Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

\'It seems to be focusing on them...\'

"Now\'s our chance," Adrian said after a few moments, his voice low as he motioned for the group to move toward the Luminous Root.

With Ardel leading the way, they dashed towards the clearing where the plant stood, keeping a watchful eye on the Thunderfly King and its minions.

As they approached the Luminous Root, they could feel the energy emanating from it, pulsing with an otherworldly glow. Adrian reached out, his hand hovering over the plant, when suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot past him, narrowly missing his shoulder.

"Watch out!" Aria shouted, her earth magic creating a protective barrier around them just in time.

Adrian glanced back to see the Thunderfly King looming over them, its eyes crackling with electricity as it prepared to strike again.

"Tch." Adrian clicked his tongue, annoyed they had been discovered. Though he anticipated it, it was too soon.

"Look! There was already someone before us!"

"It\'s Adrian and his group!"

"Quick, let\'s steal the treasure now they have been targeted by the Thunderfly King."

\'Damn, I was too hasty.\' Adrian muttered inwardly while thinking about what to do.

Despite the chaos and the Thunderfly King\'s aggressive presence, Adrian remained calm and composed. He knew they had to act quickly if they wanted to secure the Luminous Root before it was too late.

"You guys get the treasure," Adrian called out to his team, his voice firm and commanding. "I will keep this big one myself."

Though worried, they nodded and quickly started focusing on the Luminous Root again.

"Bzzz-! Bzzz-!"

Seeing his teammates going for the treasure again, the Thunderfly King tried to stop them. with its incredible speed, he flew past Adrian.

"No, you don\'t." However, just as it thought it got passed him, Adrian appeared in front of the king, with a cold smile on his face.

The monster was stunned for a moment, but it quickly tried the same thing once again, thinking the human before him was lucky.

"Clang-!"

But, it met a sword slashing directly at its head as soon as it moved.

"Surprised?" Adrian chuckled coldly as the Thunderfly King was thrown back by the impact of the attack.

The Thunderfly King let out a deafening screech as it staggered backward from Adrian\'s unexpected attack. Its antennae crackled with electricity as it prepared to retaliate, but Adrian was already on the offensive.

With a swift motion, Adrian lunged forward, his sword slashing through the air with precision. The Thunderfly King tried to dodge, but Adrian\'s blade grazed its side, leaving a deep gash in its thick exoskeleton.

The monster let out another screech of pain and fury, its attention fully focused on Adrian now. It lunged forward, its massive claws aiming to crush him, but Adrian was ready. With a well-timed sidestep, he avoided the attack and countered with a series of quick strikes to the Thunderfly King\'s vulnerable spots.

Meanwhile, Ardel, Aria, Lila, and Kairen continued to focus on retrieving the Luminous Root, their hands glowing with magic as they worked to free the plant from the earth. Kairen and Aria focused on fending off the incoming Thunderflies, while Lila and Ardel tried their all to get the root.

"Damn this root!" Lila let out a frustrated voice.

With each passing moment, the plant seemed to resist their efforts, its roots firmly embedded in the soil.

"We have to hurry," Ardel grunted, his muscles straining as he exerted more force. "The others are getting closer!"

The other few students were closing in while fighting other swarms of Thunderflies.

"I\'m trying!" Lila replied, her brow furrowed in concentration as she focused her fire magic on the stubborn roots. "But it\'s not budging!"

"Let\'s switch." Kairen who saw the situation spoke to Lila.

"S-Switch? O-Ok." Lila was stunned but quickly nodded her head while thinking he must have offered help.

The two quickly switched places.

"Hey, Ardel. Can you try one more time?" Kairen said looking at Ardel. "But use your ability and connection to nature before you do it."

"T-This..." Ardel wanted to say he couldn\'t use it here, but looking back, he saw two girls protecting them, Adrian fighting with the monstrous Thunderfly King relentlessly. "O-Ok. I will do my best."

"Good, I will help you as I can." Kairen nodded.

Ardel tried to activate his ability, but it didn\'t work. \'Just why? Is it because there are no animals or plants-?\'

\'Wait, there is one!\'

Ardel\'s eyes brightened as he refocused on the treasure.

\'Let\'s try one more time, but put all the focus on the root...\'

With renewed determination, Ardel closed his eyes and focused all his energy on the Luminous Root. He reached out with his senses, seeking a connection to the plant and the surrounding environment.

As he did, he felt a faint pulse of energy, like a whisper from the earth itself. With a deep breath, Ardel tapped into that energy, channeling it through his body and into the stubborn roots of the Luminous Root.

At first, there was no visible change, but then, slowly, the earth around the plant began to tremble. The roots loosened their grip on the soil, and with a final surge of effort, Ardel and Kairen were able to pull the Luminous Root free from its earthen prison.

"We got it!" Ardel exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Finally," Kairen breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his brow.

As just they were about to turn back, a figure suddenly launched from the nearby shadow. "Give the treasure to me!"

Both guys were caught off guard and the figure managed to take away the root from them using the opportunity.

"Haha, I got the treasure!" The figure laughed while starting to run toward one of the exits.

"Argh-!"

But he was suddenly struck with a lightning bolt cast by one of the students. The figure collapsed to the ground, the root flew off his hands and landed with a soft thud on the ground.

"Look! It\'s the treasure!"

"I will get it!"

"No, it\'s mine!"

The students rushed forward, their eyes fixed on the precious Luminous Root lying before them. They even forgot their morals in the face of their greed.

Totally ignoring the monsters and other students, each of them ran to the treasure.

As the students rushed forward, their desperation to claim the Luminous Root intensified. They pushed and shoved each other, completely disregarding the chaos unfolding around them.

Adrian and the Thunderfly King\'s attention was drawn to the side. Adrian watched with a mix of frustration and amusement as the scene unfolded. He knew that the real challenge wasn\'t defeating the Thunderfly King or retrieving the treasure, but resisting the temptation to let greed consume them.

"Swoosh-!"

The Thundefly King quickly started flying toward the treasure, while throwing lightning bolts on its way to the students. It completely ignored Adrian and their fight. After all, as long as it got the treasure and got out here safely and consumed it, it could reach its wish - evolve and advance!

It knew once it consumed the treasure, its rank would advance from an Elemental Monster to a Peak Elemental one. Not to mention the feeling of evolving into a stronger version of its race.

It would become a True King.

_____ __ _

"I-I lost it..." Ardel mumbled in depression as he watched the root being taken away by him and now being the cause of this huge commotion.

"..." Kairen\'s expression wasn\'t good either. He could\'ve sensed it, but...

"Stand up you two." Just then, they heard a voice. It was Aria. "We will get it back."

"Or are you just going to let it be taken away?" She asked her gaze cold.

"!" The two\'s eyes widened at her words.

They clenched their fists. "Let\'s get it back!"

"Good, follow me."

____ ___ _

Meanwhile, Adrian silently watched as the Thunderfly King left to get the treasure. But only a smile appeared on his face. He glanced around to see if anybody was watching him.

After making sure, he took out the invisibility cloak he used back then and donned it over. His figure soon became transparent.

"You want to steal from me?" He chuckled. "Let\'s see if you can do it."

As Adrian donned the invisibility cloak, he disappeared from view, his presence masked from those around him. With a silent determination, he followed the Thunderfly King as it made its way toward the chaos surrounding the Luminous Root.

____ __ __

[A/N: Here is the chapter. Sorry for the inconvenience.]