The Extra Who Inherited Ragnarok

The bells had stopped.

By morning, Hildgard had already begun pretending nothing had happened.

The streets were crowded again. Merchants opened their stalls beneath the strange three-moon sky, academy students wandered through the market districts, and the cafés surrounding the central plaza were filled with conversations about the tournament.

Only a few people were still talking about the sound that had shaken the city the previous night.

"Probably some ancient mechanism," a merchant said.

"Could’ve been the tournament barrier."

"Maybe the mana grid overloaded."

Everyone had a theory.

Nobody had an answer.

At a table outside a small café, Jordan rested his chin against his palm while watching several academy students pass by.

"So that’s it?"

Across from him, another student looked up from his drink.

"What?"

"The bells."

Jordan gestured toward the city.

"Yesterday everyone thought Hildgard was about to collapse. Today we’re discussing breakfast."

The other student laughed.

"That’s Hildgard. Something strange happens every week."

Jordan wasn’t convinced.

He glanced toward the distant towers.

There had been something different about the sound.

He couldn’t explain it.

The bell hadn’t sounded like an alarm.

It had sounded like something answering.

Jordan shook the thought away.

"We’re supposed to leave in three days, right?"

"That’s what they told us."

"Assuming the transport problem gets fixed."

A groan came from across the table.

"Don’t remind me."

Their academy wasn’t the only one delayed. Nearly every participating academy had received the same announcement.

Departure postponed.

The reason was supposedly mechanical.

A problem with the transportation platforms used to move the academies’ students and equipment out of Hildgard.

Simple.

Annoying.

Nothing more.

Or at least, that was what everyone believed.

Across the city, the atmosphere inside another academy’s temporary headquarters was considerably less relaxed.

Joseph stood near a window, looking down at the streets.

The tournament had ended days ago, yet the city still carried its scars.

Broken sections of pavement were being repaired. Damaged barriers were being replaced. Shops were reopening after the crowds and battles had disrupted business.

Behind him, several students argued about the tournament.

Who had performed best.

Which academy had embarrassed itself.

Who would rise in the rankings after returning home.

Joseph barely listened.

His attention remained fixed on the distant center of Hildgard.

"You’re still thinking about last night?"

The voice came from behind him.

Joseph turned.

Jordan stood in the doorway.

Joseph gave him a tired look.

"Everyone is."

"Not like you."

Jordan stepped inside.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Joseph finally looked back through the window.

"I don’t think it was random."

Jordan’s expression became serious.

"You mean the bells?"

"The bells. The mana disturbance. All of it."

"You think someone caused it?"

Joseph didn’t answer immediately.

"I don’t know."

That answer seemed to bother Jordan more than anything else.

Because Joseph usually had an answer.

Outside, the streets continued moving.

People laughed.

Merchants shouted.

Academy uniforms filled the roads.

Hildgard looked perfectly normal.

Yet somewhere beneath that normality, something had changed.

Neither of them knew what.

Neither knew that the disturbance had already passed through the city for a reason.

And neither knew that someone had been preparing for that moment long before they arrived.

At Valhalla Academy’s residence, Noah sat alone beside his window.

His friends were outside.

He could hear Eric arguing with Damien about food.

Sophia was laughing at something Luna had said.

The sound was ordinary.

Comforting.

Noah should have felt the same.

Instead, he stared at his reflection in the glass.

For a fraction of a second, his eyes looked darker.

A notification appeared.

[Ragnarok Dead Zone Resonance: 6.2%]

Noah’s expression tightened.

"Still there."

A familiar voice answered from somewhere inside his mind.

"You knew I would be."

Noah closed his eyes.

The room disappeared.

For an instant, he stood somewhere dark.

And across that darkness stood the other version of himself.

Dead Zone smiled.

"They’re enjoying their peace."

Noah stared at him.

"Let them."

Dead Zone’s smile widened.

"For now."

The darkness vanished.

Noah opened his eyes.

Outside, Hildgard continued pretending everything was normal.

For the moment, Noah decided to do the same.

The tournament was over.

At least, that was what everyone kept saying.

Yet Hildgard still felt like an academy campus that had forgotten to empty itself.

Students from different academies occupied nearly every corner of the city. Some were shopping for souvenirs. Others were training in public courtyards, comparing injuries, or arguing about matches that had already ended.

The delayed departure had created an unexpected problem.

Everyone had too much free time.

And academy students with too much free time were rarely peaceful.

"Again!"

A wooden sword slammed against another.

Jordan stepped backward, boots scraping across the training ground.

His opponent charged.

Jordan blocked high, twisted his wrist, and knocked the weapon aside before tapping the wooden blade against the student’s shoulder.

"Point."

The surrounding students groaned.

Jordan lowered the sword.

"You guys are still salty about the tournament?"

"Absolutely."

A student rubbed his shoulder.

"You beat me twice."

"Three times."

"That makes it worse."

Laughter spread through the group.

Jordan smiled.

For the first time since the tournament, things actually felt normal.

No strange bells.

No sudden mana fluctuations.

No enormous pressure hanging over the city.

Just students being students.

But when Jordan looked toward the northern section of Hildgard, his smile faded slightly.

That strange feeling from the night before hadn’t completely disappeared.

He could still remember it.

The moment the bell rang, the air had seemed to become heavier.

As though the city itself had taken a breath.

"Jordan."

He turned.

Joseph was standing near the edge of the training ground.

"You coming?"

"Where?"

"Market."

Jordan looked at the sword in his hand.

"You’re paying?"

Joseph laughed.

"Absolutely not."

"Worth asking."

They left the training ground together.

Elsewhere, the students of another academy were having a very different conversation.

Several competitors sat around a long table, comparing notes from the tournament.

One student dropped a stack of papers onto the table.

"The rankings are still being reviewed."

"Why?"

"Because several matches caused abnormal mana readings."

"Again with the abnormal mana."

Someone groaned.

"It happened during the tournament too."

"Exactly. Hildgard’s barriers probably took damage."

The explanation seemed reasonable enough.

Everyone accepted it.

Almost everyone.

At the far end of the room, a girl quietly folded her arms.

She hadn’t spoken once.

Her eyes remained fixed on the window.

Something about Hildgard bothered her.

Not because of the tournament.

Because of someone who hadn’t been seen since yesterday.

Her brother.

She had expected him to appear eventually.

He hadn’t.

She checked her communication crystal.

No response.

She tried again.

Nothing.

Her expression hardened.

Where are you, Alcris?

Back at Valhalla Academy’s residence, Eric burst through the door carrying several bags.

"I found food!"

Damien followed behind him.

"You bought enough for six people."

"Exactly."

Sophia stared at the bags.

"There are five of us."

Eric froze.

He looked around.

"Where’s Noah?"

Everyone went quiet.

Luna glanced toward the hallway.

"He was here earlier."

Laura frowned.

"He said he wanted some time alone."

Eric sighed.

"Again?"

Damien folded his arms.

"He’s been doing that a lot."

Sophia’s expression softened.

"Something is bothering him."

Laura looked toward the window.

She knew that was true.

She just didn’t know what was happening inside him.

And somehow, that frightened her more than she wanted to admit.

Outside, the city bells remained silent.

For now.

Far beneath Hildgard’s streets, however, something old shifted inside the darkness.

A faint pulse traveled through stone.

Once.

Twice.

And stopped.

No one noticed.

Not yet.