The Useless Extra Knows It All....But Does He?

Chapter 462: Chapter 461 - After the Ordeal!

The atmosphere surrounding the ruined sanctuary gradually settled into something far calmer than it had been for hours.

The overwhelming pressure that had threatened to crush their souls had vanished completely. The corruption that had flooded the battlefield like an endless tide continued fading into nothingness, leaving behind only the scars of its existence. Broken pillars lay scattered across the shattered ruins, ancient walls had been reduced to rubble, and enormous cracks stretched across the sanctuary floor like wounds carved into history itself.

Yet despite the destruction surrounding them—

Everyone was alive.

That simple fact alone felt almost miraculous.

The members of the Hero Research Club remained gathered near the edge of the sanctuary while academy personnel who had arrived with the Vice Dean began examining the ruins and securing the area. Several professors moved through the battlefield, checking students for injuries while documenting the state of the ancient prison beneath the mountain.

For the first time since entering the ruins—

The students had nothing to do.

And because of that, the exhaustion finally caught up to them.

Eric sat on a broken section of stone with his arms hanging limply over his knees while staring blankly at the ceiling.

After nearly a minute of silence, he finally spoke.

"...I think this officially counts as the worst club activity in history."

Luca laughed.

Not because the joke was particularly clever.

But because hearing something so ordinary after everything that had happened felt strangely comforting.

"Only now you’re realizing that?"

Eric looked at him with a deadpan expression.

"Brother, we accidentally awakened an ancient prison, fought corrupted monsters, nearly got buried alive, watched reality crack open, met beings older than civilization itself, and then got rescued by the Vice Dean."

He paused.

Then pointed dramatically toward the sealed abyss.

"I signed up for historical research."

Luca nodded thoughtfully.

"That is a fair complaint."

Nearby, John immediately protested.

"Research inherently involves risk."

"Not this much risk."

"How would I know there was an ancient apocalypse hidden underneath?"

"You are literally the president of a Hero Research Club."

"I am the vice president."

"That’s somehow worse."

Several nearby students laughed.

Even some of the seniors.

The tension that had gripped everyone for hours finally began loosening.

John opened his mouth to defend himself further before a second-year senior wearing glasses sighed deeply.

"Please stop encouraging him."

"I wasn’t encouraging him."

"You laughed."

"It was funny."

"It was not."

"It absolutely was."

The argument continued while several club members joined in, and for perhaps the first time since the disaster began, the atmosphere felt genuinely normal.

Luca found himself smiling.

Not because of the conversation itself.

But because everyone was still here.

The thought lingered quietly in the back of his mind.

During the battle, there had been several moments when he genuinely thought some of them would die.

Sylthara.

Lilliane.

Eric.

The seniors.

Even Adrian.

Yet somehow they had all survived.

His gaze drifted toward Sylthara.

The dark elf sat quietly nearby while Lilliane remained beside her, continuing to monitor the remnants of corruption that still lingered faintly within her mana circuits.

Compared to earlier, Sylthara looked significantly better.

The pale complexion caused by the corruption had mostly disappeared, though exhaustion remained visible beneath her calm expression.

When she noticed Luca looking toward her, she raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

Luca smiled faintly.

"Nothing."

Her eyes narrowed immediately.

"It is never nothing when you say it like that."

Luca chuckled.

"I was just making sure you are alright."

For a moment, Sylthara looked genuinely surprised.

Then her expression softened slightly.

"I am."

Her gaze shifted briefly toward Lilliane.

"Thanks to her."

Lilliane immediately shook her head.

"I only helped a little."

"You purified corruption that even academy professors would consider dangerous."

Sylthara’s voice remained calm.

"That is not a little."

Lilliane visibly struggled with the compliment.

Her face reddened faintly while she stared toward the ground.

Luca couldn’t help laughing softly.

Some things really never changed.

Even after surviving a catastrophe capable of shaking mountains, Lilliane remained hopeless when receiving praise.

Meanwhile, Adrian stood nearby speaking with several professors who had arrived alongside the Vice Dean.

Unlike the students, the fourth-year appeared to already be discussing reports, containment measures, and the future security of the site.

Luca almost felt bad for him.

Almost.

Then again, Adrian was probably the only student present capable of having that conversation in the first place.

As the group rested, the conversations gradually shifted away from the disaster itself.

People began talking about the journey.

The club.

The academy.

Anything except the abyss.

Anything except the crimson eyes.

Anything except the questions that still lingered unanswered.

Because everyone understood the same thing.

Those questions would not be answered today.

And perhaps that was for the best.

After everything they had experienced, nobody had the energy left to unravel ancient mysteries.

They simply wanted to go home.

As the afternoon sun gradually shifted overhead and warm golden light filtered through the shattered remains of the sanctuary, Luca found himself sitting quietly atop a broken section of stone while listening to the others speak around him.

For the first time in hours—

He allowed himself to relax.

The laughter.

The complaints.

The conversations.

The simple presence of his friends.

All of it felt strangely precious now.

Because after standing before the abyss itself—

Ordinary moments suddenly seemed far more valuable than before.

And as Luca looked around at the exhausted yet smiling faces surrounding him, he realized something.

Regardless of the mysteries left behind.

Regardless of the ancient beings.

Regardless of the questions still haunting his thoughts.

One thing had become certain.

This expedition would become a memory none of them would ever forget.

The atmosphere around the ruined sanctuary continued growing lighter as time passed.

The tension that had dominated the battlefield gradually gave way to exhaustion, relief, and the quiet satisfaction of having survived something that none of them would ever be able to properly explain to anyone else.

The academy staff had fully secured the area by now.

Several professors moved throughout the ruins documenting ancient inscriptions and examining the damaged seals while teams of mages established containment barriers around the abyss. The Vice Dean had disappeared some time ago after exchanging a few words with the senior faculty members, leaving behind only more questions than answers.

Not that anyone expected answers anymore.

At least not today.

Eventually, one of the professors approached their group and informed them that transportation back to the academy was being prepared.

The announcement was met with almost unanimous relief.

John was perhaps the only exception.

The vice president of the Hero Research Club looked heartbroken as he stared toward the ruins.

"But there are still so many things to investigate..."

The second-year senior wearing glasses immediately grabbed him by the collar.

"You nearly got all of us killed."

"But think about the historical value—"

"No."

"The academic significance—"

"No."

"The unprecedented discovery—"

"No."

John looked genuinely wounded.

Luca couldn’t help laughing.

Even Adrian looked mildly amused this time.

Eventually the group began making preparations to leave.

The injured students were assisted first while several professors provided healing magic and stamina restoration. Although nobody had suffered life-threatening injuries, nearly everyone looked exhausted enough to collapse the moment they reached a proper bed.

The afternoon sun hung low in the sky by the time they finally departed.

Luca’s Kunpeng once again carried a portion of the students while several academy flight beasts transported the others.

Compared to the excited journey toward the ruins that morning, the return trip could not have been more different.

Nobody had enough energy left for excitement.

The moment the Kunpeng rose into the sky, Eric immediately lay flat on his back and closed his eyes.

"I am officially retiring from club activities."

"You said that after the haunted mansion incident."

"I meant it that time too."

"You came back next week."

"That is because nobody told me there would be ancient eldritch nightmares involved this time."

Luca laughed.

"So if there weren’t ancient eldritch nightmares, you would still come?"

Eric opened one eye.

"...Unfortunately, yes."

The answer immediately earned laughter from everyone nearby.

Even Lilliane smiled faintly.

The Kunpeng soared peacefully above the forests below while golden sunlight stretched across the distant horizon.

For a while, nobody spoke.

The silence felt comfortable.

Not awkward.

Not heavy.

Simply the silence of people who had experienced too much in a single day.

Luca leaned back against the creature’s feathers and allowed the cool wind to brush against his face.

Below them, forests stretched endlessly toward the horizon.

Mountains rose in the distance.

Rivers shimmered beneath the evening light.

The world looked peaceful.

Ordinary.

It felt difficult to believe that only hours earlier they had stood before an awakening calamity hidden beneath one of those mountains.

His gaze drifted toward Sylthara.

The dark elf sat quietly nearby while staring toward the distant landscape.

Unlike before, she looked far more relaxed now.

When she noticed Luca looking at her, she tilted her head slightly.

"What is it this time?"

Luca chuckled.

"You keep saying that."

"Because you keep staring."

"Fair."

A faint smile appeared on her face.

Small.

But genuine.

Then her gaze shifted toward the horizon once more.

"The world is larger than I thought."

The sudden comment surprised Luca.

For a moment, neither Lilliane nor Eric interrupted.

The words seemed to carry more meaning than they appeared to.

Sylthara continued quietly.

"When I was young, everything felt contained within the forest."

The wind gently moved strands of silver hair across her face.

"The clans."

"The sacred trees."

"The elders."

"The traditions."

She paused briefly.

"That felt like the entire world."

Luca listened silently.

"But now..." she continued softly, "every week seems to reveal something new."

Her gaze drifted downward.

Toward the distant mountains below.

"Ancient ruins."

"Forgotten histories."

"People stronger than I ever imagined."

"And things..." she paused briefly, "...that should probably remain forgotten."

Eric immediately pointed toward her.

"See? She gets it."

That earned another round of laughter.

Even Sylthara looked amused.

The atmosphere continued growing lighter.

Warmer.

Comfortable.

As the academy gradually appeared on the distant horizon, Luca found himself watching the

familiar silhouette of Arcadia Academy grow larger and larger.

The towering spires.

The academy walls.

The training grounds.

The dormitories.

Home.

The realization felt strangely comforting.

Because despite everything that had happened—

Despite the mysteries.

Despite the abyss.

Despite the questions still lingering in his mind—

Some things remained unchanged.

Tomorrow there would be lectures.

Training.

Friends.

Club meetings.

Ordinary life.

And perhaps that normalcy was exactly what all of them needed right now.

As the evening sun bathed the academy in golden light and the Kunpeng descended toward the familiar grounds below, Luca allowed himself to simply enjoy the moment.

No prophecies.

No ancient beings.

No hidden mysteries.

Just the quiet return home after surviving a day that would undoubtedly become one of the most unforgettable memories of their lives.