this was a hidden location in Sector 4. The ’Mana Spring’. Bathing in it restored MP and cured fatigue instantly.

But that wasn’t the only thing I found.

Someone was already there.

A girl.